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CLAIM FOR PRIORITY
This application claims priority to International Application No. PCT/DE00/00171 which was published in the German language on Aug. 3, 2000.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a one-component epoxy resin adhesive, and in particular, to a one-component epoxy resin adhesive which is elasticated with silicone rubber and whose open joint time can be adapted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In many sectors of industry, workpieces are already fastened or joined exclusively by adhesive bonding. This is typically at the expense of conventional fastening techniques such as welding, soldering, threaded union, or the like. The continually growing fields of use demand adhesives which in turn are required to satisfy a wide variety of requirements.
DE 195 38 468 A1 discloses a one-component adhesive with a favorable profile of properties. However, its highly reactive UV initiator does not allow an industrially practical open joint time, and its lack of elasticating particles also renders it unsuitable for extensive (i.e., large surface area) bonds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a one-component epoxy resin adhesive which is elasticated with silicone rubber and whose open joint time can be adapted to whichever production process it is used in via the nature and concentration of the photoinitiator and/or the duration and/or intensity of UV activation. This adhesive is preferentially suitable for automated adhesive bonding processes and may also be used with advantage for adherents of large surface area having opposite thermal expansion coefficients. It is suitable, for example, for adhesive bonds of permanent magnet materials, such as in the assembly of permanent magnets on metal pole plates and/or solid steel poles in machines with permanent-magnet excitation.
The invention provides an adhesive and a method of adhesive bonding which can be used to realize industrially practical open joint times and extensive bonds.
Furthermore, the use of adhesives which form an elastic adhesive bond is on the increase, especially when the bonded union produced is to be thermally stable over a wide temperature range, since on heat-induced expansion or shrinkage of the workpieces the adhesive bond ought to compensate differences in length by virtue of its elasticity.
The invention provides a one-component adhesive comprising:
A) 5-90% by weight of a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin component,
B) 10-94% by weight of an epoxy-functional silicone rubber,
C) 0.05-5% by weight of a ferrocene-based UV initiator,
D) 0.1-5% by weight of a thermal initiator,
E) 0.05-1.5% by weight of an adhesion promoter,
F) 0.1-10% by weight of a highly disperse silica,
G) 0-3% by weight of spacers, and
H) 0-70% by weight of filler.
The invention further provides a method of two-dimensionally adhesively bonding two workpieces, which comprises:
applying a film of an adhesive to one of the two workpieces or to both workpieces,
setting a desired open joint time of the adhesive by duration-and intensity-specific UV irradiation and/or heat treatment and/or IR irradiation, for the purpose of positional fixing, and
joining the two workpieces,
thermally aftercuring the adhesive.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A defined open joint time ensuring secure positioning of the workpieces is made possible by the nature and concentration of the photoinitiator and by the choice of intensity and duration of UV activation.
After the workpieces have been joined, the adhesive, adapted to the manufacturing sequence, may be cured at room temperature until it becomes strong enough to handle, thereby enabling further processing of the resultant assembly without extra mounting-in an automated process, for example.
By briefly heating, such as infrared heating, the open joint time may also be significantly shortened and the handling strength increased as a result. Ultimate strength is then attained in downstream thermal curing.
The open joint time of such an adhesive is easily controlled in accordance with the specific requirement by the concentration of initiator in the adhesive, the duration and/or intensity of UV irradiation, and the temperature of the workpieces, adhesive film and/or surroundings.
The open joint times which can be set vary from a number of seconds to several hours.
Because of the incorporated elastomer particles, the adhesive and the method are also suitable for joining parts of large surface area, including for example solid workpieces having opposite thermal expansion coefficients.
The adhesive preferably comprises a ferrocene-salt-based UV initiator, which brings about an open joint time of between 30 s and 3 h depending on the concentration and on the duration and/or intensity of UV activation. Moreover, it preferably comprises the epoxy-functional silicone rubber in the form of particles, which result in surprisingly high elasticity of the adhesive bond.
For complete curing in circumstances where in some cases no UV light reaches the bond, or where the amount which does reach it is inadequate, such as in the case of thick films and/or shadow regions, for example, the adhesive comprises a thermal initiator.
Constituent A of the adhesive is a cycloaliphatic epoxy resin, e.g., a ring-epoxidized diepoxide such as the cycloaliphatic diglycidyl ether used in an amount of from 5 to 90% by weight, preferably from 5 to 50% by weight.
Component B is an epoxy-functional silicone rubber and is present in the adhesive in an amount of from 10 to 94% by weight, preferably 50-90% by weight, in particular 70-90% by weight. The epoxy-functional groups incorporate the silicone rubber chemically into the polymer matrix. This rules out separation of these particles, which have an average size of 0.1-3 μm.
Constituent C of the adhesive comprises a ferrocene-salt-based UV initiator which on UV exposure undergoes photolysis and in doing so releases acid cations which catalyze the epoxide polymerization. The reaction rate is dependent on its concentration and on the processing temperature employed. Preference is given to using cyclo-pentadienylisopropylbenzeneiron(II) hexafluorophosphate.
Constituent D of the adhesive is a thermal initiator based, for example, on a thiolanium salt, such as benzylthiolanium hexafluoroantimonate, and constituent E is a customary adhesion promoter, such as glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, for example.
The further constituents F, G, and H are a highly disperse silica, such as Aerosil, ceramic or glass beads in order to produce a defined joint gap, and common fillers, such as quartz flour, for example.
Accordingly, the adhesive is curable by the dual principle: the curing reaction is initiated by UV irradiation tailored in its intensity and duration to the desired open joint time. Ultimate strength, including especially in the regions hidden by shadow from the UV light, is achieved with a subsequent thermal curing process.
In one advantageous embodiment of the method, an adhesive bond is produced as follows: one or both of the work-pieces to be joined is or are provided with an adhesive film, preferably in a film thickness of between 10 and 500 μm. The adhesive film is exposed to UV light for from 1 to 60 s, depending on the open joint time required. At a UV initiator concentration of 0.5% by weight, an intensity of 40 mW/cm 2 , and an exposure period of from 30 to 60 s, the resulting open joint time (i.e., the period of time within which the adhesive remains liquid) is from 1 to 2 hours.
Within the open joint time, the adherends are joined and aligned in accordance with a template. After the open joint time has expired, the adhesive solidifies and, given the indicated exposure data, reaches practicable handling strength after 3 hours, with a shear strength of 2 N/mm 2 , which makes it possible to continue handling the assembly without using holding means. In order to give the bonded assembly the maximum strength, a thermal aftercure is performed.
Here, the thermal initiator that is present in the adhesive guarantees full and even curing of the bond site after 2 hours at 150° C.
Where more than two workpieces are to be bonded, further workpieces may be attached and fixed following the fixing of at least one bond site. There is no need for a fixing means for the workpieces which are applied first. Even in the case of bonds on sharply inclined, curved or even overhanging surfaces, fixing by UV irradiation is possible, and after an appropriate open joint time or after the bonded parts have attained a handling strength the relative position of the bonded workpieces remains unchanged even in the course of heating at the curing temperature. The fixing is sufficiently stable and positionally accurate even when additional forces act on the bonded or fixed workpieces. This case is observed, for example, with the adhesive bonding of magnets which, at short distances, exert forces of magnetic attraction and repulsion on one another.
Following thermal aftercuring, the adhesive, and/or the bond site produced with the method using the adhesive, exhibits an ultimate strength of >3.5 N/mm 2 , measured on a rare-earth permanent magnet material of large surface area, produced by powder metallurgy, namely “VACODYM”, in an adhesive bond with iron at 150° C. This level of strength is also maintained after storage at 150° C. for several weeks. An assembly thus produced is suitable for use in the temperature range from −40° C. to 180° C.
The adhesive is applied at room temperature by means of dispenser technology or knife-coating technology in a film thickness of 10-500 μm, preferably 70-150 μm, and with particular preference from 100 to 125 μm, on either one of the workpieces or both workpieces.
In order to set a defined joint gap it has proven advantageous to add spacers such as glass beads, for example. It is especially practical in this case to use glass beads having a diameter corresponding to the target size of the joint gap. For example, by adding glass and/or ceramic beads having a diameter of about 100-125 μm it is possible to produce an adhesive film thickness and a joint gap having this order of magnitude.
The glass and/or ceramic beads may be incorporated into the adhesive before it is applied to one of the workpieces or may be scattered onto the applied adhesive bed on the workpiece during the open joint time.
The amount of spacers in the adhesive is advantageously from 0.5 to 5% by weight. An amount of from 0.75 to 3, and in particular of about 1% by weight, based on the total adhesive mass, has been found particularly advantageous.
The adhesive bonding method is suitable for joining a large number of very different substrates. One field of use of the invention is, in particular, the adhesive bonding of a permanent magnet element to a ferromagnetic material, such as an iron pole, comprising a solid block or a layered stack of metal plates, in an electrical machine. High bond strength is also achieved, however, on glass, plastic, ceramic, and metal.
In the text below the adhesive is illustrated with reference to a working example (all components are, individually, available commercially):
A) 10.0 g of 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3,4-epoxycyclohexanecarboxylate
B) 87.5 g of silicone-elastomer-modified epoxy resin
C) 0.5 g of cyclopentadienylisopropylbenzeneiron(II) hexafluorophosphate
D) 1.5 g of S-benzylthiolanium hexafluoroantimonate
E) 0.5 g of glycidyloxypropyltrimethoxysilane
F) 0.5 g of highly disperse silica
G) 1.0 g of glass beads
H) 12 g of quartz flour
The adhesive bonding method of the invention has the advantage that joints can be implemented continuously without complicated holding means. The parameters for the open joint time, adjustable via the nature of the UV initiator, the concentration of the UV initiator, and the duration and/or intensity of UV activation, are to be chosen so that the setting of the handling strength fits into the desired manufacturing process and the further handling of the workpieces to be bonded can be carried out without additional mounts.
An advantage with the initiator system of the adhesive of the invention is that both the photoinitiator and the thermal initiator trigger a cationic polymerization; i.e., the curing of the adhesive produces a uniform, stress-free network. A further advantage is that thermal curing may be performed independently of the point in time after the UV activation. The ultimate strength obtained is always the same, irrespective of whether there is an open joint time of 1 minute or 3 hours or even a storage period of 3 days.
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The invention relates to a one-component epoxy resin adhesive which is elasticated with silicone rubber and whose open joint time is adaptable to whichever production process it is being used in by the concentration of UV initiator and/or the duration and/or intensity of UV activation and which is therefore particularly suitable for automatable manufacturing processes, since the workpieces after initial fixing require no additional mounts even during thermal aftercuring. This adhesive is preferentially suitable for the extensive adhesive bonding of permanent magnets, such as in the assembly of a permasyn motor, for example.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to a method and system for performing secured transactions for services provided at different locations and supported by an application server; more particularly, the present invention applies to transactions for booking and paying services when the customer uses a common wireless device and the retailer a simple computer.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] Business transactions such as payment transactions performed over wireless networks need to be secured. This implies identification of the device connecting for the transactions and of the device user, author of the transaction.
[0003] For wireless device identification, when a SMS message is sent, the phone number is identified and a server can associate the message with information already stored. The authentication may consist in validating that the phone number is a phone number corresponding to an existing and authorized user. This authentication validates the device itself but does not validate the user of the device. That is why an additional identification of the user is required to be entered by the user and sent for verification to the application servers.
[0004] Some sample solutions exist today for performing payment over wireless networks with the use of a wireless payment terminal using SMS messaging over a GSM like wireless network. In the International Applications under the PCT WO 9613814 published on May 9, 1996 and WO 9745814 published on Dec. 4, 1997, the user, through a dedicated wireless payment terminal, performs payment or balance information transactions towards a bank computing station. The identification is performed by the user at the time of transaction and the identification is confirmed (authenticated) by the network service provider or the computing station which confirms that the information transferred by SMS belongs to an authorized subscriber.
[0005] If the banks and some retailers may invest in dedicated payment terminals, there is a need also to provide on existing common customer and retailer equipment, a way to perform payments with secure identification. The common communication equipment owned by a customer is the mobile phone and the equipment owned by the retailer is an independent computer or, more frequently, a POS or POE thin user computer system such as a palm, pocket PC or similar. This later device at the retailer location has programming capabilities and uses wired or wireless communication to an application server which processes the usual retailer's transactions. The application server may itself communicate with other banking services for the retailer final banking operations.
[0006] It is in the business activity requiring a first step of booking a service such as taxi or restaurant reservation, that there is a need today to provide a secure method of booking and payment even when the customer and retailer have standard equipment. It would be of a great interest to provide security over the use of common communication and processing equipment such as a mobile phone for the customer and a standard thin user PC at the location of the retailer selling services to the customer.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method to perform secured transactions for booking and paying a service using standard wireless devices and computers.
[0008] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a solution easy to implement when the retailer providing the service uses an application server to support the transactions performed on its computer.
[0009] These object are achieved in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention wherein there is provided a method for booking and paying a retailer having a POS connected to a transaction server storing confidential user information including a retailer identification, a user code and a user wireless device phone number, said method comprising the steps of receiving at the transaction server, from the user wireless device an SMS containing a retailer identification, reading at the transaction server the phone number of the wireless device communicated by the carrier transporting the SMS, authentifying said phone number and retailer identification with the stored confidential user information and sending the user confidential information to the retailer POS, the user entering on the POS the user code and the POS reading and authentifying the user code with the user confidential information received from the transaction server, the retailer entering the payment information on the POS and sending it with user information to the transaction server.
[0010] The objects are also achieved in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention wherein there is provided a system for booking and paying a retailer in a secure way, said system comprising a user wireless device sending a digital message through a wireless network, said message containing identification for a retailer through a wireless network, a server receiving said digital message and authentifying the user phone number and retailer with user confidential data stored on said server and sending said user confidential data to said retailer POS, a POS receiving user confidential data and authentifying data entered on it by the user with said received user confidential data and sending user payment transaction data to said server.
[0011] The solution of the present invention particularly applies to retailers providing services with booking to customers; this is the case for restaurants, taxi cabs, shows and other events. As it is simple to implement because the customer may use his standard mobile phone and the retailer providing the service only require to have simple computer equipment wherein an application program is executed. As there is no need of specialized booking or payment dedicated terminal, this solution is accessible to small business and widely spread retailing sites of a town.
[0012] One other advantage of the solution is that it is independent from the payment system. Once transactions are collected by the system, retailers can choose to integrate the system with credit card system for customer billing, or direct bank account, or even by cash, on a monthly basis, if they prefer so.
[0013] One other advantage of the solution is that it is independent both from the GSM Mobile Operator and from the GSM equipment manufacturer. Any user with a basic, GSM-compatible terminal, and service contract with a GSM Mobile Operator can interact correctly with the system.
[0014] The system is server-centered, so one of the advantages of the solution is that during the transaction process, the user's identification data (e.g. PIN) are protected with security levels that can be made higher at will, with no need for additional functionalities on the end-user's GSM terminal.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 illustrates the overview of the system for operating secure transactions according to the preferred embodiment of the invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2 is the general flowchart of the method according to the preferred embodiment;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 3A, 3B is a detailed flow chart of the preferred embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0018] [0018]FIG. 1. illustrates the system containing the preferred embodiment of the invention. The wireless network ( 100 ) used may be a GSM network. One retailer site which may be a restaurant, a taxi or a boot for selling theater or transportation tickets has a workstation ( 110 ), which could be a palm or any thin user PC, has connectivity equipment to an application server ( 120 ). The connection of the workstation ( 110 ) to the application server ( 120 ) may be of any kind but is secure, the connection is usually imposed by the owner of the application server, if the owner is not the retailer himself as it is the case for small business. This workstation is a Point of Sale or Point of Entry (POS/POE) for the application server ( 120 ). This implies that the server ( 120 ) provides support for transactions to all the retailer company POS/POE ( 110 ) connected to it. Also, the application server may be in charge of performing other transactions on behalf of the retailers with banking servers ( 130 ), for instance through any other kind of network which is secure. As described in detail in reference with the following figures, according to the preferred embodiment, the server ( 120 ) is able to perform registrations and reservations for a customer of retailer services. The customer sends SMS messages to the server ( 120 ) from his standard mobile phone ( 140 ). According to the preferred embodiment, the server ( 120 ) can execute a program ( 125 ) able to process the SMS messages from the customer mobile phone and performs the customer registration steps of the method. The program ( 125 ) allows also communication with the POS/POE ( 110 ) for customer identification. In the preferred embodiment, the POS/POE can execute a program ( 115 ) performing customer identification and exchanging information with the server for customer identification and request for payment transaction. It is noted that the preferred embodiment of the invention can be implemented by modifying existing POS/POE programs and existing transaction server.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 2 is the general flow chart of the booking and payment process a customer performs to buy goods or services from a retailer according to the preferred embodiment. It is noted that only the customers having already subscribed to this kind of booking/payment service can perform this method. The initial step for a customer of registering himself is described later in the document in reference to FIG. 3. It is noted also that, even if in the preferred embodiment the retailer application server implementing the booking/payment method is dedicated to one retailer, the method and system of the invention can be used by a group of retailers, in one city for instance, commonly providing this secure booking/payment and sharing the services of a same application server service provider in support of their transactions. The process of booking and paying goods or services comprises six main steps. The first step ( 200 ) is performed by a customer who, in any location including his home or a retailer location, has, for instance a mobile phone connected to the Mobile GSM Network ( 100 ), and manifests his/her intention to book for some goods or services from the retailer. He/She ( 140 ) sends an SMS messages to the main application server ( 120 ). In the second step ( 210 ), the main server ( 120 ) receives the SMS messages from Mobile GSM Network ( 100 ) and, using the information provided in the call, verifies caller's authorization to the service, according to some specific user's service profiling data already stored in the computer ( 220 ). At this stage the main server ( 120 ) decides whether the user ( 140 ) can or cannot continue his/her transaction. If the caller is not known from the server as a registered customer, the server denies access to the service and ends the communication ( 225 ). The process continues to the third step if (and only if) the user ( 140 ) is permitted to continue on his/her way to book for the goods or services he/she needs. The main server ( 120 ) sends ( 230 ) user's related data (credentials, PIN, profiling etc . . . ) to the service provider's POS/POE thin client ( 110 ) in order to prepare at the retailer location the payment transaction. The information is stored in the POS. In the fourth step the user is approaching the service provider's location (the restaurant, the taxi cab . . . ). He/She goes by the POS/POE thin client and is required ( 240 ) to enter his/her authentication credentials. The POS/POE ( 110 ) is capable to match the information the user enters against the credentials received during the preceding step ( 230 ) from the server. The access to the payment transaction is refused ( 245 ) to the user and the process stopped if the user's authentication credentials is not recognized by the POS. The process continues to the next step ( 250 ) if (and only if) the user is authenticated. The authenticated user can get the requested good or service. In the following step ( 250 ), the main server ( 120 ) is updated from POS/POE thin client ( 110 ) with the fee the authenticated user has to pay to the service provider for the services or goods he/she just received.
[0020] In a following step of FIG. 2 ( 260 ), a financial settlement transaction occurs between the main server ( 120 ) and the banking server ( 130 ). This step is optional and is not essential to the secure booking/payment method of the preferred embodiment. As a matter of fact, according to the service usage agreement between the customers and the service provider, financial settlement can even occur on a monthly basis, not necessarily on a per-transaction basis. This can be useful when the average value of the user's transactions is relatively small. The service usage agreement between the customer and the service provider may imply any kind of payment system (direct banking account, credit card, prepaid account etc . . . ).
[0021] [0021]FIG. 3 ( 3 A, 3 B) describes in more details the steps of the general flow chart of method according to the preferred embodiment. In FIG. 3 are shown the messages exchanged between the different components of the system ( 140 , 100 , 120 , 110 , 130 ). To operate the method of the preferred embodiment, an initial step ( 305 ) is performed by the customer to register himself to the main server ( 120 ) before using the service of secure booking/payment operations according to the preferred embodiment. This is relevant in that the customer must provide all the information the system needs for proper working. In particular, for the sake of security, it is mandatory to provide the following information: cellphone, user identification string, PIN and preferred payment system (credit card, or bank account and the like . . . ). This initial registration step ( 305 ) can be performed by the customer by phone, talking with an operator or by mail. The information are stored on the main server ( 300 ). By return the customer receives a mail or by phone from an operator a confirmation that the registration is done on the main server ( 310 ) and that he can start using the secure booking/payment service. A user identification is provided to this new customer as well as his balance summary, the maximum number of allowed transactions and any other useful information to start using this service. The step of booking by calling on a mobile phone ( 200 ) is performed by the customer keying in and sending ( 315 ) an SMS string containing a service identification number through the wireless network, for instance a GSM network ( 100 ). The format of the SMS the user has to send to the system during this registration step ( 305 ) is just an alphanumeric string, whose formatting rules and length are defined by the service provider, and have to be known to the service users. By this alphanumeric string, the service provider uniquely identifies the (several) POS/POE that are enabled for the service. Note that the user is not sending over the wireless network any readable sensitive information, nor is he/she keying in any security PIN on his/her cellphone. The SMS for booking is received ( 320 ) by a well known service phone number at the main server ( 120 ). The checking ( 210 ) that the calling customer is registered is performed by the main server ( 330 ). An exception handling SMS is sent back ( 340 ) by the server to the network carrier in case of service usage denial (because of out of balance or user expired ext . . . ). The network delivers the SMS denial message to the customer ( 350 ). Throughout this detailed flowchart of FIG. 3, courtesy SMS messages are sent back to the user, in order to notify the him/her about his/her progressing between the steps. The next step ( 230 ) is performed only if the customer has been authenticated and is all set to perform a payment transaction. The server sends ( 360 ) a message to the POS subsystem to open wireless payment transaction comprising the user identification string and the user's PIN. The messages exchanged between the server and the POS are following the application communication protocol of the transaction support. The handling of sensitive information (user identification and PIN) is carried out by the main server and can leverage on the computing power of the main system ( 120 ) and POS/POE thin client ( 110 ) for commercial-grade data encryption. Deciding which encryption algorithm to use for exchanges between the server and the POS is just a matter of computing capabilities on the POS/POE device ( 110 ). For example, a secure hashing technique could be used to send hashed PIN and user identification string from main server ( 120 ) to POS/POE ( 110 ) in the steps of communication between the server and the POS ( 360 ), so that a secure hash of the data the user keys in is re-computed by POS/POE ( 110 ) and checked against the (hashed) data received from the main server ( 120 ). If the two hashed data match, the user and his/her transaction are authenticated. Otherwise, the transaction should be aborted. When the user is authenticated, the Operator at the POS/POE can key in pricing information and ask user confirmation. The user has just to key in his/her PIN to confirm his/her will to pay. When the customer intends to pay for the good and service at the retailer location ( 240 ), he first keys in his user identification string on the POS keyboard ( 362 ). The POS finds a match towards open transactions. An exception handling message is displayed on the POS screen ( 365 ) if no match is found between the user identification and an existing opened transaction. If an opened transaction is found, the retailer keys in the price and the customer is required to key in his PIN ( 370 ). If the POS does not match the PIN with the opened transaction information, it displays an exception handling message ( 375 ). If the keyed in data are valid, the payment operation is accepted ( 250 ), the POS sends ( 380 ) information of completed transaction to the server which updates the corresponding transaction record with price date and time. As with the other communication between the server and the POS ( 360 ), commercial-grade data encryption techniques may be adopted to guarantee security and consistency for POS/POE updating the main server ( 120 ) with the closed transaction data (price, date and time of closed transaction). A further exchange between the main server and a banking server may be performed ( 260 ) in the way of a financial settlement transaction request from the main server to the banking server ( 385 ) and the answer from the banking server to the main server for settlement confirmation ( 390 ). It is noted also that completed transaction information are available for browsing on the main server for service provider and the users. Accounting and billing processes can be performed by reading on the main server the transaction database, according to an agreement between the service provider and the users.
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A method and system are disclosed for booking and paying a retailer having a POS, which can be a low cost thin client computer system, connected to a transaction server storing confidential user information including a retailer identification, a user code and a user wireless device phone number, said method comprising the steps of receiving at the transaction server, from the user wireless device which can be a common cellphone, an SMS containing a retailer identification, reading at the transaction server the phone number of the wireless device communicated by the carrier transporting the SMS, authentifying said phone number and retailer identification with the stored confidential user information and sending the user confidential information to the retailer POS, the user entering on the POS the user code and the POS reading and authentifying the user code with the user confidential information received from the transaction server, the retailer entering the payment information on the POS and sending it with user information to the transaction server.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Ser. No. 61/504,873, filed Jul. 6, 2011 and incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
Field of the Disclosure
This disclosure relates to the field of fabric (i.e. clothes) washing apparatus which are portable, and operable without a running source of water, and without a power source. The washing apparatus operates with a volume of liquid cleaner (water) and manual manipulation of a handle.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
Disclosed herein is a portable washing apparatus for the washing of fabrics. The washing apparatus in one example comprising: a base member configured to fit within a watertight container; a frame extending vertically from and removably attached to the base member; a cross support extending horizontally across the frame and removably attached thereto; and an agitator having a lower end attached to the base member so as to freely rotate thereupon. The agitator having an upper end attached to the cross support so as to freely rotate there under. The washing apparatus may also include a driving portion having a user-engagement handle, a shaft, and an agitator engagement portion. The driving portion may utilize a system of detents and grooves whereupon oscillating vertical movement of the driving portion by the user is translated to rotary movement of the agitator.
In one form, the portable washing apparatus as disclosed is arranged wherein the base member comprises a plurality of identical base portions which are removably connected to each other to form the base member.
The portable washing apparatus may also be arranged wherein the frame comprises a plurality of vertical supports. Each vertical support having a lower end removably attached to the base and an upper end removably attached to an upper ring.
The frame of the portable washing apparatus may comprise: a cross support having a surface defining a non-cylindrical hole therein; wherein the driving portion comprises a non-cylindrical shaft; and wherein the non-cylindrical hole engages the non-cylindrical shaft an prohibits rotation of the driving portion relative to the frame.
The driving portion of the portable washing apparatus as may also comprise at least one detent extending radially therefrom. Wherein the agitator comprises a surface defining a bore; and wherein the bore comprises surfaces defining at least one spiral indent which receive the detents extending radially from the driving portion such that linear oscillation of the driving portion results in rotational movement of the agitator.
The portable washing apparatus also may include at least one spiral indent which is arranged such that linear oscillation of the driving portion results in rotational oscillation of the agitator.
The portable washing apparatus in one form is configured to fit entirely or substantially within a portable fluid container (rigid or collapsible) during operation.
The portable washing apparatus may be formed wherein the base member comprises a plurality of raised portions extending longitudinally therefrom so as to maintain a significant portion of the base member above the lower inner surface of a portable fluid container during operation to function as a dirt trap.
The portable washing apparatus as disclosed may include a plurality of extensions protruding from a longitudinal central member.
The portable washing apparatus may also be arranged wherein the frame comprises a plurality of clamp arms which engage the upper surface of a rigid portable fluid container so as to maintain position of the frame relative to the rigid portable fluid container.
The portable washing apparatus as disclosed may utilize a cover substantially enclosing the apparatus with or without a separate cross member.
The portable washing apparatus as disclosed may utilize a collapsible bag, a rigid bucket, or other fluid container or reservoir. The collapsible bag may be positioned radially within a plurality of vertical supports, or may be positioned external of the vertical supports.
A portable washing apparatus for the washing of fabrics is disclosed. The washing apparatus comprising: a bottom plate configured to fit external of a watertight container; a base member configured to fit within the watertight container; a frame extending vertically from and removably attached to the bottom plate. A cross support may be included, extending horizontally across the frame and removably attached thereto. An agitator having a lower end attached to the base member so as to freely rotate thereupon is positioned within the watertight container. The agitator having an upper end attached to the cross support so as to freely rotate there under. A driving portion having a user-engagement handle, a shaft, and an agitator engagement portion is also included. The driving portion and agitator having a system of detents and grooves whereupon oscillating vertical movement of the driving portion by the user is translated to rotary movement of the agitator.
In one form, the cross member comprises a cover substantially enclosing the apparatus.
In one configuration, the bottom plate comprises a plurality of identical plate components; and the cover comprises a plurality of the identical plate components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of the disclosed apparatus in one configuration.
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 within a container.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 in a disassembled configuration.
FIG. 4 is an end view of the configuration of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 is a side view of an agitator component of the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 6 is an end view of the component of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 7 is a side cutaway view of the component of FIG. 6 taken along line 7 - 7 .
FIG. 8 is a side view of an operating handle component of the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of the top side of a split base component of the apparatus of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 10 is an isometric view of the bottom side of the component of FIG. 9 .
FIG. 11 is a top (plan) view of a cross member component of the disclosed apparatus.
FIG. 12 is a side hidden line view of the cross member component shown in FIG. 11 .
FIG. 13 is a bottom hidden line view of the cross member component shown in FIG. 11 .
FIG. 14 is an isometric view of the disclosed apparatus with a top cover and additional bottom plate.
FIG. 15 is a front view of the apparatus as shown in FIG. 14 .
FIG. 16 is a first vertical view of a plate component of the disclosed apparatus.
FIG. 17 is a side view of the plate component shown in FIG. 16 .
FIG. 18 is a second vertical view of the plate component shown in FIG. 16 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before beginning a detailed description, an axes system 10 is shown in FIG. 1 comprising a vertical axis 12 , and a radial axis 14 which is centered upon the center of the long axis of the agitator component 22 and is directed radially outward. This axes system is intended to aid in description of the disclosed apparatus and is not intended to be limiting.
Looking again to FIG. 1 , one configuration of a portable washing apparatus 20 is shown. The portable washing apparatus 20 generally comprises three independent but interoperating portions: a driving portion 24 , a frame portion 26 , and an agitator portion 28 . Each of these portions are assembled together for a washing device which does not require running water to operate, and also does not require a power source such as wind, hydro, electric, or other outside power sources. While the apparatus may be mechanized, it operates well with a user (human) simply filling the machine with a cleaning fluid and then manipulating the handle.
Looking to FIG. 2 , the apparatus is configured wherein a fluid holding container 102 is also provided. The container 102 in this configuration surrounds the frame portion 26 , and agitator portion 28 . In another configuration, the container 102 may be provided between the frame portion 28 and agitator portion 28 . This fluid container 102 may be a rigid element such as a bucket, barrel, or similar apparatus, or may be a flexible container such as for example a bag. Collapsible buckets may be especially useful as they are easily collapsed and thus take up less space for shipping or storage.
Returning to FIG. 1 , the frame portion generally comprises a base 30 which in one form comprises a first portion 32 and second portion 34 with a seam 36 therebetween. The configuration of these portions can be more easily seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 where it can be seen that to reduce manufacturing and replacement costs, the first portion 32 and second portion 34 may be formed as identical components. By using the illustrated semicircular portions, interconnected by way of a plurality of surfaces defining holes 38 and interoperating detents 40 a single molded component can form both of these first and second portions 32 / 34 . In addition, the bottom side 42 may comprise a plurality of raised portions 44 providing a fluid gap between the base 30 and the lower inner surface of the container 30 to increase the cleaning action of the apparatus. Additionally, a plurality of channels 46 may be formed in the upper surface 48 of the base 30 to further increase cleaning action, as well as provide additional rigidity and support to the overall apparatus. In one form, the raised portions 44 fit within channels 46 to improve stackability of the apparatus. In the drawings, the mating surface 50 between individual components is planar, although other shapes could alternatively be utilized.
A plurality of vertical supports 52 may be provided as shown in FIGS. 1 , 3 , and 4 which provide vertical separation between the base 30 and an upper ring 54 . One of the vertical supports is not shown in FIG. 1 , so that the surfaces defining holes 58 and 60 can more clearly be seen. The upper ring 54 may also be comprised of separate and interconnecting components. In the drawings, the components are semicircular, but other shapes may also be used. In one configuration, the lower end 56 of the vertical supports 52 fits into one of several surfaces defining holes 58 in the base 30 . These surfaces defining holes 58 may also be seen in FIGS. 9 and 10 . In FIG. 1 , one of the vertical supports 52 is removed to show the holes 58 in the base 30 , as well as one of several holes 60 in the upper ring 54 .
In one configuration, the upper end 62 of the vertical supports 52 comprises a pin 64 to interconnect the individual components of the upper ring 54 , and maintain relative position between the upper ring 54 and the vertical supports 52 .
In one configuration, a cross support 66 is utilized as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprising a surface defining a central void 68 for receiving of the driving portion 24 . In FIGS. 11-13 it can be seen how in this embodiment, the void 68 is non-circular so as to prohibit rotation of the driving portion 24 relative to the cross support 66 .
In one configuration, the cross support 66 comprises recesses 70 for maintaining proper position upon the upper ring 54 , as well as surfaces 72 for maintaining the apparatus 20 in relative position to the container 30 . In one form as shown in FIG. 2 , the cross support 66 comprises clamp arms 74 which further hold the container 30 in position relative to the cross support 66 . In this embodiment, both the cross support 66 and clamp arms 74 are also held in position by the pins 64 on to which they are pressed.
In one form, a collapsible bag 108 may be utilized which fits over the apparatus and comprises grommets 110 , holes, strings, etc. which fit over the pins 64 . The upper ring 54 is then installed over the grommets, and this assembly holds the bag in place. In another form, the bag may fit within the vertical supports 52 in the same manner.
Looking to FIG. 5 , a detail view of the agitator 22 in one configuration is shown. While this configuration comprises a plurality of four extensions 76 (three of which can be seen in this figure) and each extension 76 comprises hills 78 and valleys 80 . Each of the extensions 76 being attached to or formed as extensions of a central member 104 . The particular arrangement of these surfaces is not critical as many different configurations could be utilized for aesthetic or functional purposes. An end view of the four arm embodiment, is shown in FIG. 4 . As shown in FIG. 5 , a recess 82 is provided in the upper end of the agitator 22 which fits upon a matching surface 98 of the cross support 66 as can be seen in FIGS. 12 and 13 . Additionally, on the other vertical end, a bearing 84 is provided which fits within and revolves upon a surface 86 defining a bore or bearing surface as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 . This bearing 84 as shown in FIG. 7 may also provide a cap to prohibit pumping action of cleaning water through the center 86 of the agitator 22 during operation. These surfaces 82 / 84 at the upper and lower vertical ends of the agitator 22 maintain the agitator 22 in relative position to the other components or portions of the apparatus 20 as it is being rotated (actuated).
Looking to FIG. 7 , a cross sectional view of this configuration of the agitator 22 is shown wherein the inner surface 86 of the agitator 22 is configured to receive detents extending from the driving portion 24 . In particular, looking to FIG. 8 it can be seen how the driving portion 24 comprises a shaft 88 which may be non-cylindrical, and a handle 90 which is configured to be grasped by the user while being moved (actuated) in an oscillating vertical motion as shown by the arrow 92 . Non-cylindrical being defined herein as a longitudinal extrusion of a geometric shape, wherein the geometric shape is not a circle. At the lower end of the driving portion 24 , a plurality of detents 94 may be provided which are configured to engage a plurality of helical “rifling” channels 96 formed within the inner surface 86 of the agitator 22 as seen in FIG. 7 . In this embodiment, the cross support 66 as already described does not permit relative rotation of the driving portion 24 , and also does not permit vertical movement of the agitator 22 . Thus, as the handle 90 is oscillated vertically, the detents 94 rotate the agitator 22 back and forth in direction of travel 100 shown in FIG. 1 as can be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
In an alternate configuration, the components are reversed such that the shaft 88 comprises the helical rifling portion, and the engaging surface of the agitator 22 is linear. Other mechanisms such as a system of gears may be utilized instead of the helical rifling portion.
In yet another alternate configuration, the detents may be formed in a spiral shape and engage grooves in the opposing component.
Looking to FIGS. 3 and 4 , it can be seen how the entire apparatus can be disassembled into its component parts easily, and in some configurations without tools. This makes the apparatus particularly useful where shipping and/or storage is difficult, while backpacking, and in other environments where more industrialized ways of cleaning clothing are commonplace.
FIGS. 14-15 show a configuration wherein a bottom plate and top cover 114 are provided. The bottom plate 112 is placed under the base member 30 and the top cover 114 may operate with a cross member similar to that shown in FIGS. 11-13 or may serve the same function. As shown, a bag 108 is provided and places radially inward of the supports 52 and external of the base member 30 and agitator 22 . Again, the bag 108 may have grommets 110 or similar fasteners to attach to the upper end of the frame, such as at the upper end of the supports 52 .
FIGS. 16-18 show one example of the disclosed cover 114 and bottom plate 112 which again may be formed of a single cast. For example a plurality of the plate components 126 may be provided wherein a single cast component forms both sides of each of the cover 114 and bottom plate 112 . In this example, the surface 98 ′ functions in the same way as the surface 98 previously disclosed. A plurality of holes 118 ′ are provided for attachment to either the upper or lower end of the supports 52 . A groove 120 is provided to assist in alignment of the supports 52 during assembly. Groove 120 also serves as a lip to fit over the outer edge of solid containers and to minimize splashing of water outside of the container while operating the handle. The groove may also be shaped to snap lock onto the side of a solid container such as a lid for a standard 5 gallon bucket. Each plate component 126 in this example also comprises a recess 122 and a projection 124 which engage opposing surfaces of an adjacent component 126 to form the bottom plate 112 or top cover 114 .
One added benefit of this example is the ease in which a component may e replaced. As several identical supports 52 , several identical plates 126 , and several identical base portions 32 are used in each assembly, there are fewer unique parts. A single replacement plate 126 may be used to replace one of the four plates used in this example if broken or damaged.
One form of assembling this example is to assemble the bottom plate 112 by connecting two plate components 126 with the grove side up, then attaching a number of the supports 52 to the bottom plate. The bag 108 may then be positioned within the supports 52 and attached at the top thereof. The base member 30 may then be assembled and placed into the bag 108 . The agitator 22 and driver 24 may then be attached to the base member 30 . The bag 108 may then be filled with cleaning fluid and fabric (i.e. clothes). The cover 114 may then be assembled about the shaft 88 and attached to the upper end of the supports 52 . As previously mentioned, the handle 90 may then be manipulated to rotate the agitator 22 and clean the fabric.
In one form, each of the components could be made of plastics or plastic equivalents to reduce in cost, or alternatively could be made of metals or natural materials where such materials are more plentiful and replacement parts are easier to manufacture when made of these materials. Generally, ease of manufacture by casting has been taken into account, and the majority of the parts can easily and cheaply be cast either in plastics, metals, or other such materials.
While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants' general concept.
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This disclosure relates to the field of fabric (i.e. clothes) washing apparatus which are portable, and operable without a running source of water, and without a power source. The washing apparatus operates with a volume of liquid cleaner (water) and manual manipulation of a handle. The apparatus may also be dis-assembled by a user without tools for shipping or storage in a much smaller space.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/298,416, filed Aug. 30, 1994, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,585,589, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/230,295, filed Apr. 20, 1994, abandoned, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/132,051, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,433,134, filed Oct. 5, 1993.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to firearms and, in particular, to modifications made to standard semiautomatic breech-locked, recoil operated firearms for producing reliable, repetitive blank-fire capability in these pistols.
In many conventional semi-automatic weapons, including the BROWNING and "COLT"/BROWNING family of pistols, a breech-lock, recoil activated system is utilized where the barrel and slide are locked together for a predetermined distance in response to firing of a bullet to effect a complete firing cycle, i.e., the opening of the breech after firing a shot, the extraction and ejection of the empty cartridge shell, the cocking of the hammer, the presentation and introduction of a loaded cartridge to the barrel and the closing of the breech are automatically effected through the energy of recoil of the breech closing part. Since by nature breech-locked, recoil activated firearms rely upon the phenomenon of projectile motion within the barrel--which is derived from the projectile mass of the bullet--to create the recoil forces necessary to effect repetitive cycling of the mechanism, blank-fire in this class of firearm will not ordinarily impart the appropriate type or degree of force necessary to effect repetitive cycling of the mechanism. Even with the presence of a bore-restricting element to augment gas pressure and rearward gas thrust against the breech face, the type of force generated is qualitatively different from that evidenced in projectile-motivated live-fire conditions where the projectile's moment of inertia produces recoil characteristics that overcome the breech-locking impediment.
In an effort to overcome the breech-locking impediment so as to fire blank ammunition, the breech locking element in this type of firearm may be eliminated, in effect to create a blowback system of operation devoid of any breech-locking barrel interconnection in an attempt to bypass the problematic absence of forces in projectile-free blank ammunition. However, elimination of the breech-locking features manifests other difficulties in operation of the pistol such as cartridge ejection, cartridge feeding and slide return into battery.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,907,489 to Teague relates to a blank fire configuration for a recoil operated automatic pistol for converting a standard live-fire pistol to a blank-firing pistol. In accordance with the Teague '489 device, the live-fire barrel of the pistol is replaced with a modified short barrel to which an inner sleeve is threadably attached. An outer sleeve is also provided to receive the inner sleeve in a telescopic arrangement. A barrel anchor is secured to the pistol frame and a spring retention rod projects from the barrel anchor to receive a shortened recoil spring.
The aforementioned Teague '489 device is subject to several disadvantages which limit its usefulness. Most significant of these disadvantages is that the Teaque '489 device results in an obvious alteration in the outward appearance of the firearm, by the creation of an uncharacteristic muzzle signature and the corruption of manifest design elements by the introduction of components not indigenous to the design of live-fire automatic pistols.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a superior, highly efficient, comparatively simple, cost effect pistol adaptation which produces reliable, repetitive blank-fire capability. While incorporating a bore-occluding restrictor of appropriate geometries to generate back pressure within the firearm in a manner well known in the art, the novel elements of blank-fire modification of the present invention accomplish highly reliable, repetitive operation without visible alteration to the firearm, thus importing an exceptional degree of verisimilitude.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to an automatic pistol adapted to automatically and repetitively fire blank ammunition. The pistol includes a frame, a barrel unit moveable relative to the frame between a forward battery position where the pistol is capable of firing and a rear loading position where a live blank cartridge is received within the barrel chamber portion of the barrel unit and a modified slide unit. The slide unit is reciprocally mounted on the frame between a forwardmost position and a rearmost position. The slide unit includes an abutment surface positioned and dimensioned to engage an abutting surface of the barrel unit upon rearward movement of the slide unit to a position displaced from the forwardmost position. Consequently, this delay in engaging the abutting surface of the barrel unit permits the slide to achieve unimpeded rearward velocity and acquired momentum during the initial stages of recoil to drive the barrel unit rearwardly to the rear loading position where a blank cartridge is loaded within the barrel chamber portion. The abutment surface is preferably disposed towards the forward end of the slide displaced from a slide ejection port area thereof.
The present invention is also directed to a method for converting an automatic pistol to fire blank ammunition, the automatic pistol being of the type including a frame, a slide reciprocally mounted on the frame between a forwardmost position and a rearmost position, and a barrel unit including a barrel chamber portion, a barrel element extending from the barrel chamber portion and a cartridge feed ramp extending from a lower surface of the barrel chamber portion. The juncture of the barrel chamber portion and the barrel element defines an abutting surface. The barrel unit is supported by the frame in at least a first forward position of the barrel unit by engagement of a frame supporting surface or cam of the frame with the lower surface of the cartridge feed ramp. As the barrel unit moves rearwardly to a second rearward position, the lower surface of the cartridge feed ramp clears the frame supporting surface to permit the barrel unit to move downwardly to a loading position where a cartridge is loaded within the barrel chamber portion. The method includes the steps of positioning a restrictor element in the barrel element to generate sufficient back pressure in the barrel unit upon firing of a blank cartridge to move the slide to the rearmost position thereof and reducing the length of the original lower surface of the cartridge feed ramp a predetermined distance to permit the barrel unit to move prematurely downwardly to the position where the cartridge is loaded within the barrel chamber portion. This reduction effectually minimizes the time and distance for the barrel unit to drop downwardly into its cartridge loading position and, consequently, reduces the amount of recoil force to drive the slide and barrel unit rearwardly. The method may also include the step of altering the original abutting surface of the barrel unit to define a modified abutting surface. The modified abutting surface defines a plane oriented at an oblique angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the barrel element and is configured and dimensioned to be engaged by the abutment surface of the slide upon rearward movement of said slide to a position displaced from the forwardmost position such that said slide generates sufficient momentum to move the barrel unit rearwardly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Preferred embodiments of the invention are described hereinbelow with reference to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of a semiautomatic "COLT"/BROWNING derivative pistol to be modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention depicted prior to modification and firing of the pistol;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of the firearm of FIG. 1, illustrating the positioning of the operating components after firing of the pistol;
FIG. 3 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of the pistol of FIG. 1 modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention to fire blank ammunition in an automatic repetitive manner with the pistol being depicted prior to firing;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the modified pistol for firing blank ammunition of FIG. 3 subsequent to firing of the pistol;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevational view of the barrel of the pistol of FIG. 1 prior to modifying same in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged side elevational view of the modified barrel of the pistol of FIGS. 3 and 4 modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a partial enlarged sectional view of the forward end portion of an alternative embodiment of the modified barrel of FIG. 6 with a bushing insert positioned within the original slide bushing;
FIG. 8 is a partial fragmentary sectional view of the spring ball detent mechanism of the modified pistol of FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 9 is a partial sectional view of an alternative detent mechanism to be incorporated in the modified pistol of FIGS. 3 and 4;
FIG. 10 is an enlarged side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a modified barrel to be incorporated in the blank firing pistol of FIG. 3:
FIG. 10 A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the lines 10A-10A of FIG. 10;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a "GLOCK"/SIGSAUER Type derivative pistol to be modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention depicted prior to modification and firing of the pistol;
FIG. 12 is an enlarged side elevational view of the barrel of the "GLOCK"/SIGSAUER Type pistol of FIG. 11 prior to modifying same in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a side elevational view of the Glock/Sig-Sauer Type derivative pistol of FIG. 11 modified to fire blank ammunition in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 14 is an enlarged side elevational view of the modified barrel of the pistol of FIG. 13 modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention;
FIG. 15 is a side elevational view of an alternative embodiment of the modified barrel of the present invention to be incorporated in the pistol of FIG. 13;
FIG. 16 is a side elevational view of another alternative embodiment of the modified barrel of the present invention to be incorporated in the pistol of FIG. 13;
FIG. 17 is a top plan view of the barrel chamber area of the modified barrel of FIG. 16 illustrating the modified barrel hood surface and rear barrel hood extension;
FIG. 18 is a top plan view of the barrel chamber area of the unmodified conventional barrel of FIG. 12 prior to modifying same illustrating the barrel hood surface and rear barrel hood extension;
FIG. 19 is an axial view of the modified barrel of FIG. 16 illustrating entry into the barrel chamber area and the barrel hood area;
FIG. 20 is an axial view of the unmodified conventional barrel of FIG. 12 illustrating entry into the barrel chamber area and the barrel hood extension.
FIG. 21 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of another alternative embodiment of the present invention illustrating the vertical abutment surface of the slide displaced to a forward position to permit rearward movement of the slide prior to engagement with the barrel unit;
FIG. 22 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of a conventional "GLOCK"/"SIG-SAUER"/"HECKLER & KOCK(HK) type derivative pistol which is to modified in accordance with the principals of the present invention;
FIG. 23 is an enlarged side elevational view of the barrel unit of the pistol of FIG. 22 prior to modification of same;
FIG. 24 is an enlarged side elevational view of a portion of the barrel unit of FIG. 23 illustrating the relationship of the barrel unit and the frame support surface of the slide;
FIG. 25 is a side elevational view in partial cross-section of the pistol of FIG. 22 modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention to fire blank ammunition;
FIG. 26 is an enlarged side elevational view of the modified barrel of the pistol of FIG. 26; and
FIG. 27 is a view similar to the view of FIG. 24 illustrating the relationship of the modified barrel unit and the frame support surface of the slide.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is illustrated a standard. "BROWNING" design, "COLT" M1911/45 ACP firearm which may be modified to fire blank ammunition in accordance with the principles of the present. Generally, pistol 10 includes three principal components, namely, frame 12, slide 14 mounted on frame 12 and barrel 16. Frame 12 includes trigger mechanism 18 having hammer 20 and handle or grip portion 22.
Slide 14 is mounted on frame 12 and is adapted for reciprocal longitudinal movement on the frame in response to firing of the pistol. Barrel 16 is slidable and tillable relative to slide 14 and is operatively connected to frame 12 through linkage mechanism 24. The forward end of slide 14 is provided with slide bushing 26 which is positioned over the muzzle of barrel 16 to support the forward end of the barrel during operation of the pistol. Pistol 10 also includes a recoil spring mechanism identified generally as reference numeral 28 positioned below barrel 16 to return slide 14 to the forward battery position after recoil. A breech lock mechanism in the form of locking ribs 30 provided on the top of barrel 16 and correspondingly dimensioned recesses 32 formed in the upper surface of slide 14, as in conventional pistols of this type, is also provided. Recesses 32 receive ribs 30 to securely interlock the slide 14 and the barrel 16 when the pistol is in the forward battery position of FIG. 1.
Upon ruing a live cartridge with projectile element, the recoil action of the bullet forces slide 14 rearwardly and, due to its interconnection with the barrel 16, barrel 16 moves rearwardly. As barrel 16 moves rearwardly, linkage mechanism 24 connected to the rear under portion of the barrel 16 and the frame 12 causes simultaneous downward movement of the barrel, thus effecting release of the breech lock mechanism, i.e., the locking ribs 30 become disengaged from recesses 32. In consequence of this downward substantially arcuate motion of barrel 16, the cartridge case, while still contained within the firing chamber of barrel 16 is drawn downwardly along the breech face of slide 14, and is subsequently extracted from the chamber after barrel motion is arrested--so to be expelled positively from the weapon by an ejector element (not shown). A subsequent cartridge in the magazine (not shown) is fed into the firing chamber to permit continued successive firing of subsequent cartridges. Recoil spring mechanism 28 then drives slide 14 to the forward battery position in a conventional manner. FIG. 2 illustrates the movement of slide 14 and barrel 16 after firing of the pistol 10.
Referring now to FIGS. 3-4, there is illustrated the novel blank-fire semiautomatic pistol constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the blank firing pistol in a forward battery position. FIG. 4 is a similar view depicting the modified pistol in a rearward position after firing. As shown in FIGS. 3-4, modified pistol 50 incorporates the three basic components present in the pistol of FIGS. 1 and 2, namely, frame 52, slide 54 mounted on frame 52 and adapted for reciprocal longitudinal movement relative to the frame and modified barrel 56. Pistol 50 also includes barrel bushing 58, a spring loaded detent mechanism 60 adjacent linkage housing 62 of barrel 56 and a bore restricting element 64 positioned within the forward end portion of the modified barrel 56. The features and significance of bushing 58 and detent mechanism 60 will be discussed in greater detail below.
Bore restricting element 64 serves in increasing the back-pressure of propellant gases to facilitate firing of the blank ammunition and may be of conventional type. One suitable bore restricting element to increase such back pressure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,893 to Leiter, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The blank firing adapter disclosed in Leiter '893 includes a propellant gas-occluding passage which terminates in a conical zone defined upon the rear surface of the adapter. The length of the gas-occluding passage of the Leiter '893 device is less than the diameter of the adapter.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, the modified barrel 56 of pistol 50 for firing blank ammunition will be described in detail. FIG. 5 illustrates a conventional barrel for firing live ammunition such as the barrel incorporated in the pistol of FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 6 illustrates the barrel 56 modified in accordance with the present invention and which is a component of the pistol of FIGS. 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. 6, modified barrel 56 includes a substantially planar barrel hood area 66, in which the barrel locking ribs have been removed (compare FIG. 5), to bypass the mechanical impediment of the breech locking mechanism, to account thereby for the absence of force of projectile free blank ammunition. Such removal of the breech locking mechanism converts the pistol 50 from breech locked operation to a blowback function. An abutment shoulder 68 is defined at the intersection of the forward end portion of the planar hood area 66, and barrel element 70, the importance of which shoulder 68 will become apparent from the description provided below.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, in conjunction with FIG. 6, the features of bushing 58 will be described in detail. Bushing 58 is positioned forward of the chamber swell area as shown and is appropriately dimensioned to impinge upon original slide bushing component 26 as slide 54 moves rearwardly in response to firing of the pistol, thereby driving barrel 56 rearwardly and downwardly via linkage mechanism 72 to its appropriate position to extract a spent cartridge and receive a live cartridge from the magazine. Bushing 58 is appropriately dimensioned to permit unrestricted rearward movement of slide 54 for a predetermined distance after firing without engagement of slide bushing 26 with barrel bushing 58 such that slide 54 generates adequate momentum to drive the barrel 56 rearwardly once the slide bushing 26 contacts the bushing 58. One skilled in the art may readily determine the appropriate dimension of barrel bushing 58 to achieve this objective. Bushing 58 may be a permanently positioned and fixed element of barrel unit 56 and may be integrally incorporated into barrel 56 during manufacturing or laterally secured by appropriate methods such as by brazing or welding.
In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the above-described rearward movement of barrel 56 may be achieved by positioning an extended bushing insert 74 within the original slide bushing 26 about the forward end of barrel element 70 and securing the insert 74, by appropriate means such as soldering or welding, to the slide bushing 26. Such effective rearward extension of bushing 26 may be accomplished integrally during original manufacture of bushing element 26. Bushing insert 74 is strategically dimensioned to extend beyond the rear end portion of original slide bushing 26 so as to engage abutment shoulder 68 (FIG. 6) of modified barrel 56 during the recoil stage of operation to drive barrel 56 rearward and downwardly via linkage 72 to effect appropriate positioning of the barrel to eject the expended cartridge case. It is to be appreciated that bushing insert 74 is also appropriately dimensioned to permit unrestricted movement of slide 54 for a predetermined distance without engaging abutment shoulder 68 of barrel 56 so as to generate adequate momentum to move the barrel rearwardly once the insert contacts the shoulder 68. One skilled in the art may readily determined the appropriate dimensioning of bushing insert 74 to effect such action.
Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, in conjunction with the cross-sectional view of FIG. 8, the function and position of the spring loaded detent mechanism 60 will be described. As previously addressed, under live fire conditions barrel 56 is driven rearwardly and downwardly into ejection/feeding position. In the unmodified conventional pistol of FIGS. 1 and 2, the presence of linkage mechanism 24, together with the contact presented by barrel locking ribs 30 upon the underside of the fully retracted slide 14 in its normal recoil position, positively prevents the barrel 56 from becoming dislodged in the forward direction from its rearward contact with the frame feeding ramp (not shown) under the forward thrust of a subsequent cartridge as the cartridge strikes the chamber area during loading of the cartridge. However, since in the modified barrel of FIGS. 3, 4 and 6 of the present invention the contact between the barrel and slide underside has been eliminated, the normal motion and thrust of subsequent blank cartridges into the barrel chamber from the magazine would cause barrel 56 to be driven forward, out of Contact with the frame feeding ramp, (not shown) thus causing a failure to chamber or a jamming action. Accordingly, in order to correct for the absence of barrel/slide interconnection during discharge of blank ammunition, a mechanical impediment in the form of a spring-loaded ball detent mechanism 60 is incorporated to replace the function of barrel rib/slide underside contact until a cartridge has been successfully chambered.
Referring particularly to FIGS. 3, 6 and 8 the detent mechanism 60 is disposed at the side of the linkage housing 62 beneath the barrel 50 and exerts an outward force against the inner surface of frame 52. The geometries of the ball detent mechanism are made to correspond with the geometries of the barrel linkage housing 62, frame 52, requisite frictional force to overcome the thrust of the momentum of blank ammunition being funneled into the chamber and the necessity that such frictional force exerted by the detent 60 against the frame 52 be less than the force generated by the momentum of the slide as it strikes the rear end of the barrel during the return to battery phase. One skilled in the art may readily determine the appropriate geometries of ball-detent mechanism to accomplish this objective.
As an alternative to the spring loaded ball detent mechanism 60 shown in FIG. 8, a plunger detent mechanism 80 depicted in FIG. 9 may be incorporated within the modified pistol to arrest or positively retain barrel 56 in its rearward cartridge feeding position. Plunger detent mechanism 80 includes detent plunger 82, helical spring 84 and threadably engageable set screw 86 which retains the detent plunger 82 and helical spring 84 within linkage housing 62 or barrel housing with a SMITH & WESSON derivative firearm. Similar to the ball detent mechanism 60 of FIG. 8, plunger detent mechanism 80 is at least partially disposed within a channel 63 formed in linkage housing 62, or the barrel housing of the SMITH & WESSON derivative firearm, and, as previously mentioned, retained within the channel 63 by set screw 86 which is threadably engageable with internal threaded portion 65 defined within the channel 63. Set screw 86 enables the user to adjust, through rotation thereof, the level of pressure exerted by plunger detent 82 on frame 52, and, thus, the resistance encountered by linkage housing 62, as may be necessitated due to variances in the dimensions of the frame 52, linkage housing 62 and barrel 56. Furthermore, plunger detent mechanism 80 provides for a self-compensating system, where plunger 82 is free to move further out of, or be forced further into, channel 63 within linkage housing 62, thus also compensating for frame/barrel dimensional differences as noted before.
Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, the outer diameter of the barrel 50 from the forward end portion of barrel element 70 to the point of chamber swell may be generally reduced in dimension so as to reduce the angle through which the barrel 56 must traverse in its forward motion to realign with slide 52 during return to battery. Similarly, the opening of slide bushing 26 and insert 74 may be increased appropriately to permit realignment of barrel 56 during such return to battery cycle. One skilled in the art may readily determine the appropriate dimensioning to effect such movement.
Referring now to FIG. 10, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of a modified barrel to be incorporated in the blank firing pistol of FIG. 3. Modified barrel 90 includes barrel chamber portion 92 having planar barrel hood area 93 (i.e., the barrel locking ribs have been removed) and barrel element 94 extending from the chamber portion 92. Barrel hood area 93 maintains its arcuate outer surface portion as is with conventional COLT derivative firearms after removal of the locking ribs 30. A helical spring 95 is positioned about barrel element 94. The rearward portion 95a of spring 95 is received within a circumferential groove 96 formed in barrel element 94 adjacent chamber portion 92 to fix the rearward portion relative to the barrel element 94. Other methods for securing spring 95 relative to barrel element 94 may be readily determined by one skilled in the art such as adhesives or the like. Helical spring 95 is strategically positioned and dimensioned to impinge upon original slide bushing 26 (FIGS. 3 and 4) or the forward inner surface of the recoiling slide 54 as the slide 54 moves rearwardly in response to firing of the pistol, thereby driving barrel 90 rearwardly and downwardly via the conventional linkage mechanism 24 (FIGS. 1 and 2) to its appropriate position to extract a spent blank cartridge and receive a live cartridge from the magazine. In this respect, spring 95 eliminates the need for rearward bushing 58 of the embodiment of FIG. 6 or bushing insert 74 of the embodiment of FIG. 7.
Spring 95 causes a rearward thrust motion against forward shoulder 97 of chamber 92 during recoiling movement of slide 54 whereby the spring 95 compresses and effects rearward motion of barrel 90 and appropriate rearward tilt via the linkage mechanism 24. The geometries of spring 95 must be such that, in its fully compressed condition, the spring (1) does not interfere with the full rearward travel of the recoiling slide 54; (2) does not in its compressed condition expand in diameter to interfere with the locking recesses 32 (FIG. 1) of the slide 54; and (3) is of sufficient force to effect rearward barrel 90 movement.
Thus, in accordance with the present invention, blank-firing modification of recoil-operated, breech-locked semiautomatic pistols, such as a "BROWNING" or "COLT"/BROWNING derivative firearm, is accomplished by bypassing the mechanical impediment of the breech-locking provision while still effecting rearward barrel tilt for proper positioning of the barrel via barrel bushing 58, bushing insert 74 (FIG. 7) or helical spring 95 (FIG. 10) to expend a cartridge case. The barrel is retained in its rearmost position for the proper duration to permit normal feeding of successive rounds of ammunition into the firing chamber of the barrel 56 by the spring ball detent mechanism 60 (FIG. 8) or plunger detent mechanism (FIG. 9). Thereafter, barrel 56 and slide 54 are returned to battery in a conventional for continued and successive firing of the subsequent blank cartridges.
Referring now to FIGS. 11 and 12 there is illustrated a "GLOCK 17"/SIG-SAUER P226" derivative firearm to be modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of an unmodified conventional "GLOCK"-type pistol. FIG. 12 is a side elevational view of the barrel unit of the conventional "GLOCK" pistol. Pistol 100 is of conventional type and also incorporates a recoil/breech lock system to operate in a repetitive mode. Pistol 100 includes frame 102, barrel 104 and slide 106 slidably mounted on the frame as is conventional with this pistol design. A breech lock mechanism in the form of a vertical abutment surface 108 of the slide ejection port area 110 engages a vertical abutting surface 112 adjacent barrel chamber 114 to drive barrel 104 rearwardly to its appropriate position during recoil. A recoil spring mechanism (shown schematically as 105) returns barrel 104 to its forward battery position in a similar manner to that of the pistol of FIGS. 1 and 2.
In this design class, no fixed linkage connection exists between the barrel 104 and frame 106, which linkage would limit the upward travel of the barrel 104 within the reciprocating slide 106. However, the upper hood surface 116 of the barrel chamber area 114 maintains a planar contacting surface above the level of the bore and against the underside of reciprocating slide 106 to limit this upward barrel motion within the recoiling slide, thus preventing the barrel 104 from rising upward or forward out of its rearmost frame contact during the case ejection and cartridge-feeding position. In this sense, barrel 104 may be said to "free-float" between frame 102 and slide 106, while its limit of upward and forward movement is contained and determined by the geometries of the component elements of barrel hood 116 and slide underside.
Referring now to FIGS. 13 and 14 the novel modified blank firing pistol of the "GLOCK 17"/"SIG-SAUER P226" derivative class, depicted in FIGS. 11 and 12, as modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention is illustrated. FIG. 13 is a side elevationaI view of the modified pistol. FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the modified barrel 118 incorporated in the pistol of FIG. 13. As shown, the breech locking mechanism which was created between vertical abutment surface 108 and vertical abutting surface 112 has been modified to create a modified blowback system. This alteration is accomplished by modifying the abutting surface 120 of the barrel hood area 122 such that a rearwardly inclined plane of between 10 and 13 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis defined by the bore of the barrel is created as shown. The remaining portion of the barrel hood surface 122 remains unaltered. A restrictor plug 124 is secured within the forward end portion of barrel 118 and functions in a similar manner to the restrictor plug 64 of the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4, i.e., to increase the back pressure of propellant gases to facilitate firing of blank ammunition.
The modification to the barrel hood area thus created diminishes the effect of initial barrel/slide locking by allowing a measured or predetermined distance of free-travel of slide 106 to the rear under recoil, thus creating a delay between the slide's rearward movement and its contact with the altered barrel hood incline 120 of the barrel. Consequently, this delay, in concert with the critical angle of the barrel hood incline 120, permits slide 106 to achieve sufficient unimpeded rearward velocity and acquired momentum during the initial stages of the recoil, so that the slide 106 impinges upon the barrel incline 120, driving the barrel 118 rearwardly into cartridge ejection and feeding position, and, simultaneously retaining the barrel hood surface 122 from upward and forward motion limitation within the slide, thus having fixed the rearward orientation of the barrel 118 upon the frame 102 for the purpose of case ejection and subsequent cartridge feeding as the slide reaches and begins its return from full-recoil position. Furthermore, the nature of the critical barrel incline 120 angle permits adequate time for the slide to impart this rearward thrust to the barrel 118 from its forward, in-battery position, without effecting the interference or barrel/slide locking phenomenon normally associated with barrel/slide contact in breech-locked firearm mechanisms.
Modified barrel 118 is retained in the rearward feeding position in order to receive blank ammunition being fed from the magazine in a conventional manner. In particular since the rear end portion of the barrel hood surface 122 is unaltered, contact between the underside of the recoiling slide 106 and the upper barrel positioning flat has been retained. Therefore, the barrel 118 will remain in its rearward feeding position and will accomplish chambering of subsequent blank ammunition, after which the barrel 118 will be driven forward into battery by the normal forward thrust and momentum imparted by the forward motion of slide 106. It is to be appreciated that the outer diameter of barrel 118 may be reduced, by, for example, 0.015 inches to facilitate proper return of barrel 104 to battery as described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 3 and 4.
In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 15, the barrel hood area 126 may be modified by a grinding operation or the like to define an abutting surface 128 at a position rearward of the vertical abutting surface 112 of the conventional pistol 100 depicted in FIGS. 11 and 12. By displacing the abutting surface 128 a predetermined distance from the forward end portion of barrel hood area 126, slide 106 is permitted to move rearwardly a substantial distance before contacting abutting surface 128, thereby enabling the slide to achieve an increased rearward velocity and momentum to drive the barrel rearwardly into appropriate cartridge ejection and feeding position. Abutting surface 128 may be a vertical surface, i.e., at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the longitudinal axis of the barrel bore as shown in FIG. 15. It is also to be appreciated that abutting surface 128 may assume other angular orientations to achieve the intended purpose of being engaging by slide 106 so as to drive the barrel to the cartridge feeding and ejecting position. One skilled in the art may readily determine the appropriate positioning and orientation of abutting surface 128 to achieve this objective. The barrel will remain in its rearward position to accomplish chambering of a subsequent blank cartridge by the contact between the unaltered rear end portion of the barrel hood surface 130 and the underside of recoiling slide 106.
Referring now to FIG. 16, there is illustrated an alternative modified barrel 150 to be incorporated in the blank firing pistol of FIGS. 13 and 14. Modified barrel 150 includes barrel hood chamber area 152 having inclined abutting surface 154 which is similar in some respects to the abutting surface 120 described in connection with barrel of FIG. 14. However, in accordance with this embodiment of modified barrel 150, the forward portion of abutting surface 154 commences at a position lower than that of the modified barrel of FIG. 14. In particular, in the modified barrel of FIG. 14, the inclined abutting surface 120 begins substantially even with the upper surface 117 of barrel spacer ring 115 and extends rearwardly at the appropriate angle. In accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 15, abutting surface 154 commences at a point below the upper surface 117 of spacer ring 115 and below the lowest point of the vertical locking shelf 112 of the conventional unmodified barrel 104 of FIG. 12. The significance of such configuration is at least three-fold: 1) this geometry has the effect of moving the contact point of the recoiling slide 106 and the angled abutment 154 rearward and higher up on the abutment incline plane, thus permitting an increase in the velocity and rearward momentum of the slide 106, while producing diminished contact time between the slide and barrel 150 between these two elements before the barrel 150 drops to its unlocked position; 2) by alteration of this contact point, the slide 106 has been provided with a greater window of time in which to strike the barrel 150 upon the incline 154, thus increasing the momentum and force of contact; and 3) since the point of contact upon the incline 154 is higher up on its plane, the underside edge of the slide vertical locking surface 108 (FIG. 13) traverses a shorter distance upon that incline, creating a diminished frictional effect upon the barrel 150.
The beginning of inclined abutting surface 154 is preferably from 0.008" to 0.020' (depending on the GLOCK model type) below the lowest point 113 of the vertical abutting surface 112 of the unmodified barrel 104 of FIG. 12. Furthermore, the plane defined by abutting surface 154 of modified barrel 150 is optimized at 13° relative to the longitudinal axis of barrel element 156.
Referring now to FIGS. 17 and 18, further features of barrel chamber area 152 are illustrated in detail. FIG. 17 illustrates a top plan view of barrel chamber area 152 of modified barrel 150 of FIG. 16 and FIG. 18 illustrates a similar view of the unmodified barrel of FIG. 12 for comparison purposes. The original dimensions of the unmodified barrel of FIG. 12 are also shown in phantom in FIG. 17. As shown in FIG. 17, barrel chamber area 152 is configured in a manner which facilitates blank case ejection and loading during recoil. During the firing of blank ammunition, the blank cartridge typically undergoes a distortion of its geometrical characteristics, e.g., the overall length of the cartridge may increase due to the distortion of the oblique front portion of the blank case which becomes substantially cylindrical during firing, or, the cartridge may decrease or expand due to back pressure during firing. Accordingly, to accommodate the variations in these fired blank cartridges, rear barrel hood extension 158 is modified by reducing its length a predetermined distance "a". Such reduction reduces the possible area of contact with the spent cartridge case upon ejection, thus preventing case jamming, while still preserving the barrel hood extension's function of maintaining an upward stop that prevents the cartridge being fed into chamber 152 from leaping upward causing a "stovepipe" jam. Further, the width of barrel hood extension 158 is reduced on one side, i.e., the side where the fired cartridge is ejected, a predetermined distance "b" to further prevent case jamming during the ejection cycle. In a similar manner, the right rear side of the chamber mouth is moved forward a distance "c", thus, in effect shortening it. This further prevents case jamming during the ejection cycle, as the case is pivoted outwardly to the right by the frame-mounted ejector component (not shown).
In the "GLOCK" models 17, 19 and 23, the distances "a", "b", and "c" are 0.060, 0.080 and 0.030" respectively. One skilled in the art may readily determine the appropriate distances for other "GLOCK" models as well as other firearms including the "SIG-SAUER", "RUGER", "HECKLER & KOCH" and derivatives thereof.
Referring to FIG. 18, the dimensions of the unmodified barrel chamber area 114 of conventional "GLOCK" models 17, 19 and 23 are as follows:
______________________________________Dimension Inches______________________________________"d" 1.218 to 1.220"e" 0.146 to 0.156"f" 0.393 to 0.400 0.429 (M23)______________________________________
Referring now to FIGS. 19 and 20 further modifications to the original barrel to facilitate case ejection and loading into chamber 152 are depicted. FIG. 19 illustrates an axial view into barrel chamber 152 of modified barrel 150. FIG. 20 shows a similar view of the conventional barrel 104 of FIG. 12 prior to the additional modifications. As shown in FIG. 20, the original barrel hood extension 121 of the unmodified barrel defines a circumferential are 123 adjacent the chamber mouth 125, which guides the live cartridge into the chamber 114. However, due to the aforementioned geometries and distortions of the blank cartridge, it has been found that by eliminating a portion of the arc, the blank cartridge can more easily be ejected by the ejection unit. Referring to FIG. 19, the fight underside (relative to the drawings) of the barrel hood extension 158 which has been lessened in width has approximately a 45° angled and tapered (or bevelled) relief cut 160 formed by milling or grinding or the like on the right rear underside. This cut is preferably oriented approximately at 45° from the axis "x" of chamber, at approximately the 1 o'clock position as viewed from the rear and approximately 45° angle upward from the bore axis. One skilled in the art can determine other appropriate angular orientations for relief cut 160 and chamfered are 162. Further, adjacent the rear right side of the chamber mouth 160 a 45° chamfered are 162 relative to radius cross-section plane "z" of chamber 152 is formed. The arc 162 extends from the right rear side 164 of barrel chamber 152 towards the front of the chamber and inwardly towards the axis "x" of the chamber to define a chamfer/beveled surface. Such surface also facilitates case ejection.
Referring now to FIG. 21, in conjunction with FIG. 12, there is illustrated an alternative embodiment of the blank firing pistol modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Pistol 200 is a "GLOCK"/SIG-SAUER type derivative pistol such as the pistol depicted in FIGS. 11-12 and incorporates a conventional barrel unit 104 having barrel chamber portion 114 and a barrel dement extending from the barrel chamber portion 114 as best shown in FIG. 12. A vertical abutting surface 112 as defined at the juncture of the barrel chamber portion 114 and the barrel element is provided as is conventional with pistols of this type. Slide 210 possesses a vertical abutment surface 212 which has been displaced from its original position adjacent the slide ejection port area 214 (see FIG. 11) towards the forward end of the slide 210. By displacing the vertical abutment surface 212 a predetermined distance towards the forward end portion of slide 210, the slide is permitted to move rearwardly a substantial distance before contacting abutting surface 112 of conventional barrel unit 104, thereby enabling the slide 210 to achieve the desired increased rearward velocity and momentum to drive the barrel unit 104 rearwardly and downwardly into appropriate cartridge ejection and feeding position in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 13 and 14. In the preferred embodiment, vertical abutment surface 212 is displaced forward from its original position by between about 0.050 inches and 0.150 inches. Barrel unit 104 remains in its rearward position to accomplish chambering of a subsequent blank cartridge by the contact between the unaltered rear surface portion of barrel chamber portion 114 and the underside of recoiling slide 210. Barrel unit 104 is returned to the forward battery position by the normal forward thrust and momentum imparted by the forward motion of slide 106, i.e., forward movement of slide 210 as effectuated by the recoil spring mechanism (not shown) causes corresponding forward movement of barrel unit 104 through the contact between the rear end portion of barrel chamber portion 114 and the breech face 211 of barrel block 213 of slide 210.
Referring now to FIGS. 22-24, there is illustrated a conventional "GLOCK"/"SIG-SAUER"/"HECKLER & KOCK (H.K.)" derivative pistol to be modified in accordance with the principles of the present invention. Pistol 220 incorporates a recoil/breech lock system to operate in a repetitive mode and includes a frame 222, barrel unit 224 and slide 226 slidably mounted on a frame 222 as is conventional with pistols of this type. The barrel lock mechanism is in the form of a vertical abutment surface 228 defined at the slide ejection port area 230 which engages a vertical abutting surface 232 defined at the juncture of barrel chamber 234 and barrel element 236 to drive the barrel 224 rearwardly during recoil for cartridge ejection and feeding. Pistol 220 also incorporates a recoil spring mechanism (not shown) to return slide 226 and, consequently, barrel unit 224 to the forward battery position.
Barrel unit 224 is supported by frame 222 via frame support camming surface 236 which extends inwardly across from the frame and abuts the underside 238 of barrel feed ramp 240 of the barrel unit. Barrel feed ramp underside 238 in combination with frame support surface 236 governs the rate of barrel drop into recoil/cartridge feed position. In particular, as slide 226 and barrel unit 224 move rearwardly, feed ramp underside 238 traverses frame support surface 236 whereupon clearing the support surface 236, the barrel unit 224 drops downwardly to its appropriate cartridge feeding position (i.e., recess 242 in the underside of barrel unit 224 accommodates frame support surface 236) as shown in phantom in FIG. 24. FIG. 24 illustrates the positioning of barrel unit 224 in its forward battery position and also shows by phantom lines the positioning of barrel unit 224 in its cartridge feeding position subsequent to recoil. Barrel feed ramp 240 facilitates feeding of a cartridge into barrel chamber portion 234.
Referring now to FIGS. 25-27, there is illustrated the pistol of FIGS. 22-24 modified to fire blank ammunition. Slide 226 and frame 222 remain unaltered in this embodiment. However, barrel unit 250 has been modified to define an abutting surface 252 ranging between about 8° and about 15° relative to the longitudinal axis of barrel element 254 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the embodiment of FIGS. 13-14, to provide initial unimpeded rearward movement of slide 222 prior to engagement of abutment surface 228 of slide 226 with the abutting surface 252. In addition, barrel feed ramp underside 256 has been shortened by moving the forwardmost upwardly-angled surface 258 of the ramp underside 256 to the rear at an oblique angle which approximates the original angle configuration. This shortens the feed ramp underside 256 contact with frame camming surface 236, thereby effectually reducing the time and distance necessary for the barrel unit 250 to drop downwardly into its rearward recoil/cartridge feeding position (as shown in phantom in FIG. 27) and, consequently, reducing the amount of recoil force required to drive the slide and barrel rearwardly. Preferably, barrel feed ramp underside 256 is shortened by about 25% to about 75% of its original length. Thus, the combination of the angled abutting surface 252 with the shortened feed ramp underside 256 enables the blank firing pistol to operate in a repetitive automatic manner with the barrel unit dropping to cartridge feeding position at the appropriate time sequence. Barrel 250 also includes a restrictor element 260 to generate sufficient back pressure upon firing of a blank cartridge to drive the slide rearwardly and a recoil spring mechanism (see FIGS. 1-2) to return the slide and barrel (via impingement of breach face 261 on rear barrel hood extension 263) to battery.
It is to be noted that while two representatives classes of recoil-operated, breech locked firearms are used for examples, the embodiments put forth apply equally to firearms possessing similar design elements, and include, though are not necessarily limited to the "RUGER" P85/P89/P90, the "SMITH & WESSON" 39/59/5900/6900--Series, "BROWNING" and "COLT"/"BROWNING" derivative firearms, as well as other recoil-operated, breech-locked pistols possessing a barrel/slide-mated locking surface provision, and chambered in, but not limited to, calibers 9mm "PARABELLUM, ".45 ACP", ".40 S+w", 10mm, 9mm "WINCHESTER MAGNUM", ".45 WINCHESTER MAGNUM", ".30m CARBINE", or other calibers utilized in recoil-operated, breech-locked firing mechanisms.
It will be understood that various modifications can be made to the embodiments of the present invention herein disclosed without departing from the spirit thereof. The above description should not be construed as limiting the invention but merely as exemplifications of preferred embodiments thereof. Those skilled in the art will envision other modifications within the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the claims appended hereto.
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An automatic pistol adapted to repetitively fire blank ammunition includes a frame, a barrel unit supported by the frame and a slide unit reciprocally mounted on the frame between the forward and rear position. The barrel unit and/or frame incorporate structure which enables the pistol to operate in a highly reliable, repetitive manner without visible alteration to the pistol. A method for forming a blank firing pistol is also disclosed.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a swing training assembly and, more specifically, to a swing training assembly which allows a player to swing at a moving ball with a bat.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Many devices are available in sporting applications to develop or perfect the requisite swing. In baseball, a common "swing training device" is a batting tee which allows the player to swing at a stationary ball. This type of device is typically used by players 6 years of age or younger. Although a batting tee develops a player's hand-eye coordination, it is inadequate in that it does not prepare the player to hit a moving target or prepare the player for "coach pitch" or "kid pitch."
Development of a player's swing is typically undertaken on a one-on-one basis with an appropriate coach. However, in some cases it is desirable for a number of players to be able to "practice" their swings simultaneously or in a group. This is reasonably possible in golf where a single coach can monitor a plurality of players at a driving range which has a plurality of stations. It is more expensive for a plurality of baseball players to simultaneously work on their swings against "live" pitching since this requires a plurality of batting machines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to a swing training assembly. A first aspect of the present invention presents multiple stations to accommodate multiple users, such as for use in a physical education class. A first support member (e.g., rope, cable, a rigid structure) is interconnectable with two elevation-generating members which are laterally displaced and which thereby dispose the first support member above the ground or the surface on which the participants will stand when using the swing training assembly. For example, the two laterally displaced elevation-generating members could be the basketball rims on a basketball court in a gymnasium, a frame of some sort, or simply a pair of generally vertically extending posts. A plurality of training stations are laterally spaced along the length of the first support member and each includes a second support member (e.g., rope, cable) which extends down from the first support member when attached to the elevation-generating members, as well as a ball which is interconnected with the second support member. This suspends the balls from the first support member and above the ground or support surface at a plurality of spaced locations to allow a plurality of participants to use the swing training assembly.
Various additional features may be incorporated into the above-noted first aspect, both singularly and in any combination. The first support member may be simply a piece of rope or cable which would allow the first support member to be rolled up after use for convenient space-reduced storage. Other types of materials could be used for the first support member as well, such as those which are generally rigid (e.g., PVC tubing, wood, metal). Connectors may be provided on each end of the first support member to allow the first support member to be attached to the two laterally spaced elevation-generating members, and to thereafter allow the first support member to be removed from these elevation-generating members after use (e.g., the first support member may be detachably interconnectable with the elevation-generating members). The location where the plurality of second support members extend downwardly from the first support member may be fixed, such as by disposing a plurality of hooks along the first support member, or may be adjustable by disposing each second support member between a pair of positioning members which are movable along the first support member and which may thereafter be disposed in fixed relation thereto.
Each second support member of the above-noted first aspect may be a piece of rope, cable, or other similar material. The length of the second support member, or the distance which the second support member extends downwardly from the first support member, may be adjustable to accommodate users of various heights. Each second support member may also include some type of connector to allow each second support member to be attached to the first support member for use of the swing training assembly, and to thereafter be removed from the first support member after use (e.g., each second support member may be detachably interconnectable with the first support member).
The ball provided for each second support member may be a hollow structure with at least one hole having a first effective diameter, and is preferably a perforated plastic ball (e.g., a plastic round shell with a plurality of perforations therein). A ball connector provided for each second support member may have a second effective diameter which exceeds the first effective diameter of the at least one hole. As such, when the ball connector is disposed within the interior of the ball through the noted hole, the ball is interconnected with the second support member. The ball connector may be formed of a pliable material, and furthermore the ball connector may be configured such that when its corresponding ball is hit with a bat, the ball connector will be pulled out from the interior of the ball to allow the ball to detach from the second connector. In one embodiment each ball is a plastic, round, hollow ball with a plurality of perforations therein, and each ball connector is a small suction cup (e.g., the type of suction cup found on darts from children's dart guns or on arrows from children's bow and arrow sets).
A second aspect of the present invention includes an elevation-generating system with a first member which has a lateral extent and which is disposed above the ground or the surface on which the participant of the swing training assembly will stand. A second member (e.g., rope, cable, pliable tubing) is interconnected with the elevation-generating assembly (e.g., fixedly, detachably) and extends generally downwardly from the first member. A ball is detachably connected with the interconnecting member by a ball connector which is disposed inside the ball and which is removable from the interior of the ball when the ball is struck with a bat.
Various additional features may be incorporated into the above-noted second aspect, both singularly and in any combination. For instance, the elevation-generating assembly of this second aspect may include one or more of the attributes of the pair of elevation-generating members and the first support member of the first aspect discussed above. The elevation-generating assembly may also be a frame for a single user which extends generally upwardly from the ground a certain distance, and which also extends generally laterally (e.g., parallel with the ground). The second member of this second aspect may include one or more of those attributes of the second support member of the first aspect discussed above. Finally, the ball and/or ball connector of this second aspect may include one or more of those attributes of the ball and/or ball connector from the first aspect discussed above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of a swing training assembly in accordance with principles of the present invention;
FIG. 1A is an enlarged view of one embodiment of a detachable connector for the main mounting member illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of another embodiment of a detachable connector for the main mounting member illustrated in FIG. 1 and which provides tensioning capabilities for the main mounting member;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of one of the plurality of training stations illustrated in FIG. 1;
FIG. 2A is an enlarged view of one of the two training station positioners used for each of the training stations illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2;
FIG. 2B is an enlarged top view of the ball connector used in the training station of FIG. 2;
FIG. 2C is an enlarged view of the length adjusting device used in the training station of FIG. 2;
FIG. 3A-C are sequential views illustrating the release of the ball from one of the training stations illustrated in FIG. 1; and
FIG. 4 is another embodiment of a swing training assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention will be described in relation to the accompanying drawings which assist in illustrating its various features. A swing training assembly 10 is illustrated in FIG. 1. The swing training assembly 10 includes a first support 12 and a laterally displaced second support 14 which in the illustrated embodiment are basketball rims disposed above the gym floor 11 (i.e., the first support 12 and second support 14 are elevation-generating members). A main mounting member 16 (e.g., rope, cable, a cord-like material, flexible tubing, a rigid support) is strung between and detachably interconnected with each of these first and second supports 12, 14. In the preferred embodiment the main mounting member 16 is a piece of rope. One end of the main mounting member 16 is interconnected to the first support 12. Preferably, the main mounting member 16 is detachably interconnected with the first support 12, such as by a first connector 13 which is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 1A and which in one embodiment is a snap swivel hook. The opposite end of the main mounting member 16 is interconnected with a second support 14. Preferably, the main mounting member 16 is detachably interconnected with the second support 14, such as by interfacing with a second connector 15 which detachably interconnects the main mounting member 16 with the second support 14. The second connector 15 in one embodiment is a rope ratchet which allows a free end 17 of the main support member 16 to be fed through a ratchet assembly within the second connector 15. This allows the free end 17 of the main support member 16 to be pulled upon to tension the main support member 16, and this tension is maintained by the ratchet assembly disposed within the second connector 15.
A plurality of laterally spaced training stations 18 are positioned along the main support member 16 to allow the swing training assembly 10 to be used by a plurality of participants. In one embodiment, the training stations 18 are spaced about 6'-8' from each other. One of the training stations 18 is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2. Each training station 18 includes a ball suspension member 20 (e.g., rope, cable, a cord-like material, flexible tubing) which is preferably detachably interconnected with the main mounting member 16 by a swivel snap hook 24. A training station positioner 27 is disposed on each side of the swivel snap hook 24 to maintain the position of each training station 18 along the main support member 16 during use (e.g., a fixed position relative to the main support member 16). In one embodiment, each of the training station positioners 27 is what is commonly referred to as a cord lock which is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2A. This type of training station positioner 27 includes a first member 27A which is slidably interconnected with a second member 27B and which is biased away therefrom by a spring (not shown). The first member 27A is moved toward the second member 27B to align their respective holes through which the main support member 16 is then threaded. When the first member 27A is released, it moves away from the second member 27B by the action of the biasing spring to bind the training station positioner 27 at a fixed point on the main support member 16 (i.e., by moving their respective holes out of alignment). These types of training station positioners 27 allow the distance between training stations 18 to be adjusted and/or facilitate disassembly/storage of the swing training assembly 10. Although a detachable interconnection of each of the training stations 18 is preferred as noted, in another embodiment each training station 18 is fixedly interconnected with the main support member 16 (not shown).
A suction cup 22 is disposed on the end of the ball suspension member 20 and serves to detachably interconnect the suspension member 20 with a ball 28 (FIGS. 1 and 3). In one embodiment, the suction cup 22 is formed from a pliable or flexible material (e.g., rubber, vinyl) and has an effective outer diameter D 1 as illustrated in FIG. 2B. The ball 28 has a hollow outer shell, a hollow interior 32, and a plurality of holes 30 through the hollow shell of the ball 28 with at least one of these holes 32, and typically all of these holes 32, having a diameter D 2 which is smaller than the effective outer diameter D 1 of the suction cup 22. As such, the suction cup 22 may be collapsed and disposed through one of the holes 30 in the ball 28 (see FIGS. 3A-C) to detachably interconnect the ball suspension member 20 with the ball 28. In order to accommodate for different heights of participants, each training station 18 also preferably includes a length adjusting device 26 to allow the distance with the ball 28 is disposed above the floor 11 to be adjusted. In one embodiment this length adjusting device 26 is what is commonly referred to as a cord lock which is illustrated in more detail in FIG. 2C. This type of length adjusting device 26 includes a first member 26A which is slidably interconnected with a second member 26A and which is biased away therefrom by a spring (not shown). The first member 26A is moved toward the second member 26B to align their respective holes through which the ball suspension member 20 is threaded in the manner illustrated in FIG. 2 (e.g., forming a loop). When the first member 26A is released, it moves away from the second member 26B by the action of the biasing spring to fix the length of the ball suspension member 22 (i.e., by moving their respective holes out of alignment). Although this length adjustment feature is preferred, in another embodiment the length of the ball suspension member 22 is fixed (i.e., not adjustable).
Each training station 18 allows the ball suspension member 20 to be swung to allow the ball 28 to be moving when struck with a bat by the participant. Alternatively, the ball suspension member 20 may remain in a stationary position for those less skilled. Moreover, each training station 18 allows the ball 28 to be released therefrom when struck with the bat, and this is illustrated in FIGS. 3A-C. Referring first to FIG. 3A, the suction cup 22 is disposed within the interior 32 of the ball 28 after having passed through one of its holes 30, along with the ball suspension member 20. With the effective outer diameter of the suction cup 22 D 1 being larger than the diameter D 2 of the holes 30 in the ball 28, the ball 28 remains attached to the end of the ball suspension member 20 and suspended above the ground 11 (FIG. 1). The height which the ball 28 is disposed above the ground 11 may be adjusted to fit the height of the participant through the length adjusting device 26 as noted above (FIGS. 2 and 2C). When the participant strikes the ball 28 with a bat, the resulting forces exerted on ball 28 and then the suction cup 22 cause the suction cup 22 to deform and it begins to be pulled out from the interior 32 of the ball 28 through the hole 30 as illustrated in FIGS. 3B. The suction cup 22 will then pull completely through the hole 30 to allow the ball 28 to allow the ball 28 to continue on a path which is unimpeded by the ball suspension member 20 as illustrated in FIG. 3C. That is, the ball 28 totally separates from the ball suspension member 20. The ball 28 may then be retrieved and reinstalled on the end of the ball suspension member 20 by collapsing the suction cup 22 and passing the suction cup 22 through one of the holes 30 in the ball 28.
Another embodiment of a swing training assembly is illustrated in FIG. 4. The swing training assembly 34 is for a single user and includes an appropriately sized/weighted base 36 with a frame 38 attached thereto. Preferably, the frame 38 detachably interfaces with the base 36 (e.g, via a threaded interconnection (not shown)). The frame 38 includes a first member 40 which extends generally upwardly from the base 36 and a second member 42 which extends generally horizontally or laterally from the first member 40. To facilitate storage, the first member 40 and second member 42 may be detachably interconnectable as well (e.g., via a press fit or threaded interconnection). A single training station 18 is interconnected with the second member 42. That is, a ball suspension member 20 extends down from the second member 42, and a ball connector or suction cup 22 detachably interconnects the ball suspension member 20 with the ball 28 in the above-noted manner. Although not shown, a length adjusting device 26 could be utilized. Moreover, the ball suspension member 22 can be fixedly connected or detachably interconnected with the frame 38.
The foregoing description of the present invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. Furthermore, the description is not intended to limit the invention to the form disclosed herein. Consequently, variations and modifications commensurate with the above teachings, and skill and knowledge of the relevant art, are within the scope of the present invention. The embodiments described hereinabove are further intended to explain best modes known of practicing the invention and to enable others skilled in the art to utilize the invention in such, or other embodiments and with various modifications required by the particular application(s) or use(s) of the present invention. It is intended that the appended claims be construed to include alternative embodiments to the extent permitted by the prior art.
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A number of swing training assemblies are disclosed. One of the assemblies is for use in a gymnasium and includes a main support member or rope which extends between the two basketball rims and is detachably interconnected therewith. A plurality of ball suspension members or ropes are spaced along the main support member or rope and extend downwardly therefrom. A ball is detachably connected to each of the ball suspension members.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/155,013, filed Jan. 14, 2014, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/347,414, filed Jan. 10, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,628,085, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/795,540, filed Jun. 7, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,091,892, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/278,102, filed Aug. 1, 2008, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,731,191, which is a 371 of PCT/US07/03462, filed Feb. 9, 2007, which claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/772,343, filed Feb. 10, 2006.
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0002] ©2014 IPPASA, LLC. A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever. 37 CFR §1.71(d).
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] This disclosure relates to a manual controller for manipulating images or symbols on a visual display and, in particular, to a controller that can be constructed with user-arranged matable building elements to exhibit a customized shape and style depending on user game-inspired, ergonomic, or appearance preferences.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
[0004] Manual controllers for manipulating images or symbols on a visual display of a computer device include, for example, joysticks, game pads, steering wheels, guns, mice, remote devices for television, stored multi-media display and recording machines, cellular telephones, portable video game systems, and portable multi-media devices. One prevalent type of manual controller comprises a control section having a plurality of buttons that the user presses to enter commands and hand grips that the user holds when the user operates the manual controller. Conventional manual controllers are distributed with a predetermined appearance and ergonomic structure. Manual controllers are operated by a variety of users with different hand sizes. Moreover, each user has different ergonomic and style preferences.
SUMMARY OF DISCLOSURE
[0005] A configurable manual controller for manipulating images or symbols on a display is adapted for construction with matable building elements arranged by a user. The user forms the manual controller to exhibit a customized shape and ornamental appearance reflecting the user's game-inspired, ergonomic, or style preferences.
[0006] The configurable manual controller comprises an exoskeleton having an interior region and a patterned surface portion. The interior region is configured to confine internal electrical components that are operatively connected to and cooperate with control actuators to produce signals for manipulating images or symbols on the display. The control actuators are positioned for tactile manipulation by a user to cause production of the signals. The patterned surface portion is configured to support a set of building elements. The building elements in the set are configurable for mating to the patterned surface portion of the exoskeleton and to one another. This enables a user to customize the controller to an arbitrary shape and ornamental appearance, according to the user's game-inspired, ergonomic, or style preferences.
[0007] In a first embodiment, the exoskeleton of a controller comprises a main section and a hand grip section, either or both of which include at least one patterned surface portion on which a user can build with the building elements to create a controller of various shapes and appearances according to the user's preference. This can be accomplished by one or both of attachment and add-on techniques. In a second embodiment, the exoskeleton of a controller comprises a unitary main and hand grip section that includes at least one patterned surface portion on which a user can build with the building elements to create a customized controller. The resulting arbitrary controller configuration determined by a user can be a recreation equipment item, for example as described below, a golf club or a baseball bat.
[0008] Additional aspects and advantages will be apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, which proceeds with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of a configurable manual controller.
[0010] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the matable building elements assembled to form a hand grip that attaches to an exoskeleton surface of the manual controller of FIG. 1 .
[0011] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a patterned surface portion of the exoskeleton of the manual controller of FIG. 1 .
[0012] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a second embodiment of a manual controller that includes a unitary main and hand grip section.
[0013] FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the manual controller of FIG. 4 shown with two building elements with different top side mating features.
[0014] FIGS. 6A , 6 B, 6 C, and 6 D are, respectively, plan, side elevation, isometric, and exploded views of a first example of a customized controller built in the form of a golf club around the type of remote controller shown in FIG. 4 .
[0015] FIGS. 7A , 7 B, 7 C, and 7 D are, respectively, plan, side elevation, isometric, and partly assembled views of a second example of a customized controller built in the form of a baseball bat around the type of remote controller shown in FIG. 4 .
[0016] FIGS. 8A , 8 B, 8 C, and 8 D are, respectively, plan, side elevation, isometric, and partly exploded views of a third example of a customized controller built with several layers of mated building elements around the type of remote controller shown in FIG. 4 to form a baseball bat with an unfinished surface.
[0017] FIGS. 9A , 9 B, and 9 C are, respectively, side elevation, end, and exploded views of a fourth example of a customized controller built with two matable, styled half-section building elements that partly enclose the type of remote controller of FIG. 4 to form a baseball bat.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first preferred embodiment of a configurable manual controller 10 that is used with a computing device (not shown) for manipulating images or symbols on a display (not shown). Although it does not show a cable, this embodiment can be connected to a computing device through a cable or a wireless communication link. Manual controller 10 includes an exoskeleton 12 formed of a main housing 14 and a main casing 16 that conformably fits around the side surface of main housing 14 . Main housing 14 fits inside of but is readily separable from main casing 16 . Main housing 14 houses in its interior the electrical components necessary for controlling symbols or images on a display associated with a computer device. Main casing 16 has a patterned surface portion 20 that in part covers hand grip mounting plates 22 (one shown) to which removable hand grips 30 and 32 can be attached as described below. Skilled persons will appreciate that exoskeleton 12 can be alternatively made as a unitary structure having a surface on which patterned surface portion 20 is formed.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 1 , exoskeleton 12 has an attachable left-hand grip 30 and an attachable right-hand grip 32 for two-handed gripping by a user. A left-side control pad 34 , including four pressable control members 36 , and a left-side analog stick control 38 are positioned for access by digits of the user's left hand; and a right-side control pad 44 , including four control buttons 46 , and a right-side analog stick control 48 are positioned for access by digits of the user's right hand. A selection button 64 and a start button 66 are positioned between hand grips 30 and 32 . Skilled persons will appreciate that the above-described number of control actuators, control actuator layout pattern, and hand grip arrangement represent only one of numerous possible control actuator and hand grip configurations. The internal electrical components include the actual electronic circuits, controls, and corresponding switch elements for control pads 34 and 44 and buttons 64 and 66 .
[0020] Patterned surface portion 20 , which in this embodiment covers the exterior side surface of main casing 16 , includes a surface pattern in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart cylindrical mating features or bosses 80 . Each of hand grips 30 and 32 has a handle mount 82 on which is formed an array of mutually spaced-apart cylindrical mating features or recesses 84 . The diameter and depth of each recess 84 and the spacing distances between adjacent ones of recesses 84 are established so that recesses 84 mate with corresponding bosses 80 and provide a snug, releasable attachment of each of hand grips 30 and 32 to main casing 16 .
[0021] FIG. 2 shows the matable building elements that when assembled form left-hand grip 30 shown in FIG. 1 . Left hand-grip 30 is made up of five building elements, of which some have different matable features and some have smooth finished surfaces that contribute to the ornamental appearance and ergonomic quality of the hand grip.
[0022] Left-hand grip 30 includes a five-section body element 90 to which the remaining building elements attach. A mounting element 92 has three recesses (not shown) that mate with three corresponding bosses 80 of a mounting section 94 of body element 90 to form handle mount 82 ( FIG. 1 ) having eight recesses 84 . Handle mount 82 fits over and attaches to hand grip mounting plate 22 ( FIG. 1 ), with eight recesses 84 and eight corresponding bosses 80 in mating relationship. A medial side element 96 has nine bosses 80 that mate with nine corresponding recesses of a center section 98 of body element 90 . A lateral side element 100 has nine recesses (not shown) that mate with nine corresponding bosses 80 of a distal section 102 of body element 90 . Side elements 96 and 100 contribute to the shape and appearance of the gripping surface of left-hand grip 30 . An end piece 104 has two bosses 80 that mate with two corresponding recesses (not shown) of a tip section 106 of body element 90 to form a rounded terminal end of left-hand grip 30 . The assembled left-hand grip 30 is shown in FIG. 1 with its side elements 96 and 100 removed. Right-hand grip 32 can be assembled in a corresponding manner to that described above.
[0023] FIG. 3 shows a patterned surface portion 120 covering most of the top surface of main housing 14 ( FIG. 1 ), except for the actuators on control pads 34 and 44 . Patterned surface portion 120 includes a surface pattern in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart bosses 80 in the same array pattern as that of patterned surface portion 20 ( FIG. 1 ).
[0024] Patterned surface portion 120 is configured to receive matable building elements 122 . Building elements 122 in this embodiment are preferably small molded plastic components that are stackable upon one another, like small bricks, to create a desired object. (Building elements 122 intended to provide a finished surface typically do not have top surface mating features that would enable stacking of another layer of building elements.) Building elements 122 can be of different colors. Suitable building elements 122 include LEGO toy bricks, available from Interlego AG, Zug, Switzerland.
[0025] A preferred building element 122 has on its bottom side recesses 84 that are sized to mate with spatially corresponding bosses 80 so that building element 122 can be affixed to and thereby cover part of patterned surface portion 120 . Skilled persons will appreciate that a building element 122 having multiple recesses 84 on its bottom side is configured so that adjacent recesses 84 are separated by the same distance as that separating corresponding adjacent bosses 80 in patterned surface portion 120 . The spaced-apart bottom side recesses 84 of building element 122 that are sized to mate with spatially corresponding bosses 80 of patterned surface portion 120 define a recess feature pattern that is complementary to patterned surface portion 120 . FIG. 3 shows a building element 122 a that has an open rectangular bottom side recess 124 that is sized to fit over and against lateral arcuate peripheral portions of two adjacent bosses 80 to mate with them in an operational manner. Building element 122 a defines a surface feature that is matable to bosses 80 in, but not is complementary to, patterned surface portion 120 .
[0026] Either building element 122 or 122 a has on its top side the absence or presence of a matable feature. FIG. 3 shows attached to main housing 14 ( FIG. 1 ) a building element 122 s having a smooth top surface that can be of a color or that contributes to a finished decorative pattern selected by a user. FIG. 3 also shows attached to main housing 14 and positioned adjacent building element 122 s a building element 122 b having on its top side two bosses 80 to which another building element 122 b could mate at its bottom surface.
[0027] For purposes of simplicity and uniformity, a user preferably constructs a manual controller with a set of stackable building elements in which the bottom side feature and the top side feature mates with and operationally matches, respectively, the features in a patterned surface portion of the manual controller. Operationally match is defined to mean that a top side feature is matable to the bottom side feature of the same building element. This is the situation illustrated in FIG. 3 and FIGS. 8A , 8 B, 8 C, and 8 D below. A user constructing a manual controller with building elements 122 stacked to form a specific shape could do so, however, by assembling a set of stackable building elements that are included in subsets. A first subset of building elements could be one in which the bottom side feature mates with, but the top side feature does not operationally match, the features of a patterned surface portion of the manual controller. A second subset of building elements could be one in which the bottom side feature mates with, and the top side feature operationally matches, the top side feature of the building elements in the first subset.
[0028] FIG. 4 is an isometric view of a second preferred embodiment of a configurable portable manual controller 140 that includes a unitary main and hand grip section. Manual controller 140 is built around a remote controller in the form of a Wii™ remote controller, which is available from Nintendo of America, Inc., Redmond, Wash., and is implemented with motion sensors that move images on a display in response to user movement of manual controller 140 . Manual controller 140 includes an exoskeleton 142 that is a main housing that houses in its interior the electrical components necessary for controlling symbols or images on a display associated with a computer device. As shown in FIG. 4 , exoskeleton 142 has a control actuator 144 located between a control pad 146 including four pressable control members 148 and a menu button 150 and two control actuator buttons 152 and 154 . A power button 156 is located near the front end, two control actuator buttons 158 and 160 are located near the back end, and a joystick connector receptacle 162 is located in the back surface of manual controller 140 . Exoskeleton 142 has a tapered front end bottom surface on which a user can rest his fingers to grasp the controller and operate a trigger device (not shown).
[0029] Exoskeleton 142 has patterned surface portions 170 and 172 that together cover most of the exterior of exoskeleton 142 . Similar to patterned surface portion 20 of main casing 16 of manual controller 10 shown in FIG. 1 , patterned surface portion 170 covering the top surface of manual controller 140 includes a surface pattern in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart cylindrical mating features or bosses 80 . Patterned surface portion 172 covering a side surface of manual controller 140 includes a surface pattern in the form of an array of mutually spaced-apart square mating features 174 . For purposes of simplicity, it is preferable to cover exoskeleton 142 with patterned surface portions including arrays of the same mating features.
[0030] FIGS. 4 and 5 show two examples of building elements that are matable to manual controller 140 . A building element 176 shown positioned above (but not mated to) a building element 178 has top side cylindrical features 80 in a surface pattern that is less densely packed than features 80 in the surface pattern of patterned surface portion 170 . Building element 178 shown mated to bosses 80 of patterned surface portion 170 has top side square features 174 of patterned surface portion 172 . Building element 178 may have bottom side features that are matable to either cylindrical features 80 or square features 174 , depending on the surface of manual controller 140 on which a user intends to build.
[0031] FIGS. 6A , 6 B, 6 C, and 6 D show a customized controller built in the form of a golf club 190 around a remote controller in the form of a Wii™ remote controller. Golf club 190 includes an exoskeleton 192 that has a surface portion 170 , which is described above with reference to FIG. 4 . As best shown in FIG. 6D , golf club 190 includes five building elements, of which adjacent ones mate with each other and all of which collectively mate with exoskeleton 192 . A mounting element 194 includes two side sections 196 and 198 having recesses 84 that mate with corresponding bosses 80 on respective sides 200 and 202 of exoskeleton 192 . Golf club shaft components 204 , 206 , 208 , and 210 mate in series connection to form an assembled golf club 190 .
[0032] FIG. 7A , 7 B, 7 C, and 7 D show a customized controller built in the form of a baseball bat 220 around a remote controller in the form of a Wii™ remote controller. Baseball bat 220 includes an exoskeleton 222 that has a surface portion 170 , which is described above with reference to FIG. 4 . As best shown in FIG. 7D , baseball bat 220 includes five building elements (two of which are partly or completely removed to illustrate mating bosses 80 of exoskeleton 222 ) mated to exoskeleton 222 to form a bat handle 224 and eleven building elements (several of which partly cut away to show mating bosses 80 on adjacent building elements) mated in series connection to form a bat barrel 226 . A building element 228 mates to the rear end of exoskeleton 222 to provide a bat heel, and a building element 230 mates with the front end of exoskeleton 222 to interconnect it with bat barrel 226 .
[0033] FIGS. 8A , 8 B, 8 C, and 8 D show a customized controller built in the form of a baseball bat 240 around a remote controller in the form of a Wii™ remote controller. Baseball bat 240 includes an exoskeleton 242 that has a surface portion 170 , which is described above with reference to FIG. 4 . As best shown in FIG. 8D , baseball bat 240 is formed of two multi-layer stacks 244 and 246 of building elements positioned on and mated to either side of a bat barrel core section 248 . Rectangular building elements 250 and 252 included in respective multi-layer stacks 244 and 246 have recesses 84 (not shown) that mate with bosses 80 on the sides of exoskeleton 242 at its tapered end to connect bat barrel core section 248 to exoskeleton 240 . Unlike baseball bat 220 of FIGS. 7A , 7 B, 7 C, and 7 D, baseball bat 240 has substantially large unfinished surface portions.
[0034] FIGS. 9A , 9 B, and 9 C show a customized controller built in the form of a baseball bat 260 around a remote controller in the form of a Wii™ remote controller. Baseball bat 260 includes an exoskeleton 262 that has a surface portion 170 , which is described above with reference to FIG. 4 . As best shown in FIG. 9C , baseball bat 260 is formed with two matable half-section building elements 264 and 266 that resemble longitudinal half-sections of a complete bat, including its handle and barrel. The interior surfaces of building elements 264 and 266 have arrays of recesses 84 that mate with bosses 80 on the side surfaces of exoskeleton 262 to connect building elements 264 and 266 to exoskeleton 262 . The interior surface of building element 264 has three mounts 268 for sets of bosses 80 that mate with corresponding recesses 84 on the interior surface (not shown) of building element 266 to connect building elements 264 and 266 together. Baseball bat 260 presents with very few building elements a finished replica of a baseball bat.
[0035] It will be obvious to those having skill in the art that many changes may be made to the details of the above-described embodiments without departing from the underlying principles of the invention. The scope of the present invention should, therefore, be determined only by the following claims.
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A configurable manual controller for manipulating images or symbols on a display is adapted for construction with matable building elements arranged by a user. The user forms the manual controller to exhibit a customized ornamental appearance reflecting the user's creative design preferences.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
Copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/334,116 filed Jun. 15, 1999, and three commonly assigned U.S. patent applications of even date are directed to similar subject matters, and the contents of these applications are incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a vehicle seat device, and in particular to a vehicle seat device equipped with an anti-submarine vehicle seat device for preventing a vehicle occupant from slipping forward under the seat belt in case of an impact situation such as a vehicle crash.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that the so-called submarine phenomenon may occur in an impact situation such as a vehicle crash by the vehicle occupant slipping forward under the seat belt and the waist belt failing to restrain the pelvis of the vehicle occupant. This is prone to occur when the vehicle occupant sits in the front end of the seat or when the back rest is tilted rearward, and reduces the effectiveness of the seat belt in restraining the vehicle occupant or prevents the desired parts of the vehicle occupant to be restrained.
Therefore, it is conceivable to raise the front end of the seat by providing a projection in a front end of the seat frame, or by installing a panel in a front end of the seat frame. However, a desired effect in preventing submarine may not be achieved if the projection or the panel is too low, and the comfort of the vehicle occupant may be impaired if it is too low.
Accordingly, it has been previously proposed to raise the front end of the seat only in case of an impact. Such proposals include those using an air bag (Japanese Patent laid-open (kokai) publications No. 5-229378, No. 7-81466, and No. 3-227745), those which mechanically raise the front end of the seat (Japanese UM laid-open (kokai) publications No. 2-149328, No. 3-121947, and No. 4-93222), and those using a pyrotechnic actuator to mechanically raise the front end of the seat (Japanese UM laid-open (kokai) publication No. 3-61446).
However, because such anti-submarine devices involve generation of a large force, the structure of the device is required to have a high mechanical strength, and this prevents a compact and light-weight design of the seat.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of such problems of the prior art, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an anti-submarine device which allows a compact and light-weight design of the seat while ensuring a sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the reaction of the actuator of the anti-submarine seat device at the time of actuation.
A second object of the present invention is to provide a low profile anti-submarine seat device which would not impair the sitting comfort and support capability of the seat.
A third object of the present invention is to provide an anti-submarine seat device which is economical and easy to manufacture.
According to the present invention, such objects can be accomplished by providing a vehicle seat device for raising a front part of a seat member to prevent a vehicle occupant from slipping forward under a seat belt in an impact situation such as a vehicle crash, comprising: a fixed casing; a vehicle occupant restraint member supported by the casing so as to be moveable between a rest position and a deployed position; and a power actuator supported by the casing for selectively driving the restraint member toward the deployed position; the fixed casing and/or the restraint member forming at least a part of a structural member of a seat frame.
Thus, the casing and/or the restraint member serve the dual purposes as structural members, and the overall amount of the material for the structural members can be reduced. This results in the reduction in the size and weight of the overall seat arrangement. Typically, the casing forms a side member of the seat frame, and has a front end which pivotally supports the restraint member, the seat frame having a rectangular configuration defined by the side member, a rear cross member, another side member opposing the side member, and the restraint member extending across front ends of the side members. The restraint member preferably consists of a pipe member or any other stamped sheet metal member for a required mechanical strength at a minimum cost.
If an additional reinforcement is required, the seat frame may additionally include a front cross member connecting front ends of the side members and extending in parallel with the restraint member.
Preferably, the seat member may be provided with a notch to facilitate deformation thereof when the restraint member is actuated. If desired, the seat member may be separated into a plurality of parts, and the device may be adapted to raise only one or two of such parts. Thereby, a favorable deformation of the seat member may be achieved, and the power requirement of the power actuator may be reduced.
To increase the support surface area of the restraint member, the restraint member may additionally comprise a plate member attached to a rod member at least over a part of length of the rod member, or a wire member attached to the rod member. If desired, the restraint member may be provided with an energy absorbing property through elastic or plastic deformations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Now the present invention is described in the following with reference to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an anti-submarine vehicle seat device embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view of the vehicle seat device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the power actuator of the vehicle seat device embodying the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 showing another modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device of the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing yet another modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat device embodying the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view of this device. Seat rails 1 fixed to the vehicle body support a seat frame 2 so as to be slidable in the fore-and-aft direction via holders 23 , and a seat adjustment mechanism not shown in the drawings allows the seat frame 2 to be secured at a desired position. A front part of the seat frame 2 rotatably supports, on either side thereof, a pair of arms 3 via a pivot pin 3 a . These two arms 3 are firmly connected to each other by a pipe 4 extending laterally of the vehicle body, and serving as a restraint member as described hereinafter. The pipe 4 and the arms 3 support a panel member 5 , so that the arms 3 and the panel member 5 may form additional parts of the restraint member.
The seat frame 2 includes a pair of tubular casings 2 a each having a substantially closed, rectangular cross section extending longitudinally on either side, and a power actuator 7 which is described hereinafter is received in each of the casings 2 a . The rear ends of the casings 2 a are connected by a cross member 18 . Therefore, the seat frame 2 consists of a closed rectangular frame.
The free end of a piston rod 9 b of a piston assembly 9 in the power actuator 7 is connected to a pin 6 which is passed through a horizontally elongated guide slot 2 b of the casing 2 a and a vertically elongated slot 3 b provided in a part of the arm 3 offset from the pivot pin 3 a . The seat member 20 which may consist of hard urethane foam or any other suitable material is provided with a laterally extending notch 20 a for facilitating deformation thereof.
Referring to FIG. 3, the power actuator 7 comprises a cylinder 8 which is received and fixed in the basing 2 a of the seat frame 2 , a piston main body 9 a received in an inner bore 8 a of the cylinder 8 , and a gas generator 10 received in the part of the cylinder 8 more toward the base end thereof than the piston main body 9 a . A compression coil spring 12 is interposed between the piston main body 9 a and the gas generator 10 via a resilient seal member 11 to normally urge the piston main body 9 a in the direction of activation (projecting direction). The seal member 11 may consist of any suitable kind such as an O-ring which has a resiliency in the axial direction, and is effective in preventing the leakage of generated gas.
The gas generator 10 comprises a large diameter portion 10 a on the base end thereof, and a small diameter portion 10 b on the front end thereof, and a shoulder 10 c defined between these portions engages a corresponding shoulder 8 b defined in the cylinder 8 . The shoulder 10 c of the gas generator 10 additionally serves as a seat for the compression coil spring 12 via the seal member 11 . The compression coil spring 12 surrounds the small diameter portion 10 b on the front end thereof in such a manner that a gap may be defined between the piston main body 9 a and the front end of the small diameter portion 10 b even when the compression coil spring 12 is fully compressed. Therefore, even when the piston main body 9 a is subjected to an external force which would force it toward the gas generator 10 , the piston main body 9 a would not hit the front end of the small diameter portion 10 b on the front end of the gas generator 10 so that the gas generator 10 is protected from damages and deformations.
The piston main body 9 a engages the wall surface of the inner bore 8 a via an O-ring 13 . The piston assembly 9 is formed by the piston main body 9 a and a piston rod 9 b which abuts the piston mainbody 9 a from the axial direction and is provided with a free end attached to the arm 3 . The piston main body 9 a and the piston rod 9 b engage each other via a contact between a concentrically curved recess, and a corresponding concentrically curved projection having a somewhat smaller curvature so that the two parts are automatically aligned and the piston rod 9 b would not tilt in the cylinder. Therefore, energy loss and gas leakage can be avoided. In practice, the surfaces are not necessarily required to be curved, but may also consist of tapered surfaces. In that case, the taper of the projection should be steeper than the taper of the recess.
As described earlier, the compression coil spring 12 normally urges the piston main body 9 a in the direction of activation so that the piston rod 9 b is also urged in the direction of activation, and the plays that may be present in the joint between the piston rod 9 b and the arm 3 may be absorbed. The compression coil spring 12 may be substituted with a dish spring or a rubber-like elastomer member.
The open end 8 c of the cylinder 8 on the working end is reduced in diameter by swaging so as to slidably engage the outer circumferential surface of the intermediate part of the piston rod 9 b.
The front end of the power actuator 7 is provided with a one-way lock mechanism 14 . The one-way lock mechanism 14 comprises a casing 15 surrounding the piston rod 9 b and fixedly attached to the cylinder 8 , and the casing 15 accommodates therein a plurality of engagement pieces 16 , and a spring 17 urging the engagement pieces 16 toward the base end of the piston rod 9 b or the cylinder 8 . Each of the engagement pieces 16 is gradually reduced in outer diameter from the free end of the piston rod 9 b to the base end thereof. The inner bore of the casing 15 includes a large diameter portion 15 a and a tapered portion 15 b which is gradually reduced in inner diameter away from the large diameter portion 15 a . Therefore, in the illustrated state, the engagement pieces 16 are pressed onto the tapered portion 15 b and engage the outer circumferential surface of the piston rod 9 b under the biasing force of the spring 17 . As the piston rod 9 b moves in the projecting direction, the engagement pieces 16 are dragged in the projecting direction of the piston rod 9 b against the spring force of the spring 17 . As they move toward the large diameter portion 15 a , they move away from the piston rod 9 b so that the piston rod 9 b is allowed to move freely. When the piston rod 9 b is pushed back into the cylinder 8 , the engagement pieces 16 move toward the tapered portion 15 b under the spring force of the spring 17 and engage the outer circumferential surface of the piston rod 9 b so that the piston assembly 9 is securely fixed relative to the cylinder 8 . The inner circumferential surface of each of the engagement pieces 16 is provided with annular grooves or thread grooves while the outer circumferential surface of the piston rod 9 b is provided with corresponding annular grooves or thread grooves. Therefore, as the piston rod 9 b is pushed into the cylinder 8 , the inner circumferential surfaces of the engagement pieces 16 engage the outer circumferential surface of the piston rod 9 b so that these two parts are firmly retained to each other, and are kept at a fixed position.
The cylinder 8 is installed and fixedly secured in the casing 2 a , and the piston rod 9 b is introduced from the open working end 8 c of the cylinder 8 . The free end of the piston rod 9 b is then connected to the arm 3 by the pin 6 . The anti-submarine device is thus formed by the casings 2 a , the power actuator 7 , the restraint member consisting of the arms 3 , the pie 4 and the panel member 5 , the impact sensor consisting of an acceleration sensor or the like not shown in the drawing, and a control unit also not shown in the drawing.
When installing the device in a seat during the assembly work, and welding is required to be performed, the power actuator incorporated with a propellant is installed after completing the welding process. The seat frame 2 was supported by the seat rails 1 via the slidable holders in the above described embodiment, but may be attached to mounting brackets in case of a tiltable and/or liftable seat.
Now the mode of operation of this embodiment is described in the following. First of all, when a vehicle crash is detected by a deceleration sensor not shown in the drawing, gas is generated from the gas generator 10 , and the resulting rapid increase in the inner pressure of the cylinder 8 instantaneously pushes out the free end of the piston assembly 9 from the cylinder 8 . As a result, the arm 5 attached to the free end of the piston rod 9 b turns in clockwise direction as indicated by the imaginary lines in FIG. 2, and the restraint member consisting of the pipe 4 and the panel member 5 is raised along with the corresponding part of the seat so that the submarining of the vehicle occupant can be prevented. Because an intermediate part of the seat cushion 20 has a relative small thickness or is provided with the notch 20 a , the seat cushion 20 would not excessively resist the lifting of the seat by the restraint member. In practice, it is also possible to form the part of the seat that can be raised by the restraint member from a separate member. Further, by using an elastic or otherwise readily deformable material in a selected part of the surface skin member of the seat, the resistance to the raising motion of the seat can be even further reduced.
Even after the generation of gas from the gas generator 10 has ceased, and the drive force of the power actuator 7 has been lost, the raised slip preventing member would not come down, and maintains the action to prevent submarining of the seat's occupant.
The one-way lock mechanism may be provided only on one side of the seat, but a higher mechanical strength can be achieved if two of them are arranged on either side of the seat to support the load of the vehicle occupant from both sides. In this case, two one-way lock mechanisms having different constructions may be arranged on either side. For instance, the above described one-way lock mechanism may be provided on one side while a ball-type one-way lock mechanism capable of locking at any desire position is provided on the other side. When two power actuators are used on either side of the seat, each of the power actuators may consist of a relatively small device so that any localized increase in the size of the device can be avoided by proper distribution of compact devices.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention, showing only the restraint member. In this embodiment, to raise the leg of the vehicle occupant near the door, the panel member 21 is provided only over one half the length of the pipe 4 . This is based on the recognition that the leg which is relatively stretched for stepping on the pedal is desired to be particularly protected in the case of an offset crash which causes a relatively large deformation on the associated side part of the vehicle body. Furthermore, when the panel member is provided only over one half the length of the pipe, because the lifting area is smaller than having the panel member extend over the entire length of the pipe, the force required to raise the panel member is substantially reduced so that the required size of the power actuator can be reduced, and the component parts may have smaller thicknesses and masses. If the panel member is provided only over one half the length of the pipe, and inclined upward from inside to outside, it is possible to raise the outer leg of the vehicle occupant both upward and inward.
The submarine preventing device of the present invention can be adapted for different kinds and sizes of the vehicles, and the positions of the seats. For instance, when the panel member is provided substantially over the entire length of the pipe 4 , and the central part of the panel member projects higher than the remaining part of the panel member, the legs of the vehicle occupant can be raised while keeping them wide apart in case of a vehicle crash so that the interference with the steering handle can be avoided. A similar result can be achieved if the panel member is inclined downward from inside to outside.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention, showing only the restraint member. In this embodiment, a wire frame 22 made of a wire member is provided substantially over the entire length of the pipe 4 , instead of the panel member, and the weight of the restraint member is thereby reduced. This embodiment is otherwise similar to the previous embodiments.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of yet another modified embodiment of the vehicle seat device according to the present invention, showing only the restraint member. In this embodiment, not only the rear parts of the casings 2 a or the longitudinal members are joined together by the cross member 18 , but also the front parts of the casings 2 a are joined together by another cross member 19 . Thereby, the seat frame 2 is further reinforce. This embodiment is otherwise similar to the previous embodiments.
As can be appreciated from the foregoing description, according to a certain aspect of the present invention, the anti-submarine vehicle seat device for raising a seat cushion to prevent a vehicle occupant from slipping forward under a seat belt in an impact situation such as a vehicle crash comprises a restraint member moveably supported by a casing which is in turn integrally attached to a seat frame, and the casing and/or the restraint member form a part of the seat frame. By using the structural member of the anti-submarine device as a part of the seat frame, the number of component parts of the seat device, as well as the size and weight of the device, can be reduced.
Although the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments thereof, it is obvious to a person skilled in the art that various alterations and modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention which is set forth in the appended claims.
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Provided is a vehicle seat device equipped with an anti-submarine vehicle seat device for preventing submarine at the time of an impact without increasing the size and weight of the seat assembly. The casing and/or the restraint member serve the dual purposes as structural members for the seat frame so that the overall amount of the material for the structural members can be reduced.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a surveying appliance for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly interiors of buildings, and to a hand held, mobile remote control unit for the surveying appliance, and to a computer program product for providing, controlling and carrying out a scalable sighting functionality for the surveying appliance. The invention furthermore relates to an associated method for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure by means of the surveying appliance.
The invention relates to a surveying appliance for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly interiors of buildings, and to a hand held, mobile remote control unit for the surveying appliance, and to a computer program product 15 for providing, controlling and carrying out a scalable sighting functionality for the surveying appliance. The invention furthermore relates to an associated method for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure by means of the surveying appliance.
BACKGROUND
The prior art discloses simple surveying appliances having a sighting device, with the aid of which a spatial point is sighted manually and the sighting direction is then altered manually to a next spatial point to be surveyed, for example by means of adjusting screws on a theodolite drive.
DE 196 48 626 discloses a method and an apparatus for area surveying with a laser rangefinder having a laser transmitter and a laser receiver. The laser rangefinder is mounted on a stand. The apparatus furthermore comprises a tilting and rotating device for orientation and direction measurement, a telescopic sight and also an electronic evaluation unit for angle data capture, distance data capture and data transfer to a computer. For surveying a space, the appliance is positioned at a central location in the space, from where all spatial and/or area corner points to be detected can be sighted and impinged upon by the laser beam. In accordance with the disclosure of DE 196 48 626, the spatial points to be surveyed are in this case each sighted individually, if appropriate—in the case of relatively large distance—with the observation being supported by means of a telescopic sight.
A similar apparatus and associated surveying method are disclosed in DE 44 43 413, the supplementary published patent application DE 195 45 589 and WO 96/18083, which claims the priority of DE 44 43 413. These describe a method and an apparatus for surveying and marking on distant lines, areas or in at least partly closed spaces. One or more relevant spatial points are surveyed according to in each case two solid angles and the distance relative to a reference location by means of a laser distance measuring appliance mounted in a cardan-type fashion. The laser distance measuring appliance can be swiveled about two mutually perpendicular axes equipped with goniometers. In accordance with one embodiment described in said documents, spatial points to be surveyed are headed for manually and marking points are calculated from the survey data, on the basis of a prescribed relative relation between surveying and marking, said marking points then being moved to automatically by the measuring and marking apparatus.
Known construction surveying appliances typically comprise a base, an upper part mounted so as to be able to rotate about an axis of rotation on the base, and a sighting unit, mounted so as to be able to swivel about a swivel axis, with a laser source, which is designed to emit a laser beam, and an imaging detector, for example equipped with an orientation indicating functionality for indicating an orientation of the sighting unit with respect to a spatial point as a sighting point, and also with a distance determining detector for providing a distance measuring functionality. By way of example, the orientation indicating functionality may be a reticle in the viewfinder of a camera as imaging detector.
Modern, automated construction surveying appliances furthermore comprise rotary drives, which make the upper part and/or the sighting unit drivable in a motorized manner, goniometers and, if appropriate, inclination sensors for determining the spatial orientation of the sighting unit, and also an evaluation and control unit, which is connected to the laser source, the distance determining detector and also the goniometers and, if appropriate, inclination sensors.
In this case, the evaluation and control unit is equipped, by way of example, with a display having input means for inputting control commands from a user on the display (e.g. touchscreen) or what is known as a joystick that is directable, for the purpose of altering the orientation of the sighting unit by directing the joystick, and for presenting an image from the imaging detector or the camera on the display, wherein the orientation of the sighting unit can be indicated by means of the orientation indicating functionality on the display, e.g. by means of overlaying. Functionalities are known in which the input means on the display are in the form of arrows, the marking and touching of which enable a user to alter the orientation of the sighting unit in a horizontal or vertical direction.
Computer technology reveals remote control units that are equipped with motion sensors and the movement of which is converted into an alteration in the position of what is known as a cursor or indicator arrow on a computer screen, in the form of what is known as a “computer mouse” or in the form of controllers for computer games.
The document JP 2004 108 939 A describes a system for controlling a total station by moving a remote control. The remote control unit contains acceleration and gravity sensors that detect movements by the remote control. The detected movements are converted into control commands and sent to the total station. What is not described in this case is scalability of the sensitivity level, i.e. of the transmission ratio between a movement by the remote control unit and a resultant speed and/or extent of the change in the orientation of the total station. The lack of scalability is particularly disadvantageous for fine orientation to a target.
SUMMARY
It is the object of the invention to provide a surveying appliance and an associated method for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure having improved functionality for changing the orientation of the sighting unit, which provides a user with increased operating convenience both for the coarse orientation to a target and for the fine alignment.
The subject of the invention is a surveying appliance for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly a building. The surveying appliance comprises a base and an upper part that is mounted so as to be to rotate about an axis of rotation within an angle range of an azimuthal or horizontal angle on the base. Arranged on the upper part is a sighting unit that is mounted so as to be able to swivel about a swivel axis within an angle range of an elevational or vertical angle and that is equipped with a laser source, which is designed to emit a laser beam, and a distance determining detector for providing a distance measuring functionality. Furthermore, the sighting unit comprises an imaging detector, particularly a camera, and an orientation indicating functionality for indicating an orientation of the sighting unit with respect to a spatial point as a sighting point.
Furthermore, the surveying appliance according to the invention comprises a hand-held, mobile or moving remote control unit. The remote control unit has a display for presenting the orientation of the sighting unit with respect to a sighted spatial point in an image from the imaging detector by means of the orientation indicating functionality. Furthermore, the remote control unit is equipped with a functionality for prompting changes in the orientation of the sighting unit.
Furthermore, the surveying appliance comprises a first and a second rotary drive that render the upper part and the sighting unit drivable or orientable in an angle of azimuth and an angle of elevation. A spatial orientation of the sighting unit relative to the base can be detected by means of two goniometers for determining the horizontal and vertical orientations, i.e. the angle of azimuth and the angle of elevation.
The surveying appliance is equipped with an evaluation and control unit for evaluating incoming commands and for controlling the surveying appliance. The evaluation and control unit is connected to the laser source, the distance determining detector and the goniometers in order to associate a detected distance with a corresponding orientation (i.e. angles of azimuth and elevation detected in the process) and hence to determine coordinates for spatial points. Furthermore, the evaluation and control unit is connected to the imaging detector, and the first and second rotary drives are connected directly or indirectly to the remote control unit.
In addition, the surveying appliance may be equipped with two inclination sensors, preferably with two spirit level sensors (“bubble sensors”), the measurement data from which are then likewise transmitted to the evaluation and control unit. Hence, it is additionally possible to determine the orientation of the sighting unit with respect to the gravitational field vector of the earth.
According to the invention, the remote control unit of the surveying appliance is equipped with a measuring functionality for determining a spatial orientation of the remote control unit and/or for determining changes in the spatial orientation of the remote control unit. Changes in the orientation of the sighting unit can be prompted in line with the orientation of the remote control unit, as a dynamic sighting functionality.
The remote control unit incorporates particularly sensors for determining a situation in the space and/or a change of situation of the remote control unit, as measuring functionality according to the invention. Suitable sensors for determining a situation in the space are firstly in particular electronic compasses, which are able to orient themselves to the magnetic field of the earth and to detect azimuthal angles about the swivel or vertical axis, and secondly inclination sensors, which recognize the direction of the gravitational force and are used to determine angles about the roll axis and about the pitch axis. Changes in the situation in the space can be detected particularly by means of acceleration sensors, rotation rate sensors and other inertial sensors.
The sum total of base, upper part rotatably mounted thereon and sighting unit, together with the associated rotary drives and goniometers and also possibly inclination sensors, is also referred to as a sensor unit below. The evaluation and control unit may be integrated in the sensor unit. In that case, the remote control unit is connected to the evaluation and control unit wirelessly or by cable, with the communication possibly being based on interchange of electronic and/or optical signals. Such a connection can operate wirelessly using Bluetooth, Infrared or Wifi, for example. Alternatively, the evaluation and control unit may also be incorporated in the remote control unit. In that case, the remote control unit is connected to the sensor unit wirelessly or by cable.
The remote control unit is equipped with acceleration sensors for determining changes in the orientation of the remote control unit, as a result of which it is possible to prompt corresponding changes in the orientation of the sighting unit. This allows relative matching of the orientation of the sighting unit to the orientation of the remote control unit. The orientation of the target axis of the sighting unit then follows a change in the orientation of the remote control unit or a movement with the remote control unit. By way of example, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, an arm movement with the remote control unit from bottom left to top right prompts a horizontal rotation by the sighting unit to the right and an increase in the angle of elevation for the orientation thereof.
In addition, the remote control unit may also be equipped with further inertial sensors, for example a gyroscope. As is known to a person skilled in the art, the accelerations of the six degrees of freedom can in this case be measured as a rule using the following sensor types by the corresponding combination of a plurality of inertial sensors in an inertial measurement unit (IMU): three orthogonally arranged acceleration sensors (also referred to as translation sensors) detect the linear acceleration in the x or y or z axis. From this, it is possible to calculate the translational movement (and the relative position). Three orthogonally arranged rotation rate sensors (also referred to as gyroscopic sensors) measure the angular acceleration about the x or y or z axis. From this, it is possible to calculate the rotational movement (and the relative orientation).
Such inertial measurement units involving components based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), which inertial measurement units are in the form of miniaturized appliances or assemblies, are already sufficiently well known from the prior art and have for a long time been produced on a large scale.
This embodiment of the invention particularly facilitates prompting of changes in the orientation of the sighting unit, even when the operator is not situated next to the sensor unit and with his direction of view in the sighting direction thereof. The operator does not need to transform his perception of the orientation of the remote control unit to the sighting direction of the sensor unit. He can move freely in the space with the remote control unit, and the orientation of the sighting unit is reproduced in line with the movements of the remote control unit, regardless of the absolute orientation of remote control unit and sensor unit relative to one another.
In this case, changes in the orientation of the sighting unit can have their extent and/or their speed scaled to corresponding changes in an orientation or speed of change of orientation of the remote control unit, preferably on a user-definable basis. The sensitivity level or transmission ratio level of the orientation—which level is variably scalable as a result—is particularly advantageous in order to coarsely orient the measuring appliance to a target quickly at first, in a first sighting mode, and then to perform the fine orientation with lower sensitivity in a second sighting mode. The sensitivity level or transmission ratio level may preferably be adjustable in two or more stages or continuously by the operator.
This relative matching of the orientation of sighting unit and remote control unit, which is scalable in terms of the transmission ratio, and hence variable, is used to allow a very high level of accuracy and at the same time a high speed for adjusting the orientation of the sighting unit by moving the remote control unit.
In one preferred embodiment, the transmission ratio level may also be dependent on other values, such as the distance to the currently sighted target, for example by automatically heading for distant targets at a lower speed of change than for close targets in a sighting mode. This function can also preferably be selected by the operator.
The remote control unit may additionally be equipped with an angle measuring functionality, preferably on the basis of a compass, and also with inclination sensors, as a result of which the orientation of the sighting unit can be matched to a current azimuthal orientation and inclination of the remote control unit. This allows absolute matching of the orientation of the sighting unit to the orientation of the remote control unit. Advantageously, in accordance with this variant, changes in the orientation of the sighting unit can be prompted intuitively easily, particularly when the operator of the remote control unit is situated next to the sensor unit, in a direction of view aligned with the sighting direction of the sighting unit. However, the precision or resolution of orientation changes in the sighting unit is limited by the accuracy of the adjustability of the orientation of the remote control unit.
Advantageously, such an embodiment with absolute matching of the orientation of remote control unit and sensor unit with sighting unit may be activatable or deactivatable, for example by reproducing the orientation of the remote control unit by virtue of corresponding changes in the orientation of the sighting unit so long as an input means on the remote control unit, such as a control button, is pressed by the operator during the movement of the remote control unit.
In general, it is preferred that the remote control unit is equipped with an input capability for an operator that can be used to activate or deactivate changes in the orientation of the sighting unit in line with the spatial orientation of the remote control unit. The display of the remote control unit may be in the form of a touchscreen on which commands from a user can be input by touch.
It is furthermore advantageous if changes in the orientation of the sighting unit in accordance with changes in the orientation of the remote control unit can be prompted in the same direction as or in the opposite direction from the latter, in particular by means of an input capability that can be activated by a user on the remote control unit.
It is likewise possible to use a two-part remote control unit, for example such that one part of the remote control unit, which is held in the hand, contains measuring functionality, particularly sensor components, in order to bring about changes in the orientation of the sighting unit as a result of changes in the orientation of this part, and the other part of the remote control unit provides the evaluation and control unit, a display, input means and also means for transmitting the data to the sensor unit.
It is furthermore advantageous if the orientation indicating functionality is designed to produce a reticle for indicating an orientation of the sighting unit with respect to a spatial point as a sighting point.
In addition, it is advantageous if the remote control unit and/or the sensor unit is/are equipped with a locating system, particularly a satellite-assisted locating system, for example with a GPS receiver.
A further subject of the invention is a hand-held, mobile remote control unit for a surveying appliance according to the invention based on one of the aforementioned embodiments. According to the invention, the remote control unit of the surveying appliance is equipped with a measuring functionality for determining a spatial orientation of the remote control unit and/or for determining changes in the spatial orientation of the remote control unit. Changes in the orientation of the sighting unit can be prompted in line with the orientation of the remote control unit, as a dynamic sighting functionality.
A subject of the invention is also a computer program product having program code, which is stored on a machine-readable storage medium, for providing, controlling and carrying out the dynamic sighting functionality of the surveying appliance according to the invention based on one of the aforementioned embodiments, particularly when the program is executed on an electronic data processing unit in the form of an evaluation and control unit of the surveying appliance.
A further subject of the invention is a method having a surveying appliance according to the invention based on one of the aforementioned embodiments for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly interiors of buildings.
The method involves the orientation of the sighting unit with respect to a sighted spatial point in an image from the imaging detector being presented by means of the orientation indicating functionality on the display of the remote control unit. The spatial orientation of the remote control unit and/or changes in the spatial orientation of the remote control unit is/are determined using a measuring functionality of the remote control unit. Changes in the orientation of the sighting unit are prompted in line with the spatial orientation of the remote control unit.
The remote control unit is equipped with acceleration and/or rotation rate sensors for determining changes in the orientation of the remote control unit, as a result of which it is possible to prompt corresponding changes in the orientation of the sighting unit. This allows relative matching of the orientation of the sighting unit to the orientation of the remote control unit. The orientation of the target axis of the sighting unit then follows a change in the orientation of the remote control unit or a movement with the remote control unit. By way of example, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, an arm movement with the remote control unit from bottom left to top right prompts a horizontal rotation by the sighting unit to the right and an increase in the angle of elevation for the orientation thereof. In addition, the remote control unit may also be equipped with further inertial sensors, for example a gyroscope.
The remote control unit may additionally be equipped with an angle measuring functionality, preferably on the basis of a compass, and also with inclination sensors, as a result of which the orientation of the sighting unit can be matched to a current azimuthal orientation and inclination of the remote control unit. This allows absolute matching of the orientation of the sighting unit to the orientation of the remote control unit. Advantageously, in accordance with this variant, changes in the orientation of the sighting unit can be prompted intuitively easily, particularly when the operator of the remote control unit is situated next to the sensor unit, in a direction of view aligned with the sighting direction of the sighting unit. However, the precision or resolution of changes of orientation of the sighting unit is limited by the accuracy of the adjustability of the orientation of the remote control unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The surveying appliance according to the invention and the method according to the invention for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure are described in more detail below, purely by way of example, with reference to specific exemplary embodiments that are shown schematically in the drawings, with further advantages of the invention being discussed too. Specifically,
FIG. 1 illustrates a first embodiment of a surveying appliance according to the invention for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly interiors of buildings;
FIG. 2 illustrates a second embodiment of a surveying appliance according to the invention;
FIGS. 3 a and 3 b illustrate the manner of operation of the dynamic sighting functionality of the surveying appliance according to the invention and of the associated surveying method according to the invention;
FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate the manner of operation of the scalable transmission ratio level of the construction surveying appliance according to the invention and of the associated surveying method according to the invention; and
FIG. 5 illustrates a third embodiment of a surveying appliance according to the invention with a two-part remote control unit.
FIG. 1 illustrates a surveying appliance 10 according to the invention for tracking and surveying spatial points on surfaces of a structure, particularly interiors of buildings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The surveying appliance 10 comprises a base 11 , which is in the form of a tripod in this example, with an upper part 12 that is mounted so as to be able to rotate thereon. A sighting unit 13 that is mounted so as to be able to swivel on the upper part 12 is equipped with a laser source that is designed to emit a laser beam and with a laser light detector as a distance determining detector and therefore provides a distance measuring functionality. Furthermore, the sighting unit 13 comprises an imaging detector, particularly a digital camera, and an orientation indicating functionality for indicating an orientation of the sighting unit 13 with respect to a spatial point as a sighting point.
Furthermore, the surveying appliance 10 according to the invention comprises a hand-held, mobile remote control unit 1 . The remote control unit has a display 2 for presenting, for example by means of a reticle 3 , the orientation of the sighting unit 13 with respect to a sighted spatial point in an image from the imaging detector by means of the orientation indicating functionality. Furthermore, the remote control unit 1 is equipped with a functionality for prompting changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 .
A first and a second rotary drive render the upper part 12 and the sighting unit 13 drivable or orientable in an angle of azimuth and an angle of elevation. The spatial orientation of the sighting unit 13 relative to the base 11 can be detected by means of two goniometers. In addition, inclination sensors may be provided for determining the orientation relative to the gravitational field vector of the earth. The sum total of base 11 , upper part 12 mounted so as to be able to rotate thereon and sighting unit 13 , together with the associated rotary drives and goniometers and also possibly inclination sensors, is also referred to as a sensor unit 5 below.
Furthermore, the surveying appliance 10 comprises an evaluation and control unit 4 . This is connected to the laser source, the laser light detector and the goniometers and possibly to the inclination sensors in order to associate a detected distance and detected angle of azimuth and angle of elevation with a corresponding orientation of the sighting unit 13 and hence to determine coordinates for spatial points. Furthermore, the evaluation and control unit 4 is connected to the imaging detector, and the first and second rotary drives are connected directly or indirectly to the remote control unit 1 .
The evaluation and control unit 4 may, in line with the presentation shown in FIG. 1 , be incorporated in the remote control unit 1 . Alternatively, the evaluation and control unit 4 may also, as shown in FIG. 2 , be incorporated in the sensor unit 5 . In the first case, the remote control unit 1 is connected to the sensor unit 5 , and in the second case it is connected to the evaluation and control unit 4 of the sensor unit 5 . The connection can be made by cable 6 a or by means of a wireless connection 6 b , for example by means of Bluetooth.
According to the invention, the remote control unit 1 of the surveying appliance 10 is equipped with a measuring functionality for determining changes in the spatial orientation of the remote control unit 1 and preferably also for determining a spatial orientation of the remote control unit 1 . As a dynamic sighting functionality, changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 can be prompted in line with the orientation change or the orientation of the remote control unit 1 .
The remote control unit 1 is equipped with acceleration sensors for determining changes in the orientation of the remote control unit 1 , as a result of which it is possible to prompt corresponding changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 . This allows relative matching of the orientation of the sighting unit 13 to the orientation of the remote control unit 1 . The orientation of the target axis of the sighting unit 13 then follows a change in the orientation of the remote control unit 1 or a movement with the remote control unit 1 . This is illustrated with reference to FIGS. 3 a and 3 b . By way of example, in accordance with this embodiment of the invention, an arm movement with the remote control unit 1 from bottom left to top right prompts a horizontal rotation by the sighting unit 13 to the right and an increase in the angle of elevation for the orientation thereof.
Therefore, FIG. 3 a uses arrows to illustrate movements by the remote control unit 1 in a vertical and a horizontal direction, which can prompt corresponding changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 in a vertical or horizontal direction.
Similarly, FIG. 3 b illustrates rotary movements with the remote control unit 1 that are able to be converted into corresponding rotations for the orientation of the sighting unit 13 .
Changes in the orientations of the sighting unit 13 can have their extent and/or their speed scaled to corresponding changes in an orientation or speed of change of orientation of the remote control unit 1 , so that at least two sighting modes that differ from one another in terms of the transmission ratio level are provided. This is shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b . Preferably these changes in the transmission ratio can be scaled both in an azimuthal direction and in an elevational direction, the scalability preferably being definable by the user. This scalability of the transmission ratio with a plurality of sighting modes allows a very high level of accuracy for adjusting the orientation of the sighting unit 13 by moving the remote control unit 1 . In FIG. 4 a , the transmission ratio level has been scaled such that the movement 20 of the remote control unit 1 prompted by the user brings about a change of orientation of the sighting unit 13 that results in a movement 21 of the sighting point. In FIG. 4 b , the same movement 20 by the remote control unit 1 brings about a larger change of orientation of the sighting unit 13 that results in a movement 22 of the sighting point.
Advantageously, an automatic scaling function is additionally or alternatively provided for the transmission ratio, for which scaling function the extent and/or the speed of a change of orientation of the sighting unit 13 is dependent on the distance to the sighted target point. This automatic distance-dependent scaling function is preferably configured to be connectable and disconnectable by the user.
The remote control unit 1 may be equipped with an angle measuring functionality, preferably on the basis of a compass, and also with inclination sensors, as a result of which it is possible to match the orientation of the sighting unit 13 to a current azimuthal orientation and inclination of the remote control unit 1 . This allows absolute matching of the orientation of the sighting unit 13 to the orientation of the remote control unit 1 . Advantageously, in accordance with this variant, changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 can be prompted intuitively easily, particularly when the operator of the remote control unit 1 is situated next to the sensor unit 5 , in a direction of view aligned with the sighting direction of the sighting unit 13 . However, the precision or resolution of changes of orientation of the sighting unit 13 is limited by the accuracy of the adjustability of the orientation of the remote control unit 1 . This functionality of absolute matching of the orientation of the sighting unit 13 to the orientation of the remote control unit 1 is not illustrated in the figures.
It is preferred for the remote control unit 1 to be equipped with an input capability for an operator that can be used to activate or deactivate changes in the orientation of the sighting unit 13 in line with the spatial orientation of the remote control unit 1 . The input capability may preferably be provided by means of a display 2 that is in the form of a touchscreen. By way of example, operation of an input key on the remote control unit 1 could prompt the sensor unit 5 to adopt the values of the current azimuthal orientation and inclination of the remote control unit 1 , measured using the compass and inclination sensors integrated in the remote control unit 1 , and to match the orientation of the sighting unit 13 accordingly.
Advantageously, the remote control unit 1 or the evaluation and control unit 4 has a gesture recognition function that can interpret certain, in particular preset or user-defined, movements and/or movement sequences by the remote control unit 1 as a control command.
Advantageously, the remote control unit 1 is furthermore equipped with a feedback mechanism, for example with a vibration mechanism, that can be used to indicate information about the state of the remote control unit 1 and/or the sensor unit 5 or about the state of the communication between remote control unit 1 and sensor unit 5 to an operator.
In combination with known precautions for target identification, such as the identification of a reflective prism situated in range of the sighting unit 13 , or pattern recognition for typical features, such as target marks, survey points, room corners and edges, the dynamic sighting functionality described above, on the basis of the orientation of the remote control unit 1 , allows the process of sighting various spatial points to be substantially simplified, in comparison with the apparatuses and methods described at the outset from the known prior art.
FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the remote control unit comprises two separate parts 1 a and 1 b . The first part 1 a of the remote control unit contains the measuring functionality, particularly sensor components, in order to bring about changes in the orientation of the sighting unit as a result of changes in the orientation of this part. The second part 1 b of the remote control unit provides the evaluation and control unit, a display, input means and also means for transmitting the data to the sensor unit. The data can be transmitted between the two parts 1 a , 1 b of the remote control unit and the sensor unit 5 both by cable and, as shown in FIG. 5 , via a wireless connection 6 b , for example by means of radio waves.
It goes without saying that the embodiments shown in the figures show only possible examples of the surveying appliance according to the invention. A person skilled in the art knows how illustrated details of the exemplary embodiments can be combined with one another in an appropriate manner. The various approaches can likewise be combined with one another and with other surveying appliances from the prior art.
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A surveying appliance for surveying targets has a targeting unit and a remote control unit for prompting changes in the orientation of the targeting unit, equipped with measurement functionality for determining a three-dimensional orientation of the remote control unit or for determining movements by the remote control unit. The surveying appliance also has an evaluation and control unit. The extent or speed of the changes in the orientation of the targeting unit can be scaled to corresponding changes in an orientation or speed of change of orientation of the remote control unit such that at least two targeting modes having different levels of transmission ratio are provided. The surveying appliance can be used with corresponding handheld, moving remote control units, computer program products for providing, controlling and performing a targeting functionality for the surveying appliance and methods for tracking and surveying targets using the surveying appliance.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application, Ser. No. 62/077,054, which was filed Nov. 7, 2014. Priority to the Provisional Application is expressly claimed, and the disclosure of the Provisional Application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to graph-based relationships and more specifically, but not exclusively, to distributed computation of graph data that permits graphical flight searches.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Conventional systems and methods enable consumers to perform searches on the Web, for example, for available airline flight itineraries from one city to another. While this technology exists, it comes at considerable computational expense. For example, one standard approach stores flight segments in relational database tables. To find a route with two segments requires a self-join of the relational database tables, which is an order of magnitude more expensive to perform (e.g., in both cost and resources) when compared to a search for nonstop flights. To consider three-segment routes requires an additional join operation, which adds another order of magnitude to the computational expense.
[0004] In order to provide a quicker response time to travel queries, a typical strategy is to pre-compute and save the solutions to common travel queries. A disadvantage of pre-searched flight itineraries is that the solution may no longer be valid: for example, seats may no longer be available on some of the flights, or the price of the itinerary may have changed.
[0005] In view of the foregoing, a need exists for systems and methods for dynamic flight route queries to overcome the aforementioned obstacles and deficiencies of conventional search systems.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is an exemplary top-level block diagram illustrating an embodiment of a distributed graph searching system.
[0007] FIG. 2 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of a flight table data structure maintained using the distributed graph searching system of FIG. 1 .
[0008] FIG. 3 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of a flight query data structure maintained using the distributed graph searching system of FIG. 1 .
[0009] FIG. 4 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of the flight query data structure of FIG. 3 .
[0010] FIG. 5 is an exemplary flowchart illustrating one embodiment of a flight-search method using the distributed graph searching system of FIG. 1 .
[0011] FIG. 6 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of the construction of the initial query for the flight-search method of FIG. 5 .
[0012] FIG. 7 is an exemplary diagram illustrating a data structure progression during a search using the flight-search method of FIG. 5 .
[0013] FIG. 8 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of a flight query data structure for bidirectional searches maintained using the flight-search method of FIG. 5 .
[0014] FIG. 9 is an exemplary diagram illustrating one embodiment of a state diagram of the flight processor of FIG. 1 .
[0015] It should be noted that the figures are not drawn to scale and that elements of similar structures or functions are generally represented by like reference numerals for illustrative purposes throughout the figures. It also should be noted that the figures are only intended to facilitate the description of the preferred embodiments. The figures do not illustrate every aspect of the described embodiments and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0016] Since currently-available search systems are deficient because they require a very large number of computational steps, a system for distributed searching of graph data that provides a reduced computation cycle can prove desirable and provide a basis for a wide range of graph computation applications, such as finding a best travel itinerary for air travel. This result can be achieved, according to one embodiment disclosed herein, by a system 100 for distributed graph searching as illustrated in FIG. 1 .
[0017] Referring to FIG. 1 , the system 100 comprises a server 101 that manages at least one flight table 102 for storing a collection of flight segments and at least one flight processor 104 . The server 101 , the flight processors (FP) 104 , and the flight table 102 can communicate over a data transfer network 106 . Examples of the data transfer network 106 include Internet Protocol (IP) data networks, such as private networks, local area networks (LANs), and wide area networks (WANs), public networks, the Internet, and/or other packet-switched networks. In some embodiments, a geolocation table 108 records the geolocation of one or more airports.
[0018] In one embodiment, each of the FPs 104 is a programmable computational device capable of performing the basic data input, computational, and data output tasks described below. The FPs 104 can receive one or more initial queries 112 from the server 101 and one or more updated queries 114 from at least one of the FPs 104 . The FPs 104 can search the flight table 102 for flights that satisfy a selected query, and can send out updated queries 114 or Valid Itineraries 116 to the other FPs 104 and/or the server 101 . Each of the FPs 104 can include a flight cache 105 capable of storing a local copy of a subset of the flight segments in the flight table 102 .
[0019] The FPs 104 may be implemented as hardware, software, or some combination of the two. Some embodiments of the FPs 104 include a computer, a central processing unit (CPU) chip, one or more cores of a multi-core CPU, a virtual machine, and a software object in an object-oriented language. Moreover, one or more physical or virtual devices may be combined to serve as one FP 104 , and one physical computing device can support the operations of at least one FP 104 .
[0020] The server 101 can be a programmable computation device equipped to accept and interpret a client request 110 , to send instructions and the initial query 112 to the FPs 104 , to receive the Valid Itineraries 116 , and to combine the Valid Itineraries 116 into search results 118 suitable for user. In some embodiments, the client request 110 is a collection of data values that describe a desire to travel from a designated origin to a destination, along with optional constraints or preferences, such as the day of departure. In some embodiments and as shown in FIG. 1 , the client request 110 includes a requested place of origin (ReqOrigin) 120 , a requested destination (ReqDest) 122 , and an other request parameters (OtherReqParam) 124 .
[0021] Graphical Representation and Distributed Storage of Flights
[0022] A graph is an abstract data model comprising a collection of vertex points and a collection of vertex-to-vertex connections, called edges. For various applications, edges and vertices can represent any entity. For example, in the graphical method for flight search, each airport can be represented by a vertex. Each flight number is represented by a directed edge from its origin vertex to its destination vertex. A standard graph may have only one edge from an origin to a destination. Since there may be many different flights having the same origin and destination, this sort of graph is sometimes referred to as a multigraph.
[0023] Description of Data Structures
[0024] The flight table 102 and the geolocation table 108 can include expandable and revisable data structures residing on one or more electronic data storage devices. This includes, but is not limited to, persistent storage devices such as magnetic hard disks and solid state memory drives, as well as nonpersistent memory devices, such dynamic random access memory (DRAM). There can be multiple copies of the flight table 102 and the geolocation table 108 , to improve efficiency or reliability.
[0025] Flight Table Format:
[0026] In one embodiment, the flight table 102 records all regularly scheduled flights. Conceptually, the flight table 102 is arranged in tabular format, with each row representing one flight number, and each column representing one attribute field of a flight (e.g., flight number, carrier, origin, destination, departure time, arrival time, service dates, distance, and so on). In one embodiment, the system 100 maintains airline, flight number, origin, destination, departure time, arrival time, and service dates to accurately describe a single flight. FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment 200 of the flight table 102 that includes attribute fields of a Carrier 201 , a Flight 202 , an Origin 203 , a Destination (Dest) 204 , a Departure Time (DepTime 205 ), an Arrival Time (ArrTime) 206 , a set of Service Dates (ServDates) 207 , and two optional fields: a Distance 208 and an Other 209 . Flights often cross time zones; the DepTime 205 and the ArrTime 206 can refer to the local time. In some embodiments, the Distance 208 is the great-circle distance between the Origin 203 and the Dest 204 . The Other 209 field is used to describe additional information about the flight that may be relevant for the search.
[0027] Traditionally, carriers have described service dates using a start date, an end date, and code numbers 1 through 7 to indicate Monday through Sunday. For example, a flight might have a start date of Jan. 3, 2014, an end date of Apr. 15, 2014, and date codes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, to indicate that the flight is available Monday through Friday. In one example of the ServDates 207 , service dates can be represented as “01/03/2014, 04/15/2014, 12345.”
[0028] Some flights arrive on a different calendar day than the departure day. Overnight flights may arrive the next day. Flights that cross the International Date Line may arrive a day earlier or later. This additional information about arrival date can be included within the ArrTime 206 or in the Other 209 fields.
[0029] Query Format:
[0030] The initial query 112 and the updated queries 114 represent data records comprising a plurality of fields, which together supply the parameters for a desired air travel itinerary. Both the initial query 112 and the updated queries 114 can use the same format, but their field values may be different. FIG. 3 illustrates a high-level view of a query 300 , which can include either the initial query 112 or the updated query 114 , with fields for a Query Destination (QueryDest) 305 , an Other Travel Objectives 310 , a Current Location (CurrLocation) 315 , and a Partial Itinerary 320 . The server 101 uses information from the client request 110 to construct the initial query 112 . The server 101 sets the QueryDest 305 and the CurrentLocation 315 of the initial query 112 to be the values of the ReqDest 122 and the ReqOrigin 120 , respectively, of the client request 110 . The Partial Itinerary 320 of the initial query 112 is empty. In one embodiment, itineraries are built in the forward direction, so the Partial Itinerary 320 comprises a sequence of flight segments from the ReqOrigin 120 to some intermediate airport. Accordingly, in the updated queries 114 , the CurrLocation 415 is the intermediate airport at the end of the Partial Itinerary 320 .
[0031] The OtherReqParam 124 of the client request 110 can include preferences for when the itinerary begins or when the itinerary ends. The server 101 can include these preferences in the Other Travel Objectives 310 of the initial query 112 . The Other Travel Objectives 310 can also be used to support additional search criteria, such as specification of carriers or class of service.
[0032] FIG. 4 shows one embodiment of a detailed view 400 of the query 300 . As shown, there are six unshaded fields, describing the objectives of the initial query 112 . The five shaded fields pertain to details of the Partial Itinerary 320 , and their values are revised with each iterative step. While the actual arrangement of fields is not significant, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 arranges the fields to highlight correspondences between the shaded and unshaded fields:
[0033] QueryDest 305 and CurrLocation 315 describe the two endpoints of travel.
[0034] DepTimeWin 402 , ArrTimeWin 403 , and CurrArrTime 412 are time factors.
[0035] MaxDistance 404 and DistTraveled 413 are distances.
[0036] MaxNumSegments 405 and NumSegments 414 are integer counts of flight segments.
[0037] The time factors (the DepTimeWin 402 , the ArrTimeWin 403 , and the CurrArrTime 412 ) and the distance factors (the MaxDistance 404 and the DistTraveled 413 ) can be used to aid in limiting the scope of the search and to help determine when to end the search.
[0038] Flight Search:
[0039] Turning to FIG. 5 , one embodiment of one exemplary method 5000 for using the system 100 of FIG. 1 to search for Valid Itineraries 116 is shown.
[0040] Step 500 :
[0041] The flight search method begins with Step 500 , in which a user sends the client request 110 to the server 101 .
[0042] Step 510 :
[0043] After Step 500 , the method 5000 proceeds to Step 510 . The server 101 prepares and initializes the one or more FPs 104 to process the client request 110 . Preparation can include setting the operating state of FPs 104 and distributing a copy of the flight table 102 among the flight caches 105 . Not every client request 110 may require activity during Step 510 .
[0044] Step 520 :
[0045] After Step 510 , the method 5000 advances to Step 520 . In Step 520 , the server 101 translates the client request 110 into the initial query 112 , as described above, and sends it to those FPs 104 that handle the starting airport corresponding to the ReqOrigin 120 . In some situations, the ReqOrigin 120 may be a plurality of airports or cities, or the ReqDest 122 may be a plurality of airports or cities. One way that the server 101 can translate a client request 110 with such plurality of locations is to decompose the client request 110 into several initial queries 112 , each with only one CurrLocation 315 and one QueryDest 305 . Each of these initial queries 112 is then processed (Steps 530 through 560 ) separately.
[0046] For an example of the creation of an initial query 112 , suppose the client request 110 is to travel from JFK airport to LAX airport on Jul. 4, 2015. The great-circle distance from JFK to LAX is 2,475 miles. Furthermore, assume that MaxNumSegments=3 and DistanceMultiplier=2. Then the values of the initial query 112 would be as shown in FIG. 6 Since the system 100 has not yet started to select an itinerary, the DistTraveled 413 and NumSegments 414 are both 0. The initial CurrArrTime 412 is null. In some other embodiments, the CurrArrTime 412 in the initial query 112 is set to a time which the server 101 can easily recognize as impossible, such as Jan. 1, 1900. The initial Partial Itinerary 320 value should be equivalent to an empty list.
[0047] Following Step 520 , the method 5000 enters an iterative loop, including a Step 530 , Step 540 , and Decision 550 . In each round of the iterative loop, the FPs 104 search for suitable flight segments to add on to existing Partial Itineraries 320 , until the latest Partial Itineraries 320 satisfy the initial query 112 .
[0048] Step 530 :
[0049] An Incoming Query (not shown) is the query which one of the FP 104 receives at the start of Step 530 , either from the server 101 or from another FP 104 . Not every FP 104 necessarily receives an Incoming Query, and some FPs 104 may receive multiple Incoming Queries. In Step 530 , each FP 104 that receives an Incoming Query searches for flights that meet the criteria in the Incoming Query. The FP 104 searches either the flight table 102 or its flight cache 105 . In some embodiments, any flight which satisfies the DepTimeWin 402 requirement and which would not cause the new Partial Itinerary 320 to exceed the MaxDistance 404 condition is considered a valid next flight. The FP 104 uses each valid next flight to construct an updated query 114 . The FP 104 concludes Step 530 by sending its updated queries 114 to the other FPs 104 .
[0050] One example method for Step 530 for one instance of the FP 104 is shown below, in which variable Q is the Incoming Query that FP 104 receives, R is an updated query 114 sent out by FP 104 , and UpdatedQueryList is a collection of zero or more updated queries 114 . The variable FlightCache is the flight cache 105 of the FP 104 , containing the local copy of selected flight segments from flight table 102 .
[0051] Given Incoming Query Q:
[0000]
Clear the UpdatedQueryList
For each flight F in FlightCache:
if(
F.DepTime is within Q.DepTimeWin
and
F.Distance < (Q.MaxDistance − Q.DistTraveled))
R := CreateNewQuery(Q, F)
Add R to UpdatedQueryList
Return UpdatedQueryList
[0052] The function CreateNewQuery creates a new query R with the following attributes:
[0000]
R.CurrLocation := F.Destination
R.CurrArrTime := F.CurrArrTime
R.DistanceTraveled := Q.DistanceTraveled + F.distance
R.NumSegments := Q.NumSegments + 1
[0053] The updated query R also requires a value for DepTimeWin 402 . As a reminder, the DepTimeWin 402 of updated query R is the requested range of departure times for the next flight after flight F in the flight itinerary. The DepTimeWin 402 has two parts, a start time and an end time. The start time is the earliest reasonable time that the traveler can board another flight after the arrival of flight F. This relation can be expressed as R.DepTimeWin.start=F.ArrTime+ConnectionTime.
[0054] ConnectionTime should be large enough for several possible activities and delays. ConnectionTime includes time for the passenger to disembark from one plane, find out where is the next gate, and walk to the next gate. In large airports, these activities may take on the order of thirty minutes. A reasonable value for ConnectionTime also takes into account late arrival of the incoming flight, whether passengers must pass through a security check, whether passengers must pass through immigration and customs, and whether passengers must claim checked baggage and re-check their bags.
[0055] Each FP 104 has one value or a selection of values to choose from for ConnectionTime. In some embodiments, the FP 104 chooses from different fixed values for each airport. In some embodiments, the FP 104 chooses a value based on the time of day that flight F arrives. In some embodiments, the FP 104 chooses different values for domestic vs. international connections. In some embodiments, the OtherReqParam 124 includes a range (minimum and maximum) of acceptable ConnectionTime values.
[0056] Each FP 104 is assigned a fixed set of airports and can easily and conveniently store the ConnectionTimes associated with those airports.
[0057] The end time of DepTimeWin 402 requires some additional considerations. Suppose the initial query 112 specified a departure any time on a given day, so the width of DepTimeWin 402 of the initial query 112 is twenty-four hours. However, most travelers do not want to wait twenty-four hours for connections, regardless of their flexibility for initial departure time. On the other hand, suppose another initial query 112 has a DepTimeWin 402 of only two hours. While there may be initial departing flights within a two-hour window, there may not be any connecting flights within a similarly small time window.
[0058] Accordingly, a method for choosing the end of DepTimeWin 402 for an updated query 114 is to target a reasonable time window for connecting flights. For example, R.DepTimeWin.end=R.DepTimeWin.start+ConnectionTimeWidth, where ConnectionTimeWidth has a value such as four hours or six hours.
[0059] In some situations, especially for international routes or routes through less-popular cities, there may be no flights within the given time window. An alternative method, which focuses on finding the best available connections, can be used.
[0060] For example, rather than using a fixed ConnectionTimeWidth value, another method is to search for the connecting flights with the shortest connection times, which satisfy the minimum ConnectionTime constraint. In one embodiment, the FPs 104 look for a set number of connecting flights. Such an embodiment would benefit if flights are pre-sorted in order of departure time. For example, the FPs 104 can be programmed to find the five earliest flights departing ATL for each possible destination city. If the incoming flight arrived at 1:00 pm and the minimum connection time parameter is set to thirty minutes, that the earliest possible flights would depart ATL at 1:30 pm. If the flight list is pre-sorted, the FP 104 can quickly look up the first flight no sooner than 1:30 pm and also read the next four flights.
[0061] Step 540 :
[0062] During Step 530 , when the FP 104 is searching its flight cache 105 (or the flight table 102 ) for flights that satisfy the Incoming Query, if the FP 104 finds a valid next flight that arrives at the QueryDest 305 , and which satisfies the other requirements of the Incoming Query, then the FP 104 has identified the components of the Valid Itinerary 116 . The step 540 includes the construction and transmission of Valid Itineraries 116 to the server 101 . The step 540 may either take place after, or concurrently with, Step 530 . To make the complete Valid Itinerary 116 , the FP 104 appends the valid next flight to the Partial Itinerary 320 in the Incoming Query. The FP 104 does not need to create an updated query 114 for this flight. For example, if the FP 104 which handles flights departing from Florence (FCO) is processing an Incoming Query which requests an itinerary to Pisa (PSA), then nonstop flight segments from FCO to PSA potentially satisfy the query. The FP 104 for FCO does not need to send an updated query 114 to the FP 104 that handles PSA. Instead, the FP 104 for FCO assembles the complete itinerary information as the Valid Itinerary 116 and sends the Valid Itinerary 116 to the server 101 .
[0063] Decision 550 :
[0064] After completing Step 530 and Step 540 for the current iteration, the FPs 104 and server 101 perform Decision 550 to choose whether to perform another iteration or to stop iterations and to continue instead to Step 560 . The common conditions for terminating iterations are that the iteration count (which is equal to the NumSegments 414 ) has reached or exceeded MaxNumSegments 405 , or that DistTraveled 413 has reached or exceeded MaxDistance 404 , or that the FPs 104 have found a sufficient number of Valid Itineraries 116 . In some embodiments, each FP 104 decides independently whether to continue an iteration, and the server 101 monitors the FPs 104 to see whether any of them are still executing an iteration. When none of the FPs 104 are iterating, then the server 101 continues on to Step 560 .
[0065] For example, if MaxNumSegments=3, then the FP 104 does not return to Step 530 after the third iteration. In some cases, the source of the MaxNumSegments 405 limit is a user request (via OtherReqParam 124 ); it other cases the server 101 has a fixed limit that the server 101 inserts into the initial query 112 .
[0066] The MaxDistance 404 is used to filter out travel itineraries that are too long. In some embodiments, the value of MaxDistance 404 is equal to the minimum (great-circle) distance from ReqOrigin 120 to ReqDest 122 times a numeric parameter DistanceMultiplier (not shown). The DistanceMultiplier may be specified by the user (via OtherReqParam 124 ) or may be fixed by the server 101 . For example, if the minimum distance is one thousand miles and the DistanceMultiplier is two, then the MaxDistance 404 is two-thousand miles.
[0067] The great-circle minimum distance between two locations on the globe can be mathematically computed based on the geographic locations of the two cities, regardless of whether any nonstop service between the two cities actually exists. In an embodiment that is using the MaxDistance 404 and DistanceMultiplier option, the server 101 needs to know the great-circle minimum distance when the server 101 is constructing the initial query 112 . As previously discussed, the system 100 includes the geolocation table 108 that stores the latitude and longitude or equivalent information for each airport. Given the geolocation of the ReqOrigin 120 and the ReqDest 122 , the server 101 can apply a standard formula to compute the ideal air travel distance between the two points.
[0068] In some embodiments, each of the FP 104 sends the Valid Itineraries 116 to the server 101 as soon as the FP 104 has found the final flight segment that completes the initial query 112 . When the server 101 has received a predetermined number of the Valid Itineraries 116 , the server 101 sends instructions to the FPs 104 to terminate their searches.
[0069] Step 560 : Gather and Present Results to User
[0070] In the final step of the flight search method 5000 , the server 101 gathers all the Valid Itineraries 116 together and presents them in user-friendly format as the search results 118 . Step 560 can include expanding the abbreviations and codes used in the flight table 102 and the Valid Itineraries 116 into more human-friendly language and sorting the results by some criteria such earliest departures first or shortest overall travel time first.
[0071] With reference again the Iterative Search (Step 530 ), an example is provided. Suppose a traveler wishes to fly from St. Louis, Mo. (STL) to Pisa, Italy (PSA). Neither city is a major international hub, so the itinerary will likely require multiple segments. One possible route is STL→ATL (Atlanta)→FCO (Florence, Italy)→PSA.
[0072] In one embodiment, the flight search method 5000 employs three iterations to construct this itinerary. In the first iteration, the FPs 104 consider flights departing from STL and determine that a flight to ATL satisfies the Incoming Query. A flight from STL to ATL constitutes a Partial Itinerary 320 . In the second iteration, the FPs 104 consider flights departing from ATL and determine that a flight to FCO satisfies the Incoming Query. An FTP 104 appends this flight segment to construct a longer Partial Itinerary 320 : {STL→ATL, ATL→FCO}. In the third iteration, the FPs 104 consider flights departing from FCO and determine that a flight to PSA satisfies the Incoming Query. An FP 104 appends this segment to construct a longer Partial Itinerary 320 : {STL→ATL, ATL→FCO, FCO→PSA}. Since PSA is the desired destination, this is a Valid Itinerary 116 , which the FP 104 sends to the server 101 in Step 540 . In this example, each iteration can consider other destinations, as well as different flights to and from ATL and FCO, so multiple itineraries are likely to be discovered.
[0073] With reference to FIG. 7 , a specific example 700 can illustrate the progression of queries, the Partial Itineraries 320 , and searches of the Step 530 toward a Valid Itinerary 116 . Suppose a traveler wishes to travel from St. Louis (STL) to Pisa, Italy (PSA) on Jun. 15, 2015. The traveler is willing to depart at anytime during that day and does not specify an arrival time.
[0074] The corresponding initial query 112 is shown in the second column (initial query 710 ) of the table in FIG. 7 . During the first iteration of Step 230 , one of the FPs 104 notes one of the many flights that depart STL on June 15 is DL1570, arriving in ATL at 2:02 PM (local time) in the afternoon after traveling 484 miles. The FP 104 in the first round creates the updated query 114 that becomes the second round query 720 . The FP 104 that discovered flight DL1570 in the first round revises the DepTimeWin 402 in second round query 720 to start after the arrival time of the incoming flight DL1570. The other unshaded rows (top six rows after the header) of the second round query 720 are the same as in the initial query 710 , because the overall objectives of the search are the same. All of the shaded (bottom five) rows have been updated to include the effect of the flight DL1570. The second round query 720 shown in FIG. 7 is specific to the flight DL1570; however, there can be many different updated queries 114 in the second round, one for each result from the initial query 710 .
[0075] In the second round, another FP 104 discovers flight DL240, from ATL to FCO. Flight DL240 departs ATL at 3:57 pm, satisfying the DepTimeWin 402 of the second round updated query 720 , and arrives in Florence, Italy at 7:30 am on June 16, traveling 5,030 miles.
[0076] The FP 104 that identified flight DL240 in the second round creates the updated query 114 that becomes a third round query 730 shown in FIG. 7 . Flight DL240 is appended to the Partial Itinerary 320 of second round query 720 to form the Partial Itinerary 320 of the third round query 730 , now consisting of the flight sequence {DL1570→DL240}. The DepTimeWin 402 has again been shifted to start after the arrival of the last flight in the Partial Itinerary 320 . DistTraveled 413 in third round query 730 is the sum of the Distance 208 of DL240 plus the DistTraveled 413 in the previous query. The NumSegments 414 is incremented again.
[0077] Other embodiments could use different data fields in the queries. For example, price information and fare rule information is relevant for many users. The data structures of flight table 102 and the query 300 could be modified to include this information. The flight search method 5000 could be modified to take price preferences and fare rules into consideration. The basic idea is that of performing segment-by-segment search on a graph structure.
[0078] Reverse Direction Search:
[0079] In some embodiments, the system 100 and flight search method 5000 can construct itineraries in the reverse direction. The CurrLocation 315 of initial query 112 is set to be the ReqDest 122 , not the ReqOrigin 120 , and each iteration considers flights that arrive at the CurrLocation 315 . For example, for the initial query 112 requesting itineraries from St. Louis (STL) to Pisa (PSA), the CurrLocation 315 is PSA. In the first iteration, the FPs 104 identify flights that arrive at PSA. While the majority of examples in this disclosure are for forward searches, this disclosure encompasses the construction of itineraries in the reverse direction as well.
[0080] In some embodiments, a reverse search can introduce additional considerations. For example, the initial query 112 in some searches specifies the date and preferred time window of departure, but not the date of arrival. The user may be willing to accept flight itineraries that arrive on a different date than the departure date. Moreover, if the itinerary crosses several time zones, it may be essential that the arrival date be different than the departure date. In some embodiments, when the system engages in a reverse direction search, the server 101 computes the ArrTimeWin 403 (the starting point for a reverse search) by taking the DepTimeWin 402 , adding to it an estimated range of time durations for the complete itinerary, and making offsets for time zone changes. As a result, the arrival date may be a different day than the departure date. In some embodiments and in some instances of client request 110 , the ArrTimeWin 403 may span more than one day, even if the DepTimeWin 402 spanned only one day. Note that when the user specifies an arrival time window but not a departure time window, a reverse direction search may be the preferred method.
[0081] Bidirectional Search:
[0082] In another embodiment of the system 100 and flight search method 5000 , the server 101 issues simultaneously the initial queries 112 for both forward searches and reverse searches. To use the same example for STL→PSA travel, one initial query 112 specifies a forward search from STL to PSA. The other initial query 112 specifies a reverse search, beginning at the destination of PSA and working backwards towards STL. A complete Valid Itinerary 116 is achieved when a forward-going Partial Itinerary 320 reaches the same location as a backward-going Partial Itinerary 320 , with acceptable timing between the connecting flights.
[0083] A bidirectional search is advantageous over either a forward search or a reverse search alone due to a reduced number of graph edges to consider. For example, consider a forward search in which each airport has an average of one hundred outbound flights. Of those one hundred, twenty percent satisfy the constraints of the query. This means that for each Incoming Query in the current iteration, there will be one hundred×twenty percent=twenty updated queries 114 in the next iteration. In a unidirectional search, the flight search method 5000 takes two iterations to make a two-segment itinerary, with twenty×twenty=four hundred updated queries 114 . Conversely, a bidirectional search needs a single iteration to make a two-segment itinerary, with an average of twenty+twenty=forty updated queries 114 .
[0084] FIG. 8 shows a possible query format 800 for a bidirectional search. Compared to the query format in FIG. 4 , there is one additional field, the Direction 810 . If the value of Direction 810 is “Forward,” then the FPs 104 interpret the other fields as described previously for a forward search. If the value of Direction 810 is “Reverse,” then some of the data fields are interpreted differently. In the reverse case, the following data field names are more apt.
[0085] (QueryOrigin) 805 is a renaming of QueryDest 305 , indicating where the traveler ultimately wishes to start, instead of end, the journey.
[0086] (CurrDepTime) 812 is a renaming of CurrArrTime 412 , indicating the departure time of the earliest flight, instead of the arrival time of the last flight, in the Partial Itinerary 420 .
[0087] Assignment of Flights to FPs 104 :
[0088] In some embodiments, the entire flight table 102 is partitioned among a set of FPs 104 , with each FP 104 copying its assigned portion of the flight table 102 into its flight cache 105 . In this way, each FP 104 has fast and direct access to a set of flights, with no need to access the more distant and slower flight table 102 nor to burden the data transfer network 106 with unnecessary traffic. This copying of the flight table 102 can occur just once each time that the flight table 102 is created or updated; the partitioning and distribution does not need to be repeated for each client request 110 . However, the flight table 102 may repeat the partitioning and distribution if the server 101 desires a different partitioning than the one currently in place.
[0089] Since the Incoming Queries direct the FPs 104 to search for flights based on the CurrLocation 315 , flights are grouped by airport. A forward search begins by considering all the flights departing from a particular airport. To minimize the number of FPs 104 actively engaged in Step 530 and the number of updated queries 114 which the FPs 104 generate, a preferred embodiment assigns to each FP 104 flights from only one or a small number of departure airports. A reverse search, in contrast, is interested in flights which all arrive at the same airport. This requires a different group of flights. To perform bidirectional search, one embodiment of the system 100 stores two copies of the flight table 102 among the FPs 104 . One copy has flights grouped by departure city for forward search, and the other is grouped by arrival city for reverse search. Furthermore, the flight cache 105 is split into two halves, one for storing flights sorted by departure location, the other for storing flights sorted by arrival location.
[0090] In some embodiments, each FP 104 handles flights from only one airport. However, some airports are much more busy than others. To help to balance the workload across the physical system, another embodiment combines the flights from several low-traffic airports into one physical FP 104 . On the other hand, the numerous flights from busy hub airports, such as ORD, ATL, LHR, and PEK, are distributed across several FPs 104 so that the FPs 104 can work in parallel and reduce throughput time.
[0091] FP States:
[0092] In some basic embodiments, FPs 104 respond whenever they receive a request. In some other embodiments, it is useful to regulate the responses of FPs by introducing additional states. FIG. 9 lists some possible states. The default state is the Standby state 910 : the FP 104 is not searching but it will transition to the Active state 911 if the FP 104 receives a valid Incoming Query. An FP 104 in the Active state 901 is searching for flight segments to add to a Partial Itinerary 320 of an Incoming Query. In some embodiments, initial queries 112 and updated queries 114 are broadcast to all FPs 104 . In order for an Incoming Query to be valid for a particular FP 104 , the CurrLocation 315 of the Incoming Query must match one of the airports handled by the FP 104 .
[0093] If the server 101 wishes to exclude some FPs 104 from consideration, the server 101 can initialize those FPs 104 (say, in Step 510 ) to the Disabled state 902 . A FP 104 in the Disabled state 902 is not searching and will not respond to any Incoming Queries. The Disabled state 902 has many potential uses. Disabled state 902 can be used to exclude certain airports, such as those outside the United States. If flights are partitioned according to class of service (e.g., economy, business, or first), the server 101 can use the Disabled state 902 to exclude classes of service. The server 101 can also use the Disabled state 902 to prevent the system 100 and flight search method 5000 from accidentally creating itineraries which contain an extraneous loop. For example, in some embodiments, an FP 104 places itself in the Disabled state 902 after completing one iteration in the Active state 901 . This prevents the FP 104 from being used a second time in the same itinerary, which would be an indication of a loop.
[0094] Three FP States
[0095] Standby 900 Not searching for flight segments, but may become Active if it receives a valid query.
[0096] Active 901 Received a valid query; will search for flight segments at the next opportunity.
[0097] Disabled 902 Not searching for flights and will not respond to queries.
[0098] Additional Advantages Offered by Graph-Based Flight Search
[0099] Metropolitan Inter-Airport Connections:
[0100] One challenge in flight search is dealing with the special case when a metropolitan area has more than one airport, and a reasonable itinerary exists which involves the traveler using non-air transportation to get from one airport to another. For example, the New York area has three major airports: John F. Kennedy (JFK), LaGuardia (LGA), and Newark (EWR). One possible itinerary from STL to PSA would be {STL→LGA, JFK→FCO, FCO→PSA}. The passenger needs to take ground transportation to get from LGA to JFK. Though this adds some inconvenience and added costs, those disadvantages might be outweighed by lower overall costs and better overall scheduling.
[0101] The system 100 can easily handle such inter-airport connections, by treating the ground connection as a special type of flight. In some embodiments, a connection from LGA to JFK can be entered into the flight cache 105 of the FPs 104 handling departures from LGA with these special attributes:
[0000]
Carrier 201 = ground
Origin 203 = LGA
Dest 204 = JFK
DepTime 205 = any
ArrTime 206 = DepTime + duration of ground connection
[0102] Steered Search
[0103] While many itineraries are theoretically possible, customers generally do not want itineraries with long segments that travel in a direction very different from the overall direction of travel from ReqOrigin 122 to ReqDest 124 . Therefore, the system 100 and flight search method 5000 can reduce the search efforts and produce more desirable results by filtering out flights that are strongly on the wrong direction.
[0104] In some embodiments, the directionality of flights is used to filter out poor choices. To support this option, the initial query 112 contains fields for Direction 810 and MaxDistance 404 . In the prior discussion about reverse and bidirectional search, Direction 810 had only two values, “Forward” and “Reverse”. In a steered search, Direction 810 indicates a radial direction, such as a compass direction or a standard 360° angle. Each flight in the flight table 102 also records the Direction 810 of its flight. Each FP 104 is programmed to eliminate from consideration long flights that travel in a direction very different from the Direction 810 of the initial query 112 .
[0105] For example, suppose an initial query 112 requests to travel three thousand miles at 80° East. The FPs 104 might be programmed to accept segments in any direction, as long as the segment's Distance 208 is less than twenty five percent of the overall great-circle minimum distance of three thousand miles. Further, the FPs 104 might be programmed to only consider long flights if the flight's direction is within 90° of the Direction 810 of the initial query 112 . In this case, that would be generally eastern, veering as far northward as 10° NW or as far southward as 10° SE. Different formulas are possible, such as ones that apply a continuous scale: the longer the flight, the closer the segment direction must be to the Direction 810 of the initial query 112 .
[0106] In some other embodiments, the locations of airports are used to filter out poor itineraries. In some embodiments, the system examines the latitude and longitude of the ReqOrigin 122 and ReqDest 124 . If the map of the world were flattened, as in a Mercator projection, then these two points define opposite corners of a rectangle. In a strictly steered itinerary, the FPs 104 could require all intermediate airports for connecting flights to be located within this bounding box. In another embodiment, the FPs 104 expand the bounding box by some proportional or set amount, to allow for short connecting flights that do not offer the shortest route but are preferable due to some other factor such as price or schedule.
[0107] The described embodiments are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, and specific examples thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the described embodiments are not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but to the contrary, the present disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives.
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Methods and systems for real-time graphical search for airline flight itineraries that satisfy predetermined criteria (e.g., place and time) using a distributed graph processing system are disclosed. The advantages of the graphical method include: computational work is easily split across multiple processors for parallel processing; the resulting speed is appropriate for real-time personalized search; the method naturally supports multi-segment routes up to any user-specified maximum; the method easily handles constraints or freedoms on connections between flights, such as connection time or transferring to another airport in the same metropolis; and the method is efficient due to focusing only on viable flight segments.
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PRIORITY
[0001] This application is a continuation application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/954,725 filed Nov. 26, 2010 in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) of a Korean patent application filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on Dec. 4, 2009 and assigned Ser. No. 10-2009-0119669, the entire disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA). More particularly, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a DLNA network.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Various devices are used in homes, such as information devices (e.g., Personal Computers (PCs)), communication devices (e.g., telephones), broadcasting devices (e.g., TVs), and Audio/Video (AV) devices (e.g., Digital Video Disks (DVDs) and digital cameras). Home automation has been proposed and used to automatically control such devices.
[0006] In the early stages of development, home automation systems controlled home appliances separately by telephones or infrared rays. Home automation systems did not support a connection between the home appliances. However, recent development of communication technology provides a method of constructing a network between home appliances and integrating/managing the home appliances by a controller. This system is referred to as a home network system.
[0007] The home network system connects various network home appliances (e.g., TVs, washing machines, microwave ovens, gas ranges, audios, air conditioners, and boilers), lighting, gas valves, and front doors to controllers (e.g., home gateways and home servers), and controls the connected appliances through a specific terminal (e.g., a remote controller).
[0008] Recently, standardization of home network systems is in progress. The Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) standard has been proposed for controlling information home appliances (e.g., TVs, Video Tape Recorders (VTRs), digital cameras, and audio systems). The DLNA standard focuses on sharing all the content provided from information home appliances. For example, the use of the DLNA standard allows home devices to share various digital media content stored in personal devices (e.g., mobile devices or computers), thereby enabling users to enjoy the digital media content conveniently regardless of the locations and devices in homes.
[0009] However, during the use of the DLNA service, the activation of a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and a display device results in significant power consumption. A portable device (e.g., a mobile communication terminal) consumes most of its power at a display and a Radio Frequency (RF) chipset, which may reduce the lifetime of the portable terminal Accordingly, a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a DLNA network is desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An aspect of the present invention is to address at least the above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the present invention is to provide a method for reducing power consumption in a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network.
[0011] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide an apparatus for reducing power consumption in a DLNA network.
[0012] According to an aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing power consumption in an electronic device is provided. The method includes receiving media content from a server, establishing a control state based on the received media content, controlling power of at least one of a communication connection device and a display according to the control state of the received media content, determining whether a reception of the media content is completed, determining whether the electronic device performs functions for playing and controlling a digital media, transitioning a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), when it has been determined that a reception of the media content and that the functions are not performed by the electronic device, to a power save mode, and disconnecting the WLAN, when it has been determined that receiving the media content is completed and that the functions are performed by the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises the communication connection device.
[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing power consumption in an electronic device is provided. The method includes determining whether there is a user operation, determining whether at least one another electronic device is in a connection state with a WLAN, notifying the user of the WLAN state when it is determined that the at least one another electronic device is not in a connection state with the WLAN, and terminating the connection if the at least one another electronic device is not in the connection state or if there is no command from the at least one another electronic device for a predetermined time, wherein the electronic device turns off a display when there is no user operation.
[0014] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing power consumption in an electronic device is provided. The method includes determining whether at least one at least one another electronic device are in a connection state, notifying a user of the connection state of the at least one another electronic device if the at least one another electronic device is not in the connection state, transmitting digital media content, via a WLAN, to the at least one another electronic device; and transitioning the WLAN to power save mode when the digital media content transmission is complete.
[0015] According to still another aspect of the present invention, a method for reducing power consumption in an electronic device is provided. The method includes controlling the power of a display according to a control state of media content received from a server, disconnecting the power of a communication connection device after a reception of the media content is completed when the communication connection device performs the functions for playing and controlling a digital media, converting the communication connection device to a power save mode after a reception of the media content is completed when the communication connection device does not perform functions for playing and controlling a digital media, and disconnecting the power of the communication connection device after displaying a pop-up window to a user, when the communication connection device is disconnected.
[0016] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a system for reducing power consumption in a DLNA network is provided. The system includes a WLAN, a first electronic device for controlling the power of a display according to a control state of media content received from a server, for disconnecting the power of a communication connection device or converting the communication connection device to a power save mode after a reception of the media content is completed, and for interrupting the power of the communication connection device after displaying a pop-up window to a user when the communication connection device is disconnected from the WLAN, and a second electronic device for determining whether the first electronic device is in a connection state with the WLAN, for terminating the connection if the first electronic device is not in the connection state, for determining whether there is a user operation of the digital media renderer, and for turning off a connected display when there is no determined user operation.
[0017] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 3 is flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a digital media renderer to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 4 is flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a digital media server to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 5 is flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a digital media server to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 6 is flow diagram illustrating a method for operating a digital media player or a digital media renderer to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0025] FIGS. 7A , 7 B, 7 C, 7 D, 7 E, 7 F, and 7 G are diagrams illustrating a display screen for setting DLNA in a portable device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] Throughout the drawings, like reference numerals will be understood to refer to like parts, components and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0027] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments described herein can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Also, descriptions of well-known functions and constructions are omitted for clarity and conciseness.
[0028] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but, are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided for illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
[0029] It is to be understood that the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to “a component surface” includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
[0030] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network.
[0031] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1 , a DLNA network may include a Digital Media Server (DMS) 10 , a Digital Media Controller (DMC) 20 , and a Digital Media Renderer (DMR) 30 . The DMS 10 , the DMC 20 , and the DMR 30 may perform wired/wireless communication (e.g., using a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)) between them. The DMS 10 stores media content (e.g., moving pictures and image files). The media content may be broadcast signals received in real time. The DMC 20 searches the DMS 10 for media content. The DMC 20 requests the DMR 30 to play the corresponding media content of the DMS 10 , and the DMR 30 requests the DMS 10 to provide the DMR 30 with the media content requested by the DMC 20 . Thereafter, the DMS 10 transmits the corresponding media content to the DMR 30 , and the DMR 30 plays the received media content.
[0033] The DLNA network may be implemented by three component entities as described above. However, the DLNA network may also be implemented by two component entities as described below with respect to FIG. 2 .
[0034] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 2 , two component network entries are shown, a Digital Media Player (DMP) 200 and a DMS 210 . The DMP 200 may operate as the DMC 20 and the DMR 30 illustrated in FIG. 1 , and the DMS 210 may be the same as the DMS 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 . The DMP 200 and the DMS 210 perform wired/wireless communication therebetween.
[0036] FIG. 3 illustrates a method for operating a DMR to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. An operation of the DMC 20 for reducing power consumption in the DLNA network may be the same as an operation of the DMR 30 , and thus a description thereof will be omitted for conciseness.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 3 , in step 300 , the DMR determines whether the operation state is a pause state, a play state or a stop state. For example, under the control of the DMC 20 , the DMR 30 determines whether it is playing the content received from the DMS 10 or pauses/stops the play of the content received from the DMS 10 .
[0038] If the operation state is a pause state in step 300 , then in the event of the continuance of the pause state for a predetermined time, the DMR dims a display, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) to minimize the power consumption in step 302 .
[0039] If the operation state is a play state in step 300 , the DMR turns on the display to operate the display in step 304 . The DMR continues to operate the display to display the played content.
[0040] If the operation state is a stop state in step 300 , the DMR turns off the display to reduce the power consumption in step 306 . Thereafter, the DMR proceeds to a corresponding mode. In the corresponding mode, the DMR waits for a control signal from the DMC.
[0041] In step 308 , the DMR determines whether a buffering operation is in progress. The DMR determines whether it is receiving/buffering the content from the DMS. If a buffering operation is in progress (i.e., the DMR is receiving/buffering the content from the DMS in step 308 ), the DMR maintains a normal connection state of a WLAN in step 316 and uses the WLAN to receive/buffer the content from the DMS. If a buffering operation is not in progress (i.e., the DMR completes the reception of the content from the DMS in step 308 ), the DMR determines whether it operates as DMP in step 310 .
[0042] If the DMR operates as a DMP in step 310 , the DMR disconnects the WLAN used to transmit the content from DMS in step 314 . When the DMR completes the buffering operation and operates as a DMP, the DMR powers down the WLAN to reduce the power consumption. When the DMR is to transmit a command to the DMS, the DMR reconnects the WLAN to transmit the command to the DMS.
[0043] If the DMR does not operate as a DMP (i.e., the DMR/DMC function is divided in step 310 ), the DMR transitions the WLAN to a power save mode in step 312 . The reason for transitioning the WLAN to a power save mode if the DMR does not operate as a DMP is that the DMC may transmit a control signal to the DMR even when the DMR does not receive the content from the DMS. Also, it is to maintain a power save mode of the WLAN in the play state after completion of the buffering operation.
[0044] In step 316 , the DMR determines whether the DMR or the DMS disconnects from the WLAN (e.g., if a WLAN connection is difficult to maintain due to an increase in the distance from the DMR or the DMS). If the DMR or the DMS disconnects from the WLAN in step 316 , the DMR notifies the user of the WLAN state through a pop-up window if the DMR is in a play state or a pause state in step 318 . In step 320 , the DMR disconnects the WLAN to reduce the power consumption, if a predetermined time elapses without roaming.
[0045] On the other hand, if the DMR or the DMS does not disconnect from the WLAN in step 316 , the DMR continues to supply power to the WLAN or to maintain the power save mode.
[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates a method for operating a DMS to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 4 , in step 400 , the DMS determines whether there is a user operation. If there is no user operation in step 400 , then in step 402 , regardless of the state of the DMR and DMC or DMP, the DMS turns off a display (such as an LCD) to reduce the power consumption. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the DMS is operating, this operation state may be displayed in other ways (e.g., a periodic LED on/off, and an operation indication on a display screen).
[0048] If there is a user operation in step 400 , the DMS determines in step 404 whether the DMR or the DMP is buffering the content. The DMS determines whether it is transmitting the content to the DMR or the DMP.
[0049] If the DMR or the DMP is buffering the content, (i.e., the DMS is transmitting the content to the DMR or the DMP in step 404 , the DMS maintains a normal connection state of a WLAN in step 408 and transmits the content to the DMR or the DMP through the WLAN.
[0050] If the DMR or the DMP is not buffering the content, (i.e., the DMS has completed the transmission of the content to the DMR or the DMP in step 404 ), the DMS transitions the WLAN to a power save mode in step 406 .
[0051] In step 408 , the DMS determines whether the DMR or the DMC or DMP disconnects from the WLAN (e.g., if a WLAN connection is difficult to maintain due to an increase in the distance from the DMR or the DMC). If the DMR or the DMC or the DMP disconnects from the WLAN in step 408 , the DMS notifies the user of the WLAN state through a pop-up window in step 410 . In step 412 , the DMS disconnects the WLAN to reduce the power consumption, if a predetermined time elapses without roaming.
[0052] On the other hand, if the DMR or the DMC or DMP does not disconnect from the WLAN (in step 408 ), the DMS continues to supply power to the WLAN or to maintain the power save mode.
[0053] Meanwhile, because the DMS cannot know whether the DMR disconnects from the network, the DMS always converts to a standby mode. Accordingly, the DMS may cause power consumption.
[0054] An exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preventing the DMS from causing power consumption in the standby mode, as described below with reference to FIG. 5 .
[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates a method for operating a DMS to reduce power consumption in a DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0056] Referring to FIG. 5 , in step 500 , the DMS determines whether at least one DMR is in connection with the DLNA network. If at least one DMR is not connected to the DLNA network in step 502 , the DMS notifies the user of the state through a pop-up window after a predetermined time in step 504 . The DMS determines the state of the DMR playing the content, and automatically terminates the connection to reduce the power consumption, if the DMR is not connected or there is no command from the DMR for a predetermined time.
[0057] If at least one DMR is connected to the DLNA network in step 502 the DMS transitions to a standby mode in step 506 .
[0058] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, if the content is an image type, a slide show may be executed after downloading all the slide content, in order to reduce a buffering time and a WLAN use time. Thereafter, the WLAN is disconnected to reduce the power consumption.
[0059] FIG. 6 illustrates a method for operating a DMP or the DMR to reduce power consumption in the DLNA network according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0060] Referring to FIG. 6 , in step 600 , the DMP or the DMR determines whether the content received from the DMS is slide content such as images. If the content received from the DMS is slide content, such as images in step 600 , the DMP or the DMR downloads all the slide content in step 602 . The DMP or the DMR does not execute a slide show until all the slide content is received.
[0061] In step 604 , the DMP or the DMR executes a slide show after receiving all the slide content. In step 60 , the DMP or the DMR disconnects the WLAN.
[0062] FIGS. 7A to 7G illustrate a display screen for setting DLNA in a portable device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The portable device may be, for example, a DMS, a DMR, or a DMP.
[0063] FIG. 7A illustrates a network selection screen of the portable device. FIG. 7B illustrates a content selection setting screen with a digital media server (DMS). FIG. 7C illustrates a server selection screen of the portable device. FIG. 7D illustrates a content (e.g., music, pictures and videos) selection screen of the portable device. FIG. 7E illustrates a file selection screen of the portable device. FIG. 7F illustrates a renderer (DMP or DMR) selection screen. FIG. 7G illustrates a play screen in the renderer.
[0064] Although an LCD is illustrated herein as a display of the portable device, exemplary embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto. Additional examples of the display include a Plasma Display Panel (PDP) and Light Emitting Diode (LED).
[0065] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as described above, the state of a WLAN chip and a display is controlled according to the state of a DLNA supporting device in a DLNA network, thereby making it possible to minimize the power consumption.
[0066] While the invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A method and apparatus for reducing power consumption in an electronic device are provided. The method includes receiving media content from a server, establishing a control state based on the media content, controlling power of at least one of a communication connection device and a display according to the control state of the received media content, determining whether a reception of the media content is completed, determining whether the electronic device performs functions for playing and controlling a digital media, transitioning a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), when it has been determined that a reception of the media content and that the functions are not performed by the electronic device, to a power save mode, and disconnecting the WLAN, when it has been determined that receiving the media content is completed and that the functions are performed by the electronic device, wherein the electronic device comprises the communication connection device.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/073,685, filed Feb. 11, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,695,057 which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/858,153, filed May 15, 2001, now abandoned, which is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/435,388, filed Nov. 6, 1999, which is now U.S. Pat. No. 6,253,856, issued Jul. 3, 2001. All of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention is related to downhole tools for a hydrocarbon wellbore. More particularly, the invention relates to an apparatus useful in conducting a fracturing or other wellbore treating operation. More particularly still, this invention relates to a filtered inlet port through which a wellbore treating fluid such as a “frac” fluid may be pumped without obstructing the workings of a hydraulic tool.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the drilling of oil and gas wells, a wellbore is formed using a drill bit that is urged downwardly at a lower end of a drill string. When the well is drilled to a first designated depth, a first string of casing is run into the wellbore. The first string of casing is hung from the surface, and then cement is circulated into the annulus behind the casing. Typically, the well is drilled to a second designated depth after the first string of casing is set in the wellbore. A second string of casing, or liner, is run into the wellbore to the second designated depth. This process may be repeated with additional liner strings until the well has been drilled to total depth. In this manner, wells are typically formed with two or more strings of casing having an ever-decreasing diameter.
After a well has been drilled, it is desirable to provide a flow path for hydrocarbons from the surrounding formation into the newly formed wellbore. Therefore, after all casing has been set, perforations are shot through the liner string at a depth which equates to the anticipated depth of hydrocarbons. Alternatively, a liner having pre-formed slots may be run into the hole as casing. Alternatively still, a lower portion of the wellbore may remain uncased so that the formation and fluids residing therein remain exposed to the wellbore.
In many instances, either before or after production has begun, it is desirable to inject a treating fluid into the surrounding formation at particular depths. Such a depth is sometimes referred to as “an area of interest” in a formation. Various treating fluids are known, such as acids, polymers, and fracturing fluids.
In order to treat an area of interest, it is desirable to “straddle” the area of interest within the wellbore. This is typically done by “packing off” the wellbore above and below the area of interest. To accomplish this, a first packer having a packing element is set above the area of interest, and a second packer also having a packing element is set below the area of interest. Treating fluids can then be injected under pressure into the formation between the two set packers.
A variety of pack-off tools are available which include two selectively-settable and spaced-apart packing elements. Several such prior art tools use a piston or pistons movable in response to hydraulic pressure in order to actuate the setting apparatus for the packing elements. However, debris or other material can block or clog the piston apparatus, inhibiting or preventing setting of the packing elements. Such debris can also prevent the un-setting or release of the packing elements. This is particularly true during fracturing operations, or “frac jobs,” which utilize sand or granular aggregate as part of the formation treatment fluid.
Prior solutions to the debris problem have included running in a filter or screen above the down-hole tool. This has several disadvantages. First, once the screen is run above the down-hole tool, full pressure can no longer be transmitted to the piston. Second, emergency release mechanisms and other devices actuated by a ball cannot be used.
There is, therefore, a need for a hydraulic down-hole tool which does not require a piston susceptible to becoming clogged by sand or other debris.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally discloses a novel actuator port for use in a hydraulic wellbore tool, a method of making the actuator port, and methods of using the actuator port. The actuator port filters out particulates so they do not obstruct the workings of the actuator. The filtered port may comprise fine slots disposed through a wall of a mandrel spaced around the circumference of the mandrel.
The present invention introduces a hydraulic tool for use in a wellbore, comprising: a tubular wall for separating a first fluid containing region from a second fluid containing region, the tubular wall including a filter portion; and an actuating member disposed within the second fluid containing region, the actuating member operable upon contact with a fluid flowing from the first fluid containing region and through the filter portion.
The present invention discloses forming at least one filter slot in the tubular wall utilizing manufacturing methods including but not limited to electrical discharge machining and laser cutting.
The present invention may be incorporated into any kind of hydraulic tool, including but not limited to a packer comprising a packing element and a fracture valve comprising a fracture port. These may be provided into a pack-off system comprising an upper packer, a fracture valve, and a lower packer all utilizing the present invention. The pack-off system may include other components as well.
The pack-off system utilizing the present invention may be run into a wellbore where the packing elements are set and the fracture port is opened by injecting fluid into the packer system under various flow rates resulting in various pressures. Further, an actuating fluid may be used to set the packers and open the fracture valve, and then treatment fluid may be injected through a fracture port into the wellbore.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments.
FIG. 1 is a view of one cross-section of a hydraulic packer utilizing a filtered actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1A is a section of FIG. 1 detailing a filtered inlet port. FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view of a nozzle valve.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a fracture valve utilizing a filtered actuator according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is an enlargement of a piston/mandrel interface of FIG. 2 .
FIGS. 3A–3D are section views of a completed pack-off system. FIG. 3A is the system in the run in position. FIG. 3B is the system after the nozzle valve has been closed. FIG. 3C is the system after the packers have been set. FIG. 3D is the system after opening of the fracture valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 presents a sectional view of a hydraulic packer 1 as might be used with a filtered port of the present invention. The packer is seen in a run in configuration. The packer 1 first comprises a packing element 40 . The packing element 40 may be made of any suitable resilient material, including but not limited to any suitable elastomeric or polymeric material. Actuation of the packing element below a workstring (not shown) is accomplished, in one aspect, through the application of hydraulic pressure.
Visible at the top of the packer 1 in FIG. 1 is a top sub 10 . The top sub 10 is a generally cylindrical body having a flow bore therethrough. The top sub 10 is threadedly connected at a top end to the workstring (not shown) or a fracture valve (as shown in FIG. 2 ). At a lower end, the top sub 10 is threadedly connected to an element adapter 20 . The element adapter 20 defines a tubular body surrounding a lower portion of the top sub 10 . An o-ring 13 seals a top sub 10 /element adapter 20 interface. At a lower end, the element adapter 20 is threadedly connected to a center mandrel 15 . The center mandrel 15 defines a tubular body having a flow bore therethrough. The lower end of the element adapter 20 surrounds an upper end of the center mandrel 15 . One or more o-rings may be used to seal the various interfaces of the packer 1 . In one embodiment, an o-ring 12 seals an element adapter 20 /center mandrel 15 interface.
The packer 1 shown in FIG. 1 also includes a packing element compressor 30 and a piston 45 . The packing element compressor 30 and the piston 45 each generally define a cylindrical body and each surround a portion of the center mandrel 15 . An o-ring 14 seals a packing element compressor 30 /center mandrel 15 interface. An upper end of the piston 45 is disposed within and threadedly connected to the packing element compressor 20 . An o-ring 16 seals a packing element compressor 30 /piston 45 interface. Surrounding a lower end of the packing element compressor 30 and threadedly connected thereto is an upper gage ring 5 . The upper gage ring 5 defines a tubular body and also surrounds a portion of the piston 45 . At a lower end, the upper gage ring 5 comprises a retaining lip that mates with a corresponding retaining lip at an upper end of the packing element 40 . The lip of the upper gage ring 5 aids in forcing the extrusion of the packing element 40 outwardly into contact with the surrounding casing (not shown) when the packing element 40 is set.
At a lower end, the packing element 40 comprises another retaining lip which corresponds with a retaining lip comprised on an upper end of a lower gage ring 50 . The lower gage ring 50 defines a tubular body and surrounds a portion of the piston 45 . At a lower end, the lower gage ring 50 surrounds and is threadedly connected to an upper end of a center case 55 . The center case 55 defines a tubular body which surrounds a portion of the piston 45 . Within the center case 55 , the piston 45 defines a chamber 60 . Corresponding to the chamber 60 is a filtered inlet port 65 disposed through a wall of the center mandrel 15 . Preferably, the filtered inlet port 65 comprises two sets of filter slots.
Each filter slot 65 is configured to allow fluid to flow through but to prevent the passage of particulates. Preferably, the filter slots are substantially rectangular in shape. In one embodiment shown in FIG. 1A , ten filter slots 65 are equally spaced around the entire circumference of the center mandrel for each set of inlet slots. The filter slots 65 can be cut into the center mandrel 15 using a laser or electrical discharge machining (EDM). The dimensions and number of slots may vary depending on the size of the particulates expected in the fracture fluid. As an example, for a fracture fluid with a minimum particulate size of 0.016 inch in diameter, each filter slot 65 would preferably be 0.9 inch long and between 0.006–0.012 inch wide. Optionally, the width of the slot 65 may be reduced down to 0.003 inch or as far as current manufacturing technology will allow. Typically, a maximum slot width of 0.02–0.03 inch would be expected, however, a width of 0.2 inch would also fall within the scope of the present invention. Use of the term “width” does not mean that the slot 65 must be rectangular. Other shapes can be used for the filter slots 65 , such as triangles, ellipses, squares, and circles. In those cases the “width” would be the smallest dimension across the slot 65 (not including the thickness of the slot through the mandrel 15 ). Other manufacturing techniques may be used to form the filtered inlet port 65 , such as the formation of a powdered metal screen or the manufacture of a sintered powdered metal sleeve with the non-flow areas of the sintered sleeve being made impervious to flow.
Disposed within the inlet slot 60 are blocks 62 . Preferably, the blocks 62 are annular plates which are threaded on both sides. The outer threads of the blocks 62 mate with threads disposed on an inner side of the center case 55 . The inner threads of the blocks 62 mate with threads disposed on an outer side of the center mandrel 15 . The blocks are disposed on the center mandrel 15 just below a lower set of filtered inlet slots 65 . Preferably, the blocks 62 further comprise a tongue disposed on an upper end for mating with a groove disposed on the outside of the central mandrel 15 . Preferably, the blocks 62 do not completely fill the inlet slot 60 , thereby leaving a gap allowing fluid to flow around the blocks within the inlet slot.
An o-ring 17 seals an upper piston 45 /center case 55 interface. An o-ring 18 seals a lower piston 45 /center case 55 interface. An o-ring 19 seals a piston 45 /center mandrel 15 interface. Abutting a lower end of the piston 45 is an upper end of a biasing member 70 . Preferably, the biasing member 70 comprises a spring. The spring 70 is disposed on the outside of the center mandrel 15 . The lower end of the spring 70 abuts an upper end of a spring adapter 75 . The spring adapter 75 defines a tubular body. At an upper end, the spring adapter 75 surrounds and is threadedly connected to a lower end of the central mandrel 15 . At a lower end, the spring adapter 75 surrounds and is threadedly connected to a bottom sub 80 . The bottom sub 80 defines a tubular body having a flow bore therethrough. An o-ring 21 seals a spring adapter 75 /center mandrel 15 interface. A lower end of the bottom sub 80 is threaded so that it may be connected to other members of the workstring such as a nozzle valve 85 (as illustrated in FIG. 1B ), or a fracture valve (as displayed in FIG. 2 ). An o-ring 22 seals a spring adapter 75 /bottom sub 80 interface. FIG. 1B contains a cross sectional view of the nozzle valve 85 . The nozzle valve 85 comprises a flow bore therethrough with a tapered seat for a ball that may be dropped through the workstring.
FIG. 2 presents a sectional view of a fracture valve 100 as might be used with a filtered port of the present invention. The fracture valve 100 is seen in a run in configuration. Visible at the top of the fracture valve 100 in FIG. 1 is a top sub 110 . The top sub 110 is a generally cylindrical body having a flow bore therethrough. The top sub 110 is threadedly connected at a top end to the workstring (not shown) or a packer (as shown in FIG. 1 ).
At a lower end, the top sub 110 surrounds and is threadedly connected to an upper end of a mandrel 115 . The mandrel 115 defines a tubular body having a flow bore therethrough. Set screws 105 optionally prevent unthreading of the top sub 110 from the mandrel 115 . An o-ring 113 seals a top sub 110 /mandrel 115 interface. Also at the lower end, the top sub 110 is surrounded by and threadedly connected to an upper end of a sleeve 120 . The sleeve 120 defines a tubular body with a bore therethrough. Disposed between the mandrel 115 and the sleeve 120 below the top sub is an adjusting nut 122 . The adjusting nut 122 is threadedly connected to the mandrel 115 . Abutting a lower end of the adjusting nut 122 is an upper end of a biasing member 125 . Preferably, the biasing member 125 comprises a spring. Abutting a lower end of the spring 125 is a piston 130 . FIG. 2A is an enlarged partial view of a piston 130 /mandrel 115 interface. The piston 130 and the mandrel 115 define a chamber 135 . Corresponding to the chamber 135 is a filtered inlet port 140 disposed through a wall of the mandrel 115 . Preferably, the filtered inlet port 140 comprises one set of filter slots. Each filter slot 140 is similar to the filter slot 65 discussed above with reference to the packer 1 . Disposed in the wall of the mandrel 115 below the filter slots 140 is a fracture port 145 . An upper o-ring 114 and a middle o-ring 116 cooperate to seal a piston 130 /mandrel 115 interface above the fracture port 145 . The middle o-ring 116 and a lower o-ring 117 cooperate to seal the piston 130 /mandrel 115 interface proximate the fracture port 145 . Abutting a lower end of the piston 130 is a bottom sub 150 . The bottom sub 150 is a generally cylindrical body having a flow bore therethrough. At an upper end, the bottom sub 150 surrounds and is threadedly connected to a lower end of the mandrel 115 . Set screws 155 optionally prevent unthreading of the bottom sub 150 from the mandrel 115 . An o-ring 118 seals a bottom sub 150 /mandrel 115 interface. Disposed below the bottom sub 150 /mandrel 115 interface in a wall of the bottom sub 150 are jet nozzles 160 . At a lower end, the bottom sub 150 is threaded so that it may be connected to the workstring or other members thereof, such as a packer (as displayed in FIG. 1 ).
Referring to FIGS. 3A–3D , in operation, the packer 1 and the fracture valve 100 are run into the wellbore on the workstring, such as a string of coiled tubing, as part of a pack-off system 200 . The workstring is any suitable tubular useful for running tools into a wellbore, including but not limited to jointed tubing, coiled tubing, and drill pipe. The pack-off system 200 comprises a top packer 205 , the fracture valve 100 , the bottom packer 1 , and the nozzle valve 85 or a solid nose portion (not shown). It is understood that additional tools, such as an unloader (not shown) may be used with the pack-off system 200 on the workstring. Preferably, the top packer 205 is a slightly modified version of the bottom packer 1 . The top sub and the bottom sub are exchanged enabling the top packer to be mounted upside down in the workstring. The pack-off system may also comprise a spacer pipe (not shown) between the two packers.
In FIG. 3A , the pack-off system 200 is positioned adjacent an area of interest, such as perforations 242 within a casing string 240 . Once the pack-off system 200 has been located at the desired depth in the wellbore, a ball is dropped from the surface into the pack-off system 200 to seal the nozzle valve as shown in FIG. 3B . Fluid is injected into the system at a first flow rate sufficient to set the packers 1 and 205 . Because the flow of fluid out of the bottom of the pack-off system 200 is closed off, fluid is forced to exit the system 200 through the jet nozzles 160 of the fracture valve 100 . Flow through the jet nozzles 160 will generate a back pressure within the system. Fluid, under this back pressure, also enters the piston chambers 60 and 135 through the filter slots 65 and 140 of the packers 1 and 205 and fracture valve 100 respectively. The filter slots 65 and 140 prevent any debris in the fluid from entering the piston chambers 60 and 135 . The pistons 45 and 130 are configured such that one face of the pistons within the chambers 60 and 135 is larger than the other. This will create a net force, generated by the pressure, on the larger piston faces. This force will be opposed by the springs 70 and 125 and, in the packers 1 and 205 , the packing elements 40 . Once the pressure is sufficient to overcome the opposing forces (the spring force of the fracture valve 100 is greater than that of the packers 1 and 205 ), it will force the pistons 45 of the upper 205 and lower 1 packers downward (upward for the upper packer) since the system 200 and thus the center mandrels 15 , blocks 62 , center cases 55 , and lower gage rings 50 are held in place by the workstring. This forces the packing element compressors 30 and upper gage rings 5 to move downwardly (upwardly for the upper packer). The upper gage rings 5 push down (up for the upper packer) to set the packing elements 40 of the upper and lower packers 1 and 205 . The packing elements 40 are shown set within the casing 240 in FIG. 3C .
After sufficient pressure has been applied to the pack-off system 200 through the bores of the center mandrels 15 to set the packing elements 40 , the fluid injection rate is increased into the system 200 . From there fluid enters the annular region between the pack-off system 200 and the surrounding casing 240 . The injected fluid is held in the annular region between the packing elements 40 of the upper 205 and lower packers 1 . Fluid continues to be injected, at this higher rate, into the system 200 and through the jet nozzles 160 until a greater second pressure level is reached. This second pressure causes the piston 130 of the fracture valve 100 to move upward along the mandrel 115 . This, in turn, exposes the fracture port 145 to the annular region between the pack-off system 200 and the surrounding casing 240 as shown in FIG. 3D . A greater volume of fracturing fluid can then be injected into the wellbore so that formation fracturing operations can be further conducted.
If any debris should deposit on the filter slots, it may be purged when the system is reset by de-pressurization. This is due to the fact that as the pistons 45 and 130 are urged back to their run in positions, fluid will be forced from the chambers 60 and 135 of the packers 1 and 205 and fracture valve 100 back through the filtered slots 65 and 140 into the center mandrels 15 and mandrel 115 respectively.
The filtered inlet ports shown in FIGS. 1–3 may be used with any hydraulically operated tool. While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.
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Methods of using and making and apparatuses utilizing a filtered actuator port for hydraulically actuated down hole tools. The filtered port prevents sand or other debris from entering the actuator workings of a tool. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, hydraulic tools utilizing filtered actuator ports are disclosed. In a second aspect, the filtered port comprises fine slots disposed through a wall of a mandrel spaced around the circumference of the mandrel. In a third aspect, the inlet port is formed by laser cutting or electrical discharge machining. In a fourth aspect, the filtered port is disposed in various components of a fracture pack-off system. Methods of using the fracture pack-off system utilizing the filtered port are provided.
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FIELD
There is described a tubing injector that is used to inject coiled tubing into a well bore.
BACKGROUND
U.S. Pat. No. 7,467,659 (Nielsen et al.) discloses a tubing injector with injector mechanisms that move that are capable of moving toward each other or away from each other. There is no redundancy in the Nielsen et al mechanism should one of the injector mechanisms fail. The 2010 BP off shore oil well disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has demonstrated a need for back up systems, should primary systems fail. What is required is a tubing injector with built in redundancy.
SUMMARY
There is provided a tubing injector which includes a base mountable to a wellhead with a bore positioned on a vertical axis in alignment with a bore of the wellhead. At least one body is detachably secured to the base. A first track is positioned on a first horizontal axis extending outwardly away from the vertical axis on opposed sides of the body. A second track is positioned on a second horizontal axis extending outwardly away from the vertical axis on opposed sides of the body and circumferentially spaced about the vertical axis relative to the first horizontal axis. A first injector pair of cooperating injector mechanisms one of which is positioned on each side of the vertical axis, the first injector pair being movable along with first track between an engaged positioned engaging tubing positioned in the bore of the wellhead and a disengaged position spaced from the vertical axis. A second injector pair of cooperating injector mechanisms one of which is positioned on each side of the vertical axis, the second injector pair being movable along with second track between an engaged positioned engaging tubing positioned in the bore of the wellhead and a disengaged position spaced from the vertical axis.
There may be a separate body for each injector that makes up the tubing injector as a whole. A first body supports a portion of the first track on which one of the first injector pair travels. A second body supports a portion of the first track on which another of the first injector pair travels. A third body supports a portion of the second track on which one of the second injector pair travels and a fourth body supports a portion of the second track on which another of the second injector pair travels. A selected injector is removable for repair or replacement by removing from the base one of the first body, the second body, the third body, or the fourth body that supports the selected injector. When the unit is being used with offshore drilling rigs and is positioned on the sea bed, an injector may be removed and replaced by a robot vehicle. The robot vehicle can dive down to the tubing injector, detach the body which supports the injector to be removed and then replace it with a new injector.
The tubing injector, as described above, provides redundancy to address safety concerns. The first injector pair is movable to the engaged position, when the second injector pair is moved to the disengaged position. Conversely, the second injector pair is movable to the engaged position, when the second injector pair in moved to the disengaged position. When in the disengaged position, the first injector pair is removable for repair or replacement. Similarly, when in the disengaged position, the second injector pair is removable for repair or replacement.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other features will become more apparent from the following description in which reference is made to the appended drawings, the drawings are for the purpose of illustration only and are not intended to be in any way limiting, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a tubing injector with built in redundancy.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the tubing injector with built in redundancy shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the tubing injector with built in redundancy shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the tubing injector with built in redundancy shown in FIG. 3 with a body with corresponding track and injector removed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A tubing injector generally identified by reference numeral 10 , will now be described with reference to FIGS. 1-3 .
Structure and Relationship of Parts
Referring to FIG. 1 , a tubing injector 10 includes a base 11 mountable to a wellhead, not shown with a bore positioned on a vertical axis 18 in alignment with a bore of the wellhead. At least one body 12 is detachably secured to the base by a coupling 14 . Referring to FIG. 3 , a first track 20 is positioned on a first horizontal axis 22 and extends outwardly away from vertical axis 18 on opposed sides 28 of body 12 . A second track 24 is positioned on a second horizontal axis 26 and extends outwardly away from vertical axis 18 on opposed sides 28 of body 12 . Second track 24 is circumferentially spaced about vertical axis 18 relative to first horizontal axis 22 .
A first injector pair 30 of cooperating injector mechanisms 32 is positioned such that one is positioned on each side of vertical axis 18 . First injector pair 30 is movable along with first track 20 between an engaged positioned and a disengaged position by expandable hydraulic cylinders 16 . Hydraulic cylinders 16 have a first end 17 and a second end 19 . First end 17 is attached to a vertical reaction frame 21 on body 12 and second end 19 is attached to first track 20 or second track 24 . In the engaged position, first injector pair 30 engages tubing 34 positioned in the bore of wellhead 16 . In the disengaged position, first injector pair 30 is spaced from vertical axis 18 . A second injector pair 36 of cooperating injector mechanisms 30 is positioned such that one is positioned on each side of vertical axis 18 . Second injector pair 36 is movable along with second track 24 between an engaged positioned and a disengaged position. In the engaged position, second injector pair 36 engages tubing 34 positioned in the bore of wellhead 16 . In the disengaged position, second injector pair 36 is spaced from vertical axis 18 . First injector pair 30 is movable to the engaged position when second injector pair 36 is moved to the disengaged position. Second injector pair 36 is movable to the engaged position when first injector pair 30 is moved to the disengaged position. When in the disengaged position, first injector pair 30 or second injector pair 36 are removable from first track 20 and second track 24 , respectively.
Referring to FIG. 3 , in the preferred embodiment, there is a separate body 12 a , 12 b , 12 c and 12 d for each injector. A first body 12 a supports a first portion 20 a of first track 20 on which one of the injectors 30 a of the first injector pair 30 travels. A second body 12 b supports a second portion 20 b of first track 20 on which another injector 30 b of the first injector pair 30 travels. A third body 12 c supports a first portion 24 a of second track 24 on which one of the injectors 36 a of the second injector pair 36 travels. A fourth body 12 d supports a second portion 24 b of the second track 24 on which another injector 36 b of the second injector pair 36 travels. When an injector 30 a , 30 b , 36 a or 36 b is selected for removal for repair or replacement, it is removed by removing one of first body 12 a , second body 12 b , third body 12 c , or fourth body 12 d from base 11 . When a body 12 a , 12 b , 12 c or 12 d is removed from base 11 , the corresponding track 20 a , 20 b , 24 a or 24 c and injector 30 a , 30 b , 36 a and 36 b are removed as a group. Referring to FIG. 4 , when body 12 c is removed from base 11 , corresponding track 24 a and injector 36 a are also removed as a unit.
Operation
Referring to FIG. 2 , body 12 of tubing injector 10 is connected to wellhead 16 by coupling 14 . Referring to FIG. 3 , first track 20 is positioned on first horizontal axis 22 and second track 24 is positioned on second horizontal axis 26 . Second track 24 is circumferentially spaced about vertical axis 18 relative to first horizontal axis 22 . First injector pair 30 of cooperating injector mechanisms 32 is positioned such that one is positioned on each side of vertical axis 18 and is movable along with first track 20 between an engaged positioned and a disengaged position. In FIG. 3 , first injector pair 30 is in the engaged position. Second injector pair 36 of cooperating injector mechanisms 30 is positioned such that one is positioned on each side of vertical axis 18 and is movable along with second track 24 between an engaged positioned and a disengaged position. In FIG. 3 , second injector pair 36 is in the disengaged position.
When first injector pair 30 is in the engaged position and in contact with tubing 34 , second injector pair 36 is in the disengaged position. While second injector pair 36 is in the disengaged position, injectors 36 are removable from second track 24 for repair or replacement. When first injector pair 30 becomes worn or requires service or replacement it is moved to the disengaged position by expanding hydraulic cylinders 16 attached to first track 20 and second injector pair 36 engage tubing 34 by contracting hydraulic cylinders 16 attached to second track 24 h . This allows continued use of tubing injector 10 while allowing maintenance on the disengaged injector pairs.
Referring to FIG. 3 , in the event that an injector 30 a , 30 b , 36 a or 36 b is to be removed, the corresponding body 12 a , 12 b , 12 c or 12 d , respectively, is removed from base 11 . A portion of track 20 a , 20 b , 24 a or 24 b is also removed at the same time and a new body 12 with corresponding injector and track is attached to base 11 . Referring to FIG. 4 , when body 12 c is removed from base 11 , corresponding track 24 a and injector 36 a are also removed as a unit.
In this patent document, the word “comprising” is used in its non-limiting sense to mean that items following the word are included, but items not specifically mentioned are not excluded. A reference to an element by the indefinite article “a” does not exclude the possibility that more than one of the element is present, unless the context clearly requires that there be one and only one of the elements.
The following claims are to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, and what can be obviously substituted. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various adaptations and modifications of the described embodiments can be configured without departing from the scope of the claims. The illustrated embodiments have been set forth only as examples and should not be taken as limiting the invention. It is to be understood that, within the scope of the following claims, the invention may be practiced other than as specifically illustrated and described.
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A tubing injector has a first injector pair and a second pair of cooperating injector mechanisms. The first injector pair are positioned on a first track and the second pair are positioned on a second track. The tubing injector provides redundancy to address safety concerns. The first injector pair is movable to the engaged position, when the second injector pair is moved to the disengaged position and vice versa.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a transformer including a detection winding arranged to detect an output voltage and to a transformer device including a transformer and a load circuit connected thereto.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] To apply a specific voltage to a load circuit connected downstream of a transformer, an output voltage of the transformer may be monitored to control the output voltage. One example of a monitoring method involves monitoring a detection voltage of a detection winding provided in the transformer in addition to input and output windings (see, for example, Japanese Examined Utility Model Registration Application Publication No. 6-9463).
[0005] FIGS. 1A and 1B are an illustration for describing a first configuration example of a traditional transformer; wherein FIG. 1A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view, and FIG. 1B illustrates a circuit diagram.
[0006] The transformer is made up of a roll 200 and a not-illustrated magnetic core. The roll 200 is made up of a tubular bobbin 204 and windings 201 to 203 . The magnetic core is inserted in the tube of the bobbin 204 . The bobbin 204 has a plurality of collars formed on its outer surface. The windings 201 to 203 are wound in winding regions between the collars (hereinafter referred to as sections). Specifically, the input winding 201 and the detection winding 203 are wound in a section adjacent to a first end, and the output winding 202 is wound in the other sections. The detection winding 203 is wound in a section different from the sections for the output winding 202 in order to isolate itself from the output winding 202 .
[0007] In this transformer circuit configuration, the input winding 201 is connected between an input terminal 214 and a ground terminal 216 . The input terminal 214 is connected to an AC voltage source. The detection winding 203 is connected to a voltage detector through a detection terminal 217 . The output winding 202 is connected to a load circuit through an output terminal 215 . For this transformer, a detection voltage proportional to an output voltage is detected by the voltage detector.
[0008] For the transformer having the above configuration, an input winding may be disposed at each of two sides of an output winding and the input windings may be connected in parallel in order to acquire strong connection between the output and input windings.
[0009] FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrations for describing a second configuration example of a traditional transformer, wherein FIG. 2A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view, and FIG. 2B illustrates a circuit diagram.
[0010] The transformer is made up of a roll 300 and a not-illustrated magnetic core. The roll 300 is made up of a tubular bobbin 310 and windings 311 to 314 . The magnetic core is inserted in the tube of the bobbin 310 . The bobbin 310 has a plurality of collars formed on its outer surface. The windings 311 to 314 are wound in sections between the collars. The output winding 313 is wound in central sections, the first input winding 311 and the second input winding 312 are wound in sections adjacent to opposite ends, and the detection winding 314 is wound in the same section as that for the first input winding 311 .
[0011] In this transformer circuit configuration, the first input winding 311 and the second input winding 312 are connected in parallel between an input terminal 321 and a ground terminal 322 . The detection winding 314 is connected to a voltage detector through a detection terminal 323 . The output winding 313 is connected to a load circuit through an output terminal 324 . Also with this transformer, a voltage proportional to an output voltage according to the turns ratio between the output winding and the detection winding is detected by the voltage detector.
[0012] With the above transformer, for example, when the number of turns of the output winding is 1000, the number of turns of the detection winding is 10, and the output voltage is 1000 Vp-p, a detection voltage of 10 Vp-p is output to the detection winding.
[0013] For the above-described transformers, to acquire isolation, the output and input windings are spaced away from each other with the collar disposed between. Therefore, a leakage inductance between the both windings is large. Accordingly, if a capacitive load circuit that mainly has a capacitive component, such as a lamp or a photosensitive drum, is connected as the load circuit, the leakage inductance and the capacitive load circuit may be series resonant, depending on a condition, for example, such as a condition in which the frequency of an AC input voltage is close to a resonant frequency between the leakage inductance and the load capacity. If series resonance occurs, a leakage flux resulting from the leakage inductance increases.
[0014] A leakage flux is proportional to a series resonance current, and the series resonance current is proportional to a series resonance voltage occurring in a leakage inductance. The output voltage of the transformer increases by the amount corresponding to the series resonance voltage. Therefore, due to the series resonance, a resonance voltage proportional to the increase in the leakage flux occurs in the leakage inductance, and the output voltage of the transformer increases.
[0015] Due to series resonance, a detection voltage corresponding to a combined magnetic flux of a main magnetic flux and a leakage flux is output from a detection winding. FIGS. 3 A and 3 B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux occurring in a traditional transformer. FIG. 3A illustrates a transformer according to a first configuration example, and FIG. 3B illustrates a transformer according to a second configuration example.
[0016] For the transformer according to the first configuration example, a main magnetic flux 221 and a leakage flux 222 occur inside a magnetic core 220 . The leakage flux 222 links the main magnetic flux 221 in the opposite direction at a linkage surface 223 of the detection winding. Accordingly, the main magnetic flux 221 and the leakage flux 222 cancel each other. During series resonance, the leakage flux 222 increases largely, so the main magnetic flux 221 is largely cancelled by the amount corresponding to the increase in the leakage flux 222 , and the detection voltage reduces. Similarly, for the transformer according to the second configuration example, during series resonance, a main magnetic flux 321 is cancelled by the amount corresponding to an increase in a leakage flux 323 at a linkage surface 323 , and the detection voltage reduces.
[0017] As described above, when an output voltage and a detection voltage are changed by the effects of series resonance, the accuracy of detecting an output voltage using a detection winding deteriorates.
[0018] FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrations for describing changes in an output voltage and a detection voltage.
[0019] Here, results of experiments of applying an AC input voltage that has a constant magnitude with varying frequencies to a traditional transformer with an input winding-output winding-detection winding ratio of 1:180:1 and driving the transformer when a capacitive load circuit switches to 100 pF, 200 pF, or 300 pF are illustrated.
[0020] FIG. 4A illustrates the transformer according to the first configuration example. The output voltage of this transformer tended to increase with an increase in frequency. In contrast, the detection voltage of this transformer tended to reduce or remain virtually unchanged with an increase in frequency. Therefore, a calculated ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage changed with respect to a change in frequency in a non-linear fashion.
[0021] FIG. 4B illustrates the transformer according to the second configuration example. In comparison with the transformer according to the first configuration example, the degree of each of the change in the output voltage and that in the detection voltage is smaller. However, similar to the transformer according to the first configuration example, the ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage changed with respect to a change in frequency in a non-linear fashion.
[0022] As described above, for the traditional transformer, if the frequency varied, the accuracy of detecting the output voltage using the detection winding significantly deteriorated. This was more noticeable at larger capacitive values of the capacitive load circuit connected to the output winding.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0023] Accordingly, preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a transformer and a transformer device that are capable of accurately detecting an output voltage.
[0024] A transformer according to a preferred embodiment tof the present invention includes a bobbin, a magnetic core, a first input winding, an output winding, a second input winding, and a detection winding. The bobbin is tubular and includes a plurality of winding regions located at its outer portion. The magnetic core is inserted in the bobbin. The first input winding is wound in a first winding region. The output winding is wound in a second winding region adjacent to the first winding region. The second input winding is wound in a third winding region adjacent to the second winding region. The detection winding is wound in the vicinity of the first input winding. The first input winding and the second input winding are connected in series in the same winding direction, and the number of turns of the first input winding is smaller than that of the second input winding.
[0025] With this configuration, a main magnetic flux, a first leakage flux resulting from a leakage inductance between the first input winding and the output winding, and a second leakage flux resulting from a leakage inductance between the second input winding and the output winding occur.
[0026] Because the first input winding and the second input winding are connected in series, substantially the same amount of current passes through both of the windings. However, the first input winding has a number of turns that is smaller than that of the second input winding, the AT (ampere-turn: the number of turns×current) of the first input winding is smaller than the AT of the second input winding, and the first leakage flux is smaller than the second leakage flux.
[0027] Magnetic lines of force of the first leakage flux that link the detection winding extend in the opposite direction to the main magnetic flux, whereas magnetic lines of force of the second leakage flux that link the detection winding extend in the same direction as the main magnetic flux. Thus, of a magnetic flux that links the detection winding, a component resulting from the first leakage flux is cancelled by that resulting from the second leakage flux, and the direction of the magnetic flux linking the detection winding is the same as the main magnetic flux. Accordingly, in accordance with the magnitude of the leakage flux, the detection voltage increases. Thus, even when the frequency varies and the output voltage changes, the detection voltage follows the leakage flux varying in proportion to the frequency and changes correspondingly, so the ratio between the output voltage and the detection voltage can be stabilized.
[0028] A transformer according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a bobbin, a magnetic core, a first detection winding, an output winding, a second detection winding, and an input winding. The bobbin is tubular and includes a plurality of winding regions located at its outer portion. The magnetic core is inserted in a tube of the bobbin. The first detection winding is wound in a first winding region. The output winding is wound in a second winding region adjacent to the first winding region. The second detection winding is wound in a third winding region adjacent to the second winding region. The input winding is wound in the vicinity of the first detection winding. The first detection winding and the second detection winding are connected in series in the same winding direction, and the number of turns of the first detection winding is smaller than that of the second detection winding.
[0029] With this configuration, a leakage flux occurs resulting from a leakage inductance between the input winding and the output winding. Of this leakage flux, magnetic lines of force that link the first detection winding extend in the opposite direction to the magnetic flux, whereas magnetic lines of force that link the second detection winding extend in the same direction as the main magnetic flux. Thus, in accordance with the magnitude of the leakage flux, the magnetic flux linking the first detection winding reduces, and the magnetic flux linking the second detection winding increases.
[0030] Because the number of turns of the first detection winding is smaller than that of the second detection winding, the winding voltage occurring in the second detection winding is larger than that in the first detection winding. Therefore, the detection voltage, which is a combined voltage of respective winding voltages of the first and second detection windings connected in series, is largely affected by a winding voltage occurring in the second detection winding and easily increases in accordance with the magnitude of the leakage flux. Accordingly, even if the frequency varies and the output voltage changes, the detection voltage follows the leakage flux varying in proportion to the frequency and changes correspondingly, so the ratio between the output voltage and the detection voltage can be stabilized.
[0031] A transformer according to another preferred embodiment of the present invention has its input and output windings interchanged compared to the circuit configurations of the transformers according to the preferred embodiments described above. Because circuit configurations according to various preferred embodiments of the present invention have reversibility, even if the windings are interchanged in this way, similar advantages are obtainable.
[0032] A transformer device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention may include any one of the above-described transformers, a capacitive load circuit connected to the output winding, an AC voltage source connected to the input winding, and a detector connected to the detection winding.
[0033] With a transformer and a transformer device according to any of the various preferred embodiments of the present invention, a detection voltage following a change in leakage flux is obtainable. Thus, the ratio between the output voltage and the detection voltage can be accurately stabilized and the output voltage can be detected.
[0034] 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
[0035] FIGS. 1A and 1B are illustrations for describing a first configuration example of a traditional transformer.
[0036] FIGS. 2A and 2B are illustrations for describing a second configuration example of a traditional transformer.
[0037] FIGS. 3A and 3B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux of a traditional transformer.
[0038] FIGS. 4A and 4B are illustrations for describing a relationship between an output voltage and a detection voltage of a traditional transformer.
[0039] FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustrations for describing a configuration of a transformer according to a first preferred embodiment.
[0040] FIGS. 6A and 6B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux of the transformer illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B .
[0041] FIG. 7 is illustrations for describing a relationship between an output voltage and a detection voltage of the transformer illustrated in FIGS. 5A and 5B .
[0042] FIGS. 8A and 8B are illustrations for describing a configuration of a transformer according to a second preferred embodiment.
[0043] FIGS. 9A and 9B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux of the transformer illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B .
[0044] FIG. 10 is illustrations for describing a relationship between an output voltage and a detection voltage of the transformer illustrated in FIGS. 8A and 8B .
[0045] FIGS. 11A and 11B are illustrations for describing a circuit configuration in which the input and output windings of the transformer according to the first preferred embodiment are interchanged.
[0046] FIGS. 12A and 12B are illustrations for describing a circuit configuration in which the input and output windings of the transformer according to the second preferred embodiment are interchanged.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0047] A transformer according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention is described below. FIGS. 5A and 5B are illustrations for describing the transformer according to this preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the transformer, and FIG. 5B illustrates a circuit diagram of a transformer device that includes the transformer and a load circuit connected thereto.
[0048] The transformer preferably includes a roll 100 and a not-illustrated magnetic core. The roll 100 preferably includes a tubular bobbin 105 and windings 101 to 104 . The magnetic core is inserted in the tube of the bobbin 105 . The bobbin 105 includes a plurality of collars located on its outer surface. The sections between the collars are adjacent with the collars disposed therebetween, and the windings 101 to 104 are wound in the sections. Specifically, the input winding 101 and the detection winding 104 are wound in the section at a first end, the input winding 102 is wound in the section at a second end, and the output winding 103 is wound in the central sections. The detection winding 104 is disposed in the same section as that for the input winding 101 and lies in the vicinity of the input winding 101 . The detection winding 104 is wound outside of the input winding 101 . A configuration in which the detection winding is wound inside and the input winding is wound outside may be used. The detection winding 104 is wound in a section different from the sections for the output winding 103 in order to isolate itself from the output winding 103 .
[0049] The turns ratio between the input winding 101 and the input winding 102 can be determined depending on necessary frequency characteristics of the detection winding. Here, the turns ratio of the input winding 101 to the input winding 102 is set at 3 to 7, for example, so that the detection voltage of the detection winding 104 and the output voltage of the output winding 103 are constant independently of the frequency of the AC input voltage.
[0050] Next, a circuit configuration of a transformer device including that transformer and a load circuit connected thereto is described. A first end of the input winding 101 is connected to an input terminal 115 , and a second end thereof is connected to the input winding 102 . An end of the input winding 102 that is opposite to another end connected to the input winding 101 is connected to a ground through a ground terminal 118 . The input winding 101 and the output winding 102 are connected to each other such that their winding directions are the same. The input terminal 115 is connected to a not-illustrated AC voltage source. The detection winding 104 is connected to a voltage detector 119 through a detection terminal 114 . The output winding 103 is connected to a capacitive load circuit 117 through an output terminal 116 .
[0051] With that circuit configuration, due to the occurrence of series resonance, a first leakage flux from a first leakage inductance between the input winding 101 and the output winding 103 and a second leakage flux from a second leakage inductance between the input winding 102 and the output winding 103 increase.
[0052] Because the input winding 101 and the input winding 102 are connected in series, substantially the same amount of current passes through both of the windings, so the ratio of the AT (ampere-turn: the number of turns×current) of the input winding 101 to the AT of the input winding 102 is 3 to 7, which is the same as the turns ratio. Therefore, the leakage flux is separated such that the ratio between the first leakage flux occurring between the input winding 101 and the output winding 103 and the second leakage flux occurring between the input winding 102 and the output winding 103 is also approximately 3:7.
[0053] FIGS. 6A and 6B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux of that transformer. FIG. 6A illustrates a simulation image of this transformer, and FIG. 6B illustrates directions of a magnetic flux in this simulation image. With this transformer, a main magnetic flux 111 and a leakage flux 112 occur inside a magnetic core 110 . The leakage flux 112 illustrated here is a combined magnetic flux of a first leakage flux and a second leakage flux. The direction of the combined magnetic flux that links the detection winding 104 is the same as that of the main magnetic flux.
[0054] FIG. 7 is illustrations for describing changes in an output voltage and in a detection voltage of the transformer according to the present preferred embodiment.
[0055] Here, results of experiments of applying an AC input voltage that has a constant magnitude with varying frequencies to a transformer with an input winding-output winding-detection winding ratio of 1:180:1 and driving the transformer when the capacitive load circuit switches to 100 pF, 200 pF, or 300 pF are illustrated.
[0056] The output voltage of that transformer tended to increase with an increase in frequency. The detection voltage also tended to increase with an increase in frequency. Therefore, it is revealed that, irrespective of differences in frequency or a capacitive load circuit, the ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage is stable, and high detection accuracy can be maintained.
[0057] Here, an example in which the turns ratio between the first and second input windings is set such that the amount of change in the detection voltage is approximately equivalent to the amount of change in the output voltage has been illustrated. However, any amount of change in the detection voltage with respect to frequency change can be set in accordance with the turns ratio between the input windings, so the amount of change in the detection voltage can also be set larger or smaller than the amount of change in the output voltage.
[0058] Next, a transformer according to the second preferred embodiment is described. FIGS. 8A and 8B are illustrations for describing the transformer. FIG. 8A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the transformer, and FIG. 8B illustrates a circuit diagram of a transformer device that includes the transformer and a load circuit connected thereto.
[0059] The transformer is made up of a roll 150 and a not-illustrated magnetic core. The roll 150 preferably includes a tubular bobbin 155 and windings 151 to 154 . The magnetic core is inserted in the tube of the bobbin 155 . The bobbin 155 includes a plurality of collars located on its outer surface. The sections between the collars are adjacent with the collars disposed therebetween, and the windings 151 to 154 are wound in the sections. Specifically, the detection winding 152 is wound in the section at a first end, the input winding 151 and the detection winding 154 are wound in the section at a second end, and the output winding 153 is wound in the sections at the central sections. The input winding 151 is disposed in the same section as that for the detection winding 154 and lies in the vicinity of the detection winding 154 . The detection winding 154 is wound outside the input winding 151 . A configuration in which the detection winding is wound inside and the input winding is wound outside may be used. Each of the detection windings 154 and 152 is wound in a section different from the sections for the output winding 153 in order to isolate itself from the output winding 153 .
[0060] The turns ratio between the detection winding 154 and the detection winding 152 can be determined depending on necessary frequency characteristics of the detection windings. Here, the turns ratio of the detection winding 154 to the detection winding 152 is set at 3 to 7, for example, so that the detection voltage of the series circuit of the detection windings 152 and 154 and the output voltage of the output winding 153 are constant independent of the frequency of the AC input voltage.
[0061] The transformer according to the second preferred embodiment preferably has a configuration in which a leakage inductance between the input winding and the output winding is larger than that of the first preferred embodiment and series resonance with the capacitive load circuit can be used more easily. Therefore, this transformer may be preferably used in a load circuit that uses high voltage, such as an inverter for use in a liquid crystal display device.
[0062] Next, a circuit configuration of a transformer device including that transformer and a load circuit connected thereto is described. A first end of the input winding 151 is connected to an input terminal 165 , and a second thereof is connected to a ground through a ground terminal 168 . The input terminal 165 is connected to a not-illustrated AC voltage source. The detection windings 152 and 154 are connected in series, and their opposite ends are connected to a voltage detector 169 through a detection terminal 164 . The detection windings 152 and 154 are connected such that their winding directions are the same. The output winding 153 is connected to a capacitive load circuit 167 through an output terminal 166 .
[0063] With that circuit configuration, due to the occurrence of series resonance, a leakage flux from a leakage inductance between the input winding 151 and the output winding 153 increases.
[0064] FIGS. 9A and 9B are illustrations for describing a leakage flux of that transformer. FIG. 9A illustrates a simulation image of the transformer, and FIG. 9B illustrates directions of a magnetic flux in this simulation image. With this transformer, a main magnetic flux 161 and leakage fluxes 162 and 163 occur inside a magnetic core 160 .
[0065] Of the leakage fluxes 162 and 163 , a component that links the detection winding 154 flows in the opposite direction to the main magnetic flux, whereas a component that links the detection winding 152 flows in the same direction as the main magnetic flux. Hence, due to the leakage fluxes, the detection voltage of the detection winding 152 is large, whereas in contrast the detection voltage of the detection winding 154 is small. If the turns ratio of the detection winding 152 to the detection winding 154 is increased, the detection voltage of the series circuit of the detection winding 154 and the detection winding 152 is increased. In contrast, if the turns ratio of the detection winding 152 is reduced, the detection voltage is reduced. Accordingly, due to the effects of the series resonance, with an increase in leakage flux, the detection voltage can be increased or reduced.
[0066] FIGS. 10A and 10B are illustrations for describing changes in an output voltage and in a detection voltage of the transformer according to the present preferred embodiment.
[0067] Here, results of experiments of applying an AC input voltage that has a constant magnitude with varying frequencies to a transformer with an input winding-output winding-detection winding ratio of 1:180:1 and driving the transformer when the capacitive load circuit switches to 100 pF, 200 pF, or 300 pF are illustrated.
[0068] The output voltage of that transformer tended to increase with an increase in frequency. The detection voltage also tended to increase with an increase in frequency. Therefore, it is revealed that, irrespective of differences in frequency or a capacitive load circuit, the ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage is stable, and high detection accuracy can be maintained.
[0069] Here, an example in which the turns ratio between the first and second detection windings is set such that the amount of change in the detection voltage is approximately equivalent to the amount of change in the output voltage has been illustrated. However, any amount of change in the detection voltage with respect to frequency change can be set in accordance with the turns ratio between the input windings, so the amount of change in the detection voltage can also be set larger or smaller than the amount of change in the output voltage.
[0070] As described above, with various preferred embodiments of the present invention, even if the input AC voltage varies and the output voltage changes, that output voltage can be accurately detected.
[0071] Even with a circuit configuration that uses an input winding as an output winding or uses an output winding as an input winding, both of the windings being illustrated above, preferred embodiments of the present invention can be suitably carried out.
[0072] Next, a circuit configuration example in which the input and output connections in the transformer according to each of the above-described preferred embodiments are interchanged such that the input winding is used as the output winding and the output winding is used as the input winding are described.
[0073] FIGS. 11A and 11B are illustrates for describing a configuration example in which the input winding and the output winding in the transformer according to the first preferred embodiment are interchanged. FIG. 11A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the transformer, and FIG. 11B illustrates a circuit diagram of a transformer device that includes the transformer and a load circuit connected thereto.
[0074] The roll 100 of that transformer is preferably the same as the roll of the first preferred embodiment. The winding 101 wound together with the detection winding 104 in the section at the first end is used as not an input winding but an output winding. The winding 102 wound in the section at the second end is also used as not an input winding but an output winding. The winding 103 wound in the central sections is used as an output winding. A configuration in which the detection winding 104 is wound inside the winding 101 may be used.
[0075] The turns ratio between the winding 101 and the winding 102 , each of which is the output winding, can be set in accordance with necessary frequency characteristics of the detection winding. Here, the turns ratio of the winding 101 to the winding 102 is set at 3 to 7, for example, so that the detection voltage from the detection winding 104 and the output voltage from the windings 101 and 102 are constant independent of the frequency of the AC input voltage.
[0076] Next, a circuit configuration of a transformer device including that transformer and a load circuit connected thereto is described. A first end of the winding 103 is connected to a not-illustrated AC voltage source through the terminal 116 , and a second end thereof is connected to a ground. The winding 101 and the winding 102 are connected in series and connected to the capacitive load circuit 117 through the terminals 115 and 118 . The winding 101 and the winding 102 are connected such that their winding directions are the same. The detection winding 104 is connected to the voltage detector 119 through the detection terminal 114 .
[0077] With that circuit configuration, due to the occurrence of series resonance, a first leakage flux from a first leakage inductance between the winding 101 and the winding 103 and a second leakage flux from a second leakage inductance between the winding 102 and the winding 103 increase.
[0078] Because the winding 101 and the winding 102 are connected in series, substantially the same amount of current passes through both windings, so the ratio between the AT (ampere-turn: the number of turns×current) of the winding 101 and the AT of the winding 102 is 3:7, which is the same as the turns ratio. Therefore, the leakage flux is separated such that the ratio of the first leakage flux occurring between the winding 101 and the winding 103 to the second leakage flux occurring between the winding 102 and the winding 103 is also approximately 3 to 7.
[0079] Also with this transformer, irrespective of differences in frequency or a capacitive load circuit, the ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage is stable, and high detection accuracy can be maintained.
[0080] FIGS. 12A and 12B are illustrations for describing a configuration example in which the input winding and the output winding in the transformer according to the second preferred embodiment are interchanged. FIG. 12A illustrates a partial cross-sectional view of the transformer, and FIG. 12B illustrates a circuit diagram of a transformer device that includes the transformer and a load circuit connected thereto.
[0081] The roll 150 of that transformer is preferably the same as the roll of the second preferred embodiment. The winding 151 wound together with the detection winding 154 in the section at the first end is used as not an input winding but an output winding. The winding 153 wound in the central sections is used as not an input winding but an output winding. A configuration in which the detection winding 154 is wound inside the winding 151 may be used.
[0082] Next, a circuit configuration of a transformer device including that transformer and a load circuit connected thereto is described. A first end of the winding 153 is connected to a not-illustrated AC voltage source through the terminal 166 , and a second end thereof is connected to a ground. The winding 151 is connected to the capacitive load circuit 167 through the terminals 165 and 168 .
[0083] With this circuit configuration, due to the occurrence of series resonance, a leakage flux from a leakage inductance between the winding 151 and the winding 153 increases. Because of this, the detection voltage of the detection winding 152 is large, whereas, in contrast, the detection voltage of the detection winding 154 is small. If the turns ratio of the detection winding 152 to the detection winding 154 is increased, the detection voltage of the series circuit of the detection winding 154 and the detection winding 152 is increased. In contrast, if the turns ratio of the detection winding 152 is reduced, the detection voltage is reduced. Accordingly, with an increase in leakage flux due to the effects of the series resonance, the detection voltage can be increased or reduced. Thus, irrespective of differences in frequency or a capacitive load circuit, the ratio between the detection voltage and the output voltage is stable, and high detection accuracy can be maintained.
[0084] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
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A transformer that is capable of setting any characteristics of a detection voltage of a detection winding and accurately detecting an output voltage includes a bobbin, a magnetic core, a first input winding, an output winding, a second input winding, and a detection winding. The bobbin is tubular and includes a plurality of winding regions located at its outer portion. The magnetic core is inserted in the bobbin. The first input winding is wound in a first winding region. The output winding is wound in a second winding region adjacent to the first winding region. The second input winding is wound in a third winding region adjacent to the second winding region. The detection winding is wound in the vicinity of the first input winding. The first input winding and the second input winding have different numbers of turns and are connected in series in the same winding direction.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field
[0002] The present invention relates generally to sensors, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for sensing composition of flexible fuels.
[0003] 2. Background
[0004] Flexible fuel, which is a blend of ethanol and gasoline, is becoming more common as a viable alternative energy source for vehicle operation. Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are designed to run on gasoline or a blend of up to 85% ethanol (commonly referred to as “E85” with the number behind the “E” designating the percentage of ethanol that is in the fuel).
[0005] FFVs have been produced since the 1980 s, and dozens of models are currently available. FFVs experience no loss in performance when operating on flex fuel. However, since a gallon of ethanol contains less energy than a gallon of gasoline, FFVs typically get about 20-30% fewer miles per gallon when fueled with E85. Except for a few engine and fuel system modifications, FFVs are identical to gasoline-only models.
[0006] For example, with flex fuel, there is a need to determine the content of the fuel;
[0007] more specifically, the ratio of the blend of ethanol to gasoline in the fuel. This information is required to calculate the correct air/fuel ratio for fuel metering and other parameters to optimize engine performance. The information may also be used as an indicator to warn the user regarding the content of the fuel. It would be desirable to be able to determine the content information to be used for automotive and other industrial applications.
SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0008] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the composition of a fluid is measured with a sensor with a tube having: (i) a cavity for holding contents therein;
[0009] and (ii) at least one opening in the tube being in communication with the cavity of the tube and the content held therein. The sensor further includes a sensor body attached to the tube having: (i) a circuit board; and (ii) a header, the header comprising a plurality of pins that are electrically coupled to the circuit board; wherein the plurality of pins of the header are in communication with the cavity of the tube.
[0010] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for determining the composition of a fluid having a first component and a second component, each component having a respective dielectric property. The method includes the steps of providing a sensor having a capacitative sense element; putting the fluid in contact with the capacitative sense element; determining a dielectric property of the fluid based on the capacitance of the capacitative sense element; and, determining the proportion of at least one of the first component and the second component.
[0011] In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for determining the composition of a fluid having a first component and a second component, each component having a respective dielectric property, comprises a container for holding the fluid; a capacitative sense element, the capacitative sense element having a plurality of pins placed in contact with the fluid in the container; and, a circuit coupled to the capacitative sense element, the circuit configured to determine a dielectric property of the fluid based on a capacitance of the capacitative sense element.
[0012] Other objects, features and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description. It is to be understood, however, that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating exemplary embodiments, are given by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes and modifications within the scope of the following description may be made without departing from the spirit thereof, and the description should be understood to include all such variations.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The invention may be more readily understood by referring to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a first perspective view of a fuel sensor configured in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a second perspective view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a front plan view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 ;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a side plan view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 ;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 , taken along line VI-VI of FIG. 5 ;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 , taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 5 ;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a detailed top plan view of a sensor electronics housing portion of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 , configured in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a header of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 , configured in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 10 is a top plan view of the header of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 ;
[0024] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the header of FIG. 10 , taken along line XI-XI of FIG. 10 ;
[0025] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the header of FIG. 10 , taken along line XII-XII of FIG. 10 ;
[0026] FIG. 13 is a top plan view of a circuit board of the fuel sensor of FIG. 1 , configured in accordance with one preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 14 is a bottom plan view of the circuit board of FIG. 13 ; and,
[0028] FIG. 15 is a side view of the circuit board of FIG. 13 .
[0029] Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] The present invention is directed to a fuel sensor for determining the composition of flexible fuel. In one preferred embodiment, the flex fuel sensor determines the composition of the flex fuel (i.e., mixture of how much ethanol versus gasoline is in the mixture) via the use of a dielectric measurement. The flex fuel sensor incorporates a header, which consists of a metal, glass, and pin assembly, that is immersed in the flex fuel as a capacitive probe. Specifically, the pins of the header function as the electrodes. As the fluid passes through the pins of the header, the capacitance will change in proportion to the dielectric of the fluid and used to determine the composition of the flex fuel.
[0031] The dielectric constant (DC) of gasoline and ethanol is 2.2 and 24.2 respectively. This large difference between the two fluids, and in conjunction with their non-conductive properties, lends itself to utilize a dielectric measurement method as the viable means to discriminate between the amount of the components of the two. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a linear transfer function can be used to determine the constituents. Any value of DC between the two extremes (2.2 and 24) can then be used as an indicator to determine the fuel's respective constituents. As discussed herein, the shorthand of “E%” will be used to represent the percentage of ethanol that is in the flexible fuel, where the “%” is the number. Thus, E85 represents a flexible fuel mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Any proportion between E0 to E100 can be interpolated using a linear transfer function. For example, a DC value of 5.5 will represent E15, and 20.9 will represent E85. In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the formula used to determine DC based on the percentage of ethanol, or
[0000] DC= 0.22 E +2.2
[0000] where E represents ethanol content and it will vary from 0 for E0, to 100 for E100.
[0032] FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate two perspective views of a fuel sensor 100 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the fuel sensor 100 is configured so that it can be mounted directly in the path through which the fuel travels, such as in a fuel line, fuel tank, fuel rail, etc. The fuel sensor 100 includes a fuel tube 150 having a pair of inlet/outlet tubes 104 , 114 and a center portion 118 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tubes 104 , 114 are used to attach to a fuel line. The fuel flows through a tube openings 102 in tube 104 and a tube opening 202 in tube 114 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the tube is a cylindrical structure, as illustrated in the figure. In other preferred embodiments, the tube may be a structure with other cross-sectional shapes such that it is a hollow body that may be used for conveying or containing liquids or gases. A sensor body 106 having a cover 108 is attached to the center portion 118 . The sensor body 106 also includes a connector 110 with a connector opening 112 .
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates a front plan view of the fuel sensor 100 where a plurality of contact pins 304 is accessible through the connector opening 112 . FIG. 4 illustrates a side plan view of the fuel sensor 100 where a plurality of pins 402 may be accessible through the tube 104 of the opening 102 . As further described herein, the plurality of pins 402 are submerged in the fuel that flows through the fuel tube 150 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the length, and the diameter of the plurality of pins 402 can be adjusted to thereby increase or decrease the capacitance pick up as desired.
[0034] FIG. 5 illustrates a top plan view of the fuel sensor 100 that includes cross-section delineation lines VI-VI and VII-VII that are shown in FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , respectively. In FIG. 6 , a header 604 coupled to a circuit board 602 contained in the sensor body 106 . The header 604 also includes a header body 606 . FIG. 7 illustrates how the plurality of contact pins 304 is attached to circuit board 602 through a plurality of connector wires 702 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the header 604 is used as a capacitive probe, where each pin in the plurality of pins 402 functions as an electrode. As illustrated in FIG. 6 , as well as FIGS. 9-12 , the plurality of pins 402 is attached to header body 606 with a plurality of insulators 608 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, each pin in the plurality of pins 402 also includes a protruded portion 902 to support the circuit board 602 so that the circuit board 602 will have a place to rest when it is being assembled into fuel sensor 100 . In other preferred embodiments of the present invention, each pin in the plurality of pins 402 does not include the protruded portion 902 .
[0035] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the header 604 is a metal, glass, and pin assembly wherein the header body 606 is comprised of metal or composite materials. The metal or composite materials of the header body 606 provides structural support for the header 604 . In one preferred embodiment, a material referred to as NiCo 2918, which is a composite comprised of 29% nickel (Ni), 18% cobalt (Co) and 53% iron (Fe), is used. Further, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of insulators 608 is comprised of glass and provides a hermetic seal for and insulation of the plurality of pins 402 from the header body 606 . In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the specific materials are chosen because they provide immunity from corrosion.
[0036] Glass-to-metal seals, which are assemblies of glasses with metals that are used to feed electrical conductors through the walls of hermetically-sealed packages, are vacuum tight. They have proven successful in electronic and electrical engineering and cover a wide range of applications in which the sealing glass serves as an excellent insulator. A typical glass-to-metal seal consists of an external metal part into which a pre-formed sintered glass element is sealed. The sintered glass element in turn encloses one or more metal leads that are sealed into it.
[0037] In one preferred embodiment, the header 604 performs two fundamental functions: a) acts as a capacitor, and b) provides a hermetic seal. As the fluid (i.e., fuel) passes through the plurality of pins 402 of the header 604 , the capacitance measured by the plurality of pins 402 will change in proportion to the dielectric of the fluid. The capacitance signal is then converted through the electronics contained on the circuit board 602 to an output format suitable for the application—which could be a voltage, current, frequency, pulse width modulation (PWM), digital frame, etc.
[0038] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, it is anticipated that the use of a forest of pins for electrodes will at least partially eliminate any sensing errors due to the flow of liquid past the electrodes. There is a wide variety of possible electrode configurations possible and each might have its advantages. For example, an even number of pins in the plurality of pins 402 could be arranged in a circle with alternate pins being opposite electrodes. Or a single central pin could be the “+” electrode and the surrounding pins could all be “−” or ground potential. The surrounding metal structure provided by the header body 606 is grounded and therefore provides an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield for the electrodes.
[0039] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, large gaps between the plurality of pins 402 and the metal, and the short run of the plurality of pins 402 through the header body 606 (i.e., post height), result in very low parasitic capacitance, which is a highly desirable feature for a capacitive sense element. The gap between the plurality of pins 402 allows fluid to pass through and flow freely without any adverse effect, or restriction. The post height of the header provides for easier mounting of the electronics (PCB, and other circuit materials). Specifically, in one preferred embodiment of the present invention, a smaller post height allows the electronics to be mounted very close to the sense element. Further, a shorter length of the header 604 and the resulting sturdiness keeps the capacitance signal stable (less changing with time) and also provides immunity to vibration.
[0040] In one preferred embodiment of the present invention, the header 604 is bonded to a structure through brazing, welding, soldering, or any other means that provides “metal-to-metal” seal and maintains the integrity of the seal. The post height (extension on the non fluid side) of each pin of the plurality of pins 402 is used to connect to the electronics on the circuit board 602 . As illustrated in FIGS. 13-15 , the circuit board 602 include a plurality of openings 1304 so that the plurality of pins 402 pokes through the circuit board 602 so that the plurality of pins 402 may be electrically coupled to the electronics and circuitry on the circuit board 602 . The circuit board 602 also includes a plurality of mounting holes 1302 so that the circuit board 602 can be mounted to sensor body 106 .
[0041] Although the fuel sensor described herein is to be used for flexible fuel based on ethanol, the principles and features disclosed may be applied to other types of fluids where there exists a difference between the DC of the fluid components.
[0042] The embodiments described above are exemplary embodiments. Those skilled in the art may now make numerous uses of, and departures from, the above-described embodiments without departing from the inventive concepts disclosed herein. Various modifications to these embodiments may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments, e.g., in fuel production applications, without departing from the spirit or scope of the novel aspects described herein. Thus, the scope of the invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. The word “exemplary” is used exclusively herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as the most preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is to be defined solely by the scope of the following claims.
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The composition of a fluid is measured with a sensor with a tube having: (i) a cavity for holding contents therein; and (ii) at least one opening in the tube being in communication with the cavity of the tube and the content held therein. The sensor further includes a sensor body attached to the tube having: (i) a circuit board; and (ii) a header, the header comprising a plurality of contacts that are electrically coupled to the circuit board; wherein the plurality of contacts of the header are in communication with the cavity of the tube. A method for measuring the composition of the fluid using the sensor is also described.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This continuation application claims priority to PCT/EP2012/067956 filed on Sep. 13, 2012 which has published as WO 2013/037891 A2 and also the German application number 10 2011 082 867.2 filed on Sep. 16, 2011, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein with these references.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention concerns a tool spindle for a honing machine, comprising a motor-driven holder for a honing ring, wherein the holder comprises at least one hydraulic expansion element, by means of which the honing ring can be radially clamped and centered in the holder.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A tool spindle of this type for a honing machine has become known, for example, through the company publication “SynchroFine 205 HS” by PRÄWEMA Antriebstechnik GmbH, Eschwege/Werra, Germany.
[0004] In honing where a toothed workpiece such as a gear wheel or a gear is involved, the tooth flanks are passed in a so-called honing ring which is made usually of a ceramic material or is coated with a ceramic material. Material is removed thereby from the tooth flanks of the workpiece. The honing ring is basically annular in shape and comprises, for its part, radially inwardly directed tooth flanks.
[0005] As the workpiece and honing ring are being passed back and forth, the honing ring is rotated by means of a tool spindle. Likewise, the workpiece is rotated by means of a workpiece spindle. In this, the workpiece spindle rotates at speeds up to the order of 10,000 rpm. Since, in honing, the excess material removed is only in the order of 15-50 μm, the honing ring and the workpiece have to be aligned and synchronized very precisely with each other. Accordingly, the honing ring must be held firmly and positioned accurately in the tool spindle.
[0006] In the prior art, a hydraulically-centering system is used for this. In order to hold the honing ring for the processing operation, hydraulic expansion elements for the honing ring are clamped in the radial direction as a hydraulic medium (usually a hydraulic oil) is forced into the expansion elements. The expansion elements prevent the honing ring from moving radially.
[0007] In the prior art, such as in the “SynchroFine 205 HS” mentioned above, the pressure in the hydraulic system is applied by a plurality of screws. In a tool change (exchange of honing ring), possibly the result of wear or a changeover to another type of workpiece, these screws must all be loosened and re-tightened, making the tool change quite time-consuming.
[0008] The object of the invention is to provide a tool spindle for a honing machine whereby a tool change can be done faster and more easily. The present invention fulfills these needs and provides other related advantages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The object of the present invention is resolved by a tool spindle of the type mentioned at the beginning, which is characterised in that the holder is bowl-shaped with a peripheral wall part and a bottom part terminating the wall part at a side. At least one expansion element is formed inside on the peripheral wall part. All expansion elements are connected to a hydraulic chamber, which is arranged in the bottom part. Only a single adjustment element is needed, whereby the pressure of a hydraulic medium in the hydraulic chamber is adjustable and thus in all the expansion elements.
[0010] In the case of the tool spindle according to the invention, a hydraulic system is incorporated in essential parts in a bottom part of the holder. In the bottom part, a typically central hydraulic chamber is provided by means of which the one or (as a rule) a plurality of hydraulic lines, which supply hydraulic medium to the at least one expansion element, can, at the same time, be pressurized or relieved of pressure. The size of the hydraulic chamber is not limited by the wall thickness of the peripheral wall part of the holder so that, with a single adjustment element, just one hydraulic pressure can be set for all expansion elements or, respectively, the entire inner circumference of the holder and which is sufficient for securing the honing ring during the honing operation. The single adjustment element which is generally arranged on the inner side or the outer side of the bottom part (but it can be incorporated inside the bottom part also) can be operated easily and quickly in order to increase or decrease the hydraulic pressure quickly in a tool change.
[0011] The adjustment element is typically centrally arranged (i.e. on the axis of rotation of the holder through which the center of the honing ring runs). By arranging the hydraulic chamber and/or adjustment element centrally, pressure differences between potentially differing hydraulic lines and expansion elements or partial regions of a hydraulic expansion element are avoided. Typically, the adjustment element (possibly with a movable plunger face) changes the volume available for the hydraulic medium in the hydraulic chamber.
[0012] The bottom part may be continuously formed (hole-free), in which case the bottom part may also be used for collecting oil, which is used in the honing process for cooling and for removal of swarf and abrasion products. Alternatively (and preferably) the bottom part has openings (holes) to drain oil or to save weight. The bottom part stabilizes the holder mechanically also so that imbalances can be avoided better.
[0013] The scope of the invention allows for the provision of one or more hydraulic expansion elements in the holder, and preferably each expansion element is provided with at least one hydraulic line which connects the expansion element directly with the hydraulic chamber. A hydraulic line of this type runs, as a rule, partly in the peripheral wall part and partly in the bottom part.
[0014] In an advantageous embodiment of the tool spindle according to the invention, it is provided that the holder comprises only one hydraulic expansion element, that the one hydraulic expansion element is formed circumferentially, and that a plurality of hydraulic lines are provided, which connect the one expansion element with the hydraulic chamber. This structure enables the particularly accurate centering of the honing ring in the holder, in particular the hydraulic lines are distributed evenly. As an alternative to this embodiment, even more hydraulic expansion elements, preferably evenly distributed along the (inner) perimeter of the wall part, are possible. In the case of several expansion elements, typically at least and preferably exactly one hydraulic line to the hydraulic chamber is provided for each expansion element. The hydraulic lines are typically arranged in a star-shape (in all embodiments), and uniformly distributed along the circumference of the holder.
[0015] A particularly preferred embodiment is one in which the adjustment element is designed as an adjusting screw. An adjusting screw is particularly easy for a worker to use and allows high pressures to be set with comparatively little effort when adjusting the screw. If desired, an adjusting screw can be easily secured with a lock nut to prevent accidental adjustment.
[0016] An advantageous further development of this embodiment provides that the adjusting screw is located inside on the bottom part. The inner side is usually easily accessible (with retracted workpiece spindle), leaving space on the underside of the bottom part for, for example, a motor for the tool spindle. Note that, within the scope of the present invention, it is possible in principle to arrange any type of adjustment element in an advantageous manner on the internal side of the bottom part.
[0017] In another embodiment, the adjustment element is formed as a movable slider. Sliders can be operated particularly easily by means of an external operating mechanism. In the simplest case, the slider is arranged centrally, such as outside on the bottom part and, even while the holder is rotating, it can be held, either manually or motor-driven (“by push-button”), in a position to lock the honing ring by the operating mechanism, which does not rotate with the holder, possibly by a mandrel entering into the bottom part.
[0018] In an advantageous further development of this embodiment, the holder comprises a preloading means whereby the slider is preloaded into a position in which a honing ring is clamped and centered. In this case, the slider does not need to be held during the honing operation by an external operating mechanism. A spring in particular can be used as the preloading means. The preloading of the slider can be released manually or motor-driven (“by push-button”) for a changeover or exchange of the honing ring. An external operating mechanism, in particular, which does not rotate with the holder, may be used for this.
[0019] In another advantageous embodiment, the holder has a locking mechanism, by means of which the slider is self-locking in one or several positions to clamp and center the honing ring. Also, in this case the slider does not need to be held during the honing operation by an external operating mechanism. The locking can then be disengaged from the outside manually or by a motor (“by push-button”) for a changeover or exchange of the honing ring. An external operating mechanism, in particular, which does not rotate with the holder, may be used for this.
[0020] An embodiment in which a motorized drive for the holder is provided on the outer side on the bottom part of the holder is particularly advantageous. By arranging the drive in the region of the bottom part, the construction of the tool spindle can be kept compact in the radial direction, in particular smaller than in the case of a motor arrangement located radially outward adjacent to the wall part.
[0021] Continuing from this, a preferred further development of this embodiment provides that the holder has a central shaft on the bottom part on the outer side or is connected rigidly to a shaft, and that the holder is mounted on the shaft and motor-driven by the shaft. This construction has proven itself in practice and is particularly stable.
[0022] A honing machine comprising at least one workpiece spindle and one tool spindle according to the invention described above also falls within the scope of the present invention. The honing ring (the tool) can then be changed very easily and quickly. Typically the tool spindle is orientated vertically and typically the tool spindle can be displaced by a motor and with its spindle axis is aligned vertically. Alternatively, other orientations of the tool spindle and the workpiece spindle are possible, such as horizontally.
[0023] An advantageous embodiment of the honing machine according to the invention provides that the honing machine has a machine housing in which the workpiece spindle and the tool spindle are arranged, and that a settling tank is arranged in the machine housing which surrounds the tool spindle preventing the escape of oil. As a result, contamination of the interior of the machine housing is prevented. The settling tank may be funnel-shaped in particular.
[0024] A preferred further development of this embodiment provides that the settling tank has a screen with a cut-out, by means of which the workpiece spindle with a spindle head can be inserted through the cut-out into the settling tank, so that a spindle collar on the workpiece spindle provides an oil-tight seal for the cut-out. The screen is mounted displaceably and oil-tight on the settling tank so that the screen is moved relative to the tool spindle as the workpiece spindle performs a feed movement. This design has proved itself in practice and provides the settling tank with a very good seal.
[0025] Further advantages of the invention will become apparent from the description and the drawing. Similarly, the above-mentioned and the still further detailed features according to the invention can each be applied individually in themselves or collectively in optional combinations. The illustrated and described embodiments are not to be taken as an exhaustive list but rather by way of examples for describing the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] The invention is illustrated in the drawing and is described with reference to examples of embodiments. The drawings show:
[0027] FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical cross section through an embodiment of a tool spindle according to the invention, arranged in an oil-tight settling tank;
[0028] FIG. 2 is a schematic horizontal cross-section through the holder of the tool spindle of FIG. 1 level with the single expansion element;
[0029] FIG. 3 is a schematic horizontal cross-section through a holder of a tool spindle similar to that of FIG. 1 , level with the plurality of expansion elements;
[0030] FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical cross section through a tool spindle similar to that of FIG. 1 , in the region of adjustment element and the hydraulic chamber, with a self-locking slider;
[0031] FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cross section through a tool spindle similar to that of FIG. 1 , in the region of adjustment element and the hydraulic chamber, with a spring-loaded slider; and
[0032] FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of an embodiment of a honing machine according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] FIG. 1 shows an example of a vertical section through an embodiment of a tool spindle 1 according to the invention. A tool, namely a honing ring 2 , is held in the tool spindle 1 . The tool spindle 1 is arranged in a settling tank 3 which protects the surroundings of the workpiece spindle 1 from oil contamination. In the situation illustrated, a workpiece spindle 4 feeds just one workpiece, in this case a gear wheel, held on spindle head 5 , so that it can undergo a honing operation, the workpiece spindle 4 still remaining outside the settling tank 3 .
[0034] The tool spindle 1 comprises a holder 6 in which the honing ring 2 is retained, a shaft 8 , and an electric motor 7 whereby the shaft 8 and thus also the holder 6 can be driven. The honing ring 2 then rotates correspondingly around a vertical axis VA. Here, the holder 6 is mounted entirely above shaft 8 .
[0035] The holder 6 is constructed in the shape of a bowl and comprises a peripheral wall part 9 and a bottom part 10 . Refer also to the horizontal cross section through holder 6 of FIG. 2 , which uses dashed lines to show some details also outside the section plane (which runs through the expansion element 11 ). A circumferential expansion element 11 is formed on the inside of the wall part 9 . The expansion element 11 extends radially inward (see direction of arrow R) as the pressure of a hydraulic medium (hydraulic fluid) 12 (shown dotted) increases and can thereby clamp the honing ring 2 . Conversely, as the pressure of the hydraulic fluid 12 decreases, the honing ring 2 is released. The expansion member 11 is formed in the illustrated embodiment substantially as an annular sleeve. Hydraulic lines 13 lead into the expansion element 11 at four points on it. The four hydraulic lines 13 are connected to a hydraulic chamber 14 which is formed (in a radial sense) centrally in the bottom part 10 . The hydraulic lines 13 run out in the shape of a star from the hydraulic chamber 14 through the bottom part 10 and then up into the wall part 9 . In this case, the hydraulic lines 13 are distributed symmetrically around the hydraulic chamber 14 (here, where there are four hydraulic lines 13 with an angular displacement of 360°/4=90°) and are similarly constructed, in particular of equal lengths.
[0036] The pressure of the hydraulic medium 12 in the hydraulic chamber 14 , and hence in the entire hydraulic system (comprising the expansion element 11 , the hydraulic lines 13 and the hydraulic chamber 14 ), can be adjusted by means of an adjustment element 15 , which is designed here as an adjusting screw (“hydro expanding screw”) 15 a . In order to increase the pressure in the hydraulic chamber 14 , the adjusting screw 15 a can be screwed further into the bottom part 10 . A plunger 16 connected to the adjusting screw 15 a then moves further into the hydraulic chamber 14 , and in doing so acts to compress the hydraulic fluid 12 , i.e. to expel it out of the hydraulic chamber 14 (into the expansion element 11 ). In order to lower the pressure in the hydraulic chamber 14 , the adjusting screw 15 a may be rotated out of the bottom part 10 . The plunger 16 then acts to expand the hydraulic medium 12 , i.e. to draw it into the hydraulic chamber 14 .
[0037] By using the plunger 16 , amounts of the hydraulic medium, which expand (or contract) the expansion element 11 significantly, can be forced out of the hydraulic chamber 14 (or drawn into it), so that the single adjustment element 15 is sufficient to clamp and release the honing ring 2 . In principle the entire bottom part 10 is available for forming the hydraulic chamber 14 and the adjustment element 15 , so that they can be dimensioned to be of sufficient size. In particular, the radial extension of the holder 6 or, respectively, the tool spindle 1 , is not affected. The adjusting screw 15 a is accessible from the inside IS of the bottom part and therefore easily accessible from above by a worker through the honing ring 2 .
[0038] The tool spindle 1 is arranged in the settling tank 3 , which is approximately funnel-shaped. The holder 6 is arranged in its upper, wide portion, and the electric motor 7 is located in the lower, tapering region near the outside (underside) AS of the bottom part 10 . With this arrangement, the electric motor 7 does not affect the radial extension of the tool spindle 1 .
[0039] The settling tank 3 has a cover 17 , which can be removed to change the honing ring 2 . A screen 18 is mounted horizontally in the cover 17 to permit movement (see direction of arrow H). The screen 18 has a cut-out (opening) 19 , whose diameter corresponds to the diameter of the spindle neck of the workpiece spindle 4 so that the cut-out 19 is completely closed by the workpiece spindle 4 inserted through the cut-out 19 . Then the entire settling tank 3 is enclosed and oil-tight, so that oil that is sprayed in the honing process on the contact area of honing ring 2 and workpiece 5 cannot enter the surroundings, but remains in the settling tank 3 . Horizontal feed movements of the workpiece spindle 4 thereby cause the screen 18 to move with it, whereby the leak-tightness of the working tank 3 is not impaired however.
[0040] In the bottom part 10 in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , two drainage channels 21 are provided through which oil from the holder 6 drain down into the settling tank 3 . Typically an oil drain (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the settling tank 3 .
[0041] FIG. 3 illustrates an alternative design of a hydraulic system of a holder 6 of a tool spindle according to the invention similar to that shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , now only the essential differences will be explained. The sectional view of FIG. 3 corresponds to the sectional view of FIG. 2 .
[0042] In this hydraulic system, a plurality of eight expansion elements 11 are provided in this case, which are each connected to the central hydraulic chamber 14 via a hydraulic line 13 . Since all expansion elements 11 experience the same pressure of the hydraulic medium 12 , a honing ring can be centered extremely precisely. The pressurization is carried out as shown in FIG. 1 using a single adjustment element which acts on the hydraulic chamber 14 .
[0043] FIG. 4 illustrates an alternative embodiment of an adjustment element 15 , such as can be used also in the tool spindle of FIG. 1 . The main differences only will be explained. The adjustment element 15 in this case is formed as a slider 15 b , which can be inserted into the hydraulic chamber 14 or withdrawn out of it, to adjust the pressure in the hydraulic medium 12 . If the slider 15 b is pressed down in FIG. 4 into the hydraulic chamber 14 , slider detents 40 of slider 15 b snap in behind the retaining projections 41 , which are formed on locking stanchions 42 . The locking stanchions 42 are fixed to the bottom part 10 and can be bent elastically outwards (see direction of the arrow A). This occurs automatically due to a wedge effect as the slider 15 b is pushed in.
[0044] In the latched condition with the slider detents 40 behind the retaining projections 41 , the slider 15 b cannot be withdrawn from the hydraulic chamber 14 . Thus, a pressurized condition, which has been achieved by pushing the slider 15 b in sufficiently far, is preserved automatically (“self-locking”). The entire system comprising the slider detents 40 , retaining projections 41 and locking stanchions 42 may be referred to as a locking mechanism. The slider 15 b can be withdrawn only when the locking stanchions 42 are bent outwards (such as manually), and the pressure in the hydraulic chamber 14 decreases.
[0045] Note that two levels of retaining projections 41 are provided in the illustrated embodiment, so that two different levels of pressure can be set thereby.
[0046] FIG. 5 illustrates a further alternative embodiment of an adjustment element 15 , such as can be used also in the tool spindle of FIG. 1 ; the main differences only will be explained.
[0047] Again, the adjustment element 15 here is formed as a slider 15 c which is substantially integrated into the base member 10 . The slider 15 c is preloaded by means of a compression spring 50 in a position to create a high pressure of the hydraulic medium 12 in the hydraulic chamber 14 (corresponding to a clamped honing ring). The precise position is determined in this case by fixed stops 51 (alternatively the fixed stops 51 can be omitted also, so that the position of the slider arises for a high pressure from the equilibrium between the compression spring 50 and the elasticity of the expansion element(s); by omitting fixed stops, it is easier to offset any possible leakage of hydraulic fluid 12 ).
[0048] The slider 15 c is pressed upward by means of an auxiliary plunger 52 against the spring force, thereby reducing the pressure in the hydraulic medium 12 . The auxiliary plunger 52 can be pushed upward by means of a mandrel 53 which is pushed from below into the bottom part 10 in the direction of arrow D. The mandrel 53 in this case is motor-driven by an operating mechanism not shown in detail which does not rotate with the holder 6 .
[0049] Note that the auxiliary plunger 52 should have a small diameter so as not to increase the pressure in the hydraulic chamber 14 unnecessarily at the beginning of the insertion of the auxiliary plunger 52 .
[0050] In FIG. 6 a side view of an embodiment of a honing machine 60 according to the invention is presented by way of example. The honing machine 60 has a tool spindle which is arranged in a settling tank 3 (such as shown in FIG. 1 ) and a workpiece spindle 4 which is horizontally and vertically movable by means of a cross slide 61 and a portal system 62 . The workpiece spindle 4 is designed in such a way that it is not just for turning a workpiece 5 for the honing process, but also for grasping it and placing it in the pick-up process. The honing machine 60 is arranged in a substantially closed machine housing 64 .
[0051] The honing machine 60 comprises a conveyor system 65 along which individual workpieces 5 can be carried through an opening 63 into the machine housing 64 to the honing machine 60 and ejected.
[0052] A workpiece 5 can be carried by the conveyor system 65 to a test station 66 and measured by rolling on a master gear (freewheel) 67 . A gripper 68 is used to carry the workpiece 5 in which the gripper is telescopic in a vertical direction and can be moved horizontally by means of a portal system 69 . Workpieces 5 considered as not suitable in the inspection operation for further processing are returned by the gripper to the conveyor system 68 and ejected.
[0053] Those workpieces 5 suitable for honing are grasped at the test station 66 by the workpiece spindle 4 in the pick-up process and carried to the tool spindle in the settling tank 3 . After completion of the honing operation on the tool spindle or, respectively, on the honing wheel there, the workpiece 5 is carried by the workpiece spindle 4 back to the conveyor belt system 65 and ejected.
[0054] In this system, the settling tank 3 prevents the ingress of oil into the interior of the machine housing 64 , the oil being needed for cooling in the honing process and flushing away swarf and abrasion products from workpiece 5 and from the honing wheel. Any excess oil on a machined workpiece 5 can be blown off with compressed air while still within the (closed off by the workpiece spindle 4 ) settling tank 3 . The interior of the honing machine 60 , i.e. the interior of the machine housing 64 (outside the settling tank 3 ) remains virtually oil free. As a result, the interior of the machine housing 64 is basically not explosion-prone. However, an explosive oil-air mixture can still occur inside the settling tank 3 so that only the settling tank 3 needs to be equipped with an explosion relief device 70 .
[0055] Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made to each without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
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A tool spindle for a honing machine includes a bowl-shaped holder having a circumferential peripheral wall connected to a bottom part. The bowl-shaped holder is configured to hold a honing ring on an inside of the bowl-shaped holder. At least one expansion element is formed on the inside of the bowl-shaped holder along an inner surface of the circumferential peripheral wall. The at least one expansion element radially clamps and centers the honing ring inside the bowl-shaped holder. A hydraulic chamber is disposed in the bottom part of the bowl-shaped holder. At least one hydraulic line is connecting in fluid communication the at least one expansion element and the hydraulic chamber. A single adjustment element is movable in relation to the bottom part of the bowl-shaped holder, where the single adjustment element is in fluid communication with the hydraulic chamber.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/924,840, filed on Jan. 8, 2014. The entire disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to bedding accessories and, more particularly, relates to a bracket pad configured to be detachably secured over the attachment structure for a headboard on a bed frame.
BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art. This section provides a general summary of the disclosure, and is not a comprehensive disclosure of its full scope or all of its features.
Beds come in a variety of sizes, such as single, queen, king, and generally include a bed frame, box spring and mattresses therefor. Regardless of the size, most frames include some structure in the form of a bracket, flange, tube or other mechanism for securing a headboard thereto. This headboard attachment structure, hereinafter referred to as the headboard bracket, is often an integral part of the bed frame such that it cannot be removed when a headboard is not employed.
In these circumstances, the headboard bracket extends away from a vertical surface of the box spring and mattress such that the bracket is exposed. In some circumstances, movement of the bed during expected usage can cause the exposed bracket to bump into and damage an adjacent wall surface. In other circumstances, a person may bump into the exposed bracket when moving about the bed frame resulting in a minor injury from the impact. Padding for frame rails are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations well-known. For example, rubber pads or foam tubes have been configured to provide padding for the frame rails or bed rails. Similar, padded coverings have been developed for bed rails or headboards. Known examples of these devices are illustrated and described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,044,025; U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,817; U.S. Pat. No. 5,749,112; U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,212; U.S. Pat. No. 6,401,281; and U.S. Des. Pat. No. 299,393.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a headboard bracket pad which is specifically adapted for attachment only over a headboard bracket and readily adaptable for use with almost any frame configuration. The headboard bracket pad in accordance with the teachings provided herein substantially departs from the concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of protecting the adjacent wall surface and preventing injury from stubbing into headboard bracket.
The headboard bracket pad includes a padded body having a first panel and a second panel secured together with a flexible pad disposed therebetween. In some embodiments, a pair of straps extends from a first edge of the padded body. Each strap has a first attachment mechanism. An anchor strip is secured to an outer surface of the first panel and has a second attachment mechanism formed on the strip such that the second attachment mechanism is operable to engage the first attachment mechanism for releasably securing the padded body over a headboard bracket. In some embodiments, one or more magnets can be used that is/are secured to or within the padded body to permit magnetic coupling of the padded body to the metallic bed frame.
The padded body is foldable along a longitudinal axis so as to form a first padded region and a second padded region generally perpendicular to the first padded portion. The padded body is also foldable along a transverse axis to form a third region generally parallel to and folded onto the first padded region and a fourth region generally parallel to and folded onto from the second padded region.
The essential function of the headboard bracket pad is to protect humans, walls, painted surfaces and animals from harm and/or injury resulting from an impact with the headboard bracket.
Further areas of applicability will become apparent from the description provided herein. The description and specific examples in this summary are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
DRAWINGS
The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.
FIG. 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of the headboard bracket pad described herein;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the headboard bracket pad shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the headboard bracket pad shown in FIG. 1 ;
FIG. 4 is a side perspective view of the pad shown in FIG. 1 installed over the headboard bracket of a conventional bed frame;
FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the pad shown in FIG. 1 installed over the headboard bracket of a conventional bed frame; and
FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the pad shown in FIG. 1 installed over the headboard bracket of a conventional bed frame.
Corresponding reference numerals indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views of the drawings.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” may be intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “including,” and “having,” are inclusive and therefore specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, and/or components.
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 may be only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as “first,” “second,” and other numerical terms when used herein do not imply a sequence or order unless clearly indicated by the context. 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 example embodiments.
Spatially relative terms, such as “inner,” “outer,” “beneath,” “below,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” and the like, may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element(s) or feature(s) as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms may be intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as “below” or “beneath” other elements or features would then be oriented “above” the other elements or features. Thus, the example term “below” can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device may be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.
With reference to FIGS. 1-3 , a headboard bracket pad 10 is shown to include a body portion having a front panel 12 and a back panel 14 stitched together along seams indicated at reference 16 . In some embodiments, the front and back panels 12 , 14 are part of a single piece of material folded along a bottom edge 16 b , then stitched together along the side and top seams 16 . A pad 18 is disposed within an interior region defined between front and back panels 12 , 14 .
In some embodiments preferred, the front panel 12 and back panel 14 are fabricated from an uncolored contract or commercial grade vinyl upholstery material which can be readily sewn together. In some embodiments, an uncolored material is preferred to prevent color transfer or marking of adjacent walls should the padded bed frame impact therewith. However, it should be understood that alternative materials may be used, including, but not limited to, cotton, man-made synthetics, leather, and the like. It should also be understood that alternative colors and/or patterns can be used, including various designs, logos (e.g. team logos, etc.), indicia, decals, colors, and the like. In some embodiments, the color and/or design can be configured to match that of the adjacent wall or structure.
In some embodiments, the pad 18 is an open-cell foam sheet. However, alternative pad materials are envisioned, including, but not limited to, closed-cell foam, natural materials, man-made materials, gels, or other materials typically used for impact management. In this configuration, the headboard bracket pad 10 remains sufficiently flexible and pliant to form and attached the headboard bracket pad 10 to a bed frame.
In some embodiments, as illustrated in FIGS. 1-3 , a mounting system 44 is provided for coupling or otherwise attaching headboard bracket pad, specifically the body portion and pad 18 , to the bed frame. In some embodiments, mounting system 44 can comprise a pair of flexible straps 20 extends from the upper edge of the headboard bracket pad 10 . As illustrated, in some embodiments, the straps 20 extend into the interior region and are stitched into place along the top seam 16 . An attachment mechanism 22 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is formed on one side of the straps 20 . An anchor strip 24 is secured along a lower edge of the back panel 14 and has an attachment mechanism 26 which is complementary with the attachment mechanism 22 so that the straps may be releasably secured to the strip 24 . In some embodiments, attachment mechanism 22 is a loop-type fastener which remains relatively flexible so that the straps 20 may be folded down over the headboard bracket pad 10 and attachment mechanism 26 is a hook-type fastener that cooperates with the loop-type fasteners of attachment mechanism 22 . In some embodiments, the attachment mechanism 22 is a loop and hook type fasteners, such as Velcro® brand fasteners. However, in some embodiments, attachment mechanisms 22 , 26 may be complementary closures or fasteners, such as snaps, hooks, buttons, or other selectively detachable features.
In some embodiments, straps 20 and anchor strip 24 can be replaced with one or more magnets 40 shown in phantom in FIG. 1 . In some embodiments, mounting system 44 can comprise magnets 40 disposed within interior region and concealed from view. It should be understood that magnets 40 can be mounted on an exterior portion of body portion, such as back panel 14 . Magnets 40 may be sized and placed in any manner for convenient coupling to a metallic bed frame. In some embodiments, magnets 40 can be sized and placed internally to be retained in position by stitched seams 16 and/or stitched lines 28 , 30 , which will be discussed in greater detail herein. In this way, magnets 40 can serve to selectively couple headboard bracket pad 10 to metallic bed frames.
In some embodiments, headboard bracket pad 10 is longitudinally foldable along line 28 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 so as to define a first padded region 32 for covering a front portion of the headboard bracket and a second padded region 34 generally perpendicular (when folded during installation) to the first padded portion 32 for covering a side portion of the headboard bracket. The padded headboard bracket pad 10 is also transversely foldable along line 30 shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to define a third region 36 generally parallel to and overlaying the first padded region 32 and a fourth region 38 generally parallel to and overlaying the second padded region 34 . The folded configuration of the headboard bracket pad 10 is illustrated in FIGS. 4-6 . Once so folded, the flexible straps 20 or magnets 40 are wrapped over the bed frame and or headboard bracket to contact the anchor strip 24 or magnetically engage the bed frame. In some embodiments, attachment mechanisms 22 , 26 engage each other for releasably securing the headboard bracket pad 10 to the bed frame so that the headboard bracket is covered.
The headboard bracket pad 10 may include stitching along the longitudinal line 28 to facilitate folding to form the first padded region 32 and second padded region 34 . Such stitching may be centrally located so that the first padded region 32 and second padded region 34 are the same width, or may be offset so that the first padded region 32 has a different width than the second padded region 34 . Likewise, the headboard bracket pad 10 may include stitching along the transverse line 30 to facilitate folding to form the third region 36 and fourth region 38 . As presently preferred, the transverse line 30 is offset toward the top of the headboard bracket pad 10 , nearer the flexible straps 20 or magnets 40 . In some embodiments, headboard bracket pad 10 can be constructed in a left and right configuration to provide maximum fit and finish.
In some embodiments and without limitation to alternative sizes, the front panel 12 and the back panel 14 are formed by a single sheet of vinyl material which is 8⅜ inches wide by 16 inches long which is folded in half. The foam pad 18 is 6 inches wide by 5⅜ inches long and ½ inch thick. The thickness of the foam may vary in a range from about ¼ inch thick up to about 1 inch thick, depending on the level of padding desired. The flexible straps 20 are preferably commercial grade loop fastening strips (e.g. soft Velcro® brand strips) having a length of about 7½ inches and a width of about 1 inch. The anchor strap 24 is preferably a commercial grade hook fastener strip having a length of about 7⅜ inches and a width of about 1 inch.
The headboard pad 10 may be fabricated in the following manner. First, a vinyl sheet is folded in half and a line is marked on the back panel 14 about ½ inch up from and parallel to the bottom fold. Next, the vinyl sheet is unfolded, the anchor strap 24 is aligned on the line and stitched onto the back panel 14 . Next, the vinyl sheet is folded so that the backing surface faces outwardly and the sides of the front and back panels 12 , 14 are stitched to form a pouch with a pair of lateral hem.
Next, the foam pad 18 is placed into the pouch and the flexible straps are located along the upper edge of the pouch about one inch from each lateral hem and/or the magnets 40 are placed into the pouch. The upper edges of the front and back panel 12 , 14 are turned inwardly into the pouch and stitched to enclose the foam pad 18 and magnets 40 within the pouch and/or secure the flexible straps 20 thereto. Longitudinal stitching and transverse stitching may be added to facilitate folding as described above. In some embodiments, foam pad 18 can extend upward only to transverse line 30 to eliminate bulk (and minimize material required) in third region 36 and fourth region 38 . In such configuration, foam pad 18 only resides in first padded region 32 and second padded region 34 . In some embodiments, foam pad 18 can extend upward beyond transverse line 30 such that foam pad 18 extended into third region 36 and fourth region 38 . In this way, if desired, foam pad 18 can be continuous and stitched via transverse line 30 or can be separate pieces being disposed in one or more regions 32 , 34 , 36 , 38 .
Prior to installing the headboard bracket pad 10 , any mattress and/or box spring should be removed from the bed frame. The pad 10 is place with the anchor strip 24 and/or back panel 14 facing the bed frame adjacent the headboard bracket. In some embodiments, the top portion of the pad 10 is wrapped over the frame bracket and positioned against the headboard bracket in the inside of the bed frame so that the flexible straps 20 hang down on the inside of the bed frame and/or the magnets 40 engage the metallic bed frame. The box spring and/or mattress are moved back into position, then the flexible straps 20 are secured to the anchor strip 24 for releasably securing the pad 10 to the headboard bracket as best seen in FIGS. 4-6 . In some embodiments, the top portion of the pad 10 is wrapped over the frame bracket and positioned against the headboard bracket such that magnets 40 engage either the exterior or interior side of the frame bracket.
The foregoing description of the embodiments has been provided for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure. Individual elements or features of a particular embodiment are generally not limited to that particular embodiment, but, where applicable, are interchangeable and can be used in a selected embodiment, even if not specifically shown or described. The same may also be varied in many ways. Such variations are not to be regarded as a departure from the disclosure, and all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of the disclosure.
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A pad is releasably secured to a bed frame for covering the headboard bracket. The headboard bracket pad includes a padded body having a first panel and a second panel secured together with a flexible pad disposed therebetween. A mounting system is used to selectively attach the padded body to the bed frame to protect humans, walls, painted surfaces and animals from harm and/or injury resulting from an impact with the headboard bracket.
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REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a non-provisional application of U.S. of co pending Provisional Application conformation No. 7469, filed Jul. 18, 2006 by the same inventor and entitled MICROBIAL INACTIVATION BY MULTIPLE PRESSURE SPIKES DELIVERED WITH REGULATED FREQUENCY.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Many different methods are used to inactivate harmful microorganisms in the pharmaceutical industry, food processing, medicine, and biotechnology. One method, most often used for liquid substances, is a method used in conventional thermal processing. In this method, the temperature of the liquid is kept elevated for a period of time, and higher temperatures usually required shorter time duration to produce the necessary results. In the food industry, however, this method has an adverse effect on flavor, vitamin, and protein content of the final product.
[0003] In the biotech industry, millions of genetically engineered, protein-producing E. coli bacteria are added to a nutrient-rich growth medium for the mass production of therapeutic proteins. After the bacteria synthesize the desired product, they are pumped into a high pressure tank, where they remain for a period of time under extremely high pressure until their cell walls burst open, releasing the contents. In some instances, a successful outcome requires that the process be repeated several times. This method is also used in the production of juices and other food products. The advantage of the high pressure treatment, as compared to the more popular heat treatment, is that this method inactivates the microorganisms with minimal harm to vitamins or flavoring. However, this method has a number of shortcomings, especially in the area of economic feasibility and engineering limitations. Economic feasibility is limited by the high cost of capital investment for the equipment, low productivity, and the high labor cost of batch process. Economic feasibility is further limited by the long process time, 30 minutes to 1 hour, which is required by some applications. Engineering limitations include concerns about the construction of high pressure vessels with a large enough capacity to hold substantial quantities of product.
[0004] In another method used to inactivate microorganisms, the liquid substance is first pressurized and then depressurized by transferring the liquid into an area of reduced pressure through one or more constrictions, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,732. This method is based on the principle that bacteria cannot withstand sudden pressure change and substantial mechanical friction. However, passage of a substantial quantity of liquid substance through a small orifice with high speed results in overheating of the orifice due to friction, and leads, in liquids such as milk, to the buildup of a hard substance (milk stone) on the tip of the orifice. The formation of such “milk stone” has a negative effect on the process and often can even block the orifice completely. Other problems include limited throughput and the difficulty of maintaining the liquid under high pressure in a vessel, from which a substantial volume of liquid escapes to the low pressure vessel. These problems render this method impractical for the mass production. Finally, since, in the most cases, the percentage of inactivated bacteria is insufficient, additional treatments are often required to achieve acceptable results.
[0005] In another method, a special restrictive nozzle is used in place of an orifice. As in the above method, a partial inactivation of the bacteria is achieved by both sudden pressure drop and mechanical friction. In addition, the restrictive nozzle causes the atomization, or break-up, of the liquid substance into tiny particles. The atomized product is then treated with steam vapor. In this treatment, the atomized particles, when coming into contact with vapor, undergo a sudden temperature rise in addition to the sudden pressure drop. The sudden temperature rise further enhances the inactivation of bacteria. In order to keep the maximum temperature of the treated product down, the vapor temperature would need to be no more then 50-60 degrees Celsius. This is achieved by the introduction of vacuum into the system, as shown in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,277,610. This method, however, does not eliminate the “milk stone” problem or the problem of controlling the product temperature after the nozzle. The difference between the temperature of “cold steam” and the temperature of treated substance is often not substantial enough to effectively inactivate the bacteria. To make this process work, the temperature of the steam would have to be raised, which in turn would adversely affect the quality of the final product.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of this invention to provide a method for the purpose of killing harmful microorganisms in various substances with minimal negative effects on the overall quality of these substances.
[0007] It is another object of this invention to provide a method for the purpose of killing harmful microorganisms in various substances to be used in mass production and to be cost and energy efficient.
[0008] It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device that generates instantaneous pressure changes with adjustable amplitudes and frequencies in various substances for the purpose of researching an optimal combination of these parameters in the process of killing harmful microorganisms in these substances.
[0009] It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device that generates instantaneous pressure changes with adjustable amplitudes for the purpose of selecting the most economically effective combination of pressure amplitude and time duration needed to decrease the quantity of harmful microorganisms to an acceptable level.
[0010] It is another object of this invention to provide a device in which the frequency of the instantaneous pressure changes is adjustable for the purpose of researching frequencies most effective in killing bacteria.
[0011] It is yet another object of this invention to provide a device to be used in mass production of foodstuffs or therapeutic medication, in which a specific frequency of pressure vibrations is applied to selectively kill certain type of bacteria.
[0012] It is yet another object of this invention to provide an energy efficient method for the use in mass production of foodstuffs and medication. The existing methods require either instantaneous heating or cooling of mass quantities of product, or the forcing of mass quantities of product through small orifices under high pressure. Such processes require massive amounts of energy. The process described in present invention, however, is energy efficient due to the fact that pressure spikes are applied to a substance stored in a closed container without necessitating movement of mass or additional heating or cooling of the substance.
[0013] It is well established that extreme conditions, such as high temperature, high pressure, and mechanical friction, facilitate the killing of harmful microorganisms. However, some of these conditions, such as temperature and friction, affect the quality of the product negatively and others, such as high pressure, are too costly for the process to be economically practical for mass production. It is also known that rapid changes in temperature and pressure may be used to facilitate the destruction of harmful microorganisms. Although these methods allow the lowering of process temperature while at the same time preserving the quality of the final product, they are too cumbersome to be effectively controlled and economically feasible. The need to move large quantities of substance through a restrictive nozzle in a short period of time, while at the same time maintaining high pressure in front of the nozzle, renders these methods impractical for mass production. In addition, these methods do not deliver reliable results in killing bacteria and also have a problem with the build-up of hard substance in the orifice of the restrictive nozzle, which blocks the nozzle altogether.
[0014] In accordance with an aspect of present invention, a multitude of instantaneous pressure changes (pulsations) is applied to various substances for a period of time for the purpose of inactivating harmful microorganisms. The percentage of killed bacteria will increase with the increase either in the frequency or the amplitude of pressure pulsations. Both of these parameters are easily regulated and controlled in present invention and the most economically effective parameters that would produce the least negative effect on the final product can be easily researched.
[0015] Furthermore, the novelty of the present invention is in its ability to apply pulses of pressure to the treated substances with a wide range of different frequencies. Every time the substance is pressurized, the outer membrane of the bacteria cell will contract while the internal pressure of the membrane will rise to equalize the outside pressure. Every time the outside pressure is removed, the internal cell pressure will expand the outer shell. Due to inertia and elasticity, the outer shell will also over-expand slightly beyond its original size. As a result, the internal forces in the outer shell will rise and bring the outer shell back to its original size. Normally, these expansions and contractions of the outer shell occur with a specific “natural” frequency. During regular application of pressure spikes, the bacteria vibrate with the frequency of the applied pressure spikes. When the frequency of pressure spikes coincides with the natural frequency of the bacteria cells, a resonance occurs, which increases the amplitude of cell vibrations with each pressure pulsation until the outer membrane bursts and the bacteria is destroyed. In summary, the application of pressure pulsations with frequencies equal or close to the natural frequency of a particular microorganism accomplishes the selective killing of these microorganisms without negative effect, on the final product.
[0016] The invention accordingly is comprised of the features of construction, combination of elements, and arrangements of parts that will be exemplified in the system, device, and article of manufacture hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application is as elucidated hereinafter, as will be indicated in the appended claims. In this regard, numerous alternatives within the scope of the present invention, besides those alternatives, preferred embodiments or modes practicing the invention supra, and those to be elucidated, will occur to those skilled in the art.
[0017] Other objects, features and advantages of the invention in its details of construction and arrangements of parts will be seen from the above, from the following description of the preferred embodiment when considered with the drawing and from appended claims. In addition, these and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become evident from the description which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a system incorporating present invention where a high pressure hydraulic cylinder with a rotary valve is employed to deliver intermittent high pressure spikes with a regulated frequency to the liquid substance contained in the vessel for the purpose of killing harmful microorganisms in the substance.
[0019] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a system incorporating present invention where a high pressure hydraulic cylinder controlled by a directional control valve is employed to deliver intermittent high pressure spikes to the liquid substance contained in the vessel for the purpose of killing bacteria in the substance, and, where a three-way directional control valve is used to facilitate the movement of the cylinder's piston rod in and out of the vessel.
[0020] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of present invention where air pressure is used in a cylinder to generate multiple pressure spikes for the purpose of killing harmful microorganisms in the liquid substance contained in the vessel.
[0021] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a system incorporating present invention where two pumps with pressure-regulating and directional valves are added to automatically load and unload the liquid substance to facilitate continuous manufacturing process.
[0022] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a system incorporating present invention where a rotating mechanical cam is incorporated to produce instantaneous pressure pulsations in the liquid substance contained in the vessel.
[0023] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of present invention where a rotating wheel with a number of actuators, formed on the outer diameter of the wheel, is incorporated to generate high frequency pressure pulsations in the liquid substance contained in the vessel.
[0024] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of present invention where an ultrasonic frequency generator is employed to produce pressure pulsations in liquid substance contained in the vessel.
[0025] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where a solid product, suspended in liquid, is treated to inactivate the harmful microorganisms by instantaneous pressure pulsations.
[0026] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where a cooling jacket is formed around the vessel to facilitate cooling of the liquid substance contained in the vessel during pulsating pressure treatment.
[0027] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where a heat exchanger is incorporated into the system to facilitate the cooling of the liquid substance contained in the vessel during pulsating pressure treatment.
[0028] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where a cylinder is made to alternate between the generation of pressure pulsations in the substance contained in the high pressure vessel and the pumping of the substance from the first vessel to the second vessel through a restriction.
[0029] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of present invention to be used in mass production, where one pulsating pressure-generating device is used to treat multiple containers filled with substance, which are moving on a conveyer.
[0030] FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where an air-hydraulic pressure buster and a hydraulic cylinder are used to produce high pressure pulsations in the liquid substance stored in the container.
[0031] FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where inactivation of harmful bacteria in a liquid substance and homogenization processes are combined in one apparatus comprising of a container with the pressure pulsation generating device and the homogenizing device formed on the opposite sides of the container.
[0032] FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view of present invention, where inactivation of harmful bacteria and homogenization processes are combined in one apparatus, in which both high pressure pulsation and homogenization treatment of the substance are done by one cylinder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] With reference to FIG. 1 , there is generally shown a cross sectional view of a system incorporating present invention. Vessel 1 , containing substance under treatment 2 , is placed on bottom plate 4 of stand 3 . Stand 3 consists of plates 4 and 5 connected by columns 6 . Columns 6 are formed to support the load induced by cylinder 7 . Cylinder 7 is mounted to the top plate 5 by bolts 8 . The cylinder's piston rod 10 is inserted into neck 11 of vessel 1 . High pressure seal 13 is formed at the end of piston rod 10 . Piston rod 10 is in contact with the treated substance 2 . The volume above piston 9 in cylinder 7 is filled with oil and is connected to rotary valve 14 . Rotary valve 14 consists of valve housing 15 and rotor 17 . Rotor 17 is formed with two sealed chambers 16 . Rotor 17 is connected through axle 21 to a motor with an adjustable speed rotation. Three openings, “a”, “b”, and “c”, are formed in valve housing 15 . Opening “a” is connected to the piston side of cylinder 7 . Opening “b” is connected to tank 18 , while opening “c”, through pressure-regulating valve 19 , is connected to high pressure pump 20 . During the rotation of rotor 17 , chambers 16 periodically connect the piston area of cylinder 7 to either low pressure tank port “b” or high pressure port “c”, thus intermittently changing the pressure on the piston side of cylinder 7 . The oil pressure is regulated by pressure-regulating valve 19 . The pressure applied to the substance depends on the diameter of cylinder 7 and the diameter of piston rod 10 . Because piston rod 10 is always in contact with substance 2 , high pressure in substance 2 is generated instantly. By changing the rotating speed of rotor 17 , one can easily control the frequency of the pressure spikes delivered to substance 2 inside vessel 1 .
[0034] With reference to FIG. 2 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system, incorporating present invention. In this system, however, the rotating valve is replaced by directional control valve 22 with controlling solenoid 23 . Depending on its position, valve 22 connects the volume above piston 9 either to the pressure port or to the tank port. Controlling solenoid 23 receives an “on” or “of” signal intermittently, with a controlled frequency, thus delivering pressure pulsations with the same frequency to substance 2 in container 1 . Directional control valve 24 is added to facilitate the movement of piston rod 10 in and out of vessel neck 11 . When valve 24 shifts to the right, the system pressure reaches the inlet port of valve 22 and when valve 22 is in its right position, piston rod 10 extends into neck 11 of vessel 1 . When both valves 24 and 22 shift to the left, piston rod 10 retracts from the neck 11 .
[0035] With reference to FIG. 3 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, air pressure is incorporated to produce the pulsating pressure spikes in vessel 1 with regulated frequency. Valve 22 is controlled by solenoid 23 as shown in FIG. 2 . If the desired result can be achieved using of lower pressure amplitudes, this system will provides a simple and cost effective solution.
[0036] With reference to FIG. 4 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. This system is similar to the system in FIG. 1 , except that pumps 25 and 26 , tanks 27 and 28 , and directional control valve 29 is added to provide the automatic loading and unloading of treated product 2 . Pump 25 loads the untreated product from tank 28 into vessel 1 , while pump 26 unloads the treated product from vessel 1 to tank 27 . Directional control valve 29 directs the flow of the product either from tank 28 to vessel 1 or from vessel 1 to tank 27 .
[0037] With reference to FIG. 5 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, pressure pulsations are produced by rotating cam 31 , which is in contact with rod 35 . Vessel 1 is placed on spring-loaded platform 36 to prevent rotating cam 31 from breaking. Cam 31 is driven by motor 32 through gear box 33 . The frequency of pulsations is regulated either by the speed of motor 32 or by switching gears in gearbox 33 . The amplitude of pressure pulsations in this system is regulated either by the stiffness of elastic elements 34 or by the contact area between rod 35 and substance 2 .
[0038] With reference to FIG. 6 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. This system is similar to that of FIG. 5 . However, the rotating cam in this system is replaced by a number of rollers 38 formed on the outer diameter of wheel 37 . This is done to increase the frequency of pressure pulsations in substance 2 . The amplitude of pressure pulsations is controlled by the contact area between push rod 39 and substance 2 . To facilitate the use of push rods with different contact areas in one container, insert 40 is formed inside neck 11 and secured by clamp 41 . Inserts 40 always have the same outer diameters while the inner diameters are formed to accommodate push rods with different contact areas. By using various insert-push rod combinations, one can regulate the amplitude of pressure pulsations generated in substance 2 .
[0039] With reference to FIG. 7 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, high frequency pressure pulsations are produced by ultrasonic vibrator 47 . Ultrasonic vibrators are frequently used for various applications, including ultrasonic welding and the cleaning of metal parts. The frequency and amplitude of vibrations in these devices can be regulated. Ultrasonic device 46 is mounted on rigid column 44 , which is mounted on plate 49 . Vibrating horn 48 is attached to ultrasonic device 46 . The distance between vibrating horn 48 and plate 49 can be adjusted by moving the ultrasonic device 46 up or down on guide rail 45 . Once vessel 1 is placed on plate 49 , ultrasonic device 46 is brought down until horn 48 is in contact with the top of rod 39 , which is in contact with substance 2 . The initial pressurization of substance 2 is achieved through pressure regulating valve 43 and pump 25 . After the setup is completed, horn 48 starts vibrating, this, in turn, generates pressure pulsations in substance 2 with a frequency equal to the vibration frequency of horn 48 . Neck 42 facilitates the removal of trapped air from vessel 2 .
[0040] With reference to FIG. 8 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. However, this system is formed to be used for the treatment of solid products. Solid product 52 is vacuum-packed in plastic wrap 53 and then placed inside vessel 1 . Product 52 is suspended inside vessel 1 and surrounded by liquid 2 . Vessel 1 is sealed by cover 50 , which is secured to vessel 1 by clamp 51 . Ultrasonic device 46 generates pressure pulsations with a set frequency in liquid 2 which are transferred through liquid 2 to product 52 . Ultrasonic vibrator 47 is attached to upper plate 5 . Due to this setup, the size of vessel 1 is not limited by the size of column 44 and the quantity of substance treated in vessel 1 in one treatment cycle can be increased.
[0041] With reference to FIG. 9 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, cooling jacket 54 is formed around vessel 1 to control the temperature of substance 2 during the pulsating pressure treatment. A cooling liquid is then pumped from tank 56 by pump 55 through heat exchanger 57 into cooling jacket 54 and back into tank 56 .
[0042] With reference to FIG. 10 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. This system is similar to the system described in FIG. 9 ; however, its cooling arrangement is made to be more efficient. In this system, rather then the cooling jacket controlling the temperature of substance 2 , substance 2 itself, is circulated by pump 58 through heat exchanger 57 during or between pressure pulsation treatments.
[0043] With reference to FIG. 11 , there is generally shown a cross section of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, cylinder 7 alternates between producing instantaneous pressure pulsations in substance 2 , while the substance is locked between valves 29 and 61 , and pumping parts of the substance 2 from container 1 into container 59 through nozzle 60 when valve 61 is open. Initially, control valve 22 works with a set frequency in an oscillating mode that produces pressure pulsations needed to treat substance 2 . Thereafter, treatment valve 22 shifts to the right, permitting the free flow of oil under pressure to the piston side of cylinder 7 . Valve 61 , subsequently, opens after that, permitting the substance to escape from vessel 1 into vessel 2 . Valve 24 , through which pressure was delivered to valve 22 , stays in its rightward position. System pressure, through valves 22 and 24 , acts on the piston side of cylinder 7 . Piston rod 10 extends, pushing a portion of substance 2 from vessel 1 , through valve 61 and nozzle 60 , into vessel 59 . After piston rod 10 extends fully, valve 61 shifts to block the flow from vessel 1 into vessel 59 , and valve 22 shifts to the left, connecting the piston side of cylinder 7 to tank 18 . At this moment, valve 29 shifts to the right and the untreated substance moves from storage tank 28 to vessel 1 by pump 25 . Under pressure from substance 2 , cylinder rod 10 retracts. After cylinder rod 10 retracts fully, valve 29 closes and valve 22 starts oscillating again. In this system, the automatic unloading of vessel 1 is done without additional pumps, and valves and the system can be adapted to combine different types of substance treatments in one smooth process. Each time the treated portion of substance 2 is pushed out from the bottom of vessel 1 , an untreated substance is added at the top of vessel 1 , with minimal mixing between them. By the time the added substance reaches the bottom of vessel 1 it will have been subjected to a number of high pressure pulsation treatments. Nozzle 60 will provide additional treatment to substance 2 if necessary, and other types of treatments, such as “cold vapor” and vacuum, can also be incorporated inside vessel 2 .
[0044] With reference to FIG. 12 , there is generally shown a cross sectional view of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, a single device generating pressure pulsations is used to consecutively treat multiple containers moving on a conveyor belt. Containers 66 are filled with the substance and placed on a conveyer 68 . Cover 65 with small opening 64 is used to minimize spillage and contamination of the substance. The conveyer moves intermittently and places each container 66 under device 69 for a set period of time. Device 69 is comprised of sealing element 70 , which contains a number of openings, and cylinder 71 . Cylinder 71 is formed to move sealing element 70 up and down from containers cover 65 . Device 69 is formed to bring pressure pulsations from pressure pulsation generator 72 to the substance in containers 66 . Any pressure pulsation generating device that has been described in the present invention can be employed in this application. The system operates in the following sequence: after container 66 is placed under sealing element 70 , cylinder 71 extends and brings sealing element 70 in contact with cover 65 to seal opening 64 ; valves 67 and 65 shift to the “open” position and pump 25 starts pumping the product from tank 28 to pressurize the substance in container 66 before the pressure pulsation treatment begins; valve 67 shifts to a closed position and pressure pulsation generator 72 starts generating pressure pulsations to treat the substance in vessel 66 ; after the treatment, valve 65 closes and valve 67 opens, allowing double rotating pump 25 to suck back the excess product and prevent spillage; valve 67 closes again, sealing element 70 is lifted and vessel 66 is moved out of the way; the next in line vessel 66 is placed under device 69 .
[0045] With reference to FIG. 13 , there is generally shown a cross sectional view of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, an air-hydraulic buster is incorporated to produce high pressure pulsations in treated substances. Vessel 1 , containing product 2 , and hydraulic cylinder 77 are shown in a horizontal position. Blocks 71 and 72 are mounted in pockets made in mounting plate 74 to support cylinder 77 and vessel 1 during operation. Plugs 78 and 79 are needed to close the openings in vessel 1 through which substance 2 can be loaded and unloaded. Air valve 22 brings air pressure to piston 76 , which is placed inside air-hydraulic booster 75 . Air valve 22 is controlled by an on-of pulsating signal. Through the action of piston rod 81 on the oil locked in cavity 80 , low air pressure pulsations are transformed to high pressure hydraulic pulsations acting on cylinder 77 . Since insignificant travel of piston rod 82 is required to generate pressure pulsations in substance 2 , which is locked under pressure in vessel 1 , a small air-hydraulic booster is sufficient to do the job. Air pressure is readily available in a laboratory or in industrial environment so this approach can provide a low cost and practical solution to generating high pressure pulsations with regulated frequency.
[0046] With reference to FIG. 14 and FIG. 14A , there is generally shown a cross sectional view of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, two processes are involved in the treatment of liquid substances; homogenization and pressure pulsation with a set frequency are combined in the same vessel. Homogenization is a process used in the production of many foodstuffs. High pressure pulsations is this system are delivered by plunger 35 . Delivering pressure pulsations to substance 2 in container 1 can be accomplished through plunger 35 by any of the devices described above. In the arrangement shown in FIG. 14 , pressure pulsations are delivered by ultrasonic device 44 and vibrating horn 48 . Homogenization of substance 2 is performed by cylinder 77 . Piston rod 82 of cylinder 77 is attached to rod 91 through bushing 90 . Rod 91 , through an opening in closure 83 of vessel 1 , is connected to piston 84 , which is formed with small openings 85 . Pump 25 fills vessel 1 with untreated substance from tank 28 through valve 92 . Once vessel 1 is filled, valve 92 closes. At this point in the cycle, rod 82 is fully retracted. Piston 84 is pushed against sealing ring 86 , which is retained in a groove of sliding ring 87 , thus preventing the substance from escaping through openings 85 . The process of killing bacteria in substance 2 begins when ultrasonic device 44 starts generating pressure pulsations in vessel 1 . After the ultrasonic treatment is done, the homogenizing process begins. Piston rod 82 of cylinder 77 expands, pushing piston 84 through substance 2 . Under the pressure in front of piston 84 , retainer ring 87 is pushed back against the step formed on rod 91 , thus allowing substance 2 to escape to the back of piston 84 through openings 85 . When piston 84 reaches its far right position, valve 94 opens and rod 82 of cylinder 77 begins to retract. Retaining ring 87 with sealing ring 86 is being then pushed by inertia and pressure, against the back surface of piston 84 , thus preventing substance 2 from escaping to the front of piston 84 through openings 85 . Thereafter substance 2 moves to tank 27 through valve 94 . The described system does not only allow the combination of pulsating pressure treatment and homogenization of the substance in one process, but also allows automatic unloading of the treated substance after treatment, which is another useful feature in mass production.
[0047] With reference to FIG. 15 , there is generally shown a cross sectional view of another system incorporating present invention. In this system, however, high pressure pulsation and homogenization processes are combined and accomplished by one cylinder. Cylinder 77 is controlled by valves 22 and 24 . This system works in the following sequence: as vessel 1 is filled with the untreated substance from storage tank 28 through valve 92 by pump 25 , piston 84 is pushed to its extreme leftward position. When vessel 1 is filled with substance 2 , under a pressure that is set by control valve 28 , valves 92 and 95 close; valve 22 receives an “on” or “off” signal at a set frequency, generating pressure pulsations in cylinder 77 , which are transferred to substance 2 in vessel 1 . With each pressure pulsation, piston 84 moves a small distance to the right, forcing a small portion of substance 2 through openings 85 to the rear of piston 84 , into the space that is formed by the rightward movement of piston 84 . With this approach, the homogenization process is combined with the process of destruction of bacteria by high pressure pulsations. Valve 94 is utilized at the initial stage of the treatment process in order to equalize the duration of treatment of the substance located immediately in front of piston 84 , with that of the substance located further away from piston 84 , which spends more time in vessel 1 prior to efflux from the vessel. After piston 84 travels a set distance forward, valve 94 is shifted to its leftward position, piston rod 82 retracts, and the substance is returned from the space behind piston 84 to that in front of piston 84 , where it undergoes additional pressure pulsation treatment. As soon as the initial equalization cycle is complete, valve 94 moves permanently to its rightward position, connecting the space behind piston 84 to valve 95 , which is in its closed position. At this point, piston 84 starts to move rightward again, delivering pressure pulsations to substance 2 . After it traverses some set distance (for example, one third of its total stroke), valve 95 opens, piston 84 is moved back to its starting position, and treated substance that had accumulated in the space behind piston 84 (as described above) is pushed into finished product tank 27 . Meanwhile, untreated substance is added to vessel 1 from tank 28 through open valve 92 by pump 25 , and the process resumes.
[0048] In the present invention, several different methods of generating the pulsating pressure for the purpose of immobilizing the undesired microorganisms in the liquid substances are described. These systems can also be fitted with interchangeable components, including different size actuators, cylinders and inserts, to provide a variety of pressure and frequency combinations. The variety of pressure and frequency combination is needed in conducting the research into the combination of the parameters that are most effective for use in production, that achieve the best results in the most economical and efficient way.
[0049] Various possible embodiments, forms and modifications of the invention, coming with the proper scope and spirit of the appended claims, will, of course, readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Thus, while what has been described is at present considered to be preferred embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein, without departing from the invention, and it is therefore the aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit of the invention, and it is understood that, although the preferred form of the invention has been shown, various modifications can be made in the details thereof, without departing from the spirit as comprehended by the following claims.
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A process and apparatus wherein multiple instantaneous pressure pulsations with a regulated frequency and amplitude are applied to various biological substances in order to eliminate the undesired microorganisms in these substances with minimal negative effect on the quality of these substances, and, further, to use these in mass production of foodstuffs pharmaceuticals for treatment of human blood or plasma, and for research to establish a specific frequency of pressure pulsations at which a particular type of bacteria could be selectively destroyed while other components of the substance remain intact.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to cementing a casing string within a wellbore, and in particular to a pump down cement retaining device that prevents backflow of cement.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Most oil and gas wells are drilled with a drill string comprised of drill pipe. After reaching a certain depth, the drill string is removed and casing is lowered into the wellbore. A cement valve, is normally attached to the lower end of the casing. The cement valve allows cement to be pumped down through the casing and up the annulus surrounding the casing, and prevents backflow of cement from the annulus back into the casing. Another type of casing string, referred to as a liner, may be installed in a similar manner. A casing string extends all the way back to the upper end of the well, while a liner string is hung off at the lower end of a preceding string of casing.
In another drilling technique, the casing is used as part or all of the drill string. The bit may be attached to the lower end of the casing string permanently, in which case it is cemented in place. Alternatively, it may be retrieved after reaching desired depth, such as by using a wireline, drill pipe, or pumping the bit assembly back up the casing. While drilling, the casing string may be rotated by a gripping mechanism and a top drive of the drilling rig. With liner drilling, the liner string serves as the lower end of the drill string, and a string of drill pipe is attached to upper end of the liner string.
In casing and liner drilling, if the bottom hole assembly, which includes a drill bit and optionally measuring instruments and steering devices, is to be retrieved before cementing, the operator will install a cement valve at the lower end of the liner after retrieval of the bottom hole assembly. The cement valve may be lowered into place on a wire line or a string of drill pipe and locked to a profile at the lower end depth of the liner string. Also, it is has been proposed to pump the cement valve down the casing, rather than convey it on a wire line. The cement valve may have a flapper valve to prevent back flow of cement. It may also have a frangible barrier to allow the cement valve to be pumped down the casing string. Once in place, increased fluid pressure causes the barrier to break and the fluid to flow out the lower end of the cement valve.
It has also been proposed to pump a receptacle down the casing string and latch it into a profile at the lower end prior to cementing. The receptacle has a passage that allows the downward flow of cement, but does not have a valve to prevent backflow. At the conclusion of cementing, a wiper plug or prong is pumped down into engagement with the receptacle. The prong stabs into the upper end of the receptacle to form a seal and retain the plug to prevent backflow of cement.
After the cement is cured, if the operator intends to drill the well deeper, the drill string must drill through the receptacle and wiper plug. It is thus desirable to make the receptacle and wiper plug of easily drillable materials. These materials must meet the requested specifications of the tools.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The method of this invention utilizes a receptacle that is positioned at the lower end of the casing string. A wiper plug is pumped down the string of casing following the pumping of cement. The wiper plug has a prong on its end with a seal that seals within a lower portion of the receptacle. The positioning of the seal places the receptacle under a compressive force when a pressure differential exists due to uncured cement in the annulus. Since the force is compressive, many of the components of the receptacle can be made of more easily drillable materials, such as plastic and resin composites, than in the prior art design. The prior art design had to accommodate at least some tensile forces.
In the preferred embodiment, the lower end of the prong is substantially flush with a lower end of the axial passage through the receptacle once locked in place. Preferably, the seal is also located at the lower end of the axial passage. The latching members of the prong and receptacle may comprise a ratchet sleeve and a grooved profile.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a receptacle installed in a profile at the lower end of a string of casing in accordance with this invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 , with the burst disk broken to allow fluid to be pumped through the axial passage.
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the receptacle of FIG. 1 , showing a wiper plug and prong being pumped down the string of casing.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the wiper plug and receptacle of FIG. 3 , but showing the prong fully engaged with the receptacle.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the wiper plug, prong and receptacle of FIG. 4 , but showing fluid pressure acting upward on the lower end of the receptacle.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of the wiper plug and prong of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 7 is a further enlarged sectional view of a lower portion of the wiper plug prong landed within the receptacle as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
FIG. 8 is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a wiper plug and prong.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view of an alternate embodiment of a receptacle, and showing the wiper plug and prong of FIG. 8 installed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1 , a string of casing 11 comprises tubular members secured together by threads for installation in a wellbore. The term “casing” is used broadly herein to include also a liner string, which is normally constructed the same as casing but does not extend fully to the surface, rather its upper end is hung off near the lower end of the preceding string of casing.
A lower or profile sub 13 is attached to the lower end and forms part of the string of casing 11 . Profile sub 13 has number of internal grooves that in this embodiment were used previously to secure a bottom hole assembly (not shown) for drilling. Profile sub 13 also has an annular recess 15 located therein that has a larger inner diameter than the inner diameter of the remaining portion of the string of casing 11 . Recess 15 is defined by an upper shoulder 17 and a lower shoulder 19 .
A cement plug receptacle 21 is shown latched into profile sub 13 . Cement plug receptacle 21 has a body 23 with an axial passage 25 extending through it. Body 23 has at least one and optionally a plurality of circumferential grooves 27 on its exterior. In this embodiment, grooves 27 are configured in a triangular fashion, resulting in a downward-facing conical flank 29 intersecting an upward-facing conical flank 31 . When viewed in cross-section, flanks 29 of grooves 27 are parallel to each other and flanks 31 are parallel to each other.
An outward-biased collar 33 surrounds body 23 at grooves 27 . Collar 33 is of a resilient material and is split so as to radially expand and contract. Collar 33 has at least one and optionally a plurality of internal grooves 35 for mating with grooves 27 of body 23 . The resiliency of collar 35 causes it to spring outward from grooves 27 when it reaches profile sub recess 15 . As receptacle 21 moves down casing 11 , prior to reaching recess 15 , the outer diameter of collar 33 will slidingly engage the inner diameter of casing 11 . Anti-rotation keys 37 , one at the upper end and one at the lower end of body 23 , engage collar 33 to prevent collar 33 from rotating relatively to body 23 . Grooves 35 have same configuration as grooves 27 , but body 23 is capable of axial movement from a lower position relative to collar 33 , shown in FIG. 4 , to an upper position, shown in FIG. 5 . In the lower position, downward-facing flanks 29 of body grooves 27 are engagement with collar grooves 35 but upward-facing flanks 31 are not in engagement with collar grooves 35 . In the upper position of FIG. 5 , upward-facing flanks 31 are engagement with grooves 35 , but downward-facing flanks 29 are not in engagement with grooves 35 .
Referring still to FIG. 1 , body 23 has a lower body extension 39 that has a threaded neck 41 that secures it to the lower end of body 23 . Lower body extension 39 could optionally be integrally formed with body 23 . Axial passage 25 extends through lower body extension 39 . A latch member sleeve 43 with internal grooves is mounted within lower body extension 39 .
A lower seal 45 is attached to the lower end of lower body extension 39 by a threaded neck 47 . Lower seal 45 is illustrated as a cup seal, having a downward-facing concave interior; but it could be other types. Pressure acting on the lower side of lower seal 45 pushes seal 45 outward and upward into sealing engagement with profile sub 13 . A cylindrical seal member 48 is preferably located in the portion of axial passage 25 that extends through lower seal 45 .
An upper seal 49 is mounted to the upper end of body 23 by a threaded neck 51 in this example. Upper seal 49 may have the same general shape as lower seal 45 . Axial passage 25 extends through upper seal 49 but it is initially closed by a frangible barrier, which comprises a burst disk 53 in this example. Burst disk 53 closes axial passage 25 until the differential pressure acting on it exceeds a selected level, at which time it breaks or ruptures to allow flow through axial passage 25 . Burst disk 53 is secured to upper seal 49 by a shear cylinder retainer 55 . FIG. 1 shows burst disk 53 as initially installed and FIG. 2 shows burst disk 53 after being ruptured. Rather than the barrier device being a rigid frangible member, burst disk 53 could be a flexible elastomeric member or diaphragm that ruptures, or other types of devices.
FIG. 3 shows a wiper plug 57 being pumped down following the dispensing of cement. Wiper plug 57 has flexible ribs 59 on its outer side that seal against the inner diameter of casing 11 as it moves downward. A prong 61 is mounted to the lower end of wiper plug 57 and protrudes downward. Prong 61 comprises a rod located on the axis of wiper plug 57 . A plurality of transverse ports 67 optionally may be formed along its length. A nose 69 is attached to the lower end of prong 61 . Referring to FIG. 7 , nose 69 has one or more seal 71 that extends around it. Seals 71 seal against seal sleeve 48 located within lower seal 45 . A latch member comprising a ratchet sleeve 73 is mounted just above nose 69 . Ratchet sleeve 73 is a split cylindrical sleeve that is biased outward due to its internal resiliency. Ratchet sleeve 73 has grooves 75 on its exterior that will mate with the grooves in latch sleeve 43 . Grooves 75 and the mating grooves in latch sleeve 43 are configured to allow downward movement of prong 61 but not upward movement. During downward movement, the saw-tooth shape of grooves 75 in ratchet sleeve 73 cause ratchet sleeve 73 to retract and expand.
An annular retainer 77 located below ratchet sleeve 73 on the upper end of nose 69 has a tapered surface 79 on its upper end that faces upward and outward for urging ratchet sleeve 73 outward into tighter engagement due to internal pressure acting against nose seals 71 .
Preferably, most, if not all the components of cement plug receptacle 21 and wiper plug 57 are constructed of easily drillable materials to allow the operator to readily drill out the assembly after the cementing operation is over and the cement is secured. These materials may include composite materials, such as resin reinforced fiber as well as plastic materials. They may also include metallic materials such as aluminium.
In operation, after drilling to a desired depth and retrieving the bottom hole assembly (not shown), the operator places cement plug receptacle 21 into the upper end of the string of casing 11 and applies fluid pressure to casing 11 to pump it downward, typically with water. When cement plug receptacle 21 reaches recess 15 , the outward-biased collar 33 springs outward and secures cement plug receptacle 21 to profile sub 13 , as shown in FIG. 1 . Once in engagement, downward movement is prevented by upward-facing shoulder 19 and upward movement is prevented by downward-facing shoulder 17 .
Continued fluid pressure after cement plug receptacle 21 has landed shears burst disk 53 , as shown in FIG. 2 . Once burst disk 53 ruptures, the operator may pump cement through casing 11 , which flows through axial passage 25 and up the annulus surrounding casing 11 . When the desired quantity of cement has been dispensed, the operator places wiper plug 57 in casing string 11 , as shown in FIG. 3 , and pumps wiper plug 57 downward, normally with water. Wiper plug 57 pushes the cement in casing string 11 downward through axial passage 25 . Eventually, prong 61 will stab into axial passage 25 , as shown in FIG. 4 , and wiper plug 57 will land on retainer 55 . At this point, the tip of wiper plug nose 69 will be located substantially flush with the lower end of axial passage 25 . Seals 71 on nose 69 will be sealing engagement with seal sleeve 48 ( FIG. 7 ). Ratchet sleeve 73 will be in locking engagement with latch sleeve 43 . Downward-facing flanks 29 on body 23 will be in engagement with grooves 35 in collar 33 . Most, if not all, of ribs 59 of wiper plug 57 will be located above receptacle 21 and do not perform any latching function or any sealing function against upward acting pressure.
The operator may then release the fluid pressure from above wiper plug 57 . The weight of the cement in the casing annulus tends to cause it to flow back upward into casing string 11 . Wiper plug 57 and body 23 will initially move upward slightly in unison due to the differential pressure force as shown in FIG. 5 . This upward movement will stop once upward-facing flanks 31 on body 23 engage grooves 35 in collar 33 , as shown in FIG. 5 . The load path due to the pressure of the cement in the annulus passes through lower seal 45 , lower body extension 39 and body 23 into collar 33 , which transfers the load to profile sub 13 through upper shoulder 17 . The load path also passes from nose 69 through latch sleeve 43 into lower body extension 39 . Lower body extension 39 , body 23 , nose 69 and collar 33 will be in compression. No components of receptacle 21 or wiper plug 57 will be in tension as a result of the upward acting pressure.
After the cement has cured, the operator may run a new drill string, which could comprise drill pipe or a smaller diameter string of casing. A drill bit on the lower end will drill out cement plug receptacle 21 , leaving only profile sub 13 .
An alternate embodiment is shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 . Referring to FIG. 8 , prong 81 differs from the first embodiment in that is does not have holes such as ports 67 ( FIG. 2 ) extending through it perpendicular to its axis. Also, its internal cavity 82 is deeper than the internal cavity of prong 61 ( FIG. 6 ). Nose 83 is longer than nose 69 of the first embodiment; however, seals 85 are positioned about the same distance from the lower end as seals 71 on nose 69 of the first embodiment. Nose 83 may have an axially extending internal cavity 84 , as shown. A split ratchet ring 87 is attached near the lower end of prong 81 as in the first embodiment. Wiper plug 89 on the upper end of prong 81 has seal ribs 91 that protrude radially less distance from the body of wiper plug 89 than seal ribs 59 of the first embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 9 , receptacle 93 is shown anchored in a profile sub 95 that may the same as lower sub 13 of the first embodiment. Receptacle has a lower cup seal 97 that differs from lower seal 45 ( FIG. 1 ) in that it is carried on a tubular cup mandrel 99 of a more rigid material than the material of seal 97 . An annular load ring 101 encircles cup mandrel 99 for transmitting upward compressive force from lower seal 97 to a tubular extension member 103 . The first embodiment does not have a load ring. The upper end of cup mandrel 99 is secured to extension member 103 , and the lower end of cup mandrel 99 extends below load ring 101 into lower seal 97 . Ratchet or internally grooved sleeve 105 is mounted within extension member 103 for engagement with ratchet ring 87 on prong 81 as in the first embodiment.
Body 107 is attached to the upper end of extension member 103 and may be constructed the same as body 23 of the first embodiment. A collar 109 encircles body 107 and springs outward into a recess 111 of profile sub 95 as in the first embodiment. An upper cup seal 113 similar to upper seal 49 ( FIG. 1 ) is mounted on top of body 107 . A seat 115 containing a burst disc 117 is mounted within upper seal 113 . The operation of the embodiment of FIGS. 8 and 9 is the same as the operation of the first embodiment.
While the invention has been shown in only two of its forms, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that is not so limited, but is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A wall casing cement plug assembly includes a receptacle with an axial passage. The receptacle is pumped to a lower end of the casing string and locked in place. The receptacle has a casing seal that engages the string of casing and a retainer mechanism on its exterior that engages a profile in the string of casing. Cement is pumped through the receptacle by rupturing a blocking device in the axial passage of the receptacle. A wiper plug is pumped down the string casing. The wiper plug has a prong on its lower end that stabs into the axial passage of the receptacle. A latch located in the lower portion of the receptacle locks the wiper plug to the body.
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This is a Continuation of Application No. 08/223,767 filed Apr. 6, 1994, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to novel polymers having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units in their main chain and photoresist compositions containing the same, and in more particular to novel polymers having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units useful as a cationic photoinitiator and in the field of photolithography and photoresist compositions containing the same.
2. Disclosure of the Related Art
Recently, in the field of semiconductor devices and various electronic devices in which fine processing are required, photosensitive resins have been extensively used. Particularly, in association with an advance in high integration of devices, fine patterning has been required. To attain this object, resist materials which are highly sensitive to deep ultraviolet light (deep UV light) from an excimer laser or the like has been required because the fine patterning (e.g. processing size: 0.25 μm or less) can be effectively performed by applying light having shorter exposure wavelengths which is generated, for instance, from the excimer laser such as KrF excimer laser(248 nm), ArF excimer laser(193 nm) or the like. In chemically amplified resists containing photoacid generators, photochemically generated protonic acids are applied effectively to a secondary chain transfer reaction by a post-exposure baking treatment, whereby one light absorption can be amplified chemically thousand times. As for the photoacid generator for use in the chemically amplified resist, there were known low-molecular triphenylsulfonium salts described in Crivello et al., Journal of the Organic Chemistry, Vol.43, No.15, 3055-3058, 1978, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
In addition, with reduction in size of semiconductor devices, a method of transferring resist patterns onto a substrate with high accuracy has been required. To attain this object, dry etching using gas plasma or the like has been used in place of conventional wet etching. A silylation method or multilayer resist method of performing patterning by oxygen reactive ion etching has attracted special interest recently and thus resist materials having resistance to oxygen plasma has been studied actively. The resist material having silicon atoms has excellent resistance to oxygen plasma and various silicon-containing resists have been developed. As for the silicon-containing resists, there have been known, for instance, resists (silicon-containing Novolak resin+quinone diazide) described in Wilkins et al., Journal of Vacuum Science and Technology, B3, 306-309, 1985, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Crivello et al.'s photoacid generators as mentioned above form acids under the action of radiation such as UV rays or electron beam but have no functional groups being capable of changing the solubility thereof and have no silicon, showing almost no resistance to oxygen reactive ion etching. On the other hand, Wilkins et al.'s silicon-containing resists are not chemically-amplified type and then have insufficient sensitivity to deep UV:light and insufficient resistance to dry etching because of low silicon content. In the art, therefore, development of photosensitive polymers, which have good efficiency of photoreaction, exhibit the solubility change after irradiation of the radiation (e.g. UV rays or electron beam) and post-exposure baking treatment, and have good resistance to oxygen plasma etching due to high silicon content, has been required.
Furthermore, as for conventional sulfonium salts, there has been known, for instance, low-molecular triarylsulfonium salts described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,374,066 and diaryliodonium salts described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,264,703. These salts were used as a cationic photopolymerization initiator (i.e. a photoacid generator). In addition, recently the sulfonium salts have been used as a sensitizer for photoresists (chemically amplified resists) in a photolithography process for fabricating very large scale integrated circuits.
As mentioned above, for the sake of the very fine processing in the semiconductor devices, the photoresist having good sensitivity to deep UV light having shorter wavelength has been required.
However, the conventional photoacid generators such as triarylsulfonium salts and diaryliodonium salts as mentioned above have a number of aromatic rings such as benzene rings therein and thus have very high absorption to the light in a short wavelength region of 200 nm or less. Therefore, a problem exists in that these polymers could not almost be used as the photoacid generator in a photosensitive composition (e.g. chemically amplified resist etc.) which is processed by applying, particularly, the light having short wavelengths of 200 nm or less, for instance, the light (wavelength: 193 nm ) from the ArF excimer laser. In addition, such photoacid generator itself had no resistance to the dry etching process using oxygen plasma.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a novel polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units in their main chain. The polymers have photochemically acid-forming units (i.e. sulfonium salt units) and acid-labile and oxygen plasma etching resistance properties (silicons). The polymer has good efficiency of photoreaction, exhibits remarkable change in its solubility through a catalytic hydrolysis reaction of silyl ether bonds in the polymer main chain with acids formed by irradiation of radiation such as ultraviolet light, electron beam or the like to the polymer and the following post-exposure baking treatment, and has good resistance to oxygen plasma etching because of its high content of silicon atom.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a photoresist composition containing the above polymer having both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units in its main chain.
Even another object of the present invention is to provide another polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units, in addition to the above properties, with high transparency to light of short wavelengths of 200 nm or less and high dry etching resistance to oxygen plasma, and which can be more efficiently used as a component of a photoresist for patterning with light less than or equal to 200 nm.
According to a first embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a novel first polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units which is obtained from a reaction between a polymer having silicon atoms and a diaryliodonium salt or an alkyl halide, i.e. a novel first polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonum salt units represented by the following general formula (I): ##STR1## wherein n is a positive integer equal to 10 to 700 inclusive, k is 0 or a positive integer equal to 1 to 700 inclusive, the sum of n+k is a positive integer equal to 10 to 700 inclusive, the ratio of k/(n+k) is in the range of 0 to 0.9 inclusive, Y - represents a non-nucleophilic counter ion, R 1 is a radical selected from the group consisting of a phenyl group, C 1 -C 6 alkyl-substituted phenyl group and C 1 -C 6 alkyl group, R 4 is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of a C 2 -C 8 alkylene group and a phenylene group, Z is selected from a hydrogen atom or a trimethylsilyl group, and X is a divalent radical selected from the following general formula (II) or (III): ##STR2## wherein m is a positive integer equal to 1 to 100 inclusive and R 2 and R 3 can be the same or different, each being a radical selected from the group consisting of a phenyl group, C 1 -C 6 alkyl-substituted phenyl group and C 1 -C 6 alkyl group.
In the above formula (I), n is preferably a positive integer equal to 10 to 200 inclusive and more preferably 10 to 100; k is preferably 0 or a positive integer equal to 1 to 200 inclusive and more preferably o to 100 inclusive; and the sum of n+k is preferably a positive integer equal to 10 to 200 inclusive and more preferably a positive integer equal to 10 to 100. In the above formulae (II) and (III), m is preferably a positive integer equal to 1 to 50 inclusive and more preferably 1 to 10 inclusive.
Y - includes, for instance, the non-nucleophilic counter ions such as BF 4 - , AsF 6 - , SbF 6 - , PF 6 - , CF 3 SO 3 - , Cl - , Br - , I - , ClO 4 - , CH 3 SO 3 - and the like. It is preferred that Y - is BF 4 - , AsF 6 - , SbF 6 - , PF 6 - or CF 3 SO 3 - .
R 1 , R 2 and R 3 can be the same or different. In these substituents, the C 1 -C 6 alkyl-substituted phenyl group includes, for instance, a tolyl group and the C 1 -C 6 alkyl group may be linear or branched and includes, for instance, methyl, ethyl,n-propyl, i-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, s-butyl, t-butyl, pentyl and hexyl groups or the like.
As for R 4 , the C 2 -C 8 alkylene group includes, for instance, linear and branched C 2 -C 8 alkylene groups such as ethylene, propylene, butylene, pentylene, hexylene, heptylene and octylene or the like; the C 5 -C 8 cycloalkylene group such as 1,2-cyclopentylene, 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,2-cyclohexylene and 1,5-cyclooctylene groups or the like; and 1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene group.
The polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I) in which R 1 is the phenyl group or alkyl-substituted phenyl group is prepared, for instance, according to a Crivello et al.'s method relating to the preparation of triphenylsulfonium salt described in Journal of the Organic Chemistry, Vol.43, No.15, 3055-3058, 1978. Namely, the polymer is synthesized by reacting a polymer having silicon atoms of the following general formula (IV): ##STR3## wherein X, n and k are as defined above, with a compound of the following general formula (VIII):
R.sup.1 -I.sup.+ -R.sup.1 Y.sup.- (VIII)
wherein R 1 and Y - are as defined above.
The polymer represented by the general formula (IV) is synthesized, for instance, by a method as described below.
A silane derivative represented by the following general formula (V): ##STR4## in which R 2 , R 3 and m are as defined above or a siloxane derivative represented by the following general formula (VI): ##STR5## in which R 2 , R 3 and m are as defined above, and 4,4'-thiodiphenol or a mixture of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and a diol compound represented by the following general formula (VII):
HO--R.sup.4 --OH (VII)
in which R 4 is as defined above, and are heated to reflux in dry pyridine under an atmosphere of argon. After 1 to 6 hours at reflux, the reaction mixture is allowed to reprecipitate in methanol to obtain an intermediate polymer represented by the general formula (IV). As for the diol compound, there are used, for instance, ethylene glycol, 1,8-octanediol, 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol or the like.
In case of using the mixture of 4,4 1 -thiodiphenol and the diol compound of the general formula (VII), if these compound are mixed in any desired proportions, there is obtained the polymer having silicon atoms of the general formula (IV) having an arbitrary ratio of n and k. Therefore, if this polymer is converted to a sulfonium salt, it is possible to obtain the polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I), in which Z is a hydrogen atom, with an arbitrary content of sulfonium salts.
In addition, the polymer of the general formula (IV) in which Z is a trimethylsilyl group is synthesized by trimethylsilylating the hydroxyl groups at both ends of the polymer of the general formula (IV)(Z is the hydrogen atom) which is obtained according to the above-mentioned method, for instance, in dry tetrahydrofuran under the presence of a silylating agent such as hexamethyldisilazane or the like.
The polymer having silicon atoms (IV) obtained according to the above-mentioned method is mixed with a diaryliodonium salt derivative of the general formula (VIII), in which R 1 is a phenyl group or a C 1 -C 6 alkyl-substituted phenyl group and Y - is as defined above, in the proportion of equal mole to 1.2 moles per a unit of sulfide of the polymer (IV). Then, the mixture is allowed to react at about 110°-150° C. for about 1-3 hours in a solvent (for instance, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene or the like) under an atmosphere of nitrogen and in the presence of a catalyst such as copper(II) benzoate, copper(II) acetate, copper(I) chloride or the like. At the end of the reaction, the product is washed with diethyl ether, dissolved in acetone, and then poured and reprecipitated into a great bulk of ether or hexane to obtain the polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I) in which R 1 is the phenyl group or alkyl-substituted phenyl group.
The polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I) in which R 1 is an alkyl group is prepared, for instance, by making use of a method of Reiser et al. relating to a low-molecular onium salt described in Journal of the Organic Chemistry, Vol.57, No.2, 759-761, 1992, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. Namely, the polymer having silicon atoms of the general formula (IV) which was synthesized according to the above-mentioned method, alkyl halide of the following general formula (IX):
R.sup.1 -W (IX)
in which R 1 is a C 1 -C 6 alkyl group and W is a halogen atom selected from the group consisting of iodine, bromine, chlorine or the like, and a metallic salt of organic acid of the following general formula (X):
M.sup.+ Y.sup.- (X)
in which M + is a metal ion selected from K + , Na + and Ag + and Y - is as defined above, are mixed in the ratio of equal mole and are allowed to react at room temperature for about 3-12 hours in methylene chloride. At the end of the reaction, insoluble metallic salts are removed by filtration and then the filtrate is poured and reprecipitated in a great bulk of ether to obtain the final product.
In addition, the polymer of formula (I), in which R 4 is as defined above exclusive of a phenyl group, has improved transparency to deep U.V. light, which is absorbed with respect to aromatic rings such as benzene rings, such as light from a KrF excimer laser or the like. However, the polymer of formula (I), in which n and k meet the following relation: 0.9<k/(n+k)≦1.0, cannot be used for a photoresist composition because the product after being converted to a sulfonium salt is liquid.
If the above-mentioned polymer having both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units are irradiated with radiation such as deep U.V. light, excimer laser beam (KrF, ArF or the like) or the like, acids are generated. In addition, if a thin film comprising the polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I) and, for instance, poly(p-hydroxystyrene) in which hydroxy groups are partially modified with tert-butoxycarbonyl groups or tetrahydropyrane-2-yl groups is formed on a silicon substrate, is irradiated with KrF excimer laser beam and thereafter is subjected to post-exposure baking treatment, the dissolution velocity of the thin film becomes extremely high. Moreover, in the polymers according to the present invention, acid hydrolysis of the polymer by heating them takes place through acids generated by light irradiation, i.e. silyl ether bonds in the main chain of the polymer are broken to form silanol, whereby the solubility thereof in solvents is extremely varied and improved due to the remarkable decrease in molecular weight of the polymer by the decomposition of their main chain. Therefore, the polymers of the general formula (I) are utilized as photoacid generators for chemically amplified resists and further can be utilized as a base resin for resists and agents for inhibiting dissolution of resist and cationic photo-polymerization initiators.
Furthermore, the polymers of the general formula (I) according to the present invention have excellent resistance to oxygen plasma etching due to their high content of silicon atoms in the molecule. The etching resistance is improved as the number of silicon atoms per its constituent unit increases. Therefore, the polymers can be utilized for an upper layer in multilayer resist.
According to a second embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a novel second polymer having both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units obtained from a polymer having silicon atoms, a metallic salt of an organic acid and an alkyl halide, i.e. a novel second polymer having both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units represented by the following general formula (I'): ##STR6## wherein n' is a positive integer equal to 1 to 300 inclusive, Y - represents a non-nucleophilic counter anion, R 1' and R 2' can be the same or different, each being a C 2 -C 10 alkylene group, R 3' is a C 3 -C 7 2-oxoalkyl group, Z' is selected from the group consisting of a hydrogen atom and a trimethylsilyl group, and X' is a divalent radical selected from the group consisting of the following general formulae (II') and (III'): ##STR7## wherein m' is a positive integer equal to 1 to 100 inclusive and R 4' and R 5' can be the same or different, each being a radical selected from the group consisting of a C 1 -C 8 alkyl group and a phenyl group.
In the above Formula (I'), it is preferred that n' is a positive integer equal to 20 to 150 inclusive. In the above formulae (II') and (III'), m' is preferably a positive integer equal to 1 to 50 inclusive and more preferably 1 to 10 inclusive.
Y -' includes, for instance, the non-nucleophilic counter ions such as BF 4 - , AsF 6 - , SbF 6 - , PF 6 - , CF 3 SO 3 - , Cl - , Br - , I - , ClO 4 - , CH 3 SO 3 - and the like. It is preferred that Y -' is BF 4 - , AsF 6 - , SbF 6 - , PF 6 - or CF 3 SO 3 - .
As for and R 1' and R 2' , the C 2 -C 10 alkylene group may be linear, branched or cyclic and includes, for instance, ethylene, propylene, butylene, pentylene, hexylene, heptylene, octylene, decanylene and cyclohexylene groups or the like.
As for R 3' , the C 3 -C 7 2-oxoalkyl group may be linear, branched or cyclic and includes, for instance, 2-oxopropyl, 2-oxobutyl, 2-oxopentyl, 2-oxohexyl, 2-oxocyclopentyl, 2-oxocyclohexyl and 2-oxocycloheptyl groups or the like.
As for R 4' and R 5' , the C 1 -C 8 alkyl group may be linear, branched or cyclic and includes, for instance, methyl, ethyl, i-propyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, i-butyl, s-butyl, t-butyl, pentyl, hexyl, heptyl, octyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl and cyclooctyl groups or the like.
The polymer containing both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I') is prepared, for instance, by making use of the above method of Reiser et al. relating to the preparation of low-molecular onium salts described in Journal of the Organic Chemistry, Vol.57, No.2, 759-761, 1992, i.e. by carrying out the conversion reaction of the corresponding silicon-containing sulfide polymers to sulfonium salts. For instance, the sulfonium salts are prepared as follows. Namely, the polymer of the general formula (I') is synthesized by mixing a polymer having silicon atoms of the following general formula (IV'): ##STR8## wherein R 1' ; R 2' , R 4' , R 5' , X', n' and m' are as defined above, with an alkyl halide of the following general formula (VI):
R.sup.3' -W' (V')
wherein R 3' is as defined above and W' is a halogen atom such as iodine, bromine, chlorine or the like and a metallic salt of an organic acid of the following general formula (VI'):
M.sup.+1 Y.sup.-1 (VI')
wherein M +' is a metal selected from K + , Na + and Ag + or the like and Y -' is as defined above, in the equal molar ratio based on the sulfide group or in the slightly excess molar ratio of the alkyl halide (V') (the molar ratio based on the sulfide group of compound(V')/polymer(IV'): 1.0-1.5); and reacting the mixture, for instance, in a solvent such as methylene chloride or nitromethane and at room temperature or at reflux for about 3-12 hours. At the end of the reaction, insoluble metallic salts are removed by filtration and the filtrate is poured and reprecipitated in, for instance, ether to give the polymer of the general formula (I').
Derivatives of the polymer (I') having sulfonium residue in the proportion below 1.0 can be synthesized by repeating the above-mentioned procedures except for mixing of the polymer (I') in the molar ratio below the equal mole per a sulfide unit of the intermediate polymer (IV').
The polymer represented by the general formula (IV') is synthesized, for instance, by a method as described below.
A siloxane derivative represented by the following general formula (VII'): ##STR9## in which R 4' , R 5 and m' are as defined above or a silane derivative represented by the following general formula (VIII'): ##STR10## in which R 4' , R 5' and m' are as defined above, and ω, ω'-thiodialkanol(e.g. 2,2'-thiodiethanol or 3,3'-thiodipropanol or a mixture thereof) represented by the following general formula (IX'):
HO-R.sup.1' -S-R.sup.2' --OH (IX')
in which R 1' and R 2' are as defined above, are dissolved in the proportion of equal mole in dry pyridine and thereafter are heated to reflux in dry pyridine under an atmosphere of argon. In this case, a catalyst such as imidazole or the like may be added to the solution immediately before heating it. After about 1 to 6 hours at reflux, the reaction mixture is allowed to cool and then is poured and reprecipitated in methanol to obtain an intermediate polymer represented by the general formula (IV').
Moreover, the polymer of the general formula (I') in which Z' is a trimethylsilyl group is synthesized as follows. First, the polymer of the general formula (IV') in which Z' is a trimethylsilyl group is synthesized by trimethylsilylating hydroxyl groups at both ends of the polymer of the general formula (IV') (Z' is a hydrogen atom) which is obtained according to the above-mentioned method, for instance, in dry tetrahydrofuran under the presence of a silylating agent such as hexamethyldisilazane or the like. Then, the polymer (IV') thus obtained is converted to a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I') in the same manner as in the polymer of the general formula (I') in which Z' is a hydrogen atom to obtain the object polymer with Z' being a trimethylsilyl group.
Furthermore, the polymer of formula (I'), in which R 4' and R 5' are a C 1 -C 8 alkyl group, has highly improved transparency to deep U.V. light, which is absorbed with respect to aromatic rings such as benzene rings, such as light from the KrF or ArF excimer laser or the like.
If the above-mentioned polymers containing silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of the general formula (I') are irradiated with deep U.V. light, excimer laser beam (KrF (248 nm), ArF (193 nm) or the like) or the like, acids are generated. Moreover, in the polymers of the general formula (I') according to the present invention, acid hydrolysis takes place by heating through acids generated by light irradiation, i.e. silyl ether in the main chain of polymer is broken and converted to silanol, whereby the solubility thereof in solvents is extremely varied or improved due to remarkable decrease in molecular weight of the polymer. Therefore, the polymers of the general formula (I') are utilized as photoacid generators for chemically amplified type resists and further can be utilized as a base resin for resists and agents for inhibiting dissolution of the resists and cationic photo-polymerization initiators for alkyl vinyl ether or the like.
Furthermore, the polymers of the general formula (I') according to the present invention have very excellent resistance to oxygen plasma etching because of high content of silicon atoms in the molecule. The etching resistance is improved as the number (m' in the general formula (I')) of silicon atoms per its constituent unit increases. Therefore, the polymers can be utilized for an upper layer in multilayer resist.
The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention will be hereinafter be described in more detail with reference to the non-limitating working Examples given by way of illustration and the effects practically achieved by the present invention will also be discussed in more detail in comparison with Control Example.
EXAMPLE 1
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 3, n is 64 and k is zero, was synthesized as follows.
Three grams (13.7 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol were dissolved in 15 ml of dry pyridine, and 3.73 ml (13.7 mmol) of 1,5-dichloro-hexamethyltrisiloxane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was reprecipitated in methanol to yield 5.94 g of a polymer (IV) (yield: 87%, weight-average molecular weight: 28,000). Then, 1 g of this polymer (IV) was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, and 1.02 g of diphenyliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 24 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. White precipitate thus deposited was collected by filtration and was dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 1.25 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 82%). Structure of the final product was identified by 1 H-NMR measurement (an AMX-400 type NMR apparatus manufactured by Bruker Co.), an IR measurement (IR-470 manufactured by Shimadzu Co.) and elemental analysis. Molecular weight was determined by using LC-9A of Shimadzu Co. and detection was performed by using SPD-6A of Shimadzu Co. and GPC column (GPC KF-80M) of Shouwa Denkou Co. in which tetrahydrofuran (refer to hereinafter as "THF") was used as a solvent.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 6H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 6.77-7.07(m, 4H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 9H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288(ν Si-C ), 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 42,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 46.37 4.53 9.59 8.90Calculated (% by weight): 46.28 4.82 9.88 8.78______________________________________
EXAMPLES 2-4
In these Example, the same procedures as used in Example 1 were repeated to synthesize desired final products, except that 1,5-dichloro-hexamethyltrisiloxane was replaced with the following silicon compounds(Table 1). Structure of each of the final products was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1. Table 1 shows total yields and elemental analysis of the final products.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Elemental Analysis.sup.1) (% by weight) YieldEx. Silicon Compound C H S F %______________________________________2 1,7-dichloro-octa- 44.64 5.01 6.59 7.79 70 methyltetrasiloxane (44.85) (5.16) (6.67) (7.66)3 1,3-dichloro-tetra- 48.37 4.03 11.29 9.78 72 methyldisiloxane (48.07) (4.38) (11.16) (9.92)4 1,3-dichloro-tetra- 62.67 4.00 7.49 6.79 80 phenyldisiloxane (62.76) (4.04) (7.79) (6.92)______________________________________ .sup.1) Values in the parenthesis correspond to calculated values.
EXAMPLE 5
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (II), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 1, n is 92 and k is zero, was synthesized as follows.
Five grams (22.9 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol were dissolved in 25 ml of dry pyridine, and 2.78 ml (22.9 mmol) of dimethyldichlorosilane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was poured and reprecipitated in methanol to yield 5.63 g of a polymer (yield: 90%, weight-average molecular weight: 27,000).
Then, 1 g of this polymer was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, and 1.57 g of diphenyliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 37 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. White precipitate thus deposited was collected by filtration and was dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 1.6 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 88%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.13(s, 6H, methyl), 6.75-7.02(m, 4H, aromatic), 7.18-7.64 (m, 9H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2955(ν C-H (CH 3 )), 1578(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1280(ν Si-C ), 1240, 1223(ν C-F ), 838(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 47,600
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 50.47 3.63 12.59 11.60Calculated (% by weight): 50.39 3.83 12.81 11.39______________________________________
EXAMPLES 6 and 7
The same procedures as used in Example 5 were repeated to synthesize desired final products, except that the dimethyldichlorosilane was replaced with the following silicon compounds(Table 2). Structure of each of the final products was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1. Table 2 shows total yields and elemental, analysis of the final products.
TABLE 2______________________________________ Elemental Analysis.sup.1) (% by weight) YieldExample Silicon Compound C H S %______________________________________6 Diethyldichloro- 51.37 6.03 7.28 70 silane (51.14) (6.20) (7.68) 707 Diphenyldichloro- 51.37 6.03 7.29 76 silane (51.14) (6.20) (7.58)______________________________________ .sup.1) Values in the parenthesis correspond to calculated values.
EXAMPLE 8
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (II), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, Z represents a trimethylsilyl group, and m is 3, was synthesized as follows.
First, 2.03 g of the polymer (IV)(wherein X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, Z represents a hydrogen atom and m is 3) was dissolved in 5 ml of dry THF, and 0.2 ml of hexamethyldisilazane was added to the solution. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 70° C. with agitating and was subjected to reaction for 2 hrs. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was diluted with 30 ml of dry THF and poured in dry ethanol. Precipitate thus deposited was recovered and dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 1.72 g (yield: 86.2%) of a polymer having end groups each of which was end-capped with a trimethylsilyl group.
Then, 1.5 g of this polymer was dissolved in 3 ml of chlorobenzene, and 1.49 g of diphenyl-iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 7 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. White precipitate thus deposited was collected by filtration and was dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 2.14 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 94%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1. The results of elemental analysis are as follows.
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 46.50 4.98 9.71 9.13Calculated (% by weight): 46.26 4.85 9.82 8.73______________________________________
EXAMPLE 9
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I) in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, R 4 represents a 1,4-cyclohexylene group, Z represents a trimethylsilyl group, m is 4, n is 34, k is 34 and a ratio of n to k is 1:1, was synthesized as follows.
First, 3.13 g (14.35 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and 1.66 g (14.35 mmol) of 1,4-cyclohexanediol were dissolved in 30 ml of dry pyridine, and 10 ml (28.7 mmol) of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was reprecipitated in methanol to yield 10.49 g of a polymer (yield: 82%, weight-average molecular weight: 31,000).
Then, 5 g of this polymer were dissolved in 20 ml of dry THF and 0.3 ml of hexamethyl-disilazane were added to the solution. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 70° C. with agitating and was subjected to reaction for 2 hrs. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured in dry ethanol. Precipitate thus deposited was recovered and dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 4.45 g (yield: 89%) of a polymer having end groups each of which was end-capped with a trimethylsilyl group.
Then, 1 g of the resulting polymer was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, and 0.21 g of diphenyl-iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 2.1 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. White precipitate thus deposited was collected by filtration and was dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 0.98 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 79%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 2.05-2.73 (s, 4H, methylene), 4.34-4.75(s, 1H, methine), 6.77-7.07 (m, 1H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67 (m, 1. 6H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (--CH 2 --, CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288 (ν Si-C ) 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 37,800
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 50.33 7.33 3.44 5.90Calculated (% by weight): 50.31 7.26 3.27 5.82______________________________________
EXAMPLE 10
The same procedures as used in Example 9 were repeated to synthesize a desired final product, except that 1,4-cyclohexanediol was replaced with hydroquinone, n is 28 and k is 28. Structure of the final product was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm)
0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 6.7(s, 2H, aromatic), 6.77-7.07(m, 2.5H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 4H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288(ν Si-C ), 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 31,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 45.33 5.93 2.44 5.35Calculated (% by weight): 45.68 6.04 2.14 5.29______________________________________
EXAMPLE 11
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, R 4 represents an ethylene group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 4, n is 47, k is 12 and a ratio of n to k is 4:1 was synthesized as follows.
First, 4.71 g (21.6 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and 0.3 ml (5.4 mmol) of ethylene glycol were dissolved in 30 ml of dry pyridine, and 9.4 ml (27 mmol) of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was poured and reprecipitated in methanol to yield 10.19 g of a polymer (yield: 79% weight-average molecular weight: 28,000).
Then, 5 g of this polymer was dissolved in 20 ml of dry THF and 0.3 ml of hexamethyl-disilazane was added to the solution. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 70° C. with agitating and was subjected to reaction for 2 hrs. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured in dry ethanol. Precipitate thus deposited was recovered and dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 4.41 g (yield: 90%) of a polymer having end groups each of which was end-capped with a trimethylsilyl group.
Then, 1 g of the resulting polymer was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, and 0.8 g of diphenyl-iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 8.8 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. White precipitate thus deposited was collected by filtration and was dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 1.18 g (yield: 88%) of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units. Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 4.35-4.88 (s, 2H, methylene), 6.77-7.07(m, 2.5H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 4H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288(ν Si-C ). 1243, 1225ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 38,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 49.33 5.95 3.08 7.34Calculated (% by weight): 49.37 5.84 3.19 7.57______________________________________
EXAMPLE 12
The same procedures as used in Example 11 were repeated to synthesize a desired final product, except that ethylene glycol was replaced with 1,8-octanediol, n is 37, k is 9 and a ratio of n to k 4:1. Structure of the final product having yield of 82% was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 6.7(s, 2H, aromatic), 6.77-7.07(m, 2.5H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 4H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288(ν Si-C ), 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 31,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 45.33 5.93 2.44 5.35Calculated (% by weight): 45.68 6.04 2.14 5.29______________________________________
EXAMPLE 13
A spin coating film was formed, on a SiO 2 substrate, of a solution (8 wt. %) of the final product of Example 1 in acetonitrile according to a conventional spin coating method (revolution: 750 rpm for 20 seconds, and 3000 rpm for 40 seconds) and was dried on a hot plate at 120° C. for 90 seconds. After irradiating the film (film thickness: 1 μm) thus formed with KrF excimer laser beams (MEX excimer laser manufactured by NEC Corporation)(exposure area: 1 cm 2 ), the exposed portion of the film was dissolved in an acetonitrile solution containing sodium salt of tetrabromophenol Blue as a indicator (concentration : 32 μm), and then the solution was diluted with acetonitrile to 20 ml and visible light absorption spectra were measured on the diluted solution. An acid generated was determined on the basis of change in absorbance at 619 nm according to the method described in Analytical Chemistry, Vol.48, No.2, 450-451, 1976, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein. With regard to the relation between molar number and absorbance of acid, calibration was previously made from absorbances of the known amounts of p-toluenesulfonic acid and the acetonitrile solution as an indicator, and the calibration curve was used in the determination of acid.
It is identified by the above-mentioned determination that 20 nmol of acid was generated by irradiating the product of Example 1 with 80 mJ•cm -2 of exposure amount.
EXAMPLE 14
First, 2 g of the final product obtained in Example 1 and 18 g of poly(p-hydroxystyrene) in which 35% of hydroxy groups were modified with tert-butoxycarbonyl group and having 30,000 of weight-average molecular weight were dissolved in 80 g of methylisobutylketone and the solution was filtered by a membrane filter having 0.2 μm holes. Then, the resulting solution was coated on a silicon substrate by a conventional spin coating method to form a film having a thickness of 1 μm and the film was prebaked on a hot plate at 120° C. for 90 seconds. The prebaked film was then dipped in an aqueous solution of 3.25 wt. % tetramethylammonium hydroxide (referred to hereinafter as "TMAH") and the velocity of dissolution of the film therein was measured.
Next, another film was made in the same manner as mentioned above. After irradiating the film with the KrF excimer laser beam (MEX excimer laser manufactured by NEC Corporation)(exposure amount: 30 mJ•cm -1 ), the exposed film was post-baked at 110° C. for 60 seconds. Then, the film was dipped in 3.25 wt. % TMAH and the dissolution velocity of the film was measured. The results show that the dissolution velocity of the exposed film was 150 times as much as that of the film before being exposed.
EXAMPLE 15
First, 2 g of the final product obtained in Example 1 and 18 g of poly(p-hydroxystyrene) in which 35% of hydroxy groups were modified with tert-butoxycarbonyl groups and having 30,000 of weight-average molecular weight were dissolved in 80 g of methylisobutylketone and then the solution was filtered by a membrane filter having 0.2 μm holes to prepare a resist solution.
The resist solution thus prepared was coated on a silicon substrate by the spin coating method to form a film having a thickness of 1 μm, and the resulting film was prebaked on a hot plate at 120° C. for 90 seconds to form a resist layer. The resist layer was exposed to light using a KrF excimer laser beam (MEX excimer laser manufactured by NEC Corporation) as a light source and a KrF excimer laser stepper (numerical aperture: 0.42) and thereafter post-baked at 110° C. for 60 seconds. Next, the wafer was dipped in 3.25 wt. % TMAH for 60 seconds to perform development and then was dipped in isopropyl alcohol for 30 seconds to perform rinsing. In this case, the sensitivity was 40 mJ•cm -2 and the minimum resolution was 0.45 μmL/S.
EXAMPLE 16
The same procedures as used in Example 13 were repeated except that the light source was replaced with an ArF excimer laser (HE-460-SM-A type manufactured by Lumonics Co.). As a result, it was identified that 40 nmol of acid was generated by irradiation of 40 mJ•cm -1 .
EXAMPLE 17
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, R 4 represents a 1,4-cyclohexylene group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 4, n is 14, k is 57 and a ratio of n to k is 1:4, was synthesized as follows.
First, 1.25 g (5.7 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and 2.67 g (23 mmol) of 1,4-cyclohexanediol were dissolved in 30 ml of dry pyridine, and 10 ml (28.7 mmol) of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyl-tetrasiloxane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was poured and reprecipitated in methanol to yield 11.21 g of a polymer (yield: 82%, weight-average molecular weight: 30,000).
Then, 5 g of this polymer was dissolved in 20 ml of dry THF and 0.3 ml of hexamethyl-disilazane was added to the solution. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 70° C. with agitating and was subjected to reaction for 2 hrs. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured in dry methanol. Precipitate thus deposited was recovered and dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 4.66 g (yield: 89%) of a polymer having end groups each of which was end-capped with a trimethylsilyl group.
Then, 1 g of the resulting polymer was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, and 0.21 g of diphenyl-iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 2.1 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into n-hexane to perform reprecipitation. Supernatant liquid was removed by decantation and the remaining residue was dried under reduced pressure to obtain 0.89 g of a powdery polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 82%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 2.05-2.73 (m, 6.4H, methylene), 4.34-4.75(s, 1.6H, methine), 6.77-7.07(m, 1H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 1.6H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (--CH 2 --, CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288 (ν Si-C ), 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 33,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 44.78 7.08 1.21 2.55Calculated (% by weight): 44.01 7.29 1.06 2.52______________________________________
EXAMPLE 18
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, R 4 represents a 1,4-cyclohexanedimethylene group, Z represents a trimethylsilyl group, m is 4, n is 28, k is 28 and a ratio of n to k is 1:1, was synthesized as follows.
The same procedures as used in Example 9 were repeated to synthesize a final powdery product, except that 1.66 g (14.35 mmol) of 1,4-cyclohexanediol was replaced with 2.06 g (14.35 mmol) of 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol. Structure of the final product having yield of 70% was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1.
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (--CH 2 --, CH 3 )), 1581(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1287 (ν Si-C ), 1242, 1223(ν C-F ), 832(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 32,000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 46.90 7.05 2.77 5.25Calculated (% by weight): 46.32 6.91 2.87 5.12______________________________________
EXAMPLE 19
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a tolyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 3, n is 64 and k is zero, was synthesized as follows.
The same procedures as used in Example 1 were repeated to synthesize a final product, except that 1.02 g (0.0024 mol) of diphenyliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate was replaced with 1.09 g (0.0024 mol) of ditolyliodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate. Structure of the final product (1.19 g; yield: 75%) was identified by the same analysis method as in Example 1.
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 42,800
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 47.52 5.23 9.61 8.15Calculated (% by weight): 47.11 5.02 9.67 8.60______________________________________
CONTROL EXAMPLE 1
In this Control Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I), in which R 1 represents a phenyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X represents general formula (III), both R 2 and R 3 represent a methyl group, R 4 represents a 1,4-cyclohexylene group, Z represents a hydrogen atom, m is 4, n is 4, k is 76 and a ratio of n to k is 5:95, was synthesized as follows.
First, 0.63 g (2.88 mmol) of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and 6.33 g (54.4 mmol) of 1,4-cyclohexanediol were dissolved in 30 ml of dry pyridine, and 20 ml (57.4 mmol) of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was added to the solution and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at reflux for 5 hours. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in toluene and was poured and reprecipitated in methanol to yield 20.21 g of a polymer (yield: 88%, weight-average molecular weight: 31,500).
Then, 5 g of this polymer were dissolved in 20 ml of dry THF and 0.3 ml of hexamethyl-disilazane was added to the solution. Thereafter, the mixture was heated at 70° C. with agitating and was subjected to reaction for 2 hrs. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured in dry methanol. Precipitate thus formed was recovered and dried under reduced pressure for 12 hrs. to obtain 4.51 g (yield: 90%) of a polymer having end groups each of which was end-capped with a trimethylsilyl group.
Then, 1 g of the resulting polymer was dissolved in 10 ml of chlorobenzene, 0.105 g of diphenyl-iodonium trifluoromethanesulfonate and 1.1 mg of copper benzoate were added to the solution and were agitated at 120°-130° C. for 3 hrs. under an atmosphere of argon. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was allowed to cool and then was poured into ether to perform reprecipitation. Supernatant liquid was removed by decantation and the remaining residue was dried under reduced pressure to obtain 0.73 g of a liquid polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 70%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H, methyl), 0.28(s, 12H, methyl), 2.05-2.73 (s, 6.4H, methylene), 4.34-4.75(m, 1.6H, methylene), 6.77-7.07(m, 1H, aromatic), 7.20-7.67(m, 1.6H, aromatic)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 2950(ν C-H (--CH 2 --, CH 3 )), 1580(ν C ═C (phenyl)), 1288 (ν Si-C ) 1243, 1225(ν C-F ), 835(ν C-H (phenyl))
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 33000
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 44.78 7.08 1.21 2.55Calculated (% by weight): 44.01 7.29 1.06 2.52______________________________________
EXAMPLE 20
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which both R 1' and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (III'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a methyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 4 and n' is 53, was synthesized as follows.
First, 3.51 g of 2,2'-thiodiethanol was dissolved in 50 ml of dry pyridine in a 300 ml three-necked flask equipped with a reflux condenser and three-way cock and purged with argon, and 10 ml of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was added to the solution gradually and agitated at room temperature for one hour. Thereafter, the mixture was agitated for 5 hours in a 70° C. bath with heating. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was dissolved in dichloromethane, washed with water and thereafter poured into a large bulk of methanol. After decanting off supernatant liquid, the remaining liquid precipitate was dried under reduced pressure overnight to yield 8.28 g of a polymer (IV') (yield: 83%, weight-average molecular weight: 27,000, n=67).
Then, 2.1 g of this polymer was charged into a 300 ml four-necked flask, and 50 ml of a solution of 2-bromocyclohexanone 0.685 g (0.005 mol) in nitromethane were dropped therein. After agitating for 2 hrs., 100 ml of a solution of silver trifluoromethanesulfonate 1.285 g (0.005 mol) in nitromethane was added thereto dropwise and agitated for 3 hrs. At the end of the reaction, precipitate of silver bromide thus formed was filtered off with a glass filter (G4) and the solvent was distilled off from the filtrate under reduced pressure to concentrate it to about 50 ml. The resulting concentrate was poured into a large bulk of dry ether. After decanting off the supernatant liquid, the residue was dried under reduced pressure overnight to obtain 2.58 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 78%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H), 0.24(s, 12H), 1.73-1.85(m, 4H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, lH), 3.04-3.11(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O), 1264(ν C-F ) 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3) 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 31,500
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F Si______________________________________Found (% by weight): 35.02 6.03 9.56 8.95 17.33Calculated (% by weight): 34.44 6.19 9.67 8.61 17.85______________________________________
EXAMPLE 21
The same procedures as in Example 20 were repeated to obtain a final product, except that 0.35 g of imidazole was added to the solution of 2,2'-thiodiethanol and 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane immediately before it was heated to 70° C. There was obtained a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units having 101,000 of weight-average molecular weight and 169 of n'.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H), 0.24(s, 12H), 1.73-1.85(m, 4H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, 1H), 3.04-3.11(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O), 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3) 1100( Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 34.88 6.40 9.45 8.25Calculated (% by weight): 34.44 6.19 9.67 8.61______________________________________
EXAMPLE 22
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which R 1' and R 2' represent a propylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y -' represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a methyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 4 and n' is 46, was synthesized according to the same procedures as in Example 20, except that 3.51 g of 2,2'-thiodiethanol was replaced with 4.2 g of 3'-thiodipropanol.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H), 0.24(s, 12H), 1.73-1.85(m, 8H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, 1H), 3.04-3.13(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ) 1710(ν C ═O), 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3) 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 28,500
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 36.31 6.89 8.95 7.98Calculated (% by weight): 36.73 6.56 9.32 8.31______________________________________
EXAMPLE 23
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which R 1' and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y -' represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a methyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 1 and n' is 59, was synthesized according to the same procedures as in Example 20, except that 10 ml of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was replaced with 3.5 ml of dimethyldichlorosilane.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.25(s, 6H), 1.73-1.85(m, 4H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, 1H), 3.04-3.11(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O), 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3), 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 22,300
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 35.54 5.80 14.25 12.91Calculated (% by weight): 35.86 5.29 14.71 13.10______________________________________
EXAMPLE 24
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which R '1 and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y -' represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a t-butyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 1 and n' is 53, was synthesized according to the same procedures as in Example 20, except that 10 ml of 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane was replaced with 6.1 ml of di-t-butyldichlorosilane.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.24(s, 2H), 1.05-1.12(m, 12H), 1.53-1.58(m, 2H), 1.73-1.85(m, 2H), 1.90-2.24(m, 4H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, 1H), 3.04-3.11(s, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O) 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3) 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO 3 )
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 10,500
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 44.27 6.27 5.52 10.55Calculated (% by weight): 43.93 6.74 5.33 10.98______________________________________
EXAMPLE 25
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which both R 1' and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a methyl group, Z' represents a trimethylsilyl group, m' is 4 and n' is 37, was synthesized substantially in the same manner as in Example 20, except that ends of an intermediate polymer (formula (IV')) were capped with trimethylsilyl groups as follows.
First, a polymer of formula (IV'), in which both R 1' and R 2' are an ethylene group, X' is general formula (III'), both R 4' and R 5' are a methyl group, Z' is a hydrogen atom and m' is 4, was prepared by adding a 1,7-dichloro-octamethyltetrasiloxane into a solution of 2,2'-thiodiethanol in pyridine and thereafter heating the mixture as described in Example 20. Then, 2 g of the compound was dissolved in 20 ml of THF, and 0.5 g of hexamethyldisilazane was added to the solution and heated at 70° C. for 1 hr. At the end of the reaction, the reaction mixture was poured into dry methanol to perform reprecipitation. Thus, there was obtained a polymer having end groups end-capped with trimethylsilyl groups. Then, 2 g of this polymer was charged into a 300 ml four-necked flask, and 50 ml of a solution of 2-bromo-cyclohexanone 0.685 g (0.005 mol) in nitromethane were added dropwise therein. After agitating for 2 hrs., 100 ml of a solution of silver trifluoromethane-sulfonate 1.104 g (0.005 mol) in nitromethane was added thereto dropwise and agitated for additional three hours. At the end of the reaction, precipitate of silver bromide thus formed was filtered off with a glass filter (G4) and the solvent was distilled off from the filtrate under reduced pressure to concentrate it to about 50 ml. The resulting concentrate was poured into a large bulk of dry ether to perform reprecipitation. Thus, there was obtained 2.38 g of a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units (yield: 72%). Structure of the final product was identified in the same manner as in Example 1.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H), 0.24(s, 12H), 1.73-1.85(m, 4H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.77(m, 1H), 3.04-3.11(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ) 1710(νC═O), 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3) 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 31,500
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 34.19 6.41 9.25 8.23Calculated (% by weight): 34.44 6.19 9.67 8.61______________________________________
EXAMPLE 26
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which R 1' and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3 ' represents a 2-oxopropyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a methyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 4 and n' is 53, was synthesized according to the same procedures as in Example 20, except that 0.685 g of 2-bromocyclohexanone was replaced with 0.68 g of bromoacetone.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 0.12(s, 12H), 0.24(s, 12H), 2.67-2.77(s, 3H), 3.05-3.11(m, 4H), 5.05-5.10(s, 1H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O) 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(νSO.sbsb.3) 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 30,700
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 31.56 5.43 9.26 8.32Calculated (% by weight): 31.38 5.69 9.85 8.77______________________________________
EXAMPLE 27
In this Example, a polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units of general formula (I'), in which R 1' and R 2' represent an ethylene group, R 3' represents a 2-oxocyclohexyl group, Y - represents CF 3 SO 3 - , X' represents general formula (II'), both R 4' and R 5' represent a phenyl group, Z' represents a hydrogen atom, m' is 1 and n' is 49, was synthesized according to the same procedures as in Example 20, except that 10 ml of 1,7-dichloro octamethyltetrasiloxane was replaced with 6 ml of dichlorodiphenylsilane.
1 H-NMR (acetone-d 6 , internal standard: tetramethylsilane): δ (ppm) 1.73-1.85(m, 4H), 1.90-2.24(m, 2H), 2.53-2.58(m, 2H), 2.67-2.7(m, 1H), 3.04-3.11(m, 8H), 5.05-5.10(m, 1H), 7.12-7.73(m, 10H)
IR (KBr tablet, cm -1 ) 3040(ν C-H ), 1710(ν C ═O), 1570(ν C ═C), 1264(ν C-F ), 1160(ν SO .sbsb.3), 1100(ν Si-O-Si ), 1030(ν SO .sbsb.3), 900(ν C ═C), 675(ν C ═C)
Weight-Average Molecular Weight: 24,500
Elemental Analysis:
______________________________________ C H S F______________________________________Found (% by weight): 50.36 9.85 11.68 10.40Calculated (% by weight): 50.86 9.36 11.95 10.84______________________________________
EXAMPLE 28
First, 2 ml of a solution of the final product (concentration: 32 μmol) of Example 20 in acetonitrile was irradiated with ArF excimer laser beam (HE-460-SM-A type excimer laser manufactured by Lumonics Co.)(exposure area: 1 cm 2 ). Then, 2 ml of an acetonitrile solution containing sodium salt of tetrabromophenol Blue as a indicator was added to the exposed solution, and the mixture was diluted with acetonitrile to 20 ml. Visible light absorption spectra were measured on the diluted solution. The resulting acid was determined on the basis of change in absorbance at 619 nm according to the method described in the Analytical Chemistry, Vol.48, No.2, 450-451, 1976, as mentioned in Example 13. With regard to the relation between molar number and absorbance of acid, calibration was previously made from absorbances of the known amounts of p-toluenesulfonic acid and the acetonitrile solution as an indicator, and the calibration curve was used in the determination of acid.
It is identified by the above-mentioned determination that 20 nmol of acid was generated by irradiating the product of Example 20 with 80 mJ•cm -2 of exposure amount.
As discussed above, the first polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units according to the present invention generates acids by being irradiated with the radiation such as deep U.V. light, excimer laser beam or the like, and with generation of acids the solubility of the polymers in a solvent extremely changes. Thus, the polymer is useful as a sensitizer for photoresist (i.e. as a photoacid generator) and a dissolution inhibitor. Furthermore, the first polymer of the present invention has the excellent resistance to oxygen plasma etching because of silicon atoms included in the molecule, and thus it is usefully used in the field of photoresist.
Furthermore, the second polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units according to the present invention also generates acids by being irradiated with the above radiation and particularly the light of short wavelengths of 200 nm or less. Thus, the polymer is useful as a cationic photopolymerization initiator using the light of shorter wavelengths such as light from the ArF excimer laser or the like and a sensitizer (a photoacid generator) for photoresist which is processed by the light of short wavelengths. In addition, these second polymer has also the excellent resistance to oxygen plasma etching because of silicon atoms included in the molecule, and thus it is usefully used in the field of photoresist.
While the present invention has been described in connection with certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the subject matter encompassed by way of the present invention is not to be limited to those specific embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended for the subject matter of the invention to include all alternatives, modifications and equivalents as can be included within the spirit and scope of the following claims.
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A polymer having silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units in its main chain is provided which is obtained from a reaction between a polymer having silicon atoms, which is obtained by polymerizing 4,4'-thiodiphenol or a mixture of 4,4'-thiodiphenol and a diol compound and a silane or siloxane derivative, and a diaryliodonium salt or an alkyl. halide. The polymer having both silicon atoms and sulfonium salt units in its main chain are useful as a photoacid generator for chemically amplified resist and a base resin and a dissolution inhibitor for the resist.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of Taiwan application serial no. 92123869, filed on Aug. 29, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This invention generally relates to a semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same, and more particularly to an interconnect structure and a method for fabricating the same.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] For current VLSI fabrication processes, most semiconductor devices use two or more interconnects for routing in order to achieve a higher integration level.
[0006] For a conventional process for multi-level interconnects, a silicon oxide inter level dielectric (ILD) is formed on the substrate to cover the device on the substrate. Then a contact window is formed in the ILD electrically connected to the selected device. A conducting line is formed on the ILD to electrically connect to the contact window. The conducting line is formed by stacking a Ti/TiN barrier layer, an Al layer, and a Ti/TiN barrier layer. The above process is for a single-level interconnect. The multi-level interconnects can be fabricated by repeating the above steps.
[0007] However, problem occurs while a contact window is formed in the second-level ILD on the first-level interconnect. Conventionally, the contact window is formed by forming an opening in ILD to expose the conducting line and then filling a conducting material into the opening. However, when etching the ILD to form the opening, over-etching may happen due to inappropriate etching control. If the etching process does not stop on the Ti/TiN barrier layer above the Al layer, the Al layer will be etched so that the resistance will increase. For a process with a line width of 0.12 μm or below, this etching process is more difficult to control. Hence, the issue of over-etching becomes more critical for a process with a line width of 0.12 μm or below.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
[0008] An object of the present invention is to provide an interconnect structure and a method for fabricating the same to prevent the Al layer form over-etching due to the difficulty to control the end point of the etching process.
[0009] The present invention provides a method for fabricating interconnects, comprising: forming a conducting line on a first dielectric layer; forming a first liner on the surfaces of the first dielectric layer and the conducting line; forming a second liner on the first liner, the dielectric layer having an etching rate; forming a second dielectric layer on the second liner, the dielectric layer having an etching rate higher than the etching rate of the dielectric layer; and patterning the second dielectric layer to form a contact window opening through the second liner and the first liner to expose the surface of the conducting line.
[0010] The present invention provides an interconnect structure, comprising: a first dielectric layer; a conducting line on the first dielectric layer; a first liner on the surfaces of the first dielectric layer and the conducting line; a second liner on the surface of the first liner; and a second dielectric layer covering the second liner, the second dielectric layer having a contact widow opening through the second liner and the first liner to expose the surface of the conducting line.
[0011] In brief, because the etching rate of the second liner on the conducting line is lower than that of the second dielectric layer, the second liner can be a stop layer while patterning the second dielectric layer. Hence, an over-etching of the Al layer and a subsequent increased of the resistance are precluded.
[0012] The above is a brief description of some deficiencies in the prior art and advantages of the present invention. Other features, advantages and embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description, accompanying drawings and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0013] FIGS. 1A-1E show the cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment for fabricating an interconnect structure in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] FIGS. 1A-1E show the cross-sectional view of for fabricating an interconnect structure in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
[0015] Referring to FIG. 1A , a dielectric layer 100 having a contact window 104 is provided. The dielectric layer 100 is, for example, silicon oxide. Further, the dielectric layer 100 can be used as an ILD. The dielectric layer 100 is formed above the substrate (not shown) to cover the device structures (not shown) on the substrate. The thickness of the dielectric layer 100 is between 6000 and 7200 Å. The contact window 104 is electrically connected to the underlying selected device. The diameter of the contact window is approximately 0.35 μm. The contact window can be W or polysilicon. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, if the material of the contact window is W, an adhesive Ti/TiN layer can be formed between the contact window 104 and the dielectric layer 100 to enhance the adhesion of W to the dielectric layer 100 .
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1A , a conducting line layer 102 is formed on the dielectric layer 100 . The conducting line layer 102 can be formed by performing physical vapor deposition to sequentially form a barrier layer 106 , a metal layer 108 , and a barrier layer 110 on the dielectric layer 100 . The total thickness of these three layers is between 2500 4000 Å. The material of the metal layer 108 is Al-dominated, such as, Al or Al—Cu alloy. The barrier layers 106 and 110 can be a single TiN layer or a stacked layer including a TiN layer and a Ti layer.
[0017] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the barrier layer 106 is a single Ti layer, and the barrier layer 108 is a stacked Ti/TiN layer. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the barrier layer 106 is a stacked Ti/TiN layer, and the barrier layer 110 is a single Ti layer. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, both of the barrier layers 106 and 110 are stacked Ti/TiN layers. In other words, the conducting line layer 102 is a four-layered or five-layered structure including a metal layer 108 , two barrier layers 106 and 110 . Further, the Ti layer is used to prevent electromigration of the metal layer 108 . The TiN layer is used to prevent the metal layer from reacting with the contact window of W so that the resistance of the metal layer and the contact window will not increase.
[0018] Referring to FIG. 1B , the conducting line layer 102 is patterned to form the conducting line 112 . The conducting line 112 is electrically connected to the contact window 104 . The conducting line 112 includes the patterned barrier layer 106 , metal layer 108 a, and barrier layer 110 a. The patterned conducting line layer 102 is formed by forming a patterned photoresist layer (not shown) as a mask and etching the conducting line layer 102 .
[0019] Referring to FIG. 1C , a liner layer 114 is formed on the surfaces of the dielectric layer 100 and the conducting line 112 . The liner layer 114 is, for example, silicon oxide and is formed by, for example, performing a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD) process. The thickness of the liner layer 114 is between 100-200 Å.
[0020] Then, a liner layer 116 is formed on the surface of the layer 114 . The liner 116 is SiN x or SiON, and is formed by, for example, performing a CVD process at a temperature of approximately 400° C. The thickness of the liner 116 is between 110-130 Å. It should be noted that the dielectric coefficient of the silicon oxide liner layer 114 is smaller than that of the SiN x or SiON liner layer 116 . The generation of parasitic capacitance can be avoided in the subsequent process.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 1D , a dielectric layer 118 is formed on the liner layer 116 . The material of the dielectric layer 118 is the same as that of the liner layer 116 , such as, silicon oxide. The dielectric layer 118 is formed by performing a high-density plasma chemical vapor deposition (HDPCVD). Further, the height of the dielectric layer 118 is about 6000 Å above that of the liner layer 116 .
[0022] It should be noted that the silicon oxide dielectric layer 118 has an etching rate higher than the etching rate of the SiN x or SiON liner layer 116 . The etching selectivity ratio of the silicon oxide dielectric layer 118 to the SiN x or SiON liner layer 116 is, for example, between 50 and 70. Hence, it is more difficult to remove the liner layer 116 than the dielectric layer 118 . Therefore, the liner layer 116 can be used for an etch stop layer for the subsequent process to pattern the dielectric layer 118 .
[0023] Referring to FIG. 1D , a patterned photoresist layer 122 is formed on the dielectric layer 118 by performing a spin coating process to form a photoresist material layer (not shown), followed by performing a photolithography process. In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, before forming the photoresist material layer, an anti-reflective coating (ARC) is formed on the dielectric layer 118 to prevent the photoresist material layer from undesired exposure in the subsequent exposure processes. The material of the ARC can be organic or inorganic.
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1E , the dielectric layer 118 is patterned to form a contact window opening 124 through the liner layer 114 a and the liner layer 116 a to expose the surface of the conducting line 112 . The dielectric layer 118 is patterned by using the photoresist layer 122 as a mask and performing a dry etching process. Then, the photoresist layer 122 is removed.
[0025] It should be noted that the silicon oxide dielectric layer 118 a has an etching rate higher than the etching rate of the SiN x or SiON liner 116 a. Hence, it is more difficult to remove the liner 116 a than the dielectric layer 118 a. Therefore, the liner 116 can be used for an etch stop layer for patterning the dielectric layer 118 a. In other words, during the etching process on the liner 116 a, the etching rate gradually reduces to prevent the conducting line 122 from being over-etched.
[0026] After forming the contact window opening 124 , a conducting material (not shown) can be filled into the contact window opening 124 to form the contact , which is electrically connected to the conducting line 112 . The conducting material can be tungsten or polysilicon.
[0027] The interconnect structure of the present invention is illustrated as follows. Referring to FIG. 1F , the interconnect structure includes a contact 104 , dielectric layer 100 and 118 a, a conducting line 112 , and liners 114 a and 116 a.
[0028] The contact 104 is configured in the dielectric layer 100 . The conducting line 112 is disposed on the dielectric layer 100 and is electrically connected to the contact 104 . The conducting line 1122 is a stacked structure including a barrier layer 106 a, a metal layer 108 a, and a barrier layer 110 a. For example, the conducting line 112 is a four-layered or five-layered structure, which includes a metal layer 108 a, two barrier layers 106 a and 110 a as mentioned above.
[0029] The liner layer 114 a is disposed on the surfaces of the dielectric layer 100 and the conducting line 112 . The liner 114 a is, for example, silicon oxide, and the thickness of the liner layer 114 a is between 100-200 Å. The liner layer 116 a is disposed on the surface of the liner layer 114 a. The liner layer 116 a is SiN x or SiON, and the thickness of the liner layer 116 a is between 110-130 Å. The etching selectivity ratio of the silicon oxide dielectric layer 118 a to the SiN x or SiON liner 116 a is, for example, between 50 and 70.
[0030] Further, the dielectric layer 118 a covers the liner layer 116 a, and the dielectric layer 118 a has a contact widow opening 124 formed therein, through the liner layers 114 a and 116 a to expose the surface of the conducting line 112 .
[0031] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a conducting material (not shown) can be filled into the contact window opening 124 to form the contact , which is electrically connected to the conducting line 112 . The conducting material can be tungsten or polysilicon.
[0032] It should be noted that the silicon oxide dielectric layer 118 a has an etching rate higher than the etching rate of the SiN x or SiON liner layer 116 a. Hence, it is more difficult to remove the liner layer 116 a than the dielectric layer 118 a. Therefore, the liner layer 116 a can be used for an etch stop layer for patterning the dielectric layer 118 a. In other words, during the etching process on the liner layer 116 a, the etching rate becomes lower to prevent the conducting line 122 from being over-etched.
[0033] The above description provides a full and complete description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention. Various modifications, alternate construction, and equivalent may be made by those skilled in the art without changing the scope or spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the above description and illustrations should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention which is defined by the following claims.
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A method for fabricating interconnects is provided. The method comprises forming a conducting line on a first dielectric layer; forming a first liner layer on the surfaces of the first dielectric layer and the conducting line; forming a second liner layer on the first liner layer; forming a second dielectric layer on the second liner layer, wherein the etching selectivity rate of the second dielectric layer is higher than the etching selectivity rate of the second liner; and patterning the second dielectric layer to form a contact window opening through the second liner layer and the first liner layer to expose the surface of the conducting line. Because the second dielectric layer having an etching rate higher than the etching rate of the second liner layer, the second liner layer can be used as an etch stop layer while patterning the second dielectric layer.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This Application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/516,475 filed Mar. 1, 2000, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to circuit interrupters, and more particularly to circuit interrupter operating mechanisms.
Circuit interrupter operating mechanisms are used to manually control the opening and closing of movable contact structures within circuit interrupters. Additionally, these operating mechanisms in response to a trip signal, for example, from an actuator device, will rapidly open the movable contact structure and interrupt the circuit. To transfer the forces (e.g., to manually control the contact structure or to rapidly trip the structure with an actuator), operating mechanisms employ powerful springs and linkage arrangements. The spring energy provides a high output force to the separable contacts.
Commonly, multiple contacts, each disposed within a cassette, are arranged within a circuit breaker system for protection of individual phases of current. The operating mechanism is positioned over one of the cassettes and generally connected to all of the cassettes in the system. Because of the close position between each of the cassettes, and between each cassette and the operating mechanism, the space available for movable components is minimal. It would be desirable to maximize the available space to reduce friction between movable components within the operating mechanism.
Furthermore, circuit breaker arrangements are provided for 3-pole and 4-pole devices. Inherently, the position of a circuit breaker operating mechanism relative to a 4-pole device is asymmetrical. Therefore, it will be desirable to provide a circuit breaker operating mechanism that maximizes the output force to the poles of the circuit breaker system while minimizing the lost forces due to, for example, friction.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
An operating mechanism for controlling and tripping a separable contact structure arranged in a protected circuit is provided by the present invention. The separable contact structure is movable between a first and second position. The first position permits current to flow through the protected circuit and the second position prohibits current from flowing through the circuit. The mechanism includes a frame, a drive member pivotally coupled to the frame, a spring pivotally connecting the drive member to a drive connector, an upper link pivotally seated on the drive connector, a lower link member pivotally coupled to the drive connector, a crank member pivotally coupled to the lower link member for interfacing the separable contact structure, and a cradle member pivotally secured to the frame and pivotally securing the upper link. The cradle member is configured for being releasably engaged by a latch assembly, which is displaced upon occurrence of a predetermined condition in the circuit. The mechanism is movable between a tripped position, a reset position, an off position, and an on position.
In one exemplary embodiment, spacers are operatively positioned between movable members, and protrusions are operatively formed on the enclosure. The spacers and protrusions serve to widen the stances of the operating mechanism for force distribution purposes, and also to minimize friction between movable components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a molded case circuit breaker employing an operating mechanism embodied by the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the circuit breaker of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of a rotary contact structure and operating mechanism embodied by the present invention in the “off” position;
FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of the rotary contact structure and operating mechanism of FIG. 3 in the “on” position;
FIG. 5 is a partial sectional view of the rotary contact structure and operating mechanism of FIGS. 3 and 4 in the “tripped” position;
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the operating mechanism;
FIG. 7 is a partially exploded view of the operating mechanism;
FIG. 8 is another partially exploded view of the operating mechanism;
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of a pair of mechanism springs and associated linkage components within the operating mechanism;
FIG. 10 is an isometric and exploded view of linkage components within the operating mechanism;
FIG. 11 is a front, isometric, and partially exploded isometric views of a linkage component within the operating mechanism;
FIG. 12 is a front, isometric, and partially exploded isometric views of linkage components within the operating mechanism;
FIGS. 13 depicts isometric views of the opposing sides of a cassette employed within the circuit interrupter;
FIG. 14 is a front view of the cassette and the operating mechanism positioned thereon; and
FIG. 15 is a partial front view of the cassette and the operating mechanism positioned thereon.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a circuit breaker 20 is shown. Circuit breaker 20 generally includes a molded case having a top cover 22 attached to a mid cover 24 coupled to a base 26 . An opening 28 , formed generally centrally within top cover 22 , is positioned to mate with a corresponding mid cover opening 30 , which is accordingly aligned with opening 28 when mid cover 24 and top cover 22 are coupled to one another.
In a 3-pole system (i.e., corresponding with three phases of current), three rotary cassettes 32 , 34 and 36 are disposed within base 26 . Cassettes 32 , 34 and 36 are commonly operated by an interface between an operating mechanism 38 via a cross pin 40 . Operating mechanism 38 is positioned and configured atop cassette 34 , which is generally disposed intermediate to cassettes 32 and 36 . Operating mechanism 38 operates substantially as described herein and as described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/196,706 entitled “Circuit Breaker Mechanism for a Rotary Contact Assembly”.
A toggle handle 44 extends through openings 28 and 30 and allows for external operation of cassettes 32 , 34 and 36 . Examples of rotary contact structures that may be operated by operating mechanism 38 are described in more detail in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/087,038 and 09/384,908, both entitled “Rotary Contact Assembly For High-Ampere Rated Circuit Breakers” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/384,495, entitled “Supplemental Trip Unit For Rotary Circuit Interrupters”. Cassettes 32 , 34 , 36 are typically formed of high strength plastic material and each include opposing sidewalls 46 , 48 . Sidewalls 46 , 48 have an arcuate slot 52 positioned and configured to receive and allow the motion of cross pin 40 by action of operating mechanism 38 .
Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 , and 5 , an exemplary rotary contact assembly 56 that is disposed within each cassette 32 , 34 , 36 is shown in the “off”, “on” and “tripped” conditions, respectively. Also depicted are partial side views of operating mechanism 38 , the components of which are described in greater detail further herein. Rotary contact assembly 56 includes a line side contact strap 58 and load side contact strap 62 for connection with a power source and a protected circuit (not shown), respectively. Line side contact strap 58 includes a stationary contact 64 and load side contact strap 62 includes a stationary contact 66 . Rotary contact assembly 56 further includes a movable contact arm 68 having a set of contacts 72 and 74 that mate with stationary contacts 64 and 66 , respectively. In the “off” position (FIG. 3) of operating mechanism 38 , wherein toggle handle 44 is oriented to the left (e.g., via a manual or mechanical force), contacts 72 and 74 are separated from stationary contacts 64 and 66 , thereby preventing current from flowing through contact arm 68 .
In the “on” position (FIG. 4) of operating mechanism 38 , wherein toggle handle 44 is oriented to the right as depicted in FIG. 3 (e.g., via a manual or mechanical force), contacts 72 and 74 are mated with stationary contacts 64 and 66 , thereby allowing current to flow through contact arm 68 . In the “tripped” position (FIG. 5) of operating mechanism 38 , toggle handle 44 is oriented between the “on” position and the “off” position (typically by the release of mechanism springs within operating mechanism 38 , described in greater detail herein). In this “tripped” position, contacts 72 and 74 are separated from stationary contacts 64 and 66 by the action of operating mechanism 38 , thereby preventing current from flowing through contact arm 68 . After operating mechanism 38 is in the “tripped” position, it must ultimately be returned to the “on” position for operation. This is effectuated by applying a reset force to move toggle handle 44 to a “reset” condition, which is beyond the “off” position (i.e., further to the left of the “off” position in FIG. 3 ), and then back to the “on” position. This reset force must be high enough to overcome the mechanism springs, described herein.
Contact arm 68 is mounted on a rotor structure 76 that houses one or more sets of contact springs (not shown). Contact arm 68 and rotor structure 76 pivot about a common center 78 . Cross pin 40 interfaces through an opening 82 within rotor structure 76 generally to cause contact arm 68 to be moved from the “on”, “off ” and “tripped” position.
Referring now to FIGS. 6-8, the components of operating mechanism 38 will now be detailed. As viewed in FIGS. 6-8, operating mechanism 38 is in the “tripped” position. Operating mechanism 38 has operating mechanism side frames 86 configured and positioned to straddle sidewalls 46 , 48 of cassette 34 (FIG. 2 ).
Toggle handle 44 (FIG. 2) is rigidly interconnected with a drive member or handle yoke 88 . Handle yoke 88 includes opposing side portions 89 . Each side portion 89 includes an extension 91 at to the top of side portion 89 , and a U-shaped portion 92 at the bottom portion of each side portion 89 . U-shaped portions 92 are rotatably positioned on a pair of bearing portions 94 protruding outwardly from side frames 86 . Bearing portions 94 are configured to retain handle yoke 88 , for example, with a securement washer. Handle yoke 88 further includes a roller pin 114 extending between extensions 91 .
Handle yoke 88 is connected to a set of powerful mechanism springs 96 by a spring anchor 98 , which is generally supported within a pair of openings 102 in handle yoke 88 and arranged through a complementary set of openings 104 on the top portion of mechanism springs 96 .
Referring to FIG. 9, the bottom portion of mechanism springs 96 include a pair of openings 206 . A drive connector 235 operative couples mechanism springs 96 to other operating mechanism components. Drive connector 235 comprises a pin 202 disposed through openings 206 , a set of side tubes 203 arranged on pin 202 adjacent to the outside surface of the bottom portion of mechanism springs 96 , (and a central tube 204 arranged on pin 202 between the inside surfaces of the bottom portions of mechanism springs 96 . Central tube 204 includes step portions at each end, generally configured to maintain a suitable distance between mechanism springs 96 . While drive connector 235 is detailed herein as tubes 203 , 204 and a pill 202 , any means to connect the springs to the mechanism components are contemplated.
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 10, a pair of cradles 106 are disposed adjacent to side frames 86 and pivot on a pin 108 disposed through an opening 112 approximately at the end of each cradle 106 . Each cradle 106 includes an edge surface 107 , an arm 122 depending downwardly, and a cradle latch surface 164 above arm 122 . Edge surface 107 is positioned generally at the portion of cradle 106 in the range of contact with roller pin 114 . The movement of each cradle 106 is guided by a rivet 116 disposed through an arcuate slot 118 within each side frame 86 . Rivets 116 are disposed within an opening 117 on each the cradle 106 . An arcuate slot 168 is positioned intermediate to opening 112 and opening 117 on each cradle 106 . An opening 172 is positioned above slot 168 .
Referring back to FIGS. 6-8, a primary latch 126 is positioned within side frame 86 . Primary latch 126 includes a pair of side portions 128 . Each side portion 128 includes a bent leg 124 at the lower portion thereof. Side portions 128 are interconnected by a central portion 132 . A set of extensions 166 depend outwardly from central portion 132 positioned to align with cradle latch surfaces 164 .
Side portions 128 each include an opening 134 positioned so that primary latch 126 is rotatably disposed on a pin 136 . Pin 136 is secured to each side frame 86 . A set of upper side portions 156 are defined at the top end of side portions 128 . Each upper side portion 156 has a primary latch surface 158 .
A secondary latch 138 is pivotally straddled over side frames 86 . Secondary latch 138 includes a set of pins 142 disposed in a complementary pair of notches 144 on each side frame 86 . Secondary latch 138 includes a pair of secondary latch trip tabs 146 that extend perpendicularly from operating mechanism 38 as to allow an interface with, for example, an actuator (not shown), to release the engagement between primary latch 126 and secondary latch 138 thereby causing operating mechanism 38 to move to the “tripped” position (e.g., as in FIG. 5 ), described below.
Secondary latch 138 includes a set of latch surfaces 162 , that align with primary latch surfaces 158 .
Secondary latch 138 is biased in the clockwise direction due to the pulling forces of a spring 148 . Spring 148 has a first end connected at an opening 152 upon secondary latch 138 , and a second end connected at a frame cross pin 154 disposed between frames 86 .
Referring to FIGS. 8 and 10, a set of upper links 174 are connected to cradles 106 . Upper links 174 generally have a right angle shape. Legs 175 (in a substantially horizontal configuration and FIGS. 8 and 10) of upper links 174 each have a cam portion 171 that interfaces a roller 173 disposed between frames 86 . Legs 176 (in a substantially vertical configuration in FIGS. 8 and 10) of upper links 174 each have a pair of openings 182 , 184 and a U-shaped portion 186 at the bottom end thereof. Opening 184 is intermediate to opening 182 and U-shaped portion 186 . Upper links 174 connect to cradle 106 via a securement structure such as a rivet pin 188 disposed through opening 172 and opening 182 , and a securement structure such as a rivet pin 191 disposed through slot 168 and opening 184 . Rivet pins 188 , 191 both attach to a connector 193 to secure each upper link 174 to each cradle 106 . Each pin 188 , 191 includes raised portions 189 , 192 , respectively. Raised portions 189 , 192 are provided to maintain a space between each upper link 174 and each cradle 106 . The space serves to reduce or eliminate friction between upper link 174 and cradle 106 during any operating mechanism motion, and also to spread force loading between cradles 106 and upper links 174 .
Upper links 174 are each interconnected with a lower link 194 . Referring now to FIGS. 8 , 10 and 11 , U-shaped portion 186 of each upper link 174 is disposed in a complementary set of bearing washers 196 . Bearing washers 196 are arranged on each side tube 203 between a first step portion 200 of side tube 203 and an opening 198 at one end of lower link 194 . Bearing washers 196 are configured to include side walls 197 spaced apart sufficiently so that U-shaped portions 186 of upper links 174 fit in bearing washer 196 . Each side tube 203 is configured to have a second step portion 201 . Each second step portion 201 is disposed through openings 198 . Pin 202 is disposed through side tubes 203 and central tube 204 . Pin 202 interfaces upper links 174 and lower links 194 via side tubes 203 . Therefore, each side tube 203 is a common interface point for upper link 174 (as pivotally seated within side walls 197 of bearing washer 196 ), lower link 194 and mechanism springs 96 .
Referring to FIG. 12, each lower link 194 is interconnected with a crank 208 via a pivotal rivet 210 disposed through an opening 199 in lower link 194 and an opening 209 in crank 208 . Each crank 208 pivots about a center 211 . Crank 208 has an opening 212 where cross pin 40 (FIG. 2) passes through into arcuate slot 52 of cassettes 32 , 34 and 36 (FIG. 2) and a complementary set of arcuate slots 214 on each side frame 86 (FIG. 8 ).
A spacer 234 is included on each pivotal rivet 210 between each lower link 194 and crank 208 . Spacers 234 spread the force loading from lower links 194 to cranks 208 over a wider base, and also reduces friction between lower links 194 and cranks 208 , thereby minimizing the likelihood of binding (e.g., when operating mechanism 38 is changed from the “off” position to the “on” position manually or mechanically, or when operating mechanism 38 is changed from the “on” position to the “tripped” position of the release of primary latch 126 and secondary latch 138 ).
Referring to FIG. 13, views of both sidewalls 46 and 48 of cassette 34 are depicted. Sidewalls 46 and 48 include protrusions or bosses 224 , 226 and 228 thereon. Bosses 224 , 226 and 228 are attached to sidewalls 46 , 48 , or can be molded features on sidewalls 46 , 48 . Note that cassette 34 is depicted and certain features are described herein because operating mechanism 38 straddles cassette 34 , i.e., the central cassette, in circuit breaker 20 . It is contemplated that the features may be incorporated in cassettes in other positions, and with or without operating mechanism 38 included thereon, for example, if it is beneficial from a manufacturing standpoint to include the features on all cassettes.
Referring now to FIG. 14, side frames 86 of operating mechanism 38 are positioned over sidewall 46 , 48 of cassette 34 . Portions of the inside surfaces of side frames 86 contact bosses 224 , 226 and 228 , creating a space 232 between each sidewall 46 , 48 and each side frame 86 . Referring now also to FIG. 15, space 232 allows lower links 194 to properly transmit motion to cranks 208 without binding or hindrance due to frictional interference from sidewalls 46 , 48 or side frames 86 .
Additionally, the provision of bosses 224 , 226 and 228 widens the base of operating mechanism 38 , allowing for force to be transmitted with increased stability. Accordingly, bosses 224 , 226 and 228 should be dimensioned sufficiently large to allow clearance of links 194 without interfering with adjacent cassettes such as cassettes 32 and 36 .
Referring back to FIGS. 3-5, the movement of operating mechanism 38 relative to rotary contact assembly 56 will be detailed.
Referring to FIG. 3, in the “off” position toggle handle 44 is rotated to the left and mechanism springs 96 , lower link 194 and crank 208 are positioned to maintain contact arm 68 so that movable contacts 72 , 74 remain separated from stationary contacts 64 , 66 . Operating mechanism 38 becomes set in the “off” position after a reReferring back to FIGS. 3-5, the movement of operating mechanism 38 relative to rotary contact assembly 56 will be detailed.set force properly aligns primary latch 126 , secondary latch 138 and cradle 106 (e.g., after operating mechanism 38 has been tripped) and is released. Thus, when the reset force is released, extensions 166 of primary latch 126 rest upon cradle latch surfaces 164 , and primary latch surfaces 158 rest upon secondary latch surfaces 162 . Each upper link 174 and lower link 194 are bent with respect to each side tube 203 . The line of forces generated by mechanism springs 96 (i.e., between spring anchor 98 and pin 202 ) is to the left of bearing portion 94 (as oriented in FIGS. 3 - 5 ). Cam surface 171 of upper link 174 is out of contact with roller 173 .
Referring now to FIG. 4, a manual closing force was applied to toggle handle 44 to move it from the “off” position (i.e., FIG. 3) to the “on” position (i.e., to the right as oriented in FIG. 4 ). While the closing force is applied, upper links 174 rotate within arcuate slots 168 of cradles 106 about pins 188 , and lower link 194 is driven to the right under bias of the mechanism spring 96 . Raised portions 189 and 192 (FIG. 10) maintain a suitable space between the surfaces of upper links 174 and cradles 106 to prevent friction therebetween, which would increase the required set operating mechanism 38 from “off” to “on”. Furthermore, side walls 197 of bearing washers 196 (FIG. 11) maintain the position of upper link 174 on side tube 203 and minimize likelihood of binding (e.g., so as to prevent upper link 174 from shifting into springs 96 or into lower link 194 ).
To align vertical leg 176 and lower link 194 , the line of force generated by mechanism springs 96 is shifted to the right of bearing portion 94 , which causes rivet 210 coupling lower link 194 and crank 208 to be driven downwardly and to rotate crank 208 clockwise about center 211 . This, in turn, drives cross pin 40 to the upper end of arcuate slot 214 . Therefore, the forces transmitted through cross pin 40 to rotary contact assembly 56 via opening 82 drive movable contacts 72 , 74 into stationary contacts 64 , 66 . Each spacer 234 on pivotal rivet 210 (FIG. 9 and 12) maintain the appropriate distance between lower links 194 and cranks 208 to prevent interference or friction therebetween or from side frames 86 .
The interface between primary latch 126 and secondary latch 138 (i.e., between primary latch surface 158 and secondary latch surface 162 ), and between cradles 106 and primary latch 126 (i.e., between extensions 166 and cradle latch surfaces 164 ) is not affected when a force is applied to toggle handle 44 to change from the “off” position to the “on” position.
Referring now to FIG. 5, in the “tripped” condition, secondary latch trip tab 146 has been displaced (e.g., by an actuator, not shown), and the interface between primary latch 126 and secondary latch 138 is released. Extensions 166 of primary latch 126 are disengaged from cradle latch surfaces 164 , and cradles 106 is rotated clockwise about pin 108 (i.e., motion guided by rivet 116 in arcuate slot 118 ). The movement of cradle 106 transmits a force via rivets 188 , 191 to upper link 174 (having cam surface 171 ). After a short predetermined rotation, cam surface 171 of upper link 174 contacts roller 173 . The force resulting from the contact of cam surface 171 on roller 173 causes upper link 174 and lower link 194 to buckle and allows mechanism springs 96 to pull lower link 194 via pin 202 . In turn, lower link 194 transmits a force to crank 208 (i.e., via rivet 210 ), causing crank 208 to rotate counter clockwise about center 211 and drive cross pin 40 to the lower portion of arcuate slot 214 . The forces transmitted through cross pin 40 to rotary contact assembly 56 via opening 82 cause movable contacts 72 , 74 to separate from stationary contacts 64 , 66 .
As described above with respect to the setting from “off” to “on”, raised portions 189 and 192 (FIG. 10) maintain a suitable space between the surfaces of upper links 174 and cradles 106 to prevent friction therebetween. Furthermore, side walls 197 of bearing washers 196 (FIG. 11) maintain the position of upper link 174 on side tube 203 and minimize likelihood of binding (e.g., so as to prevent upper link 174 from shifting into springs 96 or into lower link 194 ). Additionally, spacers 234 (FIG. 9 and 12) maintain the appropriate distance between lower links 194 and cranks 208 to prevent interference or friction therebetween or from side frames 86 . By minimizing friction between the movable components (e.g., upper links 174 vis a vis cradles 106 , upper links 174 vis a vis lower links 194 and springs 96 , and lower links 194 and cranks 208 vis a vis each other and side framed 86 ), the time to transfer the forces via operating mechanism 38 decreases.
Raised portions 189 and 192 , sidewalls 197 of bearing washers 196 , and spacers 234 are also suitable to widen the base of operating mechanism 38 . This is particularly useful, for example, in an asymmetrical system, where the operating mechanism is disposed on one cassette in a four-pole system.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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An operating mechanism controls and trips a separable contact structure arranged in a protected circuit. The mechanism includes a frame, a drive member pivotally coupled to the frame, a spring pivotally connecting the drive member to a drive connector, an upper link pivotally seated on the drive connector, a lower link member pivotally coupled to the drive connector, a crank member pivotally coupled to the lower link member for interfacing the separable contact structure, and a cradle member pivotally secured to the frame and pivotally securing the upper link. The cradle member is configured for being releasably engaged by a latch assembly, which is displaced upon occurrence of a predetermined condition in the circuit such as a trip condition. The mechanism is movable between a tripped position, a reset position, an off position, and an on position. Spacers are operatively positioned between movable members, and protrusions are operatively formed on the enclosure of the contact structure. The spacers and protrusions serve to widen the stances of the operating mechanism for force distribution purposes, and also to minimize friction between movable components.
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STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract (or Grant) No. DE-AC03-83SF11901 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to centrifugal pumps and, more particularly, to a shrouded inducer for use with a centrifugal pump. The present invention is more particularly directed to eliminating the cavitation damage which normally would result from a recirculation flow of fluid about the shroud of the inducer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The addition of a shroud to an otherwise shroudless inducer assists in preventing the formation of vortices at or about the tip of the inducer blades and thus minimizes the cavitation damage to the inducer associated with such vortices. The addition of a shroud, however, may cause a portion of the fluid downstream of the inducer to recirculate about the outer periphery of the shroud and then re-enter the main flow jets upstream of the inducer blade. As the recirculating fluid emerges from behind the forward or upstream edge of the shroud, it will often shed vortices which impinge directly upon the more radially outward portions of the inducer blades. These vortices create an erosive action upon portions of the blades and ultimately result in the inducer suffering a loss in efficiency and structural integrity. The use of a shroud to avoid the problems associated with blade tip vortices is exacerbated by the problems associated with vortices shed at the forward edge of the shroud.
Various attempts have been made to overcome the problems associated with recirculation flow about a shrouded inducer. For example, labyrinth seals have been placed about the outer periphery of the inducer shroud to minimize recirculation flow over the shroud. However, no matter how good the labyrinth seal, there is always some amount of flow which passes over the seal which will then cause the aforementioned vortices problem.
Moreover, as time goes by, labyrinth seals tend to lose their sealing effectiveness, especially in pumps where vibration and thermodynamics subject the seal to any degree of rubbing. An extensive use of labyrinth seals could be employed to reduce the circulation flow to a minimum such as suggested in U.S. Pat. No. 2,984,189. Such an extensive use of seals is impractical and costly. Various other methods have been proposed with regard to the construction of a shrouded inducer to overcome the problems associated with vortices emanating from the shroud.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a shrouded inducer which minimizes the cavitation damage resulting from fluid recirculating about the shroud.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a shrouded inducer pump which will suffer no cognizable degree of cavitation damage either from tip vortices or from vortices shed by fluid being recirculated about the shrouded inducer.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a shrouded inducer pump in which fluid recirculated about the shroud may be reintroduced directly into the fluid inlet with minimal disruption of the inlet flow pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The foregoing and other objects are accomplished by the present invention. Broadly, the invention comprises an improvement in a pump having a shrouded inducer including at least one spiral blade circumferentially surrounded by a shroud. The inducer is rotatably mounted within the pump housing. Typically, the housing will have a fluid inlet and a fluid outlet and there will be an annular space defined by an outer periphery of the shroud and adjacent surface of the housing which conveys a recirculation flow of fluid over the shroud during operation of the pump. The present invention provides an improvement for alleviating cavitation damage associated with such recirculation flow.
The improvement comprises a downstream inducer shroud raised annular lip;
a first seal means formed in the shroud housing and associated with said annular lip;
a structural vane including a second seal means, said second seal means associated with a downstream segment of the shroud;
an annular chamber formed downstream of the inducer blade;
a first vortex cell between said first seal means and said second seal means; and
at least one secondary vortex cell formed by a downstream segment of the structural vane and the pump housing, said secondary vortex cell communicating with an annular chamber formed by said pump housing.
In accordance with one preferred embodiment of the invention, the pump includes at least one fluid passageway formed within the housing wall, which fluid passagway communicates with an upstream fluid source.
Other objects, advantages and novel features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a centrifugal pump constructed according to the prior art.
FIG. 2 is a schematic, cross-sectional side view of a centrifugal pump having a shrouded inducer constructed according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional side view of an alternate embodiment of a vortex-proof inducer constructed in accordance with the present invention.
The same elements or parts throughout the figures of the drawings are designated by the same reference characters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of the present invention is depicted comprising the essential elements of a submersible shrouded inducer pump 10 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The pump includes a housing 12 containing a rotatable rotor 14 provided with an impeller 16. A substantially cylindrical shroud member 18 is attached at the outer edge 28 of blades 22 and surrounds blades 22. As depicted, shroud member 18 includes a downstream raised annular lip 34. Within housing 12 there is formed one labyrinth sealing means 36 which is associated with raised lip 34. A second labyrinth seal means 32 is formed in the downstream portion of structural vane 44. Intermediate the first labyrinth seal means and impeller 16 is annular chamber 30. A first vortex cell 38 is formed by a surface of housing 12 and shroud inducer 24 intermediate sealing means 32 and 36. Just downstream of the first vortex cell 38 are a series of secondary vortex cells 40. The purpose of seal means 32,36 and vortex cell 38 as well as secondary vortex cells 40 is to minimize the flow of recirculation fluid which would normally flow around shroud 18 through annular passageway 26 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) defined by outer surface of shroud 24 and the adjacent inner surface 44.
Annular space 42 defined by an outer surface of structural vane 44 and the adjacent inner surface of housing 12 provides fluid communication between annular space 26, annular chamber 30 and annular chamber 46.
In operation, torque is applied to rotor 14 from an external power source (not shown). As fluid is introduced through the inlet 50 of housing 12, blades 22 impart a swirl pattern favorable to the pumping operation of, for example, the impeller of a centrifugal pump, the latter of which increases the pressure of the fluid and discharges it into an outlet volute 52 of housing 12. A portion of the incoming fluid passing blades 22, especially that portion just upstream of blades 22, tends to enter the annular space 26 defined between the outer periphery of shroud 24 and structural vane 44. At the same time incoming fluid entering annular chamber 30 is ultimately caused to exit at volute 52 by the action of impeller 16 in concert with the shrouded inducer 18.
In the embodiments of FIGS. 2 and 3, and as indicted by the arrows in FIG. 3, which depicts a non-submersible shrouded inducer pump, the pressure differential existing between the fluid leaking through passageway 26, past seal means 32 and into vortex cell 38 is caused by an amount of fluid passing into annular chamber 30 and through sealing means 36 to combine with the aforementioned fluid in vortex cell 38. As will be discussed in more detail hereinbelow, the fluid from vortex cell 38 is then flowed through secondary vortex cells 40, annular space 42 and to concave annular chamber 46 where it can be reintroduced into the main inlet fluid stream. As seen in FIG. 2, fluid from chamber 46 is routed back into the inlet fluid source as opposed to flowing back into the fluid inlet stream at blades 22 as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3. The source may be a molten metal pool such as found in a molten metal reactor or it might be a fuel reservoir such as utilized in a rocket engine.
The flow of fluid as just described should it occur in the prior art inducer shown in FIG. 1 would establish a flow that is herein referred to as a recirculation flow over the shroud, which in the absence of the present invention might cause cavitation damage to inducer blade 22. It must also be understood that the recirculation flow also produces a substantial tangential or swirl velocity component due to the rotational action of the shroud.
The present invention avoids cavitation damage and other problems mentioned above (See FIGS. 2 and 3), by providing a shortened inducer shroud 24 having a raised annular lip 34 at the downstream end of inducer shroud 24 which serves to form in part annular chamber 30. A first labyrinth sealing means 36 is defined by an inner surface of housing 12. The structural vane 44 includes labyrinth seal 32 which together with housing 12 and shroud 18 define vortex cell 38 and secondary vortex cells 40. Aforementioned passageway 42 communicates from the vortex cells 40 to annular chamber 46 for subsequent rerouting as described above.
In order to minimize recirculation flow and potential cavitation damage due to the recirculating fluid, a quantity of fluid from annular chamber 30 is caused to flow past seal means 36 into vortex cell 38 where it forms strong vortices therein. These vortices create a low pressure in the vicinity of seal 32. A quantity of fluid from inlet 50 flows through annular space 26 and is induced into vortex cell 38. There it mixes with the fluid flowing in from annular chamber 30. This mixture of fluids then flows through the secondary vortex cells 40 to further reduce whirl velocity before encountering structural vane 44 upstream of shrouded inducer 18.
The unique design of the present invention provides for sealing means which function in cooperation with a primary and secondary vortex cell arrangement to minimize the velocity at the structural inducer blades 22 thereby avoiding cavitation damage. The invention further results in a pump design with improved suction performance.
While the invention has been described broadly with respect to recirculated fluids, it will be appreciated by those versed in the art that it is equally applicable to liquids such as water, liquid metals used for coolant in reactors and propellants utilized for reaction engines. Indeed, a particularly preferred application of the present invention is with a rocket engine which operates at variable thrust levels. The present invention permits the pump to operate over a wide range of rotational speeds and pressure differential without cavitation than would otherwise be possible.
Obviously, many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that, within the scope of the appended claims, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.
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An improvement in a pump including a shrouded inducer, the improvement comprising first and second sealing means 32,36 which cooperate with a first vortex cell 38 and a series of secondary vortex cells 40 to remove any tangential velocity components from the recirculation flow.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of forming a packaged semiconductor device and the resulting structure.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART
In some types of semiconductor die packaging a die is secured to the surface of a die support structure. Electrical connections are made between the die and the support structure. The die, electrical connections, and at least a part of the support structure are covered with an encapsulating material to form a semiconductor package. Leads extend from the package for electrical connection to any external circuit. The package is generally secured to a printed circuit board or other mounting substrate when in use. One method of reducing the thickness of a conventional semiconductor device package is to use a thin die support structure. A thin support structure is generally about 50 microns to 75 microns thick while a conventional support structure is typically about 200 microns thick. However, a thin support structure is typically about 100% more expensive than a conventional thicker structure and thus increases the cost of packaged semiconductor devices. Another disadvantage of a thin support structure is that during fabrication the thin structure flexes and/or bows more than a thicker structure. This bowing or flexing can weaken the strength of the die's attachment to the structure as well as damage fragile electrical contacts between the die and support structure.
Yet another disadvantage of a thin support structure is its limited ability to secure and support multiple dice on a single support structure. One method of constructing multiple die assemblies on a conventional support structure is to stack dice vertically. U.S. Pat. No. 5,994,166 issued Nov. 30, 1999, to Salman Akram and Jerry M. Brooks discloses a semiconductor package with two die vertically stacked on opposing sides of a substrate. However, if multiple semiconductor dice are vertically stacked on a substrate the height of the packaged semiconductor devices increases. If on the other hand, multiple semiconductor dice are mounted horizontally side by side on a support structure, both the thickness and area of the support structure must be increased to support the multiple dice which results in larger packaged semiconductor devices. Thus, conventional techniques for securing multiple dice to a single support structure increase the dimensions of packaged semiconductor devices. It would be advantageous to have a semiconductor support structure that can secure and support multiple semiconductor dice which will results in a smaller dimensions semiconductor packages than conventional techniques while reducing the cost of the die support structure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a packaged semiconductor structure in which multiple semiconductor dice are secured to a common support structure. In an exemplary embodiment, a multi-layered support structure is formed. The support structure has a central cavity with an open surface at the top and a die support bottom surface. An aperture with a perimeter smaller than that of the central cavity is formed from the bottom exterior of the support structure to the central cavity. A first semiconductor die is supported and secured to the cavity bottom surface. The first die is electrically connected to the bottom surface of the support structure by electrical connections, e.g., wire bonds, which extend from the die through the aperture to electrical contact areas on the bottom exterior surface of the support structure. A second semiconductor die is secured on the top surface of the support structure and electrical connections are made between the second die and electrical contact areas on the bottom exterior surface of the support structure. The dice, electrical connections and structure cavity are encapsulated with encapsulating material to form a packaged semiconductor assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other advantages and features of the invention will be more readily understood from the following detailed description of the invention which is provided in connection with the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a top view of a semiconductor support structure of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a top view of a semiconductor support structure of the invention after a first semiconductor die has been secured inside a cavity of the support structure;
FIG. 4 is an cross-sectional view of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a top view of a semiconductor support structure of the invention after a second semiconductor die has been secured to the top of surface of the support structure;
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5; and
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a semiconductor support structure of the invention after the semiconductor dice have been encapsulated.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
The invention will be described as set forth in the exemplary embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 1-7. Other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
FIG. 1 illustrates a top view of a semiconductor support structure 100 of the invention. FIG. 2 is an cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 taken at line II—II. The support structure 100 has a top surface 20 , exterior perimeter 22 , a cavity 42 with interior perimeter 35 and bottom surface 40 . An aperture 50 with interior perimeter 36 is provided in bottom surface 40 . The interior perimeter 36 of aperture 50 is smaller in size that the interior perimeter of cavity 42 to form bottom surface 40 . The support structure 100 is formed of five thin stacked layers 30 - 34 as shown in FIG. 2 . In an exemplary embodiment, the structure 100 is formed of stacked layers of any suitable semiconductor die support material, such as, for example, Bismaleimide Triazine (BT) which may be used for all five layers 30 - 34 .
It is to be understood that the illustration of a five-layer structure 100 is exemplary and that the support structure 100 could be constructed with less than or more than five layers. The support structure 100 is fabricated by securing the five layers 30 - 34 to each other using techniques well known in the art, for example, with adhesives. The total structure thickness and number of layers is based on the thickness of a die which will be mounted within cavity 42 and the required spacing for various electrical contacts. The support structure 100 can be of any dimension (height, length, or width) suitable for mounting semiconductor dice. An exemplary thickness T for support structure 100 is about 500 microns or less and an exemplary depth D of cavity 42 is 400 microns or less. It is to be understood that each layer as shown in FIG. 2 could be made of a multi-layer laminate as well.
One technique for fabrication of the support structure 100 is described below. Central layer 32 is formed of film of about 200 microns thickness, but larger and smaller thickness are possible. Central layer 32 can also be made of multiple layers, such as a multi-layer laminates. The other layers 30 - 31 , 33 - 34 thickness can be sized based on the dimensions of the die 60 (FIGS. 3 and 4) and the desired overall package thickness. It is to be understood that the exemplary layers 30 - 34 can comprise similar or different material and can vary in thickness from each other. Second layer 33 is secured above central layer 32 . Fourth layer 31 is secured below central layer 32 . First layer 34 is secured above second layer 33 . Finally fifth layer 30 is secured to fourth layer 31 . It is to be understood that the method of stacking or fabricating the support structure 100 layers 30 - 34 and/or method of securing the layers 30 - 34 can vary without limiting the scope of the invention.
One advantage of using a conventional layer thickness of, for example, 200 microns for central layer 32 is that such a conventional layer thickness is commonly available at a lower cost than a thinner material layer. In an exemplary embodiment, the layers 30 - 34 contain interior electrical paths 90 through the various layers and providing electrical paths 90 for the semiconductor dice 60 , 80 (FIG. 7) from the structure's top surface 20 down to the structure's bottom surface 37 . It is to be understood that external electrical paths (not shown) located on the surface of layers 30 - 34 are also possible either adjacent to the cavity's interior perimeter 35 or along the exterior perimeter 22 of the structure 100 . Also the die 60 (FIG. 4 ), while shown as connected by wire bottom to electrical contact areas 76 provided on layer 30 , can also connect to the electrical contact areas 76 through conductive vias internal to the layer 30 .
An open cavity 42 is formed by layers 30 - 34 which define a cavity perimeter 35 and a bottom surface 40 . The cavity 42 can be any suitable shape. An aperture 50 is shown formed in the fifth layer 30 , i.e., which extends from bottom surface 37 to the cavity 42 . The aperture 50 has an aperture perimeter 36 which is smaller than the cavity perimeter 35 to provide a mounting surface for die 60 . The cavity 42 and aperture 50 can be formed using techniques well known in the art, such as milling. Alternatively preformed layers having holes therein can be stacked to form the support structure 100 , having cavity 42 and aperture 50 . It is to be understood that the cavity depth D could be varied without limiting the scope of the invention. The cavity depth D is sized based on the thickness of the semiconductor die 60 (FIG. 4) secured inside the cavity 42 . An exemplary dimension for cavity depth D is about 250 microns or less. Aperture 50 can be any suitable shape. Aperture 50 is sized to provide a die support surface 40 . The dimensions of aperture 50 will vary depending on the dimension of the first semiconductor die 60 and the necessary clearance for proper die 60 operation or for electrical connection. It is to be understood that aperture 50 is optional and is an exemplary way of providing an electrical contact path between the die 60 and structure 100 .
After support structure 100 is fabricated as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a semiconductor die 60 , shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, is secured to bottom layer 30 , such as, for example, by adhesive layer, bonding tape or solder balls 70 , using techniques well known in the art. It is to be understood that more than one semiconductor die 60 can be secured inside the cavity 42 , such as two dies 60 stacked on top of each other or side-by-side on the bottom surface 40 . In an exemplary embodiment, semiconductor die 60 is a board-on-ship (BOC), where a chip has electrical contact areas formed on the chip surface and the chip is directly bonded to a support surface, such as, a printed circuit. The semiconductor die 60 is electrically connected 74 to electrical contacts areas 76 , such as, for example, bond pads, on the bottom surface 37 of support structure 100 . In an exemplary embodiment, wire bonds 74 extend from the die 60 electrical contact areas 72 through aperture 50 to the support structure electrical contact areas 76 . It is to be understood that various materials, types, methods, techniques, and locations for electrical contacts areas 72 , 76 and electrical connections 74 are possible and that the wire bonds disclosed above and shown in FIG. 4 are only exemplary of one way of electrically connecting die 60 to electrical contact areas 76 provided on the bottom surface 37 .
After semiconductor 60 is electrically connected to the support structure 100 , a second semiconductor die 80 (FIGS. 5-6) is secured to the top surface 20 of the support structure 100 by connections 83 . In an exemplary embodiment the second die 80 is a flip chip, a chip or package where bumps or connecting metal are formed on the chip surface and the chip is flipped over for soldering to a support surface, and is secured by a solder ball connections 83 to electrical contact areas 84 located on the top surface 20 of support structure 100 . The second die 80 is arranged to align with various electrical contact areas 84 which are in electrical communication through electrical vias 90 through layers 30 - 34 to electrical contact areas 76 on the structure bottom surface 37 . It is to be understood that the electrical contact areas between die 80 and the structure bottom surface 37 could also be by external conductors on the sidewalls 22 , 35 of the support structure 100 .
FIG. 7 shows a packaged semiconductor assembly 110 after an encapsulation material 94 has been deposited in cavity 42 and aperture 50 and beneath die 80 . The encapsulation material 94 can be any well know material suitable for semiconductor assemblies. The encapsulation material 94 can be selected to provide under fill support for the second semiconductor die 80 as well as to reduce the coefficient of thermal expansion between the dies 60 , 80 and structure 100 . The encapsulation material 94 is shown covering electrical contacts 74 , 83 of the die 60 , 80 . It is to be further understood that the encapsulation process could be broken into two steps, a first step after the first semiconductor die 60 is secured to the structure 100 and before the second die 80 is secured. And a second step after the second semiconductor die 80 is secured to the structure 100 . After the encapsulation material 94 is deposited, additional electrical contact areas 92 can be added to the semiconductor assembly 110 , on electrical contact areas 76 such as a fine ball grid array along the bottom surface 37 of the structure 100 . It is to be understood that multiple packaged semiconductor assemblies 110 can be formed in a large structure and singulated after fabrication, or at any intermediate stage of fabrication.
Having thus described in detail the exemplary embodiments of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention defined by the appended claims is not to be limited by particular details set forth in the above description as many apparent variations thereof are possible without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, the above description and accompanying drawings are only illustrative of exemplary embodiments which can achieve the features and advantages of the invention. It is not intended that the invention be limited to the embodiments shown and described in detail herein. The invention is only limited by the scope of the following claims.
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Disclosed is a method of forming a support structure for supporting multiple dies and resulting structure. The support structure has a cavity with an upper die support surface, sidewalls providing the upper die support surface, and a lower die support bottom surface connected with the sidewalls. The support structure can be formed of a plurality of layers. A first semiconductor die is secured on the lower die support surface and a second semiconductor die is secured to the upper die support surface. An aperture can be formed from the structure bottom surface to the cavity to facilitate electrical connections between the first die and electrical contact areas on the support structure. An encapsulating material is formed around the dies, the electrical connections, and the vacant cavity space to form a packaged semiconductor device.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tape unit to be housed in a tape cassette to be applied to a tape printer for manufacturing a tape with characters which is used being affixed on the back of a video cassette, etc., in particular, it relates to a tape unit which is reloadable on a tape cassette and which can be properly reloaded on a tape cassette main body without mistaking a tape unit to be reloaded for a wrong one in the case of reloading of a tape unit.
2. Description of Related art
Concerning tape cassettes to be used for a tape printer, it is desirable to use different tapes having different tape widths or tape colors. Therefore, a plurality of kinds of tape cassettes have been prepared corresponding to the tapes having a plurality of kinds of tape widths or tape colors. Tapes to be housed in tape cassettes are wound in roll shapes, respectively. A tape has a lamination structure of four layers: a thermosensitive agent layer which can be colored by the heat of a thermal head is formed on a surface of a tape base and on the other surface of the tape base, a releasable paper is placed through an adhesive agent layer. In order to manufacture a tape with characters using such a tape, a part of the roll-shaped tape is pulled out until it reaches a thermal head and heat control is performed selectively by the thermal head on the side of the thermosensitive agent layer and a tape with characters is manufactured, the tape which has characters, etc. formed by coloring on the thermosensitive agent layer.
In the case of such conventional tape cassettes, no consideration is given to the rehousing of a new tape to a cassette case when a tape is used up and, therefore, when a housed tape is used up, the cassette case itself loses its use value and is discarded.
In the case of a conventional tape cassette, even when a tape housed in the tape cassette is used up, the cassette case itself is still worthy for use and, therefore, it is a waste to discard the cassette case simply because of the reason why a tape housed in the tape cassette is used up and also it is a cause to raise the cost in manufacturing tapes. Moreover, in recent years the protection of environment is called for from a social point of view, and when it is considered that, generally, cassette cases are made of resin such as plastic, there is much fear that discarded cassette cases may cause a result against the protection of environment if a cassette case is discarded every time a tape housed in it is used up, which does not meet the tendency of the time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thereupon, it can be considered to form a tape spool for a tape cassette and a tape wound on it into one unit and to arrange the unit to be exchangeable for a tape cassette main body. Hereinafter, a unit composed of a tape spool and a tape wound around it will be called a tape unit. A plurality of kinds of tape units are prepared by the use objects.
A tape unit has a simple structure, and it is a desirable condition that a tape unit can be interchangeable with another tape unit for the identical tape cassette, so that all tape units have to have similar shapes; therefore, it has been difficult to discriminate a desired tape unit out of a plurality of tape units.
Since the shape of a tape unit is simple, when it is replaced with a new one, there is a fear that a tape unit may be loaded in a reverse direction in mistaking top for bottom. If a tape unit is wrongly loaded, a releasable paper side, not a thermosensitive agent layer side, will make contact with a thermal head, and thereby, it is made impossible to perform proper printing and a part of the tape which is wrongly printed is wasted. Accordingly, it has been essential for a user to confirm carefully the top and bottom of a tape unit.
The present invention was invented for the purpose of solving the problem as described above, and the object of the invention is to offer a tape unit which can be properly reloaded for a corresponding tape cassette being able to discriminate a tape unit to be reloaded from other tape units at a single glance when a tape unit is replaced with a new one.
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a tape unit according to the present invention comprises a tape spool having a spool hole in the inside and a tape wound around the tape spool so that the tape unit can be rotatably engaged with a tape supporting shaft provided in a standing state on the bottom surface of the tape cassette, and the tape spool is arranged to be interchangeable for a tape cassette, and moreover, a display member for displaying the kind of wound tape is provided in a part of the tape unit.
The above-mentioned display member is a cap-shaped member to be fitted in a spool hole provided in the upper end part of the tape spool, and the ground color of a tape, the color to be colored in printing, the use of a tape or the width of a tape may be displayed on the upper surface of it.
In the case of a tape unit according to the present invention having a constitution as described above, when a tape of a tape unit housed in a tape cassette main body is used up or when a user wants to print on a tape of the other kind corresponding to a use object, a tape unit with a new tape is loaded in place of a tape unit which is presently loaded. In such a case, since the kind of wound tape is displayed on a display member being fixed to a part of the tape unit, a tape unit of a desired kind can be easily selected, which makes it possible to securely prevent the loading of a wrong tape spool.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing a tape cassette installation portion in a tape printer.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the tape cassette installation portion.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a wide tape cassette.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a narrow tape cassette.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the tape cassette in a state where a cassette lid is taken off.
FIG. 6 is a plan view of the cassette lid.
FIG. 7 is an illustrative representation showing the constitution of a tape.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape is wound around a tape spool in the wide tape cassette.
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the wide tape cassette in which the tape is housed.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape is wound around the tape spool in the narrow tape cassette.
FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view showing the narrow tape cassette in which the tape is housed.
FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape is wound around another tape spool in the case of the wide tape cassette.
FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the wide tape cassette in which the tape wound around another tape spool is housed.
FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the narrow tape cassette in which the tape wound around another tape spool is housed.
FIG. 15 is an illustrative representation showing a state where the tape spool to be housed in the narrow tape cassette is tried to be housed in the wide tape cassette.
FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape is wound around the tape spool in the tape cassette and a sensor part is further added.
FIG. 17 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the tape and the tape spool added with the sensor part.
FIG. 18 is a perspective view for illustrating a state where the tape added with the sensor part is housed in the tape cassette.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will be explained in detail referring to drawings in the following. The outline of a tape printer in which a tape cassette according to the present invention is used will be explained based on FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a partial perspective view showing a tape cassette installation portion in a tape printer, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged plan view of the tape cassette installation portion.
In these figures, a tape cassette installation portion 1 for installing a plurality of kinds of tape cassettes is provided in the rear part on the right side of a tape printer P. In the present embodiment, there are two kinds of tape cassettes to be explained later: one is a narrow tape cassette T1 for housing a narrow tape and the other is a wide tape cassette T2 for housing a wide tape. In FIG. 1, a wide tape cassette T2 is shown.
In the tape cassette installation portion 1, as shown in FIG. 2, a tape feed shaft 2 to be driven rotatively by a tape feed motor, not shown, is disposed in the lower part on the left side of the tape cassette installation portion 1. A tape feed shaft 18 is fixed to the tape feed shaft 2, and when the tape cassette T1 or T2 is installed in the tape cassette installation portion 1, it is engaged with a tape feed roller 19 which is disposed rotatably inside the tape cassette T1 or T2, respectively (refer to FIG. 5), and when the tape cassette T1 or T2 is installed in the tape cassette installation portion 1, the tape feed roller 19 performs tape feed operation of a tape T, which is housed inside the tape cassette T1 or T2 in cooperation with a tape feed auxiliary roller, not shown, provided in the tape printer being disposed facing the roller 19. A driving shaft 3 which is rotated interlocking with the tape feed shaft 2 through a gear mechanism, etc., not shown, is disposed in the neighborhood of the central part of the tape cassette installation portion 1, and a sound suppressing spool 20 being provided inside the tape cassette T1 or T2 (refer to FIG. 5) is engaged with the driving shaft 3. The driving shaft 3 is used as a take up shaft of a thermal ribbon housed in a conventional tape cassette, but in the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2 according to the present embodiment, the driving shaft 3 is not concerned in the feeding operation of the tape T; therefore, the sound suppressing spool 20 is provided to decrease the noise generated with the rotation of the driving shaft 3. The feeding operation of the tape T housed in the tape cassette T1 or T2 is performed through the feed shaft 18 fixed to the tape feed shaft 2, the tape feed roller 19 and the tape feed auxiliary roller.
A step portion 4 (refer to FIG. 1) is formed in the tape cassette installation portion 1, to receive a protruding portion 5 (explained later) formed on the bottom surface of the wide tape cassette T2 when it is installed on the tape cassette installation portion 1.
At the rear position of the tape cassette installation portion 1 being constituted as described above, a lid 6 is fixed to the tape printer P to be opened or closed for it. A window 7 is formed in the approximately central part of the lid 6. The window 7 is provided to visually confirm the kind of tape cassette (the narrow tape cassette T1 or the wide tape cassette T2) installed in the tape cassette installation portion 1. A rotary lock member 8 is provided at the front position of the tape cassette installation portion 1, and the rotary lock member 8 controls the opening and the closing of the lid 6 through a lock mechanism, not shown. Further, in front of the tape cassette installation portion 1, a keyboard K having a variety of keys is provided, and a liquid crystal display 9 is disposed off to the upper of the keyboard K. With these arrangements, characters, symbols, etc. input by the keys on the keyboard K are displayed on the liquid crystal display 9, whereby the editing of characters, etc. to be printed on the tape T through a thermal head TH (see FIG. 2) can be performed.
Next, the two tape cassettes T1 and T2 in the present embodiment will be explained in reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. At first, the wide tape cassette T2 will be explained referring to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the wide tape cassette T2. The wide tape cassette T2 is composed of a cassette main body 10 and a cassette lid 11 which is disposed to be attachable to or detachable from on the cassette main body 10 through an attachable/detachable portion 13, a claw member, or the like. At the central position of the cassette lid 11, a tape confirmation portion 12 being made of a transparent resin plate is provided corresponding to the window 7 formed on the lid 6 of the tape cassette installation portion 1. With the window 7 on the lid 6 and the tape confirmation portion 12, it is made possible to confirm from the outside of the printer P the quantity of the tape T housed in the tape cassette T2, the color of characters, etc. on the tape T to be formed by coloring. As described above, the protruding portion 5 is formed on the bottom surface of the cassette main body 10, and the protruding portion 5 is to be fitted in the step portion 4 provided on the tape cassette installation portion 1. About the internal constitution of the wide tape cassette T2, explanation will be given later.
Next, the narrow tape cassette T1 will be explained referring to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the narrow tape cassette T1. The narrow tape cassette T1 is, similar to the wide tape cassette T2, composed of a cassette main body 14 and a cassette lid 16 which is disposed to be attachable to or detachable from on the cassette main body 14 through an attachable/detachable portion 15, a claw member, or the like. At the central position of the cassette lid 16, similar to the above case, a tape confirmation portion 17 being made of a transparent resin plate is provided corresponding to the window 7 formed on the lid 6 of the tape cassette installation portion 1. Owing to the window 7 on the lid 6 and the tape confirmation portion 17, it is made possible to confirm from the outside of the printer P the quantity of the tape T housed in the tape cassette T1, the color of characters, etc. to be colored on the tape T in printing. Different from the case of the wide tape cassette T2, since the width of the tape T to be housed in the cassette main body 14 is narrow, there is no such portion corresponding to the protruding portion 5 on the bottom surface of the narrow tape cassette T1. Therefore, when the narrow tape cassette T1 is installed on the cassette tape installation portion 1, the step portion 4 does not play any part in that operation. The internal structure of the narrow tape cassette T1 will be described later. The above-mentioned tape confirmation portion 12 or 17 has a shape of a slotted hole to be able to see the inside of the tape cassette T1 or T2.
Next, the internal structure of the wide tape cassette T2 and that of the narrow tape cassette T1 will be explained in reference to FIG. 5 through FIG. 11. At first, a part of the structure of the narrow tape cassette T1 which is in common with that of the wide tape cassette T2 will be explained referring to FIG. 5 through FIG. 7. FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the tape cassette T1 or T2 excluding the cassette lid 11 or 16; FIG. 6, a plan view of the cassette lid 11 or 16; and FIG. 7, an illustrative representation showing the constitution of the tape T.
As shown in FIG. 5, a tape housing portion 21 is formed at the left upper position of the cassette main body 10 or 14, and a tape supporting shaft 22 (refer to FIGS. 9 and 11) is formed at the central position on the bottom wall of the tape housing portion 21. A tape spool 23, having the tape T wound around it, is rotatably engaged with the tape supporting shaft 22 through a spool hole 24. The tape T wound on the tape spool 23 housed in the tape housing portion 21 is guided toward a tape discharge portion A through tape guides 25, 26, 27 and 28, and discharged to the outside of the tape cassette T1 or T2 by the cooperation of the tape feed shaft 18 fixed on the tape feed shaft 2, the tape feed roller 19 coupled with the tape feed shaft 18 and the tape feed auxiliary roller, being disposed in the vicinity of the discharge portion A. The thermal head TH which is provided in a standing state in the tape cassette installation portion 1, as shown in FIG. 2, is inserted into a depressed portion B provided in the vicinity of the tape guide 28 when the tape cassette T1 or T2 is installed in the tape cassette installation portion 1; the tape T is discharged by the tape feed roller 19, etc. after characters, etc. are printed on the tape T by the thermal head TH.
As shown in FIG. 6, a visual confirmation portion 29 for visually confirming the upper surface of a cap 30 (described later) to be engaged with the top part of the tape spool 23 is provided in the confirmation portion 12 or 17, which is provided on the cassette lid 11 or 16, respectively; thus the cap 30 positioned on the top of tape spool 23 can be visually confirmed through the visual confirmation portion 29. The color information about the possible coloring of the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 is given on the cap 30 of the tape spool 23, as described later.
As shown in FIG. 7, the tape T to be housed in the tape cassette T1 or T2 has a laminated structure of four layers: a thermosensitive agent layer 32 which can be colored by heat given by the thermal head TH is formed on the surface of a tape base 31, and a releasable paper 34 is applied through an adhesive agent layer 33 on the other surface of the tape base 31. In order to manufacture a tape with characters using the tape as described in the above, heating control is performed selectively by the thermal head TH on the side of the thermosensitive agent layer 32 and characters, etc. are formed by the coloring of the thermosensitive agent layer 32. The tape such constituted as described above is wound around the tape spool 23 so that the thermosensitive agent layer 32 is positioned facing the inside, which makes it possible to protect the thermosensitive agent layer 32 from heat or light.
Next, the tape spool 23 and the tape T to be housed in the tape housing portion 21 of the cassette main body 10 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2 will be explained referring to FIGS. 8 and 9. FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape T is wound around the tape spool 23, and FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the tape cassette T2 in which the tape T is housed. As shown in these figures, the spool hole 24 is formed at the center of the tape spool 23, and the inner diameter of the spool hole is set to be L2. The outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22 which is provided in a standing state on the bottom surface of the cassette main body 10 is set to be L1. The cap 30, on the top of the tape spool 23, is inserted into a gap S1 produced by the difference between the inner diameter L2 of the spool hole 24 and the outer diameter L1 of the tape supporting shaft 22. The wall thickness of the cap 30 is set to be (L2-L1) and it is to be inserted into the gap S1. The color of characters, etc. which can be colored on the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 is displayed on the upper surface of the cap 30 as shown in FIG. 8. The upper surface of the cap 30 can be confirmed from the outside of the tape printer P through the visual confirmation portion 29 in the confirmation portion 12 provided on the cassette lid 11 and the window 7 on the lid 6, which makes it possible to simply confirm the color of characters, etc. to be colored on the tape T housed in the tape cassette T2 from the outside of the printer P.
Moreover, seals 40 applied with an adhesive agent are stuck on the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the tape T so that the surfaces of the seals 40 applied with an adhesive agent can be stuck to the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the tape T (in FIG. 8, there is shown only the seal 40 stuck on the upper end surface of the tape T). The seals 40 are adapted to maintain the wound state of the tape T, preventing the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 from loosening.
Next, the tape spool 23 and the tape T to be housed in the tape housing portion 21 of the cassette main body 14 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1 will be explained referring to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape T is wound around the tape spool 23, and FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view showing the tape cassette T1 in which the tape T is housed. As shown in respective figures, the spool hole 24 is formed at the center of the tape spool 23, and the inner diameter of the spool hole is set to be M2 and the outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22 which is provided in a standing state on the bottom surface of the cassette main body 10 is set to be M1. The cap 30 on the tape spool 23 is inserted into a gap S2 produced by the difference between the inner diameter M2 of the spool hole 24 and the outer diameter M1 of the tape supporting shaft 22. The thickness of the wall of the cap 30 is set to be (M2- M1), and the cap 30 is engaged with the gap S2 so that the tape spool 23 can be rotated on the tape supporting shaft 22.
The inner diameter M2 of the tape spool 23 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1 is set to be equal to the inner diameter L2 of the tape spool 23 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2 (M2=L2); the outer diameter M1 of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter L1 of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2 (M1<L1). Therefore, the gap S2 produced between the tape spool 23 and the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1 is larger than the gap S1 produced between the tape spool 23 and the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2; therefore, according to the difference between the gap S1 and the gap S2, the cap 30 to be engaged with the gap S2 is formed to have a wall thickness larger than that of the cap 30 to be engaged with the gap S1. The cap 30 to be used for the narrow tape cassette T1 cannot be engaged with the gap S1 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2, which securely prevents the cap 30 for the narrow tape cassette T1 from being erroneously engaged with the gap S1 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2.
Since the wall thickness of the cap 30 used for the wide tape cassette T2 is smaller than the gap S2 of the narrow tape cassette T1, the cap can be inserted into the gap S2 but, in that case, the cap 30 protrudes from the cassette main body 14 and it becomes impossible to fit the cassette lid 16 in the cassette main body 14. Therefore, in that case also, it is securely prevented to fit erroneously the tape spool 23 for the wide tape cassette T2 in the tape supporting shaft 22 of the narrow tape cassette T1. Therefore, in the installation of the tape spool 23, there can be no fear of mistaking the tape spool 23 for the wide tape cassette T2 for that for the narrow tape cassette T1, and vice versa.
As shown in FIG. 10, the color of characters, etc. to be colored on the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 is displayed on the upper surface of the cap 30. The upper surface of the cap 30, similar to the description in the above, can be confirmed from the outside of the tape printer P through the visual confirmation portion 29 in the confirmation portion 17 provided on the cassette lid 16 and the window 7 on the lid 6, which makes it possible to confirm simply the color of characters, etc. to be colored on the tape T from the outside of the printer P.
Moreover, as shown in FIG. 10, seals 41 applied with an adhesive agent are stuck to the upper and lower end surfaces of the tape T so that the surfaces applied with an adhesive agent of the seals 41 and the upper and lower surfaces of the tape T can be stuck to each other (in FIG. 10, only the seal 41 stuck to the upper end surface of the tape T is shown). The seal 41, similar to the seal 40, is used for maintaining a wound state of the tape T wound around the tape spool 23, preventing the tape T from loosening.
Next, another tape spool 23 and a tape T which can be housed in the wide tape cassette T2 or the narrow tape cassette T1 will be explained referring to FIG. 12 through FIG. 14. At first, the constitution of the tape spool 23 and the tape T which can be housed in a tape housing portion 21 for the wide tape cassette T2 will be explained referring to FIGS. 12 and 13. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the tape T is wound around the tape spool 23, and FIG. 13 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the tape cassette T2 in which the tape T is housed.
In these respective figures, the inner diameter of a spool hole 24 formed at the center of the tape spool 23 is set to be N1 and the outer diameter of a tape supporting shaft 22 which is provided in a standing state on the bottom surface of a cassette main body 10 is also set approximately to be N1 (in the order that the tape spool 23 can be rotated on the tape supporting shaft 22). Seals 42 applied with an adhesive agent are stuck to the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the tape T so that the surfaces applied with an adhesive agent of the seals 42 and the upper and lower surfaces of the tape T can be stuck to each other. (In FIG. 12, only the seal 42 stuck to the upper end surface of the tape T is shown.) The seal 42 is applied for maintaining a wound state of the tape T, preventing it from loosening similar to the case described in the above. Further, as shown in FIG. 12, a display portion 43 which displays the color of possible coloring on the tape T wound around the tape spool 23, etc. is formed on the seal 42 stuck on the upper end surface of the tape T. Therefore, it is made possible to reload the tape T which meets the tape cassette T2 without fail by the confirmation of the kind of tape in the display portion 43 when the tape T is to be reloaded.
Next, the constitution of the tape spool 23 and the tape T which can be housed in the tape housing portion 21 for the narrow tape cassette T1 will be explained referring to FIG. 14. FIG. 14 is a cross sectional view showing a state of the tape cassette T1 in which the tape T is housed.
In FIG. 14, the inner diameter of the spool hole 24 formed at the center of the tape spool 23 is set to be N2, and the outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22, which is provided in a standing state on the bottom surface of the cassette main body 14, is also set to be approximately N2 (in the order that the tape spool 23 can be rotated on the tape supporting shaft 22). N2 (the inner diameter of the spool hole 24 of the tape spool 23 and the outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1) is set to be smaller than N1 (the inner diameter of the spool hole 24 of the tape spool 23 and the outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2) (N1>N2). Therefore, when a user intends to engage the tape spool 23 for the narrow tape cassette T1 with the tape supporting shaft 22 for the wide tape cassette T2, as shown in FIG. 15, it is impossible to engage the tape spool 23 for the narrow tape cassette T1 with the tape supporting shaft for the wide tape cassette T2, which makes it possible to prevent securely the tape spool 23 for the narrow tape cassette T1 from being set erroneously to the tape supporting shaft 22 of the wide tape cassette T2.
As described in the above, the inner diameter N1 of the spool hole 24 of the tape spool 23 for the wide tape cassette T2 is arranged to be larger than the outer diameter of the tape supporting shaft 22 for the narrow tape cassette T2, so that the tape spool 23 for the wide tape cassette T2 can be inserted to the tape supporting shaft 22 of the narrow tape cassette T1, but in that case, the tape spool 23 protrudes upward from the cassette main body 14, and it becomes impossible to fit the cassette lid 16 in the cassette main body 14. Therefore, in that case also, it is securely prevented that the tape spool 23 for the wide tape cassette T2 is erroneously inserted to the tape supporting shaft 22 for the narrow tape cassette T1. Thus, it is completely prevented that the tape spool 23 for the narrow tape cassette T1 is set erroneously to the wide tape cassette, and vice versa.
Seals 44 applied with an adhesive agent are stuck on the upper end surface and the lower end surface of the tape T so that the surfaces of the seals 44 applied with an adhesive agent and the upper and lower end surfaces of the tape T can be stuck to each other. The seals 44 are adapted to maintain the wound state of the tape T wound around the tape spool 23, preventing the tape T from loosening. Further, in the same way as described above, a display portion, not shown, for displaying the color, etc. which can be colored on the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 is formed on the seal 44 stuck on the upper end surface of the tape T. Therefore, when the tape T is replaced, it is made possible to reload the tape T which meets to the tape cassette T1 without fail by confirming the kind of tape T on the display portion.
When the tape T is used up which is wound around the tape spool 23 housed in the narrow tape cassette T1 or the wide tape cassette T2 which is constituted as described above, the tape spool 23 with the used tape T is replaced with a tape spool 23 wound with an unused new tape T. When the tape spool 23 is to be changed, at first, the lid 6 is opened by turning the rotary lock member 8 of the tape printer P, and after the tape cassette T1 or T2 is taken out from the tape cassette installation portion 1, the cassette lid 11 or 16 is removed from the cassette main body 10 or 14 through the attachable/detachable portion 13 or 15. Then, the tape spool 23 is removed from the tape housing portion 21 of the cassette main body 10 or 14.
In that case, in the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2 as shown in FIGS. 9 or 11, at first, the cap 30 is pulled off from the gap S1 or S2, and then, the tape spool 23 is removed from the tape supporting shaft 22. In the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2 as shown in FIGS. 13 or 14, the tape spool 23 can be directly removed from the tape supporting shaft 22. In such a way, the tape spool 23 with the used tape is removed from the cassette main body 10 or 14.
Following the above, the tape spool 23 around which a new unused tape T is wound is fixed to the tape supporting shaft 22 of the cassette main body 10 or 14. When the tape spool 23 is to be fixed, in the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2, as shown in FIGS. 9 or 11, at first, after the tape spool 23 is inserted to the tape supporting shaft 22, the cap 30 is fit in the gap S1 or S2. In that case, the wall thickness of the cap 30 to be used for the wide tape cassette T2 is formed corresponding to the gap S1, and the wall thickness of the cap 30 to be used for the narrow tape cassette T1 is formed corresponding to the gap S2; therefore, there is no fear that the cap 30 is erroneously fixed to the wide tape cassette T2 by mistaking it for the narrow tape cassette T1, and vice versa.
In the present embodiment, the cap 30 is treated to be removable, but it can be fixed to the tape spool 23 and the dimensional relation between the inner diameter of the cap 30 and the outer diameter M1 or L1 of the tape supporting shaft 22 may be so arranged that the cap 30 can be rotated on the tape supporting shaft 22. The cap 30 and the spool 23 may be formed to be unity.
In the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2 as shown in FIGS. 13 and 14, each tape spool 23 is directly engaged with each tape supporting shaft 22. In that case, the inner diameter of the spool hole 24 of each tape spool 23 (N1 in the case of the wide tape cassette T2, and N2 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1) corresponds to the outer diameter (N1) of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of the narrow tape cassette T1 or to the outer diameter (N2) of the tape supporting shaft 22 in the case of a wide tape cassette T2; therefore, as described in the above, there is no fear that the wrong tape spool 23 is erroneously fixed to the tape cassette T1 or T2.
A new tape spool 23 is housed in the tape housing portion 21 in the tape cassette T1 or T2 and after the tape T is guided by the tape guides 25, 26, 27 and 28 to the tape discharge portion A, the cassette lid 11 or 16 is fitted in the cassette main body 10 or 14; thus the installation of the tape spool 23 for the tape cassette T1 or T2 is finished. When the tape cassette T1 or T2 is installed in the cassette tape installation portion 1, it becomes possible to manufacture a new tape with characters through the tape printer P.
As explained in detail in the above, in the case of the tape cassette T1 or T2 in the present embodiment, when the tape T wound around the tape spool 23 is used up, the new tape spool 23 wound with the tape T can be reloaded for each of the tape cassette T1 or T2 and when the tape spool 23 is to be reloaded, it does not occur that the tape spool to be housed in the tape cassette T1 or T2 is erroneously housed in the wrong tape cassette, and the tape spool 23 can be properly reloaded to the corresponding tape cassette T1 or T2.
As described in the above, the waste concerning the tape cassette can be avoided and the cost in manufacturing the tape with characters can be saved much.
The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various improvements and modifications may be made according to the invention without departing from the spirit and the scope thereof.
For example, a tape T to be reloaded may have a sensor part 51 to make the tape printer P recognize the kind of tape T.
The sensor part 51 has a shaft which can be inserted into the spool hole of a tape spool 52 from the bottom, around which the tape T is wound, and it extends from the spot toward the outer periphery of the tape T with the shape of a handle. A wall 53 which shows the kind of tape T is provided on the lower surface of the end part of the handle part. There is provided a fixing hole at the center of the shaft to be engaged with the spool hole. Further, there is a cap 54 on the upper surface of the tape spool, and the cap, on which the kind of tape is written, is inserted into the spool hole from the upper side and it is engaged with the sensor part 51 in the spool hole. The tape spool 52 is placed between the cap 54 and the sensor part 51 and its movement in the vertical direction is restrained but it is held rotatably.
As shown in FIG. 18, when a tape T is installed in a tape cassette T3, a tape supporting shaft provided on a cassette main body 60 is fitted in the fixing hole of the sensor part 51 and the wall 53 of the sensor part 51 is inserted to penetrate a predetermined part on the bottom surface of the cassette main body; thereby, the position of the tape T in the cassette main body 60 is decided. A visual confirmation hole 64, having a size similar to that of a cap 54, is formed on a confirmation portion 63 of a cassette lid 61, and the cassette lid 61 is fixed on the cassette main body 60 so that the cap 54 can be fitted in the visual confirmation hole 64.
When the tape cassette T3 is installed on the tape printer P, the wall 53 of the sensor part 51 is sensed by a sensor provided in the tape printer P and the kind of tape T is recognized. The tape printer P performs the printing matching with the kind of tape T.
As described in the above, it is made possible according to the present invention to offer the tape unit in which the tape to be reloaded can be easily discriminated with the display member provided on the tape unit, and owing to the position at which the display member is fixed, the proper tape unit can be properly reloaded to the corresponding tape cassette without mistaking the direction of the tape unit.
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An object of the invention is to offer tape units having a plurality of kinds of tapes and to be reloaded to corresponding tape cassettes, and when the tape unit is to be reloaded, the kind of tape unit to be reloaded can be discriminated at a single glance and the tape unit can be reloaded in a proper state to the corresponding tape cassette without fail. A cap is fitted in a spool hole disposed on the upper end part of a tape spool of each tape unit, and there is a display for displaying the ground color of a tape, a color which can be colored in printing, the use of the tape and the width of the tape provided on the upper surface of the cap. Thus, the characteristic of each tape can be recognized at a single glance, and reloading can be performed properly in selecting a desired tape unit.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to locks, and more particularly to locks used for retaining and securing objects by means of cables, bolts or other shaft projections.
2. Background
Locks serving as shaft retainers have been available for a long time. A common practice for a shaft having an end with a transverse bored hole, is to connect a padlock through the hole in the shaft end. This is practical for applications where the shaft diameter is relatively large and can easily accommodate a padlock arm, but impractical for a small diameter shaft.
Cable shaft locking and retaining devices have also been used as far back as the mid 19th century period. Among the more recent cable retaining devices are those described by Smith in U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,835, Lyon et al in U.S. Pat. No. 3,987,653 and Joo in U.S. Pat. No. 4,099,394. Smith describes a device for use with a cable formed into two or more loops. A ferruled end of the cable is inserted in the device and one or more loops of the cable are also inserted in the device and pulled through. Turning a key lock in the device causes two or more wedge-shaped elements to grip the cable along its length inside the device, retaining the cable.
Lyon et al describe a device for locking a looped cable, One end of the cable is inserted and anchored to the device by a ring. The other end of the cable is passed through the device. The cable is clamped and partially deformed by turning a key lock that rotates a threaded shaft, activating a clamp around the cable. Joo describes storage reel for a cable which is hinged to a bicycle frame. In use, the cable is drawn around a post or other immovable object, and fastened to a projection on the bicycle, utilizing a padlock to lock it in place.
A recent example of a shaft projection retainer lock is that described by Stillwagon et al in U.S. Pat. No. 6,197,314. Stillwagon et al describe a device that includes the shaft projection and a key-turned lock that causes a sleeve or collar to grip the shaft projection. In this invention embodiment, the shaft projection may be fixed in a door or cabinet, or instead in the key-turned device with a collar-gripping portion fixed in a door to receive the projection. A later device by Stillwagon, U.S. Pat. No. 5,467,619 expands further on the above described second Stillwagon embodiment by incorporating a long, threaded shaft into the key-turned portion of the device. In the above described Stillwagon devices, the shaft projection must be particularly sized in length, stepped and/or threaded to fit its mating lock portion. This is because it is described as being part of the locking device. While useful for their described applications, the Stillwagon devices are not useful for retaining other shaft projections such as bolts, cable ends and the like.
In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a simple, universal locking device that can be applied to retain single shaft projections of various configurations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention shaft retainer device comprises three major components: an open-ended retainer case, a clamshell type assembly which is located inside the case along its central axis, and a key lock assembly. When a key is rotated to the open position in the lock located at one end of the device, the clamshell assembly is caused to release its grip on any shaft projection that has been previously inserted in the distal open end of the device. If the shaft projection end has at least one deep groove, a raised ridge or a step around it, the shaft will be firmly retained when a key is rotated in the lock to the closed position and the key is withdrawn. The clamshell assembly opening expands to accommodate any diameter shaft projection up to the retainer case axial opening diameter. Thus each retainer device, depending on its size, can be used with a range of shaft projection diameters as well as different types of projections. The retainer device is small, light weight and economical to produce.
Accordingly, it is a principal object of the invention to provide a retainer device for lockable shafts that is universal in application to many shaft configurations and sizes.
Another object is to provide a lockable shaft retainer that is relatively simple in construction, while being universal in application to shafts of varying size and configuration.
An advantage of the invention is its economical production cost, relative to existing available devices.
Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from studying the following portion of the specification, the claims and the attached drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view of the present invention shaft retainer ready to retain the end of a cable shaft which is attached to an electronic equipment;
FIG. 2 shows the present invention shaft retainer ready for retaining the end of a grooved bolt which may hold equipment to a retaining base;
FIG. 3 is a side elevation cross-section view of the present invention with its key in its locked position, and showing an inserted grooved bolt gripped by a device gripping as assembly and prevented from being removed;
FIG. 4 is a side elevation cross-section view of the present invention in place, particularly showing its lock key rotated to its open position and its gripping assembly being held open, allowing an inserted grooved bolt to be removed from the retainer;
FIG. 5 is a top view of the retainer case according to the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a side elevation cross-section view of the retainer case taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5, particularly showing projections used for keying in place a gripping assembly that will be inserted therein;
FIG. 7 is a top end view of a gripping assembly according to the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a an elevation view of one of two identical gripping members, particularly showing its internal surface;
FIG. 9 is a side elevation view of one gripping member;
FIG. 10 is a bottom end view of a gripping assembly; and
FIG. 11 is a side elevation view of a gripping assembly according to the present invention, particularly showing the two identical gripping members held together by an expandable split-ring.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring particularly to the drawings, there is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shaft retainer 5 ready to retain a cable 15 shaft end 10 or a bolt shaft 27. In FIG. 1, the cable 15 is shown attached to an electronic equipment 20 and passing through a hole in a table, terminating with a shaft end 10 on which there is a grooved ferrule. When a key is turned to open the retainer 5, the cable shaft end 10 can be inserted in the retainer 5 axial opening. Turning the key back to its locked position and withdrawing the key will cause the retainer 5 to grip the cable and prevent the cable from being pulled through its attachment to the equipment 20.
In FIG. 2, a grooved 26 bolt 25 is shown passing through a hole in two metal pieces 30. The metal pieces 30 represent part of an equipment and part of a fixed base to which it is desired to fasten the equipment. A typical example could be a portable item that the owner wishes to secure. Insertion of the bolt end 27 into the retainer 5 and its release are effected in the same way as described above for the cable shaft end 10.
Refer now to FIGS. 3 and 4 which are side elevation cross-section views of a preferred embodiment of the present invention shaft retainer 5. In FIG.3, the retainer internal gripping means 60 is shown closed by means of a key 35 in a lock 40, and gripping an inserted grooved shaft 27. In FIG. 4, the retainer internal gripping means 60 is shown open or unlocked by means of a rotated key 35 in a lock 40, allowing the shaft 27 to be withdrawn or inserted in the retainer 5.
The shaft retainer 5 comprises a lock assembly 40, a retainer case 50, and a clamshell assembly 60 that serves as a means for expandably gripping in its jaws, the outer surface of any grooved or stepped shaft that is inserted in the retainer 5.
The lock assembly 40 has a shaft 42 that projects along the lock longitudinal axis and includes a pin or cam 44 that projects through the shaft 42 at 90 degrees to the shaft rotational axis. When the lock key 35 is inserted and rotated as depicted in FIG. 4, the lock shaft cam 44 applies pressure to the inside surfaces of the top portion of the clamshell assembly 60, forcing the clamshell members apart at its top end and at is middle. As shown, the bottom ends 64 of clamshell members pivot around a raised ledge 53 at the bottom of the case 5 internal cavity.
Approximately two-thirds down the length of the clamshell assembly 60 is located an expandable ring 70 that fits into a groove around the clamshell members, applying constant pressure to hold the clamshell members together. Immediately opposite the ring 70 groove, but on the inside surface of the clamshell assembly is a sharply projecting ridge 66 shaped with a concave curve cut out. The curved portion of this ridge 66 grips a grooved shaft in its groove 26 when the retainer is locked as shown in FIG. 3.
The construction allows varying shaft diameters to be inserted into the retainer 5 to be gripped by the clamshell assembly. Thus, a range of shaft sizes can be accommodated by any given shaft retainer.
The clamshell assembly 60 fits inside the retainer case 50 in one orientation only and with its lower portion downwards. In addition, for correct operation, the clamshell assembly 60 must not be allowed to rotate with respect to the retainer case 50. This is accomplished by keying means inside the case 50 which cooperate with openings in the clamshell assembly 60 and are now discussed.
Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there are shown respectively, a top end view of a retainer case 50 and a side elevation view of the case cavity cut away on line 6--6 of FIG. 5. Raised along the longitudinal axis of the case on its inside flat surfaces 55, are six sharply defined paralleled ridges 51. Three of the ridges 51 are located along one flat inside surface 55 and the other three are located along the opposite inside flat surface. Around the bottom surface of the case cavity are arranged four sharply defined ridges 53 which radiate toward the center axis and are located 90 degrees apart from each other.
The above described ridges serve to guide the clamshell assembly 60 into position and to prevent its rotation with respect to the case 50.
It should be noted that much of the detail in these drawings which is actually quite small, has been enlarged and therefore may appear to be out of proportion. This has been done to enhance the clarity of the device description and understanding.
The retainer case 50, in this embodiment, is depicted as being a generally cylindrical shape of hard, molded plastic. It can however, be made from any suitable rigid material that can be formed to have the desired internal cavity shape and properties. This depends on the selected manufacturing approach. A hard, molded plastic appears to be most economic as well as being very light in weight.
Referring now to FIGS. 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, there are shown details of the clamshell assembly 60. The clamshell assembly 60 comprises three parts: two identical half-sleeve members 65 and a split ring 70. The split ring 70 holds the two half-sleeve members 65 together as shown in FIG. 11.
FIGS. 7 and 10 are respectively top and bottom end views of a clamshell assembly 60. In these views it can be seen that the assembly is approximately oval in cross-section, having two opposing, long convex curved sides and two opposing short straight sides. This shape has been found to be desirable for keying the assembly and also for rigidity.
In FIG. 10, the bottom end view of the assembly shows the gripping projections 66 held together and the shape of four projecting portions 64 that serve as pivoting ends for the clamshell members.
FIGS. 8 and 9 present two views of a single half-sleeve 65: a front elevation view and a side or edge elevation view. FIG. 8 shows the inner view of the half-sleeve 65. The central portion of the surface is concave in shape, separated into two parts by a sharply projecting portion 66 part of which is cut away in a curve. This portion 66 is the gripping portion. A groove 68 is formed around the half-sleeve outer surface in line with the projecting ridge 66 to provide a seat for a split ring 70.
Flat surface portions 67 are sized to provide rigidity to each half-sleeve member so that it will not bend under applied leverage pressure. The lower portion of each half-sleeve member below the split-ring groove 68 is stepped 64, 69 to fit into the bottom of the retainer case cavity in its keyed position.
The two half-sleeve members 65 are formed of hard, rigid plastic which lends itself to the required described molding shape. However, other suitable moldable material could be used to produce the half-sleeve members 65 if so desired, providing the rigidity and shape requirements are met.
In the above described embodiment, a gripping means is provided using two opposing, curved rigid members, held together at a single point by an expandable split-ring.
The number of curved, rigid gripping members is not limited to two. For a large size diameter shaft, it may be desirable to use three or more gripping members, to provide the best grip. Three or more gripping members can be accommodated by revising the number of actuating cams on the lock shaft and their orientation, in addition to revising the shape of the retainer cavity and its keying means therein. This method of gripping would work well and is practical for a large size shaft.
As described, the invention shaft retainer is capable of retaining different shaft configurations and sizes, using a single key to unlock the retainer. It can then be said to be a universal shaft retainer with many possible applications. The only requirement for its application is that the shaft incorporate one or more deep grooves, ridges or steps in its circumference near the shaft end.
The shaft retainer is small, light weight and economical to produce, resulting in low cost to the user. These attributes including its universal applications, make it a desirable device for commercial and individual users.
From the above description, it is clear that the preferred embodiment of the shaft retainer device achieves the objects of the present invention. Alternative embodiments and various modifications have been discussed herein and may also be apparent to those skilled in the art. These alternatives and modifications are considered to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention.
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A shaft retainer device that comprises three major components: a barrel shaped housing, a leverable gripping assembly which is located inside the housing along its central axis, and a key lock in one end of the housing. When the device is locked, the gripping assembly radially grips any grooved shaft that has been inserted in the housing preventing shaft withdrawal. When unlocked by a key, the gripping assembly is spread apart, releasing its radial grip on the groove of any grooved shaft that has been previously inserted in the device. The shaft retainer will work equally well with any shaft that has a raised ridge or a stepped edge around its circumference, and can accommodate a range of shaft diameters. The device is small, light weight and economical to produce.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The invention relates to a method for optimizing the overall efficiency of the energy supplied aboard an aircraft, this energy being propulsive or non-propulsive, as well as to a main power unit for implementing such a method.
[0002] The invention applies to the engine set of aircrafts, i.e. essentially to the engine set of airplanes (jet engines, turbojet engines, turboprops) as well as to the engine set of helicopters (turboshaft engine).
[0003] Typically, in an aircraft, the cabin which accommodates the passengers is air-conditioned and/or pressurized. An air inlet of the cabin is connected to an environmental control system ECS (initials for “Environmental Control System”) which adjusts the air-flow rate, temperature and/or pressure in collaboration with a possible recirculating system between the ECS system and the cabin.
STATE OF THE ART
[0004] It is known how to recover energy between the air at the outlet of the cabin, which has high pressure and temperature—typically 0.8 bar and 24° C.—, and the air outside the aircraft, the pressure and temperature of which are substantially lower—typically 0.2 bar and −50° C.—. For instance, the U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,229 suggests increasing the temperature of the air coming from an outlet channel of the cabin by means of a heat exchanger fluxed by air circulating in a duct coming from an engine compressor of the aircraft and coupled with the ECS system of the cabin. The air coming from the cabin, which has been warmed up through the heat exchanger, then drives a turbine of a power conversion unit which supplies mechanical or electric energy to auxiliary equipments (pumps, supercharger, alternators, etc.), before being discharged outside the aircraft.
[0005] However such a conformation does not make it possible to use the exhaust air from the cabin in a reliable way. Indeed, the pressure of this air is regulated in the cabin at a certain level, for example at 0.8 bar, and the variations of pressure between the inside and the outside of the aircraft—for example 0.8 bar internally and 0.2 bar externally when the aircraft ascends or is at high altitude—lead to pressure drops and to intrusive phenomena: the regulation cannot be correctly made any more because the pressure in the cabin is higher than the initial regulation value and the pressure transients are unacceptable for the passenger ear. The air cannot correctly flow out any more because the turbine causes all the time back-pressures blocking the air at the outlet of the cabin. In these conditions, the turbine of the conversion unit cannot be operational any more, in particular during the transient phases of ascent to altitude and high altitude.
[0006] Furthermore, the heat exchanger is not operational any more on the ground when the cabin door is open. This architecture requires then a heat installation with an additional heat exchanger coupled with an outside air circuit.
[0007] Besides, in the event of a failure of an equipment driven by the conversion unit, the latter runs into overspeed.
[0008] Furthermore, the use of air coming from an engine compressor of the aircraft is disadvantageous in terms of energy balance, due to the loss in the pipes because of the distance between the heat exchanger and the engine outlet. Furthermore, the power supplied by the engines to the ECS system during takeoff is overestimated with regard to its energy requirements. The sizing point of the supply of power to the ECS system is actually determined at minimal speed of the HP (high-pressure) body of the main engine, so that it is always capable of supplying the sufficient power to the ECS system—even at idle speed—.
[0009] Generally, main engines are sized so that they are able to supply, from time to time, an important propulsive power, for example at takeoff of the aircraft, i.e. when the HP body is at high speed, while in the other phases they supply a medium propulsive power, indeed minimal, for example in descent, i.e. when the HP body runs at a low speed. Propulsive power relates essentially to the thrust supplied by the jet engines and to the mechanical power supplied by airplane turboprops and helicopter turboshaft engines. This oversizing of power supply is generally accompanied by a specific overconsumption, in all flight phases apart from the idle.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The invention aims precisely at limiting the specific consumption by matching the sizing of the power supply and the actual power requirements of the cabin ECS system and more generally of the aircraft, so as to remove the useless power supplies.
[0011] The invention also aims at supplying energy in a sufficiently reliable way to face the cases of aircraft failure which might induce overspeeds. Another purpose of the invention is to favour the association of a high number of non-propulsive energy-consuming means, in particular the electric, mechanical and/or hydraulic consumers, in order to keep in all flight phases a positive overall energy balance between energy supply and consumption with regard to the known conformations, in particular in transient phases. Furthermore, the present invention is going to make it possible to recover thermal energy on the outlet side of the cabin without any risk of back-pressure that is harmful to the regulation, with an optimized heat exchange.
[0012] To do this, the invention consists in supplying energy near the cabin outlet, in particular pneumatic energy to the cabin, by means of an engine-type power-generating means. A power-generating means is said to be of engine type when the architecture of this power-generating means is fit for the certification as engine usable during all flight phases, in the same way as a power-generating means serving as a main engine.
[0013] More precisely, the object of the present invention is a method for optimizing the overall efficiency of the energy supplied aboard an aircraft, this energy being propulsive or non-propulsive, the aircraft being equipped with a passenger cabin with regulated airflow, and with power sources including the main engines. Such an optimization consists in providing, in an environment located near the cabin, at least one engine-type main power-generating means sized so as to serve as single other pneumatic-energy generating source for the cabin and at most partly as other propulsive, hydraulic and/or electric energy-generating source for the rest of the aircraft, and in minimizing the power difference between the nominal point of the power sources when said sources are functioning and the sizing point of the non-propulsive energy contributions of said sources in a situation of failure of a main engine, namely by equally dividing the power contributions of the main engines and main power-generating means under nominal operating conditions and in the event of a failure of a main engine.
[0014] The main power-generating means makes it possible to adjust the supply of pneumatic energy according to the strict requirement of the cabin, whereas main engines needlessly supplied a power which was substantially higher than the bare minimum, typically twice higher: they have been oversized as far as the pneumatic-energy balance is concerned because their sizing is based on the minimal speed of the main engine HP body. The supply of pneumatic energy being not a matter for the main engines anymore according to the invention, they have a substantially improved efficiency and the overall efficiency also is then substantially improved.
[0015] Besides, the overall thermal efficiency of a main power-generating means that has been so sized is substantially equal to that of the main engines for the non-propulsive power supply, in descent phase or in nominal flight phase, typically of the order of 20%. An equally dividing of the amounts of electric power is then applied without any significant detriment to consumption. A contrario, in ascent phase, supply of electric energy by the main engines will be preferred because the efficiency of the main engines is higher due to the fact that the speed of the high-pressure body (HP) is higher than that of a main power-generating means.
[0016] Furthermore, the contribution of an additional main power-generating means offers a redundancy of engines means and thus strengthens the fault tolerance and the availability of the aircraft.
[0017] The invention also relates to a main power unit, hereinafter: MPU, capable of optimizing the overall energy efficiency according to the above method. Such a main power unit is based on a power unit of the auxiliary power unit type, in an abbreviated form: APU, which has been made more reliable, in order to belong to the engine category, and combined with an energy-recovery structure.
[0018] APUs usually fit aircrafts in order to feed the various energy-consuming equipments (electric, pneumatic and hydraulic power, air conditioning) on the ground, and start the main engines. When an engine is out of order, some APUs have been sufficiently secured so that they are able to start up again for trying to restart the failing engine during the flight and/or to supply part of the electric energy to the equipments in flight.
[0019] APUs typically consist of a gas generator—including at least an intake compressor, a combustion chamber and at least one power turbine—as well as means for driving the equipments (supercharger, fuel and hydraulic pumps, electric generator and/or electric starter/generator, etc.) directly or via a power-transfer box with rotational-speed adaptation. An air bleed at the outlet side of the supercharger or intake compressor is used for pneumatically starting the main engines.
[0020] The use of an APU, even secured, during all the flight phases to supply non-propulsive energy is considered as unrealistic because of an unfavourable energy efficiency in comparison with the main engines: operating an APU during the whole flight duration means additional fuel consumption.
[0021] Now, if the APU is converted into an engine-type power unit for permanently supplying pneumatic energy according to the strict requirement of the cabin, then an aircraft having such a unit offers a favourable balance.
[0022] As such, in an aircraft including energy-consuming equipments, in particular a cabin the air of which is renewed and the temperature and/or pressure of which are regulated by means of a regulation system ECS, main power-generating engines and a flight control unit, a main power unit according to the invention built into a compartment which is insulated from the other zones of the aircraft with a fireproof bulkhead and fitted with an outside-air intake and an exhaust nozzle, includes an engine-type power unit of the above described type fitted with a gas generator and with a power turbine for driving equipments including a supercharger. The supercharger is coupled, via a regulation control which communicates with the control unit, with the ECS system in order to supply the necessary pneumatic energy to the cabin.
[0023] According to particular embodiments:
the main power unit is coupled with a recovery structure including at least one energy-recovery turbine for driving the equipments with the power turbine and coupled, on the air-inlet side, with the outlet of the cabin to cool, on the air-outlet side, the equipments, the supercharger being built into this recovery structure as a supplier of pneumatic energy to the cabin; the supercharger includes a variable-pitch air diffuser having blades, the adjustment of which is servo-controlled by the regulation control, capable of strictly adjusting the air flow to the supply of pressure and flow rate required by the ECS in every flight phase; a variation in the setting of the diffuser of the supercharger results in a variation in the air-flow rate with a substantially constant pressure ratio: so, the balance between need and supply is met without significant wasting; the supercharger is directly coupled with the power turbine to avoid any loss of energy due to a transfer of power other than a mechanical transfer; the gas generator includes an intake compressor which can serve as a supercharger; the recovery turbine is a turbine, preferably centripetal, with variable-pitch guide vane assembly having blades the orientation of which is servo-controlled by the regulation control; at least one pressure sensor regulates the opening and closing of the blades of the diffuser and guide vane assembly in connection with the servo-control; the recovery turbine ejects, on the outlet side, an air flow into the compartment of the main power unit which, after it has cooled the equipments and auxiliary equipments contained in the aft compartment, is evacuated into the exhaust nozzle by a jet pump action resulting from the efflux velocity of the hot air flow coming out of the power turbine; the recovery turbine is coupled with a soundproofing device in order to avoid the propagation of the wind noises into the cabin; the most open possible setting positions can go beyond full opening into radial position, i.e. the so called zero position; a regulation of the variable setting, between full opening on the ground and progressive closing of the air flow while gaining altitude, can be automated by means of the regulation control according to the pressurization in the cabin.
[0035] Generally, the fact was taken into account that the loss of energy supply capacity of the main unit, which increases with height, should be at least partially compensated in flight by an optimization of the positions of the variable settings of the recovery turbine in the most closed position compatible with back-pressures at the outlet side of the cabin and of the supercharger in the most open possible position.
[0036] The level of thermodynamic power compatible with the in-flight stresses for the main unit is minimized: even if, on the ground, the appropriate positions of the variable settings penalize the efficiency of the recovery turbine and supercharger, the main power unit the thermodynamic power of which has been sized in that way is then capable of supplying enough energy on the ground. So, optimizing efficiency in flight was preferred. In the whole flight envelope, the overall efficiency of the compressor and recovery turbine is thus optimal thanks to the presence of a diffuser and/or a guide vane assembly with variable settings.
[0037] According to other advantageous embodiments:
means for transmitting power from the power and recovery turbines to the mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic and/or electric equipments of the aircraft are provided, in particular in the form of a power-transfer box; the recovery structure comprises a heat exchanger having two heat-transfer circuits: a primary circuit connected, on the inlet side, with the hot-air-flow outlet of the power turbine and, on the outlet side, with the exhaust nozzle; and a secondary circuit connected, on the inlet side, with an air-flow outlet of the cabin and, on the outlet side, with the recovery turbine; the variable-pitch guide vane assembly of the recovery turbine, coupled with means of regulation, is capable of orienting the air flow coming from the heat exchanger, in particular during transient phases of the aircraft as well as at altitude—transient phases relating to the phases of takeoff, ascent, descent and landing—.
[0041] In these conditions, energy recovery on the outlet side of the cabin—in the form of pressure and/or temperature—is optimized thanks to the proximity to the main power source, while ensuring an air outflow on the outlet side of the cabin with a controlled back-pressure in the cabin. Besides, connecting the energy recovery means to a main power-generating source, and not to a mere compressor or an alternator, makes it possible to absorb overspeeds that can start in the event of a failure thanks to the inertia resulting from the mass effect due to the components of the power-generating source and all the consumers.
[0042] Furthermore, recovering energy on the outlet side of the cabin can be undertaken by supplementing the potential energy contained in the air outflow from the cabin by thermal energy used to cool systems dedicated to aircraft equipments before being further enriched by heat exchange between the aforementioned air flows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] Other aspects, characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear in the following non-restrictive description of particular embodiments, in reference to the accompanying drawings which show respectively:
[0044] in FIG. 1 , a diagram of an example of a main power unit according to the invention in an aircraft aft compartment, in connection with an aircraft cabin fitted with an environmental control system ECS;
[0045] in FIG. 2 , a schematic sectional view of an example of a MPU centripetal recovery turbine provided with a variable-pitch guide vane assembly;
[0046] in FIG. 3 , a schematic sectional view of an example of a MPU supercharger provided with a variable-pitch guide vane assembly, and
[0047] in FIG. 4 , a graph of the power supplied to an aircraft, according to the thermal efficiency of the power sources, on which the nominal point and the sizing point are shown.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0048] In all the Figs., identical or similar elements having the same function are identified with identical or related reference marks.
[0049] In reference to FIG. 1 showing a schematic diagram, a main power unit 1 is arranged in an aft compartment 2 situated in the downstream part of the aircraft 3 . The passenger cabin 4 is situated upstream and coupled with the aft compartment 2 via an intermediate compartment 5 . A pressure bulkhead 6 separates the cabin 4 from the intermediate compartment and a fireproof bulkhead 7 insulates the intermediate compartment 5 from the aft compartment 2 , which is fitted with an outside-air intake 21 and an exhaust nozzle 22 .
[0050] The main power unit 1 includes an engine 10 , of the APU type but of the engine category, combined with an energy-recovery structure. The auxiliary engine consists of: a gas generator or HP body 11 , including an intake compressor 110 for an air flow F 1 coming from the air intake 21 ; a combustion chamber 111 ; and a turbine 112 for driving the compressor 110 by means of a HP shaft 113 . This gas generator is coupled, on the inlet side, with an air-flow duct K 1 mounted on the outside-air intake 21 and, on the outlet side, with a power turbine 12 which produces a hot air flow F 2 , typically of about 500 to 600° C.
[0051] The energy-recovery structure is centred on a recovery turbine 13 in connection with a soundproofing device 14 , in order to avoid the propagation of the wind noises outside the compartment, in particular into the cabin.
[0052] This recovery turbine 13 is coupled with the power turbine 12 for driving equipments 100 —mechanical, pneumatic (compressors), electric (alternators) and/or hydraulic (pumps)—especially a supercharger 15 and a starter/generator 16 , via a power-transfer box 17 in the example. This box 17 is fitted with gearboxes and bevel gears (not shown) suitable for power transmission. The power turbine 12 supplies its power to the box 17 via a shaft 121 , i.e. a through-going shaft in the illustrated example. Alternatively this shaft can be a non-through-going shaft or an outside shaft via an appropriate box of reduction (not shown). This box is advantageously fitted with a freewheel intended for its disconnection in the non-recovery phases (for example in the case of an open airplane cabin door).
[0053] The supercharger 15 supplies an environmental control system, called ECS system, 41 of the cabin 4 with air and transfers to it, via a recycling mixing valve 42 , compressed air coming from the outside-air intake 21 through a branch K 11 of duct K 1 . The supercharger 15 is regulated by a regulation control 19 which communicates with the control unit (not shown) so as to supply the necessary pneumatic energy to the cabin. As a variant, the intake compressor 110 can serve as a supercharger 15 by appropriately bleeding air.
[0054] At least one variable valve 40 , called cabin-pressure-regulation valve, circulates air flow F 3 from the outlet 43 of the cabin 4 to the energy-recovery structure via duct K 2 . Advantageously, duct K 2 goes into the intermediate compartment 5 so that air flow F 3 cools the power electronics 50 inside a cabinet 51 —these auxiliary equipments being dedicated to various systems made for the functioning of the aircraft (landing gear, etc.), which, of course, are non-operational when the cabin door is open—. At the outlet of the compartment 5 , air flow F 3 has a temperature about 40° C. The variable-pitch guide vane assembly can advantageously replace the pressure-regulation valves at the cabin outlet.
[0055] The recovery structure comprises, in this example, a heat exchanger 18 fitted with a primary circuit C 1 , connected, on the inlet side, with the outlet of hot air flow F 2 and, on the outlet side, with the nozzle 22 —the temperature of flow F 2 being then typically reduced from ca. 550° C. to 300° C.—and with a secondary circuit C 2 connected, on the inlet side, with air flow F 3 coming from the cabin 4 and, on the outlet side, to the recovery turbine 13 . Flow F 3 has then a temperature substantially higher than at the inlet (approximately 40° C.), for example of the order of 150° C. At the outlet of the recovery turbine 13 , air flow F 3 is dispersed in the aft compartment 2 in order to cool the equipments 100 (down to approximately 40° C.) and then collected in the form of flow F 3 ′, by reflection on walls 200 of the compartment, into the nozzle 22 . Collection takes place because of a jet pump action, at the widened intake 221 of this nozzle, resulting from the efflux velocity of hot air flow F 2 , coming from the power turbine 12 , at the outlet of the heat exchanger 18 .
[0056] The recovery turbine 13 is explained in detail in reference to the schematic sectional view of FIG. 2 . The recovery turbine is a centripetal turbine fitted with a ring chamber 131 for bringing in air (flow F 3 ). This air is then directed by the variable-pitch guide vane assembly 136 . The turbine 133 has a stator blading 132 . Outlet-side air flow F 3 is acoustically processed and distributed in the aft compartment 2 so that it controls the temperature of the equipments 100 and other non-shown auxiliary equipments (fire, jacks, etc.). Alternatively, other types of turbines can be used: axial or reaction-impulse (inclined).
[0057] The guide vane assembly 136 is composed of variable-pitch mobile blades 134 which guide and accelerate the air flow coming from the heat exchanger 18 . These blades have a variable pitch and their orientation is adjusted by the regulation control 19 during the transient phases of the aircraft as well as at altitude. In operation, a pressure sensor 135 regulates the opening and closing of the blades 134 of the guide vane assembly 132 in collaboration with control 19 .
[0058] The supercharger 15 is explained in detail hereinafter in reference to the schematic sectional view of FIG. 3 . This supercharger has a structure which is similar to that of the recovery turbine but inverted with regard to the circulation of air flow F 1 : ring chamber 151 —variable diffuser 156 with mobile blades 154 —and a centrifugal compressor 153 fitted with fixed blades 152 . The variable-pitch mobile blades 154 are piloted by the regulation control 19 , in particular during the transient phases and at altitude. A pressure sensor 155 regulates the orientation of the blades 154 via the control 19 in order to meet the characteristics defined by the ECS system, namely an air-flow rate 151 adjusted to the required supply of pressure and flow rate (arrow F 1 ).
[0059] In a concrete example, the pneumatic-power need for the ECS system of a standard airplane is typically 180 kW. A main engine is sized to supply these 180 kW at idle speed whereas in normal operation it produces 360 kW in the quasi-totality of the flight phases. A main power unit according to the invention is thus sized to supply the 180 kW of pneumatic power that are strictly sufficient to meet the needs of the ECS system.
[0060] The power supply by the main power unit according to the invention is not limited to the supply of pneumatic energy. This unit can indeed supply power to the HP body of the main engines via the starter/generator 16 used as an electric generator coupled with the starter/generator of the main engines used in driving mode.
[0061] So, with a global need for power of typically 420 kW—i.e. 180 kW of pneumatic power for the ECS system, 60 kW of hydraulic power for the jacks and 180 kW of electric power for the alternators, pump, etc.—the use of a supercharger, a recovery turbine and/or a heat exchanger according to the recovery structure of the invention makes it possible to substantially lower the loss of energy which would be generated by the exclusive use of main engines to carry out these functions. For instance, a supercharger with a variable-pitch diffuser makes it possible to save 180 kW, a variable-pitch recovery turbine typically 90 kW and a heat exchanger from 15 to 20 kW, i.e. 285 to 290 kW altogether. The main engines contribute then only one third to the total of these power supplies (420 kW), pneumatic power excepted (180 kW), i.e. approximately 80 kW, that is to say a substantially lower supply than that of the main power unit which supplies, in this example, 150 kW (70 kW plus one third of the remaining 240 kW, i.e. 80 kW, to supply pneumatic and electric/hydraulic energy respectively).
[0062] Considering an efficiency of the main power unit (typically 20%) which is similar to that of a main engine in the flight phases other than ascent or failure of one of the engines and lower than that of the main engine (40%) in full use (ascent or the other engine out of order), an equally dividing of the supply of energy between the engines, whether it is a main engine or the main power unit, makes it possible to optimize the overall efficiency covering all the flight phases, under nominal operating conditions or in the event of a failure: for example, the equally dividing of the supply of hydraulic and electric power is ⅓, ⅓, ⅓ for two main engines and a main power unit in operation, and ½, ½ in the event of a failure of a main engine.
[0063] Furthermore, the equally dividing makes it possible to optimize the efficiency of all the power sources forming a turbine engine as shown, in FIG. 4 , by the graph G representing the variation in the thermal efficiency dependent on the power Pw supplied by an engine. On this graph, we can see:
the power sizing point (Pd) 0 of the turbine engine: this sizing point is established in the most severe conditions of need for power (generally in the case of failure of an engine or a particularly difficult takeoff); the nominal point (Pn) 0 of the turbine engine without the main power unit, and the nominal point (Pn) 1 of the turbine engine with the main power unit with equally dividing;
[0066] The variation in the thermal efficiency related to the consumption of fuel is optimized when the turbine engine includes the main power unit, namely for the following reasons. Without main power unit, efficiency variation D 0 between points (Pn) 0 and (Pd) 0 is higher than variation D 1 between points (Pn) 1 and (Pd) 0 when the aircraft includes a main power unit, but with substantially lower amounts of power supplied. This situation is the expression of the optimization obtained with the equally dividing by minimizing the difference between the nominal point and the sizing point. Indeed, the first D 0 corresponds to the transition from 50 to 100% (corresponding to 200% to be supplied in the event of a failure) of power supplied by an engine going from nominal conditions to sizing conditions, i.e. a difference of 50%. The second variation D 1 corresponds to the transition from 33% (more exactly ⅓) to 50% in order to go from the first type to the second type of conditions. With a main power unit, the turbine engine shows a decrease of the power to be supplied of ⅓, i.e. 33% for all the main engines, with an overall efficiency (corresponding to the efficiency variation) increased by the difference (D 0 −D 1 ). This example does not take into account the possibility of load shedding which can be applied to the cases of failure. Whether with or without load shed, the efficiency is improved.
[0067] The above statement refers to the functioning of a main power unit. The case of failure of this unit has not been evoked but, should that arise, it is of course possible to provide for other emergency equipments which can substitute for this unit, for instance in degraded mode, in particular: at least one of the two main engines which will then supply an additional power, or a spare APU or equivalent, or a combination of these sources.
[0068] Besides, the equally dividing which is evoked in the present statement implies that the power sources have been conceived to enable such an equally dividing in the set out conditions. The statutory constraints and physical stresses, in particular mechanical, to be taken into account generally make it only possible to strive as far as possible towards the ideal conditions for equally dividing.
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A method and system limiting specific consumption of an aircraft by matching sizing of a power supply to actual power needs of a cabin pressure control system. The method optimizes overall efficiency of energy supplied onboard an aircraft including, in an environment near the cabin, at least one main power-generating engine, sized to serve as a single pneumatic energy-generating source for the cabin and as an at most partial propulsive, hydraulic, and/or electric energy-generating source for the rest of the aircraft. The method minimizes power differential between a nominal point of the power sources when the sources are operating, and a sizing point of non-propulsive energy contributions of the sources when the main engine has failed, by equally dividing power contributions of the main engines and the main power generator under nominal operating conditions and in an event of failure of a main engine.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to electrical connector systems for removable vehicle seats.
SUMMARY
In at least one embodiment, the invention takes the form of a first electrical connector integrated with a latching mechanism of a removable vehicle seat and a second electrical connector integrated with a striker subassembly of a vehicle. By installing the removable vehicles seat in the vehicle, the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are aligned and electrically connected.
In at least one embodiment, the invention takes the form of an electrical connector system for a removable vehicle seat including an axle and a locator mounted to the axle. The system includes a first electrical connector rotatably mounted to the axle. The first electrical connector includes a first terminal, a first receiving portion including a first conductive portion electrically connected with the first terminal, and a first insert having a first conductive end and a second conductive portion electrically connected with the first end. The first insert is received by the first receiving portion. The second conductive portion is in contact with the first conductive portion if the first insert is inserted into the first receiving portion. The system also includes a second electrical connector including a third conductive portion. The locator positions the first electrical connector relative to the second electrical connector such that the first end is in contact with the third conductive portion.
In at least one embodiment, the invention takes the form of an electrical connector system for a removable vehicle seat including an axle and locator mounted to the axle. The system includes a first electrical connector rotatably mounted to the axle. The first electrical connector includes a tongue portion, a first terminal, and a first wing portion including a first conductive portion electrically connected with the first terminal. The first wing portion is moveable relative to the tongue portion. The system also includes a second electrical connector including a receiving portion configured to receive the tongue portion. The receiving portion includes a second conductive portion. The locator positions the first electrical connector relative to the second electrical connector in a mating position such that the first conductive portion is in contact with the second conductive portion.
While exemplary embodiments in accordance with the invention are illustrated and disclosed, such disclosure should not be construed to limit the claims. It is anticipated that various modifications and alternative designs may be made without departing from the scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 a - 1 c show a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows the system of FIG. 1 .
FIGS. 3 a - 3 c show a portion of the system of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 shows a portion of the system of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 5 shows a system in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 shows a portion of the system of FIG. 5 .
FIG. 7 shows a portion of the system of FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 a - 1 c show electrical connector system 10 for removable vehicle seat 12 of vehicle 14 in its environment 16 . Environment 16 includes seat latch mechanism 18 , striker tray 20 , axle 22 having axis 23 , tongue 24 rotatably mounted to axle 22 , wheel 25 mounted to axle 22 , and rivet 31 .
FIG. 2 shows system 10 in greater detail. System 10 includes male electrical connectors 26 , 29 and female electrical connector 27 . Connectors 26 , 29 are rotatably mounted to axle 22 . Connector 27 is mounted, e.g., bolted, to striker tray 20 . Recessed area 64 of connector 27 receives tongue 24 . Wheel 25 rotates about axle 22 .
FIG. 3 shows connector 26 . Connector 26 includes terminals 28 , that may be connected to an electrical system (not shown) for removable seat 12 , and recessed areas 32 , 34 for receiving cylindrical pins 36 , 38 as will be explained in detail below. Connector 29 is configured similarly to connector 26 .
Pin 36 has axis 39 and includes metal tip 40 and metal slider 42 located on key portion 44 . Metal slider 42 , however, may be located in any suitable position on pin 36 . Tip 40 and slider 42 are electrically connected via, for example, a metallic strip (not shown), and are insert molded with pin 36 in such materials as polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene. Pin 36 , however, may be manufactured using any suitable technique and material. Pin 36 also includes spring 46 located on end 48 of pin 36 opposite tip 40 . Spring 46 sets in recessed area 50 configured to receive spring 46 . Pin 38 is configured similarly to pin 36 and includes metal tip 51 .
Recessed area 32 includes metal strip 52 . Metal strip 52 and terminal 28 are electrically connected via, for example, a metal wire (not shown). Metal strip 52 and terminal 28 may also, for example, be made from a continuous piece of metal. Metal strip 52 and terminal 28 are insert molded with connector 26 in such materials as polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene. Connector 26 , however, may be manufactured using any suitable technique and material. Recessed area 32 includes slot 54 configured to receive key portion 44 . Metal strip 52 is located within slot 54 . Metal strip 52 , however, may be located in any suitable position within recessed area 32 . Recessed area 32 is thus configured to receive pin 36 . Recessed area 34 is configured similarly to recessed area 32 and is thus configured to receive pin 38 .
If pin 36 is inserted into recessed area 32 , metal slider 42 will contact metal strip 52 thereby electrically connecting terminal 28 with tip 40 , tip 40 will generally extend beyond mating surface 56 of connector 26 , and pin 36 will be moveable relative to connector 26 . Spring 46 will resist movement of pin 36 relative to connector 26 as pin 36 is seated deeper within recessed area 32 . Once inserted, axis 39 of pin 38 is generally perpendicular to axis 23 of axle 22 .
FIG. 4 shows connector 27 . Connector 27 includes contact surfaces 58 , 60 , positioned on mating surface 62 . Surfaces 58 , 60 are electrically conductive, e.g., copper, and may be connected to an electrical power system (not shown) for vehicle 14 . Surfaces 58 , 60 may be recessed such that they may receive tips 40 , 51 respectively.
Connector 27 also includes recessed area 64 configured to receive tongue 24 . As such, tongue 24 may assist in locating connector 26 relative to connector 27 such that tips 40 , 51 are in contact with surfaces 58 , 60 respectively thereby electrically connecting surfaces 58 , 60 with terminals 28 , 30 respectively.
Referring to FIG. 2 , wheel 25 may assist in locating connector 26 relative to connector 27 via striker tray 20 such that tips 40 , 51 are in contact with surfaces 58 , 60 respectively thereby electrically connecting surfaces 58 , 60 with terminals 28 , 30 respectively.
FIG. 5 shows an alternative embodiment of electrical connector system 66 . The environment similarly includes axle 68 , wheel 70 mounted to axle 68 , and rivet 72 .
System 66 includes winged connectors 74 , 76 and receiving connector 78 . Connectors 74 , 76 are rotatably mounted to axle 68 . Connector 78 is mounted, e.g., bolted, to striker tray 20 ( FIG. 1 ). Connector 74 includes tongue 80 , terminals 82 , 84 , and wings 86 , 88 . Connector 76 is similarly configured to connector 74 .
FIG. 6 shows connector 74 . Wings 86 , 88 include contact surfaces 90 , 92 respectively. Surfaces 90 , 92 are electrically conductive, e.g., copper, and are electrically connected with terminals 82 , 84 respectively as will be explained in detail below. Surfaces 90 , 92 are portions of L-shaped electrically conductive, e.g. copper, components 114 , 116 respectively. Components 114 , 116 are insert molded with wings 86 , 88 respectively in materials such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene. Wings 86 , 88 , however, may be manufactured using any suitable technique and material. A portion of L-shaped components 114 , 116 resides within slots 94 , 96 respectively. Slots 94 , 96 accommodate the movement of wings 86 , 88 respectively. Terminals 82 , 84 ( FIG. 5 ) are insert molded with tongue 80 using materials such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyethylene. Terminals 82 , 84 extend through tongue 80 such that a portion of each of terminals 82 , 84 contacts, e.g. overlaps, the portion of each of L-shaped components 114 , 116 residing within slots 94 , 96 respectively. Wings 86 , 88 are moveable relative to tongue 80 about axle 93 .
Connector 74 includes springs 100 , 102 associated with wings 86 , 88 respectively. Springs 100 , 102 are capable of applying forces 101 , 103 respectively to wings 86 , 88 respectively as will be explained in detail below. Springs 100 , 102 are rotary torsion springs. One end of spring 100 , for example, is inserted into a hole (not shown) of wing 86 . An opposite end of spring 100 , for example, is inserted into slot 118 in tongue 80 . Prior to installation, the spring 100 is pretensioned. Spring 102 , would be similarly installed into a hole (not shown) in wing 88 and slot 120 in tongue 80 .
FIG. 7 shows connector 78 . Connector 78 includes recessed area 104 configured to receive tongue 80 . Connector 78 also includes contact surfaces 106 , 108 , 110 , 112 that are electrically conductive, e.g., copper, and may be connected to an electrical power system (not shown) for vehicle 14 . Surfaces 106 , 108 , 110 , and 112 may be convex or concave to facilitate contact between, for example, surface 106 and surface 90 . Surfaces 106 , 108 , 110 , and 112 , however, may have any suitable shape.
Referring to FIGS. 5 , 6 , and 7 wheel 70 may assist in positioning connectors 74 , 76 relative to connector 78 via striker tray 20 ( FIG. 1 ) in a mating position such that surfaces 90 , 92 are in contact with surfaces 106 , 108 thereby electrically connecting surfaces 106 , 108 with terminals 82 , 84 respectively. In the mating position, wings 86 , 88 are held in place relative to connector 78 at least by forces 101 , 103 respectively.
While embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described, it is not intended that these embodiments illustrate and describe all possible forms of the invention. Rather, the words used in the specification are words of description rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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Electrical connectors for removable vehicle seats are provided. In at least one embodiment, an electrical connector system for a removable vehicle seat including an axle and a locator mounted to the axle is provided. The system includes a first electrical connector rotatably mounted to the axle. The system also includes a second electrical connector. The locator positions the first electrical connector relative to the second electrical connector such that the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector are electrically connected. The first electrical connector may include slidable spring biased contact pins or in another embodiment may include outwardly biased contact wings.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to resource production, and more particularly to resource production using heated fluid injection into a subterranean zone.
BACKGROUND
Fluids in hydrocarbon formations may be accessed via well bores that extend down into the ground toward the targeted formations. In some cases, fluids in the hydrocarbon formations may have a low enough viscosity that crude oil flows from the formation, through production tubing, and toward the production equipment at the ground surface. Some hydrocarbon formations comprise fluids having a higher viscosity, which may not freely flow from the formation and through the production tubing. These high viscosity fluids in the hydrocarbon formations are occasionally referred to as “heavy oil deposits.” In the past, the high viscosity fluids in the hydrocarbon formations remained untapped due to an inability to economically recover them. More recently, as the demand for crude oil has increased, commercial operations have expanded to the recovery of such is 5 heavy oil deposits.
In some circumstances, the application of heated fluids (e.g., steam) and/or solvents to the hydrocarbon formation may reduce the viscosity of the fluids in the formation so as to permit the extraction of crude oil and other liquids from the formation. The design of systems to deliver the steam to the hydrocarbon formations may be affected by a number of factors.
In some cyclical steam injection and producing operations, a dedicated steam injection string is installed in a well bore and used for injecting heated fluid into a target formation during a steam injection cycle to reduce the viscosity of oil in the target formation. Once a steam injection cycle is completed, the injection assembly is removed from the well bore and a production string including an artificial lift assembly is installed on the well bore to produce the well. At some point, the reservoir temperature cools to a point at which increasing viscosity of the oil significantly inhibits reservoir fluid recovery using artificial lift means. Once this happens, the production string is removed from the well bore and the steam injection string is reinstalled to begin next steam injection cycle.
SUMMARY
Systems and methods of producing fluids from a subterranean zone can include downhole fluid heaters (including steam generators) in conjunction with artificial lift systems such as pumps (e.g., electric submersible, progressive cavity, and others), gas lift systems, and other devices. Supplying heated fluid from the downhole fluid heater(s) to a target subterranean zone such as a hydrocarbon-bearing formation or reservoir can reduce the viscosity of oil and/or other fluids in the target formation. To enhance this process of combining artificial lift systems with downhole fluid heaters, a downhole cooling system can be deployed for cooling the artificial lift system and other components of a completion system.
In one aspect, systems for producing fluids from a subterranean zone include: a downhole fluid lift system adapted to be at least partially disposed in the well bore, the downhole fluid lift system operable to lift fluids towards a ground surface; a downhole fluid heater adapted to be disposed in the well bore, the downhole fluid heater operable to vaporize a liquid in the well bore; and a seal between the downhole fluid lift system and the downhole fluid heater, the seal operable to selectively seal with the well bore and isolate a portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid lift system from a portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid heater.
In another aspect, systems include: a pump with a pump inlet, the pump inlet disposed in the well bore, the pump operable to lift fluids towards the ground surface; and a downhole fluid heater disposed in the well bore, the downhole fluid heater operable to vaporize a liquid in the well bore.
In one aspect, a method includes: with an artificial lift system in a well bore, introducing heated fluid into a subterranean zone about the well bore; and artificially lifting fluids from the subterranean zone to a ground surface using the artificial lift system.
In one aspect, a method includes artificially lifting fluids from a subterranean zone through a well bore while a downhole heated fluid generator resides in the well bore.
Such systems can include one or more of the following features.
In some embodiments, the downhole fluid lift system includes a gas lift system.
In some embodiments, the downhole fluid lift system includes a pump (e.g., an electric submersible pump). In some cases, the pump is adapted to circulate fluids. In some embodiments, systems also include a surface pump.
In some embodiments, the downhole fluid lift systems are adapted to circulate fluids in the portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid lift system while isolated from the portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid heater. In some embodiments, systems can also include a surface pump adapted to circulate fluids in the portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid lift system while isolated from the portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid heater.
In some embodiments, the downhole fluid heater includes a steam generator.
In some embodiments, systems also include a tubing string disposed in a well bore, the tubing string adapted to communicate fluids from the subterranean zone to a ground surface.
In some embodiments, systems also include a seal between the pump inlet and the downhole fluid heater such that fluid flow between a portion of the well bore containing the pump inlet and a portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid heater is limited by the seal.
In some embodiments, methods also include isolating a portion of the well bore containing the artificial lift system from a portion where the heated fluid is being introduced into the subterranean zone.
In some embodiments, methods also include circulating fluid in the portion of the well bore containing the artificial lift system while introducing heated fluid into the subterranean zone. In some instances, circulating fluid comprises circulating fluid using the artificial lift system. In some instances, circulating fluid comprises circulating fluid using a surface pump.
In some embodiments, methods also include cooling a downhole pump present in the well bore while vapor is being generated.
In some embodiments, methods also include heating the fluid in the well bore.
Systems and methods based on downhole fluid heating can improve the efficiencies of heavy oil recovery relative to conventional, surface based, fluid heating by reducing the energy or heat loss during transit of the heated fluid to the target subterranean zones. Some instances, this can reduce the fuel consumption required for heated fluid generation.
In addition, by heating fluid downhole, the injection assembly between the surface and the downhole fluid heating device is no longer used as a conduit for the conveyance of heated fluid into the subterranean zone. Thus, a multipurpose completion assembly can be deployed which provides heated fluid injection into the subterranean zone and a producing conduit to the surface which includes an artificial lift system. Heating the fluids downhole reduces collateral heating of the uphole well bore, thereby reducing heat effects and possible damage on the artificial lift production system and other equipment therein. In addition, multipurpose completion assemblies including cooling mechanisms for downhole artificial lift systems and other devices can further reduce the possibility that heat associated with heating the fluid will damage artificial lift systems or other devices present in the well bore.
Use of multipurpose completion assemblies can also increase operational efficiencies. Such multipurpose completion assemblies can be installed in a well bore and remain in place during both injection and production phases of a cyclic production process. This reduces the number of trips in and out of the well bore that would otherwise be required for systems and methods based on the use of separate injection and production assemblies.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A-1C are schematic views of an embodiment of a system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone.
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view of another embodiment of a system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Systems and methods of producing fluids from a subterranean zone can include downhole fluid heaters in conjunction with artificial lift systems. One type of downhole fluid heater is a downhole steam generator that generates heated steam or steam and heated liquid. Although “steam” typically refers to vaporized water, a downhole steam generator can operate to heat and/or vaporize other liquids in addition to, or as an alternative to, water. Some examples of artificial lift systems include pumps, such as electric submersible, progressive cavity, and others, gas lift systems, and other devices that operate to move fluids. Supplying heated fluid from the downhole fluid heater(s) to a target formation such as, a hydrocarbon-bearing formation or reservoir can reduce the viscosity of oil and/or other fluids in the target formation. To accomplish this process of combining artificial lift systems with downhole fluid heaters, a downhole cooling system can be deployed for cooling the artificial lift system and other components of a completion system. In some instances, use of a single multipurpose completion assembly allows for cyclical steam injection and production without disturbing or removing the well bore completion assembly. Such multipurpose completion assemblies can include a downhole heated fluid generator, an artificial lift system, and a production assembly cooling system that circulates surface cooled well bore water during the steam injection process.
Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C , a system 100 for producing fluids from a reservoir or subterranean zone 110 includes a tubing string 112 disposed in a well bore 114 . The tubing string 112 is adapted to communicate fluids from the subterranean zone to a ground surface 116 . A downhole fluid lift system 118 , operable to lift fluids towards the ground surface 116 , is at least partially disposed in the well bore 114 and may be integrated into, coupled to or otherwise associated with the tubing string 112 . A downhole fluid heater 120 , operable to vaporize a liquid in the well bore 114 , is also disposed in the well bore 114 and may be carried by the tubing string 112 . As used herein, “downhole” devices are devices that are adapted to be located and operate in a well bore. A seal 122 (e.g., a packer seal) is disposed between the downhole fluid lift system 118 and the downhole fluid heater 120 . The seal 122 may be carried by the tubing string 112 . The seal 122 may be selectively actuable to substantially seal the annulus between the well bore 114 and the tubing string 112 , thus hydraulically isolating a portion of the well bore 114 uphole of the seal 122 from a portion of the well bore 114 downhole of the seal 122 . As will be explained in more detail below, the seal 122 limits the flow of heated fluid (e.g., steam) upwards along the well bore 114 .
A well head 117 may be disposed proximal to a ground surface 116 . The well head 117 may be coupled to a casing 115 that extends a substantial portion of the length of the well bore 114 from about the ground surface 116 towards the subterranean zone 110 (e.g., hydrocarbon-containing reservoir). The subterranean zone 110 can include part of a formation, a formation, or multiple formations. In some instances, the casing 115 may terminate at or above the subterranean zone 110 leaving the well bore 114 un-cased through the subterranean zone 110 (i.e., open hole). In other instances, the casing 115 may extend through the subterranean zone and may include apertures formed prior to installation of the casing 115 or by downhole perforating to allow fluid communication between the interior of the well bore 114 and the subterranean zone. Some, all or none of the casing 115 may be affixed to the adjacent ground material with a cement jacket or the like. In some instances, the seal 122 or an associated device can grip and operate in supporting the downhole fluid heater 120 . In other instances, an additional locating or pack-off device such as a liner hanger (not shown) can be provided to support the downhole fluid heater 120 . In each instance, the downhole fluid heater 120 outputs heated fluid into the subterranean zone 110 .
In the illustrated embodiment, well bore 114 is a substantially vertical well bore extending from ground surface 116 to subterranean zone 110 . However, the systems and methods described herein can also be used with other well bore configurations (e.g., slanted well bores, horizontal well bores, multilateral well bores and other configurations).
The tubing string 112 can be an appropriate tubular completion member configured for transporting fluids. The tubing string 112 can be jointed tubing or coiled tubing or include portions of both. The tubing string 112 carries the seal 122 and includes at least two valves 125 , 126 bracketing the packer seal (e.g., valve 125 provided on one side of seal 122 and valve 126 provided on the other side of seal). Valves 125 , 126 provide and control fluid communication between a well bore annulus 128 and an interior region 130 of the tubing string 112 . When open, valves 125 , 126 allow communication of fluid between the annulus 128 and tubing string interior 130 , and when closed valves 125 , 126 substantially block communication of fluid between the annulus 128 and tubing string interior 130 . In this embodiment, the valves 125 , 126 are electrically operated valves controlled from the surface 116 . In other embodiments, valves 125 , 126 can include other types of closure mechanisms (e.g., apertures in the tubing string 112 opened/closed by sliding sleeves and other types of closure mechanisms). Additionally, in other embodiments, the valves 125 , 126 can be controlled in a number of other different manners (e.g., as check valves, thermostatically, mechanically via linkage or manipulation of the string 112 , hydraulically, and/or in another manner).
The downhole fluid lift system 118 is operable to lift fluids towards the ground surface 116 . In the illustrated embodiment, the downhole fluid lift system is an electric submersible pump 118 mounted on the tubing string 112 . The electric submersible pump 118 has a pump inlet 132 which draws fluids from the well bore annulus 128 uphole of the packer seal 120 and a pump outlet 134 which discharges fluids into the interior region 130 of the tubing string 112 . Power and control lines associated with electric submersible pump 118 can be attached to an exterior surface of tubing string 112 , communicated through the tubing string 112 , or communicated in another manner. In some embodiments, downhole fluid lift systems are implemented using other mechanisms such as, for example, progressive cavity pumps and gas lift systems as described in more detail below.
The downhole fluid heater 120 is disposed in the well bore 114 below the seal 122 . The downhole fluid heater 120 may be a device adapted to receive and heat a recovery fluid. In one instance, the recovery fluid includes water and may be heated to generate steam. The recovery fluid can include other different fluids, in addition to or in lieu of water, and the recovery fluid need not be heated to a vapor state (e.g. steam) of 100% quality, or even to produce vapor. The downhole fluid heater 120 includes inputs to receive the recovery fluid and other fluids (e.g., air, fuel such as natural gas, or both) and may have one of a number of configurations to deliver heated recovery fluids to the subterranean zone 110 . The downhole fluid heater 120 may use fluids, such as air and natural gas, in a combustion or catalyzing process to heat the recovery fluid (e.g., heat water into steam) that is applied to the subterranean zone 110 . In some circumstances, the subterranean zone 110 may include high viscosity fluids, such as, for example, heavy oil deposits. The downhole fluid heater 120 may supply steam or another heated recovery fluid to the subterranean zone 110 , which may penetrate into the subterranean zone 110 , for example, through fractures and/or other porosity in the subterranean zone 110 . The application of a heated recovery fluid to the subterranean zone 110 tends to reduce the viscosity of the fluids in the subterranean zone 110 and facilitate recovery to the ground surface 116 .
In this embodiment, the downhole fluid heater is a steam generator 120 . Gas, water, and air lines 136 , 138 , 140 convey gas, water, and air to the steam generator 120 . In certain embodiments, the supply lines 136 , 138 , 140 extend through seal 122 . In the embodiment of FIG. 1A , a surface based pump 142 pumps water from a supply such as supply tank 144 to piping 146 connected to wellhead 148 and water line 140 . Various implementations of supply lines 136 , 138 , 140 are possible. For example, gas, water, and air lines 136 , 138 , 140 can be integral parts of the tubing string 112 , can be attached to the tubing string, or can be separate lines run through well bore annulus 128 . One exemplary tube system for use in delivery of fluids to a downhole heated fluid generator device includes concentric tubes defining at least two annular passages that cooperate with the interior bore of a tube to communicate air, fuel and recovery fluid to the downhole heated fluid generator.
In operation, well bore 114 is drilled into subterranean zone 110 , and well bore 114 can be cased as appropriate. After drilling is completed, tubing string 112 , downhole fluid heater 120 , downhole fluid lift system 118 , and seal 122 can be installed in the well bore 114 . The seal 122 is then actuated to extend radially to press against and substantially seal with the casing 115 . The valves 126 , 125 are initially closed.
Referring to FIG. 1A , cooling fluid (e.g., water) can be supplied to uphole well bore annulus 128 at wellhead 148 . The downhole fluid lift system 118 can be activated to circulate the cooling water downward through uphole well bore annulus 128 and upwards to the interior region 130 of tubing string 112 . The combined effect of the isolation of uphole well bore annulus 128 from downhole well bore annulus 129 and the circulation of cooling fluid can reduce temperatures in the uphole well bore annulus 128 . The reduced temperatures reduce the likelihood of heat damage to the downhole fluid lift system 118 and other devices in the uphole portion of the well bore 114 (e.g., the deterioration and premature failure of heat sensitive components such as rubber gaskets, electronics, and others). Of note, although additional steps are not required to actively cool the cooling fluid, in some instances, the cooling fluid may be cooled by exposure to atmosphere, using a refrigeration system (not shown), or in another manner.
The downhole fluid heater 120 can be activated, thus heating recovery fluid (e.g., steam) in the well bore. Because the apertures 126 in the downhole production sleeve are closed, the heated fluid passes into the target subterranean zone 110 . The heated fluid can reduce the viscosity of fluids already present in the target subterranean zone 110 by increasing the temperature of such fluids and/or by acting as a solvent.
Referring to FIG. 1B , after a sufficient reduction in viscosity has been achieved, fluids (e.g., oil) are produced from the subterranean zone 110 to the ground surface 116 through the tubing string 112 . Both the downhole fluid heater 120 and the downhole fluid lift system 118 can be turned off and the downhole valve 125 opened. Flow of cooling water into the uphole annulus 128 of the well bore 114 can be stopped. For some period of time after injection is completed, pressures in the subterranean zone 110 can be high enough to cause a natural flow of fluids from the reservoir to the ground surface 116 through the tubing string 112 . During this period of time, the uphole valve 126 remains closed.
Referring to FIG. 1C , as the pressure in the subterranean zone 110 is depleted or as the subterranean zone 110 cools and fluid viscosity in the reservoir increases, production due to reservoir pressure can slow and even stop. As this occurs, the uphole valve 126 is opened and the downhole fluid lift system 118 is activated. The downhole fluid lift system 118 pumps fluids through downhole valve 125 , out of uphole valve 126 and from uphole annulus 128 to the ground surface 116 through the interior region 130 of tubing string 112 . In some instances, tubing string 112 can include additional flow control mechanisms. For example, tubing string can include check valves and/or other arrangements to direct the travel of fluids transferred into the interior region 130 of the tubing string 112 from fluid lift system 118 uphole in the tubing string 11 .
As the subterranean zone 110 further cools and fluid viscosity in the reservoir further increases, production, even using the downhole fluid lift system, can slow. At this point, system 100 can be reconfigured for injection by closing valves 125 , 126 , and by activating the downhole fluid lift system 118 (to circulate cooling water) and the downhole fluid heater 120 to repeat the cycle described above. Such systems and methods can increase operational efficiencies because a single completion assembly can be installed in a well bore and remain in place during both injection and production phases of a cyclic production process. This reduces the number of trips in and out of the whole that would otherwise be required for systems and methods based on the use of separate injection and production assemblies.
The concepts described above can be implemented in a variety of systems and/or system configurations. For example, other approaches can be used to cool the downhole fluid lift system. Similarly, other downhole fluid lift systems can be used.
FIG. 2 depicts an alternate approach to cooling the downhole fluid lift system and other components in the uphole portion of the well bore 114 . A system 200 can be arranged in substantially the same configuration as system 100 . However, system 200 can use the surface pump to circulate cooling water through the uphole annulus 128 of the well bore 114 during the heated fluid injection phase. This can reduce the overall use of downhole fluid lift system 118 and, thus, can reduce the likelihood of wear related damage to the downhole fluid lift system. The surface pump can be the pump 142 used to supply water to the downhole fluid heater 120 or a separate pump can be used.
FIG. 3 depicts yet another alternate approach to cooling the downhole fluid lift system and other components in the uphole portion of the well bore 114 . Like system 200 , system 300 can reduce the overall use of downhole fluid lift system 118 and, thus, can reduce the likelihood of wear related damage to the downhole fluid lift system. System 300 is also arranged in substantially the same configuration as system 100 and system 200 . However, system 300 includes an alternate mechanism for cooling the downhole fluid lift system 118 during the injection phase. The water line 140 that feeds the downhole fluid heater 120 is connected to a shroud 310 disposed around exterior portions of the downhole fluid lift system 118 . During the injection phase, water flowing to the downhole fluid heater 120 passes through the shroud 310 providing both insulation and cooling for the downhole fluid lift system 118 . Other components in the uphole portion of the well bore 114 can be similarly cooled using the water line 140 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , systems can also be implemented using alternate downhole fluid lift systems. For example, system 400 is implemented using a progressive cavity pump 418 disposed in line with the tubing string 112 as the downhole fluid lift system. The progressive cavity pump 418 is driven by a drive shaft 420 extending downward to the progressive cavity pump through the interior region 130 of tubing string 112 . System 400 is also arranged in substantially the same configuration as the previously described systems 100 , 200 , 300 . However, because the progressive cavity pump 418 is arranged in line with the tubing string 112 , the uphole valve can be omitted. In some embodiments, system 400 includes the shroud 310 described above as arranged above for cooling the progressive cavity pump 418 .
Referring to FIG. 5 , systems can also be implemented using a gas lift system as the downhole fluid lift system. For example, system 500 is implemented using a gas lift production assembly rather than pumps as the downhole fluid lift system. System 500 is also arranged in substantially the same configuration as the previously described system 400 . However, a gas lift production assembly 518 which includes at least one gas lift production liner 520 with gas lift mandrels 522 . The gas lift mandrels 522 each include one or more gas lift valves 524 . Dummies can be placed in the gaslift mandrels 522 during the injection phase so that the uphole well bore annulus 128 does not need to be cooled. After the injection phase is completed, the dummies are removed and gas lift valves installed (e.g., by using a wireline system). The reservoir fluid is then lifted to the ground surface 116 using artificial lift provided by the gas lift system 518 .
A number of embodiments of the invention have been described. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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A system for producing fluids from a subterranean zone comprises a tubing string disposed in a well bore, the tubing string adapted to communicate fluids from the subterranean zone to a ground surface. A downhole fluid lift system is operable to lift fluids towards the ground surface. A downhole fluid heater is disposed in the well bore and is operable to vaporize a liquid in the well bore. A seal between the downhole fluid lift system and the downhole fluid heater is operable to isolate a portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid lift system from a portion of the well bore containing the downhole fluid heater. A method comprises: disposing a tubing string in a well bore; generating vapor in the well bore; and lifting fluids from the subterranean zone to a ground surface through the tubing string.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sewing machine having a sewing device controlled by a processor, whereby the processor is capable of being switched over from one mode to another wherein in the first mode, control is effected by control programs for the sewing operations and in the second mode, control is effected by diagnostic programs. Sewing machines of this kind are known, e.g., from U.S. Pat. No. 4,393,796 and 4,480,561. However, the diagnostic capabilities of known machines have heretofore been fairly limited and they relate practically exclusively to the operability of certain machine parts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to expand the diagnostic capabilities of a sewing machine by providing additional programs.
A first measure for achieving these objectives consists of providing at least one diagnostic program that is capable of simultaneously entering and storing correcting instructions. The entry and the storage of correcting instructions may, in this case, be preferably executed during a sewing process, and more particularly, correcting instructions for null-balance of the forward and backward motion of the feeder may be entered and stored. In this way, it is easily possible, not only to safely obtain a diagnostic of a faulty adjustment or a subsequent misadjustment, but also to remove it without intervening in the machine.
For a sewing machine which is provided with sensors for determining the positions of each of the stepping motors for controlling the stitch length and the stitch width, it is advantageously possible to provide a circuit for displaying the position sensed by each sensor in the region where the steps are to be executed by the associated stepping motor. This display permits checking if the positioning provided by the stepping motors is correct.
Moreover, means can be provided for checking the adjustment of the stitch length, stitch width, position of the stitch field and baste (actuating sewing needle every second or sixth stitch).
It is further possible to provide a diagnostic program in which the motor for controlling the stitch width is brought to its null or central position in order to check the central position of the needle.
It is further possible to provide a diagnostic program in which the control motors, more particularly stepping motors, are alternately accelerated and decelerated, whereby the operability of the motors can be checked. This program is more particularly used during the endurance run of the machine (burn in) at the time of the final check.
It is also known to associate an electronic sewing machine with a diagnostic mask which can be laid on the control and display panel and which contains instructions for the execution of the different diagnostics and for displaying the corresponding results. In accordance with the invention, the setting in place of the mask can actuate a change-over switch or sensor, e.g., a capacitive sensor for switching over the program from the control condition to the diagnostic condition.
The invention will be described further by reference to the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a mask laid on the control and display panel of a sewing machine with control and display parts of the sewing machine visible through windows of the mask.
FIG. 2 shows schematically a sensor for sensing the presence of the mask according to FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 shows a stepping motor for controlling the stitch length or stitch width by an associated position sensor.
FIG. 4 shows a block-diagram of a circuit for the entry and storage of correcting instructions.
FIG. 5 shows a flow chart which illustrates the entry and storage of correcting instructions.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows an L-shaped mask 10 of flat material, e.g., a coated carton or similar material. The form and size of this mask corresponds essentially to the form and size of the control and display panel of an electronic sewing machine 10' as illustrated, e.g., in EP-A-88810252.2. The mask comprises different windows (some of which are not particularly designated by a reference numeral and through which determined selected control elements and display elements of the sewing machine are visible. As an example, round windows 11 and 12 are shown through which project the adjusting knobs 13 and 14 for adjustment of the stitch width and stitch length. Display elements for the stitch width and stitch length are visible through windows 15 and 16 of the mask and are associated with the adjusting knobs 13 and 14.
To choose the individual diagnostic programs, pushbuttons 17 are provided. These pushbuttons 17 have another function during normal service of the sewing machine and serve, e.g., for the choosing of decorative or utility stitches. The display lamps or light emitting diodes 18 associated with these pushbuttons 17 serve to display the efficacy of a determined diagnostic program. These programs are designated by numbers from 1 to 6 and the same numbers are repeated at other places on the mask and so designate displays and/or additional actuating elements for the selected program. These displays and actuating elements will be written in accordance with the individual diagnostic programs as far as this appears to be necessary.
Change-over means are provided to permit a change-over of the processor of the sewing machine from the usual operation for controlling the sewing process to the diagnostic operation in accordance with selected programs. To this end, a particular change-over switch can be associated with the sewing machine. Preferably, however, an automatic change-over is executed as soon as the mask 10 is laid on the control and display panel of the sewing machine. In accordance with FIG. 2, there is shown a capacitive sensor which reacts at the time of the setting in place of the mask and provides for the change-over of the function of the processor. The mask bears at the internal side, in this case, a conductive coating 19 which, when the mask is laid on the control and display panel, is opposite to conductive coatings 20 at part 21 of the housing of the sewing machine. When the mask is laid on or removed from the panel, the capacitive value between the coatings 20 changes which changes are evaluated by the electronics of the sewing machine in the sense that for an increased capacity (mask 10 set in place), the microprocessor is placed in the diagnostic operation mode while when the mask is removed, it is switched back again to the sewing operation mode. However, for safety reasons, this change-over is executed only after the sewing machine has been previously stopped. Hence, for the execution of one or many service programs, the machine first has to be stopped, then the mask 10 can be set in place and the sewing machine can again be switched on. In this way the automatic change-over is effected. If in this condition, the CLEAR pushbutton 22 is actuated, the electronics of the machine is in the basic condition of the diagnostic operation or of the service condition. It is then possible to select an arbitrary one of the diagnostic programs 1 to 6 by pressing the associated pushbutton 17 to activate the corresponding program.
The programs 1 and 2 serve to check the position of a Hall-sensor for the stitch length and the stitch width. Both programs are identical with very small differences. At first, the arrangement and the purpose of the Hall-sensors will be explained by reference to FIG. 3. The parts illustrated separately in FIG. 3 are fixedly connected together in their operating condition. The stepping motor 23 comprises a shaft 24 with an eccentric driving pin 25. The eccentric driving pin 25 controls (through rods not shown) the oscillating frame of the needle rod for determining the stitch width. On the motor shaft 24 is mounted a stop boss 26 which serves to limit the rotary motion of the motor shaft by means of stops 26' of a mounting plate 23a for the stepping motor. To the stop boss 26 is fastened a magnet 27 which cooperates with a Hall sensor 28 provided in front of the magnet. For a determined position or number of steps of the stepping motor, the magnet comes opposite to the Hall sensor which then transmits a signal to the microprocessor through the connection 29. By a loosened screw fitting, the stepping motor 23 can be pivoted in a determined domain about the axis of the shaft 24 and then fastened into the desired position with screws to the mounting plate 23a. It could also be necessary to bring the displaced sensor 28 to the correct position.
When program 1 is selected, the stepping motor is adjusted stepwise in order to control the stitch width (SB) and it is determined in which stepping position the Hall sensor 28 is activated. This position, representing a number of steps, is displayed by the four-figure digital display 30 (FIG. 1). Above the individual lamps of this display are indicated the numerical values 1, 2, 4 and 8. The combination of the illuminated lamps corresponds to a number of steps given by the sum of the associated numerical values. In the case of stitch width, it is determined if this number of steps is within a determined domain, e.g., between 1 and 7 which in this particular case guarantees that the stepping motor is positioned correctly. At the same time, the operability of the Hall sensor and the stepping motor is confirmed. If program 2 is selected, a similar precise checking of the stepping motor takes place, to determine the stitch length. If, during this checking, the displayed result falls outside of the prescribed domain, a correction becomes necessary which can take place either by resetting the Hall sensor, which is displaced with respect to the initial position, to the correct position or by changing the angular position of the stepping motor in accordance with the manner mentioned above.
If program 3 is selected, the machine is adjusted to straight stitch which is indicated on the mask 10, at the top left. In this positions, the following adjustments can be made: stitch length, stitch width, stitch field position and baste (in which the machine needle is actuated every second or sixth stitch, e.g.). If program 4 is selected, the stepping motors 23 are used for controlling the stitch width and stitch length with the step word of the mark out position. This mark out position corresponds to a null or middle position of the needle, i.e., a null position of the stitch width. This diagnostic serves uniquely for checking the actual condition. If the position is not correct, mechanical interventions are necessary. If the fault is small, a correction in the rods between the eccentric pin 25 of the stepping motor and the controlled machine part is possible, If the difference is larger, a correction of the angular position of the stepping motor may be necessary. The designation "mark out position" refers to the fact that during production, a very precise adjustment of the position of the stop bosses 26 on the shaft 24 of the motor must take place. To this end, for the null step position of the stepping motor, a pin is introduced through an opening 31 of the stop boss 26 in an opening lying in the rear of the housing of the motor. If the relative position of the stop boss 26 and the motor 23 is not correct, that is if the pin cannot be introduced through both openings, the angular position of the motor must be corrected as mentioned above.
Program 5 serves to check, and as the case may be, to correct the null balance for the forward and backward motion of the feeder. By selecting program 5, the sewing machine is driven for a determined number of turns, so that it is possible to determine if sewing material lies still or if it is transported forward or backward. When the stitch length is set at null, no transport should take place. If however, a certain transport takes place, a correction can be effected by actuation of one of the pushbuttons 32 or 33. If a certain forward motion takes place, a correction can be effected by actuation of the pushbutton 32 designated by "minus", this actuation being executed until the sewing material lies still. If the sewing material is transported backward, the pushbutton 33 designated by "plus" is actuated until the sewing material lies still. This correction is further explained with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows again the pushbuttons 32 and 33 which are connected to a memory 34 and to an intermediate memory 35. The contents of the intermediate memory 35 are displayed by a display 36. The principal memory 34 contains a number which represents a factor for calculating the stitch length. Another memory 37 contains the momentary offset for the null transport. The sum of the factor contained in the memory 34 and the offset contained in the memory 37 gives the overall factor for the calculation of the stitch length. The memory 37 is a non volatile memory (EEPROM).
FIG. 5 illustrates the correcting process in flow chart form. At each actuation of the key 33, the calculation factor is increased by one unit while at each actuation of the key 32, the calculation factor is decreased by one unit.
In addition to the diagnostic programs 1to 6, further checkings may be executed. In a window 38 of the mask, lamps are visible which digitally display by their lights that an analog control signal from the foot pedal 39 is correctly transmitted to the microprocessor. Further, a display indicates that the motor (M) receives a corresponding signal. By means of a display visible in window 40 of the mask 10, it is possible to check if, for an automatic sewing of a button hole indicated above the display 40, an effective pick-up operates satisfactorily. It is possible to indicate in window 41 if the above mentioned Hall sensors operate satisfactorily. In window 42, lamps are visible which are driven by a pick-up of a position code for the principal shaft of the sewing machine, the position code being indicated above the window 42. The lamps in window 42 permit the checking of the correction function of the position pick-up which is a necessary condition that causes certain mutual locks to operate, which means that, e.g., the needle will not execute a zig-zag motion when it is engaged in the sewing material. The individual keys for actuating the various controls and displays are not designated and described individually. It is uniquely mentioned that through the various pushbuttons, a variety of different checkings are implemented and corresponding displays are activated.
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According to the present invention, there is disclosed a microprocessor for a sewing machine which can be changed over from a normal service mode for controlling sewing operations to a diagnostic mode for controlling diagnostic programs. The drive of the diagnostic programs takes place by actuation of already present selector switches of the sewing machine and the display of the diagnostic results takes place through already present displays of the sewing machine. In order to facilitate the diagnostic, a mask is provided which can be placed on the control and displaying panel of the sewing machine and which contains indications relating to the drive of determined programs and the reading of the results. At least in one case, means are provided in order to enter and store correcting information according to the results of the diagnostic. This provides a simple and multilateral diagnostic capability and the possibility of intervention in the electronics of the sewing machine.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to fiber adapted for being spun, and more particularly to cleaning such fiber.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In conventional spinning practice, single fibers are spun and used as basic building blocks in the manufacture of the more complex fiber structures. Prior to the spinning process, fibers, which can be of natural or synthetic origin, are processed using various steps including, but not limited to carding, gilling, combing, drawing and roving. Such fibers may be extracted from various animals (i.e. alpacas, llamas, dogs, cats, etc.).
The prepared fiber is then creeled in a spinning frame where it is subjected first to a draft, or attenuation, by which the linear density of the fiber is reduced to a required level, and is then twisted with an amount of twist which depends upon the weight of the fiber and its intended use. The spinning operation is normally carried out on a machine such as a ringframe, a cap-frame or a flyer-frame, in which the rotation of a spindle serves to both insert twist into the fiber and to wind the fiber onto a package carried on the spindle.
Once the fiber has been spun, it can be wound into skeins for storage and transportation purposes. Then, the fiber is ready for being further processed and/or used to create clothing articles and other consumer goods.
At any point of the process, and preferably prior to spinning, the skeins may be washed and dried. This step is of particular importance as fiber can initially include strong odor, significant discoloration, harsh stains, and an unconditioned feel; especially when the fiber is from a natural source (i.e. alpacas, llamas, dogs, cats, etc.). Unfortunately, standard off-the-shelf detergents fail to sufficiently correct the forgoing problems.
DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION
A system and method are provided for cleaning fiber. Fiber is first provided for being washed in a solution. Such solution includes ingredients such as stain remover, whitener, brightener, conditioner, and/or odor remover.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a method for cleaning fiber, in accordance with one embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 illustrates a method 100 for cleaning fiber, in accordance with one embodiment. In the context of the present description, the fiber may include any synthetic fiber or natural fiber (i.e. alpaca, llama, dog, cat, etc.) capable of being spun for use in garments, etc.
In operation 102 , fiber is provided to be washed. In one embodiment, the fiber to be washed may take on a raw form existing prior to the spinning process. Of course, the present method 100 may be used to clean fiber at any desired time during the manufacture process.
In order for such fiber to be cleaned appropriately, a solution may be mixed. In particular, in operation 104 , one part of stain remover may be mixed into the solution. The stain remover may include any fluid capable of removing stains from fiber. Optionally, the stain remover may include nonionic surfactants and/or conform to STM D-4236. In one exemplary embodiment, the stain remover may include RIT® stain remover.
Next, in operation 106 , one part of whitener and/or brightener may be mixed into the solution. The whitener and/or brightener may include any fluid capable of whitening and/or brightening fiber, respectively. Optionally, the whitener and/or brightener may include sodium hydrosulfite, nonionic surfactants, and/or conform to STM D-4236. In one exemplary embodiment, the whitener and/or brightener may include RIT® whitener/brightener.
One part of conditioner is then mixed into the solution, in operation 108 . The conditioner may include any fluid capable of conditioning fiber. Optionally, the conditioner may include purified water, stearyl alcohol, cetyl alcohol, behentrimonium chloride, guar hydroxypropyltrimonium chloride, phenyltrimethicone, wheat amino acids, lemon complex (propylene gylcol, lemon extract, fumitory extract, fumaric acid) aloe vera gel, chamomile extract, awapuhi extract, rosemary extract, kelp extract, glycrine, fragrance w/sparent oil, cetyl phosphate, citric acid, methylparaben, propylparaben, methylchloroisothiazolinone (and) methylisothiazolinone, FD&C blue No. 1. In one exemplary embodiment, the conditioner may include KIRKLAND® conditioner.
Thereafter, in operation 110 , one part of odor remover is mixed into the solution. The odor remover may include any fluid capable of removing odor from fiber. Optionally, the odor remover may include water, concentrated odor eliminator derived from corn, fragrance. In one exemplary embodiment, the odor remover may include PROCTOR & GAMBLE® FEBREZE® odor remover.
With the solution complete, the fiber may be washed in the solution in operation 112 . This may be accomplished by preparing a basin of water by applying an ample amount of the mixture therein and dispersing the same. Then, the fiber may be completely immersed in the basin. The fiber may then be gently massaged with the hands of a user to wash the fiber, while preventing the fiber from interweaving or matting. Then, the fiber may be dried.
By washing the fiber in a water basis including the foregoing mixture of fluids, the fiber is significantly improved in terms of sight, smell, and feel. The fiber is then ready for spinning, etc.
While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above described exemplary embodiments, but should be defined only in accordance with the following claims and their equivalents.
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A system and method are provided for cleaning fiber. Fiber is first provided for being washed in a solution. Such solution includes ingredients such as stain remover, whitener, brightener, conditioner, and/or odor remover.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/579,086, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,769,744 filed on May 25, 2000 entitled “Spring Brake Modulating Relay Valve”.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This application relates to a combined or integrated spring brake modulating valve and relay valve that are contained in a single housing for an air brake system.
2. Discussion of the Art
It is common in presently available brake circuits to employ a separate modulation valve with a relay valve or with a separate quick-release valve. For example, FIG. 1 illustrates a six-by-four straight truck, i.e., a non-towing vehicle, that employs spring brakes for parking the vehicle and in which pressurized air is delivered to the spring brakes to release them during normal operation. As shown in FIG. 1 , each wheel includes a brake chamber connected with a relay valve to provide air pressure to the drive axle and selectively control service application of the brakes. In addition, each wheel includes a spring brake chamber selectively supplied with air to release a large mechanical spring typically used for the park function. Air pressure to these spring brake chambers releases the mechanical spring and allows the vehicle to roll.
As is generally known in the art, if a primary circuit fails, it is desirable to take advantage of the spring brakes, yet modulate the operation of the spring brakes through a foot control valve. This is provided by the spring brake modulation valve so that the spring brakes are selectively applied through operation of the foot control valve. The secondary circuit controls the steer axle (not shown). This arrangement provides a desired braking action and modulation of the spring brakes when required.
FIG. 2 illustrates a four-by-two or six-by-two straight truck configuration. Again, a spring brake modulation valve is used in conjunction with a separate spring brake quick release valve. It is evident from a comparison of FIGS. 1 and 2 that different system configurations and plumbing arrangements are thus encountered by truck manufacturers even though the brake needs are not entirely dissimilar. Thus a need exists for simplified plumbing for the truck manufacturers that provides standardized installation across all of its vehicles. In addition, enhanced performance characteristics are always desirable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an integrated spring brake modulating relay valve that simplifies known, multi-component systems.
More particularly, the valve includes a housing having a control port, supply port, delivery port, exhaust port, and primary and secondary circuit brake ports that communicate with a chamber in the housing. A first piston received in the housing moves in response to pressure from the control port. A second piston monitors the primary and secondary circuits and modulates spring brake pressure if the primary circuit fails. An exhaust valve is interposed between the supply and delivery ports and controls communication with the exhaust port to selectively supply and release the spring brakes.
The first or relay piston is connected to the second or modulating piston through a biasing spring. Thus, the pistons can operate in unison but are also adapted to move relative to one another for their particular functions.
A primary benefit of the invention is the ability to integrate separate components into a multi-component arrangement in a single housing.
Another benefit of the invention resides in the improved response time, while maintaining all of the features and benefits of known systems.
Yet another benefit results from the simplified plumbing and standardized installation for truck manufacturers.
Still other features and benefits of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1 and 2 are schematic representations of prior art truck brake systems.
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of the spring brake modulating relay valve of the present invention incorporated into an air brake system.
FIG. 4 is a sectional view through the spring brake modulating relay valve illustrating relative positions of the valve components during a system charging.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to that of FIG. 4 , where the pressure has been elevated above 105 psi.
FIG. 6 illustrates normal service brake application.
FIG. 7 illustrates the position of the valve components during system park.
FIG. 8 illustrates service brake application where a failure has occurred in the primary brake circuit.
FIG. 9 shows the valve components where a failure in the secondary brake circuit has occurred.
FIG. 10 illustrates the anti-compounding feature of the subject valve.
FIG. 11 is an illustration of another preferred embodiment of a combined spring brake modulating relay valve.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning first to FIG. 3 , a brake system 20 includes a first or primary reservoir 22 and a second or secondary reservoir 24 that provide a supply of pressurized air for the brake system. The reservoirs are periodically charged by a compressor (not shown) and typically an air dryer is interposed between the compressor and the reservoirs to remove moisture and contaminants from the air before it is stored. Lines 26 , 28 lead from the first and second reservoirs, respectively, to a foot control valve 30 . The valve includes a foot pedal 32 that is selectively depressed by an operator to supply pressure from the foot control valve to a standard service relay valve 40 via line 42 . The relay valve delivers normal service braking to brake chambers 50 via lines 52 associated with each of the drive wheels (not shown). In addition, line 54 extends from the relay valve to a spring brake modulation relay valve 60 . In this manner, and as will be described in greater detail below, operability of the primary brake circuit is communicated to the spring brake modulation valve 60 .
The foot control valve also provides a signal through line 62 to the spring brake modulation valve representative of the operation of the secondary brake circuit. Although the secondary circuit is not shown in FIG. 3 for purposes of simplicity and brevity, it is well known that a separate or secondary circuit controls braking for the steering axle from the foot control valve.
Moreover, a separately actuated control valve 70 is typically mounted in the operator compartment, such as on the dashboard. Again, as is known in the art, the control valve 70 provides a control signal (pneumatic signal) through line 72 . That control signal cooperates with a spring brake modulating valve, here combined in the spring brake modulation relay valve 60 , to provide pressurized air through lines 74 to the spring brake chambers 76 and thereby release the mechanical spring brakes (not shown).
With this brief overview of the brake system, attention is turned to FIG. 4 where the details of the structure and function of the combined spring brake modulating relay valve 60 is shown in greater detail. It includes a housing 100 which, in this embodiment, includes a first or lower housing portion 102 , a second or intermediate housing portion 104 , and a third or upper housing portion 106 . An internal cavity or valve chamber 110 selectively communicates with a number of ports provided in the housing. For example, a supply port 112 , delivery port 114 , and exhaust port 116 are all formed in the lower housing portion 102 . In the intermediate housing portion, a primary brake circuit port 120 and a secondary brake circuit port 122 are provided while a control signal port 124 is provided in the upper housing portion.
A first or relay piston 130 includes a seal member such as O-ring 132 for sealing, sliding engagement in the housing. A second or modulating piston 134 likewise includes a seal member, such as O-ring, 136 for sliding sealing engagement within the housing. A lower extension of the modulating piston includes an auxiliary piston 138 having an O-ring seal member 140 . A first biasing member or spring 142 engages an internal shoulder 144 of the relay piston 130 at one end and an internal shoulder 146 of the modulating piston at the other end. The spring permits the relay and modulating piston to move as a unit under certain pressure conditions. On the other hand, a retention ring 150 provides an abutment surface for the opposite face of shoulder 144 to define the engagement between the first and second pistons in the absence of air pressure. In addition, a second biasing member or spring 152 is interposed between the housing and the modulating piston for urging the valve assembly toward a first or upper position.
The lower end or modulating end of the second piston includes a seat portion 154 adapted to sealingly engage an exhaust valve 160 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the exhaust valve is closed as a result of the seat portion 154 engaging a seal surface 162 of the exhaust valve. The exhaust valve is normally urged toward a seated position with the housing via spring 164 . When seated against the housing and forming a lap seal therewith, the supply port 112 cannot communicate with the delivery port 114 as will be described further below.
A check valve 170 is associated with the control port 124 . In a first position (as shown), the check valve permits communication between the control port and an upper face 172 of the relay piston via passage 174 . In the first position, passage 176 is sealed by the check valve 170 so that the primary brake circuit port (i.e., on the upper face of the second piston 134 ) cannot communicate with the passage 174 . In addition, a check valve 180 is urged by spring 182 toward a closed position and precludes communication between passage 176 and passage 184 that leads to the supply port.
The position of the valve components in FIG. 4 represent the system when it is charging and the pressure is below a predetermined level (here 105 psi). The control valve 70 is actuated by the operator and supplies a pneumatic control signal to control port 124 . This seats the check valve 170 and provides air pressure to the relay piston surface 172 . The air pressure acting over the relay piston surface exerts a force in a downward direction so that the inlet valve and seal surface 162 is lifted or spaced from the housing seat and provides communication between the supply port 112 and the delivery port 114 to the spring brakes. This provides pressurized air that retracts the mechanical spring brakes and releases the spring brakes to allow the wheels to roll freely.
It is desired that the pressure to the spring brakes be limited to 105 psi. Accordingly, once that preselected pressure level is reached, the exhaust valve is urged to a sealed position with the valve seat ( FIG. 5 ) and remains in contact with the lower portion of the modulating piston. This lapped position assures that only 105 psi is delivered to the spring brakes.
A normal service application is illustrated in FIG. 6 . Pressure is provided at the control port 124 to urge the relay piston 130 to its lower position as shown. In addition, air pressure is provided at the primary circuit port 120 , as well as the secondary circuit port 122 . This provides a balancing force on the modulating piston 134 so that it does not engage against the lower shoulder (e.g. as it does in FIG. 4 ), and instead remains in a balanced position as shown in FIG. 6 . Thus, the pistons have moved relative to one another and the spring 142 is under compression. The spring brakes have already been released and are held in the release position due to the lapped arrangement between the sealing surface 162 and the housing. Likewise, the lower end of the modulating piston 134 is seated against the seal surface 162 to prevent communication with the exhaust port.
To effect system park, no pressure is provided to the control port 124 or the primary and secondary circuit ports 120 , 122 , respectively. The components of the valve adopt the positions illustrated in FIG. 7 . Note that the relay piston is urged to a second or upper position. Likewise, the modulating piston 134 is urged upwardly by the springs. This lifts the end of the modulating piston from its sealed engagement with the seat 162 and thereby establishes communication with the exhaust port 116 . Thus, the air pressure which released the mechanical spring brakes is now free to communicate with ambient through the exhaust port and the spring brakes are applied. The pressure at the supply port 112 cannot communicate with the delivery port due to the closing force imposed by the spring 164 .
If a primary circuit brake failure occurs, the modulation function of the valve 60 comes into play. This is best illustrated in FIG. 8 . The control port 124 is still pressurized and the air pressure urged the relay piston 130 toward its lower position. Because of the failure, there is no pressure at the primary port 120 . Thus, the pressure at the secondary port 122 moves the modulating piston upwardly as shown. This lifts the modulating end of the piston from its sealed engagement with seal member 162 , again establishing communication between the delivery port 114 and the exhaust port. Consequently, the mechanical springs can be applied through selective depression of the foot valve when the primary circuit has failed. This, of course, is a very desirable and beneficial feature of the valve assembly.
If a failure occurs in the secondary circuit, and the primary circuit is still operative, the rear axle or drive brakes can still be operated. The modulating piston moves downwardly, as shown in FIG. 9 , resulting in the supply reservoir pressure being delivered to the spring brakes. However, no modulation occurs since the service brakes are still operative and can satisfy safe stopping distance requirements.
Another feature incorporated into the valve is generally referred to as anti-compounding ( FIG. 10 ). That is, it is undesirable to apply both the spring brake and the normal service braking at the same time, i.e., compounding the brakes. To prevent this undesired result, an anti-compounding feature is incorporated into the valve assembly. For example, if the vehicle is parked, i.e., there is no air pressure at the control port 124 , then air from the primary circuit drives the pistons downwardly by providing pressure to the upper face 172 of the relay piston. The lower end of the modulating piston moves the exhaust valve from its sealed position with the seat and thereby establishes communication between the supply port 112 and the delivery port 114 . As will be recognized, this backs the spring brakes from the applied position and prevents compounding of the brake application.
The valve of FIG. 11 is similar to that shown and described with reference to FIGS. 4–10 . It is preferred from the standpoint, however, that a more compact assembly is provided since the intermediate housing portion is removed. Instead, an inner static piston 200 is received in a modified upper housing portion. As will be appreciated, the static piston 200 is sealed relative to the upper housing portion via O-ring seals 202 , 204 . It has an internal cavity that receives the sliding seals 136 ′ and 140 ′ of the modulating piston. In substantially all other respects, the correspondence between the valve of FIGS. 4–10 and that in FIG. 11 is exhibited through the use of components identified with a primed suffix (′). Accordingly, operation and function of the combined spring brake modulating relay valve of FIG. 11 is the same as described above.
The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will become apparent to those skilled in the art. It is intended to include all such modifications and alterations insofar as they fall within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.
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A combined spring brake modulating relay valve integrates the functions of a relay valve and a modulating valve. The housing includes a valve assembly movable in response to air pressure provided to selected ports in the housing. A relay piston selectively communicates with a control port and a primary brake circuit port. A modulating piston includes surfaces selectively pressurized by the primary brake circuit port and a secondary brake circuit port. This modulates the pressure from the delivery port to thereby selectively apply the associated spring brakes if a failure is detected at the primary brake circuit port. The exhaust member selectively controls communication between the supply and delivery ports as necessary.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/954,749, filed Aug. 8, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to the field of valves. More particularly to a diaphragm type flushometer, typically for use in a urinal or water closet or the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Prior art flushometers have included a two part diaphragm-disc assembly. The diaphragm plate was typically a rubber component with a metallic core (for support). The diaphragm serves to control the main (primary) water flow through a flushometer by the use of a bypass. The relief valve seat was a separate component that engaged with the diaphragm. In prior art devices, the relief valve seat typically was an additional part also rubber molded around a metallic base.
[0004] As lower flush volume fixtures have become necessary and popular, there is a need for flushometers to deliver tighter variability to each flush delivered. This requires tighter control over the components which in-turn give tighter control over the flush profile (both total volume per flush and volume per time.)
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In one embodiment, the invention provides for a reduced part count when assembled as a flush valve, thus providing the associated benefits of reduced parts such as lower cost, ease of maintenance and easy of assembly. The diaphragm of the present invention includes, in one aspect, a plurality of bypasses, in another aspect a singular diaphragm with integrated relief valve seat and in yet another aspect an improved mechanism for sealing the components of the diaphragm kit via the use of retainer.
[0006] In one embodiment, the invention relates to a flush valve system comprising a flush valve body having a water inlet and a water outlet, the water inlet positioned on a side of the flush valve body and the water outlet positioned at a bottom of the flush valve body. The system further includes a barrel, having a hollow passage, disposed within the flush valve body, the barrel forming a vertical pathway for water from the water inlet to pass to the water outlet, a skirt of the barrel and the flush valve body in communication to form a seal between the water inlet and the water outlet and the flush valve body defining an inlet chamber. A diaphragm is disposed at an upper end of the barrel, sealing the inlet chamber from the hollow passage and the diaphragm defining a control chamber above the diaphragm. The diaphragm has a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side and having a central aperture, the diaphragm further including a plurality of by-pass apertures therethrough. Each of the plurality of by-pass apertures is configured to retain a by-pass, the by-pass providing a passage from the inlet chamber to the control chamber allowing equilibration of pressure. A relief valve retention ring circumscribes the central aperture and extends from the top surface of the diaphragm. The relief valve retention ring has a plurality of relief valve lugs protruding from an inner surface of the relief valve retention ring towards the central aperture. The relief valve seat is positioned on the top surface, and the relief valve seat is positioned between the relief valve retention ring and the central aperture. A relief valve is seated on the diaphragm and has a valve stem extending downward therefrom through the diaphragm into and extending beyond a guide. The guide is coupled to the diaphragm and extending downward from the diaphragm into the barrel, the guide being a generally cylindrical hollow tube in communication with the central aperture.
[0007] In another embodiment in the form of a flush valve diaphragm kit, the kit comprises a diaphragm having substantially a disk-shape with a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side, with a radius of the diaphragm being substantially greater than a height of the diaphragm. The diaphragm has a central aperture positioned substantially centrally through the diaphragm and a plurality of by-pass apertures are disposed in the diaphragm, the plurality of by-pass apertures comprising passages through the diaphragm. The kit further includes a plurality of by-passes and each by-pass aperture has a by-pass associated therewith and retainably disposable therein. A relief valve retention ring circumscribes the central aperture and extends from the top surface of the diaphragm. The relief valve retention ring has a plurality of relief valve guides protruding from an inner surface of the relief valve retention ring towards the central aperture. A relief valve seat is positioned on the top surface, the relief valve seat positioned between the relief valve retention ring and the central aperture. A retainer is affixed the diaphragm to a guide, the retainer being disposable with the central aperture of the diaphragm and has a flange engagable with the top surface of the diaphragm. A relief valve has a valve stem, the relief valve seatable on the relief valve seat and retained at least partially by the relief valve retention ring, and the valve stem extending through the retainer and the guide away from the diaphragm.
[0008] In yet another embodiment comprised of an diaphragm assembly for use in a flush valve, the diaphragm assembly comprises a diaphragm having a substantially cylindrical shape with a top surface, a bottom surface, and a side, with a radius of the diaphragm being substantially greater than a height of the diaphragm. The diaphragm has a central aperture positioned substantially centrally through the diaphragm. A plurality of by-pass apertures are disposed in the diaphragm, the plurality of by-pass apertures comprising passages through the diaphragm. A plurality of by-passes is included with each by-pass aperture having a by-pass associated therewith and retainably disposable therein. A relief valve retention ring circumscribes the central aperture and extends from the top surface of the diaphragm. The relief valve retention ring has a plurality of relief valve guides protruding from an inner surface of the relief valve retention ring towards the central aperture. A relief valve seat is positioned on the top surface, the relief valve seat positioned between the relief valve retention ring and the central aperture.
[0009] The invention includes certain features and combinations of parts hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying figures, described below, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in the details may be made without departing from the spirit, or sacrificing any of the advantages of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a prior art flush valve;
[0011] FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a flush valve diaphragm assembly;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a top view of a flush valve diaphragm; and
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a diaphragm assembly including a diaphragm, relief valve, and guide.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0014] Diaphragm-type flushometers having a single bypass orifice and multiple assembled kit parts are well known, as taught in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,616,119; 5,967,182; 5,887,848; 5,490,659; 5,213,305; and 5,332,192 and incorporated herein by reference. The invention has application for all fixtures utilizing a diaphragm flush valve, including traditional volume fixtures. However, it should be appreciated that the diaphragm assembly described herein has substantial advantages for reduced water consumption fixtures, also referred to as High Efficiency Urinals (“HEU”) and High Efficiency Toilets (“HET”). However, it should be understood that the improved diaphragm of the present invention can likewise improve performance of flushometers of various volumes per flush and is not unique to improvement of low flushing fixtures.
[0015] While the diaphragm assembly described herein may be used in various flush valves, FIG. 1 illustrates a flush valve system 100 in which the diaphragm assembly 110 described herein may be used. As shown in FIG. 1 , the flush valve includes a flush valve 101 having an inlet 102 and an outlet 104 . A diaphragm assembly 110 is positioned to separate the inlet 102 and outlet 104 and to regulate the flow therebetween.
[0016] In continued reference to FIG. 1 , a barrel 105 forms a pathway between the inlet 102 and outlet 104 . Typically the flush valve body 101 is elongated along its vertical (longitudinal) axis 114 such that is taller than it is wide. Standard flush valve bodies generally utilize a side-entry inlet 102 (as depicted in FIG. 1 ) such that water enters the flush valve body 101 from the side, substantially parallel with the horizontal (lateral) axis 115 of the flush valve system 100 . As also shown in FIG. 1 , the outlet 104 is typically positioned at the “bottom” of the flush valve body 101 . The barrel 105 forming the pathway between the inlet 102 and the outlet 104 is generally positioned substantially parallel to the vertical axis 114 of the flush valve system 100 .
[0017] In one embodiment, the inlet 102 feeds water into an inlet chamber 103 that surrounds the barrel 105 and whose communication with the barrel 105 (and thus the outlet 104 ) is controlled by the diaphragm assembly 110 . The diaphragm assembly 110 is positioned on the barrel 105 for controlling the flow of water from the inlet 102 through the outlet 104 . Water from the inlet chamber 103 will flow “over” the top of the barrel 105 and into the interior of the barrel 105 to the outlet 104 when the diaphragm assembly 110 is “open”, i.e. lifted off of the diaphragm seat 106 .
[0018] In one embodiment of the diaphragm assembly 110 , the diaphragm assembly 110 includes a flexible diaphragm 116 . The diaphragm 116 , in one embodiment, has a substantially disc-like shape with a top surface 116 a, a bottom surface 116 b, and a side or outer periphery 116 c, with the outer diameter of the diaphragm 116 being substantially greater than a height (thickness) of the diaphragm 116 . The diaphragm 116 is secured about its periphery 116 c. In one embodiment, the diaphragm periphery 116 c is secured to the valve body 101 . The diaphragm 116 is seated on a diaphragm seat 106 , which is an uppermost portion of the barrel 105 . The diaphragm 116 , when seated on the diaphragm seat 106 , forms a seal that prevents water from passing from the inlet 102 , via the inlet chamber 103 , into an interior of the barrel 105 (and subsequently out through the outlet 104 ).
[0019] The operation of the diaphragm assembly 110 is controlled by the balance of pressures between the inlet chamber 103 and a control chamber 107 . The control chamber 107 is defined as a portion of the interior of the flush valve body 101 above the diaphragm assembly 110 and opposite the inlet chamber 103 , such that pressure of the control chamber 107 operates on the diaphragm 116 opposite the pressure from the inlet chamber 103 (typically due to the pressure of the water in the water supply line (not shown) itself). Thus, the inlet chamber 103 pressure operates to push the diaphragm 116 off the diaphragm seat 106 , and the control chamber 107 pressure operates to press the diaphragm 116 to the diaphragm seat 106 .
[0020] As shown in FIGS. 1 , 2 , and 4 , in certain embodiments, the diaphragm assembly 110 includes a disc 109 integral to the diaphragm and forming a relief valve seat 117 . The diaphragm assembly 110 includes a central aperture 108 . In this embodiment, the relief valve assembly 119 includes a relief valve head 121 seated on the relief valve seat 117 and over the central aperture 108 . The relief valve head 121 has a relief valve stem 122 extending therefrom through the diaphragm 116 and through guide 120 . The guide 120 extends from the diaphragm 116 downwards towards the outlet 104 and is disposed within the barrel 105 . In one embodiment, the guide 120 is affixed to the diaphragm assembly 110 such as via a retainer 112 , which may be, for example, a threaded screw matching the threads on an inner portion of the guide 120 and having a flange 111 for retaining the diaphragm 116 . In this embodiment, the relief valve stem 122 extends through the retainer 112 and the relief valve head 121 is seated over the retainer 112 . The diaphragm 116 forms a seal at the diaphragm seat 106 as previously discussed, and the guide 120 extends downward therefrom through the barrel 105 . The guide 120 is aligned with the aperture 108 of the diaphragm 116 , such that a pathway from the pressure chamber 107 to the barrel 105 is defined.
[0021] Referencing FIG. 1 , as stated, the relief valve head 121 is positioned within the aperture 108 of the diaphragm 116 for controllably sealing the control chamber 107 from the barrel 105 . The relief valve head 121 seats upon the diaphragm 116 at the relief valve seat 117 to form a seal and includes a valve stem 122 that extends downward, through the guide 120 , to a point where it is engagable with a plunger 124 in communication with a handle 125 . The valve stem 122 is able to move a limited distance along the vertical axis 114 without unseating the relief valve head 121 from the relief valve seat 117 . The valve stem 122 is positioned in the guide 120 and a lower end 122 a of the valve stem 122 is unattached such that movement of the lower end 122 a will pivot the valve stem 122 and exert force on the relief valve head 121 .
[0022] In one embodiment (best shown in FIG. 1 ), at the upper portion of the barrel 105 , a refill head 130 is disposed about the guide 120 between the barrel 105 and the guide 120 . The refill head 130 has a central aperture 221 , allowing the refill head 130 to be disposed about the guide 120 . The guide 120 includes a refill head retention flange 129 for retaining the refill head 130 to the diaphragm 116 . Thus, the refill head 130 is bounded, before the flush valve system 100 is activated, by the barrel 105 , the guide 120 and the diaphragm 116 . When the flush valve system 100 is activated, the refill head 130 moves up along the vertical axis 114 with the guide 120 (and a central portion of the diaphragm 116 ) such that it is bounded by the guide 120 and the diaphragm 116 , but is substantially exposed to the intake chamber 103 . Thus, as the diaphragm 116 continues its upstroke opening an annular passage 127 underneath the diaphragm 116 , the refill head 130 rises as well. The refill head 130 allows the flow of the water initiated by the upstroke of the diaphragm 116 from the inlet chamber 103 through the barrel 105 and ultimately to the outlet 104 . The shape of the refill head 130 determines the flow path of the water.
[0023] Actuation of the handle 125 slides the plunger 124 , which engages the lower end of the valve stem 122 , pivoting it, results in movement of the relief valve head 121 (typically tilting it) breaking the seal between the relief valve head 121 and the relief valve seat 117 on the diaphragm 116 . The tilting of the relief valve head 121 vents the pressure in the control chamber 107 above the diaphragm assembly 110 . The release of the pressure in the control chamber 107 releases the seal of the diaphragm 116 against the diaphragm seat 106 , allowing water to flow from the inlet chamber 103 (which is replenished via the inlet 102 ) past the annular passage 127 over the diaphragm seat 106 of the barrel 105 into the interior of the barrel 105 . This unseating of the diaphragm 116 is often referred to as the “upstroke” of the diaphragm 116 , and the downward motion of the diaphragm 116 reseating is referred to as the “downstroke” with the entire cycle referred to as the “stroke” of the diaphragm 116 . The stroke of the diaphragm 116 determines the time period that water can flow into the barrel 105 from the inlet chamber 103 , which is constantly being filled by water from the inlet 102 and ultimately though the barrel 105 to the outlet 104 to accomplish the “flush”.
[0024] In one embodiment, illustrated in FIG. 2 the diaphragm 116 is provided as part of a kit. The flushometer diaphragm kits are preferably made up of the diaphragm 116 , a relief valve mechanism 119 , diaphragm guide 120 , optionally a refill ring (not shown), a retainer 112 , and refill head 130 . The diaphragm kit of the present invention includes, in one aspect, a plurality of bypasses 206 , in another aspect a singular diaphragm 116 with integrated relief valve seat 117 (disk 109 ), and in yet another aspect an improved mechanism for sealing the components of the diaphragm kit via the use of retainer 112 .
[0025] FIGS. 2 and 4 best illustrate one embodiment of the structure of the diaphragm assembly 110 . The diaphragm assembly 110 includes a diaphragm 116 having a central aperture 108 , as described above, for allowing passage of the relief valve stem 122 therethrough. In one embodiment, the central aperture 108 is adapted to receive a retainer 112 that engages the guide 120 . As discussed above, in one embodiment the diaphragm 116 further includes a rigid disc 109 that the diaphragm 116 is molded about (best illustrated in cross-sectional FIGS. 1 and 4 ). The material above the disk 109 serves as the relief valve seat 122 . The diaphragm 116 also includes at least two by-pass apertures 205 each for receiving a by-pass 206 . In an alternative embodiment, at least three by-pass apertures 205 are provided. Each by-pass 206 has a passage 207 therethrough.
[0026] The at least two by-pass aperture 205 in the diaphragm 116 place the control chamber 107 in communication with the inlet chamber 103 . The by-pass apertures 205 are adapted to receive a by-pass 206 . The by-pass 206 includes a housing having a passage 207 therethrough. Each by-pass 206 is shaped to fit the by-pass aperture 205 in the diaphragm 116 . It should be appreciated that various size passages 207 (passage diameter) may be utilized to provide for various flush profiles. The by-pass aperture 205 is spaced from the center aperture 108 of the diaphragm 116 sufficiently to provide sufficient water flow to the pressure chamber even during a flush cycle when the diaphragm 116 flexes upwards. It will also be appreciated that it is preferred, structurally, that the by-pass aperture 205 is spaced sufficiently from the periphery 116 c of the diaphragm 116 and also from the central aperture 108 of the diaphragm 116 .
[0027] In one embodiment, the multiple by-pass apertures 205 are equally spaced from one another. The equal spacing of the aperture 205 provides for a more even influx of water (and pressure) into the control chamber 107 (via the by-pass body 206 disposed in the aperture 205 ) than with a singular by-pass aperture or unequally spaced multiple apertures. A disadvantage of a single bypass is the angular orientation of the fixed aperture in the diaphragm 116 relative to the inlet 102 . The local pressure within the valve body 101 and flow of the water in the inlet 102 and inlet chamber 103 within the flushometer body annulus can affect performance of the flushometer. This requires careful alignment during assembly and throughout the lifespan of the diaphragm 116 . The uneven flow of water into the control chamber 107 and the pressurization of same can result in an uneven flexing of the diaphragm 116 resulting in increased wear and a shorter useful lifespan for the diaphragm 116 .
[0028] The bypass aperture 205 provides communication between the control chamber 107 and the inlet chamber 103 . Thus, the bypass orifices 206 , in combination with the relief valve head 121 and relief valve stem 122 , control, the pressure of the pressure chamber 107 , which, in turn, controls the position of the diaphragm 116 and thus the flow of water past the annular passage 127 between the diaphragm 116 and diaphragm seat 106 . Thus, fluid (and, in certain embodiments, some air) pressure above the diaphragm 116 in the control chamber 107 maintains pressure for closing and holding the diaphragm assembly 110 on the diaphragm seat 106 after flush operation. The by-pass passage 207 is sized to allow a rate of fluid flow through the diaphragm 116 before the flush valve closes. For embodiments having more than one bypass 206 , the passages 207 there through are designed to, in total, allow a rate of fluid flow through the diaphragm 116 .
[0029] In a particular embodiment, shown in FIG. 2 , a diaphragm 116 with multiple by-passes 206 provides for having improvements for a better performing flushometer diaphragm kit assembly 110 .
[0030] As previously mentioned, in one embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the diaphragm 116 of the present invention is a singular, or integrated, component including the relief valve seat 117 for the relief valve head 121 . This unitary construction provides for increased control over the total flush volume and the volume per time by eliminating substantial variability that was inherent in prior art two-piece designs. In one embodiment, the diaphragm 116 comprises a disc 109 , for example, constructed, for example, of a metal, which is over-molded with an elastomeric material to form the outer portion 225 . In one embodiment, the disc 109 surrounds the central aperture 108 but extends only to the relief valve retention ring 214 while the elastomeric material overcoats the disc 109 and relief valve retention ring 214 and also forms the extended peripheral portion, which contains the by-pass apertures of the diaphragm 116 . In one embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the relief valve retention ring 214 and disc 109 both are formed from the same rigid material and over-molded with the elastomeric material to form the outer portion 225 .
[0031] The relief valve retention ring 214 , against which the relief valve head 121 abuts during use, is backed by a rigid core material, in one embodiment being the same material as the diaphragm core, thus providing for a more supportive cavity to retain the relief valve head 121 . This increased rigidity also results in improved performance as the prior art rubber-only design is prone to being pushed out of shape over time. The diaphragm 116 and relief valve seat 117 also includes an embodiment with a connecting piece extending from the diaphragm 116 opposite the disc. The outer portion of the connecting piece may be threaded to allow engagement with the flush valve. In one embodiment the connecting piece forms a single metallic component with the metallic portion of the diaphragm/disk unitary piece (diaphragm 116 ). In an alternative embodiment the diaphragm/disk unitary piece (diaphragm 116 ) is affixed to the kit with a separate connection component, such as the retainer 112 . This connection component may be of a different material from either the metal or elastomer from the diaphragm/disk unitary piece (diaphragm 116 ), such as a material of plastic. This material selection allows for greater cost control in manufacturing. In addition the use of a separate connection component allows for a simpler metallic portion to be used in the diaphragm/disk unitary piece (diaphragm 116 ), such as one that can be manufactured with, for example, a punch press and again allowing for greater cost control in the manufacturing process.
[0032] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the relief valve retention ring 214 includes, in one embodiment, a plurality of lugs 213 for centrally locating a seated relief valve head onto the relief valve seat 117 . In one embodiment, there are at least six lugs 213 . The lugs 213 provide for a snug fit between the relief valve retention ring 214 and relief valve head 121 . It is necessary to retain spacing between the relief valve retention ring 214 and relief valve head 121 in order to allow the relief valve head to be able to tilt sufficiently to allow water to flow out of the upper control chamber. Without sufficient spacing in this area, the relief valve will not function properly when a user activates the flush cycle. Conversely, too much space, i.e. from insufficient lugs or lugs of insufficient size relative to the spaces therebetween, will result in the relief valve head 121 having to much “play” within the seating area. This play will result in an imprecise functioning of the flushometer. Integrating the disc 109 with the diaphragm 116 also eliminates an otherwise large and unreliable sealing area between the top of the diaphragm 116 and the bottom of the disc 109 .
[0033] With continued reference to FIG. 4 , the lugs 213 have corners which are on the upper and inner portion of the relief valve retention ring 214 . In one embodiment, the left handed corners of the lugs have an angular shape 230 , while the right handed corners have a rounded shape 231 . The angular corners allow the use of the relief valve retention ring 214 to secure the diaphragm to the flushometer by providing an edge for either an automatic tool or a manual tool for engagement. In contrast the rounded corners have the opposite effect, making it more difficult to remove the diaphragm 116 from its original factory setting. Thus, in one embodiment, there are a plurality of equally spaced lugs 213 , each of the equally spaced lugs 213 including a first end proximate a second end of the adjacent lug 213 , one of the first end or the second end having an angular shaped 230 with the other having a rounded shape 231 .
[0034] The outer portion of the relief valve retention ring 214 has in one embodiment, a slightly slanted or curved lower portion such that it slopes towards the center of the diaphragm 116 . This provides improved component life and performance over time by allowing the elastomeric diaphragm 116 sufficient space to move in response to pressure. In contrast, prior art diaphragms were secured to a disk that presented a flat bottom surface and an annular angular edge. The interaction of the diaphragm 116 against these surfaces over repeated operations and pressure conditions would result in wear and poor performance. Prior art assemblies also had the seat and diaphragm two separate pieces which introduced a potential leak surface between the two parts. The integrated seat and diaphragm 116 removes this sealing area and potential leak because of incompletely assembled parts.
[0035] The foregoing description of embodiments of the present invention have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present 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 present invention. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain the principles of the present invention and its practical application to enable one skilled in the art to utilize the present invention in various embodiments, and with various modifications, as are suited to the particular use contemplated.
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A flush valve diaphragm is provided. The diaphragm includes at least two by-passes orifices. Each by-pass orifice in the diaphragm has a by-pass associated therewith. Each by-pass having a passage therethrough, allows communication with the control chamber above the diaphragm with an inlet chamber below the diaphragm. The diaphragm also integrates the function of locating and providing sealing means to the flush valve system's aux valve mechanism.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to semiconductor packages, and more specifically to power management of semiconductor packages.
2. Background Art
Today, system-on-chip (SOC) process geometries are shrinking further into deep sub-micron regions to provide greater logic capacity for higher performance. However, these high-performance SOCs also bring corresponding demands for power consumption. In order to adequately meet these power demands, increasingly costly package designs and cooling configurations have been developed.
Efficient SOC designs in a compact form factor is highly desirable, particularly for heavily loaded data center applications where many SOCs may run in parallel, or in mobile battery-powered applications where power consumption and physical footprint must be carefully optimized. Reduction of fabrication costs and increases in yield through simplified package design may also comprise important considerations.
In particular, it is desirable to be able to turn off unused logic blocks, such as processor cores, to reduce power consumption and thermal dissipation demands. Conventionally, this has been done by using on-chip power transistors to switch power, or on-chip regulators for both switching and voltage adjustments. However, efficiency demands often require a large portion of the die to be dedicated to power devices, and power leakage remains an issue even in off-states. Thus, the addition of these power elements to a package lowers efficiency and increases cost, complexity, and form factor.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a package configuration that can effectively address the aforementioned difficulty of supplying power for high performance SOCs in a simple, efficient, cost effective, and space saving manner.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There is provided a semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management, substantially as shown in and/or described in connection with at least one of the figures, as set forth more completely in the claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for conventional on-die power management;
FIG. 2A shows a top plan view of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2B shows a cross sectional view of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management, according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 3 is a flowchart presenting a method for a power supply of a printed circuit board (PCB) to provide power management for a semiconductor device mounted on said PCB, according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Although the invention is described with respect to specific embodiments, the principles of the invention, as defined by the claims appended herein, can obviously be applied beyond the specifically described embodiments of the invention described herein. Moreover, in the description of the present invention, certain details have been left out in order to not obscure the inventive aspects of the invention. The details left out are within the knowledge of a person of ordinary skill in the art. The drawings in the present application and their accompanying detailed description are directed to merely example embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, other embodiments of the invention to which use the principles of the present invention are not specifically described in the present application and are not specifically illustrated by the present drawings. It should be borne in mind that, unless noted otherwise, like or corresponding elements among the figures may be indicated by like or corresponding reference numerals.
FIG. 1 shows a diagram of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for conventional on-die power management. Diagram 100 of FIG. 1 includes semiconductor device 110 , which includes circuit blocks 120 a - 120 , switches 125 a - 125 b , and power devices 130 a - 130 b . Circuit blocks 120 a - 120 b may comprise, for example, processing cores of a multi-core processor. During idle periods when there is only light load remaining in a processing workload queue, it may be desirable to turn off voltage to one or more cores. Thus, power devices 130 a - 130 b may utilize switches 125 a - 125 b to control on-chip voltage for circuit blocks 120 a - 120 b . Alternatively, it may be desirable to adjust voltage through the use of voltage regulators. For example, to optimize performance for single-core processes, voltage may be increased for a single circuit block. To optimize for power savings, voltage may be decreased for one or more circuit blocks. These voltage adjustment preferences may for example be encapsulated in a power management policy embedded in the package or provided externally through software control. For example, a power management policy may be based on thermal management using internal thermal sensors to determine an appropriate voltage and operating frequency.
However, as discussed above, the use of a conventional on-die power supply as shown in FIG. 1 has several disadvantages. The area of semiconductor device 110 must be increased to accommodate switches 125 a - 125 b and power devices 130 a - 130 b , resulting in a larger form factor and reduced yields. Even if switches 125 a - 125 b are opened to turn off power to circuit blocks, power leakage still occurs, resulting in lower power efficiency. The additional complexity of integrating on-chip power regulation for SOC packages results in increased design, fabrication, and testing costs.
Thus, moving to FIG. 2A , FIG. 2A shows a top plan view of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Diagram 200 of FIG. 2A includes semiconductor device 210 . Semiconductor device 210 is configured as a flip-chip, with circuit blocks 220 a - 220 b each including a four by four grid of solder bumps. A four by four grid is shown for simplicity, and alternative embodiments may include different arrangements of solder bumps, including greater or fewer bumps. As shown in diagram 200 , a pair of power and ground bumps are indicated by VDD bumps 231 a - 213 b and VSS bumps 232 a - 232 b . When connected to an external voltage supply, these power bumps may provide operating power for each respective circuit block. For simplicity, each circuit block only has a single pair of power bumps indicated, but alternative embodiments may include several solder bumps reserved for receiving power.
Moving to FIG. 2B , FIG. 2B shows a cross sectional view of an exemplary semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Semiconductor device 210 is flipped and soldered to matching pads on PCB 240 . In addition, power device 230 , which may comprise a voltage regulated switching power supply, is integrated onto PCB 240 . PCB 240 may also include traces to connect VDD bumps 231 a - 231 b and VSS bumps 232 a - 232 b to power device 230 .
In this manner, power device 230 can directly control the supply voltage to semiconductor device 210 . Thus, circuit block power management can be easily implemented by increasing, decreasing, or cutting off voltage to corresponding power bumps on semiconductor device 210 . Moreover, power device 230 can flexibly adapt to different flip-chip solder bump configurations of semiconductor device 210 by simply reconfiguring the traces used for voltage management. In this manner, a common universal PCB and power supply configuration can be used for a wide variety of applications. Additionally, since power regulation functions are consolidated to the board-mounted power device 230 rather than on-chip, the disadvantages of on-chip power regulation discussed above in conjunction with FIG. 1 are avoided. In particular, the inefficient voltage leakage resulting from on-chip power circuitry can be greatly reduced or eliminated. The physical separation of power device 230 from semiconductor device 210 also spreads out the generation of heat, allowing for more efficient thermal dissipation and simplified cooling solutions. Thus, compared to conventional semiconductor package designs using on-chip power management, the semiconductor package of the present invention is reduced in size, complexity, and cost with increased efficiency and flexibility for PCB integration.
FIG. 3 is a flowchart presenting a method for a power supply of a printed circuit board (PCB) to provide power management for a semiconductor device mounted on said PCB, according to one embodiment of the present invention. Certain details and features have been left out of flowchart 300 of FIG. 3 that are apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art. For example, a step may consist of one or more sub-steps or may involve specialized equipment, as known in the art. While steps 310 through 330 shown in flowchart 300 are sufficient to describe one embodiment of the present invention, other embodiments of the invention may utilize steps different from those shown in flowchart 300 .
Referring to step 310 of flowchart 300 in FIG. 3 and diagram 200 of FIGS. 2A and 2B , step 310 of flowchart 300 comprises power device 230 determining a voltage to apply to circuit block 220 a of semiconductor device 210 mounted on PCB 240 . As previously described, voltage may be determined based on power management policy, processing workload, or other factors. Voltage may also be set to zero to completely turn off particular unneeded circuit blocks, reducing power consumption.
Referring to step 320 of flowchart 300 in FIG. 3 and diagram 200 of FIGS. 2A and 2B , step 320 of flowchart 300 comprises power device 230 establishing electrical paths to VDD bump 231 a and VSS bump 232 a of circuit block 220 a . As shown in FIG. 2B , traces are available on PCB 240 to connect power device 230 to the desired bumps on semiconductor device 210 . In addition, as previously described, power device 230 may be able to flexibly adapt to different flip-chip solder bump configurations of semiconductor device 210 by simply reconfiguring the traces used. In this manner, semiconductor devices with different solder bump configurations can be supported on a single universal PCB and power supply platform.
Referring to step 330 of flowchart 300 in FIG. 3 and diagram 200 of FIGS. 2A and 2B , step 320 of flowchart 300 comprises power device 230 supplying the voltage determined in step 310 using the electrical paths established in step 320 to power a plurality of logic components of circuit block 220 a . As previously discussed, circuit block 220 a may, for example, comprise a core of a multi-core processor. Thus, step 330 may provide power for the core to perform data processing, calculations, or other logic duties.
Steps 310 - 330 may also be repeated to adjust other circuit blocks of semiconductor device 210 , such as circuit block 220 b . In this manner, finely tuned semiconductor package power management is possible without requiring on-die power management devices, allowing the use of simplified semiconductor packages with reduced size and cost but with increased efficiency and flexibility for PCB integration.
From the above description of the embodiments of the present invention, it is manifest that various techniques can be used for implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Moreover, while the present invention has been described with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that changes can be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described herein, but is capable of many rearrangements, modifications, and substitutions without departing from the scope of the invention.
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There is provided a semiconductor package configured for externally controlled power management. Instead of integrating voltage regulation on-chip as done conventionally, power regulation is moved externally to the PCB level, providing numerous package advantages including size, simplicity, power efficiency, integration flexibility, and thermal dissipation. In particular, the use of flip-chip package configurations provides ready access to power supply bumps, which also allows the use of a universal receiving PCB and power supply through simple reconfiguring of voltage traces. As a result, flexible power management can be implemented, and portions of semiconductor packages may be managed for performance or thermal considerations, which may be of particular use for applications such as multi-core processors.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 524,470, filed Aug. 19, 1983, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 158,784, filed June 12, 1980, now abandoned, which is a continuation of application Ser. No. 898,074 filed Apr. 20, 1978, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a semiconductor device, more particularly a bipolar transistor and a method of manufacturing the same.
Transistors of this type having various constructions have already been proposed. The arrangement and construction of their electrodes are more or less limited due to problems involved in the method of manufacturing. Due to these problems, miniaturization, improvement of the characteristics of such transistors and increase in the density of integrated circuits are precluded.
According to a typical method of fabricating a bipolar transistor, for example a NPN transistor, a P type base diffusion region is formed on a N type monocrystalline silicon substrate by using a well known photolithographic process and diffusion technique and then an emitter diffusion opening is formed through a silicon oxide film overlying the base diffusion region by a conventional photolithographic process. Then, a N type impurity is diffused through this opening to form an island shaped emitter region in the base region. Thereafter a base contact opening is formed by photolithographic process and an emitter electrode and a base electrode are formed in the base contact opening and the emitter diffusion opening respectively. In this manner, a conventional transistor is fabricated but this method involves the following problems.
Firstly, it is necessary to align the relative positions of four photolithographic processes of forming the base diffusion opening, the emitter diffusion opening, the base contact opening and the base and emitter electrodes in the base region. To manufacture an extremely small transistor the accuracy of these position alignment and the accuracy of these portions must be extremely high thereby decreasing the yield of satisfactory products.
If one tries to increase the yield by sacrificing the accuracy of the position alignment and the accuracy of working, the area of the base region (except the portion thereof immediately beneath the emitter region) becomes much larger than that of the emitter region thereby increasing the collector-base junction capacitance and the base resistance thereby degrading the characteristics of the transistor.
Although it has been proposed to use the base diffusion opening as a portion of the emitter region for the purpose of increasing the integrating density, the base surface concentration decreases near the outer boundary of the base region opposing the silicon oxide film thus resulting in leakage current between the collector and emitter electrodes due to the surface N type inversion caused by the contamination of the silicon oxide film. To obviate this problem it has been proposed to provide a P + region near the outer boundary of the base region. However, when this P + region is formed by photolithographic technique, and when a small transistor is formed, the area of the base region except for the portion thereof just beneath the emitter region increases due to the position alignment thus deteriorating the characteristics of the transistor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is the principal object of this invention to provide an improved bipolar transistor and a method of manufacturing the same capable of decreasing the collector-base junction capacitance, and capable of miniaturizing the transistor without increasing the base capacitance thereby improving the yield.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved bipolar transistor and a method of manufacturing the same which has a small size so that it is suitable for use in an integrated circuit having a high integrating or packing density.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor wherein the base and emitter regions, base electrode and the lead thereof are formed using only a single precision photomasking operation.
A further object of this invention is to provide a novel method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor capable of decreasing the distance between the emitter region and the base electrode and the width of the base contact to small values, that is less than one micron.
According to one aspect of this invention there is provided a bipolar transistor comprising a semiconductor substrate, a base region formed on the substrate, a base electrode made of polycrystalline silicon and surrounding the entire periphery of the boundary of the base region with a substantially constant width, an island shaped emitter region formed in the base region, an emitter electrode formed on the surface of the emitter region, and an insulating film electrically isolating the base electrode from the emitter electrode.
According to another aspect of this invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor comprising the steps of forming a first insulating film on a semiconductor substrate of one conductivity type, forming a second insulating film doped with an impurity of a second conductivity type on the first insulating film, forming an opening through the first and second insulating films, forming an ion implanted region at a portion of the semiconductor substrate exposed in the opening by using the opening as a mask, forming a non-doped polycrystalline silicon layer on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, heat treating the substrate to diffuse the impurity from the second insulating film so as to form a diffused region doped with the impurity of the second conductivity type around a region insulated by the insulating films on the substrate and to convert a portion of the polycrystalline silicon layer not overlying the insulated region into a region diffused with the impurity of the second conductivity type, removing a non-doped polycrystalline silicon layer on the insulated region, forming a third insulating film on the surface of said semiconductor substrate, forming a base and emitter diffusing opening through a portion of the third insulating film in the first mentioned opening, forming a base region on the semiconductor substrate through the diffusing opening the base region being contiguous to the region diffused with the impurity of the second conductivity type, forming in the base region an island shaped emitter region of the first conductivity type, and vapor-depositing a metal layer to form base and emitter electrodes, the metal layer being contiguous with a portion of the polycrystalline silicon layer diffused with the impurity of the second conductivity type and a portion of the emitter region.
According to a modified form of this invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a planar type bipolar transistor comprising the steps of forming a first insulating film on a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type, forming a first opening through the first insulating film, forming a polycrystalline silicon layer doped with an impurity of a second conductivity type to cover the surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming second and third insulating films having different insulating characteristics on the polycrystalline silicon layer, forming a second opening through the second and third insulating films, etching the polycrystalline silicon layer by utilizing the second opening as a mask such that said polycrystalline silicon layer is side-etched so as to form a base diffusion opening, forming a region of second conductivity type by diffusing an impurity of the second conductivity type through the base diffusion opening and by diffusing the impurity from the polycrystalline silicon layer adjacent the semiconductor substrate, forming a fourth insulating film on an exposed portion of the semiconductor substrate and on the polycrystalline silicon layer, implanting ions to form an ion-implanted insulating film region and an ion-nonimplanted insulating film region in exposed portions of the second and third insulating films by utilizing the opening as a mask, removing the ion-implanted insulating film region, forming a base region by diffusing an impurity of the second conductivity type through the base diffusion opening and by diffusing the impurity from the polycrystalline silicon layer adjacent the semiconductor substrate, forming an emitter region of the first conductivity type in the base region on the semiconductor substrate through the base diffusion opening, and vapor-depositing a metal layer to form base and emitter electrodes, the metal layer being contiguous with the polycrystalline silicon layer and with a portion of the emitter region.
According to another embodiment of this invention there is provided a method of manufacturing a planar type bipolar transistor comprising the steps of forming a first insulating film on a semiconductor substrate of one conductivity type, forming a first opening through the first insulating film, forming a polycrystalline silicon layer doped with an impurity of a second conductivity type to cover the surface of the semiconductor substrate, forming second and third insulating films having different insulating characteristics on the polycrystalline silicon layer, forming an opening through the second and third insulating films, etching the polycrystalline layer by utilizing the opening as a mask such that the polycrystalline silicon layer is side-etched so as to form a base diffusion opening, forming an ion-implanted region in a portion of the semiconductor substrate exposed in the opening, heat oxidizing the semiconductor substrate to form on the ion-implanted region an oxide film having a thickness smaller than other portions and to diffuse the impurity from the polycrystalline silicon layer adjacent the semiconductor substrate so as to form a region of the second conductivity type, removing the oxide film on the ion-implanted region, diffusing an impurity of the second conductivity type through the base diffusion opening to form a base region, forming an island shaped emitter region of the first conductivity type in the base region, and vapor-depositing a metal layer to form base and emitter electrodes, the metal layer being contiguous with the polycrystalline silicon layer and with a portion of the emitter region.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIGS. 1A through 1L are sectional views showing successive steps of one example of the method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor according to this invention;
FIG. 1M is a sectional view, and diagrammatic top planar view keyed thereto, showing certain dimensional characteristics of the bipolar transistor of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a modified step;
FIGS. 3A through 3F are sectional views showing successive steps of a modified method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor according to this invention;
FIGS. 4A through 4C are sectional views showing certain steps of another embodiment of the method of manufacturing a bipolar transistor;
FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing transistor of this invention suitable for fabricating an integrated circuit; and
FIGS. 6A through 6F are plan views showing typical configurations of the base region or the emitter region of a bipolar transistor embodying the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
According to the method of this invention, as shown in FIG. 1, a N type monocrystalline silicon substrate 10 having an impurity concentration that provides a resistivity of about 1 ohm-cm, is prepared. Then, a silicon oxide (SiO 2 ) film: 11 having a thickness of about 0.4 microns is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 by thermal oxidation method, for example. A second silicon oxide film 12 having a thickness of about 0.2 microns and containing boron at a high concentration, for example about 8-10 mol % is formed on the surface of the silicon oxide film 11, as shown in FIG. 1A, by CVD (chemical vapor deposition) method. Then, as shown in FIG. 1B, a photoresist film 13, for example AZ-1350 (trade mark), having a thickness of about 0.8 microns is applied onto the silicon oxide film 12 and thereafter an opening 14 is formed through the oxide films 11 and 12 by conventional photolithographic etching process. As can be noted from FIG. 1B, a undercut or side etching l 1 of about 0.3-1 microns also takes place at this time.
Then as shown in FIG. 1C, without removing the photoresist film 13 nitrogen atoms N 2 + are implanted through the opening 14 by ion implantation silicon nitride method to form a nitrogen ion-implanted region 15 in the surface of the substrate 10. It is to be understood that a silicon nitride film or a polycrystalline silicon film may be substituted for the photoresist film 13. The depth of nitrogen implantation is very small, less than 0.1 micron for example, and the quantity of the implanted nitrogen should be sufficient to form the silicon nitride region 15, for example a dose of N 2 + of about 3×10 16 atoms/cm 3 at an implantation voltage of 30 to 40 KeV. As will be described later, the depth of ion implantation is determined such that the ion-implanted region 15 can prevent oxidation so that it is desirable that the ion-implanted region 15 be formed near the surface of the substrate as far as possible.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1D, after removing the photoresist film 13, a non-doped polycrystalline silicon layer 16 is formed on the exposed surface by CVD process, for example, to a thickness of about 0.4 microns. The polycrystalline silicon layer 16 is in direct contact with the surface of the substrate in the opening 14. Then, as shown in FIG. 1E, boron is diffused by heat treatment into the polycrystalline silicon layer 16 and into the substrate from the boron containing silicon oxide film 12 to form the portion of the boron containing polycrystalline silicon region 17 and a boron diffused P + region 18 in the monocrystalline silicon substrate 10 around the opening 14 for forming diffused base region. A width l 2 of the P + polycrystalline silicon region 17 in contact with the P + region 18 is about 0.3 to 1 μm. The conditions of heat treatment are 900° to 1000° C. and 20 to 30 minutes, for example. Each of the polycrystalline silicon region 17 and the P + region 18 contains boron of more than 5×10 19 atoms/cm 3 .
The polycrystalline silicon regions 16 and 17 are then etched with an alkaline etching solution to result in the structure shown in FIG. 1F. The etching speed is much faster at the non-doped polycrystalline silicon film than the boron doped polycrystalline silicon film. For example, where a KOH solution is used as the etching solution, the etching speed of the non-doped polycrystalline silicon film is about 3 to 10 times faster than that of the boron doped polycrystalline silicon film.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1G, by heat oxidation silicon oxide films 19 and 20 are formed on the surface of the boron doped polycrystalline silicon region 17 and the exposed surface of the nitrogen ion implanted region 15 of monocrystalline silicon substrate 10, respectively. The heat oxidation process is carried out in an atmosphere of wet oxygen, for example, at a temperature of 1000° C. for 60 minutes. The oxidation speed of the nitrogen ion-implanted region 15 is lower than that of the boron doped polycrystalline silicon region 17. For this reason, an extremely thin oxide film 19 having a thickness of less than 0.1 micron is formed on the surface of the nitrogen ion-implanted region 15 whereas the silicon oxide film 20 having a larger thickness of about 0.35-0.5 microns is formed on the surface of the boron doped polycrystalline silicon region 17. At this time, oxidation is continued until all of the nitrogen ion-implanted region 15 shown in FIG. 1F is oxidized. In this case, the width l 3 of the P + polycrystalline silicon region in contact with the P + region 18, although varying with the thickness of the silicon oxide film 20 and the time of the heat oxidation process, has a value of about 0.05 to 0.8 μm.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1H, the silicon oxide film 19, which was previously the nitrogen ion-implanted region 15, is removed. The silicon oxide film 19 is thinner than the silicon oxide film 20 on the polycrystalline silicon film 17 so that when the assembly is etched under the etching conditions necessary to remove the silicon oxide film 19 the silicon oxide film 20 on the boron doped silicon region 17 and on the portion near this film would remain at a thickness of about 0.25 microns as shown in FIG. 1H. Although the oxide film 20 slightly extends into the monocrystalline silicon substrate 10 and these portions are also removed, such extended oxide film is not shown.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1I, a base region 21 doped with a P type impurity is formed on the surface of the substrate 10 by diffusing the P type impurity through the base-emitter diffusion opening 20a by well known vapor phase diffusion method, solid phase diffusion method or ion implantation method. The base region 21 is formed so as to include therein the P + region 18 formed by the step shown in FIG. 1E and that the thickness of the base region 21 at the P + region 18 is larger than that of the diffused layer formed by diffusing the impurity through opening 20a.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1J, an emitter region 22 doped with a N type impurity is formed by diffusing the N type impurity through the opening 20a by well known vapor phase diffusion method, solid phase diffusion method or ion implantation method.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1K, unnecessary portions of the polycrystalline silicon film 17 and the silicon oxide film 20 thereon are removed by conventional photolithographic process. Since the emitter and base junctions essential to the operation of the transistor have already been formed it is not necessary to rely upon highly accurate photolithographic technique.
Then, as shown in FIG. 1L electrode metal is vapor-deposited and unnecessary portions thereof are removed by conventional photolithographic process for forming an emitter electrode 23 and a base electrode 24.
Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 2, a polycrystalline silicon layer 23' doped with a N type impurity and acting as a source of the N type impurity may be formed to close the opening 20a and to partialy overlie the silicon oxide film 20. With this modified method it is possible to use the polycrystalline silicon layer 23' as the emitter electrode or a portion thereof after forming the emitter region. Although in FIG. 2, a metal layer 23 is vapor deposited on the polycrystalline silicon layer 23' such metal layer may be omitted.
The transistor and the method of manufacturing the same described above have the following advantages.
As noted above, the present invention has as one important feature, the polycrystalline base electrode 17 arranged to form a constant width connection band entirely around the outer peripheral portion 18 of the top planar side of the base region 21. In addition, the island-shaped emitter region 22 formed in the base region 21 is spaced apart a constant predetermined distance from the constant width connection band, entirely around the inner periphery of the constant width connection band.
In order to better illustrate the constant width connection band, and the spacing apart of the island-shaped emitter region a constant predetermined distance from the constant width connection band, reference is made to FIG. 1M. Projected below cross sectional view of the device is a diagrammatic top planar view of the partially finished device showing the emitter contact region, the base contact region and the two constant width distances described above and identified as W1 and W2. W2 is the constant width connection band of the polycrystalline silicon layer 17 to the outer peripheral edge portion of the top planar side of the base region 21. W1 is the constant predetermined distance between the outer peripheral edge of the island-shaped emitter region 22 and the inner periphery of the constant width connection band.
(1) Since a polycrystalline base electrode having a predetermined width is formed close to the boundary of the base surface region to encircle the same it is possible to decrease the capacitance of the base-emitter junction.
(2) Moreover, as the base electrode is formed at a predetermined distance from the emitter region, it is possible to decrease the base resistance.
(3) According to the method of this invention, once the base pattern is determined as shown in FIG. 1B and succeeding figures, essential elements of the transistor contained in the base region are automatically aligned in the succeeding steps so that it is not necessary to use a photomask before the base electrode is formed. Consequently, the width of the base surface region is determined by the extent of the undercut etching of the silicon oxide films 11 and 12 shown in FIG. 1B thus making it possible to limit the width to be less than one micron. For example, where a transistor provided with an emitter electrode having a minimum size of 2 microns, a position aligning accuracy of ±1 micron and an area of 2μ×2μ=4 square microns, is manufactured by a prior art method, the distance between the base contact having an area of 2×2 square microns and the emitter electrode should be 4 microns when the overlapping of the contact opening and the electrode is determined to be 1 micron by taking into consideration the position alignment accuracy. Further, when the position alignment accuracy is considered, the emitter and the base contacts should be formed at an inner portion 2 microns spaced from the periphery of the base electrode so that the base area should be 6μ×12μ=72 square microns.
On the otherhand, in the transistor of this invention, if the extent of the undercut of the silicon oxide films 11 and 12 were made to be 0.5 microns, since the patterns formed in the base region are automatically aligned the area of the base would be only about 3×3=9 square microns.
For the reason described above, the base area of the transistor of this invention can be reduced to 1/8 of that of the prior art transistor having the same emitter area so that the collector-base junction capacitance decreases proportionally. Moreover as the base electrode is in contact with the entire periphery of the base surface region, it is possible to reduce the base resistance thereby improving the characteristics of the transistor.
The result of our experiment showed that the switching speed was increased twice by the decrease in the junction capacitance described above, Moreover, as it is possible to determine the emitter base junction and the collector-base junction by using a single photomask, it is easy to produce transistors including base or emitter regions having any desired patterns as shown in FIGS. 6A through 6F thus increasing the freedom of design. Where an extremely small photomask of the order of 2×2 square microns is used, a circular pattern can be obtained due to interference of light. With the prior art planar construction it has been difficult to manufacture such miniature transistor due to the problem of aligning the position, whereas according to this invention such small transistors can be manufactured very easily with high yield.
The advantage described in item 3 of the preceeding paragraph produces a remarkable merit in integrated injection logics (I 2 L) in which transistors are used in a reverse operation, because the operating speed of I 2 L can be increased as the ratio of the emitter area to base area approaches unity. In other words, because it is necessary to remove as far as possible unnecessary base surface region. According to this invention it is possible to limit the base width to less than 0.5 microns by precisely controlling the amount of undercut. When the invention is applied to a diode array of transistor construction, it is possible to produce a fine diode array having extremely small parasitic capacitance without relying upon high accuracy working.
FIGS. 3A through 3F show successive steps of a modification of this invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, a monocrystalline silicon substrate 30 having a resistivity of one ohm-cm is prepared, and a silicon oxide film 31 having a thickness of about 0.5 microns is formed on the substrate by conventional heat oxidation method, CVD method, etc. Then an opening 32 is formed through the silicon oxide film 31 by conventional photolithographic technique.
Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, a boron doped polycrystalline silicon layer 33 having a thickness of about 0.5 microns is formed on the silicon oxide film 31. The concentration of the doped boron is about 10 19 -10 21 atoms/cm 3 . As can be noted from FIG. 3B, the polycrystalline silicon layer 33 is in direct contact with the surface of the substrate within the opening 32.
Then as shown in FIG. 3C, a composite layer comprising a silicon oxide film 34 and a silicon nitride film 35 is formed on the boron doped polycrystalline silicon layer 33 by CVD process or the like and then these films 34 and 35 are worked into the shape of a base electrode by conventional photolithographic technique. Then by using these insulating films 34 and 35 as a mask, the polycrystalline silicon layer 33 is etched with a suitable etching solution such as a KOH solution such that the polycrystalline silicon layer 33 is undercut, thereby forming an opening 36 for base diffusion. The extent of the under-cut is about 0.3 to 1 micron. At this time, the other portions of the polycrystalline silicon layer 33 are etched according to a predetermined pattern.
Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3D, boron is diffused into the substrate 30 by conventional vapor phase diffusion method, solid phase diffustion method, etc., to form a base diffusion region 37. In the case of the vapor phase diffusion method, a silicon oxide film 38 having a thickness of 0.1 to 1 micron is formed at the time of heat treatment. In the case of solid phase, solid phase diffusion method, a boron doped silicon oxide film 38 is formed by CVD method and then the film is heat-treated in N 2 atmosphere to diffuse boron.
Then, as shown in FIG. 3E, ions of argon, boron, arsenic, phosphorus or nitrogen are implanted in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate to form ion implanted insulating film regions 35a and 38a, and an insulating film region 38b not implanted with ions.
Then, these insulating film regions are etched. The etching speed of the ion-implanted insulating film is larger than that of the film not implanted with ions. This fact has already been pointed out in connection with the previous embodiment. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 3F, when the ion-implanted insulating film regions are completely removed, the periphery of the opening of the boron doped polycrystalline silicon layer which acts as the base electrode is covered by the insulating film.
Then an emitter N + region 39 is formed by conventional vapor phase diffusion method or ion implantation method. Thereafter, the steps shown in the first embodiment are followed to form an opening for the base contact and electrode metal is vapor-deposited to form emitter and base electrodes.
The steps shown in FIGS. 3D throug 3F may be identical to those of the first embodiment, and such steps are shown by FIGS. 4A through 4C. More particularly, after forming the base diffusion opening 36 by the step shown in FIG. 3C, a region 42 implanted with nitrogen ions is formed by using oxide films 34 and 35 as a mask, as shown in FIG. 4A.
Then, when heat oxidation is performed, since the oxidation speed of the nitrogen implanted region 42 is slower than that of the region not implanted with nitrogen, the thickness of the silicon oxide film 43 at the non-implanted portion increases before the implanted regions 42 are perfectly oxidized. FIG. 4B shows this state. 45 shows an oxide film formed on the region 42 by the oxidation treatment. At the portion of the polycrystalline silicon layer in contact with the substrate 30, the impurity in the boron doped polycrystalline silicon layer 33 diffuses into the substrate to form a P + region.
Then the oxide films 35 and 45 at the ion-implanted portion are removed by etching to obtain a structure shown in FIG. 4C. Therearter the steps of base diffusion and emitter diffusion are carried out to obtain the structure shown in FIG. 3F.
FIG. 5 shows an application of this invention to a transistor suitable for incorporation into an integrated circuit, in which reference charactors 50, 51 and 52 show emitter, base and collector electrodes respectively. The other elements are identical to those shown in FIG. 3F. Although this example relates to a P-N isolation type, the invention is also applicable to dielectric isolation type, for example, aisoplanar.
It should be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above and that many changes and modifications can be made. For example, instead of NPN type transistors, PNP type transistors can also be manufactured.
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In a bipolar transistor, around the border line of the surface of a base region formed on a semiconductor substrate is formed a base electrode having a constant width of less than one micron and made of polycrystalline silicon. An island shaped emitter region is formed in the base region and an emitter electrode is formed on the surface of the emitter region. The emitter electrode is electrically isolated from the base electrode by an insulating film extending between the periphery of the emitter region and the base electrode.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for extracting water from clothes, etc. which have been washed.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical device of this type known in the art is shown in FIG. 17. It is the device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 25594/1964. It includes a main housing not shown, and has a base 1 installed on a floor. A pneumatic cylinder 2 is secured to the base 1 and includes a piston rod having a conical head. A bogie 3 has a plurality of wheels each equipped with a cushion. A cylindrical jacket 4 is open at both of its upper and lower ends and comprises a cylindrical wall having a multiplicity of apertures. extending therethrough. A hydraulic cylinder 5 is secured to the main housing above the jacket 4 and includes a piston rod carrying a pressing disk 6 at its lower end. A pneumatic cylinder 7 is suspended from the main housing by a pin 8 about which it is rotatable. Another pneumatic cylinder 9 is rotatably supported by a pin 10 on the main housing and includes a piston rod hinged to the cylinder 7 by a pin 11. The device further includes another pneumatic cylinder 12 secured to the main housing.
The jacket 4 is placed on the bogie 3 and the clothes or similar articles 13 which have been washed are put into the jacket 4. The bogie 3 is moved onto the base 1 until it engages a stopper not shown. The bogie 3 has a conical recess at its bottom. The pneumatic cylinder 2 is actuated to raise the piston rod and move its conical head into the conical recess of the bogie 3 to hold the bogie 3 in position. Then, the hydraulic cylinder 5 is actuated to lower the pressing disk 6 into the jacket 4 to press the articles 13 against the bogie 3, so that water may be extracted from the articles 13. When the articles 13 are pressed against the bogie 3, the flexure of the cushions on the bogie 3 allows it to rest on the base 1. The piston rod of the cylinder 2 is also lowered, as it is pushed down by the bogie 3.
Then, the pneumatic cylinder 9 is actuated to move the pneumatic cylnder 7 to its vertical position and the cylinder 7 is actuated to lower its piston rod. The jacket 4 has a lug 4a projecting from its outer surface. The piston rod of the cylinder 7 which has been lowered is engaged with the lug 4a. Then, the hydraulic cylinder 5 is actuated to raise the pressing disk 6 slightly to facilitate the movement of the jacket 4 relative to the articles 13. When the pressing disk 6 has been raised, the bogie 3 is moved away from the base 1 by the cushions. Then, the pneumatic cylinder 7 is actuated to raise the jacket 4 until its lower end reaches a level of height which is equal to, or slightly above, that of the pressing disk 6.
Then, the pneumatic cylinder 12 is actuated to advance its piston rod and thereby push the articles 13 away from the bogie 3. After its piston rod has been retracted, the pneumatic cylinder 7 is actuated to lower the jacket 4 onto the bogie 3 and its piston rod is disengaged from the lug 4a on the jacket 4. After the cylinder 7 has been actuated to raise its piston rod, the cylinder 9 is actuated to return the cylinder 7 to its inclined position as shown in FIG. 17. At the same time, the hydraulic cylinder 5 is actuated to raise the pressing disk 6 to a level above the jacket 4. The device is now ready to receive another bogie and another jacket filled with new articles to be dried.
FIG. 18 is a graph showing by way of example the relation between the length of time for which pressure is applied to the articles to be dried in the device as hereinabove described and the amount of pressure which the articles receive. A hydraulic fluid is supplied from a source not shown to the hydraulic cylinder 5 to cause the pressing disk 6 to press the articles 13. The articles which have been washed contain large amounts of water and air. In the absence of any sufficient preliminary compression, the water or air which the articles contain has a sudden rise in pressure and damages the articles.
The device is used for drying a wide variety of articles, including clothes, bed sheets, towels and bathrobes, made of different materials, such as 100% cotton and a mixture of cotton and synthetic fibers. The life of the articles depends on the way in which pressure is applied thereto to extract water therefrom, and the optimum pressure application differs from one kind of article to another. This difference is, however, not taken into account by any conventional device.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a device which can extract water from a load of wet wash under pressure without doing any damage thereto so that the washed articles may have a prolonged life.
This object is attained by a device for extracting water from the load of wash by means of fluid pressure which is induced by means for controlling the fluid pressure so that the wash may receive a lower pressure for preliminary compression for a predetermined period of time during the beginning of the water extracting operation than thereafter.
The flow of the hydraulic fluid which is supplied into a hydraulic cylinder through a pump is detected so that its pressure may not exceed a predetermined level for a predetermined period of time. Should its pressure exceed the predetermined level, the fluid is caused to flow into a fluid reservoir.
Other objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a hydraulic circuit in a device according to a first embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 2 is a graph showing by way of example the relation between the amount of pressure applied to a load of washed articles to extract water therefrom and the length of time for which the pressure is applied in the device shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a detailed side elevational view, partly in section, of the device shown in FIG. 1;
FIGS. 4 and 5 are fragmentary side elevational views, partly in section, showing the device of FIG. 3 in different operating positions;
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a hydraulic circuit in a device according to a second embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 7 is a detailed side elevational view, partly in section, of a device according to a third embodiment of this invention;
FIGS. 8 and 9 are fragmentary side elevational views, partly in section, showing the device of FIG. 7 in different operating positions;
FIG. 10 is a schematic top plan view of a continuous washing machine equipped with a device according to a fourth embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of FIG. 10;
FIG. 12 is an end view taken in the direction of an arrow XII in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a detailed side elevational view, partly in section, of the device according to the fourth embodiment of this invention;
FIGS. 14 and 15 are fragmentary side elevational views, partly in section, showing the device of FIG. 13 in different operating positions;
FIG. 16 is a fragmentary sectional view showing a modified arrangement for an apparatus for convveying a load of washed articles according to the present invention;
FIG. 17 is a schematic side elevational view, partly in section, of the conventional device which has hereinbefore been described; and
FIG. 18 is a graph similar to FIG. 2, but showing the pressure-time relation in the conventional device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
(1) First Embodiment:
Reference is made to FIGS. 1 to 5. A substructure 36 is installed on a floor and includes a plurality of pillars 37. A lattice deck 38 is secured to the substructure 36. A perforated deck plate 39 is secured to the deck 38. An endless belt 40 having a relatively large width extends between a pair of rolls 41 for conveying a load of washed articles. The belt 40 is perforated or is fabricated from a network so that water may pass therethrough. A basket 42 has a cylindrical lower portion formed from a perforated plate. The basket 42 has at its top an opening 43 through which a load of washed articles is introduced into the basket 42. A plurality of guide members 44 project from the basket 42 and engage the pillars 37.
A mechanism for raising or lowering the basket 42 is secured to the substructure 36 and is connected to the basket 42 by a chain, etc. A hydraulic cylinder 47 is secured to the substructure 36 and includes a piston rod 51. A hydraulic system 48 includes a fluid reservoir and a hydraulic circuit for the hydraulic cylinder 47. A hydraulic pump 49 is provided for the hydraulic system 48 and is driven by a motor 50. The piston rod 51 carries a bowl-shaped member 52 at its lower end. An elastic membrane 53 closes the opening of the bowl-shaped member 52 so that the latter may hold water 56 therein. A member 54 for supplying water and a member 55 for discharging air are connected to the bowl-shaped member 52. The membrane 53 is secured to the bowl-shaped member 52 by a ring 57 which is bolted to the latter.
A continuous washing machine is shown at 58. A conveyor 59 is provided for delivering a load of washed articles 60 to a drying machine, etc. after water has been extracted therefrom by the device of this invention. The load 60 consists of at least one article of clothing that has been washed by the washing machine 58.
Referring to FIG. 1, a pressure controller 61 is provided for varying the pressure which is applied to the load of washed articles to extract water therefrom, progressively from one of a plurality of predetermined levels to another with the lapse of time set by a timer not shown so that a predetermined relation may be established between the pressure and the time. It may, for example, comprise a proportional solenoid valve or a control valve. A directional control valve 62 is provided for supplying hydraulic fluid 66 into the upper or lower end of the hydraulic cylinder 47 through the pump 49 to lower or raise the piston rod 51. The valve 62 has an upper portion 62A which when positioned in the fluid circuit is used to lower the piston rod 51 to apply pressure to the load of washed articles 60 to extract water therefrom. If the lower portion 62B of the valve 62 is positioned, the piston rod 51 is raised.
A servo valve 63 is provided for bypassing the hydraulic fluid 66 from the pump 49 to a return line 64 leading to the fluid reservoir 65 in response to a signal from the pressure controller 61 to prevent the pressure being applied to the load of washed articles from rising above a predetermined level. A suction filter 67 is provided in the fluid reservoir 65 for removing foreign matter from the hydraulic fluid 66 reaching the pump 49.
In operation, the basket 42 staying in its lowered position receives the load of washed articles 60 from the continuous washing machine, while the belt 40 is out of operation and the piston rod 51 is in its raised position, as shown in FIG. 3. The hydraulic system 48 is started in response to a signal from the washing machine 58 which indicates that it has supplied the basket 42 with an appropriate amount of washed articles 60. The piston rod 51 is lowered and the membrane 53 presses the load of washed articles 60, as a result of the positioning of the upper portion 62A of the directional control valve 62 which causes the hydraulic fluid 66 to flow into the upper end of the cylinder 47.
When the piston rod 51 has been lowered, the load of washed articles 60 first receives a first preliminary water extracting pressure which is as low as, say, a maximum of 0.5 kg/cm 2 , for a period of time T 1 of, say, at least five seconds. The pressure is gradually raised to a second preliminary pressure or a medium pressure of, say, a maximum of 7.0 kg/cm 2 , as shown in FIG. 2. The medium pressure is applied for such a period of time T 2 that T 1 and T 2 may be a total of at least 10 seconds. This pressure application has been experimentally found important to protect the load of washed articles 60 against damage.
If the delivery pressure of the pump were directly employed for extracting water from the load of washed articles 60 as is the case with the conventional device (FIG. 18), the load of washed articles 60 would suddenly receive a high pressure and the air and water which the load 60 contains would produce a strong force which would tear it or make a circular hole or holes therein. Therefore, the preliminary extraction of water as hereinabove described is very important for protecting the articles.
The supply of the hydraulic fluid 66 is continued to continue the application of pressure to the load 60 until the pressure reaches a predetermined maximum level. If the predetermined maximum pressure is reached, the pressure controller 61 transmits a signal to the servo valve 63 to actuate it to bypass the hydraulic fluid 66 to cause it to flow back into the reservoir 65 through the return line 64 so that an appropriate level of pressure may be maintained throughout the water extracting operation. The pressure controller 61 can be set for actuation at different levels of maximum pressure which depend on the nature of the load of washed articles 60.
The timer not shown is set for realizing a proper cycle of the water extracting operation. Upon expiration of the time set by the timer, the hydraulic system 48 is switched to a different circuit which causes the piston rod 51 to rise to some extent to its intermediate position as shown in FIG. 5, or to its uppermost position, whereupon the membrane 53 is separated from the washing 60. The basket raising and lowering mechanism 46 is actuated to raise the basket 42 by the chain, etc., as shown in FIG. 5. A limit switch or similar device not shown detects the upward movement of the basket 42 and transmits a signal which causes the driving roll 41 to rotate in the direction of an arrow in FIG. 5. The rotating roll 41 causes the belt 40 to move in the same direction to transfer the load 60, from which water has been extracted, onto the conveyor 59, so that it may be conveyed to a drying machine not shown.
An appropriate device not shown, such as a timer or a photoelectric device, detects the complete transfer of the washing 60 onto the conveyor 59 and transmits a signal wich causes the roll 41 to stop its rotation. When the roll 41 has stopped its rotation, an appropriate signal is transmitted to lower the basket 42 onto the belt 40 and to raise the piston rod 51, whereby the device is returned to its initial position as shown in FIG. 3. A limit switch or similar device not shown detects the upward retraction of the piston rod 51 and outputs a signal which allows a new load 60 to be supplied from the washing machine 58 to the basket 42. The foregoing cycle of operation is thereafter repeated.
(2) Second Embodiment:
The second embodiment of this invention is shown in FIG. 6. It includes a number of features which differentiate it from the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. Only the differences will hereinafter be described. An electromagnetic pressure control valve 68 is provided in place of the servo valve 63 in FIG. 1. The valve 68 has an upper portion 68A which can be positioned in the fluid circuit for supplying the hydraulic fluid 66 at a low pressure, and a lower portion 68B which can be positioned in the fluid circuit for supplying it at a medium pressure, whereby the preliminary extraction of water from the washing 60 can be accomplished. The upper portion 68A is first energized. If it is energized, the pressure of the hydraulic fluid 66 which is delivered by the pump 49 rises to a level set by a low pressure relief valve 70. If its pressure further increases, the fluid 66 is returned into the reservoir 65 through the relief valve 70 and the return line 64, so that the pressure applied to the load of washed articles 60 by the piston rod 51 may be maintained at a predetermined low level.
Then, if the lower portion 68B of the valve 68 is positioned in the fluid circuit, the pressure of the fluid 66 rises to a medium level set by a medium pressure relief valve 71. If its pressure further increases, the fluid 66 is returned into the reservoir 65 through the relief valve 71 and the return line 64, so that the pressure applied to the load of washed articles 60 by the piston rod 51 may be maintained at a predetermined medium level.
A high pressure relief valve 69 is provided for setting a maximum level of pressure which the fluid 66 being supplied from the pump 49 to the cylinder 47 can reach after the preliminary extraction of water from the load of washed articles 60. If the maximum pressure is reached, the relief valve 69 functions to return the fluid 66 into the reservoir 65 through the return line 64 to prevent any fluid having a higher pressure from being supplied into the cylinder 47.
The low pressure portion 68A of the valve 68 is energized when the application of pressure to the load of washed articles 60 is started. It remains energized for a certain period of time set by a timer not shown. The low pressure relief valve 70 remains open as long as the low pressure portion 68A remains energized. Upon lapse of the time set by the timer, the low pressure portion 68A is deenergized and the medium pressure portion 68B of the valve 68 is energized. The medium pressure relief valve 71 is now opened, while the low pressure relief valve 70 is closed. The medium pressure portion 68B remains energized for a certain period of time set by a timer not shown. If it is thereafter deenergized, the valve 68 is brought to its neutral position and the low and medium pressure relief valves 70 and 71 are both closed. The pressure of the fluid 66 flowing into the cylinder 47 rises again until it reaches the maximum level set by the high pressure relief valve 69. Thus, the control valve 68 and the relief valves 69 to 71 define a mechanism which corrrespond to the pressure controller 61 and the servo valve 63 in FIG. 1.
The low pressure to which the fluid is controlled by the low pressure portion 68A of the valve 68 is preferably not higher than 0.5 kg/cm 2 , and is preferably maintained for a period of at least five seconds. The medium pressure to which the fluid is controlled by the medium pressure portion 68B is preferably not higher than 7.0 kg/cm 2 , and is preferably maintained for a period of at least five seconds, too. The maximum pressure set by the high pressure relief valve 69 is, for example, 35 kg/cm 2 .
The maximum pressure, however, has to be set to a level of, say, 10 to 20 kg/cm 2 , as shown by a broken line in FIG. 2, if the load is a mixture of cotton and polyester, or of hemp articles. The same is true of the device according to the first embodiment of this invention. This control of the maximum pressure can be easily attained by means of the pressure controller 61 in the device according to the first embodiment, or if an appropriate combination of a relief valve and an electromagnetic valve is added to the device according to the second embodiment.
(3) Third Embodiment:
The third embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 7 to 9. A substructure 135 is mounted on a floor. A superstructure 136 is connected to the substructure 135 by a plurality of pillars 137. A lattice deck 138 is secured to the substructure 135 and carries a perforated deck plate 139. An endless belt 140 having a relatively large width extends between a pair of rolls 141, of which one is a driving roll. The belt 140 is perforated or is fabricated from a to allow water to pass therethrough.
A basket 142 is made of a perforated plate and has a cylindrical lower portion adapted to hold a load of washed articles therein. The basket 142 has a top opening 143 through which articles can be introduced into its lower portion. A plurality of guide members 144 project from the basket 142 and engage the pillars 137. A skirt 145 is provided about the lower portion of the basket 142. A device 146 for raising and lowering the basket 142 is secured to the superstructure 136 and is connected to the basket 142 by a chain or the like. A hydraulic cylinder 147 is secured to the superstructure 136 and includes a piston rod 151. A hydraulic system 148 includes a fluid reservoir and a hydraulic circuit for supplying a hydraulic fluid to the hydraulic cylinder 147. A hydraulic pump 149 is provided for the hydraulic system 148 and a motor 150 is provided for driving the pump 149.
The piston rod 151 carries a bowl-shaped member 152 at its lower end. An elastic membrane 153 closes the opening of the bowl-shaped member 152 so that the latter may hold water 156 or other liquid therein. A member 154 for supplying water and a member 155 for discharging air are connected to the bowl-shaped member 152. The membrane 153 is secured to the bowl-shaped member 152 by a ring 157 which is bolted to the latter. A continuous washing machine is shown at 158. A conveyor 159 is provided for delivering to a drying machine, etc. washing 160 from which water has been extracted by the device of this invention. A fluid receptacle 161 is secured to the piston rod 151 and provided on the bowl-shaped member 152. A nozzle 162 is secured to the superstructure 136 for drawing a hydraulic fluid and water from the fluid receptacle 161.
A filter 163 is secured to the substructure 135 for separating the liquid and gas flowing from the nozzle 162 through a hose 164. A bottle 165 is removably attached to the filter 163 for collecting the liquid which has been separated from the gas. The gas is drawn by a vacuum pump 166 attached to the filter 163 and is discharged to the atmosphere through a muffler 167 attached to the vacuum pump 166.
In operation, the basket 142 staying in its lowered position receives the load of washed articles 160 from the washing machine 158, while the belt 140 is out of operation and the piston rod 151 is in its raised position, as shown in FIG. 7. The skirt 145 prevents the scattering of water flowing out of the basket 142 or even the outflow of water therefrom which is likely to cause the displacement of the load 160 to one side of the basket 142.
The hydraulic system 148 is actuated in response to a signal from the washing machine 158 indicating that it has supplied the basket 142 with an appropriate amount of washed articles 160. The piston rod 151 is lowered and causes the membrane 153 to press the load of washed articles 160. FIG. 8 shows the position of the device in which the piston rod 151 has ceased to be lowered when a balance of pressure has been reached between the piston rod 151 and the load 160. The application of pressure is started slowly to discharge air from the load of washed articles 160 and thereby protect it against damage. The piston rod 151 continues the application of pressure for as long a time as is required for extracting water from the load.
A timer not shown is set for achieving a proper cycle of the water extracting operation. Upon expiration of the time set by the timer, the hydraulic system 148 is switched to establish a different circuit connection to raise the piston rod 151 to some extent to its intermediate position as shown in FIG. 9, or to its uppermost position, whereupon the membrane 153 is separated from the load 160. In response to a signal from a timer or similar device not shown, the basket raising and lowering mechanism 146 is actuated to raise the basket 142 by the chain, etc. as shown in FIG. 9. A limit switch or similar device not shown detects the upward movement of the basket 142 and outputs a signal to cause the driving roll 141 to rotate in the direction of the arrow shown in FIG. 9. The belt 140 is moved in the same direction and transfers the load 160 onto the conveyor 159 which will in turn carry it to a drying machine of other device not shown.
An appropriate device not shown, such as a timer or photoelectric device, detects the complete transfer of the load 160 to the conveyor 159 and transmits a signal which causes the driving roll 141 to stop its rotation. Then, the basket 142 is lowered onto the belt 140 and the piston rod 151 is raised to its uppermost position, as shown in FIG. 7. A limit switch or similar device not shown detects the upward retraction of the piston rod 151 and transmits a signal which allows the washing machine 158 to supply a new load of washed articles 160 into the basket 142. The foregoing cycle of operation is, thereafter, repeated. Each cycle of operation has a period of 1.5 to 2 minutes.
The hydraulic fluid adhering to the piston rod 151 as a result of the repeated operation drops and gradually gathers in the fluid receptacle 161. When the piston rod 151 is in its lowered position as shown in FIG. 8, the water scattering from the washing machine 158 is likely to adhere to the piston rod 151 and drop into the receptacle 161. Thus, a mixture of the hydraulic fluid and water is likely to collect in the receptacle 161. When the piston rod 151 has been raised as shown in FIG. 7, the limit switch or similar device not shown detects it and transmits a signal to start the vacuum pump 166.
As a result, a negative pressure is produced in the filter 163, bottle 165, hose 164 and nozzle 162. The negative pressure draws the mixed liquid from the fluid receptacle 161 through the nozzle 162 having its lower end dipped in the mixed liquid as shown in FIG. 7. The liquid is caused to flow through the hose 164 and the filter 163 into the bottle 165. The operation of the vacuum pump 166 is stopped when the piston rod 151 has been lowered to start the application of pressure to the load of washed articles 160.
The device of this invention protects the load from contamination by the hydraulic fluid. Its maintenance is very easy, as the mixed liquid is automatically discharged from the fluid receptacle.
(4) Fourth Embodiment:
The fourth embodiment of this invention is shown in FIGS. 10 to 15. The device of this invention is connected to a continuous washing machine 201 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The device is supported on a substructure 236 mounted on a floor. The substructure 236 is provided with a plurality of pillars 237. A lattice deck 238 is secured to the substructure 236 and carries a perforated deck plate 239. An endless belt 240 having a relatively large width extends between a pair of rolls 241, of which one is a driving roll. The belt 240 is perforated or is fabricated from a network to allow water to pass therethrough.
A basket 242 is made of a perforated plate and has a cylindrical lower portion. The basket 242 has a top opening 243 through which a load of washed articles 202 can be introduced into its lower portion. A plurality of guide members 244 project from the basket 242 and engage the pillars 237. A skirt 245 is provided about the lower portion of the basket 242. A mechanism 246 for raising or lowering the basket 242 is secured to the substructure 236 and connected to the basket 242 by a chain, etc. A hydraulic cylinder 247 is secured to the substructure 236 and includes a piston rod 251. A hydraulic system 248 includes a fluid reservoir and a hydraulic circuit for supplying a hydraulic fluid to the cylinder 247. A hydraulic pump 249 is provided for the hydraulic system 248. A motor 250 is provided for driving the pump 249.
The piston rod 251 carries a bowl-shaped member 252 at its lower end. An elastic membrane 253 closes the opening of the bowl-shaped member 252 so that the latter may hold water therein. A member 254 for supplying water and a member 255 for discharging air are connected to the bowl-shaped member 252. The membrane 253 is secured to the bowl-shaped member 252 by a ring 257 which is bolted to the latter. The water 256 is held between the bowl-shaped member 252 and the membrane 253.
A motor 258 is connected to the driving roll 241 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The motor 258 is rotatable in two opposite directions for rotating the endless belt 240 in the direction of arrows B or C in FIG. 10.
A conveyor 223 is provided in front of the entrance of the washing machine 201. An operation control unit 260 is operationally connected to the washing machine 201, conveyor 223 and motor 258, as shown in FIG. 11. Various data are inputted to the control unit 260 so that it may determine the direction of rotation of the motor 258 to cause the endless belt 240 to rotate in the direction of the arrow B or C. The data include the kinds or articles 202 to be introduced into the washing machine 201, the order in which they are introduced, and the rotating angle and frequency of a drum in the washing machine 201.
In operation, the articles 202 to be washed are classified into different kinds, such as bed sheets, towels and bathrobes and placed on the conveyor 223. The kinds of articles 202 and the order in which they lie on the conveyor 223 are inputted to the operation control unit 260 by an enter key not shown. The articles 202 are progressively supplied from the conveyor 223 into the washing machine 201 through its entrance 224, washed for a predetermined length of time and delivered from the exit of the washing machine 201 into the basket 242 staying in its lowered position, while the belt 240 is out of operation and the piston rod 251 is in its raised position, as shown in FIG. 13. When the articles 202 are supplied into the basket 242, the skirt 245 prevents the scattering of water flowing out of the basket 242 and even the outflow of water from the basket 242 which would cause the undesirable displacement of the articles 202 to one side of the basket 242.
In response to a signal from the washing machine 201 indicating its delivery of the load of washed articles 202 into the basket 242, the operation control unit 260 actuates the hydraulic system 248 to lower the piston rod 251 and cause the membrane 253 to press the load 202. FIG. 14 shows the position of the device in which the piston rod 251 has ceased to be lowered when a balance of pressure has been reached between the load 202 and the piston rod 251. The application of pressure is started slowly to discharge air from the load of washed articles 202 to protect is against damage. The piston rod 251 continues the application of pressure for as long a time as is required for extracting water from the load of washed articles 202.
A timer not shown is set for achieving a proper cycle of the water extracting operation. Upon expiration of the time set by the timer, the hydraulic system 248 is switched to establish a different circuit connection to raise the piston rod 251 to some extent to its intermediate position as shown in FIG. 15, or to its uppermost position, whereupon the membrane 253 is separated from the load 202. This is effected by a timer or similar device not shown and in response to a signal therefrom, the basket raising and lowering mechanism 246 is actuated to raise the basket 242 by the chain, etc. as shown in FIG. 15. A limit switch or similar device not shown outputs a signal indicating that the basket 242 has been raised. This signal and a signal from the operation control unit 260 are transmitted to the motor 258 to cause the driving roll 241 to rotate in either direction to carry the load of washed articles 202 in the direction of either arrow B or C. The load 202 is, then, transferred to a drying machine or other device.
An appropriate device not shown, such as a timer or photoelectric device, detects the transfer of the load 202 from the belt 240 and outputs a signal which causes the driving roll 241 to stop its rotation. When the rotation of the roll 241 has been stopped, the basket 242 is lowered onto the belt 240 and the piston rod 251 is raised, as shown in FIG. 13. A limit switch or similar device not shown detects the upward retraction of the piston rod 251 and outputs a signal which allows the washing machine 201 to supply the basket 242 with another load of washed articles 202. The foregoing sequence of operation is thereafter repeated.
Attention is directed to FIG. 16 showing a different arrangement for conveying the load 202. It includes a supporting plate 262 which replaces the deck 238 and the deck plate 239. The supporting plate 262 is secured to the substructure 236 and has a plurality of apertures 263 through which water can be discharged. A discharge plate 264 replaces the endless belt 240 and the rolls 241. It is located above the supporting plate 262 and is reciprocatively movable along the supporting plate 262 by a driving unit not shown. The driving unit is responsive to a signal from the operation control unit 260 to move the discharge plate 264 in either direction to discharge the load from the supporting plate 262 in the direction of either arrow B or C.
Although the load has been described as being discharged in either of the two directions B and C perpendicularly to the machine, it is also possible to discharge it in another direction longitudinally of the machine as shown by arrow A in FIGS. 13 and 15. A discharge plate 265 is, therefore, provided reciprocatively movable by a driving unit not shown longitudinally of the washing machine 201, as shown in FIGS. 10, 11 and 13 to 15. The driving unit is responsive to a signal from the operation control unit 260 to enable the transfer of the load by the discharge plate 265 in the direction of the arrow A, while the belt 240 driven by the motor 258 conveys the load in either of the two directions B and C. The discharge plate 265 can, of course, be incorporated into the arrangement of FIG. 16, too.
The device of this invention as hereinabove described eliminates the necessity of employing an expensive conveyor having a turning device for delivering the load in a plurality of directions. It is compact in construction and requires only a small space for installation. It can be installed even in a small washing factory. The direction in which the load is delivered from the device of this invention can be automatically controlled in accordance with the kinds of articles to be introduced into the washing machine and the order in which they are washed therein, as hereinabove described. This feature contributes to reducing the amount of labor required for the operation of the device.
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A device for extracting water from a load of articles which have been washed uses fluid pressure to exert a force on the load. A system controls the fluid pressure such that only low pressure is applied to the load for a predetermined period of time at the beginning of the water extracting operation. Subsequently, the load is subjected to a high pressure exerted by the fluid.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to barriers for preventing entry of intruders through windows, doors or other openings in a structure. More particularly the invention relates to grillworks for disposition at a window, door or the like and to latching mechanism for enabling opening of the grille by persons inside a building.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Grilles formed of metal or other strong material are a well known device for inhibiting unauthorized entry of persons through openings in a building. Prior grille constructions are highly effective for this purpose but are also subject to several practical problems.
Prior grilles are usually designed for use with a door or window having specific dimensions and are not readily adaptable to openings of differing size. This makes it necessary to manufacture and stock such grilles in a large number of different sizes or to custom make grilles for each installation, either of which adds to the costs of such devices.
Prior grilles of fixed dimensions also require that fastening devices such as bolts or screws be located at specific positions that are dictated by the configuration of the grille. This can cause installation difficulties if there ar pre-existing obstructions, such as light switches, an adjoining window or the like, at those locations.
Efforts have heretofore been made to provide a grille which is expansible or contractable to accommodate to different sized windows or doors but the degree of adaptability tends to be limited and the constructions are complex and costly.
Under many circumstances, the grille should be fastened to the wall by latching mechanism which enables opening of the grille by persons inside the building. This is necessary for obvious reasons in the case of a door grille and is also desirable, for safety reasons, in the case of window grilles as windows may under some circumstances provide an alternative escape route in emergencies such as during a fire.
The latches of prior grilles tend to be complicated and costly and may be difficult to install. Release of such latches and opening of the grille typically require a series of manipulations whereas it would be advantageous if the operator could both unlatch and open the grille with a single motion of a control lever or the like. The latching components of prior grilles are also often undesirably accessible from the exterior of the building, by breaking of a window for example, and thus may tend to defeat the purpose of the grille.
Prior grille latches are also typically designed for use in a grille that is mounted inside the window or door which is to be protected. It would be advantageous if a single latching mechanism were compatible with both inside mounted grilles and grilles that are mounted on the outside of the building.
The present invention is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In one aspect, the present invention provides a security grille for disposition at a window, door or the like, the grille having first and second cross bars which extend in a horizontal direction and which are vertically spaced apart with the first cross bar being above the second cross bar. Each cross bar has a first end portion, adjacent a first side region of the grille, that has a hollow tubular configuration defining an internal passage in the cross bar. A vertically extending side member is situated at the first side region of the grille, the side member also having a hollow tubular configuration at least at the upper and lower portions of the side member and means are provided for fastening the side member to a wall or the like. First and second angle members each have a horizontally extending leg and a vertically extending leg, the horizontal legs of the first and second angle members being entered into the first end portions of the first and second cross bars respectively in telescoping relationship with the cross bars. The vertical legs of the first and second angle members are entered into the upper and lower portions of the side member in telescoping relationship with the side member.
In another aspect of the invention, the means for fastening the side member to a wall or the like includes at least one latching pin secured to the side member. A vertically extending hollow housing is attached to the wall and has a vertical interior passage and a transverse slot which communicates with the passage and which is proportioned to receive the latching pin. A cam is disposed within the housing passage for movement between first and second positions, the cam having a notch through which the latching pin extends when the pin is in the slot of the housing. The notch is defined in part by a first cam surface which extends vertically to hold the pin in the housing slot when the cam is at its first position and which is withdrawn from the slot to release the pin when the cam is at its second position. The notch is further defined in part by a second cam surface proportioned and positioned to eject the pin from the slot as the cam is traveled from its first position to its second position. The cam surface is still further defined in part by a third cam surface which forms an inclined ramp extending into the housing slot in position to be urged downward by the latching pin as the pin enters the slot. Resilient means bias the cam towards its first position.
In another aspect of the invention, a manually operable grille release element is disposed inside the building in which the window, door or the like is located in spaced apart relationship from the window, door or the like and the other components of the grille. The release element is coupled to the cam by means for shifting the cam from its first position to its second position in response to operation of the grille release element.
In still another aspect, the invention provides a latching mechanism for engaging and holding a pin like element and for selectively releasing and ejecting the pin like element, the mechanism having a housing with an interior passage and having a transverse pin receiving notch which intersects the passage. A cam member is disposed within the housing passage for movement between first and second positions, the cam member having a notch through which the pin extends when it is in the pin receiving slot of the housing. The notch is defined in part by a first cam surface located to hold the pin in the slot when the cam is at its first position and to release the pin when the cam is moved to its second position. The notch is further defined in part by a second cam surface proportioned and positioned to eject the pin from the slot as the cam is traveled from the first position to the second position. The notch is still further defined in part by a third cam surface which extends into the slot when the cam is at its first position and which is inclined relative to the path of entry of the pin into the slot to cause temporary movement of the cam from its first position to its second position as the pin enters the slot. A spring is disposed within the housing for biasing the cam towards its first position and an actuator element extends into the housing and is coupled to the cam for selectively shifting the cam to its second position to cause release and ejection of the pin.
The invention provides a security grille construction which can be adjusted to accommodate to varying conditions at the installation site. The grille is expansible or contractable to facilitate installation at windows or doors of different width. Mounting components for fastening the grille to a wall can be shifted in both the horizontal and vertical directions, without dislocation of the remainder of the grille, to avoid obstacles which might be present at a particular wall in the vicinity of a window or door. The mounting components of a particular size can also be embodied in grilles that have different cross bar spacings. In the preferred form of the invention, the mounting components include latching mechanism which automatically engages the grille when it is closed and which releases and opens the grille in response to a single motion pivoting of a latch control lever which may be at a location away from the window or door which is protected by the grille. The latching mechanism is adaptable to outside mounting of the grille as well as inside mounted grilles.
The invention, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may be further understood by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments and by reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a frontal elevation view of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown installed at the inside of a typical building window.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the right side region of the grille of FIG. 1 shown prior to installation at the building wall.
FIG. 3 is a side elevation view of components of latching mechanism which may be included in the grille to enable a quick and easy release and opening of the grille by persons inside the building, the latching components being shown in the disengaged condition.
FIG. 4 is a plan section view of the latching components shown in the engaged condition.
FIG. 5 is a vertical section view of a lower region of the latching mechanism.
FIGS. 6 to 8 are side elevation views of a portion of the latching mechanism illustrating successive stages in the engaging and disengaging of the mechanism.
FIG. 9 is a side elevation section view of an upper portion of a modified form of the latching mechanism.
FIG. 10 is an elevation section view of a portion of grille latching mechanism in accordance with still another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 11 is an elevation section view of the mechanism of FIG. 10 with components shown in a shifted position which occurs in the course of engagement and disengagement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring initially to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a security grille 11 embodying the invention is shown installed at a typical building window 12, the grille being at the inside surface of the window in this example although it may also be mounted at the exterior of the building if desired.
The grille 11 of this particular example has upper and lower cross bar members 13 and 14 which extend horizontally and which are vertically spaced apart. A plurality of spaced apart vertical bars 16 span the cross bars 13 and 14 and extend a distance above and below the cross bars into proximity with the upper and lower frame members 17 and 18 respectively of the window 12. The cross bars 13 and 14 and vertical bars 16 are secured to each other such as by welding in the case of a metal grille 11. It should be recognized that the invention is applicable to grilles 11 having differing numbers of cross bars 13, 14 and/or vertical bars 16 and to grilles having curved members which are sometimes used to provide a decorative design.
At least the end portions of cross bars 13 and 14 are of hollow tubular construction for purposes which will be hereinafter described and, as a practical matter, the cross bars of this example are tubular throughout their length and are of rectangular cross section.
The right side of the security grille 11 includes a vertically extending side member 19 through which the grille is fastened to the building wall 21 at that side of window 12. Referring now to FIG. 2, side member 19 has a length which is smaller than the spacing of upper and lower cross bars 13 and 14 and is coupled to the cross bars through upper and lower angle members 22 and 23 respectively.
In particular, side member 19 has a hollow tubular construction of rectangular cross section similar to that of the cross bars 13 and 14. Upper angle member 22 has a vertical leg 24 which is entered into the upper end of side member 19 in telescoping relationship and has a horizontal leg 26 which extends into the adjacent end of upper cross bar 13 in telescoping relationship. Similarly, the lower angle member 23 has a vertical leg 27 entered into the lower end of side member 19 and a horizontal leg 28 entered into the adjacent end of lower cross bar 14.
The grille mounting structure defined by side member 19 and angle members 22 and 23 imparts several forms of adjustability to the grille that greatly facilitate the manufacture, distribution and installation of grilles. A unitary set of cross bars 13, 14 and vertical bars 16 can, for example, be adapted to windows of different width by moving the side member 19 closer to the cross bars as illustrated at 19a or further away from the cross bars as illustrated at 19b. The side member 19 may be shifted upwardly or downwardly without changing the location of the cross bars 13, 14 and angle members 22, 23, as illustrated at 19c and 19d, if wall fixtures or other structure make attachment difficult when the side member is at a centered position relative to the cross bars. The side member 19 and angle members 22 and 23 need not be manufactured in different sizes in order to accommodate to grilles 11 having different cross bar spacing as illustrated at 13a and 14a. The angle members 22 and 23 may simply be partially withdrawn from side member 19 or telescoped further into the side member to adapt to different cross bar spacings.
The capability of shifting the location of the side member 19 relative to the cross bars 13, 14 and vertical bars 16 is normally no longer needed once the grille 11 has been adapted to a specific installation site. Once that has been accomplished, the entire structure may be unitized by forming welds 29 at the junctures between the cross bars 13, 14 and angle member legs 26 and 28 and at the junctures between side member 19 and angle member legs 24 and 27.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the side member 19 may be directly secured to wall 21 with screws, bolts or the like in instances where the grille 11 is to be non-openable. Under that condition, the left hand side of the grille may be similarly secured to the wall 21 with another similar side member 19 and angle members 22 and 23. This embodiment is not of that form as it is designed to be openable by persons situated inside the wall 21.
In this embodiment the left side of the grille 11 is hinged to wall 21 preferably by means 31 which enables further adjustability during installation. In particular, upper and lower hinges 32 and 33 respectively are secured to wall 21 and rods 34, of rectangular cross section, extend from the hinges into the adjacent ends of cross bars 13 and 14 in telescoping relationship. After the rods 34 have been shifted axially relative to the cross bars 13, 14 to adapt the grille to the particular installation, welds 36 are formed at the junctures between such components to unitize the grille 11.
Referring jointly to FIGS. 3 and 4, side member 19 is releasably fastened to wall 21 through latching mechanism 37 which is of an advantageous form that securely anchors the grille in its closed condition while enabling persons inside the wall 21 to disengage and open the grille quickly and easily with a single hand motion.
Components of the latching mechanism 37 include a linear, vertically extending housing 38 secured to wall 21 by strong lag bolts 39 or the like at a location which is behind the grille side member 19 when the grille is at the closed position. The housing 38 has a vertical interior passage 41 closed at the upper end by a top member 42 and closed near the lower end by a shelf 43.
The grille side member 19 is secured by welding or the like to a slightly broader vertical channel member 44 proportioned to receive and cover the housing 38 when the grille 11 is in the closed position. To facilitate mating of the channel member 44 and housing 38 as the grille is being closed, the housing has a triangular cross section with the base being against wall 21.
The interior passage of housing 38 is intersected by a pair of vertically spaced apart transverse slots 46 in the housing wall. Each such slot 46 is located to be entered by one of a pair of latching pins 47 which extend transversely within channel member 44 and which are secured to the opposite walls 48 of the channel member. Pins 47 are engaged, when the grille is latched closed, by a linear cam member 49 disposed within housing passage 41 and which is slidable within the passage between first and second positions. At the first position, cam 49 abuts the top closure 42 of the housing 38 and a compression spring 51, situated between the lower end of the cam and shelf 43, biases the cam towards the first position. An actuator cable 52 may be used to pull the cam 49 downward against the force of spring 51 to the second cam position as will hereinafter be described in more detail. Referring now to FIGS. 4 and 5 in combination, triangular wings 53 extending outward from cam 49 jointly have a triangular outline conforming to the cross section of passage 41 and serve to keep the cam centered in the passage.
Referring again to FIG. 3, cam 49 has a pair of notches 54 in the forward edge of the cam each such notch being at the region of a separate one of the housing slots 46 when the cam is at the above described first position. Thus the notches 54 are located to receive the latching pins 47 of the grille 11.
Referring jointly to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the boundary of each notch 54 is defined by three cam surfaces 56, 57 and 58. The first cam surface 56 extends upward within housing slot 46, when the cam 49 is at its first position, in front of the latching pin 47 when the pin is in the slot and thus functions to prevent release of the pin as long as the cam remains at that position.
The second cam surface 57 extends upwardly and forwardly from the back of the notch 54 and thus functions to eject pin 47 when the cam 49 including the first cam surface 56 is forced downward to its second position. Forcible ejection of the pin 47 in this manner simultaneously unlatches the grille and imparts an opening motion to the grille.
The third cam surface 58 extends upward and backward within the forward region of housing slot 46 when the cam 49 is at its first position. Thus the third cm surface 58 forms a ramp which is forced downward as the latching pin 47 enters the housing slot 46. This momentarily shifts the cam 49 downward to its second position after which spring force restores the cam to its first position at which the pin 47 is held in the slot and the grille is latched at the closed position.
Referring again to FIG. 1, it may be seen that the channel member 44 of the grille 11 completely covers the above described latching mechanism when the grille is in its closed position. This prevents opening of the grille 11 by an intruder who is outside the wall 21 but who may have broken the glass of window 12 and be reaching in through the grille.
The objective of forestalling intrusion is further served by the construction of the latching mechanism control 59 which enables persons inside the room to release and open the grille. In particular, the actuator cable 52 is of the type which has a wire 61 extending within metal sheathing 62 that is also somewhat flexible but which is not extensible or contractable along its axis. The actuator cable 52 has a length of at least three and one half feet and is preferably somewhat longer. Thus a control lever 63 or the like for operating the latching mechanism may be fastened to wall 21 at a location which is beyond the reach of someone who is on the other side of the grille 11.
The control lever 63 of this example pivots on a bracket 64 secured to wall 21 and is coupled to the wire 61 of cable 52. The sheathing 62 of cable 52 is secured to bracket 64 and thus pivoting of the lever shifts the wire 61 axially relative to the sheathing. Referring again to FIG. 5, the opposite end of sheathing 62 is secured to shelf 43 within latching mechanism housing 38 while the wire 61 extends upward and is coupled to the lower end of cam 49. Thus axial movement of the wire 61, relative to sheathing 62, in the downward direction, shifts the cam 49 to its second position to effect the hereinbefore described release and opening of the grille.
The latching mechanism control may take other forms if desired. Referring to FIG. 9, the actuator cable 52 may, for example, be replaced with a rigid rod 66 which extends down into the housing 38 from a higher location to enable temporary depression of the cam 49 for the purpose of releasing the latching pin 47.
While the embodiment of the invention described herein has two latching pins 47 and the cam 49 has two notches 54 for engaging the pins, the apparatus may also be constructed with a single pin and notch or with additional pins and notches depending on the degree of resistance to unauthorized opening that is needed.
Referring now to FIGS. 10 and 11, embodiments of the invention are also possible in which the cam 49a or cams within the latching mechanism housing 38 are pivotable rather than slidable. Cam 49a in this example is mounted on a pivot axle 67 which extends transversely within housing 38 at the level of the latching pin 47 receiving slot 46 and has a pin engaging notch 54a generally similar to that previously described except that the second cam surface 57a defined by the upper margin of the notch has a convex curvature in order to urge the latching pin outwardly as the cam is turned to withdraw the first cam surface 56 from the slot 46. Turning of the cam 49a for this purpose is accomplished through an actuator cable 52a similar to that previously described except that it connects with the cam through an opening 68 in the side of the housing 38. The pivotable cam 49a is restored to the latching position and normally held at that position by a coil spring 69 within the housing 38.
Referring again to FIG. 1, the grille 11 may also be mounted outside window 12 at the exterior of the building as the latching mechanism is protected from tampering by channel member 44 as hereinbefore described. In such cases, actuator cable 52 extends through the wall 21 to enable inside mounting of the latching mechanism control 59 as previously described.
Thus while the invention has bee described with respect to certain specific embodiments for purposes of example many variations and modifications of the structure are possible and it is not intended to limit the invention except as defined in the following claims.
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A security grille for disposition at a window, door or the like has at least a pair of vertically spaced tubular cross bars and a vertically extending tubular side member through which the grille may be fastened to a wall. Horizontal legs of a pair of angle members telescope into the ends of the cross bars while vertical legs of the angle members telescope into opposite ends of the side member. The construction enables horizontal expansion and contraction to accommodate to different installations, enables use of the side member with grilles having different cross bar spacings in the vertical direction and enables variation of the location of the attachment of the grille to the wall without displacement of the remainder of the grille. In the preferred form, the side member is fastened to the wall by latch mechanism having an enclosed cam which normally engages a pin on the side member but which can be actuated to release the pin and open the grille with a single movement of an actuator lever.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method of message transmission according to the producer/consumer principle between users or subscribers in a distributed system with token passing and with time monitoring for fault detection.
Such a method, operating on the token passing principle, is known, for example, from a publication by H.-G. Gohring and F.-J. Kauffels, entitled: "Token-Ring: Grundlagen, Strategien, Perspektiven" Token Ring: Principles, Strategies, Perspectives!, published by DATACOM-Verlag Lipinski, 1990, in particular chapter 2.4.
There exists a series of ring-based protocols which operate on the so-called token passing principle and are known as token protocols. They have been standardized for various LAN bus systems (IEEE802.4/Token-Bus, IEEE802.5/Token-Ring, ANSI X3T9.5/FDDI). The methods are based on a token, that is a special bit pattern which is used for bus access control. The token circulates in a logical or physical ring which is set up between the individual users.
However, those protocols do not ensure data consistency in distributed systems with decentralized database organization in the event of errors or failures of system components. In other words, if those methods are used, it is not ensured that all users will have the same state of information with respect to transmitted messages after failures or after reconfigurations as a result of failures. However, data consistency is the dominant requirement for all of the systems being considered herein (see the statements made in the text which follows). Furthermore, the protocols prove to be very inefficient when transmitting messages of short length (for the token ring: each message has to cover a complete token circuit before the next station may transmit; for the token bus: transmission and confirmation are separate for each message and each receiver). In the systems being considered herein, the same message is generally transmitted to a number of receivers (multicast transmission). Existing token protocols only permit unconfirmed multicast transmission. Confirmed transmission is possible only in unicast (transmission to only one receiver) and requires a separate confirmation phase. Apart from those fundamental problems, there are further, protocol-specific disadvantages, for example inversions in the sequence of transmitted messages or the lack of support of bus redundancy.
Those known ring-based methods cannot meet all of the essential requirements which arise in the case of an application in industrial supervisory control systems.
A method of error-protected information transmission which is known from German Patent DE 40 10 266 C2, for example in the configuration of the Ethernet Network/Broadcast Token Bus (EN/BTB), likewise does not fully meet the requirements. The transmission is performed error-protected, but not consistently. Thus, in the case of that method, inversions in the sequence and duplicates of messages are possible in the event of failures/reconfigurations. All of the information is transmitted in broadcast, but with the use of modern computer technology that results in a relatively high load on the computer. EN/BTB requires programmable (intelligent) communication controllers. However, modern computers are exclusively equipped with non-intelligent controllers. EN/BTB does not support the use of standardized protocols.
The typical structure of a supervisory control system, and the requirements for such a supervisory control system or for a transmission method used therein are explained below with reference to FIG. 1.
The structure of a supervisory control system includes a plurality of computer components, such as auxiliary computers for process coupling, master computers for handling basic supervisory functions, which are known as SCADA functions, operator console computers for process visualization and additional computers for handling optional secondary functions. The computers are coupled through a local network, typically an Ethernet. In order to increase the availability of the overall system, computers performing an important function as well as the LAN bus are have a redundant configuration. The computers operate on a continuously updated process map, which is managed locally in each case (decentralized database organization). Transaction data are sent as messages. Due to the distribution and redundancy of functions and databases, there are complex data flows in the distributed system.
The essential requirements for such supervisory control systems are high availability, short, guaranteed response times and consistency of the distributed databases.
Data consistency is a prerequisite for the proper operation of the supervisory control systems. It is trivial in the case of no errors, but in the event of failures/reconfigurations in the system, it requires specific measures for the smooth continuation of message exchange. That results in very high requirements for the communication in distributed supervisory control systems. They include:
Message exchange without loss, falsification, duplication or mixing up of information (guidance consistency). Mixing up in such a case relates to messages of one sender, the so-called FIFO sequence.
Messages to a number of receivers must be transmitted to all of the receivers or to none of them (atomicity principle).
Transmission of messages in respectively identical sequence to all of the receivers (total sequence of messages).
Avoidance of superseding effects of original information and derived information (causal sequence of messages).
Fast, deterministic transmission of messages.
Fast failure detection of computers and LAN bus by constant mutual monitoring.
In the event of failure of computers, automatic exclusion of the same from the message traffic.
In the event of failure of the LAN bus, automatic switching over to a redundant LAN.
Low LAN and computer loading by system communication.
Data exchange between computers with different hardware and software.
Data consistency includes the four first-mentioned requirements for message transmission. Problems with respect to guidance consistency arise due to transmission errors or failures of a bus or receiver. The atomicity principle is adversely affected by the failure of the information source itself. A mixing up of messages (total and causal sequence) occurs in the case of indeterministic runtime performance in the system, for example in cases of reconfigurations or message repetitions as a result of failures or transmission disturbances.
In distributed computer systems, in particular if the UNIX operating system is used, the client/server concept is used for data exchange. That concept is tailor-made for centralized database organization and for systems without specific real time requirements, but it does not meet the above requirements. What is required is communication on the producer/consumer principle. The standardized TCP/IP, UDP-IP and ISO/OSI protocols are constructed for the client/server concept, but their characteristics are not appropriate for the object described herein. Nevertheless, their use is necessary for reasons of cost and for communication between computers of different types.
The conventional use of those protocols, with implementation of communication links between distributed processes corresponding to a structure which is predetermined by the application (logical point-to-point connections), has serious disadvantages. That applies in particular to the predominant, connection-oriented TCP/IP protocol or in a similar way to ISO/OSI protocols as well. The following reasons can be cited:
Individual transmission of messages when customary non-intelligent communication controllers are used, makes transmission complex (context change and protocol handling in the host). In order to reduce the computer and LAN load, a collective transmission of messages with combined time/volume control is necessary.
Information selection, i.e. the selection of the messages to be transmitted to the receivers, takes place on the transmission side in the case of standardized protocols. The transmitter keeps an update list for each receiver, which results in additional computer loading.
Standardized protocols allow confirmed transmission only in a directed mode. In the case of the systems being considered herein, that results in a multiplier effect for packing and transmitting messages: in relatively large supervisory control systems, each message is multiply packed and transmitted through the bus. In the case of transmitters of a redundant configuration, in addition to the transmission to the receivers, each connection is to be synchronized separately with the back-up computer.
An automatic monitoring of communication connections does not constitute part of the TCP specification and is consequently not provided in every protocol version. The configuring of the monitoring cycle (default setting: 2h) is likewise not possible for every protocol version.
With mutual monitoring of the computers through the use of connection interrupt in the event of error (time out), adaptation of the timers to the actual time requirements is not possible for all protocol versions. TCP/IP prescribes a minimum time duration of 100 s before a connection interrupt. The setting of lower values does not conform to standard. The only remaining solution for mutual monitoring is an additional (redundant) confirmation mechanism at the application level with a corresponding overhead.
Due to the directed transmission, the complexity of connections in the system is enormous. Every computer is to be coupled to every other one. In the case of the redundant LAN bus, connections are to be operated over both buses. For example: an average supervisory control system, including 8 computers and a redundant LAN bus, requires 2×7×8=112 full-duplex connections and 224 half-duplex connections.
The system structure is programmed or parameterized into the software (terminology: "send message to", "receive message from"). Implementation proves to be complex, especially error processing.
The structure dependence of the software gives rise to retroactive effects in the case of an error due to the necessary producer/consumer principle.
Standardized protocols do not allow automatic switching over to a redundant bus in the event of failure of the LAN bus.
Failures/reconfigurations in the system result in data loss in the protocol buffers. That requires the additional buffering of the transmission data on the application level.
Data consistency requires multiphase transmission concepts. Those are complex to implement (high demands on time and the messages) and require the transmission timing to be controlled. TCP reception confirmations cannot be evaluated for the implementation of 2-phase concepts and an additional confirmation mechanism on the application level is necessary.
With the conventional use of standardized protocols, the total and causal sequence of messages requires complex measures, for example message histories.
Thus, in conventional use, standardized communication protocols do not meet the requirements for supervisory control systems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a method of consistent message transmission, which overcomes the hereinafore-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known methods of this general type and which meets the above-mentioned requirements, while at the same time allowing standardized communication protocols to be applied.
With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a method of message transmission according to the producer/consumer principle between users in a distributed system with token passing and with time monitoring for fault detection, which comprises assuring consistent message transmission, even in the case of a fault, by selecting between:
A) a first, ring-multicast (R-MC) method version in which a data token is passed in a ring and contains information for message (user data) transmission, controlling transmission authorization, sequentializing a message sequence and mutual user monitoring; and
B) a second, datagram-multicast (D-MC) method version in which a check token is passed in the ring and messages (user data) are transmitted in physical multicast with datagrams, wherein:
B1) in the case of an access-controlled message transmission (D-MC/Z):
carrying out the message transmission only from the respective user in possession of the check token, and
placing information in the check token for controlling the transmission authorization, for exchanging confirmation and sequence information as well as for mutual user monitoring, and
B2) in the case of a spontaneous message transmission (D-MC/S):
carrying out the message transmission spontaneously, independently of the position of the check token after a competing access procedure, and
placing information in the check token for exchanging confirmation and sequence information as well as for mutual user monitoring; and
C) carrying out a special token procedure for all of the method versions (R-MC, D-MC) which is based on a coincidence of monitoring and information states of the users existing in the transmission procedure, with which a logical resumption being derived from a consecutive sequence number is carried out in the case of an error, without impairing data consistency.
The method according to the invention can be implemented in altogether three basic versions, namely a ring-multicast (R-MC) method, which is referred to as the first version, and a datagram-multicast (D-MC) method, which is referred to as the second version and which in turn, depending on the access method, can be implemented in two configurations (D-MC/Z, D-MC/S).
The versions of the method, which are merely referred to below as the methods for short, include partly different and partly the same features, as is specified above as well as being described below.
In the case of the ring-multicast (R-MC) method, a token is used for message transport, for controlling transmission access and for the mutual monitoring of the computers (data token).
In the case of the datagram-multicast method with access-controlled message transmission (D-MC/Z), a token is used for controlling transmission access, for exchanging confirmation and sequence information as well as for mutual monitoring (control token). The message transmission itself takes place when in possession of a token in physical broadcast or multicast with datagrams.
In the case of the datagram-multicast method with spontaneous message transmission (D-MC/S), a token is used for exchanging confirmation and sequence information as well as for mutual monitoring (check token). The message transmission takes place spontaneously, irrespective of the position of the token, in physical broadcast or multicast with datagrams.
The D-MC/Z and D-MC/S methods are also referred to below as datagram methods or datagram-oriented methods. Confirmation, sequence and status information are referred to together below by the term check information.
The ring-multicast (R-MC) method is a logical multicast concept. The datagram-oriented methods (D-MC) can be implemented both in physical multicast and in broadcast. No distinction is any longer made below between multicast and broadcast, but instead the more general term multicast is used.
The method versions are similar in their basic structure and are equivalent to the extent that each of the methods meets all of the requirements for message transport without any restriction. In addition, each of the methods has characteristic properties in comparison with the others. These features come to fruition in the implementation of a method, i.e. under actual boundary conditions, and they are explained in the following method description. The methods according to the invention are not tied to any standard. An advantageous realization is possible on the basis of standardized LAN bus systems and communication protocols. Already existing subfunctions may be used, for example CRC check sums of standardized protocols or collision detection with automatic repetition if using an Ethernet LAN (IEEE802.3). Standardized protocols are used in a problem-specific way. That allows the requirements for supervisory control systems to be met and the basic advantages of standardized protocols to be utilized, while avoiding the problematical aspects explained. Implementation on the basis of standardized protocols is explained below with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
The ring-multicast (R-MC) method is a pure ring concept. The token serves for message transmission, controlling the bus access, sequentializing the message sequence and mutual monitoring. The token length is adapted dynamically to the current occurrence of messages. The transmission of the token can take place unconfirmed, since each user can keep a check on the passing around of the token by monitoring the next token reception (implicit confirmation mechanism in the ring). The ring-multicast method is tailor-made for small and medium supervisory control systems.
In accordance with another mode of the invention, the messages can also be transmitted block by block in the token.
In the case of the datagram-oriented methods (D-MC), messages are transmitted in the physical multicast. In accordance with a further mode of the invention, the messages are combined in blocks and transmitted as datagrams. The datagram transmission itself takes place unconfirmed. The token serves for transmitting control information, i.e. confirmations and sequence information on the message blocks being transmitted, as well as for mutual monitoring. A confirmed transmission of the message blocks is implemented through the use of the check token. A mechanism with negative confirmation is used. Transmitted message blocks are marked by the sender in the token as transmitted. The other users check the reception of the message blocks and, if not received, enter a negative confirmation in the token. In this case, the sender must repeat the transmission.
In the case of the access-controlled method (D-MC/Z), the transmission authorization is also passed on in the token. In the case of the method with spontaneous transmission (D-MC/S), all of the stations are authorized to send at all times, irrespective of the current position of the check token.
The datagram methods are constructed for large supervisory control systems with a considerable occurrence of data. Transmission in physical multicast results in a reduction in the transmission and bus load in comparison with the ring-multicast concept (R-MC). The token includes only check information, i.e. the length and the passing-round time are reduced. Furthermore, the communication load is very asymmetrical in the systems being considered herein. All of the process data are passed through the master computer and are transferred from the latter to the other computers. The datagram-oriented methods are adapted to these loading situations. Only users having transmission data carry out a multicast transmission. In the case of a very considerable occurrence of data, several datagram transmissions during one token passing-around sequence are possible in the case of the method with spontaneous transmission (D-MC/S).
All three alternatives ensure data consistency in the event of errors in the distributed system. That property relies on the coincidence of the token position with the state of transmission of messages in the system. In the case of the ring-multicast method, the state of transmission of messages is directly reflected by the token. In the case of the datagram-oriented methods, the state of transmission is reproduced by the check information of transmitted (blocks of) messages kept in the token: transmitted blocks of messages are entered with their identification in the token by the transmitter upon obtaining the token and are not released through the use of this identification by the receiver until the token is obtained, i.e. even in the case of this method the token reflects the current state of transmission.
Entered in the token is a consecutive sequence number, that incremented by each sender. The token serves for error detection and locating. On the basis of the coincidence of the token position and the state of transmission, in the event of an error the current state of transmission of the individual users can also be exactly reconstructed by determining the last-applicable token position. That permits a smooth continuation of the transmission while preserving guidance consistency. The atomicity principle is fundamentally satisfied on account of the transmission of user data and check data in a ring form, i.e. transmission to only one receiver in each case. Due to the serializing effect of the token with respect to transmitted messages (R-MC) and the check information of transmitted blocks of messages (D-MC), the message transmission takes place with FIFO sequence, total and causal sequence.
Defective users are automatically excluded. The message transport takes place on the application level without any retroactive effects even in the case of an error. In accordance with an added mode of the invention, there may be provided automatic bus switching in the event of faults in the communication system, while preserving data consistency. Advantageous developments of the error tolerance measures are explained with reference to an exemplary embodiment.
Through the use of a token protocol, the methods have a stable and predictable runtime performance. That also applies to the D-MC/S method, which is affected by collisions. The number of transmitting operations per token passing-around sequence is limited in the case of this method, for example to 20% of the maximum loading if the method is executed on the basis of an Ethernet LAN. As a result, appreciable delays caused by collisions are avoided.
The methods according to the invention permit a confirmed multicast transmission. That, and the use of a combined method for mutual monitoring and for exchanging messages, confirmations and sequence information as well as the block-by-block transmission of messages, results in a clear reduction in the LAN and computer loading, the protocol complexity and the high implementation demands in comparison with existing concepts.
The three methods according to the invention are explained in more detail below with reference to exemplary embodiments.
EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS OF THE METHODS
The exemplary embodiments were implemented as communication systems in a distributed computer system. The systems are based on the standardized UDP/IP protocol. UDP/IP operates without connections, and it permits unconfirmed transmission of datagrams in unicast, multicast and broadcast. An Ethernet LAN (IEEE802.3) is used as the bus system. The standardized hardware and software being used as a basis includes automatic safeguards against data falsification (CRC check sum) as well as for handling collisions. When collisions are detected, automatic frame repetition takes place. For these reasons, collisions or errors caused by falsified data are not considered further below.
Depending on the occurrence of data, the information units being exchanged have different lengths (in the range from 10 bytes to 30 kbytes). Large information units are fragmented by the underlying network and protocol layers, i.e. are divided up into smaller units to be transmitted. Each fragment is supplemented with protocol-specific information. In order to create a uniform transmission mechanism, independent of the length of the information units and of the underlaid protocol and network layers, and for handling the loss of individual fragments of relatively large information units, a block-oriented transmission mechanism was implemented in an advantageous development. The items of information being exchanged are transmitted as contiguous blocks and the block transmission operates atomically. In the event of errored transmission or loss of block fragments, an information block is completely rejected.
Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a method of consistent message transmission, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
The following description deals separately with the ring-multicast method and the datagram methods. The latter are structured similarly and are explained together, but differences are pointed out as and when applicable.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram of a structure of a supervisory control system as is known in the prior art;
FIGS. 2A to 2F are diagrams showing a transmission sequence in the case of the ring-multicast (R-MC) method according to the invention of the instant application; p FIG. 3 is a block circuit diagram of a data token structure in the case of the ring-multicast (R-MC) method;
FIGS. 4A to 4F are diagrams showing a transmission sequence in the case of the datagram-oriented method with access-controlled transmission (D-MC/Z);
FIGS. 5A to 5F are diagrams showing a transmission sequence in the case of the datagram-oriented method with spontaneous transmission (D-MC/S);
FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing a check token structure in the case of the datagram-oriented method D-MC; and
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a message block structure in the case of the datagram-oriented method D-MC.
FIGS. 8a-8o are diagrams showing a transmission sequence in the case of detected transmission errors; and
FIG. 9 is a flow chart depicting the selection process between the transmission methods and procedures.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is seen a typical structure of a supervisory control system, with reference to which the requirements for such a supervisory control system or for a transmission method used therein are explained below.
FIG. 1 diagrammatically shows the structure of a supervisory control system, including a plurality of computer components, such as auxiliary computers VR for process coupling, master computers LR for handling basic supervisory functions, which are known as SCADA functions, operator console computers BR for process visualization and additional computers for handling optional secondary functions SF. The computers are coupled through a local area network (LAN), typically an Ethernet. In order to increase the availability of the overall system, computers performing an important function (in the diagram: VR and LR) as well as the LAN bus are of a redundant configuration. The computers operate on a continuously updated process map that is managed locally in each case (decentralized database organization). Transaction data are sent as messages. Due to the distribution and redundancy of functions and databases, there are complex data flows in the distributed system.
The explanation of the exemplary embodiments in each case is broken down into a description of the time sequence, explanations of the protocol characteristics and a description of the information units being exchanged. The basic description is that for a distributed system, including three users or subscribers (T1-T3). The time sequence is represented in several phases (A-F).
1. Ring-multicast (R-MC)
1.1 Description
FIGS. 2A to 2F show the time sequence of the transmission without any errors for the ring-multicast (R-MC) method. Assumed as the initial situation is the circulation of an empty data token T (FIG. 2A). A user T1 has messages N1 to be transmitted. Upon obtaining the token, he or she enters them in the token and passes the token T on to the successor T2 (FIG. 2B). The successor T2 has messages N2 ready for transmission. Upon obtaining the token T, he or she copies its content into a local reception buffer, adds his or her own transmission data N2 onto the end of the token and passes the token on (FIG. 2C). After passing on of the token, messages are selected for application from the local copy of the token (in the example the messages N1 of the user T1). In the case of the user T3, the procedure is analogous to T2 (FIG. 2D). After the token T has been passed right round, the user T1 erases his or her own messages T1 from the token, copies the token content into the local reception buffer, adds new data N1' onto the end of the token, passes the token on to the user T2 and selects messages of other users (FIG. 2E). The user T2 handles the token T analogously to the user T1. In the example he or she has no further messages to send (FIG. 2F).
When in possession of the token, each user can enter messages of any number and length in the token (variable token length).
1.2 Common characteristics of the methods (all three concepts)
A number of common characteristics of the methods can be explained with reference to the ring-multicast concept. They also apply to the datagram concepts explained below:
The setting up of a ring can be initiated by any user.
Stations must initially be integrated into the ring to be able to participate in the exchange of messages. For this purpose, registration of the station to be newly included is necessary with the predecessor.
The transmission of all information units takes place in a block-oriented manner.
The token is sent to all of the users with the same frequency, i.e. there is no higher prioritizing for certain users.
Information for analysis of the states of the successor and LAN bus is transmitted asynchronously with respect to the token.
Information on the new inclusion of a user is transmitted asynchronously with respect to the token.
Each station monitors its successor and defective stations are excluded by the predecessor. The reconfiguration takes place without adversely affecting data consistency.
In the event of bus failure, automatic switching over to the redundant bus takes place. The reconfiguration takes place without adversely affecting data consistency.
1.3 Protocol characteristics: R-MC
Compare "Common characteristics of the methods".
User data are passed in the form of a ring in the system (directed transmission of the data token).
The data token is of variable length.
Upon obtaining the token, each user may enter his or her own messages in the token.
There is no selective station in the system. During the reconfiguration phase, the station with the last-applicable data token temporarily becomes the ring master.
Collision-free data traffic in normal operation.
Reception data are selected and released after passing on of the token.
1.4 Information units exchanged
In addition to the data token which was already explained, use is also made of further information units, which are required for error handling and for incorporating new users, as explained in more detail further below. The information units are listed below.
Data token
Contains the messages to be transmitted, ordered according to the individual users in the ring.
Link check request
Request by a ring user to its successor for user and bus monitoring.
Link check acknowledge
Response of a ring user to a link check request.
Init token
Contains the system status information and the sequence number of the sender. The sender notifies its successor of the local system status information and at the same time applies to be the ring master.
Configuration token
Contains the system status information and the sequence number of the ring master. The ring master notifies the other ring users of a changed ring configuration (after the new inclusion of a user or failures).
Enter request
A user wants to initialize the ring or be included as a ring user. Information is sent by the user wanting to be included to the desired predecessor.
Leave token
A user notifies the others that it would like to leave the ring.
All information items are transmitted unconfirmed. Token information is sent past all of the users in the ring. The other information units are exchanged in each case between two users and the transmission takes place asynchronously with respect to the token.
1.5 Block structure
FIG. 3 shows, by way of example, the structure of the data token for the ring-multicast (R-MC) method. Corresponding to the header, the method according to the invention with details stating the token length, the block sequence number of the token and the block type (in this case: data token) is followed by the data areas of the individual ring users, in each case having a variable length. Each data area includes a user-related header with the statement of the user and the data area length and, thereafter, the messages of this user. The messages in turn include a header and the data itself.
The message header is made up of a selector for the assignment of messages and the statement of the message length.
The user designations K, K+1, etc. to K-1, which are entered in FIG. 3 in the data areas, are to be understood as meaning that K may be any user, for example the user T2 (see FIGS. 2A-2F), the user K+1 then being the user T3, and user the K-1 being the user T1. Thus, in this example, the data of the user T1 are in the last place in the data token.
Not drawn in are information items added by underlaid protocol and network layers (sometimes multiply in the case of fragmentation): Ethernet, IP and UDP headers.
All of the information units are exchanged in a block-oriented manner between the protocol layers.
Init and configuration tokens contain the system status information in the data part. In the case of the asynchronous information units, the identification of the sender is in the data area, or the data area is empty, i.e. only the block header is transmitted.
2. Datagram multicast (D-MC/Z and D-MC/S)
In the case of the datagram-oriented methods (D-MC), the data transmission takes place in physical multicast with the datagram services of the UDP/IP protocol. Modern operating systems permit not only the transmission in physical multicast but also the selection of received frames by hardware mechanisms.
Datagram transmission takes place in a block-oriented and unconfirmed manner. In order to implement an error-protected transmission, the definition of uniform reception sequence and for mutual monitoring, a check ring is set up between the individual communication users. In the case of the datagram-multicast method with access-controlled transmission (D-MC/Z), the multicast transmission of user data takes place only when in possession of the check token. In the case of the method with spontaneous transmission (D-MC/S), user data transmission and exchange of the check token take place asynchronously, i.e. the transmission of a message block is possible at any time.
A message block may contain messages of any number and length.
2.1 Description of the methods
The time sequence of the transmission for the datagram-oriented method with access-controlled transmission (D-MC/Z) is represented in FIGS. 4A to 4F. The circulation of an empty check token T is assumed as the initial situation. The user T1 has messages N1 to be transmitted (FIG. 4A). Upon obtaining the token, it carries out the datagram transmission in multicast and enters the check information K1 of the transmitted message block in a check field in the token (FIG. 4B). The check field includes the identification of the sender, a transmitter-related sequence number as well as a global sequence number, which is assigned to the message blocks. The token has a global sequence number with it for this purpose. This is incremented by the respective token owner for each transmitted message block, is assigned to the transmitter-related sequence number and is entered together with the latter in the check field. Through the use of the assignment of the global sequence number, all of the message blocks are provided with a unique and consecutive identification. This identification allows a uniform reception sequence of transmitted message blocks.
Subsequently, the token is passed on to the successor T2 (FIG. 4C). The receiver stations initially leave received message blocks in the reception buffers without releasing them for application. The successor T2 likewise has messages N2 ready for transmission. Upon obtaining the token, it transmits them in multicast (FIG. 4D) and enters the identification K2 of the message block N2 in the check field in the token. Subsequently, it checks whether or not there the reception buffer contains message blocks (K1) marked as transmitted in the check token. If this is the case, received message blocks (N1) are ordered according to the global sequence number and are released for processing (FIG. 4E). If a message block marked as transmitted in the check token has not been received, a negative confirmation is entered in the check field of the message block and the sender must carry out the transmission again. In addition, the owner of the check token checks whether or not its own transmission data of the last token cycle has been received by all of the users. If so, the data block is erased in the transmission buffer and so too is the entry in the check token. If not (negative confirmation in the check field), the transmission is carried out once again with the old sequence number. The global sequence number is likewise retained. This is necessary in order to detect duplicates on the reception side and to release subsequently supplied message blocks with the correct sequence for application.
The processing sequence for the subscriber T3 and during further passing-round sequences takes place analogously to the above description (FIG. 4F).
The assignment of a global sequence number to message blocks and its allocation through the token guarantees the total sequence of the message blocks and of the messages contained therein. The causal sequence of blocks and messages likewise arises from the transmission in ring form of the check information (sequentializing effect).
FIGS. 5A to 5F show the time sequence of the transmission in the case of the method with spontaneous transmission (D-MC/S). Users wishing to send, namely the user T2 in FIGS. 5A to 5F, send their messages N2 spontaneously in multicast, asynchronously with respect to the circulating check token (FIGS. 5A, 5B). Upon obtaining the check token, the user T2 enters the check information K2 of the transmitted message block N2 in a check field in the token (FIG. 5C). The structure and the handling sequence of received message blocks and of the check token is identical to the method with access-controlled transmission (D-MC/Z). Once the token has been handled, it is passed on to the successor T3. Further asynchronous transmissions of message blocks by any users are possible at any time (FIG. 5C).
The release of received message blocks takes place as in the case of the access-controlled method when in possession of the token (FIGS. 5D, E, F). The mechanisms for controlling the message sequence are likewise identical to those of the access-controlled method.
2.2 Protocol characteristics: D-MC/Z
Compare "Common characteristics of the methods".
Check information is passed in the form of a ring in the system (directed transmission of the check token).
The check token is of variable length.
The transmission authorization is controlled through the use of the token. Upon obtaining the token, each subscriber may send its own message blocks as datagrams and enter them in the token.
There is no selected station in the system. During the reconfiguration phase, the station with the last-applicable check token temporarily becomes the ring master.
Collision-free data traffic in normal operation.
Data blocks received during the last token passing-round sequence are sorted upon obtaining the token and are released to the application.
Data is transmitted in broadcast or multicast.
Confirmations, sequence information, system status information and bus access authorization are carried in the token.
Reception confirmation takes place block by block. This is possible since it is ensured by the mechanisms of the block transmission that information units of any desired length are only transmitted in full (in the event of loss of individual fragments, complete blocks are rejected).
2.3 Protocol characteristics: D-MC/S
Compare "Common characteristics of the methods".
Check information is passed in the form of a ring in the system (directed transmission of the token).
The check token is of variable length.
All of the stations are entitled to transmit user data (datagrams) at any time. Upon obtaining the token, message blocks sent in the last token cycle are entered in the token.
There is no selected station in the system. During the reconfiguration phase, the station with the last-applicable check token temporarily becomes the ring master.
Data blocks received during the last token passing-round sequence are sorted upon obtaining the token and released to the application.
Data is transmitted in broadcast or multicast.
Confirmations, sequence information and system status information are carried in the token.
During a token passing-round sequence, several transmissions of data blocks are possible.
The reception confirmation takes place block by block. This is possible since it is ensured by the mechanisms of the block transmission that information units of any desired length are transmitted only in full (in the event of loss of individual fragments, complete blocks are rejected).
2.4 Information items exchanged (D-MC/Z and D-MC/S)
In addition to the message block that was already explained (datagram) and the check token, use is also made of further information units, which are required for error handling and for incorporating new users, as is explained in more detail further below. The information units are listed below. The information exchanged is identical for both datagram methods.
Message block
Contains the messages to be transmitted of a ring user.
Check token
Contains the check information items (confirmation, sequence and status information), ordered according to the individual users in the ring.
Link check request
Request by a ring user to its successor for user and bus monitoring.
Link check acknowledge
Response of a ring user to a link check request.
Init token
Contains the system status information and the sequence number of the sender. The sender notifies its successor of the local system status information and at the same time applies to be the ring master.
Configuration token
Contains the system status information and the sequence number of the ring master. The ring master notifies the other ring users of a changed ring configuration (after the new inclusion of a user or failures).
Enter request
A user wants to initialize a ring or be included as a ring user. Information is sent by the user wanting to be included to the desired predecessor.
Leave token
A user notifies the others that it would like to leave the ring.
2.5 Block structure
By way of example, FIG. 6 shows the structure of the check token for the datagram-oriented methods (D-MC). Corresponding to the header, the method according to the invention with details stating the token length, the global sequence number, the block sequence number of the token and the block type (in this case: check token) is followed by the check areas of the individual ring users, in each case having a variable length. Each check area includes a user-related header with the statement of the user and of the check area length and, thereafter, the check fields for the sent data blocks of this user. Each transmitted message block is assigned a check field in the check token. A check field includes the statement of the sender, the user-specific sequence number and the global sequence number of the message block.
An example of the structure of a message block according to the datagram-oriented method (D-MC) is represented in FIG. 7. The block header with the statement of the block length, the identification of the sender, the block sequence number and the block type (in this case: message block) is followed by the messages of the sender. These in turn include a header and the data itself. The message header is made up of a selector for the assignment of messages and the statement of the message length.
Not drawn in are information items added by underlaid protocol and network layers (in the event of fragmentation, sometimes multiply): Ethernet, IP and UDP headers.
All of the information units are exchanged in a block-oriented manner between the protocol layers.
Init and configuration tokens contain the system status information in the data part. The other asynchronous information units are structured in a way corresponding to the message block. Depending on the type of the information unit, the identification of the sender is in the data area or the data area is empty, i.e. only the block header is transmitted.
3. Handling of errors/failures
The error tolerance mechanisms for the detection, localizing and handling of errors/failures in the system are of fundamental significance with respect to ensuring data consistency and system operation without any interruptions. The key characteristic of the methods described is the coincidence of the token state (monitoring) and of the state of information of the individual users. This permits exact reconstruction of the state of information in the case of an error and ensures data consistency. FIG. 9 shows a flow chart depicting the transmission selection options between a ring-multicast method, a datagram method and a special token procedure. The special token procedure is set up to determine whether the Users (i.e. T1, T2 and T3) are functioning properly. If any of the Users are not functioning properly, a new transmission sequence is set up to continue data transmission to the properly functioning Users.
The measures for the detection, localizing and handling of errors (error processing) are explained below with reference to an exemplary embodiment. They are identical for all three methods according to the invention.
The following requirements exist for error processing:
Errors/failures are to be detected and localized.
Failed computers are to be excluded. In the event of bus failure, the transmission is to be continued on the redundant bus.
The changed system status information is to be transmitted consistently to all of the (intact) users.
The data traffic is to be continued by the user with the last-applicable data or check token.
The error processing must take place quickly and in such a way as to preserve data consistency.
Due to the unconfirmed transmission of information, all errors or failures in the system result in a loss of the token. A loss is detected by timeout (token timeout). The error processing in the case of a detected token loss breaks down into a number of phases:
link check phase,
init token phase,
configuration token phase.
Users which have detected an error (token timeout; see FIG. 8a; T3) check the status of the successor (see FIG. 8a; T1) or of the LAN bus by transmitting a link check request to the successor. This is answered by intact successors through a link check acknowledge (see FIG. 8b; T1 to T3). In the case of a successful link check, an init token (see FIG. 8c; T3 to T1) is sent to the successor (see FIG. 8c; T1), which asks the latter to check its successor (see FIG. 8c; T2). In the case of an unsuccessful link check (after repeated attempts; see FIGS. 8d and 8e), the defective successor (see FIG. 8e; T2) is excluded (see FIG. 8e; T1-timeout error). The changed system status information is entered in the init token (see FIGS. 8f, 8g and 8h). The init token (see FIG. 8h) in this case is transmitted to the successor (see FIG. 8h; T3) of the excluded user (see FIG. 8h; T2). This applies in the case of single errors in the system. In cases of multiple errors, the init token is transmitted to the next intact user in the ring. The transmission of the init token is always preceded by the link check phase (see FIGS. 8f and 8g).
The init token phase serves at the same time for determining the ring user with the last-applicable data token or check token (ring master). The ring master is not a permanently fixed user, and in the case of an error it is determined temporarily, i.e. dependent on the current state of transmission. After error processing, the ring master continues the transmission of the data token (see FIG. 8i) or check token. In order to determine the ring master, the data token or check token is provided with a sequence number (see FIG. 8n), which is incremented by each user when the transmitting operation takes place. During error processing, each user enters in an init token, and when sending the token, the sequence number of the last-sent data token or check token, i.e. each user, "applies" to be a possible ring master. If an init token with a lower sequence number than the local sequence number of the last-sent data token or check token is received, the received init token is rejected. An init token with the receiver's own sequence number is passed on. If a received init token has a greater sequence number than the local sequence number, it is passed on (with a possibly altered configuration; see FIG. 8j). As a result of this algorithm, only the init token of the ring master remains. The ring master recognizes itself as such by the full passing-round sequence of its init token. The current system configuration (excluded users are removed from the list of active computers) is contained in the init token of the ring master after a full passing-round sequence. In the following phase, the ring master transmits this configuration by a configuration token to the other users (see FIGS. 8k and 8l). After the configuration token has successfully been passed round, the data exchange is continued by the ring master with its data token or check token (see FIG. 8n). Information of an excluded user is removed from the data token or check token by the respective predecessor. This ensures that messages are received by all intact users.
If further errors occur during error processing, this is detected by a token timeout. The error processing is restarted. The multiphase error processing with init token and configuration token also allows the toleration of multiple errors.
The method of determining the temporary ring master which is described above can be subdivided into the following features:
a) a user which has detected an error (token timeout) sends an init token with the sequence number of the last-sent data token or check token,
b) a user which receives an init token sends an init taken with a sequence number which is formed by the maximum value of the sequence number of the last-sent data token and the sequence number of the init token being obtained,
c) a user which has previously sent an init token and obtains an init token with a sequence number that is smaller than the sequence number of the last-sent init token rejects the init token being received,
d) a user which has previously sent an init token and obtains an init token with a sequence number which is identical to the sequence number of the last-sent init token (data token or check token) recognizes itself as ring master, transmits the altered system configuration in the form of a ring to all of the users and subsequently continues the transmission with the last-applicable data token or check token.
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A method of message transmission between users in a distributed system with token passing includes a special token procedure in order to achieve consistent message transmission, even in the case of a fault. The special token procedure is based on a coincidence of monitoring and information states of the users. In the case of an error, a logical resumption, which is derived from a consecutive sequence number, is carried out without adversely affecting data consistency. The method can be implemented in different versions, that is with information passing of user data in the form of a ring or the transmission of user data in physical multicast and the passing of associated check information in the form of a ring. The method can be used in supervisory control installations.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is the U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No.: PCT/US2008/008834, filed on Jul. 18, 2008, which claims priority to U.S. Application No. 60/963,016, filed Aug. 2, 2007.
The present invention relates to a sampling system. More particularly, it relates to a sampling system having a port and one or more sample containers that are wirelessly enabled to track location and/or other information.
BACKGROUND
Traditional sample systems for pharmaceutical or biopharmaceutical processes use large stainless steel systems that include steam traps and the like to at least aseptically clean the system between uses.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,543 introduced a disposable sterile sampling system comprised of a carousel or holder into which one or more septum containing sampling collection devices are attached. This is sold as the NovaSeptum® sampling device available from Millipore Corporation of Billerica, Mass. The devices have a sample taking device, in this instance a septum surrounding a needle at the front end with the rear portion of the needle being attached to a flexible conduit such as a tube or hose which in turn is attached to a sample storage device such as a bag as shown in the patent or as a syringe as described in US 2006/0211995 A1 and sold as the NovaSeptum® AV system by Millipore Corporation of Billerica. Mass. The internal area between the septum and sample storage device, in the first instance a bag and in the syringe its inner volume, is isolated from the environment and sterilized (gamma or beta radiation, ETO, etc) before assembly into a holder. The holder is liquid tightly attached to a port of a bioreactor or other piece of equipment such as a storage vessel, mixing vessel and the like, the septum based sample taking devices are loaded into the holder and then the face of the system (holder and septum of the sample taking device) is sterilized along with the rest of the interior of the equipment. The vessel is then filled and samples are taken as needed during processing. Information concerning the sample, when and where it was taken and by whom is recorded by hand either onto a paper label that is then attached to the sample storage device or in a notebook.
US 2005/0132821A1 and US2006/0201263A1 add to this concept by eliminating the need for a septum and yet provide a sterile connection and sample collection system. The use of shafts mounted in a holder with tubes connected to the rear portions of the shafts which in turn are connected to s sample storage device such as bags. The shafts are mounted in the holder or body and isolated from the environment and then sterilized by radiation such as gamma or beta, steam, ETO or the like.
US 2006/0272432A1 is also a septum-less system that uses slidable gates to selectively open or close a pathway from the vessel to a conduit and then to a sample storage device.
All of these systems are then mounted to a port and the face of the port is sterilized with the interior of the vessel to provide a sterile pathway for the samples. The shafts are moved either linearly or rotationally into alignment to draw a sample or the gates are moved linearly to open a passage for the liquid sample. As with the NovaSeptum design discussed above, the information is recorded separately and then attached to the sample holder or placed in a notebook.
What is needed is a better method and device for tracking such information in a foolproof manner.
SUMMARY
The present invention uses a wireless memory/communication device at least on the one or more sample storage device such as bags, bottles or syringes, preferably on both the one or more sample storage device and the sampling holder, optionally the port on the equipment as well.
The use of RFID, Zigbee®, Bluetooth® and other wireless systems is acceptable.
In one embodiment, a read only tag, such as a read only RFID tag is used on the one or more sample storage devices. The tag(s) contain an identity code for the sample storage device. This is then used with a scanner (hand held or fixed) to track the usage of this sample storage device such as the date of installation and on which sampling holder, the date of sample taking and the like.
Preferably, the sample storage device utilizes a read/write memory device, such as a RFID, Zigbee®, Bluetooth® and other wireless read/write tag. Data such as that relating to the vessel, the location of the port on the vessel, the date of the installation, sterilization and/or taking of a sample along with the person who installed the device and/or took the sample can be added to the tag on the sample storage device as these events occur through a scanner/reader/writer device (fixed or hand held). The sample storage device in the laboratory can also then be read and recorded to track the sample storage device's life.
More preferably, the system itself, such as the holder also has a memory/communication device and it can transfer its information to the device on the sample storage device, either directly or through an intermediate reader/writer.
IN THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention in cross-sectional view.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention in cross-sectional view.
FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention in cross-sectional view.
FIG. 4 shows a wireless device useful in the invention in top down planar view.
FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention in planar view.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. A vessel 2 , such as a bioreactor, storage vessel, mixing tank and the like, contains one or more ports 4 (one shown) such as an Ingold® port or a NovaSeptic® port onto or into which a sampling system 6 is mounted. The vessel 2 contains a liquid 3 that needs to be sampled from time to time. In this example, a NovaSeptum® sampling system, according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,032,543 is shown. The system 6 has a holder 8 mounted to the port 4 of the vessel 2 . One or more sample sterile collectors 10 are loaded in the holder 8 .
The collectors 10 have a septum (not shown) containing a sample gatherer 14 that is open to the remainder of the collector 10 when inserted into the vessel 2 . In this instance it is a needle that passes through a septum (not shown) to enter the vessel 2 and collect a sample from the liquid 3 . The rear portion 16 of the gatherer 14 is connected to a collection tube 18 which in turn is connected to one or more sample storage devices 20 , in this embodiment shown as bags although it may be bottles, syringes or other vessels used to collect and store samples.
The sample storage device(s) 20 each contain a wireless memory/communications device 22 such as a RFID tag, a Zigbee® device, a Bluetooth® device and the like. The wireless device may be mounted to the sample storage device as a plastic encasing disk which covers the wireless device and prevents it from being damaged. Alternatively, it may be laminated onto the sample storage device directly or to a label which is applied to the sample storage device. Such printed labels/wireless devices are known and available from a number of sources including PrintTech and Zebra Technologies. Alternatively, the device may be formed into a plastic tag which has a strap that can be attached to the sample storage device or the tube connected to the sample storage device. In another embodiment, it can be laminated into the film of the sample storage device itself.
The wireless device essentially comprises two components as shown in FIG. 4 , a microchip 100 and an antenna 102 . This is generally attached to a plastic surface or sheet 104 or encapsulated with an epoxy (not shown). The device can be of any frequency although high frequency (HF) and ultrahigh frequency (UHF) are the most popular. Additional elements may be added if desired such as a battery or capacitor to provide the device with its own power source, if desired. Most systems however are passive and rely on the signal from the reader/writer to power up the device as needed.
In this embodiment, the device 22 is a read only device containing at least a unique identifier for that sample storage device, such as an alpha/numeric serial number.
In use, before, during or after the sample storage device(s) 20 have been loaded into the holder 8 , they are read by a scanner (not shown) which may be a fixed station such as a desktop reader like the AccuSmart™ reader available from Millipore Corporation of Billerica, Mass. or a hand held device such as the Hose Tracker™ reader available from Advantapure of South Hamilton, Pa.
This information as to the identity of the sample storage device and optionally, at least one trackable-event such as its location, date of installation, installer, etc, can be entered into the scanner. It may be stored there or it may be downloaded to a computer or network connection or the internet if desired.
Upon or just after sampling, the device 22 can again be scanned by the reader to record the use date, time, location, etc.
When the sample storage device 20 reaches the testing laboratory, the device 22 can be scanned to record its arrival and/or analysis. Optionally, the name of the tester, the test to be performed, the storage, length of time before testing and the like may also be added to the scanner or other storage item a computer or network connection or the internet by the laboratory to track its workload and generate its reports.
In the Figures that follow, the same reference numbers are used to if they represent the same elements discussed above in regard to FIG. 1 .
In another embodiment as shown in FIG. 2 , the wireless device 22 , this time used on a sampling system according to USSN 2005/0132821A1, although a NovaSeptum® system or any other sampling device can also be used, is a read/write device so that data relating to one or more trackable events such as identity, location, installation, use and testing dates and times, etc. can be recorded on to the device 22 itself. Optionally, the data may also be downloaded to a computer, network or internet site as described above in the earlier embodiment. In this embodiment, the holder 8 may be retained to the port by a means such as a nut 9 as shown or by other means such as a clamp. The gatherer 14 in this case is not a needle but rather a shaft having a central bore 11 and the end adjacent the inner volume of the vessel 2 covered by a cap 13 . A passageway 15 is behind the cap 13 provides a fluid pathway between the inner volume of the vessel 2 and the central bore of the gatherer 14 when the shaft is extended into the volume to take a sample from the liquid 3 . The sample then flows into the tube 18 and sample storage device 20 .
An alternative sample device according to USSN 2005/0132821A1 (not shown), which rotates a shaft and the holder relative each other and/or the port to selectively expose and provide access of a shaft to the inner volume of the vessel 2 may be used as well if desired and it functions in a similar manner.
In use, the wireless device 22 arrives at a user's facility with manufacturer and sterilization data, etc. already loaded on to it or contained on a secure website of the manufacturer which can be accessed by providing the website with the identification number contained on the wireless device. When mounted to a vessel 2 , various data such as location, date of installation, installer etc. is recorded on the device 22 . If desired, the date/time of sterilization of the system 6 in place on the vessel 2 can also be recorded.
When a sample is taken, the day/time/user and other relevant trackable data can be recorded onto the device 22 which is then sterilely disconnected from the system such as by the crimp/crimper cutter device of U.S. Pat. No. 6,779,575 and taken to a laboratory for testing or stored as a retain.
If desired, the date/time of receipt at the lab or the storage facility can be recorded when it is received. Additionally, the data of the device 22 and/or computer, network or internet can also be downloaded and/or updated. Likewise, information regarding the tests conducted, the tester's identification and the like can also be added to the tag.
For storage applications, the device 22 or the computer network or internet site may contain specific storage instructions such as temperature to be maintained at, length for storage and the like.
In a third embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 , the system 6 , such as the holder 8 which holds the sample collectors 10 contains its own wireless memory/communication device 24 .
In this way, information relating to the system 6 such as manufacturing information, installation data, sterilization data, loading data (of collectors 10 ), location on the vessel 2 and/or in the facility can be loaded onto the second wireless device 24 .
One can then scan the second device 24 when adding or using a sampling collector 10 so as to provide the first wireless device 22 of the collector 10 with some or all of the data of the system 6 . This may be done directly from the second device 24 to the first device 22 or through an intermediary scanner such as a hand held scanning device (not shown).
FIG. 5 shows a sampling device according to the present invention used on a disposable vessel such as a plastic bag or rigid plastic container 200 . A sampling system 202 is similar to those discussed above in relation FIG. 1-3 and is attached to the disposable vessel 200 such as by a port 204 which has been attached to an opening (not shown) in the vessel 200 . This can be by heat sealing or welding (solvent or sonic energy) the port to or around the opening. Alternatively one can use a threaded fitting that extends through the opening from the interior of the vessel and a nut on the outside that match with the threads to forma liquid tight fitting. Likewise one can use a plastic fitting inside the vessel 200 with a open neck that extends through the opening to the exterior of the vessel 200 and a second piece of plastic that can be sealed to the exterior surface of the neck to hold the fitting in place in the opening in a liquid tight manner. A wireless device 208 , at least a read device, and preferably a read/write device as described above is used on at least each of the sample storage device 210 . Optionally a second device (not shown) may be attached to the vessel or the port 204 if desired. The vessel 200 and sampling system 202 are made and sealed from the outside environment and then sterilized such as by radiation (gamma or beta), ethylene oxide or the like. If gamma radiation is used, a gamma stable wireless device such as is taught by U.S. Ser. No. 11/501,446, filed Aug. 9, 2006, the teachings of which are incorporated herein by reference.
A sample of the liquid 206 is taken in a manner identical to that described in FIG. 1-3 above.
A process for using the invention comprises providing a collection system such as a NovaSeptum® device having a holder and one or more collection devices mounted therein. Each collection device is formed of a gatherer 14 of some type, such as a septum covered needle, or rigid tube or hollow shaft and the like, a conduit 18 such as a plastic tube attached to a rearward portion of the gatherer 14 and a sample storage device 20 such as a bag, syringe or bottle attached to the rearward portion of the conduit. The collection devices are rendered sterile in their interior before mounting onto the vessel. At least the one or more collection devices 20 contain a wireless communications and information storage device 22 as described herein above. Optionally, the holder 8 also contains a second wireless communications and information storage device 24 as described herein above. The system is mounted to a vessel 2 through a port 4 or opening in a liquid tight manner. The portion of the system that has been exposed to the environment, generally just the face of the holder 8 and the collectors 10 mounted in it is then sterilized in place. Information and if desired, at least one trackable event, on the first wireless device 22 , and if present, the second wireless device 24 , is taken. This information can be, but is not limited to, identity, location, date of installation, sampling, installer, installation date, etc. The vessel 2 is filled and a sample is taken and information and if desired at least one other trackable event is taken on the first wireless device 22 , and if present the second wireless device 24 . This information and/or trackable event(s) can be stored on the first and/or second wireless device 22 / 24 and optionally the scanner (not shown) which may be a fixed station such as a desktop reader like the AccuSmart™ reader available from Millipore Corporation of Billerica, Mass. or a hand held device such as the Hose Tracker™ available from Advantapure of South Hamilton, Pa. Alternatively or additionally, the information may be uploaded to a computer, a control system, a network or an internet address.
A system according to any of the embodiments allows one to electronically collect and/or store one or more trackable events such as data relating to the sampling system, its installation, use and if done, testing results.
By using the sterile disposable sampling systems, one is able to form a liquid tight, hermetic seal between the system and the interior of the vessel so that sterile samples can be taken.
The wireless device enabled system of the present invention eliminates any error as to location, date, time, user and the like and allows one to use good manufacturing practices (GMP) and good laboratory practices (GLP) in sampling systems.
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The present invention uses a wireless memory/communication device at least on the one or more sample storage devices, preferably on both the one or more sample storage devices and the sampling holder, optionally the port on the equipment as well. Data such as that relating to the vessel, the location of the port on the vessel, the device, its manufacture date or lot number, the date of the installation, sterilization and/or taking of a sample along with the person who installed the device and/or took the sample can be read and preferably added to the wireless device when a read/write type of device as these events occur through a scanner/reader/writer device (fixed or hand held). The sample storage device in the laboratory can also then be read and recorded to track the sample storage device's life.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The instant disclosure relates to a memory device and manufacturing method thereof: more particularly, to a vertical transistor for random-access memory and manufacturing method thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
For the mainstream IC processing, the most common transistor is the MOSFET (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor). Like typical transistors, the current flows through the channel region of the MOSFET. In particular, n-type MOSFET (nMOSFET, nMOS) is provided with conducting electrons, whereas p-type MOSFET (pMOSFET, pMOS) uses conducting “holes” for operation.
FIG. 1 shows a typical p-type MOSFET (pMOS), which comprises an n-type substrate 1 a , a gate 2 a , and two spacers 3 a . As a source and a drain, a first doping area 11 a and a second doping area 12 a are disposed on the n-type substrate 1 a . An oxide film 13 a is disposed on the n-type substrate 1 a . The gate 2 a is disposed on the oxide layer 13 a , and the spacers 3 a are disposed on the sides of the gate 2 a over the oxide layer 13 a . The source, drain, and the gate 2 a of the above-described pMOS are arranged horizontally, which occupy more surface of the n-type substrate 1 a . Thus, the packing density of the semiconductor element is restricted. In addition, after repeated read or write access operation, electric charge accumulation tends to occur. The threshold voltage V t becomes more fluid, rendering the pMOS to be less stable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The instant disclosure encompasses a vertical transistor for random-access memory and manufacturing method thereof. The disclosed vertical transistor can maintain a steady threshold voltage and improve packing density of semiconductor elements.
In one aspect, the instant disclosure encompasses a manufacturing method of vertical transistor for random-access memory. The manufacturing steps include: defining an active region of a semiconductor substrate and forming a shallow trench isolation structure outside the active region; etching the active region, forming a gate dielectric layer and a positioning gate therein, and forming a word line perpendicular to the positioning gate and forming spacing layers on the outer surface of the word line; implanting ions to form an n-type region and a p-type region respectively for the active region on opposite sides of the word line; covering the above-described structure with an insulating layer: removing the insulating layer partially to form a source line pattern by the self-align contact (SAC) technique; forming two floating bodies by epitaxial deposition and implanting with ions to form an n-type floating body on the n-type region of the active region and a p-type floating body on the p-type region of the active region, and covering the above-described structure with an insulating layer; removing the insulating layer corresponding to the n-type floating body by the self-align contact technique, and forming a source line perpendicular to the word line and connecting to the n-type floating body; covering the above-described structure with an insulating layer and removing the insulating layer corresponding to the p-type floating body by the self-align contact technique; forming a bit line perpendicular to the source line and connecting to the p-type floating body.
In another aspect, the instant disclosure encompasses a vertical transistor for random-access memory fabricated by the above-described manufacturing method.
Based on the above, the transistor fabricated by the manufacturing method of vertical transistor for random-access memory can maintain a steady threshold voltage (V t ) and improve packing density by significantly reducing the occupied space of the transistor in the horizontal direction.
In order to further appreciate the characteristics and technical contents of the instant disclosure, references are hereunder made to the detailed descriptions and appended drawings in connection with the instant disclosure. However, the appended drawings are merely shown for exemplary purposes, rather than being used to restrict the scope of the instant disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) of the related art.
FIGS. 2-1 and 2 - 2 show a flow diagram of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 3A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 101 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 3B shows a sectional view of FIG. 3A .
FIG. 4A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 102 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 4B shows a sectional view of FIG. 4A .
FIG. 5A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 103 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 5B shows a sectional view of FIG. 5A .
FIG. 6A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 104 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 6B shows a sectional view of FIG. 6A .
FIG. 7A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 105 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 7B shows a sectional view of FIG. 7A .
FIG. 8A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 106 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 8B shows a sectional view of FIG. 8A .
FIG. 9A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 107 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 9B shows a sectional view of FIG. 9A ,
FIG. 10A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 108 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 10B shows a sectional view of FIG. 10A .
FIG. 11A shows a top view for a manufacturing step S 109 of the instant disclosure.
FIG. 11B shows a sectional view of FIG. 11A .
FIG. 12 shows a sectional view of disposing a planar transistor on an edge region B of the instant disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Please refer to FIGS. 2 - 1 - 11 B, wherein FIGS. 2-1 and 2 - 2 show a flow diagram of the instant disclosure, while FIGS. 3A-11B show plan views of the instant disclosure.
FIGS. 2-1 and 2 - 2 correspond to FIGS. 3A to 11B , wherein FIGS. 2-1 and 2 - 2 refer to a manufacturing method of vertical transistor for random-access memory.
FIGS. 3A and 3B are graphical illustrations of step S 101 and represent a part of a memory device. The part of the memory device is made up by a plurality of unit regions. For the instant embodiment, a unit region A is selected for explanation purpose. FIG. 3A is a top view for part of the memory device, and FIG. 3B is a sectional view of FIG. 3A .
First, an active region 11 of a semiconductor substrate 1 of the unit region A is defined. Next, the semiconductor substrate 1 is etched to form trenches 12 . Dielectric material is deposited to fill the trenches 12 to create shallow trench isolation (STI) structure 13 . Chemical-mechanical planarization/polishing (CMP) is used to remove the excess for smoothing the surface. Ions are implanted to the semiconductor substrate 1 , forming an n-type region for the lower portion thereof and a p-type region for the upper portion thereof.
The material for the semiconductor substrate 1 can be epitaxial layer, silicon, gallium arsenide, gallium nitride, strained silicon, germanium silicide, silicon carbide, diamond, or other materials.
The aforementioned STI structure 13 is formed by the shallow trench isolation process, which is a widely used technique by people in the semiconductor industry, therefore is not described in details herein. When implanting the ions, the ions can be zinc (Zn 2+ ), fluorine (F − ), nitrogen (N − ), oxygen (O 2− ), carbon (C 4+ ), argon (Ar + ), boron (B + ), phosphorus (P + ), arsenic (As + ), or antimony (Sb 2+ ). However, for industrial applications, the ions are not limited thereto.
Please refer to FIGS. 4A and 4B , which correspond to step S 102 . FIG. 4A is a top view of the unit region A, while FIG. 4B is a sectional view of FIG. 4A . For step S 102 , the active region 11 of the unit region A is etched to a pre-determined depth for forming a vertical positioning groove 14 and defined by sidewall portions 15 . The sidewall portions 15 act as the channel region for current flow, and the thickness thereof significantly affects the transistor operation. Next, a gate dielectric layer 2 is disposed onto the formed structure of the unit region A.
Next, a positioning gate 3 is disposed adjacent to the gate dielectric layer 2 to fill the vertical positioning groove 14 of the unit region A. The positioning gate 3 can be made of polysilicon, tungsten, platinum, titanium nitride, tantalum, tantalum nitride, chromium, alloy, or other applicable materials. In addition, the positioning gate 3 is at least partially surrounded by the sidewall portions 15 . Specifically, channel regions are formed by the sidewall portions 15 at the front, rear, or in all directions of the positioning gate 3 . The electric charge level of the positioning gate 3 controls the conductivity of the sidewall portions 15 .
A word line 4 is formed perpendicularly to the positioning gate 3 of the unit region A. A protective layer 41 is disposed on the word line 4 , wherein the protective layer 41 can be made of silicon nitride (SiN). A dielectric layer is disposed on the formed structure and anisotropic etching is applied to form spacing layers 42 . The word line 4 is not limited in length according to the figures, wherein other unit regions can share the same word line 4 in its path.
Please refer to FIGS. 5A and 5B , which corresponds to step S 103 . FIG. 5A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 5B is a sectional view of FIG. 5A . After forming the word line 4 , ions are implanted to the formed structure before or after forming the spacing layers 42 . Thus, an n-type region is formed on one side of the sidewall region 15 of the active region 11 of the unit region A. In other words, the n-type region and a p-type region are formed oppositely on the sidewall portions 15 of the active region 11 of the word line 4 .
Please refer to FIGS. 6A and 6B , which corresponds to step S 104 . FIG. 6A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 6B is a sectional view of FIG. 6A . Insulating material is deposited to cover the formed structure of the unit region A from step S 103 , thus forming a insulating layer 5 . Next, chemical-mechanical polishing/planarization (CMP) is applied to even the upper surface of the insulating layer 5 and the protective layer 41 (silicon nitride).
The above-described deposition process can be physical vapor deposition (PVD) or chemical vapor deposition (CVD). For industrial applications, the deposition technique is not limited thereto. The insulating material can be oxidized substance or other insulating materials.
Please refer to FIGS. 7A and 7B , which corresponds to step S 105 . FIG. 7A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 7B is a sectional view of FIG. 7A . Self-align contact (SAC) process is used to remove the insulating layer 5 partially, for forming the source line pattern. In other words, the portion of the insulating layer 5 above the sidewall portions 15 of the active region 11 of the unit region A and adjacent to the spacing layers 42 are removed accordingly. Since SAC is a common technique used among semiconductor personnel, detailed description is omitted herein.
Please refer to FIGS. 8A and 8B , which corresponds to step S 106 . FIG. 8A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 8B is a sectional view of FIG. 8A . Next to the spacing layers 42 of the active region 11 of the unit region A, epitaxial deposition process is applied to from two floating bodies 6 . Then, ions are implanted to the floating bodies 6 in similar fashion as sidewall portions 15 of the active region 11 . In other words, an n-type floating body 61 and a p-type floating body 62 are formed adjacent to the respective spacing layer 42 on the sidewall portions 15 of the active region 11 .
Insulating material is deposited over the above-described structure of the unit region A. Again using the CMP process, the upper surface of the insulating layer 5 is smoothed and evenly leveled for the unit region A.
Please refer to FIGS. 9A and 9B , which corresponds to step S 107 . FIG. 9A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 9B is a sectional view of FIG. 9A . Self-align contact (SAC) technique is applied to remove the insulating layer 5 formed in the step S 106 partially. More specifically, self-align contact process is used to remove the portion of insulating layer 5 corresponding to the n-type floating body 61 . Then, polysilicon is deposited onto the upper portion of the n-type floating body 61 to form a source line contact end 63 . Next, a source line 7 is formed perpendicularly to the word line 4 and connected to the source line contact 63 . The source line 7 is not limited in length according to the figures, wherein other unit regions can share the same source line 7 in its path by connecting each source line contact end 63 to the source line 7 .
Please refer to FIGS. 10A and 10B , which corresponds to step S 108 . FIG. 10A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 10B is a sectional view of FIG. 10A . Insulating material is deposited onto the formed structure of the unit region A from step S 107 . CMP technique is applied to smooth the surface of the deposited material in forming an insulating layer 8 . Again. SAC technique is used to remove the portion of insulating layer 8 corresponding to the p-type floating body 62 . Polysilicon is deposited to fill the void left by the removed insulating material corresponding to the p-type floating body 62 , thus forming an n-type bit line contact end 64 . In other words, the n-type bit line contact end 64 is an extension of the p-type floating body 62 .
FIG. 11A shows a top view of the unit region A, wherein FIG. 11B is a sectional view of FIG. 11A . A bit line 9 is formed perpendicularly to the source line 7 and connected to the n-type bit line contact end 64 , thus the vertical transistor is formed. In addition, the bit line 9 is not limited in length by the figures, which can be shared by other unit regions via connecting to each n-type bit line contact end 64 .
Based on the vertical transistor fabricated by the above-described method, a planar transistor 10 can also be disposed at the peripheral region B of the unit region A (as in FIG. 12 ). For example, when forming the above-described word line 4 , the planar transistor 10 can be further formed at one side of the word line 4 . Thus, when operating the memory device, voltage can be applied to the planar transistor 10 , along with the source line 7 and bit line 9 of the vertical transistor. By modulating the applied voltage of the source line 7 , the electric charge quantity of the transistor is controlled accordingly for maintaining a steady threshold voltage (V t ).
In addition, the word line 4 , source line 7 , and bit line 9 of the instant disclosure is formed respectively according to the above-described method. However, the fabrication sequence can be adjusted and not limited thereto. For example, the bit line 9 can be formed first, followed by forming the source line 7 and disposing it above the bit line 9 .
Comparing to related art, the transistor fabricated by the manufacturing method of vertical transistor for random-access memory is added with the source line 7 to adjust the applied voltage for controlling the electric charge quantity, hence keeping a steady threshold voltage (V t ). In addition, the disclosed transistor is a vertical type, which can significantly reduce the occupied space in the horizontal direction, thus improving packing density of semiconductor elements.
The descriptions illustrated supra set forth simply the preferred embodiments of the instant disclosure; however, the characteristics of the instant disclosure are by no means restricted thereto. All changes, alternations, or modifications conveniently considered by those skilled in the art are deemed to be encompassed within the scope of the instant disclosure delineated by the following claims.
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A manufacturing method for a vertical transistor of random-access memory, having the steps of: defining an active region on a semiconductor substrate; forming a shallow trench isolation structure outside of the active region; etching the active region and forming a gate dielectric layer and a positioning gate thereon, forming a word line perpendicular to the positioning gate; forming spacing layers on the outer surfaces of the word line; implanting ions to the formed structure in forming an n-type and a p-type region on opposite sides of the word line with the active region; forming an n-type and a p-type floating body respectively on the n-type and p-type region; forming a source line perpendicular to the word line and connecting to the n-type floating body; forming a bit line perpendicular to the source line and connecting to the p-type floating body. Hence, a vertical transistor with steady threshold voltage is achieved.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a monolithically integrated signal processing circuit.
Examples for the utilization of such a signal processing circuit are a low-pass filter or an analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit with offset compensation
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For realizing a capacitor in a monolithically integrated signal processing circuit, there is required a certain chip area the size of which is dependent upon the capacitance of the capacitor to be realized. The higher the desired capacitance is, the larger is the required chip area.
Monolithically integrated semiconductor circuits nowadays have reached a very high degree of integration per chip. Due to the fact that the circuits to be accommodated on one chip become ever more complex and comprehensive, everyone tries to achieve a reduction of the required chip area at all locations throughout an integrated semiconductor circuit.
In case of a conventional analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit with offset compensation, in which a parasitic capacitance of a series capacitor is not utilized in the manner according to the invention, the side of the series capacitor directed towards a signal input terminal is connected via a first changeover switch either to the signal input terminal or to a parallel capacitor. The parallel capacitor, which constitutes a first parallel capacitor, has a second parallel capacitor connected in parallel thereto, which via a second changeover switch is connected either to the signal input terminal or the first parallel capacitor.
Switches that are monolithically integrated in semiconductor circuits are formed by electronic switching components, mostly in the form of switching transistors which may be MOS transistors. While an ON/OFF switch can be composed with one such switching transistor, a changeover switch requires two such switching transistors. A changeover switch thus needs at least twice the chip area as an ON/OFF switch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to reduce the required chip area in a monolithically integrated signal processing circuit and in particular to develop the known signal processing circuit designed as an analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit, in such a manner that the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor can be utilized for the parallel capacitor.
The object of the invention is achieved by a signal processing circuit as indicated in the claims appended hereto.
With the manufacturing technology that is common for the monolithic integration of capacitors, each series capacitor is formed, which in addition to a desired capacitance, has a parasitic capacitance. This phenomenon, which generally has a disturbing effect, is advantageously utilized in accordance with the present invention for reducing the chip area.
In a series capacitor as provided in the signal processing circuit according to the invention, a parasitic capacitance results that acts like a capacitor which is connected between an electrode of the series capacitor and a reference potential terminal constituting in general a ground terminal. According to the invention, the parallel capacitor is accommodated in the signal processing circuit such that it is parallel to the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor. By this configuration, the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor can be utilized for the parallel capacitor such that the required parallel capacitance is constituted at least in part by the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor. This means that the capacitance of the parallel capacitor can properly be reduced by the amount of the parasitic capacitance. In applications in which the capacitance necessary for the parallel capacitor is in the order of magnitude of the parasitic capacitance, the parallel capacitor can be formed completely by the parasitic capacitance.
In case of the circuit according to the invention, the capacitance of the parallel capacitor can thus be reduced or can even be dispensed with completely, which results in a corresponding reduction of the required chip area as compared to such circuits in which the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor is not utilized.
In one embodiment, the first parallel capacitor is connected directly in parallel to the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor, such that an electrode of the series capacitor directed towards a signal input terminal and an electrode of the first parallel capacitor directed towards a signal series branch are connected to each other in a circuit node. Between this circuit node and an electrode of the second parallel capacitor directed towards the signal series branch, there is connected a first ON/OFF switch which in the conducting state connects the two parallel capacitors in parallel. Between the circuit node and the signal input terminal, there is connected a second ON/OFF switch which in the conducting state connects the signal input terminal to the series capacitor.
Due to the fact that both the first and the second changeover switches of the already existing circuit, as shown in FIG. 2, have been replaced in a circuit, as shown in FIG. 1, according to the invention by one ON/OFF switch each, in such a circuit configuration which permits the utilization of the parasitic capacitance of the series capacitor for the first parallel capacitor, the circuit according to the invention can achieve considerable savings of chip area in comparison with the already existing circuit.
The invention will now be elucidated in more detail by way of non-limitative embodiments shown in the appended drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a signal processing circuit according to the invention in the form of an analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit.
FIG. 2 shows an analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit of the already existing type.
FIG. 3 shows an exemplary signal pattern of the analog signal fed to the analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows a switch control signal.
FIG. 5 shows the form of the analog signal at a switched circuit node of the circuit shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 6 shows the pattern of the voltage across the switched parallel capacitor of the circuit shown in FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
At first, an analog-signal to square-wave signal reshaping circuit already existing before the present invention and as shown in FIG. 2 will be considered. This circuit comprises a signal input SE which is fed with an analog signal V AS , for example of the type shown in FIG. 3. Between a signal input SE' and a signal output SA' of this analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit there are provided, in series connection, an offset storage capacitor C' offs arranged as series capacitor, and a comparator COM' by means of which threshold-dependent reshaping of an analog signal supplied to the signal input SE' to a square-wave signal is carried out. A first electrode of series capacitor C' offs that is directed towards signal input SE' is connectable via a first changeover switch U1 either to the signal input SE' or to a first parallel capacitor C1' whose side remote from U1 is connected to a ground terminal GND serving as a reference potential terminal. The first parallel capacitor C1' has a second parallel capacitor C2' connected in parallel thereto, which via a second changeover switch U2 is connectable either to the signal input SE' or to an electrode of first parallel capacitor C1' directed towards first changeover switch U1. An electrode of C2' remote from U2 is also connected to the ground terminal GND.
The series capacitor C' offs has a parasitic capacitance C' par shown in FIG. 2 in broken lines and acting like a capacitor connected between a first electrode of C' offs and the ground terminal GND.
The comparator COM' comprises a comparator signal input CS', a comparator reference voltage input CR' and a comparator output CA'. CS' and CA' are connected to each other via an ON/OFF switch S1' which, in the conducting state, effects feedback of the comparator output CA' to the comparator signal input CS'. The comparator reference voltage input CR' has a reference voltage source V'ref connected thereto, which for example is the so-called middle voltage, i.e., a d.c. voltage value of +2.5 volt for the usual case that the circuit shown in FIG. 2 is operated with a supply voltage of +5 V.
The circuit shown in FIG. 2 according to the prior art works as follows:
In a first phase, switches S1', U1 and U2 are in a switching state shown in continuous line, and in a second phase they are in a switching state shown in broken lines. In the first phase, the circuit is set for signal passage. An analog signal coming from the signal input SE', for example a signal of a type shown in FIG. 3, is passed via U1 and C' offs to the comparator signal input CS' and is reshaped by the comparator COM' to a square wave signal in threshold-dependent manner. The reshaping threshold is determined by a reference voltage V'ref fed to the non-inverting comparator reference voltage input CR'. The comparator reference voltage input CR' usually is at the middle voltage of, for example, +2.5 V. The signal series branch between SE' and SA' in the ideal case also has this middle voltage value.
Comparators usually have an offset voltage, which may be quite considerable in case of comparators designed in the MOS technology. This offset voltage results in an offset error which acts like a falsification of the reshaping threshold. This leads to shifting in time of the occurrence of the edges of the square wave signal arising at the comparator output CA'. In the circuit shown in FIG. 2, an offset compensation is achieved in that switch S1' is switched to a conducting state (shown in broken lines) during time window periods between adjacent pulse edges of the square wave signal occurring at the comparator output CA'. Due to the thus created feedback across the comparator COM', the same voltage values, namely +2.5 V would occur at CS', CR' and CA', if the comparator COM' were not offset-inflicted. Due to the offset error, the comparator signal input CS', while S1' is conducting, is higher than the voltage value of +2.5 V occurring at CS' by the offset voltage of the comparator COM'. When, during this phase of the circuit in FIG. 2, the electrode of C' offs directed towards signal input SE' is at the middle voltage of +2.5 V, and the offset voltage of the comparator COM' is created across the offset storage capacitor C' offs . During the subsequent operation of the circuit in the first phase, in which C' offs is again connected via U1 to signal input SE', the offset voltage stored in C' offs is superimposed on the analog signal, and thus a correction corresponding to the offset voltage, i.e., an offset compensation, is carried out.
The following equations holds for the values of C1', C2' and C' offs in accordance with FIG. 2:
C1'>>C2'
C2'≈C'.sub.offs
During the second phase, in which changeover switches U1 and U2 have the switching state represented in broken lines, C2' is charged to the instantaneous value analogous signal voltage supplied via SE'. For this possible, the capacitance of C2' is selected to be correspondingly low. Due to its very much higher capacitance, C1' integrates a respective signal amplitude stored in C2' during the first phase, which U2 is in the switching state shown in relative line. C1' thus stores the d.c. voltage operating point occurring at the signal input SE'. During the second phase, in which C' offs stores the offset voltage of the comparator COM', the d.c. voltage operating point stored across C1' is present at the electrode of C' offs directed towards signal input SE'. This makes sure that really only the offset voltage value of comparator COM' is stored in C' offs .
As the parasitic capacitance C' par usually is smaller than the capacitance of C' offs or is at the most in the same order of magnitude, thus
C1'>>C'.sub.par.
The C' par therefore cannot be used for C1'. Seen from the magnitude of the capacitance, the C' par indeed could be used for C2', which however is not possible, since C2' and C' par are not connected in parallel in the individual phases in any of the switching states of U1 and U2.
The above-mentioned difficulty can be resolved by an analog-signal to square-wave-signal reshaping circuit designed according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 1. As regards the circuit part containing the comparator COM, switch S1 and offset storage capacitor C offs , this circuit part is identical with the circuit shown in FIG. 2. A considerable difference is present with respect to the remainder of the circuit. The parallel capacitor C2 is permanently connected to a circuit node P, and thus to the electrode of an offset storage capacitor C offs directed towards a signal input SE. C2 and a parasitic capacitance C par of C offs thus are permanently arranged in parallel, and C par can be used for making available the capacitance of C2. As the capacitance of C2 and C par are in the same order of magnitude, the amount of the capacitance of C2 can be reduced by the amount of the capacitance of C par as compared to the case in which there is no parasitic capacitance. There may be applications in which C2 can be replaced completely by C par . This reduction of the capacitance of C2 as compared to the circuit shown in FIG. 2 has the result that C2 requires correspondingly less space on the chip of the integrated circuit or, when C2 is replaced completely by C par , the entire space requirement for C2 is eliminated.
Instead of the two changeover switches U1 and U2 in the circuit shown in FIG. 2, the circuit structure according to the invention, as shown in FIG. 1, is provided with two ON/OFF switches S2 and S3, between the signal input SE and the circuit node P, and between the circuit node P and the capacitor C1, respectively.
The relative dimensioning of C1, C2 and C offs is the same as indicated hereinbefore for FIG. 2.
In a first phase, in which signal passage is provided for between the signal input SE and the signal output SA, switches S1, S2, and S3 are in a switching state shown in full line, while they are in a switching state shown in broken lines in a second phase. In the first phase, S2 is thus rendered conducting, whereas S1 and S3 are rendered non-conducting. In the second phase, S1 and S3 are rendered conducting, whereas S2 is rendered non-conducting.
By way of FIGS. 3 to 6, the mode of operation of the circuit shown in FIG. 1 will now be elucidated in more detail:
It is assumed again that a sinusoidal analog voltage VAS according to FIG. 3 is supplied to the signal input SE, whose middle value or d.c. voltage operating point is 2.5 V. FIG. 4 shows a switch control signal V S . During the first phase which the switch control signal V S has a low potential value V SL shown in continuous line, switches S1, S2, and S3 are in the switching state shown in continuous line. During the second phase which V S assumes a high potential value V SH shown in broken lines, switches S1 to S3 are in the switching states represented in broken lines.
In the first phase, in which the switch S2 is rendered conducting, signal passage is provided for between the signal input SE and the signal output SA. In this phase, C2 is charged to the instantaneous amplitude value of the analog signal voltage V AS supplied via SE. Due to the fact that the switch S3 is rendered non-conducting, C1 and C2 are separated from each other during this phase. During this phase, the switch S1 is not rendered conducting, so that there is no feedback between CS and CA.
In the second phase, during which S1, S2, and S3 have the switching states shown in broken lines, the signal path between SE and SA is interrupted, C2 is connected in parallel to C1 and the comparator COM is fed back via S1. In this phase C1 integrates the amplitude value stored in C2, which the analog signal voltage VAS had at the time of opening S2, i.e., at the beginning of the second phase. Just as in the case of FIG. 2, C1 thus stores the d.c. voltage operating point of analog signal voltage V AS . During the process of measuring the offset voltage of the comparator COM and storing of this offset voltage in the offset storage capacitor C offs , the electrode of C offs directed towards the circuit node P thus is at the d.c. voltage operating point of V AS . This is why only the offset voltage is stored in C offs in the case of FIG. 1 too.
FIG. 5 shows a voltage pattern V P of the analog signal voltage at the circuit node P. In this respect, the signal patterns shown in continuous lines belong to the first phases, i.e., the switch states drawn in continuous lines, whereas the portions in broken lines belong to the second phases, i.e., the switch states shown in broken lines in FIG. 1. It is assumed in this respect in simplified manner that the amplitude value of V P returns during the second phases to the middle value or d.c. voltage operating point of 2.5 V. Strictly speaking, this is not completely true, as illustrated by way of FIG. 6. Due to the fact that capacitor C2, during each transition from phase 1 to phase 2, is charged to the amplitude value of V AS present at that time, namely to voltage values marked in FIG. 5 by small circles, the integration voltage across capacitor C1 changes during the respective second phase. This is shown in FIG. 6 in the form of ascending and descending edges in broken lines. When the pattern V P has a positive amplitude value at the end of the first phase, voltage V C1 shown in FIG. 6 rises during the subsequent second phase. When the voltage pattern V P had a negative amplitude value at the end of the respective first phase, the voltage value V C1 across C1 drops during the respective subsequent second phase. Thus, stored across the capacitor C1 is substantially the d.c. voltage operating point or the middle voltage of 2.5 V, with slight fluctuations above and below this middle value of 2.5 V. Thus, virtually the middle voltage of 2.5 V is present at the electrode of the offset storage capacitor C offs directed towards the circuit node P, so that the voltage stored in C offs virtually represents the offset voltage of the comparator COM.
The circuit according to the invention as shown in FIG. 1 thus, in contrast to the already existing circuit shown in FIG. 2, can make do with two ON/OFF switches. In addition thereto, the capacitance of C2 may be lower by the value of the parasitic capacitance C par as compared to the case of FIG. 2. In the event of the parasitic capacitance C par is sufficient for the purpose of storing the respective amplitude value, C2 may be dispensed with completely. In this manner, the effect is achieved that chip area can be saved on the one hand by reduction or deletion of the capacitance of the capacitor C2 and on the other hand by using ON/OFF switches instead of changeover switches.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
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A monolithically integrated signal processing circuit comprising a signal series branch connected between a signal input terminal and a signal output terminal; a reference potential terminal; a series capacitor inserted in serial manner in the signal series branch and having a parasitic capacitance acting like a capacitor that is connected between a first electrode of the series capacitor directed towards the signal input terminal and the reference voltage terminal; and a first parallel capacitor connected between the first electrode of the series capacitor and the reference potential terminal; with the first parallel capacitor being constituted at least in part by the parasitic capacitance.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a unique door assembly for microwave ovens. In microwave heating appliances, the nature of the heating phenomenon is that of stressing certain of the molecules of the product to be heated by using an electromagnetic field, commonly in the heating frequency range of 2,450 MHz. One of the more serious problems with such microwave oven devices has been concern about radiation leakage and the resulting possibility of operator injury. As a result, the current Bureau of Radiological Health standards require that microwave ovens allow a leakage of no more than 1 milliwatt per square centimeter at the factory and 5 milliwatts per square centimeter in the hands of the ultimate user.
The primary area of such radiation leakage is the periphery of the oven door and for this reason a number of door designs have been developed to limit this leakage. Many oven doors use a choke seal to limit radiation leakage. Such a seal commonly comprises a cavity circumscribing the internal edge of the oven door. The choke seal cavity dimensions are specified in terms of fractions of the wavelength of the electromagnetic radiation to be suppressed. This type of seal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,809,843; 3,678,238; 3,502,839; and 3,511,959.
Choke seals are somewhat disadvantageous in that they are highly frequency selective. Since the dimensional configuration of such a seal cavity is dependent on wave length, this type of seal generally will not be effective to suppress the harmonic frequencies which are commonly present. One approach taken to suppress such harmonics is to provide more complicated choke cavity structure. A microwave choke seal arrangement for suppression of both fundamental and second harmonic frequencies is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,668,357.
Another type of seal used to suppress leakage of microwave radiation is a capacitive seal, such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,391. The seal plate disclosed therein is a thin metallic plate which covers the oven cavity and presses firmly against the edges of the cavity. The surface of the plate has a thin coating of a suitable dielectric organosol. Surrounding the capacitive seal is a conductive sealing ring which acts as a secondary seal. Since the seal plate necessarily must be allowed to flex to a certain degree, the secondary seal must not be positioned so as to interfere with flexure of the capacitive seal. This dimensional stability requirement plus the need for an extremely rugged door resulted in a relatively expensive door construction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention a door assembly for a microwave oven is provided which has a rectangular structural frame means composed of at least four frame elements, a hinge means mounting the frame means to the oven cabinet, a capacitive seal plate mounted on the frame means, and a resilient material between the frame means and the seal plate. It is contemplated that such a door will be most effectively used with a microwave oven cabinet having a flat front surface around the orifice leading to the cooking cavity. With the door latched or otherwise urged to closed position, the resilient material between the frame and the seal plate therefore will urge the seal plate into close contact with this flat front surface. The structural frame means further comprises a stiffening member attached to the frame elements and providing a point of attachment for the seal plate. The stiffening member is attached to the frame elements by an adhesive and therefore the exact dimensions of the stiffening member are not critical even though the positioning of the capacitive seal is critical.
In order that such a door may be constructed in the most economical manner and yet retain dimensional stability and structural rigidity, the door elements are advantageously produced as extrusions and castings. The frame may be produced with upper and lower horizontally positioned extruded rails and first and second end caps vertically positioned respectively at the right and left ends of the upper and lower rails so as to define a rectangular frame. Since the end caps are cast and since the holes provided in the end caps for the connecting bolts are cast into those end caps, the overall dimensional stability of the frame is assured.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a simple and economically constructed door for a microwave oven which effectively prevents radiation leakage comprised of a rectangular structural frame; to provide such a door which is dimensionally stable; and to provide such a door with a capacitive seal plate and a resilient member which can urge the seal plate into contact with a surface of the oven surrounding the door.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front elevation view of a microwave oven with a portion of the door broken away;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary side view showing details of the door structure of the preferred embodiment with the left end cap removed, as seen looking left to right in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3--3 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 4 is a front view of the preferred embodiment of the invention with portions broken away and partially in section;
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the door structure with portions broken away;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6--6 of FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is an exploded view illustrating details of the door construction;
FIG. 8 is a partial end view of the door in its closed position on the face of the oven; and
FIG. 9 is a partial end view of the door and oven with parts broken away to reveal internal structure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a microwave oven 11 having a partially broken away door assembly 12 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The illustrated microwave oven is equipped with one or more magnetrons delivering microwave energy in the radio frequency band of 2,450 MHz for rapidly reheating, cooking, and/or defrosting of food.
The controls 13 for oven 11 are mounted above the oven door. The door is of an up-opening type with bar 14 provided for unlatching the door. Door 12 shields holes 16 to prevent a foreign object from being inserted through the holes during oven operation while at the same time allowing steam given off by the food being cooked to escape from the oven cavity or cooking chamber 19. Vent holes 16 are of sufficiently small size that no microwave radiation leakage is permitted. It should be noted that door 12 overlaps the substantially flat front surface 20 of the oven cabinet.
In FIGS. 2 and 3, the door construction of the preferred embodiment is shown respectively in an end view with end cap 21 removed, and in a cross-sectional view. The main or primary seal utilized in the preferred embodiment illustrated is a capacitive seal plate 23 which may be a thin stainless steel plate coated with a dielectric paint. This capacitive seal plate overlaps and firmly contacts the flat front surface 20 of the microwave oven cabinet around the opening leading to cooking chamber 19 when the door is closed.
A rectangular structural door frame is comprised of an upper horizontal member 25 and a lower horizontal member 26. Typically, frame members 25 and 26 are formed as extrusions and are then cut to produce a door frame of desired length. These upper and lower horizontal members are connected to right and left vertical end caps or end members to complete the rectangular frame. Typically these end cap pieces will be made of cast zinc.
Surrounding capacitive seal plate 23 is a secondary seal 29 composed of a strip of conductive rubber or the like to dissipate radiation which may pass the primary capacitive seal. It should be noted that the conductive rubber strip is positively held by grooves in the rectangular frame.
A stiffening member or door panel member 31 is held within the rectangular frame. The stiffening member 31 is provided with mounts 32 to which are attached the capacitive seal 23. This mounting arrangement is such that the periphery of the capacitive seal is free to flex and thus insure a more positive contact with front surface 20 of the oven cabinet. Strips of a resilient material 35 are positioned on a substantially flat seating surface 36 in the rectangular frame to urge capacitive seal plate 23 against the front surface of the oven cabinet when the door 12 is closed.
Because of the requirement that the periphery of the capacitive seal plate be free to flex, it is important that the capacitive seal plate be positioned so that it does not tightly abut the secondary seal 29. Construction of a door meeting this requirement is facilitated by the use of an adhesive 37 in a recess in the frame members for attaching the stiffening member 31 to the rectangular frame. An adhesive such as an epoxy adhesive or a filled epoxy adhesive which will decrease the resiliency of the cured adhesive may advantageously be utilized for this purpose. The stiffening member 31 will normally be attached to the frame members 25 and 26 while the parts are held by a jig in precise dimensional relationship to each other. When the door is constructed in this manner, dimensional variations in the stiffening member are taken up in the adhesive connection to the frame so that the capacitive seal is positioned precisely within the confines of the secondary seal.
FIG. 4 shows the rectangular frame constructed in greater detail. Left end cap 21 and right end cap 27 are shown connected to upper horizontal member 25 and lower horizontal member 26. The end caps and horizontal members are connected by bolts 40. The bolts pass through holes in the end caps containing sleeves 41, and are threaded into the horizontal members. Since the holes in the end caps are cast, a machining operation is eliminated while at the same time insuring that the dimensionality of the door is precisely controlled.
FIG. 5, a partial view of the oven door as seen from the interior of the oven, shows clearly the manner in which capacitive seal plate 23 is backed with resilient material 35 which rests upon seating surface 36. This surface extends around the entire frame, as shown in FIG. 6. Also shown in FIG. 6 is the manner in which the secondary seal 29 is attached to the rectangular frame in the end caps. A groove 43 is formed in the end caps for the attachment of the secondary seal by means of a metal strip 44 which is attached to the end cap with double sided tape 45. These metal strips 44 also provide those parts of the seating surface 36 on the end caps.
The complete door is shown in FIG. 7 in an exploded view. The door includes a decorative cover 47 which may be made of stainless steel. This cover is shaped so as to engage the upper and lower horizontal members and is further supported by a U-shaped channel member 48. A bolt 49 is provided at each end cap as a means of securing a hinge (FIG. 9) to the door along with upper bolts 40. Decorative trim 50 covers bolts 40 and 49 to provide a smooth outer surface which is easy to clean. Latch bar 14 is connected to plate 55 and to an identical plate (see FIGS. 8 and 9) at its opposite end. The connection between bar 14 and plates 55 can be made in any suitable way. One arrangement found desirable involves the use of a diagonally split plug 56 and a clamping screw 57 extending through plate 55 and loosely through the part of the plug adjoining the plate. The end of screw 57 is threaded into the inner part of the plug, and tightening the screw causes the plug parts to exert radially outward clamping force against the inner walls of the tubular bar 14. Such devices are well known and their details are not part of this invention.
A latching assembly is provided within each end cap. One of these assemblies is shown to the left of FIG. 7 in exploded fashion, and the assembly is also shown in an unlatched position in FIG. 9, and in a latched position in FIG. 8. Effectively, the latch bar 14 and the latch end plates 55 move as a unit due to their interconnection. The latch plates are mounted for rotation in the door frame by studs 58 which extend through an appropriate hole in the plate and thread into a cam 60. The axis of rotation of the cam is along the center line of the screw 58, and on that axis the cam has a short pin-like hollow projection 60a which engages within a counter-bored portion of the latch plate hole (not shown). On the same axis at the opposite end of the cam there is a pin 61 which projects into a bushing 62 received in an appropriate hole in the end cap. Offset from the projection 61 is a small pin 63 extending from the cam into a blind hole on the inside of the latch plate, providing for concurrent rotation of the latch plate and the cam.
Pulling upward on bar 14 causes the end plates 55 to rotate, rotating the cams 60 with them and this action causes the cams to push downward on plungers 65 (FIGS. 7 and 9) against the force of springs 68. The downward travel of plungers 65 is guided by a smaller lower bushing 69, and the upper bushings 70 which surround the springs also provide stops limiting downward travel of the plungers. A striker plate 72 is attached to the bottom of each of the end caps by a stud 73 (FIG. 7) and pin 74, so as to engage the latching mechanism attached to the oven cabinet.
This engagement mechanism and the oven door hinge are shown in FIGS. 8 and 9. Striker 75 is a bar of hardened steel shaped so as to interlock with striker plate 72. The striker is hinged so as to rotate vertically about pivot 76 and is spring biased to a horizontal position as shown in FIG. 8. The door is unlatched by raising bar 14 and thereby causing plunger 65 to push downward on striker 75.
At the top of the door hinge 80 rotates about stud 81 and is shaped so as to be internal to the oven cabinet and therefore hidden when the door is closed. A cam follower 85 rides upon cam surface 86 on hinge 80 and when the door is open depresses a plunger 87 which is operatively connected with interlock 88 so as to prevent oven operation when the door is opened. Interlock 88 prevents operation of the oven when the striker 75 is depressed to unlatch the door, or when the bolt 89 is depressed by plunger 87 as the door is opened. This interlock arrangement is disclosed in greater detail in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 549,964, filed on even date herewith and assigned to the assignee of the present invention. Hinge 80 is also attached to linkage 90 which is part of a counter balancing arrangement provided to aid in opening and closing the oven door. The hinge arrangement is disclosed in greater detail in copending U.S. application Ser. No. 549,965, filed on even date herewith and assigned to the assignee of the present invention.
While the forms of method and apparatus herein described constitute a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to these precise forms of method and apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention.
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A microwave oven door is fabricated using a rectangular structural frame. The frame is composed of two horizontal extruded members which are fastened at their ends to vertical cast end caps. Each of the end caps includes a door latch arrangement for engaging strikers mounted on the oven cabinet. The frame positively contains a stiffening member which may further be attached to the frame by an adhesive. Fastened to the stiffening member is a capacitive seal which is free to flex at its periphery. The capacitive seal is circumscribed by a secondary seal which is attached to the frame.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of vacuum depositing a monomolecular layer on a host surface, this monomolecular layer including at least one element chosen from groups IIa, IIIa, IVa, VIIIa, Ib, IIb, IIIb, Vb of the Periodic Table of the Elements or an element capable of exhibiting a mixed valency, said method including the steps consisting in heating the host surface to a predetermined temperature below 600° C. and in vacuum evaporating at least the abovementioned element in order to deposit it on the host surface, the total atomic flux of the abovementioned element or elements arriving on said surface being adjusted between 10 12 and 10 15 atoms/cm 2 . s.
As used in this context, the term "monomolecular layer" indicates a layer consisting of a single thickness of the atoms or molecules constituting said layer.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A method as defined above has been described, in particular, by Schuhl et al. Physica C 162-164 (1989), pages 627-628, Elsevier North-Holland!.
It has been found in practice that the formation of a strictly monomolecular layer is extremely difficult because the element which is deposited on the host surface naturally tends to form three-dimensional aggregates, that is to say aggregates having a thickness consisting of a plurality of superposed layers of the chemical species which normally constitute the monomolecular layer. This is because three-dimensional aggregates are energetically more stable than a strictly monomolecular layer.
The formation of such aggregates is in general irreversible and it has detrimental consequences on the properties of the material formed by deposition on the host surface, in particular, but not exclusively, when said material is a superconducting material.
Furthermore, when a plurality of monomolecular layers are deposited successively one on top of the other, the formation of a three-dimensional aggregate on one layer also promotes the appearance of such aggregates on the following layers, so that the properties of the following layers are also interfered with.
The object of the present invention is, in particular, to avoid these drawbacks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Thus, according to the present invention, a method of the type in question is essentially characterized in that the formation of the monomolecular layer is monitored in real time, and in that the evaporation of the element is stopped when the complete formation of the monomolecular layer is detected.
Of course, this method makes it possible to successively deposit a plurality of identical monomolecular layers, in which case the evaporation of the element deposited is only stopped when the deposition of the last monomolecular layer is stopped, this last layer constituting the abovementioned monomolecular layer.
Controlling the temperature of the host surface and the flux of the deposited element arriving on this host surface makes it possible to avoid the appearance of three-dimensional atom aggregates during the formation of the monomolecular layer.
The atom flux of the element deposited on the host surface should in general be between a minimum value, below which a monoatomic layer cannot be formed, and a maximum value above which the formation of three-dimensional atom aggregates which prevent the formation of a strictly monoatomic layer is unavoidable. These minimum and maximum values are experimentally determined for each element to be deposited, in accordance with its particular growth mechanism.
Furthermore, stopping the evaporation of the element deposited as soon as the monomolecular layer is completed makes it possible to avoid the formation of three-dimensional atomic aggregates due to an excess of said deposited element.
In advantageous embodiments, one and/or other of the following arrangements is/are employed:
the formation of the monomolecular layer is monitored by reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED), while measuring the intensity of the electron diffraction lines, the complete formation of the monomolecular layer being detected when said intensity reaches a second extremum after passing through a first extremum during the formation of the monomolecular layer;
the monomolecular layer further includes oxygen, which is incorporated in said monomolecular layer during the deposition of the abovementioned element, while creating a local atomic oxygen pressure of between 10 -6 and 10 Pa in the vicinity of the host surface;
the local atomic oxygen pressure is between 10 -5 and 10 Pa, and a molecular oxygen pressure of between 10 -4 and 100 Pa is created in the vicinity of the host surface at the same time as this atomic oxygen pressure is created;
the predetermined temperature of the host surface is at least equal to 300° C.;
the element chosen from groups IIa, IIIa, IVa, VIIIa, Ib, IIb, IIIb, Vb is chosen from: Ca, Cu, Bi, Tl, Hg, Sr, or from the lanthanide series;
a plurality of monomolecular layers are successively deposited on a substrate;
the set of monomolecular layers deposited on the substrate forms a superconducting film;
the heating takes place to a temperature of between 100 and 300° C.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Other characteristics and advantages of the method according to the invention will emerge from the following description of a preferred embodiment, given by way of nonlimiting example with reference to the appended drawings.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view representing a superconducting material which can be obtained by virtue of the method according to the invention,
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an apparatus making it possible to implement the method according to the invention, and
FIG. 3 is a view representing the change over time of the intensity of a RHEED electric diffraction line during the deposition of a monomolecular layer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The method according to the invention will be described hereafter with reference to a particular application case in which it is used to produce a superconducting material which is in the form of a multilayer film deposited on a perfectly polished substrate 1, preferably a monocrystal of strontium titanate (SrTiO 3 ) or, if appropriate, magnesium oxide (MgO), or any other substrate.
The film which is deposited on the substrate 1 consists of mutually superposed monomolecular layers.
These monomolecular layers are distributed into two types of assemblies: electric charge reservoirs R, which in the example represented each consist of three successive layers 2, 3, 2, and superconducting cells S, which consist of a certain number n of superconducting layers 4 separated in pairs by intermediate layers 5, being equal to 4 in the example represented, although n may be greater than 4.
The multilayer film deposited on the substrate 1 generally includes a plurality of superconducting cells S and a plurality of charge reservoirs R alternately superposed.
The number n of superconducting layers 4 contained in a superconducting cell may, if appropriate, differ from one superconducting cell S to another.
In this particular case, the superconducting layers 4 consist of a copper oxide of chemical formula CuO 2 , and the intermediate layers 5 are of chemical formula Ca 1-x Bi x , x being a real number greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.2, the intermediate layers being, if appropriate, incomplete.
Furthermore, still in the particular case described, each charge reservoir R consists of two layers 2 consisting of a calcium oxide, which are separated by a layer 3 consisting of a metal oxide, it being possible for the metal in this oxide to be bismuth, mercury or thallium, bismuth being preferred.
According to the invention, the technique referred to as molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) is used to produce this material.
For this purpose, as represented in FIG. 2, the substrate 1 is arranged on a heating support 8, in a vacuum chamber 6 connected to a vacuum pump 7 capable of producing a powerful vacuum.
The heating support heats the substrate 1 to a temperature below 600° C., and preferably to a temperature between 300 and 600° C., in particular between 300 and 550° C., for example between 300 and 500° C.
The vacuum chamber 6 includes a plurality of Knudsen cells, each cell 9 including, in the conventional way, a batch of an element to be evaporated, heating means for evaporating this element into the vacuum chamber, and an aperture which leads into the vacuum chamber and can be closed off by a cover 10. Once in the vapor form in the vacuum chamber, the evaporated element condenses on the walls which it encounters and, in particular, on the substrate 1. As used in this context, the term "evaporate" indicates that atoms or groups of atoms leave the batch contained in the Knudsen cell under the effect of an input of energy, then travel a certain distance in the vacuum chamber before depositing on the substrate 1.
In the example represented, the device includes three cells 9, respectively making it possible to evaporate copper, calcium and bismuth.
For each cell 9, closing the cover 10 makes it possible to prevent the vapors of the element heated in said cell 9 from entering the vacuum chamber. It is furthermore possible to adjust the heating power in each cell. This makes it possible to preadjust the evaporation rate of the material contained in each cell, and therefore the atomic flux of this material arriving on the substrate 1 or on a layer already deposited on the substrate 1.
The heating power of each Knudsen cell 9 is furthermore preadjusted so that the atom flux output by the various Knudsen cells 9 in operation at a given instant is between 10 12 and 10 15 atoms/cm 2 .s, in particular between 10 12 and 10 14 atoms/cm 2 .s and preferably close to 10 13 atoms/cm 2 .s, which substantially corresponds to the production of one layer in 100 seconds.
The device furthermore includes an atomic oxygen source 11 which may, for example, be the OPS source (oxygen plasma source) marketed by the company Riber (France).
In order to produce layers which include oxygen, the molecular oxygen source 11 creates a local atomic oxygen pressure of between 10 -6 and 10 Pa, in particular between 10 -6 and 1 Pa, for example between 10 -4 and 10 -3 Pa, in the vicinity of the substrate 1.
Furthermore, in the illustrative embodiments of the method for producing the material according to the invention, the atomic oxygen source used produced a local molecular oxygen pressure substantially equal to 10 times the local atomic oxygen pressure.
Finally, the device includes a reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) system, this system including an electron gun 12 capable of accelerating an electron beam at an energy which may, for example, be 35 kev, and a fluorescent screen 13.
During the production of each monomolecular layer of the superconducting film, the cover or covers 10 of the Knudsen cells 9 corresponding to the elements to be deposited in said layer are open and the others remain closed. The cells are continuously heated, only the covers 10 making it possible to interrupt the deposition.
For example, in order to produce a cuprate semiconducting layer 4, only the cover 10 of the Knudsen cell 9 containing copper is opened.
In order to produce an intermediate layer 5, the cover 10 of the Knudsen cell 9 containing calcium is opened. The cover 10 of the Knudsen cell 9 containing bismuth is, if appropriate, also opened if x is not equal to 0. The heating powers of the two Knudsen cells containing calcium and bismuth are preadjusted so that the total flux of calcium and bismuth atoms arriving on the last layer deposited is between 10 12 and 10 15 and, in particular, between 10 12 and 10 14 atoms/cm 2 .s, in particular and in order to respect the desired ratio between bismuth and calcium.
The atomic oxygen source 11 operates in all cases. Furthermore, in order to deposit a layer 2, the cover 10 of the Knudsen cell 9 containing calcium is opened.
Similarly, in order to produce a layer 3, the cover 10 of the Knudsen cell 9 containing bismuth is opened.
The screen 13 is monitored during the deposition of each monoatomic layer.
This monitoring firstly makes it possible to detect any possible formation of three-dimensional aggregates which might take place in spite of the precautions taken. Such aggregate formation is detected by the appearance of points on the screen. In this case, the manufacture of the superconducting film is stopped and the started film is rejected.
Furthermore, the screen 13 normally shows a network of parallel luminous lines which we will refer to in this context as "diffraction lines", the specular luminous intensity I of which is measured over time, as represented in FIG. 3. Thus, at the start of the production of a new layer, beginning at a time to, a drop in the intensity I generally results, and this intensity firstly passes through a minimum and then reaches a maximum at a time t o+ Δt (solid curve). The intensity I may possibly firstly pass through a maximum and then reach a minimum at t o+ Δt (broken curve).
According to the invention, the covers 10 of the Knudsen cells operating in order to produce this layer are closed at time t o+ Δt, and the atomic oxygen source is also stopped at this instant.
This prevents the formation of three-dimensional atom aggregates due to an excess of material relative to the minimum quantity required for obtaining a mono-molecular layer.
After production of the complete superconducting film, this film is removed from the vacuum chamber 6, then preferably heated for a few minutes, for example to 100° C., and in general to less than 300° C., under a molecular oxygen atmosphere or another oxidizing atmosphere at a pressure of more than 100 Pa, for example a pressure of one atmosphere.
The method according to the invention is not limited to the example described, but rather encompasses all variants thereof, in particular those in which:
the molecular beams are obtained no longer using Knudsen cells but by heating a material with an electron gun, or by laser ablation,
the support 8 is not a heating support, and only the surface of the substrate or of the last layer deposited is heated, for example by a laser beam or other means.
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Method of vacuum depositing a monomolecular layer on a surface, the monomolecular layer comprising at least one element selected from groups IIa, IIIa, IVa, VIIIa, Ib, IIb, IIIb, Vb of the periodic table. The method consists in heating said surface to a predetermined temperature (T) of less than 600° C. and vacuum evaporating at least the above-mentioned element for the purpose of depositing it on the receptor surface, the total atomic flow of the element(s) onto the receptor surface being from 10 12 to 10 15 atoms/cm 2 s. According to the invention, the formation of the monomolecular layer is monitored in real time, and evaporation of the element is stopped when the complete formation of the monomolecular layer is detected.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Japanese Patent Application No. 2006-138839, filed on May 18, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a semiconductor memory having a memory cell of DRAM and an interface of SRAM.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In recent years, a semiconductor memory called a pseudo SRAM (Pseudo-SRAM) has been developed. The pseudo SRAM has a memory cell of DRAM (dynamic memory cell) and operates as a SRAM carrying out a refresh operation of the memory cell internally and automatically. The dynamic memory cell used in the pseudo SRAM has a small area. For this reason, a large capacity pseudo SRAM with a low bit cost can be developed.
[0006] The pseudo SRAM has an interface of SRAM. In synchronization with an access command, an address is received at once and a write access operation and a read access operation are carried out. A controller which accesses the pseudo SRAM needs to inactivate a chip enable signal each time the address is changed. Therefore, the pseudo SRAM can not carry out the write access operation or the read access operation continuously while a part of the address is held. For this reason, especially when memory cells are sequentially accessed using continuing addresses, the data transfer rate will decrease.
[0007] On the other hand, there is proposed a pseudo SRAM which carries out so called a page operation in response to a dedicated control signal when the memory cells are sequentially accessed using continuing addresses in the pseudo SRAM (e.g., Japanese Unexamined Patent Application No. 2004-259318). Here, the page operation is an operation of writing data to a memory cell sequentially or an operation of reading data from a memory cell sequentially by changing only column address while a word line is activated. By carrying out the page operation, the operation efficiency of the pseudo SRAM is improved and the data transfer rate is increased.
[0008] However, when carrying out the page operation using a dedicated control signal, a controller which accesses the pseudo SRAM needs to output the dedicated control signal. This does not allow the conventional controller to be used, and a dedicated controller needs to be developed for the pseudo SRAM capable of carrying out the page operation. As a result, the cost of a system incorporating the semiconductor memory will increase.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] An object of the present invention is to improve the operation efficiency of a semiconductor memory without increasing the system cost.
[0010] In one aspect of the present invention, a semiconductor memory receives a chip enable signal allowing access to a memory core, receives an access command for carrying out the access operation to the memory core, and receives an address at once in accordance with the access command, the address being indicative of a memory cell to access. During activation of the chip enable signal, an operation control circuit carries out a first access operation upon receipt of the first access command. During the activation of the chip enable signal, the operation control circuit carries out a second access operation upon receipt of the next access command. The second access operation is shorter in time to access a memory core than the first access operation. For this reason, by receiving the same access command at the same access terminal, two types of access operations incorporating different access times can be carried out. A dedicated terminal distinguishing between the two types of operations does not need to be formed in a controller or the like which accesses the semiconductor memory. That is, the hardware, such as a controller, does not need to be changed. Selective use of the first and second access operations improves the operation efficiency of the semiconductor memory. As a result, the operation efficiency of the semiconductor memory can be improved without increasing the cost of a system incorporating the semiconductor memory.
[0011] In a preferred example in one aspect of the present invention, each bank has a memory core, an operation control circuit, and a data input/output circuit which inputs/outputs a data from/to the memory core in response to a data control signal, and these operate independently to each other. The operation control circuit of the bank to be accessed first stops outputting the data control signal in response to the output of a data control signal by the operation control circuit of the bank to be accessed next. For this reason, even when a plurality of banks operates concurrently, data can be inputted/outputted without collision. Also the operation efficiency of the semiconductor memory having a plurality of banks can be improved without forming a dedicated terminal.
[Effect of the Invention]
[0012] According to the present invention, the operation efficiency of a semiconductor memory can be improved without increasing the system cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The nature, principle, and utility of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by identical reference numbers, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a first embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the details of a page control circuit and an address control circuit shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a timing chart showing the operation of the page control circuit and the address control circuit shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a state transition diagram showing the operation of an FCRAM of the first embodiment;
[0018] FIG. 5 is a timing chart showing a write access operation of the FCRAM of the first embodiment;
[0019] FIG. 6 is a timing chart showing a read access operation of the FCRAM of the first embodiment;
[0020] FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a second embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the details of an auto precharge control circuit and a precharge control circuit shown in FIG. 7 ;
[0022] FIG. 9 is a timing chart showing a write access operation of an FCRAM of the second embodiment;
[0023] FIG. 10 is a timing chart showing a read access operation of the FCRAM of the second embodiment;
[0024] FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a third embodiment of the present invention;
[0025] FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing the details of an operation control circuit shown in FIG. 11 ;
[0026] FIG. 13 is a timing chart showing the access operation of an FCRAM of the third embodiment; and
[0027] FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0028] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described using the accompanying drawings. The signal line illustrated with a thick line in the drawings consists of a plurality of lines. Moreover, a part of a block to which the thick line is connected consists of a plurality of circuits. For a signal line through which a signal is transmitted, the same symbol as the signal name is used. A signal beginning with “/” indicates a negative logic. A signal ending with “Z” indicates a positive logic. A double circle in the drawings indicates an external terminal.
[0029] FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention. A semiconductor memory MEM is an FCRAM (Fast Cycle RAM) of a clock synchronization type which operates in synchronization with an external clock CLK, for example. The FCRAM is a pseudo SRAM having a memory cell of DRAM and having an interface of SRAM. The memory MEM has a command decoder 10 , a page control circuit 12 , an operation control circuit 14 , address buffers 16 and 18 , a data input/output buffer 20 , address control circuits 22 and 24 , address latch circuits 26 and 28 , a memory core 30 , and a data control circuit 32 . The FCRAM receives the clock CLK at a clock terminal and supplies the received clock CLK to each circuit block via a non-illustrated clock buffer.
[0030] Although not specifically illustrated, the FCRAM has a refresh timer which generates a refresh request periodically, an address counter which generates a refresh address sequentially in response to the refresh request, and a refresh control circuit for carrying out a refresh operation during a non-operation period of the memory core 30 (during the inactivation period of a chip enable signal /CE). The refresh control circuit operates also as an arbiter which determines the priority between an external access request and the refresh request. The memory cell MC needs to be refreshed within a predetermined period in order to hold the data. For this reason, a maximum value of the activation period of the chip enable signal /CE is preset as an electrical specification. The details of the refresh operation are omitted because the present invention is not directly related to the refresh operation.
[0031] A command decoder 10 outputs a command, which is recognized corresponding to the logic levels of the chip enable signal /CE, address valid signal /ADV, write enable signal /WE, and output enable signal /OE, as an access command CMD for carrying out an access operation to the memory core 30 . The access command CMD includes a write access command, a read access command, and the like. The chip enable signal /CE is an enable signal allowing access to the memory core 30 . A chip enable terminal /CE functions as an enable terminal for receiving the enable signal. An address valid terminal /ADV, a write enable terminal /WE, and an output enable terminal /OE function as command terminals for receiving the access command. In the description hereinafter, the chip enable signal /CE is also referred to as a /CE signal, and the write enable signal /WE as a /WE signal, for example.
[0032] The page control circuit 12 activates a page signal pagez to a high level in synchronization with a CLK signal while the /CE signal and the /ADV signal are activated to a low level, and inactivates the page signal pagez to a low level in synchronization with the activation of a precharge signal prez. The precharge signal prez is a signal which is activated in response to the inactivation of the /CE signal in order to set bit lines BL and /BL described later to a precharge voltage. Accordingly, the page signal pagez is activated to a high level in response to the first access command during the activation of the /CE signal, and is held at a high level during the activation of the /CE signal, and is inactivated to a low level in response to the inactivation of the /CE signal. The page signal pagez is used in order to distinguish between the first access command (normal access command) supplied during the activation of the /CE signal and the second and subsequent access commands (page access command), as described later.
[0033] The operation control circuit 14 has first and second latency counters 34 and 36 , a latency control circuit 38 , and a burst length counter 40 . The first latency counter 34 operates when the pagez signal is at a low level and is the counter for determining the activation timing (the number of clock cycles) of a normal column enable signal clenz and a normal data enable signal dtenz. The second latency counter 36 operates when the pagez signal is at a high level and is the counter for determining the activation timing (the number of clock cycles) of a page column enable signal clenpz and a page data enable signal dtenpz. The latency counters 34 and 36 reset the counter value in synchronization with the activation of a burst end signal blendz from the burst length counter 40 . The clenz signal, the dtenz signal, the clenpz signal, and the dtenpz signal are inactivated in synchronization with the reset of the counter value.
[0034] The latency control circuit 38 outputs a column clock signal clkclz (a column control signal, a data control signal) in synchronization with the clock CLK during the activation of the clenz signal or clenpz signal, and outputs a data clock signal clkdtz (data control signal) in synchronization with the clock CLK during the activation of the dtenz signal and dtenpz signal. The burst clock signal clkblz is outputted in synchronization with the column clock signal clkclz.
[0035] The burst length counter 40 carries out a count operation in synchronization with the clkblz signal from the latency control circuit 38 during the activation of the /CE signal, and outputs a blendz signal (pulse signal) when having counted the number of clocks corresponding to a preset burst length. The burst length counter 40 resets the countervalue in synchronization with a birstz signal from the latency counter 36 . Here, the burst length is the number of times of inputting of a data which is received at a data terminal DQ in response to one write access command, and is the number of times of outputting of a data which is outputted from the data terminal DQ in response to one read access command. The burst length can be set to, for example, any one of “two”, “four”, and “eight” by changing the set value of a non-illustrated configuration register.
[0036] The address buffer 16 receives a row address RAD and outputs the received address RAD to the address latch circuit 26 . The address buffer 18 receives a column address CAD and outputs the received address CAD to the address latch circuit 28 . The FCRAM of this embodiment is a semiconductor memory of an address non-multiplex type which receives the row address RAD and the column address CAD at once at the mutually different address terminals RAD and CAD. The data input/output buffer 20 receives a write data via the data terminal DQ and outputs the received data to a data bus DB. Moreover, the data input/output buffer 20 receives a read data from the memory cell MC via the data bus DB and outputs the received data to the data terminal DQ.
[0037] The address control circuit 22 outputs a row address latch signal ralatz (pulse signal) in synchronization with the CLK signal when the page signal pagez is inactivated and the /CE signal and /ADV signal are activated. That is, the ralatz signal is outputted in response to only the normal access command which is the first access command after the /CE signal is activated. The address control circuit 24 outputs a column address latch signal calatz (pulse signal) in synchronization with the CLK signal when the /CE signal and /ADV signal are activated to a low level. That is, the calatz signal is outputted in response to each access command (normal access command and page access command).
[0038] The address latch circuit 26 (row address input circuit) latches the row address RAD in synchronization with the ralatz signal, the row address RAD being supplied from the address buffer 16 , and outputs the latched address to a row decoder RDEC as an internal row address raz. The row address RAD is supplied in order to select a word line WL. The address latch circuit 28 (column address input circuit) latches the column address CAD in synchronization with the calatz signal, the column address CAD being supplied from the address buffer 18 , and outputs the latched address to a column decoder CDEC as an internal column address caz. The column address CAD is supplied in order to select the bit lines BL and /BL.
[0039] The memory core 30 has the row address decoder RDEC, the column address decoder CDEC, a sense amplifier SA, a column switch CSW, a read amplifier RA, a write amplifier WA, and a memory cell array ARY. The memory cell array ARY includes dynamic memory cells MC, and word lines WL as well as bit line pairs BL and /BL which are connected to the dynamic memory cells MC. The memory cell MC is formed at the intersection between the word line WL and the bit line pair BL and /BL.
[0040] The row address decoder RDEC decodes the row address raz from the address latch circuit 26 in order to select any one of the word lines WL. The column address decoder CDEC decodes the column address caz from the address latch circuit 28 in order to select the bit line pairs BL and /BL with a number corresponding to the number of bits of the data terminal DQ. The sense amplifier SA amplifies a difference in the signal amounts of the data signals which are read to the bit line pair BL and /BL. The column switch CSW connects the bit lines BL and /BL corresponding to the column address caz to the read amplifier RA and write amplifier WA in synchronization with the clkclz signal (pulse signal). The column switch CSW operates as a data input/output circuit which inputs/outputs data from/to the memory core corresponding to the clkclz signal.
[0041] The read amplifier RA amplifies complementary read data outputted via the column switch CSW during the read access operation. The write amplifier WA amplifies complementary write data supplied via the data bus DB and supplies to the bit line pair BL and /BL during the write access operation.
[0042] The data control circuit 32 latches a write data received sequentially at the data terminal DQ in synchronization with the clkdtz signal and outputs the latched data to the memory core 30 during the write access operation. Moreover, the data control circuit 32 latches a read data outputted from the memory core 30 in synchronization with the clkdtz signal and outputs the latched data to the data bus DB during the read access operation. The data control circuit 32 operates as a data input/output circuit which inputs/outputs data from/to the memory core 30 corresponding to the clkdtz signal.
[0043] FIG. 2 shows the details of the page control circuit 12 and the address control circuits 22 and 24 shown in FIG. 1 . The page control circuit 12 includes a delay circuit DLY 1 , a flip-flop FF 1 , a CMOS transfer gate TG 1 , and a latch circuit LT 1 , and logic gates connected to these circuits. The flip-flop FF 1 is set in synchronization with an access command (CLK=a high logic level, and /ADV, /CE=a low logic level), and is reset in synchronization with a signal which is a precharge signal prez delayed by the delay circuit DLY 1 . The CMOS transfer gate TG 1 transmits the output of the flip-flop FF 1 to the latch circuit LT 1 during a low level period of the clock CLK. The latch circuit LT 1 latches the output of the flip-flop FF 1 and outputs the latched logic level as the pagez signal.
[0044] The address control circuit 22 includes a pulse generator PLS 1 which generates a negative pulse signal synchronized with the rising edge of the clock CLK, an AND circuit AND 1 with three inputs which detects the normal access command, and a NOR gate which outputs the ralatz signal in synchronization with a negative pulse signal when having detected the normal access command. The address control circuit 24 includes an AND 20 circuit AND 2 with two inputs in place of the AND circuit AND 1 of the address control circuit 22 . That is, the address control circuit 24 is formed by deleting the logic of the pagez signal from the logic of the address control circuit 22 . The address control circuit 24 outputs the calatz signal in synchronization with the rising edge of the clock CLK when having detected the normal access command and page access command.
[0045] FIG. 3 shows the operation of the page control circuit 12 and address control circuits 22 and 24 shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 shows the operation common in the write access operation and in the read access operation. First, in synchronization with a first clock CLK, the /CE signal is activated and the first access command is supplied ( FIG. 3( a )). Because at this time the pagez signal is inactivated to a low level ( FIG. 3( b )), this command is the normal access command. The page control circuit 12 activates the pagez signal in response to a supply of the normal access command ( FIG. 3( c )).
[0046] Because of the normal access command, the both address control circuits 22 and 24 operate, and the ralatz signal and calatz signal are activated for approximately a half clock period ( FIG. 3( d, e )). The address latch circuit 26 shown in FIG. 1 latches a row address RAD (A) in synchronization with the ralatz signal ( FIG. 3( f )). The address latch circuit 28 latches a column address CAD (B) in synchronization with the calatz signal ( FIG. 3( g )). Then, the normal write access operation or the normal read access operation is carried out.
[0047] Next, in synchronization with the fifth clock CLK, the second access command is supplied ( FIG. 3( h )). Because at this time the pagez signal is activated to a high level, this command is the page access command. Accordingly, only the calatz signal is activated and the ralatz signal is not activated. Then, in synchronization with the calatz signal, a column address CAD (C) is latched ( FIG. 3( i )), and the page write access operation or the page read access operation is carried out. Because the row address RAD is prevented from being latched in response to a supply of the page access command, it can be prevented that during the page operation the row address RAD changes and the FCRAM malfunctions.
[0048] Subsequently, in synchronization with the sixth and ninth clocks CLK, the third and fourth access commands are supplied, respectively ( FIG. 3 a, k )). Because the pagez signal is activated to a high level, this command is the page access command. In this way, the access command which is supplied continuously during the activation of the /CE signal is recognized as the page access command except the first access command. For this reason, only the calatz signal is activated, and column, addresses CAD (D, E) are latched, respectively, in synchronization with the calatz signal ( FIG. 3( l, m )).
[0049] Next, during the eleventh clock cycle the /CE signal is inactivated ( FIG. 3( n )). In synchronization with the inactivation of the /CE signal, the prez signal is activated and a precharge operation is carried out ( FIG. 3( o )). The page control circuit 12 shown in FIG. 2 inactivates the pagez signal in response to the activation of the prez signal ( FIG. 3( p )). Then, the access period of the FCRAM ends.
[0050] In this way, the FCRAM latches the row address RAD and the column address CAD during the inactivation of the pagez signal, and carries out the normal access operation (the first access operation), and during the activation of the pagez signal it receives only the column address CAD and carries out the page access operation (the second access operation). In the first access operation, the row operation which activates the word line WL in response to an access command in order to read data from the memory cell MC to the bit line BL, and the column operation which outputs data, which is read to the bit lines BL and /BL, to the outside of the FCRAM via the data terminal DQ, are carried out continuously. On the other hand, in the second access operation, only the column operation is carried out and so-called a page operation is carried out. The page operation is an operation which inputs/outputs data continuously from/to the memory cell MC connected to this word line WL by changing only column address CAD while a certain word line WL is activated. Because the data transfer rate to the FCRAM can be improved by carrying out the page operation, the operation efficiency of the FCRAM will improve.
[0051] The two access operations can be carried out using the same access command by monitoring the logic level of the pagez signal. Therefore, a dedicated terminal does not need to be formed in the FCRAM in order to carry out the two operation cycles. Because the page operation function can be given to the FCRAM of a clock synchronization type without forming a dedicated terminal, a dedicated terminal does not need to be formed in the controller which accesses the FCRAM. Because a controller does not need to be newly developed, the operation efficiency of the FCRAM can be improved without increasing the cost of a system with the FCRAM.
[0052] FIG. 4 shows the transition of the operation state of the FCRAM of the first embodiment. The FCRAM transits to a standby state STBY when the /CE signal is at a high level H. When the /CE signal, /ADV signal, and /WE signal change to a low level L during the standby state STBY, the FCRAM will detect the normal write access command (normal access command) and transits to a normal write state NWRS ( FIG. 4( a )). At this time, the FCRAM receives the row address RAD and the column address CAD and carries out the normal write access operation. Upon detection of a high level H of the /CE signal during the normal write state NWRS, the FCRAM will return to the standby state STBY ( FIG. 4( b )).
[0053] When the /CE signal, /ADV signal, and /WE signal change to a low level L during the normal write state NWRS, the FCRAM detects the page write access command (page access command) and transits to a page write state PWRS ( FIG. 4( c )). At this time, the FCRAM receives only the column address CAD and carries out the page write access operation. Upon detection of the page write access command again during the page write state PWRS, the FCRAM receives only the column address CAD and carries out the page write access operation ( FIG. 4( d )). Upon detection of a high level H of the /CE signal during the page write state PWRS, the FCRAM returns to the standby state STBY ( FIG. 4( e )). The details of the normal write access operation and page write access operation will be described in FIG. 5 later.
[0054] On the other hand, when the /CE signal, /ADV signal, and/OE signal change to a low level L during the standby state STBY, the FCRAM detects the normal read access command (normal access command) and transits to a normal read state NRDS ( FIG. 4( f )). At this time, the FCRAM receives the row address RAD and, the column address CAD and carries out the normal read access operation. Upon detection of a high level H of the /CE signal during normal read state NRDS, the FCRAM returns to the standby state STBY ( FIG. 4( g )).
[0055] When the /CE signal, /ADV signal, and /OE signal change to a low level L during the normal read state NRDS, the FCRAM detects the page read access command (page access command) and transits to a page read state PRDS ( FIG. 4( h )). At this time, the FCRAM receives only the column address CAD and carries out the page read access operation. Upon detection of the page read access command again during the page read state PRDS, the FCRAM receives only the column address CAD and carries out the page read access operation ( FIG. 4( i )). Upon detection of a high level H of the /CE signal during the page read state PRDS, the FCRAM returns to the standby state STBY ( FIG. 4( j )). The details of the normal read access operation and page read access operation will be described in FIG. 6 later.
[0056] As shown in FIG. 4 , in the present invention, even when receiving the same access command, a state to transit differs corresponding to the state of the FCRAM. Which state to transit, the state NRDS or the state PRDS, and which state to transit, the state NWRS or the PWRS, are determined corresponding to the logic level of the pagez signal.
[0057] FIG. 5 shows the write access operation of the FCRAM of the first embodiment. The reception timings of the external signals /CE, /ADV, CAD, and RAD (RAD is not shown) are the same as those of FIG. 3 described above except that the /CE signal is activated in the eleventh and subsequent clock cycles. That is, in this example, the normal write access command NWR is supplied in synchronization with the first clock CLK, and the page write access command PWR is supplied in synchronization with the fifth, sixth, and ninth clock CLK.
[0058] Because the normal write access operation which responds to the normal write access command NWR requires a selection operation of the word line WL and an amplification operation by the sense amplifier SA, the write latency, which is the number of clock cycles from the write access command until receipt of the data DQ, requires “three (first latency).” On the other hand, because the page write access operation which responds to the page write access command PWR just needs to input/output data which is latched in the sense amplifier SA, the latency is “one (second latency).” The burst length which is the number of times of receipt of the write data DQ is set to “two”, the write data DQ being received at the data terminal DQ in response to one write access command.
[0059] The access command supplied in synchronization with the first clock CLK is the normal write access command NWR ( FIG. 5( a )). For this reason, the latency counter 34 used for the normal access shown in FIG. 1 operates and the latency counter 36 used for the page access does not operate. The latency counter 34 has been reset to “zero” by the blendz signal at the completion of the preceding access operation (write access operation or read access operation). The latency counter 34 starts the count operation of the clock CLK in response to receipt of the normal write access command NWR, and activates the normal enable signals clenz and dtenz after three clocks which correspond to the normal write latency NWL ( FIG. 5( b )).
[0060] During the activation of the clenz signal and the dtenz signal, the clkclz signal and the clkdtz signal are outputted in synchronization with the clock CLK, respectively ( FIG. 5( c, d )). The number of pulses of the clkclz signal and clkdtz signal to be generated is “two” which correspond to the burst length. The numbers “zero” and “one” shown in the waveform of the clkclz signal and clkdtz signal indicate the counter value of the burst length counter 40 . The first and second time captures of the data DQ are shown. The write data DQ is captured in synchronization with a pulse of the clkdtz signal and is outputted to the memory core 30 . The column switch CSW is turned on in synchronization with a pulse of the clkclz signal, and the write data DQ is written to the memory cell MC. In the write access cycle, in both the normal access operation and the page access operation, the output timings (clock cycles) of the clkclz signal arid clkdtz signal are the same as each other. However, the column switch CSW operates in synchronization with a signal which is the clkclz signal delayed slightly. The write data DQ can be surely written to the memory cell MC by delaying the on-timing of the column switch CSW slightly from the latch timing of the write data DQ by the data control circuit 32 .
[0061] After a pulse of the second clkclz signal is outputted, the blendz signal indicating receipt of the data of the number corresponding to the burst length is outputted ( FIG. 5( e )). The latency counter 34 resets the counter value in synchronization with the blendz signal and inactivates the clenz signal and the dtenz signal ( FIG. 5( f )). Accordingly, the outputting of the clkclz signal and clkdtz signal is prohibited, and the write access operation of the data corresponding to the normal write access command NWR is completed.
[0062] The access command supplied in synchronization with the fifth clock CLK is the page write access command PWR ( FIG. 5( g )). Accordingly, the latency counter 36 used for the page access shown in FIG. 1 operates and the latency counter 34 used for the normal access does not operate. The latency counter 36 is reset to “zero” by the blendz signal which is outputted during the normal write access operation. The latency counter 36 starts the count operation of the clock CLK in response to receipt of the page write access command PWR and activates the page enable signals clenpz and dtenpz after one clock which corresponds to the page write latency PWL ( FIG. 5( h )). Moreover, before starting the page write access operation, the blrstz signal is activated in response to receipt of the page write access command PWR ( FIG. 5( i )), and the counter value of the burst length counter 40 is reset to “zero”.
[0063] During the activation of the clenpz signal and dtenpz signal, the clkclz signal and the clkdtz signal are outputted in synchronization with the clock CLK, respectively, and the page write access operation is carried out. However, in this example, the next page write access command PWR is supplied in synchronization with the sixth clock CLK ( FIG. 5( j )). Because the clenpz signal and the dtenpz signal are already activated, the latency counter 36 holds the activated state of the clenpz signal and dtenpz signal until the blendz signal is outputted ( FIG. 5( k )). Because the blrstz signal is activated in response to receipt of the page write access command PWR, the counter value of the burst length counter 40 is reset to “zero” ( FIG. 5( l )). Accordingly, the write access operation corresponding to the fifth clock CLK is interrupted after writing the write data DQ once to the memory core 30 . The blendz signal is not activated because the counter value of the burst length counter 40 is not “one” ( FIG. 5( m )).
[0064] In response to the page write access command PWR corresponding to the sixth clock CLK, the clkclz signal and the clkdtz signal are activated twice ( FIG. 5( n )), and the write data DQ is written to the memory cell MC. Subsequently, the page write access operation corresponding to the ninth clock CLK is carried out like the page write access operation described above.
[0065] FIG. 6 shows the read access operation of the FCRAM of the first embodiment. The reception timing of the external signals /CE, /ADV, CAD, and RAD (RAD is not shown) are the same as those of FIG. 3 described above except that the /CE signal is activated in the eleventh and subsequent clock cycles. That is, in this example, the normal read access command NRD is supplied in synchronization with the first clock CLK, and the page read access command PRD is supplied in synchronization with the fifth, sixth, and ninth clocks CLK.
[0066] Like the write access operation described in FIG. 5 , in the normal read access operation responding to the normal read access command NRD, the read latency which is the number of clock cycles from a read access command until output of the data DQ requires “four (first latency).” The latency of the page read access operation responding to the page read access command PRD is “two (second latency).” The burst length which is the number of times of outputting of the read data DQ is set to “two”, the read data DQ being outputted from the data terminal DQ in response to one read access command. The detailed description of the same operation as that of FIG. 5 is omitted.
[0067] In response to the normal read access command NRD corresponding to the first clock CLK, the latency counter 34 activates a normal enable signal clenz after two clocks, which are fewer than the normal read latency NRL (=“4”) by “two”, and activates a normal enable signal dtenz after three clocks, which are fewer than the normal read latency NRL by “one” ( FIG. 6( a, b )). That is, the clenz signal and the dtenz signal are activated after a predetermined number of clocks corresponding to the normal read latency NRL.
[0068] During the activation of the clenz signal, the clkclz signal is outputted in synchronization with the clock CLK ( FIG. 6( c )). In synchronization with the clkclz signal, the column switch CSW is turned on and a read data latched in the sense amplifier SA is outputted to the data control circuit 32 . In a similar manner, during the activation of the dtenz signal, the clkdtz signal is outputted in synchronization with the clock CLK ( FIG. 6( d )). Then, in synchronization with the clkdtz signal, the read data is outputted from the data terminal DQ via the data control circuit 32 and data output buffer 20 ( FIG. 6( e )).
[0069] After a pulse of the second clkclz signal is outputted, the blendz signal is outputted ( FIG. 6( f )). The clenz signal is inactivated in synchronization with the blendz signal ( FIG. 6( g )). The dtenz signal is inactivated after one clock from output of the blendz signal ( FIG. 6( h )). Accordingly, the clenz signal and the dtenz signal are activated during two clock cycles which correspond to the burst length, respectively.
[0070] In response to the page read access command PRD corresponding to the fifth clock CLK, the latency counter 36 activates a page enable signal clenpz after “zero” clock, which is fewer than the page read latency PRL (=“2”) by “two”, and activates a page enable signal dtenpz after one clock, which is fewer than the normal read latency NRL by “one” ( FIG. 6( i, j )).
[0071] That is, the clenpz signal and the dtenpz signal are activated after a predetermined number of clocks which correspond to the page read latency PRL. Moreover, before starting the page read access operation, the birstz signal is activated in response to receipt of the page read access command PRD ( FIG. 6( k )), and the counter value of the burst length counter 40 is reset to “zero”.
[0072] The outputting of the clkclz signal and clkdtz signal, and the associated page read access operation are the same as those of the normal read access operation except an interruption by the page read access command PRD corresponding to the sixth clock CLK. The blrstz signal is activated in response to receipt of the page read access command PRD and the counter value of the burst length counter 40 is reset to “zero” ( FIG. 6( l )).
[0073] In response to the page read access command PRD corresponding to the sixth clock CLK, the latency counter 36 holds the activated state of the clenpz signal until the blendz signal is outputted, and holds the activated state of the dtenpz signal from output of the blendz signal until after one clock ( FIG. 6( m, n )). Then, during the activation of the clenpz signal and dtenpz signal, the clkclz signal and the clkdtz signal are outputted twice, respectively ( FIG. 6( o, p )), and the read data is outputted from the data terminal DQ in a similar manner described above ( FIG. 6( q )). Then, the page read access operation corresponding to the ninth clock CLK is carried out like the page read access operation described above.
[0074] As shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , the normal write latency NWL (=3) and the normal read latency NRD (=4) differ from each other, and the page write latency PWL (=1) and the page read latency PRD (=2) differ from each other. Accordingly, the number of clock cycles until the clenz signal is activated differs from each other in the write access operation and in the read access operation. Moreover, the number of clock cycles until the clenpz signal is activated differs from each other in the write access operation and in the read access operation. Furthermore, in the read access operation, the number of clock cycles until the clenz signal and the dtenz signal are activated differs from each other, and the number of clock cycles until the clenpz signal and the dterrpz signal are activated differs from each other.
[0075] As described above, in the first embodiment, the row operation with more latency and the column operation (page operation) with less latency can be selectively carried out using the same access command without using a dedicated terminal. The transfer rate of a data with respect to the FCRAM can be improved because the page operation can be made executable without forming a dedicated terminal. As a result, the operation efficiency of the FCRAM can be improved without increasing the cost of a system with the FCRAM.
[0076] The pagez signal is activated in response to the normal access commands NWR and NRD by the page control circuit 12 , and one of the latency counters 34 and 36 is selectively operated corresponding to the logic level of the pagez signal, and the clkclz signal and the clkdtz signal are generated by the latency control circuit 38 using the normal enable signals clenz and dtenz as well as the page enable signals clenpz and dtenpz outputted from the latency counters 34 and 36 , thereby allowing the first and second access operations to be switched by a simple circuit. Accordingly, by adding a minor change to an already developed FCRAM, the FCRAM of the present invention can be realized and the design period of the FCRAM can be reduced.
[0077] The address control circuit 22 which operates upon receipt of the pagez signal outputs the ralatz signal for latching the row address RAD in response to only the normal access commands NWR and NRD. In other words, when the page access commands PWR and PRD are supplied, the ralatz signal is not outputted and the row address RAD is not latched. Therefore, it can be prevented that the row address RAD changes and the FCRAM malfunctions during the page operation.
[0078] FIG. 7 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. For the same elements as the elements described in the first embodiment, the same symbols are given and the detailed description of these elements is omitted. In this embodiment, the function to receive a write access command with an auto precharge and a read access command from the outside is added to the FCRAM of the first embodiment. For this reason, the FCRAM has a precharge terminal /PRE. Moreover, an operation control circuit 14 A is formed in place of the operation control circuit 14 of the first embodiment. Other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0079] The operation control circuit 14 A is formed by adding an auto precharge control circuit 42 , a column counter 44 , and a precharge control circuit 46 to the operation control circuit 14 of the first embodiment. Upon receipt of an auto precharge command, the auto precharge control circuit 42 activates an auto precharge signal aprez after the preceding access operation is completed. The auto precharge command is recognized when the auto precharge signal /PRE of a low level along with the page access command is received at the precharge terminal /PRE. The activation timing of the aprez signal differs between when the write access operation is carried out immediately before and when the read access operation is carried out immediately before.
[0080] The column counter 44 counts pulses of the clkclz signal of the number corresponding to the burst length for each access command, and outputs a column end signal clendz in synchronization with the clkclz signal corresponding to the last burst operation. Specifically, the clendz signal is activated for one clock period in synchronization with the falling edge of the preceding clkclz signal of the last burst operation. The precharge control circuit 46 outputs the prez signal in synchronization with the clkclz signal when the clendz signal and the aprez signal are activated.
[0081] FIG. 8 shows the details of the auto precharge control circuit 42 and the precharge control circuit 46 shown in FIG. 7 . The auto precharge control circuit 42 includes a delay circuit DLY 3 , a flip-flop FF 2 , and a counter COUNT, and logic gates connected to these circuits. The flip-flop FF 2 is set in synchronization with the auto-precharge command (CLK=a high logic level, and /PRE, /ADV; /CE=a low logic level), and is reset in synchronization with a signal which is the precharge signal prez delayed by the delay circuit DLY 2 . The counter COUNT counts a predetermined number of clocks in response to the set of the flip-flop FF 2 , and outputs a signal for activating the aprez signal after the count. The predetermined number of clocks differs between when the write access operation is carried out immediately before and when the read access operation is carried out immediately before. Accordingly, the counter COUNT distinguishes by the /WE signal between the write access operation and the read access operation, and determines the number of clocks to count.
[0082] The precharge control circuit 46 includes a pulse generator PLS 2 which generates a negative pulse signal synchronized with the rising edge of the /CE signal, a NAND gate NA 1 which detects the activation of the clendz signal, aprez signal, and clkclz signal, and a NAND gate NA 2 (OR gate in negative logic) which operates an OR logic of the output of the pulse generator PLS 2 and the output of the NAND gate NA 1 . The prez signal is outputted in synchronization with the rising edge of the /CE signal or with the auto precharge command.
[0083] FIG. 9 shows the write access operation of the FCRAM of the second embodiment. In this example, the normal write access command NWR is supplied in synchronization with the first clock CLK, and the page write access command PWR is supplied in synchronization with the fifth clock CLK, and the page write access command PWR including the auto precharge command APRE is supplied in synchronization with the seventh clock CLK, and the normal write access command NWR is again supplied in synchronization with the twelfth clock CLK. The fundamental operation of the FCRAM is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the burst length is “two”, and the normal write latency NWL and the page write latency PWL are “three” and “one”, respectively. The detailed description of the same operation as that of FIG. 5 described above is omitted.
[0084] When the auto precharge command APRE is supplied in synchronization with the seventh clock CLK; the aprez signal is activated after the page write access operation of the memory core 30 corresponding to the fifth clock CLK is completed ( FIG. 9( a )). Here, the page write access operation of the memory core 30 is completed in the seventh clock cycle in which the second clkclz signal is activated. Accordingly, the aprez signal is activated in synchronization with the eighth clock CLK. Then, the prez signal is activated in synchronization with the last clkclz signal ( FIG. 9( b )) and the precharge operation is carried out. The pagez signal is inactivated in synchronization with the activation of the prez signal, and the page write access operation is completed ( FIG. 9( c )). The write access command supplied in synchronization with the twelfth clock CLK is recognized as the normal write access command NWR because the pagez signal is at a low level ( FIG. 9( d )). Without no auto precharge function, the /CE signal needs to be once inactivated in synchronization with the eleventh clock CLK as shown as the dashed line in the waveform of the /CE signal ( FIG. 9( e )).
[0085] In this way, in this embodiment, the precharge operation can be carried out by using the auto precharge command APRE without inactivating the /CE signal. Without auto precharge function, the /CE signal needs to be once inactivated in synchronization with the tenth clock CLK as shown as the dashed line in the waveform of the /CE signal of the view. In this case, the precharge operation is delayed, resulting in delay of supply of the next access command.
[0086] FIG. 10 shows the read access operation of the FCRAM of the second embodiment. In this example, the normal read access command NRD is supplied in synchronization with the first clock CLK, and the page read access command PRD is supplied in synchronization with the fifth clock CLK, and the page read access command PRD including the auto precharge command APRE is supplied in synchronization with the seventh clock CLK, and the normal read access command NRD is again supplied in synchronization with the twelfth clock CLK. The fundamental operation of the FCRAM is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the burst length is “two”, and the normal read latency NRL and the page read latency PRL are “four” and “two”, respectively. The detailed description of the same operation as that of FIG. 6 and FIG. 9 described above is omitted.
[0087] In the read access operation, the page read access operation of the memory core 30 corresponding to the preceding page read access command PRD has already been completed when the auto precharge command APRE is received. Specifically, the page read access operation of the memory core 30 is completed in the sixth clock cycle in which the second clkclz signal is activated. Accordingly, the aprez signal is activated in synchronization with the clock CLK which responds to the auto precharge command APRE ( FIG. 10( a )). Then, as same as FIG. 9 , the prez signal is activated in synchronization with the last clkclz signal ( FIG. 10( b )) and the precharge operation is carried out. Also in the read access operation, the precharge operation can be carried out by using the auto precharge command APRE without inactivating the /CE signal. As same as FIG. 9 , without no auto precharge function, the /CE signal needs to be once inactivated in synchronization with the eleventh clock CLK as shown as the dashed line in the waveform of the /CE signal ( FIG. 10( c )).
[0088] As described above, also in the second embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Furthermore, the precharge operation can be carried out immediately after the completion of the column operation because in this embodiment the precharge operation can be carried out without inactivating the /CE signal. As a result, the access operation which responds to the next access command can be started earlier, allowing the data transfer rate to be improved.
[0089] FIG. 11 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. The same symbols are given and to the same elements as the elements described in the first embodiment, the detailed description of these elements is omitted. In this embodiment, the FCRAM includes a bank address terminal BAD which receives a bank address BAD, and an address buffer 48 which receives a bank address BAD. Moreover, the FCRAM has two banks BKa and BKb being operable independently of each other. Other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0090] The banks BKa and BKb each have an operation control circuit 14 B in place of the operation control circuit 14 of the first embodiment. The operation control circuit 14 B has a latency control circuit 38 B in place of the latency control circuit 38 of the first embodiment. Other configuration of each of the banks BKa and BKb is the same as that of the first embodiment. In FIG. 11 , “a” is given to the end of a control signal of the operation control circuit 14 B of the bank BKa, and “b” is given to the end of a control signal of the operation control circuit 14 B of the bank BKb.
[0091] FIG. 12 shows the details of the operation control circuit 14 B shown in FIG. 11 . The latency control circuit 38 B of the bank BKa receives a clenzb signal, a dtenzb signal, a clecpzb signal, and a dtenpzb signal outputted from the operation control circuit 14 B of the bank BKb, and prohibits the outputting of a clenza signal and a dtenza signal when the bank BKb inputs or outputs the data DQ. In a similar manner, the latency control circuit 38 B of bank BKb receives a clenza signal, a dtenza signal, a clecpza signal, and a dtenpza signal outputted from the operation control circuit 14 A of the bank BKa, and prohibits the outputting of a clenzb signal and a dtenzb signal when the bank BKa inputs or outputs the data DQ. Accordingly, even when the banks BKa and BKb operate concurrently, the data DQ can be prevented from colliding to each other. That is, the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 12 can realize the so-called bank interleaving operation.
[0092] FIG. 13 shows the access operation of the FCRAM of the third embodiment. The fundamental operation of the FCRAM is the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the burst length is “two”, and the normal write latency NWL and the page write latency PWL are “three” and “one”, respectively. The normal read latency NRL and the page read latency PRL are “four” ahd “two”, respectively. The detailed description of the same operation as that of the first embodiment is omitted.
[0093] In this embodiment, the FCRAM operates in response to the bank address BAD as well as a normal access command NWD (or NRD) and a page access command PWD (or PRD). When page access commands with mutually different column addresses CAD are supplied continuously in synchronization with the fifth and sixth clocks CLK ( FIG. 13( a )), the data DQ corresponding to the page access command supplied later is preferentially inputted (or outputted) under the control of the latency control circuit 38 B shown in FIG. 12 . In other words, the operation control circuit 14 B of the bank BKa to be accessed earlier stops the outputting of the clenza signal and dtenza signal (data control signal) in response to the outputting of the clenzb signal and dtenzb signal (data control signal) by the operation control circuit 14 B of the bank BKb to be accessed later. For this reason, in the burst operation, although the first data DQ of the bank BKa is inputted (or outputted) ( FIG. 13( b, c )), the second data DQ is not inputted (or outputted). In place of the second data DQ, the data DQ corresponding to the page access command supplied later is inputted (or outputted) ( FIG. 13( d, e )).
[0094] As described above, also in the third embodiment, the same effect as that of the first embodiment described above can be obtained. Furthermore, in this embodiment, even when a plurality of banks BKa and BKb operates concurrently, the data can be inputted/outputted via the data terminal DQ without collision. The operation efficiency can be improved without forming a dedicated terminal also in the FCRAM having a plurality of banks BKa and BKb.
[0095] FIG. 14 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. For the same elements as the elements in the embodiments described above, the same symbols are given and the detailed description of these elements is omitted. In this embodiment, an operation control circuit 14 C of each of the banks BKa and BKb has the auto precharge control circuit 42 , the column counter 44 , and the precharge control circuit 46 as same as in the second embodiment. The FCRAM has the precharge terminal /PRE for receiving the auto precharge signal /PRE (auto precharge command APRE). Other configuration is the same as that of the first embodiment.
[0096] In this embodiment, the auto precharge command APRE is supplied as well as the bank address BAD. Accordingly, only either one operation control circuit 14 C of the banks BKa and BKb selected by the bank address BAD activates the precharge signal prez in response to the auto precharge command. That is, the precharge operation is independently carried out for each of the banks BKa and BKb. In contrast, when the precharge operation is carried out by the inactivation of the /CE signal, the precharge operation will be carried out concurrently in all the banks BKa and BKb.
[0097] As described above, also in the fourth embodiment, the same effect as the first and third embodiments described above can be obtained. Furthermore, in this embodiment, with the auto precharge signal /PRE and the bank address BAD, while carrying out the access operation to one of the banks BKa and BKb, the precharge operation can be carried out only to the other of the banks BKa and BKb. The access operation can be carried out efficiently and the data transfer rate can be improved because the precharge operation can be carried out independently in the banks BKa and BKb. That is, the access operation efficiency of the FCRAM can be improved.
[0098] In addition, the above embodiments have described examples in which the present invention is applied to the FCRAM. The present invention is not limited to such embodiments. For example, the present invention can be applied to a pseudo SRAM of a clock synchronization type.
[0099] In the second embodiment described above, an example is described in which the auto precharge command APRE as well as the page access commands PWR and PRD are supplied. The present invention is not limited to such embodiment. For example, the auto precharge command APRE can be supplied as well as the normal access commands NWR and NRD, and the precharge operation can be automatically carried out after the normal access operation.
[0100] In the third and fourth embodiments described above, examples are described in which the present invention is applied to the FCRAM having two banks BKa and BKb. The present invention is not limited to such embodiments. For example, the present invention can be applied to an FCRAM having four or more banks.
[0101] The invention is not limited to the above embodiments and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Any improvement may be made in part or all of the components.
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An operation control circuit carries out a first access operation upon receipt of a first access command during activation of a chip enable signal, and carries out a second access operation accessing a memory core in a shorter time than the first access operation, upon receipt of the next access command during activation of the chip enable signal. For this reason, two types of access operations whose access times differ can be carried out by receiving the same access command at the same access terminal. A dedicated terminal for distinguishing between the two types of operations does not need to be formed in a controller, etc., which accesses a semiconductor memory. Selective use of the first and second access operations improves the operation efficiency of the semiconductor memory. Consequently, the operation efficiency of the semiconductor memory can be improved without increasing the cost of a system incorporating the semiconductor memory.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/067012 filed Sep. 29, 2011, which designates the United States of America, and claims priority to DE Patent Application No. 10 2010 043 623.2 filed Nov. 9, 2010 and DE Patent Application No. 10 2011 006 215.7 filed Mar. 28, 2011. The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to a method and an apparatus for the determination of a quality assessment of a software code with determination of the assessment coverage.
BACKGROUND
Checking the quality of software entails both a high effort in terms of time and also an associated high effort in terms of cost. In particular, with a manual quality assessment it is frequently impossible to determine reliable, reproducible and/or constructive suggestions for the improvement of the software quality within a framework that is acceptable in terms of both time and money.
The information on the quality of software codes obtained by pure benchmark solutions based on metrics or static code analyses is of limited use only. Generally, only lists of metrics with details of threshold crossings or a quantity of rule infringements are generated. A manual analysis and/or assessment of these results is sometimes just as complex as the quality analysis of the software code itself.
There is frequently a desire to obtain weighted information for proposed improvements to a software code, which, depending on the effort, costs and expected potential for improvement, enable measures for improvement to be prioritized in order to achieve a desired quality level under prespecified project aims or to approximate them as closely as possible within the limits of the available budget.
There is a requirement for a quality analysis for software codes, wherein the results of the quality analysis should enable conclusions to be drawn regarding the aspect or assessment coverage. At the same time, a quality analysis should simultaneously suggest procedures as to how the assessment coverage can be increased under predetermined framework conditions, possibly by means of manual quality analysis.
In this context, the assessment must include other aspects in addition to those aspects of the quality analysis for software codes which can be measured by automated means.
SUMMARY
One embodiment provides a method for determining a quality assessment of a software code and the assessment coverage with the steps: performance of a static code analysis of the software code with the aid of predetermined rule and/or metric definitions and outputting of identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions, which include results of the metrics for software objects; assessment of the identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions based on predetermined assessment functions and the outputting of assessed rule infringements; aggregation of the assessed rule infringements based on a predetermined quality aspect hierarchy and outputting of a quality-aspect-related quality assessment of the software code; and determination of a quality-aspect-related assessment coverage factor based on a predetermined aggregation function and normalization of the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessment to the identified assessment coverage factor for outputting an assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment.
In a further embodiment, the method further comprises outputting a multi-quality-aspect-encompassing quality assessment of the software code based on the aggregated assessed rule infringements.
In a further embodiment, the method further comprises assessment of an effort required for the rectification of the assessed rule infringements based on predetermined rule properties and the identified object dimensions; and outputting effort-assessed corrective actions.
In a further embodiment, the method further comprises sorting the effort-assessed corrective actions according to the amount of effort required and/or severity of the rule infringement; and outputting a group of effort-assessed corrective actions based on predetermined target-achievement data.
In a further embodiment, the outputting of assessed rule infringements includes the outputting of assessed rule infringements by software code objects that have changed in comparison with already quality-assessed software code objects.
In a further embodiment, the method further comprises determination of quality-assessment tasks, which are to be performed manually, based on the assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment; and outputting an updated assessment coverage taking into account the assessment effort for the identified quality-assessment tasks.
In a further embodiment, in the step of the determination of quality-assessment tasks the only quality-assessment tasks to be taken into account are those which are to be performed on software code objects that have changed in comparison with software code objects already quality-assessed in a previous method.
Another embodiment provides an apparatus for determining an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code with: a database mechanism, which is embodied to store, predetermined rule and/or metric definitions, predetermined assessment functions, predetermined quality aspect hierarchies, predetermined aggregation functions and predetermined rule properties for a plurality of software codes; an analyzer mechanism, which is embodied to perform a static code analysis of the software code with the aid of predetermined rule and/or metric definitions from the database mechanism and output identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions, which include results of the metrics for software objects; an evaluation mechanism, which is embodied to assess the identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions based on predetermined assessment functions from the database mechanism and output assessed rule infringements; an aggregation mechanism, which is embodied to aggregate the assessed rule infringements based on a predetermined quality aspect hierarchy from the database mechanism and to output a quality-aspect-related quality assessment of the software code; and a normalization mechanism, which is embodied to determine a quality-aspect-related assessment coverage factor based on a predetermined aggregation function and to normalize the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessment to the identified assessment coverage factor for the outputting of an assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment.
In a further embodiment, the normalization mechanism is further embodied to output a multi-quality-aspect-encompassing assessment of the software code based on the aggregated assessed rule infringements.
In a further embodiment, the apparatus additionally comprises an effort-assessment mechanism, which is embodied to determine an effort required for the rectification of the assessed rule infringements based on predetermined rule properties and the identified object dimensions and to output effort-assessed corrective actions.
In a further embodiment, the apparatus additionally comprises a prioritization mechanism, which is embodied to sort the effort-assessed corrective actions according to the effort required and/or the severity of the rule infringement and to output a group of effort-assessed corrective actions based on predetermined target-achievement data.
In a further embodiment, the apparatus additionally comprises a selection mechanism, which is embodied to determine quality-assessment tasks, which are to be performed manually, based on the assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment and to output an updated assessment coverage taking into account the assessment effort for the identified quality-assessment tasks.
In a further embodiment, the selection mechanism is embodied, during the determination of the quality-assessment tasks to be performed manually, only to take into account the quality-assessment tasks, which are to be performed on software code objects that have changed in comparison with already quality-assessed software code objects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Exemplary embodiments will be explained in more detail below based on the schematic drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an apparatus for the determination of an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code according to one embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of an apparatus for the determination of an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code according to a further embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of an analyzer mechanism according to a further embodiment;
FIG. 4 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of an evaluation mechanism according to a further embodiment;
FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of an aggregation mechanism according to a further embodiment;
FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of an effort-assessment mechanism according to a further embodiment;
FIG. 7 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of a prioritization mechanism according to a further embodiment; and
FIG. 8 is a schematic representation of a mode of operation of a selection mechanism according to a further embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Certain embodiments of the present disclosure perform a fully automatic source-code evaluation based on expanded quality models. In this context, based on the results of a static code analysis, predetermined aggregation functions are used which enable the determination of the degree to which the static code analysis covers all aspects of the quality assessment of the software code. This enables conclusions to be drawn from the relative results of static code analysis regarding the absolute information or coverage content of the quality assessment.
Therefore, one embodiment provides a method for the determination of an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code, with the steps of the performance of a static code analysis of the software code with the aid of predetermined rule and/or metric definitions and outputting identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions, of the assessment of the identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions based on predetermined assessment functions and outputting assessed rule infringements, of the aggregation of the assessed rule infringements based on a predetermined quality aspect hierarchy and outputting a quality-aspect-related quality assessment of the software code and of the determination of a quality-aspect-related assessment coverage factor based on a predetermined aggregation function and normalization of the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessment to the identified assessment coverage factor for outputting an assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment.
According to one embodiment, the method can comprise the steps of outputting a multi-quality-aspect-encompassing quality assessment of the software code based on the aggregated assessed rule infringements.
According to one embodiment, the method can comprise the steps of the assessment of an effort required for the rectification of the assessed rule infringements based on predetermined rule properties and the identified object dimensions and of outputting effort-assessed corrective actions.
According to one embodiment, the method can comprise the steps of sorting the effort-assessed corrective actions according to the effort required and/or severity of the rule infringement and of outputting a group of effort-assessed corrective actions based on predetermined target-achievement data.
The outputting of assessed rule infringements can comprise an outputting of assessed rule infringements by software code objects that have changed in comparison with already quality-assessed software code objects.
According to one embodiment, the method can comprise the steps of the determination of quality-assessment tasks, which are to be performed manually, based on the assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment and of the outputting of an updated assessment coverage taking into account the assessment effort for the identified quality-assessment tasks.
In this context, it can be provided that only those quality-assessment tasks are taken into account which are to be performed on software code objects that have changed in comparison with already quality-assessed software-code objects.
Other embodiments provide an apparatus for the determination of an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code. The apparatus comprises a database mechanism, which is embodied to store predetermined rule and/or metric definitions, predetermined assessment functions, predetermined quality aspect hierarchies, predetermined aggregation functions and predetermined rule properties for a plurality of software codes. The apparatus further comprises an analyzer mechanism, which is embodied to perform a static code analysis of the software code with the aid of predetermined rule and/or metric definitions from the database mechanism and to output identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions. The apparatus further comprises an evaluation mechanism, which is embodied to assess the identified rule infringements and/or object dimensions based on predetermined assessment functions from the database mechanism and output assessed rule infringements. The apparatus further comprises an aggregation mechanism, which is embodied to aggregate the assessed rule infringements based on a predetermined quality aspect hierarchy from the database mechanism and output a quality-aspect-related quality assessment of the software code. The apparatus further comprises a normalization mechanism, which is embodied to determine a quality-aspect-related assessment coverage factor based on a predetermined aggregation function and normalize the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessment to the identified assessment coverage factor for the outputting of an assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment.
According to one embodiment, the normalization mechanism can further be embodied to output a multi-quality-aspect-encompassing quality assessment of the software code based on the aggregated assessed rule infringements.
According to one embodiment, the apparatus can further comprise an effort-assessment mechanism, which is embodied to determine an effort required for the rectification of the assessed rule infringements based on predetermined rule properties and the identified object dimensions and output effort-assessed corrective actions.
According to one embodiment, the apparatus can further comprise a prioritization mechanism, which is embodied to sort the effort-assessed corrective actions according to the effort required and/or severity of the rule infringement and output a group of effort-assessed corrective actions based on predetermined target-achievement data.
According to one embodiment, the evaluation mechanism can be embodied to output assessed rule infringements of already quality-assessed changed software-code objects.
According to one embodiment, the apparatus can also comprise a selection mechanism, which is embodied to determine quality-assessment tasks which are to be performed manually based on the assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment and to output an updated assessment coverage taking into account the assessment effort for the identified quality-assessment tasks.
In this context, the selection mechanism can be embodied to take into account during the determination of the quality-assessment tasks to be performed manually, only the quality-assessment tasks which are to be performed on software code objects that have changed in comparison with software code objects already quality-assessed in a previous method.
The above embodiments and developments can, insofar as is meaningful, be combined with each other in any suitable manner. Further possible embodiments, developments and implementations include combinations, not explicitly cited, of features described herein with respect to various features of the embodiments.
A source code within the meaning of this disclosure can be any program code written in a programming language which, following compilation, results in executable software. In this context, the source code can be written in any programming language, for example C/C++, C#, Java or similar programming languages. It is also possible for the source code to be present as an intermediate code, as for example, in Java, .NET or a similar format.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic representation of an apparatus 10 for the determination of an assessment coverage of a quality assessment of a software code. The apparatus 10 comprises a database mechanism 11 , an analyzer mechanism 12 , an evaluation mechanism 13 , an aggregation mechanism 14 and a normalization mechanism 15 .
The following explains the functions and modes of operation of the individual components of the apparatus 10 with respect to the depictions in FIGS. 3 to 5 , which, for purposes of better understanding, show detailed depictions of the analyzer mechanism 12 , the evaluation mechanism 13 and the aggregation mechanism 14 .
As shown in FIG. 3 , the analyzer mechanism 12 comprises a static code analyzer 21 , which can comprise a scanner 22 and a parser 23 . The static code analyzer accepts a source code 16 , which can be processed in the scanner 22 and/or the parser 23 so that after parsing by the parser 23 code objects are available to which an automatic static code analysis can be applied.
To this end, the analyzer mechanism 12 can comprise a metric-calculating device 25 and a rule-evaluating device 24 . In addition to the code objects from the source code 16 parsed by the parser 23 , the metric-calculating device 25 receives as input parameters predetermined metric definitions 11 b . In the metric-calculating device 25 , the predetermined metric definitions 11 b can be applied to the code objects in order to receive object dimensions 25 a as the output. The object dimensions 25 a can in this context in particular comprise results of the metrics for software objects, for example the number of code lines, the number of object linkages, the frequency of executed loops or similar metrics results. In this context, the metrics are not defined as specific metrics and it is possible for any metric definitions 11 b to be predetermined and evaluated with the metric-calculating device 25 .
The analyzer mechanism 12 can also comprise a rule-evaluating device 24 , which receives a predetermined rule definition 11 a as an input parameter and based on the code objects from the source code parsed by the parser 23 compiles rule infringements 24 a . In this context, the rule infringements 24 a can be present as an unsorted and unweighted list, which only lists rule infringements 24 a determined with reference to the predefined rule definitions 11 a.
The rule infringements 24 a and the object dimensions 25 a can be further used as output values 12 a of the analyzer mechanism 12 by the apparatus 10 . For the static code analysis in the analyzer mechanism 12 , it is possible, for example, to use freely available tools such as, for example, FxCop, Gendarme, PMD, CheckStyle, sppcheck, SourceMonitor or commercial products such as, for example, Klocwork, Coverity, Sotograph, Understand or PC-Lint. However, obviously, it is also possible to use other tools for the static code analysis in the analyzer mechanism 12 .
The predetermined rule definitions 11 a and the predetermined metric definitions 11 b can be filed in a database mechanism 11 of the apparatus 10 , as shown in FIG. 1 . To this end, the database mechanism 11 can comprise the rule definitions 11 a and metric definitions 11 b as part of a predetermined quality model, which is used for the quality assessment of software codes.
The apparatus 10 further comprises an evaluation mechanism 13 , as shown in FIG. 4 . The evaluation mechanism 13 receives as input the rule infringements 24 a and the object dimensions 25 a . The evaluation mechanism 13 also receives one or more evaluation functions 11 c from the database mechanism 11 based on which the evaluation mechanism 13 assesses the rule infringements 24 a according to a prespecified assessment system. For example, it is possible to use a point system in order assign malus points to the rule infringements 24 a depending upon the severity and/or influence. In this context, the object dimensions 25 a , which can, for example, comprise an object list with metrics, can also be used in the assessment of the rule infringements. The evaluation mechanism 13 is designed to output a list with assessed rule infringements 13 a , for example a list with rule infringements 13 a to which an awarded score is assigned with the aid of the evaluation functions 11 c.
The evaluation mechanism 13 can also receive as input manually assessed rules 17 a and a list with changed software-code objects 17 b , which can be included in the assessment. For example, manual assessments of rules or rule infringements can exert an influence on the assessed rule infringements 13 a . It can also be possible for the evaluation mechanism 13 also to include rule infringements 24 a as devalued in the assessment of the rule infringements if the manually assessed rules 17 a relate to changed software-code objects 17 b , i.e. to software-code objects 17 b , which have been subject to changes in comparison to the original software code 16 .
The apparatus 10 comprises an aggregation mechanism 14 , as shown in FIG. 5 . The aggregation mechanism 14 accepts the assessed rule infringements 13 a from the evaluation mechanism 13 and groups them according to aspects of the quality model. To this end, the aggregation mechanism 14 can receive an aspect hierarchy 11 d and an aggregation function 11 e as input parameters from the database mechanism 11 . The aggregation mechanism 14 can use the aggregation function 11 e to determine for every aspect of the quality model according to the aspect hierarchy 11 d the rule infringements 24 a for which points are to be deducted according to the list of the assessed rule infringements 13 a.
In this context, the aggregation mechanism 14 takes into account not only those components of an aspect of the aspect hierarchy 11 d which can be automatically measured with the aid of metrics and/or rule definitions, but also the other components. In this way, in addition to the information on how high the quality of the software code 16 is assessed with respect to automatically measurable quality criteria according to the assessed rule infringements 13 a , it is also possible to assess how high the assessment coverage of a particular quality aspect is. This means for example that, for a quality aspect, a total of 100 points can be issued, but the automatic quality measurement is only able to cover 40 points. In the above example, this results in an assessment coverage degree of 40%. If now, for example, due to point deductions by assessed rule infringements 13 a , a score of 20 is determined by the aggregation mechanism 14 , although a target achievement score of 50% is obtained for the achieved score with respect to the covered 40 points, a target achievement score of only 20% is achieved with respect to the overall possible score of 100.
It can for example be provided that, for a better overview, the aggregation mechanism 14 contains a scale of marks according to which, depending on the degree of points achieved, marks, like, for example, school marks, can be assigned. In the above example, the software code 16 in the selected aspect of the aspect hierarchy 11 d would receive a school grade 4 for a point achievement degree of 50%. Since, however, the automatic code analysis can only cover 40% of the total possible number of points, a school grade of 6 would be obtained for a coverage-corrected grade of the selected aspect.
The aggregation mechanism 14 is designed to output the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessments according to a normalization mechanism 15 , which in turn determines a quality-aspect-related assessment coverage factor based on the predetermined aggregation function 11 e and normalizes the identified quality-aspect-related quality assessment to the identified assessment coverage factor for the outputting of an assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment. In this context, the assessment coverage comprises an aspect assessment 15 a relating to each individual assessed aspect of the aspect hierarchy 11 d and an overall marking 15 b of all aspects of the quality model. On the evaluation of the markings 15 a and 15 b output by the normalization mechanism, it can be identified to what degree coverage gaps in the assessment coverage have occurred in the automatic code analysis. At the same time, the result is corrected by the manually performed rule evaluations 17 a and the corresponding corrections in changed software objects 17 b.
The aggregation mechanism 14 can also output a list 14 a of rule infringements, wherein details of how many points for the infringement have been deducted for which aspect of the aspect hierarchy 11 d are stored in the list 14 a for each rule infringement. This makes it possible to identify the proportion of rule infringements both for each individual aspect and for the overall marking.
The list 14 a of rule infringements can be forwarded according to an effort-assessment mechanism 21 , which is embodied to determine an effort required for the rectification of the assessed rule infringements 13 a based on predetermined rule properties 11 f and the identified object dimensions 25 a , as shown in FIG. 6 . It can be provided that the effort-assessment mechanism 21 receives the rule properties 11 f as input parameters from the database mechanism 11 . With reference to the object dimensions 25 a , this enables the assessment of an effort which will probably be required for the rectification of a rule infringement. For example, it is possible to file as a rule property for each rule infringement details of whether the rectification of the rule infringement necessitates local, module-wide or system-wide changes to the software code 16 . In the case of a local change to the software code 16 , it is possible, for example, to use the number of locally affected code lines, as determined according to the object dimensions 25 a , for the calculation of effort.
For example, a local rule infringement can be assessed with a constant for effort, a module-wide rule infringement with a value in dependence on size of the module and a system-wide rule infringement in dependence on the size and number of the modules used. The effort-assessment mechanism 21 can be embodied to output effort-assessed corrective actions 21 a.
As shown in FIG. 7 , the effort-assessed corrective actions 21 a can be passed to a prioritization mechanism 22 , which is embodied to sort the corrective actions according to their severity. This enables the probable effort identified for each corrective action to be taken into account. The purpose of the prioritization mechanism 22 is to prioritize corrective actions which promise the highest benefit with the lowest effort higher than corrective actions promise a lower benefit or a require a greater effort. To this end, the prioritization mechanism 22 can receive as input parameters effort threshold values 18 a and quality threshold values 18 b . The effort threshold values 18 a and the quality threshold values 18 b are project-related target-achievement data which disclose criteria for the maximal possible effort to be exerted or minimum quality desired. For example, the effort threshold can be achieved if the effort available in terms of costs or time is used up by the corrective actions to be performed. The quality threshold can be achieved if the performance of the corrective actions causes the quality assessment to rise over a certain predetermined amount.
The prioritization mechanism 22 can be embodied to generate as output a sorted list 22 a of suggested corrective actions to be performed.
The apparatus 10 can also comprise a selection mechanism 23 , which can be embodied to determine, quality-assessment tasks, which are to be performed manually, based on the assessment coverage of the quality-aspect-related quality assessment and to output an updated assessment coverage taking into account the assessment effort for the identified quality-assessment tasks. To this end, as shown in the diagram illustrating the mode of operation of the selection mechanism 23 in FIG. 8 , the selection mechanism 23 , can receive as input changed software-code objects 11 b . In a method step 31 , the selection mechanism 23 selects the assessment tasks that have to be performed manually for each object type in order to achieve the required assessment coverage. Here, the rule definitions 11 a of the quality model can be taken into account as a basis.
With reference to the rule properties 11 f , in a step 32 , following the assessment tasks to be performed manually, an effort can be calculated, which will probably be necessary for the assessment tasks to be performed manually. Then, taking into account the aspect assessment with the effort estimation 11 h , the aggregation functions 11 e and the object dimensions 25 a , the evaluation function 11 c can be used to calculate an effort coverage coefficient in a step 33 which indicates the amount of additional effort with which a corresponding assessment coverage can be increased.
All the suggested assessment tasks to be performed manually are sorted in a step 34 in order to generate a list 34 a with assessment tasks to be sorted manually, i.e. a list 34 a indicating which assessment tasks to be performed manually promise the highest increase in assessment coverage for the least effort.
If in step 35 , it should be identified during a comparison with project-related target coverage specifications 11 g that the present assessment coverage does not correspond to the target coverage specifications 11 g , a certain number 23 a of manual assessment tasks to be performed according to the sorted list 34 a can be suggested to increase the assessment coverage. However, if the target coverage has already been reached, the selection mechanism 23 can stop its work in a step 36 .
In some embodiments, the selection mechanism 23 only uses assessment-neutral criteria such as the assessment coverage and assessment effort to be achieved in order to influence a subsequent manual assessment as little as possible.
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In a method for determining a quality assessment of a software code, the coverage is concomitantly calculated when determining the assessment. In order to increase the coverage, additional measurement results and assessments may be taken into account. Following changes to the software base, it is determined which of the additional measurements and assessment results should be renewed in order to provide or ensure the defined coverage.
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This is an application filed under 35 USC §371 of PCT/EP2011/054483, filed on Mar. 23, 2011 and claiming priority to DE 10 2010 012 467.2 filed on Mar. 24, 2010, DE 10 2010 012 459.1 filed on Mar. 24, 2010 and DE 10 2010 020 498.6 filed on May 14, 2010.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a device for applying laser radiation to an at least partially reflective or transparent area of a workpiece disposed in a work area according to the preamble of the claim 1 The present invention further relates to a device for reproducing a linear light distribution according to the preamble of claim 14 , a laser device having such a device and a method for producing such a device.
Definitions: “In the direction of propagation of the laser radiation” refers to the average propagation direction of the laser radiation, in particular when the laser radiation is not a plane wave, or is at least partly divergent. Laser beam, light beam, sub-beam or beam, if not explicitly stated otherwise, does not refer to an idealized beam of geometrical optics, but a real light beam, such as for example a laser beam having a Gaussian profile, or a modified Gaussian profile or a top-hat profile, having not an infinitesimally small, but rather an extended beam cross section. Focal length of a lens or a cylindrical lens refers to the focal length of the lens in vacuum (refractive index n v =1).
It should also be noted at this point that the refractive index in a medium—for example in air or glass—depends on the wavelength of light to be refracted. The refractive index is therefore designated hereinafter with n(λ). An introduction to the theory of such dependencies can be found, for example, in Born, Max and Wolf, Emil, “Principles of Optics”, 7 th edition, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1999, pp. 97 ff.
Devices for applying laser radiation of the aforementioned type are well known. For example, the laser radiation is focused in a work area by a focusing lens, in which for example a layer of a substrate to which the laser radiation is to be applied in order cause to a chemical reaction or a structural transformation, and the like.
However, the prior art devices are not very effective when this layer has only a low optical density at the wavelength of the laser radiation, because in this case only a small fraction of the laser radiation is absorbed by the layer.
A device for reproducing a linear light distribution of the aforedescribed type is known, for example, from DE 199 36 230 A1. There, four arrays of cylindrical lenses are arranged in succession on two substrates in the propagation direction of the light of a light distribution to be imaged, wherein both the entrance surface and the exit surface of each of the substrates is provided with one of the arrays. All the cylindrical lenses are identical and have the same focal length. The thickness of the substrates and hence the distances between the array on the entrance side and the exit side each correspond to twice the focal length of the cylindrical lenses in the material of the substrates or to the product of twice the focal length and the refractive index of the material. The successively arranged cylindrical lenses then operate as a double telescope, so that the light distributions arranged at twice the focal length of the cylindrical lenses in front of substrates are imaged with a ratio 1:1 onto a plane disposed behind the substrates at a distance of twice the focal length.
Disadvantageously, such arrangement enables, on one hand, only size-preserving reproducing when the light distribution to be imaged is arranged in front of the substrates at twice the focal length of the cylindrical lenses. Furthermore, light beams incident at a large angle relative to the normal cannot realistically contribute to the image. In particular, such conventional device is unable to satisfactorily image a linear light distribution with a substantial longitudinal extent of, for example, more than 1 m in the direction of the line.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The underlying problem of the present invention is to provide a more effective device of the aforementioned type for applying laser radiation. Furthermore, the present invention addresses the problem of providing a device for reproducing a linear light distribution of the aforedescribed type, which can be employed more effectively and universally, in particular for reproducing light distributions of large extent in the longitudinal direction of the line. Furthermore, a laser device having such a device will be described. A method for producing such a device will also be described.
This is attained according to the invention with respect to the device for applying laser radiation with a device of the aforementioned type having, an optical arrangement including at least one mirror for reflecting a portion of the laser radiation in the work area or a portion of the laser radiation that has passed through the work area, such that this portion of the laser radiation is at least partially returned to the work area. With respect of the device for reproducing a linear distribution of light with a device of the aforementioned type having D 1 =F 1 ·n 1 (λ) and D 2 =F 2 ·n 2 (λ), wherein D 1 is the distance between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the first array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the second array, wherein D 2 is the distance between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the third array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the fourth array, wherein F 1 is the focal length of at least one of the cylindrical lenses of the first array and/or the second array, wherein F 2 the focal length of at least one of the cylindrical lenses of the third array and/or of the fourth array, wherein n 1 (λ) is the refractive index of the first substrate at the wavelength λ and wherein n 2 (λ) is the refractive index of the second substrate at the wavelength λ. With respect of the laser device with a laser device of the aforementioned type having a laser light source is provide capable of producing a linear light distribution (C) in a first plane with light of a wavelength λ, and a device capable of reproducing the light distribution (C) from the first plane onto a second plane. Further, with respect to the method for producing a device the following process steps are provided: determining the wavelength λ of the light of light distribution (C) to be imaged, in particular determining the wavelength λ of the light of a laser light source capable of producing a linear light distribution (C) in a first plane with light having a wavelength λ, selecting the distance D 1 between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the first array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the second array as well as selecting the distance D 2 between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the third array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the fourth array according to the following formula: D 1 =F 1 ·n 1 (λ) and D 2 =F 2 ·n 2 (λ). The dependent claims relate to preferred embodiment of the invention.
According to claim 1 , the optical means include at least one mirror capable of reflecting a portion of the laser radiation reflected in the work area, or a portion of the laser radiation transmitted through the work area, such that this portion of the laser radiation is at least partially returned to the work area. This increases the effectiveness of the device because a portion of the laser radiation that was already used for the exposure is returned to the work area and can thus again be partially absorbed.
For this purpose, at least one first mirror may be arranged on the side of the work area facing away from the laser light source, with the mirror capable of reflecting a portion of the laser radiation transmitted through the work area, such that this portion of the laser radiation is at least partially returned to the work area.
Furthermore, the device may include, in addition to the at least one first mirror, at least one second mirror on the side of the work area facing the laser light source, with the second mirror capable of reflecting a portion of the laser radiation reflected by the first mirror and at least partially passing through the work area, such that this portion of the laser radiation is at least partially returned to the work area. In this manner, the laser radiation can be repeatedly returned to the work area.
Alternatively, the mirror or mirrors may be arranged only on the side of the work area facing laser light source, wherein the one or more mirrors may reflect a portion of the laser radiation reflected to the work area, such that this portion of the laser radiation is at least partially returned to the work area. This embodiment is particularly suitable for the exposure of materials that provide little or no transmission at the employed laser wavelength.
The at least one mirror may have an outer and/or an inner reflective surface. For example, coated outer surfaces of a planar or curved body and/or reflective inner surfaces in a prism and the like may be used as a mirror. In particular, two mirrors abutting at an angle of 90° may be realized through internal reflections in a prism.
According to claim 14 , it is provided that
D 1 =F 1 ·n 1 (λ) and D 2 =F 2 ·n 2 (λ),
wherein D 1 is the distance between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the first array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the second array, wherein D 2 is the distance between the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the third array and the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses of the fourth array, wherein F 1 is the focal length of at least one of the cylindrical lenses of the first array and/or the second array, wherein F 2 the focal length of at least one of the cylindrical lenses of the third array and/or of the fourth array, wherein n 1 (λ) is the refractive index of the first substrate at the wavelength λ, and wherein n 2 (λ) is the refractive index of the second substrate at the wavelength λ.
With such a design, the light distribution to be imaged may be arranged, on one hand, at a comparatively arbitrary distance from the device, without significantly affecting the quality of the image. On the other hand, light beams incident on the device at a large angle to the normal may also contribute to the image, so that light distributions having a large extent in the direction of the line can also be imaged realistically.
With such a device, an optical path similar to the optical path in a retro-reflection arrangement can be realized, except that reflection, instead of transmission, takes place in the device of the invention. Therefore, in the context of the device of claim 14 , reference may be made to a “retro-transmission.” Specifically, although the phase relationships of the individual portions of the light to be imaged are eliminated with passage through the device, the divergence angles of at least some portions of the light are nevertheless maintained or are transformed into corresponding convergence angles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Additional features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the appended drawings, which show in
FIG. 1 a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for applying laser radiation;
FIG. 2 a schematic side view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention for applying laser radiation;
FIG. 3 a detailed view according to the arrow III in FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 a schematic side view of a third embodiment of a device according to the invention for applying laser radiation;
FIG. 5 a schematic side view of a fourth embodiment of a device according to the invention for applying laser radiation;
FIG. 6 a schematic side view of a fifth embodiment of a device according to the invention for applying laser radiation;
FIG. 7 a schematic side view of a first embodiment of a device according to the invention for reproducing a linear light distribution; and
FIG. 8 a schematic side view of a second embodiment of a device according to the invention for reproducing a linear light distribution.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the figures, identical or functionally identical parts or beams are designated with identical reference symbols. Furthermore, a Cartesian coordinate system is indicated in several figures for better orientation.
Laser radiation is emitted from an unillustrated laser light source which in the illustrated embodiment is a collimated laser radiation 1 . For example, the laser radiation 1 is to be applied to an (unillustrated) layer of a substrate in a work plane 2 . This layer has, for example, a low optical density at the wavelength of the laser radiation 1 . This means that only a small portion of the laser radiation 1 is absorbed by the layer when the laser radiation 1 passes through the layer.
The embodiment of a device for applying a laser beam shown in FIG. 1 includes a first lens 3 on the side of the work plane 2 facing the laser fight source. The first lens 3 has positive refractive power and focuses the laser radiation 1 into a work area 4 , which is arranged in the work plane 2 . The first lens 3 is here arranged at a distance from the work plane 2 corresponding to the focal length F 3 of the first lens 3 . The first lens 3 is designed, for example, as planoconvex lens.
A portion of the laser radiation 1 is absorbed in the work area 4 by the unillustrated layer of the substrate.
A second lens 5 which also has positive refractive power is arranged on the side of the work plane 2 facing away from the laser light source. The second lens 5 is also arranged at a distance from the work plane 2 , with the distance corresponding to the focal length F 5 to the second lens 5 . The focal lengths F 3 and F 5 in the illustrated embodiment are identical. The second lens 5 is also formed, for example, as a plano-convex lens.
A first mirror 6 and a second mirror 7 whose reflecting surfaces enclose an angle α of 90° and which in particular adjoin one another at this angle are arranged on the side of the second lens 5 facing away from the work plane 2 . The mirrors 6 , 7 are here each aligned at an angle of 45° in relation to the work plane 2 and to the laser radiation 1 , respectively.
Furthermore, a third mirror 8 and a fourth mirror 9 whose reflective surfaces also include an angle of 90° are arranged on the side of the first lens 3 facing away from the work plane 2 . The mirrors 8 , 9 are here each also aligned at an angle of 45° to the work plane 2 and to the laser radiation 1 , respectively. However, the third and fourth mirrors 8 , 9 do not abut each other, but define between them a space 10 , through which the laser radiation 1 can enter into the device. Furthermore, the fourth mirror 9 is comparatively short, so that laser radiation 11 can exit the device by passing on the side of the fourth mirror 9 facing the work plane 2 . The fourth mirror 9 is thus arranged asymmetrically, in the device.
As seen in FIG. 1 , the incident laser radiation 1 is deflected by the lenses 3 , 5 and the mirrors 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 so as to pass four times through the work area 4 . Due to the four-time passage, a comparatively large amount of the laser radiation can be absorbed by the layer of the substrate that is not imaged. The laser radiation twice follows a course in the device corresponding to an “ 8 ”. The laser radiation is denoted in the interior of the device in order of appearance by the reference symbols 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 1 d , 1 e , 1 f , 1 g and 1 h.
The laser radiation is denoted as laser radiation 1 a after entering the device. After passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 , the laser radiation 1 a is denoted as laser radiation 1 b . The laser radiation 1 b is denoted as laser radiation 1 c after reflection at the first and second mirrors 6 , 7 . The laser radiation 1 c is denoted as laser radiation 1 d after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 . The laser radiation 1 d is denoted as laser radiation 1 e after reflection at the third and fourth mirrors 8 , 9 . The laser radiation 1 e is denoted as laser radiation 1 f after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 . The laser radiation 1 f is denoted as laser radiation 1 g after reflection at the first and second mirrors 6 , 7 . The laser radiation 1 g is denoted as laser radiation 1 h after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 .
The laser radiation 1 h exits from the device as a laser radiation 11 after reflection on the third mirror 8 . The laser radiation 11 exits the device toward the right in FIG. 1 , and thus at an angle of 90° relative to the first laser radiation 1 . In this way, a portion of the laser radiation exiting from the device 11 is prevented from returning to the unillustrated laser light source.
The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the device includes additionally a plurality of lens array means 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 . The lens array means 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 are constructed identically, but differ from one another in their location and orientation. An exemplary lens array means 12 is shown in FIG. 3 .
The lens array means 12 includes, like any of the other lens array means 13 , 14 , 15 , two substrates 12 a , 12 b which are, in particular, made of the same material and have the same refractive index. The first substrate 12 a has a first array 16 and a second array 17 of cylindrical lenses 18 disposed on opposite sides. The second substrate 12 b has a third array 19 and a fourth array 20 of cylindrical lenses 18 disposed on opposite sides. In particular, the second array 17 formed on the first substrate 12 a abuts the third array 19 formed on the second substrate 12 b.
The cylindrical lenses 18 are oriented such that their cylinder axes extend in the drawing plane of FIG. 3 . All focal lengths f of the cylindrical lenses 18 are identical. The distance D 1 from the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the first array 16 to the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 17 corresponds to the product of the focal length f and the refractive index n(λ) of the first substrate 12 a at the wavelength λ of the laser radiation 1 . Furthermore, the distance D 2 from the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 to the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the fourth array 20 also corresponds to the product of the focal length f and the refractive index n(λ) of the second substrate 12 b at the wavelength λ of the laser radiation 1 .
Thus, an array of thick Fourier lenses is formed on each substrate 12 a , 12 b , namely lenses where the two refracting surfaces serving as cylindrical lenses 18 are arranged exactly in the distance D 1 , D 2 of the product of focal length f and refractive index n(λ), respectively.
Because in the illustrated exemplary embodiment the focal lengths f of all cylindrical lenses 18 are identical, and the refractive indices n(λ) of both substrates 12 a , 12 b are also identical, the distances D 1 and D 2 are also identical. Because especially the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 17 abut the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 , the total thickness D of the device (see FIG. 3 ) is calculated as:
D=D 1 +D 2 =2 ·f·n (λ),
Four cylindrical lenses 18 successively arranged in the Z direction on each of the first, second, third and fourth array 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 thus constitute a channel operating as a telescope. The magnification of these individual telescopes in the illustrated embodiment corresponds to −1. The central cylinder lenses 18 , which are arranged in the second and the third array 17 , 19 , operate here as additional field lenses which enable reproducing of light that is incident on the lens array means 12 at large angles to the normal. Alternatively, the middle arrays 17 , 19 may be omitted.
When laser radiation passes repeatedly through the work area 4 of a device without the lens array means, as shown in FIG. 1 , the Rayleigh length of the focus of laser radiation in the work area 4 becomes increasingly smaller. The focus may then sometimes be shifted upward or downward relative to the work plane 2 , thus reducing the effectiveness of the absorption by the unillustrated layer of the substrate.
In a device for applying laser radiation according to FIG. 2 , the lens array means 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 may invert the divergence of the laser radiation passing through. The Rayleigh lengths observable with a device according to FIG. 1 then do not change even when the substrate is displaced out of the work plane 2 .
The lens array means 12 , 13 are oriented such that the cylindrical axes of their cylindrical lenses 18 extend in the drawing plane of FIG. 2 . Conversely, the lens array means 14 , 15 are oriented such that the cylinder axes of their cylindrical lenses extend in the drawing plane of FIG. 2 . The lens array means 12 , 13 , on the one hand, and the lens array means 14 , 15 thus operate on different axes of the cross section of the laser radiation.
The embodiment according to FIG. 4 differs from that of FIG. 1 in that the second lens 5 disposed on the side of the work plane 2 facing away from the laser light source and the mirrors 6 , 7 arranged on the side of the work plane 2 facing away from the laser light source are absent. This makes the device suitable for applying laser radiation to materials, which have an at least partly reflective surface.
FIG. 4 shows that the incident laser radiation 1 is deflected by the lens 3 and the mirrors 8 , 9 so that it passes altogether twice through the work area 4 . Due to the two-time passage, a greater amount of laser radiation can be absorbed by the unillustrated layer of the substrate than in a single pass. The laser radiation in the device takes here twice a course corresponding to a deformed “O”. The laser radiation in the interior of the device in order of appearance is denoted with the reference symbols 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 1 d.
The laser radiation 1 after entering the device is denoted as a laser radiation 1 a . The laser radiation 1 a after reflection at the work plane 2 is denoted as a laser radiation 1 b . The laser radiation 1 b is denoted as a laser radiation 1 c after reflection at the third and fourth mirrors 8 , 9 . The laser radiation 1 c is denoted as a laser radiation 1 d after reflection at the work plane 2 .
The laser radiation 1 d exits from the device a laser radiation 11 after reflection on the third mirror 8 . The laser radiation 11 exits the device toward the right in FIG. 4 , and thus at an angle of 90° to the incident laser radiation 1 . This prevents a portion of the laser radiation 11 exiting from the device to return to the unillustrated laser light source.
Unlike the embodiments according to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , the embodiment of FIG. 5 has curved mirrors 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 instead of the plane mirrors 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 . The mirrors 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 may have, for example, a parabolic or an elliptical shape. For this reason, the lenses in the interior of the device may be omitted. Only a first lens 3 is provided, which focuses the incident laser radiation 1 in the work area 4 .
After being focused once, the laser beam needs no longer pass through the first lens 3 , because the curved mirror 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ensure re-focusing of the laser radiation in the work area 4 . This design greatly reduces the number of refractions and also reduces corresponding losses.
In this embodiment, the third and fourth mirrors 8 , 9 also not to abut each other, but define between them a space 10 , through which the laser radiation 1 can enter into the device. Moreover, the fourth mirror 9 is comparatively short, so that laser radiation 11 can exit the device on the side of the fourth mirror 9 facing the work plane. The fourth mirror 9 is therefore also asymmetrically arranged in the device.
The laser radiation in the interior of the device is denoted with the same reference symbols 1 a , 1 b , 1 c , 1 d , 1 e , 1 f , 1 g and 1 h as in FIGS. 1 and 2 and also follows substantially the same path, namely twice a path corresponding to an “ 8 ”.
Furthermore, lens array means may also be provided in a device for applying laser radiation according to FIG. 5 , like in the embodiment of FIG. 2 . Moreover, the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 may also be implemented on only one side, thus producing a device suitable for reflective media which is similar to the device according to FIG. 4 .
The fifth embodiment of FIG. 6 differs from the first embodiment of FIG. 1 in that the fourth mirror 9 is replaced with a polarization-selective beam splitter 21 embodied as a polarization cube and a polarization rotator 22 embodied as a half-wave plate.
The arrow 23 indicates that the laser radiation 1 entering the device has a polarization direction in the drawing plane of FIG. 6 . The polarization-selective beam splitter 21 and the polarization rotator 22 are disposed approximately at the height of the third mirror 8 before the first lens 3 , so that the incident laser radiation 1 passes through the polarization-selective beam sputter 21 and the rotator 22 before impinging on the first lens 3 . The polarization-selective beam splitter 21 is here constructed and arranged such light incident from the top in FIG. 6 and having a polarization direction extending in the drawing plane passes unobstructed through the beam splitter 21 downward in FIG. 6 .
The polarization direction is rotated by the downstream polarization rotator 22 , so as to be oriented perpendicular to drawing plane of FIG. 6 .
In FIG. 6 , the laser radiation 1 is denoted as a laser radiation 1 a after passing through the polarization rotator 22 . The laser radiation 1 a is denoted as laser radiation 1 b after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 . The laser radiation 1 b is denoted as laser radiation 1 c after reflection on the first and second mirrors 6 , 7 . The laser radiation 1 c is denoted as laser radiation 1 d after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 .
Because the laser radiation has a polarization oriented perpendicular to the drawing plane of FIG. 6 , it is reflected downward in FIG. 6 by the polarization-selective beam splitter 21 . After reflection on the third mirror 8 and the polarization-selective beam splitter 21 , the laser radiation is referred to as laser radiation 1 e . The laser radiation 1 e then passes through the polarization rotator 22 and is referred to after passage as laser radiation 1 f . Passage through the polarization rotator 22 causes the laser radiation 1 f to have a polarization direction lying in the drawing plane of FIG. 6 .
The laser radiation 1 f is denoted as laser radiation 1 g after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 . The laser radiation 1 g is denoted as laser radiation 1 h after reflection on the first and the second mirror 6 , 7 . The laser radiation 1 h is denoted as laser radiation 1 i after passing through the lenses 3 , 5 and the work area 4 .
The laser radiation 1 i impinges after reflection on the third mirror 8 on the polarization-selective beam splitter 21 and is transmitted therethrough unimpededly toward the right in FIG. 6 because its polarization direction is in the plane of FIG. 6 .
It exits from the device as laser radiation 11 , wherein the polarization direction in the drawing plane is indicated by the arrow 23 . The laser radiation 11 exits the device toward the right in FIG. 1 , and thus at an angle of 90° to the incident laser radiation 1 . This prevents a portion of the laser radiation 11 emitted from the device 11 to return to the unillustrated laser light source.
In the embodiment of FIG. 6 , the laser radiation also passes four times through the work area 4 and follows in the device twice a path that corresponds to an “ 8 ”.
Lens array means may also be employed in a device according to FIG. 6 , similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 . The embodiment of FIG. 6 may also be implemented on only one side, thus producing a device suitable for reflective media, similar to the device of FIG. 4 .
It turns out that the lens array means 12 described in detail with reference to FIG. 3 can also be used to image a linear light distribution. Therefore, the device depicted in FIGS. 7 and 8 for reproducing a linear light distribution can correspond, in particular, to the lens array means 12 according to FIG. 3 .
The device according to FIGS. 7 and 8 generally includes a first substrate 12 a and a second substrate 12 b . The first substrate 12 a has a refractive index n 1 (λ), which is at least in sections and at least at one wavelength λ equal to the refractive index n 2 (λ) of the second substrate. In particular, at least portions of the two substrates 12 a , 12 b are made from the same material.
The first substrate 12 a has a first array 16 and a second array 17 of cylindrical lenses 18 disposed on opposite sides in the Z direction. The cylindrical lenses 18 in both the first array 16 and the second array 17 are each arranged side-by-side in the X-direction and are oriented so that their cylinder axis extends in the Y-direction or in the drawing plane of FIGS. 7 and 8 , respectively.
The second substrate 12 b has a third array 19 and a fourth array 20 of cylindrical lenses 18 arranged on opposing sides in the Z-direction. The cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 and the fourth array 20 are each arranged side-by-side in the X-direction and oriented so that their cylinder axis extends in the Y-direction or in the drawing plane of FIGS. 7 and 8 , respectively.
The cylindrical lenses 18 of the first, second, third and fourth arrays 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 each have the same width b in the X direction (see FIG. 7 ).
In particular, the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 17 , which is formed on the first substrate 12 a , abut the vertex ones of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 , which is formed on the second substrate 12 b.
The cylindrical lenses 18 of the first and the second array 16 , 17 have all an identical focal length F 1 . The cylindrical lenses 18 of the third and the fourth array 19 , 20 likewise have all the same focal length F 2 . In particular, the focal length F 1 of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the first and second array 16 , 17 is equal to the focal length F 2 of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third and fourth array 19 , 20 .
The distance D 1 of the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the first array 16 to the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 17 corresponds here to the product of the focal length F 1 and the refractive index n 1 (λ) of the first substrate 12 a . Furthermore, the distance D 2 of the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 to the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the fourth array 20 corresponds to the product of the focal length F 2 and the refractive index n 2 (λ) of the second substrate 12 b.
Accordingly, an array of thick Fourier lenses is formed on each substrate 12 a , 12 b , namely lenses where the two refracting surfaces operating as cylindrical lenses 18 are arranged exactly at the distance D 1 , D 2 of the product of focal length F 1 , F 2 , and refractive index n 1 (λ), n 2 (λ).
Because in the illustrated exemplary embodiment the focal length F 1 is equal to the focal length F 2 and the refractive index n 1 (λ) is equal to the refractive index n 2 (λ), the distances D 1 and D 2 are also identical. In particular, because the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 17 abut the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the third array 19 , the total thickness D of the device is (see FIG. 7 ):
D=D 1 +D 2 =2 ·f 1 ·n 1 (λ)=2 ·f 2 ·n 2 (λ).
Four cylindrical lenses 18 which are arranged successively on the first, the second, the third and the fourth array 16 , 17 , 19 , 20 in the Z direction thus constitute a channel operating as a telescope. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the magnification of these individual telescopes is −1. The central cylinder lenses 18 arranged in the second and the third array 17 , 19 hereby operate as additional field lenses which enable reproducing of light incident on the device at large angles to the normal.
FIG. 7 shows reproducing of two point-shaped light distributions A, B with a device according to the invention. The light distribution A in the Z-direction has here a distance L A to the device, wherein L A in particular denotes the distance between the light distribution A and the plane in which the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the first array 16 are located (see FIG. 7 ). Furthermore, the light distribution B in the Z direction has likewise a distance L B to the device, wherein L B in particular denotes the distance between the light distribution B and the plane in which the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second array 20 are located.
To more clearly illustrate the reproducing process, the light beams S a , S b originating from the light distributions A, B and the light beams S a′ , S b′ refracted on the cylindrical lenses 18 are illustrated. The illustrated light beams S a , S b , S a′ , S b′ are only shown as examples and correspond to idealized light beams of geometrical optics.
The images of the light distributions A, B are indicated in FIG. 7 with the reference symbols A′, B′. These images A′, B′ have the same distance from the inventive device as the light distributions A, B. This means that the image A′ has a distance L A to the plane in which the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second and third arrays 17 , 19 abut one another. Furthermore, the image B′ has a distance L B to the plane in which the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second and third array 17 , 19 abut each other.
It turns out that the images are not point-shaped, but are widened into lines in the X-direction, i.e. in the direction in which the cylindrical lenses 18 are arranged side-by-side. The width B A′ , B B′ of the images A′, B′ in the X-direction depends in each case on the width b of the cylindrical lenses 18 , on the magnitude of the distance L A , L B of the images A′, B′ to the device, and on the wavelength λ of the light of the light distributions A, B. In particular, the following formulas apply:
B
A
′
=
2
·
(
b
+
λ
b
·
L
A
)
and
(
1
)
B
B
′
=
2
·
(
b
+
λ
b
·
L
B
)
.
(
2
)
With a width b of the cylindrical lenses 18 , which is large compared to the wavelength λ of the light of the light distributions A, B, the width B A′ , B B′ of the images A′, B′ in the X-direction thus is about twice the width b of the cylindrical lenses 18 .
When reproducing point-shaped light distributions, this broadening of the images in the X-direction can cause disturbances. This is different for light distributions that extend appreciably in the X-direction. This situation is illustrated in AG. 8 .
The embodiment of an inventive device according to FIG. 8 differs from that of FIG. 7 only in that the substrates 12 a , 12 b have a greater extent in the X-direction, i.e. have a larger number of cylindrical lenses 18 arranged side-by-side. The size and number of cylindrical lenses 18 are exemplary only and may actually be different from the illustration.
FIG. 8 shows a linear light distribution C in a first plane which has a distance L C from the inventive device in the Z-direction, wherein L C refers in particular to the distance between the light distribution C and the plane in which the vertex lines of the cylindrical lenses 18 of the second and the third array 17 , 19 abut each other. The width B C of the light distribution C and the magnitude of the distance L C are only shown schematically and may actually have values or ratios that deviate from the illustration.
For example, the width B C of the light distribution C in the X-direction may be 3 m. Furthermore, the distance L C of the light distribution C from the device in the Z-direction may be 1 m. With an assumed one-sided divergence (see angle β in FIG. 8 ) of about 11° between exemplary light beams S C originating from the light distribution C, a width B C of 3.8 m would result in the X direction after a distance of 2 m, if the light distribution C were to propagate unimpededly in accordance with the light beams S C″ , meaning in absence of the inventive device (see FIG. 8 ). The light beams S C , S C′ , S C″ illustrated in FIG. 8 are also shown by way of example and correspond to idealized light beams of geometrical optics.
The width b of the cylindrical lenses 18 in the X direction is assumed to be 2 mm. The arrangement of such an inventive device at a distance L C of approximately 1 m behind the light distribution C produces an image C′ in a second plane which has a distance L C of about 1 m from the device. The light beams S C′ refracted on the device make this illustration clearer. In the assumed example, the width B C′ of the image C′ in the X-direction is only 3.004 m, because according to the formula (1), the additional width is about twice the width b (=2 mm) of the cylindrical lenses 18 .
This causes a broadening of the image C′ compared to the original light distribution C in a range of approximately 0.1%. Such broadening will be negligible in most applications. To attain an image of similar quality with other prior art devices, complex optical wave-guiding techniques would have to be employed.
|
A device for applying laser radiation to an at least partially reflective or transparent region or a workpiece disposed in a working area, with a laser light source for generating the laser radiation and optics for influencing the laser radiation, such that the radiation is transferred into the working area, wherein the optics comprise at least one mirror that can reflect a part of the laser radiation reflected in the working area or a part of the laser radiation having passed through the working area, such that said part of the laser radiation is at least partially fed hack into the working area.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to therapeutically effective compounds and methods of treating certain diseases/syndromes using such compounds.
REFERENCES
The following references are cited in the application as numbers in brackets or superscript at the relevant portion of the application.
1. Sladek, F. M., Zhong, W. M., Lai, E. Darnell, J. E., Jr. Gene Dev. 4, 2353-2365 (1990)
2. Sladek, F. M., in Liver Gene Expression (eds. Tronche, F. & Yaniv, M.) pp. 207-230, R. G. Landes Co., Austin, Tex. (1994)
3. The Metabolic and Inherited Bases of Inherited Disease (eds., Scriver, C. R., Beaudet, A. L., Sly, W. S., Valle, D.) Vol. II, Part 8, 1995 (McGraw-Hill, Inc.)
4. Yamagata, K. et al., Nature 384, 4588-60 (1996)
5. DeFronzo, R. A. & Eleaterio, F. Diabetes Care 14, 173-194(1991)
6. Leff, T., Reue, K., Melian, A., Culver, H. & Breslow J. L. J. Biol. Chem. 264, 16132-16137 (1989)
7. Cave, W. T. FASEB J. 5,2160-2166 (1991)
8. Chin, J. P. F. Prost. Leuk. Essent. Fatty Acids 50, 211-222 (1994)
9. Grundy, S. M. & Denke, M. A. J. Lipid Res. 31, 1149-1172 (1990)
10. Storlien, L. H. et al., Science 237, 885-888 (1987)
11. Unger, R. H. Diabetes 44, 863-870 (1995)
12. Morris, M. C., Saks, F. & Rosner, B. Circulation 88, 523-533 (1993)
13. Hultin, M. B. Prog. Hemost. Thromb. 10, 215-241 (1991)
14. Bar-Tana, J., Rose-Kahn, G., Frenkel, B., Shafer, Z. & Fainaru, M. J. Lipid Res. 29, 431-441 (1988)
15. Tzur, R., Rose-Kahn, G., Adler, J. & Bar-Tana, J. Diabetes 37, 1618-1624 (1988)
16. Tzur, R., Smith, E. & Bar-Tana, J. Int. J. Obesity 13, 313-326 (1989)
17. Russel, J. C., Amy, R. M., Graham, S. E., Dolphin, P. J. & Bar-Tana, J. Arterioscler.
Thromb. Biol. 15, 918-923 (1995)
The disclosure of the above publications, patents and patent applications are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the same extent as if the language of each individual publication, patent and patent application were specifically and individually included herein.
BACKGROUND
Hepatocyte nuclear factor-4α 1 (HNF-4, preferably HNF-4α, (reviewed in ref. 2) is an orphan member of the superfamily of nuclear receptors. HNF-4α is expressed in the adult and embryonic liver, kidney, intestine and pancreas and disruption of the murine HNF-4α by homologous recombination results in embryo death. Like other members of the superfamily, the HNF-4α receptor consists of a modular structure comprising a well conserved N-terminal DNA binding domain linked through a hinge region to a hydrophobic C-terminal ligand binding domain. Two HNF-4α isoforms have been cloned and characterized: HNF-4α1 and HNF-4α2 comprising of a splice variant having a 10 amino acids insert in the C-terminal domain.
HNF-4α is an activator of gene expression. Transcriptional activation by HNF-4α is mediated by its binding as a homodimer to responsive DR-1 promoter sequences of target genes resulting in activation of the transcriptional initiation complex. Genes activated by HNF-4α (reviewed in ref. 2) encode various enzymes and proteins involved in lipoproteins, cholesterol and triglycerides metabolism (apolipoproteins AI, AII, AIV, B, CIII, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein, cholesterol 7(hydroxylase), lipid metabolism (mitochondrial medium chain fatty acyl-CoA dehydrogenase, peroxisomal fatty acyl-CoA oxidase, cytochrome P-450 isozymes involved in fatty acyl ω-oxidation and steroid hydroxylation, fatty acid binding protein, cellular retinol binding protein II, transthyretin), glucose metabolism (phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase, pyruvate kinase, aldolase, glut2), amino acid metabolism (tyrosine amino transferase, ornitine transcarbamylase), blood coagulation (factors VII, IX, X), iron metabolism (transferrin, erythropoietin) and macrophage activation (hepatocyte growth factor-like protein/macrophage stimulating protein, Hepatitis B core and X proteins, long terminal repeat of human HIV-1, α-1 antitrypsin).
Some genes activated by HNF-4α play a dominant role in the onset and progression of atherogenesis, cancer, autoimmune and some other diseases 3 . Thus, overexpression of apolipoproteins B, AIV and CIII as well as of microsomal triglyceride transfer protein may result in dyslipoproteinemia (combined hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia) due to increased production of very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) and chylomicrons combined with decrease in their plasma clearance. Similarly, enhanced pancreatic glycolytic rates leading to HNF-4α/HNF-1-induced overexpression/oversecretion of pancreatic insulin may result in hyperinsulinemia leading to insulin resistance. Indeed, mutations in HNF-4α and HNF-1 were recently shown to account for maturity onset diabetes of the young (MODY) 4 . Insulin resistance combined with HNF-4α-induced overexpression of liver phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase and increased hepatic glucose production may result in impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) leading eventually to noninsulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Furthermore, hyperinsulinemia is realized today as major etiological factor in the onset and progression of essential hypertension and overexpression of HNF-4α controlled genes may therefore further lead to hypertension. Furthermore, HNF-4α-induced overexpression of blood coagulation factors combined perhaps with overexpression of inhibitors of blood fibrinolysis (e.g., plasminogen activator inhibitor-1) may lead to increased thrombus formation and decreased fibrinolysis with a concomitant aggravation of atherosclerotic prone processes.
Dyslipoproteinemia, obesity, IGT/NIDDM, hypertension and coagulation/fibrinolysis defects have been recently realized to be linked by a unifying Syndrome (Syndrome-X, Metabolic Syndrome, Syndrome of insulin resistance) 5 . High transcriptional activity of HNF-4α resulting in overexpression of HNF-4α-controlled genes may indeed account for the etiological linkage of Syndrome-X categories. Syndrome-X categories and the Syndrome in toto are realized today as major risk factors for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in Western societies, thus implicating HNF-4α in initiating and promoting atherogenesis. Furthermore, since breast, colon and prostate cancers are initiated and promoted in Syndrome-X inflicted individuals, overexpression of HNF-4α controlled genes could be implicated in the onset and progression of these malignancies.
In addition to the role played by HNF-4α in the expression of Syndrome-X related genes, HNF-4α activates the expression of genes which encode for proteins involved in modulating the course of autoimmune reactions. Thus, HNF-4α-induced overexpression of the macrophage stimulating protein may result in sensitization of macrophages to self antigens or crossreacting antigens, thus initiating and exacerbating the course of autoimmune diseases, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and psoriasis. Furthermore, since transcription of hepatitis B core and X proteins as well as the long terminal repeat of human HIV-1 are controlled by HNF-4α, HNF-4α could be involved in modulating the course of infection initiated by these viral agents.
Since overexpression of HNF-4α-induced genes may result in dyslipoproteinemia, IGT/NIDDM, hypertension, blood coagulability and fibrinolytic defects, atherogenesis, cancer, inflammatory, immunodeficiency and other diseases, inhibition of HNF-4α transcriptional activity may be expected to result in amelioration of HNF-4α-induced pathologies. However, no ligand has yet been identified for HNF-4α which could serve as basis for designing inhibitors of HNF-4α transcriptional activity. This invention is concerned with low molecular weight ligands of HNF-4α designed to act as modulators of HNF-4α-induced transcription and therefore as potential drugs in the treatment of pathologies induced by or involving HNF-4α-controlled genes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, there are provided therapeutically effective compounds comprising an amphipathic carboxylate of the formula R—COOH, or a salt or an ester or amide of such compound, where R designates a saturated or unsaturated alkyl chain of 10-24 carbon atoms, one or more of which may be replaced by heteroatoms, where one or more of said carbon or heteroatom chain members optionally forms part of a ring, and where said chain is optionally substituted by a hydrocarbyl radical, heterocyclyl radical, lower alkoxy, hydroxyl-substituted lower alkyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, phenyl or (hydroxy-, lower alkyl-, lower alkoxy-, lower alkenyl- or lower alkinyl)-substituted phenyl, C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl or (hydroxy-, lower alkyl-, lower alkoxy-, lower alkenyl- or lower alkinyl)-substituted C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl wherein said amphipathic carboxylate is capable of being endogenously converted to its respective coenzyme A thioester.
In a preferred embodiment the amphipathic carboxylate is a xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylate. In a more preferred embodiment, the xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylate may be a long chain dicarboxylic acid, α-OH carboxylic acid, α-B(OH) 2 carboxylic acid, an analogue of clofibric acid or a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug. In a most preferred embodiment the amphipathic carboxylated is selected from the group consisting of Stearoyl(18:0)-CoA, Oleoyl(18:1)-CoA, Linolenoyl(18:2)-CoA, Linolenoyl(18:3)-CoA, Eicosa-pentaenoyl(20:5)-CoA, Docosahexaenoyl(22:6)-CoA, 1,16 Hexadecanedioic acid, 1,18 Octadecanedioic acid 2,2,15,15-tetramethylhexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 2,2,17,17-tetramethylocta-decane-1,18-dioic acid, 3,3,14,14-tetramethyl-hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 3,3,16,16-tetramethyl-octadecane-1,18-dioic acid, 4,4,13,13-tetra-methyl-hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 4,4,15,15-tetramethyl-octadecane-1,18-dioic acid, 16-B(OH)2-hexadecanoic acid, 18-B(OH)2-octadecanoic acid, 16-B(OH)2-2,2-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-B(OH)2-2,2-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-B(OH) 2-3,3 -dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-B(OH)2-3,3-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-B(OH)2-4 4,4-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-B(OH)2-4,4-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, and 18-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid.
In another aspect of the present invention there is provided a method of treatment for Syndrome X comprising administering a therapeutically effective amount of an amphipathic carboxylate. In a preferred embodiment each of the diseases comprising Syndrome X may be treated individually.
In another aspect of the present invention, there are provided methods of modulating HNF-4α activity.
In yet another aspect, there are provided methods of treating a disease or syndrome comprising the administration of a therapeutically effective amount of an amphipathic carboxylate. Diseases such as, for example, breast cancer, colon cancer and prostate cancer may be treated using the inventive methods.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows that long chain acyl-CoAs are ligands for HNF-4I. The GST-HNF-4I(LBD) fusion protein (I) consists of HNF-4I(LBD) fused to glutathione-S transferase. The His-HNF-4I (n) consists of the full length HNF-4I tagged by 6 histidines.
a. Saturation binding curve for palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA. The respective recombinant proteins are incubated to equilibrium with [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (0.05 μCi) and with increasing nonlabeled palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA as indicated. A dissociation constant (Kd) of 2.6 μM and maximal binding of 1 mol palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA/mol HNF-4I are determined by Scatchard analysis.
b. Competition by myristoyl(14:0)-CoA. The respective recombinant proteins are incubated with 8 nM of [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (60 Ci/mmol) and with increasing nonlabeled myristoyl(14:0)-CoA as indicated. Percent bound refers to radiolabeled [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA in the bound fraction. 100% binding amounts to 0.3 pmol of [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA. Percent bound refers to radiolabeled [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA in the bound fraction. 100% binding amounts to 0.3 pmol of [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA. EC 50 (50% specific competition) amounts to 1.4 μM (range 1.2-1.5 μM) of myristoyl(14:0)-CoA. EC 50 for other fatty acyl-CoAs and xenobiotic acyl-CoAs are as follows:
Dodecanoyl(12:0)-CoA
2.3 μM
(range 2.1-2.4 μM);
Palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA
2.6 μM
(range 1.3-3.4 μM);
Stearoyl(18:0)-CoA
2.7 μM
(range 2.1-3.3 μM);
Oleoyl(18:1)-CoA
1.4 μM
(range 1.0-1.8 μM);
Linoleoyl(18:2)-CoA
1.9 μM
(range 1.5-2.3 μM);
Linolenoyl(18:3)-CoA
2.9 μM
(range 2.9-3.8 μM);
Eicosapentaenoyl(20:5)-CoA
0.6 μM
(range 0.5-0.7 μM);
Docosahexaenoyl(22:6)-CoA
1.6 μM
(range 0.6-2.7 μM).
3,3,16,16-tetramethyl-octadecanedioic
8 μM
(range 5-15 μM)
acid
3,3,14,14-tetramethyl-hexadecanedioic
8 μM
(range 5-15 μM)
acid
3,3,12,12-tetramethyl-tetradecanedioic
40 μM
acid
Bezafibrate
90 μM
Nafenopin
90 μM
Ibuprofen
40 μM
FIG. 2 shows that fatty acyl-CoA ligands of HNF-4α modulate its binding to its cognate DNA enhancer.
a. His-HNF-4I (14 ng) binding to C3P in the absence (lane 1) or presence of 10 μM each of myristoyl(14:0)-CoA (lane 2) or palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (lane 3).
b. His-HNF-4I (20 ng) binding to C3P in the absence (lane 1) or presence of 10 μM each of stearoyl(18:0)-CoA (lane 2) or linolenoyl(18:3, w-3)-CoA (lane 3).
c. Activation of His-HNF-4I (14 ng) binding to C3P by increasing concentrations of myristoyl(14:0)-CoA. The gel section containing radiolabeled C3P bound to His-HNF-4I dimer is shown.
FIG. 3 shows the modulation of HNF-4I transcriptional activity by long chain fatty acyl-CoAs in vitro.
a. Representative experiments showing in vitro transcription of the test template in the presence of increasing concentrations of His-HNF-4I and in the absence (lanes 1-3, 7-9) or presence of 10 μM of added palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (lanes 4-6) or stearoyl(18:0)-CoA (lanes 10,11) as indicated. Correctly initiated transcripts of the test and control templates are denoted by (→) and (→), respectively.
b. HNF-4I -induced in vitro transcription in the absence (empty bars) or presence of 10 μM each of added palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (filled bars) or stearoyl(18:0)-CoA (hatched bars). Fold transcription indicates the ratio of specific transcript produced by the test template over transcript from the control template normalized to the ratio observed without HNF-4a. The figure summarizes 5 independent experiments for each acyl-CoA. *-Significant as compared with the respective value in the absence of added ligand.
FIG. 4 shows modulation of HNF-4α activity by long chain fatty acids and xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates in transient transfection assays.
a. HNF-4I modulation by long chain fatty acids. Fold induction of CAT activity by transfected HNF-4I is determined by evaluating CAT activity in the presence of pSG5-HNF-4I as compared with pSG5 plasmid and as function of respective fatty acids added to the culture medium as indicated. The figure summarizes 3-4 independent experiments for each fatty acid. Mean±S.E.
b. HNF-4I suppression by xenobiotic dicarboxylic acids. Fold induction refers to CAT activity in cells incubated with 3,3,12,12-tetramethyl-tetradecanedioic acid (•), 3,3,14,14-tetramethyl-hexadecanedioic acid (□) and 3,3,16,16-tetramethyl-octadecanedioic acid (▴) proligands normalized to the activity in cells incubated in the absence of added proligands. EC 50 for the above and other xenobiotic ligands are as follows:
3,3,12,12-tetramethyl-tetradecane dioic acid
>300 μM
3,3,14,14-tetramethyl-hexadecane dioic acid
155 μM
3,3,16,16-tetramethyl-octadecane dioic acid
150 μM
2,2,13,13-tetramethyl-tetradecane dioic acid
230 μM
2,2,15,15-tetramethyl-hexadecane dioic acid
150 μM
2,2,17,17-tetramethyl-octadecane dioic acid
150 μM
4,4,13,13-tetramethyl-hexadecane dioic acid
150 μM
4,4,15,15-tetramethyl-octadecane dioic acid
150 μM
Bezafibrate
260 μM
Nafenopin
160 μM
Indomethacine
130 μM
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Long chain fatty acids are shown here to directly modulated the transcriptional activity of HNF-4α by binding of the respective fatty acyl-CoA thioesters to the HNF-4α ligand binding domain. Transcriptional modulation by HNF-4α agonistic or antagonistic acyl-CoA ligands may result from two apparently independent ligandinduce effects, namely, shifting the HNF-4α oligomeric-dimeric equilibrium or affecting the intrinsic binding affinity of the HNF-4α dimer for its cognate enhancer.
As used herein the following terms have the following meanings:
The term “amphipathic carboxylate” refers to a compound having a hydrophobic backbone and a carboxylic function.
The term “xenobiotic” refers to compounds foreign to the intermediary metabolism of mammals.
The term “Syndrome X” refers to a syndrome comprising of some or all of the following diseases -1) dyslipoproteinemia (combined hypercholesterolemiahypertriglyceridemia, low HDL-cholesterol), 2) obesity (in particular upper body obesity), 3) impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) leading to noninsulin-depedent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), 4) essential hypertension and (5) thrombogenic/fibrinolytic defects.
The term “modulating” refers to either increasing or decreasing the apparent activity of HNF-4α. The modulation of HNF-4α may be direct, e.g. binding to HNF-4α, or indirect, e.g., mediated by another pathway such as, for example, kinase activity. Compounds of the present invention which bind to HNF-4α may either activate or inhibit its binding to its cognate enhancer as a function of chain length and/or degree of saturation.
Methods of treating Syndrome X are contemplated by the present invention. Such methods include the administration of natural or xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates. Also contemplated as methods of inhibiting HNF-4α transcriptional activity are suppression by antisense, suppression by antibodies or any other method of reducing the extra activity of HNF-4α.
Methods
HNF-4α Recombinant Proteins
Rat HNF-4α1 cDNA(pLEN4S) 1 was subcloned into the glutathione-S-transferase (GST) encoding pGEX-2T plasmid (Pharmacia) and the resultant plasmid was cleaved with smal and AccI and religated to yield the GST-HNF-4α (LBD) fusion plasmid. The fusion plasmid was expressed in E. coli BL21(DE3) strain by induction with 0.2 mM IPTG for 60 min and the product was purified by affinity chromatography using glutathione-agarose beads (Sigma) to yield the GST-HNF-4α(LBD) fusion protein consisting of amino acids 96-455 of wild type HNF-4α fused to GST. The full length HNF-4α1 cDNA cloned into 6His-pET11d vector was expressed in E. coli . BL21(DE3)plysS.
Ligand Binding Assays
Recombinant GST-HNF-4α(LBD) (100 pmol) or His-HNF-4α (100 pmol) were incubated for 60 min at 22° C. with [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA (American RadiolabeledChemicals) in 100 μl of 10 mM phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Competitor ligands or solvent carrier were added as indicated. Free and HNF-4α bound 3 [H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA were separated by Dowex-coated charcoal and bound ligand was quantified by liquid scintillation counting. Nonspecific binding of [ 3 H]palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA was determined by its binding to the GST moiety or to carbonic anhydrase as nonrelevant protein.
Gel Mobility Shift Assays
His-HNF-4α and acyl-CoA (as indicated) were preincubated for 30 min at 22° C. in 11 mM Hepes (pH 7.9) containing 50 mM KCl, 1 mM dithiothreitol, 2.5 mM MgCl 2 , 10% glycerol, 1 μg of poly(dI-dC) in a final volume of 20 μl. 32 P-labeled oligonucleotide (0.1 ng) consisting of the human C3P apo CIII promoter sequence (−87/−66) 6 was then added, and incubation was continued for an additional 15 min. Protein-DNA complexes were resolved by 5% nondenaturing polyacrylamide gel in 0.6×TBE and quantitated by Phosphorlmager analysis.
In Vitro Transcription Assays
Reaction mixture contained 20 mM Hepes-KOH (pH 7.9), 5 mM MgCl 2 , 60 mM KCl, 8% glycerol, 2 mM DTT, 1 mM 3′-0-methyl-GTP, 10 units of T1 RNase, 20 units of RNasin, 0.5 μg sonicated salmon sperm DNA and His-HNF-4α and test ligand as indicated. The mixture was preincubated for 30 min at 22° C. followed by adding 10 ng of pAdML200 control template consisting of the adenovirus major late promoter (−400/+10) linked to a 200 bp G-less cassette and 200 ng of the test template consisting of three C3P copies of the apo CIII promoter sequence (−87/−66) upstream to a synthetic ovalbumin TATA box promoter in front of a 377 bp-G-less cassette. The mixture was further preincubated for 10 min at 22° C. followed by adding 40 μg of HeLa nuclear extract with additional preincubation for 30 min at 30° C. 0.5 mM ATP, 0.5 mM CTP, 25 μM UTP, and 10 μCi of [α- 32 P]UTP (s.a. 800 Ci/mol, Amersham) were then added and the complete reaction mixture was incubated for 45 min at 30° C. in a final volume of 25 μl. The reaction was terminated by adding 175 μl of stop mix (0.1 M sodium acetate (pH 5.2), 10 mM EDTA, 0.1% SDS, 200 μg/ml tRNA) followed by phenol extraction and ethanol precipitation. RNA was resuspended in sample buffer containing 80% formamide and 10 mM Tris-HCl (pH 7.4) and separated on 5% polyacrylamide gel containing 7 M urea in TBE. Correctly initiated transcripts were quantitated by Phosphorlmager analysis. The test DNA template was constructed by inserting into PC 2 AT19 plasmid a PCR-amplified oligonucleotide prepared by using the (C3P) 3 -TK-CAT plasmid as template and consisting of three copies of the C3P element of the Apo CIII promoter sequence (−87/−66) having an ECoRI and SSTI sites at the 5′ and 3′ ends, respectively. The resultant plasmid was cleaved with sphl and sacl and ligated to a synthetic oligonucleotide (5′-CGAGGTCCAC-TTCGCTATATATTCCCCGAGCT-3′) containing sequences of the HSV thymidine kinase promoter (-41/−29) and of the chicken ovalbumin promoter (−33/−21).
Transfection Assays
COS-7 cells cotransfected for 6 h with the (C3P) 3 -TK-CAT reporter plasmid (5 μg) and with either the pSG5-HNF-4αexpression plasmid (0.025 μg) or the pSG5 plasmid (0.025 μg) added by calcium phosphate precipitation were cultured in serum free medium with fatty acids (complexed with albumin in a molar ratio of 6:1) added as indicated. β-Galactosidase expression vector pRSGAL (1 μg) added to each precipitate served as an internal control for transfection. The (C3P) 3 -TK-CAT construct was prepared by inserting a synthetic oligonucleotide encompassing the (−87/−66) Apo CIII promoter sequence (5′-GCAGGTGACCTTTGCCCAGCGCC-3′) flanked by HindIII restriction site into pBLCAT2 47 upstream of the −105 bp thymidine kinase promoter. The construct containing three copies of the synthetic oligonucleotide in the direct orientation was selected and confirmed by sequencing.
Fatty Acyl-CoAs
Fatty acyl-CoAs were prepared by reacting the free acid dissolved in dry acetonitrile with 1,1′-carbonyldiimidazole. The reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness and the respective acyl-imidazole conjugate was reacted with one equivalent of reduced CoA dissolved in 1:1 THF:H 2 O. Reaction was followed by TLC using silica 60H plates (Merck) (butanol: acetic acid: H 2 O 5:2:3). The acyl-CoA derivative was precipitated with 0.1 M HCl and the precipitate was washed three times with 0.1 M HCl, three times with peroxide free ether and three times with acetone. The acyl-CoA was spectrophotometrically determined by its 260/232 nm ratio.
EXAMPLES
In order to further illustrate the present invention and advantages therof, the following specific examples are given, it being understood that the same are intended only as illustrative and in nowise limitative.
Example 1
Long Chain Acyl-CoAs are Ligands for HNF-4α
Acyl-CoAs of various chain length and degree of saturation were found to specifically bind to HNF-4α. Binding was exemplified with either the ligand binding domain of HNF-4α fused to glutathione-s-transferase (GST-HNF-4α(LBD)) or the full length HNF-4α protein tagged by 6 histidines (His-HNF-4α). Palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA binding to the ligand binding domain or full length HNF-4α proteins was saturable having a Kd of 2.6 μM and approaching at saturation a ratio of 1 mole of fatty acyl-CoA/mole of HNF-4α (FIG. 1 A). Binding was specific for the acyl-CoA whereas the free fatty acid or free CoA were inactive. The binding of acyl-CoAs of variable chain length and degree of saturation was verified by competing with radiolabelled palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA binding to recombinant GST-HNF-4αLBD) or His-HNF-4α (FIG. 1 B). Binding was not observed with saturated fatty acyl-CoAs shorter than C12 in chain length. However, the binding affinity of long chain fatty acyl-CoAs for HNF-4α was not substantially affected by chain length or degree of saturation of respective ligands, being in the range of 0.5-3.0 μM. Specificity of binding of long chain fatty acyl-CoAs to HNF-4α was further verified by analyzing the putative binding of palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA to recombinant histidine-tagged peroxisome proliferators activated receptor α (His-PPARα). In contrast to HNF-4α, long chain fatty acyl-CoAs were not bound by PPARα or retinoic acid X receptor α (RXRα). These results indicate that natural long chain fatty acyl-CoAs may bind to the ligand binding domain of HNF-4α and serve as specific ligands of this protein.
Binding of acyl-CoAs to HNF-4α is not limited to natural fatty acyl-CoAs as exemplified above. Thus, binding may be observed with xenobiotic acyl-CoAs (RCOSCoA) where R is a radical consisting of a saturated or unsaturated alkyl chain of 10-24 carbon atoms, one or more of which may be replaced by heteroatom, where one or more of said carbon or heteroatom chain members optionally forming part of a ring, and where said chain being optionally substituted (FIG. 1 B).
Example 2
Modulation of HNF-4α Activity by Long Chain Acyl-CoAs
HNF-4α activity as a function of binding of long chain acyl-CoAs was evaluated by studying the binding of HNF-4α to its cognate C3P element of the apo CIII promoter sequence (−87/−66) 6 in the presence or absence of added acyl-CoAs of variable chain length, degree of saturation, and degree of substitution. Binding was verified by using a gel mobility shift assay. As shown in FIG. 2, C3P binding to HNF-4α increased with increasing His-HNF-4α concentrations and was activated by natural saturated fatty acyl-CoAs of C12-C16 in chain length. Activation was concentration dependent and maximal in the presence of myristoyl(14:0)-CoA added within a concentration range required for its binding to HNF-4α. Furthermore, some fatty acyl-CoAs as well as xenobiotic acyl-CoAs were found to serve as true antagonists of HNF-4α, namely to inhibit its intrinsic binding to its cognate enhancer. Thus, incubating HNF-4α in the presence of either stearoyl(18:0)-CoA or α-linolenoyl(18:3)-CoA resulted in potent inhibition of its binding to C3P oligo-nucleotide (FIG. 2 ). Similarly, incubating HNF-4α in the presence of a variety of xenobiotic acyl-CoAs resulted in inhibition of its binding to its cognate C3P oligonucleotide. Hence, natural or xenobiotic acyl-CoAs which bind to HNF-4α may serve as agonists, partial agonists or antagonists of its transcriptional activity as a function of chain length, degree of saturation or degree of substitution.
Example 3
Modulation of HNF-4α-induced Transcription by HNF-4α Agonists and Antagonists
The effect of agonistic and antagonistic HNF-4α-ligands was further evaluated by analyzing the in vitro transcription rate, catalyzed by added HeLa nuclear extract and induced by recombinant HNF-4α, of a test template consisting of a 377 bp G-less cassette promoted by sequences of the HSV thymidine kinase and chicken ovalbumin promoters and enhanced by three C3P copies of the apo CIII gene promoter. Transcriptional activation by HNF-4α was evaluated in the presence and in the absence of added representative long chain fatty acyl-CoAs. Transcription of a template consisting of a 200 bp G-less cassette driven by the adenovirus major late (AdML) promoter and lacking an HNF-4α enhancer was used as an internal control template. As shown in FIG. 3, in vitro transcription of the test template increased as a function of HNF-4α, approaching saturation at HNF-4α concentrations of 200 ng. HNF-4α induced transcription was activated by added palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA and inhibited by added stearoyl(18:0)-CoA in line with the effect exerted by HNF-4α agonists and antagonists in gel mobility shift assays. Hence, acyl-CoAs which bind to HNF-4α may directly modulate its transcriptional activity in a cell free system.
The intracellular effect of HNF-4α ligands on HNF-4α mediated transcription was evaluated in COS-7 cells cotransfected with an expression vector for HNF-4α and with a CAT reporter plasmid driven by a thymidine kinase promoter and enhanced by one to three C3P copies of the apo CIII gene promoter. Transfected cells were incubated in the presence of free fatty acids and xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates representing agonistic or antagonistic HNF-4α proligands. As shown in FIG. 4 a , expression of the C3P-enhanced reporter plasmid was 7 fold activated by HNF-4α in the absence of added fatty acids to the culture medium. Transcriptional activation by transfected HNF-4α could reflect the intrinsic transcriptional activity of the unliganded HNF-4α dimer or could result from binding to HNF-4α of an endogenous activatory acyl-CoA. Adding myristic(14:0) or palmitic(16:0) acid to the culture medium resulted in dose dependent activation of HNF-4α dependent transcription whereas stearic(18:0), α-linolenic(18:3) or eicosapentaenoic(20:5) acids were suppressive in line with the agonistic or antagonistic activities of the respective fatty acyl-CoAs in gel mobility shift assays (FIG. 2) as well as in cell free transcription assays (FIG. 3 ). Inhibition of HNF-4α transcriptional activity in transfection assays may be similarly observed in the presence of added xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates (RCOOH) to the culture medium (FIG. 4 b ) where R is a radical consisting of a saturated or unsaturated alkyl chain of 10-24 carbon atoms, one or more of which may be replaced by heteroatom, where one or more of said carbon or heteroatom chain members optionally forming part of a ring, and where said chain being optionally substituted by hydrocarbyl radical, heterocyclyl radical, lower alkoxy, hydroxyl-substituted lower alkyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, phenyl, substituted phenyl, C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl or substituted C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl. Hence, intracellular HNF-4α-mediated expression may be modulated by natural long chain fatty acids as well as by xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates capable of being endogenously converted to their respective CoA thioesters (RCOSCoA). Highly effective inhibitory compounds are the following wherein R is substituted by (ω-carboxyl: 2,2,15,15-tetramethyl-hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 2,2,17,17-tetramethyl-octadecane-1,18-dioic acid, 3,3,14,14-tetramethyl-hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 3,3,16,16-tetra-methyl-octadecane-1,18-dioic acid, 4,4,13,13-tetramethyl-hexadecane-1,16-dioic acid, 4,4,15,15-tetramethyl-octadecane-1,18-dioic acid. Another group of effective compounds is that of compounds wherein R is substituted by ω-hydroxyl: 16-hydroxy-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-2,2-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-3,3-dimethyl-octa-decanoic acid, 16-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl -hexadecanoic acid, 18-hydroxy-4,4-dimethyl-octadecanoic acid. Yet another group of somewhat less effective compounds consists of analogues of clofibric acid (fibrate compounds) or nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs. The overall effect exerted may reflect the prevailing composition of nuclear acyl-CoAs and the agonistic/antagonistic effect exerted by each when bound to HNF-4α.
Example 4
Physiological Relevance
Inhibition of HNF-4α transcriptional activity by natural or xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates capable of being endogenously converted to their respective CoA thioesters may offer a therapeutic mode for treating diseases initiated and/or promoted by overexpression of HNF-4α controlled genes. The performance of a concerned amphipathic carboxylate as inhibitor of HNF-4α transcriptional activity will depend in the first place on the intrinsic capacity of its respective CoA thioester to act as HNF-4α antagonist. Presently it is impossible to predict which amphipathic carboxylates capable of being endogenously converted to their respective CoA thioesters may prove as true antagonists of HNF-4α. Thus, myristoyl(14:0)-CoA or palmitoyl(16:0)-CoA proved as activators of HNF-4α transcriptional activity while the next homologue in the series, namely stearoyl(18:0)-CoA proved a true antagonist. It should be pointed out however that partial agonists may induce an apparent inhibition of HNF-4α activity if substituting for endogenous HNF-4α potent agonists or if competing with more productive agonists for binding to HNF-4α.
The overall in vivo performance of an amphipathic carboxylate as an inhibitor of HNF-4α transcriptional activity may not only reflect the intrinsic capacity of its respective CoA thioester to act as HNF-4α antagonist, but will further depend on the specific cell type and the prevailing composition of nuclear fatty acyl-CoAs. This composition may be affected by the dietary/pharmacological availability profile of respective acids, the availability of each for CoA-thioesterification as well as the availability of respective acyl CoAs for hydrolysis by acyl-CoA hydrolases, esterification into lipids, oxidation into products, elongation, desaturation or binding to other acyl-CoA binding proteins. Furthermore, endogenous acyl-CoAs produced by CoA-thioesterification of amphipathic carboxylates other than fatty acids (e.g., retinoic acid, prostaglandins, leukotrienes, others) could bind to HNF-4α and modulate its activity as agonists or antagonists. The resultant effect may further depend on additional nuclear factors which may influence the oligomeric-dimeric equilibrium of HNF-4α, the binding affinity of HNF-4α to its cognate enhancer or the interaction between HNF-4α and proteins of the transcriptional initiation complex. In particular, since HNF-4α and the peroxisomal activators activated receptor (PPAR) share similar DR-1 consensus sequences, and as PPAR may be activated by long chain free fatty acids rather than their respective CoA thioesters, the effect exerted by a certain acyl-CoA and mediated by HNF-4α could be either similar to or antagonized by PPAR activated by the respective free acid.
In spite of the above unknowns, the agonistic/antagonistic profile of acyl-CoA ligands of HNF-4α as exemplified here may help in realizing the molecular basis of effects exerted by dietary fatty acids in vivo and concerned with some of the genes regulated by HNF-4α. Long chain fatty acyl constituents of dietary fat comprise 30-40% of the caloric intake of Western diets. In addition to their substrate role, being mostly oxidized to yield energy or esterified into triglycerides and phospholipids to yield adipose fat and cell membranes, respectively, some dietary fatty acids have long been realized as neutriceutical modulators of the onset and progression of cancer 7 , atherogenesis 8 , dyslipoproteinemia 9 , insulin resistance 10,11 , hypertension 12 , blood coagulability and fibrinolytic defects 13 , inflammatory, immunodeficiency and other diseases. These unexplained effects may now be realized to be accounted for by the effect exerted by the respective acyl-CoAs on HNF-4α transcriptional activity resulting in modulating the expression of genes involved in the onset and progression of the above pathologies. The specific effects exerted by dietary long chain fatty acids on blood lipids and blood coagulation are worth noting in light of the well established effect exerted by HNF-4α on genes coding for proteins involved in lipoproteins metabolism (apolipoproteins AI, AII, B, CIII, microsomal triglyceride transfer protein) and blood coagulation (factors IV, IX, X). Indeed, the well established increase in plasma VLDL-, LDL- and HDL-cholesterol induced by dietary saturated fatty acids of C12-C16 in general and by myristic acid in particular is in line with HNF-4α activation induced by the respective saturated acyl-CoAs and the lack of effect exerted by fatty acyl-CoAs shorter than C12. The surprisingly lowering of blood lipids by the saturated stearic(18:0) acid may be similarly accounted for by the antagonistic effect exerted by stearoyl(18:0)-CoA on HNF-4α activity. Similarly, the lipid lowering effect of mono and polyunsaturated fatty acids, ascribed to substituting for saturated dietary fatty acids 9 , is in line with the activity of poly or monounsaturated as compared with saturated fatty acyl-CoAs, being further complemented by the direct inhibition of HNF-4α by linolenoyl(18:3)-CoA, eicosapentaenoyl(20:5)-CoA or docosahexaenoyl(22:6)-CoA. Also, the increase in blood coagulability induced by saturated C12-C16 dietary fatty acids and correlated with a respective increase in factor VII, the decrease in coagulability induced by polyunsaturated dietary fatty acids as well as the surprising decrease in factor VII content and blood coagulability specifically induced by dietary stearic(18:0) acid may be similarly ascribed to the effect exerted by the respective fatty acyl-CoAs on HNF-4α activity resulting in modulating the expression of HNF-4α-controlled genes encoding vitamin K-dependent coagulability factors.
Furthermore, modulation of transcription of HNF-4α-controlled genes by xenobiotic amphipathic carboxylates which may endogenously be esterified to their respective CoA thioesters and act as HNF-4α agonists or antagonists may offer a pharmacological therapeutic mode for diseases initiated or promoted by overexpression of HNF-4α-controlled genes. The examples offered by xenobiotic substituted amphipathic dicarboxylates are worth noting in light of the cumulative information concerned with their pharmacological performance in changing the course of dyslipoproteinemia, obesity, insulin resistance and atherosclerosis in animal models 14-17 , namely, of diseases concerned with overexpression of some HNF-4α-controlled genes. The therapeutic efficacy of these drugs may be accounted for by inhibition of HNF-4α transcriptional activity as exemplified here.
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In accordance with the present invention, there are provided therapeutically effective compounds comprising an amphipathic carboxylate of the formula R—COOH, or a salt or an ester or amide of such compound, where R designates a saturated or unsaturated alkyl chain of 10-24 carbon atoms, one or more of which may be replaced by heteroatoms, where one or more of said carbon or heteroatom chain members optionally forms part of a ring, and where said chain is optionally substituted by a hydrocarbyl radical, heterocyclyl radical, lower alkoxy, hydroxyl-substituted lower alkyl, hydroxyl, carboxyl, halogen, phenyl or (hydroxy-, lower alkyl-, lower alkoxy-, lower alkenyl- or lower alkinyl)-substituted phenyl, C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl or (hydroxy-, lower alkyl-, lower alkoxy-, lower alkenyl- or lower alkinyl)-substituted C 3 -C 7 cycloalkyl wherein said amphipathic carboxylate is capable of being endogenously converted to its respective coenzyme A thioester.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 60/030,751, entitled "A Musical Performance Data Signal Processor", filed Nov. 12, 1996. The disclosure of that provisional patent application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates broadly to the field of electronic musical instruments, electronic tone generators, and electronic musical controllers. In particular, the present invention relates to a method and apparatus for controlling expressive musical articulation by controlling the duration, overlap, and timbre assignment of successive tones as a function of playing speed.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electronic musical instruments comprise two distinct systems: a tone generator and a controlling interface (controller). The two systems can be embodied in a single device or as two entities that are interconnected. A controller transduces the physical gestures of the performer and sends performance data to one or many tone generators. At a minimum, the performance data includes a pitch and a note-on signal, with optional additional data representing other musical parameters such as velocity. Some controllers sense and transmit note-off data. Typical controllers are a piano-like keyboard, an array of drum pads, or a keyed wind instrument. Another type of controller is a sequencer, which is a program that stores performance data (either recorded from another controller or entered by hand) and replays the data automatically. Further, a controller can be a computer that computes performance data and transmits the performance data over a data transmission line (e.g., a dedicated data transmission line, a data transmission line within a network system, or the Internet) to a tone generator.
Traditionally, a performer controls articulation by varying musical attributes relating to the perceived "connectedness" of a sequence of notes. There are two main ways to control this effect. One method is to control the time when notes begin and end, thereby controlling the duration of each note and the degree of overlap or detachment among successive notes. Another method is to vary the shape of the amplitude envelope of a note, particularly the speed of the attack (ramp-up in volume from silence or the previous note upon a new note-on action) and release (ramp-down to silence upon note-off action).
One attribute of articulation is the degree of overlap between successive tones. A continuum ranging between "legato" and "staccato" can be used to characterize the articulation of tones. Legato is characterized by slow attack and perceivable overlap between successive tones. Staccato is characterized by fast attack and an interval of silence between tones.
The ability of a performer to control legato/staccato depends on the particular capabilities of the tone generator and controller combination employed. In particular, the degree of legato overlap effect cannot be controlled unless the player can manipulate the controller so as to send separate note-on and note-off signals to the tone generator and the tone generator has the ability to sustain a tone indefinitely and to produce many tones simultaneously.
Continuous controllers, like piano or organ keyboards transmit note-on messages on key depress and note-off on key release. This permits great flexibility in articulation, but can also work to the disadvantage of some players, who may have difficulty performing fast passages where notes "smear" because the keys are not released quickly enough.
Percussive controllers, such as drum pads/triggers or marimba-like arrays of pads respond only to the initial stroke and note duration is controlled indirectly by automatically sending a note-off after some time interval has elapsed. The interval is either fixed or velocity-sensitive (i.e., the duration of the note is a function of the speed at which the drumstick strikes the pad), and is determined at the time of initial gesture and unchangeable thereafter. Fast musical passages can result in blurred sound where many notes of fixed duration overlap.
In current practice, it is common to achieve a legato effect by controlling the attack and decay rates of the amplitude envelope, or by connecting notes in a monophonic fashion, allowing only one tone to sound at a time.
Many continuous and percussive controllers can measure the velocity of the initiating note-on gesture (speed of key-down or mallet stroke, puff of air) and the tone generator can use this data to control rate of attack. Some keyboard controllers can sense the speed of note release and use this information to control release rate. In both cases, the effect is determined at the time of the initiating gesture and applies only to the note associated with that gesture.
The duration of a tone depends on the player's ability to control the moment of note-off (i.e., when the release segment of the envelope begins) and is limited by the affordance of the particular controller being used. In particular, keyboard-like controllers send a note-off signal upon key release, and percussive controllers predetermine note duration at the time of note-on.
Current practice either imposes no constraints on the number of notes with legato envelopes that can sound simultaneously or limits legato to strictly monophonic mode where one tone sounds at a time. When a legato passage is played it is useful to allow only two notes to be sounding at the same time in order to have some amount of overlap while avoiding a blurred effect. The amount of overlap should be adjusted to account for the speed of consecutive notes in a musical passage.
When an electronic instrument allows variable articulative control over envelope and duration, it is always on a note-by-note basis. This can be a problem when a group of notes is performed together in a chord. Individual notes may have different envelopes resulting in an unpleasant balance, or the duration of notes may differ so that the chord is released in a ragged way, each note at a different time.
The Studio Vision sequencer program from Opcode has a legato mode operation that can be applied to a selected range of notes in a sequence. This program will change the duration of each selected note so that it extends a given percentage of the way to the next note. This feature is an editing operation that must be applied to a recorded sequence out of real time; it cannot be used while actually playing.
The Kurzweil K2500 tone generator has a "Legato Play" mode. In this mode a note will play the attack segment of its amplitude envelope only when all other notes have been released. The K2500 also has a legato switch which causes the instrument to behave in a monophonic fashion: whenever a new note is begun, the previously sounding note is immediately terminated.
The "malletKAT" is a MIDI (musical instrument digital interface) controller that resembles a xylophone. It has a mono mode overlap feature which provides a fixed overlap interval between successive notes; when a new note is started the previous note is terminated after the fixed interval has elapsed. The overlap interval does not change and the feature is available only when the controller is in monophonic mode; thus, chordal or polyphonic performance of many simultaneous tones is impossible.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,142,960 describes a keyboard instrument that produces a legato-type envelope depending on a predetermined playing style and instrument timbre. The legato effect is strictly monophonic; it is produced when a new note-on is received and another note its still sounding. The release of the old note and attack of the new note are forced to be coincident and shaped by a predetermined amplitude envelope with relatively small attack for the new note. No overlapping of the two notes occurs.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,183 describes a keyboard instrument which distinguishes between two states, legato and non-legato, depending on the speed of successive key-down signals, and applies legato or non-legato ADSR envelopes on a note-by-note basis. The duration of notes is not controlled, the overlapping of successive legato notes is not controlled, and the number of simultaneously sounding legato notes is not constrained. All non-legato notes are treated the same, whether they are part of a chord or a polyphonic passage.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,424,731 describes a device for selecting one of two fixed durations for percussive tones such that when many keys are played in quick succession the duration is set shorter to avoid excessive overlap. This device concerns percussive tones with fixed durations and which are incapable of being sustained indefinitely.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,019 describes a touch controller that adjusts the note-on velocities according to playing speed. The time interval from the immediately preceding note-off or note-on is used to adjust the touch velocity so that the degree of responsiveness to force of touch varies with playing speed. The disclosed device includes means for altering the touch effects of a new note when a note-on is received. It does not control the duration of a tone or affect any attributes of previous notes.
Changing the attack and release rates of amplitude envelopes modifies the timbre of a note slightly, but the tone is still recognized as a variant of the same instrument. Some electronic musical instruments provide mechanisms for selecting and mixing multiple instrumental timbres for each note or a range of notes.
One such feature is known as "keyboard split", whereby a predetermined contiguous range of pitches is played in a particular timbre while another disjunct range is played in a different timbre (e.g., C2-B3 bass, C4-C6 piano). The ranges and timbre assignments are preset and cannot be changed during performance.
Another timbre selection method is "velocity mapping", whereby a pair of timbres is assigned to a range of pitches. A mix of the two timbres is controlled by the force of the player's note-on actions, (e.g., at soft levels 100% timbre A and 0% timbre B, at medium levels 50/50 mixture of the two timbres, at loud levels 0% timbre A and 100% timbre B). This sort of timbre selection is subtle and difficult to control, since it is hard to reliably reproduce the same force on repeated key strokes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to assign an initial duration to each new note and to change the original duration of a previously sounding note upon the initiation of the next new note so as to control the articulation effect due to the overlap or space between successive notes.
It is a further object of the present invention to control the number of notes that can be sounding at the same time, automatically switching between a full polyphonic mode where many notes can sound simultaneously and a constrained melodic mode where a limited number of notes can sound at a time.
Yet another object of the present invention is to recognize and process groups of notes played simultaneously in a chord in a consolidated manner, enabling the assignment of identical musical parameters (such as duration and velocity) to each note in the chord.
A still further object of the present invention is to dynamically detect the playing style of each new note as it is played based on the time interval between successive notes, and to assign the timbre of each note depending on the playing style.
The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.
The present invention overcomes the limitations of prior art as described above and allows greater control of articulation on any electronic musical instrument, controller, or tone generator by varying the note duration and timbre assignment in relation to the player's performing speed and a dynamically specified articulation style (degree of legato/staccato) thus producing changing amounts of overlap and detachment. According to the present invention, musical performance data, including note-on signals from a controller, is received and processed, and musical performance data, including note-on and note-off signals, is transmitted to multiple channels of a tone generator. A new note is generated for each note-on received. Each note is assigned to one of three classes: chord, polyphonic or melodic. The classification is made by measuring the time interval between successive note-on signals (called the on/on time), i.e., the time interval between the note-on time of the new note and the note-on time of the previous note. If the measured on/on time interval is less than a predetermined threshold T1, the note is classified as a chord note. If the on/on time interval is longer than a second predetermined threshold T2 (which is greater than T1), the note is classified as a polyphonic note. If the on/on time interval is between the two threshold values, the note is classified as a melodic note and the on/on time is transmitted with the note. Each of the three note types is processed separately to generate note-on and note-off signals that are sent to the tone generator as described below.
Chord notes are treated as a group, and a single duration is calculated for all the notes in the group. Note-ons for all the chord notes are sent at one time to the tone generator, and the corresponding note-off signals are sent after a time interval equal to the calculated duration has elapsed. All chord note-ons and note-offs are sent to a designated channel on the tone generator.
Polyphonic notes are treated independently. Each polyphonic note is assigned a duration proportional to the velocity of its note-on signal. A note-on signal is sent to the tone generator and the corresponding note-off signal is transmitted after a time interval equal to the calculated duration has elapsed. All polyphonic note-ons and note-offs are sent to a designated channel on the tone generator.
Melodic notes are processed such that successive tones are connected according to a specified articulation style (legato or staccato). When staccato style is specified, melodic notes are assigned a duration equal to a fixed percentage (less than 100%) of the on/on time associated with the new note. When legato style is specified, melodic notes are assigned an initial duration proportional to the velocity of the note-on signal. A note-on signal is sent to the tone generator, and the corresponding note-off signal is sent after a time interval equal to the calculated duration has elapsed. Melodic note-ons and note-offs are sent to a designated channel on the tone generator.
The actual duration of a melodic note may be modified from the originally calculated duration, as receipt of another melodic note-on while one or more melodic notes are still sounding can reschedule note-offs. Specifically, melodic notes are subject to overlap constraints. When staccato style is specified, only one melodic note can sound at a time. If a new melodic note is performed and a previous melodic note is still sounding, the older note is immediately stopped (even if its initially calculated duration has not elapsed), and the new note-on is sent to the tone generator. With legato style, if another melodic note is still sounding and a new melodic note-on is received, the previously calculated duration of the sounding note is canceled and the note is set to continue to sustain for an overlap interval which is a fixed percent of the on/on time associated with the new note. The new note-on is sent to the tone generator. The note-off for the preceding overlapping note is sent when the overlap interval has expired.
Only two melodic notes can be sounding at the same time in legato style. If a third melodic note-on is received while two are already sounding, the oldest note is immediately stopped, the other sounding note is assigned an overlap duration as described above, and the new note is started. If two successive melodic notes have the same pitch (i.e., the same note is repeated), then no overlap is performed. Instead, the note is stopped and restarted immediately.
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, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a musical performance data signal processor according to the present invention.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are timing diagrams showing the legato treatment of two notes according to the invention.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a music performance data signal processor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIGS. 4 through 16 are procedural flow charts illustrating the manner in which the duration, overlap and timbre of successive notes is controlled in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 17 is a procedural flowchart of an alternative implementation of the new note routine illustrated in FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of a musical performance data signal processor which illustrates the operating principle of the present invention. Incoming musical performance data from a controller is parsed and routed by input router 1. Note-on pitch number and velocity, and sustain pedal on/off data are retained for further processing. Note-off data is ignored. All other data is passed through to the three output channel assigns 9,10,11.
Note-on data (pitch and velocity) are routed according to the time interval from the preceding note-on (the on/on time). The note classifier 2 measures the on/on time and compares it to two threshold values T1 and T2 (T1<T2). Note-ons are routed according to whether their on/on times are less than T1, greater than T2 or between T1 and T2. Note-ons arriving at a time interval greater than T2 are treated polyphonically. Note-ons arriving within time interval T1 to T2 are treated melodically. Note-ons arriving within time interval less than T1 of each other belong to a chord. The classifier 2 collects note-ons into a list which is passed on after an interval of T1 has elapsed and no new note-ons have been received.
The chord creator 3 assigns a duration and velocity to each note in the chord. The chord creator may compute a single duration and/or velocity that is used for all the notes in a chord or assign a unique duration and/or velocity to each note. The chord scheduler 6 plays the chord by generating a note-on data for each note in the chord and keeps track of sounding notes. When the assigned duration for a note in the chord schedule has elapsed, the chord scheduler 6 generates the corresponding note-off data and removes the note from the chord schedule.
The polyphonic note creator 4 assigns a duration and velocity to a note. The polyphonic scheduler 7 plays the note by generating a note-on data and keeps track of sounding notes. When the assigned duration for a note in the polyphonic schedule has elapsed, the polyphonic scheduler 7 generates the corresponding note-off data and removes the note from the polyphonic schedule.
The melodic note creator 5 assigns a duration and velocity to the new note and alters the scheduled duration of any sounding melodic notes to achieve the desired articulation. The melodic scheduler 8 plays the note by generating a note-on data and keeps track of sounding notes. When the assigned duration for a note in the melodic schedule has elapsed, the melodic scheduler 8 generates the corresponding note-off data and removes the note from the melodic schedule.
The note-ons and note-offs from each of the three schedules 6, 7, and 8 are sent separately to output channel assigns 9, 10, 11. Each channel assign directs the performance data sent through it to be played on a designated channel of a tone generator. The channelized performance data is translated into the appropriate output data format and transmitted to one or more tone generators by the encoder 12.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are timing diagrams illustrating the legato treatment of two notes according to the present invention. In FIG. 2A, NOTE1 is scheduled for an initial duration of L based, for example on the velocity of the note. NOTE2 arrives at onion time interval A after NOTE1. NOTE2 is scheduled for initial duration M. If these two notes are performed as originally scheduled, the result is likely to be a poorly articulated passage since the notes are played in rapid succession (less than T2 apart) and overlap by a large amount. It can be seen that A is between the two threshold amounts T1 and T2, and B is the time interval representing 33% of A. In FIG. 2B, the duration of NOTE1 has been changed to N. The time interval N ends at a time interval B after the start of NOTE2. By shortening the duration of NOTE1, the successive notes NOTE1 and NOTE2 are articulated in a connected, legato manner, while also avoiding the longer overlap originally shown.
FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of a music performance data signal processor according to an embodiment of the present invention. The processor is controlled by CPU 606 which is connected to a bus 604 and communicates with other devices on the bus. The CPU can be programmed in any standard programming language, such as C or assembly language. Other devices connected to the bus are a timer 605, a RAM 607, a ROM 608, a MIDI interface 601, a display 602 and a control panel 603. The MIDI interface 601 receives MIDI data from an attached MIDI controller (not shown) and transmits MIDI data to a tone generator (not shown). The timer 605 sends interrupts to the CPU 606 at regular intervals. The CPU 606 executes the controlling program. The RAM 607 is used to store the value of working variables and controlling parameters. The ROM 608 is used to store the controlling program and table data.
The display 602 shows the current value of controlling parameters. The control panel 603 contains switches which are used to change the value of controlling parameters. The controlling parameters are:
T1, T2: time thresholds
MODE: articulation mode, one of LEGATO or STACCATO
A -- PCNT: degree of articulation, expressed as a percentage
CH -- IN: a MIDI input channel number CH -- MELODY, CH -- CHORD, CH -- POLY MIDI: three MIDI output channel numbers
In addition to the controlling parameters listed above, other working variables used in the disclosed embodiment are explained below:
SUST: a flag with value ON or OFF
TIME, CLOCK, CURRENT -- TIME: counters
TIMEOUT: a flag with value zero or one
TIMER: a flag with value ON or OFF
PITCH -- LIST: a variable storing a list of pitches
VEL -- LIST: a variable storing a list of velocities
NOTE -- COUNT: a counter
LAST -- PITCH, NTLAST -- PITCH, LAST -- POLY -- PITCH: variables storing a pitch number
LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE: a variable storing a note type, one of CHORD, MELODY, or POLY
Operation of the disclosed embodiment is explained below with reference to FIGS. 4 through 16. FIG. 4 is a procedural flow chart illustrating the main control loop. When power is turned ON, the program's variables are initialized in step 81 by executing the initialization routine shown in FIG. 5. In step 82, the input buffer is examined to determine if new performance data is present. If no data is present, processing continues at step 85. If data is present, the new data is fetched in step 83, and in step 84 the parsing routine shown in FIG. 6 is executed. At step 85, the TIMEOUT flag is examined. If the flag is not set to one, processing continues at step 88. If the flag has the value one, then the interval T1 has elapsed since the timer was last started, and processing continues at step 86 where the TIMEOUT flag is reset to zero. At step 87, the new notes received are classified by executing the classify notes routine shown in FIG. 9. In steps 88, 89, and 90, the three schedules for chord, polyphonic, and melodic notes are updated according to the update schedule routine shown in FIG. 13D. In step 91, the general interface processing is performed, whereby the user can change the input/output channel routing, the threshold values, and the articulation style and degree by assigning values to the controlling parameters CH -- IN, CH -- MELODY, CH -- CHORD, CH -- POLY, T1, T2, MODE, and A -- PCNT. Steps 82 through 91 are repeated until the power is turned OFF.
The following steps are executed in the initialization routine shown in FIG. 5. In step 801, the variables used to accumulate new notes are cleared by executing the clear note routine shown in FIG. 16. In step 802, the interval timer counting the interval T1 is initialized by calling the init timer routine shown in FIG. 14B. In step 803, the clock measuring on/on time between notes is reset to zero. In step 804, the variable LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE is set to NONE. In step 805, the variable LAST -- POLY -- PITCH is set to NONE. In step 806, the clear schedule routine shown in FIG. 13E is executed upon the chord schedule, the melody schedule, and the polyphonic schedule. In step 807, the variable LAST -- PITCH is set to NONE. In step 808, the variable NLAST -- PITCH is set to NONE. In step 809, the SUSTAIN flag is set to OFF. In step 810, the variable CURRENT -- TIME is set to zero. In step 811, the variable T1 is set to 15. In step 812, the variable T2 is set to 400. In step 813, the variable MODE is set to LEGATO. In step 814, the variable A -- PCNT is set to 0.10. In step 815, the variable CH -- IN is set to channel 1. In step 816, the variable CH -- MELODY is set to channel 1. In step 817, the variable CH -- CHORD is set to channel 2. In step 818, the variable CH -- POLY is set to channel 3. Processing then returns to step 82 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a procedural flow chart of the parse input data routine shown in step 84 of FIG. 4. In step 31, the new data is examined to determine if it was received on the input channel CH -- IN. If so, processing continues at step 33. If not, processing continues at step 32 where the data is re-transmitted on the same channel on which it was received and processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. In step 33, the new data is examined to determine if it is a note-on event. If so, then in step 34, the note-on routine shown in FIG. 7 is executed and processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. In step 35, the new data is examined to determine if it is a note-off event. If so, then in step 36, the note-off data is thrown away and processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. In step 37, the new data is examined to determine if it is a sustain ON event. If so, then in step 38, the sustain-on routine shown in FIG. 8A is executed and processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. In step 39, the new data is examined to determine if it is a sustain OFF event. If so, then in step 40, the sustain-off routine shown in FIG. 8B is executed and processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. If the new data is not a note-on, note-off, or sustain event, processing continues at step 41 where the data is sent directly to all three output channels CH -- MELODY, CH -- CHORD, CH -- POLY. Processing then returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the new note routine shown in step 34 of FIG. 6. In step 45, the variable NOTE -- COUNT is incremented. In step 46, the timer measuring interval T1 is started by executing the timer start routine shown in FIG. 14A. In step 47, the pitch of the note-on event is extracted and added to the list of pitches PITCH -- LIST. In step 48, the velocity of the note-on event is extracted and added to the list of velocities VEL -- LIST. Processing then returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8A is a flow chart of the sustain on routine shown in step 38 of FIG. 6. At step 71, the current value of the SUSTAIN flag is tested. If the value is not OFF, then processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. If the value of the SUSTAIN flag is OFF, then processing continues at step 72 where SUSTAIN flag is set to ON. Processing then returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8B is a flow chart of the sustain off routine shown in step 40 of FIG. 6. At step 73, the current value of the SUSTAIN flag is tested. If the value is not ON, then processing returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. If the value of the SUSTAIN flag is ON, then processing continues at step 74 where SUSTAIN flag is set to OFF. In step 75 all the currently sounding notes are stopped by executing the clear schedule routine shown in FIG. 13E upon the chord schedule, the melody schedule, and the polyphonic schedule. Processing then returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 is a flow chart of the classify routine shown in step 87 of FIG. 4. At step 51, the current value of the clock measuring on/on time is stored in the variable ON--ON. In step 52, the clock measuring on/on time between notes is reset to zero. In step 53 the counter indicating the number of new notes received is examined. If the counter's value is greater than one, then a chord has occurred and processing continues at step 56 where the play chord routine shown in FIG. 10 is executed. In step 59, the variable LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE is set to record that a note of type CHORD was the last note performed. Processing then continues at step 62.
If the note count in step 53 is not greater than one, then there is only a single note to play and processing continues at step 63 where the first pitch in PITCH -- LIST is assigned to variable PITCH. In step 64, the first velocity in VEL -- LIST is assigned to variable VEL. In step 54, the value of the SUSTAIN flag is tested. If SUSTAIN is ON, then all notes are treated polyphonically and processing continues at step 58. If sustain is not ON, then processing continues at step 55 where the on/on time for the note is examined. If the on/on time is greater than threshold T2, the note is treated polyphonically and processing continues at step 58. Otherwise, the note is treated melodically and processing continues at step 57.
At step 57, the play melodic note routine shown in FIG. 11 is executed. In step 60, the variable LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE is set to record that a note of type MELODY was the last note performed. Processing then continues at step 62.
At step 58, the play polyphonic note routine shown in FIG. 12 is executed. In step 61, the variable LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE is set to record that a note of type POLY was the last note performed. Processing then continues at step 62.
In step 62, the variables used to accumulate new notes are cleared by executing the clear note routine shown in FIG. 16. Processing then continues at step 88 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 10 is a flow chart of the play chord routine shown in step 56 of FIG. 9. When processing arrives at step 101, the list PITCH -- LIST contains the list of pitches of the notes in the chord and the list VEL -- LIST contains the list of velocities of the notes in the chord. 12 At step 101, the SUST flag is examined. If its value is ON, processing continues at step 103. If its value is not ON, then at step 102, the clear schedule routine shown in FIG. 13E is executed on the chord schedule. This stops all the notes sounding in the current chord if one is playing.
In step 103, a single velocity is calculated for all the notes in the chord and placed in the variable VEL. There are a variety of ways to determine the velocity. In the preferred embodiment, the maximum velocity from VEL -- LIST is used.
In step 104, a single duration for all the notes in the chord is calculated and placed in the variable DUR. There are a variety of ways to calculate a duration. In the preferred embodiment, a table lookup is performed, searching a table of velocity and duration pairs and selecting the duration corresponding to the velocity value calculated at step 103.
In step 105, the first pitch in PITCH -- LIST is retrieved and placed in the variable PITCH. In step 106, a test is made whether the most recent retrieval from PITCH -- LIST failed because the end of the list was encountered. If the end of the list was encountered, processing returns to step 59 in FIG. 9. If the end was not encountered, then a value for PITCH was retrieved and processing continues at step 107 where the start note routine shown in FIG. 13A is executed on the chord schedule with pitch value PITCH, velocity VEL and duration DUR. This causes one new note in the chord to begin sounding. At step 108, the next pitch in PITCH -- LIST is retrieved. Processing then continues at step 106. Steps 106, 107, 108 are executed repeatedly until all the pitches in PITCH -- LIST have been added to the chord schedule. Processing then returns to step 59 in FIG. 9.
FIG. 11 is a flow chart of the play melody routine shown in step 57 of FIG. 9. In step 201, the value of the variable LAST -- NOTE -- TYPE is examined. If the value is MELODY the processing continues at step 204. If the value is not MELODY, then step 202 is executed. At step 202, the stop note routine shown in FIG. 13B is executed on the poly schedule with pitch value LAST -- POLY -- PITCH. In step 203, the value of LAST -- POLY -- PITCH is set to NONE.
In step 204, the value of the register MODE is examined. If MODE is set to staccato, processing continues at step 206. If MODE is not STACCATO, then it is LEGATO and processing continues at step 205.
At step 206, the stop note routine shown in FIG. 13B is executed on the melody schedule with pitch value LAST -- PITCH. In step 208, the duration of a note is assigned according to staccato articulation. The value of ON--ON is multiplied by the articulation percentage in A-PCNT. The result is placed in the variable DUR. Processing then continues at step 213.
In step 205, the duration of a note is assigned according to legato articulation. There are a variety of ways to calculate duration. In the preferred embodiment, a table lookup is performed, searching a table of velocity and duration pairs and selecting the duration corresponding to the velocity value in the variable VEL. In step 207, the value of PITCH is compared to the value of LAST -- PITCH. If they are the same, then the same melodic pitch has been played twice in a row and processing continues at step 213. If they are not the same, processing continues at step 209.
In step 209, the stop note routine shown in FIG. 13B is executed on the melody schedule with pitch value NTLAST -- PITCH. In step 210, the overlap interval is calculated by multiplying the on/on time stored in ON--ON with the articulation percentage in A-PCNT, and the result is stored in LAP. In step 211, the reschedule note routine shown in FIG. 13C is executed on the melody schedule with pitch value LAST -- PITCH and duration value LAP. In step 212, the value of LAST -- PITCH is stored in the variable NTLAST -- PITCH. Processing continues at step 213.
At step 213, the start note routine shown in FIG. 13A is executed on the melody schedule with pitch value PITCH, velocity VEL and duration DUR. This causes the new melodic note to begin to play. In step 214, the value of PITCH is stored in the variable LAST -- PITCH. Processing returns to step 60 in FIG. 9.
FIG. 12 is a flow chart of the play poly routine shown in step 58 of FIG. 9. In step 301, the duration is assigned. There are a variety of ways to calculate duration. In the preferred embodiment, a table lookup is performed, searching a table of velocity and duration pairs and selecting the duration corresponding to the velocity value in the variable VEL. In step 302, the start note routine shown in FIG. 13A is executed on the poly schedule with pitch value PITCH, velocity VEL and duration DUR. In step 303, the value of PITCH is stored in the variable LAST -- POLY -- PITCH. Processing returns to step 61 in FIG. 9.
FIGS. 13A through 13E are flow charts of routines that process a note schedule. A note schedule is an ordered list of pairs of numbers representing ending time and pitch. The schedule is sorted by increasing ending times. Note that there are three separate schedules representing the three types of notes (chord schedule, melody schedule, poly schedule), and the same algorithms are used to perform the indicated functions on a specified schedule. Note-on and note-off messages generated by these routines are sent to the output channel associated with the note-type of the schedule. The chord schedule transmits on the channel specified in the variable CH -- CHORD, the melody schedule transmits on the channel specified in the variable CH -- MELODY, and the poly schedule transmits on the channel specified in the variable CH -- POLY.
FIG. 13A is a flow chart of the start note routine which is called from multiple points in the program whenever a new note is added to a schedule. The routine is called with three arguments: PITCH, VEL, and DUR. In step 401, the schedule is examined to determine if the requested pitch is already in the schedule. If it is not, then processing proceeds at step 404. If the pitch is in the schedule, then it is currently playing and it must be stopped and restarted. In step 402, the pitch is removed from the schedule. In step 403, a note-off for the pitch is transmitted on the channel assigned to the schedule. In step 404, a note-on for the pitch is transmitted on the channel assigned to the schedule. In step 405, the current system time is read from the system clock and the pitch is inserted in the schedule with the ending time of (DUR+CURRENT -- TIME). Insertion in the schedule is by ascending sorted order on ending time. Processing then returns to the calling routine.
FIG. 13B is a flow chart of the stop note routine which is called from multiple points in the program. The routine is called with the argument PITCH. In step 441, the schedule is searched to determine if the requested pitch is on the schedule. If the pitch is not on the schedule, processing immediately returns to the calling routine. If the requested pitch is on the schedule, processing continues at step 442 where the pitch is removed from the schedule. In step 443, a note-off for the pitch is transmitted on the channel assigned to the schedule. Processing then returns to the calling routine.
FIG. 13C is a flow chart of the reschedule note routine which is called from step 211 in FIG. 11. The routine is called with two arguments PITCH and DUR. In step 451, the schedule is searched to determine if the requested pitch is on the schedule. If the pitch is not on the schedule, processing immediately returns to the calling routine. If the requested pitch is on the schedule, processing continues at step 452 where the pitch is removed from the schedule. At step 453 the current system time is read from the system clock and the pitch is inserted in the schedule with the ending time of (DUR+CURRENT -- TIME). Insertion in the schedule is by ascending sorted order on ending time. Processing then returns to the calling routine.
FIG. 13D is a flow chart of the update schedule routine which is called from steps 88, 89 and 90 in FIG. 4. In step 406, the value of the SUST flag is examined to determine if the sustain function is enabled. If sustain is ON, then processing continues by immediately returning to the calling routine. This prevents note-offs from occurring while sustain is enabled. If sustain is OFF, then processing continues at step 407 where the first pitch in the schedule is retrieved. In step 408, a test is made whether the most recent retrieval from the schedule failed because the end of the schedule was encountered. If the end of the schedule was encountered, processing returns to the calling routine. Otherwise, a pitch was retrieved from the schedule and processing continues in step 409 where the ending time retrieved from the schedule is compared to CURRENT -- TIME. If the end time of the pitch is not greater than CURRENT -- TIME, then its duration has elapsed and the note is stopped. Processing continues in step 410. If the end time of the pitch is greater than CURRENT -- TIME, then its duration has not elapsed and, since the pitches are stored in the schedule in end-time order, no other pitches on the schedule will have elapsed, so processing immediately returns to the calling routine. In step 410, the pitch that was determined to have elapsed in step 409 is removed from the schedule. In step 411, a note-off for the pitch is transmitted on the channel associated with the schedule. In step 412, the next pitch in the schedule is retrieved and processing continues at step 408. Steps 408 through 412 are executed repeatedly until the end of the schedule is reached or no more notes with elapsed duration are encountered.
FIG. 13E is a flow chart of the clear schedule routine which is called from multiple points in the program. In step 420, the first pitch in the schedule is retrieved. In step 421, a test is made whether the most recent retrieval from the schedule failed because the end of the schedule was encountered. If the end of the schedule was encountered, processing returns to the calling routine. Otherwise, a pitch was retrieved from the schedule and processing continues in step 422. In step 422, the retrieved pitch is removed from the schedule. In step 423, a note-off for the pitch is transmitted on the channel associated with the schedule. In step 424, the next pitch in the schedule is retrieved and processing continues at step 421. Steps 421 through 424 are executed repeatedly until the end of the schedule is reached and all notes on the schedule have been stopped and removed.
FIG. 14A is a flow chart of the timer start routine which is called from step 46 in FIG. 7. In step 501, the value of threshold T1 is placed in variable TIME. In step 502, the flag TIMEOUT is set to zero. In step 503, the value of flag TIMER is set to ON. Processing returns to step 47 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 14B is a flow chart of the timer init routine which is called from step 802 in FIG. 5. In step 510, the value of the flag TIMER is set to OFF. In step 511, the value of the flag TIMEOUT is set to zero. Processing returns to step 803 in FIG. 5.
FIG. 15 is a flow chart of the timer interrupt routine. This routine is called at regular intervals, preferably every millisecond. In step 519, the value of the counter CURRENT -- TIME is incremented. In step 520, the value of the counter CLOCK is incremented. In step 521 the value of flag TIMER is checked. If the value is OFF, then processing immediately returns to the calling routine. If the value is ON, then processing continues at step 522. In step 522, the value of the counter TIME is decremented by one. In step 523, the value of counter TIME is tested. If TIME is not zero, then processing immediately returns to the calling routine. If TIME is zero, processing continues at step 524 where the value of flag TIMEOUT is set to one. In step 525, the value of flag TIMER is set to OFF. Processing then returns to the calling routine.
FIG. 16 is a flow chart of the clear note routine which is called from multiple points in the program. In step 561, all values are removed from the variable PITCH -- LIST. In step 562, all values are removed from the variable VEL -- LIST. In step 563, the value of counter NOTE -- COUNT is set to zero. Processing then returns to the calling routine.
While a preferred embodiment has been used to describe the present invention, the scope of the invention is limited thereto. The invention may be embodied in an electronic musical instrument containing both a controller and a tone generator, or the invention may be embodied in a controller alone or in a tone generator alone, or in a sequencer program. The CPU may be replaced by a floating point gate array (FPGA), discrete electrical circuitry, or a system of interconnected integrated circuits.
In the preferred embodiment, the performance data is transmitted and received as MIDI data. The present invention is not limited to this format, and it is also possible to receive and transmit performance data in a non-MIDI format. It is also possible to receive performance data in one format and transmit performance data in a different format.
In the preferred embodiment, note-offs are ignored. When the controller is capable of sending note-off signals, it is also possible to process them so that the duration of chords and polyphonic notes is controlled by the player's actions but the advantage of automatic legato and staccato articulation for melodic notes is retained. This is achieved as follows: Remove steps 88 and 89 in FIG. 4 so that the update routine for chord and poly schedules is never executed. In place of step 36 FIG. 6, the stop note routine shown in FIG. 13B is executed on the chord and poly schedules with the pitch of the note-off.
In the preferred embodiment, the sustain function is controlled by one sustaining signal and all three note types and their schedules respond to that signal. It is also possible to receive separate sustaining signals for each type of note and control the sustain functions independently. For instance, one sustain signal could control chordal sustain, and a second signal could control melodic and polyphonic sustain.
In the preferred embodiment, only pitch number and velocity performance data are treated. It is also possible to receive and re-transmit other performance data that is associated with note-on signals, and to compute and transmit performance data associated with note-off signals. It is also possible in the case of chords to choose a single representative value for each additional type of performance data so that every note in a chord is performed with the same values.
In the preferred embodiment, single representative values for each type of performance data are chosen for every note in a chord. The present invention is not limited to this, and the actual performance data associated with each note may be transmitted.
In the preferred embodiment, chord notes are grouped together and processed as a list at step 56 of FIG. 9. The present invention is not limited to this, and every chord note can be processed singly as it is detected. This is achieved by replacing the new note routine shown in FIG. 7 with the alternative implementation shown in FIG. 17. In step 701, the timer measuring interval T1 is started by executing the timer start routine shown in FIG. 14A. In step 702, the value of NOTE -- COUNT is tested. If NOTE -- COUNT is zero, processing continues at step 706. If NOTE -- COUNT is not zero, then a previous note arrived less than interval T1 ago, and PITCH -- LIST and VEL -- LIST contain the data for it. In step 703, the previous note is played by executing the play chord routine shown in FIG. 10. In step 704, all values are removed from the variable PITCH -- LIST. In step 705, all values are removed from the variable VEL -- LIST. In step 706, the pitch of the note-on event is extracted and added to the list of pitches PITCH -- LIST. In step 707, the velocity of the note-on event is extracted and added to the list of velocities VEL -- LIST. In step 708, the variable NOTE -- COUNT is incremented. Processing then returns to step 85 of the main loop shown in FIG. 4. In this manner, it can be seen that all notes in a chord excepting the last note are performed by execution of the play chord routine at step 703 FIG. 17. The final note of the chord is performed by execution of the play chord routine in step 56 of FIG. 9.
In the preferred embodiment, the receipt of a new chord causes the notes of the previous chord to stop if they are still sounding. It is also possible to allow the previous chord notes to continue to play. This is achieved by removing steps 101 and 102 in FIG. 10.
In the preferred embodiment, the classify notes routine described in FIG. 9 resets the value of the clock measuring on/on time before the new note or notes are classified. This means that the time interval used to determine whether a note is a melody note or a polyphonic note may begin with the start time of a previous chord note. The present invention is not limited to this, and the classification of melody and polyphonic notes can be determined without respect to chord notes at all. This is achieved by moving step 52 in FIG. 9 so that it is interposed between steps 53 and 63.
In the preferred embodiment, initial durations are calculated by table lookup. There are many other ways to assign durations. For instance, durations can be a function of one or all of: the velocity of the note, the pitch of the note, the on/on time, and the threshold T2. Initial durations can also be set to a constant value.
In the preferred embodiment, the overlap interval between a melody note and its successor note is the product of the on/on time and a constant (see FIG. 11, step 210). The present invention is not limited to this. For example, the overlap interval may be the sum of the on/on time and a constant. More generally, the overlap interval can be any function of the on/on time.
In the preferred embodiment, notes are classified into three types. The current invention is not limited to this. It is possible to classify notes into two types based on the on/on time being less than threshold T1 or not. In this case, the classification is between chords and non-chords. The invention may be configured so that non-chord notes are all treated polyphonically. Alternatively, the invention may be configured so that non-chord notes are all treated melodically.
It is also possible to classify notes into two types based on the on/on time being within the interval T1, T2 ! or not. In this case, the classification is between melodic and non-melodic notes, and it is musically effective to treat non-melodic notes polyphonically.
In the preferred embodiment, each of the three types of notes is routed to a separate schedule and channel of the tone generator so that the same pitch may be sounding simultaneously on multiple channels with different timbres. The present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to route all note types to a single schedule transmitting on one channel. In this case, the distinction between chord, melodic, and polyphonic articulation in response to playing style is preserved, but timbre-switching capability is not available.
Having described preferred embodiments of a new and improved method and apparatus for automatic variable articulation and timbre assignment for an electronic musical instrument, 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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A signal processor acts upon a stream of incoming musical performance data including note-on signals and outputs a stream of musical performance data including note-on and note-off signals. The incoming performance data is dispatched to a multiplicity of output channels depending on the time interval between successive incoming note-on data. Notes played in very rapid succession are identified as chords and are performed with identical musical parameters such as duration and instrumental timbre. Notes played in slow succession are identified as polyphonic and are performed with the same instrumental timbre. Notes played at an intermediate speed are identified as melodic and are performed with the same instrumental timbre and a variable staccato or legato effect. A variable legato effect is achieved by controlling the overlap of successive pairs of notes, adjusting the release of the first note with respect to the onset of the second note as a function of the time interval between their onsets, and limiting the number of notes that can sound simultaneously. A variable staccato effect is achieved by controlling the duration of each note as a function of the time interval between the note and its predecessor, and limiting the number of notes that can sound simultaneously.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a building block assembly and, particularly, to an arrangement which incorporates a system for aligning the blocks in vertical and horizontal relationships.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The conventional concrete block has been recognized as the least expensive construction material and is a very versatile material since it is both, fire-safe, sound-deadening, and absorbing. It also can be made decorative and is readily available all around the world. Furthermore, it is essentially maintenance free and indestructible. In addition, it is obviously termite-safe and almost tenant-safe. The production of building blocks of this type is highly mechanized and economically productive. However, it does depend for its accurate installation on highly skilled labor. Many attempts have been made to mechanize the installation by using cheap, unskilled labor, but it is not generally satisfactory due to the potential of inaccurate positioning of the interfitting blocks and resulting need for parching, which is very costly. An arrangement that has been employed is my U.S. Pat. No. 4,514,949 which has been generally satisfactory, but it has been found that the point contact occurring with the utilization of spherical balls is not as effective as desired, including the need for light parching.
[0003] The general problem that exists, of course is that the existing block producing machines cannot make the blocks accurate to more than 0.050 of an inch in height, and because of this, the accepted tolerance is ± 1/16 of an inch, which in extreme instances can be up to ⅛ of an inch. Accordingly, some means must be provided to accommodate this variation in height to insure proper alignment. Accordingly, it is the purpose of this invention to provide a building block assembly which by the utilization or unskilled workers a wall or similar construction can be constructed with accurately positioned rows of building blocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a building block arrangement which is constructed with V-shaped grooves along the longitudinal walls thereof in which are fitted plastic tubes or plastic reinforced tubes that insure proper alignment of horizontally or vertically disposed rows of building blocks. While this may appear to be a relatively simple construction, it is of an order of magnitude that with the provision of such grooves, the tubes are able to insure proper alignment and thus level rows of building blocks, thus providing the temperature reinforcing rods within the tubes.
[0005] In addition, the slot/guide arrangement of the present invention facilitates the process of mounting blocks typically used in residential and commercial construction. Furthermore, the present invention provides a clean process, where no cement between blocks is used, thus increasing not only the speed of the installation process but the number of blocks installed per time frame and at the same providing the opportunity of using untrained labor for the installation.
[0006] Numerous other advantages and features of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of the invention and embodiments thereof, from the claims and from the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] Further features and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures showing illustrative embodiments of the invention, in which:
[0008] FIG. 1 shows an exploded perspective view of a three-chamber building block assembly according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 shows a front elevation view of two aligned superposed building blocks according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0010] FIG. 3 shows a front elevation view of three building blocks in staggered relation to each other according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0011] FIG. 4 shows a partial perspective view of two reinforced masonry wall sections according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0012] FIG. 5 shows a cross section view of a wall footing from a ground floor slab according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0013] FIG. 5A shows a side view of a wall footing from a ground floor slab according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0014] FIG. 5B shows a perspective view of a wall footing from a ground floor slab according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0015] FIG. 5C shows a side view of a wall footing from a ground floor slab according to another embodiment of the invention;
[0016] FIG. 5D shows a perspective view of a wall footing from a ground floor slab according to another embodiment of the invention
[0017] FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an interconnection between a door frame and a building block according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0018] FIG. 7 shows a partial perspective view of a roof block interconnection arrangement according to an embodiment of the invention;
[0019] FIG. 8 shows a perspective view of a block modifying machine according to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0020] FIG. 8A shows a cross section view of a block modifying machine according to an embodiment of the invention.
[0021] Throughout the figures, the same reference numbers and characters, unless otherwise stated, are used to denote like elements, components, portions or features of the illustrated embodiments. The subject invention will be described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying figures, in view of the illustrative embodiments. It is clear that changes and modifications to the described embodiments can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] Referring first to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a building block 20 having grooves 22 , 24 formed in longitudinally extending walls 23 , 25 , respectively. Disposed in the grooves for alignment of adjacent blocks are provided either a plain plastic tubing 26 shown in exploded view or a plastic tubing 26 with a reinforcing wire 28 disposed therein. The tubing used has an outside diameter of ⅜″. Both of these arrangements are shown and either of them can be employed if desired. Chambers 30 are defined by the webs 31 and sidewalls 23 , 25 .
[0023] Referring to FIG. 2 , the two building blocks 20 are shown in vertical alignment with plastic tubing 26 disposed relative thereto. A longitudinal end view of this arrangement can be seen from FIG. 5 . It is to be noted that the diameter of the tubing and the depth of the V-shaped grooves are such that a slight spacing 33 is provided between vertically disposed blocks 20 to insure proper alignment. The spacing between the blocks varies between 0 to ⅛″ according to block height error, although may be substantially reduced to a spacing between 0.010″ and 0.020″ by grinding the block bottoms while grinding the V-cuts.
[0024] Referring now to FIG. 3 , the arrangement is disposed with the adjacent rows of building blocks located in a staggered relationship. It will be noted that the upper building block 20 overlaps the junction of the lower building blocks 20 .
[0025] In FIG. 4 , there are shown in partial perspective two masonry walls constructed of building blocks 20 that include reinforcing steel rods 32 that are disposed in the longitudinal and transverse direction. These rods are utilized to reinforce the structures and extend through the chambers 30 of the building block, which will serve to conduct all utilities wiring, ducts, etc. If desired, reinforced concrete 34 is poured into the chambers. There are also provided vertically extending reinforced concrete columns 36 .
[0026] At the bottom of FIG. 4 , there is also shown in perspective the connection between the concrete slab 38 and the building blocks 20 . To provide for proper leveling of the building blocks, there are located on the slab 38 leveling channels 40 . These channels are secured to the blocks by leveling bar 42 and a rod as shown in section 45 . In order to properly level the building blocks relative to the concrete slab, there is a leveling device comprising of bracket 44 through which is disposed a leveling screw 46 . The concrete blocks are disposed on the horizontally extending portion of bracket 44 as shown in section 45 and their positions are adjusted relative to the floor slab by adjusting the leveling screws 46 . Thus, it can be seen that by adjusting the leveling screws, the level position of the blocks located in the leveling bracket are set. As shown in FIG. 5 , and as briefly explained earlier in this application, the adjacent rows are aligned relative to each other by the use of the plastic tubing 26 disposed in groves 22 , 24 of each block.
[0027] FIG. 5A shows an alternate embodiment of a block leveling means. A vertical retaining means 65 is properly secured to the concrete slab by any known conventional securing means. A second retaining means 64 is securely attached to the building blocks 20 to cooperate with said retaining means 65 when the blocks 20 are vertically positioned against the floor slab 38 . A fixing means 60 is properly secured to building blocks 20 to selectively allow leveling of said blocks 20 . Lower stopper 61 serves to hold the bottom of block 20 in a static position relative to side stopper 68 . A leveling means 66 is secured to the concrete slab 38 and the upper stopper 63 to selectively allow leveling of the block relative to the concrete slab 38 . Leveling means 66 comprises a lower part 70 including a thread end and an upper part 71 including a thread end, which cooperate together in conjunction with adjuster 67 to selectively level the block 20 by rotating said adjuster 67 in a clockwise/counter-clockwise manner. Upper part 71 and upper stopper 63 are structurally connected to a hinged clamp 72 to fixedly secure an inner wall of block 20 in relation to said fixing means 60 as shown in FIG. 5A . Empty space 62 is filled with concrete to allow proper fixation to the concrete slab.
[0028] FIG. 5B is another view of an alternate embodiment of said block leveling means. A plastic tubing 26 in a mating relationship with a v-shaped groove serving as a lower stopper to retain said block fixed in relation to the concrete slab 38 . hinged clamp 72 b fixedly secures an inner wall of block 20 in relation to fixing means 60 b.
[0029] FIGS. 5C and 5D show another embodiment of the present invention. A second hinged clamp including a clamp element 80 a and a hinge element 81 a is provided to further retain said block fixed in relation to a second fixing means 82 a. Clamp element 80 a is inserted inside an inner wall of block 20 in such a way as to push block 20 against second fixing means 82 a when hinge element 81 a is actuated in an outwardly manner. Lower stoppers 61 a and 61 b retain block 20 horizontally fixed in relation to the floor or concrete slab 38 . FIG. 5D shows a plurality of blocks selectively positioned adjacent to each other in an embodiment of the invention to form a wall. Blocks 20 are filled with cement or any suitable filler which is eventually dried. Then, both clamps are removed and another round of blocks is positioned above the already dried blocks using the inventive method. The combination of said upper second hinged clamp and said second fixing means 82 a is an alternative to the lower fixing means 60 described in FIG. 5A .
[0030] In FIG. 5 , the height tolerances are more clearly shown with respect to the two superposed blocks illustrated therein. From the centerline of the tubes, regardless of the block heights that may vary from 7⅝ inches to 7¾ inches, the distance from center line to center line of the tubing 26 is 7.875 inches (20 cm)± from about 0.002″ to about 0.004″ in tolerance. It is possible to obtain such close tolerances because of the precise machining of the grooves during drilling. By providing such small tolerance values it is possible to avoid applying cement to the exterior faces of said blocks 20 .
[0031] When it is desired to mount a door frame relative to a block having the novel construction of the V-shaped grooves in the upper walls thereof, there is provided a door frame 48 in which is located a steel plate connector 50 . This connector is positioned in a slot 52 formed in the wall of the building block to retain the door frame in place relative to the building block as shown in FIG. 6 .
[0032] FIG. 7 shows the concept of the present invention implemented for building a roof. Channels 90 are provided between blocks 20 to hold them together.
[0033] Protrusions 91 are provided to accept inventive rods 92 that will fit into the V-shaped grooves of blocks 20 , while reinforcing bars and concrete are used to fill the space within blocks 20 .
[0034] FIGS. 8 and 8 A show a novel machine used to modify building blocks according to one embodiment of the invention. A movable means 100 such a conveyor means is used to properly move the blocks inside, within, and outside of said machine. The movable means is also adapted to ensure that the blocks are substantially positioned in a fixed position without any vertical and/or horizontal movements during the modifying process. To achieve said above mentioned goal, a three-chains arrangement is selectively positioned in relation to said conveyor means to ensure optimal movement and to avoid any loose movement of said blocks while entering the machine. Moreover, a pre-cutting stage could be provided to selectively adjust the height of said blocks to a uniform height before entering a cutting stage. The blocks 20 enter the machine through an opening 105 that substantially fits the outer surface of said blocks 20 . A selected clearance between said outer surface and said opening could also be provided. Once the blocks are inside the machine, grinding wheels are used to produce the V-shaped grooves at the bottom and upper part of said blocks. Preferably, diamond dust grinding wheels are used. The grinding wheels are powered by motors 101 . In the preferred embodiment the motors are 3-phase, 5 hp motors, which are selectively and individually controlled. The motors could also be controlled together by a single controlling means.
[0035] It can be seen from the above that a novel construction is provided whereby the building blocks 20 can be maintained in level position relative to the ground slab. Also, they can be uniformly placed in a level, condition throughout the length of the walls, as shown in FIG. 4 , by the utilization of plastic tubing that is located in the V-shaped grooves formed in the upper walls of the building blocks. The V-shaped grooves are actually formed in both ends of the main walls of the building block and therefore they can be readily installed in position during construction. Blocks 20 can be made of any suitable material regardless of its compression characteristics. The resistance of the wall is controlled by the blocks column and the joint of the top and bottom surfaces. Moreover, the interior part of the wall defined by chambers 30 can be fill by any suitable filler. The present invention avoids the formation of cracks by voids in the the columns.
[0036] It is intended to cover by the appended claims all such modifications which fall within true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A wall comprising superposed rows of aligned conventional building blocks being approximately parallel front and back faces connected by a plurality of transverse webs defining chambers there between in which the tops and bottoms of the blocks are formed with V-shaped grooves to mate with similarly shaped V-shaped grooves in the adjacent wall or a block placed thereon. Tubing is placed within the adjacent V-shaped grooves to space the blocks from each other and maintain the adjacent rows in proper alignment. Lateral temperature rods may be placed inside the tubes.
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This is a continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 07/580,128, filed on Sep. 10, 1990.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an apparatus for and method of sewing, and more particularly, to an apparatus and method for the automatic attachment of preclosed circular elastic waist bands to the body portion of a circular garment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Automation of sewing operations has existed for many years. Over time, machines and methods have been developed that allow operators to position pieces of material in a specified location where, thereafter, the sewing machines would complete the aligning and sewing operation. An operation is simplest when there is one workpiece and the geometry of the material sewn is basic (e.g. straight edges), the configuration of the sewn material is easy to maintain during the sewing operation (e.g. an even alignment), and the path of the stitching is not complicated (e.g. straight and flat).
Automatic aligning and sewing is complicated when the characteristics of the material to be sewn venture from the basic, e.g. the sewing of an elastic closed-loop workpiece material to a tubular edges of another non-elastic workpiece. The operator, or the machine, must strive to align the materials such that, when sewn together, the non-elastic and elastic workpieces are configured with the desired amount of tension in the different materials. If either material is not tensioned properly, the resulting combination will have problem areas where the look, feel and final size of the completed garment could be unacceptable.
The configuration of the elastic and non-elastic materials is critical when the elastic material is being used as a waistband. The elastic material is susceptible to more noticeable flaw in its configuration with the non-elastic materials because the ends of the elastic material must be joined to form a loop. If the alignment of the two materials is not accurate, the elastic loop may not close properly decreasing the quality of the completed garment.
The garments' waist band can be sewn closed with more accuracy if the loop is closed before the band is sewn to the body of the garment. However, it is burdensome thereafter to attach the pre-closed band to the body of a garment because the time and skill necessary to maneuver the materials during the sewing operation decreases the efficiency and speed of the entire process. It is time consuming for an operator to manually align the materials, begin to sew, and then have to realign the materials periodically throughout the sewing operation until the stitching is complete. This tediousness results from the difficulty in positioning any loop material, elastic or otherwise, in proper alignment with the body of a garment and thereafter sewing the materials together in a continuous operation, maintaining the alignment such that the entire loop is sewn to the rest of the garment in the desired configuration.
What is needed is a device or method that is efficient, accurate, speedy and automatic. Such a device or method would most desirably eliminate the need for manual positioning of the materials in relation to each other during the sewing operation, and keep both materials at in proper tension, while also eliminating the need for manual maneuvering of the aligned workpieces through the sewing machine. The presently known devices and methods have been less than adequate for sewing preclosed elastic bands onto other materials.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,479,447 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,856, both issued to Rohr, discloses an embodiment that sews the edge of a tubular workpiece. Two other patents issued to Rohr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,268 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,734, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,017, issued to Letard et. al., relate to sewing apparatus that support and tension a tubular workpiece while the workpiece passes through a sewing machine. The typical workpiece here is a garment with a hem or other edge that must be sewn in place. U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,319, also issued to Rohr, discloses a device that controls a workpiece during a sewing operation. The device is applicable for sewing flat (open) materials--it feeds material in a substantially straight line.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for and method of automatically attaching elastic band materials onto garment bodies to allow the operator to load a second machine while the first machine is joining the elastic band to the body of the garment, thereby increasing productivity.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a new and improved apparatus for and method of attaching pre-closed circular elastic waistbands to circular underwear, swimwear, etc.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved apparatus for and method of joining a pre-closed band to another portion of a garment while expanding and tensioning the materials as necessary for a proper configuration of the completed garment.
The foregoing specific objects and advantages of the invention are illustrative of those which can be achieved by the present invention and are not intended to be exhaustive or limiting of the possible advantages which can be realized. Thus, these and other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description herein or can be learned from practicing the invention, both as embodied herein or as modified in view of any variations which may be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the present invention resides in the novel parts, constructions, arrangements, combinations and improvements herein shown and described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above-mentioned and other objective of the invention are met by a new and improved apparatus and a method according to the present invention. The preferred method of attaching the elastic bands to the body of the garments includes sensing when the materials are in position, tensioning the materials, urging the materials through the sewing machine at the same time the materials are kept in tension and in their desired alignment, monitoring the alignment and position of the materials such that corrections in their alignment and position may be made as deemed necessary, and automatically terminating the sewing process when the stitching is completed.
In a preferred embodiment, the attachment apparatus includes a frame, sensors that can determine when the elastic band and the body of the garment are present, a guiding mechanism that maneuvers the edge of the garment and maintains the desired alignment while the materials are attached to each other, a tensioning component that ensures the maintenance of the proper tension in the two materials during the sewing process, sensors that monitor the alignment and position of the workpieces such that their signal may be used to maneuver the workpieces to the desired positions, and a sewing machine that completes the attachment process.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing brief description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory of the invention, but are not intended to be restrictive thereof or limiting of the advantages which can be achieved by the invention. Thus, the accompanying drawings, referred to herein and constituting a part hereof, illustrate preferred embodiments of the invention and, together with the detailed description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other objects, features and advantages of this invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, especially when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is an perspective view of an attachment apparatus according to the invention and its elements;
FIG. 2 is a plane view of the elements of the apparatus that initially come into contact with an elastic band workpiece;
FIG. 3 is a plane view of the elements of the apparatus that initially come into contact with a garment body workpiece;
FIG. 4 is a plan view of an attachment apparatus according to the invention with elastic band and garment body workpieces;
FIG. 5 is a side view of an attachment apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 5a is a top view of the top roller throw out seam sensor at the point when the start of stitching comes into contact with it;
FIG. 5b is a top view of the configuration of the garment, elastic band and stitching when the stitching first comes in contact with the end of sew sensing mechanism;
FIG. 5c is a top view of the end of sew sensing mechanism after the start of stitching has passed;
FIGS. 6a and 6b are portions of a timing chart demonstrating the sequence of activities in the attachment process; and
FIG. 7 is an interconnect diagram detailing the input/output of the attachment apparatus control system according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the drawings, a preferred embodiment of the attachment apparatus, according to the present invention, is illustrated in FIG. 1. In this particular embodiment, frame 20 supports the attachment apparatus. Control system box 22 is secured to the lower, back portion of frame 20. Inside control system box 22 are the central processing unit (CPU) that activates and monitors the sewing and maneuvering operations. The motor controls for the various moving components are also located in control system box 22.
Sewing machine 24 is affixed to the top of frame 20. Sewing machine 24 is electrically connected with the appropriate controls in control box 22.
Also electrically connected to the appropriate controls in control box 22 are the motors for the manipulating cylinder for top roller 28, for rear puller roller 34, and for tension roller carriage 36.
End of sew proximity sensor 58, top roller proximity sensor 56, coarse edge guider sensor 44 and variable home and selected position magnetic proximity sensors 72 are mechanically connected to the attachment apparatus at various locations and are electrically connected with control box 22. Each sensor produces a signal that is used to control various steps in the attachment process. Roller 25, roller 26 and tension roller 30 are also shown.
FIGS. 2 and 3 show a more detailed view of maneuvering components in reference to the position of elastic band 38 and garment body 40 after the two workpieces have been positioned in the attachment apparatus, just before the sewing operation has begun. The operator manually loads elastic band 38 first, positioning band 38 against edge stop 54. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that the loading of either elastic band 38 or garment body 40, or both may be accomplished by a mechanical or automated means.
Elastic band 38 is typically a pre-closed circular waist band, but may be the band of another piece of a garment (e.g. a collar, a wrist band) and needed not be elastic. The invention, however, it designed to attach elastic bands to garments, a more difficult sewing operation.
Elastic band 38 is situated such that it is under presser foot 42 of sewing machine 24 and over roller 25, roller 26, top roller 28 and tension roller 30 Roller 25, roller 26, top roller 28 and tension roller 30 rotate relative to the movement of elastic band 38. Roller 25, roller 26, top roller 28 and tension roller 30 should be constructed of materials appropriate to maneuver elastic band 38 without allowing slippage and without causing undesirable wear and tear on elastic band 38 during the sewing operations. The two long rollers (tension roller 30 and roller 26) should preferably have crowned sections to keep the elastic band on track. However, roller 25 is preferably tapered with a high friction surface to prevent elastic band 38 from slipping until the tensioning is completed. The taper should force elastic band 38 on the wider portion of roller 25 toward the fixed edge stop 54, and away from the open edge of roller 25.
The portion of garment body 40 on to which elastic band 38 will be attached is manually situated (in this particular embodiment) over the coarse guider roller 32. Like the other rollers, coarse guider roller 32 should be of a material and size appropriate for maneuvering garment body 40 during the sewing operation in the desired fashion. Moreover, the roller is preferable smooth with low friction so that garment body 40 can move when responding to the edge aligning forces.
Garment body 40 is then routed under presser foot 42, located to cover coarse edge guider sensor 44 and fine edge guider sensors 50 and then positioned over tension roller 30 and roller 26. Coarse edge guider sensor 44 may be of such a type as that disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,734, issued to Rohr on Aug. 28, 1984, which is incorporated by reference. It monitors the alignment and produces a signal that may be used to make rough alignment adjustments. On the other hand, fine edge guider sensor 50 may be of such a type as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,319, issued to Rohr on May 17, 1988, which is incorporated by reference. It provides the signal that controls, for instance, a fine alignment mechanism incorporated in the sewing head that maintains the edge of garment body 40 in a very precise location during sewing. Fine edge guider sensor 50 may be, for example, a photo optic sensor that reflects off an object above it.
Although the sequence of positioning the two workpieces over the rollers and under presser foot 42 may differ, the initial configuration, in this embodiment, is critical. That is, in the loaded, pre-sewn configuration, elastic band 38 should be under presser foot 42 and over roller 25, roller 26, tension roller 30 and top roller 28 while garment body 40 should be positioned under presser foot 42 and over coarse guider roller 32, roller 26, tension roller 30, fine edge guider sensor 50 and coarse edge guider sensor 44. The remainder of garment body 40, that which is not being attached to elastic band 38, should be allowed to fall between the attachment apparatus and the operator.
End of sew proximity sensor 58 sits in between elastic band 38 and garment body 40 when the workpieces are loaded. End of sew proximity sensor 58 has a flag 78 which is positioned above fine edge guider sensor 50 until flag 78 is moved by the stitch joining the workpieces (see discussion of FIGS. 5b and 5c). Under garment body 40, stepper motor 62 is positioned to move the aligning feed dog in response to the signal generated by fine edge guider sensor 50. Stepper motor 62 may be of the type, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,734. Feed dog 46 which helps urge the workpieces from one side of presser foot 42 to the other may be of the kind, for example, disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,319. Rear puller motor 64 is in position to rotate rear puller roller 34 when rear puller roller 34 is lowered onto elastic band 38 and garment body 40 by rear puller lift cylinder 68. Knife throw out cylinder 70 is poised to place the cutting knife in its normal operative position after elastic band 38 and garment body 40 are in place.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show the main components of the attachment operation. FIG. 4 includes garment body 40 and elastic band 38 in order to demonstrate a "loaded" configuration. As garment body 40 is positioned over coarse guider roller 32, fine edge guider sensor 50 and coarse edge guider sensor 44, sewing process begins. Following the sequence programmed by the CPU, presser foot 42 is lowered to compress elastic band 38 and garment body 42. Rear puller roller 34 is positioned by rear puller lift cylinder 68 such that roller 34 is in contact with elastic band 38 and garment body 40. Tension roller 30 descends to its pre-programmed position, moving with tension roller carriage 36 and monitored by variable home and selected position magnetic proximity sensors 72 (see FIG. 1), to tension both elastic band 38 and garment body 40 to a pre-determined extent. Thereafter, sewing machine 24 is started and rear puller 34 and feed dog 46 begin to urge the workpieces through sewing machine 24. Examples of a feed dog mechanisms particularly applicable to this sewing process are taught in the pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. filed on Apr. 3, 1989 by Rohr entitled "Feed Dog Drive for Sewing Machines" (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 332,645) and in the pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. filed on Nov. 8, 1988 by Rohr, et al. entitled "A Sewing Machine for Sewing on a Tape" (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 268,817), both of which are incorporated by reference. The feed dog may be driven, for example, by a device such as the device disclosed in the U.S. patent application Ser. No. entitled "A Drive for a Reciprocating Part," filed by Rohr, et al. on Mar. 8, 1990 (U.S. patent application Ser. No. 490,780), which is incorporated by reference. FIG. 5 shows a side view of the invention and some of its parts discussed above, including sewing machine 24, roller 28, tension roller 30, tension roller carriage 36, Coarse guider roller 32, presser foot 42, roller 25 and roller 26.
As the movement of elastic band 38 and garment body 40 begins, fine edge guider sensor 50 and coarse edge guider sensor 44 monitor the alignment of the workpieces. These sensors send signals to control box 22 which uses the signals to determine the necessary manipulations of the workpieces during the sewing-aligning-realigning process.
FIG. 5a shows the operation of top roller throw out seam proximity sensor 56. As the start of the stitching 52 between elastic band 38 and garment body 40 passes spring biased pivoting lever 76, stitching 52 moves lever 76 in the direction of the workpieces' motion. This movement activates top roller throw out seam proximity sensor 56 which sends a signal to the CPU. The CPU, in turn, sends a signal which causes top roller 28 to retract from beneath elastic band 38. Although coarse guider roller 32 is also shut off, rear puller roller 34 and feed dog 46 continue to maneuver the workpieces through the sewing machine and to urge the workpiece from one side of presser foot 42 to the other.
FIGS. 5b and 5c show the operation of end of sew proximity sensor 58 at the time just before and after start of stitching 52 comes into contact with sensor 58. When start of stitching 52 pushes end of sew flag 78, end of sew proximity sensor 58 sends a signal to the CPU. The signal initiates the CPU's stitch counting process. After a pre-determined stitch count has been generated, the sewing operation is terminated and all of the apparatus' mechanisms and controls return to the initial, stand-by configuration. This return to initial settings includes the return of end of sew flag 78 to its position out of the elastic band 38 for easier loading of elastic band 38 by the use of flag throw out cylinder 80.
The operator, or a mechanical means, may now unload the completed garment, and the apparatus is ready for the next operation cycle.
The timing of the automated activities, in a preferred embodiment, is shown in the timing chart illustrated in FIGS. 6a and 6b. The power up functions, the systems that come on when the power is turned on, include a micro-computer that controls and monitors the automated activities, and a display that provides a means for an operator to see the initial settings, to see changes made in the settings, and to monitor the programmed activities.
The automated activities begin when the end of sew sensor and the coarse guider sensor are covered by the garment body. The sewing start switch is pressed. In addition, the tensioning cylinder valve is turned on while the stop valve is turned off, which in combination lowers the tension roller (moving the carriage out and tensioning the workpieces). The tension cylinder moves the roller downward until the selected position proximity associated with the positioning sensors indicate that the tension roller is in its pre-determined position (which varies depending on the size of the garment).
Several automatic sewing functions are also commenced when the tension roller has reached the pre-determined location. The knife throw out cylinder, the flag throw out cylinder, the final seam proximity trip switch (electrically connected to end of sew pivoting proximity sensor 58, see FIGS. 5b and 5c, and the venturi are all turned off. The knife throw out cylinder moves the knife into its operable position during the sewing process. It retracts the knife to a lower position after the sewing process is complete to make it easier to load the next workpieces. The flag throw out cylinder moves the flag to its normal position during the sewing process from a location away from the work area where the flag did not inhibit the easy loading of the workpieces. The venturi is a vacuum which sucks the workpiece edge trimmings after the knife has cut the edge of the garment body.
Other automatic sewing functions commence after the first set of automated activities has begun. For instance, a pre-determined time after the tension roller has been lowered, the belt puller cylinder is turned on while the presser foot lift cylinder is turned off (i.e. the presser foot is lowered). After another pre-determined delay, the synchronizer and the sewing head motor begins to move the sewing needle in the motion necessary to produce a seam that joins the elastic band to the garment body. (In addition, miscellaneous outputs produced during the sewing cycle such as those associated with the pivoting feed dog photocell, the pivoting feed dog stepper motor, the front feed roller photocell, and the micromotor driven front guidance roller are generated simultaneous with or very soon after the stitching begins.)
In a small interval of time after the stitching begins (e.g. a programmed duration equivalent to 0 m sec), the belt motor is turned on. After a pre-determined number of stitches (preferably 4 stitches), the front feed roller drive motor is turned on and the workpieces begin to move.
The sewing process is now in its programmed operation. This sewing operation continues until the first seam proximity trip switch (electrically connected to top roller throw out seam proximity sensor 56, see FIG. 5a) is turned off. This action is simultaneous with the termination of the front feed roller photocell (in a covered configuration) output and the micromotor driven front guidance rollers (in an off configuration) output.
After the trip switch is turned off, the top roller pullout cylinder, which had been on since the power switch was turned on, is automatically turned off, i.e. the top roller is retracted. (The first seam proximity trip switch turns back on sometime after the top roller pullout cylinder has been turned off, returning the switch to its initial position).
Later, the final seam proximity trip switch (electrically connected to end of sew pivoting proximity sensor 58, see FIGS. 5a and 5b) is turned on and off. When the switch is turned on, the stitch counting routine commences, the pivoting feed dog photocells begin to output a constant covered signal, and the pivoting feed dog stepper motor begins to output a counter-clockwise (CCW) signal.
The stitch bunching cylinder is turned on at the same time that the belt puller cylinder is turned off a pre-determined number of stitches (e.g. 5 stitches) after the final seam proximity trip switch has been turned on. After another pre-determined number of stitches (e.g. 12 stitches), the sewing head motor, the front feed roller driver motor and the belt puller motor are turned off, thereby terminating the stitching activity.
After the stitching has stopped, (1) the tension roller is raised, (2) the selected position proximity are in the uncovered mode, (3) the knife throw out cylinder is turned on, (4) the flag throw out cylinder is turned on, (5) the final seam proximity trip switch is turned on for the second time during this cycle, (6) the stitch bunching cylinder is turned off, (7) the venturi is turned on, (8) the presser foot lift cylinder is turned on (raising the presser foot), (9) the pivoting feed dog photocell returns to its initial uncovered output mode, (10) the pivoting feed dog stepper motor returns to its initial clockwise (CW) mode, and (11) the front feed roller photocell returns to its initial uncovered mode.
When the tension roller carriage has returned to the initial position (the carriage has moved home and the tensioning cylinder stop valve has been turned on), the top roller pullout cylinder is turned off (returning the top roller to the loading position). At such time, all of the system components and signals have been returned to their initial status, the operator may remove the completed garment and load the apparatus in preparation for the next sewing (attachment) operation.
The inputs and outputs of control box 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 5) are shown in FIG. 7. The inputs to control box 22 include inputs into the CPU such as sensor readings from position sensors, e.g. the feed dog sensor (fine edge guider sensor 48, see FIGS. 2 and 3) and the material present sensor (e.g. coarse edge guider sensor 44, see FIGS. 1, 2 and 3). Inputs also come from a signal from the synchronizer (in control box 22, see FIG. 1 and 5), end of sew proximity sensor 58 (see FIGS. 5b and 5c) and top roller proximity sensor 56 (see FIG. 5a). In addition, the CPU receives a 220 volt, 60 hz signal (3 degree phase shift), along with information from the machine operator's key pad box.
The output from the CPU comes directly from the CPU or indirectly via way of a D.C. motor driver board or stepper motor driver boards. The direct output goes to components that control such items as, for example, presser foot 42 (see FIGS. 2 and 3), the feet dog sensor flag (fine edge guider sensor 50), the knife (by manipulating knife throw out cylinder 70, see FIGS. 2 and 3), tension roller 30 (manipulated by tension roller carriage 36, see FIGS. 1, 4 and 5), the sewing machine motor (part of sewing machine 24, see FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5), rear puller lift cylinder 68 (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 4), and top roller 28 (manipulated by cylinder 66, see FIGS. 1 and 5). The output from the stepper motor goes to rear roller motor 64 (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 4) and feed dog motor 74 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) while D.C. motors goes edge aligner motor and edge guider motor (which combined make up the stepper motor 62, see FIGS. 2 and 3).
Although illustrative preferred embodiments have thus been described herein in detail, it should be noted and will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that numerous variations may be made within the scope of this invention without departing from the principle of the invention and without sacrificing its chief advantages. For example, the workpiece materials may be placed in their initial position in the apparatus by a mechanical means instead of the manual means presented in this disclosure. The terms and expressions have been used as terms of description and not terms of limitation. There is no intention to use the terms or expressions to exclude any equivalents of features shown and described or portions thereof and the invention should be defined in accordance with the claims which follow.
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An apparatus for and method of attaching an elastic band to the body of a garment is provided. The workpieces are monitored and aligned during the attachment process by sensors and guide mechanisms, electrically coupled to a controller that facilitates the activities, while a tensioning mechanism maintains the workpieces in a desired configuration. The use of the apparatus and method results in an efficient and automatic process of attachment that eliminates the need for an operator to manually align and guide the workpieces through the sewing instrumentality.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/426,124, filed Apr. 20, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,716,824, hereby incorporated by reference herein in totality, including drawings.
This invention relates to chemically synthesized ribozymes, or enzymatic nucleic acid molecules, antisense oligonucleotides and derivatives thereof.
The following is a brief description of ribozymes and antisense nucleic acids. This summary is not meant to be complete but is provided only for understanding of the invention that follows. This summary is not an admission that all of the work described below is prior art to the claimed invention.
Ribozymes are nucleic acid molecules having an enzymatic activity which is able to repeatedly cleave other separate RNA molecules in a nucleotide base sequence specific manner. Such enzymatic RNA molecules can be targeted to virtually any RNA transcript, and efficient cleavage achieved in vitro. Kim et al., 84 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 8788, 1987; Haseloff and Gerlach, 334 Nature 585, 1988; Cech, 260 JAMA 3030, 1988; and Jefferies et al., 17 Nucleic Acids Research 1371, 1989.
Ribozymes act by first binding to a target RNA. Such binding occurs through the target RNA binding portion of a ribozyme which is held in close proximity to an enzymatic portion of the RNA which acts to cleave the target RNA. Thus, the ribozyme first recognizes and then binds a target RNA through complementary base-pairing, and once bound to the correct site, acts enzymatically to cut the target RNA. Strategic cleavage of such a target RNA will destroy its ability to direct synthesis of an encoded protein. After a ribozyme has bound and cleaved its RNA target it is released from that RNA to search for another target and can repeatedly bind and cleave new targets.
By "complementarity" is meant a nucleic acid that can form hydrogen bond(s) with other RNA sequence by either traditional Watson-Crick or other non-traditional types (for example, Hoogsteen type) of base-paired interactions.
Six basic varieties of naturally-occurring enzymatic RNAs are known presently. Each can catalyze the hydrolysis of RNA phosphodiester bonds in trans (and thus can cleave other RNA molecules) under physiological conditions. Table I summarizes some of the characteristics of these ribozymes. In general, enzymatic nucleic acids act by first binding to a target RNA. Such binding occurs through the target binding portion of a enzymatic nucleic acid which is held in close proximity to an enzymatic portion of the molecule that acts to cleave the target RNA. Thus, the enzymatic nucleic acid first recognizes and then binds a target RNA through complementary base-pairing, and once bound to the correct site, acts enzymatically to cut the target RNA. Strategic cleavage of such a target RNA will destroy its ability to direct synthesis of an encoded protein. After an enzymatic nucleic acid has bound and cleaved its RNA target, it is released from that RNA to search for another target and can repeatedly bind and cleave new targets.
The enzymatic nature of a ribozyme is advantageous over other technologies, since the effective concentration of ribozyme necessary to effect a therapeutic treatment is lower than that of an antisense oligonucleotide. This advantage reflects the ability of the ribozyme to act enzymatically. Thus, a single ribozyme molecule is able to cleave many molecules of target RNA. In addition, the ribozyme is a highly specific inhibitor, with the specificity of inhibition depending not only on the base pairing mechanism of binding, but also on the mechanism by which the molecule inhibits the expression of the RNA to which it binds. That is, the inhibition is caused by cleavage of the RNA target and so specificity is defined as the ratio of the rate of cleavage of the targeted RNA over the rate of cleavage of non-targeted RNA. This cleavage mechanism is dependent upon factors additional to those involved in base pairing. Thus, it is thought that the specificity of action of a ribozyme is greater than that of antisense oligonucleotide binding the same RNA site.
By the phrase enzymatic nucleic acid is meant a catalytic modified-nucleotide containing nucleic acid molecule that has complementarity in a substrate binding region to a specified gene target, and also has an enzymatic activity that specifically cleaves RNA or DNA in that target. That is, the enzymatic nucleic acid is able to intramolecularly or intermolecularly cleave RNA or DNA and thereby inactivate a target RNA or DNA molecule.
This complementarity functions to allow sufficient hybridization of the enzymatic RNA molecule to the target RNA or DNA to allow the cleavage to occur. 100% Complementarity is preferred, but complementarity as low as 50-75% may also be useful in this invention.
By "antisense nucleic acid" is meant a non-enzymatic nucleic acid molecule that binds to another RNA (target RNA) by means of RNA-RNA or RNA-DNA or RNA-PNA (protein nucleic acid; Egholm et al., 1993 Nature 365, 566) interactions and alters the activity of the target RNA (for a review see Stein and Cheng, 1993 Science 261, 1004).
By "2-5A antisense chimera" is meant, an antisense oligonucleotide containing a 5' phosphorylated 2'-5'-linked adenylate residues. These chimeras bind to target RNA in a sequence-specific manner and activate a cellular 2-5A-dependent ribonuclease which in turn cleaves the target RNA (Torrence et al., 1993 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 90, 1300).
In preferred embodiments of this invention, the enzymatic nucleic acid molecule is formed in a hammerhead or hairpin motif, but may also be formed in the motif of a hepatitis delta virus, group I intron or RNaseP RNA (in association with an RNA guide sequence) or Neurospora VS RNA. Examples of such hammerhead motifs are described by Rossi et al, 1992, Aids Research and Human Retroviruses 8, 183, of hairpin motifs by Hampel et al, EP0360257, Hampel and Tritz, 1989 Biochemistry 28, 4929, and Hampel et al., 1990 Nucleic Acids Res. 18, 299, and an example of the hepatitis delta virus motif is described by Perrotta and Been, 1992 Biochemistry 31, 16; of the RNaseP motif by Guerrier-Takada et al., 1983 Cell 35, 849, Neurospora VS RNA ribozyme motif is described by Collins (Saville and Collins, 1990 Cell 61, 685-696; Saville and Collins, 1991 Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88, 8826-8830; Collins and Olive, 1993 Biochemistry 32, 2795-2799) and of the Group I intron by Cech et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,071. These specific motifs are not limiting in the invention and those skilled in the art will recognize that all that is important in an enzymatic nucleic acid molecule of this invention is that it has a specific substrate binding site which is complementary to one or more of the target gene RNA regions, and that it have nucleotide sequences within or surrounding that substrate binding site which impart an RNA cleaving activity to the molecule.
The invention provides a method for producing a class of enzymatic cleaving agents which exhibit a high degree of specificity for the RNA of a desired target. The enzymatic nucleic acid molecule is preferably targeted to a highly conserved sequence region of a target such that specific treatment of a disease or condition can be provided with a single enzymatic nucleic acid. Such enzymatic nucleic acid molecules can be delivered exogenously to specific cells as required. In the preferred hammerhead motif the small size (less than 60 nucleotides, preferably between 30-40 nucleotides in length) of the molecule allows the cost of treatment to be reduced compared to other ribozyme motifs.
Synthesis of nucleic acids greater than 100 nucleotides in length is difficult using automated methods, and the therapeutic cost of such molecules is prohibitive. In this invention, small enzymatic nucleic acid motifs (e.g., of the hammerhead structure) are used for exogenous delivery. The simple structure of these molecules increases the ability of the enzymatic nucleic acid to invade targeted regions of the mRNA structure. Unlike the situation when the hammerhead structure is included within longer transcripts, there are no non-enzymatic nucleic acid flanking sequences to interfere with correct folding of the enzymatic nucleic acid structure or with complementary regions.
Eckstein et al., International Publication No. WO 92/07065, Perrault et al. Nature 1990, 344, 565-568, Pieken, W. et al. Science 1991, 253, 314-317, Usman, N.; Cedergren, R. J. Trends in Biochem. Sci. 1992, 17, 334-339, Usman, N. et al. International Publication No. WO 93/15187 and Sproat, B. U.S. Pat. No. 5,334,711 describe various chemical modifications that can be made to the sugar moieties of enzymatic RNA molecules. All these publications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Medina et al., 1988 Tetrahedron Letters 29, 3773, describe a method to convert alcohols to methylthiomethyl ethers.
Matteucci et al., 1990 Tetrahedron Letters, 31, 2385, report the synthesis of 3'-5'-methylene bond via a methylthiomethyl precursor.
Veeneman et al., 1990 Recl. Trav. Chim. Pays-Bas 109, 449, report the synthesis of 3'-O-methylthiomethyl deoxynucleoside during the synthesis of a dimer containing 3'-5'-methylene bond.
Jones et al., 1993 J. Org. Chem. 58, 2983, report the use of 3'-O-methylthiomethyl deoxynucleoside to synthesize a dimer containing a 3'-thioformacetal internucleoside linkages. The paper also describes a method to synthesize phosphoramidites for DNA synthesis.
Zavgorodny et al., 1991 Tetrahedron Letters 32, 7593, describe a method to synthesize a nucleoside containing methylthiomethyl modification.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the incorporation of 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides into nucleic acids, which are particularly useful for enzymatic cleavage of RNA or single-stranded DNA, and also as antisense oligonucleotides.
As the term is used in this application, 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotide or non-nucleotide-containing enzymatic nucleic acids are catalytic nucleic molecules that contain 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotide or non-nucleotides components replacing one or more bases or regions including, but not limited to, those bases in double stranded stems, single stranded "catalytic core" sequences, single-stranded loops or single-stranded recognition sequences. These molecules are able to cleave (preferably, repeatedly cleave) separate RNA or DNA molecules in a nucleotide base sequence specific manner. Such catalytic nucleic acids can also act to cleave intramolecularly if that is desired. Such enzymatic molecules can be targeted to virtually any RNA transcript.
Also within the invention are 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides which may be present in enzymatic nucleic acid or in antisense oligonucleotides or 2-5A antisense chimera. Such nucleotides or non-nucleotides are useful since they enhance the activity of the antisense or enzymatic molecule. The Invention also relates to novel intermediates useful in the synthesis of such nucleotides or non-nucleotides and oligonucleotides (examples of which are shown in the Figures), and to methods for their synthesis.
Thus, in a first aspect, the invention features 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleosides or non-nucleosides, that is a nucleoside or non-nucleosides having at the 2'-position on the sugar molecule a 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester moiety. In a related aspect, the invention also features 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides. That is, the invention preferably includes those nucleotides or non-nucleotides having 2' substitutions as noted above useful for making enzymatic nucleic acids or antisense molecules that are not described by the art discussed above.
The term non-nucleotide refers to any group or compound which can be incorporated into a nucleic acid chain in the place of one or more nucleotide units, including either sugar and/or phosphate substitutions, and allows the remaining bases to exhibit their enzymatic activity. The group or compound is abasic in that it does not contain a commonly recognized nucleotide base, such as adenine, guanine, cytosine, uracil or thymine. It may have substitutions for a 2' or 3' H or OH as described in the art. See Eckstein et al. and Usman et al., supra.
The term nucleotide refers to the regular nucleotides (A, U, G, T and C) and modified nucleotides such as 6-methyl U, inosine, 5-methyl C and others. Specifically, the term "nucleotide" is used as recognized in the art to include natural bases, and modified bases well known in the art. Such bases are generally located at the 1' position of a sugar moiety. The term "non-nucleotide" as used herein to encompass sugar moieties lacking a base or having other chemical groups in place of a base at the 1' position. Such molecules generally include those having the general formula: ##STR2##
wherein, R1 represents 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester; X represents a base or H; Y represents a phosphorus-containing group; and R2 represents H, DMT or a phosphorus-containing group.
Phosphorus-containing group is generally a phosphate, thiophosphate, H-phosphonate, methylphosphonate, phosphoramidite or other modified group known in the art.
In a second aspect, the invention features 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleosides or non-nucleosides, that is a nucleotide or a non-nucleotide residue having at the 2'-position on the sugar molecule a 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester moiety. In a related aspect, the invention also features 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides. That is, the invention preferably includes all those 2' modified nucleotides or non-nucleotides useful for making enzymatic nucleic acids or antisense molecules as described above that are not described by the art discussed above.
Specifically, an "alkyl" group refers to a saturated aliphatic hydrocarbon, including straight-chain, branched-chain, and cyclic alkyl groups. Preferably, the alkyl group has 1 to 12 carbons. More preferably it is a lower alkyl of from 1 to 7 carbons, more preferably 1 to 4 carbons. The alkyl group may be substituted or unsubstituted. When substituted the substituted group(s) is preferably, hydroxyl, cyano, alkoxy, ═O, ═S, NO 2 or N(CH 3 ) 2 , amino, or SH. The term alkenyl refers to unsaturated hydrocarbon groups containing at least one carbon-carbon double bond, including straight-chain, branched-chain, and cyclic groups. Preferably, the alkenyl group has 1 to 12 carbons. More preferably it is a lower alkenyl of from 1 to 7 carbons, more preferably 1 to 4 carbons. The alkenyl group may be substituted or unsubstituted. When substituted the substituted group(s) is preferably, hydroxyl, cyano, alkoxy, ═O, ═S, NO 2 , halogen, N(CH 3 ) 2 , amino, or SH. The term alkynyl refers to groups which have an unsaturated hydrocarbon group containing at least one carbon-carbon triple bond, including straight-chain, branched-chain, and cyclic groups. Preferably, the alkynyl group has 1 to 12 carbons. More preferably it is a lower alkynyl of from 1 to 7 carbons, more preferably 1 to 4 carbons. The alkynyl group may be substituted or unsubstituted. When substituted the substituted group(s) is preferably, hydroxyl, cyano, alkoxy, ═O, ═S, NO 2 or N(CH 3 ) 2 , amino or SH.
An "aryl" group refers to an aromatic group which has at least one ring having a conjugated π electron system and includes carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl and biaryl groups, all of which may be optionally substituted. The preferred substituent(s) of aryl groups are halogen, trihalomethyl, hydroxyl, SH, OH, cyano, alkoxy, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, and amino groups. An "alkylaryl" group refers to an alkyl group (as described above) covalently joined to an aryl group (as described above. Carbocyclic aryl groups are groups wherein the ring atoms on the aromatic ring are all carbon atoms. The carbon atoms are optionally substituted. Heterocyclic aryl groups are groups having from 1 to 3 heteroatoms as ring atoms in the aromatic ring and the remainder of the ring atoms are carbon atoms. Suitable heteroatoms include oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen, and include furanyl, thienyl, pyridyl, pyrrolyl, N-lower alkyl pyrrolo, pyrimidyl, pyrazinyl, imidazolyl and the like, all optionally substituted. An "amide" refers to an --C(O)--NH--R, where R is either alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or hydrogen. An "ester" refers to an --C(O)--OR', where R is either alkyl, aryl, alkylaryl or hydrogen.
In other aspects, also related to those discussed above, the invention features oligonucleotides having one or more 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides; e.g. enzymatic nucleic acids having a 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotides or non-nucleotides; and a method for producing an enzymatic nucleic acid molecule having enhanced activity to cleave an RNA or single-stranded DNA molecule, by forming the enzymatic molecule with at least one nucleotide or a non-nucleotide moiety having at its 2'-position an 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester group.
In other related aspects, the invention features 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleotide triphosphates. These triphosphates can be used in standard protocols to form useful oligonucleotides of this invention.
The 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester derivatives of this invention provide enhanced activity and stability to the oligonulceotides containing them.
In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention features oligonucleotides having one or more 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester abasic (non-nucleotide) moeities. For example, enzymatic nucleic acids having a 2'-O -R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester abasic moeity; and a method for producing an enzymatic nucleic acid molecule having enhanced activity to cleave an RNA or single-stranded DNA molecule, by forming the enzymatic molecule with at least one position having at its 2'-position an 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester group.
In related embodiments, the invention features enzymatic nucleic acids containing one or more 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester substitutions either in the enzymatic portion, substrate binding portion or both, as long as the catalytic activity of the ribozyme is not significantly decreased.
By "enzymatic portion" is meant that part of the ribozyme essential for cleavage of an RNA substrate.
By "substrate binding arm" is meant that portion of a ribozyme which is complementary to (i.e., able to base-pair with) a portion of its substrate. Generally, such complementarity is 100%, but can be less if desired. For example, as few as 10 bases out of 14 may be base-paired. Such arms are shown generally in FIGS. 1-3 as discussed below. That is, these arms contain sequences within a ribozyme which are intended to bring ribozyme and target RNA together through complementary base-pairing interactions; e.g., ribozyme sequences within stems I and III of a standard hammerhead ribozyme make up the substrate-binding domain (see FIG. 1).
In yet another preferred embodiment, the invention features the use of 2'-O-alkylthioalkyl moieties as protecting groups for 2'-hydroxyl positions of ribofuranose during nucleic acid synthesis.
Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments thereof, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The drawings will first briefly be described.
Drawings:
FIG. 1 (SEQ.ID.NO. 1) (SEQ.ID.NO 2) is a diagrammatic representation of the hammerhead ribozyme domain known in the art. Stem II can be ≧2 base-pair long. Each N is independently any base or non-nucleotide as used herein.
FIG. 2a is a diagrammatic representation of the hammerhead ribozyme domain known in the art; FIG. 2b is a diagrammatic representation of the hammerhead ribozyme as divided by Uhlenbeck (1987, Nature, 327, 596-600) into a substrate and enzyme portion; FIG. 2c is a similar diagram showing the hammerhead divided by Haseloff and Gerlach (1988, Nature, 334, 585-591) into two portions; and FIG. 2d is a similar diagram showing the hammerhead divided by Jeffries and Symons (1989, Nucl. Acids. Res., 17, 1371-1371) into two portions.
FIG. 3 (SEQ.ID.NO. 3) (SEQ.ID.NO. 4) is a diagrammatic representation of the general structure of a hairpin ribozyme. Helix 2 (H2) is provided with a least 4 base pairs (i.e., n is 1, 2, 3 or 4) and helix 5 can be optionally provided of length 2 or more bases (preferably 3-20 bases, i.e., m is from 1-20 or more). Helix 2 and helix 5 may be covalently linked by one or more bases (i.e., r is ≧1 base). Helix 1, 4 or 5 may also be extended by 2 or more base pairs (e.g., 4-20 base pairs) to stabilize the ribozyme structure, and preferably is a protein binding site. In each instance, each N and N' independently is any normal or modified base and each dash represents a potential base-pairing interaction. These nucleotides may be modified at the sugar, base or phosphate. Complete base-pairing is not required in the helices, but is preferred. Helix 1 and 4 can be of any size (i.e., o and p is each independently from 0 to any number, e.g., 20) as long as some base-pairing is maintained. Essential bases are shown as specific bases in the structure, but those in the art will recognize that one or more may be modified chemically (abasic, base, sugar and/or phosphate modifications) or replaced with another base without significant effect. Helix 4 can be formed from two separate molecules, i.e., without a connecting loop. The connecting loop when present may be a rlbonucleotide with or without modifications to its base, sugar or phosphate. "q" is ≧2 bases. The connecting loop can also be replaced with a non-nucleotide linker molecule. H refers to bases A, U, or C. Y refers to pyrimidine bases. " -- " refers to a covalent bond.
FIG. 4 (SEQ ID NO: 5) is a representation of the general structure of the hepatitis delta virus ribozyme domain known in the art.
FIG. 5 (SEQ ID NO: 6) is a representation of the general structure of the self-cleaving VS RNA ribozyme domain.
FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic representation of the synthesis of 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester nucleosides or non-nucleosides and their phosphoramidites. R is an alkyl as defined above. B is any naturally occuring or modified base bearing any N-protecting group suitable for standard oligonucleotide synthesis (Usman et al., supra; Scaringe et al., supra), and/or H (non-nucleotide), as described by the publications discussed above, and those described by Usman et al., entitled "2'-deoxy-2'-alkylnucleotide containing nucleic acid" filed Mar. 29, 1994, and hereby incorporated by reference herein. CE is cyanoethyl, DMT is a standard blocking group. Other abbreviations are standard in the art.
FIG. 7 (SEQ.ID.NO. 7)(SEQ.ID.NO. 8) is a diagrammatic representation of a hammerhead ribozyme, targeted to stromelysin RNA (see Sullivan et al., WO 94/02595), containing 2'-O-methylthiomethyl substitutions.
FIG. 8 shows RNA cleavage activity catalyzed by 2'-O-methylthiomethyl substituted ribozymes. A plot of percent cleaved as a function of time is shown. The reactions were carried out at 37° C. in the presence of 40 nM ribozyme, 1 nM substrate and 10 mM MgCl 2 . Control HH ribozyme contained the following modifications; 29 positions were modified with 2'-O-methyl, U4 and U7 positions were modified with 2'-amino groups, 5 positions contained 2'-OH groups. These modifications of the control ribozyme have previously been shown not to significantly effect the activity of the ribozyme (Usman et al., 1994 Nucleic Acids Symposium Series 31, 163).
NUCLEOTIDES AND NUCLEOSIDES
While this invention is applicable to all oligonucleotides, applicant has found that the modified molecules of this invention are particulary useful for enzymatic RNA molecules. Thus, below is provided examples of such molecules. Those in the art will recognize that equivalent procedures can be used to make other molecules without such enzymatic activity. Specifically, FIG. 1 shows base numbering of a hammerhead motif in which the numbering of various nucleotides in a hammerhead ribozyme is provided. This is not to be taken as an indication that the Figure is prior art to the pending claims, or that the art discussed is prior art to those claims.
Referring to FIG. 1, the preferred sequence of a hammerhead ribozyme in a 5'- to 3'-direction of the catalytic core is CUGANGAG base paired with! CGAAA. In this invention, the use of 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester substituted nucleotides or non-nucleotides that maintain or enhance the catalytic activity and or nuclease resistance of the hammerhead ribozyme is described. Substitutions of any nucleotide with any of the modified nucleotides or non-nucleotides discussed above are possible. Usman et at, supra and Sproat et al., supra as well as other publications indicate those bases that can be substituted in noted ribozyme motifs. Those in the art can thus determine those bases that may be substituted as described herein with beneficial retainment of enzymatic activity and stability.
EXAMPLES
The following are non-limiting examples showing the synthesis of nucleic acids using 2'-O-methylthioalkyl-substituted phosphoramidites and the syntheses of the amidites.
Example 1: Synthesis of Hammerhead Ribozymes Containing 2'-O-alkylthioalkylnucleotides & Other Modified Nucleotides
The method of synthesis follows the procedure for normal RNA synthesis as described in Usman, N.; Ogilvie, K. K.; Jiang, M.-Y.; Cedergren, R. J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1987, 109, 7845-7854 and in Scaringe, S. A.; Franklyn, C.; Usman, N. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990, 18, 5433-5441 and makes use of common nucleic acid protecting and coupling groups, such as dimethoxytrityl at the 5'-end, and phosphoramidites at the 3'-end. These 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester substituted phosphoramidites may be incorporated not only into hammerhead ribozymes, but also into hairpin, hepatitis delta virus, Group 1 or Group 2 intron catalytic nucleic acids, or into antisense oligonucleotides. They are, therefore, of general use in any nucleic acid structure.
Example 2: Synthesis of base-protected 3,5'-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl) nucleosides (2)
Referring to FIG. 6, standard introduction of "Markiewicz" protecting group to the base-protected nucleosides according to "Oligonucleotides and Analogues. A Practical Approach", ed. F. Eckstein, IRL Press, 1991 resulted in protected nucleosides (2) with 85-100% yields. Briefly, in a non-limiting example, Uridine (20 g, 81.9 mmol) was dried by two coevaporations with anhydrous pyridine and re dissolved in the anhydrous pyridine. The above solution was cooled (0° C.) and solution of 1,3-dichloro-1,1,3,3-tetraisopropylsiloxane (28.82 mL, 90.09 mmol) in 30 mL of anhydrous dichloroethane was added dropwise under stirring. After the addition was completed the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and stirred for additional two hours. Then it was quenched with MeOH (25 mL) and evaporated to dryness. The residue was dissolved in methylene chloride and washed with saturated NaHCO 3 and brine. The organic layer was evaporated to dryness and then coevaporated with toluene to remove traces of pyridine to give 39 g (98%) of compound 2 (B=Ura) which was used without further purification.
Other 3',5'-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-di-yl)-nucleosides were obtained in 75-90% yields, using the protocol described above, starting from base-protected nucleosides with final purification of the products by flash chromatography on silica gel when necessary.
Example 3: General procedure for the synthesis of 2'-O-methylthiomethyl nucleosides (3)
Referring to FIG. 6, to a stirred ice-cooled solution of the mixture of base-protected 3',5'-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl) nucleoside (2) (7 mmol), methyl disulfide (70 mmol), 2,6-lutidine (7 mmol) in methylene chloride (100 mL) or mixture methylene chloride-acetonitrile (1:1) under positive pressure of argon, solution of benzoyl peroxide (28 mmol) in methylene chloride was added dropwise during 1 hour. After complete addition the reaction mixture was stirred at 0° C. under argon for additional 1 hour. The solution was allowed to warm to room temperature, diluted with methylene chloride (100 mL), washed twice with saturated aq NaHCO 3 and brine. The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to dryness. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica using 1-2% methanol in methylene chloride as an eluent to give corresponding methylthiomethyl nucleosides with 55-70% yield.
Example 4: 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2'O-Methylthiomethyl-Nucleosides. (6) Method A. The solution of the base-protected 3',5'-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl)-2'-O-methylthiomethyl nucleoside (3) (2.00 mmol) in 10 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran (THF) was treated with 1M solution of tetrabutylammoniumfluoride in THF (3.0 ml) for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. Resulting mixture was evaporated, the residue was loaded to the silica gel column, washed with 1L of chloroform, and the desired deprotected compound was eluted with 5-10% methanol in dichliromethane. Appropriate fractions were combined, solvents removed by evaporation, and the residue was dried by coevaporation with dry pyridine. The oily residue was redissolved in dry pyridine, dimethoxytritylchloride (1.2 eq) was added and the reaction mixture was left under anhydrous conditions overnight. The reaction was quenched with methanol (20 ml), evaporated, dissolved in chloroform, washed with saturated aq sodium bicarbonate and brine. Organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica gel to give 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl derivatives with 70-80% yield.
Method B. Alternatively, 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2'O-Methylthiomethyl-Nucleosides (6) may also be synthesized using 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-3'-O-t-Butyl-dimethy-Isilyl Nucleosides (4) as the starting material. Compound 4 is commercially available as a by-product during RNA phosphoramidite synthesis. Compond 4 is converted in to 3'-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-2'-O-methylthiomethyl nucleoside 5, as described under example 3. The solution of the base-protected 3'-O-t-butyldimethylsilyl-2'-O-methylthiomethyl nucleoside 5 (2.00 mmol) in 10 ml of dry tetrahydrofuran (THF) was treated with 1M solution of tetrabutylammoniumfluoride in THF (3.0 ml) for 10-15 minutes at room temperature. The resulting mixture was evaporated, and purified by flash silica gel chromatography to give nucleosides 6 in 90% yield.
Example 5: 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-Methylthiomethyl-Nucleosides-3'-(2-Cyanoethyl-N,N-diisopropylphosphoroamidites) (7)
Standard phosphitylation of nucleoside 6 according to Scaringe, S. A.; Franklyn, C.; Usman, N. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990, 18, 5433-5441 yielded phosphoramidites in 70-85% yield.
Example 6: General procedure for the synthesis of 2'-O-Methylthiophenyl nucleosides.
To a stirred ice-cooled solution of the mixture of base-protected 3',5'-O-(tetraisopropyldisiloxane-1,3-diyl) nucleoside (14,7 mmol) , thioanisole (147 mmol), N,N-dimethylaminopyridine (58.8 mmol) in acetonitrile (100 mL) under positive pressure of argon, benzoyl peroxide (36.75 mmol) was added portionwise over 3 hours. After complete addition the reaction mixture was allowed to warm to room temperature and was stirred under argon for an additional 1 hour. The solvents were removed in vacuo, the residue was dissolved in ethylacetate, washed twice with saturated aq NaHCO 3 and brine. The organic layer was dried over sodium sulfate and evaporated to dryness. The residue was purified by flash chromatography on silica using mixture EtOAc-hexanes (1:1) as eluent to give the corresponding methylthiophenyl nucleosides with 55-65% yield.
Example 7: 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-Methylthiophenyl-Nucleosides.
These compounds were prepared as described above under examples 3 and 4.
Example 8: 5'-O-Dimethoxytrityl-2'-O-Methylthiophenyl-Nucleosides-3'-(2-Cyanoethyl N,N-diisopropylphosphoroamidites)
Standard phosphitylation according to Scaringe, S. A.; Franklyn, C.; Usman, N. Nucleic Acids Res. 1990, 18, 5433-5441 yielded phosphoramidites in 70-85% yield.
Example 9: Ribozymes containing 2'-O-methylthiomethyl substitutions
In a non-limiting example 2'-O-methylthioalkyl substitutions were made at various positions within a hammerhead ribozyme motif (FIG. 7, including U4 and U7 positions). Stromelysin mRNA site 617 was used as the target site for hammerhead ribozyme in this non-limiting example.
Hammerhead ribozymes (see FIG. 7) were synthesized using solid-phase synthesis, as described above. Several positions were modified, individually or in combination, with 2'-O-methylthiomethyl groups.
RNA cleavage assay in vitro:
Substrate RNA is 5' end-labeled using γ- 32 P! ATP and T4 polynucleotide kinase (US Biochemicals). Cleavage reactions were carried out under ribozyme "excess" conditions. Trace amount (≦1 nM) of 5' end-labeled substrate and 40 nM unlabeled ribozyme are denatured and renatured separately by heating to 90° C. for 2 min and snap-cooling on ice for 10-15 min. The ribozyme and substrate are incubated, separately, at 37° C. for 10 min in a buffer containing 50 mM Tris-HCl and 10 mM MgCl 2 . The reaction is initiated by mixing the ribozyme and substrate solutions and incubating at 37° C. Aliquots of 5 μl are taken at regular intervals of time and the reaction is quenched by mixing with equal volume of 2× formamide stop mix. The samples are resolved on 20% denaturing polyacrylamide gels. The results are quantified and percentage of target RNA cleaved is plotted as a function of time.
Referring to FIG. 8, hammerhead ribozymes containing 2'-O-methylthiomethyl modifications at various positions cleave the target RNA efficiently. Surprisingly, all the 2'-O-methylthiomethyl -substituted ribozymes cleaved the target RNA more efficiently compared to the control hammerhead ribozyme.
Sequences listed in FIG. 7 and the modifications described in FIGS. 7 and 8 are meant to be non-limiting examples. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variants (base-substitutions, deletions, insertions, mutations, chemical modifications) of the ribozyme and RNA containing other combinations of 2'-hydroxyl group modifications can be readily generated using techniques known in the art, and are within the scope of the present invention.
Uses
The 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester substituted nucleotides and/or non-nucleotides of this invention can be used to form stable oligonucleotides with enhanced activity as discussed above for use in enzymatic cleavage or antisense situations. Such oligonucleotides can be formed enzymatically using triphosphate forms by standard procedure. Administration of such oligonucleotides is by standard methods. See Sullivan et al., PCT WO 94/ 02595.
Diagnostic uses
Ribozymes of this invention may be used as diagnostic tools to examine genetic drift and mutations within diseased cells or to detect the presence of target RNA in a cell. The close relationship between ribozyme activity and the structure of the target RNA allows the detection of mutations in any region of the molecule which alters the base-pairing and three-dimensional structure of the target RNA. By using multiple ribozymes described in this invention, one may map nucleotide changes which are important to RNA structure and function in vitro, as well as in cells and tissues. Cleavage of target RNAs with ribozymes may be used to inhibit gene expression and define the role (essentially) of specified gene products in the progression of disease. In this manner, other genetic targets may be defined as important mediators of the disease. These experiments will lead to better treatment of the disease progression by affording the possibility of combinational therapies (e.g., multiple ribozymes targeted to different genes, ribozymes coupled with known small molecule inhibitors, or intermittent treatment with combinations of ribozymes and/or other chemical or biological molecules). Other in vitro uses of ribozymes of this invention are well known in the art, and include detection of the presence of mRNAs associated with disease condition. Such RNA is detected by determining the presence of a cleavage product after treatment with a ribozyme using standard methodology.
In a specific example, ribozymes which can cleave only wild-type or mutant forms of the target RNA are used for the assay. The first ribozyme is used to identify wild-type RNA present in the sample and the second ribozyme will be used to identify mutant RNA in the sample. As reaction controls, synthetic substrates of both wild-type and mutant RNA will be cleaved by both ribozymes to demonstrate the relative ribozyme efficiencies in the reactions and the absence of cleavage of the "non-targeted" RNA species. The cleavage products from the synthetic substrates will also serve to generate size markers for the analysis of wild-type and mutant RNAs in the sample population. Thus each analysis will require two ribozymes, two substrates and one unknown sample which will be combined into six reactions. The presence of cleavage products will be, determined using an RNAse protection assay so that full-length and cleavage fragments of each RNA can be analyzed in one lane of a polyacrylamide gel. It is not absolutely required to quantify the results to gain insight into the expression of mutant RNAs and putative risk of the desired phenotypic changes in target cells. The expression of mRNA whose protein product is implicated in the development of the phenotype is adequate to establish risk. If probes of comparable specific activity are used for both transcripts, then a qualitative comparison of RNA levels will be adequate and will decrease the cost of the initial diagnosis. Higher mutant form to wild-type ratios will be correlated with higher risk whether RNA levels are compared qualitatively or quantitatively.
Other embodiments are within the following claims.
TABLE I
Characteristics of Ribozymes
Group I Introns
Size: ˜200 to >1000 nucleotides.
Requires a U in the target sequence immediately 5'of the cleavage site.
Binds 4-6 nucleotides at 5' side of cleavage site.
Over 75 known members of this class. Found in Tetrahymena thermophila rRNA, fungal mitochondria, chloroplasts, phage T4, blue-green algae, and others.
RNAseP RNA (M1 RNA)
Size: ˜290 to 400 nucleotides.
RNA portion of a ribonucleoprotein enzyme. Cleaves tRNA precursors to form mature tRNA.
Roughly 10 known members of this group all are bacterial in origin.
Hammerhead Ribozyme
Size: ˜13 to 40 nucleotides.
Requires the target sequence UH immediately 5' of the cleavage site.
Binds a variable number nucleotides on both sides of the cleavage site.
14 known members of this class. Found in a number of plant pathogens (virusoids) that use RNA as the infectious agent (FIGS. 1 and 2)
Hairpin Ribozyme
Size: ˜50 nucleotides.
Requires the target sequence GUC immediately 3' of the cleavage site.
Binds 4-6 nucleotides at 5' side of the cleavage site and a variable number to the 3' side of the cleavage site.
Only 3 known member of this class. Found in three plant pathogen (satellite RNAs of the tobacco ringspot virus, arabis mosaic virus and chicory yellow mottle virus) which uses RNA as the infectious agent (FIG. 3).
Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) Ribozyme
Size: 50-60 nucleotides.
Cleavage of target RNAs recently demonstrated.
Sequence requirements not fully determined.
Binding sites and structural requirements not fully determined, although no sequences 5' of cleavage site are required.
Only 1 known member of this class. Found in human HDV (FIG. 4).
Neurospora VS RNA Ribozyme
Size: ˜144 nucleotides
Cleavage of target RNAs recently demonstrated.
Sequence requirements not fully determined.
Binding sites and structural requirements not fully determined. Only 1 known member of this class. Found in Neurospora VS RNA (FIG. 5).
__________________________________________________________________________SEQUENCE LISTING(1) GENERAL INFORMATION:(iii) NUMBER OF SEQUENCES: 8(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 1:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 11 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ix) FEATURE:(D) OTHER INFORMATION: The letter "N"stands for any base.The letter "H"stands for C, A or U.(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 1:NNNNUHNNNNN11(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 2:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 28 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ix) FEATURE:(D) OTHER INFORMATION: The letter "N"stands for any base.(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 2:NNNNNCUGANGAGNNNNNNCGAAANNNN28(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 3:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 15 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ix) FEATURE:(D) OTHER INFORMATION: The letter "N"stands for any base.The letter "Y"is stands for U or C.The letter "H"stands for A, U or C.(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 3:NNNNNNNYNGHYNNN15(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 4:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 47 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(ix) FEATURE:(D) OTHER INFORMATION: The letter "N"stands for any base.(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 4:NNNNGAAGNNNNNNNNNNNAAAHANNNNNNNACAUUACNNNNNNNNN47(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 5:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 85 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 5:UGGCCGGCAUGGUCCCAGCCUCCUCGCUGGCGCCGGCUGGGCAACAUUCCGAGGGGACCG60UCCCCUCGGUAAUGGCGAAUGGGAC85(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 6:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 176 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 6:GGGAAAGCUUGCGAAGGGCGUCGUCGCCCCGAGCGGUAGUAAGCAGGGAACUCACCUCCA60AUUUCAGUACUGAAAUUGUCGUAGCAGUUGACUACUGUUAUGUGAUUGGUAGAGGCUAAG120UGACGGUAUUGGCGUAAGUCAGUAUUGCAGCACAGCACAAGCCCGCUUGCGAGAAU176(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 7:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 15 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 7:AGGGAUUAAUGGAGA15(2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 8:(i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS:(A) LENGTH: 36 base pairs(B) TYPE: nucleic acid(C) STRANDEDNESS: single(D) TOPOLOGY: linear(xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 8:UCUCCAUCUGAUGAGGCCGAAAGGCCGAAAAUCCCU36__________________________________________________________________________
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A compound having the formula: ##STR1## wherein, R1 represents 2'-O-R 3 -thio-R 3 and/or 2'-C-R 3 -thio-R 3 , wherein R 3 is independently a compound selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, alkylaryl, carbocyclic aryl, heterocyclic aryl, amide and ester; X represents a base or H; Y represents a phosphorus-containing group; and R2 represents H, DMT or a phosphorus-containing group.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention is related to searching and retrieving electronic documents over a computer network and more specifically, to dynamically assembling electronic documents at retrieval, based on the document type most suitable for the user context.
[0003] 2. Background Description
[0004] Normally, someone wishing to find information over the Internet uses a search engine to identify and retrieve relevant documents. Documents available over the Internet normally have a fixed document type (e.g. Download, Hints & Tips, White Paper, etc.) with static content layout. Specialized search engines may filter search results based on document type, filtering out all documents not matching the specified document type or types.
[0005] [0005]FIG. 1 illustrates a traditional document search and retrieval system 100 or search engine that may be used for such searches. In response to each search query, the search engine 100 returns documents of one preferred type only without returning other possibly more relevant documents. The system 100 includes a user interface 102 , a search unit 104 , a textual index 106 and a document storage system 108 . The document storage system 108 contains different types of static documents, e.g., Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ), Downloads and Authorized Program Analysis Reports (APAR). The textual index 106 contains a searchable index for documents in document storage system 108 . Each search query includes both search terms and preferred document type that are entered at user interface 102 and passed to search unit 104 . Search unit 104 searches textual index 106 to identify a hitlist, e.g., of FAQ documents, that contain specified search terms. Search unit 104 returns the document hitlist through user interface 102 . So, for example, listed FAQs are selected from document storage system 108 for viewing through user interface 102 . Two such examples of technical support search engines that include document type with a search query are support sites from Microsoft Corporation (support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=fh;EN-US;sql), where topic category must specify document type; and, from IBM Corporation (www-1.ibm.com/support/manager.wss?rs=0&rt=2), where the user directly specifies document type.
[0006] Unfortunately, very often this typical system 100 may not provide an answer/solution to the query, especially, when the correct answer is embedded in a document that does not match the requested document type/layout. In another example, to find downloadable video driver for product A, a prior art system may limit the search scope to ‘Download’ documents only. So, the search engine may overlook relevant information that appears in a Hints&Tips document instead for example. So, the search result is somewhat limited by a document layout or type that is normally once and forever determined by the document provider. Typically, unless the same document is stored in multiple formats, the searcher cannot choose content layout. So, typical state of the art search engines are restricted by the static nature of available documents. Thus, navigating through document storage to find relevant information often requires a level of familiarity with the document type schema. Document organization may hamper searching. Different content providers cannot choose suitable content and layout for particular local portals. So, users must live with whatever documents are stored and available.
[0007] These search constraints are especially troublesome in corporate technical support systems, typically a complex hierarchical schema of document types combined with a product taxonomy tree. Usually corporate-wide documents are standardized to provide a unified document view through the corporate technical support portal. These constraints make retrieving information from a corporate technical support system a challenging task especially if the document storage system contains heterogenous document collections.
[0008] Thus, there is a need for a way to select document presentation according to the needs of a particular user or presentation context.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is a purpose of the invention to facilitate finding relevant information regardless of the format of documents containing the information;
[0010] It is another purpose of the invention to present such information in a selectable document type and/or layout that may not match the format of the original document containing the information;
[0011] It is yet another purpose of the invention to choose a most suitable document content layout.
[0012] The present invention is a document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The foregoing and other objects, aspects, and advantages will be better understood from the following non limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention with reference to the drawings that include the following:
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a prior art document retrieval system;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of an example of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 shows an example of document decomposition and indexing schema according to a preferred embodiment wherein a Document Decomposer module extracts document components and stores them in the Component Library;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 4 shows an example of a document decomposition and indexing flow chart showing how the Document Decomposer module interacts with other modules;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 5 shows an example of a preferred embodiment document search schema, wherein different type documents are returned by the Search Engine for selection and viewing;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 6 shows an example of a preferred document search flow chart of how the Results Validator module interacts with other modules of the present invention;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 7 is an example of a document viewing schema, wherein the Document View Builder module retrieves document components from the Component Library module and assemble a document for view according to the selected context;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 8 shows an example of a preferred document viewing flow chart of how the Document View Builder interacts with other modules of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, content components are extracted from original documents and stored in a component library. When a query calls for information found in the content components, a context is selected in which retrieved information is viewed. Documents of the chosen type/layout are constituted on the fly from stored document components. More relevant documents may be identified and rendered in a selected context/layout.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 2 shows an example of a component based document search and retrieval system 110 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. The system 110 includes an User Interface 112 , a Search Unit 114 , Document Storage 116 , a Document Decomposer 118 , a Component Library 120 , a Textual Index Unit 122 , a Results Validator 124 and a Document View Assembly Module 126 . The Document Storage 116 contains different types of documents, e.g., FAQs 128 , Downloads 130 and APARs 132 .
[0024] The Document Decomposer 118 distills individual components from each of the documents 128 , 130 , 130 and the components are stored in the Component Library 120 . For example, a typical FAQ 128 might include a Title, a Problem Statement, a Solution and, optionally a reference link to additional information. Further, these document components can be collected and assembled to form an FAQ document. Likewise, a Download document may include a Title, a Solution, an Attachment and a reference. Table 1 is an example illustrating typical document components for several document types. Typically, each of these components is tagged by a section subtitle in the original document. Each document type has its own set of sections according to predefined corporate templates. The Document Decomposer 118 locates each tagged component, extracts each located component and stores extracted components in the Component Library 120 . Then, the individual components are indexed in the Textual Index Unit 122 , making each indexed component available for full text search.
TABLE 1 Doc.Type Title Abstract Problem Solution Attachment Reference FAQ X X X X APAR X X X X X Hints X X X & Tips Download X X X X
[0025] A search is initiated with a query that specifies both search terms and preferred document type passing through the User Interface 112 to Search Unit 114 . Search Unit 114 searches component indices in Textual Index 122 and retrieves a hitlist for specified search terms. Results Validator 124 checks the hitlist and identifies candidates that include all of the components needed to constitute a document in the selected format, e.g., FAQ format. The Results Validator 124 returns a list of remaining documents that can be constituted into the selected format. Each request also passes through User Interface 112 to Document View Assembly Module 126 which retrieves and assembles components into a document in the selected format. The assembled document is returned for viewing through User Interface 112 .
[0026] [0026]FIG. 3 illustrates document decomposition and indexing document collections 140 , 142 , 144 by Document Decomposer 118 . Different types of documents pass from collections 140 , 142 , 144 to Document Decomposer 118 . The Document Decomposer 118 locates and extracts document components/elements, according to the original document type model (e.g., Table 1). Extracted document components are stored in Component Library 120 . Then, the content of each of the document components is indexed in the Textual Index 122 for full text search.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 4 shows an example of a document decomposition and indexing flow chart 150 . The Document Storage System 116 passes a document 152 to Document Decomposer 118 . The Document Decomposer 118 extracts document components 154 and passes the extracted components to Component Library 120 . Document components are passed from Component Library 120 to Indexer 156 which creates an inverted Textual Index 158 of all words in each document component to enable full text search. The Indexer 156 associates the entries in this Textual Index 158 with documents that contain the components.
[0028] In addition to document components, the Component Library 120 contains a table of document type masks for every supported document type. Table 2 shows an example of a document type mask table for the above example of four identified document types. Each document type mask defines a set of components constituting a particular document type.
TABLE 2 Doc.Type Title Abstract Problem Solution Attachment Reference FAQ 1 0 1 1 0 1 APAR 1 1 1 1 0 1 Hints 1 1 0 1 0 0 & Tips Download 1 0 0 1 1 1
[0029] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a document search is constrained such that the search result hitlist includes only documents that can be rendered in the requested viewing context. So, for example, while search results may identify numerous documents in each of the document types, the search results hitlist would list only those documents that can be constitute a FAQ type layout, i.e., FAQ and APAR type documents.
[0030] [0030]FIG. 5 shows an example of this second preferred embodiment document search schema 160 . A Search Query 162 that specifies both query terms and a selected document type is submitted to Search Engine 164 . The Search Engine 164 uses the Textual Index 166 to find stored document components that contain the specified query terms. A hitlist of document hits of appropriate document types is extracted from Textual Index 166 as Search Results 168 . The Search Results 168 hitlist is passed to the Results Validator 170 which uses an appropriate document type mask to perform document selection, selecting documents that can be rendered in the selected context. The Results Validator 170 uses a requested document type mask from the Component Library 120 to filter documents (exclude) from the hitlist that could not be configured to match the requested document type. Results Validation Table 174 is an example of results validation output from Results Validator 170 . The Final Results 176 hitlist is a reduced hitlist that includes only documents with at least matching components necessary for requested document type.
[0031] [0031]FIG. 6 shows a flow chart of a document search 180 using the document schema 160 of FIG. 5. A user submits a search query 182 to Search Engine 184 initiating the search. The Search Engine 184 uses the Textual Index 186 to produce a hitlist 188 of documents with components that match query terms. The Results Validator 190 checks document hits in the hitlist 188 against the requested document type mask from Component Library 120 . Only documents with at least components in the document type mask are output in a Final Hitlist 192 .
[0032] [0032]FIG. 7 shows an example of a preferred document viewing schema 200 . Once the search is completed, (i.e., in 176 and 192 of FIGS. 5 and 6), the user may select one of the listed documents to view the document content. The request is passed to a Document Retrieval Module 200 that retrieves requested document components from the Component Library 120 . One of the hits (e.g., an APAR document) in the Hitlist 202 is selected for viewing. The Document View Builder 204 , retrieves requested components from Component Library 120 and assembles the document components according to the requested document mask (FAQ mask) by applying the layout defined by the requested document type.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 8 shows an example of a document view construction flow chart 210 . The Document View Table 208 assembles the document by including and omitting relevant components to match the requested document type. After selecting an entry from final hitlist 212 , the Document View Builder 214 retrieves components for the selected entry from the Component Library 216 . Then, the Document View Builder 214 assembles the components into a viewable document according to the selected format and outputs the assembled document over the user interface for viewing 218 .
[0034] Thus, search result documents are provided in a user selected document type based upon the user request. Documents of a requested type are assembled dynamically from a given content. The document with an answer/solution for the user's question/problem can be found, even if its static document type does not match the document type requested by the user. Advantageously, the number of available document types for a given content is supplemented from previously unavailable documents.
[0035] While the invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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A document search and retrieval system and program product therefor. Search requests are provided to the system through a user interface. A document decomposer decomposes documents into individual document components. Document components and corresponding searchable indices for each are stored in a Component Library. A search unit searches stored document components responsive to search queries. A results validator compares document hitlists with a document type identified in a search query to select valid hitlists entries for a final hitlist. A document view assembly module collects identified document components and assembles them into a document for view at the user interface.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/992,958, filed Dec. 6, 2007, hereby incorporated herein by reference.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
High pressure boilers of the type used by electrical generating plants operate at a water pressure generally in the range of 2,000-4,000 psi. Before such a high pressure boiler can be fired up, it must be supplied with water under pressure, for example, on the order of 500 to 1,000 psi, depending upon the boiler design. Water under pressure is supplied by a series of feed pumps, one feeding the other. Initially, the boiler and the series of feed pumps are usually filled with condensate from a condenser using only the condensate pump. In normal operation, the condensate pump usually takes water from a condenser and increases the pressure to about 150 psi and supplies a condensate booster pump which boosts the pressure to approximately 300-600 psi. In turn, the condensate booster pump supplies water to a boiler feed pump which increases the pressure to 1,000 to 4,000 psi depending upon boiler design and the operating condition, such as start-up, part load, or full load. A very conventional arrangement for boiler feed pumps is to have two boiler feed pumps, one being a start-up pump that is limited in size and driven by a constant speed motor, without a fluid drive, and a second separate main “full-size” pump that is used for normal operation and is driven by a variable speed power source, either (a) a mechanical drive steam turbine, (b) a variable speed fluid drive that is in turn driven by the main turbine-generator, (c) a variable speed fluid drive that is driven by a large constant speed electric motor, or (d) a motor driven by a variable frequency power source based on solid state electronics. When a pump is used for boiler feed pump service and it operates a constant speed, the water flow is controlled by a discharge flow control valve (sometimes called a pressure control valve).
For boiler feed pump service, it is common to use a two-pole motor, and for 60 hz systems, such motors rotate generally at 3600 rpm if it is a synchronous motor, or between 3575 to 3585 rpm if it is an induction motor (3000 rpm for 50 hz systems). Another motor design that is also commonly used is a four-pole motor, and for 60 hz systems, such motors rotate at or near 1800 rpm (1500 rpm for 50 hz systems), but these motors typically use a step-up gear to increase the pump speed to the 3600 rpm range, or higher, depending upon the pump design.
Another conventional arrangement is to have two main pumps “usually approximately 60% capacity each”, that are each driven by mechanical drive steam turbines, wherein for start-up, steam from another boiler, either a dedicated start-up boiler, or a boiler of another operating unit, is used to provide steam to drive one or both of these mechanical drive steam turbines during the start-up phase of this unit. In some of these plants where there are two main boiler feed pumps each driven by a mechanical drive steam turbine, a smaller boiler feed pump with discharge flow control valve is driven by a constant speed motor for start-up, for a total of three pumps. The advantage of this arrangement is that the boiler and turbine-generator can be started using electric power either from the grid or from a “black-start” generator, so that no steam source is needed. Clearly, there are advantages to being able to start using a motor driven by a “black-start” generator located at the plant.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the geared differential drive arrangement of this invention is to use one constant speed motor in series with a variable speed fluid drive to start-up a “full-size” boiler feed pump and to operate this pump in a limited speed range requiring corresponding limited power, yet adequate to fill, pressurize, and feed water to a boiler in a controlled manner sufficient for the power plant to reach a stable, part-load condition, but not necessarily a full load condition.
An example where a geared boiler feed pump drive of the arrangement described herein would be advantageous is one where the speed of the “full-size” pump at full load is in the 5500 to 6500 rpm range and the full load power is on the order of 20,000 horsepower to 35,000 horsepower, while for start up and part-load operation, the speed of the same “full-size” pump would be limited to approximately 3500 rpm and the power would be correspondingly lower, generally related to the cube of the speed ratio ((3500/6500) 3 ) which corresponds to the range of 5000 to 7000 horsepower. With the choice of motor speeds (generally 3600 rpm or 1800 rpm for 60 hz systems, or 3000 rpm or 1500 rpm for 50 hz systems) and the ratios of two sets of gears in series, the designer has ample opportunity to establish the rotational speed of the boiler feed pump so that the pump will provide limited but adequate feed water flow and pressure to start-up and to achieve stable part load operation of the boiler feed pump and of the main turbine-generator sufficient to provide adequate main steam from the boiler or adequate extraction steam from the main turbine to drive a mechanical drive steam turbine up to full speed and full power so as to complete the transfer of the source of power driving the boiler feed pump from the motor to the mechanical drive steam turbine, thereby permitting the motor to be shut down.
In an embodiment, after start-up using the motor and variable speed fluid drive to provide power to the “full-size” boiler feed pump, and the boiler has been fired and is operating stably, for example, with the steam from the boiler driving a main turbine-generator, then steam from the boiler or from an extraction point of the main turbine is admitted to a mechanical drive steam turbine for the purpose of driving the boiler feed pump up to the full load operating range, in which case the speed of this mechanical drive steam turbine, the output shaft of which is connected in series to an over-running clutch, is controllably brought up to match the speed of the boiler feed pump as provided by the motor, variable speed fluid drive, and any gear train, at which point the over-running clutch ceases to be over-running. As more steam is admitted to the turbine, the steam turbine picks up more load and when it has taken full load, the boiler feed pump speed will increase and a slidable gear disengages so that the boiler feed pump is driven entirely by the mechanical drive steam turbine.
Advantages associated with the use of a single “full-size” boiler feed pump that can be used for both limited start-up operation as well as for normal “full-size” operation are (a) reduced capital and maintenance expenses for the boiler feed pump, the associated high energy piping, and the control system comprising valves and instrumentation, all parts of which have great economies of scale and are expensive to purchase and to maintain, (b) substantially reduced space requirements for the equipment, and (c) the ability to warm up the main pump slowly during start-up and a very smooth transition to full-load operation.
The equipment of the system of this invention may require an oil conditioning system comprising oil pumps, oil coolers, filters and valving which can be used for lubricating all of the equipment, for supplying all of the circuit oil used by the fluid drive, for supplying high pressure oil to oil jets, or nozzles, that discharge oil at sufficient flow and velocity to be able to turn gears that are associated with the variable speed fluid drive output shaft during the engaging process of a slidable gear, and for supplying high pressure oil to assure that the slidable gear actually fully engages prior to starting the motor and/or to assure that the slidable gear fully disengages once disengagement of the slidable gear is initiated or is desirable.
The fluid drive may be a conventional variable speed fluid drive. The boiler feed pump, motor, over-running clutch, mechanical drive turbine, and oil conditioning system are all conventional pieces of equipment. Conventional over-riding clutches suitable for this application are designed and manufactured by SSS Clutch Company. While the gears of this arrangement use conventional teeth profiles and conventional manufacturing techniques, the gear arrangements are specially adapted for use in this invention.
In accordance with an embodiment of this invention, generally stated, a geared fluid drive arrangement is provided in which a constant speed motor is used to start a “full-size” boiler feed pump, and is able to operate the pump at a limited speed and correspondingly limited power adequate to fill, to pressurize and to feed water to a boiler such as would be used for an electrical generating plant to start-up and to operate stably at part load, but not necessarily full load. After the boiler is operating stably, usually with the steam from the boiler driving a main turbine-generator, then steam from the boiler or from an extraction point of the main turbine is admitted to a mechanical drive steam turbine in order to drive the same “full-size” pump to the normal operating range. In the transfer process from motor drive to turbine drive, the speed of the mechanical drive steam turbine is increased to match the speed of the boiler feed pump at which point an over-running clutch ceases to be over-running, and as more steam is admitted to the mechanical drive steam turbine, this turbine picks up more load, and when it has taken full load, the boiler feed pump speed will increase and the slidable gear would disengage so that the boiler feed pump is now driven entirely by the mechanical drive steam turbine. The motor used for start-up can now be shut down.
The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention as well as presently preferred embodiments thereof will become more apparent from the reading of the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings which form part of the specification:
FIG. 1 is a somewhat schematic top plan view of a geared fluid drive of this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The following detailed description illustrates the invention by way of example and not by way of limitation. The description clearly enables one skilled in the art to make and use the invention, describes several embodiments, adaptations, variations, alternatives, and uses of the invention, including what is presently believed to be the best mode of carrying out the invention.
Referring to FIG. 1 , reference number 1 indicates a boiler feed pump operatively connected to a boiler not here shown. The boiler feed pump has a shaft 2 coupled via a flexible coupling 4 to a driven shaft 3 passing through a housing shaft sealing gland 11 in a wall of a housing 10 , and connected to an over-riding clutch 6 , hence, to an input drive shaft section 8 within housing 10 .
Secured to the output shaft 3 is a driven gear 12 , located between thrust bearings 41 . A slidable gear rotor assembly 14 comprises two separate gears 14 . a and 14 . b each secured to a shaft 15 , wherein the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 is axially slidable to selectively engage a gear 14 . b with driven gear 12 and to disengage a gear 14 . b from driven gear 12 , while a gear 14 . a remains always engaged with the elongated driving gear 18 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 is shown in the disengaged position, that is, as shown, gear 14 . b is not engaged with driven gear 12 . The slidable gear rotor assembly 14 is moved in and out of engagement by a hydraulic shifter 16 , with the axial range of sliding motion limited by thrust bearings 42 . The hydraulic shifter 16 comprises an extension of shaft 15 with an enlarged section 15 . 1 that acts as a dual-acting hydraulic piston within a fixed housing 17 that has three (3) floating ring seals 17 . 1 to control the leakage of hydraulic oil and to maintain the desired pressure at each end of the piston. To engage slidable gear 14 . b into driven gear 12 , high pressure oil is fed into port 101 , and to disengage slidable gear 14 . b from driven gear 12 , high pressure oil is fed through port 102 . The extension of shaft 15 through the hydraulic shifter is hollow for two reasons: (a) to reduce the weight so as to control the overhang weight of shaft 15 , thereby improving rotor dynamics, and (b) to permit vent holes to be easily located through the circumferential wall of the shaft extension, wherein vent hole 17 . 6 is used to vent off the hydraulic oil at the end of the engagement stroke, and vent hole 17 . 7 is used to vent off the hydraulic oil at the end of the disengagement stroke. The purposes of the vent holes are (a) to reduce the pressure of the oil in the selected chamber while the selected shift direction is activated and the shift in the selected direction is complete, and (b) to reestablish the pressure in the selected chamber preventing the shift direction to be reversed should forces on the gear teeth be reversed.
A fluid drive assembly 25 comprises a driving gear 18 that is secured to an output shaft 20 with runner 21 fixedly attached thereto and axially restrained by thrust bearings 43 , an impeller 22 , and impeller casing 23 which are fixedly attached to an impeller input shaft 24 extending through a suitable shaft housing sealing gland 11 in a wall of housing 10 , where it is coupled, through a flexible coupling 26 to an output shaft 28 of a constant speed motor 30 .
The input drive shaft section 8 extends through a suitable shaft housing sealing gland 11 of a wall of housing 10 where it is connected to a flex coupling 36 , connected in turn to an output shaft 38 of a mechanical drive steam turbine 40 .
The fluid drive 25 can illustratively be of a type generally described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,331,811, 5,886,505, 5,315,825, or U.S. Pat. No. 7,171,870. It requires an oil conditioning system, not here shown, that may have separate oil pumps for lube oil and circuit oil, or may have one oil pump for both lube oil and circuit oil with suitable valving. Depending upon the operating pressures of the lube oil and/or circuit oil pumps, a separate oil pump may be necessary to supply oil to hydraulic jets 19 , which serve to rotate the fluid drive driving gear 18 very slowly, for example, on the order of 1 to 5 revolutions per minute, to ensure proper engagement of the slidable gear 14 . b and the driven gear 12 . The motor for the separate oil pump can be fractional horsepower, and the pump can also be small, for example, a gear pump sized to provide oil flow and discharge velocity from the nozzle to rotate gear 18 and slidable gear rotor assembly 14 .
In the sequence to put the boiler feed pump into service, assume that the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 is disengaged. Activate the oil conditioning system by starting a pump that supplies lube oil to all of the bearings. A next step is to activate the hydraulic jets 19 to turn the driving gear 18 and, hence, the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 by admitting oil to the jets, or nozzles, 19 either from the lube oil/circuit oil system if the pressure from this pump/these pumps is sufficiently high or from a separate high pressure oil pump, if necessary. After the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 starts to rotate, as detected by instrumentation, not here shown, that detects teeth of gear 18 passing by a suitable sensor, the hydraulic shifter 16 is activated by starting an appropriate high pressure hydraulic pump and admitting high pressure hydraulic oil to the engagement chamber via port 101 so as to shift the slidable gear 14 . b into engagement with the driven gear 12 . Upon full engagement, the hydraulic oil escapes through a vent hole 17 . 6 in the shaft wall so that there is no hydraulically induced axial force acting on the thrust bearing 42 . When instrumentation, not here shown, detects that the slidable gear 14 . b is fully engaged, a permissive switch is activated so that the motor 30 may now be started.
Another step in the starting sequence is to assure that the scoop tube of the fluid drive, not here shown, is moved to its minimum power transmission position. The scoop tube is used to control the speed of the output shaft and the power transmitted to it, as described amply in the referenced patents on variable speed fluid drives.
After motor 30 is started, it runs at a constant speed, and it turns the input shaft 24 of the fluid drive 25 at the same rotational speed as the motor rotor 28 . With the scoop tube in the minimum power position, the fluid drive output shaft 20 rotates slowly, on the order of 500 to 700 rpm, and this causes the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 to rotate along with the output shaft 3 , the flexible coupling 4 , and the boiler feed pump rotor 2 at rotational speeds determined by the various gear teeth ratios.
The scoop tube of the fluid drive 25 is then operated to increase the rotation of the shaft 20 , until the boiler feed pump is running in the speed range desired for start-up, perhaps 1,000 psi. The boiler is then ignited and begins to generate steam, which may be used to drive the main turbine-generator or which may be diverted to the mechanical drive steam turbine 40 to start that turbine. As long as the speed of the turbine shaft 38 is below the boiler feed pump speed as provided by the motor, fluid drive and gear train, generally on the order of 3500 rpm, the over-ridding clutch 6 operates to maintain shaft 8 disengaged from the output shaft 3 . When the speed of the steam turbine shaft 38 begins to exceed the speed of the boiler feed pump, generally on the order of 3500 rpm in this example, the over-riding clutch 6 no longer overrides, and the over-riding clutch engages input shaft 8 with output shaft 3 , and the steam turbine 40 begins to take over the rotation of the boiler feed pump. At that point, the hydraulic shifter 16 is energized to cause the slidable gear rotor assembly 14 to move to a disengaged condition wherein slidable gear 14 . b disengages from the driven gear 12 .
Various portions of the control logic of the present invention can be embodied in the form of computer-implemented processes and apparatuses for practicing those processes. Control logic for the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code containing instructions embodied in tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, CD-ROMs, hard drives, or an other computer readable storage medium, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into, and executed by, an electronic device such as a computer, micro-processor or logic circuit, the device becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention.
Control logic for the present invention can also be embodied in the form of computer program code, for example, whether stored in a storage medium, loaded into and/or executed by a computer, or transmitted over some transmission medium, such as over electrical wiring or cabling, through fiber optics, or via electromagnetic radiation, wherein, when the computer program code is loaded into and executed by a computer, the computer becomes an apparatus for practicing the invention. When implemented in a general-purpose microprocessor, the computer program code segments configure the microprocessor to create specific logic circuits.
Numerous variations in the construction and operation of the device of this invention will occur to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing disclosure. For example, the geared drive device of this invention can be applied to complex operating systems such as driving a compressor string of a refinery wherein partial operation of a substantial portion of the refinery must be achieved before either steam generation equipment or high-pressure hot gas generation equipment can be started and become available to provide the power to a steam turbine or hot gas expander, respectively, that can pick-up the load from the motor, variable speed fluid drive, and slidable gear train of this device, and then drive the compressor string up to full load operating conditions.
In view of the above, it will be seen that the several objects of the invention are achieved and other advantageous results are obtained. As various changes could be made in the above constructions without departing from the scope of the invention, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.
All patents mentioned herein are hereby incorporated by reference.
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A geared fluid drive arrangement in which a constant speed motor is used to start a “full-size” boiler feed pump, and is able to operate the pump at a limited speed and correspondingly limited power adequate to fill, pressurize and feed water to a boiler such as would be used for an electrical generating plant to start-up and to operate stably at part load, but not necessarily full load. After the boiler is operating stably, steam from the boiler or from an extraction point of the main turbine is admitted to a mechanical drive steam turbine in order to drive the same “full-size” pump to the normal operating range.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to polymer chemistry, and in particular to polyurethane block copolymers that can be used in primer coating compositions, especially on glass surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Polymer coatings are often used to improve the effectiveness of adhesives. Such coatings can be referred to as primer coatings, and can be particularly effective at improving the effectiveness of adhesives on non-porous surfaces, such as glass, steel, aluminum, and ceramic materials.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,408,012 describes moisture-activated adhesives useful for adhering a solar film to glass. These adhesives comprise the reaction product of a gamma-isocyanatopropyltriethoxy silane containing a free isocyanate group and a thermoplastic polyester.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,585 discloses moisture-curable compositions described as polymeric adhesion promoters. These compositions comprise a silane-grafted binary copolymer or terpolymer that is prepared by reacting an isocyanato-functional organosilane containing from 1 to 3 silicon-bonded hydrolyzable groups with a hydroxy-functional copolymer or terpolymer.
Primer coatings are often used in the automotive industry on glass windshields to improve the effectiveness of the adhesive sealants used to adhere the windshield to the automotive body. In modern automotive design construction, the windshield is an integral part of the structural integrity of the vehicle. Thus, it is critical that the windshield sealant securely bond the windshield to the vehicle body panels. Accordingly, the adhesive bond between the windshield and the automotive body must meet highly rigorous performance standards with regard to weathering, and resistance to heat, ultraviolet radiation, and moisture. With regard to heat, it is desirable that the adhesive bond resist temperatures of up to 88°C.
One glass primer that has been so utilized in the automotive industry is a silane-terminated polyester polyurethane consisting of polyester blocks linked together through urethane linkages. However, neither this primer nor the above-described prior art compositions provide as high a degree of resistance to weathering, heat, UV radiation, and moisture as is often desired. It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a polymer that can be effectively used in a primer coating composition, and that has a high a degree of resistance to weathering, heat, UV radiation, and moisture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the invention, there is provided a silane-capped polyurethane block copolymer comprising at least one polyester block and at least one polyacrylate block. This polymer can be prepared by reacting a polyester containing groups reactive with isocyanate, a polyacrylate containing groups reactive with isocyanate, and a polyisocyanate to form an isocyanate-terminated polyurethane block copolymer. This copolymer can be reacted with a silane-containing compound, such as an aminoalkoxysilane or mercaptoalkoxysilane, to produce the silane-capped polyurethane block copolymer.
The polyurethane block copolymer of the invention can be used as a primer on either porous or non-porous surfaces to improve the adhesion of a variety of sealant adhesives, such as polyurethane sealant adhesives. The copolymer is particularly effective on non-porous surfaces, such as glass, and is highly resistant to the effects of weathering, heat, UV radiation, and moisture.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The polyacrylate block used in the practice of the invention can be of any type that can be incorporated in a polyurethane block copolymer. Accordingly, the polyacrylate block should be derived from a polyacrylate having functional groups that are reactive with an isocyanate functionality. Such polyacrylates include, for example, the preferred hydroxyl-functional polyacrylates, and also amine-functional acrylates, and amide-functional acrylates, which are well-known in the art. In a preferred embodiment, the polyacrylate comprises from 5 to 40 mole percent of hydroxyalkyl acrylate repeat units, such as hydroxyethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl methacrylate, hydroxybutyl methacrylate, and others known in the art. The polyacrylate can be prepared by synthesis techniques well-known in the art. Starting monomer materials may include, in addition to the above-described functional acrylates, one or more other acrylates such as the preferred butyl methacrylate and cyclohexylmethyl methacrylate, and also methyl acrylate, methyl macrylate, acrylic acid, and the like. The polyacrylate block can also incorporate other copolymers of ethylenically unsaturated monomers, such as vinyl monomers (e.g., vinyl chloride).
The polyacrylate used according to the invention can be represented by the formula: ##STR1## According to this formula, R 1 and R 2 are each independently hydrogen or methyl. R 3 is hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted alkyl (e.g., methyl, ethyl, butyl, cyclohexyl, 3-chloropropyl). R 4 is hydroxyalkyl (e.g., hydroxyethyl, hydroxybutyl). Finally, x represents 0 to 97 mole percent and y represents 3 to 100 mole percent.
The polyester block used in the practice of the invention can be derived from polyester that has the necessary functional groups and molecular composition to react with an isocyanate functionality. Such polyesters are well-known in the art, and include a wide variety of polyester polyols. In a preferred embodiment, the polyester is terminated on each end with a hydroxyl functional group. The polyester can be prepared by synthesis techniques well-known in the art (e.g., polycondensation of dihydroxy compounds and dicarboxylic acids or self-polycondensation of hydroxycarboxylic acids), from known polyester monomer starting materials, such as isophthalic acid, adipic acid, neopentyl glycol, propylene glycol, and ethylene glycol.
The polyisocyanate used in the preparation of the block copolymer of the invention may be selected from a variety of materials known in the art for such purposes, such as p-phenylene diisocyanate, biphenyl-4,4'-diisocyanate, toluene diisocyanate (TDI), 3,3'-dimethyl-4,4'-biphenylene diisocyanate, 1,4-tetramethylene diisocyanate, 1,6-hexamethylenediisocyanate, 2,2,4-trimethylhexane-1,6-diisocyanate, methylene bis-(phenyl isocyanate), 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate, isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), and methylene bis-(4-cyclohexylisocyanate). Aliphatic diisocyanates, such as 1,6-hexamethylenediisocyanate and methylene bis-(4-cyclohexylisocyanate) are preferred.
The polyurethane copolymer is capped with a silane group by reaction with an aminoalkoxysilane or a mercaptoalkoxysilane. The group that is thus bonded to the copolymer preferably has the structure --A--R 1 --Si--(OR) 3 . The group A can be sulfur, --NH--, or an alkylamino group in which the alkyl portion contains from one to six carbon atoms. The bridging group R 1 may be a divalent hydrocarbon radical, a divalent hydrocarbon radical containing one or more oxygen ether linkages, or a divalent hydrocarbon radical containing one or more --NH--linkages. The end-capping of the polyurethane block copolymer is achieved by including a silane compound (e.g., gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxy-silane, gamma-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, and N-beta-aminoethyl-gamma-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane) in the reaction mixture.
The polyurethane block copolymer of the invention preferably has a glass transition temperature of between 10° C. and 110° C., and more preferably between 25° C. and 100° C.
The polyurethane block copolymer of the invention preferably comprises from 50 to 75 weight percent of the polyester block and from 5 to 40 weight percent of the polyacrylate block. The remaining portions of the block copolymer can be made up of the residue of the diisocyanate used to form the urethane linkages, the silane capping groups, and other copolymer blocks having the requisite functional groups and/or chemical composition so that they can react with a diisocyanate to be incorporated into the polyurethane (e.g., low molecular weight diols such as R45HT, available from Atochem), low molecular weight polyamines (e.g., Jeffamine®, available from Texaco). A coating composition containing the polyurethane block copolymer can be prepared by first obtaining a desirable particle size of the polymer (e.g., 5 to 40 μm) by grinding, milling, or other known methods, and then dissolving the copolymer in a suitable solvent. Such solvents are preferably polar organic solvents such as methylethyl ketone, methanol, cyclohexanone, and ethylacetate, although nonpolar solvents, such as toluene and xylene can also be used. In a preferred embodiment, the amount of solvent is sufficient to provide a coating composition having a viscosity that is low enough so that a uniform layer can be coated by brushing or spraying (e.g., 100 to 500 cps). The coating composition may contain any of a number of known addenda, such as dispersing aids, other polymers, pigments, dyes, antioxidants, UV absorbers, and the like.
The coating composition can be coated onto any surface, such as a non-porous surface (e.g., glass, steel, aluminum), and cured by exposure to moisture. The coating may be applied by any of a number of known techniques, such as by brushing, spraying, dip-coating, roll coating, and the like. In a preferred embodiment, the composition is applied by brushing, especially when the substrate to be coated is glass. As described above, one preferred use of the polyurethane block copolymer of the present invention is as a glass primer for automotive glass, especially windshields.
The invention is further described in the following examples.
PREPARATION 1
A low molecular weight polyester was made using neopentyl glycol, adipic acid, and isophthalic acid in a mole ratio of 1:1.4, COOH:OH. This reaction was carried out in a three necked reaction vessel with fractioning column, thermometer, condenser, mantle, and mechanical stirrer. The endpoint is determined by titration for acid number. This low molecular weight polyester is then dissolved in toluene to seventy percent solids.
PREPARATION 2
Following the procedure of Preparation 1, a polyester resin was made using a mole ratio of 1:1.2, COOH:OH. The endpoint was similarly determined and the resultant resin was dissolved in toluene for formulation and evaluation.
EXAMPLE 1
A mixture of 25 g of the polyester of Preparation 2 and 16.3 g of Acryloid® AU608S (commercially available hydroxyl-functional acrylic crosslinker from Rohm and Haas, (EW=600 solids basis) was prepared. This mixture was extended with 12.03 g of dicyclohexylmethane diisocyanate, with 100 g of toluene in the presence of 0.05% dibutytin diacetate. The reaction was carried out in a three necked reaction vessel equipped with a thermometer, mantle, mechanical stirrer, condenser, in an argon atmosphere. In this mixture, the ratio of equivalents OH:NCO is 1:1.4. Thus, when urethane linkage reaction completed, 0.4 equivalents of NCO is left unreacted. This endpoint is determined by titration for isocyanate content. After reaction completed, free isocyanate is then reacted with gamma-aminotrimethoxy-silane until isocyanate was no longer detected by infrared spectroscopy or titration for isocyanate.
EXAMPLE 2
Example 1 was followed except there was 0.05% isocyanate left after reaction with gamma-aminotrimethoxysilane. This endpoint was determined by titration for isocyanate.
EXAMPLE 3
Example 1 was followed except gamma-mercaptopropyltrimethoxy-silane is used as the capping agent so that no isocyanate can be detected by infrared spectroscopy or titration.
EXAMPLE 4
Example 13 was followed except gamma-mercaptopropyltrimethoxy-silane is used as the capping agent so that 0.08% free isocyanate is left after the reaction was complete. Endpoint determined by titration.
EXAMPLE 5
A mixture of 50 g of a polyester resin prepared in Preparation 2 and Acryloid® AU608S was prepared. This mixture was extended following the procedure of Example 1, with 12.03 g of MDI.
EXAMPLE 6
A primer composition was compounded by using resin prepared in Example 3, and 2% Ketjenblack® 300J carbon black (available from Akzo Chemical). This mixture was ground in a ball mill up to 12 hours to a fineness of 5 on a Hegman gauge.
EXAMPLE 7
The procedure of Example 6 was repeated, except that the carbon black was replaced with 2% Raven® 5000 carbon black (available from Colombia Chemical) was used.
EXAMPLE 8
A primer was compounded by using the resin prepared in Example 1 and 2% Sterling® R carbon black (available from Cabot). This mixture was ground in a ball mill up to 9 hours to a fineness of 5 on a Hegman gauge.
EXAMPLE 9
A primer was compounded by using resin from Example 4, and 2% carbon dispersion 2106 (commercially available from Monochem). This mixture was ground in a ball mill up to 6 hours to a fineness of 5 on a Hegman gauge.
EXAMPLE 10
The procedure of Example 9 was repeated, except that the carbon dispersion was replaced with 2% Sterling® R carbon black, commercially available from Cabot was used.
EXAMPLE 11
The primer compositions from Examples 6-10 dispersed in anhydrous methylethyl ketone at a ration of 1:1 to form a coating composition having a viscosity of 150 cps. For comparison purposes, a coating composition was used that contained a polymer that was substantially the same as that of Example 1, except that it contained no polyacrylate. These coating compositions were brushed onto glass pieces measuring 1"×4" and allowed to dry. A moisture-curable urethane sealant bead was then applied so that the glass plates sandwiched the sealant bead to a 1/4 width. These specimens were allowed to cure for three days at room temperature, 50% relative humidity. Identical specimens were cured for seven days at 100% relative humidity and 36.7° C. Identical samples were also subjected to weathering tests in an Atlas Carbon Arc Weatherometer, and put in an oven for two weeks at a temperature of 190° F. After exposure, the specimens were subjected to shear force to the point of failure. The results are shown in Table 1 below.
__________________________________________________________________________Ceramic Coated Glass ResultsComparison DataComparisonGlass Primer Example 6 Example 7 Example 8 Example 9 Example 10__________________________________________________________________________3 DaysCohesive Cohesive Cohesive Cohesive Cohesive CohesiveRoom Failure Failure Failure Failure Failure FailureTemp.350 psi 400 psi 422 psi 500 psi 563 psi 580 psi7 DaysPasses Fair Adhesive passes Cohesive Cohesive Cohesive100% 350 psi Fair Failure Failure Failure FailureRelative 200 psi 300 psi 536 psi 516 psi 543 psiHumidity100° F.14 DaysAdhesive Adhesive Passes Cohesive Cohesive Cohesive190° F.Failure Failure Fair Failure Failure Failure280 psi 212 psi 316 psi 426 psi 483 psi 500 psi__________________________________________________________________________
The data in Table 1 demonstrate that the polyurethane block copolymer of the invention provided significantly improved performance as a glass primer for adhesives over the comparison.
The invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred embodiments thereof. It should be understood, however, that variations and modifications can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A silane-capped polyurethane block copolymer comprising at least one polyester block and at least one polyacrylate block is disclosed. The copolymer can be used in coatings, and is particularly useful as a primer coating, especially as a primer for non-porous surfaces to which adhesives will be applied.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to trailers for palletized load systems, and in particular, to an automatic lock down device for a flatrack carried by the trailer. While the invention is described with particularity in respect to its flatrack application, those skilled in the art will recognize the wider applicability of the inventive principles disclosed hereinafter.
The maneuverability of land forces and the equipment which those forces use require a faster, more efficient supply distribution method. Recognizing these requirements, a number of palletized load systems (PLS) have and are being developed for military use. Versions of the PLS have been used commercially in agricultural, cargo handling, and waste management applications for years with considerable success. The military adoptions of such systems, however, are generally more stringent than their commercial counterparts, and require safety and operational components not found in their civilian counterparts.
Palletized load systems generally consist of a truck and an associated trailer, either or both of which are designed to carry loads contained on flatracks. PLS trailers typically are flat trailers which are loaded in any convenient method, generally from the back of the truck, which in certain applications includes a mechanism for loading the flatrack. When the trailer and truck are operated in tandem, the flatrack to be carried by the trailer is first brought up on to the bed of the truck and then moved to the trailer. Because the bed of the trailer is flat, the trailer must include a mechanism to lock the flatrack to the trailer during transportation and use. In military requirements, that means the trailer likely will operate off the road, in varying terrains.
Lock down devices are known in the prior art. While these devices work well, they generally are not adaptable to military requirements for a number of reasons. The reasons include the fact that the mechanisms are not intended to operate in the severe applications required for military use, or require specialized constructions not compatible with present military configurations for flatrack and trailer design.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the invention is to provide an automatic locking system for a PLS trailer.
Another object of this invention is to provide a locking system for a PLS trailer which includes a manual override.
Another object of this invention is to provide a lock down device which eliminates the need for certain stops on a PLS trailer.
Another object of this invention is to provide a simplified lock down device which locks the flatrack to an associated trailer without any modifications to the flatrack design.
These and other objects will become apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the following description and accompanying drawings.
In accordance with this invention, generally stated, a palletized load system trailer is provided with a simple yet secure structure for automatically locking a flatrack to a trailer. The flatrack is removably mounted to the trailer which in turn is connected to a truck. The truck has a supply of pressurized air. The trailer includes a pneumatic system which is removably coupled to the truck's air supply to communicate therewith, a locking mechanism which automatically locks the flatrack to the trailer when the trailer is connected to the truck, and a manual release mechanism which releases the flatrack from the trailer.
The locking mechanism includes a pivotal hook which engages a latch plate of the flatrack and an air cylinder. The air cylinder has an extendable, retractible piston which is operatively connected to the hook such that when the air cylinder is pressurized, the piston extends and the hook is pivoted into engagement with the latch plate. The cylinder communicates with the trailer's pneumatic system such that when the pneumatic system is connected to the truck's air supply, the cylinder is automatically pressurized, thereby pivoting the hook upwardly into engagement with the latch plate. The air cylinder is preferably a double acting cylinder having a rear chamber which when pressurized extends the piston and a front chamber which when pressurized retracts the piston. The cylinder's rear chamber is connected to an air line of the pneumatic system.
The trailer further includes an air tank which communicates with the air line through a second air line which has a check valve therein. When the pneumatic system is connected to the truck's air supply, the check valve allows the tank to become pressurized. The tank also communicates with the cylinder's front chamber. A pilot valve is positioned between the tank and the front chamber. It is responsive to a signal created when the trailer's pneumatic system is connected to the truck's pneumatic system. The signal closes the pilot valve thereby preventing communication between the tank and the cylinder's front chamber. The pilot valve includes an actuator, which when pressed, opens the line of communication between the tank and the cylinder front chamber to pressurize the front chamber, thereby causing the hook to disengage from the latch plate.
In one embodiment, the hook comprises a J-shaped hook mounted to an axle positioned transversely to the longitudinal axis of the trailer. This hook prevents vertical movement of the flatrack. Because it does not prevent axial movement of the flatrack, the trailer also includes aft stops to prevent axial movement of the flatrack.
The manual release mechanism of this embodiment comprises a main handle connected to the axle to which the hook is mounted to rotate therewith, a locking cam fixed to the axle to rotate with the main handle, a release cam operated by a release handle and mounted on the axle for free rotation about the axle, and a locking mechanism which locks the main handle in place. When the release cam is rotated, the locking mechanism releases the locking cam, thereby allowing the main handle to rotate the hook out of engagement with the latch plate. The locking mechanism comprises a rod which is spring biased to be normally in locking contact with a flat face of the locking cam. The release cam includes a cam surface having a section of reduced diameter and a section of enlarged diameter. The locking mechanism contacts the reduced diameter section when it is in locking contact with the locking cam. As the release cam is rotated, the area of enlarged diameter comes into contact with the locking mechanism and pushes it out of engagement with the locking cam.
The release mechanism may also include a cable attached at one end to the locking mechanism and attached at another end to a second release handle which is pivotally secured to the trailer. When the second release handle is pivoted, the locking mechanism is pulled out of engagement with the locking cam, releasing the main handle so that it may be rotated to disengage the hook from the latch plate.
In a second embodiment, the hook comprises a pair of arms. Each arm includes a fixed end, a free end, and a head at the free end. The head has an aperture therethrough which is shaped and sized to fit over the latch plate. The aperture surrounds the latch plate upon engagement therewith to prevent horizontal and vertical movement of the flatrack. The arms are pivotally mounted to the trailer to pivot in a path perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the trailer. The cylinder is pivotally connected at one end to one of the arms, and pivotally connected at another end to the other of the arms. When the cylinder piston is retracted, the hook is pulled out of engagement with the latch plate, and when the cylinder piston is extended, the hook is pivoted into engagement with the latch plates.
The manual release mechanism of this embodiment includes a main handle pivotally connected to a toggle clamp which is mounted to the trailer. The toggle clamp includes a rod which is movable between a retracted position and an extended position. When the handle is pivoted, the rod extends to push the hook out of engagement with the latch plates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a palletized load system (PLS) trailer having a locking mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 1A is a side elevational view of a PLS truck pulling the PLS trailer of FIG. 1, both of which have flatracks thereon;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the locking assembly taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of a hook of the locking assembly;
FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the hook of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a pneumatic diagram of the locking assembly;
FIG. 6 is a fragmentary view of the trailer, partially in cross-section, showing a manual release assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a top plan view of an alternate locking assembly of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a view of the locking assembly taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a side elevational view of the trailer, taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 7, showing the mechanical release mechanism of the locking assembly;
FIG. 10 is a front elevational view of the release mechanism taken along line 10--10 of FIG. 9; and
FIG. 11 is a side elevational view of a forward portion of the release mechanism.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the Figures, and in particular FIGS. 1-4, reference numeral 1 generally refers to a palletized load system (PLS) trailer which is pulled by a truck 2. Trailer 1 comprises a frame 3 having a longitudinally extending side rails 5 and 6 with a plurality of cross-beams 7 extending therebetween. A plurality of airtanks 8 are located between cross beams 7. A flatrack 9, carrying supplies to be transported, is carried on top of trailer 1. (FIG. 1A) Flatrack 9 is secured to trailer 1 by locking assembly 11 (FIG. 2) which interacts with a pair of flatrack latch plates 13 fixed to the underside of flatrack 9. There is one latch plate located on each side of flatrack 9. The location of locking assembly 11 on trailer 1 is determined by the location of latch plates 13 on flatrack 9.
More specifically, locking assembly 11 includes a pair of hooks 15a and 15b. Hooks 15a and 15b include arms 16 which are received between a pair of gussets 17a and 17b. (FIG. 3) Gussets 17a and 17b are mounted to the inside of each of the side rails 5 and 6, above one of the cross beams 7. (FIG. 1). A bolt 19 is journaled in apertures in gussets 17a and 17b and in bores 23a and 23b in the bottom of arms 16 (FIG. 3) to pivotally connect hook 15a to trailer 1. Hook 15b is similarly pivotally connected to trailer 1 opposite hook 15a. The bolt is secured with a locknut 25. As can be seen, hooks 15a and 15b pivot along a path transverse to the longitudinal axis of trailer 1.
When pivoted upwardly, an opening 27 in the head 29 of each hook 15a and 15b engages its associated latch plate 13 to hold flatrack 9 to trailer 1. Opening 27 has a tapered bottom edge, as seen in FIG. 4, so that it will fit about latch plate 13. Hooks 15a and 15b surround latch plates 13 on their front, back, top, and bottom sides and thus prevent vertical and horizontal movement of flatrack 9 during transportation.
Hooks 15a and b each include an ear 31a and 31b to allow pivotal connection of a pneumatic cylinder assembly 33 thereto. The cylinder 35 of assembly 33 is connected to one of ears 31a and 31b and an extension rod 37 is connected to the other of ears 31a and 31b. Extension rod 37 is fixed to the cylinder's piston rod 39. As shown in FIG. 2, when piston rod 39 is extended, hooks 15a and 15b are pivoted upwardly to engage latch plates 13. When they engage plates 13, flatrack 9 is locked to trailer 1. (Shown in phantom) Conversely, when piston rod 39 is retracted, the hooks 15a and b are pulled out of engagement with latch plate 13 thereby releasing flatrack 9.
The hooks also include stops 34 to prevent them from pivoting too far inward when latch plates 13 are released. If hooks 15a and 15b were pivoted to a point where they were parallel with cross-beam 7, the cylinder assembly 33 could not pivot the hooks. Stops 34 prevent this.
Turning to FIG. 5, cylinder 35 is a double acting cylinder having a front chamber 41 and a rear chamber 43. A spring 45 is in rear chamber 43. Rear chamber 43 is preferably connected to the trailer's emergency airline 47. Airline 47 is connected to a pressurized air supply of truck 2 by means of a glad hand 49. The truck's air supply is commonly 100 psi. A pilot valve 51 having an actuator 53 communicates with emergency air line 47 over a pilot line 55. Pilot valve 51 communicates with the front chamber 41 of cylinder 35 and with one of the tanks 8. Thus, when pilot valve 51 is open, air tanks 8 are in fluid communication with cylinder front chamber 41. Air tank 8 is connected to emergency line 47, with a check valve 57 interposed between tank 8 and line 47.
When glad hand 49 is connected to the air supply of truck 2, a signal is sent through pilot line 55 which closes pilot valve 51. When pilot valve 51 is closed, the air in tank 8 cannot flow to the front chamber 41 of cylinder 35. Air also flows to the rear chamber 43 of cylinder 35 to pressurize chamber 43 and extend piston 39, thereby locking flatrack 9 to trailer 1. Spring 45 biases piston rod 39 to an extended position. Thus, upon failure of the pneumatic system, hooks 15a and 15b will engage latchplates 13 to lock flatrack 9 to trailer 1.
To release flatrack 9, pilot valve 51 must be opened by actuator 53 to place tank 8 in communication with front chamber 41 of cylinder 35. When pilot valve 51 is opened, the air in tank 8 flows to chamber 41 and chamber 41 becomes pressurized. This, in turn causes piston 39 to retract, thereby unlocking flatrack 9.
Turning to FIG. 6, a manual release assembly 59 is provided to unlock flatrack 9 from trailer 1 when, for example, the pneumatic system fails. Assembly 59 includes a release handle 61 which is pivotally mounted on a toggle clamp 63. Clamp 63, in turn, is mounted to side rail 5 above an external gusset 65 by a clamp base 67. Toggle clamp 63 is a clamp such as is available from DE-STACO, located in Troy, Michigan, having catalogue No. DE-STA-CO Model 62A and is known in the art to include a linkage assembly (not shown) and a rod 69. Clamp 63 operates such that when handle 61 is pivoted upwardly, rod 69 extends, and when it is pivoted downwardly rod 69 retracts. Rod 69 is preferably counterbored to receive a threaded rod 70. Threaded rod 70 receives a jam nut 71 positioned adjacent rod 69 and an extension bar 73 at its end. Jam nut 71 is provided to calibrate release assembly 59 so that bar 73 is properly positioned to engage hook 15a upon extension of rod 69.
When rod 69 is extended by pivoting handle 61, extension bar 73 is forced against hook 15a to move the hook forward and out of engagement with latch plate 13. As hook 15b is operatively connected to hook 15a by means of cylinder assembly 33, hook 15b is also moved out of engagement with its associated latch plate. Thus, when handle 61 is pivoted, flatrack 9 is released from trailer 1. Hook 15a preferably includes a cavity 75 (shown as a notted line in FIGS. 3, 4, and 6) into which extension bar 73 extends.
Turning to FIGS. 7 and 8, reference numeral 111 refers to a second embodiment of the locking mechanism of the present invention. Locking mechanism 111 includes a pair of J-shaped hooks 115a and 115b which are pivotally mounted on trailer 1 to swing upwardly to engage latch plates 13. Hooks 115a and 115b are fixed to a hollow cylindrical tube 117 extending between side rails 5 and 6 above one of cross beams 7. An axle 118, journaled within tube 117, extends through an aperture 119 in side rail 6. Axle 118 preferably extends beyond side rail 6. Hooks 115a and 115b pivot around axle 118 along a path parallel to the longitudinal axis of trailer 1 to engage latch plates 13 from the fronts thereof. Unlike hooks 15a and 15b, hooks 115a and 115b only cover the rear and tops of latch plates 13. Thus, they do not prevent forward motion of flatrack 9. Trailer 1 must, therefore, be equipped with front stops (not shown) to prevent forward movement of flatrack 9.
A spring arm 116 is mounted on tube 117 to the inside of hook 115a. A spring 121 is mounted at one end to spring arm 116 and, at its other end, to a spring tab 123 mounted on one of a pair of gussets 125.
A single acting cylinder 135, having a spring in a forward end thereof, is pivotally mounted to a pivot bracket 136. Bracket 136 is fixed to a shelf 137 on the inside of side rail 5. Shelf 137 is fixed to the inside of side rail 5 by a pair of support arms 138a and 138b. (See FIGS. 1 and 8). The cylinder's rod 139 is pivotally connected to an arm 140 fixed to tube 117 between spring arm 116 and hook 115a. Thus, when the cylinder's rear chamber 143 is pressurized, piston 135 extends outwardly and rotates hooks 115a and 115b upwardly into engagement with latch plates 13 to lock flatrack 9 to trailer 1. The spring in the forward end of cylinder 135 retracts cylinder rod 139 thereby releasing hooks 115a and 115b from engagement with latch plates 13 to unlock flatrack 9.
Referring to FIGS. 9-11, a manual release assembly 159 is located on the outside of side rail to release hooks 115a and 115b. Release mechanism 159 includes a main handle 161 fixed to the portion of axle 118 which extends beyond side rail 6. A pin 162 extends through handle 161 and axle 118 so that axle 118 will rotate as handle 161 is pivoted. A pin 160 extends through axle 118, tube 117, and into hook 115a so that axle 118, and hence main handle 161, is connected to hook 115a. Hook 115a, and hence hook 115b, thus pivot with handle 161. (FIG. 10)
Release mechanism 159 also includes a release handle 163 fixed to pair of cams 165 and 166 which rotate freely about axle 118. Release handle 163 is held in place by a clip bracket 167 which is mounted on a gusset 169 on the outside of side rail 6.
To release hooks 115a and 115b, main handle 161 is rotated clockwise, as seen in FIG. 9. To prevent accidental rotation of main handle 161 and thus release of hooks 115a and 115b, main handle 161 is locked in place by a cam 171 and a spring biased, lock-block assembly 173. Cam 171 is secured to axle 118 between cams 165 and 166 by a pin which extends through a pin hole -75 in cam 171 and axle 118. Lock-block assembly 173 butts up against a flat edge 179 of cam 171 to prevent clockwise rotation of cam 171 and, thus, of handle 161.
Lock-block assembly 173 includes a block 181 mounted on a rod 183. A spring 185 extends between a gusset 187 of trailer 1 and a flange 189 at the rear of rod 183. Spring 185 urges assembly 173 into contact with cam 171.
Cams 165 and 166 each include a shoulder 177 formed in a reduced diameter area 172a of cam surface 172. When lock-block assembly 173 is in contact with cam 171, it is resting on the shoulder 177. As cams 165 and 166 are rotated counter clockwise by release handle 163, an area of greater diameter 172b of cam surface 172 urges lock-block assembly 173 out of contact with cam 171 to allow rotation of main handle 161, as can be seen in FIG. 9.
A cable 191 is attached to lock-block assembly 173 and is carried to the front of trailer 1 in a hollow tube 193. (FIGS. 9 and 11) Tube 193 and lock-block assembly 173 are supported by a series of brackets 195. At the front of trailer 1, cable 191 is connected to a second release handle 197 which is pivotally mounted to the front of side rail 6. When release handle 197 is pivoted, it pulls lock-block assembly 173 out of contact with cam 171 thereby releasing main handle 161. Thus, main handle 161 can be rotated to disengage hooks 115a and 115b from latch plates 13. Thus, there are two points from which main handle 161 may be released.
Numerous variations within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description and accompanying drawings.
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An automatic, pneumatically operated flatrack lockdown device is provided for a palletized load system trailer. The lockdown device includes a manual release system which can override the pneumatic system when, for example, the pneumatic system fails. The release system includes a main handle, which when pivoted unlocks the flatrack. In one embodiment, the release system further includes a locking assembly which prevents the main handle from unlocking the flatrack , and a pair of release handles, each of which release the locking assembly to allow for operation of the main handle.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is related to and claims priority from earlier filed U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/806,949, filed Jul. 11, 2006, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to a sling assembly for comfortably supporting the arm of a wearer. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an improved sling assembly that provides enhanced ability to uniformly distribute the weight of the supported arm across the wearer's shoulder while also providing auxiliary storage space such that the combination tends to increase user compliance with the need to wear a sling.
[0003] In the medical and rehabilitative therapy industries, there commonly arises the need to support and/or immobilize the arm of a person against the torso of the body as treatment for an injury to various parts of the arm and/or shoulder. In particular, an injury to the shoulder presents difficulty because the rotational capabilities of the shoulder, while enhancing the function of the joint, also complicate treatment of the shoulder following injury or surgery. Such treatment frequently requires determining a desired optimal healing position of the shoulder and associated arm, placement of the shoulder and associated arm in the desired healing position and immobilization of the shoulder and arm in the desired healing position. This type of treatment is particularly applicable, but not limited, to soft tissue injuries involving damage to one or more connective shoulder ligaments and furthermore is oftentimes the treatment of choice following any number of surgical procedures, including surgery for recurrent posterior subluxation, rotator cuff surgery, humeral head or shaft fracture correction and the like. Healing occurs inter alia through diminution of inflammation and/or regeneration of muscle tissues, which is promoted by removing stress from the injured or surgically corrected joint. In most cases, such positioning of the shoulder and/or arm typically requires that the arm that extends from the injured shoulder be placed into an orthopedic support device so that the arm is supported while allowing the shoulder to heal.
[0004] Support devices, such as orthopedic braces, rigid casts, slings and the like are commonly employed alone or in combination for the positioning, support and immobilization of the shoulder with varying degrees of success. For example, rigid casts, which are typically molded plaster or resin, have traditionally been used as joint immobilizers. The rigid cast may be replaced from time to time as swelling is reduced. However, the disadvantages of rigid casts are well known. Rigid casts are heavy and uncomfortable to wear and are relatively laborious and complex to apply. Rigid casts may also unduly limit the mobility of the patient and cause joint stiffening and muscle atrophy. In addition, wound and skin treatments and bathing must usually be postponed until the rigid cast is removed.
[0005] Similarly, there are numerous problems associated with conventional arm slings or supports. These problems arise because such devices support the weight of the arm using a strap that passes over the wearer's shoulder and rests against the base of the wearer's neck. These problems are generally the result of the manner in which such slings are constructed. In particular, a traditional sling normally includes at least one strap that wraps around the neck or over the shoulder for supporting the arm cuff and thereby the arm in the desired orientation. In this arrangement, most of the weight of the arm is borne by the person's neck and collarbone on the opposite side of the supported arm. This can become very tiring and very uncomfortable, especially if the weight of a cast is also involved. The fact that the weight is borne fully by the narrow strap means that the strap consequently supports the entire weight of the arm such that the strap concentrates this force on a very small area of the body. Further contributing to this problem is the fact that the straps are formed from a light weight webbing that slides around on the users shoulder and tends to bunch up further concentrating the point to which the load is transferred. As a result, traditional arm slings are often uncomfortable thereby causing neck pain and frictional abrasion for the wearer and, in some extreme cases, may cause injuries of their own at the support contact points.
[0006] In an attempt to overcome the drawbacks resulting from the bunching and sliding of the sling strap, many prior art devices employ a pad arrangement that is installed into the strap at the location where the strap crosses the wearer's neck and shoulders. In most cases, this type of arrangement includes foam padding of some sort that is stitched into a fabric pocket that in turn surrounds the strap or is inserted into the strap, with the strap being attached at both ends thereof. With long term wear however, these pads become smelly and dirty while also breaking down under the load and losing their consistency. In most cases, these pads over time deteriorate to the point that they also bunch much like the fabric straps described above. Accordingly, even the padded straps begin to introduce increased and uneven distribution of weight across the wearer's shoulder and neck causing the wearer to stop using the sling.
[0007] Finally, conventional slings or arm supports are unsightly as they are formed from a fabric that typically emulates the hospital environment having a medicinal appearance in which they are implemented and appear as drab green or blue fabric. All of these drawbacks together generally result in a low frequency of compliance on the part of the user in wearing the necessary sling for the proscribed period of time.
[0008] Accordingly, there is a need for a sling that has an improved construction for better distributing the supported weight over the wearer's neck and shoulders. Further there is a need for a sling that includes a support strap that provides a more uniform and positive distribution of the supported weight without slipping or bunching so as to reduce stress on the wearer's cervical spine. There is still a further need for a sling design that employs a strap that has a uniform cross section that prevents bunching while also having a soft feel in order achieve an improved distribution of the supported weight in a manner that assists in increasing wearer compliance with the wearing of the sling. Finally, there is a need for such a sling assembly that includes an improved appearance and integrated storage pockets thereby further enhancing the wearability of the sling.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In this regard, the present invention provides a sling construction that includes an improved support strap for more uniformly distributing the weight of the supported arm of the wearer's shoulder while preventing strap bunching and creep. Further, the present invention provides for the use of the improved strap support construction in conjunction with an enhanced sling pouch in order to greatly improve the performance and appearance of the sling.
[0010] In accordance with the present invention, the strap portion of the sling is preferably formed from a compliant material that has a soft feel against the wearer's neck and shoulders yet that has sufficient body to resist bunching across its cross section. In this manner the width of the strap remains consistent over the contact areas on the wearer, thereby providing an even distribution of the supported weight. The strap is preferably formed from an elastomer or a rubber that is relatively compliant yet has a low coefficient of elongation. This allows the strap to be highly supportive of the sling while also conforming to the contour of the wearer's neck and shoulders in a manner that makes the strap and sling comfortable to wear. Further, the inner contact surface of the strap includes nubs or raised features that prevent the strap from sliding. The integrated non-slip features prevent the strap from moving, thereby eliminating irritation of the wearer's skin and also serve to provide better balance of the supported weight against the wearer's shoulders.
[0011] The strap of the present invention may be made as an integrated component with a sling pouch attached permanently thereto or as a retrofit strap that can be implemented with existing sling pouches. Building the strap in this manner allows for several advantageous features. First, the strap can be modular allowing its use with existing sling pouches. Second, the strap can be made to be easily adjustable by fitting its ends with hook and loop fastener strips and passing them through rings provided on the sling pouch. Finally, the strap can be marketed with modular interchangeable sling pouches so that a wearer can select slings that mach their personal fashion tastes or to coordinate with the garments that the sling will be worn over.
[0012] The sling pouch of the present invention is formed much like sling pouches of the prior art. The pouch has sidewalls that extend upwardly wherein the sidewalls are also attached at the rear of the pouch wherein the wearer's arm is inserted in the pouch and is supported from the bottom as well as behind the elbow. The attachment points for the strap are provided at the top of the sidewalls both at the rear where the sidewalls are closed and at the front where the sidewalls are open and the user's hand would extend therefrom. The strap may be stitched directly into the sling pouch as was stated above or threaded through rings that are affixed to the sling pouch to allow adjustment of the strap length and the relative height of the sling on the wearer.
[0013] Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a sling that has an improved construction for better distributing the supported weight over the wearer's neck and shoulders. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a sling that includes a support strap that provides a more uniform and positive distribution of the supported weight without slipping or bunching. It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a sling design that employs a strap that has a uniform cross section that prevents bunching while also having a soft feel in order achieve an improved distribution of the supported weight in a manner that assists in increasing wearer compliance with the wearing of the sling. Finally, it is an object of the invention to provide a sling assembly that includes an improved appearance and integrated storage pockets thereby further enhancing the wearability of the sling.
[0014] These together with other objects of the invention, along with various features of novelty, which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed hereto and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated for carrying out the present invention:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a the sling and support strap of the present invention supporting the arm of a wearer;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the sling and support strap of the present invention depicting an embodiment with an adjustable length strap;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a fixed length one-piece support strap as provided in the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an adjustable length three-piece support strap as provided in the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 5 - 5 in FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Now referring to the drawings, the sling assembly 10 including the sling pouch 12 and support strap 14 are shown and generally illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The sling assembly 10 can be seen to generally include a sling pouch 12 and a sling support strap 14 that is affixed to the sling pouch 12 . The sling pouch 12 is configured to receive the wearer's arm 16 in a substantially fixed position and includes first 18 and second 20 attachment points to which first 22 and second 24 ends of the support strap 14 are affixed. The support strap 14 extends upwardly from one of the attachment points 20 on the sling pouch 12 , around the wearer's back, across their neck, over one of the wearer's shoulders 26 and back to the other attachment point 18 on the sling pouch 12 . In this manner, the support strap 14 and sling pouch 12 cooperate to receive and support the wearer's arm 16 from a support surface on a wearer's body, such as for example the wearer's shoulder 26 .
[0022] The sling pouch 12 is preferably a fabric pouch that cradles the wearer's arm 16 by extending upwardly along the sides thereof. Preferably, the back of the sling pouch 12 is closed so that the closed end serves to cradle the wearer's elbow. It is also preferable that the sling pouch 12 of the present invention be formed so as to be modular. In other words, the sling pouch 12 is formed so that the support strap 14 can easily be removed from the sling pouch 12 and a different sling pouch 12 substituted for use in the sling assembly 10 . In this regard, the present invention anticipates that the sling pouches 12 can be produced in a variety of different fabrics and may include printed patterns 28 . By offering different sling pouch 12 styles, the wearer is provided a broad range of sling pouch 12 selections. This allows a wearer to select a sling pouch 12 that most closely matches their fashion tastes or their particular wardrobe.
[0023] It can also be seen that the sling pouch 12 is formed to include a small pocket 30 on the front sidewall thereof that further includes a closure means in the form of a flap 32 that folds down over the pocket 30 opening. Similarly, this closure may be accomplished through the use of hook and loop fasteners, zippers, buttons, snaps or any other pocket closure means known to one skilled in the relevant art. The inclusion of the pocket 30 on the sling pouch 12 allows a wearer to store personal belongings such as keys, money, credit cards or other small items of value making the sling assembly 10 a convenience article and often eliminating the need for a purse as the wearing of a sling often conflicts with the carrying of a purse. As can best be seen in FIG. 2 , the sling pouch 12 also preferably includes a second pocket 34 that is sized and particularly configured to receive and retain a cellular telephone or personal digital assistant (PDA) 36 to further enhance the convenience of the sling and reduce the need to carry other items in separate bags or the like.
[0024] Referring again to FIG. 2 , the support strap 14 can be seen to engage at a first end 22 thereof with a first attachment point 18 on the sling pouch 12 and at a second end thereof 24 with a second attachment point 20 on the sling pouch 12 . Additionally, as can be seen in more detail in FIGS. 3 and 4 , the support strap 14 may have a fixed length ( FIG. 3 ) or an adjustable length ( FIG. 4 ). Further the support strap 14 may be fixed on both ends, adjustable on both ends or have one fixed end and one adjustable end. The sling strap 14 may be affixed directly to the sling pouch 12 or may include D-rings 38 or other attachment loops that facilitate the sling pouch 12 and support strap 14 being separate modular components thereby allowing the interchangeability described above. Generally, the support strap 14 of the present invention is formed from a flexible polymer material having a low coefficient of elongation such that the flexibility of the support strap 14 allows it to conform to the support surfaces, such as the wearer's shoulder 26 and neck without compression of the width 40 or cross sectional area 42 of the support strap 14 .
[0025] As was stated above, prior art straps were typically formed from webbing and sometimes included a foam pad arrangement of some kind. Over time the prior art straps compressed in both their thickness and bunched across their widths causing a reduction of the contact area on the wearer's neck and shoulder across which the supported weight was distributed. This bunching caused discomfort in the wearer's shoulders and made it easier for the strap to rid up against and chafe or pinch the wearer's neck. In contrast, as can be seen best in FIG. 5 , the support strap 14 of the present invention has a width 40 and a cross sectional area 42 such that the support strap 14 body is formed entirely a flexible polymer material across its entire cross sectional profile. In this regard the cross sectional profile of the support strap 14 is homogeneous and formed only form a single material. This flexible polymer material has sufficient durometer that it will not bunch and when loaded will not experience any significant compression across the width 40 or cross sectional area 42 of the support strap 14 while remaining flexible enough to conform to the contours of the wearer's shoulder and neck. This feature makes the support strap 14 of the present invention much more comfortable for the wearer as compared to the slings in the prior art. Further, the polymer material selected for the support strap 14 of the present invention must have a low coefficient of elongation such that the support strap 14 will not experience any significant stretching along its length when loaded and supporting an average human arm 16 weighing between approximately 11 and 14 pounds.
[0026] The support strap 14 of the present invention, being formed from a flexile polymer such as an elastomer or a natural rubber, can be shaped using any known technique for forming polymers including but not limited to extrusion, compression molding and injection molding. In forming the support strap 14 , at least a portion of an inner surface thereof is formed to include integrally molded protrusions 44 that serve to better grip the supporting surfaces of the wearer and maintain the support strap 14 in the correct position on the wearer's shoulder and/or neck. These protrusions 44 may be raised bumps, circles, diamonds, pyramids, wavy lines, etc. provided they serve to enhance the gripping action of the contact surface on the inner side of the support strap 14 . It should be further appreciated that rather than forming the entire surface of the support strap 14 to include the raised protrusions 44 , the support strap 14 may be formed to include a first end 22 , a second end 24 and a central contact region 25 that includes the raised protrusions 44 . In this regard, as depicted in FIG. 4 , the first 22 and second 24 ends and the central region 25 may be stitched, adhered or heat welded together to form the support strap 14 .
[0027] While the support strap 14 may be formed to have a fixed length using s single piece of material extending from end to end with stitching therein as depicted in FIG. 3 , the support strap 14 may also be formed to have an adjustable length as depicted in FIG. 4 . The support strap 14 in FIG. 4 can be seen to include one fixed end 24 and an adjustable end 22 that is looped and attached back onto itself using hook and loop fasteners 46 . This arrangement allows the support strap 14 to have an adjustable length. In the alternative, buttons, hooks, snaps, etc. may be used in place of the hook and loop fasteners 46 in order to facilitate the adjustment feature of the support strap 44 . Such looped ends with releasable fasteners also allows for the support strap 14 to be modular in that it can be easily removed from one sling pouch 12 and affixed to an alternate sling pouch 12 .
[0028] It can therefore be seen that the present inventing provides a sling assembly 10 that includes an enhanced support strap 14 that better distributes the supported weight and prevents slippage of the support strap 14 relative to the user. Further, the support strap 14 is formed from a flexible material that prevents bunching and eliminates the force concentrations that result therefrom making the support strap 14 and overall sling assembly 10 much more comfortable to wear. Finally, the present invention provides a sling pouch 12 that includes convenient storage areas 30 , 34 and has a fashionable flair. In combination, the elements of the present invention serve to provide a sling assembly 10 that will be desirable to the wearer, thereby increasing the level of compliance on the part of the wearer. For these reasons, the instant invention is believed to represent a significant advancement in the art, which has substantial commercial merit.
[0029] While there is shown and described herein certain specific structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangements of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except insofar as indicated by the scope of the appended claims.
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A sling construction is provided that includes an improved support strap for more uniformly distributing the weight of the supported arm of the wearer's shoulder while preventing strap bunching and creep. The strap is preferably formed from an elastomer or a rubber that is relatively compliant yet has a low coefficient of elongation. This allows the strap to be highly supportive of the sling while also conforming to the contour of the wearer's neck and shoulders in a manner that makes the strap and sling comfortable to wear. The inner contact surface of the strap includes nubs or raised features that prevent the strap from sliding. Further, the improved strap support construction may be used in a modular fashion in conjunction with standard sling pouches or with an enhanced sling pouch in order to greatly improve the performance and appearance of the sling.
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This application is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 06/427,923, filed Sept. 29, 1982, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system for detecting and controlling a misgrip of a workpiece at the time of feeding workpieces in a transfer press or the like where workpieces are clamped and then transferred into the next machining station by means of transfer bars.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a prior-art transfer press where works or workpieces are clamped by transfer bars and then transferred to the next machining stations, there are provided workpiece detectors at clamp portions of transfer bars corresponding to each machining station, for detecting the presence or absence of a workpiece at the respective machining station and a workpiece storage circuit for storing workpiece data on the presence or absence of a workpiece at each machining station. If the workpiece data indicate the presence of a workpiece at a machining station but the corresponding workpiece detector does not actually detect the workpiece, then the system will determined that a misgrip takes place.
The prior art system, however, cannot detect such an abnormal condition that the workpiece data indicate the absence of the workpiece but the corresponding workpiece detector is turned on (which means that the workpiece is present), or that a workpiece detector which has been turned on will not be turn off even after the workpiece has been fed into the next machining station and another workpiece was not supplied from the previous machining station.
Further, correction of the workpiece data after the occurence of a misgrip is carried out manually in such a conventional misgrip detecting system and therefore miscorrection of the workpiece data by an operator is likely to occure.
Further, since such a conventional misgrip detecting system does not include means for testing or checking the operation of the system even if a misgrip takes place, the system was sometimes incapable of detecting (or detected errorneously) the misgrip.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a misgrip detection control system for use in a transfer press capable of detecting a misgrip of a workpiece regardless of the fact when the workpiece data indicate either presence or absence of the workpiece.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a misgrip detection control system for a transfer press having means for checking the operation of the misgrip detecting system.
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become clear from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a misgrip detection control system for use in a transfer press in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explanation of the relation between the typical motion of transfer bars and the operational setting of a rotary cam switch in the press;
FIG. 3 is a sequence circuit of an embodiment of a workpiece checking circuit and workpiece re-storage circuit used in the misgrip detect/control system of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a sequence circuit of an embodiment of a workpiece storage circuit used in the system of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a sequence circuit of an embodiment of a misgrip detecting circuit used in the system of the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a timing chart for explanation of the typical operation of the system of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a block diagram of an embodiment of a system for detecting and controlling the misgripping of workpieces in a transfer press in accordance with the present invention, press (not shown) has a plurality of machining stations (hereinafter simply called station) at which workpieces W 1 to W n are clamped by means of respective pairs of clamp portions G 1a and G 1b , through G na and G nb of transfer bars B t1 and B t2 , and are then transferred to the next stations during each stroke of the press. If misgripping of a workpiece takes place, two or three misgripped workpieces are unfavourably pressed at the station.
At the clamp portions G 1a to G na provided in the transfer bar B t1 corresponding to each station, limit switches L s1 to L sn are provided. The limit switches L s1 to L sn are used to detect the presence or absence of the workpiece at the respective stations. Further, a limit switch L so is provided to detect the absence or presence of a workpiece to be fed into the press from the previous step. These limit switches L s1 , to L sn form a workpiece presence/absence checking circuit A.
The transfer bar B t2 cooperates with the transfer bar B t1 to clamp the workpieces located at the respective stations, move the workpieces upward, forward and then downward so as to transfer the workpieces into the next station. Then, the transfer bar B t1 and B t2 release the workpieces and return to the original positions. The above procedure is repeated for each stroke of the press. The movement of the transfer bars B t1 and B t2 is detected by a rotary cam switch provided, for example, in a transfer-bar driving unit (not shown). An example of the function of the rotary cam switch generally referred to as LK is shown in FIG. 2.
As the transfer bars start to move, the rotary cam switch LK will rotate clockwise from a standby point (280 degrees) such that contacts RS 1 to RS 5 are actuated in sequence. More particularly, the contact RS 1 is closed during the unclamp cycle of the transfer bars (corresponding to the range between 135 and 220 degrees), the contact RS 2 is closed during the clamp cycle of the transfer bars (corresponding to the range between 320 and 40 degrees), the contact RS 3 is closed during the cycle between the 170 and 190 degrees, the contact RS 4 is closed during the range between 320 and 340 degrees, and the contact RS 5 is closed during the range between 200 and 220 degrees.
A workpiece memory circuit C includes a before-station memory section M 0 and 1st to nth station memory sections M 1 to M n . The before-station memory section M 0 functions to detect the presence or absence of a workpiece to be fed into the transfer press and store the detected workpiece data on the basis of an output from the limit switch L s0 . When the contact RS 5 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed, the workpiece data stored in the before-station memory section M 0 will be shifted into the first station memory section M 1 . The contents in the first station memory section M 1 will then be shifted sequentially to the second through n th station memory sections M 2 to M n , each time the contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed during the cycle of the press operation.
The detection of misgripping can be effected by a misgrip detector D. More specifically, in order to detect the misgrip the misgrip detector D compares the contents of the memory sections M 1 to M n with the respective operation states (on or off) of the limit switches L s1 , to L sn while the contact RS 2 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed (clamp cycle), or detects the respective operation states of the limit switches L s1 to L sn while the contact RS 1 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed (unclamp cycle).
In the above operation, the misgrip detector D will judge in the clamp cycle that workpiece gripping is carried out in an abnormal condition if content of a memory section shows that a workpiece exists while the workpiece is not actually detected by the corresponding limit switch, and if content of a memory section shows that a workpiece does not exist while the workpiece is actually detected by the corresponding limit switch. On the other hand, the misgrip detector D will judge in the clamp cycle that the workpiece gripping is carried out in a normal condition if content of a memory section shows that a workpiece exists while the workpiece is actually detected by the corresponding limit switch, and if content of a memory section shows that a workpiece does not exist while the workpiece is not actually detected by the corresponding limit switch. Such detection of abnormal or normal conditions can be effected at comparison sections C 1 to C n . Table 1 shows workpiece gripping conditions in each case.
TABLE 1______________________________________Content of workpiece Limit switch Workpiecestorage section state grip condition______________________________________Presence On NormalPresence Off AbnormalAbsence On AbnormalAbsence Off Normal______________________________________
If some of the limit switches detect the workpieces during the unclamp cycle, then the corresponding abnormal condition detectors A 1 to A n in the misgrip detecting circuit D will detect abnormal conditions as long as the contact RS 1 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed.
If misgripping takes place, then the contents stored in the corresponding memory sections M 1 to M n of the workpiece memory circuit C will not match the actual workpiece placement at the stations. According to the present invention, after stoppage of the press due to any misgripping, pushing of a misgrip resetting switch to resume the press operation will cause the contents of the memory sections M 1 to M n of the workpiece memory circuit C to be automatically re-written to the correct ones. For this purpose, there is provided a workpiece re-memory circuit B which includes a re-storage command section RMC and 1st to nth station workpiece-verifying sections RM 1 to RM n . At the restarting of the press operation, the misgrip detecting circuit D will cause the contents of the workpiece-verifying section RM 1 to RM n to be written into the corresponding storage sections M 1 to M n of the workpiece memory circuit C according to the command by the re-storage command section RMC. At this stage, the command section RMC in turn will generate a re-storage command signal when the contact RS 4 of the rotary cam switch LK is turned on and the workpiece-verifying sections RM 1 to RM n will verify the workpieces according to the outputs of the limit switches L s1 to L sn .
FIGS. 3 to 5 shows an example of a sequence circuit according to the misgrip detection control system of FIG. 1, wherein FIG. 3 shows the workpiece presence/absence checking circuit A and workpiece re-memory circuit B, FIG. 4 shows the workpiece memory circuit C and FIG. 5 shows the misgrip detecting circuit D.
Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, contacts L a0 to L an are normal-open type contacts of the limit switches L s0 to L sn (see FIG. 1) and are closed when the workpieces are clamped by the transfer-bar clamp portions of the transfer bars, whereby corresponding relays AR 0 to AR n will be turned on. Contacts B a1 to B a3 are used for the operational modes such as continuous feed and inching feed of the press and selection of any one of the modes will cause the corresponding one of the contacts B a1 to B a3 to be closed. A contact PB 1b is a normal-close type contact of the misgrip resetting pushbutton and, contacts SB 1 and SB 2 are normal-open type contacts which will closed when the truansfer bars start to move.
The operation of the circuit of FIGS. 3 to 5 will now be explained with reference to a timing chart of FIG. 6 in the case where the transfer bars operate normally without any misgrip.
When one of operational modes for the transfer press is selected, any one of the contacts B a1 to B a3 will be closed. As soon as the press starts its operation, the contacts SB 1 and SB 2 will be closed. Rotation of the rotary cam switch LK will cause a contact RS 4a (a normal-open contact in the contact RS 4 of the rotary cam switch LK) to be closed, which results in that an auxiliary relay BR 1 activated and held in such a state that the normal-open contact BR 1a of the relay BR 1 is kept closed. Then, when a contact RS 4b (a normal-close contact in the contact RS 4 of the rotary cam switch LK) is closed, an auxiliary relay BR 2 is hold since a normal-open contact BR 2a of the relay BR 2 is kept closed. Hold state of the auxiliary relays BR 1 and BR 2 will be released when the misgrip-resetting pushbutton (which will be explained later) is actuated, after the occurrence of a misgrip, so as to open the contact PB 1b .
Since a workpiece is not transferred into a transfer press in the first press cycle of the transfer press, an actual pressing work is not yet performed. The workpiece is placed in the previous process of the transfer press at this time, and the limit switch L S0 is closed so as to actuate a relay AR 0 . When the contact RS 5a (a normal-open contact of the contct RS 5 ) of the rotary cam switch LK is closed in the first press cycle of the transfer press, the keep relay CR 1 forming the workpiece memory section of the first station is set whereby the workpiece presence state is stored and the normal-open contact CR 1a of the keep relay CR 1 is simultaneously closed. Since the contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LK is opened at this time, the contact RS 3b (a normal-close contact of the contact RS 3 ) is closed, the keep relay CR 2 is accordingly set, and the normal-open contact CR 2a will be closed.
The workpiece is next moved to the first station by the transfer bars, and is thus pressed. The contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed in the backward movement process so as to close the contact RS 3a (a normal-open contact of the contact RS 3 ). In this manner, the keep relay CA 2 forming the workpiece memory section of the second station will be set. This will cause the contents in the first station memory section M 1 to be shifted into the second station memory section M 2 . At the same time, a normal-open contact CA 2a of the keep-relay CA 2 will be closed. When the contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LK is opened, a contact RS 3b will be closed to set a keep relay CR 3 , thereby storing the contents of the second station memory section M 2 into the keep-relay CR 3 and also closing a normal-open contact CR 3a of the keep relay CR 3 .
In this way, each time the transfer bars sequentially transfer the workpiece to the next station so as to close the contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LK, the contents of the first-station memory section will be transferred sequentially into the next station at the timing when the contact RS 3 of the rotary cam switch LA turns on, as as been explained in the foregoing.
Misgripping of workpiece can be detected by, in the clamp mode, comparing the contents of the above-mentioned memory sections M 1 to M n with the corresponding contents checked in the workpiece presence/absence checking circuit A of FIG. 3, and by, in the unclamp mode, judging the respective checked contents in the workpiece state checker circuit A. This misgrip detecting operation will be explained in connection with a keep relay DR 1 used to detect the misgrip state of the workpiece at the first station.
When the workpiece is fed from the first station to the second station, the workpiece is clamped by the transfer bars. This will cause the limit switch L s1 to be turned on, whereby the relay AR 1 is actuated to close its normal-open contact AR 1a' and open its normal-close contact AR 1b . Since the keep relay CR 1 has been set at this point the normal-open contact CR 1a has been closed and the normal-close contact CR 1b' has opened, as has been mentioned earlier. Accordingly, the keep relay DR 1 will not be set at the time when the contact RS 2 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed and the contact RS 2a (a normal-open contact of the contact RS 2 ) is closed.
On the other hand, after the work is transferred into the second station and the transfer bars are put into the unclamp mode and if the contact RS 1 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed and the contact RS 1a (normal-open contact of the contact RS 1 ) is opened, then the limit switch L s1 will be turned off and the relay AR 1 will be turned off to open its contact AR 1a" , whereby the keep relay DR 1 will not be set.
Explanation will next be directed to the case where an abnormal operation of the transfer bars causes a misgrip.
Assume that when the transfer bars are to feed a workpiece from the first station to the second station and the bars failed to clamp or grip the workpiece located at the first station, that is, a misgrip occurred. Under this condition, the limit switch L s1 for the first station will not be turned on in the clamp mode which results in that the relay AR 1 is unactuated so as to leave open its normal-open contact AR 1a' and leave close its normal-close contact AR 1b . At this stage, the keep relay CR 1 in the first station memory section is set so as to close its normal-open contact CR 1a' and open its normal-close contact CR 1b' . Thus, when the contact RS 2 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed and the contact RS 2a is closed, a current will flow through the contacts SB 2 , SB 2' , BR 1a" , BR 2a' , CA 1a' and. AR 1b' , causing the keep relay DR 1 to be set. There is provided an alarm device (not shown) which operates to provide a display to indicate thereon that the bars failed to grip the workpiece at the first station and stop the operation of the transfer press, as soon as the keep relay DR 1 is set.
When the transfer bars are moved from the first to the second station and subsequently returned to the first station with its unclamped state, the ON state of the limit switch L s1 will be detected as a misgrip. That is, in the unclamp state of the transfer bars, the ON state of the limit switch L s1 means that the limit switch L s1 is abnormal or defective. Even if coincidence is found between the contents of the workpiece memory circuit C and the checked contents of the limit switches in the workpiece presence/absence checker circuit A, it will not be verified that the workpiece has been correctly transferred from the first and the second station (that is, a misgrip has not been occurred). For this reason, the ON state of the limit switch L s1 under the above-described condition will be detected as a misgrip. In the unclamp state of the transfer bars (with the contact RS 1a being closed), if the limit switch L s1 is turned on, the contact AR 1a" will be closed and the keep relay DR 1 will be set, whereby an abnormal condition will be detected.
Although the above explanation has been made as to the first station, it will be understood that the similar explanation can be applied to other stations.
When a misgrip has been detected in the abovementioned manner, an operator of the press will remove the workpiece from the station where the misgrip has occurred and push the misgrip-resetting pushbutton. This will cause the contact PB 1b to be opened so that the relays BR 1 and BR 2 are unactuated, thereby opening the contacts BR 1a" and BR 2a' . At the same time, the contact PB 1a is closed to reset the keep relay DR 3 , whereby the alarm device is unactuated. After this, the operation of the press can be restarted to resume the operation of the transfer bars. At this stage, since the contact RS 4 of the rotary cam switch LK is closed, the relay BR 1 will be immediately actuated to thereby close its contacts BR 1a , BR 1a' and BR 1a" , keeping the relay BR 1 actuated. As a result, the contact BR 1a' and BR 2b are both closed at a portion K 1 so that the contents of the keep relays CR 1 to CA n of the memory sections in the station will be re-stored at portion K 1 to K n according to the workpiece checking contents the workpiece presence/absence checking circuit A.
Then, when the contact RS 4 of the rotary cam switch LK is opened, the relay BR 2 will be actuated so as to close its contact BR 2a , thereby keeping the relay BR 2 actuated. Simultaneously, the contact BR 2b is opened so as to terminate its workpiece re-storage operation and also the contact BR 2a' will be closed so as to indicate the detection of a misgrip.
The normal or abnormal operation of the misgrip detecting circuit D can be detected by operating a misgrip test pushbutton. More specifically, in order to start operating the press, the operator will depress the misgrip test pushbutton, which causes the contacts PB 2a and PB 2a' to be closed. At this point, if an abnormal condition such as short circuiting occurs in the first station contacts CR 1a' , CR 1b' , AR 1a' , AR 1b' , the second station contacts CA 2a' , CA 2b' , AR 2a' , AR 2b' . . . , and the n th-station contacts CR na' , CR nb' , AR na' , AR nb' ; then one of the keep replays DR 1 to DR n in question is set. In other words, if one of the keep relays CR 1 and CA 2 to CA n and relays AR 1 to AR n becomes faulty due to, for example, melted contacts, then the system can detect the faulty relay in the form of the abnormal operation of the misgrip detector circuit D.
Contacts SS 1 to SS n and SS 1' to SS n' correspond to normal-close contacts of operation/short-circuit switches (not shown) for each station. In the case that the invention is applied to a transfer press not provided with switches for checking a workpiece at each station, the above-mentioned contacts SS 1 to SS n and SS 1' to SS n' should be opened.
With the arrangement as has been disclosed, the present invention achieves the following features. The invention can detect an abnormal workpiece feeding condition regardless of the presence or absence of the workpiece storage contents. The misgrip detect/control system of the invention used in a transfer press might mulfunction in case that the workpiece storage keep-relays CR 1 , CA 2 to CA n and workpiece checking relays AR 1 to AR n for the stations or become faulty simultaneously, but the possibility of such simultaneous mulfunction is very small. Further, since the invention allows automatic workpiece re-storage after detection of a misgrip, this ensures the workpiece re-storage operation. In addition, the invention can detect such abnormal conditions as broken or short-circuited lines in the misgrip detecting circuit.
While the present invention has been explained with reference to the preferred embodiment shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment but covers all other possible modifications, alternatives and equivalent arrangements included in the scope of the appended claims.
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A misgrip detection control system for detecting unholding or misgrip of a workpiece from a transfer bar in a press.
The system comprises a workpiece memory circuit for storing electrically data indicating whether a workpiece is in position of a corresponding station in the press or not, a workpiece presence/absence checking circuit for detecting the presence or absence of the respective said workpiece by sensors mounted in transfer bars and a misgrip detecting circuit for detecting misgrip of the workpiece by comparison of data from said both circuits.
In one preferred embodiment, all of said circuits are constructed by relays.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to circularly polarized antennas and, more particularly, to such antennas which include a conductive cylinder having a slot for purposes of achieving horizontally polarized radiation.
In the recent past, there have been significant developments that have led to circularly polarized broadcasting, which has been found to improve television reception in large metropolitan areas. However, up until the present time, circular polarization has been exploited only in connection with VHF television broadcasting because current innovative antenna designing has occurred in, and been limited to, that region of the spectrum.
One of the advantages of circular polarization has been the elimination of reception problem areas because almost any desired pattern can be achieved, either omni-directional or selectively directional depending on the desired area of coverage. Further advantages are a reduction in ghosting, better isolation between closely channeled antennas, and a more solid reception coverage since the reception is independent of the receiving antenna's orientation.
At the present stage of development of antennas, however, circular polarization has not been extended to the UHF channels.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to achieve the extension of circular polarization in an efficient and relatively inexpensive manner to the UHF channels as well as VHF.
It is well known that a slot cut in a waveguide wall, whether the guide be coaxial, rectangular, or circular, will radiate energy into space in the plane perpendicular to that of the slot's long dimension. In broadcast antenna applications, the slots are positioned vertically on a cylindrical pylon antenna to emanate a horizontally polarized signal. An example of a slotted antenna producing a horizontally polarized signal is that described by Bazen in U.S. Pat. No. 2,981,987.
Accordingly, another primary object of the present invention is to provide a means of converting the type of antenna exemplified by the Bazen patent so as to enable circularly polarized radiation.
Attempts have been made to convert slotted antennas of the type disclosed in Bazen, and an example of a circularly polarized antenna of this type may be appreciated by reference to U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,871 to Mckinley R. Johns.
In the Johns patent, a circularly polarized antenna is provided using a slotted conductive mast. The slots extend about one half wavelength long along the lengthwise axis of the mast for exciting horizontal components of the wave. A pair of conductive rods extend from respective affixation points closely adjacent each elongated side of an individual slot, each rod being about one full wavelength long and having a free end portion extending in the vertical plane approximately one half wavelength to radiate the vertical component of the wave.
As noted by the patentee in U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,871, each of the conductive rods disclosed therein is considered an end fed, full wave radiator. This contrasts with the dipole of the antenna system of the present invention which, rather than being end fed, parasitically develops the required polarized energy, such dipole--or at least a portion thereof--being in the same horizontal plane as the polarized energy emanating from the slot formed in the cylindrical mast of the system. Therefore, the dipole incorporated in the antenna system of the present invention is termed a parasitic dipole because of the manner of its coupling to the horizontally polarized energy.
It is another object of the present invention to maintain a good, i.e., constant axial ratio throughout the elevation pattern of radiation from the antenna.
Previously known designs of slot driven antenna systems, such as those involving interlaced slots and dipole elements, have led to unacceptably high axial ratios with increased depression angle. Infinite axial ratios and left-handed polarization can result. Consequently the location of in-home "rabbit ear" antennas becomes critical since positions can be found where the received signal goes to zero. In contrast, the design in accordance with the present invention ensures that phase quadrature and good axial ratio will be maintained with increased depression angle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly stated, a circularly polarized antenna system is provided, said system comprising: a conductive cylindrical mast having a slot extending axially at the outer periphery of the mast; means for feeding said slot for exciting horizontally polarized waves; a parasitic Z-shaped dipole spaced radially outwardly from said slot, and in the same horizontal plane as the horizontally polarized waves from said slot, for exciting vertically polarized waves in phase quadrature with said horizontally polarized waves; and means for affixing said parasitic Z-shaped dipole to said mast as spaced points thereon.
It will be appreciated that the antenna construction to be described achieves a circularly polarized system, but utilizes the same basic hardware as the standard horizontally polarized UHF pylon antenna, such as a slotted outer pipe or mast, and the internal coupling and feed design involves the same radome considerations. When the vertical radiating element, that is, the slot-driven parasitic dipole, is solidly grounded to the mast in spaced relationship therewith, the antenna becomes circularly polarized. The construction is extremely simple, sturdy, and is lightening protected.
Other and further objects, advantages and features of the present invention will be understood by reference to the following specification in conjunction with the annexed drawing, wherein like parts have been given like numbers.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an antenna system in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the launching of waves in both the horizontally polarized direction and the vertically polarized being seen therein.
FIG. 2 is an end view of the antenna system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a measured pattern of partial circular polarization due to a relatively short length for the Z-shaped dipole, illustrating particularly what is termed a skull pattern or configuration.
FIG. 4 is another measured pattern of polarized radiation, but with substantially full circular polarization, again illustrating what is termed a skull configuration resulting from the preferred antenna embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is a plot of the polarization ratio, that is, the ratio between the horizontal and vertical radiation components versus dipole length.
FIG. 6 is a plot of axial ratio versus elevation angle in the case of the design in accordance with the present invention and also in accordance with a so-called interlace design.
FIG. 7 is a measured radiation pattern, particularly involving plotting the elevation angle, above and below the horizon, versus relative field strength, and providing an indication of the substantially constant axial ratio.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the figures of the drawing, and for the moment to FIG. 1, there is seen in that figure the radiation launching from an antenna system in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The launching of waves in both the horizontally polarized direction and the vertically polarized direction will be seen. In particular, the vertical polarization is at 90 degrees or is in phase quadrature
with the horizontal polarization.
As will be understood from what has been discussed previously, the phase quadrature relationship between horizontal and vertical polarization is produced by selectively spacing the Z-shaped dipole antenna 10 from the conductive cylindrical mast 12. The antenna system as seen comprises the outer mast 12 and the inner conductor 14, which together constitute a coaxial transmission line.
The dipole 10 is affixed to the cylindrical mast 12, preferably by grounding supports 16 suitably attached thereto, although insulative supports can be utilized instead to provide a "floating" dipole. The dipole 10 is radially outwardly spaced from a slot 18 extending axially at the outer periphery 20 of the mast.
It will be noted that the Z-shaped dipole 10 includes two free-end portions 22A and 22B extending in opposite directions, both extending axially in a plane parallel to the longitudinal dimension of slot 18. A third transverse portion 22C connects to both of the other, adjacent, ends of portions 22A and 22B to provide the Z configuration.
In an exemplary construction of a physical embodiment which is capable of providing the aforenoted phase quadrature, the following parameters obtained: Slot 18--7 inches long×1 inch wide; spacing of dipole 10 from mast 12--21/4 inches; frequency--803 MHz; mast diameter--7 inches. It should be noted that this phase difference is dependent only on the dipole spacing from the slot. However, it will be understood that the amount of spacing required in a given situation varies with the particular parameters that obtain.
When the phase difference is set to 90 degrees, the signal level being radiated will remain between the horizontal and vertical radiation components regardless of the receiving antenna's orientation. Thus, an excellent axial ratio is created in the horizontal plane which is independent of the amount of vertical coupling. This concept is illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.
In FIG. 3, a partial circular polarization is obtained as shown by the measured pattern. The amount of coupling or power division between the slot 18 and the slot-driven Z-shaped dipole between the horizontal and vertical radiation components, is directly dependent on the dipole length. In FIG. 3, the dipole length, which is the total distance from the one free end of the dipole along each of the portions 22A, 22C, and 22B is 4.5 inches. In the case of FIG. 4, this total distance is 6 inches.
The dependence of the polarization ratio on the dipole length is illustrated in FIG. 5, where the Z dipole length is measured in wavelengths and the polarization ratio is the vertical component (VPOL) divided by the horizontal (HPOL).
Referring now to FIG. 6 of the drawing, it will be understood that the axial ratio, which is utilized in antenna design, is the quantity which describes the merit of operation for circularly and elliptically polarized antennas. Since the dipole 10 of the present invention is slot-driven and is in the same horizontal plane as the horizontal component of radiation from the slot, a constant axial ratio is maintained in the elevation pattern throughout the null structure. Thus, as seen in FIG. 6, the theoretical axial ratio for the antenna system of the present invention is shown as a dotted line having a constant value of 1. On the other hand, for a typical interface design for antenna systems, involving interlaced slot and dipole radiators, there is severe deterioration for the axial ratio along the depression angle. This is due to the space phase between adjacent radiating elements.
FIG. 6 clearly shows the rapid deterioration of the axial ratio with increasing elevation angle. In the first five degrees of elevation, the axial ratio worsens by 3 dB. This is the acceptable limit for most practical antenna uses. As the elevation angle increases beyond 5 degrees, the axial ratio soars to infinity. After 30 degrees, the axial ratio begins to decrease, but the sense of rotation of the circularly polarized wave has reversed. This is unacceptable to the television broadcast industry since the FCC restricts the transmitted television signals to right-hand polarization. This rising and falling axial ratio, as well as polarization reversal, occurs every 30 degree cycle throughout the elevation pattern.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a measured pattern of radiation is shown for one example of the circularly polarized antenna system in accordance with the present invention. This pattern contrasts slightly with the theoretical illustration of FIG. 6 in which a constant value of 1 for the axial ratio was shown for the present system.
The plotting in FIG. 7 is of the measured relative field strength in DB and in percentage, versus degrees from the horizontal. The important aspect of FIG. 7 is that despite the significant variation in the field strength of the antenna system as measured with respect to the horizontal, the axial ratio, which is in the form of the spikes or serrations, is substantially constant throughout the plot.
It will now be completely apparent that the antenna system design of the present invention has a number of advantages over the systems of the prior art; particularly in respect to obtaining extremely good axial ratio in the elevation pattern. Furthermore, the antenna system can be factory adjusted for any amount of vertical component and still maintain nearly 90 degrees phase quadrature between polarizations. The actual measured axial ratio establishes that the phase quadrature relationship will be maintained, unlike other systems where such relationship significantly deteriorates and causes reception problems.
It will also have become apparent that a grounded parasitic dipole of the invention can couple a controlled percentage of energy from the antenna slot and radiate it into a vertical plane, thereby converting a more or less standard UHF antenna design into a variable circularly polarized antenna system.
It will be appreciated that, although a single preferred embodiment for the antenna system of the present invention has been illustrated, and hence only a restricted number of measured radiation patterns have been presented, as per FIGS. 3 and 4, a variety of other desired radiation patterns can be achieved following the essential principle of the present invention. For example, rather than the antenna configuration seen in FIG. 1, namely a single slotted coaxial antenna, a double slotted model with fins can be provided. Such modified antenna configuration will produce a so-called "bent peanut" pattern. In such a variation or modification, the Z-shaped dipoles, as shown in FIG. 1, may be radially placed from both of the slots of such modification and they may be left floating or grounded, as desired.
While there has been shown and described what is considered at present to be the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that modifications of such embodiment may be made. It is therefore desired that the invention not be limited to this embodiment, and it is intended to cover in the appended claims all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A specially designed, Z-shaped, parasitic dipole is spaced radially outwardly from the slot provided in a cylindrical antenna; a controlled amount of energy which is in a horizontally polarized direction is coupled to the Z-shaped dipole so as to radiate energy into the vertical plane, thus creating a variable circularly polarized antenna capable of adding a selectable amount of vertical component to the horizontal in quadrature; since the dipole element, which parasitically develops its polarized energy, is in the same horizontal plane as the polarized energy emanating from the slot, a good, i.e. constant, axial ratio is maintained throughout the elevation pattern.
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BACKGROUND
[0001] Time scaling (e.g., time compression or expansion) of a digital audio signal changes the play rate of a recorded audio signal without altering the perceived pitch of the audio. Accordingly, a listener using a presentation system having time scaling capabilities can speed up the audio to more quickly receive information or slow down the audio to more slowly receive information, while the time scaling preserves the pitch of the original audio to make the information easier to listen to and understand. Ideally, a presentation system with time scaling capabilities should give the listener control of the play rate or time scale of a presentation so that the listener can select a rate that corresponds to the complexity of the information being presented and the amount of attention that the listener is devoting to the presentation.
[0002] [0002]FIG. 1A illustrates representations of a stereo audio signal using stereo audio data 100 and time-scaled stereo audio data 110 . Stereo audio data 100 includes left input data 100 L representing the left audio channel of the stereo audio and right input data 100 R representing the right audio channel of the stereo audio. Similarly, time-scaled stereo audio data 110 , which is generated from stereo audio data 100 , includes left time-scaled audio data 110 L and right time-scaled audio data 110 R.
[0003] A conventional time scaling process for the stereo audio performs independent time scaling of the left and right channels. For the time scaling processes, the samples of the left audio signal in left audio data 100 L are partitioned into input frames IL 1 to ILX, and the samples of the right audio signal in right audio data 100 R are partitioned into input frames IR 1 to IRX. The time scaling process generates left time-scaled output frames OL 1 to OLX and right time-scaled output frames OR 1 and ORX that respectively contain samples for the left and right channels of a time-scaled stereo audio signal. Generally, the ratio of the number m of samples in an input frame to the number n of samples in the corresponding output frame is equal to the time scale used in the time scaling process, and for a time scale greater than one, the time-scaled output frames OL 1 to OLX and OR 1 to ORX contain fewer samples than do the respective input frames IL 1 to ILX and IR 1 to IRX. For a time scale less than one, the time-scaled output frames OL 1 to OLX and OR 1 to ORX contain more samples than do the respective input frames IL 1 to ILX and IR 1 to IRX.
[0004] Some time scaling processes use time offsets that indicate portions of the input audio that are overlapped and combined to reduce or expand the number of samples in the output time-scaled audio data. For good sound quality when combining samples, this type of time scaling process typically searches for a matching blocks of samples, shifts one of the blocks in time to overlap the matching block, and then combines the matching blocks of samples. Such time-scaling processes can be independently applied to left and right channels of a stereo audio signal. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, for example, time offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi from the beginnings of respective left and right buffers 120 L and 120 R uniquely identify blocks 125 L and 125 R best matching input frames ILi and IRi, respectively. Each best match block 125 L or 125 R can be arithmetically combined with the corresponding input frame ILi or IRi to generate modified samples for the output time-scaled data.
[0005] As illustrated in FIG. 1B, time offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi corresponding to the same frame number (i.e., the same time interval in the input stereo audio) can differ from each other because the offsets are determined independently for left and right audio data 100 L and 100 R. Generally, the difference in the time offsets for left and right channels varies so that offset ΔTLi is shorter than offset ΔTRi for some frames (i.e., some values of frame index i) and ΔTRi is shorter than offset ΔTLi for other frames offset (i.e., other values of frame index i).
[0006] For stereo audio generally, when matching sounds from the same source are played through left and right speakers, a listener perceives a small difference in timing of the matching sounds as a single sound emanating from a location between the left and right speakers. If the timing difference changes, the location of the source of the sound appears to move. In time-scaled stereo audio data, an artifact of the variations in offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi with frame index i is an apparent oscillation or variation in the position of the source of audio being played. Similarly, variations in the offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi can cause timing variations in the related sounds in different channels such as different instruments played through different channels. These artifacts annoy some listeners, and systems and methods for avoiding the variations in the apparent position of a sound source in a time-scaled stereo audio signal are sought.
SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a time scaling process uses a common offset for a corresponding interval of all channels of a multi-channel (e.g., stereo) audio signal. The use of the common time offsets for all channels avoids timing variations between matching or related sounds in the channels and avoids creating artifacts such as the apparent oscillation or variation in the location for a sound source. For better sound quality, the common time offset changes according to the content of the audio signal at different times and can be determined by a best match search.
[0008] One specific time scaling process for a multi-channel audio signal partitions the multi-channel audio signal into a plurality of time intervals. Each interval corresponds to multiple frames, one frame in each of the channels representing the multi-channel audio signal. For each interval, the processes determines a common time offset for use with all channels, and for each input frame, time scaling generates time-scaled data using a data block identified by the common offset for the time interval corresponding to the frame. Generally, the time scaling combines each sample of the identified block with a corresponding sample of the corresponding input audio frame. For each sample in the block identified by the common time offset for the interval, one method for combining includes multiplying the sample by a value of a first weighting function, multiplying the corresponding sample from the input frame by a value of a second weighting function, and adding the resulting products to generate a modified sample.
[0009] The common offset for an interval can be determined using a variety of techniques. One technique determines an offset for an average audio signal created by averaging corresponding samples from the various channels of the multi-channel audio signal. For the average audio signal, a search for a best match block identifies a single time offset for an average frame, and the time offset for the average frame is the common offset that the separate time scaling processes for the channels all use.
[0010] Another technique for finding a common offset combines offsets separately determined for the various channels. For each data channel, a search identifies an offset to a best match block for that channel, and the offsets for the same interval in the different channels are used (e.g., averaged) to determine a common offset for the interval.
[0011] Another technique for determining a common offset for an interval includes determining for each of a series of candidate offsets, an accumulated difference between respective blocks that a candidate offset identifies and respective frames. The common offset for the interval is the candidate offset that provides the smallest accumulated difference.
[0012] Yet another method for determining a common offset for a time interval uses an augmented audio data structure containing input audio data and parameters that simplify the time scaling process. For stereo audio, the augmented audio data structure includes the left and right frames, and for each pair of left and right frames, the augmented audio data structure includes a set of previously calculated offsets that correspond to the pair and to a set of time scales. The correct common offset for the selected time scale and interval can be extracted from the set of predetermined offsets for the set of time scales or found by interpolating between the predetermined offsets to determine a common offset corresponding to the selected interval and time scale.
[0013] One specific embodiment of the invention is a time scaling process for a stereo audio signal. For a stereo audio signal, the process includes partitioning left and right data that represent left and right channels of the stereo audio signal into left and right frames, respectively. Each right frame corresponds to one of the left frames and represents the right channel during a time interval in which the corresponding left frame represents the left channel. For each pair of corresponding left and right frames, the process determines a common offset that identifies a right block and a left block that the process uses in generating time-scaled left and right audio data. A variety of methods such as those described above can be used to determine the common offsets.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1A illustrates time-scaled audio data frames output from time scaling of input audio data frames.
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1B illustrates offsets identifying left and right best matching blocks for the time scaling process of FIG. 1A.
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a stereo audio time scaling process in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0017] [0017]FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3 C are flow diagrams of alternative methods for identifying common offsets used in time scaling of multi-channel audio.
[0018] [0018]FIG. 4 illustrates generation of left and right time-scaled data by combining left and right source data with samples in left and right buffers.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 5A is a flow diagram of a process for generating an augmented audio data structure that simplifies stereo audio time scaling.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 5B is a flow diagram of a stereo audio time scaling process using an augmented audio data structure to reduce the processing burden during real-time time scaling of a stereo audio signal.
[0021] Use of the same reference symbols in different figures indicates similar or identical items.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, a time scaling process for stereo or other multi-channel audio signals avoids or reduces artifacts that cause apparent variations or oscillations in sound source location or timing oscillations for related sound sources. The time scaling generates time-scaled frames corresponding to the same time interval using a common time offset that is the same for all channels, instead of performing completely independent time scaling processes on the separate channels.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of an exemplary time scaling process 200 for a stereo audio signal represented by left and right channel data 100 L and 100 R (FIG. 1A). In the exemplary embodiment, left channel data 100 L includes samples of a left audio channel of a stereo audio signal, and right channel data 100 R includes samples of a right audio channel of the stereo audio signal. The left and right channel data 100 L and 100 R are divided into fixed sized frames IL 1 to ILX and IR 1 to IRX, and for a frame index i ranging from 1 to X, frames ILi and IRi represent a time interval that a frame index i identifies in the stereo audio signal.
[0024] Time scaling process 200 begins with an initialization step 210 . Initialization step 210 includes storing the first left and right input frames IL 1 and IR 1 in respective left and right buffers, setting a common time offset ΔT 1 for the first time interval equal to zero, and setting an initial value for frame index i to two to designate the next left and right input frames to be processed. Generally, left input frames IL 1 to ILX are sequentially combined into the left buffer to generate an audio data stream for the left audio channel, and right input frames IR 1 to IRX are sequentially combined into the right buffer to generate an audio data stream for the right audio channel. Step 210 stores input frames IL 1 and IR 1 at the beginning of the left and right buffer, respectively.
[0025] Steps 220 and 225 respectively fill the left and right buffers with source data that follows the last source data used. Initially, steps 220 and 225 load the next left and right input frames IL 2 and IR 2 into the respective left and right buffers, and sequentially following source data may follow frames IL 2 and IR 2 depending on the selected size of the buffers. Generally, the left and right buffers include at least n+m consecutive samples, where m is the number of samples in an input frame and n is the number of samples in an output frame. The source data filling the left and right buffers is at storage locations following the last modified blocks of data in the respective left and right buffers. For the first execution of steps 220 and 225 , the last modified blocks in left and right buffers are input frames IL 1 and IR 1 . For subsequent executions of steps 220 and 225 , the last modified blocks are left and right blocks that a common offset identified in the respective buffers.
[0026] Step 230 determines a common time offset ΔTi for the time interval identified by frame index i. The common time offset ΔTi is used in the time scaling processes for the left and right channels, and one exemplary time scaling method using common time offsets is illustrated in FIG. 2 and described further below. FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3 C are flow diagrams of three alternative methods for determining common time offset ΔTi.
[0027] In process 310 of FIG. 3A, a step 312 prepares an average buffer that contains samples that are the average of corresponding samples from the left and right buffers. Similarly, step 314 prepares an average input frame containing samples that are the averages of corresponding samples in left and right input frames ILi and IRi. Step 316 then searches the average buffer for a block of samples that best matches the average input frame and is less than g samples from the beginning of the average buffer, g being the larger of the number m of samples in an input frame and the number n of samples in an output frame. Step 318 sets common offset ΔTi equal to the offset from the start of the average buffer to the best matching block found in step 316 .
[0028] Alternatively, in process 320 of FIG. 3B, step 322 searches the left buffer for a block that is no more than g samples from the start of the left buffer and best matches left input frame ILi. Step 324 similarly searches the right buffer for a block that is no more than g samples from the start of the right buffer and best matches right input frame IRi. As noted above, left and right time offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi respectively identifying left and right best match blocks will generally differ because the left and right audio signals differ. Step 326 uses left and right offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi to determine common offset ΔTi for the time interval. In specific examples, step 326 sets common offset ΔTi equal to the average or mean of left and right offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi or selects one of offsets ΔTLi and ΔTRi as common offset ΔTi.
[0029] Process 330 of FIG. 3C provides yet another alternative determination process for the common offset ΔTi associated with time interval i. In particular, for each candidate offset ΔTC between 0 and g, step 332 determines a sum of the absolute or squared differences between samples in left input frame ILi and corresponding samples in the block in the left buffer at offset ΔTC and the absolute or squared difference between samples in right input frame IRi and corresponding samples in the block in the right buffer at offset ΔTC. Step 334 sets common offset ΔTi equal to the candidate offset ΔTC that provides the smallest sum.
[0030] After step 230 of process 200 (FIG. 2) determines common offset ΔTi, step 240 combines g samples of left source data including left input frame ILi (i.e., the input frame that step 220 just stored in the left buffer) with a block of g samples that common offset ΔTi identifies in the left buffer. For a time scale greater than one, g is equal to m, and m samples in input frame ILi are thus shifted forward in time for combination with m samples having earlier time indices, effecting time compression. Step 245 similarly combines g samples of right source data including right input frame IRi with a block of g samples that common offset ΔTi identifies in the right buffer, and for a time scale greater than one, step 245 shifts samples in right input frame IRi forward in time for combination with earlier matching samples.
[0031] The specific combination process employed in steps 240 and 245 depends on the specific time scaling process employed. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary combination process 400 . For the combination process, common time offset ΔTi identifies left and right blocks BLi and BRi in the left and right buffers, respectively. Each of blocks BLi and BRi contains g samples as does the source data, and a sample index j between 1 and g can be assigned to identify individual samples according to the sample's order in the frame or block. For each value of the sample index j, combination process 400 multiplies the corresponding sample in block BLi in the left buffer by a corresponding value F 1 (j) of a weighting function F 1 , multiplies the corresponding sample in input frame ILi by a corresponding value F 2 (j) of a weighting function F 2 , and sums the two products to generate a modified sample in the left buffer. Similarly, combination process 400 multiplies value F 1 (j) by the sample having sample index j in block BRi, multiplies value F 2 (j) by the corresponding sample in input frame IRi, and sums the two products to generate a modified sample in the right buffer.
[0032] Weighting functions F 1 and F 2 vary with the sample index j and are generally such that the two weight values corresponding to the same sample index add up to one (e.g., F 1 (j)+F 2 (j)=1 for all j=1 to g). In FIG. 4, weighting function F 1 has value 1 at the beginning of the block so that the modified sample is continuous with preceding samples in the left or right buffer. Weighting function F 2 has value 1 at the end of the block so that the modified sample will be continuous with input samples to be added to left or right buffer in the next execution of step 220 or 225 (FIG. 2). More generally, the weighting functions depend on the specific time scaling process employed.
[0033] After the combination processes 240 and 245 of FIG. 2, step 250 left shifts the contents of the left buffer by n samples to output a left output frame OL(i−1) and left shifts the contents of the right buffer by n samples to output a right output frame OR(i−1). Steps 260 and 270 increment frame index i and either jump back to step 220 if there is another input frame to be time scaled or ends the time scaling process 200 if all of the input frames have been processed. In the re-execution of steps 220 and 225 , input data following the source data combined in steps 240 and 245 are stored in respective left and right buffers in locations immediately following the last modified blocks as shifted by step 250 . For time compression (g=n), left and right input frames ILi and IRi for the new value of index i are stored in respective left and right buffers in locations immediately following the last modified blocks as shifted by step 250 . For time expansion, the filling data sequentially follows the last used source data in respective left and right input audio data streams. Step 230 then determines the next common offset ΔTi from the beginnings of the left and right buffers for the re-execution of combination steps 240 and 245 .
[0034] After the last input frames have been combined into the respective buffers, step 280 shifts the last left and right output frames OLX and ORX out of the respective left and right buffers. Process 200 is then done.
[0035] [0035]FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate processes 510 and 500 in accordance with an embodiment of the invention using an augmented audio data structure. Process 500 is well suited for real-time time scaling of audio data in a presentation system that has a relatively small amount of available processing power. A co-filed patent application entitled “Digital Audio With Parameters For Real-Time Time Scaling”, Attorney Docket No. SSI004US, further describes real-time time scaling methods suitable for low power systems and is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
[0036] Process 510 is performed before real-time time scaling process 500 and preprocesses a stereo audio signal to construct an augmented data structure containing parameters that will facilitate time scaling in a low-computing-power presentation system. In particular, step 512 repeatedly time scales the same stereo audio signal with each time scaling operation using a different time scale. From the input stereo audio, step 512 determines a set of common time offsets ΔT(i,k), where i is the frame index and k is a time scale index. Each common time offset ΔT(i,k) is for use in time scaling of both left and right frames corresponding to frame index i when time scaling by a time scale corresponding to time scale index k.
[0037] Step 514 constructs the augmented data structure that includes the determined common time offsets ΔT(i,k) and the left and right input frames of the stereo audio. The augmented data structure can then be stored on a media or transmitted to a presentation system.
[0038] The real-time time scaling process 500 accesses the augmented data structure in step 520 and then in step 210 initializes the left and right buffers, the first common offset ΔT 1 , and the frame index i as described above. Time scaling process 500 then continues substantially as described above in regard to process 200 of FIG. 2 except that a step 530 determines the common offset ΔTi from the parameters in the augmented audio data.
[0039] If the current time scale matches one of the time scales that process 510 used in time scaling the stereo audio data, the presentation system can use one of the predetermined common offsets ΔT(i,k) from the augmented audio data structure, and the presentation system is not required to calculate the common time offset. If the current time scale fails to match any of the time scales k that process 510 used in time scaling the stereo audio data, the presentation system can interpolate or extrapolate the provided time offsets ΔT(i,k) to determine the common time offset for the current frame index and time scale. In either case, the calculations of time index that the presentation system performs are less complex and less time consuming that the searches for best match blocks described above.
[0040] Although the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is only an example of the invention's application and should not be taken as a limitation. For example, although the above description concentrates on a stereo (or two-channel) audio signal, the principles of the invention are also suitable for use with multi-channel audio signals having three or more channels. Additionally, although the described embodiments employ specific uses of time offsets in time scaling, aspects of the invention apply to time scaling processes that use time offsets or sample offsets in different manners. Various other adaptations and combinations of features of the embodiments disclosed are within the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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A time scaling process for a multi-channel (e.g., stereo) audio signal uses a common time offsets for all channels and thereby avoids fluctuation in the apparent location of a sound source. In the time scaling process, common time offsets correspond to respective time intervals of the audio signal. Data for each audio channel is partitioned into frames corresponding to the time intervals, and all frames corresponding to the same interval use the same common time offset in the time scaling process. The common time offset for an interval can be derived from channel data collectively or from separate time offsets independently calculated for the separate channels. Preprocessing can calculate the common time offsets for inclusion in an augmented audio data structure that a low-processing-power presentation system uses for real-time time scaling operations.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to the preparation of polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates. More particularly, it relates to procedures in which polyhalogenated aromatic isocyanates are prepared by reacting the corresponding polyhalogenated aromatic amine with excess phosgene in an inert organic liquid diluent; and still more particularly, it relates to a great improvement in yield of the corresponding polyhalogenated aromatic isocyanates carrying out the amine-phosgene reaction in the presence of a large excess of phosgene and a specific amount of either triethylamine or tetramethylurea.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
The general reaction of an aromatic amine with phosgene to obtain the corresponding aromatic isocyanate was first reported in 1844 by Hentschel in Berichte, 17, 1284. Various publications and patents have improved this process over the years since this first report.
The addition of a halogen molecule to the amine aromatic ring has the effect of deactivating the amine in its conversion with phosgene to the corresponding isocyanate. Because of this, the original phosgene technology had to be modified to synthesize polyhalogenated aromatic isocyanates.
The patent to Thompson No. 2,689,861 relates to the preparation of trihalogenated phenyl isocyanates by reacting the corresponding aromatic amine with phosgene in the presence of a minor amount of tetramethylurea However, reinvestigation of the process described in this patent reveals that it is not an effective procedure for preparing trihalogenated phenyl isocyanates because the tetramethylurea used as a weak organic base, promotes the formation of urea byproduct derivatives, thus reducing the yield of tri-halogenated phenyl isocyanate. Furthermore, the process described in the above-mentioned patent is not suitable in the preparation of tetra and pentahalogenated phenyl isocyanates.
The patent to Lichty et al. No. 2,362,648 relates to the preparation of isocyanates by reacting the corresponding amine with phosgene in the presence of a small amount of tertiary amine as catalyst. However the patent fails to disclose the method as feasible in preparing polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies and drawbacks of the prior art.
Another object of this invention is to synthesis polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates in high yield.
Another object of this invention is to synthesize polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates in high yield by reacting the corresponding polyhalogenated aromatic amine with excess phosgene in an inert organic liquid diluent.
A further object of this invention is the synthesis of polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates in high yield by carrying out the amine-phosgene reaction in the presence of a large excess of phosgene and a specific amount of triethylamine as a catalyst.
A still further object of this invention is the synthesis of polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates in high yield by carrying out the amine-phosgene reaction in the presence of a large excess of phosgene and a specific amount of tetramethylurea as catalyst.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
In the reaction of a polyhalogenated phenyl amine with phosgene catalyzed with an organic base, three products can result: the corresponding isocyanate, a byproduct urea derivative, and polymerization products. Formation of the byproduct urea decreases the yield of the desired isocyanate. If the reaction conditions are such that polymerization of the isocyanate occurs, the yield of the isocyanate is also reduced.
The results of this invention have shown that a stronger organic base catalyst such as triethylamine promotes the isocyanate formation, without subsequent polymerization, while the weaker organic base catalyst, tetramethylurea, promotes the formation of the byproduct urea derivatives, greatly reducing the yield of the desired isocyanate.
This tendency of the weaker base, tetramethylurea, to promote the formation of the undesirable byproduct urea derivative can be almost completely eliminated by starting the reaction of the polyhalogenated phenyl amine with an excess of phosgene and continuing the phosgene addition throughout the reaction. The amount of tetramethylurea used in the reaction is not important so long as it is above a minimum concentration of approximately 0.013 mole per mole of starting amine. Thus, tri-, tetra-, and pentahalogenated phenyl isocyanates have successfully been synthesised by:
(1) reacting 1 mole of the corresponding polyhalogenated phenyl amine with a saturated solution of phosgene and continuous addition of phosgene throughout the reaction in the presence of 0.015 to 1 mole equivalent of tetramethylurea.
A superior catalyst to tetramethylurea are the tertiary amines such as triethylamine. An almost quantitative yield of isocyanate with only minor amounts of urea byproduct is achieved using an 8-mole excess of phosgene and 2 moles of triethylamine. The triethylamine acts as a hydrogen chloride acceptor forming a stable amine salt which does not catalyze the isocyanate formed during the reaction to the byproduct urea: ##STR1## Tetrahalogenated phenyl isocyanates have successfully been synthesized by (2) reacting 1 mole of the corresponding polyhalogenated phenyl amine with 8-mole equivalence of phosgene with 2-mole equivalence of triethylamine.
The invention is further illustrated by reference to the following examples.
PROCEDURE I, EXAMPLE I
2,4,6-Trichlorophenyl isocyanate (1). 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (1.52 ml, 12.75 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (50.0 g, 505.43 mmoles) dissolved in toluene (150 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 10 min. at which time 2,4,6-trichloroaniline (10.0 g, 50.90 mmoles) was added. The solution was heated to a temperature of 70°-80° C. for 1.5 hr. and then refluxed for 1.5 hr. while phosgene was bubbled in. After removing excess phosgene under reduced pressure, the clear upper layer solution was collected by decantation from the bottom oil layer, and the bottom oil layer was discarded. The solution was then evaporated to give a solid. The solid was dried under a vacuum to give a white solid (11.3 g, 99.3 pct). This product was recrystallized from dry carbon tetrachloride to give a colorless crystalline compound, m.p. 65°-66° C.; Infrared (IR): γ max 2,282 cm -1 (NCO); nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) (chloroform-d): τ, 2.7 (2-proton singlet, H-3,5, aromatic protons).
Anal. Calc. for C 7 H 2 NOCl 3 : C, 37.79; H, 0.91; N, 6.30. Found C, 37.74; H, 1.00; N, 6.31.
EXAMPLE II
2,3,5,6-Tetrachlorophenyl isocyanate (2). 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (3.85 ml, 32.2 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (70.2 g, 709.63 mmoles) dissolved in toluene (300 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 30 min. at which time 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroaniline (20.0 g, 86.61 mmoles) was added. The solution was heated to temperatures of respectively 45°-50° C. and 80°-85° C., for 2 hr., and then refluxed for 1.5 hr. while phosgene was bubled in. After removing excess phosgene under reduced pressure, the clear upper layer solution was collected by decantation from the bottom oil layer, and the bottom oil layer was discarded. The solution was then evaporated to give a solid. The solid was dried under vacuum to give a white solid (22.1 g, 99.2 pct). The NMR spectrum of the products failed to show the existence of any amino protons, thus indicating a complete conversion of 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroaniline to 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenyl isocyanate. Additionally, the IR spectrum of the products showed a strong isocyanate (2,276 cm -1 ) absorption and a trace of urea carbonyl (1,655 cm -1 ) absorption. The product (1 g) was then dissolved in dry hexane and the insoluble solid was removed by filtration. The filtrate was evaporated to give a white solid. Thin layer chromatography (TLC) revealed that the filtrate is mainly the isocyanate product with a trace of the urea byproduct. The product (1 g) was recrystallized from dry hexane to give 2 white shiny needles (0.44 g, 43.5 pct), m.p. 62.5-63.5; IR: γ max 2,276 cm -1 (NCO); NMR (chloroform-d): τ, 2.6 (1-proton singlet, H-4, aromatic proton).
Anal. Calc. for C 7 HNOCl 4 : C, 32.72; H, 0.39; N, 5.45. Found: C, 32.85; H, 0.31; N, 5.37
EXAMPLE III
Pentachlorophenyl isocyanate (3). 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (1.8 ml, 15.05 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (87.0 g, 879.45 mmoles) dissolved in toluene (300 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 30 min. at which time pentachloroaniline (15.0 g, 56.53 mmoles) was added. The solution was heated to a temperature of 80°-83° C. for 6 hr. while phosgene was bubbled in. After removing excess phosgene under reduced pressure, the clear upper layer solution was collected by decantation from the bottom oil layer, and the bottom oil layer was discarded. Additionally, the bottom layer solution containing the oil layer and the precipitate was filtered. The oil layer was separated from solution by a separatory funnel and discarded. The solution was then evaporated to give a solid. The solid was dried under vacuum to give a white solid (16.4 g, 99.8 pct). The NMR spectrum of the product showed no amino protons indicating a complete conversion of pentachloroaniline to pentachlorophenyl isocyanate. Additionally, the IR spectrum of the product showed a strong isocyanate (2,280 cm -1 ) absorption and a trace of urea carbonyl (1,655 cm -1 ) absorption. The product (1 g) was then dissolved in dry hexane and the insoluble solid was removed by filtration. The filtrate was evaporated to give a while solid. TLC showed the filtrate is mainly the isocyanate product with a trace of byproduct urea. The solid was recrystallized from dry hexane to give 3 white shiny flakes (0.59 g, 59.2 pct), m.p. 100.5°-102° C. (lit. m.p. 99°-101° C.); IR: γ max 2,280 cm -1 (NCO).
Anal. Calc. for C 7 NOCl 5 : C, 28.86; N, 4.81. Found: C, 28.75; N, 4.74.
EXAMPLE IV
2,4,6-Triflorophenyl isocyanate (4). 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (0.9 ml, 7.52 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (28.06 g, 283.65 mmoles) dissolved in benzene (80 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 10 min. at which time 2, 4,6-trifluoroaniline (4.4 g, 30.00 mmoles) was added. The solution was heated to a temperature of 60° C. for 2 hr. and then refluxed for 1 hr. while phosgene was bubbled in. After removing excess phosgene under reduced pressure, the clear upper layer solution was collected by decantation from the bottom oil layer, and the bottom oil layer was discarded. The solution was evaporated to give a yellow liquid (6.8 g, 131 pct). The liquid was distilled to give an azeotopic mixture, b.p. 80°-134° C.; IR: max 2,276 cm -1 (NCO); NMR (chloroform-d); 3.40, 3.27, 3.14 (2-proton triplets, H-3,5, aromatic protons), 2.70 (6-proton signlet, benzene).
Attempts to prepare 2,4,6-trifluorophenyl isocyanate using a low boiling solvent, dichloromethane, were unsuccessful. The liquid, after removing solvent, was distilled to give a distillate having a boiling range of 140°-147° C. The NMR spectrum of the distillate showed an azeotropic mixture of 2,4,6-trifluorophenyl isocyanate and dichloromethane. An azeotropic mixture also resulted using toluene as a solvent.
EXAMPLE V
2,4,6-Tribromophenyl isocyanate (5), 1,1,3,3-tetramethylurea (1.95 ml, 16.34 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (51.2 g, 517.56 mmoles) dissolved in toluene (300 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 30 min. at which time 2,4,6-tribromoaniline (20.0 g, 60.60 mmoles) was added. The solution was heated to a temperature of 45°-50° C. for 2 hr, and then to a temperature of 80°-85° C. for 2 hr, while phosgene was bubbled in. After removing excess phosgene under reduced pressure, the clear upper layer solution was collected by decantation from the bottom layer, and the bottom oil layer was discarded. The bottom or oil layer of the solution was also filtered. The precipitate was disubstituted urea (1,656 cm -1 ). The oil layer was separated from the rest of solution by a separatory funnel and then discarded. The solution was evaporated to give a solid which in turn was dried under vacuum to give a white solid (21.13 g, 98.01 pct). The NMR spectrum of the product showed no amino protons which indicated a complete conversion of 2,4,6-tribromoaniline to 2,4,6-tribromophenyl isocyanate. The IR spectrum of the product showed a strong isocyanate (2,270 cm -1 ) absorption and a trace of urea carbony (1,656 cm -1 ) absorption. The product (1 g) was dissolved in dry hexane and the insoluble solid was then filtered off. The remaining filtrate was evaporated to give a white solid. The solid was recrystallized from dry hexane to give a white powder (0.62 g, 62.4 pct), m.p. 91.5°-93° C.; IR: γ max 2,270 cm -1 (NCO); NMR (chloroform-d): τ 2.37 (2-proton singlet, H-3,5, aromatic protons).
Anal. Calc. for C 7 H 2 NOBr 3 : C, 23.63; H, 0.57; N, 3.94. Found: C, 23.65; H, 0.56; N, 3.94.
PROCEDURE II, EXAMPLE I
2,3,5,6-Tetrachlorophenyl isocyanate (6). Triethylamine (2.78 ml, 0.02 mmoles) was added to a solution of phosgene (7.92 g, 0.08 mmoles; purified by passing through cottonseed oil and concentrated sulfuric acid) dissolved in 1,2-dichloroethane (80 ml). The resulting solution was stirred for 10 min. at which time 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroaniline (2.31 g, 0.01 mmoles was added. The solution was then refluxed for 4 hr. and completely evaporated to give a solid. The solid was dried under vacuum to give a white solid. The NMR spectrum of the product showed no amino protons which indicated complete conversion of 2,3,5,6-tetrachloroaniline to 2,3,5,6-tetrachlorophenyl isocyanate. A complete conversion of the amine to the isocyanate was reached after 3-hr. reflux. The IR spectrum of the product showed a strong isocyanate (2,276 cm -1 ) absorption and a trace urea carbonyl (1,665 cm -1 ) absorption. The product can be purified by dissolving it in dry hexane and crystallizing the concentrated filtrate to give a 98 percent yield of white needles, m.p. 62.5°-63.5° C.; IR: γ max 2,276 cm -1 (NCO); NMR (chloroform-d): τ 2.6 (1-proton singlet, H-4, aromatic proton).
Anal. Calc. for C 7 HNOCl 4 : C, 32.72; H, 0.39; N, 5.45. Found: C, 32.85; H, 0.31; N, 5.37.
It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed which are illustratively offered and that modifications may be made without departing from the invention. For example, while the catalysts triethylamine and tetramethylurea have been set forth as examples, it will be understood that other closely related compounds may be used in their place selected from tri (lower alkyl) amine and tetra (lower alkyl) urea wherein "lower alkyl" includes 1-4 carbons, it being understood further that the alkyls may be different lower alkyls; for example, dimethylethylamine could be used as a catalyst.
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Two procedures are described that can be used to prepare polyhalogenated phenyl isocyanates (2,4,6-trichloro,2,3,5,6-tetrachloro, pentachloro, 2,4,6-tribromo and 2,4,6-trifluoro derivatives) from the corresponding anilines in good yields (95-99%) with small amounts of urea byproducts (1-5%) within reasonable reaction times (3-6 hours). These are:
1. Liquid phase phosgenation of polyhalogenated anilines with tertiary amines as a hydrogen chloride acceptor.
2. Liquid phase phosgenation of polyhalogenated anilines in excess phosgene at the beginning and throughout the reaction.
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[0001] This invention relates to an improved manifold for a mixing device and, more particularly, to an improved manifold for a blender used to produce a slurry.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] An important development in the production of oil and gas in recent decades, at least in the continental United States, has been the improvement of hydraulic fracturing techniques for stimulating production from previously uneconomically tight formations. For example, the largest gas field put on production in the lower forty eight states in the last twenty years is the Bob West Field in Zapata County, Texas. This field was discovered in the 1950's but was uneconomic using the fracturing techniques of the time where typical frac jobs comprised injecting 5,000-20,000 pounds of proppant into a well. It was not until the 1980's that large frac jobs became feasible where in excess of 300,000 pounds of proppant were routinely injected into wells. The production from wells in the Bob West Field increased from a few hundred MCF per day to tens of thousands of MCF per day. Without the development of high volume frac treatments, there would be very little deep gas produced in the Continental United States.
[0003] A blender, or blending unit, is an important piece of equipment in a large scale frac job because it produces the large quantity of slurry necessary, the slurry being a mixture of a liquid and the proppant. The liquid is typically water, although it is occasionally lease crude, diesel or other liquid, to which has been added chemicals to increase the capacity of the liquid to carry suspended solids. These chemicals are usually gelling agents that increase the viscosity of the water. The proppant used in frac jobs is normally sand of some type but is often a particulate material having more desirable properties, such as crush strength and the like. Thus, bauxite, alumina, carbo ceramics and other materials are often used.
[0004] Blenders are also useful in other operations, such as acid stimulation and water frac treatments which do not inject particulates into a well. In these situations, the blender is used for its ability to accept liquid from multiple sources and deliver it to multiple pump trucks.
[0005] All blenders are skid, truck or trailer mounted because the equipment is necessarily moved to each well site where the fracturing operation is conducted. In the United States, the maximum width of most blenders is accordingly dictated by highway regulations. Thus, without special permits to drive wide loads on highways, the maximum width of blenders is currently eight feet, six inches. Few service companies and few operators want a blender that is not driveable on paved roads without special permits because permits are time consuming and aggravating to obtain and sometimes emergencies require the blenders to move without prior notice.
[0006] Prior art blenders have a suction manifold providing a multiplicity of inlets for connection to one or more frac tanks holding the liquid, a hopper into which the proppant is delivered, a proppant metering system, a pump connected to the suction manifold and delivering liquid to one or more mixing chambers, a discharge pump and a discharge manifold for connection to one or more pump trucks which pump the slurry into the well. The suction and discharge manifolds have uniformly been round pipes, usually positioned on opposite sides of the blender vehicle.
[0007] Disclosures of general interest relative to this invention are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,694,574; 3,563,475 and 6,095,429.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] A blender of this invention provides an improved suction manifold providing lower pressure losses, less turbulence and higher throughputs than prior art suction manifolds. The same design may also be used for the discharge manifold.
[0009] The suction manifold comprises rectangular tubing having a length dimension preferably extending in the direction of travel of the trailer, truck or skid. The short dimension of the rectangular tubing is more-or-less horizontal, extending across the width of the blender vehicle providing a substantial space savings. The long dimension of the rectangular section is upright, i.e. more-or-less vertical.
[0010] Two additional important features are provided by a manifold design of this type. First, the vertical side of the rectangular tubing provides a large flat surface to which is welded a large number of flanges or other suitable inlet/outlet connections. It is much easier and less expensive to weld connections to a flat surface than to a circular one. This allows a large number of temporary conduits, such as flexible hoses, to connect to a large number of frac tanks or pump trucks while allowing the inlets and outlets to be spaced farther apart. This allows sufficient room around the inlets and inlet valves or outlets and outlet valves for connecting and disconnecting the hoses. More importantly, the throughput through the suction manifold of this invention is considerably greater than through a prior art suction manifold of a larger horizontal dimension.
[0011] It is an object of this invention to provide an improved manifold for a liquid mixing unit.
[0012] It is an object of this invention to provide a blender having an improved suction assembly.
[0013] Another object of this invention is to provide a blender having a suction manifold made from a length of rectilinear tubing.
[0014] A further object of this invention is to provide a blender having a discharge manifold made from a length of rectilinear tubing.
[0015] These and other objects of this invention will become more fully apparent as this description proceeds, reference being made to the accompanying drawings and appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art blender;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2 is a similar schematic view of a blender of this invention;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 is an enlarged isometric view of a suction manifold of this invention; and
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the suction manifold of FIG. 3, taken along line 4 - 4 as viewed in the direction indicated by the arrows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art blender 10 comprises a wheeled vehicle 12 having a suction manifold 14 providing a large number of inlet connections 16 , a discharge manifold 18 providing a large number of outlet connections 20 , a mixing unit 22 for receiving a quantity of particulates from an elevating conveyor (not shown) or the like and delivering a slurry of liquid and particulates and a fluid path 24 connecting the suction manifold 14 , the mixing unit 22 and the discharge manifold 18 .
[0021] The fluid path 24 includes a pump 26 receiving liquid from the suction manifold 14 and delivering liquid to the mixing unit 22 through a conduit 28 having a series of normally open valves 30 . The fluid path 24 also includes a pump 32 having an inlet conduit 34 receiving slurry from the bottom of the mixing unit 22 and a normally closed valve 36 selectively communicating with the conduit 28 for purposes more fully apparent hereinafter.
[0022] The suction and discharge manifolds 14 , 18 provide round tubular bodies 36 , 38 extending in the direction of forward travel of the vehicle 12 as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1. The tubular bodies 36 , 38 are on opposite sides of the vehicle 12 with the connections 16 , 20 pointing outwardly, away from the vehicle 12 . A conduit 42 extends between the tubular bodies 38 to allow feeding of liquid from either or both sides of the blender vehicle 12 . A similar conduit 44 between the tubular bodies 40 allows delivery of from either or both sides of the blender vehicle.
[0023] In use, hoses (not shown) connect the inlet connections 16 to a large number of tanks, known in the art as frac tanks, containing water or other frac liquid. Similar hoses connect the discharge connections 20 to a large number of pump trucks (not shown) which deliver the slurry under high pressure into a well. Suitable means (not shown), such as an elevating conveyor, is used to deliver the particulate solids to the mixing unit 22 . The mixing unit 22 receives solids through its open top and liquid through the conduit 28 , thoroughly mixes the solids and liquid to provide a slurry and delivers the slurry through the outlet conduit 34 .
[0024] It will be apparent that the equipment necessary to conduct a frac job travel to and are assembled at a well site and conduct an operation by pumping a slurry into the well. At the end of the operation, the components are disassembled and leave the well site. Those skilled in the art will recognize the blender 10 as typical of prior art blending units used in fracing wells with high volumes of proppant. Those skilled in the art will also recognize that some prior art blenders use a single pump or other mechanism, often known as a slinger, to mix the liquid and proppant.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 2 - 4 , a blender 46 of this invention is organized in much the same manner as the prior art blender 10 . The blender 46 is mounted on a chassis, which could be a skid mounted hauled on a separate truck, but which preferably is a wheeled vehicle 48 , such as a truck or trailer, having a suction manifold 50 providing a large number of inlet connections 52 such as flanges or the like for receiving quick disconnect couplings 56 , a discharge manifold 54 providing a large number of outlet connections having similar flanges for receiving quick disconnect couplings 56 , a mixing unit 58 for receiving a quantity of particulates from an elevating conveyor (not shown) or the like and delivering a slurry of liquid and particulates and a fluid path 60 connecting the suction manifold 50 , the mixing unit 58 and the discharge manifold 54 .
[0026] The fluid path 60 includes a pump 62 receiving liquid from the suction manifold 50 and delivering liquid to the mixing unit 58 through a conduit 64 having a series of normally open valves 66 . The fluid path 60 also includes a pump 68 having an inlet conduit 70 receiving slurry from the bottom of the mixing unit 58 and a normally closed valve 72 selectively communicating with the conduit 64 for purposes more fully apparent hereinafter.
[0027] The suction and discharge manifolds 50 , 54 each provide a pair of rectilinear tubular bodies 74 , 76 extending in the direction of forward travel 78 of the vehicle 48 and are connected by a conduit 80 , 82 . The rectilinear bodies 74 , 76 are on opposite sides of the vehicle 48 with the connections 52 , pointing outwardly, away from the vehicle 48 . The tubular bodies 74 , 76 accordingly provide bottom walls 84 , 86 extending across the width of the vehicle 48 , i.e. transverse to the direction of travel 78 . The tubular bodies 74 , 76 are mounted by suitable brackets 88 to suitable struts 90 on the body of the vehicle 48 in any suitable manner.
[0028] The tubular bodies 74 , 76 provide upright side walls 92 , 94 adjacent the sides of the vehicle 48 . Because the walls 92 , 94 are essentially flat, welding the connections 52 is simplified, as compared to welding a connection to a round tube. More importantly, there is a larger area on the side walls 92 , 94 , when compared to the area of a round tube, thereby allowing the connections 52 to be spaced further apart. This makes it considerably easier to remove the plugs from the quick disconnect couplings 56 and secure hoses (not shown) having quick disconnect connections and the like to the couplings 56 to thereby connect the suction and discharge manifolds 50 , 54 to frac tanks and pump trucks.
[0029] As shown best in FIG. 4, the tubular bodies 74 , 76 are tilted slightly in an outboard direction, i.e. the upper end of the bodies 74 , 76 is slightly outward of the lower end by an angle 96 which is typically 3-20° and preferably about 5-10°. This is done so the hoses (not shown) attached to the couplings 56 are aimed slightly toward the ground. The hoses used in frac operations are typically wire reinforced hoses which do not kink readily but tilting the upper end of the bodies 74 , 76 reduces the stress applied to the hoses and thereby prolongs their useful life. Often, hoses used in frac operations are replaced when they begin to kink near the connection with the manifolds.
[0030] The rectilinear tubular bodies 74 , 76 are preferably rectangular with the long dimension upright as shown best in FIG. 4. This provides a large surface for the connections 52 and, even more importantly, the suction manifold 50 provides increased throughput compared to the prior art manifold 14 of the same horizontal dimension. It will be realized that prior art manifolds 14 using 12″ O.D. pipe and the associated connections consume more than 25% of the usable 8′6″ width dimension of the vehicle 12 . A typical suction manifold of this invention is 8″×16″ which provides about 13% greater flow area than a 12″ O.D. round tube. A typical suction manifold 50 thus consumes less of the usable 8′6″ dimension of the vehicle 48 and provides substantially increased flow area. This increased flow area, as well as reduced flow turbulence, provides substantially greater throughput.
[0031] Tests have been conducted on prior art blenders having inlet manifolds made from 12″ O.D. tubes and on blenders of this invention made from 8″×16″ rectangular tubes, all other equipment being identical. The throughput of the prior art blender with standard test equipment was 97 barrels per minute. The throughput of the blender of this invention with standard test equipment was 106 barrels per minute. This is an increase of 9% utilizing 8″ less horizontal space. On a vehicle having a maximum width of 8′ 6″, a reduction in the width of a component by 8″ provides space for additional components. Throughput is primarily affected because with a 16″ inlet spacing, the central flow path on a 12″ diameter pump is not disturbed by the flow from the inlets.
[0032] The connections 40 , 44 may be of any suitable type and are illustrated as flanges connecting to quick disconnect type couplings such as hammer unions.
[0033] Although this invention has been disclosed and described in its preferred forms with a certain degree of particularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of the preferred forms is only by way of example and that numerous changes in the details of construction and operation and in the combination and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
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A blender mixes a liquid and a quantity of particulate solids for use in hydrocarbon well operations. The blender is mounted on a vehicle having a suction manifold of rectangular tubing. The long side of the rectangular tubing is vertical, is positioned on one side of the vehicle and provides a large number of inlet connections which, in use, connect to hoses leading to tanks filled with a frac liquid or the like. The discharge manifold may be a mirror image of the suction manifold. The rectangular suction manifold tubing provides greater spacing between the inlet connections and greater volume throughput in use.
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BACKGROUND
This invention relates to two new antibiotics, designated CP-54,715 and CP-54,716, which are produced by a new microbial species Catenuloplanes japonicus Huang sp. nov., strains N381-16 (ATCC 31,637) and N406-14 (ATCC 31,638). The antibiotics are active against gram-positive bacteria.
The genus Catenuloplanes appears to be related to the genera of the Actinoplanacae sensu Couch which produce such antibiotics as taitomycin, lipiarmycin, gardimycin and the like. It resembles genera such as Actinoplanes, Amorphosporangium and Dactylosporangium in having motile spores but contains lysine instead of meso-diaminopimelic acid in the cell wall and produces spores arranged in chains instead of enclosed in a sporangial wall.
The genera other than those of the Actinoplanaceae with motile spores have morphological features e.g. morphology and cell wall composition that differ from those of Catenuloplanes. Oerskovia shows some resemblance to the new genus in the lack of meso-DAP in the cell wall, but differs in the absence of aerial mycelium and the mode of spore formation. Kineosporia and Sporichthya are characterized by a cell wall of Type I; the former exhibits the absence of aerial mycelium and the latter the absence of substrate mycelium. Dermatophilus and Geodermatophilus have a different mode of spore formation, a different cell wall type, and do not produce aerial mycelium. Abundant aerial mycelium is produced by Streptoalloteichus and Actinosynnema, which have cell wall types different from that of Catenuloplanes. Streptoalloteichus produces subspherical to peanut shell-shaped sporangia as well as chains of spores; Actinosynnema, as the name implies, forms a synnema on which chains of spores are produced.
SUMMARY
The purified forms of the two antibiotics CP-54,715 and CP-54,716 are produced by fermentation of strains of Catenuloplanes japonicus Huang sp. nov. (ATCC 31,637 and ATCC 31,638) and isolation of the more and less polar components respectively of the whole broth at neutral pH.
Antibiotic CP-54,715 is characterized by its solubility in methanol and chloroform; its insolubility in heptane; its elemental analysis of C-49.62%, H-6.16%, N-1.04%, Cl-5.16%; its decomposition point of 166°-176° C.; its [α] D 20 rotation of -8° in methanol; its UV max at 289 nm with an extinction coefficient of 29 at 1% concentration in methanol; and its IR spectrum as a suspension in a KBr pellet as shown in FIG. 1.
Antibiotic CP-54,716 is characterized by its solubility in methanol and chloroform; its insolubility in heptane; its elemental analysis of C-50.89%, H-6.60%, N-1.25%, Cl-6.34% its decomposition point of 140°-155° C.; its [α] D 20 rotation of -19° C. in methanol; its UV max at 289 nm with an extinction coefficient of 30 at 1% concentration in methanol and its IR spectrum as a suspension in a KBr pellet as shown in FIG. 2.
Fermentation of the microorganisms is accomplished by growth in an aqueous, nutrient fermentation medium containing assimilable sources of carbon, nitrogen and inorganic salts until antibiotic activity is produced.
Either antibiotic may be intravenously or subcutaneously administered alone or as a pharmaceutical composition to treat a gram-positive and anaerobic bacterial infection in a host. The pharmaceutical composition consists of an effective amount of either antibiotic and a pharmaceutical carrier.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The microorganisms useful for the preparation of the antibiotics were isolated from soil samples from Japan and India and designated as cultures N381-16 and N406-14, respectively. Culture N381-16 is gram-positive, non-acid-fast and is characterized by non-fragmentary, yellowish orange to orange substrate mycelium, sparse aerial mycelium, and spores which are produced in chains and are motile. In addition to glutamic acid, alanine, glucosamine and muramic acid typical of other actinomycete cell wall compositions, the pure cell wall contains lysine, glycine and traces of serine. The whole-cell analyses shows the presence of xylose and traces of arabinose and the absence of LL- or meso-diaminopimelic acid. The culture is described as the new species Catenuloplanes japonicus Huang. sp. nov. in the new genus Catenuloplanes Huang gen. nov. N381-16 is designated as the type strain of the new species and has been deposited at the American Type Culture Collection with the accession number 31,637.
Culture N406-14 has the same morphological features and almost all of the biochemical properties as strain N381-16. It differs, however, from the latter in darker colors of colonies ranging from orange, brown to black, the production of dark soluble pigment on some media, the ability to grow at 37° C. but not at 21° C., and the inability to produce acid from melezitose. Until more isolates belonging to the newly proposed genus Catenuloplanes can be isolated and the significance of the cultural differences assessed, the present designation of culture N406-14 as a strain of Catenuloplanes japonicus is tentative. N406-14 has been deposited at the American Type Culture Collection with the accession number 31,638.
The following methods can be used to observe the cultural, physiological and morphological features of microorganisms N381-16 and N406-14. An inoculum is prepared by planting the appropriate culture from a freeze-dried lyophil into ATCC #172 broth and growing for 6 days at 28° C. on a shaker. It is then centrifuged for 20 min., washed three times with sterile distilled water and planted on media commonly used for identification of members of the Actinomycetales.
Incubation is made at 28° C. and a reading of results may be made at varying times but most commonly is taken at 14 days. Tables I through VI below list the features of N381-16 and N406-14 determined in this manner. The colors are described in common terminology, but exact colors are determined by comparison with color chips from the Color Harmony Manual, fourth edition. The methods of whole-cell analysis, sugar analysis, cellulose utilization, organic acid utilization, carbohydrate utilization and the formulas for the identification media are well known to those familiar with the art.
TABLE I
Cultural Description of N381-16 on Various Media
Yeast Extract-Malt Extract Agar--Growth good, yellowish orange (4 ea to 4 ga), slightly raised and finely wrinkled, with a few raised small dots, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment pale yellowish.
Oatmeal Agar--Growth moderate, pale orange to yellowish orange (3 ca, 4 ea to 4 ga) thin, smooth, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Inorganic Salts-Starch Agar--Growth good, pale orange to orange (4 ea to 4 na), thin and smooth at the center, moderately raised and wrinkled toward ends of streaks, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment pale yellowish (between 2 ca and 2 ea).
Glycerol-Asparagine Agar--Growth moderate, pale yellowish orange (3 ea to 3 ga), thin, smooth, with a few small bumps, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Gelatin Agar--Growth good, orange yellow (near 3 la to 3 na), slightly raised, smooth but wrinkled near edge, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Starch Agar--Growth good, orange yellow (3 ia), slightly raised, smooth but wrinkled near edge, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Potato Carrot Agar--Growth poor to moderate, colorless to dull white, thin, submerged with a spreading edge, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Tap Water Agar--Growth scant, colorless, thin, submerged, smooth, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Czapek-Sucrose Agar--Growth good, dull white to pale yellowish orange (3 ea), thin, smooth, slightly shiny, with a moderately spreading edge, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment very pale yellowish.
Glucose-Asparagine Agar--Growth good, yellowish orange (between 3 ga and 4 ga), slightly raised, smooth, with a few small bumps, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment very pale yellowish.
Glucose-Yeast Extract Agar--Growth moderate to good, orange (4 ea to 4 ga), moderately to highly raised, slightly to strongly wrinkled, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Emerson's Agar--Growth moderate to good, dull white, thin, wrinkled, with a few small bumps, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Nutrient Agar--Growth moderate, pale orange yellow (3 ea to 3 ga), thin, smooth, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Bennett's Agar--Growth good, orange (4 ia to 4 la), slightly raised but raised near ends of streaks, wrinkled, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Gordon and Smith's Tyrosine Agar--Growth moderate, yellowish orange (near 3 ia), thin, smooth, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment pale brown (near 2 ic).
Casein Agar--Growth good, bright orange (4 nao 4 pa), slightly raised, wrinkled, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Calcium Malate Agar--Growth moderate, pale orange yellow (near 3 ea to 3 ga), thin, smooth, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment very pale yellowish.
TABLE II
Cultural Description of N406-14 on Various Media
Yeast Extract-Malt Extract Agar--Growth good, orange (near 5 ia), slightly raised, wrinkled, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment yellowish.
Oatmeal Agar--Growth moderate, light brownish orange (4 ea to 3 ic), thin, smooth to slightly roughened, aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment pale yellowish.
Inorganic Salts-Starch Agar--Growth moderate to good, brownish (4 ne) with a brownish orange (4 to 4 pc) edge, smooth but wrinkled near the edge, no aerial mycelium; reverse brownish to brownish orange; soluble pigment yellowish orange (3 ea).
Glycerol-Asparagine Agar--Growth poor to moderate, colorless, cream, to pale pinkish (3 ca), thin, smooth, sparse aerial mycelium observed only under microscope; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Gelatin Agar--Growth good, purplish to violet (6 ie to 6 ni), slightly raised, smooth to slightly roughened, with short greyish aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment purplish brown (3 le to 5 ie).
Starch Agar--Growth good, brown to black (5 ng), slightly raised, roughened to wrinkled, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment brown (3 ne).
Potato Carrot Agar--Growth moderate, pale brownish (3 gc to 3 ie), thin, smooth to slightly bumpy, with sparse aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Tap Water Agar--Same as N381-16 except aerial mycelium is lacking.
Czapek-Sucrose Agar--Growth good, orange (near 4 ge), thin, smooth, with scattered small white patches of aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment pale yellowish.
Glucose-Asparagine Agar--Growth moderate, orange to bright orange (4 la to 4 pa), thin to slightly raised, smooth to slightly roughened, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Glucose-Yeast Extract Agar--Growth good, black but orange, pale yellowish orange (4 ga) near ends of streaks, moderately raised, roughened to wrinkled, with small black exudate, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment black.
Emerson's Agar--Growth moderate, pale orange (4 ea), moderately raised, roughened; no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Nutrient Agar--Growth moderate, bright orange (4 na to 4 pa), thin, smooth to slightly roughened, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Bennett's Agar--Growth moderate, orange (4 ia), thin to slightly raised, smooth to slightly roughened, no aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
Gordon and Smith's Tyrosine Agar--Growth moderate, black, thin, or occurring as isolated dots, with sparse greyish aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; soluble pigment black.
Casein Agar--Same as N381-16 except colonies are coarsely wrinkled.
Calcium Malate Agar--Growth moderate, pale yellowish orange (between 3 ea and 4 ea), thin, smooth, with short aerial mycelium; reverse same as surface; no soluble pigment.
TABLE III
Morphological Properties of N381-16 and N406-14
Fragmentation of substrate mycelium and the development of aerial mycelium on Czapek-sucrose agar--observation once every week up to three weeks: no fragmentation of the substrate mycelium; after one week of incubation monopodial or dichotomous branched aerial mycelium developed; origins of the branches could not be traced at a later stage of development; spore chains and aerial mycelium often aggregate into clusters resembling a flower or a sporodochium--compact and flat at the center but filamentous toward the edge.
Morphological observations on the 14-day-old culture grown on oatmeal agar: aerial mycelium lacking or short; spore chains arranged in spirals of 1-2 turns, hooked or rarely flexuous, arising from the substrate mycelium or the aerial mycelium, single or often aggregated in clusters, several spores per spore chain; spores rod-shaped, straight or curved, 2-4×0.9-1.0 μm, smooth as revealed by scanning electron microscopy, motile when suspended in sterile distilled water, with peritrichous flagella as revealed by transmission electron microscopy.
TABLE IV
Biochemical Properties of N381-16 and N406-14
I. Gram-positive; non-acid-fast; no melanin produced; hydrogen sulfide produced; no reduction of nitrate to nitrite on both organic and dextrose nitrate broths; gelatin liquefaction positive; hydrolysis of starch positive; hydrolysis of hippurate negative; decomposition of adenine, xanthine and hypoxanthine negative; decomposition of cellulose negative; decomposition of calcium malate, tyrosine, esculin and urea positive; no resistance to lysozyme; coagulation and clearing on milk.
II. Utilization of organic acids: acetate, lactate, malate, pyruvate and succinate utilized; benzoate, citrate, mucate, oxalate, propionate, dextrin and phenol not utilized.
III. Acid production from carbohydrates: acid produced from arabinose, cellobiose, fructose, galactose, glucose, glycerol, inositol, lactose, maltose, mannitol, mannose, melibiose, melezitose, α-methyl-d-glucoside, raffinose, rhamnose, ribose, salicin, starch, sucrose, trehalose and xylose; acid not produced from adonitol, dulcitol, erythritol, sorbitol and sorbose.
IV. Carbohydrate utilization: arabinose, cellobiose, fructose, galactose, glucose, glycerol, inositol, lactose, maltose, mannitol, mannose, melezitose, melibiose, α-methyl-d-glucoside, raffinose, rhamnose, ribose, salicin, starch, sucrose, trehalose and xylose utilized; adonitol, dulcitol, erythritol, sorbitol and sorbose not utilized.
TABLE V
Temperature Relation of N381-16 and N406-14 Growth
N381-16 shows good growth at 21° and 28° C.; N406-14 shows good growth at 28° and 37°; both show no growth at 5°, 45° and 50° C.
TABLE VI
Whole Cell and Cell Wall Analyses of N381-16
Major amounts of lysine, glutamic acid, glycine, alanine, glucosamine, muramic acid and some serine present but no diaminopimelic acid; whole-cell sugar pattern of the Type D showing major amounts of xylose and traces of arabinose; whole-cell amino acid analysis--no LL- or meso-diaminopimelic acid in the hydrolysate.
Cultivation of Catenuloplanes japonicus ATCC 31,367 or ATCC 31,638 is usually accomplished in aqueous nutrient media at a temperature of 24°-36° C., and under submerged aerobic conditions with agitation. Nutrient media which are useful for such purposes include a source of assimilable carbon such as sugars, starches and glycerol; a source of organic nitrogen such as casein, enzymatic digest of casein, soybean meal, cotton seed meal, peanut meal, wheat gluten, soy flour, meat meal and fish meal. A source of growth substances such as grain solubles and yeast extract as well as salts such as sodium chloride and calcium carbonate and trace elements such as iron, magnesium, zinc, cobalt and manganese may also be utilized with advantageous results. If excessive foaming is encountered during fermentation, antifoam agents such as vegetable oils or silicones may be added to the fermentation medium. Aeration of the medium in tanks for submerged growth is preferably maintained at the rate of about 1/2 to 2 volumes of free air per volume of broth per minute. Agitation may be maintained by means of agitators generally familiar to those in the fermentation industry. Aseptic conditions must, of course, be maintained through the transfer of the organism and throughout its growth.
Inoculum for the preparation of the antibiotic may be obtained from a growth of the culture on a slant or Roux bottle. A suitable solid medium is ATCC medium No. 172. The growth may be used to inoculate either shake flasks or inoculum tanks, or alternatively, the inoculum tanks may be seeded from the shake flasks. Growth in shaken flasks will generally have reached its maximum in 2 to 4 days whereas growth in submerged inoculum tanks will usually be at the most favorable period in 2 to 3 days. Substantial antibiotic activity is obtained in the final fermentor stage in approximately 3 to 5 days.
The process of antibiotic production is conveniently followed during fermentation by biological assay of the broth employing a sensitive strain of Staphylococcus aureus or Bacillus subtilis. Standard plate assay technique is employed in which the zone of inhibition surrounding a filter paper disc saturated with the broth is used as a measure of antibiotic potency.
The antibiotics may be isolated and recovered from whole fermentation broth by extracting at neutral pH with an organic solvent such as chloroform, ethyl acetate or methyl isobutyl ketone. They may be separated by column or high pressure liquid chromatography. Thin layer chromatography employing silica gel is a useful tool for antibiotic analysis of the fermentation media and the isolated and separated materials.
Antibiotics CP-54,715 and CP-54,716 exhibit inhibitory action against the growth of a number of gram-positive and anaerobic microorganisms as shown in Table VII. The test organism is inoculated in a series of test tubes which contain nutrient medium and various concentrations of the test antibiotic. Activity is determined as the minimal concentration of antibiotic in mcg/ml which inhibits the growth of the organism over a period of 24 hours.
TABLE VII______________________________________ Activity of Activity of Antibiotic Antibiotic CP-54,715 CP-54,716Organism (mcg/ml) (mcg/ml)______________________________________Staphylococcus 01A005 0.3 (avg. 3 0.10aureus tests) 01A052 0.2 0.20 01A110 0.2 0.78 01A400 0.39 0.78Staphylococcus 01B111R 0.39 0.78epidermidis 01B087RR 0.39 0.20Streptococcus faecalis 02A006 0.20 0.10Streptococcus pyogenes 02C203 0.0125 0.0125Neisseria sicca 66C000 1.56 1.56Bacillus subtilis 06A001 1.56 0.39Pasteurella 59A001 3.12 3.12multocidaMoraxella bovis 93A001 0.39 NTBacteroides vulgatis 78EC032 0.78 NTHaemophilis parahaemo- 54B002G 25 NTlyticusTreponema hyodysenteriae B100 25 NT B141 25 NT______________________________________
The antibiotics did not show activity at concentrations up to 50 mcg/ml against gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli, Ps. aeruginosa, Klebs. pneumoniae, Serr. marcescens and Ent. aerogenes.
The antibiotics also exhibited anti-infectious activity in vivo by preventing staphylococcal infection in mice dosed s.c. with a sterile ethanolic solution of the test antibiotic. Subcutaneous administration produced PD 50's of 8.5 and 13 for CP-54,715 and CP-54,716, respectively. The antibiotics were not active orally in this test.
The antibiotics are effective for treatment of a gram-positive and anaerobic infection in a host and may be administered i.v. or s.c. either alone or with a pharmaceutical carrier. Ultimate choice of route and dose is made by the attending physician and is based upon the patient's unique condition.
Combination with appropriate pharmaceutical carriers is accomplished by methods well known to the pharmacist's art. For purposes of subcutaneous administration, solutions of the antibiotic in sesame or peanut oil or in aqueous propylene glycol may be employed, as well as sterile aqueous or alcoholic solutions. Such aqueous solutions should be suitably buffered if necessary and the liquid diluent may first be rendered isotonic with sufficient saline or glucose. These aqueous and alcoholic solutions are also suitable for intravenous injection.
The following examples describe the invention in greater detail.
EXAMPLE 1
Fermentation of Catenuloplanes japonicus N381-16 (ATCC 31,637) and isolation of CP-54,715 and CP-54,716
A sterile aqueous medium having the following composition was prepared:
______________________________________ Grams/liter______________________________________Glucose 10.0Soluble starch 20.0Yeast extract 5.0NZ Amine A 5.0CoCl.sub.2 0.002CaCO.sub.3 4.0Tap water to 1 L., pH to 7.1-7.2______________________________________
The medium was distributed 40 ml per 300 ml shake flask then sterilized at 120° C. and 15 p.s.i. for 30 minutes. After cooling the medium was inoculated with a vegetative cell suspension from the slant culture Catenuloplanes japonicus (ATCC 31,637) grown on ATCC 172 medium in agar. The flasks were shaken at 28° C. on a rotary shaker having a displacement of 11/2 to 21/2" at 150 to 200 cycles per minute (CPM) for three to four days, then used to inoculate a four liter fermentation vessel containing two liters of one of the following media:
______________________________________ grams/ grams/JD liter CAM-2 liter______________________________________Cerelose 1.0Casein 5.0 Starch 20Starch 5.0 Soybean Flour 10Corn Steep Liquor 5.0 cc Corn Steep 1 cc LiquorCalcium Carbonate 3.0 Ferrous Sulfate 0.1Cobalt Chloride 0.002 Cobalt Chloride 0.002Water to 1 liter, pH 6.9-7.0 Calcium 2 Carbonate______________________________________
One milliliter of L61 was added as antifoaming agent, and the vessels sealed and sterilized at 120° C. and 15 p.s.i. for 45 minutes. The pots were inoculated with one (2%) or two (4%) inoculum flasks, fermented for 2 to 5 days at 30° C., stirred at 1700 revolutions per minute (RPM) and air sparged through the broth at one volume per volume per minute. When fermentation was complete (based on antibiotic disc assay versus B. subtilis ATCC 6633) the fermentors were stopped and the whole broth was extracted two times with 1/3 to 1/2 volume of a solvent such as methylisobutyl ketone or n-butanol at neutral pH. The solvent was separated from the aqueous phase by aspiration, sparkled, and concentrated in vacuo to yield the antibiotics CP-54,715 and CP-54,716 as a viscous oil.
The bioactivity of the broth, and subsequent recovery steams was followed by using a sensitive strain of Bacillus subtilis ATCC 6633 or Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538. The components in the broth and recovery streams were visualized by using fluorescent silica gel plates in the following system: chloroform/methanol 9:1 and visualizing the antibiotics under ultraviolet light at 254 nm. The plate was also overlayed with agar seeded with either S. aureus or B. subtilis and incubated at 37° C. for 16 hours to detect the antibiotic.
Scale-up in large fermentors was carried out by preparing shake flasks containing 0.7 liters of M172M medium. The shake flask inoculum was fermented for 3 to 4 days at 28° C., composited into two side-arm bottles then used to inoculate two 2000 gallon fermentors each containing 1200 gallons of CAM-2 medium. Approximately 6 liters (0.1%) of inoculum was used in each tank. One fermentor, after running 5 days, was harvested (1200 gallon). The whole broth was extracted with 1/5 volume of methyl isobutyl ketone at natural pH, separated on a Podbielnack extractor and the solvent concentrated in vacuo to a syrup containing a mixture of the antibiotics CP-54,715 and CP-54,716.
EXAMPLE 2
Isolation and Separation of CP-54,715 and CP-54,716
One thousand gallons of the whole broth of fermented Catenuloplanes japonicus ATCC 31,637, grown as described in Example 1, was extracted with methyl isobutyl ketone. The methyl isobutyl ketone was evaporated under vacuum to give approximately 1 kilogram of a dark oil containing a mixture of the antibiotics.
This oil was poured slowly into six liters of stirring heptane. After stirring for 10 minutes the mixture was allowed to settle and the heptane was decanted off. The residue was dissolved in chloroform and evaporated under vacuum to a syrup (approximately 200 ml). The syrup was poured into two liters of fresh heptane, while stirring, and the solids which precipitated out were collected by filtration on a sintered glass funnel. The solids were washed with a small amount of ether and air dried to yield 39 grams of a crude mixture of the antibiotics.
The solids were fractionated by column chromatography on silica gel. A 2.54×95 cm glass column was packed with column grade silica gel in chloroform-methanol (97:3). Five grams of the antibiotic mixture was put on the column and was eluted with the same solvent system. The flow rate was 10 ml/min and 10 ml cuts were taken. The column cuts were examined by thin layer chromatography as described previously. This procedure was repeated until all of the antibiotic mixture had been chromatographed.
The cuts containing CP-54,715 from all columns were combined and evaporated under vacuum, then rechromatographed as described above. The cuts containing CP-54,715 were again combined and evaporated under vacuum. The residue was dissolved in chloroform and stirred for 15 minutes with 1 gram of activated carbon. The solution was then filtered and evaporated under vacuum giving 1.5 grams of an off-white solid CP-54,715.
The cuts containing CP-54,716 were processed in the same manner to give 1.4 grams of CP-54,716.
Table VIII below provides the analytical data obtained for CP-54,715 and CP-54,716.
TABLE VIII
Analytical Data
CP-54,715
Elemental Analysis: C-49.62%, H-6.16%, N-1.04%, Cl-5.16%.
UV Spectrum: λ max 289 nm (methanol) E 1 cm 1% =29
Optical Rotation: [α] D 20 =-8° (c=1, methanol)
Decomposition Point: 166°-176° C.
The distinguishable bands in the infrared spectrum over the region 2 to 14 microns are as follows (KBr disc): 2.90, 3.40, 5.80, 6.10, 6.45, 6.85, 7.20, 8.00, 8.35, 8.90, 9.65, 10.25, 10.55, 11.55, 12.75, 13.00, 13.55. (FIG. 1)
CP-54,716
Elemental Analysis: C-50.89%, H-6.60%, N-1.25, Cl-6.34%.
UV Spectrum: λ max 289 nm (methanol) E 1 cm 1% =30
Optical Rotation: [α] D 20 =-19° (c=1, methanol)
Decomposition Point: 140°-155° C.
The distinguishable bands in the infrared spectrum over the region 2 to 14 microns are as follows (KBr disc): 2.90, 3.40, 5.80, 6.10, 6.50, 6.90, 7.25, 7.40, 8.00, 8.35, 9.05, 9.65, 10.25, 10.55, 11.05, 13.55. (FIG. 2)
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Antibiotics CP-54,715 and CP-54,716, identified by their analytical characteristics, are produced by fermentation of a new microbial species Catenuloplanes jaonicus in a new genus Catenuloplanes and are active against gram-positive and anaerobic infections.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/985,735, filed Nov. 10, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/085,040, filed Mar. 1, 2002, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/947,078, filed Sep. 5, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,592,625 which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/484,706, filed Jan. 18, 2000, now abandoned which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/160,710, filed Oct. 20, 1999. The entire contents of each of the above are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention generally relates to a surgical method of intervertebral disc wall reconstruction. The invention also relates to an annular repair device, or stent, for annular disc repair. The effects of said reconstruction are restoration of disc wall integrity and reduction of the failure rate (3-21%) of a common surgical procedure (disc fragment removal or discectomy). This surgical procedure is performed about 390,000 times annually in the United States.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The spinal column is formed from a number of vertebrae, which in their normal state are separated from each other by cartilaginous intervertebral discs. The intervertebral disc acts in the spine as a crucial stabilizer, and as a mechanism for force distribution between the vertebral bodies. Without the disc, collapse of the intervertebral space occurs in conjunction with abnormal joint mechanics and premature development of arthritic changes.
The normal intervertebral disc has an outer ligamentous ring called the annulus surrounding the nucleus pulposus. The annulus binds the adjacent vertebrae together and is constituted of collagen fibers that are attached to the vertebrae and cross each other so that half of the individual fibers will tighten as the vertebrae are rotated in either direction, thus resisting twisting or torsional motion. The nucleus pulposus is constituted of loose tissue, having about 85% water content, which moves about during bending from front to back and from side to side.
The aging process contributes to gradual changes in the intervertebral discs. The annulus loses much of its flexibility and resilience, becoming more dense and solid in composition. The aging annulus is also marked by the appearance on propagation of cracks or fissures in the annular wall. Similarly, the nucleus dessicates, increasing viscosity and thus losing its fluidity. In combination, these features of the aged intervertebral discs result in less dynamic stress distribution because of the more viscous nucleus pulposus, and less ability to withstand localized stresses by the annulus fibrosus due to its dessication, loss of flexibility and the presence of fissures. Occasionally fissures may form rents through the annular wall. In these instances, the nucleus pulposus is urged outwardly from the subannular space through a rent, often into the spinal column. Extruded nucleus pulposus can, and often does, mechanically press on the spinal cord or spinal nerve rootlet. This painful condition is clinically referred to as a ruptured or herniated disc.
In the event of annulus rupture, the subannular nucleus pulposus migrates along the path of least resistance forcing the fissure to open further, allowing migration of the nucleus pulposus through the wall of the disc, with resultant nerve compression and leakage of chemicals of inflammation into the space around the adjacent nerve roots supplying the extremities, bladder, bowel and genitalia. The usual effect of nerve compression and inflammation is intolerable back or neck pain, radiating into the extremities, with accompanying numbness, weakness, and in late stages, paralysis and muscle atrophy, and/or bladder and bowel incontinence. Additionally, injury, disease or other degenerative disorders may cause one or more of the intervertebral discs to shrink, collapse, deteriorate or become displaced, herniated, or otherwise damaged and compromised.
The surgical standard of care for treatment of herniated, displaced or ruptured intervertebral discs is fragment removal and nerve decompression without a requirement to reconstruct the annular wall. While results are currently acceptable, they are not optimal. Various authors report 3.1-21% recurrent disc herniation, representing a failure of the primary procedure and requiring re-operation for the same condition. An estimated 10% recurrence rate results in 39,000 re-operations in the United States each year.
An additional method of relieving the symptoms is thermal annuloplasty, involving the heating of sub-annular zones in the non-herniated painful disc, seeking pain relief, but making no claim of reconstruction of the ruptured, discontinuous annulus wall.
There is currently no known method of annulus reconstruction, either primarily or augmented with an annulus stent.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides methods and related materials for reconstruction of the disc wall in cases of displaced, herniated, ruptured, or otherwise damaged intervertebral discs. In accordance with the invention, an annulus stent is disclosed for repair of an intervertebral disc annulus, comprising a centralized hub section, said hub section comprising lateral extensions from the hub section.
In an exemplary embodiment, one or more mild biodegradable surgical sutures are placed at about equal distances along the sides of a pathologic aperture in the ruptured disc wall (annulus) or along the sides of a surgical incision in the annular wall, which may be weakened or thinned.
Sutures are then tied in such fashion as to draw together the sides of the aperture, effecting reapproximation or closure of the opening, to enhance natural healing and subsequent reconstruction by natural tissue (fibroblasts) crossing the now surgically narrowed gap in the disc annulus.
A 25-30% reduction in the rate of recurrence of disc nucleus herniation through this aperture, has been achieved using this method.
In another embodiment, the method can be augmented by creating a subannular barrier in and across the aperture by placement of a patch of human muscle fascia (the membrane covering the muscle) or any other autograft, allograft, or xenograft acting as a bridge or a scaffold, providing a platform for traverse of fibroblasts or other normal cells of repair existing in and around the various layers of the disc annulus, prior to closure of the aperture.
A 30-50% reduction in the rate of recurrence of disc herniation has been achieved using the aforementioned fascial augmentation with this embodiment.
Having demonstrated that human muscle fascia is adaptable for annular reconstruction, other biocompatible membranes can be employed as a bridge, stent, patch or barrier to subsequent migration of the disc nucleus through the aperture. Such biocompatible materials may be, for example, medical grade biocompatible fabrics, biodegradable polymeric sheets, or form fitting or non-form fitting fillers for the cavity created by removal of a portion of the disc nucleus pulposus in the course of the disc fragment removal or discectomy. The prosthetic material can be placed in and around the intervertebral space, created by removal of the degenerated disc fragments.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate illustrative embodiments of the invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an illustrative embodiment of an annulus stent.
FIG. 2 shows a front view of the annulus stent of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 shows a side view of the annulus stent of FIG. 1 .
FIGS. 4A-4C show a front view of alternative illustrative embodiments of an annulus stent.
FIGS. 5A-5B show the alternative embodiment of a further illustrative embodiment of an annulus stent.
FIGS. 6A-6B show the alternative embodiment of a further illustrative embodiment of an annulus stent.
FIG. 7 shows a primary closure of an opening in the disc annulus.
FIGS. 8A-8B show a primary closure with a stent.
FIG. 9 shows a method of suturing an annulus stent into the disc annulus, utilizing sub-annular fixation points.
FIGS. 10A-10B show a further illustrative embodiment of an annulus stent with flexible bladder being expanded into the disc annulus.
FIGS. 11A-11D show an annulus stent being inserted into the disc annulus.
FIGS. 12A-12B show an annulus stent with a flexible bladder being expanded.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference will now be made in detail to an illustrative embodiment of the invention, which appears in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.
In one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 7 , a damaged annulus 42 is repaired by use of surgical sutures 40 . One or more surgical sutures 40 are placed at about equal distances along the sides of a pathologic aperture 44 in the annulus 42 . Reapproximation or closure of the aperture 44 is accomplished by tying the sutures 40 so that the sides of the aperture 44 are drawn together. The reapproximation or closure of the aperture 44 enhances the natural healing and subsequent reconstruction by the natural tissue (e.g., fibroblasts) crossing the now surgically narrowed gap in the annulus 42 . Preferably, the surgical sutures 40 are biodegradable, but permanent non- biodegradable may be utilized.
Additionally, to repair a weakened or thinned wall of a disc annulus 42 , a surgical incision is made along the weakened or thinned region of the annulus 42 and one or more surgical sutures 40 can be placed at about equal distances laterally from the incision. Reapproximation or closure of the incision is accomplished by tying the sutures 40 so that the sides of the incision are drawn together. The reapproximation or closure of the incision enhances the natural healing and subsequent reconstruction by the natural tissue crossing the now surgically narrowed gap in the annulus 42 . Preferably, the surgical sutures 40 are biodegradable, but permanent non-biodegradable materials may be utilized.
In an alternative embodiment, the method can be augmented by the placement of a patch of human muscle fascia or any other autograft, allograft or xenograft in and across the aperture 44 . The patch acts as a bridge in and across the aperture 44 , providing a platform for traverse of fibroblasts or other normal cells of repair existing in and around the various layers of the disc annulus 42 , prior to closure of the aperture 44 .
In a further embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8A-B a biocompatible membrane can be employed as an annulus stent 10 , being placed in and across the aperture 44 . The annulus stent 10 acts as a bridge in and across the aperture 44 , providing a platform for a traverse of fibroblasts or other normal cells of repair existing in and around the various layers of the disc annulus 42 , prior to closure of the aperture 44 .
In an illustrative embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 1-3 , the annulus stent 10 comprises a centralized vertical extension 12 , with an upper section 14 and a lower section 16 . The centralized vertical extension 12 can be trapezoid in shape through the width and may be from about 8 mm-12 mm in length.
Additionally, the upper section 14 of the centralized vertical extension 12 may be any number of different shapes, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B , with the sides of the upper section 14 being curved or with the upper section 14 being circular in shape. Furthermore, the annulus stent 10 may contain a recess between the upper section 14 and the lower section 16 , enabling the annulus stent 10 to form a compatible fit with the edges of the aperture 44 .
The upper section 14 of the centralized vertical extension 12 can comprise a slot 18 , where the slot 18 forms an orifice through the upper section 14 . The slot 18 is positioned within the upper section 14 such that it traverses the upper section's 14 longitudinal axis. The slot 18 is of such a size and shape that sutures, tension bands, staples or any other type of fixation device known in the art may be passed through, to affix the annulus stent 10 to the disc annulus 42 .
In an alternative embodiment, the upper section 14 of the centralized vertical extension 12 may be perforated. The perforated upper section 14 contains a plurality of holes that traverse the longitudinal axis of upper section 14 . The perforations are of such a size and shape that sutures, tension bands, staples or any other type of fixation device known the art may be passed through, to affix the annulus stent 10 to the disc annulus 42 .
The lower section 16 of the centralized vertical extension 12 can comprise a pair of lateral extensions, a left lateral extension 20 and a right lateral extension 22 . The lateral extensions 20 and 22 comprise an inside edge 24 , an outside edge 26 , an upper surface 28 , and a lower surface 30 . The lateral extensions 20 and 22 can have an essentially constant thickness throughout. The inside edge 24 is attached to and is about the same length as the lower section 16 . The outside edge 26 can be about 8 mm-16 mm in length. The inside edge 24 and the lower section 16 meet to form a horizontal plane, essentially perpendicular to the centralized vertical extension 12 . The upper surface 28 of the lateral extensions 20 and 22 can form an angle from about 0°-60° below the horizontal plane, thereby forming an opening or recess 23 in the annulus stent 10 . The width of the annulus stent 10 may be from about 3 mm-5 mm.
Additionally, the upper surface 28 of the lateral extensions 20 and 22 may be barbed for fixation to the inside surface of the disc annulus 42 and to resist expulsion through the aperture 44 .
In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B , the lateral extensions 20 and 22 have a greater thickness at the inside edge 24 than at the outside edge 26 .
In an illustrative embodiment, the annulus stent 10 is a solid unit, formed from one or more of the flexible resilient biocompatible or bioresorbable materials well know in the art.
For example, the annulus stent 10 may be made from: a porous matrix or mesh of biocompatible and bioresorbable fibers acting as a scaffold to regenerate disc tissue and replace annulus fibrosus as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,438 (Stone) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,043 (Stone), a strong network of inert fibers intermingled with a bioresorbable (or bioabsorbable) material which attracts tissue ingrowth as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No, 4,904,260 (Ray et al.); a biodegradable substrate as disclosed in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,807 (Gan at al.); or an expandable polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE), as used for conventional vascular grafts, such as those sold by W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc. under the trademarks GORE-TEX and PRECLUDE, or by Impra, Inc. under the trademark IMPRA.
Furthermore, the annulus stent 10 , may contain hygroscopic material for a controlled limited expansion of the annulus stent 10 to fill the evacuated disc space cavity.
Additionally, the annulus stent 10 may comprise materials to facilitate regeneration of disc tissue, such as bioactive silica-based materials that assist in regeneration of disc tissue as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,331 (Ducheyne, et al.), or other tissue growth factors well known in the art.
In further embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 5 AB- 6 AB, the left and right lateral extensions 20 and 22 join to form a solid pyramid or cone. Additionally, the left and right lateral extensions 20 and 22 may form a solid trapezoid, wedge, or bullet shape. The solid formation may be a solid biocompatible or bioresorbable flexible material, allowing the lateral extensions 20 and 22 to be compressed for insertion into aperture 44 , then to expand conforming to the shape of the annulus' 42 inner wall.
Alternatively, a compressible core may be attached to the lower surface 30 of the lateral extensions 20 and 22 , forming a pyramid, cone, trapezoid, wedge, or bullet shape. The compressible core may be made from one of the biocompatible or bioresorbable resilient foams well known in the art. The core can also comprise a fluid-expandable membrane, e.g., a balloon. The compressible core allows the lateral extensions 20 and 22 to be compressed for insertion into aperture 44 , then to expand conforming to the shape of the annulus' 42 inner wall and to the cavity created by pathologic extrusion or surgical removal of the disc fragment.
In an illustrative method of use, as shown in FIGS. 11A-D , the lateral extensions 20 and 22 are compressed together for insertion into the aperture 44 of the disc annulus 42 . The annulus stent 10 is then inserted into the aperture 44 , where the lateral extensions 20 , 22 expand. In an expanded configuration, the upper surface 28 can substantially conform to the contour of the inside surface of the disc annulus 42 . The upper section 14 is positioned within the aperture 44 so that the annulus stent 10 may be secured to the disc annulus 42 , using means well known in the art.
In an alternative method, where the length of the aperture 44 is less than the length of the outside edge 26 of the annulus stent 10 , the annulus stent 10 can be inserted laterally into the aperture 44 . The lateral extensions 20 and 22 are compressed, and the annulus stent 10 can then be laterally inserted into the aperture 44 . The annulus stent 10 can then be rotated inside the disc annulus 42 , such that the upper section 14 can be held back through the aperture 44 . The lateral extensions 20 and 22 are then allowed to expand, with the upper surface 28 contouring to the inside surface of the disc annulus 42 . The upper section 14 can be positioned within, or proximate to, the aperture 44 in the subannular space such that the annulus stent 10 may be secured to the disc annulus, using means well known in the art.
In an alternative method of securing the annulus stent 10 in the aperture 44 , as shown in FIG. 9 , a first surgical screw 50 and second surgical screw 52 , with eyeholes 53 located at the top of the screws 50 and 52 , are opposingly inserted into the adjacent vertebrae 54 and 56 below the annulus stent 10 . After insertion of the annulus stent 10 into the aperture 44 , a suture 40 is passed down though the disc annulus 42 , adjacent to the aperture 44 , through the eye hole 53 on the first screw 50 then back up through the disc annulus 42 and through the orifice 18 on the annulus stent 10 . This is repeated for the second screw 52 , after which the suture 40 is secured. One or more surgical sutures 40 are placed at about equal distances along the sides of the aperture 44 in the disc annulus 42 . Reapproximation or closure of the aperture 44 is accomplished by tying the sutures 40 in such a fashion that the sides of the aperture 44 are drawn together. The reapproximation or closure of the aperture 44 enhances the natural healing and subsequent reconstruction by the natural tissue crossing the now surgically narrowed gap in the annulus 42 . Preferably, the surgical sutures 40 are biodegradable but permanent non-biodegradable forms may be utilized. This method should decrease the strain on the disc annulus 42 adjacent to the aperture 44 , precluding the tearing of the sutures through the disc annulus 42 .
It is anticipated that fibroblasts will engage the fibers of the polymer or fabric of the intervertebral disc stent 10 , forming a strong wall duplicating the currently existing condition of healing seen in the normal reparative process.
In an additional embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 10A-B , a flexible bladder 60 is attached to the lower surface 30 of the annulus stent 10 . The flexible bladder 60 comprises an internal cavity 62 surrounded by a membrane 64 , where the membrane 64 is made from a thin flexible biocompatible material. The flexible bladder 60 is attached to the lower surface 30 of the annulus stent 10 in an unexpanded condition. The flexible bladder 60 is expanded by injecting a biocompatible fluid or expansive foam, as known in the art, into the internal cavity 62 . The exact size of the flexible bladder 60 can be varied for different individuals. The typical size of an adult nucleus is about 2 cm in the semi-minor axis, 4 cm in the semi-major axis, and 1.2 cm in thickness.
In an alternative embodiment, the membrane 64 is made of a semi-permeable biocompatible material.
In an illustrative embodiment, a hydrogel is injected into the internal cavity 62 of the flexible bladder 60 . A hydrogel is a substance formed when an organic polymer (natural or synthetic) is cross-linked via, covalent, ionic, or hydrogen bonds to create a three-dimensional open-lattice structure, which entraps water molecules to form a gel. The hydrogel may be used in either the hydrated or dehydrated form.
In a method of use, where the annulus stent 10 has been inserted into the aperture 44 , as has been previously described and shown in FIGS. 12A-B , an injection instrument, as known in the art, such as a syringe, is used to inject the biocompatible fluid or expansive foam into the internal cavity 62 of the flexible bladder 60 . The biocompatible fluid or expansive foam is injected through the annulus stent 10 into the internal cavity 62 of the flexible bladder 60 . Sufficient material is injected into the internal cavity 62 to expand the flexible bladder 60 to fill the void in the intervertebral disc cavity. The use of the flexible bladder 60 is particularly useful when it is required to remove all or part of the intervertebral disc nucleus.
The surgical repair of an intervertebral disc may require the removal of the entire disc nucleus, being replaced with an implant, or the removal of a portion of the disc nucleus thereby leaving a void in the intervertebral disc cavity. The flexible bladder 60 allows for the removal of only the damaged section of the disc nucleus, with the expanded flexible bladder 60 filling the resultant void in the intervertebral disc cavity. A major advantage of the annulus stent 10 with the flexible bladder 60 is that the incision area in the annulus 42 can be reduced in size, as there is no need for the insertion of an implant into the intervertebral disc cavity.
In an alternative method of use, a dehydrated hydrogel is injected into the internal cavity 62 of the flexible bladder 60 . Fluid, from the disc nucleus, passes through the semipermeable membrane 64 hydrating the dehydrated hydrogel. As the hydrogel absorbs the fluid the flexible bladder 60 expands, filling the void in the intervertebral disc cavity.
All patents referred to or cited herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent they are not inconsistent with the explicit teachings of this specification, including; U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,438 (Stone), U.S. Pat. No. 5,258,043 (Stone), U.S. Pat. No. 4,904,260 (Ray et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,807 (Gan et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,849,331 (Ducheyne et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,154 (Rhodes),.U.S. Pat. No. 5,204,106 (Schepers at al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,888,220 (Felt et al.) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,376,120 (Sarver et al.).
It should be understood that the examples and embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and that various modifications or changes in light thereof will be suggested to persons skilled in the art and are to be included within the spirit and preview of this application and the scope of the appended claims.
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A stent, or device for repair and reconstruction of the spinal disc wall, or annulus fibrosus, after surgical incision or pathologic rupture, which is inserted through an aperture into the subannular space. The stent has radial extensions which are caused or allowed to expand into an expanded configuration to bridge the aperture. The stent thereby occludes the defective region from the inside of the vertebral disc and prevents the migration of nucleus pulposus therethrough, while also providing a scaffold for tissue growth.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application 61/900,738 filed on Nov. 6, 2013, the complete contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
FILED OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Aspects for the invention relate to a method of producing chemical-treated fibers using a continuous treatment system. In particular, embodiments of the invention pertain to a method of applying chemicals on loose fibers with substantially even chemical distribution. In some embodiments, chemical formulations collected during the process are sent back to the treatment bath and reused (e.g., recycled for the purpose of protecting the environment, reducing costs, etc.)
BACKGROUND
[0003] Textile substrates need various chemical treatments depending on the desired properties of the end-uses. Chemical treatment for textile substrates can be done either by batch or continuous process. For a batch process, a specific amount of textile substrate is treated with chemical formulations for a specific period of time. The amount of chemicals used is normally based on the amount of the substrate being treated or on the amount of formulation being used. In general, in batch processes the exact amount of chemical being used is calculated based on either total amount of the textile substrate or formulation, which is expressed as “% owg (on weight of goods)” or “% owb (on weight of bath)”, respectively.
[0004] For continuous textile wet processes, textile substrates are treated continuously by being passed through one or more process steps arranged in tandem. Textile substrates pass through a chemical formulation in a treatment bath and the completely soaked substrates pass through a pair of squeeze rolls to remove excess amounts of the formulation in order to control the amount of chemical formulation on the substrates. Then, the substrates continue to pass through a drying (e.g, heating) stage, such as an oven, to remove residual water and to fix the chemicals on the substrates. The amount of chemicals applied on textile substrates depends on the concentration of chemicals in the formulation and the “wet pickup”. Wet pickup is the amount of the chemical formulation picked up by the substrate and is expressed as a percentage on weight of the dry substrate. The wet pickup on the substrate is controlled by the nip pressure of the squeeze rolls. To give uniform chemical distribution throughout or over the substrate, the wet pickup must be controlled evenly across the width and along the length of the substrate.
[0005] Most chemical treatments for textile substrates are performed at the “fabric stage” (e.g., a stage where the fabric has already been produced from fibers). However, chemical treatments are also performed at the “fiber stage” (e.g., when chemical-treated fibers are required for yarn spinning or nonwoven production). For a batch process chemical treatment of fibers, a specified amount of loose fibers is loaded in a perforated basket, and the basket is loaded into a chemical treatment device such as a stock dyeing machine. After loading the basket, a specific amount of chemicals is applied on the fibers using the dyeing machine or other chemical treatment device for a specified period of time. In contrast, in a continuous process, the fibers in a web or batt form are continuously passed through one or more process steps arranged in tandem. The wet pickup control for the fibers is difficult in a continuous process when compared to woven fabrics because the thickness of the fiber web (or batt) is generally uneven across the width and along the length.
[0006] If, in a continuous process, the fibers were subjected to scouring, bleaching, and rinsing, the fibers will contain only water after final squeezing. In this case, even though there will be a variation of wet pickup on the fibers, this will generally not pose a problem since there will be no remaining chemical on the fibers after drying. In sharp contrast, when the fibers are subjected to chemical formulation treatment, the wet pickup variation will cause uneven chemical distribution throughout the final dried fibers. This will cause an uneven quality (property) on the final products (yarn or nonwoven) made with these fibers.
[0007] U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,213,218, 4,425,842, and 4,944,070, each of which are herein incorporated by reference, describe methods of continuous wet finishing for fibers. These applications require the loose fibers to be converted into a web or batt form before the wet treatment. These applications utilize a squeezing system to control final chemical amount on the treated fibers. In operation, the fiber web (or batt) soaked with a chemical formulation is passed through a pair of squeeze rolls. The amount of the chemical formulation picked up by the fibers is controlled by the pressure of the squeeze rolls. However, in practice, the squeezing system does not provide an even chemical distribution on the final treated fiber because the thickness of the fiber web (or batt) squeezed is not even. The thickness of fiber web (or batt) is much less controllable compared to the thickness of woven fabrics.
SUMMARY
[0008] The invention pertains to continuous chemical treatment systems for fibers, and particularly provides a process and system for the continuous chemical treatment of loose fibers which ensures substantially uniform chemical distribution on the treated fibers (e.g., the wet pick up of the chemical chemical formulation from fiber to fiber varies by 10% or less, and more preferably 5% or less for wetted fibers; using squeeze alone typically results in variations of 50% or 100% or more).
[0009] An embodiment of the invention is to utilize a continuous centrifuge to control chemical formulation wet pickup on the fibers.
[0010] Another embodiment of the invention is to recycle the chemical formulation collected from the centrifuge to provide advantages such as lowering production costs and providing a more environmentally friendly process, etc.
[0011] Continuous centrifuges are used in many different industries, such as food, fine chemical, pharmaceutical, and textile industry. For example, continuous centrifuges are used in the textile industry to dewater wet textile fibers. The excess amount of water from bleached or dyed loose fibers from a dyeing machine needs to be removed before drying. Normally the amount of water on bleached cotton fibers, for example, is around 200˜400% on weight of the dried fiber. These wet cotton fibers cannot be dried without removing the excess amount of the water. Prior to this invention, continuous centrifuges were used for dewatering, and the present invention allows for control of the application of chemical formulation to fibers.
[0012] It has now been demonstrated herein that loose fibers which have been subjected to a chemical treatment bath (e.g., one that applies fire retardant chemicals, antimicrobials, insect repellants, etc., via a spray or soaking operation), can advantageously be passed through a continuous centrifuge to render the fibers to have a substantially even chemical distribution. That is, in the process chemically treated fibers from a chemical treatment bath are fed into an inlet of the centrifuge continuously and the fibers are released from the outlet of the centrifuge continuously have a substantially even chemical distribution within or on the surface of the fibers (e.g., the wet pick up of the chemical formulation from fiber to fiber varies by 10% or less, and more preferably 5% or less). Often, but not always required, the fibers released from the outlet will be dried in a dryer (e.g., oven or other drying apparatus). The processing proposed herein allows for continuous processing of fibers by ensuring application of chemicals on loose fibers with substantially even chemical distribution such that the fibers produced will have substantially uniform properties. In some embodiments, chemical formulations collected during the process are sent back to the treatment bath and reused (e.g., recycled for the purpose of protecting the environment, reducing costs, etc.)
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. 1 is a schematic flow diagram that shows a continuous chemical treatment system for loose fibers.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] The process of the present invention is intended to produce chemical-treated fibers in the most efficient and economical way as well as to produce the fibers with uniform quality in terms of chemical distribution on the fibers. An exemplary process which exploits the present invention is illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 .
[0015] Fibers are provided at the beginning of the process, for example as a bale form. The fibers can be natural fibers, man-made fibers, or combination of those. Natural fibers include, but are not limited to, cotton, ramie, coir, hemp, abaca, sisal, kapok, jute, flax, linen, kenaf, coconut fiber, pineapple fiber, wool, cashmere, and silk. Man-made fibers include, but are not limited to, polyester, nylon, acrylics, acetate, polyolefins, melamin fibers, elastomeric fibers, polybenzimidazole, aramid fibers, polyimide fibers, modacrylics, polyphenylene sulfide fibers, oxidized PAN fiber, carbon fibers, novoloid fibers, manufactured cellulosic fibers (e.g., rayon, lyocell, bamboo fiber, tencel®, and modal®), and manufactured FR cellulosic fibers (e.g., Visil®, Anti-fcell®, Daiwabo's FR Corona® fibers, Anti-frayon®, Sniace's FR rayon, and Lenzing FR®).
[0016] A conventional fiber opener 10 can be used to open a chunk of compact fibers from a bale into a loose fiber form and spread the opened loose fibers 12 on a conveyer belt or other apparatus which carries the fibers to the next step of the process. A fine opener may be used for better opening of the fibers. A continuous layer of the opened loose fibers is moved into and through a treatment bath 14 containing a chemical formulation (one or more chemicals; both aqueous and non-aqueous formulations being a chemical formulation according to the invention; however, water alone (i.e., without one or more chemicals) not constituting a chemical formulation according to the invention) and the fibers are completely soaked by the chemical formulation to produce treated loose fibers. For the fibers that need a longer time to be wet, the chemical formulation may be sprayed on the fibers before immersing them into the chemical formulation in the treatment bath 14 . Spraying may also occur after exit of the fibers from the immersion at the bath 14 . For the fibers that are relatively easy to be wet, exposure to the chemical spray in the system may be enough, and immersion may not be required. In some embodiments, a spraying system may be installed at the treatment bath 14 and the chemical formulation is supplied either from the bath 14 or a chemical formulation preparation tank 20 . When the spraying system is a part of the treatment bath 14 , excess amounts of chemical formulation sprayed on the fibers can be automatically collected in the treatment bath 14 .
[0017] During the chemical formulation treatment, the fibers preferably are stationary (i.e., fibers do not move freely in the chemical bath 14 ). One exemplary method to make fibers generally not to be floated or not to be tumbled in the treatment bath 14 is to utilize two perforated conveyer belts to hold fibers during the chemical treatment. In this case, the fibers are held between, for example, two perforated endless conveyer belts. Such a system prevents the fibers from floating in the bath 14 . This is advantageous since lost fibers left in the bath 14 will cause process issues, such as clogging draining system and sticking inside parts of the treatment bath system. The treatment bath 14 preferably includes a temperature control system to provide a specified temperature when exposing the fibers to the chemical formulation. The specified temperature may be varied depending on the requirements of different chemical formulations.
[0018] The soaked, treated loose fibers obtained after immersion or spraying or both in the chemical treatment bath 14 are squeezed by passing through a pair of squeeze rolls to remove excess amounts of chemical formulation to prevent dripping of the chemical formulation from the fibers while the fibers move to next step of the process. Preferred wet pickup after the squeeze rolls is around 200˜300%. But it will vary depending on type of fibers. In an environmental friendly embodiment and cost saving, the squeezed chemical formulation is collected into the treatment bath 14 to be reused for the continuous treatment. For this purpose, the squeeze rolls may preferably be a part of the treatment bath 14 and may be located at the end of the treatment bath 14 , so the squeezed chemical formulation is automatically collected into the bath 14 .
[0019] Then the squeezed fibers are moved to a continuous centrifuge 16 to remove additional chemical formulation from the fibers, and to control chemical formulation wet pickup on the fibers and to achieve a substantially even chemical distribution within or on the surface of the fibers. At this step, a conventional fiber opener and fiber distributer may be used to supply better opened fibers and controlled amount of fibers to the continuous centrifuge. The centrifugation step controls the final wet pickup of the chemical formulation on the fibers. Preferred wet pickup after the centrifugation is below 100% and more preferably at 50˜80%, but the final target wet pickup can be varied depending on different type of fibers and their liquid absorption characteristics. For continuous centrifugation, the controlled amount of squeezed fibers is fed into an inlet of the centrifuge continuously and centrifuged fibers are released through an outlet of the centrifuge continuously. The centrifuged fibers released from the outlet of the centrifuge will have substantially even chemical distribution (e.g., a variance of the wet pickup of the chemical formulation of less than 10% from fiber to fiber) such that the fibers produced will have substantially uniform properties. The continuous centrifuge system may include a cyclone and a feeder whereby fibers released from the continuous centrifuge are transferred to a cyclone to remove air flow from the fibers such that at the feeder supply a uniform layer of chemical-treated loose fibers is provided to a dryer continuously.
[0020] During the continuous centrifugation, extracted chemical formulation from the fibers may be collected and continuously sent to the treatment bath 14 (or a chemical formulation preparation tank 20 ) for reuse. At the same time a fresh chemical formulation from one or more chemical formulation preparation tanks 20 can be continuously supplied to the treatment bath 14 to replenish the depleted amount of the chemical formulation by fiber treatment and to keep a same level of the chemical formulation in the bath 14 .
[0021] The fibers released from the outlet of the continuous centrifuge 16 may be transferred to a conventional fiber dryer 18 continuously. This may be accomplished by first passing the released fibers from the centrifuge 16 through a cyclone and a feeder. A drying step advantageously removes residual water from the fibers and may assist in fixing chemicals on the fibers. The dried chemical-treated fibers may then be baled to be sent to further processes, such as yarn spinning or nonwoven production.
[0022] Exemplary chemicals which may be used for the treatment include but are not limited to softeners, hydrophilic agents, hydrophobic agents, water/oil repellents, anti-static agents, soil-release agents, spin finishes, flame retardants, antimicrobials, insect-repellents, UV absorbers, odor absorbers, fragrances, etc. In addition, a plurality of different chemicals (e.g., flame retardants and hydrophobic agents) or different types of chemicals within one category (e.g., two or more antimicrobials) could be used in the treatment.
[0023] A particular advantage of the present invention from prior art is that it permits continuous fiber treatment to be performed uniformly. That is, by utilizing a continuous centrifuge, the wet pickup of chemical formulation on the fibers is reliably and reproducibly controlled. This system and process provides for more precise control of wet pickup compared to squeezing system employed by the prior art. Also, the present invention does not require converting the fibers into a web or batt form as required in the prior art. That is, simply opened loose fibers can be treated with the system of the present invention.
[0024] While the present invention has been described in terms of preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be practiced with considerable modification within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.
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Repeatable and reliable chemical treatment for loose fibers is achieved by spraying or immersing loose fibers in a chemical treatment bath, and continuously moving the soaked fibers through a continuous centrifuge. The continuous centrifuge controls the wet pickup of the chemical formulation on the fibers and assures a substantially even chemical distribution on the centrifuged fibers. The centrifuged fibers may be dried to fix the chemicals in the chemical formulation to the fibers and/or to remove water from the chemical formulation. Recycling of the chemical formulation from the continuous centrifuge allows for the process to be performed more economically and in a more environmentally friendly fashion.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] PPA 60/643,412.
FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH
[0002] None.
SEQUENCE LISTING
[0003] None.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Water power has always been the most successful non polluting power source. Large hydroelectric dams give 95% of the power needs of Canada, 11% of the United States. But large scale water power plants have fallen out of favor in the United States and are becoming harder and harder to build.
[0005] This is the latest design that I have created; it is simple and can generate power from the slow (but powerful) flow of a river or ocean.
[0006] Creating usable power from the slow movement of rivers and oceans has been tried many times, without economic success. I believe these failures are due to those designs being too complicated and having those complicated parts being immersed in water. Both of these issues raise the cost of building those designs to the point of being economically impractical.
[0007] My design makes power off of the flow of a river at very slow speeds, efficiently and with almost no moving/wearable parts.
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,134, the “Loop Pump”, is the closest to what I am proposing. It uses a Spiral pump to raise water. Since I am not proposing to use the pressurized air and liquid created by the spiral pump be used to raise water, but to spin prime movers to create electricity, my design is different in its application and includes extra systems to achieve this purpose.
SUMMERY
[0009] This is an adaptation of very old devises. The undershot waterwheel has been around for thousands of years (its earliest incarnation as the “Persian waterwheel” or “Noria”) and the spiral pump was first described in Thomas Eubanks “Hydraulics and Mechanics” 1847 as the invention of a pewter in Zurich in 1746. These two devises have been used for quite some time to raise water for irrigation. I have taken these basic devises and added onto them to allow them to run turbines to create electricity.
[0010] The problem of creating electricity from a river has always been one of speed. Most common generators need at least 1000 RPM to generate significant amounts of power. Getting that type of revolutions per minute from a river that is moving between two and five miles an hour is problematic. In the past people have attempted to solve the problem by either using a large generator or a gearing system. Both of these solutions are expensive.
[0011] The undershot wheel and the spiral pump circumvent the problem by changing the mechanical motion of the wheel into hydraulic and pneumatic pressure.
[0012] The more pressure that is built in the system, the slower the wheel will turn. The slower the wheel turns the greater the impact of the river onto the paddles of the wheel, the greater the power that is generated.
DRAWINGS
[0013] Illustration one is an angular view of the spiral pump assembly (not broken down) the spiral pump and the waterwheel to show how they connect to one another.
[0014] Illustration two is a power flow chart that shows in detail how the separator tank, hydro turbine, air turbine and generator are connected together.
[0015] Illustration three is an angular view, which shows the scoop assembly in detail and shows how it connects to the spiral pump.
[0016] Illustration four is an angular view, which shows the rotating coupling side of the Pressure wheel. It breaks down into detail how the rotating coupling and spiral pump connect.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] Illustration one shows the basic configuration of the scoop assembly ( 3 ), the spiral pump ( 1 ) and the undershot waterwheel ( 6 ). Everything rests on a support frame ( 20 ). The support frame is only shown on one side for simplicity sake. The spiral pump ( 1 ) is located on both sides of the waterwheel ( 6 ) for stability
[0018] Illustration two is a power flow chart. Its main purpose is to show how the separator tank ( 9 ), hydro turbine ( 16 ), the air turbine ( 15 ) and the electric generator are hooked to one another. The scoop assembly ( 3 ), spiral pump ( 1 ), waterwheel ( 6 ) and rotating coupling are shown in the abstract with just a side showing of a wheel.
[0019] Illustration three shows the scoop assembly ( 3 ) in detail. It shows the scoop ( 12 ) connected to the beginning of the spiral pump ( 1 ) which is labeled spiral pump hose ( 10 ). This is done to show the hose going through the axle ( 5 ) and the bearing ( 4 ). The illustration also shows the fluid return line ( 8 ) and the air inlet hole ( 2 ). From this we can infer the beginning and the end of the complete system. The support frame is not shown for simplicity sake.
[0020] Illustration 4 shows the rotating coupling ( 7 ) side of the Pressure wheel. The main point of this illustration is to make it clear how the spiral pump ( 1 ) connects to the rotating coupling ( 7 ), which in turn connects to the pressurized fluid and air hose ( 13 ). This connection is accomplished by the spiral pump ( 1 ) going through the axle ( 5 ) and the bearing ( 4 ) (this section of the spiral pump ( 1 ) is shown as spiral pump hose ( 10 ) to clarify this point) connecting to the Rotating coupling ( 7 ) and then to the pressurized fluid and air hose.
REFERANCE NUMERALS
[0000]
1 . Spiral pump
2 . Air Inlet
3 . Scoop assembly
4 . Bearings
5 . Axle
6 . Waterwheel
7 . Rotating coupling
8 . Fluid return line
9 . Separator tank
10 . Spiral pump hose
11 . Hydraulic reservoir
12 . Scoop
13 . Pressurized fluid and air hose
14 . Electric generator
15 . Air turbine
16 . Hydro turbine
17 . Pressurized air line
18 . Pressurized fluid line
19 . Float valve
20 .Support frame
Operation:
[0041] The undershot water wheel is partially immersed in the flowing water ( 6 ). The Water wheels blades ( 6 ) are impacted upon by the flowing water, causing the wheel to turn on its two bearings ( 4 ). As the wheel turns the scoop ( 12 ) in the scoop assembly ( 3 ) and picks up fluid and air puts it into the spiral pump ( 1 ) by way of the spiral pump tube running through the bearing ( 4 ) and axle ( 5 ). The spirals are half full of liquid, and the air and fluid are moved along by the rotation of the wheel filling all of the spirals of one side of the spiral pump ( 1 ) and then going to the other side to finish filling the spiral pump completely with fluid and air through a spiral pump hose going from one side to the other ( 25 ). The liquid and air then exit the other side of the spiral pump ( 1 ) through the axle ( 5 ) and other bearing ( 4 ). At this point there is a spiral coupling ( 7 ) outside of the wheel, allowing the air and water to leave the spinning wheel and spiral pump and enter into the pressurized fluid and air hose ( 13 ), which is not spinning.
[0042] The liquid and air then enter a separator tank ( 25 ). The purpose of this tank is to separate the air and liquid. To achieve this a float valve ( 19 ) is used. It regulates the level of the water in the separator tank by releasing pressurized air when the water level gets to low.
[0043] From the separator tank ( 25 ), liquid goes to a hydro turbine ( 16 ) and the air goes to an air turbine ( 15 ), which are connected together by a common shaft ( 20 ).
[0044] When the liquid gets to the hydro turbine ( 16 ), and the air gets to the closed air turbine ( 15 ), restrictions are created. As the waterwheel ( 6 ) continues to turn, the restriction causes the air and the water in the spiral pump ( 1 ) behind it to back up. As this occurs, the liquid in the spiral pump hoses, which have been level, start backing up, creating vertical columns of liquid. All of this action causes pressure to be built. Each vertical column of water builds pressure onto the one in front of it leading to a sum effect of all of the vertical columns.
[0045] This pressurized air and water then act on the hydro turbine ( 16 ) and air turbine ( 15 ) and cause them to spin, turning the common shaft ( 20 ), which turns the generator ( 14 ) and creates electricity.
[0046] Once through the hydro turbine ( 16 ), the fluid is then gravity fed back to the scoop reservoir, so the process may start over. The air that goes through the air turbine ( 15 ) is released to the atmosphere.
[0000] Operation:
[0047] A variation of this concept is to take a submersed turbine with a spiral pump attached to accomplish the same task as an undershot waterwheel. The scoop assembly, separator tank assembly, hydro turbine, air turbine and generator would still be required for this configuration to make electricity.
[0048] Another variation of this concept is to use an overshot waterwheel or breast waterwheel instead of an undershot wheel. The scoop assembly, separator tank assembly,
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An waterwheel ( 6 ) using a spiral pump ( 1 ) which is attached to a scoop assembly ( 3 ) which runs the air and fluid to a separator tank ( 9 ), which then allows the air to an air turbine ( 15 ) and the fluid to a hydro turbine ( 16 ) will produce pressure which will turn the turbines listed which in turn will rotate an electrical generator producing electricity. This system changes the flow of the river in to rotation movement, which produces pressure, which produces mechanical rotational movement to turn a generator, which generates electricity.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a beverage container insulator, and more particularly to a bicycle water bottle insulator.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As the populace of the world has become more health conscious, greater numbers of people have realized they need daily cardiovascular exercise. With this realization, many people have taken up the sport of bicycling. Many of these same people have desired a cold or hot beverage while on their rides. In response to this need, entrepreneurs have developed water bottles and cages for carrying the bottles; but keeping the beverages therein cold on warm summer afternoons or hot on brisk winter days has presented a problem.
Many solutions have been suggested to this problem. For example, some cyclists begin their rides with completely frozen bottles of water, while others use a bottle with a thick insulating wall and put this inside a specialized cage for retaining the bottle. Each of these prior art solutions, however, has its drawbacks: in thin wall containers, the ice either melts too fast or does not melt fast enough, and the use of the thick prior art insulator uses up precious space that could be used for fluid.
Another conventional solution has been to provide a separate insulating jacket for disposal inside the water bottle cage. However, any water bottle used with such a jacket must be of commensurately smaller volume. An additional problem with the idea of an insulating jacket that rests within the cage is that insertion and extraction of the bottle into and out of the jacket insulator can be difficult.
Thus, a need has arisen for a water bottle insulator that: (1) does not take up valuable fluid space; (2) is effective in maintaining the beverage in a water bottle at substantially the same temperature despite the outside environment; and (3) allows for easy insertion and extraction of the bottle to and from the insulator cavity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a beverage container insulator is provided which (1) is thin, (2) is effective in keeping the beverage container insulated from the warm or cold air around it, and (3) allows for easy insertion to and extraction from the insulator cavity. According to one aspect of the present invention, a bicycle water bottle insulator is presented which comprises a cylindrical sidewall and a bottom, each having a thin insulating layer. The cylindrical sidewall has an opening for allowing the insulator to be fitted around the bicycle water bottle and cage assembly. The insulator is also capable of being secured to the bicycle cage.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the insulator side and bottom walls are made of a three layered material. The middle layer is made of neoprene rubber foam and is 1/4±1/16 inches thick. The inner layer is made of a relatively slippery fabric such as nylon or Lycra, and the outer layer is made of some thin, durable fabric such as nylon, polyester or Lycra. The inner and outer layers may also be dyed various colors.
One advantageous property of this three layered, fabric-neoprene-fabric material is that it is flexible, yet rigid enough to hold a shape, unlike an insulator made from just fabric. The rigidity of the insulator is useful to a cyclist when he or she tries to insert a water bottle into the cavity while moving at a fairly high rate of speed.
Also, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, a slit is made to run down the length of the sidewall, parallel to the axis of the cylinder. A strapping mechanism is then attached to the outer surface of the cylinder which allows the slit to be held tightly closed, while at the same time allowing the cage-to-bicycle attachment apparatus to project through the enclosure. An example of a strapping mechanism that will perform the above task is a plurality of Velcro straps. The straps must be positioned appropriately on the outer surface of the insulator so that the cage-to-bicycle attachment apparatus can fit through the slit in the sidewall.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Various aspects of the invention and their advantages will be more completely understood by reference to the following Detailed Description in conjunction with the appended drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of the preferred embodiment of the invention showing a closure mechanism thereof in an open position;
FIG. 2 is an isometric, exploded-assembly view of an insulator according to the invention, as shown with a water bottle and a water bottle cage, the positioning of the insulator while in use being shown in phantom;
FIG. 3 is a frontal isometric view of an alternative embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 4 is a bottom isometric view of the alternative embodiment of FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring first to FIG. 1, a front isometric view of an insulating device according to the invention is shown. The insulating device is indicated generally at 10. The insulating device 10 has a cylindrical sidewall 12, preferably of fabric-faced neoprene rubber foam, between 3/16 and 5/16 inches thick, constructed in a manner similar to that for constructing a wetsuit. The sidewall 12 has an interior face 13 faced with a fabric layer 14. The fabric layer 14 may be made of a thin, relatively slippery material, like nylon or Lycra. Preferably, an exterior face 16 of the sidewall 12 has a fabric layer 18 that is made of a thin durable material like nylon, polyester, or Lycra. Both the fabric layers 14 and 18 may be dyed various colors, the combinations of which may be chosen to be attractive to the consumer. Also shown are the Velcro straps 20, 22, and 24 and the Velcro strap receiver 26, which together are used to close the insulating device 10 around a water bottle 28 and bottle cage 30 (see FIG. 2).
Referring now to FIG. 2, an isometric, exploded-assembly view of an insulator according to the invention is shown. Also shown are a water bottle 28, a water bottle cage 30, and the positioning of the insulator 10 while in use, in phantom. The insulating device 10 has a disk-shaped bottom piece 32. The disk-shaped bottom piece 32 is attached to the cylindrical sidewall 12 by glue or stitching. The cylindrical sidewall 12 is formed from a rectangular piece of fabric-faced neoprene rubber foam which at one end is wrapped around the disk-shaped bottom piece 32 so as to leave a slit running the length of the cylindrical sidewall 12. The rectangular piece used to form the cylindrical sidewall 12 has a width which is slightly less than the circumference of the disk-shaped bottom piece 32.
Before the cylindrical sidewall 12 and disk-shaped bottom piece 32 are attached to one another, the Velcro strap receiver 26 and Velcro straps 20, 22 and 24 are stitched onto the cylindrical sidewall 12 on opposite edges of the slit. The Velcro strap receiver 26 is attached so that it runs along substantially the full length of the slit of the cylindrical sidewall 12. The Velcro straps 20, 22 and 24 are attached on the other edge of the slit and positioned so that when the insulating device 10 is wrapped around the bottle cage 30, the Velcro strap 20 is above both of the attachment bolts 34, the Velcro strap 22 is between the attachment bolts 34, and the Velcro strap 24 is below the attachment bolts 34. The gaps between the Velcro straps 20, 22 and 24 allow for the attachment bolts 34 to project through the slit in the cylindrical sidewall 12 so that the bottle cage 30 may be substantially insulated while remaining coupled to the bicycle frame 36.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a frontal isometric view of a beverage container insulator according to an alternate embodiment of the invention is shown. The beverage container insulator is indicated generally at 38. The beverage container insulator 38 has a cylindrical sidewall 40 of fabric-faced neoprene rubber, preferably between 3/16 and 5/16 inches thick, constructed after the manner of a wetsuit. The sidewall 40 has an interior face 42 faced with a fabric layer 44. The fabric layer 44 is made of a thin, relatively slippery material like nylon or Lycra. Preferably, an exterior face 46 of the sidewall 38 has a fabric layer 48 that is made of a thin, durable material like nylon, polyester, or Lycra. Both of the fabric layers 44 and 48 may be dyed various colors, the combinations of which may be chosen to be attractive to the consumer.
Referring now to FIG. 4, a bottom isometric view of the beverage container insulator of FIG. 3 is shown. The beverage container insulator 38 has a disk-shaped bottom piece 50. The disk-shaped bottom piece 50 is attached to the cylindrical sidewall 40 by glue or stitching. The cylindrical sidewall 40 is formed from a length of fabric-faced neoprene rubber foam tubing with an inner diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the disk-shaped bottom piece 50. A peripheral margin of the disk-shaped bottom piece 50 is attached to a bottom margin of the cylindrical sidewall 40. The disk-shaped bottom piece 50 is preferably of similar thickness and fabric content as the composite cylinder sidewall 40.
Although the present invention has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions and alterations can be made hereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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An insulating device (10) for a bicycle water bottle (28) comprises a cylindrical sidewall (12) and a bottom (32). A slit runs down the sidewall (12) to allow the insulating device (10) to be fitted around a bottle (28) and cage (30). A strapping mechanism (20, 22, 24 and 26) is used to hold the slit closed and to attach the insulating device (10) adjacent the cage (30).
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RELATED U.S. APPLICATION DATA
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/953,037 filed on Nov. 23, 2010, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/765,982 filed on Apr. 23, 2010, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,867,385, which is a continuation of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 12/556,878, filed on Sep. 10, 2009, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,758,746 on Jul. 20, 2010, which is a continuation in part application of U.S. Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 11/868,031, filed on Oct. 5, 2007, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,749,379 on Jul. 6, 2010, which claims the benefit of priority from U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/828,501, filed on Oct. 6, 2006. The entire disclosures of the earlier applications are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Oil sands, also known as “tar sands” and “bituminous sands,” are a mixture of bitumen (tar), sand, and water. Bitumen is a heavy, viscous crude oil, having relatively high sulfur content. When properly separated from the oil sands, bitumen may be processed to synthetic crude oil suitable for use as a feedstock for the production of liquid motor fuels, heating oil, and petrochemicals. Oil sand fields exist throughout most of the world. Particularly significant deposits exist in Canada, including the Athabasca oil sands in Alberta, the United States, including the Utah oil sands, South America, including the Orinoco oil sands in Venezuela, and Africa, including the Nigerian oil sands http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orinoco_Belt. A majority of all of the known oil in the world is contained in oil sands.
[0003] Bitumen is very difficult to separate from oil sands in an efficient and environmentally acceptable manner. Current efforts to separate bitumen from oil sands typically yield only about 85-92% of the available bitumen. Moreover, current efforts to separate bitumen from oil sands include the creation of emulsions, or “froth,” during processing, requiring the use of environmentally harmful organic solvents such as naphtha to “crack” the emulsions and allow for further processing. In addition, the bitumen that remains in the sand (and other particulate matter, such as clay) component of the oil sands contributes to the creation of a heavy sludge, often referred to as “tailings.” Current practice for the disposal of the tailings, which are comprised of unrecovered bitumen, sand (and other particulate matter), and water is to pump the tailings into huge tailings ponds, where the sand and other particulate matter slowly settle and stratify over the course of several years.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present exemplary embodiments describe compositions and methods for separating bitumen from oil sands in an efficient and environmentally acceptable manner, and for recovering residual bitumen from existing tailings ponds.
[0005] According to one aspect of the present embodiments, a composition is provided, comprising a separating composition comprising a hydrotropic agent and a dispersant having flocculating characteristics, wherein the separating composition has a pH of greater than 7.5.
[0006] According to another aspect of the present embodiments, a separating composition is provided, comprising from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of a hydrotropic agent; and from about 0.25% to about 4.5% by weight of a dispersant having flocculating characteristics.
[0007] According to another aspect of the present embodiments, a separating composition for separating bitumen from oil sands or tailings is provided, comprising from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of an aromatic phosphate ester having the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 5 linear or branched alkyl group and n=1 to 8; from about 0.001% to about 4.5% by weight of sodium acid pyrophosphate; from about 0.001% to about 4.5% by weight of tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; from about 2% to about 9.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide; and from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of phosphoric acid, wherein the separating composition has a pH of from about 7.0 to about 8.5.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0008] As used herein, the term “about” means “approximately,” and, in any event, may indicate as much as a 10% deviation from the number being modified.
[0009] As used herein, “essentially free” means an amount less than about 0.1%.
[0010] In one embodiment, a composition is provided, comprising a separating composition comprising a hydrotropic agent, and a dispersant having flocculating characteristics, wherein the separating composition has a pH of greater than 7.5.
[0011] In one embodiment, the composition further comprises a wetting agent. Suitable wetting agents may include, for example, one or more of DYNOL™ 607 Surfactant (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 420 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 440 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 465 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 485 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), DYNOL™ 604 Surfactant (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), TOMADOL® 91-2.5 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 91-6 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 91-8 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 1-3 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 1-5 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 1-7 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 1-73B (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 1-9 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 23-1 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 23-3 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 23-5 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 23-6.5 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 25-3 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 25-7 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 25-9 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 25-12 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 45-7 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TOMADOL® 45-13 (Tomah Products, Inc.), TRITON™ X-207 Surfactant (Dow Chemical Company), TRITON™ CA Surfactant (Dow Chemical Company), NOVEC™ Fluorosurfactant FC-4434 (3M Company), POLYFOX™ AT-1118B (Omnova Solutions, Inc.), ZONYL® 210 (Dupont), ZONYL® 225 (Dupont), ZONYL® 321 (Dupont), ZONYL® 8740 (Dupont), ZONYL® 8834L (Dupont), ZONYL® 8857A (Dupont), ZONYL® 8952 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9027 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9338 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9360 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9361 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9582 (Dupont), ZONYL® 9671 (Dupont), ZONYL® FS-300 (Dupont), ZONYL® FS-500 (Dupont), ZONYL® FS-610 (Dupont), ZONYL® 1033D (Dupont), ZONYL® FSE (DuPont), ZONYL® FSK (DuPont), ZONYL® FSH (DuPont), ZONYL® FSJ (DuPont), ZONYL® FSA (DuPont), ZONYL® FSN-100 (DuPont), LUTENSOL® OP 30-70% (BASF), LUTENSOL® A 12 N (BASF), LUTENSOL® A 3 N (BASF), LUTENSOL® A 65 N (BASF), LUTENSOL® A 9 N (BASF), LUTENSOL® AO 3 (BASF), LUTENSOL® AO 4 (BASF), LUTENSOL® AO 8 (BASF), LUTENSOL® AT 25 (BASF), LUTENSOL® AT 55 PRILL SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® CF 10 90 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® DNP 10 (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP 4 (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP 10 (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP-100 PASTILLE (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP-6 (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP-70-70% (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP-50 (BASF), LUTENSOL® NP 9 (BASF), LUTENSOL® ON 40 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® ON 60 (BASF), LUTENSOL® OP-10 (BASF), LUTENSOL® TDA 10 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® TDA 3 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® TDA 6 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® TDA 9 SURFACTANT (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 69 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 100 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 140 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 40 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 50 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 60 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 70 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 79 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 80 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 89 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 90 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XL 99 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 100 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 140 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 30 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 40 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 50 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 60 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 69 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 70 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 79 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 80 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 89 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 90 (BASF), LUTENSOL® XP 99 (BASF), MACOL® 16 SURFACTANT (BASF), MACOL® CSA 20 POLYETHER (BASF), MACOL® LA 12 SURFACTANT (BASF), MACOL® LA 4 SURFACTANT (BASF), MACOL® LF 110 SURFACTANT (BASF), MACOL® LF 125A SURFACTANT (BASF), MAZON® 1651 SURFACTANT (BASF), MAZOX® LDA Lauramine OXIDE (BASF), PLURAFAC® AO8A Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® B-26 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® B25-5 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® D25 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® LF 1200 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® LF 2210 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® LF 4030 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® LF 7000 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® RA-20 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® RA 30 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® RA 40 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® RCS 43 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® RCS 48 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® S205LF Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® S305LF Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® S505LF Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SL 62 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SL 92 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SL-22 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SL-42 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SLF 37 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SLF-18 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® SLF-18B-45 Surfactant (BASF), PLURAFAC® L1220 Surfactant (BASF), PLURONIC® 10R5SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® 17R2 (BASF), PLURONIC® 17R4 (BASF), PLURONIC® 25R2 (BASF), PLURONIC® 25R4 (BASF), PLURONIC® 31R1 (BASF), PLURONIC® F108 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F108 NF CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F108 NF PRILL SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F108 PASTILLE SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F127 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F127 NF PRILL Surfactant (BASF), PLURONIC® F127NF 500BHT CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F38 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® PASTILLE (BASF), PLURONIC® F68 LF PASTILLE SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F68 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F77 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F-77 MICRO PASTILLE SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F87 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F88 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® F98 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® L10 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® L101 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® L121 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® L31 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® L92 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® N-3 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P103 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P105 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P123 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P65 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P84 SURFACTANT (BASF), PLURONIC® P85 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 1107 micro-PASTILLE SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 1107 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 1301 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 1304 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 1307 Surfactant (BASF), TETRONIC® 1307 SURFACTANT PASTILLE (BASF), TETRONIC® 150R1SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 304 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 701 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 901 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 904 SURFACTANT (BASF), TETRONIC® 908 CAST SOLID SURFACTANT (BASF), and TETRONIC® 908 PASTILLE SURFACTANT (BASF), and mixtures thereof. In one specific embodiment, the wetting agent may include one or more ethoxylated acetylenic alcohols, such as, for example, 2,5,8,11-tetramethyl-6-dodecyn-5,8-diol ethoxylate.
[0012] In another embodiment, the composition excludes a wetting agent altogether. In one embodiment, the exclusion of a wetting allows for an increased surface tension in the composition. Lower surface tensions may encourage the formation of emulsions that interfere with the flocculation of solids out of the composition when applied to oil sands. Lower surface tension further may interfere with the transference of mechanical energy within the system.
[0013] Suitable hydrotropic agents may include, for example, one or more of TRITON® H-66 (Dow Chemical Company), TRITON® H-55 (Dow Chemical Company), TRITON® QS-44 (Dow Chemical Company), TRITON® XQS-20 (Dow Chemical Company), TRITON® X-15 (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-35 (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-45 (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-114 (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-100 (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-165 (70%) active (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-305 (70%) active (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® X-405 (70%) active (Union Carbide Corporation), TRITON® BG Nonionic Surfactant (Union Carbide Corporation), TERGITOL® MinFoam 1× (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® L-61 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® L-64 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® L-81 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® L-101 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-4 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-6 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-7 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-8 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-9 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-11 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-12 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-13 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-15 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-30 (Dow Chemical Company), TERGITOL® NP-40 (Dow Chemical Company), SURFYNOL® 420 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 440 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 465 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), SURFYNOL® 485 (Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.), MAPHOS® 58 ESTER (BASF), MAPHOS® 60 A Surfactant (BASF), MAPHOS® 66 H ESTER (BASF), MAPHOS® 8135 ESTER (BASF), MAPHOS® M-60 ESTER (BASF), 6660 K Hydrotroping Phosphate Ester Salt (Burlington Chemical), BURCOFAC 7580 Aromatic Phosphate Ester (Burlington Chemical), and BURCOFAC 9125 (Burlington Chemical), and mixtures thereof.
[0014] In one specific embodiment, the hydrotropic agent may be one or more aromatic phosphate esters, such as, for example, an aromatic phosphate ester having the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 5 linear or branched alkyl group and n=1 to 8.
[0015] Suitable dispersants having flocculating characteristics may include, for example, one or more of sodium acid pyrophosphate, tetrapotassium pyrophosphate, monosodium phosphate (H 6 NaO 6 P), monoammonium phosphate ((NH 4 )PO 4 ), sodium acid phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium trimetaphosphate, sodium laurel phosphate, sodium phosphate, pentapotassium triphosphate, potassium triphosphate, tetraborate potassium tripolyphosphate, potassium phosphate-monobasic, potassium phosphate-dibasic, monopotassium phosphate, and tripotassium phosphate, and mixtures thereof. In one specific embodiment, the dispersant having flocculating characteristics may include one or more pyrophosphate salts, including, for example, one or more of sodium acid pyrophosphate and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate.
[0016] In one embodiment, the hydrotropic agent may be present in the amount of from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of the separating composition. The dispersant having flocculating characteristics may be present in the amount of from about 0.25% to about 4.5% by weight of the separating composition.
[0017] In one embodiment, the separating composition may further comprise a strong base, such as, for example, hydroxides of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, such as, for example, NaOH, KOH, Ba(OH) 2 , CsOH, SrOH, Ca(OH) 2 , LiOH, RbOH, NaH, LDA, and NaNH 2 . As used herein, a “strong base” is a chemical compound having a pH of greater than about 13. The strong base may be present in the amount of from about 2% to about 9.5% by weight of the separating composition.
[0018] In one embodiment, the separating composition may further comprise a heavy acid, such as, for example, phosphoric acid, nitric acid, sulfuric acid, hydronic acid, hydrobromic acid, perchloric acid, fluoromatic acid, magic acid (FSO 3 HSbF 5 ), carborane super acid [H(CHB 11 Cl 11 )], triflic acid, ethanoic acid, and acetylsalicylic acid. As used herein, a “heavy” acid is an acid having a specific gravity greater than about 1.5. The heavy acid may be present in the amount of from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of the separating composition.
[0019] In one embodiment, the pH of the separating composition may be greater than 7.5. The pH of the separating composition may also be from about 7.0 to about 8.5. The pH of the separating composition may also be from about 7.6 to about 7.8.
[0020] In another embodiment, the composition may be essentially free of organic solvent. As used herein, the term “organic solvent” refers to solvents that are organic compounds and contain carbon atoms such as, for example, naphtha, benzene, and other hydrocarbon solvents.
[0021] In addition to the separating composition, the composition may also comprise hydrocarbon containing materials, such as oil sands, tailings, sludge, and the like. The ratio of the separating composition to the hydrocarbon containing materials may be from about 1:100 to about 100:1, from about 1:10 to about 10:1, from about 2:3 to about 3:2, or about 1:1.
[0022] In yet another embodiment, a separating composition is provided, comprising from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of a hydrotropic agent; and from about 0.25% to about 4.5% by weight of a dispersant having flocculating characteristics. The separating composition may have a pH of greater than 7.5; from about 7.0 to about 8.5; or from about 7.6 to about 7.8. The hydrotropic agent may be, for example, MAPHOS® 66H aromatic phosphate ester. The dispersant having flocculating characteristics may be, for example, one or more of sodium acid pyrophosphate and tetrapotassium pyrophosphate.
[0023] The separating composition may further comprise a strong base, which may be, for example, sodium hydroxide. The strong base may be present in the amount of from about 2% to about 9.5% by weight of the separating composition. The separating composition may further comprise a heavy acid, which may be, for example, phosphoric acid. The heavy acid may be present in the amount of from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of the separating composition. The separating composition may also be essentially free or completely free of organic solvent.
[0024] In one embodiment, a separating composition for separating bitumen from oil sands or tailings is provided, comprising from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of an aromatic phosphate ester having the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 5 linear or branched alkyl group and n=1 to 8; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of sodium acid pyrophosphate; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; from about 2.0% to about 9.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide; and from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of phosphoric acid. The separating composition may have a pH of from about 7.0 to about 8.5. The separating composition may also be essentially free of organic solvent.
[0025] In one embodiment, a method for separating bitumen from oil sands is provided, comprising contacting a separating composition comprising a hydrotropic agent and a dispersant having flocculating characteristics with oil sands comprising bitumen and sand; heating the separating composition and the oil sands; agitating the separating composition and the oil sands; and recovering the bitumen and sand as separate products. The pH of the separating composition may be greater than 7.5; from about 7.0 to about 8.5; or from about 7.6 to about 7.8.
[0026] In one embodiment, the separating composition used in the exemplary method may be comprised of from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of a hydrotropic agent; and from about 0.25% to about 4.5% by weight of a dispersant having flocculating characteristics.
[0027] In another embodiment, the separating composition used in the exemplary method may be comprised of from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of an aromatic phosphate ester having the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 5 linear or branched alkyl group and n=1 to 8; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of sodium acid pyrophosphate; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; from about 2% to about 9.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide; and from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of phosphoric acid.
[0028] With respect to the process conditions under which the exemplary method may be carried out, the separating composition and the oil sands may be heated to greater than 25° C.; from about 32° C. to about 72° C.; or from about 54° C. to about 60° C. Any source of heat within the ambit of those skilled in the art may be used. Similarly, any device capable of providing sufficient agitation may be used to agitate the separating composition and the oil sands, including, for example, a high shear mixer, high speed attritor, high speed dispersers, fluidized beds, and the like, or any other device capable of providing sufficient agitation within the ambit of those skilled in the art.
[0029] In one embodiment, the ratio of the separating composition to the oil sands may be from about 2:3 to about 3:2. In another embodiment, the ratio of the separating composition to the oil sands may be about 1:1.
[0030] The recovered bitumen may be essentially emulsion-free. The exemplary method may be performed without the addition of organic solvent.
[0031] In some circumstances, it may prove desirable to subject the separated, recovered bitumen to a second or subsequent aliquot of separating composition. In such a case, the exemplary method further comprises contacting the separated, recovered bitumen with a second or subsequent aliquot of fresh separating composition; heating the fresh separating composition and the bitumen; agitating the fresh separating composition and the recovered bitumen; and recovering the resulting bitumen. Such a “rinse” cycle may be repeated until the bitumen is essentially free of any sand or other particulate matter.
[0032] In another embodiment, the separating composition may be recyclable. Thus, the exemplary method further comprises recovering the separating composition; contacting the recovered separating composition with a second or subsequent aliquot of oil sands comprising bitumen and sand; heating the recovered separating composition and the second or subsequent aliquot of oil sands; agitating the recovered separating composition and the second or subsequent aliquot of oil sands; and recovering the bitumen and sand as separate products.
[0033] In another embodiment, a method is disclosed for processing existing tailings, both to salvage remaining bitumen and to allow for redeposit of the essentially bitumen-free sand. The method may comprise contacting a separating composition comprising a hydrotropic agent and a dispersant having flocculating characteristics with tailings comprising bitumen and sand; heating the separating composition and the tailings; agitating the separating composition and the tailings; and recovering the bitumen and sand as separate products. The pH of the separating composition may be greater than 7.5; from about 7.0 to about 8.5; or from about 7.6 to about 7.8.
[0034] In one embodiment, the separating composition used in the exemplary method for processing existing tailings may be comprised of from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of a hydrotropic agent; and from about 0.25% to about 4.5% by weight of a dispersant having flocculating characteristics.
[0035] In another embodiment, the separating composition used in the exemplary method for processing existing tailings may be comprised of from about 0.1% to about 4.0% by weight of an aromatic phosphate ester having the formula:
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 5 linear or branched alkyl group and n=1 to 8; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of sodium acid pyrophosphate; from about 0% to about 4.5% by weight of tetrapotassium pyrophosphate; from about 2% to about 9.5% by weight of sodium hydroxide; and from about 1.7% to about 8.6% by weight of phosphoric acid.
[0036] With respect to the process conditions under which the exemplary method for processing existing tailings may be carried out, the separating composition and the tailings may be heated to greater than 25° C.; from about 32° C. to about 72° C.; or from about 54° C. to about 60° C. Any source of heat within the ambit of those skilled in the art may be used. Similarly, any device capable of providing sufficient agitation may be used to agitate the separating composition and the tailings, including, for example, a high shear mixer, high speed attritor, high speed dispersers, fluidized beds, and the like, or any other device capable of providing sufficient agitation within the ambit of those skilled in the art.
[0037] In one embodiment, the ratio of the separating composition to the tailings may be from about 2:3 to about 3:2. In another embodiment, ratio of the separating composition to the tailings may be about 1:1.
[0038] The recovered bitumen may be essentially emulsion-free. The exemplary method may be performed without the addition of organic solvent.
[0039] In some circumstances, it may prove desirable to subject the separated, recovered bitumen from the tailings to a second or subsequent aliquot of separating composition. In such a case, the exemplary method further comprises contacting the separated, recovered bitumen with a second or subsequent aliquot of fresh separating composition; heating the fresh separating composition and the bitumen; agitating the fresh separating composition and the recovered bitumen; and recovering the resulting bitumen. Such a “rinse” cycle may be repeated until the bitumen is essentially free of any sand or other particulate matter.
[0040] In another embodiment, the separating composition may be recyclable. Thus, the exemplary method for processing existing tailings would further comprise recovering the separating composition; contacting the recovered separating composition with a second or subsequent aliquot of tailings comprising bitumen and sand; heating the recovered separating composition and the second or subsequent aliquot of tailings; agitating the recovered separating composition and the second or subsequent aliquot of tailings; and recovering the bitumen and sand as separate products.
[0041] The present embodiments have been described mainly in the context of lab-scale results. However, it should be appreciated that the results described herein are meant to embody the entire process by which oil sands are obtained, the extraction of bitumen from the oil sands, and the further processing of the extracted bitumen. By way of example, mining shovels dig oil sand ore and load it into trucks or other transportation means. The trucks take the oil sands to crushers where the oil sands are broken down in size. The broken down oil sands are added to a mixing tank and contacted with the separating composition as described herein. The separated bitumen is augered and pumped to storage, and then further refined to produce synthetic crude oil suitable for use as a feedstock for the production of liquid motor fuels, heating oil, and petrochemicals.
[0042] The following examples are provided to illustrate various embodiments and shall not be considered as limiting in scope.
Example 1
Separation of Bitumen from Athabasca Oil Sands
[0043] 300 g of the following separating composition was prepared and placed in a 1 L beaker:
[0000]
Composition 1
270.84
g
H 2 O
10.8
g
Phosphoric acid 75%
1.20
g
Sodium acid pyrophosphate
13.44
g
Caustic soda 50%
3.12
g
Tetrapotassium pyrophosphate
60%
0.60
g
MAPHOS ® 66 H ESTER
[0044] The beaker containing Composition 1 was charged with 300 g of Athabasca oil sands. The resultant slurry was heated to between 54° C. and 60° C. A high shear lab mixer was lowered into the beaker and the slurry was stirred at 3500 rpm for 3 minutes. The mixer was removed from the beaker. Over the course of the next 5-30 minutes, complete phase separation occurred within the beaker. Four separate, distinct phases were observed. The top, first layer contained bitumen. The second layer contained the separating composition. The third layer contained clay. The bottom, fourth layer contained sand and other particulate matter.
[0045] The beaker contents were allowed to cool, at which time the bitumen was removed from the beaker by use of a spoon (although other physical separation means such as decanting or the use of a syringe or other suction device could also be utilized. The bitumen was determined to be greater than 99% free of contaminants, including sand and clay. Approximately 45 g of bitumen was recovered, representing greater than 99% of all of the available bitumen in the sample of oil sands.
[0046] The sand was also recovered and determined to be greater than 99% free of bitumen. The sand was placed in a drying oven at 72° C. for 8 hours and, after cooling to room temperature, was able to be sifted through a 20-25 mesh sieve.
[0047] To further quantify the amount of bitumen remaining in the sand, 255 g of the dried sand was placed in a beaker. 255 g of toluene was added to the sand. The resultant slurry was agitated, then allowed to settle. The toluene was then decanted from the sand. The decanted toluene was visually inspected and found to be clear. The sand was dried again at 72° C. for 8 hours to evaporate any remaining toluene. Thereafter, the sand was weighed, and 255 g of sand remained.
Example 2
Separation of Bitumen from Utah Oil Sands
[0048] 300 g of the following separating composition was prepared and placed in a 1 L beaker:
[0000]
Composition 2
263.55
g
H 2 O
13.55
g
Phosphoric acid 75%
1.50
g
Sodium acid pyrophosphate
16.80
g
Caustic soda 50%
3.90
g
Tetrapotassium pyrophosphate
60%
0.75
g
MAPHOS ® 66 H ESTER
[0049] The beaker containing Composition 2 was charged with 300 g of Utah oil sands. The resultant slurry was heated to between 54° C. and 60° C. A high shear lab mixer was lowered into the beaker and the slurry was stirred at 3500 rpm for 3 minutes. The mixer was removed from the beaker. Over the course of the next 5-30 minutes, complete phase separation occurred within the beaker. Four separate, distinct phases were observed. The top, first layer contained bitumen. The second layer contained the separating composition. The third layer contained clay. The bottom, fourth layer contained sand and other particulate matter.
[0050] The beaker contents were allowed to cool, at which time the bitumen was removed from the beaker by use of a spoon (although other physical separation means such as decanting or the use of a syringe or other suction device could also be utilized. The bitumen was determined to be greater than 99% free of contaminants, including sand and clay. Approximately 40 g of bitumen was recovered, representing greater than 99% of the available bitumen in the sample of oil sands.
[0051] The sand was also recovered and determined to be greater than 99% free of bitumen. The sand was placed in a drying oven at 72° C. for 8 hours and, after cooling to room temperature, was able to be sifted through a 20-25 mesh sieve.
[0052] To further quantify the amount of bitumen remaining in the sand, 266 g of the dried sand was placed in a beaker. 266 g of toluene was added to the sand. The resultant slurry was agitated, then allowed to settle. The toluene was then decanted from the sand. The decanted toluene was visually inspected and found to be clear. The sand was dried again at 72° C. for 8 hours to evaporate any remaining toluene. Thereafter, the sand was weighed, and 266 g of sand remained.
Example 3
Preparation of Separating Composition Using River Water
[0053] River water from the Athabasca River located in northern Alberta province, Canada (“River Water”) was provided from Canada. 800 g of separating composition was made using the River Water and according to a standard formula (provided below in Table 1). 210 g of the separating composition was mixed with 90 g of Canadian Oil Sands (from the Athabasca region in northern Alberta province, Canada). Prior to mixing with the Canadian Oil Sands, the pH of the separating composition was adjusted to 7.76 using phosphoric acid.
[0054] The mixture of the separating composition and Canadian Oil Sands was placed into a Mason jar. The samples were heated to 140° F. (about 61° C.) using a microwave oven. After heating, in order to disperse the mixture, a 10,000 rpm high speed disperser with 1″ blade was utilized. A Premier Mill, Series 2000, Model 2000, 110 V, 1 horsepower, 12 amp bench top disperser was utilized as the high speed disperser. The disperser was utilized for approximately 3 minutes. Thereafter, as the sample sat in place the constituents settled and distinct layers began to form. Within a half hour three distinct layers had formed with bitumen in the top layer, the used separating composition in the second layer, and solids (e.g., sand and clay) in the third layer. The result achieved in terms of the separating into three distinct layers appeared to be almost exactly as a control (made using Deionized Water) indicating that the River Water would be acceptable for use in preparing the separating composition with no need for pre-treatment.
[0055] After the Mason Jar contents had cooled and the three distinct layers had formed (approximately 1 hour), the bitumen was removed from the Mason Jar by use of a spoon (although other physical separation means such as decanting or the use of a syringe or other suction device could also be utilized. The bitumen was determined to be greater than 99% free of contaminants, including sand and clay. Approximately 9 g of bitumen was recovered, representing greater than 99% of all of the available bitumen in the sample of Canadian Oil Sands.
[0000]
Amount
(grams)
Ingredient
184
Water
9.45
Phosphoric acid
(75%)
1.05
Sodium acid
pyrophosphate
11.7
Caustic soda (50%)
2.73
Tetrapotassium
pyrophosphate
(60%)
0.52
MAPHOS ® 66 H
ESTER
Example 4
Preparation of Separating Composition with Process Water
[0056] Process water (or recirculation water) utilized in the processing of Athabasca oil sands was provided from Canada (“Process Water”). The Process Water was brown-colored and appeared to contain clay suspended in an emulsion. 800 g of separating composition was made using the Process Water according to the standard formula provided above in Table 1. The separating composition was allowed to sit for a hour during which time all or substantially all of the clay in the Process Water flocculated out and settled. After flocculation and settling had occurred, the separating solution was decanted away from the flocculated clay. Thereafter, the separating composition was adjusted to a pH of 7.76 (using phosphoric acid) and then 210 g of the separating composition was mixed with 90 g of Canadian Oil Sands (from the Athabasca region in northern Alberta province, Canada).
[0057] The mixture of the separating composition and the Canadian Oil Sands was placed into a Mason jar. The samples were heated to 140° C. using a microwave oven. After heating, in order to disperse the mixture, a 10,000 rpm high speed disperser with 1″ blade was utilized. A Premier Mill, Series 2000, Model 2000, 110 V, 1 horsepower, 12 amp bench top disperser was utilized as the high speed disperser. The disperser was utilized for approximately 3 minutes. Thereafter, as the sample sat in place the constituents settled and distinct layers began to form. Within a half hour three distinct layers had formed with bitumen in the top layer, the used separating composition in the second layer, and solids (e.g., sand and clay) in the third layer. The reaction was almost exactly as the control indicating that the Process Water would be acceptable for use in preparing the separating composition with no need for pre-treatment.
[0058] After the Mason Jar contents had cooled and the three distinct layers had formed (approximately 1 hour), the bitumen was removed from the Mason Jar by use of a spoon (although other physical separation means such as decanting or the use of a syringe or other suction device could also be utilized. The bitumen was determined to be greater than 99% free of contaminants, including sand and clay. Approximately 9 g of bitumen was recovered, representing greater than 99% of all of the available bitumen in the sample of Canadian Oil Sands.
Example 5
Separation of Bitumen Tailings Ponds MFT (Mature Fine Tailings 30% Sample
[0059] 800 g of separating composition was made with River Water, as provided above in Example 4. A sample of mature fine tailings from a tailings pond in the Athabasca region of Northern Alberta province, Canada, (“MFT Pond Sample”) was provided from Canada. Generally, mature fine tailings consist of an emulsion of solids (e.g., sand and clay), bitumen and water and while varying in age can be several decades old (e.g., 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years). The MFT Pond Sample contained approximately 30% solids (sand, clay and bitumen) and approximately 70% water and was thick, viscous and dark in color with a pungent odor (believed to be from the presence of anaerobic bacteria). Again, 210 g of the separating composition was utilized and this time mixed with 90 g of the MFT Pond Sample. Prior to mixing with the Canadian Oil Sands, the pH of the separating composition was adjusted to 7.8 using phosphoric acid.
[0060] The mixture of the separating composition and Canadian Oil Sands was placed into a Mason jar. The samples were heated to 140° C. using a microwave oven. After heating, in order to disperse the mixture, a 10,000 rpm high speed disperser with 1″ blade was utilized. A Premier Mill, Series 2000, Model 2000, 110 V, 1 horsepower, 12 amp bench top disperser was utilized as the high speed disperser. The disperser was utilized for approximately 3 minutes.
[0061] Thereafter, as the sample sat in place the constituents settled and distinct layers began to form within about 15 minutes. Within a half hour three distinct layers had formed with bitumen in the top layer, the used separating composition in the second layer, and solids (e.g., sand and clay) in the third layer. Complete settling of the solids (and separation into distinct layers) took relatively longer than in Examples 4 and 5 due to the amount of solids (e.g., clay) present in the MFT Pond Sample.
[0062] After the Mason Jar contents had cooled and the three distinct layers had formed (approximately 12 hours), the bitumen was removed from the Mason Jar by use of a spoon (although other physical separation means such as decanting or the use of a syringe or other suction device could also be utilized. The bitumen was determined to be greater than 99% free of contaminants, including sand and clay. Approximately 2.8 g of bitumen was recovered, representing greater than 99% of all of the available bitumen in the sample of Canadian Oil Sands. The amount of bitumen recover represented approximately 3% of the weight of the MFT Pond Sample or approximately 10% of the weight of the solids present in the MFT Pond Sample.
[0063] Unless specifically stated to the contrary, the numerical parameters set forth in the specification, including the attached claims, are approximations that may vary depending on the desired properties sought to be obtained according to the exemplary embodiments. At the very least, and not as an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents to the scope of the claims, each numerical parameter should at least be construed in light of the number of reported significant digits and by applying ordinary rounding techniques.
[0064] Notwithstanding that the numerical ranges and parameters setting forth the broad scope of the invention are approximations, the numerical values set forth in the specific examples are reported as precisely as possible. Any numerical value, however, inherently contains certain errors necessarily resulting from the standard deviation found in their respective testing measurements.
[0065] Furthermore, while the systems, methods, and so on have been illustrated by describing examples, and while the examples 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. It is, of course, not possible to describe every conceivable combination of components or methodologies for purposes of describing the systems, methods, and so on provided herein. 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 and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general inventive concept. Thus, this application is intended to embrace alterations, modifications, and variations that fall within the scope of the appended claims. The preceding description is not meant to limit the scope of the invention. Rather, the scope of the invention is to be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
[0066] Finally, to the extent that the term “includes” or “including” is employed in the detailed description or the claims, it is intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term “comprising,” as that term is interpreted when employed as a transitional word in a claim. Furthermore, to the extent that the term “or” is employed in the claims (e.g., A or B) it is intended to mean “A or B or both.” When the applicants intend to indicate “only A or B, but not both,” then the term “only A or B but not both” will be employed. Similarly, when the applicants intend to indicate “one and only one” of A, B, or C, the applicants will employ the phrase “one and only one.” Thus, use of the term “or” herein is the inclusive, and not the exclusive use. See Bryan A. Garner, A Dictionary of Modern Legal Usage 624 (2d. Ed. 1995).
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A water-based separating composition for separating hydrocarbons from hydrocarbon containing material includes at least about 73% by weight water, a hydrotropic agent, a dispersant having flocculating characteristics, at least one acid and at least one base in amounts sufficient to provide the separating composition with a pH of about 7 to about 8.5. The hydrotropic agent and the dispersant having flocculating characteristics are different.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a strap driving device for a strapping machine comprising a device for inserting, returning and tensioning a strap, the device having at least one pair of rollers through which the strap is drivably guided in and opposite to the insertion direction and is tensionable around the object in the strapping machine opposite to the insertion direction, and guide channel portions for the strap which lead toward the device for inserting, returning and tensioning the strap and away from said device, with the guide channel portions being provided with cheeks guiding the strap along both sides of its flat sides.
[0003] 2. Background Art
[0004] A strapping machine is for example disclosed in DE 196 02 579 A1. Along with the components which are usually present in such machines such as machine frame, work table, and strap guide frame for guiding the strap around the object to be strapped in the form of a loose loop, the strapping machine comprises a strap driving device disposed underneath the work table. Said strap driving device comprises a combined device for inserting, returning and tensioning the strap.
[0005] Practically speaking, an insertion-return unit for inserting the strap into the strap guide frame and for returning the strap from the strap guide frame until the strap is disposed around the object to be strapped as well as a tensioning unit for tautening the strap around the object are provided to achieve this purpose, with the tensioning unit being in many cases dependent on the stack height.
[0006] The insertion-return unit comprises a pair of rollers, with the strap being guided through the roller gap thereof in such a way as to be drivable by one of the rollers in the insertion and return directions. The tensioning unit comprises another pair of rollers, with the strap also being guided through the roller gap of which so as to be tensionable, by means of at least one of the rollers, in the return direction about the object to be strapped in the strapping machine.
[0007] For guiding the strap through the strap driving device, there are finally provided guide channel portions which guide the strap supplied by a supply roller or an intermediate storage device to the tensioning unit, between the tensioning unit and the insertion-return unit and from the insertion-return unit in the direction of the strap guide frame on the work table. The guide channel portions are in each case formed by cheeks guiding the strap along both sides of the flat sides, the cheeks being embodied as webs or lateral surfaces of larger prismatic bodies.
[0008] A major problem in the operation of strapping machines is the trouble-free handling of the strap which, in order to achieve high cycle times for the strapping process, needs to be guided through the strapping machine at high speeds before it is suddenly reversed in its direction of movement so as to come to a stop. Owing to the flexible nature of the strap or due to a wear of the machine or of the strap along the transport path, the strap may get stuck or tangled up along the transport path. The strap driving device is particularly susceptible to this kind of problem due to the fact that the drive rollers of the insertion-return unit and of the tensioning unit directly act on the strap in the strap driving device. The problem in this regard is that the various driving components of the strap driving device are arranged in a closely nested manner, making the strap very hard to access. In the event of heavy problems such as a so-called “Z-folding” of the strap where three strap layers are disposed on top of one another over a short distance, the strap may become “jammed” in the guide channel portions in such a way that it can no longer be pulled out. In order to resolve this problem in known strap driving devices, one or several cheeks of the guide channel portions or even rollers of the various driving units need to be dismounted. This, of course, results in a high machine downtime which may not only affect the strapping machine but, in the worst case, also an entire production line for print media, for example.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is therefore the object of the invention to improve a strap driving device in such a way as to allow transport problems caused in the event the strap gets stuck to be resolved quickly and easily.
[0010] This object is achieved by a strap driving device for a strapping machine wherein the at least one roller on one side of the device for inserting, returning and tensioning the strap and the cheeks of the guide channel portions are mounted preferably stationarily on the same side while the at least one roller on the other side of said device and the cheeks of the guide channel portions on said other side are mounted on a movable carrier which is displaceable by means of an actuation device between a working position with closed pairs of rollers and guide channel portions and a service position with open pairs of rollers and guide channel portions. With respect thereto, it is provided according to the invention that the rollers on one side of the insertion, return and tensioning device as well as the cheeks of the guide channel portions are mounted preferably stationarily on the same side while the rollers on the other side of said device as well as the cheeks of the guide channel portions of said other side are mounted on a movable carrier which is displaceable, by means of an actuation device, between a working position with closed pairs of rollers and guide channel portions and a service position with open pairs of rollers and guide channel portions.
[0011] It is obvious that when the strap gets stuck in the actuation device, said actuation device can be opened by a simple action of the actuation device by displacing the movable carrier. The rollers and guide channel portions on one side of the transport path of the strap thus move away from the opposite machine elements into a service position where the strap can be tension-relieved and removed easily or reinserted in the correct position. Afterwards, it is sufficient to move the carrier back into the working position by means of the actuation device so that the transport path of the strap through the strap driving device is closed and the machine is operational again. There is no need for time-consuming assembly works, allowing malfunctions to be repaired extremely quickly.
[0012] Features, details and advantages of the strap driving device according to the invention will become apparent from the ensuing description of an embodiment by means of the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view of a strapping machine; and
[0014] FIGS. 2 and 3 show a side view of a strap driving device of said strapping machine in the working position and in the service position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 , the strapping machine comprises a machine frame 1 mounted on rollers, with a work table 2 being mounted on the machine frame 1 . The work table 2 comprises conveyor belts (not shown) by means of which the object 4 to be strapped such as a stack of magazines according to FIG. 1 are transported to the strapping position on the work table 2 . For so-called cross-strappings, the work table 2 may additionally be provided with an integrated turntable as disclosed in EP 0 445 429 B1 .
[0016] On the work table 2 is arranged a vertical strap guide frame 6 by means of which the strap 7 may be guided around the object 4 on the work table 2 so as to form a loose loop. To this end, the strap 7 , which is stored on a supply spool (not shown in more detail) on the side of the machine frame 1 , is inserted into the strap guide frame 6 through the strap driving device 5 (only illustrated schematically in FIG. 5 ) underneath the work table 2 and through the welding head 3 of the strapping machine and is guided around said strap guide frame 6 until it arrives at the welding head 3 again. The strap end is fixed there, and the strap 7 is returned by means of the strap driving device 5 , with the strap 7 passing out of the strap guide frame 6 so as to be disposed around the object 4 in the form of a still non-tensioned loop. Afterwards, the strap is tensioned by means of the strap driving device 5 so as to be tightly disposed around the object 4 . The overlapping strap layers in the welding head 3 are for example thermally welded so that the thus formed strapping is separated from the strap. The object 4 is thus strapped and ready for transport.
[0017] The design of the strap driving device 5 is to be explained by means of FIG. 2 . The main assemblies are the insertion-return unit 8 on the one hand and the tensioning unit 9 on the other hand which perform the above-explained manipulations of the strap 7 according to their designation.
[0018] Guide channel portions 10 , 11 , 12 are provided for forming a defined transport path for the strap 7 through the strap driving device 5 . A first guide channel portion 10 guides the strap 7 arriving from the supply spool or the intermediate storage (neither of which is shown) to the tensioning unit 9 . A second guide channel portion 11 connects the tensioning unit 9 and the insertion-return unit 8 . A last guide channel portion 12 leads away from the insertion-return unit 8 in the direction of the welding head 3 and to the entrance point of the strap 7 into the strap guide frame 6 .
[0019] The insertion-return unit 8 comprises a pair 13 of drive rollers with a roller 14 which is driven by a motor (not shown) and a pressure roller 15 which is not driven. The latter is coupled with an incremental encoder 16 for detecting the angular rotation performed by the roller 15 . Said angular rotation is a measure for the length of strap 7 transported by the pair 13 of drive rollers.
[0020] For inserting the strap 7 , the roller 14 of the pair 13 of drive rollers is set in rotation in the corresponding direction by actuation of the drive motor via a control unit (not shown), and the strap 7 is guided around the strap guide frame 6 until the free end thereof comes to rest in the region of the welding head 3 where it is fixed. Afterwards, the pair 13 of drive rollers is activated in the opposite direction, causing the strap 7 to be returned in the manner described above.
[0021] The tensioning unit 9 comprises a rubberized pair 17 of tensioning rollers with rollers 18 , 19 which are adapted to be coupled with each other, the pair 17 of tensioning rollers applying a high tensile force owing to its drive motor (not shown) for tensioning the strap 7 around the object 4 to be strapped.
[0022] The guide channel portions 10 , 11 are formed by web-shaped cheeks 20 , 21 which are guided across the rollers 18 , 19 and are fixed in the strap driving device 5 by means of projecting retaining feet 22 , 23 in a manner yet to be explained. The rollers 18 , 19 penetrate through recesses in the cheeks 20 , 21 , the recesses not being shown in more detail in the drawing. Likewise, the guide channel portion 12 is also formed by cheeks 24 , 25 on both sides, with the one cheek 24 being formed by the lateral surface of a prismatic body 24 which is approximately T-shaped in a plan view. The other cheek 25 has a curved portion which is bent across a looping angle U for the strap 7 corresponding to the outer periphery of the roller 14 and continues in a straight portion. The cheek 25 is formed as a lateral surface at a corresponding longitudinal prismatic body 27 .
[0023] The components of the strap driving device 5 adjoining the left-hand side—relative to the insertion direction E—of the strap 7 , in other words the cheek 20 , the rollers 14 and 18 as well as the cheek 24 are mounted stationarily on a mounting member 28 of the strap driving device 5 . The components disposed on the right-hand side—relative to the insertion direction E—of the strap 7 , in other words the cheek 21 , the roller 19 , the pressure roller 15 and the cheek 25 on the other hand are mounted on a movable slide 29 serving as carrier which is mounted for displacement in the opening direction O. To this end, said slide 29 is mounted on two bars 30 serving as linear guides running parallel to the opening direction O, with the ends of the bars 30 being mounted in a socket member 31 designed as a vertically arranged cross-bar.
[0024] Instead of the linear opening assembly, there may also be provided a corresponding pivoting mechanism allowing the carrier to be pivoted away over a large radius.
[0025] In order to move the slide 29 from the working position shown in FIG. 2 into the service position shown in FIG. 3 , an actuation device in the form of a hand-operable, single-arm pivot lever 32 is provided the fixed end of which is pivot-mounted in the socket member 31 via a shaft 33 . The pivot lever 32 is disposed in front of the strap driving device 5 in a well-accessible manner and protrudes horizontally beyond the pair 17 of rollers in the working position shown in FIG. 2 .
[0026] The pivot lever 32 could also be actuated automatically, for instance when opening the door of the machine.
[0027] On the rear side of the socket member 31 not visible in FIGS. 2 and 3 , a much shorter auxiliary lever 34 is also mounted to the shaft 33 and therefore coupled with the pivot lever 32 . The auxiliary lever 34 is a single-arm lever as well, comprising a pressure roller 35 on its free end which acts on the outside 36 of the slide 29 in a direction opposite to the opening direction O.
[0028] It is conceivable as well to use an eccentric or an articulated lever according to the knee lever principle instead of the auxiliary lever 34 .
[0029] The auxiliary lever 34 can be moved away from the slide 29 , causing the latter to be pulled outward in the opening direction O, by pivoting the pivot lever 32 from the pressure position of the pivot lever 32 shown in FIG. 2 where the slide 29 is acted upon by the auxiliary lever 34 in the working position, in other words transport path for the strap 7 is closed and operational, into the release position of the auxiliary lever 34 shown in FIG. 3 . In the service position thus assumed according to FIG. 3 , the cheeks 25 , 21 , the rollers 19 and the pressure roller 15 are positioned at a significant distance from the opposite components of the guide rail of the strap 7 , allowing a piece of strap 7 which is stuck there to be easily removed or aligned.
[0030] The arrangement of the various angles of the guide channel portions 10 , 11 , 12 relative to the opening direction O deserves particular attention. The strap driving device 5 generally opens from the working position into the service position if the external angles A 21 and A 25 of the cheeks 21 , 25 amount to approximately 10° to 170° relative to the opening direction O. In the illustrated embodiment, the external angle A 21 is up to approx. 115° while the external angle A 25 is at 167°. Another basic principle for arranging the guide channel portions 10 , 11 , 12 in order to ensure a functional opening of the strap driving device 5 in the event of a looping angle U of the strap 7 around the roller 14 of the pair 13 of drive rollers is that the internal angle I between the stationary cheeks 20 and 24 of the guide channel portions 10 or 11 / 12 , respectively, opens in the direction opposite to the opening direction O of the slide 29 . In this case, the displaceable cheeks 21 , 25 as well as the pressure roller 15 and roller 19 can be pulled away from the corresponding opposite components in the opening direction O.
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A strap driving device for a strapping machine comprises
an insertion-return unit; a tensioning unit; and guide channel portions for the strap which lead toward the device for inserting, returning and tensioning the strap and away from said device, with the guide channel portions being provided with cheeks guiding the strap along both sides of its flat sides, wherein rollers on one side of the insertion, return and tensioning unit and the cheeks of the guide channel portions are mounted preferably stationarily on the same side while the cheeks of the guide channel portions on the other side are mounted on a movable carrier which is displaceable, by means of an actuation device, between a working position with closed pairs of rollers and guide channel portions and a service position with open pairs of rollers and guide channel portions.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to differential amplifiers, and in particular to a method for correcting common mode errors in differential amplifiers.
Differential amplifiers am well known in the art, and have been used for many years to measure the difference between two signals or voltages applied to the two input terminals thereof. A customary specification of differential amplifiers is known as common-mode rejection ratio, which is a measure of the ability of the differential amplifier to block common-mode components of signals or voltages while amplifying the differential signals or voltages.
FIG. 1 shows a typical prior art differential amplifier circuit in which an adjustable component is used to balance the two sides of the amplifier and thereby correct common mode error. An amplifier 10, which may commonly be an integrated circuit, has a pair of inputs, labeled + and - respectively, and an output. The + input is connected to the junction of a pair of resistors 12 and 14 disposed in series between a first input terminal 16 and ground, while the - input is connected to the junction of a pair of resistors 18 and 20 disposed in series between a second input terminal 22 and an output terminal 24, to which the output of the amplifier 10 is also connected. In this configuration, the value resistor 12 is ideally equal to the value of resistor 18, and the value of resistor 14 is ideally equal to the value of resistor 20, thus ideally balancing the two sides of the amplifier. In practice, however, the resistance values are not exactly equal, and therefore one of the resistors, for example, resistor 12, is made variable. The circuit is calibrated by shorting terminals 16 and 22 together and applying a common mode voltage or signal thereto from a calibration source 28 while monitoring the output with a voltmeter 30 connected between output terminal 24 and ground. Resistor 12 is adjusted to provide a reading of zero volts on the voltmeter 30, indicating complete rejection of the common-mode signal or voltage. With the two halves of the amplifier thus balanced, calibration is complete and the differential amplifier may be operated as intended. For extremely high precision differential amplifier action, such as desired for instrumentation amplifiers, it is very difficult to correct for common mode error with balance adjustments unless very expensive linear potentiometers are used. The advent of surface-mounted resistors and laser trimming has permitted some precision to be built in; however, one of the problems of manual calibration or built-in precision is that component values drift with heat and age, and recalibration or replacement becomes necessary.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, common mode error correction for differential amplifiers involves accurately measuring both the input and output of a differential amplifier using a measuring circuit having low-leakage-current measurement path, and calculating common-mode gain. Two measurements are made at each node by appying two different common-mode voltages. Subtracting one set of measurements from the other eliminates voltage offset errors, and leaves a common-mode error term for gain calculation. The common-mode gain factor is stored, and thereafter, common mode error may be subtracted from measurements made by the differential amplifier.
It is therefore one feature of the present invention to provide a novel common mode error correction method for a differential amplifier.
It is another feature of the present invention to correct common mode error automatically and without the need to make physical calibration adjustments.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become obvious to those having ordinary skill in the art upon a reading of the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a typical prior art differential amplifier having a common-mode error adjustment;
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a differential amplifier having a common-mode error adjustment circuit in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 shows the input circuit of the differential amplifer of FIG. 2 connected for common mode operation;
FIG. 4 shows the input circuit of the differential amplifier of FIG. 2 connected for differential mode operation; and
FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a test sequence to determine common-mode gain terms for common-mode error calculation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 2 of the drawings, there is shown a differential amplifier comprising amplifier 50 with its + input connected to the junction of resistors 52 and 54 serially disposed between a first input terminal 56 and ground on one side, and with its - input connected to the junction of resistors 58 and 60 serially disposed between a second input terminal 62 and the amplifier output on the other side. Resistors 52 and 58 are nominally matched to have substantially equal values and resistors 54 and 60 are also nominally matched to have substantially equal values, and these resistors establish the amplifier gain, as is well known in the art. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, resistors 52, 54, 58, and 60 are surface mounted on a substrate and laser trimmed to nominal values.
An analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 70, which in the preferred embodiment is a 20-bit ADC for highly accurate measurements, is selectively coupled to the + input of differential amplifer 50 to measure the common-mode input signal or voltage component V CM applied via a switch 72 and coupled to output of the differential amplifier 50 to measure the differential output V DIFF applied via a the switch 74. Switches 72 and 74 are electronic switches, such as CMOS field-effect transistors, and they necessarily exhibit very low leakage, e.g., on the order of several picoamperes maximum, so that the measuring circuits themselves do not introduce any currents which would result in measurement errors. Operation of switches 72 and 74 is controlled in a manner to be described below by a system processor 76, which may suitably be a microprocessor or even a microcomputer. Processor 76 reads the output of ADC 70 when measurements are taken, and calculates the measured value for display on a display device 80.
FIG. 3 shows the input of the differential amplifer of FIG. 2 configured for common-mode operation and hence determination of common-mode gain N, and FIG. 4 shows the input of the differential amplifier of FIG. 2 configured for differential operation and hence differential gain K. In FIG. 3, a calibration voltage source 84 is connected to input terminals 56 and 62, which are effectively shorted together. Calibration source 84 may suitably be a programmable precision power supply providing precise voltages, such as zero volts and 10.00 volts. Command signals for changing the voltage outputs of calibration source 84 may be provided by processor 76. In FIG. 4, a precision signal generator 86 is connected across input terminals 56 and 62 to provide a known differential signal of precise amplitude. Ground reference for signal generator 86 are shown as being centered to indicate that the differential signal may be one of equal and opposite-polarities applied to the two input terminals.
Considering first the determination of common mode gain K C and the attendant errors introduced thereby, refer to the flow diagram of circuit operation as shown in FIG. 5, along with the circuits of FIGS. 2 and 3. In this configuration, input terminals 56 and 62 are effectively shorted together and voltage from calibration source 84 is applied.
In step 100, the system is initialized by opening switches 72 and 74, resetting ADC 70 to provide zero output, and setting the output of calibration source 84 to zero volts.
In step 102, switch 72 is closed, and the voltage V CM at the + input of amplifier 50 is measured by ADC 70 and the reading is stored as V CM (0). This measured voltage should be zero, and any non-zero reading would be due to leakage current injected into resistors 52 and 54 through switch 72. In the present invention, the use of extremely low-leakage switches renders any non-zero reading negligible.
In step 104, switch 72 is opened, ADC 70 is reset to zero, and switch 74 closed. The voltage V DIFF at the output of amplifer 50 is measured by ADC 70 and the reading is stored as V DIFF (0). Again, the measured voltage should be zero, and any non-zero voltage reading would be due to offset errors in amplifier 50, and again, any leakage current injected via switch 74 into resistor 60 would be neglible.
In step 106, switches 72 and 74 are opened, ADC 70 is reset to zero, and the output of calibration source 84 is set to +10.00 volts.
In step 108, switch 72 is closed, and again the voltage V CM at the + input of amplifier 50 is measured by ADC 70, and the reading is stored as V CM (10). This measured voltage should be predominantly the voltage divider ratio of resistors 52 and 54 multiplied by 10.00 volts.
In step 110, switch 72 is opened, ADC 70 is reset to zero, and switch 74 is closed. Again the voltage V DIFF at the output of amplifier 50 is measured by ADC 70 and the reading is stored as V DIFF (10). Again, the measured voltage should be zero, and any non-zero voltage reading would be predominantly common mode error due to mismatch of resistors 52 and 58 or 54 and 60, but would also include offset and leakage current errors.
In step 112, the common-mode output (error) voltage N D at the output of amplifier 50 is calculated as N D =V DIFF (10) -V DIFF (0). In making this calculation, the offset voltage term is eliminated. The common-mode input voltage N C at the + input of amplifier 50 is calculated as N C =V CM (10) -V CM (0). Common-mode gain N, then, is N D /N C . All of these terms are stored in step for later use in subtracting common-mode error from measured signals and voltages.
Determination of differential amplifier gain K is made by applying a differential signal to the circuit of FIG. 2 using the precision signal generator 86 of FIG. 4, which provides a known differential signal of precise amplitude across input terminals 56 and 62. The differential signal at the output of amplifier 50 is measured, and differential gain K is simply the differential output voltage K D divided by the known input signal.
With the determination of common-mode gain, differential gain, elimination of offset voltage, common-mode error in the output of the amplifier system may be subtracted out of the measurements by processor 76. Each time the system is calibrated, the gains are recalculated and new values are stored. By recalibrating, accurate measurements may continue to be made as components, particularly the gain-setting resistors of the differential amplifier, age and values drift.
While I have shown and described the preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many changes and modifications may be made without departing from my invention in its broader aspects. It is therefore contemplated that the appended claims will cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true scope of the invention.
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Common mode error correction for differential amplifiers involves accurately measuring both the input and output of an amplifier using a low-leakage measurement path, and calculating common-mode gain. Two measurements are made at each node by appying two different common-mode voltages. Subtracting one set of measurements from the other eliminates voltage offset errors, and leaves a common-mode error term for gain calculation. The common-mode gain factor is stored, and thereafter, common mode error may be subtracted from measurements made by the differential amplifier.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a 371 National Stage Application of PCT/EP2013/055233, filed Mar. 14, 2013. This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/611,744, filed Mar. 16, 2012, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In addition, this application claims the benefit of European Application No. 12159593.8, filed Mar. 15, 2012, which is also incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method and a corresponding apparatus and system for localizing a spine in an image, in particular a computed tomography (CT) image, of a human or animal body.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Typically, a plurality of axial CT images of a body are acquired and subsequently stored, evaluated and/or displayed in a two- and/or three-dimensional representation. Due to the large amount of acquired image data an automatic localization of a spine in CT images is a computationally intensive and memory demanding task.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Preferred embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a corresponding apparatus and system for localizing a spine in an image, in particular a CT image, of a human or animal body allowing for a reduced need for computational power and/or memory on the one hand and assuring a reliable localization of the spine on the other hand.
[0007] Preferred embodiments of the present invention are achieved by the method and the corresponding apparatus and system described below.
[0008] A method according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprising the following steps: acquiring a plurality of slice images of at least a part of a human or animal body and automatically selecting slice images and/or parts of the slice images from the acquired plurality of slice images by considering at least one parameter characterizing a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images, wherein the selected slice images and/or parts of the slice images comprising image information about the spine.
[0009] A corresponding method comprises automatically selecting slice images and/or parts of slice images from a plurality of slice images, the slice images having been acquired of at least a part of a human or animal body, by considering at least one parameter characterizing a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images, wherein the selected slice images and/or parts of the slice images comprising image information about the spine.
[0010] An apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an image processing unit for automatically selecting slice images and/or parts of the slice images from a plurality of slice images of at least a part of a human or animal body by considering at least one parameter characterizing a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images, wherein the selected slice images and/or parts of the slice images comprising image information about the spine.
[0011] The system according to a preferred embodiment of the invention comprises an image acquisition unit, in particular a computed tomography unit, for acquiring a plurality of slice images of at least a part of a human or animal body and an image processing unit for automatically selecting slice images and/or parts of the slice images from the acquired plurality of slice images by considering at least one parameter characterizing a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images, wherein the selected slice images and/or parts of the slice images comprising image information about the spine.
[0012] Preferred embodiments of the invention are based on the approach to automatically select slice images and/or parts thereof from the acquired plurality of slice images of the body based on a slice-wise, i.e. slice-by-slice, analysis of the acquired slice images with respect to a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images. Dependent on the result of the analysis, slice images and/or parts thereof containing image information about the spine are selected and/or slice images which do not contain image information about the spine are truncated. The slice-wise analysis of the acquired slice images is based on statistics and distribution signatures of bone structures present in the slices. Preferably, the analysis of the bone profiles in the acquired slice images occurs in only one pass, i.e. the acquired slice images are analyzed slice-by-slice, e.g. beginning with slice images relating to the neck and ending with slice images relating to the legs.
[0013] By this approach, in many cases of CT images a significant portion of CT image data can be left out, e.g. slice images of the region of the legs of a body which require very often a half of the total data volume. In particular, such portions of the CT image data can be left out from the acquired slices during volume reconstruction of an according spinal image. Moreover, parts too far from the spinal canal can be masked and ignored during the search for disc and vertebra labels. As a consequence, the need for computational power and memory for a two- and/or three-dimensional image reconstruction can be reduced significantly without losing relevant image information relating to the spine so that a reliable localization of the spine in the selected images can be ensured. The latter particularly applies for a subsequent estimation of what vertebral discs are likely to be found in particular selected slice images.
[0014] The term “selecting slice images” in the meaning of the present invention does not only relate to selecting slice images but also to refusing slice images or masking a part thereof. Accordingly, “selected slice images” in the meaning of the present invention are slice images and/or parts thereof which were selected or which were not truncated or masked, respectively.
[0015] A “distribution of bones” in a slice image in the meaning of the present invention relates to a distribution or spread of intensity values or pixels relating to bones in a slice image. Preferably, the intensity values of the slice images are given in and/or transformed to a Hounsfield scale in Hounsfield units (HU), wherein the intensity values are spread over an interval gε[350; 1050] HU so that bones can therefore roughly be segmented by an interval threshold.
[0016] A “parameter characterizing a distribution of bones” in the meaning of the present invention relates to one or more properties of the distribution of bone structures within a slice image. Preferably, the parameter can be derived from the bone distribution and/or it can be, e.g., a mean value or a median value of the intensity values or pixels relating to bones, a spread, a width, a variance or a standard deviation of the bone distribution. As will be set forth below in detail, there are a number of further preferred parameters which characterize the distribution of bones.
[0017] Preferably, the spine has a longitudinal axis and the image plane of respective slice images is substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the spine. Therefore, slice images in the meaning of the invention are called axial images.
[0018] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the at least one parameter relates to a center of gravity of pixels relating to bones in a slice image. The center of gravity of pixels relating to bones in a slice image relates to an average location of a distribution of the pixels relating to the bones within the slice image. Assuming that a slice image only contains a cross-sectional image of a more or less symmetric vertebra of the spine, the center of gravity will be located approximately in the center of the cross-sectional image of the vertebra. By this, a simple and reliable localization of the spine within a slice image and an according selection of the slice image is achieved.
[0019] In the meaning of the present invention, the term “pixel” denotes a smallest element of an image, in particular a picture element of a slice image. Preferably, each of the pixels exhibits an intensity value of 0 or 1 after the interval threshold has been applied.
[0020] In the case that additional bones, e.g. pelvis or ribs, contribute to the bone distribution in a slice image of a spine, the center of gravity of the intensity values will shift away from the center region of the vertebra. In order to account for this, it is preferred that the at least one parameter represents a refined center of gravity of pixels relating to bones being located within a refinement window in a slice image, wherein the refinement window is spanned around an original center of gravity of pixels relating to bones in a slice image. In this embodiment, an original center of gravity of intensity values in a slice image is determined as stated above. Next, an asymmetric refinement window is superimposed onto the slice image, wherein the dimensions and position of the refinement window is, preferably automatically, chosen so that the cross-sectional image of the spine or a part thereof is located within the refinement window, whereas additional bones, e.g. pelvis or ribs, are located outside the refinement window. In a further step, the refined center of gravity is derived only by considering pixels relating to bones which are located inside the refinement window. That way, a reliable and fast localization of a spine can also be achieved in slice images containing image information on additional bones.
[0021] In a particularly preferred embodiment, slice images are selected by considering a difference between the original center of gravity and the refined center of gravity. Because the refined center of gravity will deviate from the original center of gravity in cases where in addition to the spine additional bones are imaged, the difference between the original center of gravity and the refined center of gravity correlates with the reliability of a seed, which is a point inside or close to a vertebral body, in particular an initialization point for a subsequent segmentation algorithm. As a consequence, the smaller the difference the more reliably the seed aligns with the spine.
[0022] In another preferred embodiment of the invention the at least one parameter represents a standard deviation of pixels relating to bones in a slice image. The standard deviation of the intensity values characterizes a variation or “dispersion” from an average intensity value in an intensity value distribution of bones within a slice image. E.g., a low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the mean value, whereas a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a large range of values. Thus, the standard deviation represents an easily obtainable and reliable parameter for determining whether a slice image mainly contains image information of a spine or it contains also information on additional bones.
[0023] In the meaning of the present invention, the term “standard deviation of pixels relating to bones” refers to a spatial deviation of bone pixels from the centroid of the thresholded slice images.
[0024] It is particularly preferred, that slice images are selected in which the standard deviation is within a pre-defined range. It has been found that axial slice images in the lumbar part of a body exhibit a standard deviation which is mainly characterized by the size of the vertebra of typically 25 mm imaged in the slice. Therefore, slice images exhibiting a standard deviation of the pixels relating to the bones in the region of approximately 20 to 40 mm, in particular 25 to 35 mm, in particular 25 to 30 mm, can be assigned to slice images of the lumbar column of the body, whereas slice images exhibiting a standard deviation larger than 40 mm indicate the presence of non-vertebra bones, e.g. ribs or pelvis.
[0025] In a further preferred embodiment the at least one parameter relates to at least one histogram of pixels relating to bones in a slice image in a left-to-right direction (LR) and/or an anterior-posterior direction (AP). A histogram in the meaning of the invention relates to a representation of a probability distribution of the intensity values which were classified into a pre-defined number of disjoined categories, so-called bins. Thus, a histogram represents probability values for respective pixels relating to bones in a slice image within a pre-defined bin, i.e. an intensity category. Preferably, the at least one histogram is located, in particular centered, at a refined center of gravity. Alternatively or additionally it is also preferred that the at least one parameter relates to at least one 4-bin histogram. By considering at least one histogram in LR and/or AP direction, a reliable identification of slice images relating to images containing legs of the body can be achieved. As leg slice images do not contain information on the spine, they can be truncated subsequently. By this, a reliable selection, i.e. truncation, of slice images and a subsequent localization of the spine in the selected, i.e. not truncated, slice images is possible.
[0026] Moreover, it is preferred that slice images showing a histogram of the pixels relating to bones dominant in the left-to-right direction are truncated. Alternatively or additionally it is also preferred that slice images showing a histogram of the pixels relating to bones with substantially no contribution in the anterior-posterior direction are truncated. By these provisions a very reliable identification of slice images containing images from the legs of a body and their subsequent truncation can be achieved.
[0027] As already exemplarily explained above, it is one preferred aspect of the invention that the selection step in which slice images are selected also comprises truncating slice images which are assigned to a further part, in particular to the legs, of the body. Alternatively or additionally, it is also preferred that the selection step comprises truncating image information from slice images, in particular from the selected slice images, wherein the truncated image information is assigned to a region beyond a volume around the spine. Preferably, the volume around the spine is given by a rectangular prism. By this, the total data volume is reduced considerably so that computational power and memory requirements for displaying and/or analyzing the selected slice images can be reduced significantly without adversely effecting the localization of the spine in the selected slice images.
[0028] As already mentioned above, the selected slice images can be displayed and/or analyzed for diagnostic purposes. Preferably, the selected slice images are displayed in a volume reconstruction of the slice images. Alternatively or additionally, the selected slice images are analyzed for diagnostic purposes by searching for at least a part of the spine, in particular for a spinal disc and/or vertebra.
[0029] In a preferred embodiment of the invention the acquired slice images, in particular the selected slice images, are analyzed by correlating the standard deviation of pixels relating to bones in a slice image with a model of a full-body scan. Preferably, the considered model of a full-body scan depends on parameters relating to the particular body that was scanned, e.g. sex and/or body height and/or body weight. That is, the considered model of a full-body scan contains pre-defined standard deviation values of a bone distribution which is typical for the respective type of body, e.g. male, range of body height 160 to 180 cm, range of body weight 60 to 80 kg. Of course, also other types of models of a full-body scan can be considered. Preferably, when correlating the standard deviation of pixels relating to bones in a slice image with a model of a full-body scan, at least one correlation parameter is determined for a plurality of the slice images and subsequently analyzed. In this way, a reliable localization of a spine or parts thereof in a plurality of slice images is possible without intervention by operation personnel in many cases and without special markers in or on the body.
[0030] Further advantages, features and examples of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of following figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] FIG. 1 shows an example of an apparatus according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
[0032] FIG. 2 shows three examples of slice images in which a center of gravity, a refinement window and a refined center of gravity is indicated respectively.
[0033] FIG. 3 shows an example of a 4-bin histogram together with a slice image.
[0034] FIG. 4 shows an example of a histogram and a standard deviation profile derived from axial CT slice images together with a respective coronal projection.
[0035] FIG. 5 shows an example of a correlation between a plurality of selected axial CT slice images with a model of a full-body axial CT scan.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0036] FIG. 1 shows an example of an apparatus 10 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. A medical data set 11 comprising a plurality of images, in particular axial slice images, of a body is acquired by a medical imaging apparatus 12 , in particular a CT apparatus, and is fed to a control unit 13 , preferably a computer, which is configured to control and/or to execute steps of the method according to preferred embodiments of the invention. The image data of the plurality of images can be directly fed to the control unit 13 . Alternatively or additionally, image data can also be transferred via a data network 18 to which both the imaging apparatus 12 and the control unit 13 are, at least temporarily, connected.
[0037] The apparatus 10 preferably comprises a display 14 , e.g. a TFT screen, for displaying slice views and/or volumetric views of the medical data set. In the example given in FIG. 1 , a coronal CT slice image 15 of a human body and a corresponding axial CT slice image 23 of the lumbar part of the body are displayed. Preferably, the control unit 13 is also configured to generate a volume reconstruction of slice images 15 , 23 , in particular of automatically selected axial slice images, on the display 14 .
[0038] As already mentioned above, preferred embodiments of the present invention are based on the approach that before localizing or labeling spines in CT scans a significant amount of the data is cropped so that both time and memory performance of an according method and apparatus for spine localization or labeling can be enhanced significantly. In the following, a one-pass, slice-wise method to figure out what parts of CT data can be left out from a DICOM-to-volume reconstruction and to estimate what vertebral discs are likely to be found in what slices is described exemplarily.
[0039] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in many cases a significant portion of the CT data can be truncated. For example, leg slices (often a half of the data) can be left out already during volume reconstruction from the DICOM slices. Moreover, parts too far from the spinal canal can be masked and ignored during the search for disc and vertebra labels. To cope with the above, a preferred embodiment of the present invention provides a one-pass, slice-wise method based on statistics and distribution signatures of bones structures present in particular slices. Preferred embodiments of the invention also provide an according apparatus and system for carrying out the mentioned method.
[0040] Preferably, the input scan and the accompanying DICOM fields fulfill at least one, preferably all, of the following requirements:
CT with Hounsfield scale, wherein it is assumed that there is a RAW data to Hounsfield intensity transformation, axial CT slices, so that a slice-wise iteration can be performed, head-first face-up (supine) orientation of the patient, or a transformation to yield such an orientation, and pixel/voxel size given in millimeters, or a corresponding scaling information from DICOM.
[0045] The term “RAW data” relates to original vendor's slices with intensities in CT values. This is the data produced and stored by a CT scanner where the range of pixel intensities are preset by the vendor of the CT scanner and may differ per scanning protocol.
[0046] It is further preferred that the intensity values are spread over an interval gε[350; 1050] in Hounsfield units (HU) so that bones can therefore roughly be segmented by an interval threshold. Accordingly, for a set B z of 3D positions p within a slice z where a bone is detected it applies:
[0000] B z ={( p x ,p y ,p z )| p z =zΛ 350 <g ( p )<1050} (1)
[0000] where p x , p y and p z are world coordinates in millimeters. Therefore, the set B z represents a set of bone pixels in the slices exhibiting intensity values of 1 after thresholding.
Centroid and Deviation Vector
[0047] The simplest features are based on a centroid, i.e. a center of gravity μ z , of B z
[0000]
μ
z
=
1
B
z
∑
p
∈
B
z
p
=
(
μ
z
x
,
μ
z
y
,
z
)
(
2
)
[0000] and the length ∥σ z ∥ of a standard deviation vector σ z
[0000]
σ
z
=
1
B
z
-
1
∑
p
∈
B
z
(
p
-
μ
z
)
2
=
(
σ
z
x
,
σ
z
y
,
0
)
(
3
)
σ
z
=
(
σ
z
x
)
2
+
(
σ
z
y
)
(
4
)
[0048] It has been found that centers of gravity μ z correlate with a spine reliably in lumbar slices where pelvis, ribs, or head do not contribute to the centroid. The lumbar part can be characterized by deviation lengths ∥σ∥ related to size of vertebra of approximately 25 mm seen in an axial slice. Therefore, values of ∥σ z ∥ larger than approximately 40 mm indicate the presence of non-vertebra bones.
Asymmetric Mean Shift
[0049] While reliable in the lumbar area of the body, the centroids may drift remarkably from spine if the pelvis or ribs contribute by its pixels. This is illustrated by means of three examples of slice images 20 , 21 and 22 shown in FIG. 2 .
[0050] In the first slice image 20 the intensity values of lumbar bones 1 significantly contribute to the calculation of the center of gravity μ z , which is therefore considerably shifted away from a centroid of the vertebra 2 . The radius of the circle 24 indicated in the slice image 20 corresponds to the length ∥σ z ∥ of the standard deviation vector σ z of the intensity value distribution in the first slice image 20 .
[0051] As obvious from the second and third slice image 21 and 22 a shift of the calculated center of gravity μ z away from the centroid of the respective spine 2 is still present, albeit considerably smaller than in the first slice image 20 due to a smaller contribution of the intensity values of surrounding bones 3 or 4 , to the total intensity value distribution in the slice image 21 and 22 , respectively. Moreover, the small radius of the circle 24 corresponding to the length ∥σ z ∥ of the standard deviation vector σ z in the second slice image 21 indicates that there are less bones 3 distributed far around the spine 2 than in the first or the third slice image 20 or 22 , respectively.
[0052] In order to avoid the above-mentioned shift of the center of gravity μ z , the centroids within a rectangular window 17 (see FIG. 2 ) which is asymmetrically spanned around an original center of gravity μ z are refined as follows:
[0000] W z ={pεB z −40 ≦p x −μ z x ≦40−40≦ p y −μ z y ≦100} (5)
[0000] or W z ={pεB z −40≦ p x −μ z x ≦40−100≦ p y −μ z y ≦40} (6)
[0000] where the correct variant of W z is determined by the orientation of the patient inside the CT scanner: face-up (according to equation (5) above) and face-down (according to equation (6) above).
[0053] The original center of gravity μ z is refined to a refined center of gravity ν z of bone pixels in this window 17 :
[0000]
v
z
=
1
W
z
∑
p
∈
W
z
p
(
7
)
[0054] The difference between the original μ z and the refined ν z centroids ∥μ z −ν z ∥ correlates with the reliability of the seed, i.e. the smaller the difference ∥μ z −ν z ∥, the more reliably the seed aligns with the spine.
[0055] In each of the slice images 20 , 21 , and 22 of FIG. 2 a 80×40 mm refinement window 17 and a refined center of gravity ν z is shown. Accordingly, the refined center of gravity ν z is now in the region of the central axis of the respective part, e.g. a vertebra, of the spine 2 .
Shape Histograms: AP Versus LR Distribution
[0056] According to a preferred embodiment of the method according to the invention leg slice images are identified by means of bone distributions being dominant in the left-to-right (LR) direction and having a zero contribution in the anterior-posterior (AP) direction.
[0057] This is illustrated by means of FIG. 3 which shows a negative of an axial CT slice showing legs and a CT table, on which the patient was lying during CT image acquisition, together with right, left, ante and poste histogram bins centered at the refined center of gravity ν z . In cases where the deviation vector σ z fails to discriminate leg slices, 4-bin histograms located in the refined centers are constructed. Putting δ=p−ν z the following four quantities are defined:
[0000] H z A =|{pεB z |δ y <−|δ x |≦0} (8)
[0000] H z P =|{pεB z |δ y >|δ x |≧0}| (9)
[0000] H z R =|{pεB z |δ x <−δ y |<0}| (10)
[0000] H z L =|{pεB z |δ x >|δ y |>0}| (11)
[0058] If the patient was positioned face-down (instead of face-up), H A z and H P z are to be swapped.
[0059] By the AP/LR histograms the leg detection is reformulated as a search for slices, where ante-poste bone contributions vanish:
[0000]
Λ
z
=
H
z
A
H
z
L
+
H
z
R
≈
0
(
12
)
[0060] In this preferred reformulation, the posterior voxels, i.e. volume image pixels, H P z have been excluded from equation (12) in order to ignore an eventual contribution of a CT table.
Bone Profiles
[0061] According to the steps outlined above, it is preferred that for each of the slice images two scalars σ z and Λ z , i.e. the standard deviation σ z and a value Λ z representative of contributions of bones in ante-poste direction, are derived. With these two features the slices can be easily identified in a context. Preferably, in order to identify and/or classify the slice images even more reliably, a longer feature vector containing more than two scalars can be established.
[0062] FIG. 4 shows an example of a coronal projection (left) together with a respective histogram profile Λ z (middle) and a standard deviation profile σ z (right) derived from axial CT slice images. The two-dimensional plot of the parameters σ z and Λ z along the z-axis yields what is also referred to as “bone profiles”. In the following it will be shown how the above-mentioned parameters contribute to localize the spine according to preferred embodiments of the invention.
Cropping the Legs: At Ischium or Near to it
[0063] Usually, slice images comprising image information of the legs and/or of a lower part of the pelvis are unnecessary to deal with when labeling the spine. In order to identify and crop respective slice images from the CT scan, the Λ z profile is examined automatically by the control unit 13 (see FIG. 1 ) from top to down for a sufficiently long chain of zeros (cf. equation 12 above). Preferably, ischium or a slab between ischium and sacrum is identified by means of a Λ z profile having a “zero chain” with a length of at least 20 mm. This is indicated by lines 27 and 28 in FIG. 4 . Therefore, it is preferred to discard slice images below the line 28 and it is even more preferred to discard slice images below the line 27 .
XY-Cropping: Near Vertebrae
[0064] After the legs have been cropped the search space far from the spine is further pruned. For upright spines, lumbar slices having a standard deviation ∥σ z ∥ of pixels relating to bones of approximately 25 (∥σ z ∥≈25) yield a good seed to set up a cropping box for the entire volume of the selected slice images. This approach leads to an additional significant reduction of the total data volume on the one hand and ensures a reliable identification of all relevant parts of the selected slice images on the other hand, in particular for cases in which no scoliosis or oblique spines are subject to an examination.
[0065] In cases of scolioses, oblique spines and scans without lumbar part it is preferred to consider at least a part, preferably approximately 40%, of the most reliable centers of gravity for which the original center of gravity μ z and the refined center of gravity ν z overlap at least partially (so that μ z ≈ν z ) in order to generate a cropping box around the spine. Preferably, rectangles of a size of approximately 90×120 mm are centered at respective refined centers of gravity ν z and spanned around the spine. A resulting cropping box is preferably achieved by an x-y hull of this extrusion. By these, an undesired cropping of data in the y-direction related to the neck of the body can be reliably avoided in cases of scolioses, oblique spines and scans without lumbar part.
Disc Labels: Approximation
[0066] In order to obtain an estimate of what portion of the human body was scanned, it is preferred to correlate the deviation profile σ z of a particular scan, i.e. a plurality of acquired and/or selected slice images, with a ground-truth labeled model of a full-body scan. Moreover, it is preferred that it is, at least approximately, determined what labels are to be expected in particular slice images.
[0067] FIG. 5 shows an example of a correlation between a plurality of selected axial CT slice images (denoted “Colon_buik”) with a model (denoted “Model”) of a full-body axial CT scan. A number of slice positions along the z axis of the model are labeled with respective vertebra labels, e.g. “C2”, “T1”, “L1” and “S1” and/or respective spinal disc labels, e.g. “C1/C2”, “T1/T2”, “L1/L2” and “L5/S1”.
[0068] As obvious from FIG. 5 , the respective correlation factor curve (left part of FIG. 5 ) shows two maximum points 31 and 32 indicating a high correlation between the two shown axial slice images “Colon_buik” with the model. As obvious from a comparison of the vertebra and/or spinal disc labels of the model and the “Colon_buik” slice images shown on the right part of the FIG. 5 , in the correlation corresponding to the maximum point 31 the selected axial CT slice images fit very well to the respective part of the model. By this, a reliable localization of vertebrae and/or spinal discs in an axial CT scan can be achieved.
Further Preferred Embodiments of the Invention
[0069] Similar to leg slices, classifiers for knees can also be derived from the Λ profiles. Localization of other organs (e.g., neck, heart, kidney) are also possible. In particular, the following embodiments are preferred.
[0070] First, involving more bins, e.g. at least 5 bins, in the shape histogram are preferred to yield an even more detailed look on the bone distribution. Also taking z-slabs instead of single slices may be advantageous.
[0071] Second, a multi-class machine learning framework (i.e., training/matching) would be preferable to classify the slices for a desired list of organs. By this, the precision of the estimates of ischium as well as the disc-label approximations set forth above will even be enhanced.
[0072] Third, it is also possible to consider other features from a bone distribution (e.g., circularity, inertia) and/or non-intensity based features when localizing the spine.
[0073] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. The scope of the present invention, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
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A method and a corresponding apparatus and system localizes a spine in an image, in particular a computed tomography (CT) image, of a human or animal body, allowing for a reduced need for computational power and/or memory on the one hand and assuring a reliable localization of the spine on the other hand. The method includes a) acquiring a plurality of slice images of at least a part of a human or animal body, and b) automatically selecting slice images and/or parts of slice images from the acquired plurality of slice images by considering at least one parameter (μ z , ν z , σ z , Λ z ) characterizing a distribution of bones in the acquired slice images, wherein the selected slice images and/or parts of the slice images includes image information about the spine.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The disclosed inventive concept relates generally to vehicle seats and safety systems. More particularly, the disclosed inventive concept relates to a method and system for selectively and strategically moving seat foam or seat trim to expose anchors for child safety seat.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Child Restraint Systems (CRS) are becoming increasingly used in a variety of markets including some where safety qualifications include anchor accessibility for such systems. Use of the CRS is becoming increasingly popular in automotive vehicles. Today, various state and federal rules and guidelines specify that children of certain ages should be seated in Child Restraint Systems (CRS) or in a booster seat. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recommends that children from birth to three years old be positioned in a rear-facing car seat, while children between the ages of one year to seven years be seated in a forward-facing car seat. Booster seats are recommended for children between the ages of four and 12 years. Age variations for these recommendations are due to such factors as height and weight for the individual child.
However, CRS anchors for vehicles are often not readily visible and/or accessible in some vehicles. While a child anchor identification symbol (such as a tag or button) is often included on the vehicle seatback to aid vehicle users in identifying the approximate anchor locations, accessibility is nonetheless often limited as the anchor may be located behind or under seat foam and trim that must be displaced to see and access the anchors for CRS installation or removal.
Anchor conditions such as these increase difficulty of installation and removal based on limited visibility and hand clearance to an anchor sandwiched snugly between seat foam/trim and seat frame or vehicle structures. Disconnecting a CRS can be especially challenging when attempting to release a spring clip engagement from a child seat webbing strap hook without being able to see, or having finger access clearance to, the anchor for a child seat cinched tightly to the vehicle seat.
Accordingly, a practical and cost-effective solution to the use of CRS anchors in today's motor vehicle remains wanting.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The disclosed inventive concept provides a solution to the need for concealing CRS anchors while simultaneously making them readily accessible to the consumer. The inventive concept disclosed herein provides the use of a seat back foam displacing assembly that includes a user-operable actuator, an interface attachment member, and an extension connecting the actuator and the interface attachment member. By moving the user-operable actuator, a portion of either or both of the seat base and the seat back may be displaced allowing visualization of and access to the CRS anchor. Such a system fully satisfies the need to provide easy access to the CRS anchor while fully and aesthetically concealing the anchor when not in use.
Thus the disclosed inventive concept enhances the ease of installing a CRS into a vehicle, particularly in the rear row seats of the vehicle. The system of the disclosed inventive concept provides improved accessibility to lower child restraint anchors for parents without affecting seating comfort or anchor performance. This results in improved customer satisfaction and provides an improved, real-world usage condition beyond the details commonly provided in vehicle and CRS OEM instruction manuals. The disclosed inventive concept provides an alternative to systems that provide for manual operation or electronic signal-based, solenoid/axle/gear/shaft driven linear or rotationally operating mechanisms that move CRS anchors at the bight line of a vehicle seat. Such systems are meant to “present” the otherwise hidden anchors to provide enhanced customer accessibility and to simplify installation/removal of child seats and enhance “correctness” of installation.
The concepts presented herein avoid complexity associated with multi-position anchors and bypass the need for multi-position anchor misuse design prevention for non-road use or out-of-zone anchor positions. The overall goal of the disclosed inventive concept is to change the current approach of “presenting” CRS anchors by moving them to an accessible position to displacing either or both of a portion of the seat back and the seat base to reveal the CRS anchor.
This approach avoids changing vehicle seat structure and anchor design or load paths. By avoiding the need to move the CRS anchor to a position of accessibility, complex mechanisms such as sensors, interlocks, positional control features, gears, axles, motors, drive shafts, solenoids and the like are rendered unnecessary. In addition, there is no need to consider package specific zone limitations for multi-position anchors.
According to the disclosed inventive concept, no seat or body structural changes are required. There is no need for motors, solenoids, or added structure and there is no need to revisit the anchor load carrying capability or the vehicle specific content/package limitations. Furthermore, there is no need to incorporate sensors, to maintain tight functional tolerances, or to ensure the same level of robustness relative to production build variation. The package space required for the disclosed inventive is minimal, the cost is low and the approach is relatively simple. The result is enhanced accessibility and customer satisfaction while improving accuracy of consumer installations.
The above advantages and other advantages and features will be readily apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
For a more complete understanding of this invention, reference should now be made to the embodiments illustrated in greater detail in the accompanying drawings and described below by way of examples of the invention wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a portion of a vehicle seat having CRS anchors that are hidden by the vehicle seat back according to current technology;
FIG. 2 is the view of FIG. 1 but showing the hand of an operator physically manipulating the vehicle seat back to access the CRS anchor according to current technology;
FIG. 3 is a sectional side view of a vehicle seat illustrating the arrangement for drawing in portions of the seat back and the seat base to reveal the CRS anchor, the arrangement including two levers according to a first embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, the levers shown in their resting positions;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to that of FIG. 3 but illustrating the two levers moved to their operating positions whereby portions of the seat back and the seat base are drawn in to reveal the CRS anchor;
FIG. 5 is a sectional side view of a vehicle seat illustrating the arrangement for drawing in a portion of the seat back to reveal the CRS anchor, the arrangement including a single levers according to a second embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, the lever shown in its resting position;
FIG. 6 is a view similar to that of FIG. 5 but illustrating the lever moved to its operating position whereby a portion of the seat back is drawn in to reveal the CRS anchor;
FIG. 7 is a sectional side view of a vehicle seat illustrating the arrangement for drawing a portion of the vehicle seat back illustrating a tether strap an associated tether strap locking mechanism in its resting position according to a third embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept;
FIG. 8 is a view similar to that of FIG. 7 but illustrating the tether strap moved to and locked in its operating position whereby a portion of the seat back is drawn in to reveal the CRS anchor;
FIG. 9 is a rear view of the seat back of the seat of FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrating the tether strap for drawing in a portion of the seat back to allow access to the CRS anchor;
FIG. 10 is a view of a portion of the rear of the vehicle seat back illustrating the tether strap of FIGS. 7 and 8 having an alternative locking mechanism;
FIG. 11 is a view similar to that of FIG. 10 but illustrating the pull strap actuator moved to its operating position whereby a portion of the seat back is drawn in to reveal the CRS anchor;
FIG. 12 is a sectional side view of a vehicle seat illustrating the arrangement for drawing in a portion of the seat back to reveal the CRS anchor, the arrangement including a lever linked to a pivotable member attached to the lower portion of the front of the seat back shown in its resting position according to a fourth embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept; and
FIG. 13 is a view similar to that of FIG. 12 but illustrating the lever moved to its operating position whereby a portion of the seat back is drawn in to reveal the CRS anchor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the following figures, the same reference numerals will be used to refer to the same components. In the following description, various operating parameters and components are described for different constructed embodiments. These specific parameters and components are included as examples and are not meant to be limiting.
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate an example of known vehicle seat technology having CRS anchors that are hidden by the seat back. The illustrated seat anchor or package, generally illustrated as 10 , is typical of known arrangements. The seat anchor or package 10 includes a seat back 12 and a seat base 14 . The seat back 12 and the seat base 14 may be joined by a hinge 16 or may be anchored to the vehicle by known methods.
Typical of the known seat anchor or package 10 , a CRS anchor 18 is purposefully hidden from view as shown in FIG. 1 . Access to the CRS anchor 18 is accomplished by physical movement of a portion of the seat back 12 so that it is out of the way of the CRS anchor 18 as illustrated in FIG. 2 . This figure illustrates the inconvenience involved with the need for the user to physically displace a portion of the seat back 12 in order to gain access to the CRS anchor 18 . Known designs present a challenge in attaching the CRS clip (not shown) to the CRS anchor 18 and an even greater challenge in removing the CRS clip because displacement of the portion of the seat back 12 needed to allow access to the CRS anchor 18 is made even more difficult by the presence of the CRS on the vehicle seat.
The disclosed inventive concept provides a general solution to the problem encountered by the user of today's vehicle seat when trying to attach a CRS to the CRS anchor. The general solution is presented herein in four embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept. Particularly, FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a first embodiment, FIGS. 5 and 6 illustrate a second embodiment, FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a third embodiment, FIGS. 10 and 11 relate to the embodiment of FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 by illustrating a locking mechanism for locking a tether strap, and FIGS. 12 and 13 illustrate a fourth embodiment. It is to be understood that these embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept are not intended as being limiting as it is to be understood that variations of these embodiments are envisioned.
A common characteristic of the four embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept is the interfacing attachment member that is provided to mechanically displace a portion of the seat back (or the seat base) to allow easy access to the CRS anchor. The interfacing attachment member may consist of something as simple as a stitching sewn into the trim cover, or a plastic, cloth or alternative material sewn or otherwise inserted, embedded or attached to one of the trim cover (presumably a B-surface so not to be cosmetically visible to the user), the seat cushion or seat back foam beneath the trim cover, or both of a trim cover and the foam covered thereby, in combination.
Additional common characteristics of the four embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept include the tension extension member, the actuator, and the optional tension member guide. The tension extension member may be, for example, one or more of a strap, a cable, a string, a wire, or a tether. The actuator may be, for example, any one or more of a lever, a handle, or a strap. The optional tension member guide may be, for example, any one or more of a guide sleeve, a pulley, a channel, or a slot. The optional tension member guide may include a smooth surface or may have a friction- and wear-reducing surface. The optional tension member guide may be either an existing surface on the seat frame or seat structure or may be a purpose-specific attachment.
Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , a sectional view of a seat according to the first embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, generally illustrated as 20 , is shown. The seat 20 includes a seat back 22 and a seat base 24 . The seat 20 may be of any of a variety of seats and may include an external skeleton upon which the molded foam rests in or against, an external surface such as the sheet metal second row seat in a sedan (below the package tray, for example), and an internal wireframe skeleton over which the foam is molded.
According to the illustrated seat 20 , the non-limiting arrangement for the seat back 22 is an internal seat back frame 26 and an external seat back frame 28 . The seat back 22 further includes a seat back foam 30 and seat back trim 32 . The non-limiting arrangement for the seat base 24 is an internal seat base frame 34 and an external seat base frame 36 . The seat base 24 further includes a seat base foam 38 and a seat base trim 40 .
The seat 20 of the first embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 includes a seat back foam displacing assembly 42 and a seat base foam displacing assembly 44 . A CRS anchor 46 is fitted approximately between the seat back 22 and the seat base 24 .
The seat back foam displacing assembly 42 includes an actuator 48 in the form of a lever that is pivotably attached to the seat back 22 by an actuator pivot 50 . The actuator lever 48 is attached to a seat back interfacing attachment member 56 by a seat back extension member 58 .
The seat base foam displacing assembly 44 includes an actuator 60 in the form of a lever that is pivotably attached to the seat base 24 by an actuator pivot 62 . The actuator lever 60 is attached to a seat base interfacing attachment member 64 by a seat base extension member 66 . The seat base attachment member 66 is guided by a pair of spaced apart tension member guides 68 and 68 ′.
When in its non-displaced state as illustrated in FIG. 3 , the CRS anchor 46 is hidden from view by portions of both the seat back 22 and the seat base 24 . To gain access to the CRS anchor 46 , portions of both the seat back 22 and the seat base 24 are displaced so that the CRS anchor 46 becomes visible as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
To displace portions of the seat back 22 and the seat base 24 , the operator manipulates one or the other or both of the actuator lever 48 or the actuator lever 60 from their resting, non-displacing positions shown in FIG. 3 to their active, displacing positions shown in FIG. 4 . If the user chooses to operate the seat back foam displacing assembly 42 , the actuator lever 48 is rotated from the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to the position illustrated in FIG. 4 . Movement of the actuator lever 48 causes the seat back extension member 58 to act on the seat back interfacing attachment member 56 , thus displacing a portion of the seat back 22 so that it is moved out of the line of sight of the user.
If the user chooses to operate the seat base foam displacing assembly 44 , the actuator lever 60 is rotated from the position illustrated in FIG. 3 to the position illustrated in FIG. 4 . Movement of the actuator lever 60 causes the seat base extension member 66 to act on the seat base interfacing attachment member 64 , thus displacing a portion of the seat base 24 so that it is moved out of the line of sight of the user.
It should be noted that, with respect to the first embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 , it is not necessary that both of the seat back foam displacing assembly 42 and the seat base foam displacing assembly 44 be provided in the same vehicle or even in all of the seats within a single vehicle. It should also be noted that, while actuator lever 48 and actuator lever 60 are shown as pivotable handles, other hand-operable devices may be used instead.
Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , a sectional view of a seat according to the second embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, generally illustrated as 70 , is shown. The seat 70 includes a seat back 72 and a seat base 74 . The seat 70 may be of any of a variety of seats and may include an external skeleton upon which the molded foam rests in or against, an external surface such as the sheet metal second row seat in a sedan (below the package tray, for example), and an internal wireframe skeleton over which the foam is molded.
According to the illustrated seat 70 , the non-limiting arrangement for the seat back 72 is an internal seat back frame 76 and an external seat back frame 78 . The seat back 72 further includes a seat back foam 80 and seat back trim 82 . The non-limiting arrangement for the seat base 74 is an internal seat base frame 84 and an external seat base frame 86 . The seat base 74 further includes a seat base foam 88 and a seat base trim 90 .
The seat 70 of the second embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 includes a seat back foam displacing assembly 92 . A CRS anchor 94 is fitted approximately between the seat back 72 and the seat base 74 .
The seat back foam displacing assembly 92 includes an actuator 95 in the form of a lever that is pivotably attached to the seat back 72 by an actuator pivot 96 . The actuator lever 95 is attached to a seat back interfacing attachment member 98 by a seat back extension member 100 . A tension member guide 102 is preferably though not absolutely provided against which the seat back extension member 100 travels.
When in its non-displaced state as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the CRS anchor 94 is hidden from view by portions of both the seat back 72 and the seat base 74 . To gain access to the CRS anchor 94 , a portion of the seat back 72 is displaced so that the CRS anchor 94 becomes visible as illustrated in FIG. 6 .
To displace the portion of the seat back 72 , the operator manipulates the actuator lever 95 from its resting, non-displacing position shown in FIG. 5 to its active, displacing position shown in FIG. 6 . Particularly, to allow access to the CRS anchor 94 , the user rotates the actuator lever 95 from the position illustrated in FIG. 5 to the position illustrated in FIG. 6 . Movement of the actuator lever 95 causes the seat back extension member 100 to act on the seat back interfacing attachment member 98 , thus displacing a portion of the seat back 72 so that it is moved out of the line of sight of the user.
Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8 , a sectional view of a seat according to the third embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, generally illustrated as 110 , is shown. FIG. 9 is a view of the back of the seat 110 of FIGS. 7 and 8 . The seat 110 includes a seat back 112 and a seat base 114 . As noted above with respect to the first two embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept, the seat 110 may be of any of a variety of seats and may include an external skeleton upon which the molded foam rests in or against, an external surface such as the sheet metal second row seat in a sedan (below the package tray, for example), and an internal wireframe skeleton over which the foam is molded.
According to the illustrated seat 110 , the non-limiting arrangement for the seat back 112 is an internal seat back frame 116 and an external seat back frame 118 . The seat back 112 further includes a seat back foam 120 and seat back trim 122 . The non-limiting arrangement for the seat base 114 is an internal seat base frame 124 and an external seat base frame 126 . The seat base 114 further includes a seat base foam 128 and a seat base trim 130 .
The seat 110 of the second embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 includes a seat back foam displacing assembly 132 . A CRS anchor 134 is fitted approximately between the seat back 112 and the seat base 114 .
The seat back foam displacing assembly 132 includes a tether strap adjuster 136 as opposed to the actuator levers of the previous two embodiments. The tether strap adjuster 136 includes a spring-loaded, pivoting v-shaped catch 137 and a tether locking plate 138 . The tether strap adjuster 136 selectively locks and holds a tether strap 139 by providing to the tether strap 139 by capturing a portion of the tether strap 139 between the pivoting v-shaped catch 137 and the tether locking plate 138 . The tether strap adjuster 136 is preferably mounted to the external seat base frame 126 , although attachment locations are possible.
A seat back displacing assembly 140 is provided in the lower forward portion of the seat back 120 . The tether strap 139 is connected to the seat back displacing assembly 140 . A tether strap guide 142 is provided that is preferably a pre-existing member of seat back 120 .
When in its non-displaced state as illustrated in FIG. 7 , the CRS anchor 134 is hidden from view by portions of both the seat back 112 and the seat base 114 . To gain access to the CRS anchor 134 , a portion of the seat back 112 is displaced so that the CRS anchor 134 becomes visible as illustrated in FIG. 8 .
To displace the portion of the seat back 112 , the operator manipulates the tether strap adjuster 136 from its resting, non-displacing position shown in FIG. 7 to its active, displacing position shown in FIG. 8 . Particularly, to allow access to the CRS anchor 134 , the user pulls up on the tether strap 139 thus moving the seat back displacing assembly 140 from the position illustrated in FIG. 7 to the position illustrated in FIG. 8 , thus displacing a portion of the seat back 112 so that it is moved out of the line of sight of the user and the CRS anchor 134 is revealed. To release the tension of the tether strap adjuster 136 , the user pushes pivoting v-shaped catch 137 moving it away from the tether locking plate 138 and releasing tension on the tether strap 139 .
While FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate the tether strap adjuster 136 as the mechanism for selectively locking and tether strap 139 , other approaches to locking and holding the tether strap 139 are possible, as illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11 .
Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , a portion of a seat, generally illustrated as 170 , is shown. The seat 170 includes a seat back 172 . A tether strap 184 is shown passing through the seat back 172 . The tether strap 184 is connected at one end to a seat back drawing in assembly as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 and as described in conjunction therewith. It is to be understood that while the tether strap 184 is illustrated as being associated with the seat back 172 it can alternatively or additionally be associated with the seat base (not shown).
A tether strap moving and locking assembly 176 is associated with the seat back 172 (or seat base as the case may be) to move and selectively hold or release the tether strap 184 . It is to be understood that the tether strap moving and locking assembly 176 as shown is for illustrative purposes only and that the lock may be smaller than that illustrated relative to the seat 170 .
The tether strap moving and locking assembly 176 includes a movable handle 178 that is pivotably attached to an assembly base 180 . The assembly base 180 is fixed to the seat back 172 . An assembly clamp 182 is attached to the tether strap 184 and is operatively associated with the movable handle 178 and the assembly base 180 .
In FIG. 10 , the resting position of the tether strap moving and locking assembly 176 is illustrated. In this position, the tether strap 184 remains drawn into the seat back 172 and the seat back displacing assembly (not shown) is in its non-displaced position. In the event that access to the CRS anchor is desired, the operator moves the movable handle 178 to withdraw a portion of the tether strap 184 from the seat back 172 as illustrated in FIG. 11 . Thus withdrawn, the seat back displacing assembly is displaced, exposing the CRS anchor as discussed above. Movement of the movable handle 178 to the displaced position shown in FIG. 11 also results in the locking of the tether strap moving and locking assembly 176 in its displaced position. Release of the tether strap 174 to allow the seat back displacing assembly to return to its non-displaced position is accomplished by moving the movable handle 178 back toward the seat back 172 .
Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13 , a sectional view of a seat according to the fourth embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept, generally illustrated as 190 , is shown. The seat 190 includes a seat back 192 and a seat base 194 . The seat 190 may be of any of a variety of seats and may include an external skeleton upon which the molded foam rests in or against, an external surface such as the sheet metal second row seat in a sedan, and an internal wireframe skeleton over which the foam is molded.
According to the illustrated seat 190 , the non-limiting arrangement for the seat back 192 is an internal seat back frame 196 and an external seat back frame 198 . The seat back 192 further includes a seat back foam 200 and seat back trim 202 . The non-limiting arrangement for the seat base 194 is an internal seat base frame 204 and an external seat base frame 206 . The seat base 194 further includes a seat base foam 208 and a seat base trim 210 .
The seat 190 of the fourth embodiment of the disclosed inventive concept illustrated in FIGS. 12 and 13 includes a seat back foam displacing assembly 212 . A CRS anchor 214 is fitted approximately between the seat back 192 and the seat base 194 .
The seat back foam displacing assembly 212 includes an actuator 216 that may be composed of a variety of materials that include, for example, a bonded or molded covering on pressboard, plastic or other lightweight semi-rigid material. The actuator 216 is pivotably attached to the seat back 192 by a pivot 218 . A seat back interfacing attachment member 220 is provided in operative association with the actuator 216 . The seat back interfacing attachment member 220 is pivotably attached to the seat back 192 by a pivot 222 . A rigid tension extension member or linkage 224 connects the actuator 216 and the seat back interfacing attachment member 220 .
When in its non-displaced state as illustrated in FIG. 12 , the CRS anchor 214 is hidden from view by portions of both the seat back 192 and the seat base 194 . To gain access to the CRS anchor 214 , a portion of the seat back 192 is displaced so that the CRS anchor 214 becomes visible as illustrated in FIG. 13 .
To displace the portion of the seat back 192 to thereby render the CRS anchor 214 visible to the user, the operator manipulates the actuator 216 from its resting, non-displacing position shown in FIG. 12 to its active, displacing position shown in FIG. 13 . Particularly, to allow access to the CRS anchor 214 , the user rotates the actuator 216 from the position illustrated in FIG. 12 to the position illustrated in FIG. 13 . Movement of the actuator 216 causes the linkage 224 to act on the seat back interfacing attachment member 220 , thus displacing a portion of the seat back 192 so that it is moved out of the line of sight of the user and allows attachment of the CRS clip to the CRS anchor 214 .
The system for revealing a CRS anchor according to various embodiments of the disclosed inventive concept may be employed in any vehicle seat conventionally fitted with a CRS anchor. While specific locations of the CRS anchor have been illustrated in the figures and described in relation thereto, it is to be understood that the CRS anchors may be provided in locations other than those shown and described. The illustrated and described system of revealing a CRS anchor according to the disclosed inventive concept would find application regardless of the location of the CRS anchors.
Additional and Alternative Concepts
The lower portion of the seatback, foam or rear portion of seat cushion foam could pivot slightly about an axis to reveal the anchors compared with compressing foam as set forth above whereby trim is drawn in without moving the seat structure at all. These concepts need not be limited to lower CRS anchors but might be adapted to upper CRS tether anchors if desirable for certain package configurations. In addition, the disclosed inventive concept could be applied to a either seat cushion or lower seatback at the bight-line, or both. A single user action (presumably through a cable-like attachment) could simultaneously reveal the anchors by compressing both lower seatback foam and cushion foam through one actuator. It is initially assumed the largest benefit would be achieved through minimally exposing anchors from a top viewpoint. Also it is possible to provide for clearance openings, recesses or pockets and the like for placement of the actuator and customer hand clearance to access to the actuator in the seatback, on the package tray or the like. Graphics may also be added to enhance ease of customer operation. Decorative covers as well as customer interfacing features for cosmetic and ergonomic purposes may also be added.
One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, and from the accompanying drawings and claims that various changes, modifications and variations can be made therein without departing from the true spirit and fair scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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A method and apparatus for displacing a portion of either or both of a vehicle seat back and a seat base to reveal a CRS anchor are disclosed. The inventive concept disclosed herein provides the use of a seat back foam displacing assembly that includes a user-operable actuator, an interface attachment member, and a tension extension member connecting the actuator and the interface attachment member. By moving the user-operable actuator, a portion of either or both of the seat base and the seat back may be displaced allowing visualization of and access to the CRS anchor. Such a system fully satisfies the need to provide easy access to the CRS anchor while fully and aesthetically concealing the anchor when not in use. The actuator may be any one or more of a lever, a handle, or a strap. A tension member guide may optionally be provided.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is directed to nonwoven fabrics, and more particularly to nonwoven fabrics comprised of a blend of matrix fibers, lyocell fibers and fusible binder fibers, the nonwoven fabric being formed on a three-dimensional image transfer device and exhibiting a durable, drapeable performance.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The production of conventional textile fabrics is known to be a complex, multi-step process. The production of fabrics from staple fibers begins with the carding process where the fibers are opened and aligned into a feedstock known as sliver. Several strands of sliver are then drawn multiple times on a drawing frames to further align the fibers, blend, improve uniformity as well as reduce the sliver's diameter. The drawn sliver is then fed into a roving frame to produce roving by further reducing its diameter as well as imparting a slight twist. The roving is then fed into the spinning frame where it is spun into yarn. The yarns are next placed onto a winder where they are transferred into larger packages. The yarn is then ready to be used to create a fabric.
For a woven fabric, the yarns are designated for specific use as warp or fill yarns. The fill yarns (which run on the y-axis and are known as picks) are taken straight to the loom for weaving. The warp yarns (which run on the x-axis and are known as ends) must be further processed. The large packages of yarns are placed onto a warper frame and are wound onto a section beam were they are aligned parallel to each other. The section beam is then fed into a slasher where a size is applied to the yarns to make them stiffer and more abrasion resistant, which is required to withstand the weaving process. The yarns are wound onto a loom beam as they exit the slasher, which is then mounted onto the back of the loom. The warp yarns are threaded through the heedels of the loom, which raises and lowers the individual yarns as the filling yarns are inserted perpendicular in an interlacing pattern thus weaving the yarns into a fabric. Once the fabric has been woven, it is necessary for it to go through a scouring process to remove the size from the warp yarns before it can be dyed or finished. Currently, commercial high speed looms operate at a speed of 1000 to 1500 picks per minute, where a pick is the insertion of the filling yarn across the entire width of the fabric. Sheeting and bedding fabrics are typically counts of 80×80 to 200×200, being the ends per inch and picks per inch, respectively. The speed of weaving is determined by how quickly the filling yarns are interlaced into the warp yarns, therefore looms creating bedding fabrics are generally capable of production speeds of 5 inches to 18.75 inches per minute.
In contrast, the production of nonwoven fabrics from staple fibers is known to be more efficient than traditional textile processes as the fabrics are produced directly from the carding process.
Nonwoven fabrics are suitable for use in a wide variety of applications where the efficiency with which the fabrics can be manufactured provides a significant economic advantage for these fabrics versus traditional textiles. However, nonwoven fabrics have commonly been disadvantaged when fabric properties are compared, particularly in terms of surface abrasion, pilling and durability in multiple-use applications. Hydroentangled fabrics have been developed with improved properties that are a result of the entanglement of the fibers or filaments in the fabric providing improved fabric integrity. Subsequent to entanglement, fabric durability can be further enhanced by the application of binder compositions and/or by thermal stabilization of the entangled fibrous matrix.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706, to Evans, hereby incorporated by reference, discloses processes for effecting hydroentanglement of nonwoven fabrics. More recently, hydroentanglement techniques have been developed which impart images or patterns to the entangled fabric by effecting hydroentanglement on three-dimensional image transfer devices. Such three-dimensional image transfer devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,764, hereby incorporated by reference, with the use of such image transfer devices being desirable for providing a fabric with enhanced physical properties as well as an aesthetically pleasing appearance.
For specific applications, a nonwoven fabric must exhibit a combination of specific physical characteristics. For example, fabrics used in the home should be soft and drapeable, yet withstand home laundering, and be resistant to abrasion (which can result in fabric pilling). Fabrics used in the home must also exhibit sufficient strength and tear resistance, and colorfastness. These are among the characteristics which have been identified as being desirable for so-called “top-of-the-bed” applications, such as comforters, pillows, dust ruffles, and the like.
Heretofore, attempts have been made to develop nonwoven fabrics exhibiting the necessary aesthetic and physical properties through the use of specialized lyocell fibers. Lyocell is a natural cellulosic fiber spun from an amine oxide solvent developed by American ENKA, Asheville, N.C. in the late 1970's. U.S. Pat. No. 6,210,801, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,235,392, incorporated herein by reference, detail useful cellulosic compositions and the method of spinning such lyocell fibers. Courtaulds Fibers Inc. of Axis, Ala. (“Courtaulds”) markets lyocell fiber under the brand name of TENCEL in lengths suitable for short-staple and worsted and woolen spinning systems. TENCEL fibers has a highly crystalline structure and is fabricated from an amine oxide solvent of N-methylmorpholine N-oxide, commonly referred to as NMMO. The industry has found that TENCEL materials are superior to other cellulosics, including cotton and rayon in tensile and aesthetic properties which make it suitable for use in the textile field.
Various attempts have been made to fabricate lyocell fabrics with enhanced physical properties. Published Japanese Patent Application No. 10037059, discloses a method of forming a lyocell-based fabric comprising a lyocell filament yarn, whereby fibrillation of the lyocell under high pressure acts to interlace the yarn into a web construction. Published PCT Applications No. 98/26122 and 99/64649, are directed to a continuous extrusion process whereby lyocell filaments are formed and collected as a fiber web. U.S. Pat. No. 5,870,807, incorporated herein by reference, teaches to a “hydroenhancement” procedure whereby a pre-existing woven lyocell fabric is subjected to wet-processing and enzymatic hydrolysis treatments.
Notwithstanding various attempts in the prior art to develop a nonwoven fabric acceptable for home use applications, a need continues to exist for a nonwoven fabric which provides the desired softness and drapeability, as well as the requisite mechanical characteristics.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to nonwoven fabrics, and more particularly to nonwoven fabrics comprised of a blend of matrix fibers, lyocell fibers and fusible binder fibers, the nonwoven fabric being formed on a three-dimensional image transfer device and exhibiting a durable, drapeable performance. In particular, the present invention contemplates that a nonwoven fabric is formed from a precursor fibrous web, which is subjected to hydroentanglement on a moveable imaging surface of the three-dimensional image transfer device, and dried to heat-bond the fabric bond. Enhanced physical performance is obtained in the matrix/lyocell/binder fiber nonwoven fabric due to the synergistic effect of the fibrous components and the ability of surface asparities comprising the face of the three-dimensional image transfer device to focus the hydraulic energy into the formation of the fabric.
In accordance with the present invention, a method of making a nonwoven fabric embodying the present invention includes the steps of providing a precursor web comprising a fibrous matrix. While use of staple length fibers is typical, the fibrous matrix may comprise substantially continuous filaments. In a particularly preferred form, the fibrous matrix is carded, and optionally cross-lapped, to form a precursor web. It is also preferred that the precursor web be subjected to pre-entangling on a foraminous forming surface prior to imaging and patterning.
The present method further contemplates the provision of a three-dimensional image transfer device having a movable imaging surface. In a typical configuration, the image transfer device may comprise a drum-like apparatus which is rotatable with respect to one or more hydroentangling manifolds.
The precursor web is advanced onto the imaging surface of the image transfer device so that the web moves together with the imaging surface. Hydroentanglement of the precursor web is effected to form an imaged and patterned fabric.
Subsequent to hydroentanglement, the imaged and patterned fabric may be subjected to one or more variety of post-entanglement treatments. Such treatments may include application of a polymeric binder composition, mechanical compacting, application of a flame-retardant composition, dyeing and printing and like processes.
A further aspect of the present invention is directed to a method of forming a durable nonwoven fabric, which exhibits a sufficient degree of softness and drapeability, while providing the necessary resistance to tearing and abrasion, to facilitate use in a wide variety of applications. The fabric exhibits a significant degree of launderability, thus permitting its use in those applications in which the fabric may become soiled, and thus require home laundering.
A method of making the present durable nonwoven fabric comprises the steps of providing a precursor web that is subjected to hydroentangling. A polyester/lyocell/polyester binder fiber blend has been found to desirably yield soft hand and good fabric drapeability. The precursor web is formed into an imaged and patterned nonwoven fabric by hydroentanglement on a three-dimensional image transfer device. The image transfer device defines three-dimensional elements against which the precursor web is forced during hydroentangling, whereby the fibrous constituents of the web are imaged and patterned by movement into regions between the three-dimensional elements of the transfer device.
In the preferred form, the precursor web is hydroentangled on a foraminous surface prior to hydroentangling on the image transfer device. This pre-entangling of the precursor web acts to integrate the fibrous components of the web, but does not impart imaging and patterning as can be achieved through the use of the three-dimensional image transfer device.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of an apparatus for manufacturing a durable nonwoven fabric, embodying the principles of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be described a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
In accordance with the present invention, a durable nonwoven fabric can be produced from a mixture of matrix, lyocell and binder fibers, which can be employed in bedding applications, with the fabric exhibiting sufficient wash durability, softness, drapeability, abrasion resistance, strength, and tear resistance.
Because nonwoven fabrics are frequently produced using staple length fibers, the fabric typically has a degree of exposed surface fibers that will abrade or “pill” if not sufficiently entangled, and/or not treated with the appropriate polymer chemistries subsequent to hydroentanglement. The present invention provides a finished fabric that can be cut, sewn, and packaged for retail sale. The cost associated with designing/weaving, fabric preparation, dyeing and finishing steps can be desirably reduced.
With particular reference to FIG. 1 , therein is illustrated an apparatus for practicing the method of the present invention for forming a nonwoven fabric. The fabric is formed from a fibrous matrix, which comprises fibers selected to promote economical manufacture, and desired physical properties (minimum wash shrinkage, minimum thermal shrinkage, higher tear strength, and higher tensile strengths) for the resultant fabric. The fibrous matrix is preferably carded and subsequently cross-lapped to form a precursor web, designated P.
FIG. 1 illustrates a hydroentangling apparatus for forming nonwoven fabrics in accordance with the present invention. The apparatus includes a foraminous forming surface in the form of a flat bed entangler 5 upon which the fibrous precursor web P is positioned for pre-entangling. Precursor web P is then sequentially passed under entangling manifolds 12 , 22 , 32 , 42 , 52 , whereby the precursor web is subjected to high-pressure water jets. This process is well known to those skilled in the art and is generally taught by U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706, to Evans, hereby incorporated by reference.
The entangling apparatus of FIG. 1 further includes an imaging and patterning drum 18 comprising a three-dimensional image transfer device for effecting imaging and patterning of the now-entangled precursor web. After pre-entangling, the precursor web is directed to the image transfer device 18 , where a three-dimensional image is imparted into the fabric on the foraminous forming surface of the device. The web of fibers is juxtaposed to the image transfer device 18 , and high pressure water from manifolds 61 , 62 , and 63 , is directed against the outwardly facing surface from jet spaced radially outwardly of the image transfer device 18 . The image transfer device 18 , and manifolds 61 , 62 , and 63 , may be formed and operated in accordance with the teachings of commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,764, No. 5,244,711, No. 5,822,823, and No. 5,827,597, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference. It is presently preferred that the precursor web P be given a three-dimensional image suitable to provide fluid management, as will be further described, to promote use of the present nonwoven fabric in durable goods. The entangled fabric can be vacuum dewatered at 24 , and dries at an elevated temperature through drum dryers. By drying the fabric, the nonwoven fabric is at least partially heat-bonded. This occurs as a result of the binder fibers fusing to each other and/or fusing to the other fibrous components.
The fibrous precursor web P is formed from a blend of matrix fiber in the range of about 50% to about 75% by weight, lyocell fiber in the range of about 20% to about 45% by weight, and binder fiber in the range of about 3% to about 20% by weight. A preferred range of binder fiber is in the range of 5% to 10% by weight.
The matrix fibers that can be used include those of both synthetic and natural composition, of an infinite fiber length, a finite staple length or a natural fiber length. Synthetic fibers include those selected from thermoset polymers, thermoplastic polymers, and the combinations thereof. Representative thermoplastic fibers include polyamides, polyesters, and polyolefins. Natural fibers include those that are of cellulosic composition, such as wood pulp, cotton, and rayons. The matrix fibers can optionally incorporate one or more fibers of different composition, including other staple fiber blends, or fibers of the same of different composition with variations in the denier and staple length.
Lyocell fibers that can be used primarily include finite staple lengths and continuous filaments. Preferred lyocell fibers, as practiced in the present invention, include those of finite staple length.
The binder fibers that can be used primarily include fibers of homogeneous, heterogeneous, or segmented construction, manufactured from one or more thermoplastic polymers. Representative thermoplastic fibers include polyamides, polyesters, and polyolefins. Preferred binders fibers include polyester staple fibers, of homogeneous, bi-component, or multi-component construction.
The fiber blend can optionally be applied to, or otherwise incorporate, one or more layers of the same or different composition, including other staple fiber blends. Further, the fibers and fiber layers may be combined with one or more layers of continuous filaments, micro-denier filaments or fibers, scrims, and barrier or breathable films.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
A fabric was formed from two, cross-lapped (2 folds) drafted fibrous batts, each fibrous batt comprising: 52.5% by weight 0.99 denier by 1.5 inch T-472 PET fibers, as available from Wellman, 40% by weight 1.5 denier by 1.5 inch rayon Type 8191 as available from Lenzing, as available from Accordis, and 7.5% by weight 3.0 denier by 1.5 inch Type T-410 binder fiber, as available from Foss. The web was hydroentangled on a flat bed entangler 5 by manifold 6 operated at 40 bar. The precursor web was then positioned upon entangler 12 mounted with a foraminous support surface. The web was subjected to the action of water jets from one manifold 10 operated at 50 bar. The precursor web was then positioned upon an entangler 22 mounted with a foraminous support surface. The web was subjected to the action of water jets from manifold 20 operated at 90 bar. The precursor web was then positioned upon entangler 32 mounted with foraminous support surface. The web was subjected to the action of water jets from manifold 30 operated at 100 bar. The precursor web was then positioned upon entangler 42 mounted with a foraminous support surface. The web was subjected to the action of water jets from manifold 40 operated at 100 bar. The precursor web was then positioned upon entangler 52 mounted with foraminous support surface. The web was subjected to the action of water jets form manifold 50 operated at 90 bar.
This precursor web was then positioned on the image transfer device 18 having a forming surface of “tricot” configured as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,244,711, with the three manifolds, 61 through 63 , operated at 80 bar, 80 bar, and 70 bar, respectively. The fabric was dried at an elevated temperature on drum dryer 70 . Drum Dryer 70 consisted of three units operated sequentially at 120° C., 150° C., and 205° C., respectfully. The fabric was formed at a line speed of about 70 yards per minute. Final fabric basis weight was 1.85 ounces per square yard.
Example 2
A fabric was formed in accordance with Example 1, wherein in the alternative, two cross-lapped (2 folds) drafted fibrous batts were used, each fibrous batt comprising: 52.5% by weight 0.99 denier by 1.5 inch T-472 PET fibers, as available from Wellman, 40% by weight 1.5 denier by 2.0 inch lyocell fiber H 205-913, as available from Accordis, and 7.5% by weight 3.0 denier by 1.5 inch CELLBOND Type 252 binder fiber, as available from Kosa.
Example 3
A fabric was formed in accordance with Example 1, wherein in the alternative two cross-lapped (2 folds) drafted webs each comprising 62.5% by weight 0.99 denier by 1.5 inch T-472 PET fibers from Wellman, 30% by weight 1.5 denier by 2.0 inch lyocell fiber H 205-913 from Accordis and 7.5% by weight 3.0 denier by 1.5 inch CELLBOND type 252 binder fiber from Kosa.
The following test procedures have been established in connection with nonwoven fabrics.
Basis Weight
ASTM D 377
Bulk
ASTM D 5729
MD Tensile Strength
ASTM D 5034
CD Tensile Strength
ASTM D 5034
MD Elongation
ASTM D 5034
CD Elongation
ASTM D 5034
MD tear
ASTM D 5734
CD tea
ASTM D 5734
MD Stiffness
INDA ST 90.0-75 R82
CD Stiffness
INDA ST 90.0-75 R82
Air Permeability
ASTM D 737
Mullen Burst
ASTM D 461 section 13
MD Thermal Shrinkage
See Below
CD Thermal Shrinkage
See Below
MD Wash Shrinkage
ASTM D2724
CD Wash Shrinkage
ASTM D2724
For thermal shrinkage the following procedure was used: Cut four samples across the full width of the fabric. Sample size is 12″×12″. Using an AATCC shrinkage scale, mark/draw two lines that are 10″ a part in the MD and repeat for the CD. Place sample in oven heated to 350 of for 30 minutes. Remove sample and allow cooling to ambient temperature. Measure using AATCC shrinkage scale.
Tables 1 and 2 provide a comparisons of a conventional rayon nonwoven fabric, Example 1 against the lyocell nonwoven fabric of the present invention, Example 2 and Example 3. The test data shows that lyocell nonwoven fabric approaching, meeting, or exceeding the benchmarks achieved with fabrics formed from a rayon fiber equivalent material. Fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention have been found capable of withstanding no less than 5 laundry machine washing, and preferably greater than 25 laundry machine washing, which is thus suitable for “top-of-bed” applications.
From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be affected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
TABLE 1
Comparison
Example 1 v.
Example 2
(Normalized to
Example 1
Example 2
basis weight)
Basis Weight
1.81
1.86
—
Bulk
0.02
0.02
—
MDT
28.31
40.68
40%
CDT
24.83
30.90
21%
MDE
20.52
34.22
62%
CDE
65.30
65.72
−2%
MD tear
916.07
1823.50
94%
CD tear
1186.37
2053.93
68%
MD Stiff
57.72
52.19
−12%
CD Stiff
15.19
19.23
23%
Air Perm
342.84
350.10
−1%
Mullen Burst
66.70
84.89
24%
MD wash shrink
7.30
5.34
−29%
CD wash shrink 5 cycles
5.50
2.95
−48%
TABLE 2
MD
CD
MD
CD
Basis
Ten-
Ten-
MD
CD
Thermal
Thermal
Weight
sile
sile
Tear
Tear
Shrinkage
Shrinkage
Example 1
1.81
28.1
20.5
900
1100
4.25
2
Example 2
1.86
4.07
30.9
1824
2054
2
1
Example 3
1.85
39.7
31.2
1228
1512
2.25
1.75
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A method of forming durable nonwoven fabrics by hydroentanglement includes providing a precursor web comprising a blend of matrix fibers, lyocell fibers, and fusible binder fibers. The precursor web is subjected to hydroentanglement on a three-dimensional image transfer device to create a patterned and imaged fabric. Fabrics formed in accordance with the present invention exhibit significant improvements in strength while remaining drapeable and are capable of withstanding multiple laundry washing with nominal shrinkage.
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BACKGROUND-FIELD OF INVENTION
This invention relates to a storage bag of laminated construction which will rapidly establish and maintain a dry environment inside of said storage bag by absorbing ambient moisture therein present.
BACKGROUND-DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART
A variety of bags, trays, pads and laminated foils have been developed to absorb fluids from the products contained therein. Adler, U.S. Pat. No. 3,084,984, devised a bag type container of multiple wall design for packaging dry food products. Imperforate inner and outer layers formed from moisture resistant materials such as wax paper, glassine or thermoplastic are sealed at the ends. A plurality of sheets of absorbent material such as paper toweling are sandwiched inbetween the outer and inner layers. At least one of the absorbent layers is impregnated with a desiccant substance to increase the moisture absorbing capacity. In Barner U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,064 describes a storage bag for moisture retentive foods comprising an outer water impermeable bag and a smaller inner bag of absorbent paper to retain exuded fluids.
In order to improve the appearance and shelf life of packaged meat and poultry products trays similar laminar design have been ultilized. Niblack et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,209 devised a ray comprising a lower moisture impervious layer, a middle layer with supports and an absorbent material impregnated with bacteriostatic agents, and an upper perforated layer through which suspended material and exuded fluids may pass into the absorbent layer. Foote in U.S. Pat. No. 3,040,949 employed a tray comprising a nonperforated lower layer and perforated upper layer fabricated from relatively nonabsorbent pulp material said layers being joined around the periphery. An absorbent pulp layer is sandwiched between these two layers which traps fluids exuded from the packaged meat or poultry products. Miller in U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,578 invented an absorbent pad for a receptacle designed to absorb fluids from moisture exuding food products such as meat and poultry. The device comprises an upper nonperforated liquid impermeable plastic sheet overlying an absorbent pad and a perforated bottom plastic sheet underlying the absorbent layer. Spacers capable of supporting a compressive load are placed between the upper and lower layers. The device is contained within a tray. Fluids exuded from the food products placed on the upper sheet flow around the pad and are absorbed by capilliary action into the inner layer. By this means the food products are kept away from the exudate resulting in enhanced shelf life and appearance. In Lemmons U.S. Pat. No. 3,320,075 has invented a method for packaging prechilled food products such as meat, poultry and moisture exuding vegetables. The method consists of depositing a layer of dry ice on the bottom of a shipping carton and placing over the layer of refrigerant a laminated pad comprising a lower layer of absorbent material and an upper spacer layer of perforated plastic.
Patents have been granted on devices of similar design for use in baking or broiling. Miller in U.S. Pat. No. 2,593,592 designed a grill of mat construction for absorbing grease and fat from broiling meat. This mat is constructed from heat resistant material such as asbestos and comprises a lower nonperforated layer, an upper perforated layer and two corrugated middle layers separated by a perforated layer. The hot grease flows through the perforations and is absorbed in the inner corrugated layers. Fine in U.S. Pat. No. 3,127,828 has designed a broiling pad having a laminated structure with a plurality of layers of porous, liquid absorbent fibrous material such as paper. Opposite sides of the pad are covered with metal foil. The foil on the upper side is perforated to permit juices to flow into the interior to be absorbed by the fibrous layer. Christopher in U.S. Pat. No. 3,411,433 developed a foil material from which baking containers may be fabricated. The foil has an upper perforated layer and a lower nonperforated layer associated together with a moisture absorbent material such as a fabric mesh sandwiched inbetween. Grease and moisture exuded during the baking process flow into the absorbent pad resulting in improved baking characteristics.
Various laminated packaging materials have been developed which protect the packaged materials from moisture, light and air and in some cases maintain the moisture content of the contents of the package. Dula in U.S. Pat. No. 1,538,277 developed a package for food and commodities from a laminated sheet. The sheet comprises an inner layer of metal foil, such as tin foil, attached with a layer of paraffin wax to a middle wax impregnated sheet of paper and an outer paper wrapper coated with a waxy material. Said package hermetically seals the contents of the package. Clunan in U.S. Pat. No. 2,400,390 developed a vacuum packaging sheet material formed by adhesively laminating aluminum or tin foil to Pliofilm, a chlorinated rubber. The Pliofilm edges of the sheet are heat sealed under vacuum to form a moisture, light and air resistant package. In U.S. Pat. No. 3,560,223 Turbak has patented a liver sausage product cooked in situ in a multilayer casing. The tubular casing is formed by laminating layers of thermoplastic film to both sides of a metal foil. The sealed tube formed therefrom is relatively impervious to moisture and oxygen transmission. Stillman in U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,309 has invented a self-sealing packaging laminate of high strength and capacity. The laminate is composed of an outer sheet of non-woven spun-bonded polymeric filament such as polyethylene or polyester, a second layer of flexible metal foil, preferably aluminum, and an inner layer of heat sealable polyolefin. A face ply of smooth non-porous material such as Kraft paper is bonded to the outer spun-bonded polymeric filament layer. Moyle in U.S. Pat. No. 4,364,989 has devised a multilayer packaging material for snack food. The material comprises an outer layer of polypropylene, a low density polyethylene laminator and an inner layer which is a coextrusion. The inner coextruded layer comprises a first layer of high density polyethylene, a second layer of polypropylene and a third layer of ethylene methyl acrylate. The ethylene methyl acrylate surface is coated with an emulsion of polyvinylidene chloride, which seals the inner layers together upon application of heat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My invention consists of a laminated packaging material from which package type containers are fabricated for storing or transporting a variety of products ranging from dry foodstuffs to electronic equipment where maintenance of a dry environment is a requirement. It is therefore a principle purpose of my invention to provide a dry environment for goods sealed inside a package formed from the laminated material. My laminated packaging material comprises an outer imperforate water impervious layer, a middle layer of absorbent material and an inner perforated moisture impervious layer. Any external moisture penetrating the package is trapped by the absorbent layer. Moisture or humidity inside the package is rapidly absorbed through the perforations into the absorbent layer. Thus it is seen that my packaging material when sealed to form a container will provide a dry environment for any object sealed within the package. Adler's laminated packaging material consists of both outer and inner imperforate sheets of moisture resistant thermoplastic sheets. The rate of transmission of liquid water or water vapor contained inside of the package through the imperforate water resistant layer to the inner absorbent layer is very slow allowing humid or moist conditions within the package to remain for a considerable length of time in contrast to the rapid absorption of moisture through the perforated inner layer of my packaging material. A principle object of the inventions of Barner, Foote, Niblack, Lemmons and Miller is to absorb excess moisture and fluids from food products, but to simultaneously maintain a humid atmosphere so that the packaged foodstuffs do not become dehydrated. The inventions of Christopher, Miller and Fine are designed to absorb excess grease and moisture produced during baking and broiling. At these high temperatures the more volatile components of the exuded liquified fat and all of the water are not absorbed but remain in the vapor state preventing the meat or baked goods from becoming dried out. All of the patents discussed above teach away from my invention.
The various laminated packaging materials described by Dula, Clunan, Turbak, Stillman and Moyle are designed to prevent moisture from entering or leaving the package, but are not designed to absorb moisture either penetrating the laminated material or present inside of the container formed from said materials. My invention solves the problem of rapidly establishing and maintaining a dry environment inside of a package. None of the above-mentioned inventions address this problem.
Square or rectangular sheets of my laminated material may be sealed at the edges to form bag type containers. Additionally developmental surface patterns formed from my material ma be used to wrap various sized shipping containers in the form of boxes, tubes etc. The outer and inner layers may be formed from metal foil, preferably aluminum, or flexible thermoplastic film, such as polyolefin, polyester or polyvinylidene chloride. The absorbent layer consists of a plurality of sheets of absorbent paper such as paper toweling. The thickness of the absorbent layer may be increased to give greater absorbtivity. In a further embodiment the absorbent layers may be impregnated with a desiccant agent, such as calcium chloride, silica gel or magnesium perchlorate to increase the moisture absorbing capacity. Another embodiment comprises adhesively securing the edges of the paper toweling to form a bag which is filled with granular silica gel to dramatically increase the ability of the absorbent layer to retain moisture. A still further embodiment consists of impregnating the absorbent layer with a fungicidal agent to inhibit the growth of any fungi during long periods of storage by the absorbent layer. An additional embodiment comprises the addition of activated charcoal to a sealed bag formed from the absorbent paper. The activated charcoal layer serves to absorb vapors other than water present inside the sealed package.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view partly broken away of a sheet of the laminated packaging material.
FIG. 2 is an exploded isometric view showing the three layers of the laminate.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of 7 the laminated packaging material taken along line 1--1 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3a is a fragmental enlarged view of the laminated packaging material showing the absorbent layer adhesively secured to at least one of either the outer or inner layer making up the laminate.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of a bag type container formed by attaching the ends of two of the laminated sheets.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged partial cross-sectional view of an alternate embodiment of the laminated packaging material wherein the middle layer comprises a bag containing a desiccant or absorbent agent.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Considering the drawings in greater detail FIG. 1 shows the laminated packaging material 2 which comprises an outer imperforate layer 3 or moisture impermeable material overlying and covering a layer of moisture absorbent material 4 an an inner perforated layer 5 of moisture impermeable material. The laminated sheet 2 is shown in rectangular shape for illustrative purposes, however there are no limitations on the shape or pattern in which the packaging material may be fabricated. FIG. 3 shows the detailed construction of the laminate in an enlarged cross-sectional view. FIG. 2 shows an exploded view of the laminate, illustrating the position of the laminar layers before sealing.
The absorbent layer typically is comprised of two or three sheets, preferably consisting of sheets of paper toweling. The thickness may be varied to increase the moisture absorbing capacity. The absorbent layer may or may not be adhesively attached to the inner surface of the outer layer of moisture impermeable material 3. In an alternative embodiment the absorbent layer may be impregnated with a desiccant such as calcium chloride, silica gel, magnesium perchlorate or any other suitable desiccant material to further enhance the moisture absorbing capacity. FIG. 5 shows a further embodiment wherein the moisture absorbing capacity is greatly increased comprising a thin layer of granular silica gel 14 contained within a pouch 15 formed by adhesively sealing the peripheral edges 16 of layers of the paper toweling. The pouch is sealed between the outer and inner layers of moisture impermeable material as before.
The peripheral edges of the outer and inner sheets extend beyond the absorbent layer 4 by at least 1/2" and are sealably attached together as shown in FIG. 3 at 10 by any suitable means, such as crimping, heat sealing or use of an adhesive. The inner sheet 5 is apertured by a plurality of perforations, FIG. 1 at 6, which are substantially uniformly distributed over its full area. The circular perforations are shown centered in a square pattern the centers being 11/2" to 2" apart with a diameter of 1/2".
The laminated packaging material 2 in its preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 3 comprises an imperforate outer layer 3 and perforate inner layer 5 composed of moisture impermeable material. For example the layers may comprise a flexible thermoplastic film, such as polyvinylidene chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene or a metal foil, such as aluminum, having a thickness of between 1.0 to 4.0 mils, with a preferred thickness of 2.75 mils. The perforations 6 in the inner layer 5 consist of a regular pattern covering substantially the entire area of the inner sheet with the perimeter of the perforated area being one inch less on all edges than the perimeter of the absorbent sheets 4. The perforations are centered 11/2" to 2" apart with diameters of 14 between 1/8" to 1/2", with a preferred diameter of 1/2". The absorbent layer 4 is sandwiched between the inner and outer layers and adhesively attached to the inner surface of the imperforate outer layer 3. The absorbent material preferably consists of paper toweling with a thickness between 6 to 18 mils, with a preferred thickness of 12 to 13 mils.
A moisture resistant container may be formed from the laminated packaging material by sealably attaching the peripheral edges of one or more sheets together. FIG. 4 shows two sheets of material placed together and sealed at 12. For example two sheets may be adhesively or heat sealed on three sides, the contents placed inside the package so formed, and the remaining edges of the laminate sealed forming a moisture resistant package. A single sheet of laminated packaging material may be folded on itself and the edges sealed to form a container. Examining FIG. 4 it is readily seen that any moisture inside of the package rapidly passes through the perforations in the inner sheet and is absorbed by the absorbent paper. In the alternate embodiments employing desiccant agents the moisture will be transferred from the absorbent paper to the desiccant and tenaciously retained thereby rapidly establishing a dry environment inside of the package. Any external moisture which slowly penetrates the outer imperforate moisture impermeable sheet through interstitial spaces, rents or tears will be rapidly absorbed in like fashion maintaining a continuous dry condition inside the package.
While the invention has been specifically described with respect to the disclosed embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will at once recognize that the invention may be practiced in a variety of ways.
For example the particular size and spacing of the apertures may vary. The absorbent layer need not be adhesively secured as at 13 and the spacing needed to obtain parameters necessary to form effective bagging, wrapping or entraining may be varied. It is only essential to the practice of the invention that an inner chamber or absorbent layer be provided having communication, by plurality of passageways or openings, to the interior of the package formed by the packaging material of this invention.
In the drawings and specification both the preferred and alternative embodiments of my invention have been disclosed.
Other embodiments and uses for the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art intended to fall within the scope of this invention. Therefore the disclosures and descriptions are to be taken as illustrative and are not intended to be limiting.
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A laminated packaging material from which package type containers are fabricated for storing or transporting a variety of products ranging from dry food-stuffs to electronic equipment where maintenance of a dry environment is a requirement, comprising an outer imperforate water impervious layer, a middle layer of absorbent material and an inner perforated moisture impervious layer.
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PRIORITY CLAIM
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/465,102, filed Mar. 14, 2011; the present application also claims the benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/631,556, filed Jan. 6, 2012; all of the foregoing applications are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates generally to thermocouples and more particularly to measurement of temperature using a thermocouple without using a reference junction.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Thomas Seebeck's original experiment was reported in The Journal Abt. D. Konigl, Alak. D Wiss Berlin 1822-1823, p 265, in the article “Evidence of the thermal current of the combination Bi—Cu by its action on magnetic needle”. Figure One shows a drawing of the well-known Seebeck effect, where there exists two wires of dissimilar metal conductors (A+) and (B−) with two electrical junctions, one being hot (T H ) and the other being cold (T C ). From Seebeck's reasoning, a current will only flow in the circuit as long as the two junctions are at different temperatures and that the voltage difference (V S ) can only be measured with both junctions employed.
[0004] Following Seebeck's insistence on employing a reference junction, the current state of accurate electronic temperature measurements is not simple. There exists a large selection of temperature sensors; each one with its own limitations. Generally, the most prevalent sensing devices are thermocouples, thermistors and resistance temperature detectors. Diodes and transistors have been used previously, but they are not sold for widespread temperature sensing because of their inherent limitations. Thermistors are highly non-linear making wide range measurements difficult. Resistance temperature detections are large, requiring an electronic bridge and are relatively costly. Thermocouples are small, inexpensive and relatively linear, but according to Seebeck's teaching require a reference junction in order to provide an electrical signal.
[0005] Seebeck's linear relationship with A S being Seebeck's coefficient and is given by:
[0000] V S =A S *( T H −T C )
[0006] The actual value of Seebeck's coefficient is dependent on the type of thermocouple that is used and Table One below shows those values:
[0000]
TABLE ONE
Seebeck Coefficient
Thermocouple
Seebeck
Positive
Negative
Type
Coefficient
Metal
Metal
E
61 μV/° C.
Chrome Alloy
Constantan Alloy
J
52 μV/° C.
Iron
Constantan Alloy
K
41 μV/° C.
Chrome Alloy
Aluminum Alloy
N
27 μV/° C.
Nicrosil Alloy
Nisil Alloy
R
9 μV/° C.
Platinum Alloy
Rhodium Alloy
S
6 μV/° C.
Platinum Alloy
Rhodium Alloy
T
41 μV/° C.
Copper
Constantan Alloy
[0007] In future work, it was found that Seebeck's constant was actually a polynomial expansion function (for example: A S =a 0 +a 1 *T 1 +a 2 *T 2 +a 3 *T 3 . . . ) which depended on the measuring temperature, and that being usually the hot side temperature. Likewise, the cold side junction reference was set in an ice bath at 0° C., and at that temperature, the voltage reading was referenced as 0.0 millivolt, independent of any thermocouple metals used. Thus, all National Institute of Standards and Technology tables report that 0° C. is 0.000 millivolt. For example, the J-thermocouple table data can be found on the Internet at the following address: http://srdata.nistgov/its90/download/type_j.tab
[0008] Other thermocouple data can similarly be found at that website, and both the J and K thermocouple data are given later in this patent. All thermocouple data on this US Government website is referenced with an ice bath temperature (0° C.).
[0009] For current understanding and thinking of electronic thermocouple measurements, a reference literature article entitled “Two Ways to Measure Temperature Using Thermocouples Feature Simplicity, Accuracy and Flexibility” is helpful by Analog Device engineers Matthew Duff and Joseph Towey, which was published in the Journal Analog Dialogue (Volume 44-10 October 2010). In this article, the reference junction as established by Seebeck in 1821 is employed in various different methods to ascertain the measured temperature against the differential voltage of the measured and reference junction. Along with other semiconductor firms, Analog Devices manufactures integrated circuits employing silicon chip technology that converts the thermocouple wire input into a voltage output signal, which is ultimately converted from this referenced analog output to digital information.
[0010] As a working example, Analog Devices (a publicly traded semiconductor manufacturer headquartered in Norwood, Mass.) manufactures an integrated circuit silicon chip (AD-594) which will be used to demonstrate the current technology in thermocouple temperature electronic measurement. This complex transistor device employs Seebeck's original insistence that a reference junction must be employed. The chip's name is aptly called “Monolithic Thermocouple Amplifiers with Cold Junction Compensation”. There are fourteen electrical connections per the drawing shown in Figure Two. Many of those connectors or pins are dedicated to providing the cold junction reference temperature and voltage, which current technology deems as absolute necessary in order to provide an output voltage signal.
[0011] Table Two shows the detailed list of those electrical connections, where according to standard semiconductor technology numbering system, the first pin (#1) is assigned to the lower left position and numbering proceeds in a counter-clockwise manner to the last pin (#14 in this case) which is located on the upper right corner.
[0000]
TABLE TWO
Analog Device AD-594
Electrical
Pin
Electrical Pin
Pin Number
Designation
Description
1
+IN
Input Thermocouple Wire (+)
2
+C
Input Compensation Wire (+)
3
+T
+Adjustment to Ice Point
4
COM
Common Ground (0 VDC)
5
−T
−Adjustment to Ice Point
6
−C
Input Compensation Wire (−)
7
V−
Common Ground (0 VDC)
8
FB
Output Voltage (0° C. = 0 mv)
9
VO
Output Voltage (10 mv/° C.)
10
COMP
Feedback Gain Modification
11
V+
Supply Voltage (+5 VDC)
12
+ALM
High Alarm Output (+)
13
−ALM
Common Ground (0 VDC)
14
−IN
Input Thermocouple Wire (−)
[0012] As seen by this table, many of the electrical connections are associated with providing a signal for the ice bath temperature compensation. Similarly, the electrical schematic for Analog Device's AD-594 is very complex as seen in Figure Three and much of the circuit is devoted to referencing the output voltage signal to the ice bath point, so that 0° C. is 0.000 millivolt in accordance with the National Institute of Standards and Technology tables, which are consistent with the teachings of Seebeck.
[0013] Analog Device is not the only semiconductor company to use a cold junction reference for thermocouple wiring. Many American integrated circuit firms offer similar technology, as seen below in Table Three:
[0000]
TABLE THREE
American Semiconductor Firms with Cold Junction Reference
Semiconductor
Integrated
Corporate
Company
Chip Number
Headquarters
Analog Device
AD-594
Norwood, MA
Linear Technology
LT-1025
Milpitas, CA
Maxim Technology
6675
Sunnyvale, CA
Microchip Technology
AN-929
Chandler, AZ
National Semiconductor
AN-225
Santa Clara, CA
[0014] This list is not exhaustive, but it is clear that the semiconductor industry utilizes the cold junction reference for all thermocouple connections, meaning that 0° C. is 0.0 millivolt. There are no industrial practices or even scientific literature on non-compensated thermocouple voltages or connections.
[0015] A review of the prior art patents confirm that cold junction referencing must be practiced with thermocouple devices. A recently issued patent (U.S. Pat. No. 7,994,416 by W. Shuh on Aug. 9, 2011) and assigned to Watlow Electric Manufacturing entitled “Semi-compensated Pins for Cold Junction Compensation” is of particular interest. As reported in that patent, K-thermocouple voltage is given as 4.096 millivolt at 100° C. in Figure Four. However, this value has been referenced so that 0° C. is 0.0 millivolt, meaning that the actual voltage produced by a K-thermocouple is not known. This patent shows various “errors” in measurement which actually is the deviation from the “K” thermocouple table. All thermocouple readings used a standard cold junction reference at 0° C., meaning that Shuh has followed Seebeck's original teaching. The errors in these reported values range from 0° C. to 10° C., which is extremely high or 10% of full scale, since the standard errors are usually in the range of <1%.
[0016] All the prior art (some 31 patents) that is referenced in the Shuh patent, using thermocouple connections employ a reference junction, which is typically at the cold end and the hot end is devoted to the measuring thermocouple junction. There are no reported voltages for non-compensated temperatures anywhere in either patents or the scientific literature. This fact underscores the fundamental problem with compensation using reference junctions and forcing all thermocouple voltages to be 0.0 my at 0° C.
[0017] From real measurements made in the laboratory, as described in later sections, the actual 0.0 millivolt output level is extremely close to room temperature for both J and K thermocouples. Specifically,
[0018] J thermocouple temperature=21.8° C. for 0.0 millivolt output
[0019] K thermocouple temperature=20.5° C. for 0.0 millivolt output
[0020] Any attempt to compensate the thermocouple data to another reference temperature, such as 0° C. per the standard thermocouple tables will invariably lead to higher measurement errors and an overly complex system. This invention is therefore truly novel and non-obvious.
SUMMARY
[0021] In accordance with this invention, thermocouple measurements can be made without a reference junction, either hot or cold. Following this new principle will result in a simplified semiconductor design and much improved accuracy and repeatability of measurements. It is, therefore, the principal object of this invention to provide means for achieving this result by direct amplification, without compensation.
[0022] Still another object of this invention is to provide improved accuracy in thermocouple measurements by observing that non-compensated “J” and “K” thermocouple devices output 0.0 millivolt at room temperature.
[0023] Another object of this invention is to reduce the cost associated with temperature measurements using thermocouples by simplifying the design.
[0024] These and other objects may become more apparent to those skilled in the art upon review of the summary of the invention as provided herein, and upon undertaking a study of the description of its preferred embodiment, in view of the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In referring to the drawings:
[0026] FIG. 1 provides a schematic of the original Seebeck's thermocouple measurements using a hot and cold junction;
[0027] FIG. 2 displays electrical pin numbers of Analog Devices AD-594;
[0028] FIG. 3 shows the electrical schematic associated with Analog Devices AD-594;
[0029] FIG. 4 discloses the operational amplifier used to measure the output voltage;
[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates the laboratory experimental station;
[0031] FIG. 6 is a Cartesian graph of the non-compensated “J” thermocouple data; and
[0032] FIG. 7 is a Cartesian graph of the non-compensated “K” thermocouple data.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] Electrical measurements of thermocouples have been compensated with another bimetallic reference junction since Seebeck's discovery of 1821, as seen in Figure One. Ultimately, this invention destroys that long-held practice, which continues to this day in the semiconductor industry, as seen by Analog Device's integrated circuit in Figure Two and Three. Compensation leads to higher error and a more complex design.
[0034] With the current state of art, which employs either cold or hot junction references, the reported errors in temperature measurement (as given by the Watlow thermocouple catalog page 20) with standard thermocouples is poor, as shown in Table Four:
[0000]
TABLE FOUR
Standard Errors for Current Thermocouples
Thermocouple
Temperature Range
Standard
Letter
(° F.)
Error
B
1600 to 3100
+/−0.500%
E
32 to 600
+/−3° F.
600 to 1600
+/−0.500%
J
32 to 530
+/−4° F.
530 to 1400
+/−0.750%
K, N
32 to 530
+/−4° F.
530 to 2300
+/−0.750%
R or S
32 to 1000
+/−2.5° F.
1000 to 2700
+/−0.250%
T
−300 to −150
−150 to −75
+/−2%
−75 to 200
+/−1.5° F.
200 to 700
+/−0.750%
[0035] Absolute average errors using this invention by not compensating the thermocouple leads were significantly lower for both thermocouple data. The “J” thermocouple absolute average error was 0.05% while “K” averaged 0.02% of full scale (100° C.).
[0036] The primary reason that thermocouples continue to be compensated with a cold junction is that all temperature measurements are currently referenced to 32° F. or 0° C., with a reported value of 0.000 millivolt, in order to conform to the National Institute of Standards and Technology tables.
[0037] The “K” thermocouple readings are shown below in Table Five:
[0000]
TABLE FIVE
“K” Thermocouple Table
° C.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
0.000
0.039
0.079
0.119
0.158
0.198
0.238
0.277
0.317
0.357
10
0.397
0.437
0.477
0.517
0.557
0.597
0.637
0.677
0.718
0.758
20
0.798
0.838
0.879
0.919
0.960
1.000
1.041
1.081
1.122
1.163
30
1.203
1.244
1.285
1.326
1.366
1.407
1.448
1.489
1.530
1.571
40
1.612
1.653
1.694
1.735
1.776
1.817
1.858
1.899
1.941
1.982
50
2.023
2.064
2.106
2.147
2.188
2.230
2.271
2.312
2.354
2.395
60
2.436
2.478
2.519
2.561
2.602
2.644
2.685
2.727
2.768
2.810
70
2.851
2.893
2.934
2.976
3.017
3.059
3.100
3.142
3.184
3.225
80
3.267
3.308
3.350
3.433
3.433
3.474
3.516
3.557
3.599
3.640
90
3.682
3.723
3.765
3.806
3.848
3.889
3.931
3.972
4.013
4.055
All non-Bold Values are in millivolts
[0038] In strict adherence to Seebeck's regimented thinking, this “K” thermocouple data is referenced such that 0 millivolt signal is 0° C., per the value shown in the top left quadrant of this table. A reference cold junction must be employed in order to zero these temperature values.
[0039] All thermocouple data, tabulated by the National Institute Standards and Technology (NIST) and found elsewhere is presented according to this very strict protocol. In order to hammer this point, the “J” thermocouple data which is published by the NIST and others have been standardized using a cold reference junction at the freezing temperature of water. The measuring bimetallic thermocouple junction is the hot side, with the positive and negative thermocouple wires kept separated.
[0040] The “J” thermocouple readings are shown below in Table Six:
[0000]
TABLE SIX
“J” Thermocouple Table
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
0
0.000
0.050
0.101
0.151
0.202
0.253
0.303
0.354
0.405
0.456
10
0.507
0.558
0.609
0.660
0.711
0.762
0.814
0.865
0.916
0.968
20
1.019
1.071
1.122
1.174
1.226
1.277
1.329
1.381
1.433
1.485
30
1.537
1.589
1.641
1.693
1.745
1.797
1.849
1.902
1.954
2.006
40
2.059
2.111
2.164
2.216
2.269
2.322
2.374
2.427
2.480
2.532
50
2.585
2.638
2.691
2.744
2.797
2.850
2.903
2.956
3.009
3.062
60
3.116
3.169
3.222
3.275
3.329
3.382
3.436
3.489
3.543
3.596
70
3.650
3.703
3.757
3.810
3.864
3.918
3.971
4.025
4.079
4.133
80
4.187
4.240
4.294
4.348
4.402
4.456
4.510
4.564
4.618
4.672
90
4.726
4.781
4.835
4.889
4.943
4.997
5.052
5.106
5.160
5.215
All non-Bold Values are in millivolts
[0041] Until this patent publication, there was no other thermocouple data and hence all temperature measurements had to be referenced in this highly regimented, costly and overly complex manner.
[0042] To usurp nearly two centuries of thermocouple measurements and standardized tables as reported by the National Institute of Standards and Technology is novel and not obvious to anyone skilled in the art.
[0043] The invention is the first time in temperature measurement history that a thermocouple was wired directly to a highly accurate and precise millivolt amplifier and the results being tabulated without any reference compensation. Specifically, the Data-Forth (of Tucson, Az. 85706) Model SCM5B30-01 operational amplifier (SN# 59482-8) with the following calibration data was used:
[0000]
TABLE SEVEN
Calibration Data for Dataforth Millivolt Amplifier (500X)
Input
Calculated
Measured
Computed
Voltage (mv)
Output (V)
Output (V)
Error (%)
−10.009
−5.005
−4.999
+0.051%
−4.997
−2.499
−2.495
+0.034%
+0.002
+0.001
+0.003
+0.019%
+5.005
+2.503
+2.504
+0.011%
+9.990
+4.995
+4.995
−0.003%
[0044] This electronic amplifier was inside a laboratory where the ambient room temperature ranged during that week from 17.2° C. to 22.8° C. The thermocouple was placed in a temperature controlled water bath, where both electronic device and a mercury thermometer were used to accurately gauge the bath temperature which ranged from the freezing point of water (0° C.) to the boiling point of water (100° C.).
[0045] The “J” thermocouple data results are shown as a Cartesian coordinate graph in Figure Six and the “K” thermocouple data are displayed in a similar fashion in Figure Seven. Both graphs are highly linear, meaning that the non-compensated Seebeck coefficient within this tight temperature range appears to be a constant value and does not change significantly between 0° C. and 100° C.
[0046] The linear relationship for the data is given as:
[0047] J-Thermocouple: Voltage-TC (millivolt)=0.0499 * T (° C.)−1.0862
[0048] K-Thermocouple: Voltage-TC (millivolt)=0.0395 * T (° C.)−0.8107
[0049] The Seebeck non-compensated temperature coefficients are relatively close to the earlier reported National Institute of Standard and Technology values in Table Two. Likewise, the non-compensated thermocouple null voltage (Voltage=0.000 mv) can be computed from these linear relationships and are found to be close to room temperature, meaning that referencing to a lower temperature (0° C.) would introduce unnecessary error and complexity.
[0000]
TABLE EIGHT
Seebeck Coefficient
NIST
Uncompensated
Uncompensated
Thermocouple
Seebeck
Seebeck
0.0 mv
Type
Coefficient
Coefficient
Temperature
J
52 μV/° C.
49.9 μV/° C.
21.8° C.
K
41 μV/° C.
39.5 μV/° C.
20.5° C.
[0050] In its most basic form, thermocouple voltages are directly measured without a secondary junction which is employed as a reference for electronic temperature readings and amplified directly or digitized without the complexity of another junction.
[0051] There is no data in the scientific literature or previous patents where non-compensated and direct thermocouple voltages were ever measured in recorded human history prior to this patent application.
[0052] In its simplest form, thermocouple wires are connected directly without another reference junction. These wires can be connected on a printed circuit board directly to a high precision and highly accurate operational amplifier with a gain of 500×, per this working example. The electrical leads for these boards are typically constructed of copper but since this junction is close to room temperature and its Seebeck coefficient is much lower, the error will be negligible. Additionally, this semiconductor device, an operational amplifier is near room temperature, the error in the measurement will be low. There is no need to provide a reference junction set at the ice point temperature, which is currently practiced, as seen by the Analog Devices AD-594 integrated circuit. Figure Four of this patent shows the preferred embodiment which in its simplest form has only five electrical connections versus AD-594 fourteen connections. The thermocouple connectors (+TC and −TC) could be constructed of the same metallic alloy compound if deemed necessary, such as copper.
[0053] The complexity of the current industrial practice (see Table 3 previously) of providing ice bath temperature compensation is totally unnecessary and not wanted. This additional signal processing which compares millivolt outputs from the measuring and reference junctions adds cost to all thermocouple electronic measurements and introduces significant error to the overall temperature measurement, as seen in Figure Three of the schematic. Finally, with the current semiconductor design, the output will be less linear, when reference junctions are strictly followed.
[0054] This invention is elegantly simple.
[0055] Obviously, this principle of not compensating or referencing all thermocouples can be extended with this disclosure and is in the realm of this patent disclosure. Data on less common thermocouples type, such as B,E,N,R,S and T could be taken without a reference junction in a similar manner as reported in this unique patent application.
[0056] These thermocouples could be directly wired into a non-compensated electronic amplifier as outlined in this application.
[0057] Other operational amplifiers with different gains (from 1 to 10,000) could be employed, beside the aforementioned Dataforth Model SCM5B30-01 integrated circuit board, as well and are in the scope of this patent application.
[0058] Since all published literature and patents prior to this patent application have always used a reference junction since Seebeck's original discovery of 1821, any electronic device that does not employ a cold or hot temperature compensating junction in thermocouple electrical measurement is an embodiment of this patent.
|
Electronic measurement of thermocouples has employed cold junction reference since Thomas Seebeck's discovery in 1820's. This patent discloses that thermocouple compensation is not needed nor wanted. Non-compensated thermocouple data which supports this claim is given in this patent.
| 6
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority as a continuation-in-part to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/804,602, filed on Apr. 19, 2010, entitled BOLTED STEEL CONNECTIONS WITH 3-D JACKET PLATES AND TENSION RODS, by WeiHong Yang, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally, to construction material, and more specifically, to a steel jacket plate connector.
BACKGROUND
[0003] During construction of steel frames and trusses, individual members such as beams and columns are connected together to form a structure. Conventionally, two-dimensional gusset plates are used to connect steel members with either welding or bolts, or their combinations.
[0004] However, connecting steel beams requires a degree of physical fitness and expertise that can make it a difficult job. Typically, each connection is custom fit on site while steel members are held in place. The labor cost of welders assembling connectors on site can be prohibitive. Moreover, the time to construct a structure is lengthened by the connections because adjacent members cannot be added until a supporting member is secured.
[0005] What is needed is a technique to allow faster and lower cost installation of connections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The above needs are met by an apparatus, system, method and method of manufacture for a three-dimensional jacket-plate connector.
[0007] In one embodiment, the 3-D connector comprises first three-dimensional jacket plate. A second three-dimension jacket plate that is a mirror image of the first three-dimensional jacket plate. The two jacket plates are bolted to opposite sides of a joint of the steel I-beam members.
[0008] In another embodiment, a jacket plate comprises a primary c-channel welded to a connecting c-channel that intersect to match angles of the joint formed by a primary I-beam member and a connecting I-beam member.
[0009] Advantageously, the 3-D jacket connection can achieve exceptional structural performance, including higher strength and ductility, stronger yet simpler connections, higher quality, small components for easy storage and transportation. It also provides easy installation to increase the speed and reduce the price of erecting steel structures. The 3-D jacket connection addresses all possible connection type in such a simple and yet consistent manner that it is practically a versatile connections system that can be use in any steel frames and trusses that is made of wide-flanged steel I-beam sections.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0010] In the following drawings like reference numbers are used to refer to like elements. Although the following figures depict various examples of the invention, the invention is not limited to the examples depicted in the figures.
[0011] FIGS. 1A-E are schematic diagrams illustrating steel frames, according to some embodiments.
[0012] FIGS. 2A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating steel trusses, according to some embodiments.
[0013] FIGS. 3A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection at a top floor, corner condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0014] FIGS. 4A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection at an intermediate floor, side condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0015] FIGS. 5A-B are schematic diagrams of a moment connection at a top floor, interior bay condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0016] FIGS. 6A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection at an intermediate floor, interior bay condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0017] FIGS. 7A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an eccentrically braced frame (EBF), of the steel frame of FIG. 1B , according to some embodiments.
[0018] FIGS. 8A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of special concentrically braced frame (SCBF), of the steel frame of FIG. 1C , and the similar connections of the steel truss of FIG. 2D , according to some embodiments.
[0019] FIGS. 9A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an EBF and an inverted V SCBF, brace and beam to column connection, of the steel frame of FIG. 1D , and the similar connections of the steel truss of FIG. 2C , according to some embodiments.
[0020] FIGS. 10A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an EBF and an inverted V SCBF, brace and column connection at a foundation, of the steel frame of FIG. 1B , according to one embodiment.
[0021] FIGS. 11A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an SCBF, braces and beam to column connection at a floor, of the steel frame of FIG. 1D , according to one embodiment.
[0022] FIGS. 12A-F are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an SCBF, brace and beam to column connection at a top floor, of the steel frame of FIG. 1E , according to some embodiments.
[0023] FIGS. 13A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an SCBF, brace and beam crossing connection, of the steel frame of FIG. 1D , according to some embodiments.
[0024] FIGS. 14A-C are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection of an SCBF, brace crossing connection without beam condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1E , according to some embodiments.
[0025] FIGS. 15A-C are schematic diagrams illustrating a Vierendeel truss, connection condition, of the steel truss of FIG. 2A , according to one embodiment.
[0026] FIGS. 16A-B , are schematic diagrams illustrating a steel bridge truss segment, of the steel truss of FIG. 2B , according to one embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] An apparatus, system, method, and method of manufacture for a three-dimensional jacket-plate connector to connect at least two members that are wide-flanged steel I-beam sections, are described herein. The following detailed description is intended to provide example implementations to one of ordinary skill in the art, and is not intended to limit the invention to the explicit disclosure, as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that variations can be substituted that are within the scope of the invention as described.
System Overviews (FIGS. 1 and 2)
[0028] FIGS. 1A-E are schematic diagrams illustrating steel frames, according to some embodiments. The steel frames are composed of steel I-beam sections that connect at a joint. The label numbers associated with the joints in FIGS. 1A-E correspond to figure numbers that further detail the joint. More particularly, FIG. 1A shows a steel frame with moment connections 3 , 4 , 5 and 6 further detailed in FIGS. 3A-B , 4 A-B, 5 A-B and 6 A-B; FIG. 1B shows an eccentrically braced frame (EBF) with moment connections 7 , 9 and 10 , further detailed in FIGS. 7A-D , 9 A-D and 10 A-D, respectively; and FIG. 1C shows a specially concentrically braced frame (SCBF) with a moment connection 8 further detailed in FIG. 8A-D .
[0029] FIGS. 2A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating steel trusses, according to some embodiments. The label numbers associated with the joints in FIGS. 2A-D correspond to figure numbers that further detail the joint. Specifically, FIG. 2A illustrates a Vierendeel truss connection condition 15 further detailed in FIGS. 15A-C , FIG. 2B shows a steel bridge truss segment further detailed in FIGS. 16A-B , FIG. 2C shows an EBF and an inverted V SCBF with a moment connection 9 further detailed in FIGS. 9A-D , and FIG. 2D shows a steel truss with a connection 8 further detailed in FIGS. 8A-D .
Individual 3-D Connector and Accessory Details
[0030] FIGS. 3A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 300 at a top floor, corner condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments. FIG. 3A shows the moment connection 300 as assembled in the field, while FIG. 3B is an exploded view. The moment connection 300 is an (L)-shaped connection. The top floor corner 300 includes a 3-D connection between, for example, a post 310 and a beam 320 (also generically referred to as members herein). The 3-D connection includes 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 , which are mirror images to each other.
[0031] The post 310 and beam 320 are configured as I-beams or I-beam sections (i.e., two opposing flanges connected by a web). The members 310 , 320 are composed of construction-grade steel, or any appropriate material. The sizes are variable. In some embodiments, the post 310 and beam 320 are different sizes because the post 310 typically supports a load of greater magnitude.
[0032] The 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 are composed of, for example, steel. The plates 301 , 302 can be substantially identical and mirrored for attachment to opposite sides of the joint. The plates can be pre-fabricated off site to match sizes and strength requirements of the structure. Common sizes can be mass produced in a manufacturing facility. The 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 can be formed from c-channels having a web (or side) plate welded to two flange (or clamping) plates. Alternatively, the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 can be formed from a side plate in the shape of a joint (i.e., (L)-shaped) and clamping plates welded around a perimeter of the side plate at, for example, a perpendicular angle.
[0033] In some embodiments, formation or manufacture of the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 begins with a primary c-channel which can correspond to a primary member continued through joint. A connecting c-channel corresponding to a connecting member (i.e., the beam 320 ) can be welded to the primary c-channel. The primary member can be a load carrying member of a connection (i.e., the post 310 ), and the connecting member (i.e., the beam 320 ) can transfer its load to the primary member. The c-channels radiate away from the joint in the direction matching the members 310 , 320 . A sidewall portion of the primary c-channel (i.e., portion of flange or clamping plate) can be notched out to weld a primary c-channel web to a connecting c-channel web. The notch accommodates flanges of the connecting member when installed. The connecting member transfers forces to the primary member through the pair of 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 .
[0034] Bolts can be used to connect the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 to members. In one embedment, a pre-drilled pattern is provided to allow faster installations. Configuration of c-channels of the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 relative to connecting I-beam member 320 allows an installer to fit a hand with a fastening tool into a box gap afforded by opposing flanges of the I-beam and the webs of the c-channel and the I-beam.
[0035] One or more tension rods 303 installed across the depth (i.e., through-the-depth steel rods) of the post 310 , in some embodiments, provide additional strength to the primary c-channel of the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 . Although the tension rods 303 are shown as connected to the post 310 , this is merely for the purpose of illustration. As installed, the tension rods 303 are connected to the outer portions of the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 to reinforce against moment forces. More specifically, the vertical shear force is transferred from the beam 320 to the post 310 through a shear tag similar to those of 505 and 605 , the rotational moment force is completely transferred, from the beam 320 to the post 310 , through the 3-D jacket plates 301 , 302 . The tension rods 303 help to transfer horizontal shear force associated with the moment force, through an inner flange, to the web of the post 310 . In other word, the tension rods 303 reinforce the connector plates 301 , 302 from being pulled away from the outer flange.
[0036] Stiffener (or web stiffener) plates 304 in the post 310 , of other embodiments, provide additional strength to the continued primary I-beam 310 . One more stiffener plates 304 are dispersed as needed. The stiffener plates 304 , coupled with the tension rods 304 , help in transferring bending moment and shear force across the connection.
[0037] FIGS. 4A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 400 at an intermediate floor, side condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0038] In this embodiment, the jacket plates 401 , 402 have a (T)-shape (rotated), and are substantially mirror in configuration. As an intermediate floor connection, a beam 420 that is supported by a post 410 which continues vertically to provide support for members at higher elevations, such as a top floor or a roof.
[0039] The jacket plates 401 , 402 have a primary c-channel corresponding to the post 410 and a connecting c-channel corresponding to the beam 420 . One way to form the jacket plates 401 , 402 is to notch out a flange (or clamping) plate of the primary c-channel to allow accommodation for the flanges of beam 420 .
[0040] Tension rods 403 and stiffener plates 404 are placed to counteract the moment force generated by member 420 . Both upper and lower reinforcement are used against both the clockwise and counter clockwise potential rotation of member 420 . A shear tag (similar to those of 505 and 605 , but not shown) can also be included.
[0041] FIGS. 5A-B are schematic diagrams of a moment connection 500 at a top floor, interior bay condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0042] In this embodiment, the jacket plates 501 , 502 have a (T)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration. Relative to the moment connection 400 of FIG. 4 , the moment connection 500 supports beams on either side of a post rather than at different vertical elevations. Further, tension rods 503 and stiffener plates 504 are dispersed only below the joint. A shear tag 505 is provided to transfer vertical shear forces from I-beam 530 to the post 510 . The rotational moment force is completely transferred, from the beams 520 and 530 to the post 510 , through the 3-D jacket plates 501 , 502 .
[0043] FIGS. 6A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 600 at an intermediate floor, interior bay condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1A , according to some embodiments.
[0044] In this embodiment, the jacket plates 601 , 602 have a (+)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration. In this implementation, the moment connection 600 supports beams 620 , 630 on either side of a post 610 and at different vertical elevations. Here, upper and lower reinforcements are in place. Specifically, tension rods 603 , stiffener plates 604 and a shear tag 605 are shown.
[0045] Additional variations are possible which do not have 90 degree angle joints and have more than two members. The angles can be 45, 30 or 60 degrees, or any angle needed for a structure. In FIGS. 7-16 , numbering labels are consistent with the earlier figures in that connector plates label numbers start with the figure number and end with 01 and 02, tension rods end with 03, web stiffeners end with 04, and shear tags end with 05.
[0046] In particular, FIGS. 7A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 700 of an eccentrically braced frame (EBF), of the steel frame of FIG. 1B , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 701 A, 702 A, 701 B and 702 B have a (y)-shape (rotated), and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0047] FIGS. 8A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 800 of a special concentrically braced frame (SCBF), of the steel frame of FIG. 1C of the steel truss of FIG. 2D , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 801 and 802 have the shape of a combination of two rotated and mirrored (y)-shapes, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0048] FIGS. 9A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 900 of an EBF and an inverted V SCBF, brace and beam to column connection, of the steel frame of FIG. 1B and the steel truss of FIG. 2C , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 901 and 902 have the shape of a combination a rotated (T) and (y), and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0049] FIGS. 10A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 1000 of an EBF and an inverted V SCBF, brace and column connection at a foundation, of the steel frame of FIG. 1B , according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1001 and 1002 have a tilted (V)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0050] FIGS. 11A-D are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 1100 of an SCBF, brace and beam to column connection at a floor, of the steel frame of FIG. 1D , according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1101 and 1102 have the shape of a combination of a (K)-shape and a rotated (T)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0051] FIGS. 12A-F are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 1200 of an SCBF, brace and beam to column connection at a top floor, of the steel frame of FIG. 1E , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1201 and 1202 have the shape of a combination of a rotated (L)-shape and rotated (V)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0052] FIGS. 13A-B are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 1300 of an SCBF, brace and beam crossing connection, of the steel frame of FIG. 1D , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1301 and 1302 have a rotated back-to-back dual (K)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0053] FIGS. 14A-C are schematic diagrams illustrating a moment connection 1400 of an SCBF, brace crossing connection without beam condition, of the steel frame of FIG. 1E , according to some embodiments. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1401 and 1402 have a (X)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0054] FIGS. 15A-C are schematic diagrams illustrating a Vierendeel truss, connection condition, of the steel truss of FIG. 2A , according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1501 A and 1502 A have a (T)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration; the jacket plates 1501 B and 1502 B have a inverted (T)-shape, and are substantially mirror in configuration.
[0055] Finally, FIGS. 16A-B , are schematic diagrams illustrating a steel bridge truss segment, of the steel truss of FIG. 2B , according to one embodiment. In this embodiment, the jacket plates 1651 has a inverted (T)-shape; the jacket plates 1652 and 1653 has the shape of a combination of a rotated (K)-shape and rotated (T)-shape; and the jacket plates 1654 has a (T)-shape.
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A three-dimensional jacket-plate connector connects at least two members. Each member comprises wide-flanged steel I-beam section. The jacket-plate connector comprises first and second three-dimensional jacket plates.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to a rolling worker access platform facilitating servicing and repair of helicopters.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The servicing and repair of helicopters requires a movable structure by which a servicing or repair person can obtain access to the part of the helicopter requiring service. The rotor for instance is one such area requiring inspection, servicing and repair. Stepladders could be used, however, they do not provide safe support nor do they permit sufficient lateral movement of the worker. The support structure for permitting a worker to service or repair a helicopter needs to be selectively mobile so that it can be manually moved into a rotor servicing position at either lateral side of the helicopter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A mobile worker access platform for servicing helicopter is provided which is light weight and easily positioned manually to service the helicopter. The support tower for a worker platform or floor is laterally narrower than the floor thereby providing an overhanging floor at both lateral sides of the platform. A pair of wheeled outriggers supporting the tower are spaced from one another far enough to straddle the landing gear or runners and extend beneath the fuselage of the helicopter. The tower structure between the outriggers is high enough to clear the runner supports. This construction permits the worker platform to be moved close to the helicopter with the floor extending over a side of the fuselage thereby placing the servicing person close to the rotor area. A convenient inclined stairway serves as part of the support tower for the floor of the platform and has a front outrigger secured thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of a helicopter access platform and includes an outline of a helicopter with parts of the rotor and tail boom assembly broken away;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the helicopter access platform;
FIG. 3 is a front view of the helicopter access platform;
FIG. 4 is rear end view of the helicopter access platform positioned at the left side of the helicopter;
FIG. 5 is a rear view of the helicopter access platform positioned at the right side of the helicopter;
FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line VI—VI in FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a partial rear view of an outrigger;
FIG. 8 is a partial top view of an outrigger; and
FIG. 9 is a section taken along the line IX—IX in FIG. 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, a helicopter access platform 11 is shown in a servicing position on the left hand side of a helicopter 12 which has a rotor 13 on a vertical rotor shaft 14 and a fuselage 16 supported on a pair of parallel laterally spaced ground engageable runners 17 , 18 . The fuselage 16 is low to the ground and may have as little as 3 decimeters of clearance. In order to service the rotor area of the helicopter 12 the platform 11 is provided with an elevated quadrilateral floor 19 supported on a support tower 21 which includes four vertical support columns 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 having upper ends secured in supporting relation to the floor 19 . The lower ends of the columns 22 , 23 are secured as by welding to a fore and aft extending horizontal beam 31 and the lower ends of columns 24 , 26 are secured as by welding to a fore and aft extending horizontal beam 32 which is parallel to beam 31 . Cross braces 36 , 37 having upper ends welded to the left side of the floor 19 , as viewed in FIG. 3, and have lower ends welded to the beam 31 . Similarly positioned cross braces, not shown, are welded to the right side of the floor 19 and the beam 32 . As viewed in FIGS. 4 and 5 cross braces 38 , 39 have their upper ends welded to the floor and their lower ends welded to a cross brace 41 , the opposite ends of which are welded to the beams 31 , 32 . As shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 the floor 19 extends laterally beyond the support columns 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 .
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 the support tower 21 includes an inclined stairway 43 formed by a pair of parallel stair joints 44 , 46 and a plurality of steps 47 , the opposite ends of which are welded to the joists 44 , 46 . The upper ends of the stair joists 44 , 46 are welded respectively, to the upper ends of the columns 22 , 24 and to the front side of the floor 19 . The joists 44 , 46 have the same lateral spacing as the columns 22 , 24 , the columns 23 , 26 and the support beams 31 , 32 . Thus the joist 44 , the beam 31 and the columns 22 , 23 are coplanar. Likewise the joist 43 , the beam 32 and the columns 24 , 26 are coplanar. The front ends of the support beams 31 , 32 terminate at an angle which corresponds to the incline of the stairway joists 44 , 46 thereby facilitating welding the front ends of the beams 31 , 32 to the underside of the joists 44 , 46 .
As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 , a guard railing is provided for the floor 19 which includes posts 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 56 and rails 61 , 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 , 67 , 68 , 69 . A gateway opening is provided between railing posts 52 , 53 and a similar gateway opening is provided on the right hand side of the access platform 11 , as viewed in FIG. 4 . Toe guard panels the height of oxford shoes provided around the perimeter of the floor 19 except for the stairway opening between the railing posts 57 , 58 . A toe guard panel 71 has its opposite ends welded to railing posts 51 , 52 . A toe guard panel 72 has its opposite ends welded to railing posts 53 , 54 . A toe guard panel 73 has its opposite ends welded to railing posts 56 , 57 and a toe guard panel 74 has its opposite ends welded to rail posts 58 , 51 . In a like manner a toe guard panel, not shown is provided between the railing post 56 and a post at the front side of the gateway on the right hand side of the access platform. A pair of gates 76 , 77 , similar in construction, are provided for the left and right gateways in the safety railing. The gate 76 is pivotally connected to the railing post 53 on a vertical pivot axis 78 and the gate 77 is pivotally connected to the railing post 54 on a vertical axis 79 . Both gates 76 , 77 open only in a laterally inward direction. Broken lines 81 in FIG. 2 show gate 76 in a slightly open position and broken lines 82 show gate 77 in a slightly open position. Each of the gates 76 , 77 can be separately opened 90 degrees to where it is parallel to guard rail 63 at the rear of the floor 19 . The gates 76 , 77 may be opened when the access platform is placed for servicing the helicopter 12 thereby giving the servicing person better access to the areas requiring service. Or the servicing person may step out onto the fuselage 16 if necessary. Tabs 83 , 84 are provided on the gates to prevent them from being opened laterally outwardly. Each of the gates is provided with a toe guard panel. As shown in FIG. 1 a toe guard panel 86 is secured to the lower ends of vertical connectors 87 , 88 which have their upper ends welded to a U-shaped component 89 of the gate 76 .
The access platform 11 is supported at its front and rear by a pair of low to the ground wheeled outriggers 91 , 92 . The rear outrigger 92 is rigidly connected to the beams 31 , 32 by studs 93 , 94 and the front outrigger 91 is rigidly connected to the second step 47 , from the bottom of the stairway, by short studs 96 , 97 , as shown in FIGS. 3 and 9.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , and 8 the rear outrigger 92 includes a T-shaped transverse horizontal truss 101 formed by welding a hollow upper tube 102 of rectangular section to a rectangular section hollow lower tube 103 as illustrated FIGS. 6 and 7. The tube 102 is approximately twice as wide as it is high and the tube 103 is approximately three times as high as it is wide. As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, a channel member 106 has a vertical flange welded to the lateral end of the tube 103 and has a horizontal flange to which a wheeled swivel caster 107 is secured by releaseable fasteners in the form of four threaded studs 108 and nuts 109 . A small vertical plate 11 is welded to the tubes 102 , 103 and the channel member 106 and a gusset 112 is welded to the plate 111 and to the horizontal flange of the channel member 106 . A wheeled swivel caster 113 is mounted on a channel member 114 at the other end of the T-shaped section of the outrigger 101 in a reverse image manner. The wheels of the casters 107 , 113 make contact with a support surface 117 at points approximately vertically beneath the laterally opposite edges of the floor 19 .
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 9, the outrigger 91 at the front of the access platform is similar in construction to the rear outrigger 92 and has a T section truss 121 to which a pair of channel members 122 , 123 are welded. A pair of wheeled swivel casters 126 , 127 are mounted on the channel members 112 , 123 and positioned vertically below the lateral edges of the floor 119 . The swivel casters 126 , 127 have manually lockage wheels to prevent movement of the access platform 11 when in a helicopter servicing position as shown in FIGS. 1, 4 and 5 . The wheels of the swivel casters 107 , 113 may also be selectively lockable.
The front to rear spacing of the outriggers 91 , 92 is greater than the length of the runners 17 , 18 so as to permit them to straddle the runner at either side of the helicopter thereby permitting the floor 19 of the access platform to be positioned close to the helicopter. The support beams 31 , 32 are at a sufficient elevation to define an underside opening high enough to clear the runner or undercarriage support members 128 , 129 . As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the floor 19 extends laterally beyond the support tower 21 at a height above the fuselage 16 of the helicopter. The overhang of the floor 19 permits the service personnel close access to the rotor area which requires critical, accurate inspection and servicing. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the outriggers 91 , 92 extend laterally beneath the fuselage 16 to the same extent as the floor 19 extends laterally over the fuselage 16 .
As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2 , 3 , 4 , and 5 , bumper pads 131 , 132 of resilient cushioning material are secured to the laterally opposite sides of the floor 19 and similar pads 113 , 134 , 136 , 137 are secured to the columns 22 , 23 , 24 , 26 . The pads are designed and provided to prevent damage to the fuselage of the helicopter.
Practical Application
Helicopters require careful diligent servicing to insure efficient, safe operation. Servicing the rotor area of the helicopter is critical to functional operation of the helicopter. The herein disclosed access platform provides a stable floor positioned over the fuselage and close to the rotor area. The access platform is symmetrical, permitting it to be placed at either side of the helicopter. The support tower 21 for the floor 19 includes four columns 22 , 23 , 24 and 26 mounted on a pair of parallel longitudinally extending beams 31 , 32 which have their front ends connected to an inclined stairway 43 whose upper end is secured to the floor 19 . Thus the stairway serves as a fore and aft structural brace in the floor support tower 21 . By aligning the columns 22 , 23 , the beam 31 , the stringer 44 and the stud 93 in a coplanar manner and by aligning the posts 24 , 26 , the stringer 43 , the beam 32 and the stud 93 in a coplanar manner, efficient use of materials is achieved thereby reducing weight and cost while maximizing rigidity and strength. The stairway provides a convenient support for the front outrigger 91 with a minimum amount of connecting framework. The columns, the beams, the studs, the T section members of the outrigger and the stairway are made of aluminum tubes which provide strength and low weight. The wheeled access platform is sufficiently light to permit it to be moved into and out of a servicing position by one or two servicing personnel. Its light weight enhances its air transportability which is important when the helicopters are moved to new bases of operation. The toe guard panels around the floor and the inward only swinging gates contribute to the safety of the helicopter servicing activity.
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A mobile worker platform providing access to the rotor area of a helicopter having outriggers spaced to straddle the helicopter landing gear.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for hybrid-type high speed motion estimation for application to a moving picture encoding apparatus, and more particularly, to a method and apparatus for motion estimation combining a one-pixel greedy search (OPGS) algorithm and a hierarchical search block matching algorithm (HSBMA).
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In general, international video standards, such as H.261, H.263, Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG)-1, MPEG-2, and MPEG-4, have been adopted for video services, entertainment, digital broadcasting, and portable video terminals. A video encoder for generating a bit stream according to the international video standards compresses a video signal using compression algorithms, such as discrete cosine transform (DCT), quantization, and variable length coding, and a motion estimation algorithm.
[0005] Existing motion estimation algorithms include a full-search block matching algorithm (FSBMA) and a fast search algorithm (FSA). The FSBMA first obtains differences one by one between all possible locations within a search area in the previous frame and corresponding locations in the current frame, and then finds a location having the minimum error. However, though the FSBMA is the simplest and idealistically accurate, the FSBMA requires a huge amount of calculation and therefore is not appropriate for real-time encoding.
[0006] Meanwhile, compared to the FSBMA, the FSA greatly reduces the amount of calculation at the cost of less accuracy, and is appropriate for real-time video encoders (for example, video telephones, IMT-2000 terminals, video conference systems, etc.), in which video quality is relatively less important. Examples of the FSA include a hierarchical search block matching algorithm (HSBMA), a three-step search (TSS) algorithm, a 2D logarithmic search algorithm (LSBA), and a one-pixel greedy search (OPGS).
[0007] Here, the HSBMA has high accuracy and is relatively less affected by the amount of motion, but involves a large number of calculations, and requires a memory for storing low resolution frames. Also, the HSBMA requires a large number of calculations both for a long distance motion vector and a short distance motion vector without distinction.
[0008] The OPGS algorithm can find only an effective motion vector near a central point (or a starting point), may incorrectly converge on a local minimum point, may not obtain the correct result in a complex image having complex motion, and requires a large number of calculations to find a motion vector over a long distance.
[0009] Therefore, existing motion estimation algorithms cannot utilize the already calculated results and an opportunity to reduce unnecessary calculations, because each of these algorithms is applied uniformly to all blocks, regardless of the complexity of motion, and regardless of the characteristics of a subject block. Therefore, existing motion estimation is algorithms can be properly implemented in hardware, such as a very large-scale integration (VLSI) chip, but it is not efficient to implement the algorithms in a software-dedicated encoder. Also, an inexpensive price, low voltage central processing unit (CPU) cannot be used to implement the algorithms in software due to the large number of calculations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] To solve the above problems, it is a first object of the present invention to provide a motion estimation method in which unnecessary calculations are minimized and accuracy is enhanced by performing hybrid-type motion estimation combining a one-pixel greedy search (OPGS) algorithm and a hierarchical search block matching algorithm (HSBMA).
[0011] It is a second object to provide a motion estimation apparatus to which a motion estimation method combining the OPGS algorithm and the HSBMA algorithm is applied.
[0012] To accomplish the first object of the present invention, there is provided an adaptive motion estimation method, the motion estimation method having the steps of (a) inputting a frame in units of macro blocks and a search area and estimating candidate motion vectors for a macro block desired to be estimated; and (b) if an error of the candidate motion vectors estimated in step (a) is in a threshold range, estimating motion in a restricted search area centered on the estimated location, and otherwise, estimating motion in the whole search area.
[0013] To accomplish the second object of the present invention, there is also provided an adaptive motion estimation apparatus, the motion estimation apparatus having a vector estimation unit for receiving video data, and estimating a motion vector matching a macro block desired to be estimated by selecting from among a zero motion vector, the previous motion vector, and the motion vectors of neighboring blocks as candidate motion vectors; an algorithm selecting unit for selecting a motion estimation algorithm by comparing an error of the candidate vector estimated in the candidate vector estimation unit with a preset threshold; and a motion estimation unit for estimating motion in a restricted search area, centered on the estimated location, if an error of the candidate motion vectors estimated in the algorithm selecting unit is in a threshold range, and otherwise, estimating motion in the whole search area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing in detail a preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the attached drawings in which:
[0015] [0015]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for hybrid-type high speed motion estimation according to the present invention;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for hybrid-type high speed motion estimation according to the present invention;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 3 is a graph showing the distribution of macro blocks by motion vector size obtained by performing a full-search block matching algorithm (FSBMA);
[0018] [0018]FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing estimation of a candidate vector in the previous frame and next frame, according to FIG. 2;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram for a one-pixel greedy search (OPGS) algorithm according to FIG. 2; and
[0020] [0020]FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram for a hierarchical search block matching algorithm (HSBMA) according to FIG. 2.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The present invention is not restricted to the following embodiments, and many variations are possible within the spirit and scope of the present invention. The embodiments of the present invention are provided in order to more completely explain the present invention to anyone skilled in the art.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus for hybrid-type high speed motion estimation according to the present invention.
[0023] The apparatus of FIG. 1 has a candidate vector estimation unit 110 , an algorithm selecting unit 120 , a motion estimation unit 130 , a memory 140 , and a half pixel motion estimation unit 150 .
[0024] Referring to FIG. 1, the candidate vector estimation unit 110 receives video data and estimates a candidate vector for a macro block to be estimated at present. At this time, as a candidate motion vector, the candidate vector estimation unit 110 selects the best matching motion vector among a zero motion vector, a previous motion vector, and the motion vectors of neighboring blocks.
[0025] The algorithm selecting unit 120 selects a motion estimation algorithm (the OPGS or the HSBMA), by comparing the sum of the absolute difference (SAD) between the candidate vector estimated by the candidate vector estimation unit 110 and a predetermined threshold.
[0026] The motion estimation unit 130 performs full pixel motion estimation of a macro block input by a motion algorithm (the OPGS or the HSBMA) selected by the algorithm selecting unit 120 .
[0027] A memory 140 stores a full pixel motion estimated value estimated by the motion estimation unit 130 and applies the estimated value to the candidate vector estimation unit 110 .
[0028] With video data input, the half pixel motion estimation unit 150 estimates the half pixel motion of a 16×16 macro block and 8×8 sub-block, referring to the location of the full pixel motion estimated value estimated by the motion estimation unit 130 .
[0029] [0029]FIG. 2 is a flowchart for a method for hybrid-type high speed motion estimation according to the present invention.
[0030] Referring to FIGS. 3 through 6, the flowchart of the method for high speed motion estimation shown in FIG. 2 will now be explained.
[0031] First, input video data (or a frame) is divided into macro blocks that are desired to be searched, and a search area of the previous or next frame for a macro block is set in step 210 .
[0032] Then, a candidate vector for the macro block of which a motion vector is desired to be estimated is estimated in step 220 . For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the macro block distribution by motion size, obtained by performing the FSBMA with video data, shows that a good many motion vectors have lengths between “0” and “1”. Therefore, to obtain these motion vectors, a motion estimation algorithm, which can reduce calculations referring to the distribution degree, as shown in FIG. 3, is applied instead of applying only one motion estimation algorithm to all macro blocks.
[0033] Therefore, the best matching value among (1) a zero motion vector, ( 2 ) motion vectors of neighboring blocks, and (3) the previous motion vector, for example a vector value having the minimum SAD is set as a candidate motion vector.
[0034] Here, three candidate motion vectors are set as follows.
[0035] A first candidate motion vector ( 1 ) is set to a motion vector having a length of “0” (zero motion vector).
[0036] A second candidate motion vector ( 2 ) is set to a median value of motion vectors of three macro blocks 420 , 430 , and 440 , of which motion vectors have already been calculated, centered on the current macro block, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4. However, if the current frame is a bidirectional (B)-type, one among a forward motion vector, a backward motion vector, and a bidirectional motion vector in the neighboring macro blocks is selected. Therefore, if one of the three direction motion vectors is known, the remaining direction motion vectors can be estimated by scaling the motion vector that is already known. For example, if a forward motion vector is known, the forward motion vector is appropriately scaled according to the number of intervals of a reference frame, and by inverting the sign of the scaled motion vector, a backward motion vector is estimated. Likewise, a backward motion vector can be appropriately changed into a forward motion vector. Therefore, after obtaining a median by calculating the three types of motion vectors (forward, backward, and bidirectional) for each of the neighboring macro blocks 420 , 430 , and 440 , the motion vector best matching the macro block desired to be estimated is set as the second candidate motion vector ( 2 ).
[0037] As shown in (a) of FIG. 4, if the current frame is a predictive (P)-type frame, a third candidate motion vector ( 3 ) is set to a motion vector 410 of a macro block at the same location in the current frame as the location in the previous P-type frame, or is set to a median of the motion vectors of the five macro blocks including the 4 neighboring macro blocks. At this time, if the current frame is a B-type frame, the motion vector of a macro block at the same location of the current frame as the previous or next P-type frame, which is used to estimate the motion vector of the current frame, is estimated by scaling. After scaling the four neighboring macro blocks, a median is set as the third candidate motion vector ( 3 ). At this time, if one directional component of a macro block is known, motion vectors of the remaining directions (forward, backward, and bidirectional) can be estimated through scaling and inverting the sign, as in the method used to estimate the second candidate motion vector.
[0038] Then, a motion estimation algorithm is selected by comparing the value best matching the search area among the candidate motion vectors (for example, using the minimum SAD), with the predetermined threshold (T), in step 230 . Here, if moving pictures are encoded real time in a multitasking environment, a shortage of CPU processing power may occur. In this case, if a constant frame rate is desired, a target encoding time for each frame is calculated in advance. Therefore, a threshold (T) is adjusted by estimating an encoding time for each slice (a group of a series of macro blocks) for the current frame based on the target encoding time calculated in advance.
[0039] Then, if the minimum SAD value corresponding to the value best matching the macro block to be estimated, among the candidate motion vectors, is within the range of the threshold (T), the OPGS algorithm is selected. At this time, according to the known OPGS algorithm, a motion vector is searched for in a more limited range of ½ or ¼ of the absolute value which a motion vector that is defined by “f code” can be, centered on the location corresponding to the estimated candidate motion vector, in step 240 . At this time, the f code indicates a maximum search range and a minimum search range within which a motion vector can be. Referring to FIG. 5, {circle over ( 1 )} is a starting point corresponding to an estimated location, like (a) and (b) of FIG. 4. Centered on the starting point ({circle over ( 1 )}), matching for each of four locations indicated by {circle over ( 2 )} is performed, and then matching for each of four locations indicated by {circle over ( 3 )} or {circle over ( 4 )} is performed, and then matching is performed repeatedly until best matching neighboring values do not exist. In this way, a motion vector which is the best matching location corresponding to the result ( {circle over (P)} ) is finally converged.
[0040] Here, for H.263 and MPEG-4 standards, the OPGS usually performs 8×8 sub-block motion estimation (advanced prediction mode or 4MV mode) in a range within ±2 of the motion vector of a macro block. However, in the present invention, 16×16 macro block OPGS is performed and then OPGS for each 8×8 sub-block is performed in a range within ±2 of the motion vector. Also, an unrestricted motion vector in an extended area is estimated through repetitive padding as defined in the standards.
[0041] Then, if estimation fails because the best matching value among the candidate motion vectors, that is, SAD, is outside of the threshold, the HSBMA algorithm is performed. The HSBMA algorithm performs motion estimation for the entire search area indicated by the f code. Referring to FIG. 6, the embodiment will now be explained. From a search area formed of a low resolution or sub-sampled image (for example: [31 2,+2]), a motion vector is searched for in stage 1 . Using the search result of stage 1 , a precise motion vector is searched for in a restricted search area in a high resolution image or the original image in stage 2 . This process is continuously repeated until the highest resolution (or the original image) is reached, and then the best matching block location is set to the motion vector.
[0042] Also, HSBMA uses a spiral search, and, if the matching degree is good enough when the motion vector which is calculated in each stage (stage 1 , and stage 2 ) and compared to the preset threshold, the motion vector is selected as the final estimated value. Here, the threshold determines the range of allowable error, determines the accuracy and calculation amount of HSBMA, and is selected depending on an estimated encoding time.
[0043] Here, when a motion vector for a 8×8 sub-block of is estimated, HSBMA estimates the motion of each of four sub-blocks in stage 2 , and estimates the motion of a macro block by adding the matching values of the four blocks. Also, when necessary, HSBMA estimates an unrestricted motion vector for an extended search area after repetitive padding.
[0044] Then, motion vectors, by pixel unit, estimated by the OPGS algorithm or the HSBMA algorithm are stored in units of 16×16 macro blocks, and a motion vector by half pixel is estimated on the basis of pixel unit motion estimation in steps 260 and 270 .
[0045] Then, motion vectors of 16×16 macro block, 8×8 sub-block, and half pixel are extracted in step 280 .
[0046] According to the present invention as described above, a motion vector is estimated, and then OPGS is performed centered on the estimated location, and if the estimation fails, the estimation is compensated by HSBMA to prevent errors due to the inaccurate estimation. By doing so, high accuracy can be maintained while the amount of calculation can be reduced. The present invention is particularly effective in a real time encoder.
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A method for motion estimation combining a one-pixel greedy search algorithm (OPGS) and a hierarchical search block matching algorithm (HSBMA), and an apparatus therefor are provided. The method includes the steps of (a) inputting a frame in units of macro blocks and a search area and estimating candidate motion vectors for a macro block desired to be estimated; and if an error of the candidate motion vectors estimated in step (a) is in a threshold range, estimating motion in a search area which is smaller by a predetermined amount than the previous search area, centered on the estimated location, and otherwise, estimating motion in the whole search area.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of damping systems for buildings, bridges and other structures. In particular, it relates to a new configuration damper, for interconnecting two elements of a structure that undergo relative movements and deformations, that increases the level of damping when the overall structure is subjected to a loading condition. The new configuration damper aids in controlling displacements, forces, velocities and accelerations under dynamic loading in structural systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Modern buildings, using typical construction components such as reinforced concrete shear walls, structural steel braced frames, structural steel or reinforced concrete moment frames or combinations thereof, have low inherent damping properties. Due to this low inherent damping, high-rise buildings, in particular, tend to be susceptible to excessive vibrations caused by dynamic loads. Excessive accelerations and torsional velocities can cause occupant discomfort, while excessive displacements can cause damage to non-structural and structural elements. For this reason it is advantageous to provide additional sources of damping to control these excessive vibrations and reduce the overall building response to dynamic loads.
[0003] Currently available systems for controlling displacements, forces, velocities and accelerations in such structures consist of passive systems such as supplemental dampers and vibration absorbers as well as active systems.
[0004] Passive supplemental dampers such as hysteretic, viscous and visco-elastic dampers are currently used in typical braced configurations and are activated under axial deformations. While this may be effective in adding damping to some structural configurations, where under this typical braced configuration the brace elements undergo significant axial deformations, they are less effective for other structural systems, such as high rise buildings where the primary mode of lateral deformation does not cause sufficient axial deformation in typical bracing elements to actuate such dampers. In order to increase the deformations to an extent sufficient to activate the dampers, special configurations using toggle bracers or scissor braces to amplify the displacements are used.
[0005] Vibration absorbers such as Tuned Mass Dampers (TMD) and Tuned Liquid Dampers (TLD) are also used to reduce the deflections, forces, velocities and accelerations of such structures. They typically consist of a mechanical vibrating system installed on the top floor of buildings in order to maximize their effectiveness. This has the disadvantage of using up some of the most valuable real estate within the building in addition to being expensive to design and to build. They also act in a limited frequency range.
[0006] Active systems require an external power source, an actuating force and extensive hardware and software control systems. As a result, they are expensive to design and implement, and are susceptible to power outages or failure of the control system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] It is an object of this invention to provide a new damping system for structures which overcomes at least one of the disadvantages of the existing systems. In particular, it is an object of the invention that the damping system provides additional damping to a structure.
[0008] According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a damping system including a first set of plates having one end thereof attached to a first vertically extending structural element, a second set of plates having one end thereof attached to a second vertically extending structural element spaced in a horizontal direction from the first vertically extending structural element. The first set of plates preferably includes a second end portion extending towards and overlapping with a second end portion of the second set of plates at an overlapping region. Also provided is an energy dissipating material in the overlapping region for connecting the first set of plates and the second set of plates.
[0009] According to one aspect of this embodiment, the overlapping region is spaced from at least one or both of the first vertically extending structural element and the second vertically extending structural element. Preferably, the overlapping region is distally spaced from the one end thereof of the first set of plates and the overlapping region is distally spaced from the one end thereof of the second set of plates.
[0010] According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a structure having a first vertically extending structural element adapted to resist lateral loads applied to the structure, a second vertically extending structural element adapted to resist lateral loads applied to the structure, a coupling member adjoining the first and second vertically extending structural elements. The coupling member preferably includes a first set of plates having one end thereof attached to the first vertically extending structural element, a second set of plates having one end thereof attached to the second vertically extending structural element, wherein the first set of plates has a second end portion extending towards and overlapping with a second end portion of the second set of plates at an overlapping region, and further including and an energy dissipating material in the overlapping region for connecting the first set of plates and the second set of plates. The coupling member provides damping for vibrations occurring in the structure due to relative movement between the first and second structural elements as the energy dissipating material damps against shearing displacement between the first set of plates and the second set of plates.
[0011] According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a coupling member in a building structure, wherein the building structure includes first and second vertically extending structural elements adapted to resist lateral loads applied to the building structure. The coupling member connects the first and second vertically extending structural elements and includes a first set of plates having one end thereof attached to the first vertically extending structural element, a second set of plates having one end thereof attached to the second vertically extending structural element and arranged such that the first set of plates has a second end portion extending towards and overlapping with a second end portion of the second set of plates at an overlapping region, and also including an energy dissipating material provided in the overlapping region for connecting the first set of plates and the second set of plates.
[0012] According to another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a damping system including a first set of plates having one end thereof attached to a first rigid extension element, the first rigid extension element connected to a first vertically extending structural element and a second set of plates having one end thereof attached to a second rigid extension element, the second rigid extension element connected to a second vertically extending structural element spaced in a horizontal direction from the first vertically extending structural element. The first set of plates preferably includes a second end portion extending towards and overlapping with a second end portion of the second set of plates at an overlapping region and an energy dissipating material is provided in the overlapping region for connecting the first set of plates and the second set of plates.
[0013] Other and further advantages and features of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which like numbers refer to like elements, wherein:
[0015] FIG. 1A is a side view of coupled shear wall in a typical building;
[0016] FIG. 1B is a side view of a structural steel braced frame in a typical building;
[0017] FIG. 1C is a side view of a structural steel or reinforced concrete moment frame in a typical building;
[0018] FIG. 1D is a side view of a combination of lateral load resisting systems, a structural steel braced frame and reinforced concrete shear wall in a typical building;
[0019] FIG. 1E is a side view of a combination of an outer structural column coupled to an inner shear wall in a typical building;
[0020] FIG. 2A is a side view of two shear walls in a high-rise building with the disclosed invention present coupled between walls;
[0021] FIG. 2B is a side view of a structural steel braced frame in a high-rise building with the disclosed invention present coupled between braced frames;
[0022] FIG. 2C is a side view of a structural steel or reinforced concrete moment frame in a high-rise building with an embodiment of the disclosed invention present coupled between moment resisting frames;
[0023] FIG. 2D is a side view of a combination of lateral load resisting systems, a structural steel braced frame coupled to a reinforced concrete shear wall in a highrise building with an embodiment of the disclosed invention present coupled between the steel brace frame and the concrete shear wall;
[0024] FIG. 2E is a side view of a combination of an outer structural column coupled to an inner shear wall in a typical building with an embodiment of the disclosed invention present coupled between the column and the shear wall;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a series of views (orthogonal, fragmentary, plan and side elevation) of a configuration of the invention comprising four steel plates coupled to five steel plates and four layers of high damping material sandwiched there between;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a pair of views (orthogonal and plan) of an alternative configuration of the energy dissipating material with a proposed anchor system and an example of the coupling zone configuration, with the damper coupled between two shear walls;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a pair of views (orthogonal and plan) an embodiment of the invention in which optional extension members are used to configure the damper system to be coupled between two shear walls;
[0028] FIG. 6A is an orthogonal view of two shear walls undergoing deformation with the disclosed invention present coupled between the walls;
[0029] FIG. 6B is a close-up of the circled area B of FIG. 6A ; and
[0030] FIG. 6C is a close-up of the circled area C of FIG. 6A .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1E , examples of the present state of the art for the construction of mid and high-rise buildings is shown, namely using coupled reinforced concrete shear walls 114 ( FIG. 1A ), structural steel braced frames 120 ( FIG. 1B ), structural steel or reinforced concrete moment frames 130 ( FIG. 1C ), combinations thereof 140 ( FIG. 1D ), and construction with outer columns 152 (concrete or steel or any other material as used in the field of construction) and internal shear walls 156 ( FIG. 1E ). As a building is subject to wind or seismic loads, the coupling beams ( 116 , 128 , 134 , 144 , 154 ) or lateral braces ( 126 , 148 ) are deformed, without providing any significant damping.
[0032] Referring to FIG. 1A , a structure 110 using reinforced concrete shear walls 114 has concrete coupling beams 116 located in the openings 112 between the shear walls 114 . Similarly, a structure 120 using steel columns 124 and braces 126 , as shown in FIG. 1B has steel coupling beams 128 located in the openings 122 between the columns 124 . An alternative steel structure 130 , consisting only of columns 132 and coupling beams 134 in the openings 136 is shown in FIG. 1C . The structure shown in FIG. 1D is a combination structure 140 , with concrete shear walls 142 and steel columns 150 and braces 148 separated by an opening 146 and joined by coupling beams 144 . The final structure 150 shown in FIG. 1E has external columns 152 , preferably of concrete or steel, coupled to internal shear walls 156 by coupling beams 154 .
[0033] In FIGS. 2A-2E , the damping system or damper of an embodiment of the invention, generally designated 10 described herein replaces one or more of the coupling beams ( 116 , 128 , 134 , 144 , 154 ) or lateral bracing elements ( 126 , 148 ) of the structures shown in FIGS. 1A-1E . There is no loss in interior space by doing so, as the damper 10 merely replaces the coupling beams or lateral bracing and fits within the area otherwise occupied by the coupling beams or lateral bracing. However, for some applications a damper 10 of larger depth, up to the height of an entire story, can be used to replace the coupling beam, if required. In doing so, when the building is subject to dynamic wind or seismic loads, the damper 10 is deformed and provides supplemental damping to the system.
[0034] Referring variously to FIGS. 3-5 , the damping system 10 is comprised of a first set of steel plates 310 interdigitated with a second set of one or more similar steel plates 312 and coupled thereto by way of interposed layers of energy dissipating material 320 firmly adhered thereto by layers of adhesive or other bonding means. The ends of the two sets of plates opposite the coupled ends are structurally engaged with a pair of adjacent lateral load resisting elements 330 i.e. concrete shear walls, by embedding the ends therein or by bolting the ends to the walls in secure fashion. The plates 310 , 312 are sufficiently rigid to provide the necessary structural integrity to the building and to follow the movement of the lateral load resisting elements 330 , thus accentuating the differential movement between the two ends of the lateral load resisting elements 330 , which in turn shears the energy dissipating material 320 between the two sets of plates 310 , 312 . FIG. 3 discloses an example of a configuration of the damping system comprising four plates 310 connected to five plates 312 . The four plates 310 are coupled to the five plates 312 by way of disks of energy dissipating material 320 . There are eight layers of energy dissipating material 320 that undergo shear deformations when the lateral load resisting elements 330 to which they are attached undergo lateral deformations.
[0035] The energy dissipating material 320 used is a high damping rubber or a high damping visco-elastic material or any other material capable of dissipating energy (either displacement dependent, or velocity dependent).
[0036] FIG. 4 discloses another example of a damping system 10 according to the invention and comprising a first set of four plates 410 connected as in FIG. 3 to a second set of five plates 412 by larger, rectangular shaped sections of energy dissipating material 420 . Variations in the number of plates used, and the length, width, thickness and shape of the energy dissipating material can be used to tune the damping system to the particular application to maximize its damping effect. Furthermore, FIG. 4 discloses an anchorage system 414 at one end of the plates 412 for anchoring the damping system 10 to the lateral load resisting elements 430 .
[0037] FIG. 5 discloses a configuration of the damping system 10 where the energy dissipating portion of the damper 510 is separately constructed and then connected to rigid extension elements 520 , which, in turn are configured to be structurally engaged with the lateral load resisting elements 530 at a later time, for example at a construction site. In the configuration shown, the plates are joined together in sets for coupling to the rigid extension elements.
[0038] FIG. 6A discloses a structure 610 undergoing lateral deformation. The coupling beams 616 connecting the shear walls 614 are deformed, as well as the damping system 10 . FIG. 6B shows a close-up of a coupling beam 616 under deformation. As the shear walls 614 shift, they undergo a rotation by an amount shown by arrows A-A, and the coupling beam 616 is deformed from the base chord 640 by a corresponding amount shown by arrow 642 . The deformation of coupling beam 616 is a rotational effect arising from the lateral displacement of shear walls 614 . FIG. 6C shows a close-up of a damping system 10 under deformation in the same manner. It can be seen that the rigid extension elements 630 do not deform, but instead laterally displace, and deformation is restricted to the energy dissipating elements 635 (shown shaded). Thus, minimal rotational deformation takes place.
[0039] Preferred embodiments of the invention thus utilize the in-plane relative deformations, in both orthogonal directions, and in-place differential rotations, between two or more lateral load resisting structural elements, regardless of composition, to provide additional damping.
[0040] They provide a damping system that is relatively inexpensive, compared to current damping systems.
[0041] The preferred embodiments further provide a damping system capable of being installed without significant changes to the architectural and structural configuration of the building structure in which it is to be installed, and one that is easily constructed and provides a simple replacement for conventional damping systems.
[0042] While the embodiment of the invention described herein relates to buildings subjected to lateral loads such as wind loads, seismic loads, and blast loads, other useful applications of this invention, including, but not limited to other structures, will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
[0043] This concludes the description of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The foregoing description has been presented for the purpose of illustration and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teaching and will be apparent to those skilled in the art. For example, while the plates constituting the first and second sets have been described as made from steel, any material sufficiently rigid to provide the necessary structural integrity to the building and to follow the movement of the lateral load resisting elements such as walls or beams could be used, such as other metals and alloys, high strength resin reinforced composites and the like. Also, the energy dissipating material can be chosen from a wide variety of materials, such as natural or synthetic rubber (SBR, polybutadiene, polyisoprene, butyl, etc.), a choice which is within the skill of the art. It is intended the scope of the invention be limited not by this description but by the claims that follow.
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A damping system including a first set of plates having one end thereof attached to a first vertically extending structural element, a second set of plates having one end thereof attached to a second vertically extending structural element spaced in a horizontal direction from the first vertically extending structural element, and arranged such that the first set of plates has a second end portion extending towards and overlapping with a second end portion of the second set of plates at an overlapping region, and further including an energy dissipating material provided in the overlapping region for connecting the first set of plates and the second set of plates.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Reference is hereby made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60,373,204, entitled EQUALIZER MODE SWITCH and filed in the names of Inventors Markman, Park, Heo and Gelfand on Apr. 17, 2002 and whereof the benefit of priority is hereby claimed and whereof the disclosure is herein incorporated by reference.
[0002] Reference is hereby also made to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/373,205, entitled EQUALIZER/FEC MODE SWITCH and filed in the names of Inventors Park, Heo, Markman, and Gelfand on Apr. 17, 2002 and whereof the benefit of priority is hereby claimed and whereof the disclosure is herein incorporated by reference.
[0003] Reference is hereby also made to copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/372,970, entitled ARCHITECTURE FOR A DECISION FEEDBACK EQUALIZER and filed in the names of the present inventors Heo, Markman, Park and Gelfand on Apr. 16, 2002 and whereof the benefit of priority is hereby claimed and whereof the disclosure is herein incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention relates generally to adaptive equalizers, which may be used to compensate for signal transmission by way of a channel having unknown and/or time-varying characteristics such as may occur in high definition television reception and, more particularly, relates to an equalizer/forward error correction (FEC) automatic mode selector.
[0005] In the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard for High Definition Television (HDTV) in the United States, the equalizer is an adaptive filter which receives a data stream transmitted by vestigial sideband modulation (VSB), VSB being the modulation system in accordance with the ATSC-HDTV standard, at an average rate equal to the symbol rate of approximately 10.76 MHz. The equalizer attempts to remove or reduce linear distortions mainly caused by multipath propagation, which are a typical characteristic of the terrestrial broadcast channel. See United States Advanced Television Systems Committee, “ATSC Digital Television Standard,” Sep. 16, 1995.
[0006] Decision Feedback Equalizers (DFE's) as used in the communications art generally include a feedforward filter (FFF) and a feedback filter (FBF), wherein typically the FBF is driven by decisions on the output of the signal detector, and the filter coefficients can be adjusted to adapt to the desired characteristics to reduce the undesired distortion effects. Adaptation may typically take place by transmission of a “training sequence” during a synchronization interval in the signal or it may be by a “blind algorithm” using property restoral techniques of the transmitted signal. Typically, the equalizer has a certain number of taps in each of its filters, depending on such factors as the multipath delay spread to be equalized, and where the tap spacings “T” are generally, but not always, at the symbol rate. An important parameter of such filters is the convergence rate, which may be defined as the number of iterations required for convergence to an optimum setting of the equalizer. For a more detailed analysis and discussion of such equalizers, algorithms used, and their application to communications work, reference is made to the technical literature and to text-books such as, for example, “Digital Communications”, by John G. Proakis, 2 nd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1989; “Wireless Communications” by Theodore S. Rappaport, Prentice Hall PTR, Saddle River, N.J., 1996; and “Principles of Data Transmission” by A. P. Clark, 2 nd edition, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1983.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In accordance with an aspect of the invention, apparatus for automatically selecting one of a standard decision directed (dd) mode and a soft dd mode in a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) for a data signal comprises an equalizer for providing a DFE output signal and having a control input responsive to a control signal exhibiting a first value for selecting the standard dd mode and a second value for selecting the soft dd mode. The equalizer includes a lock detector having an output for providing a lock signal indicative of equalizer convergence. The apparatus includes a mode selector having an input coupled to the lock detector output and having an output coupled to the control input for providing an output signal exhibiting one of the first and second values depending upon characteristics of the lock signal.
[0008] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, apparatus for automatically selecting one of a standard decision directed dd mode and a soft dd mode in a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) for receiving a data signal, comprises an equalizer having an output for providing a DFE output signal and having a control input responsive to a control signal exhibiting (a) a first value for selecting the standard dd mode and (b) a second value for selecting the soft dd mode; the equalizer including a lock detector having an output for providing a lock signal indicative of equalizer convergence; and a mode selector having an input coupled to the lock detector output and having an output coupled to the control input for providing a control signal exhibiting one of the first and second values depending upon characteristics of the lock signal.
[0009] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a mode selector includes a processor having: an input coupled to the mode selector input for counting the number of transitions of the lock signal between the first and second values during a defined interval; a comparator for comparing the number of transitions against a defined threshold count; and a comparator output providing a first signal exhibiting the first value when the number of transitions is less than the threshold count and exhibiting the second value when the number of transitions is not less than the threshold count, the comparator output being coupled to the mode selector output.
[0010] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, apparatus for automatic selection of one of a standard automatic switching mode and a soft automatic switching mode in a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) for receiving a data signal, wherein the automatic switching mode comprises one of: (a) a blind mode, and (b) a decision directed mode, and the soft automatic switching mode comprises: (a) a blind mode, and (b) a soft decision directed mode; the equalizer having a control input for mode selection responsive to a signal exhibiting: (a) a first value for selecting the standard automatic switching mode, and (b) a second value for selecting the soft automatic switching mode, and including a lock detector for providing a lock signal having first and second lock signal values respectively indicative of equalizer convergence and non-convergence; and apparatus for providing a selection signal to the control input for mode selection, the apparatus: monitoring the rate of transitions of the lock signal between the first and second lock signal values and providing a control signal; comparing the rate of transitions with a threshold rate of transitions and causing the control signal to exhibit a first control value when the rate of transitions is less than the threshold rate and to exhibit the second value when the rate of transitions is not less than the threshold rate; when the equalizer is in the standard automatic switching mode, monitoring the rate of occurrences of the control signal having the first control value and comparing the rate with a threshold rate of occurrence and if the rate of occurrences is less than the threshold rate of occurrence then causing the selection signal to exhibit the second value for selecting the soft automatic switching mode; otherwise, when the rate of occurrences is not less than the threshold rate of occurrence, the standard automatic switching mode remains selected, and when the equalizer is in the soft automatic switching mode, monitoring the rate of occurrences of the control signal having the first control value and comparing the rate with the threshold rate of occurrence and if the rate of occurrences is not less than the threshold rate of occurrence then causing the selection signal to exhibit the first value for selecting the standard automatic switching mode, and otherwise, when the rate of occurrences is less than the threshold rate, the soft automatic switching mode remains selected.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] The invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description which follows, in conjunction with the drawings, in which
[0012] FIG. 1 shows a schematic block diagram of a decision feedback equalizer (DFE) architecture;
[0013] FIG. 2 shows bit error rate (BER) versus signal to noise ratio (SNR) in dB for an equalizer and Viterbi decoder in the additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) channel;
[0014] FIG. 3 shows equalizer lock detector output in the AWGN channel and automatic switching mode for different values of SNR;
[0015] FIG. 4 shows bit error rate (BER) versus signal to noise ratio (SNR) in dB for an equalizer and Viterbi decoder under a 3 dB, 3 microsecond (μs) ghost signal and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN);
[0016] FIG. 5 shows the number of burst errors versus burst size at the equalizer output for blind and automatic switching mode and different SNR measures;
[0017] FIG. 6 shows an equalizer lock detector output in the −3 dB, 3 μs plus AWGN channel for different values of SNR;
[0018] FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of an equalizer mode switch in block diagram form, in accordance with the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 8 shows an equalizer mode switch state machine chart in accordance with an aspect of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] An equalizer automatic mode switch in accordance with the present invention comprises a T-spaced (where T is the symbol period) DFE (Decision Feedback) equalizer with three available modes: training, blind and decision directed.
[0021] Before entering into a detailed description of preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be helpful to a better understanding of the principles of the present invention and to defining certain terms to consider first a somewhat simplified block diagram of a Decision Feedback Equalizer (DFE) architecture as shown in FIG. 1 .
[0022] The input to the DFE is coupled to a Feed-Forward Filter (FFF) 10 whose output is coupled to a summation unit 12 , the other input to summation unit 12 being coupled to the output of a Feed-Back Filter (FBF) 14 . The output of summation unit 12 is coupled to a slicer 16 , to an input of a mode switch 18 , and to a lock detector 20 . The output of lock detector 20 is coupled to a control input of mode switch 18 . The output of slicer 16 is coupled to another input of mode switch 18 and an output of mode switch 18 is coupled to an input of FBF 14 . Another output of mode switch 18 is coupled to coefficient control inputs of FFF 10 and FBF 14 .
[0023] The functions of the FFF 10 , FBF 14 and slicer 16 are well known and constitute the basic functions of filtering and quantization, respectively. See, for example, the afore-cited text by Proakis. Additional information on filters and their implementation can be found in various textbooks such as, for example, “Digital Signal Processing,” by John G. Proakis and Dimitris G. Manolakis, Prentice Hall, New Jersey; 1996 and “Introduction to Digital Signal Processing,” by Roman Kuc, McGraw-Hill Book Company, New York; 1988. Lock detector 20 is responsible for the equalizer convergence detection function. It updates the lock detector output by comparing the equalizer output against the slicer levels with a threshold. If the equalizer output and slicer levels are within the threshold distance, a lock or convergence is detected. Mode switch 18 selects the input to the FBF filter as well as the error and control signals to be used in the equalizer adaptation, according to the equalizer mode of choice. It also checks the lock detector output. In normal operation, mode switch 18 has an automatic switching capability, which depends on the output of equalizer lock detector 20 . Mode switch 18 interprets the training and blind modes as being used for convergence purposes only. After the equalizer lock detector detects convergence, the equalizer is then transitioned to the decision directed mode. If convergence is lost, the equalizer goes back to training or blind mode.
[0024] In the Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) standard, a training sequence was included in the field sync to allow for initial equalizer convergence. In training mode, the equalizer coefficients are only updated during the field sync. However, two main drawbacks associated with its use are that it requires prior correct detection of the field sync and that the training sequence is contained in the field sync, which only occurs approximately every 25 milliseconds (ms), possibly resulting in slow convergence.
[0025] For ghost environments that make it difficult to detect a field sync or with a dynamic component, it is of interest to have an initial adjustment of the equalizer tap coefficients independent of a training sequence, that is, self-recovering or blind. See, for example the above cited text by Proakis and the paper by D. N. Godard, “Self-Recovering Equalization and Carrier Tracking in Two Dimensional Data Communication Systems” IEEE Trans. on Commun., Vol. COM-28, pp. 1867-1875, November 1980.
[0026] Furthermore, because it works on every data symbol, the blind algorithm will have a faster convergence.
[0027] As is typically the case in the conventional dd mode, the input to FBF 14 is the output of slicer 16 . Thus, in the dd mode, the adaptation error and the input to the feedback filter are aided by the presence of a slicer, and coefficient adaptation takes place throughout the data sequence. This mode does not have good convergence capabilities, but after convergence, it has advantages over the other two modes. The advantage of dd mode with respect to blind mode is attributable to the presence of the slicer, resulting in better MSE (mean squared error) and BER (bit error rate) performance at the equalizer output. With respect to the training mode, the fact that dd updates its tap on every symbol, as opposed to training symbols only, allows for faster adaptation and tracking capabilities.
[0028] It is herein recognized that the use of blind and dd modes as an aid or as alternative approaches to the training mode are desirable because, inter alia, the training mode in the ATSC-HDTV standard has a slow convergence, as well as poor dynamic tracking capabilities.
[0029] In what follows, reference is made to an HDTV receiver and to some of its components and it may be helpful to briefly mention their context. In such a receiver, the adaptive channel equalizer is typically followed by a phase tracking network for removing phase and gain noise from which the signal goes to a trellis decoder followed by a data de-interleaver. The signal is then Reed-Solomon error corrected and then descrambled after which it undergoes audio, video, and display processing. Further details may be found in the technical literature such as, for example, the handbook “Digital Television Fundamentals”, by Michael Robin and Michel Poulin, McGraw-Hill, New York; second edition, 2000.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows a graph of BER (Bit Error Rate) vs. SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio) performance curves for the equalizer and Viterbi decoder of an HDTV receiver in the AWGN (Additive White Gaussian Noise) channel. The performance is measured after the equalizer as well as after the Viterbi decoder (VD). The Viterbi decoder follows the equalizer in the receiver design and decodes the first level of FEC (Forward Error Correction), corresponding to a TCM (Trellis Coded Modulation) code.
[0031] In FIG. 2 , three curves are shown for the equalizer (upper set of curves) as well as VD output (lower set of curves): one for the equalizer in blind mode only, the second for the equalizer in automatic switching mode and the third for the equalizer in soft automatic switching mode. In automatic switching mode, the equalizer is in blind mode prior to convergence, and switches to dd mode after convergence is detected. If convergence is lost, it switches back to blind mode. Soft automatic switching mode is similar to automatic switching mode, except that the dd mode is a soft dd mode. In soft dd mode, the input to the feedback filter is the output of the equalizer, instead of the slicer output.
[0032] In view of the characteristics shown in FIG. 2 , the following are herein recognized:
a. The equalizer output performance under automatic mode is equal to or better than under blind mode. For increasing SNR, the automatic switching performance is increasingly better; b. The VD output performance reflects the equalizer output performance. Under automatic switching mode, it is equal or better than under blind mode. For increasing SNR, the automatic switching performance is increasingly better. c. The automatic switching and soft automatic switching modes present similar performance both at the equalizer output and VD output.
[0036] It is helpful to a better understanding of the relationship between blind and dd mode in automatic switching mode to consider FIG. 3 , which shows curves of the equalizer lock detector in the AWGN channel for different SNR values. The SNR is 13 dB in the top graph of FIG. 3 , 15 dB in the center, and 18 dB in the bottom graph. In FIG. 3 , a 0 level on the ordinate scale indicates that the equalizer is not locked, that is, it is in blind mode. When the equalizer is locked, the lock detector output assumes the value of 1, that is, the equalizer is in dd mode. We observe that for low SNR, the equalizer is mainly in blind mode, that is, convergence is never detected due to the high level of noise. This is an imperfection of the lock detector that cannot practicably be overcome. For high SNR, the convergence is eventually detected, and the equalizer is transitioned to dd mode. At a medium SNR, there is constant switching of the lock detector, with noise affecting its ability to detect equalizer convergence besides potentially affecting the equalizer convergence. Similar behavior can be expected for the equalizer in soft automatic switching mode.
[0037] If a multipath signal is now introduced in the channel, some differences in the system simulation may be observed. FIG. 4 shows BER vs. SNR performance curves for the HDTV receiver in the AWGN plus multipath channel. The multipath channel comprises one 3 dB, 3 μsec ghost, which is a relatively strong ghost. As in FIG. 2 , the performance is measured after the equalizer as well as after the Viterbi decoder (VD). Also, three curves are shown for the equalizer as well as for the VD output: one for the equalizer in blind mode only, another for the equalizer in automatic switching mode and the third one for the equalizer in soft automatic switching mode.
[0038] In soft automatic switching mode, the equalizer is in blind mode prior to convergence, and switches to soft dd mode after convergence is detected. If convergence is lost, it switches back to blind mode. In soft dd mode, as opposed to the conventional dd mode, the input to the feedback filter is the output of the equalizer.
[0039] In view of the characteristics shown in FIG. 4 , the following are herein recognized:
a. Under automatic switching mode the equalizer output performance is equal to or better than in blind mode and in soft automatic switching mode. For increasing SNR, the automatic switching performance is increasingly better. b. However, the VD output performance does not reflect the equalizer output performance, especially for medium SNR. For those values of SNR, the VD output performance is worse under automatic switching mode rather than in blind mode and soft automatic switching mode by up to about 1.5 dB. c. While it is not apparent from FIG. 4 , additional simulations show that for higher SNR values, the VD performance under automatic switching mode will again be better or equal than under blind mode and soft automatic switching mode. d. Additional simulations also show that the problem described in item b above becomes more evident for strong ghosts, although still present at a smaller scale for weaker ghosts.
[0044] It is helpful to an understanding of the difference in performance behavior between the equalizer and Viterbi decoder when the equalizer is under blind or automatic switching mode, to compute the number of error bursts at the equalizer output under these two modes.
[0045] FIG. 5 shows plots for the number of bursts of errors versus the length of the burst under both equalizer modes, and for different SNR measures. The SNR is 18 dB in the top graph of FIG. 5 , 21 dB in the center, and 25 dB in the bottom graph. In view of the characteristics shown in FIG. 5 , the following are herein recognized:
a. Under low SNR conditions, the number of errors is very similar for both blind and automatic switching mode. Long error bursts are present in both modes, with a slightly greater number for blind mode; b. Under medium SNR conditions, the number of error bursts and error burst length are clearly greater for automatic switching mode as compared with blind mode, as the number of long error bursts under blind mode decreases and automatic switching mode is not affected as much by the increase in SNR; and c. Under high SNR conditions the number of error bursts and error burst length become greater for blind mode as compared with automatic switching mode, as the number of long error bursts under automatic switching mode now decreases at a faster rate with increasing SNR.
[0049] FIG. 6 shows the equalizer lock detector output against the number of iterations (×10 4 ). The SNR is 18 dB in the top graph of FIG. 6 , 21 dB in the center, and 25 dB in the bottom graph. The notion of low, medium or high SNR is actually dependent on the ghost profile and strength, since different ghosts imply different performance. However, as shown in FIG. 6 , there is a relation between the SNR and the equalizer lock detector performance. As was the case in the AWGN channel, it is observed that for low SNR, the equalizer is mainly in blind mode, that is, convergence is never detected due to the high level of noise. For high SNR, the convergence is eventually detected, and the equalizer is transitioned to dd mode, remaining stable in that mode. At medium SNR, there is constant switching of the lock detector, as the level of noise does not allow for a stable dd mode. Similar behavior can be expected for the equalizer in soft automatic switching mode.
[0050] Based on the foregoing considerations and information presented, it is a feature of the present invention to detect these conditions of error propagation for which the standard dd mode delivers a worse performance than the soft dd mode, and to switch the modes.
[0051] Ideally, the equalizer lock detector would detect convergence regardless of the SNR. However, it is impracticable to implement an algorithm that is sufficiently immune to poor SNR. Furthermore, in a multipath environment, noise also affects the ability of the equalizer to converge and track and therefore, regardless of the ghost profile or SNR, it is desirable to detect unstable lock detector conditions.
[0052] FIGS. 7 and 8 show exemplary embodiments of an equalizer mode switch in accordance with the present invention. The invention proceeds to identify unstable conditions of the lock detector and uses this information in deciding upon the appropriate equalizer mode. The principle as applied in the present invention is that of threshold comparison. The remaining operations of the mode switch regarding the input to the FBF, error and control signal generation for the adaptation remain as explained in Section 1.
[0053] In FIG. 7 , the lock detector transitions are counted during a certain window period of W symbol time periods and the number of transitions, NTr, is compared against a threshold, Thr. The system is initialized after each window period W and starts counting again. The window period, W, and the threshold, Thr, are programmable variables whose values can be identified after proper system testing. The two flip-flops, FF 1 and FF 2 , are D- flip-flops with enable. The input eql_lock_int, which corresponds to the equalizer lock detector output, is delayed by FF 1 and exclusive-or'ed, with its delayed version. This operation identifies transitions in the lock detector.
[0054] Counter 1 has a clock enable input and outputs the number of transitions NTr counted within a window of W counts. Counter 2 is a wrap around symbol counter with a window of W counts, which outputs a maximum count indicator, max_ind. This signal max_ind is ‘high’ or ‘1’ when Counter 2 has reached its limit of W symbol count, and otherwise, it is ‘low’ or ‘0’. When max_ind=1, FF 2 will store the value NTr. This value is then compared against the threshold count, Thr. If NTr≧Thr, there are too many lock detector transitions and the signal sel is set to ‘0’. If NTr<Thr, the number of transitions is considered reasonable, and sel is set to 1.
[0055] It will be understood that the circuit described in FIG. 7 is used as an exemplary embodiment of this invention and that other similar circuits may provide the same functionality of detecting the lock detection instability.
[0056] In FIG. 7 , the signal sel gives an indication of whether the system should be set in soft automatic switching mode (sel=0) or should be kept in automatic switching mode (sel=1), which is the standard equalizer mode switch. In automatic switching mode, the equalizer is set to blind mode at startup; it switches to dd mode after equalizer convergence is detected and switches back to blind mode if convergence is lost. The indicator of equalizer convergence is the signal eql_lock_int, the equalizer lock detector output. In soft automatic switching mode, the dd mode is replaced by a soft dd mode, otherwise being similar to the automatic switching mode.
[0057] FIG. 8 contains a state machine representation for an embodiment of the present invention that utilizes the signal sel as an input, and introduces a further level of hysteresis. It counts within a window of size N periods of W symbols, the number of periods when sel remained at 0 or 1, depending on the current state being the normal lock or the altered lock state, respectively. At reset, the state machine is at normal lock state, and the equalizer mode switch is 1, that is, the automatic switching mode is chosen. The state machine continuously checks on the signal set and counts occurrences of sel=1 with variable sel_count. If sel_count is less than the established threshold sel_thr, then the state machine transitions to the altered lock state. Once in the altered lock state, the equalizer mode switch is set to 0, meaning soft automatic switching mode. Similarly, the state machine continuously checks on the signal sel, and counts occurrences of sel=1 with variable sel_count. If sel_count is greater than or equal to the established threshold, sel_thr, then the state machine transitions to the normal lock state.
[0058] It will be understood that the diagram described in FIG. 8 is used as an exemplary embodiment of this invention and that other similar state machines may provide the same functionality of added hysteresis to the signal sel.
[0059] While the invention has been described and explained by way of an equalizer mode switch designed for the HDTV-ATSC equalizer, its principles can be applied to any general equalizer with a DFE architecture, in a system where the equalizer is followed by a trellis or convolutional decoder. For such a system, the error propagation into the DFE filter originated by linear distortion, noise and the slicer presence in dd mode results in bursty type of noise at the equalizer output, which will tend to impair the decoder performance. It will be understood that the various functions of the invention may be carried out by software in a programmed computer application or may be implemented in the form of hard circuits, integrated or otherwise or by a combination of both. In addition, although described in the context of a symbol-spaced (T-spaced, where T is the symbol period) equalizer, the invention can also be applied to fractionally spaced equalizers. Fractionally spaced equalizers are described in several textbooks, such as the afore-mentioned “Digital Communications”, by John G. Proakis, 2 nd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1989. Also, the soft decision directed input to the FBF, although described as the equalizer output, could be a more complex soft decision function of the equalizer output. It should be also understood that the equalizer in FIG. 1 could include the training mode as well. The training mode of operation would be exclusive with respect to the blind mode as in a traditional DFE and would not interfere with the decision directed modes.
[0060] While the present invention has been described by way of exemplary embodiments, it will be recognized and understood by one of skill in the art to which the invention pertains that various changes and substitutions may be made without departing from the invention as defined by the claims following.
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An apparatus for automatically selecting one of a standard decision directed mode and a soft dd mode in a decision feedback equalizer for receiving a data signal comprises an equalizer for providing a DFE output signal and having a control input responsive to a control signal exhibiting a first value for selecting the standard dd mode and a second value for selecting the soft dd mode. The equalizer includes a lock detector having an output for providing a lock signal indicative of equalizer convergence. The apparatus includes a mode selector having an input coupled to the lock detector output and having an output coupled to the control input for providing an output signal exhibiting one of the first and second values depending upon characteristics of the lock signal.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to methods for treating or preventing tumor formation or pathogen infection in a patient.
Previously-described methods for treating cancers include the use of chemotherapeutics, radiation therapy, and selective surgery. The identification of a few tumor antigens has led to the development of cell-based therapies. These methods rely on first identifying a tumor antigen (i.e., a polypeptide that is expressed preferentially in tumor cells, relative to non-tumor cells). Several human tumor antigens have been isolated from melanoma patients, and identified and characterized (Boon and van der Bruggen, 1996, J. Exp. Med. 183: 725-729). These polypeptide antigens can be loaded onto antigen-presenting cells, and then be administered to patients in a method of immunotherapy (i.e., as a vaccine) Alternatively, the polypeptide-loaded antigen-presenting cells can be used to stimulate CTL proliferation ex vivo. The stimulated CTL are then administered to the patient in a method of adoptive immunotherapy.
A variety of methods have been described for treating infections with intracellular pathogens such as viruses and bacteria. For example, antibiotics are commonly used to treat bacterial infections. Preparations of killed pathogens can also serve as vaccines. In addition, CTL-based therapies have been described for treating such infections.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Applicants have discovered that tumor formation in a patient can be treated or prevented by administering to the patient an antigen-presenting cell(s) that is loaded with antigen encoded in RNA derived from a tumor. For convenience, an RNA-enriched tumor preparation can be used in lieu of purified RNA. The invention thus circumvents the need purify RNA or isolate and identify a tumor antigen. Using similar methods and pathogen-derived RNA, pathogen infection in a patient can be treated or prevented. The RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cells can be used to stimulate CTL proliferation ex vivo or in vivo. The ex viva expanded CTL can be administered to a patient in a method of adoptive immunotherapy.
Accordingly, the invention features a method for producing an RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cell (APC); the method involves introducing into an APC in vitro (i) tumor-derived RNA that includes tumor-specific RNA or (ii) pathogen-derived RNA that includes pathogen-specific RNA (e.g. tumor-specific RNA of an intracellular pathogen), thereby producing an RNA-loaded APC. Upon introducing RNA into an APC (i.e., "loading" the APC with RNA), the RNA is translated within the APC, and the resulting protein is processed by the class I processing and presentation pathway. Presentation of RNA-encoded peptides begins the chain of events in which the immune system mounts a response to the presented peptides.
Preferably, the APC is a professional APC such as a dendritic cell or a macrophage. Alternatively, any APC can be used. For example, endothelial cells and artificially generated APC can be used. The RNA that is loaded onto the APC can be provided to the APC as purified RNA, or as a fractionated preparation of a tumor or pathogen. The RNA can include poly A + RNA, which can be isolated by using conventional methods (e.g., use of poly dT chromatography). Both cytoplasmic and nuclear RNA is useful in the invention. Also useful in the invention is RNA corresponding to defined tumor or pathogen antigens or epitopes, and RNA corresponding to "minigenes" (i.e., RNA sequences encoding defined epitopes). If desired, tumor-specific or pathogen-specific RNA can be used; such RNA can be prepared using art-known techniques such as subtractive hybridization against RNA from non-tumor cells or against related, but non-pathogenic, bacteria or viruses.
The RNA that is loaded onto APC can be isolated from a cell, or it can be produced by employing conventional molecular biology techniques. For example, RNA can be extracted from tumor cells, reverse transcribed into cDNA, which can be amplified by PCR, and the cDNA then is transcribed into RNA to be used in the invention. If desired, the cDNA can be cloned into a plasmid before it is used as a template for RNA synthesis. Such techniques allow one to obtain large amounts of the RNA antigen from a small number of cells, which is particularly advantageous because tumor patients often have few tumor cells. In one embodiment, the APC are contacted with the tumor-derived RNA in the presence of a cationic lipid, such as DOTAP or 1:1 (w/w) DOTMA:DOPE (i.e., LIPOFECTIN). Alternatively, art-known transfection methods are used to introduce the RNA into the APC.
Because practicing the invention does not require identifying an antigen of the tumor cell or pathogen, RNA derived from essentially any type of tumor or pathogen is useful. For example, the invention is applicable, but not limited, to the development of therapeutics for treating melanomas, bladder cancers, breast cancers, pancreatic cancers, prostate cancers, colon cancers, and ovarian cancers. In addition, the invention can treat or prevent infections with pathogens such as Salmonella, Shigella, Enterobacter, human immunodeficiency virus, Herpes virus, influenza virus, poliomyelitis virus, measles virus, mumps virus, or rubella virus.
The antigen-presenting cells produced in accordance with the invention can be used to induce CTL responses in vivo and ex vivo. Thus, the invention includes methods for treating or preventing tumor formation in a patient by administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of APC loaded with tumor-derived RNA. The tumor-derived RNA can be derived from the patient, e.g., as an RNA-enriched tumor preparation. Alternatively, the tumor-derived RNA used in such a treatment regimen can be derived from another patient afflicted with the same, or a similar, type of cancer. Likewise, APC loaded with pathogen-derived RNA can be used to treat or prevent a pathogen infection in a patient.
Included within the invention are methods for producing a cytotoxic T lymphocyte. Such a CTL can be produced by contacting a T lymphocyte in vitro with an antigen-presenting cell that is loaded with tumor-derived or pathogen-derived RNA, and maintaining the T lymphocyte under conditions conducive to CTL proliferation, thereby producing a CTL. The resulting CTL show remarkable specificity for the pathogen or the cells of the tumor from which the loaded RNA is derived. Such CTL can be administered to a patient in a variation of conventional adoptive immunotherapy methods.
The invention also includes methods for treating or preventing tumor formation in a patient by administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of APC loaded with tumor-derived RNA. Similarly, the invention provides methods for treating pathogen infection in a patient by administering to the patient a therapeutically effective amount of APC loaded with pathogen-derived RNA. The T lymphocytes that are used in these various therapeutic methods can be derived from the patient to be treated, or haplotype-matched CTL from a donor can be used. Similarly, the RNA used in these methods can be derived from the patient to be treated, or RNA from a donor can be used.
By "RNA-loaded" or "RNA-pulsed" antigen-presenting cell is meant an APC (e.g., a macrophage or dendritic cell) that was incubated or transfected with RNA, e.g., RNA derived from a tumor or pathogen. Such RNA can be loaded onto the APC by using conventional nucleic acid transfection methods, such as lipid-mediated transfection, electroporation, and calcium phosphate transfection. For example, RNA can be introduced into APC by incubating the APC with the RNA (or extract) for 1 to 24 hours (e.g., 2 hours) at 37° C., preferably in the presence of a cationic lipid.
By "tumor-derived" RNA is meant a sample of RNA that has its origin in a tumor cell, and which includes RNA corresponding to a tumor antigen(s). Included is RNA that encodes all or a portion of a previously identified tumor antigen. Similarly "pathogen-derived" RNA is a sample of RNA that has its origin in an pathogen (e.g., a bacterium or virus, including intracellular pathogens). Such RNA can be "in vitro transcribed," e.g., reverse transcribed to produce cDNA that can be amplified by PCR and subsequently be transcribed in vitro, with or without cloning the cDNA. Also included is RNA that is provided as a fractionated preparation of tumor cell or pathogen. Because even unfractionated RNA preparation (e.g., total RNA or total poly A+ RNA) can be used, it is not necessary that a tumor or pathogen antigen be identified. In one embodiment, the preparation is fractionated with respect to a non-RNA component(s) of the cell in order to decrease the concentration of a non-RNA component, such as protein, lipid, and/or DNA and enrich the preparation for RNA. If desired, the preparation can be further fractionated with respect to the RNA (e.g., by subtractive hybridization) such that "tumor-specific" or "pathogen-specific" RNA is produced.
By "tumor-specific" RNA is meant an RNA sample that, relative to unfractionated tumor-derived RNA, has a high content of RNA that is preferentially present in a tumor cell compared with a non-tumor cell. For example, tumor-specific RNA includes RNA that is present in a tumor cell, but not present in a non-tumor cell. Also encompassed in this definition is an RNA sample that includes RNA that is present both in tumor and non-tumor cells, but is present at a higher level in tumor cells than in non-tumor cells. Also included within this definition is RNA that encodes a previously identified tumor antigen and which is produced in vitro, e.g., from a plasmid or by PCR. Alternatively, tumor-specific RNA can be prepared by fractionating an RNA sample such that the percentage of RNA corresponding to a tumor antigen is increased, relative to unfractionated tumor-derived RNA. For example, tumor-specific RNA can be prepared by fractionating tumor-derived RNA using conventional subtractive hybridization techniques against RNA from non-tumor cells. Likewise, "pathogen-specific" RNA refers to an RNA sample that, relative to unfractionated pathogen-derived RNA, has a high content of RNA that is preferentially present in the pathogen compared with a non-pathogenic strain of bacteria or virus.
The invention offers several advantages. Vaccinations performed in accordance with the invention circumvent the need to identify specific tumor rejection antigens or pathogen antigens, because the correct antigen(s) is automatically selected from the tumor- or pathogen-derived RNA. If desired, the risk of generating an autoimmune response can be diminished by using tumor-specific RNA. In addition, vaccination with cells loaded with unfractionated tumor-derived RNA likely elicits immune responses to several tumor antigens, reducing the likelihood of "escape mutants." The invention also extends the use of active immunotherapy to treating cancers for which specific tumor antigens have not yet been identified, which is the vast majority of cancers. The invention can be used efficaciously even if the tumor itself displays poor immunogenicity. In addition, the invention is useful for reducing the size of preexisting tumors, including metastases even after removal of the primary tumor. Finally, the invention offers the advantage that antigen-presenting cells that are loaded with in vitro transcribed RNA can be more potent vaccines than are antigen-presenting cells that are loaded with peptide antigens.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a graph illustrating primary OVA-specific CTL induction in vitro with dendritic cells pulsed with RNA. DC were pulsed with total RNA or poly A + RNA obtained from E.G7-OVA or 'EL4 cells, or in vitro transcribed OVA RNA in the presence of the cationic lipid DOTAP as described herein. DC pulsed with the OVA peptide were used for comparison. DC and naive T cells were incubated for 5 days at a R/S of 20:1. Viable lymphocytes were harvested, and the CTL activity was determined in a routine europium release assay. E.G7-OVA and EL4 cells were used as targets. This experiment was repeated three times with similar results.
FIG. 2 is a graph illustrating that the sensitization of E.G7-OVA RNA pulsed DC for stimulation of OVA-specific primary CTL responses is mediated by the poly A + fraction of RNA. DC were pulsed with total RNA, poly A - RNA or poly A + RNA, and cultured with naive T cells in 96-well U-bottom plates for 5 days. The poly A + RNA fraction from E.G7-OVA cells was treated with an antisense oligonucleotide specific for the CTL epitope encoding region of the OVA gene, or a control oligonucleotide followed by RNase H treatment to eliminate the hybridized RNA. DC pulsed with OVA peptide was used as a control. E.G7-OVA, EL4, and RMA cells pulsed with the OVA peptide were used as targets.
FIG. 3 is a histogram depicting the induction of anti-tumor immunity in vivo in mice following a single immunization with DC pulsed with RNA. DC were pulsed with either total or poly A + RNA from E.G7-OVA cells or EL4 cells, or with in vitro transcribed OVA RNA or control antisense OVA RNA. Mice were immunized with 2×10 6 DC or 5×10 6 irradiated E.G7-OVA or EL4 cells injected intraperitoneally, followed by a challenge with 2×10 7 live E.G7-OVA cells. Mice were periodically examined for tumor growth, and were sacrificed when the tumor diameter reached 3-4 cm. All mice were sacrificed at 35-40 days post-challenge.
FIG. 4 is a histogram depicting the regression of spontaneous metastasis in mice vaccinated with DC pulsed with poly A + RNA or total RNA in the B16-F10.9 melanoma model. Mice received by intrafootpad injection live F10.9 cells, and the legs were amputated when the tumor diameter reached 5.5-7.5 mm. Vaccinations were initiated 2 days post-amputation, and were followed by two more vaccinations at weekly intervals. Mice were vaccinated intraperitoneally with 2×10 6 total, poly A - or poly A + RNA pulsed DC, or irradiated F10.9 cells or F10.9/Kl cells, or PBS (as a control.) Mice were sacrificed based on the metastatic death in the non-immunized or control groups (28-32 days post-amputation). Metastatic loads were assayed by weighing the lungs and by counting the number of metastatic nodules.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Before providing detailed working examples of the invention, certain parameters of the invention will be described generally.
A variety of methods are suitable for producing the tumor- or pathogen-derived RNA that can be used in the invention. As the following examples illustrate, it is not necessary that the RNA be provided to the APC in a purified form. Preferably, the RNA sample (i.e., the fractionated tumor preparation or IVT RNA sample) is at least 50%, more preferably 75%, 90%, or even 99% RNA (wt/vol). In practicing the invention, antigen-presenting cells, preferably professional APC such as dendritic cells and macrophage, are used. Such cells can be isolated according to previously-described procedures
Any of a variety of methods can be used to produce RNA-containing tumor preparations. For example, the tumor preparations can be produced by sonicating tumor cells in a mammalian cell culture medium such as Opti-MEM or a buffer such as phosphate buffered saline. Similarly, pathogen-derived RNA can be produced by sonicating pathogenic bacteria or cells containing a pathogenic virus. Other methods for disrupting cells also are suitable, provided that the method does not completely degrade the tumor- or pathogen-derived RNA. Typically, the RNA preparation has 10 6 to 10 8 cells/ml; most preferably 10 7 cells/ml. As alternatives, or in addition, to sonication, the tumor- or pathogen-derived RNA can be prepared by employing conventional RNA purification methods such as guanidinium isothiocyanate methods and/or oligo dT chromatography methods for isolating poly A + RNA. IVT RNA, synthesized according to conventional methods, can be used in lieu of RNA in tumor preparations. For example, RNA from a tumor or pathogen can be reverse transcribed into cDNA, which then is amplified by conventional PCR techniques to provide an essentially unlimited supply of cDNA corresponding to the tumor or pathogen RNA antigen. Conventional in vitro transcription techniques and bacterial polymerases then are used to produce the IVT RNA. As an alternative, the IVT RNA can be synthesized from a cloned DNA sequence encoding a tumor or pathogen polypeptide antigen. Methods for identifying such antigens are known in the art; for example, several melanoma peptide antigens have been identified. RNA transcribed in vitro from cDNA encoding identified peptide antigens can serve as tumor- or pathogen-specific RNA in the invention. As an alternative, RNA can be transcribed from "minigenes" consisting of a portion of the tumor antigen cDNA that encodes an epitope. Tumor- or pathogen-specific RNA can also be produced by employing conventional techniques for subtractive hybridization. For example, an RNA sample from tumor cells and non-tumor cells can be used in the subtractive hybridization method to obtain tumor-specific RNA.
Art-known transfection methods are suitable for introducing the tumor- or pathogen-derived RNA into an antigen-presenting cell. For example, 5-50 μg of RNA in 500 μl of Opti-MEM can be mixed with a cationic lipid at a concentration of 10 to 100 μg, and incubated at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes. Other suitable lipids include LIPOFECTIN™ (1:1 (w/w) DOTMA:DOPE), LIPOFECTAMINE™ (3:1 (w/w) DOSPA:DOPE), DODAC:DOPE (1:1), CHOL:DOPE (1:1), DMEDA, CHOL, DDAB, DMEDA, DODAC, DOPE, DORI, DORIE, DOSPA, DOTAP, and DOTMA. The resulting RNA-lipid complex is then added to 1-3×10 6 cells, preferably 2×10 6 , antigen-presenting cells in a total volume of approximately 2 ml (e.g., in Opti-MEM), and incubated at 37° C. for 2 to 4 hours. Alternatively, the RNA can be introduced into the antigen presenting cells by employing conventional techniques, such as electroporation or calcium phosphate transfection with 1-5×10 6 cells and 5 to 50 μg of RNA. Typically, 5-20 μg of poly A + RNA or 25-50 μg of total RNA is used.
When the RNA is provided as a tumor or pathogen preparation, the preparation typically is fractionated or otherwise treated to decrease the concentration of proteins, lipids, and/or DNA in the preparation, and enrich the preparation for RNA. For example, art-known RNA purification methods can be used to at least partially purify the RNA from the tumor cell or pathogen. It is also acceptable to treat the RNA preparation with proteases or RNase-free DNases.
The RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cells of the invention can be used to stimulate CTL proliferation in vivo or ex vivo. The ability of the RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cells to stimulate a CTL response can be measured by assaying the ability of the effector cells to lyse target cells. For example, the commonly-used europium release assay can be used. Typically, 5-10×10 6 target cells are labeled with europium diethylenetriamine pentaacetate for 20 minutes at 4° C. After several washes 10 4 europium-labeled target cells and serial dilutions of effector cells at an effector:target ratio ranging from 50:1 to 6.25:1 are incubated in 200 μl RPMI 1640 with 10% heat-inactivated fetal calf serum in 96-well plates. The plates are centrifuged at 500×g for 3 minutes and the incubated at 37° C. in 5% CO 2 for 4 hours. A 50 μl aliquot of the supernatant is collected, and europium release is measured by time resolved fluorescence (Volgmann et al., J. Immunol. Methods 119:45-51, 1989).
EXAMPLES
The following working examples are meant to illustrate, not limit, the invention. First, the methods used in these examples are described.
Mice
Seven to eight weeks old and retired breeder female C57BL/6 mice (H-2 b ) were obtained from the Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, Me.).
Cell lines
The F10.9 clone of the B16 melanoma of C57BL/6 origin is a highly metastatic, poorly immunogenic, and low class I expressing cell line. F10.9/K1 is a poorly metastatic and highly immunogenic cell line derived by transfecting F10.9 cells with class I molecule, H-2K b cDNA. RMA and RMA-S cells are derived from the Rauscher leukemia virus-induced T cell lymphoma RBL-5 of C57BL/6 (H-2 b ) origin. Other cell lines used were EL4 (C57BL/6, H-2 b , thymoma), E.G7-OVA (EL4 cells transfected with the cDNA of chicken ovalbumin (OVA), A20(H-2 d B cell lymphoma) and L929 (H-2 k fibroblasts). Cells were maintained in DMEM supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum (FCS), 25 mM Hepes, 2 mM L-glutamine and 1 mM sodium pyruvate. E.G7-OVA cells were maintained in medium supplemented with 400 μg/ml G418 (GIBCO, Grand Island, N.Y.) and F10.9/K1 cells were maintained in medium containing 800 μg/ml G418.
Antigen presenting cells and responder T cells
Splenocytes obtained from naive C57BL/6 female retired breeders were treated with ammonium chloride Tris buffer for 3 minutes at 37° C. to deplete red blood cells. Splenocytes (3 ml) at 2×10 7 cells/ml were layered over a 2 ml metrizamide gradient column (Nycomed Pharma AS, Oslo, Norway; analytical grade, 14.5 g added to 100 ml PBS, pH 7.0) and centrifuged at 600 g for 10 minutes. The dendritic cell-enriched fraction from the interface was further enriched by adherence for 90 minutes. Adherent cells (mostly dendritic cells (DC) and a few contaminating macrophage (M.o slashed.) were retrieved by gentle scraping, and subjected to a second round of adherence at 37° C. for 90 minutes to deplete the contaminating M.o slashed.. Non-adherent cells were pooled as splenic DC and FACS analysis showed approximately 80%-85% DC (mAb 33D1), 1-2% M.o slashed. (mAb F4/80), 10% T cells, and <5% B Cells (data not shown).
The pellet was resuspended and enriched for M.o slashed. by two rounds of adherence at 37° C. for 90 minutes each. More than 80% of the adherent population was identified as M.o slashed. by FACS analysis, with 5% lymphocytes and<55% DC.
B cells were separated from the non-adherent population (B and T cells) by panning on anti-Ig coated plates. The separated cell population, which was comprised of >80% T lymphocytes by FACS analysis was used as responder T cells.
Isolation of total and poly A + cellular RNA
Total RNA was isolated from actively growing tissue culture cells as previously described (Chomczynski and Sacchi, 1987, Analy. Biochem. 162: 156-159). Briefly, 10 7 cells were lysed in 1 ml of guanidinium isothiocyanate (GT) buffer (4M guanidinium isothiocyanate, 25 mM sodium citrate, pH 7.0; 0.5% sarcosyl, 20 mM EDTA, and 0.1M 2-mercaptoethanol). Samples were vortexed, and followed by sequential addition of 100 μl 3M sodium acetate, 1 ml water-saturated phenol and 200 μl chloroform:isoamyl alcohol (49:1). Suspensions were vortexed and then placed on ice for 15 minutes. The tubes were centrifuged at 10000×g, at 4° C. for 20 minutes, and the supernatant was carefully transferred to a fresh tube. An equal volume of isopropanol was added and the samples were placed at -20° C. for at least 1 hour. RNA was pelleted by centrifugation as above. The pellet was resuspended in 300 μl GT buffer, and then transferred to a microcentrifuge tube. RNA was again precipitated by adding an equal volume of isopropanol and placing the tube at -20° C. for at least 1 hour. Tubes were microcentrifuged at high speed at 4° C. for 20 minutes. Supernatants were decanted, and the pellets were washed once with 70% ethanol. The pellets were allowed to dry at room temperature and then resuspended in TE (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1, mM EDTA, pH 7.4). Possible contaminating DNA was removed by incubating the RNA sample in 10 mM MgCl 2 , 1 mM DTT and 50 U/ml RNase-free DNase (Boehringer-Mannheim) for 15 minutes at 37° C. The solution was adjusted to 10 mM Tris, 10 mM EDTA, 0.5% SDS and 1 mg/ml Pronase (Boehringer-Mannheim), followed by incubation at 37° C. for 30 minutes. Samples were extracted once with phenol-chloroform and once with chloroform; RNA was again precipitated in isopropanol at -20° C. Following centrifugation, the pellets were washed with 70% ethanol, then air dried and resuspended in sterile water. Total RNA was quantitated by measuring the optical density (OD) at 260 and 280 nm. The OD 260/280 ratios were typically 1.65-2.0. The RNA was stored at -70° C.
Poly A + RNA was isolated either from total RNA using an OLIGOTEX™ poly A + purification kit (Qiagen), or directly from tissue culture cells using the Messenger RNA Isolation kit (Stratagene) as per the manufacturer's protocols. If desired, alternative, conventional methods can be used to prepare poly A + RNA.
Production of in vitro transcribed RNA
The 1.9 kb EcoRI fragment of chicken ovalbumin cDNA in pUC18 (McReynolds et al., 1978, Nature 273:723) containing the coding region and 3' untranslated region, was cloned into the EcoRI site of pGEM4Z (Promega). Clones containing the insert in both the sense and anti-sense orientations were isolated, and large scale plasmid preps were made using Maxi Prep Kits TM plasmid preparation kit (Qiagen). Plasmids were linearized with BamHI for use as templates for in vitro transcription. Transcription was carried out at 37° C. for 3-4 hours using the MEGAscript In Vitro Transcription Kit TM (Ambion) according to the manufacturer's protocol and adjusting the GTP concentration to 1.5 mM and including 6 mM m 7 G(5 1 )ppp(5 1 )G cap analog (Ambion). Other, conventional in vitro transcription methods also are suitable. Template DNA was digested with RNase-free DNase 1, and RNA was recovered by phenol:chloroform and chloroform extraction, followed by isopropanol precipitation. RNA was pelleted by microcentrifugation, and the pellet was washed once with 70% ethanol. The pellet was air-dried and resuspended in sterile water.
RNA was incubated for 30 minutes at 30° C. in 20 mM Tris-HCl, pH 7.0, 50 mM KCl, 0.7 mM MnCl 2 , 0.2 mM EDTA, 100 μg/ml acetylated BSA, 10% glycerol, 1 mM ATP and 5000 U/ml yeast poly (A) polymerase (United States Biochemical). The capped, polyadenylated RNA was recovered by phenol:chloroform and chloroform extraction followed by isopropanol precipitation. RNA was pelleted by microcentrifugation, and the pellet was washed once with 70% ethanol. The pellet was air-dried and resuspended in sterile water. RNA was quantitated by measuring the OD at 260 and 280 nm, and the RNA stored at -70° C.
Oligodeoxynucleotide directed cleavage of OVA mRNA by RNase H
The procedure used for RNase H site-specific cleavage of ovalbumin mRNA was adapted from those previously described (Donis-Keller, 1979, Nucl. Acid. Res. 7: 179-192). Briefly, 5-10 μg mRNA from E.G7-OVA cells was suspended in 20 mM HEPES-KOH, pH 8.0, 50 mM KCl, 4 mM MgCL 2 , 1 mM DTT, 50 μg/ml BSA and 2 μM of either the oligodeoxynucleotide 5'-CAG TTT TTC AAA GTT GAT TAT ACT-3', which hybridizes to sequence in OVA mRNA that codes for the CTL epitope SIINFEKL, or 5'-TCA TAT TAG TTG AAA CTT TTT GAC-3' (Oligos, Etc.), which serves as a negative control. The samples were heated to 50° C. for 3 minutes followed by incubation at 37° C. for 30 minutes. RNase H (Boehringer-Mannheim) was added at 10 U/ml, and digestion proceeded for 30 minutes at 37° C. RNA was recovered by phenol:choloroform and chloroform extraction, followed by isopropanol precipitation. RNA was pelleted by microcentrifugation, and the pellet was washed once with 70% ethanol. The pellet then was air-dried and resuspended in sterile water. Cleavage of OVA mRNA was confirmed by oligo dT primed reverse transcription of test and control samples, followed by PCR with OVA specific primers that flank the cleavage site. PCR with actin-specific primers was used to control between test and control samples.
Pulsing of APC
APC were washed twice in Opti-MEM medium (GIBCO, Grand Island, N.Y.). Cells were resuspended in Opti-MEM medium at 2-5×10 6 cells/ml, and added to 15 ml polypropylene tubes (Falcon). The cationic lipid DOTAP (Boehringer Mannheim Biochemicals, Indianapolis, Ind.) was used to deliver RNA into cells (Walker et al., 1992, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89: 7915-7918). RNA (in 250-500 μl Opti-MEM medium) and DOTAP (in 250-500 μl Opti-MEM medium) was mixed in a 12×75 mm polystyrene tube at room temperature (RT) for 20 minutes. The RNA to DOTAP ratio routinely used was 1:2, and varied in certain experiments between 2:1 to 1:2. The complex was added to the APC (2-5×10 6 cells) in a total volume of 2 ml and incubated at 37° C. in a water-bath with occasional agitation for 2 hours. The cells were washed and used as stimulators for primary CTL induction in vitro.
The synthetic peptide encoding the CTL epitope in chicken ovalbumin OVA, aa 257-264 SIINFEKL (H-2K b ), was used for peptide pulsing. The peptide had unblocked (free) amino and carboxyl ends (Research Genetics, Birmingham, Ala.). Peptides were dissolved in serum-free IMDM and stored at -20° C.
Induction of CTL in vitro
T cells (5×10 6 cells/ml) and RNA or peptide pulsed APC (2.5×10 5 cells/ml) were cultured in IMDM with 10% FCS, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 100 IU/ml penicillin, 100 mg/ml streptomycin, and 5×10 -5 M β-mercaptoethanol in 96 well U-bottom plates to give an R/S ratio of 20:1. After 5 days, cells were used as effectors in a standard 4 hours europium release assay.
Cytotoxicity assay
In these assays, 5-10×10 6 target cells were labeled with europium diethylenetriamine pentaacetate for 20 minutes at 40°. After several washes, 10 4 europium-labeled targets and serial dilutions of effector cells at effector:target ratios of 50:1 to 6.25:1 were incubated in 200 μl of RPMI 1640 with 10% heat-inactivated FCS in 96-well V-bottom plates. The plates were centrifuged at 500 g for 3 minutes and incubated at 37° C. and 5% CO 2 for 4 hours. 50 μl of the supernatant was harvested, and europium release was measured by time resolved fluorescence (Delta fluorometer, Wallace Inc., Gaithersburg, Md.). Spontaneous release was less than 25%. Standard errors (SE) of the means of triplicate cultures was less than 5%.
Immunotherapy
E.G7-OVA model: C57BL/6 mice were immunized once with irradiated, RNA-pulsed APC (2×10 6 cells/mouse) or 5×10 6 E.G7-OVA or EL4 cells. At 10-14 days post-immunization, mice were challenged with 2×10 7 live E.G7-OVA cells injected sub-cutaneously in the flank region. Mice were monitored on a regular basis for tumor growth and size. Mice with tumor sizes>3.5 cm were sacrificed. All survivors were sacrificed at 40 days post-challenge.
F10.9-B16 melanoma model: Mice were received by intrafootpad injection 2×10 5 F10.9 cells. The post-surgical protocol was essentially as described previously (Porgador et al., 1995, Cancer Res. 55: 4941-4949). The legs of the mice were amputated when the local tumor in the footpad was 5.5-7.5 mm in diameter. Post-amputation mortality was less than 5%. At two days post-amputation, the mice were immunized intraperitoneally, followed by weekly vaccinations twice, for a total of three vaccinations. The mice were sacrificed based on the metastatic death in the non-immunized or control groups (at 28-32 days post-amputation). The metastatic loads were assayed by weighing the lungs and by counting the number of metastatic nodules.
Induction of a primary CTL response in vitro using dendritic cells transfected with chicken ovalbumin RNA.
The ability of RNA pulsed splenic dendritic cells (DC) derived from C57BL/6 (H-2K b ) mice to induce a primary CTL response in vitro was demonstrated in the E.G7-OVA tumor system. E.G7-OVA cells were derived from the EL4 tumor cell line (H-2K b haplotype) by transfection with the chicken ovalbumin CDNA (Moore et al., 1988, Cell 54: 777-785). The chicken ovalbumin encodes a single dominant epitope (aa 257-264) in C57BL/6 mice (Rotzschke et al., 1991, Euro. Journal Immunology, 21: 2891-2891).
Dendritic cells pulsed with the OVA peptide (aa 257-264) incubated with T cells from naive mice induce a potent CTL response in vitro (FIG. 1). This example demonstrates that RNA can be used as a source of antigen to sensitize DC to present antigen to CD8 + T cells. Splenic DC were isolated from C57BL/6 mice and pulsed with OVA peptide or incubated with RNA synthesized in vitro (OVA IVT RNA) from a plasmid encoding the chicken ovalbumin cDNA, and used to stimulate an OVA-specific primary CTL response in vitro. As shown in FIG. 1, both OVA peptide as well as OVA IVT RNA pulsed DC were capable of inducing an OVA specific primary CTL response (FIG. 1). RNA pulsed DC were consistently more effective stimulators than peptide pulsed DC. To test whether RNA isolated from E.G7-OVA cells was capable of sensitizing DC to stimulate a primary, OVA-specific, CTL response, total RNA or poly A + RNA was isolated from E.G7-OVA or EL4 cells and incubated with DC. As shown in FIG. 1, DC pulsed with either total or poly A + RNA from E.G7-OVA cells but not from EL4 cells, were capable of inducing a strong OVA specific CTL response. Surprisingly, DC pulsed with unfractionated RNA, total or poly A + , were as potent inducers of a primary CTL response as DC pulsed with the OVA peptide encoding a defined CTL epitope. Stimulation of a CTL response by (total or poly A + ) EL4 RNA pulsed DC was only marginally above background and statistically not significant (Compare to lysis of EL4 targets by CTL stimulated with OVA peptide or OVA IVT RNA pulsed DC), reflecting the immunodominance of the OVA epitope and the relative weakness of the EL4 encoded antigens.
As is illustrated by FIG. 2, total, as well as poly A + , but not poly A - , RNA isolated from E.G7-OVA cells is capable of sensitizing DC to stimulate a primary CTL response. To prove that sensitization of DC is indeed mediated by RNA, poly A + RNA from E.G7-OVA cells was incubated with either an antisense oligonucleotide spanning the sequence encoding the single CTL epitope present in the chicken ovalbumin gene or with a control oligodeoxynucleotide, and then treated with RNase H to remove any RNA sequence to which the oligodeoxynucleotide probe has hybridized. As shown in FIG. 2, induction of a primary, OVA-specific CTL response was abolished when the poly A + RNA was incubated with the antisense, but not with the control, oligodeoxynucleotide. FIG. 2 also shows that cells expressing the complete ovalbumin gene, E.G7-OVA cells, and RMA-S cells pulsed with the 8 amino acid long OVA peptide encoding the single dominant CTL epitope are lysed to a similar extent following stimulation with total or poly A + E.G7-OVA RNA pulsed DC. This indicates, therefore, that the majority of epitopes presented by E.G7-OVA RNA pulsed DC correspond to the previously defined single dominant CTL epitope encoded in the chicken ovalbumin gene.
Induction of anti-tumor immunity by DC pulsed with tumor RNA.
This example demonstrates that vaccination of mice with OVA RNA pulsed DC provided protection against a challenge with E.G7-OVA tumor cells. Mice were immunized once with 2×10 6 RNA pulsed DC or with 5×10 6 irradiated E.G7-OVA cells. Ten days later, mice were challenged with a tumorigenic dose of E.G7-OVA cells. Appearance and size of the tumor were determined on a regular basis. FIG. 3 shows the size of the tumors at 37 days post-tumor implantation. The average tumor size in mice immunized with irradiated EL4 cells was 25 cm, while the average tumor size in animals immunized with the OVA expressing EL4 cells (E.G7-OVA) was only 7.03 cm. This difference is a reflection of the high immunogenicity of the chicken OVA antigen expressed in EL4 cells and the poor immunogenicity of the parental, EL4, tumor cell line. Vaccination with DC pulsed with RNA (total or poly A + fraction) derived from E.G7-OVA cells was as effective as vaccination with the highly immunogenic E.G7-OVA cells (average tumor size 7 cm). Vaccination with DC incubated with total or poly A + RNA derived from EL4 tumor cells had a slight protective effect (average tumor size: 22 cm and 19.5 cm, respectively) which was not statistically significant, consistent with poor to undetectable immunogenicity of EL4-derived antigens. Consistent with the primary CTL induction data (FIG. 1), vaccination of mice with OVA IVT RNA pulsed DC provided the most effective anti-tumor response (average tumor size: 3.9 cm), while vaccination with the control antisense OVA IVT RNA did not elicit a significant protective response.
The potency of DC pulsed with tumor-derived RNA was further evaluated in the B16/F10.9 (H-2 b ) melanoma metastasis model. The B16/F10.9 melanoma tumor is poorly immunogenic, expresses low levels of MHC class I molecules, and is highly metastatic in both experimental and spontaneous metastasis assay systems (Porgador et al., 1996, J. Immunology 156: 1772-1780). Porgador et al. have shown that, when vaccinations are carried out after the removal of the primary tumor implant, only irradiated tumor cells transduced with both the IL-2 and the H-2K b genes, are capable of significantly impacting the metastatic spread of B16/F10.9 tumor cells in the lung (Porgador et al. 1995, Cancer Research 55: 4941-4949) Thus, the B16/F10.9 melanoma model and the experimental design used by Porgador et al. constitutes a stringent and clinically relevant experimental system to assess the efficacy of adjuvant treatments for metastatic cancer.
To demonstrate that immunization with tumor RNA pulsed DC, in accordance with the invention, was capable of causing the regression of preexisting lung metastases, primary tumors were induced by implantation of B16/F10.9 tumor cells in the footpad. When the footpad reached 5.5-7.5 mm in diameter, the tumors were surgically removed. Two days later, mice were immunized with irradiated B16/F10.9 cells, irradiated B16/F10.9 cells transduced with the H-2K b gene (F10.9K1), or with RNA pulsed DC preparations (FIG. 4). The mice received a total of three vaccinations given at weekly intervals. The average lung weight of a normal mouse is 0.18-0.22 g. Mice treated with PBS (a negative control) were overwhelmed with metastases. The mean lung weight of mice in this treatment group was 0.81 g; approximately three-quarters of the weight was contributed by the metastases, which were too many to count (>100 nodules). A similar metastatic load was seen when mice were treated with irradiated B16/10.9 cells (data not shown), which confirms numerous previous observations that treatment with irradiated B16/F10.9 tumor cells alone has no therapeutic benefit in this tumor model. As also previously shown, immunization with H-2K b expressing B16/F10.9 cells (F10.9K1, as a positive control) had a modest therapeutic benefit, as indicated by a statistically significant decrease in the average lung weight of the animals in this treatment group. A dramatic response, however, was seen in animals treated with DC that were pulsed with total RNA derived from F10.9 cells in accordance with the invention. The mean lung weight of mice in this treatment group was 0.37 g. A significant dramatic response also was seen in mice treated with DC pulsed with poly A + RNA derived from F10.9 cells in accordance with the invention (average lung weight: 0.42 g). By contrast, no statistically significant decrease in metastatic load was seen in mice treated with DC that were pulsed with either the poly A - RNA fraction derived from F10.9 cells or with total RNA isolated from EL4 tumor cells.
The observation that cells expressing the OVA protein (E.G7-OVA) or cells pulsed with the OVA peptide were efficiently lysed by CTL, and the sensitization of DC fractionated with poly A + RNA, strongly suggest that RNA-mediated stimulation of CTL occurs via translation of the input RNA and generation of the predicted class I restricted epitopes, in this case a single dominant epitope encoded in the chicken OVA peptide. These data show that RNA mediated sensitization of DC is more effective than pulsing with peptide because the transfected RNA can serve as a continuous source for the production of antigenic peptides.
Therapeutic Use
The invention can be used to treat or prevent tumor formation in a patient (e.g., melanoma tumors, bladder tumors, breast cancer tumors, colon cancer tumors, prostate cancer tumors, and ovarian cancer tumors). Similarly, the invention can be used to treat or prevent infection in a patient with a pathogen such as a bacterium (e.g., Salmonella, Shigella, or Enterobacter) or a virus (e.g., a human immunodeficiency virus, a Herpes virus, an influenza virus, a poliomyelitis virus, a measles virus, a mumps virus, or a rubella virus).
In treating or preventing tumor formation or pathogen infection in a patient, it is not required that the cell(s) that is administered to the patient be derived from that patient. Thus, the antigen-presenting cell can be obtained from a matched donor, or from a culture of cells grown in vitro. Methods for matching haplotypes are known in the art. Similarly, it is not required that the RNA be derived from the patient to be treated. RNA from a donor can be used.
It is preferable that treatment begin before or at the onset of tumor formation or infection, and continue until the cancer or infection is ameliorated. However, as the examples described herein illustrate, the invention is suitable for use even after a tumor has formed, as the invention can cause a regression of the tumor. In treating a patient with a cell or vaccine produced according to the invention, the optimal dosage of the vaccine or cells depends on factors such as the weight of the mammal, the severity of the cancer or infection, and the strength of the CTL epitope. Generally, a dosage of 10 5 to 10 8 RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cells/kg body weight, preferably 10 6 to 10 7 cells/kg body weight, should be administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient to the patient. The cells can be administered by using infusion techniques that are commonly used in cancer therapy (see, e.g., Rosenberg et al., New Eng. J. of Med. 319:1676, 1988). The optimal dosage and treatment regime for a particular patient can readily be determined by one skilled in the art of medicine by monitoring the patient for signs of disease and adjusting the treatment accordingly.
Where the antigen-presenting cell is used to induce a CTL response in vitro, the resulting effector CTLs can subsequently be administered to a mammal in a CTL-based method of therapy (see, e.g., PCT/U.S.91/06441). CTL produced in vitro with the antigen-presenting cells of the invention can be administered in a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient to a mammal by employing conventional infusion methods (see, e.g., Rosenberg et al., supra). Typically, 10 9 -10 10 cells are administered over the course of 30 minutes, with treatment repeated as necessary. Such a CTL-based method of therapy may be combined with other methods, such as direct administration of the antigen-presenting cells of the invention. The CTL and antigen-presenting cells may be autologous or heterologous to the patient undergoing therapy. If desired, the treatment may also include administration of mitogens (e.g., phyto-hemagglutinin) or lymphokines (e.g., IL-2 or IL-4) to enhance CTL proliferation.
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Disclosed are cells and methods for treating or preventing tumor formation or infections with pathogens in a patient. The cells of the invention are antigen-presenting cells (e.g., dendritic cells or macrophage) that have been loaded with RNA derived from tumors or pathogens. By administering the RNA-loaded antigen-presenting cells to a patient, tumor formation or pathogen infections can be treated or prevented. Alternatively, the RNA-loaded cells can be used as stimulator cells in the ex vivo expansion of CTL. Such CTL can then be used in a variation of conventional adoptive immunotherapy techniques.
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RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This is a continuation application of copending prior application Ser. No. 11/198,726 filed Aug. 4, 2005, which, in turn, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/456,208 filed Jun. 5, 2003, which, in turn, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/264,670 filed Oct. 4, 2002, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,668,289, which, in turn, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/136,266 filed Apr. 30, 2002, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,496,875, which, in turn, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/661,117 filed Sep. 13, 2000, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,457,076, which, in turn, is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/660,488 filed Jun. 7, 1996, now issued under U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,643, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field of Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to systems and methods for computer-based customer support, and more particularly, to systems, methods, and products for automatically updating software products from diverse software vendors on a plurality of end-user, client computer systems.
[0004] 2. Background of the Invention
[0005] The typical personal computer contains various categories of software products, such as operating system files, utilities, applications, and device drivers, code libraries, and other forms of computer readable or executable information. In some of these categories, such as applications, the personal computer may contain numerous programs in various subcategories. For example, a user may have one or two word processing applications, several graphics applications, and numerous games. Most of these products will come from different software vendors. As used herein “software vendors” includes any entity that distributes software products, even if the entity also manufactures or distributes hardware or other non-software products. These software vendors frequently improve their products, by adding new features, or by fixing known problems, and make these software updates available to their users. These updates may or may not be free.
[0006] There are at least three significant problems that the vendors and users face in attempting to provide these updates to the user. First, vendors face difficulty and costs in attempting to inform users of their products that the updates are available, and users experience similar difficulties in attempting to ascertain what updates are available. Vendors typically send out mailings to registered users, place advertisements in relevant trade journals and magazines, and engage in other promotional activities.
[0007] For all of these efforts, many users may remain unaware of the many software updates applicable to their systems until they encounter problems and contact the vendors' technical support organizations. Other users only learn about updates by searching the Internet or on-line services for solutions to their technical problems. Just the shear magnitude of the problem of updating all software products can be overwhelming. Given that a user will have many software products from numerous vendors on her computer, it would be nearly impossible for the user to frequently monitor all of the available distribution channels, journals, Internet forums, and the like, to determine for which of the many software products there are updates available.
[0008] For example, some vendors maintain sites on the World Wide Web, or electronic bulletin boards (BBS's) that include information about current updates and products, and enable a user to download such updates. However, such sites are obviously dedicated to a single software vendor, and provide information only about that software vendor's products, and certainly not about the products of numerous other vendors that may be interest to a given user. Thus, the user would have to search the Internet, and possibly online services, to determine which vendors have such sites. The user would likely to have visit each of these sites individually and determine what software updates are available from each of them. Similarly, even though some on-line services include forums or other mechanisms where users can learn about available updates, this still places the burden on the user to actively seek out this information. Directories or search engines on the Internet, such as Excite, Yahoo, Lycos, or Infoseek merely provide links to software vendor sites, but do not generally attempt to systematically determine which software updates are available, and provide this information to the user, let alone actually update the software on the user's machine.
[0009] Another problem is that even once an update has been identified, there is the need to install it in the user's computer. Many users purchase the software updates by mail order, or the like, and receive them on floppy diskettes. Other users may download the software updates via Internet from the computers of the software vendors, or from on-line services. In any of these cases installing a single update can be a tedious, time-consuming and error-prone process for many users due to the various formats and installation procedures required. Installing updates for all of the numerous software products on a user's system on a regular basis would be even more difficult and time consuming for the typical user.
[0010] Finally, many users have concerns about their privacy, and are often resistant to revealing complete information about their software configurations to one or more vendors. However, even for a single vendor, information about which of the vendor's products are installed on a user's computer system, and system configuration information is necessary for determining which updates are applicable to the user's computer system. For example, a certain software update to an accounting program from vendor A might be applicable if the user has a printer from vendor B, and a different software update is applicable if the printer comes from vendor C. The user might not want to let each vendor know about all the components on their system, but this configuration information is necessary to ensure the correct software updated is installed. Still, users are resistant to the prospect of a single vendor storing information profiling the software components that reside on their computer systems.
[0011] In summary, from the perspective of an individual vendor, the problems are identifying and notifying every user of the vendor's software of the availability of updates to the software on a timely and useful basis, and ensuring that the proper software updates are installed. From the perspective of the individual user, the problems are systematically and easily identifying which updates are currently available for every piece of software on her system, and resolving the technical difficulties in obtaining and installing such updates.
[0012] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system that automatically determines which software updates from numerous diverse software vendors are currently available, and which are applicable to a given user's computer system, and installs such user selected ones of such updates on the user's computer. Further, it is desirable to provide such a system without abridging the privacy of users by obtaining and storing system profile information.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] A system, method and computer program product are provided for uninstalling software on a computer. In use, a plurality of software products identified on a computer is displayed. Further, a first user instruction to uninstall at least a portion of at least one of the software products from the computer is received. Such first user instruction is received via an interface. Still yet, the at least a portion of the at least one software product is uninstalled from the computer, in response to the receipt of the first user instruction. Also, a second user instruction may be received to cancel the uninstallation. Thus, the uninstallation may be cancelled, in response to the receipt of the second user instruction.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a system for providing software updates in accordance with the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flowchart of the overall method for providing software updates to a client computer in accordance with the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a user interface for registering a new user of the updating service.
[0017] FIG. 4 is an illustration of a user interface for selecting software updates for installation.
[0018] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user interface for confirming installation of a software update.
[0019] FIG. 6 is an illustration of a user interface for undoing an installation of a software update.
[0020] FIG. 7 is an illustration of software architecture of the service provider computer system.
[0021] FIG. 8 is one embodiment of a schema for the update database of the service provider computer.
[0022] FIG. 9 is an illustration of the software architecture of a client computer.
[0023] FIG. 10 is a flowchart of further details of analyzing the client computer, determining software updates, and displaying update information.
[0024] FIG. 11 is a flowchart of the operation of the install monitor.
[0025] FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the operation of the URL monitor.
[0026] FIG. 13 a - 13 e are illustrations of a user interface for registering a software update into the update database.
[0027] FIG. 14 is one embodiment of a schema for te user profile database.
[0028] FIG. 15 is one embodiment of a schema for the advertising information database.
[0029] FIG. 16 is a flowchart of the operation of the recovery module.
[0030] FIG. 17 a - 17 d are illustrations of a user interface for registration a software product into the update database.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0000] System Architecture
[0031] Referring now to FIG. 1 , there is shown the architecture of one embodiment of a system for updating diverse software products on users computers in accordance with the present invention In system 100 , there are a plurality of client computers 101 communicatively coupled by a network 106 to a service provider computer 102 . A number of software vendor computers 103 are also communicatively coupled over the network 106 to the service provider computer 102 . The network 106 is preferably the Internet, or other similar wide area network.
[0032] Each client computer 101 is operated by an end user, and typically has a number of software products installed thereon, such as applications, drivers, utilities and the like. In accordance with the present invention, the client computers 101 includes a client application 104 that communicates with the service provider computer 102 to obtain software updates of software products installed on the client computer 101 . The software architecture of a client computer 101 and client application 104 is further described below with respect to FIG. 7 .
[0033] Each software vendor computer 103 coupled to the service provider computer 102 stores software update information, software products, information files, and the like. The software update information includes applications, binary files, text files, and the like, for updating software products installed on client computers 101 , and advertising or other information about such products useful to users for evaluating potential software for updating. Other types of information useful to providing product support, technical service, or the like may also be beneficially provided. In addition, the software vendor computers 103 provide mechanisms for controlling distribution and payment of software updates, such as credit card payment front ends, code authentication and verification subsystems, and the like. These various mechanisms are understood in the art. For example, payment mechanisms may be implemented in compliance with various credit card or debit systems, as known in the art Likewise, authentication and verification may be implemented using conventional encryption techniques.
[0034] In a preferred embodiment, the network 106 is the Internet, and more specifically, the World Wide Web portion thereof. The various computers thereby support the protocols for FTP, and ZIP, and provide for the display and rendering of HIML, VRML, or other text or Interface description languages. Each computer 101 , 102 , 103 has an IP address that specifies its location on the network 106 , thereby allowing such computers to communicate with each other in a conventional manner. Files, such as exectitables, binaries, and text files are identified within the various computers by universal resource locators (URLs) as known in the art.
[0000] Overall System Operation
[0035] Referring now to FIG. 2 , there is shown an overall flow diagram of the process of updating a single client computer 101 in accordance with the present invention. The process here is described with respect to a single client computer 101 . Given the client-server nature of the system, those of skill in the art understand that numerous other individual client computers 101 may interact with the service provider computer 102 in parallel.
[0036] The update process 200 is typically initiated on the client computer 101 . The user may manually initiate the process, or it may occur automatically, for example at preset periods, such as once a month. Alternatively, the process may be initiated by the service provider computer 102 prompting the client computer 101 at various intervals, or in response to particular events.
[0037] In each case, the user logs in 201 to the service provider computer 102 with the client application 104 in a conventional manner, providing a user ID, a password, and the like. This information may be manually entered by the user via the client application 104 , or more preferably, stored within the client application 104 , and automatically provided once a connection between the client computer 101 and service provider computer 102 is established If the user is not registered, then the service provider computer 102 in conjunction with inputs by the user, registers 202 the new user of the system. FIG. 3 illustrates a basic user interface 300 for registering the user. The user identifies himself or herself by name 301 and selects a password 303 . The user may also provide a mailing address 305 and a payment mechanism such as a credit card data 311 , including a credit card number and expiration date, to pay for the services and for any for-fee software updates that the user may access in the course of using the service provided by the service provider computer 102 . An email address 307 is entered to allow the service provider to contact the user by email. The user may select check box 309 to indicate that they want to be notified by email when new software updates are available for software products installed on their computer. When the registration process 202 is completed, the service provider computer 102 returns a unique registration number to the user. This number may be stored on the client computer 101 and used during subsequent logins to identify the user to the service provider computer 102 .
[0038] The registered users are authenticated 203 by the service provider computer 102 , using conventional authentication mechanisms, such one or more passwords, digital signature, certificates, or the like. Authentication ensures that only users who are properly authorized by the service provider can obtain updates for software products.
[0039] The client application 104 then analyzes 204 the client computer 101 to determine a list of installed software products. The list of installed software products typically includes applications, system utilities, drivers, and other executables or resources. These software products will typically be from numerous diverse software vendors, a number of whom will maintain software vendor computers 103 on the network 106 .
[0040] For each of the installed software products on the list, the client application 104 determines 205 if there is an applicable, or relevant update for the software product. This determination is made in consultation with the service provider computer 102 , which maintains, as further described below, a database including a list of available software updates for numerous software products of diverse software vendors.
[0041] The client application 104 displays 206 the list of applicable software updates to the user, for review and selection thereof of updates for purchase and installation. FIG. 4 illustrates a sample user interface display 400 of applicable software updates. This display 400 includes the name 401 of each software product identified on the client computer 101 , and remarks 403 displayed next to the name indicating whether the software product is already up-to-date, that is, there are no applicable updates, or, if the product is not current, the list of applicable updates (which may be for the software product itself, or for related products). In those cases where there is an applicable update, the remarks 403 briefly indicate the nature of the software update. In the example of FIG. 4 , the remarks 403 for the software product Quicken 5.0® by Intuit Inc., indicates an update to provide new features. The user may obtain additional information by selecting a name or remark of a particular software product. The selected product name and remark is highlighted, as shown in FIG. 4 , and the information about the software update is displayed 207 in an information window 405 . This information may be stored in the service provider computer 101 , or obtained directly from the software vendor computers 103 as needed using URLs associated with such information. The user may limit the list to only those software products that need updating, rather than all installed software products, by selecting check box 407 .
[0042] The user may select one or more software products to update. To update one of the software products, the user selects the software product for update by selecting (e.g. double-clicking) the line including the software product, or by single clicking on the line, and then clicking the retrieve button 409 . The user may select more than one software update by holding the control key on the keyboard down while single-clicking on the name of each desired software update, followed by selecting the retrieve button 409 . When all the desired updates have been selected, the user may click on the continue button 411 to begin the installation process.
[0043] For each selected software update, the client application 104 performs an installation process 208 . Referring to FIG. 5 , the client application 104 displays information 505 for a selected software update, and provides the user the opportunity to confirm 501 or cancel 503 the installation, If confirmed, the client application 104 downloads 209 the software update, along with installation information, such as installation programs, files, and the like. This downloading may be directly from the software vendor computer 103 , using the URL data stored in the service provider computer 102 for the location of the software update on the network 106 .
[0044] In conjunction with the downloading process 209 , a payment transaction 210 may be conducted whereby the user of the client computer 101 pays for the software update if it is not a free update. The service provider computer 102 may intermediate in this transaction, or merely initiate the transaction by connecting the client application 104 to the computer 103 of the software vendor of the update. If payment information, such as credit card numbers, are stored in the client application 104 , ten this information maybe provided by the client application 104 to the software vendor computer 103 .
[0045] Once the download and applicable payment are complete, the software update is physically installed on the client computer 101 . Each software update is associated with information that describes the particulars for the installation, such as configuration, decompression or other information. The installation is performed in conformance with such information.
[0046] In the preferred embodiment, the client application 104 executes 211 an install monitor prior to actually installing the software update. The install monitor, as further described below, records the changes made to the client computer 101 as a result of the installation of the software update. This information is archived by the install monitor and allows the user to “undo” or remove any number of installations, and restore the client computer 101 to its state prior to each such installation. Accordingly, the client application 104 performs 212 the installation, executing any necessary decompression, installation, or setup applications necessary to install the software update. During the installation process 212 the install monitor records 213 any changes made to the system configuration, including changes to various configuration files, additions or deletions of files, and additions or deletions of directories. The changes may be recorded in a variety of manners, such as building descriptions of the modifications of the files, or alternatively, storing copies of files prior to their alteration or deletion. Once the installation is complete, the install monitor archives 214 the changes. This process 208 is repeated for each software update to be installed.
[0047] Once all of the software updates have been installed, the client applications 104 logs out 215 of the service provider computer 102 , and any necessary payment information for the user may be updated, such as payment based on the number of software updates purchased, the online connection time, and the like. Alternatively, no payment may need to be directly made, as the cost of the service may be included in the cost of the software update charged by the software vendor, who then pays the service provider for the service of coordinating and linking end users to the software vendor's computer system 103 .
[0048] At some subsequent point, the user may decide to undo a previous installation, for example, due to dissatisfaction with the software product. The user may use a recovery feature of the client application 104 to undo 216 the installation. A sample user interface 600 for the recovery function is illustrated in FIG. 6 . The user interface 600 includes a field 601 indicating the previous update to be removed as selected by the user, along with an information window 603 describing the software update. The user confirms the removal of the software update by selecting the undo button 605 , or may cancel with cancel button 607 . The recovery function deletes the files installed for the software update, and using the archived information created by the install monitor during the installation of the product, restores the client computer system 101 to its configuration immediately before the installation of the product. This process 216 includes deleting files and directories that were added, restoring files and directories that were deleted, and restoring files that were otherwise changed In one preferred embodiment, the recovery function is able to undo any installation in a given series of installations, accounting for changes to the configuration of the client computer 101 after a particular installation. In another preferred embodiment, the recovery function undoes installations in the reverse order of their installation. If any payments were originally required from the user for the cost of the software update and the associated service of downloading and installing it, the payments may be credited back to the user when the user undoes the installation.
[0000] Service Provider Computer
[0049] Referring now to FIG. 7 , there is shown one embodiment of the service provider computer 102 in accordance wit the present invention. In terms of hardware architecture, the service provider computer 102 is conventional server type computer, preferably supporting a relatively large number of multiple clients simultaneously for requests for data and other processing operations. The service provider computer 102 includes one or more conventional processors in a processor core 723 , and a suitable amount of addressable memory 700 , preferably on the order of 18-64 Mb. The service provider computer 102 may be implemented with an Intel-based computer including one or more Pentium® processors, or other more powerful computer, such as various models of Sun Microsystems' SparcStations using UltraSparc® processors. The service provider computer 102 executes a conventional operating system 721 , such as Windows NT® from Microsoft Corp,, or one of various UNI-based operating systems, such as Sun Microsystems' Solaris 2.5. The service provider computer 102 fierier includes a network communication protocol layer 719 that implements the necessary TCP-IP communication functions for connecting to the network 106 and communicating with other computers.
[0050] In accordance with the present invention, the service provider computer 102 includes a number of executable components and database structures useful for managing the software update interactions with the client computer 101 and the software vendor computers 103 . These components include a security module 701 , a communications module 703 , a payment module 705 , database modification tools 707 , an update database 709 , a user profile database 711 , a reporting tools module 713 , a URL monitor module 715 , an advertising/information database 717 , and an activity log 718 , The update database 709 is described here; the remaining components are described further below,
[0000] Update Database
[0051] The update database 709 maintains information identifying a large number of software products, information about the software updates that are available from the diverse software product vendors for these software products, information for identifying software products installed on a client computer 101 , and for uniquely distinguishing the versions and names of installed software products.
[0052] In one embodiment; the update database 709 does not itself store the software updates, but rather stores information, such as URLs, that allows the service provider computer 102 or the client computers 101 to directly access the software updates from the software vendor computers 103 . This implementation is chosen for several reasons. The system 100 is designed to provide software updates for large numbers of software products, on the order of hundreds, and perhaps thousands of products. In this situation, extremely large amounts of storage would be required to store the relevant files. Further, by not storing the software updates themselves, but only links to the software vendor computers 103 , the service provider does not have to make sure that the software updates themselves are always current, but need only maintain the link information, which is administratively easier. In another embodiment, the software updates are stored in the updated database 709 . This implementation is useful, for example, to facilitate synchronization of updates of the database 709 itself with the releases of new software updates for software products, thereby ensuring that the entries in the database 709 are consistent with the current releases of new software updates.
[0053] Finally, the update database 709 may also store information describing an installation process for installing a software update. This information may include particular configuration, file format, or other data useful to performing the installation of the software update the client computer 101 . This information, if present, may be provided to the client computer 101 to use during the installation of the software update.
[0054] The update database 709 may be implemented in a variety of ways. Referring now to FIG. 8 there is shown one implementation of the update database 709 , illustrated as a schema for a relational database. In this embodiment, the update database 709 includes 4 tables: a method table 801 , a product locator table 803 , a product table 805 , and an update table 807 . FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of the process of analyzing the client computer 101 using the tables of the update database 709 .
[0055] The method table 801 maintains information identifying various methods of analyzing a client computer 101 to determine which software products are installed thereon. The method table 801 includes scan methods 811 and parameters 812 . The various scan methods 812 are designed to cover the variety of different facilities of a client computer 101 that may identify the installed products. For example, in a client computer 101 using Microsofts Windows95 or Windows NT operating system, there is provided a Registry which is designed to maintain indicia of installed software products. The Registry includes various methods that can be called to return information about the software products identified therein. Some of these methods are listed in the scan methods 811 . The parameters 812 are arguments to the Registry methods, for example, identifying specific aspects of the Registry to be searched.
[0056] While compliance with the Windows95 standard requires that a software vendor's installation procedure should update the Registry, not all software vendors comply. In this case, information identifying the installed software products is also maintained in the conFIG.sys, system.ini, and the autoexec.bat files. Also, a client computer 101 may be using Microsoft Corp.'s MS-DOS or Windows 3.1 operating systems, which do not use the Registry. Accordingly, the scan methods 811 include methods for reviewing these system files and returning indicia of the installed software products.
[0057] Each of the scan methods 812 return indicia of the installed products in the form of a number of stings, here scan_string. Each scan_string identifies a product name or file name, or some other data. However, a scan_string may not uniquely identify a product. For this reason, the scan_string is resolved by the product locator table 803 .
[0058] The product locator table 803 associates individual scan_strings 813 with a product name 815 , instructions 816 for determining a version number or release number, and one or more constraints 814 . The constraint is a rule that uniquely identifies the product given contextual information for the product where there are two entries having identical scan_strings. Constraints include specific directories that include the product, additional entries in the system configuration file, the Registry or the like. If the specified information in these various locations matches the constraint values, then the product name associated with the constraint is the correct product name for the scan_string. In one embodiment, the constraint 814 is an executable procedure that retrieves information in these various locations, and determines from this information whether the product name is a match with the scan_string, according to whether the specified details of the constraint are found in the client computer 101 .
[0059] Since some of the installed software products will be in their most current version, it is not necessary to update all software products installed on the client computer 101 . Rather, from the list of installed software products, further analysis ( 205 , FIG. 2 ) determines for which of these software products is there an applicable software update. A software update is applicable to a client computer 101 if version of the software update is more recent tan the version of the installed software product.
[0060] Since not all of the software products installed on a client computer 101 need to be updated, the determination of the applicable software updates is usefully made with the product table 805 . The product table 805 associates a product name 815 and a particular release 818 with an update ID 819 identifying a software update for that version of the product. The new version number 820 specifies the new version that would be produced by applying the software update specified by the update ID 819 to the software product identified by the product name and release number. The latest field 821 specifies (Y/N) whether applying the software update would bring the product to its most up-to-date version.
[0061] Finally, the update table 807 stores the information necessary for performing the software update itself. This table is usefully keyed by the update ID 819 . For each update, there is provided a URL list 823 which contains URLs for the various sites that store the actual binary files for the software update, typically the software vendor computer system 103 , and potentially mirror sites. The URL list 823 is comprised of a number of URL entries, each URL entry having a MRL and a timestamp of the last time the URLE was validated, and flag indicating whether the URL is valid. This allows the URL monitor 715 to ensure that current URL information is maintained in the database.
[0062] The current cost 824 of the software update is also stored to provide the user with cost information for the software update.
[0063] The format 825 specifies the file format of the software update files, and thereby indicates the type of processing needed to list all the software update files. In one embodiment, there are six formats and accompanying installation procedures:
TABLE 1 Format Installation Procedure zip 1) Unzip file with unzip.exe 2) Run install.exe zip 1) Unzip file with unzip.exe 2) Run setup.exe self-extracting archive 1) Execute file to extract 2) Run install.exe self-extracting archive 1) Execute file to extract 2) Run setup.exe file.exe 1) Execute file for self extraction and installation. unknown 1) use script information to perform installation.
[0064] With respect to unknown or custom formats, the update table 807 stores in the script 826 either a handle to a custom installation program that is provided either by the software vendor for the update, or by the service provider. In addition, the script 826 also stores information about any conditions that are required for the installation, such as turning off anti-virus programs, or other conflicting programs during the installation process.
[0065] The description 827 field stores data associated with a description of the software update, such as describing the product features. The description is preferably a UTL to a file on the software vendor computer system 103 that contains the description information. Again, the actual text need not be stored here, but merely a link to where that information is available on the network 106 .
[0066] The update database 709 has been described as a set of tables. Alternatively, the update database 709 may be implemented in an object oriented framework with each table being a class, and the fields of the tables being attributes and methods of the class, The class type is then usefully defined by the primary key of the table.
[0000] Client Computer
[0067] Referring now to FIG. 9 , there is shown an illustration of the hardware and software architecture of a client computer 101 . A client computer 101 is of conventional design, and includes a processor core 918 , an addressable memory 900 , and other conventional features (not illustrated) such a display, a local hard disk, input/output ports, and a network interface, The display is of conventional design, preferably color bitmapped, and provides output for a user interface for various applications, such as illustrated in FIGS. 3-6 . The input/output ports support input devices, such as a keyboard, mouse, and the like, for inputting commands and data. The network interface and a network communication protocol 916 provide access to remotely situated mass storage devices, along with access to the Internet, with a TCP-IP type connection, or to other network embodiments, such as a WAN, LAN, MAN or the like.
[0068] In the preferred embodiment the client computer 101 may be implemented on an Intel-based computer operating under Microsoft Windows 3.1 or Windows95 operating system 917 , or equivalent devices. The client computer 101 includes some number of configuration files 915 , such as the Windows95 Registry, the system.ini, config.sys and other files.
[0069] The client computer 101 fir has installed thereon software products in the form of applications 912 , operating system utilities 913 , and device drivers 914 , and the like. These various software products ate among those that will be updated by the service provider computer 102 .
[0070] In accordance with the present invention, the client computer 101 executes the client application 104 in memory 900 . The client application 104 is comprised of a number of executable code portions and data files. These include a security module 901 , a communications module 903 , a payment module 905 , a registration module 904 , an advertising and news module 906 , a system analyzer 907 , a recovery module 908 , an install monitor 910 , and data defining the current state 911 of the application. The client application 104 further maintains in a private area of the computer storage archive files 909 that archive the state of the client computer 101 prior to each update installation. The client application 104 may be provided to the client computer 101 on a computer readable media, such as a CD-ROM, diskette, 8 mm tape, or by electronic communication over the network 106 , for installation and execution thereon,
[0000] Analysis of Installed Software Products and Determination Of Applicable Updates
[0071] In the preferred embodiment, the analysis 204 is preferably performed by the client application 104 on the client computer 101 his reduces the network bandwidth required, and the potentially unreliability of non-stateless remote procedure call implementations by having the service provider computer 102 perform the analysis. It further increases the number of simultaneous users of the service provider computer 102 . The analyze process is performed by the system analyzer 907 module of the client application 104 .
[0072] In this embodiment then, the client computer 101 stores a local copy of the method table 801 and the product locator table 803 and uses these local copies to perform the analysis.
[0073] Referring now to FIG. 10 there is shown the process of the system analyzer 907 for analyzing 204 the client computer 101 to determine the list of installed software products.
[0074] The system analyzer 907 first synchronizes 1001 the method table 801 and the product locator table 803 in the client computer 101 with the current versions held by the service provider computer 102 . Preferably each table is replaced in its entirety; this is likely to be faster than comparing individual entries and updating only those that are out of date. The synchronization may be mandatory or conditioned by version on client computer 101 being older than the version on the service provider computer 102 , as indicated by stored timestamp of last time the update table 709 in the service provider computer 102 was updated.
[0075] Once the tables are synchronized, the system analyzer 907 can operate locally, for improved efficiency. The system analyzer 907 traverses the entire method table 801 , and invokes 1003 each scan method 812 to search the Registry and configuration files 915 of the client computer 101 . Each scan method 811 outputs a scan_string, as described, specifying some software product installed on the client computer 101 .
[0076] The system analyzer 907 applies ( 1005 ) each of the scan_strings to the product locator table 803 . The product locator table 803 receives the scan_sting and resolves 1007 the scan-string to determine a product name 815 and a release instruction 816 associated with it. In some cases, the scan_string does not uniquely identify a product name 815 , but matches several product names of installed software products. Accordingly, for each matching entry, the system analyzer 907 obtains 1009 a constraint 814 from the product locator table 803 , and resolves 1009 the constraint to determine whether product on the client computer 101 is in fact the product listed in the entry. The constraint 814 of one of the entries will be satisfied and uniquely identify the product name.
[0077] Once the specific entry with the correct product name is identified, the system analyzer 907 resolves 1011 the release instruction 816 for the entry to obtain the release or version number of the installed software product The release instruction 816 is preferably an executable procedure that obtains the version number from the named software product, and thus not merely the actual data itself. Using an executable procedure here ensures that the obtained release or version number is actual value for the product.
[0078] The result obtained by the system analyzer 907 from the product locator table 803 is a list 1013 of the installed software products on the client computer 101 , each product identified by name and the installed version. The system analyzer 907 uses this list to query the service provider computer 102 to determine 205 for which of these products there is an applicable update.
[0079] For each installed product ( 1002 ) the system analyzer 907 queries the service provider computer 102 to resolve 1004 the name 815 and release number 818 of the product and determine if there a current update 821 for the product. This may be done by passing in the entire list as name, value pairs, or individually quarrying the service provider computer 102 . In either cases, the service provider computer 102 determines if there is an applicable update for a software product by comparing the product name 815 and release information 818 to the product table 805 , and obtaining the information in the latest update field 821 . If there is an update available, in that the release information in the table indicates a version later than the version that is installed on the client computer 101 , then the service provider computer 102 returns 1006 a handle the update ID 819 to the system analyzer 907 . If the release of the software product installed on the client computer 101 is the most recent version, then the service provider computer 102 checks the next entry. This process continues until all of the installed software products are checked.
[0000] Selection of Software Updates
[0080] Once all of the installed software products have been reviewed against the product table 805 , the system analyzer 907 will have a list 1007 of the applicable software updates, as those products for which it received an update ID 819 from the service provider computer 102 . The system analyzer 907 can then display 206 the list to the user. An exemplary user interface is described above with respect to FIG. 4 .
[0081] The system analyzer 907 can further display 207 additional information for a software update, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , by querying the service provider computer 102 with the update ID 819 of a particular product to resolve 1008 the update ID 819 on the update table 807 and return information, such as cost, description, and the like.
[0000] Installation of Software Updates and the Install Monitor
[0082] The user selects one or more of the list software updates. For each selected update, system analyzer 907 returns the update ED 819 to the service provider computer 102 . The service provider computer 102 resolves the update ID 819 against the update table 807 to obtain the record for this update, including the URL list 823 identifying the location of the relevant update files. This record is returned to the client computer 101 . The client computer 101 accesses the identified ULTRL(s) and downloads the software update files, typically from the software vendor computer 103 , though downloads may be from mirror sites, or the like. The client computer 101 further downloads (from the received URLs) any additional installation files, such as installation executables, and scripts. The client computer 101 also verifies that the software update files are not corrupted, In a preferred embodiment, the client computer 101 employs its security module 901 to verify the integrity of the files to make sure that they have not been corrupted.
[0083] The software update is then installed 212 by the client application 104 as described, using the format information 825 to determine the particular installation process, and the script 826 to control any custom installation or configuration information.
[0084] Installation 212 is monitored by the install monitor 910 , which is executed prior to the actual installation. The install monitor 910 documents the state of the client computer 101 prior to installation and the changes made during the installation of a software update, The install monitor 910 operates in the background, and intercepts calls to the file system or other operating system calls that might result in changes to any files in the client computer 101 . Depending on the specific call, the install monitor 910 takes action to preserve the state of the file before the change is made.
[0085] FIG. 11 illustrates a flowchart of the operation of the install monitor 910 . The install monitor 910 receives operating system calls and messages from the client application 104 . On trapping 1101 an operating system call, the install monitor 910 determines 1103 the type of call. There are three types of calls of interest: calls 1105 that delete a file or directory, calls 1107 that change an existing file by writing to it, and calls 1109 to add new a file or directory. When a file or directory is to deleted, the install monitor 910 first makes 1113 a copy of the existing file or directory to a private area of the client computer's 101 hard disk or other storage device. The install monitor 910 then lets the operating system 917 delete the file or directory, and waits for the next call. When a file is to be changed 1107 , the install monitor 910 determines 1115 whether this is the first write to the file. If so, then again, the install monitor 910 copies 1119 the file to the private area. If the file has been already changed during the installation, there is no need to copy it again These copy operations 1113 , 1119 preserve the configuration of the client computer 101 prior to the installation, Finally, if a new file or directory is to be added 1109 , the install monitor 910 stores 1117 the pathname of the new file or directory. This allows the new file or directory to be later deleted during an undo of the installation. For all other types 1111 of operating system calls, the install monitor 910 passes them through without action.
[0086] The install monitor 910 waits for installation process 212 to complete, preferably indicated by a message from the client application 104 . At this point the complete prior configuration of the client computer 101 is known from the copied files and pathname information. These files and information are compressed 1121 into an archive file 909 and saved on the client computer 101 , along with information identifying the software product installation to which it belongs. This identifying information allows the recovery module 908 to retrieve the archived information and restore the configuration of the client computer 101 .
[0000] Other Service Provider Software Architecture
[0087] Referring again to FIG. 7 , the remaining modules of the service provider computer 102 are now explained.
[0088] Communication
[0089] The communications module 703 provides for the establishment, maintenance and termination of network connections between the service provider computer 102 and either the software vendor computers 103 or the client computers 101 . The communications module 703 supports the FTP and 14 m protocols for sending and receiving data over the Internet and the World Wide Web. The communications module 703 generally maintains and establishes separate streams for each connection it maintains. Preferably, the service provider computer 102 supports a large number of connections, possibly several hundred or thousands, at a time. In the event the customer base is so large that an even larger number of simultaneous connections may be required, multiple servers with mirror images of the update database 709 may be used. The communications module 703 also handles login and logout in a conventional manner, though these functions may be incorporated into the security module 701 , below.
[0090] Security
[0091] The security module 701 handles the authentication of the user as an authorized user of the service provider computer 102 . The security module 701 may be implemented with conventional authentication mechanisms based on digital signatures, such as public key systems supporting digital signatures, certificates and the like. Suitable security mechanisms include VeriSign Inc.'s Digital ID Center, which incorporates the login and logout functions from the communications module 703 .
[0092] Additionally, the security module 701 provides for verification of the integrity of software updates that are downloaded from software vendor computers 103 to ensure that such updates have not been altered or infected by computer viruses or other unauthorized modifications. This module may be used, for example, to compute a checksum of the updates and the checksum may be stored in the update database 709 . The checksum may be a simple one, or a cryptographically secure one such as any of the Message Digest (Mn) algorithms proposed by Professor Ronald Rivest and commonly available in programming API's such as Microsoft's Cryptographic API standard. Whenever an update is later downloaded to a client computer 101 from a software vendor computer 103 , the checksum of the update may be computed and compared against the one stored in the update database 709 . If the two match, it may reasonably be inferred that the software update was downloaded to the client computer 101 correctly. The security module 701 may also be used to scan for viruses in the software updates stored on the various software vendor computers 103 .
[0093] Payment
[0094] The payment module 705 handles payment by the end user to the service provider for the service of providing software updates. The service provider computer 102 maintains a database of its users. This database may be the user profile database 711 or other databases. Each user is charged a service fee for using the service provider computer 102 to download software updates, The fee may be based on a variety of different schedules, such as connection time, number of software updates purchased, annual or monthly subscription fee, or a combination of any of these or other pricing formulas. However charged, the payment module 705 tracks the user's usage of the service, for example, total the connection time, and maintains a count of the number of software updates downloaded, until the user logs out of the service provider computer 102 . Payment is then charged to the user's credit card, which was previously supplied by the user during registration. Suitable implementations of the payment module 705 may be created in conformance with the Secure Electronic Transaction specification of Mastercard and Visa.
[0095] A user's subscription to the service may be enforced by the payment module 705 in various ways. One example of an algorithm to enforce term subscription is as follows:
[0096] The user logs in from the client computer 101 to the service provider computer 102 . The payment module 705 determines if the user's account is current, and if so, accepts the connection to the client computer 101 . If the user's account is about to expire, for example, within 30 days, or has expired, the payment module 705 prompts the user to renew the subscription. If the user agrees, the subscription fee is charged to the user's credit card account, and the connection to the client computer 101 is established, allowing the user to use the service as described. If the user refuses to renew, the connection is refused.
[0097] Fees may also be charged on a per-transaction basis. In this scenario, the fees may be attached to selected transactions. Once example of an algorithm to enforce per-transaction fees is as follows:
[0098] The client application 104 requests, for a software product to be updated, a transaction permission from the service provider computer 102 . The payment module 705 determines from the update database 705 a specific fee for the transaction, and returns this information, along with a permission, to the client application 104 . The client application 104 displays the fee to the user, who either confirms the transaction or cancels the software update. If the transaction is confirmed, the client application 104 performs the installation process. The payment module 705 is notified if the transaction and installation is successful, and then adds the transaction fee to a running total of fees for the current session. When the users session is complete, the running total of transaction fees is charged to the user's credit card, and the charges provided to the client application 104 which displays them to the user.
[0099] In cases where an update is going to be undone by the recovery module 908 , the transaction fees should to be credited back to the user's credit card account. Here, the client application 104 informs the service provider computer 102 that a software update is to be undone, providing the update ID 819 of the software update The payment module 705 uses the update ID 819 to determine the transaction fee (cost 824 ) to be credited. This amount is passed back to the client application 104 and displayed to the user. The software update is removed by the recovery module 908 , and the payment module 705 is notified of the successful removal. The payment module 705 then subtracts the transaction fee from any current running total of fees. At the close of the session, the payment module 705 either charges or credits the user's credit card account, as appropriate.
[0000] Database Modification
[0100] The database modification tools 707 provide for the maintenance and updating of the update database 709 to include new software updates from various software vendors. The tools 707 provide for the addition of new entries, and the deletion or alternation of existing entries in any of the tables of the update database 709 .
[0101] Of the various tables, the update table 807 , which contains the information about the current updates for the software products, and the product table 805 , which identifies the various software products for which their are updates, are the most frequently modified.
[0102] As new software updates become available, either the service provider or the software vendors access the database modification tools 707 to update the database. This is preferably done by completing forms that capture the information used in the tables of the database. FIG. 13 illustrates a sample form for specifying new update information, or changing existing update information. The form 1300 includes fields for providing the remark 1301 used in describing the update, a URL 1303 for the information on the software update, version information 1305 , software products 1307 affected by the update, the type of update 1309 , known incompatibilities 1311 , filters for locating prior versions of the software product to be updated based on version information 1313 , date information 1315 , and Registry information 1317 (for identifying the software product in the Registry files of the 915 of the client computer 101 ). In addition, the file format 1321 of the update is specified along with a URL 1319 for the network location of software update itself. Finally, the installation procedures 1323 are specified for use in an installation script 826 . This information readily processed in a conventional manner and updated to the appropriate tables of the update database 709 .
[0103] In order to be supported by the update service of the service provider, software products and the updates to the software products have to be registered in the update database 709 .
[0104] Registering a software product has the goal of specify sufficient information to identify a product and its version if the product has been installed on a given client computer 101 . FIG. 17 illustrates a form for registering a software product into the update database 709 for the first time. The registration form 1700 contains fields for the software vendor's company name 1701 , software product name 1703 , product type 1705 , a method 1707 to identify the software product on the client computer 101 , a unique file name 1707 or character string identifying the product, methods 1709 for verifying version information, file dates 1711 , and directories 1713 on the client computer 101 , The product type 1705 can be a device driver, an application, a plug in (a product which extends the capabilities of another product such as an Internet browser) or an operating system file.
[0105] The method 1707 to identify the software product preferably specifies a unique file name or a character sting and the location of the file name or string. For example, on the Windows 95 operating system, the name of a sound driver is specified in the Registry location
\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\control\MediaResources\midi
In this case, the filename of the driver is found in this Registry location. A software product could also be identified by the presence of unique directory names. As noted, in some instances, product names are not unique.
[0107] The version of the software product that is installed on a client computer 101 may be obtained in one of several ways. It may be the version number, the last modification time-stamp of a file, or it may be specified explicitly in the Registry. The information provided in the registration form is processed after submission and added to the appropriate tables of the update database 709 .
[0108] Software updates may be identified for inclusion in the update database 709 by the service provider periodically searching the Internet to identify software vendors providing updates of software products. Most software vendors will maintain Internet sites that indicate the presence of new software updates. For each identified software vendor, the service provider downloads the software updates to the updates database 709 . A file format of the software update is determined, and an installation process specified according to the file format of the software update. Finally, the service provider creates an entry in the update database 709 including the URL or network location of the software vendor's computer system 103 storing the software update, the file format of the software update, and a specification of the installation process.
[0109] Alternatively, software vendors who contract with the service provider may provide the information about their software products and software updates, e.g. name, file format, and so forth, directly to the service provider, or to the update database 709 .
[0110] However provided to the update database 709 , registering an update consists of specifying the properties of the software update and the software products and their versions to which the software update is applicable. The properties of the software update preferably include the new version number 820 tat results if the software update is applied to the product, the format 825 of the software update zip file, self-extracting archive, and the like, and the installation steps (script 826 ) required to install the software update on the client computer 101 . The product versions to which the software update is applicable are specified as the products themselves are specified earlier in this section. Also, a URL to a brief description and a full description of the software update, the problems it fixes and features it might add, is preferably included, or the information may be directly stored.
[0111] As each new update becomes available, a new update entry is created.
[0112] Either the software vendor or the service provider specifies the product and the software update database entries in conformance with the properties of the software update.
[0113] User Profile Database
[0114] The user profile database 711 maintains a profile for each user containing information about which products the user has shown an interest, for example by requesting notification about software updates for specific products, or about new software products. This information is then used to deliver notifications about new updates available for these products to the user, for example by email, or other electronic communications mechanisms. This optional feature of the service provider computer 102 further enhances the value of the service to the user, ensuring timely notification of the availability of software updates and new software products.
[0115] In this regard, one alternate embodiment of the present invention is the use of email to notify users about new software update information, and new software products for which the user has expressed an interest. Specifically, when a new software update or software product is available, the service provider computer 102 sends an email to those users who have requested notification by email. The email contains information about the software update, and may include the record from the update table 807 about the software update, including the URL data 823 used to access the software update files. The client application 104 would then read the update information, and verify that the software update is indeed applicable to the client computer 101 , and that the client computer 101 satisfies any conditions for installation. If the software updates are approved by the user, the client application 104 downloads the software update, verifies its integrity, and installs the software update directly, without having to login 201 to the service provider computer 102 , and analyze 204 the software products installed on the client computer 101 . In the case of notifications about new software products in which the user had expressed interest, the client application 104 would verify that the user is still interested in the software product and proceed to purchase, download and install it.
[0116] As a further enhancement of the e-mail notification embodiment, the email sent by the service provider computer 102 includes a specification of conditions a client computer 101 must satisfy for the software update or software product to be installed. This information is essentially the same as that used by the client application 104 to determine the relevant software updates for the client computer 101 . For example, this information includes, for a software update, the older versions of the software product to which it is applicable. This additional information in the email notification is used by the client application 104 , for example, to ensure that the software update is used only once by the user, and can be repeatedly applied
[0117] The user profile database 711 generally stores information descriptive of each user. This information may include the user ID, password, digital signature, credit card numbers and the like, for use by the security 701 , communications 703 , and payment 705 modules. FIG. 14 specifies one exemplary schema of the user profile database 711 . In a user table 1400 , each user is identified by user ID 1401 , name 1403 , email address 1405 , the start date 1407 of their subscription to the service, the end or termination date 1409 of the subscription, credit card information 1411 such as number, issuer and expiration date, a user selected password 1413 , and a public key 1415 or other authentication token. As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the user has the option 309 of requesting notification by email of such software updates. The user table 1400 thus also includes a flag 1416 indicating whether the user so desires to be notified by email. The user table 1400 is keyed by the user ID 1401 to a notification table 1417 that associates the user with selected product names 1419 and their current version 1421 . When a software vendor or the service provider updates the update database 709 with information for a new software update, the notification table 1417 may be scanned to identify those users by user ID 1401 to notify about the update. The email flag 1416 for a user is checked, and if true, the user's email address 1405 is obtained from the user table 1400 and the user notified by email with information identifying the new software update.
[0118] Activity Log
[0119] The service provider computer 102 may be used to log all activities. it performs with respect to the service in the activity log 718 . Of particular interest axe the activities the computer performs in response to user requests for software updates and the like. An illustrative format for the activity log 718 is shown in Table 2.
TABLE 2 Activity Log 718 Transaction Id Activity Type Date-Time User Id Parameters Response 00000001 Login 031296 20198312 password Success 093540 00000002 GetMethods DB 031296 20198312 last version Methods DB 093606 or Up-to-date 00000003 GetProducts 031296 20198312 last version Products- Locator DB 093649 Locator DB or Up-to-date 00000004 Query Product 031296 20198312 Sound sb-2.02 DB 093723 Blaster16, 2.0 Query Product 031296 20198312 Myst 1.0 Up-to-date DB 093727 00000005 GetUpdate 031296 20198312 sb16-2.02 Update Entry 093751 Entry 00000006 Download 031296 20198312 sb16-2.02 Success Done 093807 00000007 Installed 031296 20198312 sb16-2.02 Success Update 094532 00000008 Logout 031296 20198312 — Success 094730
[0120] In this example, the user logged in on Mar. 12, 1996 at 09:35:40 a.m., synchronized their method table 801 and product locator table 803 , queried if software updates for SoundBlaster16 2.0 and Myst 1.0 newer than these product's last version were available responses indicate that Myst 1.0 was update to date, but the current version of SoundBlaster16 was version 2.02. The user then obtained the update entry for the new versions of SoundBlaster16 describing the software update, downloaded the software updates, installed it, and logged out.
[0121] Activity types not represented in the example above include Undo of Updates by the recovery module 908 , registering for service, and registering for notification for updates to specific products.
[0122] In this example, the activities of a single user are represented in the activity log. In an actual system, the activities of several different users would be interspersed in the activity log.
[0123] Reporting Tools
[0124] The reporting tools 713 provide support for querying the update database 709 , the user profile database 711 and the activity log 718 . The queries may be about the software products and updates, about the correlation between the types of software updates accessed by various users, and about aggregate data. The databases 709 , 711 and the activity log 718 together have the potential to provide precise descriptions of the software product profiles of the users. For example, statistical information may be retrieved indicating the number of users of one product, such as SoundBlaster16, who also own a second product, such as Myst This information may be collected and analyzed without necessarily violating the privacy of the individual users.
[0125] URL Monitor
[0126] The URL monitor 715 compiles the list of URLs in the update database 709 and verifies on a periodic basis whether they have changed This is done to ensure that the URL information for the software updates is always valid. FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart of the URL monitor 715 . The URL monitor 715 traverses 1201 each entry in the update table 807 . This may be done simply in serial order, or by more complex approaches, such as oldest entries first, or some other fashion. For each entry, the UIRL monitor 715 obtains 1203 the URL entries in the URL list 823 , each entry as noted above having a timestamp. The URL monitor 715 links 1205 to the URL in an attempt to connect to the identified site or file via the Internet.
[0127] The attempted link may fail, and may be repeated some number of times in order to confirm that the URL is actually absent or otherwise incorrect, as opposed to merely a failure of the network service provider or the like. Once it is determined 1207 that the URL is not present, the URL is marked 1209 in the update table 807 as being invalid.
[0128] If the URL is present, then the timestamp of the URL at the host site is checked, typically by checking the timestamp of the file associated with the URL, or the timestamp of the file that includes the URL, or whichever is later. If the timestamp at the host is newer than the timestamp held in the update table 807 , then it is possible that the underlying file has been changed, and the URL is no longer valid. Again, the URL is marked 1209 as being invalid. If the timestamp of the host is not newer, then the URL monitor 715 continues with the next URL in the URL list 823 . Once all of the URLs in the update table 807 (or the desired number of old ones) have been processed, then the URL monitor 715 notifies 1213 the system administrator of the potentially invalid URLs. The system administrator can then verify the URLs and update them if necessary, resetting the valid flag as the URLs are updated,
[0129] Advertising & Information Database
[0130] The access that the service provider computer 102 has to the software profile of the client computers 101 lends itself to sending information, advertisements, and other promotional material that would be appropriate to each specific user, based on the software installed on the user's computer. Basing information delivery on the installed software products increases the saliency of the information since the user has already manifested an interest in the products. Thus, advertising or promotional information that is derived from or associated with such software products is most likely to be of interest to the user. The service provider computer 102 associates software products with advertising information, and enables this advertising information to be periodically delivered to the user.
[0131] Furthermore, the nature of downloading and installing software updates is inherently time-consuming; the risks that users perceive in updating usually would mean that they would seldom perform the updates on unattended computers. These factors create an opportunity to the service provider to direct targeted advertisements at the user at appropriate moments when the user runs the client application 104 to update their software, at which time they are present at their computer but not engaged in other activities. The advertisements themselves may be about for-fee software updates (upgrades) that the user may be able to purchase from the service provider or other third parties. Delivery of advertising information during the update process 212 is on the client computer 101 by the advertising/news module 906 The advertising and information database 717 accordingly associates software products with advertising and promotional information. This association may be made in a number of different ways, One mechanism of association is categorizing software products and advertisements, FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary schema for the advertising and information database 717 for associating advertising information and software products.
[0132] The ad table 1500 includes for each advertisement an ad number 1501 , a URL 1503 to the advertisement or information item, and a list 1505 of categories for the advertisement, such as “word processing,” “desktop publishing,” “graphics,” “adventure games,” “communications,” “Internet” and the like. An advertisement or information item may have any number or variety of categories associated with it. The product-category table 1507 lists products names 1511 , product Ms 1509 , and again, a list 1513 of categories for the product.
[0133] If a user has requested updates to a specific installed product then presumably the user would be interested in advertisements or information for other products that are categorized in the same categories as the installed product. For example, if the user requests an update to an installed copy of Myst 1.0, then this product name is matched against the product name 1511 in the product-category table 1507 , and the categories 1513 for it, such as “interactive game,” are retrieved. The categories 1505 in the category list 1505 of the ad table 1500 are matched against this category, and the URLs 1503 for matching entries retrieved and accessed, with the information being delivered to the user by the client application 104 . The information is preferably presented on the client computer 101 during the installation process 208 - 214 . If there are many matches, then a weighting may be applied to select only those advertisements that match a certain percentage, or number, of categories of the installed products. Other selection criteria may also be applied. The schema of FIG. 15 is merely illustrative, and implementations other categorization may be used to associate advertising information with software products for delivery to users having such products installed on their computers.
[0134] Client Application Software Architecture
[0135] Referring again to FIG. 9 , the remaining modules of the client application 104 are now explained.
[0136] Communication
[0137] The communications module 903 provides complementary functions to the communications module 703 of the service provider computer 102 , including establishing and terminating connection streams, login and logout functions, FT? fractions, and HTTP protocol compliance. All of these functions may be implemented in a conventional manner.
[0138] Security
[0139] The security module 901 provides an interface to the security module 701 of the service provider computer 102 , for authentication of the user password, digital signatures, certificates, or the like User passwords or other authentication information are assigned to the user in a conventional manner. The security module 901 may store the authentication information, or the user may be required to manually input the authentication information during login.
[0140] Payment
[0141] The payment module 905 provides an interface to the payment module 705 of the service provider computer 102 to effect payment for use of the update service. Payment schedules may vary as described above. Preferably payment is made by credit card authorization. Given one or more payment schedules for use of the service, such as per update, periodic fees, or the like, the payment module may be implemented in a conventional manner.
[0142] Registration
[0143] The registration module 904 is used to register new users to the service provider computer 102 . A sample user interface for the registration module 904 is shown in FIG. 3
[0144] The registration module 904 obtained the user's name, address, credit card information, and a user-selected password. The password is entered by the user twice and the two entries matched to ensure that the user did not mistype the password unintentionally. This information is stored in the current state 911 data. The registration module 904 also sends this information to the service provider computer 102 . There the information is verified and a unique registration number assigned to the user and the number is returned to the client application 104 , where the registration module 904 displays the number to the user, and stores the number internally in the current state 911 data.
[0145] Advertising & News
[0146] The advertising and news module 906 provides customized information to each user of the service based on their prior interests in various software products and updates, as monitored and stored in the user profile database. The advertising and news module 906 interfaces with the advertising database 717 of the service provider computer 102 to deliver advertising and promotional information the user based on the installed software products on the user's computer 101 .
[0147] The advertising and news module 906 provides information in various different modes. In one mode, the advertising and news module 906 obtains ads from the advertising database 717 on a periodic basis, such as once every several hours, according to the installed software products on the client computer 101 , as described above, and caches them locally. If an ad here including other types of information or promotional data) is already present in the cache, it is marked as new, otherwise, the URL of the ad (as determined from the database 717 ) is accessed, and the ad saved in the cached. Ads not marked as new are purged.
[0148] In a second, complementary mode, the advertising and news module 906 then selects ads from the cache and displays them to the user for a predetermined duration when no other user activity is occurring, such as during the installation process described above, or during an undo operation by the recovery module 908 .
[0149] Current State
[0150] The current state 911 is a data store of data describing the present operation of the client application 104 , including for example, user specific information, such as name, address, credit card number, registration or serial number, and which updates have been downloaded and which have been installed. The registration number is used each time the user logs in to the service provider computer 101 . The information about which updates have been downloaded and installed is used to provide the undo capability of the recovery module 908 .
[0151] Recovery
[0152] The recovery module 908 provides for undoing, or de-installing previously installed software updates using the archive files 909 .
[0153] Recovery is an action initiated by the user when he or she is dissatisfied with a software update. when initiated, the effects of a software update previously installed are reversed. The ability of the recovery module 908 to perform the recovery is based on the presence of the archive files 909 created by the install monitor 910 when the software update was first installed, The archive files 909 contain a copy of each file which was deleted or modified during installation along with its original pathname and a list of pathnames of files added during the installation. The archives 909 are preferably kept in a compressed format for space efficiency. Generally, given a specific software update to remove, the recovery module 908 reads the archive file 909 associated with that software update, restores the deleted or modified files to their directories, and deletes the added files or directories.
[0154] FIG. 16 illustrates one embodiment of the operation of the recovery module 908 . The recovery module 908 receives, as shown in FIG. 6 , an input of the name of the software update to be removed. This name is associated in the current state information 911 with the particular archive file 909 for that installation. The recovery module 908 closes 1601 all executing applications. Using the name of the software update, or other identifying indicia, the recovery module 908 obtains the archive file 909 associated with the update, and uncompresses 1602 it For each file that is stored in the archive in compressed form, representing a file that the was deleted, the recovery module 908 copies 1603 that file to its original location in the client computer 101 . For each file or directory that is listed as being new, the recovery module 908 deletes 1604 that file or directory. Finally, the recovery module 908 reboots 1605 the client computer 101 .
[0155] In summary, the present invention enables a useful mechanism for providing updates of various software products from diverse software vendors to a plurality of users, each user having different ones of the software products installed on their computers. The system of the present invention enables the software updates to be continually maintained and verified for correctness, while alleviating both users and software vendors of a substantial burden is communicating with each. The system enables any software vendor to provide software updates to the service provider, ensuring that subscribing users have the software update on a timely basis. Likewise, subscribing users are ensured that they are notified about software updates for all of the software products installed on their computers, without having to individually search out information for each such product. In addition, the present invention enables advertising and other information to be targeted to users based on their interests and preferences and expressed in the software products installed on their computers.
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A system, method and computer program product are provided for uninstalling software on a computer. In use, a plurality of software products identified on a computer is displayed. Further, a first user instruction to uninstall at least a portion of at least one of the software products from the computer is received. Such first user instruction is received via an interface. Still yet, the at least a portion of the at least one software product is uninstalled from the computer, in response to the receipt of the first user instruction. Also, a second user instruction may be received to cancel the uninstallation. Thus, the uninstallation may be cancelled, in response to the receipt of the second user instruction.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to earlier filed U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/759,606 filed on Jan. 17, 2006, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein by its reference. The electrical energy harvesting power sources disclosed herein are described in detail in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/235,997 and 11/116,093, each of which are incorporated herein by their reference.
GOVERNMENTAL RIGHTS
This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DAAE30-03-C1077, awarded by the U.S. Army. The Government may have certain rights in this invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to power supplies, and more particularly, to power supplies for projectiles, which generate power due to an acceleration of the projectile.
2. Prior Art
Fuzing of munitions is necessary to initiate a firing of the munition. Currently, there is no reliable and simple mechanism for differentiating an accidental drop of a munition from a firing acceleration, to prevent an accidental drop from initiating a fuzing of the munition. Similarly, there is a need to reliably validate firing and start of the flight of a munition. For rounds with booster rockets, this capability can provide the means to validate firing, firing duration and termination. Munitions further require the capability to detect target impact, to differentiate between hard and soft targets and to provide a time-out signal for unexploded rounds. Lastly, in order to recover unexploded rounds (munitions) it would be desirable for the munition to have the capability to notify a recovery crew.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The power sources/generators/supplies disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/235,997 and 11/116,093 are based on the use of piezoelectric elements. Such power sources are designed to harvest electrical energy from the firing acceleration as well as from the aerodynamics induced motions and vibration of the projectile during the entire flight. The energy harvesting power sources can withstand firing accelerations of over 100,000 Gs and can be designed to address the power requirements of various fuzes, communications gear, sensory devices and the like in munitions.
The electrical energy harvesting power sources are based on a novel approach, which stores mechanical energy from the short pulse firing accelerations, and generates power over significantly longer periods of time by vibrating elements, thereby increasing the amount of harvested energy by orders of magnitude over conventional methods of directly harvesting energy from the firing shock. With such power sources, electrical power is also generated during the entire flight utilizing the commonly present vibration disturbances of various kinds of sources, including the aerodynamics disturbances or spinning. Such power sources may also be used in a hybrid mode with other types of power sources such as chemical reserve batteries to satisfy any level of power requirements in munitions.
While the piezoelectric power generators are generally suitable for many applications, they are particularly well suited for low to medium power requirements, particularly when safety and very long shelf life are critical factors.
The electrical energy harvesting power sources for munitions are based on a novel use of stacked piezoelectric elements. Piezoelectric elements have long been used in accelerometers to measure acceleration and in force gages for measuring dynamic forces, particularly when they are impulsive (impact) type. In their stacked configuration, the piezoelectric elements have also been widely used as micro-actuators for high-speed and ultra-accuracy positioning applications with low voltage input requirement and for high-frequency vibration suppression. The piezoelectric elements have also been used as ultrasound sources and for the generation and suppression of acoustic signals and noise.
In the present application, the electrical energy harvesting power sources are used for powering fuzing electronics as acceleration and motion sensors, acoustic sensors, micro-actuation devices, etc., that could be used to enhance fusing safety and performance. As such, the developed electrical energy harvesting power sources, in addition to being capable of replacing or at least supplementing chemical batteries, have significant added benefits in rendering fuzing safer and enhancing its operational performance. Fir example, the piezoelectric-based electrical energy harvesting power sources can provide the following safety and performance enhancing capabilities:
1. Capability to detect accidental drops and differentiate them from the firing acceleration. 2. Capability to validate firing and start of the flight. For rounds with booster rockets, this capability will provide the means to validate firing, firing duration and termination. 3. Capability to detect target impact. 4. Capability to differentiate between hard and soft targets. 5. Capability to provide time-out signal for unexploded rounds. 6. In an unexploded round, the capability to detect acoustic and vibration wake-up signals generated by a recovery crew and respond to the same via an RF or acoustic signal or the like.
Accordingly, a system is provided for use with a munition for validating a firing of the munition and duration of firing. The system comprising: a power supply having a piezoelectric material for generating power from a vibration induced by the munition; and a processor operatively connected to the power supply for monitoring an output from the power supply, calculating an impact pulse and determining one or more of if the munition has been fired and the duration of firing based on the calculation.
The processor can compare the calculated impact pulse to a predetermined threshold value indicative of a firing.
Also provided is a method for validating a firing of a munition and duration of firing of the munition. The method comprising: providing the munition with a power supply having a piezoelectric material for generating power from a vibration induced by the munition; monitoring an output from the power supply; calculating an impact pulse from the output; and determining one or more of whether the munition has been fired and the duration of firing based on the calculation.
The determining can comprise comparing the calculated impact pulse to a predetermined threshold value indicative of a firing.
The method can further comprise determining a beginning of free flight of the projectile. The determining of the beginning of free flight can comprise determining the beginning of free flight after the determining that firing has ceased.
The method can further comprise continuing to monitor an output from the power supply after the determination of the beginning of free flight to determine one or more of whether a booster firing has occurred and a duration of the booster firing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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:
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic cross section of an exemplary power generator for fuzing of a munition.
FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic view of a system of harvesting electric charges generated by the power generator of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 illustrates a longitudinal acceleration (firing force, which is equal to the longitudinal acceleration times the mass of the round) versus time plot for a fired munition.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In the methods and apparatus disclosed herein, the spring end of a mass-spring unit is attached to a housing (support) unit via one or more piezoelectric elements, which are positioned between the spring end of the mass-spring and the housing unit. A housing is intended to mean a support structure, which partially or fully encloses the mass-spring and piezoelectric elements. On the other hand, a support unit may be positioned interior to the mass-spring and/or the piezoelectric elements or be a frame structure that is positioned interior and/or exterior to the mass-spring and/or piezoelectric elements. The assembly is provided with the means to preload the piezoelectric element in compression such that during the operation of the power generation unit, tensile stressing of the piezoelectric element is substantially avoided. The entire assembly is in turn attached to the base structure (e.g., gun-fired munitions). When used in applications that subject the power generation unit to relatively high acceleration/deceleration levels, the spring of the mass-spring unit is allowed to elongate and/or compress only within a specified limit. Once the applied acceleration/deceleration has substantially ended, the mass-spring unit begins to vibrate, thereby applying a cyclic force to the piezoelectric element, which in turn is used to generate electrical energy. The housing structure or the base structure or both may be used to provide the limitation in the maximum elongation and/or compression of the spring of the mass-spring unit (i.e., the amplitude of vibration). Each housing unit may be used to house more than one mass-spring unit, each via at least one piezoelectric element.
In the following schematic the firing acceleration is considered to be upwards as indicated by arrow 113 .
In FIG. 1 , power generation unit 100 includes a spring 105 , a mass 110 , an outer shell 108 , a piezoelectric (stacked and washer type) generator 101 , one socket head cap screw 104 and a stack of Belleville washers 103 (each of the washers 103 in the stack is shown schematically as a single line). Piezoelectric materials are well known in the art. Furthermore, any configuration of one or more of such materials can be used in the power generator 100 . Other fasteners, which may be fixed or removable, may be used and other means for applying a compressive or tensile load on the piezoelectric generator 101 may be used, such as a compression spring. The piezoelectric generator 101 is sandwiched between the outer shell 108 and an end 102 of the spring, and is held in compression by the Belleville washer stack 103 (i.e., preloaded in compression) and the socket head cap screw 104 . The mass 109 is attached (e.g., screwed, bonded using adhesives, press fitted, etc.) to another end 106 of the spring 105 . The piezoelectric element 101 is preferably supported by a relatively flat and rigid surface to achieve a relatively uniform distribution of force over the surface of the element. This might be aided by providing a very thin layer of hard epoxy or other similar type of adhesives on both contacting surfaces of the piezoelectric element. The housing 108 may be attached to the base 107 by the provided flange 111 using well known methods, or any other alternative method commonly used in the art such as screws or by threading the outer housing and screwing it to a tapped base hole, etc. The mass 109 is provided with an access hole 110 for tightening the screw 104 during assembly. Between the free end 106 of the spring and the base 107 (or if the mass 109 projects outside the end 106 of the spring, then between the mass 109 and the base 107 ) a gap 112 is provided to limit the maximum expansion of the spring 105 . Alternatively, the gap 112 may be provided by the housing 108 itself. The gap 112 also limits the maximum amplitude of vibration of the mass-spring unit.
During firing of a projectile (the base structure 107 ) containing such power generation unit 100 , the firing acceleration is considered to be in the direction 113 . The firing acceleration acts on the mass 109 (and the mass of the spring 105 ), generating a force in a direction opposite to the direction of the acceleration that tends to elongate the spring 105 until the end 106 of the spring (or the mass 109 if it is protruding from the end 106 of the spring) closes the gap 112 . For a given power generator 100 , the amount of gap 112 defines the maximum spring extension, thereby the maximum (tensile) force applied to the piezoelectric element 101 . As a result, the piezoelectric element is protected from being damaged by tensile loading. The gap 112 also defines the maximum level of firing acceleration that is going to be utilized by the power generation unit 100 .
When the firing acceleration has ended, i.e., after the projectile has exited the gun barrel, the mechanical (potential) energy stored in the elongated spring is available for conversion into electrical energy. This can be accomplished by harvesting the varying voltage generated by the piezoelectric element 101 as the mass-spring element vibrates. The spring rate and the maximum allowed deflection determine the amount of mechanical energy that is stored in the spring 105 . The effective mass and spring rate of the mass-spring unit determine the frequency (natural frequency) with which the mass-spring element vibrates. By increasing (decreasing) the mass or by decreasing (increasing) the spring rate of the mass-spring unit, the frequency of vibration is decreased (increased). In general, by increasing the frequency of vibration, the mechanical energy stored in the spring 105 can be harvested at a faster rate. Thus, by selecting appropriate spring 105 , mass 109 and gap 112 , the amount of electrical energy that can be generated and the rate of electrical energy generation can be matched with the requirements of a projectile.
In FIG. 1 , the spring 105 is shown to be a helical spring. The preferred helical spring, however, has three or more equally spaced helical strands to minimize the sideways bending and twisting of the spring during vibration. In general, any other type of spring may be used as long as they provide for vibration in the direction of providing cyclic tensile-compressive loading of the piezoelectric element.
The power generation unit 100 of FIG. 1 is described herein by way of example only and not to limit the scope or spirit of the present invention. Other embodiments described in U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 10/235,997 and 11/116,093 can also be used in the applications described below as well as any other type of power generation unit which harvests electrical energy from a vibrating mass due to the acceleration of a projectile/munition as well as from the aerodynamics induced motions and vibration of the projectile during the entire flight.
The schematic of FIG. 2 shows a typical system of harvesting electric charges generated by the piezoelectric element of the energy harvesting power generation unit 100 as the mass-spring element of the power source begins to vibrate upon exiting the gun barrel. Electronic conditioning circuitry 202 , well known in the art, would, for example, convert the oscillatory (AC) voltages generated by the piezoelectric element to a DC voltage and then regulate it and provide it for direct use or for storage in a storage device 204 such as a capacitor or a rechargeable battery as shown in the schematic of FIG. 2 . The piezoelectric output is connected by wires 203 to the electronic converter/regulator/charger 202 , the output of which is connected to the storage device (a capacitor or rechargeable battery) 204 by wires 205 , or is used to directly run a load 206 via wires 207 . A processor 208 is also provided for processing information from the output of the power generation unit 100 . Although the processor 208 is shown connected by way of wiring 209 to the electronic conditioning circuitry 202 , it can be connected to or integral with any of the shown components such that it is operative to process the output or output information from the power generation unit 100 .
Accidental Drop Detection and Differentiation from Firing
During the firing, the force exerted by the spring element of the power generation unit 100 generates a charge and thereby a voltage across the piezoelectric element that is proportional to the acceleration level being experienced. The generated voltage is proportional to the applied acceleration since the applied acceleration works on the mass of the spring-mass element of the energy harvesting power source (in fact the mass of the piezoelectric element itself as well), thereby generating a force proportional to the applied acceleration level.
In certain situations and particularly in the presence of noise and at relatively low acceleration levels, the mass-spring system of the power generation unit 100 begins to vibrate and generates an oscillatory (AC) voltage with a DC bias, which is still proportional to the level of acceleration that is applied to the munitions. Hereinafter, when vibratory motion is present, the piezoelectric voltage output is intended to indicate the level of the aforementioned DC bias.
The level of voltage produced by the piezoelectric element is therefore proportional to the level of acceleration that is experienced by the munitions in the longitudinal (firing) direction. This information is obviously available as a function of time. A typical such longitudinal acceleration (firing force, which is equal to the longitudinal acceleration times the mass of the round) versus time plot may look as shown in FIG. 3 . From this plot, the processor 208 may calculate information such as the peak acceleration (impulsive force) level and the acceleration (firing force) duration, Δt, can be measured. The processor 208 can be dedicated for such calculations or used for controlling other functions of the munition. The plot information can also be used to calculate the average acceleration (firing force) level and the total applied impulse (the area under the force versus time curve of FIG. 3 or the product of the average firing force times the time duration). The amount of impulse that the round is subjected to in its longitudinal (firing) direction is thereby known. In practice, the processor may be used onboard the munitions (or the generally present fuzing processor could be used) to make the above time and voltage (acceleration or firing force) measurements and perform the indicated calculations and provide the safety and fuzing decision making capabilities that are indicated in the remainder of this disclosure.
However, a round is subjected to such input impulses in its longitudinal direction during its firing as well as during accidental dropping. The level of input impulse due to accidental dropping of the round is, however, orders of magnitude smaller than that of firing.
For example, consider a situation in which a round is dropped on a very rigid concrete slab, generating around 15,000 G of acceleration in the longitudinal direction (here, it is assumed that the round is dropped perfectly on its base, resulting in the highest possible longitudinal impact acceleration). Assuming that the elastic deformation that occurs during the impact is in the order of 0.1 mm, a conservative estimate of the impact duration with a constant acceleration of 15,000 Gs becomes about 0.04 msec. Now, even if we assume a similar acceleration profile in the gun barrel, but spread it over a time duration of 8 msec (close to what is experienced in many large caliber guns), then the impulse experienced during the firing is (8/0.04) or 200 times larger than that experienced during a drop over a hard surface. This is obviously a conservative estimate and the actual ratio can be expected to be much higher since in most situations, the round is not expected to land perfectly on its base and on a very hard surface and that the firing acceleration is expected to be significantly larger than those experienced in an accidental drop.
The above example clearly shows that by measuring the impact impulse, accidental drops can be readily differentiated from the firing acceleration by the processor 208 . This characteristic of the present piezoelectric based power generation units 100 can be readily used to construct a safety feature to prevent arming of the fuzing during accidental drops and/or to take some other preventive measures. This safety feature can be readily implemented in the electrical energy collection and regulation electronics of the power source or in the fuzing electronics (e.g., the processor 208 can have an input into the electrical energy collection and regulation electronics 202 of the power source or in the fuzing electronics to prevent fuzing when the calculated impact pulse is below a predetermined threshold value indicative of a firing).
Firing Validation and Booster Firing and Duration Time and Total Impulse
As was described in the previous section on accidental drop detection and differentiation from firing, the firing impulse as well as its acceleration profile and time duration can be readily measured and/or calculated from the output of the piezoelectric elements of the power generation units 100 by the processor 208 . Similarly, the completion of the firing acceleration cycle and the start of the free flight are readily indicated by the piezoelectric element. In the presence of firing boosters, their time of activation; the duration of booster operation, and the total exerted impulse on the round can also be determined by the processor 208 from the output of the power generation unit 100 .
As a result, the piezoelectric based power generation units provide the means to validate firing; determine the beginning of the free flight; and when applicable, validate booster firing and its duration.
Target Impact Detection
During the flight, the munition/projectile is decelerated by aerodynamic drag. Projectiles are commonly designed to produce minimal drag. As a result, the deceleration in the axial direction is fairly low. In addition, there may also be components of vibratory motions present in the axial direction. Axially oriented piezoelectric based power generation units 100 can also be very insensitive to lateral accelerations, which are also usually fairly small except for high spinning rate projectiles.
When impact occurs (assuming that the impact force is at least partially directed in the axial direction), the piezoelectric elements of the power generation units 100 experience the resulting input impact, including the time of impact, the impact acceleration level, peak impact acceleration (force) and the total impact impulse. As a result, the exact moment of impact can be detected and/or calculated by the processor 208 from the output of the power generation unit 100 .
In addition, when desired, lateral impact time, level and total impulse may be similarly detected by employing at least one such piezoelectric based power generation unit 100 in the lateral directions, noting that at least two piezoelectric power sources directed in two different directions in the lateral plane are required to provide full lateral impact information. Such laterally directed power sources are generally preferable for harvesting lateral vibration and movements, such as those generated by small yawing and pitching motions of the round.
Hard and Soft Target Detection
When the munition impacts the target, ground or another object, the munition's deceleration profile can be measured from the piezoelectric element output voltage during the impact period and peak deceleration level, impact duration, impact force and total impulse can then be calculated as previously described using the processor 208 . This information can then be used to determine if a relatively hard or soft target has been hit, noting that the softer the impacted target, the longer would be the duration of impact, peak impact deceleration (force). The opposite will be true for harder impacted targets. This information is very important since it can be used by the fuzing system to make a decision as to the most effective settings.
It is worth noting at this point that the hard or soft target detection and decision making, in fact all the aforementioned detection and decision making processes, are expected to be made nearly instantly by the power source electrical energy collection and regulation electronics or the fuzing electronics by employing, for example, threshold detecting switches to set appropriate flags.
Time-Out Signal for Unexploded Rounds
Once a munition has landed and is not detonated, whether due to faulty fuzing or other components or properly made decision against detonation, the piezoelectric based power generation unit 100 will stop generating electrical energy once its initial vibratory motion at the time of impact has died out. The electrical power harvesting electronics and/or the fuzing electronics can utilize this event, if followed by target impact, to initiate detonation time-out circuitry. For example, the power source and/or fuzing electronics can be equipped with a time-out circuit that would disable the detonation circuitry and/or components to make it impossible for the round to be internally detonated. The time-out period can be programmed, for example, while loading fuzing information before firing, and/or may be provided by built-in leakage rate from capacitors assigned for this purpose.
Wake-Up Signal Detection and Detection Beacon Provision
Consider the situation in which a round has landed without detonation and its detonation window has timed-out. Then at some point in time, a recovery crew may want to attempt to safely recover the unexploded rounds. The present piezoelectric based power generation unit 100 can readily be used to transmit an RF or other similar beacon signals for the recovery crew to use to locate the projectile. This may, for example, be readily accomplished through the generation of acoustic signals that are produced by the dropping or hammering of weights on the ground or by detonating small charges in the suspect areas. The acoustic waves will then cause the piezoelectric elements of the power source to generate a small amount of power to initiate wake-up and transmission of the RF or similar beacon signal.
When appropriate, the acoustic signal being transmitted by the recovery crew could be coded. In addition, this feature of the power generation unit 100 provides the means for the implementation of a variety of tactical detonation scenarios. As an example, multiple rounds could be fired into an area without triggering detonation, awaiting a detonation signal from a later round, which is transmitted by a coded acoustic signal during its own detonation.
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 of the invention. It is therefore intended that the invention be not limited to the exact forms described and illustrated, but should be constructed to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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A method is provided for validating a firing of a munition and duration of firing of the munition. The method including: providing the munition with a power supply having a piezoelectric material for generating power from a vibration induced by the munition; monitoring an output from the power supply; calculating an impact pulse from the output; and determining one or more of whether the munition has been fired and the duration of firing based on the calculation.
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This is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 08/085,724 filed on Jul. 6, 1993 now abandoned. The parent application remains pending.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method for treating a wound of a human being by placing a film-like device over the wound.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years, the need for innovative methods to protect individuals from direct and/or secondary contact with dangerous materials capable of spreading infectious diseases (such as laboratory spills, human blood, body fluids, body tissue, contaminated dressings and contaminated clothing and equipment) has grown substantially. This need has grown in direct proportion to the public's increased awareness and concern that infectious diseases such as AIDS and Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E may be contracted not only from direct contact with an infected person, but also from indirect contact with contaminated materials used in the treatment of infected persons or used in related medical research, mortuary and laboratory testing and blood banks.
In the last year alone, statistics reveal that there have been some 9000 cases of infectious disease transfer between patients and medical caregivers. Recent studies also show that sanitation workers who handle medical waste are also at substantially increased risk.
Barrier type products such as latex gloves and special biohazard disposal containers provide some protection, but studies show that currently available products are often not used and procedures are frequently not followed. This is often the case in emergency rescues and on-site first aid treatment where the increased risks of contamination are likely the greatest.
Rubber gloves (latex or vinyl), which are the most functional and widely used of current personal protection devices, have a number of troublesome drawbacks. Of primary concern is their ability to spread potentially infectious materials to equipment and people, greatly increasing the risk of secondary infection. The latex or vinyl glove is a personal protection device that typically remains with the caregiver. Once used, the glove may be slippery and contaminated with blood or other body fluids. As the caregiver moves from one patient or clean-up task to another, there are one of two undesirable alternatives; he must either attempt to leave the gloves on, risking transfer of infected materials, or take the time to remove the used gloves and replace them with clean gloves, (often three or four pairs are worn together)taking valuable time from patient care. In many medical emergencies, seconds can be critical to the patients and caregivers health.
What has long been needed is a protection device that remains with the patient, not with the caregiver. With such a device, the contaminated material is isolated and contained in one area so the treatment and clean-up job may be done faster, easier, with less cost and, most importantly, with less risk of spread of contamination.
A patient-resident device must be convenient to carry, simple to use, quick to put on and take off, and resistant to puncture. The device must be specifically designed to remain with the patient, so that the caregiver can treat other patients using other treatment devices. Additionally, the device must effectively block the transfer of fluids, viruses, spores, bacteria, or micro-organisms between caregiver and patient. At the same time, it must function in all weather extremes, provide direct medical assistance to the patient, be useful for a wide range of medical needs, and provide within the device itself the mechanism for safe biohazard containment and disposal.
In an effort to solve cross-contamination problems, a number of pouch-like devices have been suggested in the past. Many of the prior art devices are designed to be fitted over the user's hand and, after use, are designed to be turned inside out so that the cleaning surface may be encapsulated within the interior of the device.
For the most part, prior art devices fail to provide an effective barrier to infectious disease, micro-organisms contained in human blood and body fluids and like contaminates. The prior art devices protect only one hand, leaving the other hand exposed to blood borne pathogens. The prior art devices cannot be turned inside out without exposing the second hand to possible contamination. The prior art also doesn't provide for application of soap, medicines, disinfectants, deodorants, etc. for medical applications.
GENERAL DISCUSSION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to a method of applying a personal protection, mitten/mitt like device that may be placed over the hand of the user and conveniently used for the cleanup, containment, and disposal of potentially infectious blood and body fluids. More particularly, the invention concerns a method for applying a barrier type, personal protection apparatus in effectively treating trauma victims and patients with infectious diseases while, at the same time, protecting the caregiver and patient from exchange of bacteria, micro-organisms, viruses, spores and blood-borne pathogens. Other embodiments of the present method of the invention may also be used for application of medications and other substances.
By way of example, the design of the preferred embodiment of apparatus used in the present method permits applying a dressing to a wound in a manner so as to substantially avoid cross-contamination between the patient and the caregiver. The present method also uniquely permits containment, clean-up, and removal of a myriad of different types of unwanted and dangerous material without or at least reduction of the danger of spread of contamination. After clean up, the method permits the safe transport of the contaminates to a final disposal site with reduced risk of cross-contamination.
Additionally, the invention uniquely provides for a mobile method of controllably applying direct pressure, heat, or cold, to a selected site without violating the sterile dressing environment of the selected site. The unique sterile barrier construction of the method may be adjusted to substantially admit or deny air, as well as deny fluid microbes, and pathogen transfer to or from a specific site.
In one form of the method of the invention, the barrier construction is uniquely designed to permit the insertion of one or more hands by one or more individuals. This feature of the method is particularly useful when a caregiver needs assistance in holding a dressing or applying pressure on a wound, while they obtain additional equipment, provide treatment to another injury site, and treat multiple patients.
In another very unique form of the method, a pair of barriers are provided. In using this embodiment of the invention, a barrier is placed over each hand so that both hands of the caregiver may be used in providing the necessary care and treatment. With this unique method, after the treatment has been completed, the first barrier device is turned inside out to safely enclose the contaminants thereon and then, in the reversed configuration, is safely encapsulated within the second barrier while it is being turned inside out.
The present invention provides an innovative treatment and protection system that combines a wound dressing and personal protection that, unlike traditionally used rubber gloves, resides with the patient rather than with the caregiver. More particularly, the invention provides novel personal protection that effectively protects patients, caregiver, bystanders and clean-up personnel from exposure to bio-hazardous material of the character often encountered during emergency medical care and in patient clean-up situations.
The invention provides a method of the aforementioned character that permits quick and easy access and exit by the caregiver and the patient several times during one treatment. Multiple access and exits may be accomplished by the same or different caregivers, including the patient, and may be performed simultaneously or in sequence.
The invention provides a sophisticated care-giving system comprised of a combination mobile wound dressing and personal protection method that provides for control at all times of the movement of dangerous or undesirable fluids, viruses, spores, bacteria micro-organisms, and other materials during treatment and disposal.
The invention provides a method for applying a sterile dressing that protects the entire hand of the caregiver from any contact with any elements or micro-organisms outside the protective zone, thereby preventing cross-contamination between patients, caregivers, clothing and equipment. The invention also provides a method for the protection of equipment from contamination, such as life support equipment. The invention also provides a method to take the pulse of a patient without contacting the patient.
The invention provides a method of the character described which permits use of a single personal protection device by the same or different caregivers, without loss of protection and without increased risk of cross-contamination.
The invention provides a method to protect caregivers while wearing regular cold weather gloves or mittens. The invention provides a method to protect the caregiver by putting the device over the caregiver's gloved hand. The method will keep the fabric and contaminants of the regular glove out of the patients wound. More effective care can be provided by the caregiver because the caregiver does not have to remove their regular gloves. The caregiver's hands remain warm and therefore more useful.
The invention provides a method which uses a mobile, self-contained, substantially sterile transport medium for body parts or other materials where a generally sterile, disease-free environment is necessary or desirable. The invention also provides a method of covering the remaining stump of a detached arm or leg of a patient. The stump can be covered by the invention to prevent cross-contamination.
The invention provides a method which uses a mobile self-contained device that permits the application of pressure and/or heat or cold to a designated site without substantially violating the sterility of either the site or of the primary containment device. For example, the device will permit the application of ice or a cold pack to a burn site while the barrier protects the burn from frostbite.
The invention provides a personal protection method that uses in combination, a wound dressing and a sterilized protective pouch, to both deliver treatment and also to block the transfer of air, fluids, dirt or other selected materials, as for example, in the treatment of a sucking chest wound.
The invention provides a method for the treatment of a sucking chest wound. The film side of the barrier member of the personal protection device can be affixed to sucking chest wounds. As the film side is flexible and will not stick to the wound, air can be expelled through the wound, but upon inhalation the film will collapse against the chest and not allow air to enter through the wound.
The invention provides a method that includes use of a barrier film of preselected permeability (hydrophilic or hydrophobic) to encourage or discourage the passage or transfer of selected elements or agents through the film. The method of the invention provides a method of the character described which is particularly useful in treating patients having infectious disease, for example, in the treatment of patients having AIDS or other persons or objects where prevention of cross-contamination is desirable. The invention provides a method to limit or deny passage of selected pathogens between the wound and hazardous material. The method not only limits passage of contaminants from the patient to the caregiver, but also passage of contaminants from the caregiver to the patient.
The invention provides a method of the class described that will assist in the treatment of injury or disease by use of a sterile absorbent dressing consisting of man-made or natural fibers containing one or more of a number of pharmaceutical agents.
The invention provides a method for personal protection that includes application of a burn dressing which is suitable for use with the traditional topical application of solutions and one which also incorporates a pouch for retaining a cooling medium.
The invention provides a method for the treatment of burns. The film side or the pad side of the device can be applied to the burn. The film can be attached to an absorbent pad covered with a non-stick, porous material. The pad could also be impregnated with medications. The device can be used to cover and protect the wound from contamination. Unlike a gauze bandage that sticks to burns and leaves fibers in the wound, the pad cover or film will not stick to the wound. The method for the treatment of burns can also incorporate the use of an ice pack. When used in this way, the dressing/pad does not have to be removed for the addition of saline and gauze to effect evaporation and the cooling of the wound. Thus, this method reduces skin damage when compared to traditional treatment methods. The ice pack inserted into the pouch provides the cooling medium. The invention provides a treatment of first to third degree burns that decreases infection because the device is sterile. It allows cooling of the burn area by using ice packs or saline, thus reducing skin damage caused by retained heat. This also enhances the survivability of the burn victim by reducing the chance of shock because the victim can be cooled more quickly. The invention also provides a method to insulate the patient in general from the cold, such as in emergency care outdoors in the wintertime.
The invention provides a method for treatment of abdominal eviscerations. The device can be used pad side down with sterile water, or the device can be used film side down without sterile water. The method retains the warmth and moisture of the patient's intestines, which can otherwise take as little as 20 minutes to dry out, causing serious medical complications and requirements of surgery.
The invention provides a method of stabilizing impaled objects particularly for ambulance transport. The device can be wrapped around, for example, a knife stuck into a chest.
The invention provides a method to stop massive or gross external bleeding. The device can be applied to a wound with external pressure provided by a series of caregivers or by the patient.
The invention provides a method for the following: a) to reduce rehabilitation time by providing padding for backboards and splints, b) to dispose of bio-hazardous materials where used as a blood born pathogen bag, c) to hold body parts and protect from frostbite when kept on ice to increase possibility of reattachment, d) to collect personal items, e) to contain vomit and for possible laboratory testing, f) to provide an occlusive neck bandage, g) to pad open bone fractures, h) to provide a container for placenta and for examination by physician, i) to clean up medical trauma sites, j) to apply medications, deodorants, disinfectants, soaps, etc. k) to stabilize body parts by providing padding for the body, l) to seal a wound and keep blood from spreading, and m) other similar uses.
The invention provides a sterile or non-sterile method of the character previously described that permits the application of a pharmaceutical agent directly to a selected site so as to assist in cleaning the site, covering the site with a wound dressing and, at the same time, treating a medical condition. The method must be sterile if used in contact with human skin.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a generally perspective view of one form of the combined treatment, clean-up, transport and disposal device suitable for use in the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged, side-elevational, cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1. The phantom lines in FIG. 2 illustrate movement of the barrier member of the device into an inside out position.
FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged, fragmentary, cross-sectional view of the area designated by the numeral 3 in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 3 but showing an alternate form of engaging portion of the device and illustrating absorption of liquid and semi-solid contaminates and certain of the absorbing layers of the contaminate engaging portion.
FIG. 5 is a generally perspective view of the device in FIG. 1 after it has been moved to an inside out configuration and the access opening thereof has been sealably closed.
FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along lines 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a generally perspective view of the opened, sealed container which contains the clean-up device.
FIG. 8 is a generally perspective view of another form of combined treatment, clean-up transport and disposal device suitable for use in the invention.
FIG. 9 is a generally perspective view of still another form of the combined treatment, clean-up, transport and disposal device suitable for use in the present invention.
FIG. 10 is a generally illustrative view of the device of FIG. 9 showing both the care-giver's hand and the patient's hand received within the interior chamber of the device.
FIG. 11 is a view taken along lines 11--11 of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a generally illustrative view of one step in one of the methods of the invention for turning one of the devices inside out.
FIG. 13 is a view similar to FIG. 12 but illustrating further progress in turning one of the devices inside out
FIG. 14 is an illustrative view similar to FIG. 13 but illustrating further progression of the step of turning one of the devices inside out.
FIG. 15 is a generally illustrative view showing the first step in a method of the invention for encapsulating the first device which has been turned inside out into the second device as it is in turn turned inside out.
FIG. 16 is an illustrative top view of the step shown in FIG. 15.
FIG. 17 is-an illustrative view of the further progression of the step shown in FIG. 16.
FIG. 18 is an illustrative view of yet a further progression of the step shown in FIG. 17.
FIG. 19 is a generally illustrative view of the next step of one form of the method of the invention showing the second device being turned inside out to encapsulate therewithin the first device.
FIG. 20 is an illustrative view of the further progression of the step shown in FIG. 19.
FIG. 21 is an illustrative view of the further progression of the step shown in FIG. 20.
FIG. 22 is a generally illustrative view of the step of one form of the method of the invention wherein the second device is sealably closed.
FIG. 23 is a generally diagrammatic view illustrating the final step of a method of the invention wherein the assemblage of FIG. 22 is disposed within a waste disposal container.
FIG. 24 is a generally plan view of yet another device that may be used in carrying out a method of the invention.
FIG. 25 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken along lines 25--25 of FIG. 24.
FIG. 26 is a generally illustrative view of the step of turning the device of FIG. 24 inside out.
FIG. 27 is a generally illustrative view of another form of the method of the invention for encapsulating the assemblage of FIG. 26 into a second container.
FIG. 27A is an illustrative view of the further progression of the step illustrated in FIG. 27.
FIG. 28 is a generally illustrative view of yet a further progression of the step of the method of the invention shown in FIG. 27A.
FIG. 29 is a generally perspective view of yet another form of the combined treatment, clean-up, transport and disposal device suitable for use in the present invention.
FIG. 30 is a generally perspective view of still another form of device which may be used in the method of the invention to selectively apply heat and cold to a patient.
FIG. 31 is a cross-sectional view taken along lines 31--31 of FIG. 30.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method of treating a wounded patient by a caregiver using a barrier member having a patient-engaging surface and an interior chamber having an access opening. The method may include the steps of:
(a) inserting one or both hands of the caregiver into the interior chamber, or inserting one hand into each of two interior chamber of barrier members;
(b) placing the patient engaging surface in engagement with the patient's wound;
(c) removing the one hand of the caregiver while maintaining the patient engaging surface in engagement with the patient's wound; and
(d) moving the barrier member into an inside out position to enclose the patient engaging surface therewithin.
The method may include the further steps of removing the caregiver's hand from the interior chamber and inserting therein the patient's or another caregiver's hand thereby permitting the patient or other caregiver to take over for the caregiver as the latter moves on to treat other patients. The patient's or other caregiver's hand may be removed and the caregiver's hand reinserted prior to removing barrier member from the wound and then moving the barrier member into the inside-out position.
The method of the present invention may be carried out using any of various devices such as those illustrated in the drawings, FIGS. 1 through 31. While the present invention is a method for treating a patient's wound or preparing patient for transport (stabilizing fractures, etc.), various devices will be described in detail so that the method may be better understood.
Referring to the drawings particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4, one form of the combined treatment, clean-up, transport and disposal device 12 suitable for use in the method of the present invention. The device 12 may have a barrier member 14 constructed from a thin film of microporous material that prohibits the passage therethrough of contaminants including blood-born pathogens, micro-organisms, bacteria, viruses, spores and other hazardous contaminants. The barrier member, which may be in the shape of a pouch, a glove, a gauntlet or a mitten, includes a front surface 14a and a back or bottom surface 14b which cooperate to define a hand-receiving chamber 14c. In one preferred form of the device, the barrier member 14 comprises a pouch-like enclosure which is free of pinholes and constructed of a thin film of a suitable microporous material that has pores smaller in size than 90 nanometers. The film may be devoid of pores. The film may be of any suitable polymer that will provide the necessary barrier. The thermoplastic rubber medical polymers marketed by Shell Chemical Company under the name KRATON THERMOPLASTIC RUBBER thermoplastic rubber medical polymer are suitable. These may include unsaturated mid block styrene-butadiene-styrene copolymers as well as styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene copolymers. The polymers identified as KRATON G polymer are preferred. If a seam is present the seam should be of a similar barrier nature.
Affixed to the front surface, or face 14a of the barrier member, provide mechanism for engagement with sources of contamination including burn areas, wound areas and contaminated surfaces of various kinds. The engaging mechanism, FIGS 1 and 3, here comprises a plurality of discrete layers of material superimposed over one another. The various layers of the assemblage which comprises the engaging mechanism are collectively identified in FIGS. 1 and 3 by the numeral 16. The individual layers may exhibit various special characteristics depending upon the use that is to be made of the device. For example, some layers may comprise an absorbent material that may be a gel, a hydrogel, a hydrophobic web or a natural or synthetic fibrous material. By way of illustration, the first layer 17, which is here shown as adhesively bonded to surface 14a of the barrier member by an adhesive 18, may comprise a puncture-resistant, protective padding material, such as an elastomer, which is adapted to protect the user's hands from puncture by sharp articles such as bits of glass and the like. The next layer 18, which may be adhesively bonded to layer 17, is shown in FIG. 3 as comprising an absorbent powder packet constructed from an absorbent material such as a fabric pad or sponge. Layer 18 may contain a wide variety of powdered substances including various medicaments, beneficial agents, disinfectants, drugs and pharmaceuticals of various types. Interconnected with layer 18 is a layer 20 which is here shown as comprising a porous, cellular mass which may, for example, be an elastomer, a sponge, or a polymeric foam. Attached to member 20 is a backing member 22 to which a wound dressing such as hydrogel wound dressing 24 may be affixed in any appropriate manner.
As will be apparent from the discussion which follows, assemblage 16 may be made of a wide variety of different types of material so that the device may be used to effectively treat burns, to treat various types of wounds, to serve as an applicator of topical medications, to clean up numerous types of contaminated materials and to retrieve and safely dispose of various kinds of contaminated articles.
Similarly, assemblage 16 may be constructed and arranged to safely deal with a number of different types of contaminants in differing media, including liquids, solids, semi-solids, pastes, micro-organisms, bacteria, viruses, tissue samples and the like.
Like the engagement mechanism, the protective pouch or barrier member 12 may also be constructed in a number of different ways using a number of different types of materials. For example, the barrier may comprise a single layer of film or a combination of one or more layers of film individually layered or bonded together by heat, adhesive, chemical reaction, or numerous other attachment methods.
The film itself may be of various thicknesses and may be of metallic origin, polymeric origin, or it may be nylon, latex, rubber, polyethylene, urethane, natural or synthetic composites or any combination of these materials including materials such as Shell Oil's Kraton and any grades and derivatives thereof. This may include blends and may be of one or more layers. In summary, the materials used to construct the barrier member may be any material or combination of materials that has the property to substantially limit permeability of liquids, viruses, spores, bacteria, or micro-organisms, so long as it is acceptable for human use and preferably is lint-free and flexible under extreme temperature variations.
An example of one type of film material suitable for use in constructing the barrier member, is a material made by E. I. duPont de Nemours and Company, and sold under the name and style HYTREL polymer. Another suitable material is a material manufactured and sold by Exxon under the name and style of TPE polymer. Other basic materials acceptable for use in construction of the barrier member for certain applications include neoprene, polyethylene, polystyrenes, polysophones, polyisopene, polyvinyl, polyamide and numerous polymers including biodegradable polymers such as MYLAR polymer, latex, nylon, butyl, silicone and acetate. Materials of the character identified should preferably be of a character to provide resistance to penetration and tearing, flexibility in extreme temperature regimes, and, as previously discussed, be micro-organism impermeable. The material should malleable and stretch at cold temperatures. The device could be constructed of multiple layers of material instead of a single layer. Multiple layers could be used to avoid pin holes. Two or more layers or materials could be combined to produce different features. The layers can be sealed by electrosonic stitching mechanism without pinholes. The seal should be able withstand an extreme temperature range without pinholes. Additionally, for certain applications, it is preferable that the material be transparent or translucent and be substantially resistant to ultraviolet radiation.
It is also understood that the films used to construct the barrier member may be films or components that are coated, or impregnated with one or more chemical or pharmaceutical agents or substances capable of neutralizing or adjusting the acid or pH levels, disinfecting, deodorizing and delivering a pharmaceutical agent to the patient.
With these materials in mind and referring once again to FIG. 3, the protective absorbent pad 17 may comprise a single layer or a plurality of layers of various types of natural or synthetic materials including materials such as polyester, hydrogel, cotton, rayon, wool, nylon, silicone and like materials. Layer 17 may be bonded at either face or both faces of the barrier member 14 in any suitable manner including heat bonding, chemical bonding, adhesive bonding, electrical charge and the like.
As previously mentioned, member 18 may also be constructed from a wide variety of materials including elastomers, cellular foam and like cellular structures and may be affixed to assemblage 17 in any suitable manner.
The hydrogel wound dressing 24 may also exhibit a wide variety of special characteristics best suited for the treatment which is to be provided to the patient using the device of the invention.
Another embodiment of a device suitable for use in the method of the invention is shown in cross section in FIG. 4. In this form of the device, the barrier member is of similar construction to that shown in FIG. 3. Affixed to face 14a of the barrier member is an assemblage 34 which may include a plurality of layers of material of a slightly different character. More particularly, the layer designated in FIG. 14 by the numeral 26 has a protective layer which is adapted to provide protection against punctures and also is adapted to act as a cushioning material to effectively cushion the contact of the device with the patient during the treatment of a burn area, an open wound or a severe abrasion.
The device may have a laminate construction made up of a layer of sponge, a layer of gauze and a layer of absorbent material. The laminate construction may be applied to a wound. The device may include a layer of non-adherent ventilated porous wound dressing.
Affixed to layer 26 is a material layer 28 which is highly absorbent to enable it to readily absorb liquids and semi-solids in the manner illustrated by the arrows in FIG. 4. Layer 30, which is suitably affixed to layer 28 is also constructed of an absorbent material such as a sponge or foam. The outer layer of material 32 which is affixed to layer 30 is specifically adapted to engage and capture debris including solid contaminants and various other types of particulate matter of the character identified in FIG. 4 by the numeral 35.
These particulate contaminants may comprise both common materials such as sand, dirt and grit and more exotic materials such as unwanted and dangerous chemical and radioactive substances. The plurality of layers 26, 28, 30 and 32 which make up the assemblage 34 shown in FIG. 4 may contain medicaments, pharmaceuticals, disinfectants and the like in either powder or liquid form.
In practice, the device may be provided with a wide variety of identification indicia such as color coding, bar coding and like coding to identify the intended uses of the particular device and to designate the types of medicaments and pharmaceuticals contained within the engaging mechanism. Other medical coding of the devices may be accomplished through the use of various schemes well known in the art such as striping and other marking indicia which are preferably correlatable with use instructions and content labels provided on packaging containers used to package the device of the invention.
An exemplary packaging container 40 is shown in FIG. 7. This container is adapted to maintain the pre-sterilized device of the invention in a sealed, sterile environment until time of use. In the form shown in FIG. 7, the container or packaging device is provided with a flap portion 42 which may be peeled back at time of use along perforated lines 44 to expose the device of the invention which is generally designated in FIG. 7 by the numeral 43. Container 40 is preferable fabricated from a paper or plastic film material which may be positively sealed to maintain the sterile integrity of the device used in the present invention until time of use. It is to be understood that a number of different kinds of containers may be used to package the device and maintain it in a sterile environment including boxes, tubes, vials, foils and like construction.
Turning now to FIG. 2, the phantom lines shown in the drawing and the arrows associated therewith indicate the method of moving the barrier 14 into an inside out configuration so as to enclose within an interior chamber thus formed, the contaminates which have been captured by the engaging mechanism. As is apparent by a study of FIG. 2, as the barrier member 14 is moved in the position in the direction of the arrows 46, it will be turned inside out into a configuration illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein the contaminated engaging mechanism 34 is securely disposed within interior chamber 44 of the inside out construction in the manner shown.
After the device has been turned inside out in the manner described, the open mouth thereof is sealably closed using the closure mechanism such as an adhesive strip or a tie strip 50 which is removably carried within chamber 14c (FIGS. 5 and 6). When the device has been securely sealed, the entire unit may be safely disposed within a disposal container with the contaminates affixed to or absorbed by assemblage 34 being safely contained within the interior of the inside out barrier member.
Referring now to FIGS. 8, 9, 10 and 11, another form of the combined treatment clean-up, transport and disposal device of the present invention is there illustrated. In this form of the invention, two barrier members are provided. One barrier member designated by the number 50 in FIG. 9 is generally similar to the barrier member illustrated in FIG. 1 and described in the preceding paragraphs. The cooperating barrier member illustrated in FIG. 8 and designated by the numeral 52 is of a similar construction to that just described, save that in this instance, the device does not include engaging mechanism of the character previously discussed. More particularly, the device illustrated in FIG. 8 comprises a barrier member constructed from a thin film of microporous material that prohibits the passage therethrough of contaminants including infectious disease, micro-organisms and the like. The barrier member has a frontal surface 52a and a rear surface 52b. Disposed between surfaces 52a and 52b is an interior chamber adapted to receive the left hand of the care giver.
Turning particularly to FIG. 9, the barrier member of the device there shown is also preferably constructed from a thin film of microporous material that prohibits the passage therethrough of contaminants including infectious disease, micro-organisms, viruses, bacteria and the like. Barrier member 50 is provided with a frontal surface 50a to which an engaging mechanism shown here as an assemblage 54 is there affixed and a back face 50b. The front and back walls of the barrier member define an internal chamber adapted to receive the right hand of the care giver. The engaging mechanism, or assemblage 54 is similar to that previously described herein, but in this instance the outer layer comprises a wound dressing or veil generally designated by the numeral 54a. Such dressings are readily commercially available and are well known by those skilled in the art and may be removably affixed to the device in any suitable manner.
As best seen in FIGS. 10 and 11, a unique feature of the device of this latest form of the device used in the present invention resides in the fact that the interior chamber of the device is sufficiently large to accommodate a second hand, as is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, whether it be the second hand of the caregiver, the hand of the patient, or the hand of a third party bystander.
This important feature of the invention permits the caregiver to initially engage a selected area of the patient such as a wound or burn area, then have the patient insert his hand into the barrier member to maintain the engaging mechanism of the device in pressural engagement with the wound. This permits the caregiver to withdraw his hand from the device freeing it for other purposes.
When necessary, the caregiver may later reinsert his hand into the device and the patient or third party bystander may remove his or her hand therefrom. This highly important aspect of the invention permits the device to always remain with the patient rather than with the caregiver, thereby effectively preventing spread of contamination.
The provision of two units in the device of this latest form of the invention permits the accomplishment of one form of the novel methods of the invention. This method, which is illustrated in FIGS. 12 through 23 of the drawings, will now be described.
Referring to FIGS. 12 through 23, the first step in the practice of the methods of this form of the invention is for the care giver to insert his or her right hand "R" (or left hand) into the unit 50 and to insert his or her left hand into the unit 52. Using the device in the right hand, the care giver may provide treatment to the patient, perform clean up of a contaminated surface, or retrieve a contaminated article using the engaging mechanism or assemblage 54 as the area of contact.
When the contaminants, be they liquid, solid, particulate, blood, tissue, or body fluids such as are generally designated in FIG. 12 by the numeral 56, are annexed to or absorbed by the assemblage 54, the left hand of the care giver is used to grasp unit 50 proximate the cuff or open end portion 50c thereof in the manner shown in FIG. 12. The left hand is then moved to the left as indicated by the arrow 57 in FIG. 13 moving barrier member 50 toward an inside out position in the manner illustrated in FIG. 13.
As the member 50 approaches the inside out configuration, the caregiver closes his hand and grips the inner walls of the device in the manner shown in FIGS. 13 and 14. At the same time, the care giver moves his right hand in the opposite direction, i.e., to the right as indicated by the arrow 59 in FIG. 14. Continued movement by the right hand will move barrier member 50 into the inside out position shown in FIG. 15. In this position, assemblage 54 along with the contaminants 56 carried thereby are enclosed within the interior of the device generally designated in FIG. 15 by the letter "I".
This done, the caregiver next moves the left hand toward the right hand which is still gripping the closed end portion of barrier member 50 and crumples the barrier member into a compacted mass identified in FIG. 18 by the letter "M". As member 50 is compressed within the closing palm of the left hand of the user's hand, of course, remains safely encapsulated within barrier member 52.
With the first barrier member 50 crumpled into the mass "M" and securely gripped within the palm of the left hand, the user uses his right hand to grip the grip barrier member 52 proximate its cuff or open end portion 52c in the manner shown in FIG. 19. As illustrated in FIG. 20, the caregiver then moves his right hand to the left in the direction of arrow 61 pulling barrier member 52 along with it so that the barrier member 52 is turned inside out in a manner to safely encapsulate the crumpled mass "M" therefrom in the manner illustrated in FIG. 21. As shown in FIG. 21, the crumpled mass "M" which comprises barrier member 50 along with assemblage 54 and the contaminates 56 carried thereby is safely encapsulated within the interior chamber of the inside out member 52. The next step in the process is then to seal the mouth or hand receiving opening of barrier member 52 with a tie strip 58 as illustrated in FIG. 22. This done, the crumpled mass is securely sealed within the interior of inside out container 52 so that the assemblage thus formed may be safely disposed of in a waste receptacle 62 in the manner shown in FIG. 23.
It is to be appreciated that at no time during the process described has the hands of the caregiver come in contact with the contaminates carried by the engaging mechanism, nor have the contaminates come in contact with any surface exterior of the handling devices.
Referring now to FIGS. 24 through 28, yet another form of the combined treatment, clean-up, transport and disposal device used in the present invention is illustrated. This form of the invention is similar in many respects to that just described and comprises first and second units 70 and 72 (FIG. 27). Unit 72 is of identical construction to unit 52 as described in the preceding paragraphs. Unit 70 is of similar construction to unit 50 as previously described. However, in this latest embodiment of the invention, disinfectant is provided within the interior of the device, that is within the hand-receiving chamber thereof.
The disinfecting mechanism, FIG. 25, comprises an absorbent pad 74 which is affixed by bonding or other suitable methods to the interior wall 76 of barrier member 78 of this form of the device used in the present invention. As before, barrier member 78 has a frontal face 78a, bottom or rear face 78b, and an interior hand-receiving chamber 78c.
Pad 74 may be constructed from a wide variety of absorbent materials of the character previously described within which a suitable disinfectant may be removably carried in liquid or powder form. Unit 70 is also provided with engaging mechanism shown here as a sponge-like, cellular member 80. Member 80 may be used as an applicator or topical medication of various types which may be carried interstitially of, or coated on, the surfaces of member 80.
While the device of this latest form of the invention may be used for various purposes including wound treatment, contamination clean up and like purposes, it is specifically designed for the retrieval of contaminated objects including human body parts, such as a severed finger, which is identified by the numeral 82 in FIG. 27. In using the apparatus of this latest form of the invention, the user's left hand is first inserted into device 70 and the right hand is inserted into device 72 in the manner shown in FIG. 27. Again, this assumes a right-handed user, the invention would work equally as well with a left-handed user. With this arrangement, the caregiver may use his left hand to apply medication to a wound area of a patient such as the patient's hands form when a finger has been severed. The left hand may then be used to retrieve the severed finger by gripping it within engaging mechanism or pad 80 and securing it within the semi-closed palm of the left hand. Device 70 is then turned inside out in the manner previously described using the right hand of the caregiver which is safely enclosed within the device 72. Once the device 70 has been turned inside out so that the body part 82 is safely contained interiorly thereof, the inside out container 70 may be crumpled and grasped within the palm of the right hand which is inserted into device 72 in the manner previously described. The left hand may then be used to turn device 72 inside out as described in the preceding section so that crumpled device 70 along with body part 82 is received within the interior of inside out device 72 as is depicted in FIG. 27. This done the tie strip 84 which has been affixed to the interior wall of device 72 may be removed and used to seal the open mouth of the barrier member of the device 72 in the manner shown in FIG. 28. This seals crumpled device 70 along with body part 82 within the interior of the inside out device 72. The body part, such as finger 82, is safely maintained within the interior chamber of device 70 which has been provided with the disinfectant mechanism or pad 74. In this way, the body part is maintained in a sealed, sterile environment within which is provided a suitable disinfectant such as the disinfectant carried by pad 76.
It is to be understood that the device, which comprises the two units 70 and 72, may be used to retrieve and safely encapsulate any number of different types of contaminated articles such as surgical instruments, syringes, drug vials, test tubes and the like. Using the device of the invention, the contaminated article may be safely placed within a controlled environment without having been touched by either hand or the user and without coming into contact with any exterior surface.
Turning now to FIG. 29 still another embodiment of the device is there illustrated. In this form, the barrier 90 is constructed in the general shape of a mitten and has frontal surface 92a, an under surface 92b, and an interior chamber 92c. Affixed to frontal surface 92a is an engaging mechanism here shown as a multi-laminate assemblage 94 which is made up of a plurality of layers of material of the general character previously described in connection with the earlier described embodiments of the invention. Accordingly, the device of the invention may be used as a clean-up device or to apply medicaments or a wound dressing to a patient. Being in the form of a mitten having a thumb receiving portion 92d, the device of this latest form of the invention is easily manipulated to accomplish certain functions including clean-up functions and for applying medicaments or other substances to a patient or to an exterior surface. Once again, barrier member 90 is preferably of a seamless construction wherein the barrier member is formed from an uninterrupted film of micro-porous material. Alternatively, the barrier member may be constructed in a manner such that the marginal portions thereof are sealably bonded together by heat sealing, abrasive or any other appropriate joining mechanism.
Being of a configuration well suited for the application of various materials to an external surface, the outer layer of assemblage 94 is preferably constructed of an absorbent material adapted to efficiently absorb liquids or semi-solids such as cleaning liquids, pastes, polishes and the like. Materials suitable for forming the exterior layer of assemblage 94 include various types of fibrous composites, polymers, polymeric foams and numerous sponge-like materials.
Turning now to FIGS. 30 and 31, yet another embodiment of the device is there illustrated. The barrier member 96 is provided in the form of a thin film, seamless construction having a frontal surface 96a, an under surface 96b, and an interior chamber 96c. The apparatus of this latest form of the device is particularly suited for selectively applying heat or cold to a selected area of a patient's body. Accordingly, provided within chamber 96c is mechanism for removably containing heating and cooling devices for selectively heating or cooling the engaging mechanism of the invention. The engaging mechanism is here shown as assemblage 97 which is affixed to the frontal surface 96a of the barrier member. The engaging mechanism, or laminate assemblage 97, is of the character previously described and is made up of a plurality of layers of material suited for the various purposes previously described herein. Also provided interiorly of chamber 96c is insulating mechanism shown here as an insulating pad 98, the purpose of which will presently be described.
As best seen by referring to FIG. 31, the device for constraining the heating and cooling mechanism comprises a pair of chambers 99 formed interiorly of chamber 96c and extending longitudinally of the barrier member. Chambers 99 are adapted to closely receive the cooling and heating mechanism which are here shown as elongated cylindrically shaped containers 100. As indicated in the drawings, chamber 99 are each formed on one side thereof by a longitudinally extending strip of insulating material 102 connected to the interior wall of the barrier member and are formed on the opposite side by portions 98a of insulating pad 98.
Heating and cooling members 100 include cylindrically shaped reservoirs within which suitable liquids may be contained, which liquids may either be controllably cooled or heated to a desired temperature prior to being inserted into chambers 99 of the device. Such heating and cooling members are well known to those skilled in the art and, in and of themselves, form no part of the present invention. Suffice to say that the heating and cooling mechanism may be liquid fillable chambers or like devices which may be inserted into chambers 99 and may function to quickly and efficiently heat and cool the engaging mechanism or assemblage 97 of the device.
In using the apparatus of this latest form of the invention, the heating and cooling cylinders 100 are either heated or cooled to the desired temperature as may be required for the treatment to be rendered and are inserted into chambers 99 which are located within interior chamber 96c of the barrier member. The user's hand is then inserted into the barrier member intermediate cylinders 100. Insulating material 98 functions to appropriately insulate the user's hand and protect it from the heat and cold generated by members 100. With the user's hand placed interiorly of chamber 90c, the engaging mechanism or pad assemblage 97 may be pressed against a selected surface of the patient's body to provide heating or cooling and also to simultaneously apply topical medications or other types of medicaments or pharmaceutical to the treatment areas as may be required.
Having now described the invention in detail in accordance with the requirements of the patent statutes, those skilled in this art will have no difficulty in making changes and modifications in the individual parts or their relative assembly in order to meeting specific requirements or conditions. Such changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, as set forth in the following claims.
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A personal protection apparatus, including uniquely constructed barrier members that may be placed over the hands of the user and then be used for providing medical treatment including application of pressure or for accomplishing the cleanup, and for the cleanup, containment and disposal of infectious and hazardous materials, said personal protection apparatus of the invention being useful in effectively treating trauma victims while at the same time protecting the caregiver from infectious disease, bacteria, micro-organism, viruses, spores and other hazardous contaminants, said apparatus of the invention also being effectively used to safely apply various medicaments, pharmaceutical and other agents to burns, wounds and abrasions and to provide localized cooling to selected areas of a patient's body, said apparatus of the present invention being adapted to remain with the patient thereby substantially limiting the spread of contamination.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims foreign priority benefits under 35 U.S.C. §§119(a)-(d) or (f) of United Kingdom patent Application No. 0220861.9 filed on Sep. 7, 2002 under the title PRESENTATION OF INFORMATION, which application is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of data management, in particular to methods and systems for user interaction with a data management system to filter and manage data.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Elements of data within many systems have associated attributes and such systems may provide an interface via which a user may interact to select a data element. The system may further provide an interface via which a user may view and/or change the attributes of a particular element.
Data elements may be presented in a list format, such as in a window or a box on a computer screen which may be scrolled up and down to allow a user to view and select elements. However, for a long list of elements, the task of viewing and selecting elements becomes difficult and time-consuming.
The system may use attributes of the data elements to filter the list of elements to reduce the size of the list. For example, option buttons, search boxes, organisation into a hierarchy or a spreadsheet format may be used to reduce the size of the lists. However, each of these methods has significant disadvantages: option buttons are limited to the attributes that are predefined by the software, search boxes normally only accept words that exist in the text of the items, hierarchical methods do not work very well when it is desired to filter using attributes in combination with one another and spreadsheets can only filter lists according to the value of data fields within each item, new attributes independent of the data in the list cannot be created and allocated to items in the list for use in filtering.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Aspects of the invention are outlined in the independent claims and preferred features of the aspects are outlined in the dependent claims.
According to one aspect, there is provided a method of displaying information correlating a list of items and a list of their attributes comprising:
displaying the list of items as a column of rows, each row displaying the name of an item in the list of items; displaying to the side of the column a set of vertical strips extending the length of the column, each strip being associated with a different attribute of the list of attributes; and displaying markers in the strips at selected positions where the strips cross rows, said positions being selected in accordance with whether the item named in the crossed row has (or alternatively has not) the attribute associated with that strip; wherein the strips extend beyond the column of rows of items and have horizontal extensions themselves forming a column of rows, each row displaying the name of an attribute in the list of attributes.
Preferably, the method further comprises storing the name of each item in the list of items and information identifying the attributes of each item;
wherein the horizontal extensions of each attribute strip further displays a filter option indicator; and wherein the method further comprises receiving user input to select at least one filter option, storing the selected filter options and displaying the or each corresponding filter option indicator; filtering the list of items according to the or each filter option selected by the user; redisplaying the filtered list of items in the column of rows and the associated markers in the selected positions of the strips.
According to one aspect, there is provided a method of managing data elements in a computer system, each data element having at least one associated attribute, the method comprising:
storing identifiers of each data element and information identifying the attributes of each data element; displaying identifiers associated with each of the data elements in a list as a column of rows, displaying a set of attribute strips extending along at least one side of the column of rows, each attribute strip being associated with a possible attribute for the data element, wherein each attribute strip has a first section containing an identifier of a possible attribute of a data element, a second section comprising a filter option indicator and wherein each attribute strip further comprises attribute marker sections for each data element; displaying a marker in the attribute marker section of each attribute strip if the data element possesses the attribute associated with that attribute strip based on the stored data; receiving user input to select at least one filter option; storing the selected filter options and displaying the or each corresponding filter option indicator; filtering the data elements according to the or each filter option selected by the user; redisplaying the filtered data elements in the column of rows and the associated markers in the attribute marker section of each attribute strip.
Hence the data elements may be associated visibly with attributes by the markers displayed in the attribute marker sections and the user may filter the data elements according to the attributes by using the filter option indicators provided. The results of the filtering may then be displayed to the user and further filtering may be performed by the user if necessary. Hence the method may allow interactive data management and filtering of a list of data elements according to the element's attributes. As described in more detail below, the data elements may comprise, for example, font types, text articles such as encyclopaedia articles, websites, information stored on a distributed system or data files stored, for example, on a hard drive of a computer. Thus, rather than using multiple display and selection steps, a set of data elements can be displayed and selected efficiently, reducing the requirement for processing steps and display area/pages to achieve a desired data element selection. This may enable selection of data more efficiently on a simpler processing platform than with prior art processing arrangements.
An attribute may be defined for the purposes of this invention as any property of the data elements, but preferably the attributes are binary attributes, i.e., they can be either possessed (‘on’) or not possessed (‘off’) by a data element. Attributes are preferably not limited to the data in the items being listed. Use of attribute strips may allow the attributes to be listed in an easy-to-read manner separately from the list of items. Attributes may be predefined by the computer program and, in a preferred embodiment, attributes may also be defined by the user.
Preferably, the method further comprises receiving user input to create a new attribute and assign the new attribute to selected data elements. For example, as described in more detail below, a user may select an attribute strip and may be provided with a text input box, which may allow the input of the name of the new attribute. The user may then select the data elements to which he wishes to assign the new attribute, for example by clicking in the attribute marker section formed at the intersection between the attribute strip for the new attribute and the data element row.
Preferably, data elements can be filtered on the presence or on the absence of a selected attribute. Hence a user may filter the elements by positive or negative selection of attributes. However, in the case of non-binary attributes, data may be filtered based on a value or criteria, preferably by binary comparison to a threshold, for example by determining whether a value is greater than or less than the threshold.
Preferably, the data elements may be filtered using a combination of positively or negatively selected attributes. For example filtering of a list of font types may allow a user to view all fonts that are Roman (serifs) fonts of medium width that are not in heavy type.
Preferably, the method further comprises storing information indicating whether each data element possesses each attribute.
Preferably, the attribute marker sections of the attribute strips are provided at the intersection between each attribute strip and each row in the column of rows. Hence the attribute marker sections may be used to determine whether each data element possesses each attribute.
Preferably, the method further comprises allowing a user to select or deselect an attribute for a data element. Hence some selectable attributes may be added to or removed from data elements by a user.
Preferably, the attributes can be selected or deselected by setting the marker on or off in the attribute marker section at the intersection of the data element row and the attribute column. This may allow a user to set an attribute on and off for each data element with one mouse click. Alternatively or additionally, other input means, such as a keyboard, may be used to allow a user to set attributes for the data elements. Hence at least some attributes of at least some data elements may be changed by the user at the filtering interface.
Preferably, some attributes are read-only attributes and are not selectable, i.e., they cannot be added to or removed from a data element by the user. The attributes that are selectable may be identifiable on the user interface, for example they may be highlighted, for example by displaying the attribute identifier in a bold typeface or by adding a border to the attribute strip. In the embodiment of a font management system, attributes that are selectable may include attributes such as the font type, for example “Swiss” or “Roman”, since many font files do not have these attributes set even though the fonts clearly belong to one group of font types. Attributes that are read-only may include attributes such as “bold”, “italic” or “fixed pitch”.
Preferably, the method further comprises storing a first table separately from the data elements, wherein the table comprises an identifier of each attribute and a filtering flag indicating whether the attribute has been selected for filtering.
The first table, or attribute table, may be implemented as a single table listing all attributes or may be implemented as a plurality of tables. For example, separate attribute tables may be provided for attributes displayed to the left and to the right of the screen. In addition or alternatively, separate attribute tables may be provided for each page of attributes, i.e., for each set of attributes that is displayed together on a single screen to the user.
The first table may further store a pointer to the attribute strip in which each attribute identifier is displayed. This may be particularly advantageous if all of the attributes are listed within a single table. The pointer may indicate whether the attribute is to be displayed on the left or on the right side of the screen, the order in which the attributes are displayed and on which page of attributes the attribute is displayed.
Preferably, the flag further indicates whether the attribute has been selected for filtering on the presence or on the absence of the attribute.
Preferably, the method further comprises providing a second table for storing information associated with the data elements wherein the table comprises a pointer to each data element and an attribute flag for each attribute in the first table showing whether the attribute is on or off. The second table is preferably implemented as a single table, but may alternatively be implemented as a plurality of tables.
Preferably, the method further comprises initialising the first table with attribute identifiers. Hence data may be stored in the table to allow the attribute strips to be displayed with the attribute identifiers. Pointers to attribute strips may further be stored.
Preferably, the method further comprises generating entries in the second table for each data element. As described in more detail below, each data element may have an associated identifier indicating whether it should be listed in the user display based on the filtering options selected by a user. This identifier may be updated in the second table as the filtering options are changed and may allow the display screen to be redrawn quickly without requiring the program to calculate which data elements should be displayed each time.
Preferably, the method further comprises updating the filtering flags in the first table according to input from the user. For example, the filtering details in the first table may be updated when a user selects or deselects an attribute for filtering.
According to a preferred embodiment, the method further comprises updating the attribute flags in the second table according to input from the user. Hence a user may add or remove attributes from a data element. For example, the attribute “Roman font-type” may be set for a font data element and this attribute may be added to the font data element information in the second table.
In a preferred embodiment, the identifiers of each data element comprise the names of the data elements. This may allow the data elements to be filtered using the text field of the data element identifier. For example, for a font management embodiment, the identifiers may comprise the names of the fonts and a user may search for fonts with an identifier including “Arial” by entering the text into a search box, which is preferably further provided. Storing the name of the data element as the data element identifier in an item table, described in more detail below, may allow text searching to be performed without the data element names being retrieved from each data element file on the disk. As the user enters each letter of the search term, for example into a search box provided in an attribute strip, a marker may be set against each data element that meets the criteria. If the user then selects the filter option indicator, the flags can be set against the filtered elements and the list of data elements can be quickly redrawn.
In an alternative embodiment, the identifiers of each data element further comprise an indication of the data content of each data element. For example, for a font management embodiment, the identifiers may comprise a section of text rendered in the corresponding font and displaying at least some of the attributes associated with that font (for example, the font may be displayed as bold or in narrow format).
According to one embodiment, the attribute strips may be arranged vertically down at least one side of the column of rows. This arrangement of the data elements and the attribute strips may advantageously provide a compact and easy-to-read interface for the system. In particular, this layout may allow the presence or absence of particular attributes to be displayed by attribute markers in the attribute strips for each data element.
According to a highly preferable embodiment, the attribute strips have horizontal extensions, a plurality of the horizontal extensions forming a second column of rows, wherein the horizontal extension of each attribute strip includes the first section containing the attribute identifier and the second section containing the filter option indicator.
This may allow the attributes to be listed in a compact and easy-to-read manner one above the other separately from the list of items. However, alternative layouts of the screen display may be used. For example, the attribute names and option indicators may be displayed at the top of the vertical attribute strips and the horizontal sections of the strips may be omitted or the list of data elements may be presented as a row of columns rather than as a column of rows and the attribute markers may be presented in further rows above or below the data elements.
According to a preferable embodiment, each attribute strip may be mutually visibly distinct. Each attribute strip may be patterned or shaded in a different way to distinguish it from the other attribute strips however, in a preferable embodiment, a plurality of attribute strips may be displayed in a rainbow of colours. The rainbow of colours may comprise, for example red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo and violet and these colours may advantageously clearly distinguish the attribute bars. In particular, each colour may allow a user to visually connect the attribute name and option indicator in the horizontal section of the attribute strip with the attribute markers.
According to one embodiment, a first set of attribute strips may extend along one side of the column of rows and a second set of attribute strips may extend along the other side of the column of rows. Hence two sets of attribute strips may be provided. One set of attribute strips, for example, the attribute strips on the left hand side, may be used for system-defined attributes and the other set of attribute strips, for example that on the right, may be used for user-defined attributes. The attributes may be arranged in different configurations, for example any user-defined attributes may simply be displayed on a different page to the system-defined attributes as described in more detail below. In an alternative embodiment, the attribute bars may be provided only on one side. This may be useful, for example if the user is viewing the system on a small screen such as the screen of a PDA. In the present embodiment, system-defined attributes are displayed in the left-hand attribute bars and user-defined attributes are displayed in the right-hand attribute bars, but the attributes may be arranged in different configurations.
Preferably, the attribute strips have horizontal extensions, a plurality of the horizontal extensions forming a further column of rows above the column of rows containing the identifiers associated with the data elements.
Preferably, the first set of attribute strips may be associated with predefined attributes, for example with system-defined attributes.
Preferably, the second set of attribute strips may be associated with user-defined attributes. Hence, a user may define attributes and then use these attributes to filter the data elements.
Preferably, the method further comprises providing a plurality of sets of attribute strips associated with a plurality of sets of attributes and providing selection means for a user to select one or more sets of attribute strips to be displayed. Hence the attributes may be displayed in one or more pages of attribute strips.
Preferably, at least three attribute strips are provided for each page of attributes. Further preferably, at least five attribute strips are provided for each page of attributes. A system could be implemented with two or fewer attributes, but other systems may also be used if there are only one or two attributes.
Preferably, fewer than about ten attribute strips are provided for each page of attributes. If more than about ten attributes are provided for each page of attributes, the user interface for viewing, managing and filtering the data may become cumbersome.
Preferably, 8 or fewer attribute strips are provided for each page of attributes. Displaying 8 or fewer attribute strips may allow the system to be coded efficiently, since up to 8 bits of information relating to binary attributes may be stored in a byte of data. If 7 attribute strips are provided, the 8 th bit of data may be used, for example as a parity bit.
In a preferred embodiment, seven attribute strips may be provided for each page of attributes. Preferably, the seven attribute strips are coloured in a rainbow of colours (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). It has been found that seven attribute strips per page is an optimum number of strips to allow a user to filter the data by selected attributes whilst still providing a clear interface for a user to link easily the attribute markers relating to each data element with the attribute names and option indicators.
A further attribute strip may be provided, for example in grey, and may be used to indicate whether a particular data element is available or is installed. The further attribute strip may be arranged to remain visible irrespective of which page of attributes has been selected. The attribute strip may further be used to enable a user to install or uninstall a selected data element, for example by a user clicking on the attribute marker section formed by the intersection of the attribute strip and the data element row. Other functionality may also be provided by the further attribute strip, or in a separate attribute strip. For example, a “show/hide” functionality may be provided, which may allow direct filtering of the data elements by the user. A user may select the “show/hide” attribute for a data element positively or negatively to indicate that he wishes either to select an element for further viewing, perhaps in an expanded or more detailed view, or to select elements that he does not want to look at further. This may allow a user to positively or negatively select data elements without having to set up a specific attribute.
Preferably, identifiers of data elements that are not installed are displayed. This may allow a user to view and filter a wide range of data elements without taking up significant system resources by installing every data element. For example, for a font management system, both installed and uninstalled fonts may be displayed in the list of data elements. This may allow a user to organise and filter a large collection of fonts, in one embodiment thousands of fonts, while keeping only a relatively small number of fonts, in one embodiment hundreds of fonts, installed at any one time. This may provide greater efficiency for the operating system and may allow the method and system to work within the limits of the computer operating system. For example, in most systems, there is a physical limit (imposed by the size of the Registry) of about 1000 on the number of font files that can be stored at any one time. Programs within these systems that display fonts generally only display the fonts that are installed whereas the present method and system may also display uninstalled fonts, which may provide the user with a greater choice of fonts.
Preferably, each row in the column of rows displays various information pertaining to the item, wherein the first and second sections of the attribute strips comprise a set of horizontal differently coloured strips set one above the other across the top of the column of rows and the attribute marker sections comprise a matching set of vertical coloured strips down one or both sides of the column of rows, and wherein the horizontal and vertical strips enclose the column of rows, each vertical strip forming a right-angle with its correspondingly coloured horizontal strip, together forming a rectangular approximation to a rainbow;
wherein the identifier of a possible attribute for the data elements comprises the name of an attribute that the data elements may possess and wherein the filter option indicator allows filtering of the list on the presence or absence of the attribute; wherein the attribute marker sections comprise the rectangles formed by the intersection of a vertical coloured strip and a horizontal item row; wherein the method further comprises using this rectangle, where the user is allowed to set the attribute, to accept a mouse click from the user to toggle the attribute on or off for the data element; wherein the method further comprises: allocating a first table separately from the data elements to be listed, each element of the first table to contain an attribute name, a pointer to the coloured strip the name is to appear on, and a flag indicating whether the attribute has been selected for filtering, and if so whether positively or negatively; allocating a second table for storing as many second table elements as there are data elements to be listed, each second table element containing a pointer to the data element, as well as a flag for each attribute in the first table showing whether the attribute is on or off; initialising the first table with attribute names and pointers to coloured strips; generating entries in the second table for each data element to be listed; updating the filtering flags in the first table according to input from the user; updating the attribute flags in the second table according to input from the user; displaying the attributes together with the list of data elements or a subset thereof according to the two tables.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a font management tool comprising:
means for displaying identifiers associated with a plurality of fonts; means for displaying attributes of each of the fonts; means for selecting one or more attributes on which to filter the fonts; means for filtering the fonts according to the selected attributes; means for redisplaying the identifiers associated with the filtered fonts.
Preferably, the font management tool further comprises means for receiving user input to create a new attribute and assign the new attribute to selected fonts.
According to a further aspect, there is provided a file management tool comprising:
means for displaying identifiers associated with a plurality of files; means for displaying attributes of each of the files; means for selecting one or more attributes on which to filter the files; means for filtering the files according to the selected attributes; means for redisplaying the identifiers associated with the filtered files.
Preferably, the file management tool further comprises means for receiving user input to create a new attribute and assign the new attribute to selected files.
Preferred features of the method aspect may be applied to the font management tool and file management tool aspects and corresponding advantages may be provided.
Apparatus and systems for carrying out the methods described herein may further be provided. In particular, a computer program may be provided comprising instructions for carrying out a method described herein and computer program products and computer-readable devices including instructions for carrying out the methods described herein may further be provided.
Modifications of detail will be apparent to one skilled in the art and may be provided. Preferred features of one aspect may be applied to other aspects of the invention and may be provided independently unless otherwise stated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A description of embodiments of the invention now follows with reference the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a screen display and associated tables according to one embodiment;
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a method of generating and operating a system according to one embodiment;
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of building an item table from available items;
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of adding an attribute;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of removing an attribute;
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of setting the attribute option indicator;
FIG. 7 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of setting the items' “list me” flags;
FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of processing the attribute flag;
FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of a method of redrawing the display area;
FIG. 10 shows the top half of one embodiment of a display showing two sets of strips for listing attributes and provision for a column of rows for listing items;
FIG. 11 shows the top left-hand corner of one embodiment of a display;
FIG. 12 shows the top right-hand corner of one embodiment of a display; and
FIG. 13 shows one embodiment of a display similar to that of FIG. 10 but adapted to provide for more than two sets of strips.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
One preferred embodiment of the system and method will now be described. The method comprises three main elements; a screen display, in this embodiment a specific format of screen display is used which may be termed the “rainbow interface”, tables, which may be stored internally in computer memory, and instructions to enable a computer program to allow a user to operate the interface by use of the tables.
While the preferred embodiment of the present invention is disclosed in the context of a font management application, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the principles of the present invention may be applied to any list of items for which attributes can be defined. For example, the data elements may be pages of a website which may have attributes defined, for example by metatags or by the text or content of the page. Hence one embodiment of the present invention may be used as a search engine to filter websites with particular attributes or content. In an alternative embodiment, the data elements may be used to filter text elements, for example encyclopaedia articles, newspaper articles or journal articles, which may have attributes such as the contents and subject matter, the date on which the article was written, the author of the article and the publication in which the article was published. In a further embodiment, the data elements may comprise files on the hard drive of a computer, or stored on a distributed network. Attributes of such files may include the file type, the date of creation or modification of the file or an identifier of the creator of the file. Further applications of the system described herein in relation to the font management application are obvious to one skilled in the art.
Referring now to FIG. 1 , which illustrates one embodiment of a screen display for a font management application, the relationship between the various screen areas of the ‘rainbow interface’ and the underlying internal tables is shown. In one embodiment of the system 100 , a screen display 150 is maintained in conjunction with a left attribute table 125 , a right attribute table 130 , and an item table 135 .
Referring to the screen display 150 , the items to be listed, for example data elements such as fonts, are arranged in the centre of the display in area 180 . The items in the list may be numbered and the total count of items in the list may be displayed. The total count may be refreshed when the user makes a change to any of the option boxes contained in the horizontal attribute strips above the list of items 180 .
In the present embodiment, the names of the attributes 155 are arranged in horizontal rows, or attribute strips, across the top of the display, the system-generated attributes in the left area 105 , and the user-defined attributes in the right area 110 . Markers 165 for each attribute are displayed in vertical rows in areas 115 and 120 . A coloured background strip 106 links each marker with its attribute (forming a right-angle between them). In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, these coloured background strips may be arranged to form a rectangular approximation to a rainbow, which, in this embodiment, is divided into a left half and a right half. In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1 , seven attribute strips 106 are displayed per screen view, although more or fewer strips may be displayed in alternative embodiments as discussed in more detail below. In order to allow more than seven system-generated attributes, and more than seven user-defined attributes, each half of the rainbow may be used to display a plurality of sets of seven attributes, each set being referred to as a ‘page’. Pages of left rainbow may be displayed as required in the present embodiment by use of the command buttons 145 , and the same method with a different set of navigation buttons may be provided for the right rainbow.
In a preferred embodiment, the user may make up his own attributes, each of which may be displayed on a horizontal coloured strip 175 on the right side of the rainbow along with its option indicator. In a preferred embodiment, the user may establish a new attribute by clicking in a horizontal coloured strip 175 which does not already have an attribute associated with it. The user may then define a name and properties for the attribute. Preferably, the user can use the option indicators for the user-defined attributes to search according to these attributes.
In one embodiment, the user may set any attribute on or off for an item by clicking in a vertical coloured strip 170 (on either side of the rainbow) in the rectangle formed by the intersection of the vertical coloured strip and the horizontal row containing the item he wishes to affect. If the attribute is currently ‘on’, signified by a marker being shown in the rectangle, it will be toggled to ‘off’, and vice-versa. Hence in the present embodiment, each rectangle formed by the intersection of a vertical coloured strip and a horizontal item row thus effectively becomes an individual ‘control button’, allowing attributes to be set on or off, for example with a single mouse click.
Referring now to the relationship between the screen display areas and the internal tables, the attribute names 155 from each page of the left rainbow may be stored internally in one element of the Left Attribute table 125 , and those from each page of the right rainbow may be stored in one element of the Right Attribute table 130 . In the present embodiment, each element of these tables contains seven occurrences of attribute information. Each of these occurrences may contain at least a text field, in which is stored an attribute name, and also an option flag which is an internal representation of the attribute's option indicator 160 . The position of the attribute name and option flag within these seven occurrences may be arranged to equate to the position of these items on the rainbow. For example, an attribute in the first occurrence may appear in the first (for example, a red) coloured strip. An empty attribute name field in any of the seven occurrences may be used to indicate that no attribute should be displayed on the respective coloured strip. By the use of such empty fields, attributes may be ‘grouped’ as desired; for example a rainbow page might display the three attributes ‘Narrow’, ‘Medium’, ‘Wide’, followed by an empty row, followed by the three attributes ‘Light’, ‘Medium’, ‘Heavy’.
In the present embodiment, another table, the ‘Item table’ 135 , is used to hold information about, and a pointer to, the items in the list. One element of this table may hold information relating to one item, including all ‘left rainbow’ attribute flags and all ‘right rainbow’ attribute flags. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, each entry in the Item table contains 4 fields of significance to the invention, which are as follows:
A pointer to the item
The path and file name of the font file.
‘Left rainbow’ attribute
As many sets of 7 1-bit attribute flags as there
flags
are allocated pages of left rainbow.
‘Right rainbow’
As many sets of 7 1-bit attribute flags as there
attribute flags
are allocated pages of right rainbow.
A ‘list me’ indicator
A Boolean value to indicate whether the item
should be listed according to the option
indicator settings and the item's attribute
settings.
In addition to the four fields listed above, several extra fields may be stored which may hold copies of various pieces of information relating to each font. These fields may be used to increase the speed of filtering by saving file accesses.
Use of this item table to ‘drive’ the display of the list on screen, as well as storing the attribute flags, may allow for faster filtering and scrolling than would be obtained if the program had to traverse the items themselves, as the item pointers stored in the table allow the program to access the items directly (for example, font files) without having to search for them.
A method of managing and filtering the data elements according to one embodiment will now be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 2 to 9 .
Referring now to FIG. 2 , the drawing shows one embodiment of high-level logic which may be implemented in a program according to the invention. According to a preferable embodiment, an internal table of items may be maintained separately from the items themselves and, if the system is implemented in this way, the program should first check, when it is started up, that this table exists 200 . 01 . For example, when the program is first run after being installed, the table of items will not have been created yet. If it does not exist, control may pass to process 210 by which available items may be scanned and the table created. In a preferred embodiment, this process may also be invoked by the user, for example when new font files are loaded onto the hard drive, in which case the table can be updated to show these new files.
Once the normal program initialisation is done ( 200 . 02 and process 260 ), control may pass to item 200 . 03 to wait for a user command. A user may scroll the list of items in the display up or down by methods that are well known to view the items.
User actions may be tested for in the present embodiment by items 200 . 04 , 200 . 05 , 200 . 06 , 200 . 07 , 200 . 12 , and 200 . 16 , which are outlined separately below.
200 . 04 Control may pass to process 220 if a ‘add new attribute’ command is detected. 200 . 05 Control may pass to process 230 if a ‘remove attribute’ command is detected. 200 . 06 Processes 240 , 250 , and 260 may be invoked if a user clicks in an attribute option indicator 160 . 200 . 07 If the user clicks in a vertical colour bar 170 then a further test 200 . 08 may be performed to see if an attribute has been set up for the colour bar clicked on, no action being taken if it has not, and the attribute being toggled on or off (item 200 . 09 ) if it has. This ‘toggling’ process may necessitate a further check 200 . 10 to see whether the option indicator relating to this attribute is set, or in other words whether the user is filtering the list on this attribute. If not, then the items in the list may remain in place, and the only screen redrawing which needs to be done is to remove or display the attribute marker in the relevant vertical colour bar. This may allow the screen redrawing process (and therefore the response to the user) to be much faster than a complete redraw of the screen. This feature may be particularly advantageous in the case of the present font type embodiment, where rendering of various lines of text in different fonts may be very time-consuming. If however the attribute that has been toggled is being used as a filter, then the item whose attribute has been reversed must not now appear in the displayed list, and a complete screen redraw (process 260 ) may be performed. 200 . 12 This action may allow the user to select a different set of seven attributes for display (either left or right). The program steps that may be implemented are 200 . 13 to update the program's internal pointer to the current visible rainbow page (either left or right in this embodiment), 200 . 14 to present a new set of attribute names and option indicators, and 200 . 15 to present a new set of attribute markers. In the present embodiment, this action does not change the actual item information listed in area 180 . 200 . 16 Because the item table (containing pointers to the items) may be held separately from the items themselves, the table is preferably updated whenever the items being pointed to change. If this is not done, it is possible that the program will not be able to resolve a pointer when it comes to display an item which has been moved or deleted. In the preferred embodiment, if this happens, a suitable error message may be displayed suggesting that the user take this option to update the program's table. Process 210 may be invoked, the screen re-initialised, and the program waits for further user input. In the present embodiment, a command button is provided to allow the user to take this option so that the list can reflect for example new font files which are loaded onto the computer's hard drive. The list of the present embodiment may cover all font files on a drive.
Referring now to FIG. 3 , process 210 may be invoked to build an internal item table from all available items. In the preferred embodiment, ‘all available items’ means all font files on a particular computer disk drive, but it will be appreciated that the scope of this expression could encompass any group of items which could be repeatedly searched for, and for which pointers can be established. Other examples might include websites, encyclopaedia articles, or even all the files on a drive as discussed above. These items could then be organized according to their attributes in the manner of a relational database, rather than in a hierarchy of folders as is commonly the way at present.
A test 210 . 01 may be made to see if the item table exists. In the preferred embodiment, the table will not exist the first time the program is run after being installed. If it does exist, it may be copied away to a work table before being cleared down ready to be created afresh. ( 210 . 02 and 210 . 03 ). Otherwise, an empty table may be allocated 210 . 04 . In the preferred embodiment, the table may be created as a C++ Collection, which allows memory to be dynamically allocated as each new element is added. For each new item found, a table element may be allocated and a pointer to the item written into it ( 210 . 06 , 210 . 07 and 210 . 08 ). Control may then return to the invoking process when all available items have been processed ( 210 . 05 ). Each item found may be looked up in the work table created earlier 210 . 09 . If found, the attribute flags may then be copied from the work table into the newly created item ( 210 . 10 and 210 . 12 ), thus preserving the settings of the user attribute flags for the item, and saving the work of calculating the settings of the system attribute flags. Any additional information may also be copied 210 . 14 . If the item was not found in the work table, then the program-defined attribute flags may be calculated 210 . 11 , the user attribute flags set to ‘off’ 210 . 13 , and any additional information set up 210 . 15 . Once all other table items are in place, the item's ‘list me’ flag may be calculated by process 250 and the next available item may be sought.
Turning to FIG. 4 , one embodiment of a process for adding a user-defined attribute 220 will now be described. The required location, for example the colour bar and rainbow page may be obtained by user input 220 . 01 and a required attribute name may also be obtained from a user 220 . 02 . The attribute name may then be written into the requested location in the left or right attribute table 220 . 03 .
Referring to FIG. 5 , a process for removing an attribute will now be described. The attribute name and option flag may be cleared from the left or right attribute table 230 . 01 and the relevant attribute flag may be set to “off” for all items in the table 230 . 02 .
FIG. 6 describes one embodiment of a process 240 which may be invoked to set the attribute option indicator. The process is the one adopted by a preferred embodiment, and alternative methods will be apparent to one skilled in the art. The general object may be to provide a mechanism by which an option indicator can be set either positively (to specify that items listed must possess the attribute concerned) or negatively (to specify that items listed must not possess the attribute). The preferred embodiment uses a left mouse click to set the option positively if it was clear, or else to clear it if it was already set. A right mouse click may be used to set the option negatively, whether the option was clear or already set positively.
Referring now to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 , which may be read together, the process 250 and its sub-process 251 may be invoked to set the table items' ‘list me’ flags. This may be done by comparing each attribute's option flag with its respective flag setting in each item. In more detail, to set an item's “list me” flag 250 , the item may be obtained from the item table 250 . 01 and the item's “list me” flag may be initialised to a default position of “Y”, indicating that the item should be listed. Attribute flags for the items may be successively obtained 250 . 04 , 250 . 05 and each attribute flag may be processed 251 to determine whether that attribute has been selected for positive or negative filtering. Based on this processing 251 , the “list me” flag of the item may be left as “Y” or may be set to “N” to indicate that the item should not be listed.
Turning to FIG. 8 , an example of a method of processing the attribute flags (corresponding to process 251 of FIG. 7 ) will now be described in more detail. The option flag for each attribute may be retrieved from the left or right attribute table 251 . 01 and the process may determine whether the option flag is blank 251 . 02 . If it is blank, the user is not filtering on this attribute and a further attribute flag may be retrieved. If the option flag is not blank, then the process determines whether the option flag is positive (“Y”) 251 . 03 , if it is positive, then, according to the present embodiment, listed items or elements must have this attribute. If the attribute flag for a particular element 251 . 04 is on, the “list me” indicator should be left in the default “Y” position or set to this position. If the attribute flag is not on, then the “list me” indicator should be set to false 251 . 05 . Returning to process 251 . 03 , if the option flag is not positive and not blank, then it must be negative. The process determines whether an attribute flag is on for a particular element 251 . 06 . If the attribute flag is not on, the “list me” indicator remains at its default “Y” value, if the attribute flag is on, the “list me” indicator is set to false 251 . 07 .
Referring now to FIG. 9 , process 260 may be invoked to perform a complete redraw of the screen display, which comprises, in this embodiment, the horizontal coloured strips at the top, the vertical coloured strips at each side, and the items themselves in the middle. In some embodiments, the screen may not be entirely redrawn, for example elements such as the horizontal coloured strips at the top may not be redrawn.
The screen display area may be cleared 260 . 01 and the current page numbers (n) for the left and right attribute bars (See FIG. 1 , 140 ) may be set 260 . 02 , 260 . 04 . The horizontal sections of the left attribute bars may be drawn with reference to the nth elements of the left attribute table. Successive items or elements may then be obtained from the item table 260 . 07 and the process may determine whether the item's “list me” indicator is set to positive (“Y”) 260 . 08 . In the present embodiment, if the “list me” indicator is not positive, then the item is not displayed. If the “list me” indicator is positive, then the item is displayed and the vertical colour bars and attribute markers for that data element may be displayed with reference to the attribute information in the item table 260 . 09 . The font file may be accessed using a pointer or link in the item table 260 . 10 . If the font file is not found, the file name may be displayed with an error message 260 . 12 . If the font file is found, the process may determine whether the font has been installed 260 . 13 . If the font has been installed, a sample text may be rendered in that font 260 . 15 and may be displayed to the user. If the font file has not been installed, font file may be installed temporarily 260 . 14 and sample text may be rendered in the font 260 . 16 . The font file may then be uninstalled from the system 260 . 17 . This may allow uninstalled fonts to be displayed. In an alternative embodiment, an error message may be displayed to the user if the font has not been installed. The right vertical colour bars and the attribute markers may then be displayed with reference to the item table information 260 . 18 . The process may finally check whether the screen display area is full 260 . 19 and may continue to process items or elements of data until it is full.
A description of one embodiment of a display layout which may be produced by the system described herein is now provided. This description is not intended to be limiting and alternative layouts and may be implemented.
A method of correlating a list of items and a list of their attributes is described herein and may comprise:
a) displaying the list of items as a column of rows, each row displaying the name of an item in the list of items, b) displaying to the side of the column a set of vertical strips extending the length of the column, each strip being associated with a different attribute of the list of attributes, and c) displaying markers in the strips at selected positions where the strips cross rows, said positions being selected in accordance with whether the item named in the crossed row has (or alternatively has not) the attribute associated with that strip. Each strip of the set of strips may be displayed in a distinctive colour, for example the colours of the rainbow.
The strips may extend beyond the column of rows of items and have horizontal extensions themselves forming a column of rows, each row displaying the name of an attribute in the list of attributes.
A first set of strips may extend along one side of the column of rows displaying the names of the list of items and a second set of strips each strip of which is associated with a different attribute of a further list of attributes may extend along the other side of the said column of rows. The strips of the second set of strips may extend beyond the column of rows of items and may have horizontal extensions themselves forming a second column of rows, each row may display the name of an attribute in the further list of attributes.
A plurality of alternative sets of strips may be made available and selection means may then be displayed for selecting any one set of said alternative sets for display.
Display means for carrying out the method described above may also be provided and are described herein.
Referring to FIG. 10 , the five main areas of one non-limiting embodiment of a display, the respective areas being referenced 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 and 5 . Areas 1 , 2 , 3 and 4 are each made up of seven strips in the colours of the rainbow. Areas 1 and 2 comprise two sets of seven strips arranged horizontally across the top of the display. Area 1 on the left is used to display those attributes pre-allocated by a computer program. Area 2 on the right is used to display any attributes created by the user. The third and fourth sets of colour strips 3 and 4 are arranged beneath the horizontal sets to form a rectangular approximation to a rainbow. These sets of vertical strips 3 and 4 are used to display markers against each item in a list of items where an attribute is present, as well as to accept mouse clicks from the user to toggle attributes on and off. The fifth area 5 is placed inside the approximate rainbow formed by areas 1 to 4 . Area 5 contains a column of rows in which the names of a list of items are placed. In the example considered the items comprise fonts and their names are displayed row by row.
The names 10 of the attributes of fonts are displayed on the horizontal colour strips in the top of the display, e.g., in the right part of display area 1 and/or in the left part of display area 2 ( FIG. 10 ). Alongside each attribute name is an option box 11 inside which the user can click to filter the list of items having that attribute, either negatively or positively. For example a left mouse click would select only font names possessing the attribute, and a right mouse click would select only font names not possessing the attribute. Option box 11 displays any current selection status 14 , for example a tick for positive selection or a cross for negative selection. In order to toggle an attribute on or off the user clicks in the rectangle 13 formed by the intersection of the appropriate vertical colour strip and the horizontal item display.
To create a new attribute, a user clicks inside a horizontal colour strip 20 shown in FIG. 12 which is currently empty. The program then prompts the user for the attribute name, and displays it alongside an option box. Such an option box would be similar to the option boxes 11 shown in FIG. 11 .
If more than seven attributes are required to be shown on each side of the screen, further sets of seven attributes can be set up which are displayed on request by the user, for example clicking on numbered navigation buttons 30 . The rainbow strips relating to each set can be overlaid with a large number 31 for identification.
The particular embodiment(s) hereinbefore described may be varied in construction and detail, e.g., interchanging (where appropriate or desired) different features of each.
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A method and system for managing data elements with associated attributes in a computer system is described. Identifiers of each data element and information identifying the attributes of each data element are stored and the identifiers associated with each of the data elements are displayed in a list. The identifiers of the data elements are visibly associated with attributes by displaying markers in attribute strips along at least one side of the list of data elements. A user may filter the data elements according to their attributes and a filtered list of data elements may be redisplayed. This can facilitate processing of numerous data elements, simplifying processing and/or display requirements to achieve a given selection based on user criteria.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present invention generally relates to toilet overflow control mechanisms. More particularly, the present invention relates to a toilet overflow control mechanism that can be manipulated to close the refill valve.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The elements and operation of a toilet are well known in the art. In FIGS. 1 and 2 , two of the most common toilets are shown, a ballcock toilet 100 ( FIG. 1 ) and a floating cup toilet 200 ( FIG. 2 ). In the Figs. and the disclosure that follows, like parts receive like numerals, although differing by 100 . In each embodiment, a bowl 102 , 202 receives human waste, and a water tank 104 , 204 , defined by walls 105 , 205 holds flush water W capable of initiating a syphon action when released from the water tank 104 , 204 into the bowl 102 , 202 . Although variations exist, these types of toilets 100 , 200 are generally flushed by manipulating a flush mechanism 106 , 206 that includes a flush handle 108 , 208 connected to a lever arm 110 , 210 that is connected to a flush valve 112 , 212 through a linkage 114 or chain 214 . The flush valve 112 , 212 seals a drain hole 116 , 216 within the water tank 104 , 204 , and pushing the flush handle 108 , 208 causes the flush valve 112 , 212 to unseat from the drain hole 110 , 210 such that the flush water W enters the toilet bowl 102 , 202 from the water tank 104 , 204 , initiating a syphon so that all of the water and waste in the toilet bowl is flushed.
[0003] As the water in the tank 104 , 204 drains, a filler float 118 , 218 falls with the water level and turns on a filler valve 120 , 220 through the operative connection between filler float 118 , 218 and filler valve 120 , 220 . In the embodiment of FIG. 1 , the connection is a float lever arm 122 that connects between filler valve 120 and ballcock filler float 118 . In the embodiment of FIG. 2 , the connection is a push rod 222 that connects between filler valve 220 and sleeve filler float 218 . When water tank 104 , 204 is filled with flush water W, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , filler float 118 , 218 occupies a shut-off position, wherein filler valve 120 , 220 is closed to the passage of refill water. But filler float 118 , 218 rises and falls with the level of flush water W in water tank 104 , 204 such that, when flushing mechanism 106 , 206 is manipulated to flush bowl 102 , 202 , the level of flush water W within water tank 104 , 204 begins to fall, and filler float 118 , 218 falls with it. Once filler float 118 , 218 has fallen a short distance with flush water W, it may be considered to occupy a refill position, wherein filler valve 120 , 220 allows for the passage of refill water therethrough to refill both bowl 102 , 202 and water tank 104 , 204 . When filler float 118 , 218 occupies the refill position, filler valve 120 , 220 sends refill water in two directions—into water tank 104 , 204 and through overflow tube 124 , 224 into bowl 102 , 202 . It will be appreciated that the refill water filling water tank 104 , 204 causes filler float 118 , 218 to rise, eventually occupying the shut-off position and closing filler valve 120 , 220 to the passage of refill water, ending the refill cycle.
[0004] Should a clog in the siphon or bowl occur, water entering bowl 102 , 202 will flood the bowl and eventually spill over onto the floor. If the flush valve 112 , 212 does not seat properly on drain hole 116 , 216 during the tank refill cycle, water entering the tank 104 , 204 through filler valve 120 , 220 will flow to bowl 102 , 202 and will not fill tank 104 , 204 . Consequently, the filler float 118 , 218 will not rise, the filler valve 120 , 220 will not be closed, and water will continue to flow to bowl 102 , 202 and the floor. Thus, control mechanisms have been proposed for selectively closing the filler valve 120 , 220 . Although control mechanisms have been addressed in the prior art, as, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,402,093, 4,633,534, 5,083,323, and 6,016,577 the present invention provides a very straight forward and user friendly mechanism and method for preventing toilet overflow.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] This invention generally provides a control mechanism for preventing overflow of a toilet that includes a bowl, a water tank, and a filler float operatively communicating with a filler valve. The filler float is movable, by the water level in the water tank, between a refill position, wherein the filler valve allows refill water to flow therethrough to fill the water tank and bowl, and a shut-off position, wherein the filler valve is closed to the flow of water. The control mechanism of this invention comprises means external of the water tank for physically manipulating the filler valve to occupy the shut-off position.
[0006] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a toilet comprising a bowl; a water tank holding flush water and having a tank wall; a flush valve communicating between said bowl and said water tank such that opening said flush valve permits flush water from said water tank to flow into said bowl and flush the contents of said bowl; a filler valve in said water tank and controlling the refilling of said bowl and said water tank; a filler float operatively communicating with said filler valve and retained within said water tank and moving with the level of water in said water tank to move between a refill position, wherein said filler valve is open to permit refilling of said water tank, and a shut-off position, wherein said filler valve is closed by the operative communication with said filler float, preventing refilling of said water tank; and an overfill control mechanism including: a knob external of said tank wall of said water tank; a filler float guide member extending from said knob to selectively interact with said filler float within said water tank, said guide member having a ramp section extending between a low guide section and a high guide section, wherein, as said water tank is being refilled, said knob may be manipulated to bring said filler float into contact with said ramp section and further manipulated to urge said filler float up said ramp section to rest on said high guide section in said shut-off position.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0007] For a complete understanding of the objects, techniques and structure of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description and accompanying drawings wherein:
[0008] FIG. 1 is a front elevational view through the front wall of a conventional and known type toilet tank, showing a first configuration for a toilet flush assembly, with the toilet bowl only partially indicated in ghost lines below the tank;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view through the front wall of a conventional and known ballcock type toilet tank, showing a second configuration for a toilet flush assembly, with the toilet bowl only partially indicated in ghost lines below the tank;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a partial top view of the control mechanism of the present invention as it may be applied to the toilet flush assembly shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side view through the wall of the toilet, showing the control mechanism as it may be applied to the toilet flush assembly shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a partial top view of the control mechanism of the present invention as it may be applied to the toilet flush assembly shown in FIG. 2 ;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a side view through the wall of the toilet, showing the control mechanism as it may be applied to the toilet flush assembly shown in FIG. 2 ;
[0014] FIG. 7 is an assembly of the parts forming the control mechanism of the present invention, as it may be in a kit form and applied to various known toilet flush assemblies used in the art;
[0015] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 8 - 8 of FIG. 7 ; and
[0016] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 9 - 9 of FIG. 7 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] In the present invention, a control mechanism is provided for preventing the overflow of a toilet, such as, by way of non-limiting example, toilets 100 and 200 , generally described above. More particularly, means external of the water tank are provided for physically manipulating the filler float to occupy the shut-off position, closing the filler valve to the flow of refill water. Overflow control mechanisms are shown and described herein for both of the prior art embodiments, but are not to be limited thereto or thereby. Each embodiment is treated separately.
[0018] In FIGS. 3 and 4 , the control mechanism is identified by the numeral 10 , and is shown in the ballcock float embodiment of toilet 100 of FIG. 1 . In control mechanism 10 , knob 12 is provided externally of water tank 104 , and connects to shaft 14 , which extends to provide an embodiment of a filler float guide member 16 . In the particularly preferred embodiment shown, knob 12 is provided at the location of flushing mechanism 106 , and extends through handle 108 . This allows the control mechanism 10 to be retrofit to an existing prior art toilet 100 , as will be described below. It should however be appreciated that control mechanism 100 could be provided elsewhere on water tank 104 and yet still function as desired, and the extension of control mechanism 10 through handle 108 is merely preferred.
[0019] Filler float guide member 16 , in the embodiment of control mechanism 10 , includes a malleable or otherwise formable shaft 18 suitably connected to extend from shaft 14 . Formable shaft 18 is bent to provide a low guide section 20 , which is fixed to shaft 14 , for example, by welding. Formable shaft is also bent to provide high guide section 22 separated from low guide section 20 by ramp section 24 . As can be seen, the terms “low” and “high” are purposefully chosen to disclose the proper relationship between guide sections 20 and 22 . In the views of FIGS. 7-9 , it can be seen that shaft 14 cannot rotate within bore 26 formed through some of the elements of flushing mechanism 106 , because flat surface 28 on shaft 14 engages flat surface 30 of bore 26 . This ensures that low guide section 20 remains “low” and high guide section 22 remains “high.”
[0020] Shaft 14 and low guide section 20 extend through a tank wall 105 (preferably through a flushing mechanism 106 , as shown) to extend below the float lever arm 122 of filler float 118 . Enough room is provided between low guide section 20 and float lever arm 122 to permit filler float 118 to fall with the level of water in water tank 104 and move to the refill position. In the event that refilling of water tank 104 and bowl 102 must be stopped, knob 12 may be pulled in the direction of arrow A, forcing filler float 118 up ramp section 24 and onto high guide section 22 . High guide section 22 is appropriately positioned such that, when float lever arm 122 rests on high guide section 22 , filler float 118 occupies the shut-off position, preventing continued refilling of water tank 104 and bowl 102 through filler valve 120 . Stopper 32 is provided on shaft 14 to limit the movement of knob 12 . When the overflow problem has been addressed, knob 12 may be pushed in the direction of arrow B to allow filler float 118 to fall back to the refill position, with float lever arm 122 on low guide section 20 , allowing tank 104 and bowl 102 to be filled. Then, as normal, filler float 118 may rise with the level of water in water tank 104 to the shut-off position.
[0021] As a final note on this embodiment, it might be desirable, due to the leverage of the weight of ballcock filler float 118 , to provide an auxiliary support through clip 36 and chain 38 . Clip 36 fits on the end of high guide section 22 , and chain 38 is selectively fixed thereto and selectively fixed to a mount bracket 40 that clips to the upper edge of a wall 105 . By selectively fixing, it is meant that the length of chain 38 between clip 36 and mount bracket 40 may be altered, as desired, to provide a taut support link. Chain 38 provides support to the distal end of control mechanism 10 , and prevents formable shaft 18 from bending under the force exerted upon it by float lever arm 122 and ballcock filler float 118 .
[0022] A substantially similar embodiment of a control mechanism is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 as interacting with sleeve filler float 218 of the embodiment of toilet 200 . Most elements of the control mechanism for toilet embodiment 200 are similar to control mechanism 10 , such that like parts have received like numerals, and it is necessary only to discuss how the control mechanism 10 functions in a toilet like toilet 200 . In this environment, control mechanism 10 is configured such that shaft 14 and low guide section 20 extend through a tank wall 205 (preferably through the flushing mechanism 206 , as shown) to extend below the a valve lever arm 223 ( FIG. 5 ) of filler valve 220 . Enough room is provided between low guide section 20 and valve lever arm 223 to permit filler float 218 to fall with the level of water in water tank 204 and move to the refill position. In the event that the refilling of water tank 204 and bowl 202 must be stopped, knob 12 may be pulled in the direction of arrow A, forcing valve lever arm 223 up ramp section 24 and onto high guide section 22 . High guide section 22 is appropriately positioned such that, when valve lever arm 223 rests on high guide section 22 , filler float 218 occupies the shut-off position, preventing continued refilling of water tank 204 and bowl 202 through filler valve 220 . Stopper 32 is provided on shaft 14 to limit the movement of knob 12 . When the overflow problem has been addressed, knob 12 may be pushed in the direction of arrow B to allow filler float 218 to fall back to the refill position, with float lever arm 223 on low guide section 20 , allowing tank 204 and bowl 202 to be filled. Then, as normal, filler float 218 may rise with the level of water in water tank 204 to the shut-off position.
[0023] With reference to FIGS. 7-9 , it should be appreciated that control mechanism 10 may be retrofit to existing toilets. The flush mechanisms, such as mechanisms 106 , 206 , may be removed, and replaced by a kit 300 providing a knob 12 , shaft 14 , formable shaft 18 , stopper 32 , clip 36 , and chain 38 of the control mechanism 10 just described. The kit 300 further includes a flush handle 308 , with a bore 26 extending through a threaded section 342 and having a flat surface 30 to interact with the flat surface 28 of shaft 14 . Lever arm 310 is provided extending from threaded section 342 . Threads 44 on shaft 14 engage threads 46 in knob 12 . The old flush mechanism is removed and replaced by kit 300 . It should now be appreciated that formable shaft 18 is formable so that it may be shaped to provide an appropriate low guide section 20 , ramp section 24 , and high guide section 22 that allow the filler valve mechanism of the toilet to operate normally, and yet, when necessary, provide means for shutting off the flow of refill water, as already described fully above with respect to the embodiments and disclosures of control mechanism 10 .
[0024] Thus it can be seen that the present invention provides improvements in overflow control mechanisms and methods for toilets. While in accordance with the patent statutes only the best mode and preferred embodiment of the invention has been presented and described in detail, the invention is not limited thereto or thereby. Accordingly, for an appreciation of the scope and breadth of the invention reference should be made to the following claims.
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A control mechanism for preventing overflow of a toilet including a bowl, a water tank, and a filler float operatively communicating with a filler valve includes a knob or handle that can be manipulated to cause the filler float to occupy a position that shuts off the filler valve. The control mechanism includes a filler float guide member having a low guide section separated from a high guide section by a ramped section. By manipulating the knob or handle of the control mechanism, the filler float is forced up the ramp section to the high guide section, shutting off the filler valve.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The microbiological 7α-hydroxylation of steroids by means, for example, of Mucor griseocyanus is known and described in Canadian Journal of Microbiology, Vol. 13, pages 1271-1281 (1967). It has now surprisingly been found that a 7α-hydroxylation of steroids can be carried out with microorganisms of the genus Botryodiplodia, which are entirely different from Mucor griseocyanus.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates in its preferred embodiment to a process for the manufacture of 7α-hydroxylated steroids by fermentation of 7-unsubstituted steroids of the pregnane or androstane series with microorganisms of the genus Botryodiplodia or by reaction with enzyme extracts thereof. The invention process produces steroid compounds which are intermediates for the manufacture of pharmacologically valuable substances and which themselves exhibit pharmacological (e.g. hormonal) activity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a process for producing hydroxylated steroids comprising fermenting a steroid to be hydroxylated with microorganisms of the genus Botryodiplodia in a culture solution or medium until the steroid to be hydroxylated is hydroxylated. The invention process also includes a process for producing hydroxylated steroids comprising reacting the steroid to be hydroxylated with a hydroxylating enzyme extract obtained from the microorganisms of genus Botryodiplodia in a reaction mixture until the steroid to be hydroxylated is hydroxylated.
More particularly, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, the steroids to be hydroxylated (starting compounds) have been selected from dehydroepiandrosterone, pregnenolone or steroids of the formula ##STR1## wherein X represents the following groups: ##STR2##
With the use of compounds of formula I as the steroid to be hydroxylated (the starting material) in the invention process, there are obtained hydroxylated steroid compounds of following formula II: ##STR3## Wherein X has the aforementioned significance.
In the case of the fermentation of dehydroepiandrosterone by the invention process there are obtained 7α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione and 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one; in the case of the fermentation of pregnenolone there is obtained the 7α-hydroxy-progesterone.
Any strain of the microorganisms of the genus Botryodiplodia capable of the 7α-hydroxylation of steroids; especially such steroids of the formula I, alone with pregnenolone and dehydroepiandrosterone, as well as variants thereof, can be used in the invention process. Preferred strains are, for example, IFO 6469 and Botryodiplodia malorum CBS 134.50.
The microorganisms can be used in the form of mycelium in a culture medium or solution, or an hydroxylating enzyme extract can be produced from the microorganisms by any process recognized in the art for this purpose and can be used to carry out the invention process. A suitable culture solution or medium can be manufactured and inoculated with the microorganism. Suitable culture solution or media are such ones which contain carbon sources, nitrogen sources, inorganic salts and other nutrient substances permitting the growth of the microorganism. The preferred carbon sources are, for example, glucose, saccharose, dextrin, mannose, starch, lactose and glycerine; nitrogen sources are, for example, nitrogen-containing organic substances such as peptone, meat extract, yeast extract, cornsteep liquor and casein, or nitrogen-containing inorganic compounds such as nitrates and inorganic ammonium salts; organic salt sources are, for example, phosphates or sodium, potassium, magnesium, manganese, iron and copper salts.
In the cultivation of the microorganism, the microorganism can be submersed in the culture, as by shaking the culture, or the microorganism may be cultivated in a stationary culture. The microorganism is preferably cultivated under aerobic conditions. Any art recognized procedure for cultivating the microorganism may be used.
The invention process is conveniently carried out by adding the steroid to be hydroxylated, such as the compound of general formula I, as a substrate to the cultivated microorganisms in the culture solution. The concentration of the substrate is not particularly significant but a concentration of 0.1 g per liter to 20 g per liter of medium is preferred. The hydroxylation in accordance with the invention process can be carried out by continuation of the cultivation of the microorganism under the above mentioned conditions in the presence of the steroid to be hydroxylated. The fermentation time needed for significant hydroxylation can vary depending on species and strain of the microorganism used, on the composition of the culture medium, on the substrate used and on the concentration of substrate and microorganism. In general, a fermentation time of 1-10 days suffices. The fermentation temperature preferred generally lies between 20° and 30° C., and a preferable pH between 4-9.
The substrate can be added to the culture of the microorganism during the cultivation of the microorganism or to the culture medium prior to sterilisation or prior to the inoculation with the microorganisms.
The hydroxylation in accordance with the invention can also be carried out with the mycelium of the microorganism isolated from the culture solution or with an enzyme extract manufactured from the cultivated microorganisms or the mycelium in a manner well known in the arts. In this case, the 7α-hydroxylation is conveniently carried out in aqueous solution, e.g. a buffer solution, in physiological salt solution, in fresh nutrient solution or in water.
The substrate (the steroid to be hydroxylated) can be added to the culture solution or aqueous solution in solid form or as a solution in a hydrophilic solvent such as acetone, dimethyl sulphoxide, methanol, ethanol, ethyleneglycol, propyleneglycol or dioxan. A surface-active agent or a dispersion agent can also be added to an aqueous suspension of the substrate, or the substrate can be emulsified by treatment with ultrasonic wave.
By means of the invention process, from 17α,21-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione and 17α-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one there are obtained the corresponding 7α-hydroxylated steroids, i.e. 7α,17α,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione and 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one, respectively.
The fermentation product (the hydroxylated steroid) can be isolated from the fermentation mixture by any process recognized in the art for this purpose as, for example, by solvent extraction with an organic solvent which is not miscible with water, such as chloroform, methylene chloride or methyl acetate or by chromatography on carriers such as aluminum oxide, silica gel or cellulose. The fermentation product can also be purified by recrystallisation, e.g. from ethyl acetate, benzene or acetone.
With the use of 4-androstene-3,17-dione as the starting material there is obtained a mixture of 7α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione and 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androstene-3-one. This mixture can be readily separated by chromatography, whereby one varies the polarity of the elution agent.
The hydroxylating microorganisms used according to the present invention include all strains belonging to the genus Botryodiplodia which are capable of hydroxylation as well as mutants and variants thereof. Particularly preferred strains are IFO 6469 and Botryodiplodia malorum CBS 134.50. A subculture of IFO 6469 has been deposited at Northern Regional Research Laboratory of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Peoria, Ill., under NRRL No. 11174 and can be obtained therefrom. Cultures of B. malorum CBS 134.50 were obtained from Centraal-Bureau voor Schimmelcultures, Baarn, The Netherlands.
The hydroxylated steroids produced by the invention process in particularly the 7α-hydroxylated steroids can be employed as intermediates by any art recognized procedure for producing synthetic hormones, cholic acid and various pharmaceuticals. The following Examples illustrate the invention process but are not meant to limit the invention in scope or spirit. The temperatures are given in degrees Centigrade.
EXAMPLE 1
A culture medium with 1% cornsteep liquor and 1% glucose was adjusted to pH 6.5. 100 ml of this medium were sterilized at 120° for 15 minutes in a 500 ml flask with paper stopper. After cooling down, it was inoculated with the mycelium of a two weeks old malt extract-agar culture of IFO 6469. The culture was then rotary shaken at 26.5° with 180 movements per minute. After 3 days, there were added 300 mg of 4-androstene-3,17-dione which had been emulsified by exposure to ultrasonic wave for 10 minutes in 3 ml of 0.1% Tween 80 solution. The incubation was then continued for 6 days and thereafter the culture liquid was filtered off and the mycelium was washed with water, so that the end volumes of filtrate and wash-water amounted to 100 ml.
100 ml of culture filtrate were extracted three times with 100 ml of ethyl acetate each time. The combined extracts were dried over sodium sulphate and evaporated to 5 ml under reduced pressure. The concentrate was chromatographed on silicic acid (Mallinckrodt) with the use of chloroform-acetone as the elution agent. 7α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione was eluted with chloroform-acetone (19:1) and 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one was eluted with chloroform-acetone (15:3). The homogeneous fractions were pooled and recrystallised from acetone. There were obtained 80.7 mg of 7α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione, melting point 254.5°-256.5°, and 46.0 mg of 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one, melting point 191°-193°.
EXAMPLE 2
A fermentation medium containing 1% lactose, 3% Bacto-liver (Difco), 0.1% KH 2 PO 4 and 0.05% KCL was adjusted to pH 6.3 and sterilized at 120° for 15 minutes. The nutrient medium was inoculated in 10 100 ml portions with the mycelium of a two weeks old malt extract-agar slant culture of IFO 6469. The cultures were then shaken on the rotary machine at 26.5° with 180 movements per minute. After 22 hours, there were added in each case 50 mg of 17α,21-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione (previously emulsified by exposure to ultrasonic wave for 10 minutes in 1 ml of 0.1% Tween 80), so that the concentration of steroid amounted to 0.5 mg/ml of fermentation solution. The cultures were then incubated for a further 92 hours; thereafter pooled, filtered and washed with water; so that from 1,000 ml of nutrient solution there was obtained a total volume of 1,100 ml.
The thus-obtained 1,100 ml of culture solution were extracted with ethyl acetate and concentrated to a small volume under reduced pressure. The residue was chromatographed on silicic acid with the use of chloroform-acetone as the elution agent. The homogeneous fractions were pooled and crystallized from ethyl acetate. There were obtained 188 mg of 7α,17α,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione, melting point 221.5°-223.5°.
EXAMPLE 3
100 ml of a nutrient medium, containing 1% cornsteep liquor and 1% glucose, were adjusted to pH 6.5 and, after sterilization, inoculated with the mycelium of IFO 6469. After incubation at 26.5° on the rotary shaking machine during 22 hours, 100 mg of 17β-hydroxy-4-androsten-3-one in 1 ml of dimethyl sulphoxide were added and the incubation was continued at 26.5° for a further 8 days. Thereafter, the fermentation solution was filtered, the filtrate was extracted with ethyl acetate and concentrated to a small volume and under reduced pressure. The concentrate was chromatographed on silicic acid with chloroform-acetone. There were obtained 17.9 mg of 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one.
EXAMPLE 4
100 ml of a nutrient medium containing 2% saccharose, 1% S-3 meat (Ajinomoto Co.) 1% peptone and 0.5% KH 2 PO 4 was adjusted to pH 6.5, sterilized and inoculated with mycelium of Botryodiplodia malorum CBS 134.50. After two-days incubation at 26.5° on the rotary shaking machine, 50 mg of 17α,21-dihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione in 1 ml of dimethyl sulphoxide were added and the fermentation was continued at 26.5° for a further 6 days. Thereafter, the fermentation solution was collected and worked-up as in the foregoing Examples. There were obtained 8.5 mg of 7α,17α,21-trihydroxy-4-pregnene-3,20-dione.
EXAMPLE 5
100 ml of a fermentation medium, which contained 1% glucose and 1% cornsteep liquor and which had a pH of 6.5, was sterilized at 120° for 15 minutes. The medium was inoculated with the mycelium of a two weeks old malt extract-agar culture of IFO 6469. After the culture had been incubated at 26.5° for two days on a rotary shaking machine, 100 mg of 3β-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one, dissolved in 1 ml of dimethyl sulphoxide, were added and the incubation was continued for three further days.
The culture filtrate was then extracted with 300 ml portions of ethyl acetate, the extracts dried over sodium sulphate and concentrated under reduced pressure to a small volume. The concentrate was chromatographed on a silicic (Mallinckrodt) column with chloroform-acetone. 7α-Hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione was eluted with a mixture of chloroform-acetone (19:1) and 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one was eluted with chloroform-acetone (15:3). The homogeneous fractions were combined and crystallized from acetone and yielded 20 mg of 7α-hydroxy-4-androstene-3,17-dione, melting point 254°-255° C., and 10.5 mg of 7α,17β-dihydroxy-4-androsten-3-one, melting point 191°.
EXAMPLE 6
Following the procedure in Example 5 replacing 100 mg of 3β-hydroxy-5-androsten-17-one with 50 mg of 3β-hydroxy-5-pregnen-20-one, provides thereby 10.5 mg of 7α-hydroxy-4-pregnen-3,20-dione.
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The invention relates to a process for producing 7.sub.α -hydroxylated steroids by fermenting or reacting a steroid to be hydroxylated with microorganisms of the genus Botryodiplodia or enzyme extracts thereof until hydroxylation occurs. The invention process produces steroid compounds which are pharmacologically valuable substances.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/533,005, filed Sep. 19, 2006, which was in turn a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/114,420, filed Apr. 26, 2005 (abandoned). Priority is claimed to both of these applications, and both are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties. Furthermore, this application relates to U.S. Pat. No. 7,459,638, entitled “Absorbing Boundary for a Multi-Layer Circuit Board Structure,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Embodiments of this invention relate to printed circuit boards, and in particular to an improved via structure for providing signal integrity improvement.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In a multilayer printed circuit board (PCB), there are occasions that signals have to switch signaling planes in the PCB. FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate such signal plane switching. As best shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 1B , a signal trace 18 t originally proceeding on the top of a PCB 15 meets with a via 18 appearing through the PCB 15 and down to another signal trace 18 b on the bottom of the PCB 15 . Thus, by use of the via 18 , the signal trace is allowed to change planes in the printed circuit board, which can facilitate signal routing.
[0004] Also present in the PCB 15 are power (i.e., Vdd) and ground planes, respectively numbered as 12 , 14 , and referred to collectively as “power planes.” These power planes 12 , 14 allow power and ground to be routed to the various devices mounted on the board (not shown). (Although shown with the power plane 14 on top of the ground plane 12 , these planes can be reversed). When routing a signal through these power planes, it is necessary to space the via 18 from both planes 12 , 14 , what is referred to as an antipad diameter 12 h , 14 h . The vias themselves at the level of the signal planes have pads to facilitate routing of the signals 18 t , 18 b to the via, which have a pad diameter ( 18 p ) larger than the diameter of the via 18 itself (d). Typical values for the diameter of the via (d), the pad diameter ( 18 p ) and the antipad diameter ( 12 h , 14 h ) are 16, 20, and 24 mils respectively. It should be understood that an actual PCB 15 might have several different signal and power planes, as well as more than two signal planes, although not shown for clarity.
[0005] When a signal trace such as 18 t , 18 b switches signal planes, the signal return current—a transient—will generate electromagnetic (EM) waves that propagate in the cavity 17 formed between the power and ground planes 12 , 14 . Such EM waves will cause electrical disturbance on the signal being switched, as well as other signals traces. Such disturbances are especially felt in other near-by signals traces that are also switching signal planes, such as signal traces 16 t , 16 b ( FIG. 1A ) due to coupling between the vias (i.e., 18 and 16 ). Moreover, such EM disturbances are significantly enhanced around the resonant frequencies of the power/ground cavity 17 , which in turn are determined by the physical dimensions of the power planes 12 , 14 . Via-to-via coupling induced by signal plane switching can cause significant cross-talk, and can be particularly problematic for high frequency switching applications.
[0006] FIGS. 2 and 3 , representing computer simulations on the structure of FIG. 1A , illustrate these problems. In these simulations, one of the signal lines (say, signal 16 ) is an “aggressor” through which a simulated signal is passed, and the other signal line (signal 18 ) is the “victim” whose perturbation is monitored. The simulations were run in HFSS™, which is a full-wave three-dimensional EM solver available from Ansoft Corporation of Pittsburgh, Pa. The simulations were run assuming a 2.0-by-0.4 inch PCB 15 , a spacing of 100 mils between the two vias 16 , 18 , a height of 54 mils between the power planes 12 , 14 defining the cavity 17 , and use of an FR4 dielectric for the PCB 16 (with a dielectric constant of 4 . 2 ). Traces 16 t , 16 b , 18 t , and 18 b were assumed to be microstrip lines with a characteristic impedance of 40 ohms. Via diameters, via pad diameters, and antipad diameters were assumed to have the values mentioned previously.
[0007] FIG. 2 shows the transmission coefficient of the aggressor signal, and significant signal loss is observed around certain resonant frequencies. The measured parameter is a scattering parameter (S-parameter), which is a standard metric for signal integrity and which is indicative of the magnitude of the EM disturbance caused by signal plane switching. FIG. 3 shows the coupling coefficient between the aggressor and victim signals. As can be seen, the coupling coefficient stands close to −10 db around all resonance frequencies, indicating significant cross-talk between the aggressor and the victim.
[0008] The prior art has sought to remedy these problems in a number of different ways. First, as disclosed in Houfei Chen et al., “Coupling of Large Numbers of Vias in Electronic Packaging Structures and Differential Signaling,” IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium, Seattle, Wash., Jun. 2-7 (2002), it was taught to surround vias of interest in a PCB with shielding vias. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,789,241, it was taught to place decoupling capacitors between the power and ground planes on a PCB at different locations. In Thomas Neu, “Designing Controlled Impedance Vias,” at 67-72, EDN (Oct. 2, 2003), it was taught to minimize the impedance discontinuity caused by the via structure by adding four companion vias, all connected to ground planes. All of these references cited in this paragraph are hereby incorporated by reference.
[0009] However, these prior approaches suffer from drawbacks, as will be discussed in further detail later. In any event, the art would be benefited from strategies designed to minimize problems associated with signals switching signal planes in a printed circuit board. This disclosure provides such a solution in the form of an improved, shielded via structure.
SUMMARY
[0010] One embodiment of the invention comprises an improved via structure for use in a printed circuit board (PCB), and method for fabricating the same. The via allows for the passage of a signal from one signal plane to another in the (PCB), and in so doing transgresses the power and ground planes between the signal plane. To minimize EM disturbance between the power and ground planes, signal loss due to signal return current, and via-to-via coupling, the via is shielded within two concentric cylinders, each coupled to one of the power and ground planes.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0011] Embodiments of the inventive aspects of this disclosure will be best understood with reference to the following detailed description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0012] FIG. 1A illustrates a perspective view of two prior art vias both switching signal planes through power and ground planes.
[0013] FIG. 1B illustrates a cross section of one of the vias of FIG. 1A .
[0014] FIG. 2 illustrates signal loss (via S-parameters) as a function of frequency for both the prior art via of FIG. 1B and the disclosed via of FIG. 4 .
[0015] FIG. 3 illustrates via coupling (in dB) as a function of frequency for both the prior art via of FIG. 1B and the disclosed via of FIG. 4 .
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates a cross section of the disclosed improved via structure.
[0017] FIGS. 5A-5N illustrate sequential steps for the construction of the via of FIG. 4 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0018] FIG. 4 shows an improved via structure 50 which alleviates the problem of signals switching signal planes through power planes. As shown, and similar to FIG. 1B , a signal 60 switches from the top ( 60 t ) to the bottom ( 60 b ) of the PCB 66 through via 60 . Also similarly to FIG. 1B , power and ground planes 62 and 64 are present. However, in distinction to FIG. 1B , the power and ground planes 62 and 64 are coupled to concentric cylinders 62 a and 64 a (i.e., shields) around the via 60 . Through this configuration, the cylinders 62 a , 64 a substantially encompasses the via in directions perpendicular to its axis 61 , such that the cylinders are positioned in a dielectric perpendicularly to the plane of the PCB 66 .
[0019] This via structure 50 facilitates signal transitioning from one plane to another by reducing the disturbances cause by return path discontinuities, particularly at high frequencies. Moreover, the via structure 50 suppresses via-to-via coupling otherwise caused by resonance between the ground and power planes 62 , 64 at high frequencies, thereby improving signal integrity and reducing cross-talk from aggressor signals. The approach provides more efficient via shielding than the use of shielding vias, discussed in the background. Moreover, the disclosed approach performs better at high frequency than do approaches using decoupling capacitors, which otherwise suffer from relatively high effective series inductances that exist in decoupling capacitors, again as discussed in the background. As compared to prior art seeking to minimize the impedance discontinuity caused by the via, also discussed in the background, the disclosed approach is more flexible and realistic. In that prior art approach, both of the planes transgressed must be held at the same potential (i.e., ground or power). In short, that prior technique has no pertinence when signals have to change through both power and ground planes, as that technique would require shorting those planes together, which is not possible in a real working PCB. In short, it provides no solution for the problem addressed here of switching through power and ground planes. In short, the disclosed via structure has improved applicability to high-speed/high-frequency PCB designs, where signals have reduced timing and noise margins and increased energies.
[0020] The improved performance is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , which as discussed previously shows computer simulation results indicative of the magnitude of the EM disturbance caused by signal plane switching and cross-talk. Thus, referring again to FIG. 2 , it is seen that the disclosed via structure 50 has an improved transmission coefficient (i.e., S-parameter), and does not generally suffer large “dips” in the transmission coefficient resulting from unwanted resonance in the cavity between the power planes. Moreover, and referring again to FIG. 3 , it can be seen that cross-talk is greatly minimized, especially at higher frequencies. As modeled, the core via of FIG. 4 had the same core dimensions and materials of the via of FIG. 1 as discussed in the background, and had the following additional parameters: an inner power diameter 56 of 20 mils; an inner ground diameter 58 of 23 mils; cylinder wall thicknesses of 2 mils; a 1 mil dielectric thickness 57 between the cylinders; and a 3 mil vertical distance 55 between the top of the power cylinder 64 a and the ground plane 62 . (As such, it should be understood that the cross section of FIG. 4 is not drawn to scale). Of course, these values for the improved via structure 50 are merely exemplary, and can be changed depending on the environment in which the vias will operate. For example, the core via 60 can be made of a smaller diameter, and the cylinders 62 a , 64 a can be further spaced from core via 60 .
[0021] As shown in FIG. 4 , it is preferable to place the power and ground cylinders 62 a , 64 a as close as together to maximize the coupling between them. Preferably, the dielectric thickness 57 between the cylinders would not exceed 3 mils for the materials discussed herein.
[0022] Although the via structure 50 is shown in FIG. 4 with the power cylinder 62 a within the ground cylinder 64 a , it should be understood that the cylinders can be reversed with the same effect, i.e., with the ground cylinder 64 a within the power cylinder 62 a.
[0023] Manufacture of the disclosed via structure 50 can take place as illustrated in the sequential cross-sectional views of FIG. 5A-5N . Most of the individual steps involve common techniques well known in the PCB arts, and so are only briefly discussed. Further information on such steps are disclosed in “PCB/Overview” (Apr. 11, 2004), which is published at www.ul.le/˜rinne/ee6471/ee6471%20wk11.pdf, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, and which is submitted with the Information Disclosure Statement filed with this application.
[0024] Starting with FIG. 5A , the starting substrate comprises a dielectric layer 66 which has been coated on both sides with a conductive material 62 , 64 , which comprises the power and ground planes. In a preferred embodiment, dielectric 66 is FR4, but could comprise any dielectric useable in a PCB. The conductive materials 62 , 64 can also comprise standard PCB conductive materials.
[0025] In FIG. 5B , a hole 70 that will eventually encompass the cylinders is formed. Such a hole 70 can be formed by mechanical or laser drilling. Note that the hole 70 does not proceed through the entirety of the dielectric 66 , but instead leaves a thickness akin to the thickness 55 ( FIG. 4 ) in the finished via.
[0026] In FIG. 5C , the resulting structure is electrically plated to form line 71 the hole 70 . Processes for electrical plating are well known in the art, and hence are not further discussed. Note that through this process the plating 71 couples to the ground plane 64 . In FIG. 5D , the horizontal portion of the plating 71 is removed, which can occur using plasmas or wet chemical etchants. In this regard, it may be useful to employ a removable masking layer (not shown) over conductors 62 , 64 to protect them against the etch step of FIG. 5D , which would then allow an anisotropic plasma etch to be used to remove only the horizontal portion of the plating 71 . The resulting structure defines the outer cylinder 64 a.
[0027] In FIG. 5E , the hole 70 is filled with another dielectric material 72 . This dielectric material can be deposited either by chemical vapor deposition, or “spun on” to the substrate in liquid form and then hardened. Either way, the bottom side of the substrate might need to be planarized to remove unwanted portions of the dielectric material 72 from the surface of the ground plane 64 .
[0028] FIGS. 5F-5I essentially mimic the steps of FIGS. 5B-5E (drilling, plating, etching, and dielectric filling), but occur on the top of the substrate and are relevant to the formation of the inner cylinder (i.e., 62 a ). As these steps are the same, they are not again discussed.
[0029] In FIG. 5J , sheets of a dielectric prepreg material 78 are adhered to the top and bottom of the substrate. The prepreg sheets 78 are heated and hardened to adhere them to the remaining substrate, which can occur in a hydraulic press. Once adhered, the prepreg forms the dielectric between the power planes/associated cylinders and the signal traces, as will become evident in the following Figures.
[0030] In FIG. 5K , a conductive material 80 for the signal traces is formed on both the top and bottom of the substrate. Again, plating and/or chemical vapor deposition can be used to form the conductive material 80 .
[0031] In FIG. 5L , a hole 82 for the via is formed. Such hole may be mechanically drilled or formed by laser drilling.
[0032] In FIG. 5M , another conductive material 84 is placed on the sides of the hole 84 to form via 80 , e.g., by plating and/or chemical vapor deposition. In so doing, the conductive material 84 contacts the top and bottom conductive material 80 deposited in FIG. 5K .
[0033] In FIG. 5N , the conductive material 80 is masked and etched using standard PCB techniques to form the necessary conductors on the top and bottom of the substrate. In particular, and as shown, top and bottom conductors 80 t , 80 b are formed, thus forming, in conjunction with the via 80 , a signal which switches signal planes through the power planes, i.e., the problematic configuration discussed above. However, the dual-shield configuration minimizes the effects of EM disturbance.
[0034] The disclosed via structure 50 is susceptible to modifications. It is preferable that the shields 62 a , 64 a are circular and concentric, as this geometry is easiest to manufacture. However, useful embodiments of the invention need not be either circular or concentric. For example, the shields 62 a , 64 a can take the form of squares, rectangles, ovals, etc., and additionally need not be perfectly concentric to achieve improved performance. The dielectric material ( 72 ; FIG. 5E ) between the cylinders 62 a , 64 a need not be FR4, but could comprise other high dielectric constant materials other than those mentioned. Finally, the number of shields can be increased. Thus, there could be three shields (e.g., with a ground shield nested between two power shields or vice versa), four shield (with alternating power and ground shields), or more.
[0035] Although particularly useful in the context of a printed circuit board, the disclosed technique could also be adapted to the formation of shielded vias for integrated circuits.
[0036] In short, it should be understood that the inventive concepts disclosed herein are capable of many modifications. To the extent such modifications fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents, they are intended to be covered by this patent.
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One embodiment of the invention comprises an improved method for making a via structure for use in a printed circuit board (PCB). The via allows for the passage of a signal from one signal plane to another in the (PCB), and in so doing transgresses the power and ground planes between the signal plane. To minimize EM disturbance between the power and ground planes, signal loss due to signal return current, and via-to-via coupling, the via is shielded within two concentric cylinders, each coupled to one of the power and ground planes.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle propulsion, and more specifically to human-powered vehicle propulsion, such as human-powered propulsion of a water vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Kayakers and other boaters exhibit a wide range of skill levels, from the recreational kayaker to the professional competitor. Kayaking enthusiasts pursue their sport in a variety of settings, including creeks, rivers, and the ocean. Each of the settings presents unique challenges to the kayaker.
In order to kayak effectively, it is essential that the kayaker be able to effectively control the kayak with a minimum of effort; this is no less true for the recreational kayaker than it is for the expert. The essential element in kayak control is the kayak paddle. A kayak paddle that the user can easily and efficiently employ will greatly facilitate control of the kayak.
Kayak paddles include a single elongated shaft and two flattened blade portions, which may be either integral with the shaft or coupled thereto. The paddle is usually made of some suitably rigid material such as carbon fiber, wood, aluminum, or plastic. Low weight and sufficient strength to resist the forces imposed upon the paddle are important considerations in the manufacture of paddles.
To use a kayak paddle one grips and supports the shaft with both hands, generally perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the kayak. A blade is inserted in the water near the side of the boat at a point in front of the user. The blade is then pulled backward approximately parallel to the longitudinal axis of the kayak, by backward pressure exerted through the hand closest to the blade in the water, while forward pressure is exerted through the other hand. When the blade has been pulled back to a point beside or just behind the user, it is removed from the water with an upward motion and the opposite blade is inserted in the water in front of the user. The sequence of motions is repeated, creating forces that propel the boat forward through the water. Subtle differences in the amount of force applied and the direction in which it is applied with each stroke are used to steer the kayak and keep it on course.
In order to paddle effectively, the kayaker must be able to hold the paddle continuously aloft with both hands while simultaneously twisting, rotating and raising/lowering the blades. This requires some amount of physical strength and coordination.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Several embodiments of the invention advantageously address the needs above as well as other needs by providing a vehicle propulsion system and method.
In one embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a vehicle propulsion system including a mount for mechanically coupling to a vehicle; a rotation shaft oriented substantially normal to a plane of travel of the vehicle; a fixture coupled to the rotation shaft, the fixture being rotatable about a rotation shaft axis of the rotation shaft; and an oar assembly coupled to the fixture, the oar assembly including a first blade, a first shaft, the first blade being coupled to a distal end of the first shaft, a second blade, a second shaft, the second blade being coupled to a distal end of the second shaft, a coupling interposed between a proximal end of the first shaft and a proximal end of the second shaft and selectively permitting rotation of the first shaft relative to the second shaft about a rotational axis, wherein the coupling includes a lock for locking the first shaft relative to the second shaft so as to prevent rotation of the first shaft relative to the second shaft when the lock is locked, a first adjuster, wherein the first adjuster adjusts the length of the first shaft, and a second adjuster, wherein the second adjuster adjusts the length of the second shaft; wherein the coupling is coupled to the fixture, wherein the rotation shaft axis is substantially normal to the rotational axis; wherein the coupling is coupled to the fixture to permit rotation of the oar assembly about the rotation axis when the lock is unlocked.
In another embodiment, the invention can be characterized as a method including mechanically coupling of a mount to a vehicle; orienting a rotation shaft substantially normal to a plane of travel of the vehicle; coupling a fixture to the rotation shaft, the fixture being rotatable about a rotation shaft axis of the rotation shaft; coupling an oar assembly to the fixture, the oar assembly including a first blade, a first shaft, the first blade being coupled to a distal end of the first shaft, a second blade, a second shaft, the second blade being coupled to a distal end of the second shaft, a coupling interposed between a proximal end of the first shaft and a proximal end of the second shaft and selectively permitting rotation of the first shaft relative to the second shaft about a rotational axis, wherein the coupling includes a lock for locking the first shaft relative to the second shaft so as to prevent rotation of the first shaft relative to the second shaft when the lock is locked, a first adjuster, wherein the first adjuster adjusts the length of the first rotation shaft, and a second adjuster, wherein the second adjuster adjusts the length of the second shaft; and coupling the coupling to the fixture to permit rotation of the oar assembly about the rotation axis when the lock is locked, wherein the rotation shaft axis is substantially normal to the rotational axis.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above and other aspects, features and advantages of several embodiments of the present invention will be more apparent from the following more particular description thereof, presented in conjunction with the following drawings.
FIG. 1 is a simplified rear view of a kayak with an angle oar.
FIG. 2 is a simplified rear view of the angle oar according to some embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a simplified rear view of the angle oar according to some embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a simplified rear view of the angle oar according to some embodiments.
FIG. 5 is a simplified rear view of the angle oar according to some embodiments.
FIG. 6 is a simplified rear view of the angle oar according to some embodiments.
FIG. 7 is a side cross-sectional view of the central portion of the angle oar.
FIG. 8 is a top cross-sectional view of the central portion of the angle oar.
FIG. 9 is a side view of the center hub of the angle oar.
FIG. 9A is a side view of the center hub of the angle oar.
FIG. 9B is a side view of the center hub of the angle oar.
FIG. 10 is a side view of a cam head adjustment bolt.
FIG. 10A is a bottom view of the cam head adjustment bolt with an offset head.
FIG. 11 is a top view of the kayak with the angle oar and a bottom-mounted support.
FIG. 12 is a rear cross-sectional view of the kayak with the angle oar and the bottom-mounted support.
FIG. 13 is a side cross-sectional view of the kayak with the angle oar and the bottom-mounted support.
FIG. 14 is a side cross-sectional detail of the bottom-mounted support.
FIG. 15 is a rear cross-sectional view of the bottom-mounted support.
FIG. 16 is a top view of the kayak with the angle oar and a top-mounted support.
FIG. 17 is a side cross-sectional view of the kayak with the angle oar and top-mounted support.
FIG. 18 is a simplified side view of the kayak with the angle oar, the bottom-mounted support, and a stabilizing rod
FIG. 19 is a perspective view of the kayak with the angle oar, top-mounted support and the stabilizing rod.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding components throughout the several views of the drawings. Skilled artisans will 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. Also, common but well-understood elements that are useful or necessary in a commercially feasible embodiment are often not depicted in order to facilitate a less obstructed view of these various embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose of describing the general principles of exemplary embodiments. The scope of the invention should be determined with reference to the claims.
The present invention in accordance with some embodiments provides a kayak paddle with a central support that is not found in present day kayaks. Some embodiments further provide for each paddle to be independently adjustable in length. Additional embodiments further provide for each paddle side to be rotatable to, for example, 4 angles relative to the paddle axis, allowing for the paddle to be adjusted for differing paddling conditions or to be operated with one hand. Some embodiments further provide for paddle blades shaped to allow for paddling in shallow water. In some variations, embodiments further provide for a paddle support mounting system coupled to the kayak floor. This bottom-mounted (or floor-mounted) support system is angled towards the kayak bow along a longitudinal axis of the kayak and provides for adjustment of the central support vertically and relative to the kayak. Some embodiments further provide for a paddle support system mounted to the underside of the foredeck of the kayak. This top-mounted support system is angled towards the kayak bow along a longitudinal axis of the kayak and provides for adjustment of the central support vertically and longitudinally relative to the kayak. The support system angle automatically angles the kayak paddle blades to provide some bite, advantageously keeping the blade in the water through the stroke. The present embodiments further provide for vertical rods that provide anchorage, kayak stabilization and assistance in entering and exiting any kayak or means of conveyance.
Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the invention may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific details are provided, to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the invention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize, however, that the invention can be practiced without one or more of the specific details, or with other methods, components, materials, and so forth. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
FIG. 1 depicts a kayak 100 with an angle oar 102 in accordance with one embodiment installed. The view is looking towards the bow of the kayak with the longitudinal axis being normal to the plane of the page. The angle oar 102 includes a central support with a clevis 104 . A left paddle arm is comprised of a left blade 106 , a left outer tube 108 and a left inner tube 110 . A right paddle arm is comprised of a right blade 112 , a right outer tube 114 , and a right inner tube 116 . A support post 118 (also referred to as a rotation shaft) is shown. The support post 118 is anchored to the kayak. Two examples of support post anchorage, a bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 (as shown in FIG. 11 ) and a top-mounted anchorage 1800 (as shown in FIG. 16 ), are described below. The clevis 104 is coupled to the top of the support post 118 . The left blade 106 is coupled to the left end of the left outer tube 108 . The right end of the left outer tube 108 is coupled to the left end of the left inner tube 110 with an adjustable connection. The right end of the left inner tube 110 is coupled to the clevis 104 with a connection that allows for rotation about an axis concurrent with the central hub and approximately normal to the longitudinal kayak axis. The right blade 112 is coupled to the right end of the right outer tube 114 . The left end of the right outer tube 114 is attached to the right end of the right inner tube 116 with an adjustable connection as described below. The left end of the right inner tube 116 is coupled to the clevis 104 with a connection that allows for rotation about an axis concurrent with the central hub and approximately normal (e.g., normal or angled slightly forward of normal, e.g., seven degrees forward of normal) to the longitudinal kayak axis (substantially normal to a plane of travel of a kayak, e.g., a plane of a surface of water on which the kayak is traveling). The shape of the left blade face 120 and right blade face 122 are such that the faces come to a point that aligns with the left outer tube longitudinal axis and right outer tube longitudinal axis, respectively. An upper half and a lower half of the left blade face 120 and an upper half and a lower half of the right blade face 122 have equal planar areas. The upper half and lower half of the right blade face 122 are juxtaposed on opposite sides of the right outer tube 114 and are coplanar with one another. The upper half and lower half of the left blade face 120 are juxtaposed on opposite sides of the left outer tube 108 and are coplanar with one another.
FIG. 2 depicts the angle oar 102 adjusted for maximum paddle arm length on each paddle arm and the outer tubes 108 , 114 aligned on a straight axis. The length of each paddle arm is independently adjustable as described below.
FIG. 3 depicts the angle oar 102 adjusted for minimum paddle arm length on each side and the paddle arms aligned on a straight axis.
FIG. 4 depicts the angle oar 102 adjusted for minimum paddle arm length on each paddle arm and the left paddle arm is rotated clockwise about the central hub so as to create an angle between the right paddle arm and the left paddle arm.
FIG. 5 depicts the angle oar 102 adjusted for maximum paddle arm length on the left hand side and the right paddle arm rotated clockwise. The right side paddle arm is adjusted for minimum paddle arm length.
FIG. 6 depicts the angle oar 102 adjusted for maximum paddle arm length on the left side and the right paddle arm rotated clockwise. The right paddle arm is adjusted for maximum paddle arm length.
FIG. 7 depicts a vertical section through the central hub of the angle oar 102 in accordance with one embodiment. The center support includes the support post 118 , the clevis 104 , a pivot pin 800 and a clevis lock pin 802 . Shown are a clevis base tube 804 (also referred to as a sleeve), a clevis base plate 806 and a clevis front plate 808 . In one embodiment, the pivot pin 800 is held in place by a set screw 810 . The portion of the left paddle arm shown includes the left outer tube 108 and the left inner tube 110 . A left adjusting spring 812 with a left adjusting button 814 is shown. A plurality of left adjusting holes 816 are shown. A cam head adjustment bolt 818 (also referred to as a cam bolt) is shown coupled to the right end of the left inner tube 110 . The portion of the right paddle arm shown includes the right outer tube 114 and the right inner tube 116 . A right adjusting spring 820 with a right adjusting button 822 is shown. A plurality of right adjusting holes 824 are shown. A sliding bolt lock 826 and a sliding bolt lock spring 828 are located on the right inner tube 116 adjacent to the clevis 104 .
Referring next to FIG. 8 , a horizontal section through the central support of the angle oar 102 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. The central support portion including the clevis 104 and pivot pin 800 is shown. In one embodiment, the pivot pin 800 is held in place by a set screw 810 . The portion of the left paddle arm shown includes the left outer tube 108 and the left inner tube 110 . A left adjusting spring 812 with a left adjusting button 814 is shown. A plurality of left adjusting holes 816 are shown. The portion of the right paddle arm shown includes the right outer tube 114 and the right inner tube 116 . A right adjusting spring 820 with a right adjusting button 822 is shown. A plurality of right adjusting holes 824 are shown.
The bottom tube portion of the clevis 104 fits over and is supported by the cylindrical support post 118 . In one embodiment, the clevis lock pin 802 secures the clevis 104 to the support post 118 . The top of the clevis 104 is shaped to support the pivot pin 800 . In one embodiment, the pivot pin 800 is secured to the left inner tube 110 with a set screw 810 . The right end of the left inner tube 110 has a cylindrical shape with a central hole. The pivot pin 800 goes through the central hole, providing support and rotation for the left and right paddle arms. The set screw 810 bears against the pivot pin 800 so that the left inner tube 110 and pivot pin 800 move together, independently of the clevis 104 and right inner tube 116 . The sliding bolt lock 826 is located in a recess in the left end of the right inner tube 116 . The left end of the right inner tube 116 includes a front outer plate 900 and a rear outer plate 902 , each coupled to an opposite side of the left end of the right inner tube 116 . The outer plates 900 , 902 are located on either side of the cylindrical portion of the left inner tube 110 and are supported by and may rotate about the pivot pin 800 . The left and right adjusting springs 812 , 820 are located in the left and right outer tubes 108 , 114 . The left and right adjusting buttons 814 , 822 are coupled to the left and right adjusting springs 812 , 820 . The left and right outer tubes 108 , 114 have a plurality of left and right adjusting holes 816 , 824 which align with the left or right adjusting button 814 , 822 .
In one embodiment of the invention, the clevis base tube 804 receives and is supported by the support post 118 , the clevis base tube further being rotatable about a longitudinal rotation shaft axis of the support port 118 when the clevis lock pin 802 is not used. The top portion of the clevis 104 includes two vertical sides located outside of the left and right inner tubes 110 , 116 . The clevis sides, along with the pivot pin 800 , provide support for the paddle arms and allow for rotation of the paddle arms about the pivot pin axis. In one configuration, the sliding bolt lock 826 is moved to its leftmost position. A portion of the sliding bolt lock 826 is received by a sliding bolt lock hole 904 in the cylindrical portion of the left inner tube 110 . The sliding bolt lock hole 904 is located so that engagement of the lock will align the longitudinal axes of the left and right paddle arms and prevent them from moving relative to one another. The sliding bolt lock spring 828 is sufficiently tensioned to keep the sliding bolt lock 826 in the leftmost position while allowing for a person to slide the sliding bolt lock 826 to the rightmost position when desired. When the sliding bolt lock 826 is moved to its rightmost position, the right paddle arm rotates clockwise until its rotation is stopped by the cam head adjustment bolt 818 . Alternately, when the sliding bolt lock 826 is moved to its rightmost position, the left paddle arm may be rotated clockwise towards the right paddle arm, allowing for a shorter paddle arm profile.
In one embodiment, the paddle arms include a button spring mechanism. On the left paddle arm, the left adjusting spring 812 is coupled to the inside of the left inner tube 110 . The left adjusting button 814 is coupled to the left adjusting spring 812 so that the left adjusting button 814 extends through one of the left adjusting holes 816 , locking the length of the paddle arm. The left adjusting spring 812 holds the left adjusting button 814 in place. To adjust the length of the left paddle, the left adjusting button 814 is depressed until the button top is below the left outer tube 108 , allowing the left outer tube 108 to slide relative to the left inner tube 110 . The left outer tube 108 slides to the left or right until the left adjusting button 814 aligns with an alternate left adjusting hole and the left adjusting spring 812 causes the left adjusting button 814 to extend through the alternate left adjusting hole. The difference between the previous left adjusting hole and the current left adjusting hole is the change in left paddle arm length. The right paddle arm is adjusted in a similar way.
FIG. 9 depicts a detail of the central portion of the angle oar 102 . Shown are the left inner tube 110 , the right inner tube 116 , the pivot pin 800 , the sliding bolt lock 826 , the sliding bolt lock hole 904 , the sliding bolt lock spring 828 and the cam head adjustment bolt 818 . In one embodiment, the cam head adjustment bolt 818 has an offset cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 (as shown in FIG. 10 ). The sliding bolt lock 826 is shown in the rightmost position, uncoupling the paddle arms and allowing the right paddle arm to be rotated clockwise. The clockwise rotation is stopped when the right inner tube 116 contacts the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 of the cam head adjustment bolt 818 . In one embodiment, the cam head adjustment bolt 818 is adjusted one quarter turn so that the allowed rotation is approximately 30° when the maximum head overhang of the cam head adjustment bolt 818 contacts the right inner tube 116 . FIG. 9A shows the cam head adjustment bolt 818 adjusted one half turn so that the allowed rotation angle is increased. FIG. 9B shows the cam head adjustment bolt 818 adjusted so that the allowed rotation angle is maximized to approximately 40°.
Referring next to FIG. 10 , a detail of one embodiment of the cam head adjustment bolt 818 is shown. The cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 is shown offset from a cam head adjustment bolt shaft 1102 . In one embodiment, the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 is offset from the cam head adjustment bolt shaft 1102 so that the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 aligns with the cam head adjustment bolt shaft 1102 at a single point, as shown in FIG. 10A . A thread locking bead 1104 is shown on the cam head adjustment bolt shaft 1102 . In this embodiment, the cam head adjustment bolt 818 diameter is 5/16″, the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 diameter is ⅝″, and the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 thickness is ⅜″. In one embodiment, the cam head adjustment bolt head 1100 has a hexagonal socket drive 1106 .
Referring next to FIG. 11 , one embodiment of angle oar anchorage is shown. A top view shows the kayak 100 , a kayak seat 1300 , the angle oar 102 and a bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 . The bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 contains a plurality of support post cavities 1304 . The support post 118 fits in the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 , which is coupled to the kayak floor (also referred to as the kayak deck) by plastic welding or other suitable method. The support post 118 may be placed in any of the support post cavities 1304 (also referred to as step holes).
FIG. 12 depicts a section through the kayak 100 looking towards the kayak bow. The kayak 100 , angle oar 102 , support post 118 , bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 and support post cavity 1304 are shown.
FIG. 13 shows a longitudinal section through the center of the kayak 100 . Shown are the kayak 100 , the kayak seat 1300 , the angle oar 102 , the support post 118 , the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 and a plurality of support post cavities 1304 . A plurality of support post adjustment holes 1500 are shown. The bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 is coupled to the kayak floor. The joint between the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 and the kayak floor is sealed to prevent water from infiltrating the joint. The support post cavities 1304 are angled approximately 7° towards the kayak bow. The support system angle automatically angles the kayak paddle blades 106 , 112 to provide some drag, advantageously keeping the blade 106 or 112 in the water during the stroke.
Referring next to FIG. 14 , a detail of the longitudinal section of the bottom-mounted support 1302 is shown. Shown is the kayak 100 , the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 , a plurality of support post cavities 1304 , the support post 118 , a bushing 1600 , a plurality of support post adjustment holes 1500 , a washer 1602 and an adjustment pin 1604 . The support post cavities 1304 are of tapered cone shape, with the narrower end at the bottom. In one embodiment of the invention, the cone is tapered to accommodate manufacturing requirements, with an approximate required angle of 2°-3°. The bushing 1600 sits on top of the support post cavities 1304 . Holes are located in the bushing 1600 to align the support post 118 in the support post cavity 1304 and prevent lateral movement of the support post 118 . In one embodiment of the invention, the support post 118 is supported by the bottom of the support post cavity 1304 . In another embodiment, the support post 118 and consequently the angle oar 102 may be raised by raising one of the support post adjustment holes 1500 above the top of the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 and sliding the adjustment pin 1604 through the support post adjustment holes 1500 to secure the post. The washer 1602 is placed between the bushing 1600 and the adjustment pin 1604 to provide additional bearing support for the adjustment pin 1604 .
Referring next to FIG. 15 , a detail of a transverse section through the bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 is shown. The kayak 100 , bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 , support post 118 and bushing 1600 are shown. In this embodiment, the support post 118 is shown supported by the bottom of the support post cavity 1304 .
Referring next to FIG. 16 , another embodiment of angle oar anchorage is shown. The top-mounted anchorage 1800 includes an adjustable tube 1802 , a main support tube 1804 , a left support arm 1806 and a right support arm 1808 . Also shown is the kayak 100 and a portion of the angle oar 102 . A plurality of adjustable tube holes 1810 and an adjusting button 1812 are shown. The main support tube 1804 and the support arms 1806 , 1808 are secured to the top of the kayak 100 . In one embodiment, a plurality of bolts 1814 connect the main support tube 1804 and the support arms to the top of the kayak 100 . The angle of the support arms 1806 , 1808 provides rotational stability to the top-mounted anchorage 1800 .
FIG. 17 depicts a longitudinal cross-section through the top-mounted anchorage 1800 . Shown is the kayak 100 , the angle oar 102 , the support post 118 , a vertical support member 1900 , the adjustable tube 1802 , the main support tube 1804 , the left support arm 1806 and the right support arm 1808 . A plurality of vertical adjustment holes 1902 are shown on the vertical support member 1900 . The support post 118 is adjusted vertically by means of the vertical adjustment holes 1902 and a support pin 1904 . The vertical support member 1900 is coupled to the adjustable tube 1802 . In one embodiment, the angle between the vertical support tube member 1900 and the kayak floor is approximately 3°. The adjusting button 1812 is coupled to the adjusting spring so that the adjusting button 1812 extends through one of the adjustable tube holes 1810 , locking the angle oar 102 in place horizontally. An adjusting spring 1906 holds the adjusting button 1812 in place. To adjust the horizontal position of the angle oar 102 , the adjusting button 1812 is depressed until the adjusting button 1812 top is below the main support tube 1804 , allowing the adjustable tube 1802 to slide relative to the main support tube 1804 . The adjustable tube 1802 slides fore or aft until the adjusting button 1812 aligns with an alternate adjusting hole and the adjusting spring 1906 causes the adjusting button 1812 to extend through the alternate adjusting hole. The difference between the previous adjusting hole and the current adjusting hole is the change in angle oar 102 location. The plurality of bolts 1814 connecting the top-mounted anchorage 1800 to the kayak top are shown. A template may be supplied for locating the bolt holes in the top of the kayak.
Referring next to FIG. 18 , one embodiment of the invention includes a stabilizing rod 2000 for a sit-on kayak. Shown is the kayak 100 , stabilizing rod 2000 , angle oar 102 , support post 118 and bottom-mounted anchorage 1302 . In one embodiment, the stabilizing rod 2000 is made of fiberglass or aluminum. The stabilizing rod 2000 has a tee handle. One or more through tubes 2002 are provided, allowing the stabilizing rod 2000 to pass through the kayak 100 without allowing water to enter the kayak 100 .
FIG. 19 depicts an isometric of the sit-on kayak 100 with the angle oar 102 and the stabilizing rod 2000 . Also shown are the kayak seat 1300 , the support post 118 , the top-mounted anchorage 1800 and the plurality of through tubes 2002 .
While the invention herein disclosed has been described by means of specific embodiments, examples and applications thereof, numerous modifications and variations could be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention set forth in the claims.
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A vehicle propulsion system having a mount; a rotation shaft oriented substantially normal to a plane of travel of a vehicle; a fixture coupled to the rotation shaft, the fixture being rotatable about a rotation shaft axis of the rotation shaft; and an oar assembly coupled to the fixture; wherein the coupling is coupled to the fixture, wherein the rotation shaft axis is substantially normal to the rotational axis; wherein the coupling is coupled to the fixture to permit rotation of the oar assembly about the rotation axis when the lock is locked.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl triazole derivatives, processes for preparing them, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use as pharmaceuticals for enhancing the cognitive function or to counteract cognitive decline in a mammal.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Cognitive disorders, i.e. impairments of memory and learning processes, have a significant detrimental effect on the quality of life of patients affected by it. Clinically recognized cognitive disorders vary from mild cognitive impairment through to dementia of varying severity. Cognitive disorders may also be associated with several disease or disorders such as schizophrenia, depression or Parkinson's disease.
[0003] Mild cognitive impairment (“MCI”) is believed to be a transition stage between the cognitive changes of normal aging and the more serious problems caused by Alzheimer's disease. Dementia is a clinically recognized broad-spectrum syndrome entailing progressive loss of cognitive capabilities. Dementia can be one of many symptoms of various neurological diseases or the main abnormality associated with the disease, as it is the case in Alzheimer's disease. Most common causes of dementia include cerebral atrophy associated with Alzheimer's disease, Lewy-bodies disease, front-temporal lobe degeneration, Pick's disease, vascular narrowing or blockage in the brain (i.e. vascular dementia also known as multi-infarct dementia), Huntington's disease, Parkinson's disease, head trauma, HIV infection or Down's syndrome.
[0004] Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive degenerative disease of the brain primarily associated with aging. AD is one of several disorders that cause the gradual loss of brain cells and is one of and possibly the leading cause of dementia. Clinical presentation of AD is characterized by loss of memory, cognition, reasoning, judgment, and orientation. Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is often the first identified stage of AD. As the disease progresses, motor, sensory, and linguistic abilities also are affected until there is global impairment of multiple cognitive functions. These cognitive losses occur gradually, but typically lead to severe impairment, and the disease leads eventually to death in the range of three to twenty years.
[0005] Currently there are only a few medications that have been shown to afford at most a modest, mostly transient benefit to the patients suffering from cognitive impairment. Cholinesterase inhibitors (anticholinesterases), such as donepezil (Aricept®), galanthamine (Razadyne®, Razadyne ER®, Reminyl®, Nivalin®) and rivastigmine tartrate (Exelon®) have been shown to be efficacious in mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease dementia. Exelon® has recently been approved for the treatment of mild to moderate dementia associated with Parkinson's disease. Memantine, a NMDA receptor antagonist, is the first approved Alzheimer's disease medication acting on the glutamatergic system (Axura®, Akatinol®, Namenda®, Ebixa®). These drugs however have not only proven limited efficacy but also considerable side effects which in some cases lead to discontinuation of the therapy. With the increase in the life span and general aging of the population there is a need to develop drugs which could delay or alleviate the cognitive function in aging patients.
[0006] Cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS) is an intrinsic part of the illness, affecting the majority of the patients, and often pre-dates its onset. It affects a wide range of cognitive functions, particularly memory, attention, motor skills, executive function and social cognition following dysregulation of several neurotransmitter systems. No treatment are currently specifically approved for CIAS (O'Carroll, Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 6, 161-168 (2000); Millan et al., Nature Rev. Drug Discovery 11, 141-168 (2012)).
[0007] Levetiracetam or (S)-(−)-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetamide, is a laevorotatory compound, disclosed in the European patent No. EP-162036 as being a protective agent for the treatment and the prevention of hypoxic and ischemic type aggressions of the central nervous system. Levetiracetam has the following structure:
[0000]
[0008] Levetiracetam has been approved, and is marketed as Keppra®, in many countries including the European Union and the United States for the treatment of various forms of epilepsy, a therapeutic indication for which it has been demonstrated that its dextrorotatory enantiomer (R)-(+)-alpha-ethyl-2-oxo-1-pyrrolidine acetamide completely lacks activity (Gower et al., Eur. J. Pharmacol. 222, 193-203 (1992)).
[0009] It has been repeatedly reported however that levetiracetam has no impact on the cognitive function both in animals as well as in humans (Lamberty et al, Epilepsy & Behavior 1, 333-342 (2000); Klitgaard et al. Epilepsy Research 50, 55-65 (2002); Shannon H & Love, P. Epilepsy & Behavior 7, 620-628 (2005); Higgins et al. Psychopharmacology 207, 513-527 (2010)).
[0010] Further racetam-type drugs include piracetam, oxiracetam, aniracetam, pramiracetam and phenylpiracetam, which have been used in humans and some of which are available as dietary supplements. Of these, oxiracetam and aniracetam are no longer in clinical use. Pramiracetam reportedly improved cognitive deficits associated with traumatic brain injuries. Although piracetam exhibited no long-term benefits for the treatment of mild cognitive impairments, recent studies demonstrated its neuroprotective effect when used during coronary bypass surgery. It was also effective in the treatment of cognitive disorders of cerebrovascular and traumatic origins; however, its overall effect on lowering depression and anxiety was higher than improving memory. As add-on therapy, it appears to benefit individuals with myoclonus epilepsy and tardive dyskinesia. Phenylpiracetam is more potent than piracetam and is used for a wider range of indications. In combination with a vasodilator drug, piracetam appeared to have an additive beneficial effect on various cognitive disabilities.
[0011] Pyrrolidone derivatives in particular for the treatment of epilepsy are disclosed in WO 2006/128693:
[0000]
[0012] In said formula
R 3 may be—among others-a 1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl and R 4 may be a substituted or unsubstituted aryl.
[0015] One specific triazole pyrrolidone compound having the following formula is disclosed in WO 2006/128693
[0000]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0016] The present invention relates to compounds, compositions and methods for the treatment of conditions associated with enhancement or improvement of cognitive ability or to counteract cognitive decline.
[0017] A further aspect of the present invention consists in pharmaceutical compositions containing a compound which has been identified pursuant to the above set out method and which may furthermore contain a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.
[0018] Further aspects of the invention will become apparent from the detailed specification.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] The compounds and their tautomers, isomers and salts useful for the treatment of conditions associated with enhancement or improvement of cognitive ability or to counteract cognitive decline are of those of formula (I)
[0000]
[0020] wherein
[0021] R 1 is a 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl or a 3-cyanophenyl moiety;
[0022] R 2 is either a cyano moiety of formula —CN or a chlorine atom.
[0023] In one embodiment the R 1 group of formula (I) is in the 4R configuration. In another, it is in the 4S configuration.
[0024] In a preferred embodiment the R 1 group is a 3,4,5-trifluorophenyl moiety.
[0025] Specific compounds of the present invention are those selected from the group consisting of:
(4R)-1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one; 1-{[(4R)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]methyl}-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-carbonitrile; (+)-3-{1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl}benzonitrile.
[0029] The compounds of formula (I) according to the invention can be prepared analogously to conventional methods as understood by the person skilled in the art of synthetic organic chemistry.
[0030] According to one embodiment, compounds having the general formula I may be prepared by nucleophilic substitution of a compound of formula II by a triazole of formula III according to the equation:
[0000]
[0031] wherein R 1 and R 2 have the same definitions as defined above for compounds of formula I.
[0032] This reaction may be performed for example in tetrahydrofurane or in toluene in the presence of a base such as sodium hydride, or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0033] Compounds of formula II may be prepared by chlorination of a compound of formula IV, or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0000]
[0034] wherein R 1 has the same definitions as defined above.
[0035] This reaction may be performed for example in dichloromethane at 0° C. in the presence of oxalyl chloride, or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0036] Compounds of formula IV may be prepared by formylation of a pyrrolidone of formula V according to the equation:
[0000]
[0037] wherein R 1 has the same definitions as defined above.
[0038] This reaction may be performed for example in tetrahydrofurane at room temperature in the presence of paraformaldehyde and a base such as potassium tert-butoxide, or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0039] Compounds of formula V may be prepared by deprotection of a compound of formula VI according to the equation:
[0000]
[0040] wherein R 1 has the same definitions as defined above.
[0041] This reaction may be performed for example at room temperature in dichloromethane in the presence of an acid such as trifluoroacetic acid, or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0042] The synthesis of compounds of formula VI can be performed using procedures described in the literature (for example in WO 2006/128693) or according to any method known to the person skilled in the art.
[0043] In another embodiment, the present invention includes the synthesis of the following intermediates:
(4R)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one; (4R)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one; (4R)-1-(chloromethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one; tert-butyl 4-(3-cyanophenyl)-2-oxopyrrolidine-1-carboxylate; 3-(5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)benzonitrile; 3-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile; and 3-[1-(chloromethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile.
[0051] The “pharmaceutically acceptable salts” according to the invention include therapeutically active, non-toxic acid or base salt forms which the compounds of formula I are able to form.
[0052] The acid addition salt form of a compound of formula I that occurs in its free form as a base can be obtained by treating the free base with an appropriate acid such as an inorganic acid, for example, a hydrohalic such as hydrochloric or hydrobromic, sulfuric, nitric, phosphoric and the like; or an organic acid, such as, for example, acetic, trifluoroacetic, hydroxyacetic, propanoic, lactic, pyruvic, malonic, succinic, maleic, fumaric, malic, tartaric, citric, methanesulfonic, ethanesulfonic, benzenesulfonic, p-toluenesulfonic, cyclamic, salicylic, p-aminosalicylic, pamoic and the like.
[0053] The compounds of formula I containing acidic protons may be converted into their therapeutically active, non-toxic base addition salt forms, e.g. metal or amine salts, by treatment with appropriate organic and inorganic bases. Appropriate base salt forms include, for example, ammonium salts, alkali and earth alkaline metal salts, e.g. lithium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium salts and the like, salts with organic bases, e.g. N-methyl-D-glucamine, hydrabamine salts, and salts with amino acids such as, for example, arginine, lysine and the like.
[0054] Conversely said salt forms can be converted into the free forms by treatment with an appropriate base or acid.
[0055] Compounds of the formula I and their salts can be in the form of a solvate, which is included within the scope of the present invention. Such solvates include for example hydrates, alcoholates and the like.
[0056] Compounds of formula I and some of their intermediates have at least one stereogenic center in their structure. This stereogenic center may be present in a R or a S configuration, said R and S notation is used in correspondence with the rules described in Pure Appl. Chem. 45, 11-30 (1976).
[0057] The invention also relates to all enantiomeric forms of the compounds of formula I or mixtures thereof (including all possible mixtures of stereoisomers).
[0058] With respect to the present invention reference to a compound or compounds is intended to encompass that compound in each of its possible isomeric forms and mixtures thereof, unless the particular isomeric form is referred to specifically.
[0059] The expression “enantiomerically pure” as used herein refers to compounds which have enantiomeric excess (ee) greater than 95%.
[0060] Also included by formula (I) are those compounds where the predominant isotope of hydrogen is replaced by the deuterium or tritium.
[0061] Compounds according to the present invention may exist in different polymorphic forms. Although not explicitly indicated in the above formula, such forms are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.
[0062] The compounds of the present invention are for use as a medicament, in the treatment of conditions associated with enhancement or improvement of cognitive ability or to counteract cognitive decline.
[0063] The methods of the invention comprise administration to a mammal (preferably a human) suffering from above mentioned conditions or disorders, of a compound according to the invention in an amount sufficient to alleviate or prevent the disorder or condition.
[0064] The compound is conveniently administered in any suitable unit dosage form, including but not limited to one containing 0.1 to 2000 mg, preferably 0.1 to 1000 mg, more preferably 0.1 to 500 mg of active ingredient per unit dosage form.
[0065] The terms “treatment of conditions associated with enhancement or improvement of cognitive ability” or “to counteract cognitive decline” or “treatment of a cognitive disorder” or “improving the cognitive function” or “counteracting the decline of the cognitive function” used throughout this specification shall mean promoting cognitive function (affecting impaired cognitive function in the subject so that it more closely resembles the function of an aged-matched normal, unimpaired subject, including affecting states in which cognitive function is reduced compared to a normal subject) and preserving cognitive function (affecting normal or impaired cognitive function such that it does not decline or does not fall below that observed in the subject upon first presentation or diagnosis, e.g. to the extent of expected decline in the absence of treatment). The suitability of the compounds according to the present invention for conditions associated with enhancement or improvement of cognitive ability may be tested through assays that are well known in the art. Such assays include in particular the novel object recognition tests set out in Example 4 and 5, as well as the Y-maze test set out in Example 6.
[0066] In one embodiment of the invention, the mammal has normal cognitive function which is improved.
[0067] In a further embodiment the mammal exhibits cognitive impairment associated with aging.
[0068] In still a further embodiment the mammal is a human with cognitive impairment associated with a disease or disorder such as autism, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, compulsive disorders, psychosis, bipolar disorders, depression, Tourette's syndrome and disorders of learning in children, adolescents and adults, Age Associated Memory Impairment, Age Associated Cognitive Decline, Parkinson's Disease, Down's Syndrome, traumatic brain injury Huntington's Disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP), HIV, stroke, vascular diseases, Pick's or Creutzfeldt-Jacob diseases, multiple sclerosis (MS), other white matter disorders and drug-induced cognitive worsening.
[0069] In still a further embodiment, the impairment of cognitive function is caused by, or attributed to, Alzheimer's disease. In another embodiment, the impairment of cognitive function is caused by, or attributed to, mild cognitive impairment (MCI). In a further embodiment, the impairment of cognitive function is caused by, or attributed to, schizophrenia.
[0070] The compounds according to the present invention may be used for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical composition for the treatment of a cognitive disorder or for improving the cognitive function or counteracting the decline of the cognitive function. Such compositions typically contain the active pharmaceutical ingredient and a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient.
[0071] Suitable diluents and carriers may take a wide variety of forms depending on the desired route of administration, e.g., oral, rectal, parenteral or intranasal.
[0072] Pharmaceutical compositions comprising compounds according to the invention can, for example, be administered orally, parenterally, i.e., intravenously, intramuscularly or subcutaneously, intrathecally, transdermally (patch), by inhalation or intranasally.
[0073] Pharmaceutical compositions suitable for oral administration can be solids or liquids and can, for example, be in the form of tablets, pills, dragees, gelatin capsules, solutions, syrups, chewing-gums and the like.
[0074] To this end the active ingredient may be mixed with an inert diluent or a non-toxic pharmaceutically acceptable carrier such as starch or lactose. Optionally, these pharmaceutical compositions can also contain a binder such as microcrystalline cellulose, gum tragacanth or gelatine, a disintegrant such as alginic acid, a lubricant such as magnesium stearate, a glidant such as colloidal silicon dioxide, a sweetener such as sucrose or saccharin, or colouring agents or a flavouring agent such as peppermint or methyl salicylate.
[0075] The invention also contemplates compositions which can release the active substance in a controlled manner. Pharmaceutical compositions which can be used for parenteral administration are in conventional form such as aqueous or oily solutions or suspensions generally contained in ampoules, disposable syringes, glass or plastics vials or infusion containers.
[0076] In addition to the active ingredient, these solutions or suspensions can optionally also contain a sterile diluent such as water for injection, a physiological saline solution, oils, polyethylene glycols, glycerine, propylene glycol or other synthetic solvents, antibacterial agents such as benzyl alcohol, antioxidants such as ascorbic acid or sodium bisulphite, chelating agents such as ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid, buffers such as acetates, citrates or phosphates and agents for adjusting the osmolarity, such as sodium chloride or dextrose.
[0077] Also comprised by the present invention are pharmaceutical compositions containing the compound of the present invention in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable co-crystal.
[0078] Such pharmaceutical compositions may furthermore contain known or marketed therapeutic agents used in the treatment of cognitive or a neurological disorders (AD) including but not limited to donepezil (Aricept®), galanthamine (Razadyne®, Razadyne ER®, Reminyl®, Nivalin®), rivastigmine tartrate (Exelon®), memantine (Axura®, Akatinol®, Namenda®, Ebixa®).
[0079] The pro-cognitive activity of the compounds according to the present invention in particular of formula I, or their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, may be determined by a variety of preclinical tests and models known to a skilled person in the art. Such tests may challenge the efficacy on multiple memory phases and types. In contrast to challenging a particular memory type or phase, the cognitive models test the ability of a compound to prevent or reverse a memory deficit in a given brain pathway, system, or function.
[0080] In pre-clinical animal models, the compounds according to the present invention improve cholinergic memory deficit induced by scopolamine, a muscarinic receptor antagonist. They also improve the memory deficit induced by beta-amyloid or by subchronic administration of phencyclidine (PCP), a non-competitive NMDA antagonist. Memory deficits in Alzheimer's disease may have both a cholinergic origin as a consequence of specific cholinergic degeneration during disease progression, and an amyloid origin as a consequence of beta-amyloid increase in the brain. Cognitive deficits in schizophrenia result from dysregulation of several neurotransmitter systems, including glutamate and dopamine, mimicked by the effects of NMDA antagonists such as PCP. Therefore, it is believed that the compounds according to the present invention have a strong potential to improve cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease and cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia.
[0081] Unexpectedly, the compounds according to the present invention display strong activities in in vivo models for cognition (see Examples 4, 5 and 6).
EXAMPLES
[0082] The following examples illustrate how the compounds covered by formula (I) may be synthesized. They are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended, nor should they be construed, as limiting the invention in any manner. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that routine variations and modifications of the following examples can be made without exceeding the spirit or scope of the invention.
[0083] NMR spectra are recorded on a BRUKER AVANCE 400 NMR Spectrometer fitted with a Linux workstation running XWIN NMR 3.5 software and a 5 mm inverse 1H/BB probehead, or BRUKER DRX 400 NMR fitted with a SG Fuel running XWIN NMR 2.6 software and a 5 mm inverse geometry 1 H/ 13 C/ 19 F triple probehead. The compound is studied in d6-dimethylsulfoxide (or d3-chloroform) solution at a probe temperature of 313 K or 300 K and at a concentration of 10 mg/ml. The instrument is locked on the deuterium signal of d 6 -dimethylsulfoxide (or d 3 -chloroform). Chemical shifts are given in ppm downfield from TMS (tetramethylsilane) taken as internal standard.
[0084] Mass spectrometric measurements in LC/MS mode are performed as follows:
[0085] HPLC Conditions
[0086] Analyses are performed using a WATERS Alliance HPLC system mounted with an INERTSIL ODS 3, DP 5 μm, 250×4.6 mm column.
[0087] The gradient runs from 100% solvent A (acetonitrile, water, trifluoroacetic acid (10/90/0.1, v/v/v)) to 100% solvent B (acetonitrile, water, trifluoroacetic acid (90/10/0.1, v/v/v)) in 7 min with a hold at 100% B of 4 min. The flow rate is set at 2.5 ml/min and a split of 1/25 is used just before API source.
[0088] MS Conditions
[0089] Samples are dissolved in acetonitrile/water, 70/30, v/v at the concentration of about 250 μg/ml. API spectra (+ or −) are performed using a FINNIGAN LCQ ion trap mass spectrometer. APCI source operated at 450° C. and the capillary heater at 160° C. ESI source operated at 3.5 kV and the capillary heater at 210° C.
[0090] Preparative chromatographic separations are performed on silicagel 60 Merck, particle size 15-40 μm, reference 1.15111.9025, using Novasep axial compression columns (80 mm i.d.), flow rates between 70 and 150 ml/min. Amount of silicagel and solvent mixtures as described in individual procedures. Reverse phase separations are carried out using 500 g of either Kromasil C18 10 μm silicagel (acidic or neutral conditions) or Phenomenex Gemini C18 10 μM (basic conditions) in 8-cm ID columns with a flow rate of 150 ml/min. Products are detected at 215 nm unless otherwise specified.
[0091] Preparative Chiral Chromatographic separations are performed on a DAICEL Chiralpak IC 20 μm, 100*500 mm column using an in-house build instrument with various mixtures of lower alcohols and C5 to C8 linear, branched or cyclic alkanes at ±350 ml/min. Solvent mixtures as described in individual procedures.
Example 1
Synthesis of (4R)-1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 7
[0092]
1.1 Synthesis of tert-butyl 2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 3 and enantiomers
[0093] To a solution of tert-butyl 2-oxo-2,5-dihydro-1 H-pyrrole-1-carboxylate 1 (10 g, 1 eq., 54.6 mmol) in dioxane/water (100 ml/30 ml) are added at room temperature (3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)boronic acid 2 (19.2 g, 2 eq., 109.2 mmol), cesium fluoride (24.9 g, 3 eq., 163.8 mmol), (±)-2,2′-bis(diphenyl-phosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl (1.5 g, 4.5%, 2.5 mmol), potassium carbonate (22.6 g, 3 eq., 163.8 mmol) and chloro(1,5-cyclooctadiene)rhodium(I)dimer (0.82 g, 1.5%, 8.2 mmol). The mixture is heated at 110° C. for 2 h. Solvent are removed under reduced pressure and the residue is purified by chromatography over silicagel (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH/NH 4 OH 96/3.5/0.5 v/v/v) to afford tert-butyl 2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 3. The enantiomers are resolved by chiral chromatography (chiralpak IC, 150*4.6 mm, eluent: heptane/AcOEt/diethylamine 80/20/0.1 v/v/v) to afford tert-butyl (4R)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 3A (second eluted, 5.1 g), and its enantiomer tert-butyl (4S)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 3B (first eluted, 5.2 g) as white solids.
[0094] Compound 3A:
[0095] Yield: 30%.
[0096] LC-MS (MH + ): 316.
[0097] alpha D (MeOH, 25° C.): −19.9.
1.2 Synthesis of (4R)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 4
[0098] At 0° C., TFA (20 ml, 261 mmol) is added to a solution of tert-butyl (4R)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 3A (8 g, 1 eq., 25.4 mmol) in dichloromethane (100 ml). The mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 h. Then, TFA and solvent are removed under reduced pressure. The crude mixture is poured in an aqueous saturated solution of NaHCO 3 (100 ml) and extracted with AcOEt (3*200 ml). The combined organic extracts are dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure. The conversion is total and the evaporation affords 5.5 g of (4R)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 4, which is used in the next step without any further purification.
[0099] LC-MS (MH + ): 216; LC-MS (MH − ): 214.
[0100] alpha D (MeOH, 22° C.): −20.1.
1.3 Synthesis of (4R)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 5
[0101] To a solution of (4R)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 4 (5.5 g, 1 eq., 25.6 mmol) in THF (20 ml) are added potassium tert-butoxide (0.049 g, 0.02 eq., 0.44 mmol) and paraformaldehyde (0.95 g, 1.2 eq., 31.1 mmol) at room temperature. After overnight stirring at 60° C., the mixture is quenched with brine (100 ml) and the aqueous phase is extracted with AcOEt (2*100 ml). The combined organic extracts are dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure yielding 4.7 g of (4R)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 5, which is used in the next step without any further purification.
[0102] LC-MS (MH + ): 246.
[0103] 1 H NMR (DMSO) δ 7.34 (dd, J 1 =9.2 Hz, J 2 =6.8 Hz, 2H), 5.87 (t, J=6.8 Hz, 1H), 4.70 (m, 2H), 3.78 (m, 1H), 3.62 (m, 1H), 3.40 (m, 1H), 2.68 (m, 1H), 2.43 (dd, J 1 =16.6 Hz, J 2 =8.6 Hz, 1H).
1.4 Synthesis of (4R)-1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-4-(3,4,5-trifluoro-phenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 7
[0104] 1) To a cold solution (0° C.) of (4R)-1-(hydroxymethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 5 (4.7 g, 1 eq., 19.4 mmol) in CH 2 Cl 2 (200 mL) is added oxalyl chloride (3.7 ml, 2 eq., 38 mmol). After stirring for 30 minutes at 0° C., the reaction mixture is evaporated in vacuum yielding (4R)-1-(chloromethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 6 which is dissolved in THF (100 ml) to afford Solution A.
[0105] 2) To a cold solution (0° C.) of 5-chloro-IH-1,2,4-triazole (3.0 g, 1.5 eq., 29.1 mmol) in THF (100 ml) is added NaH 95% in mineral oil (0.9 g, 2 eq., 38.7 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred during 30 minutes at 0° C. to afford Solution B.
[0106] 3) Solution A is added to solution B at 0° C. and the reaction mixture is maintained under stirring overnight at room temperature. The mixture is quenched with water (100 ml) and extracted with AcOEt (2*100 mL). The combined organic extracts are washed with brine (100 ml), dried over MgSO 4 then concentrated under reduced pressure yielding 7 g of compound 7 as crude material. The crude residue is purified by chromatography on silicagel (eluent: CH 2 Cl 2 /MeOH/NH 4 OH 95/5/0.5 v/v/v) and recrystallized from iPr 2 O/EtOH affording 1.6 g of (4R)-1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 7 as a white solid.
[0107] Yield: 25%.
[0108] LC-MS (MH + ): 331/333.
[0109] 1 H NMR (DMSO) δ 8.12 (s, 1H), 7.32 (dd, J 1 =9.2 Hz, J 2 =6.9 Hz, 2H), 5.63 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 2H), 3.81 (t, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 3.62 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 3.39 (m, 1H), 2.71 (dd, J 1 =16.7 Hz, J 2 =8.8 Hz, 1H), 2.54 (d, J=9.1 Hz, 1H).
[0110] alpha D (MeOH, 25° C.): +9.2.
Example 2
Synthesis of 1-{[(4R)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]-methyl}-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-carbonitrile 8
[0111]
[0112] To a cold solution (0° C.) of 1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-carbonitrile (0.22 g, 1.5 eq., 2.3 mmol) in toluene (5 ml) is added NaH 95% in mineral oil (0.074 g, 2 eq., 3.1 mmol). After 1 hour stirring at 0° C., (4R)-1-(chloromethyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one 6 (0.41 g, 1 eq., 1.5 mmol) in toluene (1 ml) is added and the reaction mixture is maintained under stirring for 60 hours at room temperature. The mixture is quenched with water (20 ml) and extracted with AcOEt (2*10 ml). The combined organic extracts are washed with brine (50 ml), dried over MgSO 4 then concentrated under reduced pressure yielding 0.46 g of compound 8 as crude material. The crude residue is purified by reverse phase chromatography (Kromasil Eternity C18 column; gradient: water/CH 3 CN/NH 4 OH from 80/20/0.1 to 50/50/0.1 in 10 minutes) then by chiral chromatography (preparative Chiralpak IC 80*380 mm column; eluent: heptane/EtOH/diethylamine 50/50/0.1; isocratic flow, 200 ml/min, 30° C.) to afford 0.04 g of 1-{[(4R)-2-oxo-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-1-yl]methyl}-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5-carbonitrile 8 as a white solid.
[0113] Yield: 8%.
[0114] LC-MS (MH + ): 322; LC-MS (MH − ): 320.
[0115] 1 H NMR (DMSO) δ 8.41 (s, 1H), 7.32 (m, 2H), 5.79 (m, 2H), 3.86 (t, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 3.63 (quint, J=8.6 Hz, 1H), 3.45 (m, 1H), 2.71 (dd, J 1 =16.8 Hz, J 2 =8.6 Hz, 1H), 2.51 (m, 1H).
[0116] alpha D (MeOH, 25° C.): −7.2.
Example 3
Synthesis of (+)-3-{1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-5-oxo-pyrrolidin-3-yl}benzonitrile 14
[0117]
3.1 Synthesis of tert-butyl 4-(3-cyanophenyl)-2-oxopyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 10
[0118] To a solution of tert-butyl 2-oxo-2,5-dihydro-IH-pyrrole-1-carboxylate 1 (18.3 g, 1 eq., 100 mmol), (3-cyanophenyl)boronic acid 9 (29.4 g, 2 eq., 200 mmol) and potassium carbonate (0.69 g, 0.05 eq., 5 mmol) in dioxane/water (300 ml/5 ml) at reflux are successively added (R)-2,2′-bis(diphenyl-phosphino)-1,1′-binaphthyl (1.6 g, 0.025 eq., 2.5 mmol) and chloro(1,5-cyclooctadiene)rhodium(I) dimer (0.25 g, 0.005 eq., 0.5 mmol). The mixture is stirred at reflux for 8 h. Solvent are removed under reduced pressure, the residue is treated with water (150 ml) and extracted with iPrOAc (250 ml). Treatment of organic phase with a saturated aqueous solution of NaHCO 3 and extraction with iPrOAc affords, after concentration of the organic phase under vacuum, 33.9 g of tert-butyl 4-(3-cyanophenyl)-2-oxopyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 10 as a brown oil.
[0119] Yield: 100%.
[0120] LC-MS (MH + ): 287.
3.2 Synthesis of (−)-3-(5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)benzonitrile 11
[0121] Tert-butyl 4-(3-cyanophenyl)-2-oxopyrrolidine-1-carboxylate 10 (33.9 g, 1 eq., 100 mmol) in dichloromethane (100 ml) is added dropwise at 0° C. to a solution of TFA (31.2 ml, 4 eq., 400 mmol) in dichloromethane (100 ml). The mixture is stirred at room temperature for 2 h then quenched with water (100 ml). The organic phase is isolated and treated with a 5% aqueous solution of NaHCO 3 and concentrated under reduced pressure. The resulting brown solid is recrystallized from toluene yielding 7.8 g of (−)-3-(5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)benzonitrile 11 as a beige solid.
[0122] Yield: 42%.
[0123] LC-MS (MH + ): 187.
[0124] 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) δ 7.52 (m, 4H), 6.13 (s, 1H), 3.84 (m, 1H), 3.74 (m, 1H), 3.42 (m, 1H), 2.79 (m, 1H), 2.46 (m, 1H).
[0125] alpha D (MeOH, 25° C.): −28.8.
3.3 Synthesis of 3-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile 12
[0126] To a solution of (−)-3-(5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl)benzonitrile 11 (10 g, 1 eq., 53.7 mmol) in THF (100 ml) are added potassium tert-butoxide (0.1 g, 0.025 eq., 1.34 mmol) and paraformaldehyde (2 g, 1.2 eq., 64.4 mmol) at room temperature. After 3 hours stirring, at 60° C., the mixture is quenched with brine (100 ml) and the aqueous phase is extracted with AcOEt (2*100 ml). The combined organic extracts are dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure yielding 13.2 g of 3-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile 12, which is used in the next step without any further purification.
[0127] LC-MS (MH + ): 217.
3.4 Synthesis of (+)-3-{1-[(5-chloro-1H -1,2,4-triazol -1-yl)methyl]-5-oxopyrrol idin -3-yl}benzonitrile 14
[0128] 1) To a cold solution (0° C.) of 3-[1-(hydroxymethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile 12 (5 g, 1 eq., 23.1 mmol) in dichloromethane (50 ml) is added oxalyl chloride (4.4 ml, 2 eq., 46.2 mmol). After stirring for 1 hour at 0° C., the reaction mixture is evaporated under vacuum yielding 3-[1-(chloromethyl)-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl]benzonitrile 13 which is dissolved in THF (100 ml) to afford Solution A.
[0129] 2) To a cold solution (0° C.) of 5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazole (3.6 g, 1.5 eq., 34.7 mmol) in THF (100 ml) is added NaH 95% in mineral oil (1.1 g, 2 eq., 46.2 mmol). The reaction mixture is stirred during 30 minutes at −20° C. to afford Solution B.
[0130] 3) Solution A is added to solution B at −20° C. and the reaction mixture is maintained under stirring for 1 hour at −20° C. The mixture is quenched with water (200 ml) and extracted with AcOEt (2*100 ml). The combined organic extracts are dried over MgSO 4 and concentrated under reduced pressure yielding 8.2 g of compound 14 as crude material. The crude residue is purified by reverse phase chromatography (LC/MS) (Kromasil Eternity C18 column; gradient: water/CH 3 CN/NH 4 OH from 80/20/0.1 to 50/50/0.1 in 10 minutes) to afford (+)-3-{1-[(5-chloro-1H-1,2,4-triazol-1-yl)methyl]-5-oxopyrrolidin-3-yl}benzonitrile 14 (second eluted, 1.2 g) as a yellow oil.
[0131] Yield: 17%.
[0132] LC-MS (MH + ): 302/304.
[0133] 1 H NMR (DMSO) δ 8.08 (s, 1H), 7.77 (s, 1H), 7.69 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.62 (m, 1H), 7.50 (t, J=7.7 Hz, 1H), 5.62 (s, 2H), 3.83 (t, J=8.7 Hz, 1H), 3.65 (quint, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 3.40 (dd, J 1 =9.0 Hz, J 2 =7.9 Hz, 1H), 2.73 (dd, J 1 =16.8 Hz, J 2 =8.8 Hz, 1H), 2.51 (m, 1H).
[0134] alpha D (MeOH, 25° C.): +16.3.
Example 4
In vivo Model for Assessing the Efficacy of a Test Compound in Learning and Memory Disorders (Novel Object Recognition Test; NOR)
[0135] Evaluation of promnesiant properties in the mouse model of 2-trial novel object recognition in a situation of scopolamine induced memory deficit: the two-trial object recognition paradigm, initially developed by Ennaceur and Delacour (1988) in the rat, can be considered as a model of episodic-like memory. This learning and memory paradigm is based on spontaneous exploratory activity of rodents and does not involve rule learning or reinforcement. The object recognition paradigm has been shown to be sensitive to the effects of ageing and cholinergic dysfunction (Scali et al, 1994; Bartolini et al, 1996). This model has been adapted to mice and validated using pharmacological agents (Bertaina-Anglade et al, 2003).
[0136] The purpose of the study is to evaluate the ability of test compounds to reverse the experimental deficit induced by scopolamine. The experiments was carried out using male C57BL/6J mice (Centre d'Elevage R. Janvier, B. P. 55, 53940 Le Genest-Saint-Isle, F.), weighing 20-35 g (10-14 weeks old) at their arrival that should meet inclusion criteria described in the experimental procedure. The animals were housed in groups of 4-9 in polypropylene cages (floor area=777 cm 2 ) under standard conditions: room temperature (22±2° C.), light/dark cycle (12 h/12 h), water and food (SAFE A04) ad libitum. The experimental arena is a square wooden box (40×40×40 cm) painted in dark blue, with 8 * 8 cm black painted squares under a clear plexiglass floor. The arena was placed in a dark room illuminated only by lamps giving a uniform dim light in the box (around 60 lux). The day before the test, mice were habituated to the environment for a maximum of 30 min. On experimental day, mice were submitted to two trials spaced by an intertrial interval of 60 min. During the first trial (acquisition trial, T1), mice were placed in the arena containing 2 identical objects and time required by each animal to complete 20 s of object exploration was determined with a cut-off time of 12 min. Exploration was considered to be directing the nose at a distance less than 2 cm from the object and/or touching the object. For the second trial (testing trial, T2), one of the objects presented in the first trial was replaced by an unknown object (novel object), mice were placed back in the arena for 5 min and exploration of each object together with locomotor activity was determined. A criterion of minimal level of object exploration was used in the study to exclude animals with naturally low levels of spontaneous exploration: only animals having a minimal level of object exploration of 3 s during the testing trial (Novel+Familiar≧3 s) were included in the study. The following parameters were measured: time required to achieve 20 s of object exploration on T1 (s), locomotor activity on T1 (number of crossed lines), time spent in active exploration of the familiar object on T2 (s), time spent in active exploration of the novel object on T2 (s), locomotor activity on T2 (number of crossed lines). The intraperitoneal route of administration was used to evaluate the promnesiant effects. Vehicle, or the compounds of formula I were administered 40 min before T1. Scopolamine was administered 30 min before T1.
[0137] Compounds of formula (I) according to the invention, tested according to the above protocol, displayed typically an activity of 50 mg/kg or less.
Example 5
In vivo Model for Assessing the Efficacy of a Test Compound in Recognition Memory Deficit Induced by Acute Scopolamine Administration and Repeat Sub-Chronic Phencyclidine (PCP) in Novel Object Recognition Task in Rat
[0138] The animals were housed in groups of 2-4 in polypropylene cages (floor area=1032 cm 2 ) under standard conditions: room temperature (22±2° C.), hygrometry (55±10%), light/dark cycle (12 h/12 h), air replacement (15-20 volumes/hour), water and food (SAFE A04) ad libitum. Rats were be allowed to acclimate to environmental conditions for at least 5 days prior to experimentation.
[0139] The experimental arena was a square wooden box (60×60×40 cm) painted dark blue, with 15×15 cm black painted squares under a clear plexiglass floor. The arena and the objects were cleaned using water between each trial in order to avoid odour trails left by rats. The arena was placed in a dark room illuminated only by halogen lamps oriented towards the ceiling and giving a uniform dim light in the box (around 60 lux). Animals to be tested were placed in the experimental room at least 30 min before testing. The day before the test, rats were allowed to freely explore the box for habituation.
[0140] On experimental day, rats were be submitted to two object exploration trials spaced by an inter-trial interval. During the first trial (acquisition trial), rats were placed in the arena containing 2 identical objects (familiar object) and time required to complete object exploration was determined within a limited time period (cut-off time). Exploration was define as directing the nose at a distance less than 2 cm from the object and/or touching the object. For the second trial (retention trial), one of the objects presented in the first trial was replaced by an unknown object (novel object), rats were placed back in the arena for 3 min and exploration of each object was measured. Locomotor activity was estimated during each trial by the number of line crossed per minutes. An exclusion criterion was defined for animals with naturally low levels of spontaneous exploration, which explored too little during the retention trial. The following parameters were measured: time required to achieve object exploration on trial 1 (s), locomotor activity on trial 1 (number of crossed lines), time spent in active exploration of the familiar object on trial 2 (s), time spent in active exploration of the novel object on trial 2 (s), locomotor activity on trial 2 (number of crossed lines).
[0141] Two models of memory deficit were used: (A) acute ip injection of scopolamine hydrochloride 30 min before acquisition (trial 1) (0.3 mg/kg in saline, in a volume of 5 ml/kg) in male Sprague Dawley rats (220-300 g (6-7 weeks old) at the beginning of the experiments); and (B) repeat subchronic phencyclidine (5 mg/kg ip bid in a volume of 5 ml/kg) during 7 days followed by 7 days washout period before behavioral evaluation in male Long-Evans rats (160-220 g at the beginning of the experiments). Compound was administered per os 60 min before acquisition in a volume of 10 ml/kg in scopolamine model; and ip 40 min before acquisition in a volume of 5 ml/kg in sub-chronic PCP model. Vehicle was 1% methylcellulose (w/v) 0.1% Tween 80 (w/v), 0.1% silicon antifoam 1510 US (w/v) in water. The experimental parameters of the novel object recognition were adapted to each model and rat strain. These parameters are described in the table below.
[0000]
Model
acute scopolamine
sub-chronic PCP
young male Sprague
young male
Species/strain
Dawley rats
Long-Evans rats
Duration of habituation
3
min
10
min
to the box
Duration of familiar object
15
s
8
s
exploration during
trial 1 (acquisition)
Cut off time for trial 1
4
min
6
min
Inter-trial interval
120
min
30
min
Duration of trial 2 (retention)
3
min
3
min
Minimum exploration time
5
s
5
s
during trial 2
[0142] Compounds of formula (I) according to the invention displayed typically an activity at 1 mg/kg or less in the scopolamine model and at 3 mg/kg or less in the sub-chronic PCP model.
Example 6
Y-Maze Test
[0143] A non transgenic model of amyloid-induced memory deficit is used comprising : a bolus intracerebral injection of the aggregated β25-35 amyloid peptide into the lateral ventricle of mouse. Such injection induced 7-12 days later Congo-red stained amyloid-like deposits in the hippocampus and cortex. It also induced a variety of memory deficits observed in the spontaneous alternation, the inhibitory avoidance, or the Morris water maze task.
[0144] The spontaneous alternation in rat and mice refers to the spontaneous behavior of rodent to alternate in a Y or T-maze. Spontaneous alternation behavior has been ascribed to the operation of a variety of mechanism, but regardless of his ethological function, it is evident that the animal must remember which arm it had entered on a previous occasion to enable it to alternate its choice on a following trial. Therefore, spontaneous alternation has been embraced by behavioral pharmacologists as a quick and relatively simple test of memory devoid of fear, reward or re-enforcers.
[0145] A single unilateral intracerebral injection with 9 nmole aggregated β 25-35 amyloid peptide was administered in the right lateral ventricle according to the technique of Maurice et al. (Brain Research. 1996; 706:181-193).
[0146] The Y-maze was a three equal-size-arm maze (39 cm long) made of white PVC. The arms were oriented at 60 angles from each other. The Y-maze test was done 7-12 days post-amyloid administration under moderate lighting condition (200 lux), with moderate background music and mild eucalyptus odor. Compounds were given intraperitoneally 40 min before Y-maze trial.
[0147] Young Male Swiss mice began the single trial at the end of one arm, and were allowed to freely explore the Y-maze during 8 min. Number and sequence of arm visits was recorded. Alternation was defined as “a consecutive entry in three different arms”. The alternation percentage was computed with the following formula: “number of alternation” divided by “total number of arm visit” minus 2.
[0148] The test compounds displayed typically an activity at 10 mg/kg or less.
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The invention relates to 2-oxo-1-pyrrolidinyl triazole derivatives, processes for preparing them, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use as pharmaceuticals for enhancing the cognitive function or to counteract cognitive decline.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2008-93407 filed on Sep. 23, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a space scanner for an autonomous mobile device, more particularly, which can obtain spatial data by scanning not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction of the mobile device using a mirror configured to rotate as well as to tilt.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] An autonomous mobile (walking) device such as a mobile robot detects surrounding objects and measures distances from the objects using laser, supersonic waves or the like in order to locate its position and determine the direction to move.
[0006] Laser range finding is known as a most accurate method for measuring the distance to an object, particularly, by detecting a laser beam reflecting from the object and measuring the time taken for the laser beam to travel to the object and back.
[0007] A conventional autonomous mobile device adopting such a laser range finding technique scans using laser beams emitted directly along a two-dimensional horizontal plane. Accordingly, the autonomous mobile device can detect surrounding objects and measure the distance from the objects only if the objects are located at a specific height corresponding to a laser emitter.
[0008] That is, detectable objects are limited to those onto which the laser beams are emitted and to those which are located at the same horizontal plane of the laser emitter. Thus, it is impossible to scan other ranges and distance information on only a specific horizontal plane can be obtained.
[0009] However, while consumer demands on autonomous mobile devices capable of performing more accurate driving and more various operations are increasing, the distance information only on a specific horizontal plane cannot sufficiently ensure safety and functionality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] An aspect of the present invention provides a space scanner for an autonomous mobile device, which can obtain spatial data necessary for autonomous driving by scanning not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction of the mobile device using a mirror configured to rotate as well as to tilt.
[0011] According to an aspect of the present invention, the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device may include a rotation driving unit; a mirror coupled with the rotation driving unit so as to tilt with respect thereto; a gear unit converting the direction of a rotating force from the rotation driving unit; a cam member coupled with the gear unit via a shaft on which the cam member is mounted, the cam member rotating by the rotating force transmitted via the gear unit; and a tilt driving unit having an underside surface performing surface contact with the cam member, wherein the tilt driving unit vertically reciprocates by rotation of the cam member to tilt the mirror.
[0012] In an exemplary embodiment, the rotation driving unit may include a rotary electric motor; and a vertical rotary shaft having one end axially coupled with the rotary electric motor and the other end hinged to the mirror.
[0013] In another exemplary embodiment, the gear unit may include a first gear rotating by the rotating force from the rotation driving unit; and at least one second gear meshed with the first gear to rotate on a horizontal rotary shaft, which extends perpendicular to a vertical center of rotation of the first gear.
[0014] In a further exemplary embodiment, the gear unit may further include at least one support through which the horizontal rotary shaft extends, wherein the support is coupled with the horizontal rotary shaft to allow the second gear to rotate in mesh with the first gear.
[0015] In a further another exemplary embodiment, the horizontal rotary shaft has one end connected to the second gear and the other end connected to the cam member, and is supported by the support.
[0016] In another exemplary embodiment, the gear unit may include bevel gears.
[0017] In a further exemplary embodiment, the cam member has a circular or elliptical shape.
[0018] In another exemplary embodiment, the cam member is shaft-connected with the gear unit such that the center of rotation is eccentric to the center of the cam member.
[0019] In a further exemplary embodiment, the tilt driving unit may include a vertically movable frame driven to vertically reciprocate by the cam member, which is placed under the vertically movable frame, wherein the vertically movable frame has a central opening of a predetermined size in the central portion thereof; a rotary frame having a through-hole of a predetermined size that allows the gear unit to pass through, wherein the rotary frame is received inside the central opening and is rotatably coupled with the vertically movable frame; and a rod having one end hinged to the rotary frame and the other end hinged to the mirror.
[0020] In a further another exemplary embodiment, the tilt driving unit further includes a guide shaft guiding the vertically movable frame to vertically reciprocate.
[0021] According to embodiments of the invention, the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device can obtain spatial data necessary by scanning not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction of the mobile device using a mirror configured to rotate as well as to tilt, and thereby ensure more precise and safe autonomous driving.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] The above and other aspects, features and other advantages of the present invention will be more clearly understood from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a space scanner for an autonomous mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a gear unit of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a tilt driving unit of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating tilt driving unit shown in FIG. 4 , to which a mirror is hinged; and
[0028] FIGS. 6A through 6C are schematic views illustrating respective operation stages of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] A space scanner for an autonomous mobile device according to the present invention will now be described hereinafter more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments thereof are shown.
[0030] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a space scanner for an autonomous mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a gear unit of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 , FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a tilt driving unit of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 , and FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating tilt driving unit shown in FIG. 4 , to which a mirror is hinged.
[0031] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes a rotation driving unit 10 , a mirror M, a gear unit 20 , cam members 30 and a tilt driving unit 40 .
[0032] The rotation driving unit 10 serves to generate a rotating force for driving the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device of the invention. The rotation driving unit 10 has a rotary motor 11 provided in the lower portion thereof to rotate a vertical rotary shaft 12 when electric power is applied thereto. The rotary motor 11 can preferably be contained in a housing to be protected from outside.
[0033] The vertical rotary shaft 12 has a circular columnar structure to be rotated at a predetermined rate by the rotary motor 11 , wherein one end thereof is axially coupled with the rotary motor 11 and the other end thereof is hinged to the mirror M allowing the mirror M to tilt.
[0034] Accordingly, the rotating force generated by the rotary motor 11 rotates the vertical rotary shaft 12 and the mirror M coupled with the vertical rotary shaft 12 while driving the gear unit 20 , the cam members 30 and the tilt driving unit 40 , provided between the mirror M and the rotary motor 11 , to thereby tilt the mirror M.
[0035] In the meantime, the gear unit 20 changes the direction of the rotating force from the rotation driving unit 10 to rotate the cam members 30 , thereby driving the tilt driving unit 40 .
[0036] As shown in FIG. 3 , the gear unit 20 includes a first gear 21 and a pair of second gears 22 , in which gear teeth cut on conically-shaped gear bodies are in mesh at 90 degrees.
[0037] The first gear 21 is fitted onto the vertical rotary shaft 12 of the rotation driving unit 10 so as to coaxially rotate along with the vertical rotary shaft 12 by the rotating force of the rotary motor 11 .
[0038] The second gears 22 are in mesh with the first gear 21 at substantially 90 degrees. Thus, each of the second gears 22 meshed with the first gear 21 rotates on a horizontal rotary shaft 23 extending perpendicular to the vertical axis of rotation of the first gear 21 .
[0039] Since the second gears are in mesh with the first gear at the right angle, the rotating force from the rotary motor 11 can be transmitted along the horizontal rotary shafts 23 extending perpendicular to the vertical rotary shaft 12 .
[0040] The gear unit 20 can preferably be implemented with bevel gears.
[0041] In addition, the gear unit 20 also includes one or more supports 24 through which the horizontal rotary shafts 23 extend such that the second gears 22 can rotate in mesh with the first gear 21 .
[0042] While the two second gears 22 are meshed with both sides of the first gear 21 and are supported by the supports 24 according to the description of this embodiment of the invention, this is not intended to be limiting. Rather, the number of the second gears 22 can be one or more than two.
[0043] In the meantime, each of the cam members 30 is coupled with the gear unit 20 via a shaft on which the cam member 30 is mounted. The cam members 30 are rotated by the rotating force transmitted via the gear unit 20 , thereby reciprocally raising and lowering the tilt driving unit 40 in the vertical direction.
[0044] As shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 , each of the cam members 30 is configured as a circular or elliptical plate structure of a predetermined thickness.
[0045] The cam member 30 is axially connected with the second gear 22 via the horizontal rotary shaft 23 on which the cam member 30 is mounted so as to rotate following the rotation of the second gear 22 .
[0046] Specifically, the horizontal rotary shaft 23 is connected at one end thereof with the second gear 22 and at the other end thereof with the cam member 30 , and is supported by the support 24 such that the second gear 22 and the cam member 30 can rotate on the horizontal rotary shaft 23 .
[0047] The cam member 30 can be shaft-connected with the horizontal rotary shaft 23 of the gear unit 20 such that the center of rotation is not identical with but is eccentric to the center of the cam member 30 .
[0048] When the cam member 30 rotates on the horizontal rotary shaft 23 as the center of rotation, a radius of rotation (i.e., a shorter radius) defined by a first radius L 1 from the horizontal rotary shaft 23 differs from a radius of rotation (i.e., a longer radius) defined by a second radius L 2 from the horizontal rotary shaft 23 . This difference in radius corresponds to the difference in length between the first radius and the second radius.
[0049] The difference in length corresponds to a vertical travel distance of the tilt driving unit 40 , which will be described below.
[0050] In the tilt driving unit 40 , the underside surface is in surface contact with the cam member 30 . The tilt driving unit 40 is caused to vertically reciprocate by rotation of the cam member 30 , thereby driving the mirror M to tilt.
[0051] As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the tilt driving unit 40 includes a vertically movable frame 41 , a rotary frame 42 and a rod 46 of a predetermined length.
[0052] The vertically movable frame 41 is driven to vertically reciprocate by the cam member 30 , which is placed under the vertically movable frame 41 , and has a central opening 43 of a predetermined size in the central portion thereof.
[0053] The rotary frame 42 is received inside the central opening 43 of the vertically movable frame 41 and is rotatably coupled with the vertically movable frame 41 . The rotary frame 42 has a through-hole 44 in the central portion thereof, through which the gear unit 20 can pass.
[0054] The tilt driving unit 40 has guide shafts 45 on the outer circumference of the vertically movable frame 41 to guide the vertically movable frame 41 to vertically reciprocate along a predetermined track.
[0055] While the vertically movable frame 41 and the through-hole 44 have a circular shape according to the description of the exemplary embodiment of the invention, this is not intended to be limiting. Rather, the vertically movable frame 41 and the through-hole 44 can have a variety of shapes such as a quadrangle.
[0056] The through-hole 44 can also be located in the central portion of the vertically movable frame 41 , with the size thereof being smaller than that of the central opening 43 .
[0057] In addition, a bearing can be provided between the rotary frame 42 and the vertically movable frame 41 such that the rotary frame 42 received inside the central opening 43 can smoothly rotate inside the vertically movable frame 41 .
[0058] The rod 46 is a link member having one end hinged to the rotary frame 42 and the other end hinged to the mirror M.
[0059] Below, with reference to FIG. 6 , a description will be given of a structure that allows the mirror to rotate and tilt according to the invention.
[0060] FIGS. 6A through 6C are schematic views illustrating respective operation stages of the space scanner for an autonomous mobile device shown in FIG. 1 .
[0061] As shown in FIG. 6A , when the vertically movable frame 41 is in surface contact with the cam member 30 at the height (length) of the first radius (L 1 ) of the cam member 30 , the tilt driving unit 40 is located at the lowest position.
[0062] The mirror M is then pulled directly downwards by the rod 46 such that the inclination θ of the mirror M becomes 45 degrees or more with respect to the horizon.
[0063] Then, as shown in FIG. 6B , when the cam member 30 is rotated to the extent that the vertically movable frame 41 comes into surface contact with the cam member 30 at the middle height (length) between the first radius (L 1 ) and the second radius (L 2 ), the tilt driving unit 40 is located at the middle height.
[0064] In this case, the mirror M is pushed directly upwards by the rod 46 such that the inclination θ of the mirror M becomes about 45 degrees with respect to the horizon.
[0065] Next, as shown in FIG. 6C , when the cam member 30 is rotated to the extent that the vertically rotatable frame 41 is in surface contact with the cam member 30 at the height (length) of the second radius (L 2 ) of the cam member 30 , the tilt driving unit 40 is located at the highest position.
[0066] In this case, the mirror M is pushed directly upwards by the rod 46 such that the inclination θ of the mirror M becomes 45 degrees or less with respect to the horizon.
[0067] The tilting motion of the mirror M is repeated as the cam mirror 30 continues to rotate in the range expressed by the following relation: 0<θ<90. The range of the inclination θ can be adjusted by changing the length of the rod 46 .
[0068] Furthermore, the rotation of the mirror M can be equally carried out as the vertical rotary shaft 12 continues to rotate.
[0069] While the present invention has been shown and described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A space scanner for an autonomous mobile device can obtain spatial data by scanning not only in the horizontal direction but also in the vertical direction of the mobile device using a mirror configured to rotate as well as to tilt and thereby can ensure autonomous driving.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/469,838, filed 31 Mar. 2011, titled “Gearbox with Passive Lubrication System,” which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND
1. Technical Field
The present application relates to a passive lubrication system that is configured to provide lubrication in a gearbox during a loss of lubrication event.
2. Description of Related Art
Typically, a rotorcraft gearbox is required to have the capability to operate for a specific period of time during which the primary lubrication pressure system has malfunctioned. One typical solution is for the gearbox lubrication system to include a primary lubrication system and a completely redundant lubrication system. The redundant lubrication system is activated upon failure of the primary lubrication system. Having a completely redundant lubrication system adds considerable weight, complexity, and cost to the rotorcraft.
Hence, there is a need for an improved gearbox lubrication system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The novel features believed characteristic of the system of the present application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the system itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a rotorcraft, according to an illustrative embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 2 is a partial schematic side view of the rotorcraft of FIG. 1 , according to an illustrative embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of a gearbox, taken at section lines in FIG. 2 , according to the preferred embodiment of the present application;
FIG. 4A is a partial cross-sectional view of a gearbox, according to an alternative embodiment of the present application; and
FIG. 4B is an enlarged view of a portion of the partial cross-sectional view of the gearbox from FIG. 4A .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Illustrative embodiments of the system of the present application are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.
In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms such as “above,” “below,” “upper,” “lower,” or other like terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the device described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.
The system of the present application includes a passive lubrication system that is configured to provide continual lubrication to gearbox components for a period of time during a “run dry” or emergency condition. A “run dry” condition can exist when the primary pressurized lubrication supply has been terminated through a system malfunction, battle damage, or the like. During the run dry scenario, the passive lubrication system of the present application provides continued lubrication to gearbox components without active command.
Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 in the drawings, a rotorcraft 101 is illustrated. Rotorcraft 101 has a rotor system 103 with a plurality of main rotor blades 111 . Rotorcraft 101 further includes a fuselage 105 , landing gear 107 , a tail member 109 , and tail rotor blades 113 . An engine 115 supplies torque to a main rotor mast 117 via a gearbox 327 for the rotating of main rotor blades 111 . Engine 115 also supplies torque to a tail rotor drive shaft 119 for the rotating of tail rotor blades 113 . The pitch of each main rotor blade 111 can be selectively controlled in order to selectively control direction, thrust, and lift of rotorcraft 101 . Further, the pitch of tail rotor blades 113 can be selectively controlled in order to selectively control yaw of rotorcraft 101 . Rotorcraft 101 is illustrated for exemplary purposes only. It should be appreciated that the system of the present application may be used on aircraft other than rotorcraft, such as airplanes, tilt rotors, unmanned aircraft, to name a few examples. Further, the system of the present application may be used on non-aircraft vehicles and implementations.
Referring now also to FIG. 3 , a passive lubrication system 301 is illustrated in conjunction with gearbox 327 . In the illustrated embodiment, gearbox 327 is depicted as a gearbox on rotorcraft 101 ; however, it should be appreciated the system 301 may be equally implemented on a variety of vehicles and structures having gearboxes that require lubrication. Gearbox 327 functions to convert high speed rotation of an output drive shaft of engine 115 into low speed rotation of main rotor mast 117 . Gearbox 327 includes a plurality of gears and bearings that require lubrication to properly function.
Lubrication of gearbox 327 is essential to the operation of rotorcraft 101 . Rotorcraft regulatory agencies, such as the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may require that gearbox 327 be operable for a requisite period of time after the primary pressurized lubrication system has failed. Such a requirement in a rotorcraft gearbox may be referred to as “run dry” capability requirement.
System 301 includes a reserve housing 303 configured to contain a certain volume of lubrication fluid 321 . Reserve housing 303 is preferably cast or machined such that reserve housing 303 is a structural member capably of carrying loads. In such an embodiment, reserve housing 303 is integral with the gearbox housing such that the gearbox housing and the reserve housing 303 are a single cast or machined structure. Reserve housing 303 can alternatively be a separate unit from the gearbox housing, such that reserve housing 303 can be attached to the gearbox housing with one or more fasteners and seals, for example. A lubrication fluid supply line 323 provides pressured lubrication fluid to the interior of reserve housing 303 during normal operating conditions. Furthermore, the pressurized primary lubrication system that provides pressurized lubrication fluid to lubrication fluid supply line 323 can be configured to provide lubrication to the interior of the gearbox in other locations as well.
System 301 preferably further includes an overflow tube 305 having an overflow entry port 307 . Overflow tube 305 is at least partly configured to prevent the volume of lubrication fluid 321 within reserve housing 303 to exceed a predefined level dictated by the location of overflow entry port 307 . During normal operation, lubrication fluid supply line 323 continuously provides pressurized lubrication fluid 321 to the interior of housing 303 . As such, lubrication fluid 321 enters overflow entry port 307 and is gravity fed down through the interior of overflow tube 305 and through an overflow exit port 309 , along an overflow direction 311 into gearbox 327 . Overflow tube 305 can include a filter or screen for removing any undesired contamination from lubrication fluid 321 . Overflow tube 305 is preferably removable, via a fastener, in order to facilitate inspection and maintenance. One or more seals can be used to prevent leakage of lubrication fluid 321 between overflow tube 305 and reserve housing 303 . Overflow tube 305 is also configured to act as a vent to allow air to flow to/from the interior of reserve housing 303 to/from the interior of gearbox 327 . For example, air can flow through overflow tube 305 when supply line 323 fills reserve housing 303 . Similarly, air can flow into reserve housing 321 when lubrication fluid 321 drains out through metering jet 313 so as to prevent a vacuum from forming therein.
It should be appreciated that supply line 323 can include a check valve in order to prevent lubrication fluid 321 from flowing back down supply line 323 . In an alternative embodiment, supply line 323 is located on a side portion of reserve housing 103 , which can cause a check valve in supply line 323 , or other means of preventing reverse flow of lubrication fluid 321 , to be particularly desirable.
System 301 preferably also includes a metering jet 313 . In the illustrated embodiment, metering jet 313 includes a plurality of metering jet orifices 315 . Orifices 315 are configured to receive lubrication fluid 321 , which is gravity fed through a metering jet exit port 317 . Flow of lubrication fluid 321 is metered through metering jet 313 between orifices 315 and exit port 317 along a direction 319 , and onto a bearing 325 . Metering jet 313 preferably includes a filter or screen for removing any undesired contamination from lubrication fluid 321 . Metering jet 313 is preferably removable, via a fastener, in order to facilitate inspection and maintenance. One or more seals can be used to prevent leakage of lubrication fluid 321 between metering jet 313 and reserve housing 303 .
During a loss of lubrication situation, the lubrication supply from supply line 323 can cease to supply lubrication fluid 321 to housing 303 . Even though lubrication fluid 321 is not being pressure fed into housing 303 , system 301 is configured to continuously supply lubrication fluid 321 to bearing 325 until reserve housing 303 is emptied of lubrication fluid 321 . Reserve housing 303 , orifices 315 , and exit port 317 are all configured so the lubrication fluid 321 is metered and allowed to flow onto bearing 325 for a requisite period of time. For example, the requisite period of time may be thirty minutes. The requisite period of time allows the pilot of the rotorcraft to safely land while the gearbox 327 is operable.
System 301 is configured to be passive in that it operates to provide lubrication fluid 321 to bearing 325 during a loss of lubrication situation without requiring an affirmative command from separate entity, such as pilot or detection system. Further, system 301 is configured to passively provide lubrication fluid 321 to one or more bearings 325 for a period of time so as to satisfy a “run dry” requirement.
System 301 is also configured such that the lubrication fluid 321 in reserve housing 303 is continuously heated, circulated, and filtered during normal operating conditions. More specifically, normal operating conditions allow for the continuous introduction of lubrication fluid 321 into reserve housing 303 via supply line 323 , as well as the continuous flow of lubrication fluid 321 from reserve housing 303 into gearbox 327 through overflow exit port 309 and metering jet exit port 317 . The continual exchange of lubrication fluid 321 in reserve housing 303 insures that lubrication fluid 321 is in condition for use upon failure of the primary pressurized lubrication system.
Even though system 301 is illustrated as having only one overflow tube 305 and one metering jet 313 , it should be appreciated that system 301 may include a plurality of overflow tubes 305 and metering jets 313 . For example, each metering jet 313 may be strategically located above critical bearings which need lubrication fluid 321 for operation of gearbox 327 . It should be appreciated that the bearings receiving lubrication fluid 321 via metering jet 313 may also be gears, or any other type of moving part that may require lubrication to minimize friction.
Referring now also to FIGS. 4A and 4B in the drawings. As shown in FIG. 4A the reserve housing 303 is a separate unit from the gearbox housing. As shown in FIG. 4B the metering jet 313 preferably includes a filter or screen for removing any undesired contamination from lubrication fluid 321 .
The passive lubrication system 301 provides significant advantages, including: 1) passively lubricating the gearbox during a failure of a primary pressurized lubrication system; and 2) providing heated, filtered, and circulated lubrication fluid that is available during the failure of a primary pressurized lubrication system.
It is apparent that a system with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the system of the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.
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A lubrication system includes a reserve housing configured to retain a lubrication fluid. A supply line in fluid communication with the reserve housing is configured to provide pressurized lubrication fluid to the reserve housing. An overflow tube has an overflow port, the overflow tube being configured to prevent the volume of the lubrication fluid from exceeding a certain amount. A metering jet is configured to allow the lubrication fluid to flow from the reserve housing onto a component, such as a bearing, in the gearbox at a predetermined rate. The metering jet provides flow of the lubrication fluid onto the bearing even when the supply line no longer provides pressurized lubrication fluid to the reserve housing.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to improved dust removal apparatus for controlling airborne dust in the vicinity of moving services and particularly moving webs, with particular application to machinery for handling paper.
BACKGROUND ART
[0002] Machinery that provides for the continuous transport of dry webs of paper over multiple rollers and other components where the web's direction changes can be the cause of substantial dust generation. Dust that accumulates on the machinery can interfere with correct operation, lead to product quality problems in some circumstances, hinder maintenance, and may also present a fire hazard. Dust that is transferred into the air can also represent a fire hazard, and additionally can be breathed by workers.
[0003] Much effort has been directed to the development of dust hoods for sucking dust laden air from parts of such machines. However, such devices are themselves imperfect in operation and can require substantial power consumption.
[0004] In some applications it is important to remove entrained dust from air in the vicinity of a moving web and to remove dust from the web itself. This is commonly done by dust hoods and the like that use a combination of directed jets of air provided by a compressor and suction applied near the moving web.
[0005] Such installations are usually provided at critical points in the path of a moving web, for example near doctor blades that crepe (separate) a web of paper from the surface of a so-called Yankee drum. However, there are often locations in paper making and handling machinery where significant dust is generated by, for example, being entrained in a “boundary layer” of air moving with the web close to its surface or by being thrown off the web near rollers and the like, where it is undesirable or difficult to provide elaborate, costly, high-power consuming and bulky dust removal equipment.
[0006] There is thus a need for a method of controlling dust at such locations without these disadvantages or in which they are reduced. The present invention provides apparatus and methods which address this problem.
[0007] It is believed that the concepts are not limited in their application to paper processing machinery only.
STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention provides in a first aspect dust collecting apparatus for use in collecting airborne dust adjacent to a moving surface, the apparatus comprising:
[0009] an elongate duct extending in a direction transverse to a direction of movement of a moving surface and spaced apart from the surface, the duct having along its length at least one opening permitting entry of air into the duct; and
[0010] air extracting means in fluid communication with an interior space of the duct and adapted to draw air therefrom,
[0011] wherein said apparatus is positionable adjacent to the moving surface so that the apparatus and the moving surface define an air inlet into which is received at least a proportion of a layer of dust laden air adjacent to and moving with the moving surface at least some of said air being drawn into the duct.
[0012] The invention emphasizes collection of airborne dust rather than the active dislodging of dust from a moving web surface, and this can lead to less power consumption, through for example avoidance of the use of compressed air, and the advantageous use of the momentum of air that is moved by the traveling web itself and (as discussed below) parts of the machinery.
[0013] In the preferred embodiment, the or a said opening is shaped and positioned so that air enters the duct in a direction approximately tangential to an inner surface of the duct and so that air in the duct moves both rotationally about the length of the duct and longitudinally along the duct. That is a votex motion is induced in the air entering the duct. This aids in keeping the dust entrained so that it is less likely to settle in, and so to foul, the duct.
[0014] A scroll-like arrangement may be used for the duct in this case. Specifically, the or a said opening of the duct when seen in section transverse to the length of the duct may comprise a flow passage defined on one side by a first wall extending inwardly of the duct to a free edge of the first wall and on an opposite side by a second wall extending outwardly of the duct, one side of the first wall partially defining the inner surface of the duct.
[0015] The said duct may be formed from a tubular member having a wall in which a longitudinal cut is made and a part of the wall is deformed inwardly to form the said first wall. This is useful as the construction of the duct can be comparatively low cost.
[0016] Preferably, the or a said flow passage is elongate in the lengthwise direction of the duct and of varying width along its length.
[0017] Instead of one slot-like opening, the duct may have a plurality of said openings. Members of the said plurality of openings may be of varying sizes, again so as to provide for control of the flow rate distribution.
[0018] Preferably, the first wall is so shaped and sized and the air flow rate in the duct is able to be so chosen that in use in a specified position of the duct relative to the moving surface that air passing the free edge of the first wall in the said flow passage and air passing the said free edge inside the duct travel in substantially the same direction as seen in section transverse to the length of the duct. That is, air flowing past the edge, or “lip” of the first wall should preferably not have to turn sharply when passing beyond the lip. This can be achieved through testing or computation fluid dynamics simulation, and is found to work well.
[0019] Desirably, the or each said opening is so sized and proportioned that in use in a specified position of the duct relative to the moving surface and with a specified air flow rate in the duct a specified distribution of air flow rate per unit duct length is obtained along the length of the duct, preferably a constant air flow rate per unit duct length. This can be achieved in designing the apparatus for a given application by testing, or by computer simulation.
[0020] The air extracting means may be connected to the duct at either end or both ends of the duct. Alternatively, the connection may be made at an intermediate point along the length of the duct although this is generally less convenient. Air may be drawn from the duct by the extraction means tangentially or axially.
[0021] The dust collecting apparatus may comprise a downstream formation having an edge that is elongate in the direction along the length of the duct the edge being positionable adjacent to the moving surface and in use of the apparatus being passed by a point on the moving surface after the point passes a said opening of the duct. (That is, the term “downstream” is here being used to refer to the direction of movement of the moving surface.)
[0022] The apparatus may further comprise an upstream formation elongate in the direction along the length of the duct, the upstream formation and the moving surface defining a space therebetween and in use of the apparatus air being drawn from the said space into the duct, the upstream formation being encountered by a point on the moving surface before the point passes a said opening of the duct. The use of an upstream formation can give more flexibility in actual installations.
[0023] In one embodiment, the upstream formation has a leading edge defined by upper and lower surfaces that diverge backwardly therefrom. The said lower surface may extend from the said leading edge to a point on the duct adjacent to a said opening.
[0024] It has been found particularly desirable that the dust collecting apparatus further comprise movable support means whereby the apparatus is movable relative to the moving surface. This can greatly assist when access for maintenance (including threading of paper webs, for example, where the application is to paper-handling machinery) is required or to allow correct operation of the apparatus for different modes of operation of the machine to which it is fitted.
[0025] The movable support means preferably comprises mechanical actuators supporting opposite ends of the apparatus.
[0026] The movable support means is preferably operable to move the apparatus towards and away from the moving surface, and optionally to rotate the apparatus about an axis that extends parallel to the length of the duct.
[0027] The invention provides in a further aspect a dust collecting installation in equipment in which a continuous web is transported along its length, the installation comprising dust collecting apparatus according to any of the forms disclosed herein and a surface of the web being the said moving surface, wherein the apparatus is so sized proportioned and positioned and the air extraction means is operated at such an air flow rate that a specified proportion of dust entrained in air moving with the moving surface is drawn into the duct. This proportion may be high, for example more than about 80%, preferably about 90% and more preferably approximately 100%. A user may measure the thickness and dust mass distribution of the moving “boundary layer” of air close to a moving web and provide an installation tailored to extract most of the dust in that layer. This may include providing that the rate of air flow into the duct per unit duct length is approximately constant across the width of the web.
[0028] A dust collecting installation can be provided wherein in the said equipment the web passes over a cylindrical roller and the dust collecting apparatus is on the opposite side of the web from the roller, the installation including a guide formation having a cylindrical surface concentric with and facing inwardly towards an axis of rotation of the roller and extending from a leading edge around said axis to said apparatus so that air moving with the surface and dust entrained therein are guided around said roller and drawn into the duct. The guide formation may conveniently be formed from sheet material.
[0029] A dust collecting installation can be provided wherein in the said equipment the web passes over a cylindrical roller and the dust collecting apparatus is on the same side of the web as the roller, the installation being characterized in that the or a said duct opening is so positioned that a jet of air generated where the web first contacts the roller augments air flow into the or a said opening of the duct. This use of such windage generated by the machinery is an extension of the invention's use of the momentum of the “boundary layer”.
[0030] The upstream formation, where provided, may define a leading edge elongate in the direction along the duct length and the apparatus may be so positioned that the minimum distance between the leading edge and the moving surface is greater than the minimum distance between the downstream formation edge and the moving surface. In effect such an installation may be visualized as “swallowing” the dust-laden boundary layer. The said minimum distance between the leading edge and the moving surface may be a specified proportion of the height of a boundary layer of air moving with the moving surface.
[0031] In a further aspect, the invention provides a method for limiting dust concentration in machinery in which a web is transported along its length comprising the steps of providing and operating a dust collecting installation according to any one of the embodiments disclosed herein at at least one position along the length of the web. The invention allows for the possibility at reasonable cost of providing dust-control installations at multiple positions along the web path.
[0032] It is to be explicitly understood that not all the concepts described herein and believed to be inventive are set out above. Others are set out in the following detailed description.
[0033] In order that the inventive concepts may be better understood there will now be described, non-limitingly, certain preferred embodiments as shown in the attached Figures, of which:
[0034] FIG. 1 is a side view of part of a machine handling a continuous web with dust thereon;
[0035] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a hood that embodies inventions described herein;
[0036] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the hood of FIG. 2 , the section being taken at station “AA”;
[0037] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the hood as shown in FIG. 3 , the section being taken at station “BB” and omitting certain parts;
[0038] FIG. 5 is a schematic side view of the leading edge of the hood and web of FIG. 2 , with dust conventration and velocity gradients near the web shown;
[0039] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional sideways-looking view of a further hood leading section and a web;
[0040] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional sideways-looking view of a still further hood leading section and a web;
[0041] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view (looking transversely across a web) of a further dust removal apparatus according to the invention;;
[0042] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view (looking transversely across a web) of a further hood in association with rollers and the web;
[0043] FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view (looking transversely across a web) of a still further hood in association with rollers and the web;
[0044] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view (looking transversely across a web) of a inventive guide in association with a roller and the web;
[0045] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view (looking transversely across a web) of yet another hood in association with rollers and the web.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0046] FIG. 1 is a side view of a part of a machinery installation 100 of a type where the present invention may be applied. The installation 100 could be part for example of a machinery installation for making multi-ply toilet tissue. A web 101 of paper passes sequentially over three rollers 102 , 103 and 104 , changing direction at each stage. A typical distribution of airborne dust around the web is shown very approximately (i.e. not exactly) using dots and possible contours of equal dust concentration, as follows. Arrows 105 show dust in “boundary layers” of air that move with the web 101 along unsupported lengths of the web 101 . Arrows 106 show where dust is thrown outward from the web 101 as it changes direction. Arrows 107 show jets of air generated where the web 101 and surfaces of each of rollers 102 , 103 and 104 approach each other to form internal corners. This general pattern has been established by testing.
[0047] FIGS. 2-4 show a dust removal hood 1 installed adjacent to three generally cylindrical rollers 2 , 3 and 4 that guide a moving web 5 of paper in machine section 6 . Rollers 2 and 4 are fixed in position, and roller 3 is an idler secured at each end on radius arms 600 pivotally mounted to a fixed frame 7 of machine section 6 so that roller 3 can be moved to take up slack in, and apply tension to, web 5 in known manner.
[0048] Hood 1 is not intended necessarily to remove both airborne dust and dust embedded in web 5 , but rather to remove or reduce airborne dust, except where dust embedded in web 5 happens to be dislodged where it is working, for example by being thrown off as mentioned above in relation to FIG. 1 .
[0049] The use of this particular example is not intended to limit the scope of the inventions here disclosed. The inventions are considered to be potentially applicable to many machinery installations where a moving web carries dust on its surface and/or embedded in it and/or entrained in moving air adjacent to its surface. It is believed that the present inventive concepts may be applicable in applications other than paper processing and manufacture.
[0050] Unless removed, dust on or around webs such as web 5 may represent a respiratory or fire hazard, or may collect in undesirable quantities on or around the machine section 6 . By various mechanisms, dust on or in the web 5 may be transferred into the surrounding air as the web passes over rollers 2 , 3 and 4 .
[0051] Hood 1 is mounted above rollers 2 and 4 , and extends between them and lengthwise along them.
[0052] The construction of hood 1 between its ends is best seen in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 . An outer cover 8 has a front section 9 and a rear section 10 meeting arranged in a shallow inverted “V” formation. Secured below cover 8 is a duct 12 , of substantially circular cross-section that extends longitudinally of hood 1 and that has an elongate slot 13 in its wall 11 . The slot 13 has a width that varies along the length of duct 12 , and is adjacent to a lower surface 14 of rear section 10 of outer cover 8 . A lower wall 15 extends rearwardly from a leading edge 21 and is secured to wall 11 .
[0053] End plates 16 , parallel to each other, are secured to opposite ends of outer cover 8 and of lower wall 15 . Duct 12 is secured to and extends through each end plate 16 . Slot 13 , however, only extends between end plates 16 , so that outside them duct 12 is simply a closed circular duct. The distance between end plates 16 is slightly greater than the length of rollers 2 and 4 so that rollers 2 and 4 can in use of hood 1 be positioned partially within hood 1 .
[0054] Air and entrained dust is sucked from under hood 1 through duct 12 . To this end, a flexible hose 17 is secured to duct 12 in known manner at one end of duct 12 and connects hood 1 to the inlet of a suitable blower or fan (not shown). A blanking plate 18 is provided at the other end of duct 12 , although if required in a particular application, it would of course be possible to provide instead of plate 18 a second hose (not shown) similar to hose 17 .
[0055] Depending from a rear edge 18 of rear section 10 of cover 8 is a wad catcher plate 19 , whose lower edge 20 is in use positioned adjacent to an upper surface of web 5 where it passes over roller 4 . Provision of a wad catcher 19 integral with hood 1 is advantageous in that dust accumulation on the front face of wad catcher 19 is limited. Referring to the toilet paper manufacturing application ( FIG. 1 ) wad catcher plate 19 would be used in particular to remove dust or lumpy material from the side of web 5 that is to be joined to another ply. In other applications, a wad catcher plate 19 might not be required.
[0056] Lower wall 15 and front section 9 meet at an acute angle at a leading edge 21 of hood 1 . Leading edge 21 is in use of hood 1 positioned adjacent to an upper surface of web 5 where it passes over roller 2 .
[0057] It will be noted that lower wall 15 , front section 9 of upper cover 8 and wall 11 , being connected, together define a closed shape so that hood 1 inherently has substantial torsional stiffness, a desirable feature. The duct 12 by itself, with or without cover 8 , would of course provide much less torsional stiffness due to the presence of slot 13 .
[0058] Hood 1 is supported as follows. Saddles 22 are provided to support duct 12 at each end of hood 1 where it protrudes beyond end plates 16 . Each one of saddles 22 is able to be raised and lowered as required, using one of two actuators 23 . Each actuator 23 is a screw jack type operated by an electric motor. Such actuators are available commercially, and particularly suitable ones are able to provide close control of the position of a load such as hood 1 . Actuators 23 are secured to parts of the fixed frame 7 .
[0059] By means of actuators 23 , hood 1 can be raised above rollers 2 and 4 sufficiently far for access when web 5 is to be threaded through machine section 6 and for general maintenance and/or cleaning. Thereafter hood 1 can be lowered accurately to, and held in, a working position of hood 1 , as shown in FIG. 3 , wherein leading edge 21 and the wad catcher lower edge 20 are adjacent to web 5 .
[0060] Although in the interests of clarity not shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 , parallel blocking plates may be secured to frame 7 and placed close to each end of rollers 2 , 3 and 4 to ensure that airflow into duct 12 through slot 13 is substantially in planes parallel to the direction of motion of web 5 with little airflow entering between runs 24 and 25 of web 5 near the web's edges. That is, hood 1 in its working position, the upper surface of web 5 , and the blocking plates define a nearly-closed space 26 in fluid communication with duct 12 . The gaps 27 and 28 between edges 21 and 20 and web 5 of course allow some air flow into space 26 .
[0061] In the sectional view of FIG. 4 , rear section 10 of cover 8 is omitted, so that the whole of duct 12 can be seen. This Figure best shows the variation in width of slot 13 required to obtain a uniform air flow rate into duct 12 across the width of web 5 .
[0062] Generally, it is found that a moving web 5 (especially of dry paper toilet-type tissue) causes a body of air to move lengthwise with the web 5 , that body of air carrying a burden of dust. As shown in FIG. 5 , the concentration of dust will vary with distance from each surface of web 5 . There will also be a progressive reduction of lengthwise velocity of the air with increased distance from the web surface, i.e. there will be a moving “boundary layer” of dust laden air. The working position of hood 1 is chosen so that the leading edge 21 is spaced from web 5 by a distance so chosen that a suitably large proportion of the dust entrained in the boundary layer passes into the hood. The flow rate of airborne dust into the hood through gap 27 is the product of the mean velocity and concentration to the height of the gap. Note that additional dust is usually carried in the web itself, and a proportion of this is in general expelled into space 26 , for example when the web 5 passes over roller 3 . The acuteness of the angle between the front section 9 of cover 8 and lower wall 15 is provided to limit any tendency to develop a region of stagnant flow at the front of hood 21 . FIG. 6 shows the condition to be avoided as far as possible, a web 29 passing below a hood 30 with a wall 31 at its leading end that extends normally to web 29 . Dust can accumulate in a stagnant region 32 developed in front of hood 30 , all the more so when a small gap 33 between hood 30 and web 29 is chosen to minimize the required air flow in the hood 30 .
[0063] Lower wall 15 is so shaped that in the working position of hood 1 there is only limited variation in the distance between web 5 and lower 15 in the region 34 behind leading edge 15 . This lessens deceleration of air after it passes through gap 27 by comparison with the deceleration that would happen if hood 1 did not include lower wall 15 (as is the case in hood 30 ). Such deceleration could also lead to undesirable accumulation of dust under hood 1 .
[0064] The arrangement (as seen in cross-section) of duct 12 with its inlet slot 13 positioned under rear section 10 of cover 8 promotes vortex flow of air within duct 12 superimposed on the longitudinal flow of air within duct 12 . Arrow 35 in FIG. 3 shows the rotational direction of the vortex flow. Such vortex flow is advantageous, in tending to draw dust towards the center of duct 12 and away from the walls, where it might otherwise tend to accumulate. It is thought that where cyclone-type separator is provided downstream of the duct 12 , vortex flow in duct 12 may be advantageous in enhancing the dust-separating effectiveness of the cyclone separator.
[0065] Note that hoods based on the principles set out herein may be made to suit other parts of web-transporting machinery. For example, FIG. 9 (which is comparable for interpretation purposes to FIG. 3 ) shows a cross-section of a hood 70 suitable for dust removal on the inner side of a web 71 passing over a roller 72 . A duct 73 , having a lengthwise slot 74 is again provided, and a formation 75 that is elongate and extends parallel to the length of roller 72 supports duct 73 . Formation 75 is also shaped to guide air into duct 73 as indicated by arrows in FIG. 9 . It has been found that in at least some circumstances a “jet” of air is forced away from the point where web 71 converges with roller 72 , this jet being represented by arrow 76 . Slot 74 is positioned so that this jet flows substantially directly into slot 74 , and is compatible with the rotational direction direction of the vortex flow induced in duct 73 by the positioning of slot 74 . Generally, hood 70 is arranged so that the vortex flow induced in duct 73 is compatible with the flow around the exterior of duct 73 and around roller 72 , thus limiting flow losses and consequently the power requirements for clearing the dust laden air.
[0066] FIG. 10 is a comparable view of another hood 80 operating on a similar principle. In this case, a duct 81 is placed closer to web 82 on the exit side of roller 83 .
[0067] It is of course not desirable to provide a complete dust removal hood at every conceivable location on a large machinery installation, on cost and accessibility grounds. It has been found that at some locations it is beneficial to provide a simple shaped air flow guide formed from sheet material at locations adjacent to moving webs, and particularly where webs pass over rollers. As an example, FIG. 11 shows a side view of a web 200 passing over a roller 201 , with a guide 202 formed from sheet material supported adjacent to web 200 . Guide 202 is elongate and extends along the length of roller 201 . Guide 202 is shaped and positioned so that there is an approximately constant gap 203 between web 200 and guide 202 . It has been found that guide 202 can in at least some applications limit the otherwise noticeable tendency of dust to spread outwardly (in larger quantities than elsewhere along web 200 ) at roller 201 . Without any intention to be held to a particular explanation, it is thought that air carried along by the moving web 200 is assisted to flow around the curved path in gap 203 by guide 202 .
[0068] A guide such as guide 202 may be combined with a hood. As an example, FIG. 12 shows in cross-section a web 90 passing over two rollers 91 and 92 , with a hood 93 , of the same type as hood 80 , being provided for dust removal around roller 92 . A guide 94 is provided to guide dust laden air moving with web 90 over roller 91 so that it can be sucked into duct 94 of hood 93 .
[0069] FIG. 8 shows a simpler hood 500 than those discussed above, and that should be found suitable in many applications. Hood 500 is shown in cross-section and extends transversely to the direction of travel (shown by arrow 501 ) of a web 502 . Hood 500 comprises a duct 503 generally of tubular form but with a tapering flow passage 504 by which air and dust are sucked into an inner space 505 of duct 503 . As in the other hoods described above, flow passage 504 is positioned so that air enters space 505 tangentially, encouraging a vortex flow pattern in the direction indicated by arrow 506 superimposed on the axial flow created by an air exhausting means (not shown, and of any suitable known type). Duct 503 has a wall 507 that is substantially circular and smooth inside, except for a first wall section 508 that blends with wall 507 and curves inwardly into space 505 , ending at a free edge or lip 509 , and a second wall section 510 that extends wall 507 downward (as shown) in a tangential direction. Second wall section 510 extends almost to web surface 511 and is fitted (as an option) with a wad collector 512 . The gap 513 between wad collector 512 and surface 511 is smaller than gap 514 between wall 507 and surface 511 , so that gap 514 forms a “mouth” into which dust entrained in boundary layer 515 passes.
[0070] The first wall section 508 is found to be able to provide better performance of the hood 500 than if it is absent. First wall section 508 is preferably shaped and sized (using results from suitable testing, computer simulation or the like) so that air inside the space 505 and passing lip 509 (indicated as to its direction by arrow 516 ) and air in passage 504 passing lip 509 (indicated as to its direction by arrow 517 ) travel in approximately the same directions, parallel to first wall section 508 at lip 509 . This condition is believed to work well.
[0071] It will be appreciated that hood 500 can be very simply constructed. Duct 503 could for example be formed from a tube (for example an extrusion, preferably an aluminum alloy extrusion) by cutting lengthwise and bending the wall 507 inward (form the position shown in chain-dotted line) to form wall section 508 . Second wall section 510 is then secured to the unbent part of wall 507 to obtain the shape shown in FIG. 8 . The width of passage 504 can be set to suit the application, and even bent so as to vary in width along its length to provide for a desired variation of mass flow rate of air per unit length of duct along the duct length, for example a constant rate.
[0072] Hood 500 has been described by reference to a cross-section, however, it should be understood that its ends may be treated similarly to the other hoods described, for example hood 1 . For example an end may have a blanking plate or a exhaust connection, and may be supported by a mechanical actuator (all not shown).
[0073] As with all the other hoods described herein, by suitable design, including choice of air extraction rate, substantially all or a specified proportion of the “boundary layer air can be drawn into the space 505 , with its entrained dust for removal.
[0074] Many variations and extensions of the concepts set out herein will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art and may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
[0075] For example, referring back to hood 1 , it is believed that in at least some circumstances a rounded leading edge may be preferable to a sharp leading edge such as leading edge 21 . FIG. 7 shows a front part of a hood 60 having a rounded leading edge 61 , positioned over a moving web 62 . Streamlines 63 , 64 and 65 are shown, representing flow generated by motion of the web 62 . Streamline 63 represents flow that stays outside hood 60 and streamline 65 shows flow passing into the hood 60 . Streamline 64 is a streamline that ends at a stagnation point 66 on edge 61 . It is thought that for example where a variable web-to-edge gap 67 , or a variable suction rate is required to deal with different conditions or product types, leading edge 61 may be less prone than a sharper one to accumulate dust on the exterior of hood 60 and may reduce energy losses.
[0076] Another variation appears also to have potential importance. In the various hoods described herein, elongate slots are provided whereby air enters a duct that forms part of a hood assembly. These may be of variable width. For example in hood 1 , air enters elongate duct 12 through a slot 13 that extends substantially along its length. Similarly, as other examples, hood 70 has a slot 74 by which air enters duct 73 , and hood 50 has a slot 174 by which air enters duct 175 . It is desirable in many cases, particularly where there are no end plates in use such as end plates 16 of hood 1 or end-positioned blocking plates (not shown) as mentioned above in relation to hood 1 , that the slot width vary along its length. See FIG. 4 , where a variable width is shown in respect of slot 13 of hood 1 . Variable width slots such as slot 13 can be quite expensive and difficult to provide. However, it has been found possible to provide more simply and cheaply made slots with only a surprisingly small degradation of performance. This can be done by approximating a single elongate slot with a plurality of shorter slots arranged lengthwise of the duct in question and separated by webs. By way of example, FIG. 13 shows a hood la that is the same in every respect to hood 1 except that it has a modified slot arrangement. FIG. 13 is the same view of hood la as FIG. 4 is of hood 1 , with identical item numbers used for identical parts for convenience. Instead of the single duct 13 of hood 1 there is an array of shorter slots 13 a separated by webs 176 . Each slot 13 a has a constant width (i.e. in the peripheral direction of duct 12 ), but these widths vary from slot 13 a to slot 13 a , so that the effect of the variable width of slot 13 is approximated. It has been found that satisfactory performance can be obtained, with much easier and cheaper fabrication. It is of course possible to make the lengths of such multiple slots differ one from another, and to make the widths of individual slots variable within their own length, still with some dividends in ease and simplicity of fabrication, and potentially with improved performance. There is no requirement to limit such arrays of slots to quadrilateral slots: individual slots may be of differing shapes, for example an individual slot that is part of an array could have semicircular ends (not shown). Still further, a variable (or, for that matter, constant) width elongate slot can be approximated by an array of openings that are not sufficiently elongate to amount to slots, for example an array of circular holes. This general principle can be applied to slots and air passages generally of hoods according to the invention where such slots would otherwise be made with variable width along a substantial length.
[0077] The use of multiple slots or openings described by reference to FIG. 13 is also able to apply to the simple hood 500 .
[0078] Still further variations will readily suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art that remain within the spirit and scope of the inventions as described herein.
[0079] In this specification, the words, “comprise”, “comprises”, and “comprising”, used in relation to a specified set of integers, elements or steps are to be taken as meaning that the integers, elements or steps are present, but not as precluding the possibility of other integers, elements or steps being present.
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The invention provides dust collecting apparatus 500 for use in collecting airborne dust adjacent to a moving surface, such as a paper web 511. The apparatus comprises an elongate duct 503 extending in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the moving surface, the duct having along its length at least one opening 504 permitting entry of air into the duct, and air extracting means in fluid communication with the duct. The apparatus is positionable adjacent to the web so that the apparatus and the moving surface define a “mouth” 514 into which is received at least a proportion of a layer of dust laden air 515 adjacent to and moving with the moving surface. In the preferred embodiment, the opening is shaped and positioned so that air enters the duct in a direction approximately tangential to a wall 507 of the duct and so that air in the duct moves both rotationally about the length of the duct and longitudinally along the duct. That is, a vortex motion is induced in the air entering the duct. This aids in keeping the dust entrained so that it is less likely to settle in, and so to foul, the duct. The opening may vary in width along the length of the duct, or may be one of several openings of varying sizes, so that a uniform (or other desired) distribution of mass flow rate of air per unit length of duct may be obtained along the duct. Air guiding and constraining formations 9, 10 may be provided upstream and downstream of the duct.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a method and device for the application of a liquid medium onto a material web, and, more particularly, to a method and device for the application of liquid through viscid mediums onto a pre-dried material web.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the direct application process a liquid or viscid medium is applied directly by an applicator device to the surface of a moving material web, which is supported during the application process by a rotating support surface, such as a backing roll or a continuous belt. The liquid or viscid medium is initially applied to a carrier surface, such as the surface of a roll serving as an applicator roll, or the surface of one side of a flexible belt, and is transferred therefrom to the material web.
Indirect application is normally accomplished by a so-called film press implemented by two rolls, which together form a nip, and which transfer the medium successively or simultaneously to both sides of the material web or to only one side of the web.
Reference is made to U.S. Pat. No. 5,683,509 which discloses a flexible continuous belt, together with a transfer roll, which form the press nip through which the web travels. A press shoe is located on the inside of the continuous belt, thereby extending the nip and pressing the coating medium, that is applied by this unit, into the web. This improves the coating result, specifically by avoiding film splitting.
Reference is also made to DE 198 23 739 A1, according to which, a material web is coated in the wet section or immediately following the wet section, of a paper machine.
Film or size presses have been in operation for years. They have some significant disadvantages when utilized with today's high-speed machines, and depending upon the type of fiber web and coating medium, they do not always provide sufficient coating quality.
The raw material quality of paper or cardboard is continuously degrading. This is particularly true of the production of corrugated board base paper, which is largely manufactured from recovered paper. There is also an ever increasing demand for a lower mass per unit area (also referred to as basis weight). The result of using poor raw material quality and lower basis weight is that the tensile strength of the web, following the film press coating application, is very low, resulting in frequent web breaks after the coating of the web. This results in enormous production down times and associated high costs.
Film Presses, variously known as Speedsizer, Speedcoater, Optisizer or metering size press, frequently cause nip flattening and crushing in the nip. These effects are particularly negative in corrugated board production.
In the field, web breaks, particularly in the production of corrugated board base paper, are reduced by using modified starches, that have a low viscosity and a high solids content, as a coating medium. The low viscosity provides effective penetration and the high solids content produce low remoistening, thereby rendering possible only a low drop in tensile strength following the film press. However, modified starches are more expensive as compared to crystal starches.
Even these measures do not always lead to satisfactory results.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method and a device for the production of corrugated board base paper, whereby a deep penetration of coating medium containing starch into the material web, independent of the basis weight, and by utilizing the starch characteristics, is accomplished and web breaks are largely avoided.
The inventors recognized that the hitherto used starches, whose viscosity and solids contents were modified, produced only an insignificant increase in strength of the coated and impregnated material web, as compared to crystal starches.
The positive effects of the starch in the coating medium increase since the pre-dried corrugated board base paper web travels through a press nip only after coating, and because the web is dried a considerable distance after the nip, essentially the distance to the first dryer cylinder, being supported without free draw.
An advantage of the present invention is that a penetration through to the “sheet center” can be achieved, even at low basis weights, resulting in an increase of the web's tensile strength.
Another advantage is that it is now possible to use crystal starches in spite of intensive remoistening. Crushing during corrugated board base paper production is reliably avoided.
A further advantage of the present invention is that fewer web breaks occur following the coating process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above-mentioned and other features and advantages of this invention, and the manner of attaining them, will become more apparent and the invention will be better understood by reference to the following description of embodiments of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of one embodiment of a device for the one or two sided application of a liquid through viscid mediums onto a pre-dried material web of the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a schematic side view of a second embodiment of the present invention.
Corresponding reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views. The exemplifications set out herein illustrate one preferred embodiment of the invention, in one form, and such exemplifications are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the invention in any manner.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated a pre-dried corrugated board base paper web B that has a dry content of approximately 85 to 95%, following a last dryer cylinder 2 of pre-dryer group 3 , in a machine for the production of corrugated board base paper, running onto a first applicator roll 4 . Applicator roll 4 has an applicator device 5 assigned to it, with which web B is coated on it's top side B o . All known coating devices, such as a Short Dwell Time Applicator (SDTA), Long Dwell-Time Applicator (LDTA), open jet nozzle applicators or a curtain coating nozzles are suitable. A pre-penetration of the coating medium is achieved with this one- or two-sided application.
In order to support web B, a transfer belt, that is a flexible continuous synthetic or rubber belt, is routed around additional roll 16 , a support or backing roll 7 and around several guide or turning rollers 8 . A tension roll 21 , which is located on the paper machine floor PM B , reacts on belt 6 from the outside, thereby tensioning it.
Whereas a two-sided application is illustrated, applicator 5 a is assigned to support roller 7 . The coating medium is transferred from continuous belt 6 to underside B U of web B, as soon as belt 6 makes contact with web B. The application by applicators 5 and 5 a may occur simultaneously, or successively in an offset time sequence. If only a one-sided application is to occur, on either the topside or the underside of the web, one of the idle applicator devices are pivoted down. As can be seen in FIG. 1 , rolls 4 and 7 together do not form a press nip. This is intentional, so that no crushing of the web is caused and no web breaks occur.
The embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , includes a long pre-penetration segment P g, that ought to be considerably longer than 100 mm, thereby providing good penetration due to the capillary effect during the extended reaction time. This long distance is particularly advantageous in achieving the desired through-penetration.
Now additionally referring to FIG. 2 , which essentially uses the identical references for the identical components as FIG. 1 , there is shown another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment there is no roll 4 ; only applicator device 5 is present for direct application of coating onto the topside of web B o . Alternatively, an additional continuous belt, in place of the roll 4 , may be utilized with which web B is supported, and indirect coating of the material web is achieved.
After passing penetration segment P g web B runs together with belt 6 , which can be used as an applicator and support belt, through press zone 9 . Press zone 9 may be realized in various ways. In order to allow a long dwell time and avoid crushing, as well as to be able to adjust variable line pressures across the entire width of web B, a shoe press is utilized. In press zone 9 the pre-penetrated starch can after-penetrate, thereby anchoring itself solidly in web B.
Alternatively, press zone 9 may include an additional flexible continuous belt 10 running over guide rollers 11 , 12 and 13 . Belt 10 runs with it's inside surface over a slide face of press shoe 14 , whereby the slide face, together with roll 15 , which could for example be a suction roll, forms a press nip N. Press shoe 14 is shown in only as a simplified depiction and may extend over a large area of belt 10 . Press zone 9 can also include rolls 15 and 16 which form a press nip N. In FIGS. 1 and 2 , roll 15 is illustrated in a dash-dot configuration and embodies a so-called flexonip roll. This construction is already known from DE 198 20 516 A1, which is incorporated herein and made a part hereof, however there are no statements therein regarding supporting of the web after squeezing in the coating.
Roll 15 is one of those rolls, around which continuous belt 6 travels, forming the aforementioned backing surface to roll 16 and/or the belt acting as a press, support or applicator belt 10 . Continuous belt 10 , as well as continuous belt 6 , each form a support surface therebetween for web B that is penetrated through after Nip N. Support surface S F extends essentially to first dryer cylinder 18 , in the following dryer section 19 , of the paper machine.
As indicated by the dashed lines, in FIG. 2 , continuous belt 10 can be extended, to a desired extent, by adjustment of guide roller 13 . Likewise belt 6 can also extend its support surface, to a desired extent, by adjusting upper guide roller 8 . As is also shown in FIG. 2 , an extended support surface provides for a blow box, suction roll or suction box 20 , or for another type of transfer aid, to facilitate transfer of web B, or of a transfer strip, to dryer cylinder 18 .
In FIG. 1 the possibility of supporting web B in the direction of the location of application is shown as a dotted line. For this purpose belt 10 , or a separate belt 10 a , is routed around roll 4 , or around an adequately positioned guide roller. Belt 10 a may also be additionally supported by roll 11 . Alternatively, continuous belt 10 a can replace roll 4 , thereby providing the aforementioned support of web B, as well as indirect coating, at the same location as is being done with roll 4 .
Belts 6 and 10 are equipped with a drive and rolls 4 , 7 and 15 are driven. Relative to belt 6 this drive is located at nip N, in order to ensure sufficient pull of web B. In addition, tensioning devices, such as tensioning roller 21 and tension control devices, for the belts are provided, as well as belt adjustments which are indicated by double arrows at guide rolls 8 and 13 .
In order to facilitate a flawless transfer of web B to dryer section 19 , a suction roll 22 , with or without foil 23 , is provided after press zone 9 or continuous belt 10 . This arrangement allows for a transfer of the web without ropes.
For the sake of completeness it must be mentioned that in order to facilitate a flawless transfer of web B, one or more showers (not depicted in the drawings) are provided prior to the point where belt 6 runs onto applicator roll 4 . These provide a targeted liquid application onto belt 6 or web B, in order to ensure adhesion of the transfer strip or web B. In order to avoid lifting of web B at press roll 16 , additional support belts, so-called fibron belts or other known transfer aids, can be provided. The paper machine section illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2 is essentially consistent with a “closed transfer” into dryer section 19 .
It is also feasible to include an additional applicator device 5 c to continuous belt 10 , thereby providing for a double application onto topside B o of web B. This may occur with or without intermediate drying. Additional support belts 10 a . . . 10 n or 6 a . . . 6 n , on one or both sides of web B, may be provided, which have associated applicator devices 5 a . . . 5 n , being of the same type or acting independently from each other. An advantage of this type of arrangement is that only a fraction of the starch is applied by each applicator device. This reduces the re-moistening of web B immediately after the application. Web B does not loose consistency, thereby increasing runability.
Overall, it has been determined in tests that the consistency gain of the paper and cardboard web is not approximately 20N/% starch as was the case previously, but 40N/% starch. This means that, while maintaining the same quality the starch amount can be reduced by 30%. Alternatively the quality is increased when the same amount of starch is used. This is especially important considering the drop in quality of raw materials used in the production of corrugated board base paper.
Furthermore crystal starches can now also be used.
While this invention has been described as having a preferred design, the present invention can be further modified within the spirit and scope of this disclosure. This application is therefor intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention using its general principles. Further, this application is intended to cover such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which this invention pertains and which fall within the limits of the appended claims.
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A method for the application of liquid through viscid medium onto the surface of a pre-dried material web including the steps of applying a viscid medium to at least one side of the material web, routing the material web through a press nip and supporting the material web substantially without free draw.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to vehicle brake boosters, and is particularly concerned with the manner in which such boosters are secured to the body of a vehicle.
Vehicle brake boosters generally have a relatively large hollow housing through which the braking force is transmitted to the master cylinder, and that housing needs to be firmly secured to the vehicle body. In many cases, the booster housing is secured to the fire wall of the vehicle body so as to be located within the vehicle engine compartment. Various techniques have been used to secure the booster housing in position, but they are generally inconvenient and labour intensive to the extent that they do not satisfy present day needs for rapid vehicle assembly.
One prior technique for mounting the booster housing involves the use of two bolts which extend completely through the housing, and each of which has an end portion extending through the vehicle fire wall. An advantage of that through bolt technique is that the bolts can serve to hold separately formed parts of the housing in assembly, as well as serving to hold that assembly to the fire wall. A difficulty with the technique however, is that the mounting operation requires involvement of two people, one to manipulate the mounting bolts from inside the engine compartment, and another to hold cooperative nuts at the inside of the fire wall.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide brake booster mounting means which is convenient to use and which is of relatively simple form. It is a particular object of the invention to provide an improved form of the through bolt mounting technique. It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved brake booster assembly. It is yet another object of the invention to provide improved means for securing a booster to a support.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake booster mounting including, a support having one side to which a said booster is securable by means of at least one screw threaded mounting bolt, a hole through said support arranged to permit passage of a respective one of said bolts, a separately formed screw threaded nut located at a side of said support opposite to said one side thereof and being positioned relative to said hole so as to be cooperable with a threaded portion of said bolt, and retaining means attached to said support and cooperating with said separately formed nut so as to hold the nut in substantial alignment with said hole and prevent rotation of the nut about the axis of its threaded bore while permitting movement of the nut towards and away from said opposite side.
It is preferred that the mounting means includes at least two mounting bolts each of which extends through the booster housing, and at least two nuts each of which is cooperable with a respective one of the bolts and which is held captive by a retainer arranged to permit limited movement of the nut away from the surface against which it is to be clamped in the mounted condition of the booster. It is further preferred that the retainer includes resilient means which biases the nut towards the aforementioned surface. That surface may be a surface of a vehicle fire wall or other vehicle bulkhead, or a surface of any other support selected to provide a mount for the booster.
In a typical arrangement, the booster housing and the mounting nuts will be located on respective opposite sides of the bulkhead or other support to which the housing is to be secured. It is therefore a feature of the mounting means in a preferred form of the present invention that each mounting bolt can be engaged with its respective nut and manipulated to clamp the housing on the support, without the need for manual engagement of the nut or its retainer. That is, the housing securing operation can be initiated and completed from one side only of the support.
In accordance with a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake booster including a housing having at least two shell parts, and at least one mounting bolt holding said shell parts in assembly with one another and being operable to secure said housing to a support, said bolt having an elongate body, two screw threaded portions provided on said body and each being located adjacent a respective one of two opposite ends of said body, a pilot section forming part of said body and located between one said threaded portion and an inner end of said body so as to be insertable into the threaded bore of a mounting nut associated with said support and thereby position said nut for cooperative threaded engagement with said one threaded portion, tool engaging means adjacent an outer end of said body, and a fastening nut threadably cooperating with the said other threaded portion, said fastening nut being movable axially over said tool engaging means for engagement with and separation from said other threaded portion, said shell parts being captured between said fastening nut and an abutment on said body, and said one threaded portion is cooperable with said mounting nut so as to thereby secure said booster to said support.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a brake booster mounting bolt including, an elongate body, two screw threaded portions provided on said body and each being located adjacent a respective one of two opposite ends of said body, a pilot section forming part of said body and being located between one said threaded portion and an inner end of said body, said pilot section having a maximum dimension transverse to the longitudinal axis of said bolt which is less than the crest diameter of the adjacent said threaded portion and having a length sufficient to enter a threaded bore of a nut and thereby cause the nut to be disposed substantially coaxial with the threaded part of the bolt with which the nut is to engage, and tool engaging means adjacent an outer end of said body and having a non-circular shape in transverse cross-section.
Embodiments of the invention are described in detail in the following passages of the specification which refer to the accompanying drawings. The drawings, however, are merely illustrative of how the invention might be put into effect, so that the specific form and arrangement of the various features as shown is not to be understood as limiting on the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a semi-diagrammatic view of a booster assembly with brake master cylinder attached, secured to a support such as a vehicle bulkhead.
FIG. 2 is a view taken along line II--II of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of mounting means for securing the assembly of FIG. 1 to a vehicle bulkhead.
FIG. 4 is a semi-diagrammatic view showing part of the mounting means of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 4 but showing a mounting bolt partially engaged with a cooperable nut.
FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5, but showing the mounting bolt fully engaged with the cooperable nut.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the relationship between the bolt and nut in the condition shown by FIG. 5.
FIG. 8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line VIII--VIII of FIG. 2.
FIG. 9 is a semi-diagrammatic perspective view, partially sectioned, of an alternative form of mounting means.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A typical master cylinder and booster arrangement is shown in diagrammatic form in FIGS. 1 and 2. The booster housing 1 is interposed between the master cylinder 2 and a vehicle bulkhead 3. The assembly is secured to the bulkhead 3 by two mounting bolts 4, each of which passes completely through the housing 2 and the bulkhead 3. In the particular arrangement shown, the housing 1 includes a shell composed of two parts 5 and 6, and the bolts 4 serve to hold those shell parts 5 and 6 together as hereinafter described.
Each bolt 4 passes through a respective hole 7 formed through the bulkhead 3 and cooperatively engages with a nut 8 located at the side of the bulkhead 3 opposite to the side on which the booster housing 1 is located. It is a feature of the arrangement shown that each nut 8 is held by (or formed integral with) a retainer which allows limited movement of the nut 8 away from the surface 9 of the bulkhead 3 against which the nut 8 is to be clamped.
FIGS. 3 to 6 show one possible form of retainer 10 for each nut 8. In the arrangement shown, the two retainers 10 are interconnected through a base 11 which can be attached to the bulkhead 3 in any suitable fashion. By way of example, as shown in FIG. 3, the base 11 may be secured to the bulkhead 3 by an overlying tab 12 which is an integral part of the bulkhead 3. The base 11 is secured in a position such that each retainer 10 extends over a respective one of the holes 7 and holds its respective nut 8 in substantial alignment with the hole 7.
For convenience of illustration, FIG. 3 shows the right-hand nut 8 lifted from the bulkhead 3 in the direction of the arrow so that the related hole 7 is exposed. In practice, such lifting of either of the nuts 8 is effected in the manner hereinafter described in connection with FIG. 7. FIG. 3 shows the left-hand nut 8 resting against or lying close to the bulkhead 3 under an influence described below in connection with FIG. 4.
Each retainer 10 as shown includes a nut receptacle 13 and a support arm 14 connecting that receptacle 13 to the base 11. The receptacle 13 contains a nut 8 and is arranged to hold the nut 8 so as to allow some degree of relative movement but nevertheless prevent relative rotation of the nut 8. That is, the nut 8 may be able to turn about its rotational axis to some extent relative to the receptacle 13, but there is interference between the nut 8 and the receptacle 13 which prevents the nut 8 from turning through a full rotation relative to the receptacle 13. The nut 8 may be also permitted some degree of relative lateral and axial movement. The arm 14 is preferably resilient and arranged so that when the booster mounting is not in use, the arm 14 tends to adopt a position relative to the base 11 as shown in FIG. 4. Alternative to what is shown in FIG. 4, the receptacle could actually engage the surface 9 when the mounting is not in use.
In order to secure the booster housing 1 to the bulkhead 3, each bolt 4 is passed through a respective passage 15 (FIG. 8) extending completely through the housing 1. The leading end of the bolt 4 is projected through the respective bulkhead opening 7 to engage within the threaded bore of the nut 8. In order to assist that process, the leading end of the bolt 4 is preferably provided with a conical or tapered tip 16 and a pilot section 25 which is disposed between the tip 16 and a threaded section 17 of the bolt 4. The threaded section 17 is adapted to cooperatively engage with the thread of the nut 8, and the pilot section 25 is dimensioned in cross-section so as to be slidable and rotatable in the threaded bore of the nut 8. It is preferred that the clearance between the bore of the nut 8 and the pilot section 25, is not excessive.
When the tip end of the bolt 4 is projected through the hole 7, the tip 16 enters the threaded bore of the nut 8 and with progressing axial movement of the bolt 4 tends to bring the nut 8 into axial alignment with the threaded section 17 of the bolt 4. The ability of the nut 8 to move laterally and otherwise relative to the receptacle 13 assists in that regard. Further axial movement of the bolt 4 then places the pilot section 25 within the bore of the nut 8, and as a result the nut 8 is influenced out of any tilted disposition it may have relative to the bolt 4. For that purpose, it is preferred that the axial length of the pilot section 25 is not substantially less than the axial length of the nut 8. Ideally, the pilot section 25 should have a length at least equal to that of the nut 8.
In the course of the manipulation of the bolt 4 which results in the condition described above, the arm 14 will be influenced to flex upwards due to an upward force applied by the bolt 4 through its engagement with the captive nut 8. The arm 14 will therefore tend to adopt a position as shown in FIGS. 5 and 7.
It will usually be the case that each of the bolts 4 is assembled with the housing 1 before the housing 1 is positioned against the bulkhead 3. Thus, as the housing 1 is being placed against that bulkhead 3, the leading or tip end of each bolt 4 will project through a respective one of the openings 7. Because of the resilient nature of the retainer arms 14, both bolts 4 can be projected through the bulkhead 3 to their full possible extent without cooperative threaded engagement between the bolts 4 and the nuts 8 and without loss of alignment between the bolts 4 and the nuts 8.
Most importantly, the housing 1 can be located flat against the bulkhead 3 without substantial strain. The only resistance to such flat location is the return bias force imposed by each arm 14 on its respective bolt 4. Such flat or non-tilted positioning of the housing 1 is important. Securing of the housing 1 to the bulkhead 3 in a tilted condition involves the risk of damaging the structural integrity of the housing 1. In some prior arrangements, the risk of such tilting could not be effectively prevented unless there was simultaneous and matched rotation of each of the securing bolts.
In the arrangement according to the present invention, either of the bolts 4 can be tightened against the bulkhead 3 independent of the other and without risk of causing the housing 1 to tilt. The ability of the nuts 8 to move away from the bulkhead 3 as described above is an important factor in that regard. With this arrangement, the nut can axially move by an amount at least equal to or greater than the length of the screw threaded bore of the nut, as shown in FIGS. 4-6. Resilient biasing of the nuts 8 back towards the bulkhead 3 is advantageous, but need not be adopted in all arrangements which embody the invention.
Each bolt 4 can be rotated by any suitable tool so as to cooperatively engage with the thread of the respective nut 8. It is preferred that provision be made whereby that rotation can be effected from the side of the bulkhead 3 at which the housing 1 is located. For that purpose, in the arrangement shown, a hexagonal or other non-circular tool engaging section 18 is provided at the end portion of bolt 4 opposite to the tip 16. Since the nut 8 is held by the retainer 10, it is possible to initiate and complete the housing securing operation from one side only of the bulkhead 3.
After initial threaded cooperation between the nut 8 and the threaded section 17 of the bolt 4, further rotation of the bolt 4 will tend to draw the nut 8 downwards towards the surface 9. The arm 14 moves accordingly, and at the final clamped position of the nut 8, the arm 14 may be resiliently bent adjacent to the retainer 13 as shown in FIG. 6.
Any suitable means may be adopted to limit penetration of the bolt 4 through the bulkhead 3 and thereby achieve clamping of the nut 8 against the bulkhead 3. In the particular arrangement shown, that is achieved by a boss 19 provided on the shank of the bolt 4 adjacent the threaded section 17 and which is adapted to engage against the outer surface 20 of the bulkhead 3 as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
As previously stated, the bolts 4 will usually be in assembly with the housing 1 prior to installing the housing 1 against the bulkhead 3. That assembly may be completed at the place of manufacture of the booster. The example arrangement shown in the attached drawings is designed for such pre-assembly. In particular, each bolt 4 secured to the housing 1 so as to be part of the housing assembly, and functions to hold the two shells 5 and 6 of the housing 1 against separation.
In the example arrangement shown, the two housing shells 5 and 6 are captured between the boss 19 of each bolt 4 and a nut 21 cooperatively engaging with a threaded portion 22 of the bolt 4 which is at the end portion of the bolt 4 remote from the tip 16. For that purpose, each nut engages against part of an outer wall 23 of the housing shell 5, and each collar 19 bears against an internal shoulder 24 of the housing shell 6. As shown, each nut 21 may be located in a respective cavity 26 formed in the wall 23. It is preferred that the master cylinder 2 rests against the nuts 21 rather than the wall 23 when secured to the housing 1, and for that purpose each nut 21 may protrude a suitable distance out of its respective cavity 26.
The nuts 21 are usually tightened to an extent such as to establish a particular relationship between the housing shells 5 and 6 as is well known and understood by persons skilled in the relevant art. In performing that tightening operation, each bolt 4 needs to be held against rotation, and that may be achieved by use of a suitable tool engaging with the pilot section 25 which may have a hexagonal or other non-circular cross-sectional shape for that purpose. The clamping force applied to the shells 5 and 6 by the nuts 21 will not be :such as to prevent rotation of each bolt 4 relative to the housing 1 for the purpose of the housing installation operation as previously described. Any suitable precaution may be adopted to prevent a change in the selected rotational position of the nut 21 relative to the bolt 4 during the housing installation operation or at any other time subsequent to securing the shells 5 and 6 in correct relationship. That may be achieved in any suitable fashion such as through use of a suitable locking compound.
The master cylinder 2 may be secured to the booster in any suitable manner, but in the example arrangement shown the bolts 4 are used for that purpose. The master cylinder 2 may be secured to the booster assembly before or after it is installed on the bulkhead 3.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 8, the threaded section 22 of each bolt 4 extends through a flange 27 of the master cylinder 2, and a nut 28 is used to clamp that flange 27 to the nut 21. It will usually be the case that the clamping force applied to the bulkhead 3 by the bolts 4 will be sufficient to hold the bolt 4 against rotation during that master cylinder securing operation. If the master cylinder 2 is mounted on the booster assembly before that assembly is secured to the bulkhead 3, the nuts 28 will be left loose so that the bolts 4 can be rotated for the purpose of securing the booster assembly to the bulkhead 3. The nuts 28 can be tightened after that securing operation has been completed.
As previously, stated, each nut 8 can be retained on the inside of the bulkhead 3 in any suitable fashion, subject only to the requirement that the nut 8 be capable of some degree of movement away from the surface 9. FIG. 9 shows an example retainer arrangement which is an alternative to that shown in FIGS. 3 to 8. In that alternative arrangement, the nut 8 is contained in a hollow column 29 having a cross-section shape (at least internally) which is such as to prevent relative rotation of the nut 8. The nut 8 is nevertheless free to move axially and laterally within the column 29 in the manner as described in connection with the FIGS. 3 to 8 arrangement, and a coil compression spring 30 or other suitable biasing means operates to urge the nut 8 towards the bulkhead 3. The column 29 can be secured to the bulkhead 3 in any suitable fashion.
It will be appreciated from the foregoing description that the present invention provides a simple yet effective means for securing a booster housing to a vehicle bulkhead or other support. The fact that the securing operation can be initiated and completed from one side of the support is a matter of considerable advantage. Also, the movable mounting of the nuts which form part of the securing system minimises the possibility of the booster housing being forced into a tilted condition during the mounting operation.
Various alterations, modifications and/or additions may be introduced into the constructions and arrangements of parts previously described without departing from the spirit or ambit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
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A brake booster mounting including a support to which the booster is securable by means of at least one mounting bolt, and a captive nut located on a side of the support opposite to that to which the booster is to be attached and which is engageable by the bolt so as to effect attachment of the booster to the support. The captive nut is held against separation from the support and is also held against rotation by a retainer so that connection of the bolt to the nut can be effected from the side of the support to which the booster is to be attached. A pilot section on one end of the bolt locates within the captive nut so as to thereby automatically position the nut to be cooperable with a threaded portion of the bolt. The bolt also serves to hold separable parts of the booster housing against separation, and is rotatable relative to those parts to permit the booster to be attached to or detached from the support. The bolt further serves to attach a brake master cylinder to the booster, and has a tool engaging facility at the end remote from the pilot section.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to gas fired furnaces and, more particularly, to a method and apparatus for controlling a gas furnace having a gas valve which is susceptible to being stuck in the open position.
Furnaces may be either of the natural draft or the power draft types. In the power draft furnace, a motor driven blower is operated to motively draw (induced) or blow (forced) the combustion air to the burner to thereby enhance the combustion process. A normal sequence of operation when the thermostat calls for heat is for the inducer motor to come on to purge the system of any gases that might be present. An ignitor is then turned on and a gas valve is opened to initiate the combustion process. A flame sensor circuit then operates to ensure that the burner is operating properly, and then the circulating air blower is turned on to force the heated air into the room. When the room is heated to the point where the thermostat setting is satisfied, the thermostat is turned off, and the gas valve and inducer motor are turned off. After a predetermined delay, the blower is then turned off.
In existing systems, if the gas valve should stick in the open position during a heating cycle and thereby remain open when the room thermostat turns off, the gas will continue to flow and remain ignited even though the inducer motor will be turned off as a function of the normal sequence. Without combustion air being supplied by the inducer, the combustion process will be inhibited and a build up of gas will result. This may in turn cause an undesirable flame roll out with possible resulting damage to the furnace.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved control system for an induced, gas fired furnace.
Another object of the present invention is the provision in a gas furnace for reducing the occurrence of flame roll outs.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision in a gas furnace having a gas valve which is susceptible to sticking in the open position, for reducing the occurrence of flame roll outs.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision in a gas furnace for reducing the occurrence of gas build up when the gas valve sticks in the open position.
Another object of the present invention is the provision in an induced draft, gas furnace for a control system which is economical to manufacture and effective in use.
These objects and other features and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, if a flame is sensed at the burner at a time other than when a flame should exist in the normal sequence of operation, the control system is prompted to turn on the inducer motor. This will, in turn, ensure that combustion air is being received at the burner and that a gas rich condition does not occur. In this way, the chance of flame roll outs occurring will be substantially decreased.
By another aspect of the invention, the control system operates to turn on the inducer motor if, at a time when the thermostat is in the open position, the existence of a flame is detected at the burner. The inducer motor is then caused to continue to operate so long as the flame continues to be sensed. If the valve then continues to be stuck in the open position, a limit switch will eventually be caused to open and the circulating air blower will automatically be turned on. The heat in the room will then continue to rise until an observer recognizes that a malfunction has occurred and that corrective action must be taken.
In the drawings as hereinafter described, a preferred embodiment is depicted; however, various other modifications and alternate constructions can be made thereto without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a furnace control system having the present invention incorporated therein.
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram showing the operation of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to FIG. 1, the various components of an induced draft gas furnace are shown together with their controlling circuitry which is adapted to operate in accordance with the present invention. A circuit board, indicated by the broken lines, is provided with line voltage by way of leads L1 and L2. Power is thereby provided to a circulating air blower motor 32, a hot surface igniter 33, and an induced draft blower motor 34 by way of relays 36, 37 and 38, respectively. Power is also provided to the control portion of the circuit board by way of a low voltage stepdown transformer 39.
Included in the circuit supplying power to the blower motor 32, in addition to the rely 36, are parallel leads 41 and 42 which provide for low and high speed connections, respectively, and a single pole, double throw relay with the low speed lead 41 having normally closed relay contacts 43 and the high speed lead 42 having normally open relay contacts 44. Both the low speed lead 41 and the high speed lead 42 are connected by way of a five circuit connector 45 to one leg 46 of the Wye connected blower motor 32, with the other legs 47 and 48 being connected via the connector 45 to a common terminal 49. Thus, by selectively choosing the desired connector 45 terminals to be used, and by controlling the relay contacts 43 and 44, the blower motor 32 can be selectively caused to operate at either of the selected levels of low or high speeds.
Referring now to the control or bottom portion of the circuit, low voltage power is provided from the secondary coil of the transformer 39 to the conductor 54 and to the conductor 56, which is connected to the common terminal C. The conductor 54 is electrically connected through normally open relay contacts 57 to a terminal 58 which can be connected to provide power to auxiliary equipment such as a humidifier (not shown), and also to a circuit which includes a manually resettable limit switch 59 sensitive to overtemperature, an automatic resettable limit switch 61 sensitive to overtemperature, and the terminal R.
In addition to the conventional connections as discussed hereinabove, the R, W, Y, G, and C terminals of the circuit board 31 are connected in a conventional manner to the room thermostat (not shown). However, unlike the conventional circuit without microprocessor control, each of those terminals is connected to a microprocessor 62 by way of leads 63, 64, 66, 67, and 68, respectively. Load resistors 69, 71, 72 and 73 are provided between the common terminal C and the respective terminals R, W, Y and G to increase the current flow through the circuits to thereby prevent the occurrence of dry contacts.
Other inputs to the microprocessor 62 are provided along lines 74, 76 and 77. The line 74 is connected to a flame sensing electrode 78 to provide a signal to the microprocessor to indicate when a flame has been proven to exist. Lines 76 and 77 provide other indications as will be discussed hereinafter.
Power to the main gas valve 79 is received from the terminal W by way of a draft safeguard switch 80, an auxiliary limit switch 81, a pressure switch 82 and the normally open relay 83. The microprocessor 62 is made aware of the condition of the auxiliary limit switch 81 and the pressure switch 82 by way of signals received along line 77. The line 76 is connected to the output of the relay 83 and provides voltage level signals to indicate to the microprocessor 62, whether the gas valve should be on or off.
Having described the circuits that are controlled by the microprocessor 62 through the use of relays, the controlling outputs of the microprocessor 62 will now be briefly described. The hot surface ignitor output 84 operates to close the relay contacts 37 to activate the hot surface igniter 33. The inducer motor output 86 operates to close the relay contacts 38 to activate the inducer motor 34. The blower motor output 87 operates to close the relay contacts 36 to activate the blower motor 32. The humidifier output 88 operates to close the relay contacts 57 to activate the humidifier. The low/high relay output 89 operates to open the relay contacts 43 and close the relay contacts 44 to switch the blower motor 32 from low to high speed operation. Finally, the main gas valve output 91 operates to close the relay contacts 83 to open the main gas valve 79.
Considering now the operation of the control apparatus during a typical heating cycle, the sequence of operation will be as follows. When the wall thermostat calls for heat, the R and W circuits are closed. The microprocessor 62 checks the inputs and outputs and energizes the inducer relay 38 to start the inducer motor 34 and initiate the process of purging the system of unwanted gas. As the inducer motor 34 comes up to speed, the pressure switch 82 closes, and after a predetermined period of time, the microprocessor 62 activates the hot surface ignitor relay 37 to provide power to the hot surface ignitor 33. After a warmup period of a predetermined time, the microprocessor 62 activates the main gas valve relay 83 to provide power to and turn on the main gas valve 79. As soon as a flame is sensed by the flame sensing electrode 78, the microprocessor 62 deactivates the hot surface ignitor 37, and holds the main gas valve on so long as the flame is present or until the thermostat is satisfied. When the thermostat is satisfied, the R and W circuits are de-energized to thereby de-energize the main gas valve 79, and, after a post-purge period, the inducer motor 74.
Assume now that the thermostat has called for heat and that the system has responsively cycled through the steps of turning on the inducer motor 34, activating the hot surface ignitor 33, activating the main gas valve relay 83 to turn on the main gas valve 79, and deactivating the hot surface ignitor 37 in response to the presence of a flame being sensed by the flame sensing electrode 78. Subsequently, when the thermostat is satisfied, the R and W circuits are de-energized to thereby deactivate the main gas valve relay 83, which in turn should act to turn the gas valve 79 off. Then, after a post-purge period, the inducer motor should be turned off. However, if the main gas valve 79 is stuck in the open position, even though the power thereto has been turned off by opening of the relay contacts 83, then the gas will continue to flow and a flame will continue to burn, but only under undesirable conditions of possible flame rollout since the inducer motor will have been turned off. The apparatus of the present invention is therefore designed to correct this condition as shown in FIG. 2.
If the gas valve 79 does in fact close as intended when the gas valve relay 83 is opened, then the flame will be extinguished and the step indicated in block 92 of FIG. 2 will result in a negative response. The program will then move on to reset the timer, as indicated in block 93, and then the main routine will be resumed. If, however, the gas valve 79 is stuck in the open position, then a flame will be sensed and the control system proceeds to block 94 to query whether there should be a flame at that time. This determination can be made, for example, by determining whether the system is operating in the heating mode routine (i.e. is the thermostat in fact calling for heat). Another query that can be made is whether the gas valve 83 is energized. This is accomplished by way of line 76 which provides to the microprocessor 62 an indication of the voltage level across the relay 83. Thus, if the thermostat is indeed calling for heat and the relay 83 is energized, then the program proceeds to block 93 to reset the timer and then returns to the main routine.
If it is determined that the thermostat is not calling for heat, or that the gas valve relay 83 is in the open position, then the program steps to blocks 95 and 96 to provide a one second delay to allow the relay contacts to open if the system is indeed operating properly. Once that delay period has been provided as indicated by block 97, then the system proceeds to block 98 wherein the microprocessor initiates the proper signals to turn off the gas valve and ignitor and, more importantly, to turn the inducer motor on. If the gas valve is stuck in the open position, the ignitor will most likely be in the off position and the gas valve relay 83 will be in the open position, such that no change occurs to the ignitor or the gas valve. But in the normal operational routine, the inducer motor will have been turned off. Thus, the step of turning on the inducer motor as specified in block 98 will allow the combustion process to proceed with sufficient air so as to prevent flame rollout. The gas valve 79 will then remain in the open position, and the combustion process will continue even though the thermostat setting has been satisfied. A limit switch will eventually then be caused to open and the circulating air blower 32 will be turned on to circulate the air into the room. An occupant in the room will eventually recognize that the temperature has exceeded the set temperature and will be able to take action to correct the matter
While the present invention has been disclosed with particular reference to a preferred embodiment, the concepts of this invention are readily adaptable to other embodiments, and those skilled in the art may vary the structure and method thereof without departing from the essential spirit of the present invention.
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The control system of an induced draft furnace includes a provision for turning on the inducer motor when a flame is sensed outside of the normal sequence of a heating operation. In particular, if the thermostat is in the off position when a flame is sensed, the inducer motor is turned on to ensure that sufficient combustion air is provided to the burner so as to forestall the occurrence of flame roll outs in the event that the gas valve is stuck in a closed position.
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BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to medical diagnostic equipment, and more particularly to medical diagnostic equipment related to the measurement and interpretation of blood pressures.
2. Description of the Related Art
The effects of high blood pressure continues to be a serious health problem. In the early 1990's, it was reported that two-thirds of Americans die with atherosclerotic blood vessels and that one-half of all Americans die as a result of these lesions.
There are many possible causes of high blood pressure each relating to different physiological mechanisms. In response, different hypertensive pharmaceuticals have been developed, each targeting one or more of the potential mechanisms. Examples are calcium channel blockers, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, beta-blocking drugs and their hybrids, diuretics, centrally-acting alpha 2 agonists, alpha 1 -blocking agents, vasodilators, and adrenergic-blocking agents. Some of these medications act primarily on the microvascular (peripheral) resistance to blood flow, others on the lowered distensibility of larger arteries, cardiac output, or on various combinations of these.
Medical doctors and other practitioners routinely determine systolic and diastolic blood pressures using an inflatable cuff and sphygmomanometer and measure heart rate by manual timing of the pulse. Possible disease states are inferred from these values and this may lead to the use of additional diagnostic tests. The additional tests, such as measurement of cardiac output, for example, are often more invasive, time-consuming, and expensive. For these reasons, practitioners may prescribe medicines without performing them. This less-than-optimal therapy increases the likelihood of adverse side effects and when more than one agent is involved, increases the potential for undesirable drug interaction.
Clearly, in deciding on which type of hypertensive medication to prescribe for a particular patient, it is desirable to identify the underlying causes so that an informed decision, based on an accurate and timely diagnosis, can be made.
SUMMARY
The present invention provides a method and associated apparatus, which combine measures of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and pulse frequency (heart rate), producing quantitative data on normalized diastolic distensibility, normalized peripheral resistance, and a parameter based on these which is independent of cardiac output. These results can be compared with normal and abnormal results from recorded empirical data.
In one aspect of the present invention, the method can include measuring, with standard or automatic equipment, the systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and pulse frequency (heart rate) of a patient; entering, electronically or with a keyboard, the data into a preprogrammed computer; reading from the computer display, normalized diastolic distensibility and normalized peripheral resistance, the product of theses two quantities, and the relation of these quantities to stored normal or abnormal distributions of such quantities for comparable individuals plus a list of medications that are indicated in those abnormal conditions.
In another aspect of the present invention, a medical diagnostic method using systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and pulse frequency of a patient is provided to compute a normalized diastolic distensibility value and a normalized peripheral resistance value, and to compute the product of the normalized diastolic distensibility value and the normalized peripheral resistance value to generate a first product value. The first product value is compared to a stored distribution of normalized diastolic distensibility and normalized peripheral resistance values for comparable individuals to determine if the first product value is equivalent to a value determined to indicate an abnormal condition.
The field of the present invention relates to measuring and interpreting blood pressures, bp, and pulse rate, f, in terms of hardening of the arterioles vs. peripheral resistance to blood flow. The venue for these actions can be a medical practitioner's office or any inpatient or outpatient location. The present method departs from current procedures by measuring blood pressure and pulse rate and deducing normalized values of arterial distensibility and peripheral resistance without using a transesophageal transducer or catheter insertion in a blood vessel.
The scope of the invention is defined by the claims, which are incorporated into this section by reference. A more complete understanding of embodiments of the present invention will be afforded to those skilled in the art, as well as a realization of additional advantages thereof, by a consideration of the following detailed description of one or more embodiments. Reference will be made to the appended sheets of drawings that will first be described briefly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a simplified illustration of a block flow diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a plot of average aortic pulse wave velocity vs. age;
FIG. 3 shows volume vs. pressure plots for human aorta and vena cava;
FIG. 4 shows distortion over time of the arterial pressure pulse from the aortal pulse;
FIG. 5 shows cross-section sizes of various blood vessels;
FIG. 6 gives the distribution of intravascular pressures;
FIG. 7 gives the pulse rate and blood pressures of a 64-year-old patient in mornings during a four-month period while the patient's hypertension medications were being changed;
FIG. 8 shows blood pressure and pulse rate readings during evenings of the four-month period referred to with regard to FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 9 shows measurement of AM normalized micro-peripheral resistance;
FIG. 10 shows AM normalized arterial distensibility;
FIG. 11 shows PM normalized micro-peripheral resistance;
FIG. 12 shows the Range of Systemic Arterial Pressures vs age;
FIG. 13 shows Normal Micro-Peripheral Resistance Ranges where the upper limits correspond to borderline hypertension, and the lower limits to borderline hypotension;
FIG. 14 . shows normalized peripheral resistance vs. age;
FIG. 15 shows the range of normalized arterial distensibility for a pulse rate of 70 per minute, where limits correspond to borderline hypertension (bottom) and borderline hypotension (top);
FIG. 16 shows the range of normalized arterial distensibility for a pulse rate of 90 per minute, where limits correspond to borderline hypertension (bottom) and borderline hypotension (top);
FIG. 17 shows limits of the product of normalized distensibility and normalized peripheral resistance for 70 beats/minute; and
FIG. 18 shows a correlation between distensibility and peripheral resistance.
Embodiments of the present invention and their advantages are best understood by referring to the detailed description that follows. It should be appreciated that like reference numerals are used to identify like elements illustrated in one or more of the figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
At each ventricular ejection contraction, a volume of blood, the stroke volume is injected into the aorta. The aorta stretches to accommodate the stroke volume and an accompanying pressure pulse launches down the aorta into the main arteries. FIG. 2 shows a plot 200 of the velocity of a pulse along the major arteries as a function of the age of an individual. The pulse can travel at speeds of between about 5–10 meters/sec—the lower speeds typically applying at lower ages and the higher speeds applying at higher ages. Since a typical pulse rate is of the order of one pulse per second, the high pulse velocity indicates that to a first approximation, the entire arterial tree feels the same pressure practically simultaneously.
The pressure in the arterial tree is related to the distension of the arteries. As shown in FIG. 3 , over a wide range of pressures, the plot 302 of the relation between the blood volume (distension) and the pressure is linear as contrasted with the plot 304 representing low-pressure veins. Accordingly:
δ V i =D i δP [1]
where δV i denotes the change in volume in the i th artery due to a pressure change δP, and D i denotes the distensibility of the i th artery.
The pressure in the arterial tree does not remain elevated after injection of a stroke volume of blood, because the pressure drives the blood from the arterial tree into the microvasculature.
As shown in FIG. 4 , the time course of the pressure in the arterial tree changes slightly from the aorta plot 402 to the plot 404 of the outlying main arteries. The change in the time course has been ascribed to reflections from branching points, selective damping of higher frequency components, and dispersion due to frequency-dependent phase velocities. The rise time of the pulse is so much shorter than the decay time that in the lowest approximation it can be assumed that the stroke volume is injected instantaneously into the arterial tree. After injection, the blood volume V in the arterial tree is assumed to decrease at a rate proportional to the pressure in the tree, since it is this pressure that causes the blood to flow from the tree.
dV/dt=−P/Z [2]
Here, Z denotes the resistance to flow presented by the microvasculature fed by the arteries. This gives an exponential pressure decline—a smoothed version of the arterial pressure decline seen in FIG. 4 . At any instant, the pressure P is equal to the pressure that exists just before the stroke volume is injected into the tree—i.e. the diastolic pressure P D , plus the pressure δP of eq. [1]
P=P D +δP [3]
Similarly, the instantaneous volume of the arterial tree is equal to the sum of the volume just before a stroke volume is injected, V D , plus the sum of the volumes δV i of eq. [1]
V=V D +ΣδV i [4]
On inserting [1] and [3] into [2]
dδP/dt =−(1 /DZ )( P D +δP ) [5]
where
D=ΣD i [6]
the sum being over the body arteries. The general solution to equation [5] is
δ P−P D +C exp(− t/DZ ) [7]
The constant C can be evaluated at t=0 where it is known that by definition the increment in pressure is equal to the difference between the systolic pressure P S and the diastolic pressure P D
δP ( t= 0)= P S −P D [8]
Accordingly,
C=P S [9]
and so
P=P D +δP=P S exp(− t/DZ ) [10]
If the pulse rate, f, is some number of pulses per minute, then the end of the period, t, occurs when t=1/f. At that time, the pressure must once again be the diastolic pressure P D . Thus, the relationship can be shown as:
P S =P D exp(1 /DZf ) [11]
Since the arterial distensibility D, peripheral resistance Z, and pulse rate f, all enter into the exponent in this relationship, the ratio of systolic to diastolic pressure can depend sensitively on these parameters.
At t=0, the total change in volume from the diastolic volume (the volume just before injection of the stroke volume) must be equal to the stroke volume V S . Equation [1] then shows (on using eq. [8]) that:
V S =D ( P S −P D ) [12]
The cardiac output <dV/dt> is the product of the pulse rate and the stroke volume. Then
<dV/dt>=fD ( P S −P D ) [13]
From [13] and [11]:
Arterial distensibility: D=<dV/dt>[f ( P S −P D )] −1 [14]
Peripheral resistance Z =( P S −P D )[< dV/dt> ln( P S /P D )] −1 [15]
Equations [14] and [15] show that:
D N =D/<dV/dt>=[f ( P S −P D )] −1 [16]
R N =Z<dV/dt>= ( P S −P D )[ln( P S /P D )] −1 [17]
The left sides of [16] and [17] are respectively, normalized distensibility, D N , and normalized peripheral resistance, R N . As shown, these terms are expressible solely in terms of quantities routinely and easily measured in local medical offices and represent parameters which are normalized by cardiac output. The product of these values DR=D N R N , is independent of cardiac output. The significance and utility of eqs. [16] and [17] derives from records of their values in association with several medical conditions.
The normal reference values of blood pressures for typical subjects are shown in FIG. 13 . If the values of diastolic pressure and systolic pressure at the boundaries of the normal range are taken, then the corresponding normal values for D N and R N are as shown in FIGS. 14–16 .
The R N is independent of pulse rate, while the D N depends on pulse rate. FIG. 15 shows the values of D N for a pulse rate of 70 per minute and FIG. 16 shows the values for D N for a pulse rate of 90 per minute. Also shown on each plot are two double-ended arrows, indicating the range of values for the morning and evening readings for a subject.
FIG. 17 shows that the normal values of D N and R N fall within in a narrow range. This is in contrast to the values obtained on one hypertensive subject over the time period of several months which were found to vary widely about the reference values.
FIG. 1 shows the entry and processing of blood pressure numeric data 102 and pulse rate numeric data 104 into a computer 106 . A wide variety of analog or digital computers may be used, such as hand-held, laptop, or desktop computers, the selection turning mostly on clinical convenience. The blood pressure data 102 can be gathered from a standard inflatable cuff and sphygmomanometer. The pulse rate data 104 can be gathered by manual timing of the pulse or from automatic equipment that can deliver the data electronically to computer 106 .
The systolic and diastolic pressures, expressed numerically in a consistent set of units, for example, torr, are entered into computer 106 . The difference between these pressure numbers is produced and then divided by the natural logarithm of their ratio. The result is the R N .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , unity gain amplifiers 108 and 110 , produce differences of input numbers, indicated by arrowheads 112 . Conventional logarithmic elements 114 and 116 produce natural logarithms of their input numbers. Conventional multipliers, 118 , 120 , 122 , and 124 , produce the products of two input numbers each. Amplifiers 126 and 128 , each of gain G>>1, produce division of input numbers. The output of amplifier 126 , Co for instance, is Co=G·(P S −P D )−G·[ln(P S )−ln(P D )]·Co. Solving for Co gives Co=G·(P S −P D )/{1+G·[ln(P S )−ln(P D )]} which, because G>>1 gives Co≈(P S −P D )/[ln(P S )−ln(P D )]=(P S −P D )/ln(P S /P D )=R N , normalized peripheral resistance. In like manner, the output of amplifier 128 is Do=1/[(P S −P D )·f]=D N , normalized arterial distensibility, where f is in units of beats per minute, for example. These two outputs and their product D N R N are applied to a standard display device 130 , which includes analog to digital converters producing called out numbers on the appropriate abscissa, as indicated in FIG. 1 .
The three histograms 132 , 134 and 136 shown in FIG. 1 display statistical data taken from a collection of similar individuals. For example, the statistical data can be taken from the first month of the patient's examinations (21 exams during this period), the idea being to substitute the ensemble average by a time average, the ergotic hypothesis of statistical mechanics.
The utility of these normalized measures is given in an example of a hypertensive scleroderma patient for whom values for blood pressure readings, heart rate, D N , and R N obtained over a four month period are displayed in FIGS. 7–12 . In this patient, before adequate treatment, the value for DR was below normal, the value for R N was within normal limits and the value for D N was below normal. The patient's range of these values is displayed with reference to normal values in FIGS. 14–15 . It can be inferred from these values that his hypertension was due to a decrease in normalized artery distensibility rather than to scieroderma-related increase in normalized peripheral resistance. These results would guide a clinician to select those drugs which inhibit vasoconstriction rather than those which address increased cardiac output such as beta-blockers and diuretics. Routine and automatic recording of the parameters, thus building a statistical database, would be a useful diagnostic adjunct to individual blood pressure and pulse rate readings thereby improving monitoring for therapeutic efficacy.
FIG. 18 shows the correlation between D N and R N in the first 24 exams. Unlike these data, the single points indicated by the arrows in the Peripheral Resistance and Arterial Resistance histograms of FIG. 1 were taken near the end of the four-month examination period where hypertension was under control. Arterial Distensibility, D N , increased and Peripheral Resistance, R N , decreased because of the correlation between them.
Although the present invention is described with reference to the presently preferred embodiments, it is understood that the invention as defined by the claims is not limited to these described embodiments. Various other changes and modifications to the invention will be recognized by those skilled in this art and will still fall within the scope and spirit of the invention, as defined by the accompanying claims.
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A medical diagnostic method using systolic and diastolic blood pressures, and pulse frequency of a patient is provided to compute a normalized diastolic distensibility value and a normalized peripheral resistance value, and to automatically compute the product of the normalized diastolic distensibility value and the normalized peripheral resistance value to generate a first product value. The first product value is compared to a stored distribution of normalized diastolic distensibility and a normalized peripheral resistance values for comparable individuals to determine if the first product value is equivalent to a value determined to indicate an abnormal condition. Particular values of the computed parameters aid in determining the etiology of hypertension and direct selection of pharmacotherapy.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The low temperature preservation of biological tissues and organs has been the subject of much research effort. Although organ banks similar to blood banks would have great medical utility, it has not been possible to successfully preserve clinically required whole organs or certain tissue sections by cryogenic methods. Organized tissues and organs, especially the heart and kidney, are particularly susceptible to mechanical damage from ice crystals formed during freezing. Efforts to protect tissues from damage during freezing have involved the use of chemicals known as cryoprotective agents which frequently become excessively concentrated during the freezing process and prove toxic to the biological material. In order to avoid damage caused by ice formation on freezing, methods have also been developed which employ solutes in amounts sufficient to greatly depress the freezing point of aqueous protective solutions, permitting the tissues or organs to be stored at low temperatures in a liquid state. Typical of such methods is the equilibrium method employed by Farrant (Nature, 205:1284-87, 1965) wherein the tissue or organ is incubated with a penetrating cryoprotectant such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) until the intra- and extra-cellular concentrations of DMSO are equilibrated. The concentration of DMSO is gradually increased and the temperature simultaneously gradually lowered without freezing until a sufficiently low temperature is obtained. Owing to the necessity of equilibrating DMSO across the cell membranes with restoration of isotonic volumes, while lowering the temperature, the process is very slow. Further, in order to sufficiently depress the freezing point of the preservation solution, very high concentrations of DMSO are necessary and must be introduced and removed at the subzero temperatures contemplated. Additionally, the same slow procedure must be employed in reverse on recovery (warming) of the tissue for use.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a method for the successful preservation of organs, tissues and other biological materials at very low temperatures which avoids the formation of ice crystals, minimizes the effective concentration of potentially harmful chemicals, and permits the rapid introduction and removal of cryoprotectants at feasible temperatures, without the necessity of elaborate equipment to monitor precise conditions of concentration and temperature. These advantages are obtained by the vitrification process of the present invention.
The principles of vitrification are well-known. Very generally, the lowest temperature a solution can possibly supercool to without freezing is the homogeneous nucleation temperaure T h , at which temperature ice crystals nucleate and grow, and a crystalline solid is formed from the solution. Vitrification solutions have a glass transition temperature T g , at which temperature the solution vitrifies, or becomes a non-crystalline solid, higher than T h . Owing to the kinetics of nucleation and crystal growth, it is effectively impossible for water molecules to align for crystal formation at temperatures much below T g .
On cooling most dilute aqueous solutions to the vitrification temperature (about -135° C.), T h is encountered before T g , and ice nucleation occurs, which makes it impossible to vitrify the solution. In order to make such solutions useful in the preservation of biological materails by vitrification, it is therefore necessary to change the properties of the solution so that vitrification occurs instead of ice crystal nucleation and growth. While it is known that many solutes, such as commonly employed cryoprotectants like dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), raise T g and lower T h , solution concentrations of DMSO or similar solutes high enough to permit vitrification typically approach the eutectic concentration and are generally toxic to biological material. While it is also generally known that high hydrostatic pressures similarly raise T g and lower T h , vitrification of most dilute solutions by the application of pressure is either impossible or impractical. Further, for many solutions vitrifiable by the application of pressure, the required pressures cause unacceptably severe injury to unprotected biomaterials during vitrification thereof; for example, a pressure of only 1000 atm is lethal to unprotected kidney slices. These and other barriers to cryopreservation of biological materials have not been surmounted in the prior art.
A summary of the effects of increasing concentrations of solute at decreasing temperatures on the cryo-behavior of an exemplary solution at two (2) different pressures is presented in the graph in FIG. 1 (T m is the melting point or liquidus temperature of the solution).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the present invention, a method is provided for the successful cryopreservation of biological materials including whole organs, organ sections, tissues and cells, in a non-frozen (vitreous) state. The method comprises cooling the biological material to be preserved under pressure in the presence of a non-toxic vitrifiable protective solution to at least the glass transition temperature thereof to vitrify the solution without substantial nucleation or ice crystal growth and without significant injury to the biomaterial. This vitrification process explicitly takes advantage of the non-equilibrium behavior of concentrated aqueous solutions so that a minimal concentration of toxic penetrating cryoprotectant is required while freezing (formation of ice crystals) is suppressed. Thus, both mechanical and chemicl damage to the biological systems is obviated.
The invention further provides non-toxic protective vitrification solutions useful in the cryopreservation of biomaterials according to the present invention comprising a mixture of glass-forming solutes in aqueous solution. The vitrification solutions are vitrifiable under biocompatible pressure conditions, and, under vitrification conditions, are non-toxic and effectively protect the biological material from injury due to exposure to cold (cryoprotection) and high pressure (baroprotection).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Broadly, the vitrification process of the invention comprises cooling the biological system to be cryoprotected to between about 0° C. and 10° C., and introducing a dilute vitrification solution, usually by vascular perfusion for organs. The solution concentration is gradually increased to the concentration needed for vitrification, and the temperature simultaneously lowered several degrees if the solution is potentially toxic. Unlike prior art methods, in the present process the rate and duration of solution introduction should not permit the cells of the material to re-establish their isotonic volume prior to vitrifying. Instead, the introduction of vitrification solution should proceed relatively rapidly, and should be terminated when an equilibrium concentration of solutes across the cell membrane is established as a result of depletion of intracellular fluids, rather than as a result of full permeation of cells by protective solution. The cell volume is desirably reduced to between about one-third and two-thirds of normal, with an intracellular solute concentration of at least about 30%, which permits rapid delivery of protective material to the biological material as well as a rapid removal of recovery. The time required for delivery, usually about 1 to 2 hours in the case of an organ, is much faster than would be required using conventional criteria for equilibration thereby reducing the danger of solute toxicity. Known protocols for increasing concentration over time during perfusion are generally applicable (with modification), particularly the Levin protocol (Cryobiology, 18:617-618, 1981); the Pegg protocol (Cryobiology, 14:168-178, 1977); the Collins protocol (Collins, personal communication, 1982); the Segal protocol (Cryobiology, 19:41-49, 50-60, 1982); step protocols (e.g., Cryobiology, 17:371-388, 1980) or various biologically acceptable combinations thereof.
Upon completion of solution introduction, the biomaterial is immediately transferred to a high pressure chamber, bathed in a non-toxic fluid, and protected from contact with the fluid used to induce hydrostatic pressures. The pressure is raised quickly to the vitrification pressure and the temperature lowered rapidly to about 5° C. to 15° C. below T g , the glass transition temperature at 1 atm for the vitrification solution employed. Cooling much below T g at high pressure causes cracking of the glass (vitrifracture), and must be avoided. The rapidity of pressure application and temperature reduction is important in order to prevent or minimize both the toxic effect of the glass-forming solutes and any baroinjury; pressurization rates up to about 500 atm/min are generally not injurious. Upon reaching the final temperature, the pressure is released and the material removed from the chamber. Storage may be either at approximately T g minus 15° C. or at about -196° C., depending upon the difficulty of avoiding vitrifracture.
To retrieve the biological material from storage, the vitrified material is warmed at a heating rate sufficient to avoid devitrification (formation of ice crystals) which is damaging to the material. Heating rates of about 150° C. to about 600° C. min -1 are generally sufficient at the solution concentrations contemplated, with the lower rates applicable to higher concentrations. If the glass is "doubly unstable" (T h higher than T g at 1 atm), pressure application during rewarming is essential to make T g >T h and thereby to avoid formation of ice crystals, and faster warming rates, for example 500°-1000° C./min, may also be necessary. A summary of the effects of various heating rates on the temperature at which several successfully vitrified solutions devitrify on warming (T c ) and the temperature at which the solutions become vitreous (T g ) is graphically presented in FIGS. 3-4. Microwave or induction heating is suitable.
The invention is predicated on the discovery that the high solution concentration of toxic penetrating glass-forming agents such as DMSO necessary to achieve a vitrifiable solution (about 49% DMSO) can be reduced by employing instead a vitrification solution comprising an admixture of solutes in aqueous solution, and vitrifying the solution under biocompatible hydrostatic pressures, typically from about 0.2 kbar to about 2 kbar, depending on the exact composition of the solution and the cooling rate. If the solute system components, their concentration, and the operating pressure are well-chosen, the solution will vitrify at non-toxic solute system concentrations and biocompatible pressures. The concentration of toxic glass-forming materials required for vitrification is further reduced if the introduction of vitrification solution is controlled as previously described so that the cells are below isotonic volume prior to vitrification. The shrunken cells thus have an effectively increased intracellular protein concentration, which further reduces the amount of penetrating glass-former needed for intracellular vitrification.
The vitrification solutions of the invention must be vitrifiable at biocompatible pressures, usually under about 2000 atm, depending upon the baroprotection afforded by the solute system and the particular application. The pressure required to vitrify is dependent on the concentration of the vitrification solution, and the vitrification solutions must not be toxic under vitrification conditions employed. Thus, vitrification solutions useful in the process of the invention must be conformed to these parameters.
Useful vitrification solutions according to the invention are aqueous solutions of solutes characterized by the ability to form glasses at biocompatible concentrations and pressures, and by the ability to penetrate the cells of the biomaterial sufficiently to effect intracellular vitrification, without formation of ice crystals. While a single solute may perform these functions for some applications, vitrifiable solutions comprising a single glass-forming penetrating solute (such as the 49% DMSO solution mentioned supra) are generally too toxic to be used with sensitive tissues and cells, for example those derived from the kidney.
Suitable penetrating glass-forming solutes (PGF) for use in the vitrification solutions of the invention include dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), glycerol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol (PG). To decrease toxicity of PGF systems, a high or low molecular weight non-penetrating glass-former (NPGF) is included in the system, for example polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), hydroxyethyl starch (HES), HAEMACCEL (available from Hoechst Pharmaceuticals), sucrose, proteins, or other colloids. While the glass-formers in appropriate concentrations generally also function as baroprotectants, additional solutes which enhance baroprotection may be included, if desired. Other solutes which may be included are those, for example, which counter the effects of toxic materials present such as DMSO; known compounds which block DMSO toxicity include amides such as acetamide (AA), sulfamide, glycineamide, formamide, and urea. Membrane and protein stabilizers may also be employed to counter solute toxicity.
Particularly suitable solute systems for many applications include mixtures of DMSO, AA, PG and PVP in concentrations totalling about 41-51% w/v.
Vitrification of the protective solutions of the invention occurs at a critical solution concentration (vitrification concentration) for a given pressure. Since the vitrification concentration (VC) varies inversely with the pressure applied to the protective solution, by application of pressure, the VC of a particular protective solution is reduced. In general, at 1000 atm the vitrification concentration is about 5% w/v lower than the VC at 1 atm (see Table I). Based on limited data, VC may generally be expected to decrease at a greater rate with increase in pressure above 1000 atm (PG in Table I). Anomalous behavior of solutions under the pressures contemplated occasionally occurs, however. Additionally, the presence of some solutes, such as the aforementioned amides, may tend to increase the VC, rather than lower it.
The vitrification concentration is obtainable by reference to an appropriate supplemented phase diagram. The phase diagrams are developed by determining the temperature dependence of various phase changes as a function of conditions, as is well-known in the art. Alternatively, vitrification characteristics of a particular solution can be determined by the simple expedient of chilling. In general, the concentration of penetrating glass-former in the vitrification solution is equal to or less than the concentration required for vitrification at 1 atm plus about 10%, the extra 10% being necessary to suppress devitrification at slow warming rates. Practically, the upper bound on PGF will depend on the solute system employed, pressure applied, and the cooling rate, inter alia. Concentrations of PGF as low as 30% are contemplated at about 2000 atm, with very fast cooling and significant amounts of non-penetrating GF, if limited nucleation and very limited crystal growth is acceptable, as for example in biological microscopy applications. The cooling rate is inversely related to the amount of pressure needed to vitrify a given solution, and an increase in cooling rate from about 10° K. min -1 to about 100° K. min -1 decreases vitrification pressure (VP) (the pressure needed to vitrify) by about 100 atm for average solutions. Since VP is directly related to VC, manipulation of the cooling rate will permit VC or VP to vary accordingly. This is useful if, for example, baroprotection is incomplete at VP; the cooling rate can then be increased, and VP lowered. Similarly, if VC is toxic, VC can be reduced by increasing the cooling rate and holding VP steady. Cooling rates of about 10° K. min -1 are easily attainable, and rates within the range of about 5° K. min -1 to about 50° K. per minute are generally contemplated; however, much higher cooling rates of up to several thousand degrees per minute are possible in smaller biological systems.
In addition to being vitrifiable at biocompatible pressures, the protective solutions must be both biologically innocuous and protect against baroinjury under vitrification conditions.
Table II summarizes results from numerous studies of solute toxicity. The system investigated is tissue from the cortex of the rabbit kidney; the viability index is the ability of the tissue to re-establish a normal K + :Na + ratio upon removal of the glass-former and warming to 25° C. As can be seen, DMSO and DMSO+propylene glycol are non-toxic at a total concentration of 30% w/v. Addition of 6% PVP K30 to 15% DMSO+15% PG (data not shown) does not significantly increase the toxicity of this mixture. The toxicity of DMSO and of DMSO+PG rises quite rapidly as the total concentration is raised to 40%. This toxicity can be mitigated by lowering the temperature, by using acetamide or urea to block the biochemical effects of DMSO, and by reducing the time of exposure to the glass-former. Mutual dilution of glass-formers may be helpful (Group D vs. Group E), and may be ineffective (Groups K-M). Further, the toxicity neutralizers (acetamide and urea) elevate the concentration of glass-former necessary for vitrification (Table I).
The effect of baroprotective solutes on the pressure tolerance of kidney tissue is set forth in FIG. 2. As is apparent from the graph, untreated tissue ("NO CPA") failed to tolerate 10,000 psi (685 atm) whereas tissue treated with 30% DMSO or 30% (DMSO+PG) were undamaged at 1030 atm; but failed to tolerate 23,000 psi. The samples (I) were exposed to the test pressures for 20 minutes, which represents a typical exposure time to pressure according to the process of the invention, including both vitrification and warming under pressure.
TABLE I______________________________________PREVENTION OF CRYSTALLIZATION ATONE AND 1000 ATM.sup.1______________________________________ CRITICAL CONCENTRATION TO VITRIFY AT ONE ATM 1000 ATM moles molesPENETRATING GLASS 10 moles 10 molesFORMERS (PGF) (Q) % w/v (Q) % w/v______________________________________Ethylene glycol 3.2 55 2.6 491,3-Propanediol 2.9-3.1 56-58 -- --Glycerol 2.7 65 2.3 60DMSO 2.1 49 1.8 451,2-Propanediol 1.8 43.5 1.4 38.5(PG).sup.22,3-Dihydroxy- 1.7 46 -- --butaneTrimethylamine- 1.1 41 ˜0.86 ˜36acetate (TMAA)Dimethylamino- 1.0 45 ˜0.88 ˜42ethylacetatePGF MIXTURESDMSO + urea 3.0 59 ˜3.6 ˜55(3 g:1 g)DMSO + acetamide (DA) 2.8 53 2.3 48.5(1 mole:1 mole)DA + PG ˜2.3 ˜50 ˜1.9 ˜45(1 g:1 g) (DAP)DMSO + PG (DP) 1.9 46 1.6 42(1 g:1 g)______________________________________ CRITICAL CONCENTRATION TOMIXTURES OF PGF VITRIFY ATAND NON-PENETRA- ONE ATM 1000 ATMTING GLASS- moles molesFORMERS (NPGF) 10 moles % 10 moles% (w/v) (Q) w/v.sup.3 (Q) % w/v.sup.3______________________________________DA + 6 PVP 2.2 45.5 2.0 42.5DMSO + 6 PVP 2.0 46 1.5 41DAP.sub.10.sup.4 + 6 PVP 2.2 46 1.8 40DAP.sub.10 + 8 PVP -- -- 1.7 39DAP.sub.10 + 6 HES 2.4 49 1.9 42DAP.sub.10 + 6 Trehalose -- -- -- ˜43DAP.sub.10 + 6 Sucrose ˜2.3 ˜47 1.9 42DA + 6 Sucrose 2.5 ˜49 2.2 45DA + 6 HES 2.5 50 2.0 44______________________________________ .sup.1 Determination made on bulk (8 ml) samples cooled at apporoximately 10° C./min to T.sub.g, in the presence of ˜300 moles base perfosate. .sup.2 Concentration needed to vitrify at 1200 atm equals 30% w/v. .sup.3 % w/v of PGI (not including amount of NPGF in mixture). .sup.4 DMSO + acetamide (1 mole:1 mole) plus 10% w/v PG.
A summary of the combined effects of pressure and presence of non-penetrating glass-former on the concentration of penetrating glass-former needed to vitrify is presented in graphic form in FIG. 5.
TABLE II______________________________________EFFECT OF GLASS-FORMER CONCENTRATIONON KIDNEY SLICE VIABILITY* GLASS-FORMER CONCENTRATIONSGROUP (% w/v) n K+:Na+ p VS.______________________________________A Controls (No Glass- 7 5.7 ± .3 -- -- Former)B 30% DMSO 5 5.6 ± .3 NS AC 15% DMSO + 15% PG 5 5.6 ± .1 NS A,BD 17.5% DMSO ± 17.5% 7 3.6 ± .3 .001 C PGE 20% DMSO + 20% PG 6 2.0 ± .2 .01 DF 40% DMSO 7 1.2 ± .2 .01 EG 40% DMSO, Introduced 5 2.6 ± .1 .001 F at -20° C.H 22.8% DMSO ± 17.2% 7 3.2 + .4 .001 F AcetamideI 11.4% DMSO + 8.6% 7 2.8 ± .2 .05 E Acetamide + 20% PG .001 FJ Controls 5 5.2 ± .3 -- --K 22.8% DMSO + 17.2% 5 4.1 ± .4 .03 J AcetamideL 30% DMSO + 10% 4 4.4 ± .5 NS J,K UreaM 13.3% DMSO + 13.3% 7 3.3 ± .1 .05 K Acetamide + 13.4% PGN 10% DMSO + 10% 6 3.3 ± .2 NS M Acetamide 10% PG + 10% EGO 8% DMSO + 8% 6 3.6 ± .1 NS M,N Acetamide + 8% PG + 8% EG + 8% Glycerol______________________________________ *All experiments conducted at 0° C. unless otherwise noted. All samples were exposed to the indicated glassforming solution for 40 minutes. Samples in the top portion of the Table were exposed to 20% glassformer for 30 min and to 30% glass form er for 60 min before the introduction of the final concentration. Samples in the bottom portion of the Table were exposed to 20% glassformer for 60 min and to 30% glassformer for 30 min before the introduction of the final concentration All samples wer e treated with 10% glassformer for 30 min prior to exposure to 20% glassformer. All experiments were carried out at atmospheric pressure.
A serious obstacle to organ preservation by vitrification is devitrification, or crystallization during warming. Devitrification can be impeded by increasing the warming rate, by increasing the pressure, by increasing the penetrating solute concentration, and by including polymers such as PVP or similar non-penetrating low molecular weight solutes. Some studies of devitrification are shown in FIG. 3. By extrapolation, 40% PG and 40% DMSO+6% PVP require warming rates on the order of 600° C./min to prevent devitrification at temperatures equal to the melting points of these solutions at normal atmospheric pressure. This rate may well be achievable using state-of-the-art microwave warming technology developed for thawing of dog and rabbit kidneys. However, the application of 1900 atm elevates the devitrification temperature (T c ) by 30° C. at lower cooling rates and depresses the liquidus temperature (T m ) (melting point) by about 20° C., which generally prevents devitrification at warming rates on the order of only 200°-300° C./min. With the addition of PVP, the critical warming rate is reducible to about 100° C./min, which is a rate currently achievable for frozen kidneys. Although 1.9 kbar is currently damaging to kidney tissue, damage is not contemplated if applied only below -20° C. and if applied for only 15 or 20 seconds. The rate of devitrification of more dilute solutions is considerably greater than the rate of devitrification of 40% solutions, and for this reason devitrification may impose a lower limit on the necessary glass-forming concentration for vitrification, if recovery of the biomaterial is desired. However, the limiting penetrating GF level is that compatible with vitrification when avoidance of devitrification is not relevant, for example in studies of cellular ultra-structure, rather than for viable cell preservation.
BEST MODE PROCEDURE
The biological system is first slowly equilibrated with a 10% to 25% (w/v) vitrification solution at temperatures in the vicinity of 0° C. (±10° C.), or higher if toxicity is not a problem. The concentration is then changed in one step to 35%-50% (the concentration required to vitrify), until the system becomes vitrifiable (cells need not and generally should not be allowed to return to their isotonic volumes). At an appropriate time the system is placed into a high pressure chamber and as soon as it has equilibrated sufficiently to vitrify with the aid of high pressures, the pressure is rapidly raised to 500-2000 atm and the temperature lowered as quickly as possible to below -130° C., the glass transition temperature at room pressure. Once the center of the system reaches -130° C. to -145° C., but not lower, further cooling must be prevented to prevent cracking of the glass. The pressure is slowly released and the system is cooled at a rate no higher than, and often much more slowly than, 0.5° C./min, with or without a period of "annealing" at about -140° C. to permit the fictive temperature to reach the holding temperature and relieve mechanical stresses. Cooling should be done in a container with no rigid walls or without a container other than a "coat" of glassy solution surrounding the system. Storage should be at temperatures between about -150° C. and -200° C. To retrieve the system from storage, it should be warmed very slowly to near T g , repressurized if necessary, and warmed as rapidly as possible to temperatures approaching T m , using microwave or induction heating if necessary. (Attempts to rapidly heat from lower temperatures will tend to result in shattering of the glass.) At this point the pressure, if any, is released and, upon reaching 0±10° C., the system is immediately perfused with or otherwise exposed to a 15-30% w/v solution of PGF, plus an osmotic antagonist such as mannitol to control any cellular swelling, and the concentration is then gradually brought to zero and the system used for the intended purpose.
Particularly useful exemplary vitrification solution compositions are as follows: mixtures of 17.5% DMSO, 17.5% propylene glycol, and 6% PVP (41% total concentration) which form doubly unstable glasses. Mixtures of approximately 12.8% DMSO, 12.8% propylene glycol, and 19.4% acetamide (AA), and 6% PVP (total concentration, 51%) are so stable that no devitrification is observed during warm-up at approximately 5° C./min, at 1 atm, and no pressurization is required for vitrification. For most organs, a concentration of about 46-49% DMSO-PG-AA-PVP will be suitable, especially a solute system comprising about 18.22% w/v DMSO, 13.78% w/v acetamide, 10% w/v propylene glycol, and 6% w/v PVP K30, in appropriate base solution. The concentration of DMSO and acetamide may vary from about 25% to 35% depending on pressure and the concentration of PG and PVP.
Variations on the exemplified methods are contemplated. Pressure can be applied simultaneously with cooling, or in steps as temperature is changed, to minimize injury. Systems can be equilibrated at lower temperatures than exemplified to reduce solute toxicity, if necessary. For cells, the protective solutions may be emulsified to minimize effects of any heterogeneous nucleation.
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A method is provided for the successful cryopreservation of biological materials including whole organs, organ sections, tissues and cells, in a non-frozen (vitreous) state, comprising cooling the biological material to be preserved under pressure in the presence of a non-toxic vitrifable protective solution to at least the glass transition temperature thereof to vitrify the solution without substantial nucleation or ice crystal growth and without significant injury to the biomaterial. The invention also provides non-toxic protective vitrification solutions useful in the cryopreservation of biomaterials.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The Invention relates generally to the fields of the cleansing, massaging and stimulation of the human head, hair and scalp. In particular, the Invention, in one embodiment, is a cap-like device with affixed internal protrusions for use in the cleansing, massaging and stimulation of the head, hair and scalp.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The most common method of washing or cleansing the scalp and hair has been through the use of one's own hands, in conjunction with water, and soap or shampoo that is lathered and massaged by the fingers and nails against the hair and scalp.
[0003] Several implementation devices have been developed that aid in washing body parts in general. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,955, a therapeutic scrubbing mitten for cleansing the scalp, consisting of soft bristles in the finger portion, U.S. Pat. No. 5,924,160, a combined glove and wash cloth for cleaning, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,523,348, a nurse's mitt for washing.
[0004] Also with reference to the scalp, it is commonly understood that massage therapy is a way to treat a variety of ailments, including headaches. A number of methods and devices have been proposed to aid in head and scalp massage therapy, including manually performed hand massages, acupressure devices and vibrating massaging devices. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,860, a scalp massaging implement with flexible tines, that fits over a person's hand, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,768,709, a therapeutic massager glove with bristles, as examples of this type of massage aid. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 4,506,659 reveals a massaging device for the scalp, containing a pair of massaging elements. As well, U.S. Pat. No. 5,081,986 claims a massaging and combing helmet for insomnia, containing an endless belt that rubs the user's head; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,097 discloses a capillary massage apparatus comprised of a massage helmet with numerous knobs and an electric motor that is fastened to the user's armpits by a harness. U.S. Pat. No. 5,277,174 discloses a scalp massager comprising a helmet with contact points, and inflating pump and valve, while U.S. Pat. No. 5,421,799 provides a scalp massage device with supporting frame and vibrator mounted to the head, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,365 discloses a head massaging device consisting of resilient fingers.
[0005] In addition to cleansing and massaging the scalp, several methods exist for externally stimulating the scalp. By way of example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,469,092 claims a scalp stimulating system with helmet and stimulating fingers, with a vibration motor; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,316, a scalp stimulator comprised of a electro-mechanical system with vacuum and vibration generated within a helmet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,228,431 provides for a drug-free treatment for headaches by stimulating the scalp via a helmet and vacuum source, U.S. Pat. No. 5,454,778, provides an apparatus for stimulating blood circulation in the scalp having a vacuum and flexible tube; U.S. Pat. No. 6,228,041, a lightweight portable scalp vibrating and hair growth; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,174, a natural headache reliever using a cap-like device with protrusions and a pump.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the Invention to overcome limitations in the prior art of cleansing, massaging and stimulation techniques and devices designed for the scalp. The majority of the existing methods and devices are cumbersome, complex and involve intricate electronic or hydraulic components, and they are not practical or affordable for everyday use. The disadvantage of using one's own hands is that the massage and stimulation is not effective, use of the finger tips is tiring to the hands and may not supply adequate pressure or agitation to the head, scalp and hair to loosen dirt, oils, or skin particles from the scalp, and the use of the fingernails may scrap the scalp and cause injury to nails or scalp.
[0007] The prior art inadequately addresses the need for a less complicated solution that effectively utilizes a durable, inexpensive and easy to use implement for cleansing, massaging and stimulating the head, hair and scalp.
[0008] This Invention is comprised of a cap-like device in the form of a flexible hollow shell with a non-slip outer surface and an interior lined with rubber protrusions or “fingers”.
[0009] The invention is designed to be placed over a human head so that the human operator (who may be the subject or a helper) places the operator's fingers on the non-slip exterior of the cap-like shell, causing the protrusions or “fingers” on the inside of the shell to contact the hair and scalp, thus assisting in cleaning, massaging and stimulation of the hair, head and scalp. The Invention may also be used to scoop water and pour or drain over the subject's head to assist in washing or rinsing.
[0010] The Invention provides a simple method and means to cleanse and massage and enable better penetration of hair, massage or scalp cleaner or massage solutions and the removal of loose and dead skin and accumulated oils and dirt or other buildup, while at the same instance stimulating the head, hair and scalp. The Invention is also easy to clean and to store.
[0011] These and other objects and advantages of the Invention are apparent in the following description of embodiments of the Invention, which is not intended to limit in any way the scope or the claims of the Invention.
[0012] The described embodiments of the Invention display preferred compositions but are not intended to limit the scope of the Invention. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variations and modifications may be made without departing from the scope and essential elements of the Invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] FIG. One ( 1 ) is a perspective view of an embodiment of the cap placed on a human subject's head in its operating position.
[0014] FIG. Two ( 2 ) is a top elevation of an embodiment of the Invention.
[0015] FIG. Three ( 3 ) is a bottom elevation of an embodiment of the Invention.
[0016] FIG. Four ( 4 ) is a cross-section of the cap (at line A in FIG. 3) showing its internal structure, and includes FIG. 4 a which is an enlarged segment of same.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0017] FIG. One ( 1 ) illustrates a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the Invention in use, consisting of an outer surface 1 , an flexible and resilient body 2 with numerous tines 3 and a central hole 4 . The implement is placed over a human subject's head, as shown in the perspective view of FIG. 1.
[0018] In one method of use, the following steps are taken:
[0019] i) the user first applies a desired amount of shampoo, conditioner, other hair products, or massage or scalp solutions into the hair,
[0020] ii) the cap is placed over the subject's head such that the inner surface of the cap is facing the head, enabling the affixed tines 3 to directly contact the head, hair (if any) and scalp, and the outer surface 1 is facing away from the scalp, so that a large part of the surface area of the head is engaged, substantially from the front to the back hairline, and from ear over top to the other ear;
[0021] iii) the hands and fingers of the user, who may be the same human wearing the cap or another assisting the subject (for example, a parent washing a child's hair or a masseuse massaging a patient's head), are placed on the cap's outer surface 1 and moved with the outer surface 1 in a natural manner usually employed in lathering and washing the hair or massaging the scalp;
[0022] iv) pressure from the hands and fingers on the outer surface 1 presses the tines 3 to the hair and the scalp;
[0023] v) movements of the tines 3 will result at various times and locations from the interaction of frictional forces incurred by the washing movements with resilience and flexibility of the tines 3 as they deform and rebound, so as to incur internal bending moments and the tines 3 thus act slidably against the scalp
[0024] vi) pressing of the hands and fingers on to the outer surface 1 causes the tines 3 to stretch, pinch and manipulate the head, hair and scalp to cleanse the scalp by removing dirt, dandruff and accumulated oils and dirt and other buildup, and providing a massage and stimulation of the head, hair and scalp of the subject human.
[0025] When finished using the Invention, the user may rinse the Invention by running water over the outer surface 1 and then flipping or reversing the Invention and running water over the inner surface and tines, such that the water drains through the center hole 4 . Once complete, the Invention may be stored and dried by hanging the Invention by placing center hole 4 over a hook or other hanger.
[0026] FIGS. Two ( 2 ) and Three ( 3 ), respectively provide a top and bottom elevation of an embodiment of the Invention, being a cap-shaped shell with its outside surface comprising a non-slip surface, its internal surface populated with numerous tines 3 , provided in the preferred embodiment with a center hole 4 , and being comprised over-all of a resilient and flexible, water and chemical-resistant material which is safe for human use.
[0027] The Invention is essentially a hemispherical or bowl-shaped or cap-shaped flexible hollow shell with a circumference of sufficient size to be placed over various sizes and shapes of human heads.
[0028] The base diameter of the Invention is substantially round and is roughly eight inches in order to enable the Invention to fit numerous users and to still be used effectively.
[0029] The curvature of the Invention is roughly hemispherical, such that it will accommodate different sizes and shapes of heads, and so that it will rest comfortably on the user's head without requiring the user to hold it in place, and about four inches in height.
[0030] The relatively loose fit also permits for easier manipulation of the Invention, and a “one-size-fits-all” design.
[0031] The roughly 4 inch height or depth C at FIG. 4, and approximately 8 inch diameter B of the cap-like device have been found by experimentation to be preferred.
[0032] The body of the Invention is of a material and of such a thickness as to stabilize the tines 3 radially inward to the subject's head, while permitting the tines 3 to contact the head, hair and scalp without extensive pressure being required to be applied to the outer surface 1 , and without inhibiting the efficient mobility of the tines 3 . It is preferred that the body's material be flexible, resilient, durable, non-porous and easy to clean, odor-free, and safe for use on or near human skin.
[0033] The outer surface 1 consists of a non-slip or textured non-abrasive yet easy-to-clean finish, so as to allow the hands and fingers of the user, even when wet and slippery, to maintain control and grip the outer surface 1 during use. A hand strap (not shown) may also be attached to the outer surface 1 to provide additional ease of use or to provide a hanger.
[0034] FIG. Four ( 4 ) illustrates a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the Invention. Tines 3 extend throughout the area of the inner surface of the cap, pointing radially inward. There may be eight to sixteen tines 3 per square inch of the inner surface area, which from experimentation provides the most ease of use and effectiveness of operation.
[0035] The tines 3 may be different from one type of cap to another, but must be of sufficient spacing, length, shape and density, and with various tip designs, as to be suitable for differing thickness of hair and differing main desired effects. In the preferred embodiment, the tine shapes are the same through the entire inner surface area, but that is not necessary and should not limit the scope of the claims. Tine shapes may include without limitation: truncated conical 3 a, conical with suction tip 3 b, conical with rounded tip 3 c, cylindrical 3 d, conical with pointed tip 3 e, truncated conical with addition of two or more protrusions on tip 3 f, triangular with fused base 3 g, cylindrical with balled tip 3 h and conical with balled tip 3 i. It can be seen that these shapes are exemplary and not limiting to the scope of the invention.
[0036] The spacing between the tines 3 is such that it is easy to clean and disengage trapped soap and other debris from the inner surface 5 and the base of the tines 3 . The tines 3 are flexible and have various ends for differing configurations. The tines 3 may be affixed to or be formed in one piece with the shell of the cap, and the tines 3 may be disposed in an even array of one tine type, or in differing patterns of differing sizes and shapes of tines, depending upon the effects desired. For example, the ends of the tine may be cupped free ends for enhancing adherence of the tines 3 to the scalp, or may have two or more tips on the end to enhance the massage and stimulation effects of the tines 3 .
[0037] It is preferred that the tines be spaced apart from one another at their bases 5 to permit ease of cleaning of the cap device and reduce accumulation of soap or other agents, debris, dirt or other matter after use.
[0038] The tines 3 in the preferred embodiment have a length or height extending from the inner surface of the cap to the tip of the tine of somewhere between one quarter inch to three quarters of an inch and have a base diameter between one eight of an inch and half an inch and are regularly shaped and disposed within the cap.
[0039] The center hole 4 is located roughly at the peak of the cap, and is there to drain water from the Invention, for rinsing, and for determining placement on the user's head by permitting the user to push at least one finger through the hole to touch the scalp, as well as for permitting the Invention to be hung on a hook or other thing for storage and drying. The hole 4 is of such diameter, around one inch in the preferred embodiment, to permit efficient draining of fluid from the cap and such that it may be easily manually covered (by a single hand) so that the Invention can function as a scoop or bucket for use while bathing.
[0040] In the foregoing descriptions, the Invention has been described in known embodiments. However, it will be evident that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the broader scope and spirit of the Invention. Accordingly, the present specifications and embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive.
[0041] The descriptions here are meant to be exemplary and not limiting. It is to be understood that a reader skilled in the art will derive from this descriptive material the concepts of this Invention, and that there are a variety of other possible implementations; all components used in the Invention may be comprised of any suitable material or materials and substitution of different specific components for those mentioned here will not be sufficient to differ from the Invention described where the substituted components are functionally equivalent.
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The Invention relates generally to the fields of the cleansing, massaging and stimulation of the human head, hair and scalp. In particular, the Invention is a one-size-fits-all or relatively generically sized flexible and resilient cap-like device with affixed flexible internal protrusions or tines, for use in the cleansing, massaging and stimulation of the human head, hair and scalp. The tines may be of various shapes and disposed in various arrays or patterns, depending upon desired application.
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TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to anti-smoking treatments and in particular to a homeopathic method and system for treating nicotine addiction.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Without limiting the scope of the invention, its background is described in connection with treatments to help individuals quit smoking and is best exemplified by methods and systems to treat nicotine addiction.
[0003] The U.S. Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor in coronary artery disease and is the cause of approximately 30% of all cancer deaths. Tobacco chewing has been shown to cause cancers of the mouth and throat. Because of the undesirable effects of tobacco smoking or tobacco chewing, many devices and drugs have been developed as aids for treatment of the tobacco and nicotine habit. For example, in a simulated smoking device, the tobacco therein is heated rather than burned, releasing nicotine vapor which is then drawn into the smoker's lungs. Thus, the smoker obtains the desired nicotine, but without also ingesting the full range and concentration of harmful products of burning tobacco. One such simulated smoking device using a source of vaporizable nicotine is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,089 issued to Ray.
[0004] Other simulated smoking devices contain substances which microencapsulate materials that simulate the taste and aroma of tobacco, and which are then released by squeezing or crushing the device. Such devices often do not raise the nicotine level in the blood sufficiently to satisfy the desire for nicotine, and thus are ineffective as aids to stop smoking. Other disadvantages include irritation of the mucosa, which is intolerable to some patients, and the bad taste of nicotine introduced orally. Additionally, these nicotine-based devices do not address the need to detoxify a smoker's body from the adverse affects of long-term nicotine use.
[0005] Alternatively, tobacco concentrates have been processed into tablets or gum which may be sucked or chewed in the mouth of the user, the nicotine being absorbed into the user's body through the lining of the mouth. The tobacco concentrates have a bad taste and may cause mouth ulcers and heartburn. Difficulties associated with oral administration of nicotine include nausea, rapid nicotine degradation, and irregular and unpredictable blood plasma levels. After administration of nicotine gum, effective plasma levels of nicotine may not be obtained for up to one hour. This delay may not be tolerable for an addicted smoker.
[0006] Transdermal patches have also been used as aids in the reduction of incidence of tobacco smoking or chewing. These patches contain tobacco or tobacco by-products, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,745 issued to Rosen et al, or they contain nicotine, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,839,174 issued to Baker et al, U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,213 issued to Govil and Kohlman, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,943,435 issued to Baker et al. Patches containing nicotine have been used in conjunction with gum containing nicotine, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,753 issued to Baker et al. One disadvantage to using a transdermal patch containing nicotine is that nicotine is a known skin irritant, and transdermal patches containing nicotine often cause itching.
[0007] In addition to the above-described drawbacks and disadvantages, all of these devices and methods suffer from a reliance on nicotine as an aid in controlling nicotine craving. Adversely, nicotine is the addictive agent that smokers are attempting to quit using. The use of nicotine as an aid in controlling nicotine addiction can cause addiction to the gum or patch itself. There is also the potential for increased addiction if the patient continues regular use of tobacco while chewing the gum or wearing the patch. Furthermore, nicotine is a known toxin with profound physiological effects on the body, including increasing blood pressure and heart rate.
[0008] The use of herbs in conjunction with transdermal patches is known in the art. A metal-based transdermal patch, applied at an acupuncture point in conjunction with a magnetic field, and containing a homeopathic mixture of at least one herb has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,162,037 issued to Whitson-Fischman. The patch is impregnated with a homeopathic mixture of at least one herb, herbal extract or other component such as pineal gland.
[0009] The herb Plantago major , for example, has been known as a tobacco deterrent for many years. Clinical trials have also found that oral administration of Plantago major extract caused an aversion to tobacco in human subjects who were heavy smokers. It is known in the art to place the herb Plantago major in a liquid composition or in a solid form for oral ingestion to deter smoking.
[0010] Although many of the above-mentioned products address the issue of nicotine replacement or substitution, one of the difficulties of overcoming nicotine addiction is the profound physiological effects of the body when a smoker attempts to stop using tobacco products and experiences withdrawal from nicotine. Individuals suffering from nicotine withdrawal commonly experience some form of depression which is associated with withdrawal from an addictive substance. To alleviate the depressive effects of nicotine withdrawal, pharmaceutical anti-depressants, such as bupropion, are sometimes administered.
[0011] Pharmaceutical anti-depressants are often administered to smokers who are attempting to reduce their addiction to nicotine-containing products, such as cigarettes, cigars, chewing tobacco, etc. The use of pharmaceutical anti-depressants, e.g., bupropion, has a disadvantage in that the user is exposed to the side-effects which are commonly associated with such pharmaceuticals. For example, common side effects experienced during the use of bupropion are: (1) the user may experience sexual dysfunction; (2) dry mouth; (3) the user is subjected to a level of toxicity due to oral ingestion of the drug; and (4) bupropion has mutagenic effects which can be associated with birth defects.
[0012] Tobacco aversion, or a reduction in craving, may be accomplished by oral ingestion of compounds that are intended to aid in the cessation of tobacco use. As is known in the related arts, pharmaceutical compounds or other compositions may be dispersed by numerous methods. For example, pharmaceutical or other compositions may be compressed into tablets and orally ingested.
[0013] Accordingly, there is a need for a treatment for nicotine addiction that does not subject an addicted user to further or increased nicotine usage. Additionally, there is a need for a treatment for nicotine addiction that addresses detoxifying a nicotine user. There is a further need for a nicotine treatment that does not contain nicotine, tobacco byproducts or harsh chemicals that may have adverse side effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] A method to treat nicotine addiction according to one embodiment of the present invention includes a method for aiding an individual in the cessation of nicotine use. The method has the steps of administering a first homeopathic composition to the individual. The first homeopathic composition is formulated to reduce nicotine craving by the individual. A second homeopathic composition is contemporaneously administered in conjunction with the first homeopathic composition. The second homeopathic composition is formulated to detoxify the individual of residual nicotine and nicotine byproducts.
[0015] A homeopathic composition for treating nicotine use according to one embodiment of the present invention has a pharmaceutically effective amount of Caladium seguinum ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Daphne indica ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Plantago major ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Cinchona officinalis ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Lobelia inflata ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Nux vomica ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Staphysagria; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Calcarea Phosphorica ; and a pharmaceutically effective amount of Ignatia amara.
[0016] A homeopathic composition for treating nicotine use according to one embodiment of the present invention has a pharmaceutically effective amount of Avena sativa ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Euphorbium officinarum ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Ignatia amara ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Lobelia inflata ; a pharmaceutically effective amount of Nux vomica ; and a pharmaceutically effective amount of Passiflora incarnate.
[0017] According to another embodiment of the present invention, a system for treating nicotine use includes a first homeopathic composition administered to reduce nicotine cravings and a second homeopathic composition contemporaneously administered with the first homeopathic composition to detoxify a nicotine user.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] For a more complete understanding of the present invention, including its features and advantages, reference is now made to the detailed description of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like numerals identify like parts and in which:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a graph of results of nicotine detoxification according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 2 is a graph of results of nicotine craving relief according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
[0021] FIG. 3 is a graph of a reduction in daily nicotine craving cycle according to one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0022] As used in the specification, the term “pharmaceutically effective amount” is defined as an amount that perceptively yields a particular desired result in a user. The term “cessation” is defined as quitting for a period of time. The term “detoxify” is defined as a perceptible reduction of nicotine or other smoking-related toxins in a user. The term “reduce nicotine craving” is defined as a reduction in nicotine craving as compared to nicotine craving before administering the described method or system.
[0023] While the making and using of various embodiments of the present invention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated that the present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts that may be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways to make and use the invention and do not delimit the scope of the invention.
[0024] The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the prior art by providing an innovative method and system that administer two unique homeopathic compounds to individuals who are addicted to nicotine. This two-part solution better addresses the needs and hardships of individuals who are attempting to combat their nicotine addiction. In one embodiment of the present invention a homeopathic composition used in the first part of the treatment may be delivered orally to an individual in the form of chewing gum, for example. The homeopathic composition may be contained in a coating of the gum or it may be incorporated into the gum base. Delivery of compositions or medications using gum as a carrier is known in the art. Other methods of orally delivering a composition will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art of medical pharmaceutical delivery systems.
[0025] The homeopathic composition of the first part of the system is formulated to reduce the cravings associated with nicotine addiction. The homeopathic composition of the present invention, unlike many prior art treatments, does not contain nicotine. The homeopathic composition of the first part of the system contains natural ingredients that individually contribute to alleviating an individual's symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
[0026] For example, the first part of the system may be administered to the user in the form of gum. Other methods of administering the first part of the system to the user may also be used. For example, the first part of the system may be administered by a chewable lozenge, a nasal spray, a throat spray and the like. Other methods of administering the first part of the system will be apparent to those having skill in the art of pharmaceutical delivery. The gum, however, is beneficial because it occupies an addicted user with oral stimulation. In some cases, orally stimulating the user can relieve stress or anxiety that has formerly been addressed by a cigarette or tobacco in the user's mouth. As a result, simply chewing the gum may have beneficial effects to help the user stop using orally stimulating tobacco products.
[0027] The action of chewing gum alone, however, does not typically address the physiological characteristics of nicotine addiction. Consequently, the gum may have a homeopathic composition contained in the gum or the coating of the gum that helps alleviate nicotine cravings. For example, the gum may contain pharmaceutically effective amounts of Caladium seguinum, Daphne indica, Plantago major, Cinchona officinalis, Lobelia inflata, Nux vomica, Staphysagria, Calcarea Phosphorica and Ignatia amara . These ingredients may be combined in various proportions to address multiple conditions associated with nicotine detoxification and withdrawal. Caladium seguinum may help to alleviate nervous anxiety that occurs during nicotine withdrawal, for example. It may also treat respiratory conditions that have been caused by smoking. Plantago major may help treat insomnia and depression that result from nicotine withdrawal. Additionally, it may reduce irritability that may be experienced by users that are attempting to quit smoking or using tobacco products. [0025] The homeopathic composition of the second part of the system may be administered to a nicotine user to detoxify the user's body from accumulated nicotine and other residual tobacco compounds. Similar to the first part of the system, the second homeopathic composition does not contain nicotine. The second part of the system is preferably administered to the user as a chewable tablet. Other forms of administering the second homeopathic composition will be apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art of pharmaceutical delivery systems.
[0028] The homeopathic composition of the second part of the system may include pharmaceutically effective amounts of Avena sativa, Euphorbium officinarum, Ignatia amara, Lobelia inflata, Nux vomica and Passiflora incarnata . These ingredients may be combined in various proportions to address multiple conditions associated with nicotine detoxification.
[0029] Other homeopathic remedies for nicotine addiction may also be used in the first and second parts of the system. For example, Spongia, Sepia, Colchicum, Spigelia, Abies nigra, Ruta, Arsenicum Album, Staphysagria, Caladium, Taraxicum, Gelsemium, Thuja, Ignatia, Bryonia, Clematis, Colchicum, Phosphorus, Coffea cruda, Cyclamen, Euphorbium, Gelsenium, Helonias, Ipecacuanha, Magnesium carbonicum, Natrum muriaticum, Pulsatilla, Chinchona and Lobelia may be added to the first and second parts.
[0030] A more detailed presentation of the type, amount and effect of each homeopathic ingredient is presented in Tables 1A and 1B. In Table 1A, preferred homeopathic ingredients for a detoxifying chewable tablet are listed. The homeopathic ingredients may be combined in homeopathic relationships indicated after the ingredient name. For example, Avena sativa 6× may be combined with Euphorbium officinarum 6×, Ignatia amara 30×, etc. in different volumetric percentages of each homeopathic ingredient and may be added at varying ratios, such as 2:1:1 according to homeopathic pharmacy practices to achieve the desired effects of the resulting composition.
[0031] Similarly, Table 1B lists the various ingredients that may be included in an anti-craving gum. Caladium seguinum 4×, 12×, 30× may be combined with Daphne indica 4 ×, Plantago major 4×, etc. at varying ratios according to homeopathic pharmacy practices. Different volumetric percentages of the homeopathic ingredients may be added to the composition according to the desired effects.
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 1 , the graph depicts how the nicotine levels in a user's body are reduced over the course of using the nicotine detoxification system according to one embodiment of the present invention. For example, during the first month of using the system, a user is directed to ingest two (2) tablets, four (4) times daily. Concurrently with the tablets, the user is directed to chew one (1) piece of the gum every one (1) to two (2) hours. Within ten (10) days of beginning this system, nicotine levels in the user's body are reduced to a point at which nicotine cravings begin to subside.
[0033] During the second month of the system, the user may reduce dosages of the homeopathic compositions to one (1) piece of gum every two (2) to four (4) hours and two (2) tablets three (3) times daily. Ingestion of the tablets continues to detoxify the user and reduce irritability. Chewing the gum serves to alleviate nicotine cravings.
[0034] During the third month of using the system, a user may further decrease usage of the homeopathic compositions to one (1) piece of gum every four (4) hours, or as needed to relieve nicotine cravings. Additionally, tablet consumption may be reduced to one (1) tablet three (3) times daily. At the end of the three (3) month period of using the system, the user's body should be completely detoxified from residual nicotine.
[0035] Turning now to FIG. 2 , the graph depicts the intensity of a nicotine craving and how the homeopathic composition in the gum serves to alleviate the craving. When a user's craving for nicotine begins, the craving steadily increases for approximately six (6) minutes until the craving intensity peaks at approximately eight (8) minutes. If a user chews a piece of the gum within approximately three (3) minutes of the beginning of the craving, the homeopathic composition in the gum serves to satisfy the craving through the most intense period of the craving. The homeopathic composition of the gum reaches its maximum absorption in the user's body within about three (3) minutes. A typical craving lasts for about twenty (20) minutes. The effects of the homeopathic compositions in the gum serve to alleviate nicotine cravings for approximately four (4) to six (6) hours.
[0036] The graph depicted in FIG. 3 indicates the frequency of nicotine cravings during a typical day. As the system detoxifies a user's body, the intensity of the cravings is reduced, which aids the user in fighting the need to use nicotine.
[0037] Although this invention has been described with reference to an illustrative embodiment, this description is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to the description. It is therefore intended that the appended claims accomplish any such modifications or embodiments.
TABLE 1A Nico-Rx ™ Tobacco Break Ill In- Nervous- Respiratory Short Long Tablet Ingredients Plant Mineral Acute Chronic Addiction Habit Effects somnia ness Support Acting Action Avena Sativa 6× X X X X X X X X Euphorbium officinarum 6× X X X decongest X X Ignatia amara 12×, 30× X X X X X X X X Lobelia inflata 6×, 12×, 30× X X X X X X X Nux vomica 6×, 12×, 30× X X X X X X X X X X Passiflora incarnata 6× X X X X X X X
[0038]
TABLE 1B
Tobacco
Craving
Insomnia/
Gum Ingredients
Plant
Mineral
Acute
Chronic
Tobacco
Agravates
Habit
Depression
Caladium seguinum
x
x
x
x
x
aversion
4×, 12×, 30×
Daphne indica 4×
x
x
slight
x
x
Plantago major 4×
x
x
x
aversion
x
Cinchona officinalis
x
x
x
x
x
x
6×, 12×, 30×
Lobelia inflata 6×
x
x
x
x
x
x
Nux vomica
x
x
x
x
x
x
6×, 12×, 30×
Staphysagria 6×
x
x
x
x
x
Calcarea Phosphorica
x
x
x
x
x
12×
Ignatia amara l 12×
x
x
x
x
x
Nervous
Respi-
Short
Long
Compil-
Gum Ingredients
Anxiety
Irritable
ratory
Acting
Action
ments
Caladium seguinum
x
x
4×, 12×, 30×
Daphne indica 4×
x
x
Plantago major 4×
x
Cinchona officinalis
x
Calcarea
6×, 12×, 30×
Phosphorica
Lobelia inflata 6×
x
Nux vomica
x
x
x
6×, 12×, 30×
Staphysagria 6×
x
x
Calcarea
Phosphorica.
Nux vomica,
Ignatia
amara
Calcarea Phosphorica
x
x
x
x
12×
Ignatia amara 12×
x
x
x
x
Calcarea
Phosphorica
Nux vomica,
Cinchona
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The present invention includes a method for aiding an individual in the cessation of nicotine use. The method has the steps of administering a first homeopathic composition to the individual. The first homeopathic composition is formulated to reduce nicotine craving by the individual. A second homeopathic composition is contemporaneously administered in conjunction with the first homeopathic composition. The second homeopathic composition formulated to detoxify the individual of residual nicotine and nicotine byproducts.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention pertains to a sewing machine with an upper feed system which consists of an upper feed mechanism having an upper feed foot, a presser foot mechanism having a presser foot, as well as a lifting drive and a pushing drive for the upper feed foot, the feed mechanism having a support which is adjustable in height via a drive connection connected to the housing of the sewing machine, the drive connection including a hydraulic control device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Such a sewing machine is the subject of U.S. Pat. Application No. Ser. 458,701 corresponding to German application P 37,24,786.7-26. It contains a device for automatically adjusting the height position of the upper feed system to the actual working height of the material to be sewn. One possible embodiment of the control device used here is a hydraulic three-position control device. To achieve an idle stroke, this control device has a pre-tensioned spring system arranged between the adjusting piston of the control device and the presser foot as well as the upper feed foot, which spring system produces the range of insensitivity necessary for the three-position control in cooperation with a hydraulic device.
This measure is expensive. The design, which consists of both mechanical and hydraulic components, has a plurality of moving parts which require space and whose hydraulic sealing is expensive.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
To improve this device, the basic object of the present invention is to provide a control device whose function is performed predominantly by hydraulic means.
According to the invention, a sewing machine is provided including an upper feed system which consists of an upper feed mechanism having an upper feed foot, a presser foot mechanism having a presser foot, as well as a lifting drive and a pushing drive for the upper feed foot. The upper feed system has a support which is adjustable in height via a drive connection connected to the housing of the sewing machine. The drive connection contains a hydraulic control device with a hydraulic cylinder and an adjusting piston to which the force of reaction arising from the lifting forces acting on the upper feed foot and acting on the presser foot during the sewing process is imparted via a linkage connection. The adjusting piston subdivides the hydraulic cylinder into two chambers. The two chambers are connected to one another via pressure relief means including a first pressure relief valve acting in one direction and a second pressure relief valve acting in another direction (antiparallel-connected pressure relief valves).
The components needed to produce the range of insensitivity are now of a hydraulic nature, as a result of which a simplified, compact design is obtained, and the problems related to sealing are substantially reduced.
The solution according to the invention wherein each pressure relief valve comprises a spring-tensioned check valve and a pressure limiting device arranged downstream of the check valve, leads to an embodiment of simple design of the control device. The measure according to the invention wherein the pressure relief valve contains a sleeve fastened in a hole of the housing of the hydraulic cylinder and each end of this sleeve is connected by an oil passage opening to one of the chambers and a spring-tensioned piston, which is supported by a ball covering and oil passage opening, is displaceably mounted in the sleeve and the piston is arranged in the transition zone to a cross hole in the sleeve, whose diameter is larger than the length of the piston, reduces the mechanism necessary for producing the idle stroke of the control device to a few parts.
The various features of novelty which characterize the invention are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses, reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view of a sewing machine with an upper feed mechanism according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of the drive parts for the upper feed mechanism and its adjustment according to the invention;
FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail of the level control for the upper feed foot and the presser foot according to the invention; and
FIGS. 4 and 5 show enlarged representations of the sections of the pressure relief valves shown in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows the side view of a sewing machine whose housing accommodates a presser foot bar 2 carrying a presser foot 1 and a needle bar 4, which is mounted in a needle bar holder 3 and whose thread-carrying needle 5 cooperates with a shuttle (not shown). To displace the fabric layers to be sewn together, the sewing machine has an upper feed foot 6 which cooperates with a lower feed dog (not shown).
The housing of the sewing machine also accommodates a main shaft 7 driven in the usual manner (FIG. 2), which drives the needle bar 4 via a crank 8 and a connecting rod 9. The connecting rod 9 is mounted on a pin 10 fastened in the crank 8.
The needle bar holder 3 oscillating around a pivot pin 11 is mounted in the housing of the sewing machine. This needle bar carries, on its rear side, a connecting link guide 12, into which a pin 13 of a crank 15 connected to a rocking shaft 14 extends.
As is apparent from FIG. 1, a pin 18 of a holder 19, which has a bearing eye 20 for receiving the presser foot 1, is fastened in the presser foot bar 2, whose lower end is made hollow. The presser foot is pivotably mounted in the bearing eye 20 and has an annular plate 21 which surrounds a downwardly directed pin 22 that is fastened on the support 19 and extends coaxially with the pin 18. The annular plate 21 is tensioned by a compression spring 23 arranged on the pin 22 and by a spring plate 25 supported against a locking washer 24 on the end of the pin 22.
With its upper end, the presser foot bar 2 is hinged to a triangular lever 27 via a joint plate 26. An upper feed rod 29, which is displaceably mounted in the needle bar holder 3, is hinged to this triangular lever via another joint plate 28. This upper feed bar has a hole 30, in which a rod part 31 is guided. The upper feed foot 6 is fastened at the lower end of this bar part. The bar part 31 is provided with a slotted hole 32, through which extends a pin 33 fastened transversely in the upper feed bar 29. A pin 34 connected to it in the axial extension of the bar part 31 is guided in an inner projection 35 of the hole 30. A spring 36 is mounted on the pin 34 between the bar part 31 and the inner projection 35. A second spring 37 is arranged between the inner projection 35 and a screw 38 screwed into the upper end of the pin 34. The springs 36 and 37 hold the upper feed foot 6 in a predetermined middle position.
The triangular lever 27 is connected via a hinge pin 39 to an arm 40 which is mounted on a pin 41 fastened in the housing of the sewing machine.
The up and down movement of the presser foot 1 and of the upper feed foot 6 are generated by an eccentric 43 fastened on the main shaft 7 (cf. FIG. 2), which is connected via an eccentric rod 44 to an arm 45a of an angle lever 45. This angle lever is mounted on a pin 46, which is made in one piece with the housing, and its other arm 45b is connected to the triangular lever 27 via a coupler 47 and a bearing journal 48.
The hinge pin 39 is connected to a hinge connection 51 via a bracket pair 49, of which only the front bracket is shown, and via a bolt 50. This hinge connection is fastened with a pin 51a (FIG. 3) in a piston rod 52, which is part of a drive connection 53, which comprises a servo mechanism 57 consisting of a housing 54, a hydraulic cylinder 55, and an adjusting piston 56.
The housing 54 is fastened in the housing of the sewing machine with a bolt 58. It has an internal cylinder chamber 59, and is connected to a pipe section 60 whose hole 61 is extended to the cylinder chamber 59. A piston rod 52 carrying the adjusting piston 56 is guided in the hole 61. The adjusting piston 56 is displaceably arranged in the cylinder chamber 59, and subdivides it into an upper chamber and a lower chamber 59a and 59b, respectively.
At the lower end of the piston rod 52, a flange 52a is fastened; a compression spring 62 guided on the tube section 60 is in contact with one end of the flange, and the other end of the flange is supported by the lower part of the housing 54.
The piston rod 52, which is extended in the upward direction, is passed through a packing sleeve 63 which closes off the cylinder chamber 59 and is locked secured in its axial position by a locking washer 64. The two chambers 59a and 59b are sealed in the upward and downward directions by the packing sleeve 63 as well as a sealing ring 66 inserted into a groove 65 in the tube section 60.
The two chambers 59a and 59b are filled with oil which is fed in from a reservoir (not shown) that is connected to the connection pipe 67 through the connection pipe 67 (represented in FIG. 1) fastened in the housing 54 of the cylinder 55 via a hole (not shown) extending into the lowermost part of the lower chamber 59a. The connection pipe 67 has a ball valve acting in one direction, so that oil is automatically drawn in from the reservoir in the case of loss of oil due to leaks as a consequence of the vacuum generated during the upward movement of the adjusting piston 56.
An annular groove 68 with a sealing ring 69 is provided in the circumference of the middle part of the adjusting piston 56 in order to prevent oil from being exchanged over the circumference of the adjusting piston 56 during its displacement.
Laterally from the cylinder 59, two holes 70, 70' extending in parallel to its axis, in which one pressure relief valve 71, 71' each is accommodated, are provided in the housing 54. The two pressure relief valves 70, 71' have identical design, but are installed in their holes 70, 70' such that they function in opposite directions. Therefore, only the design of the pressure relief valve 71 will be described.
This pressure relief valve 71 has a sleeve 72, which is fastened in the hole 70 (FIG. 4), is open at one of its ends and is closed at its other end. Its open end is connected to the chamber 59a via a canal 73 extending coaxially with the hole 70 and via a canal 74 extending at right angles thereto.
A partially hollow cylinder 75, which is separated by an annular groove 76 into a piston 77 and a piston guide 78, is guided in the sleeve 72. The hole inside the sleeve 72 is also reduced in the zone of the closed end, so that improved guiding is achieved for the end of a compression spring 79, which is in contact with the bottom 72a of the sleeve 72, lies against the piston 77 with its other end, and presses a ball 81 arranged between the piston and an opening 80 of the canal 73 against the opening 80. Thus, a chamber 82 is formed between the opening 80 and the piston 77. The compression spring 79, the piston 77, the ball 81, and the opening 80 form a check valve R.
In the working zone of the piston 77, a cross hole 83 is arranged in the sleeve 72 such that in one end position of the piston 77, in which the ball 81 is seated on the opening 80, it is separated from the chamber 82 by part of the piston 77. In the state in which the piston 77 is lifted off from the ball 81, this piston 77 releases the path from the chamber 82 to the cross hole 83, as is shown in FIG. 4. The length of the piston 77 is shorter than the diameter of the cross hole 83, so that in the lifted-off state of the piston 77, oil is able to flow from the chamber 82 via the cross hole 83 into the annular groove 76, in whose zone the sleeve 72 has a cross hole 84. A pressure limiting valve D located downstream of the check valve R is formed by the compression spring 79, the piston 77, and the cross sections 83 and 84.
In its offset part, the sleeve 72 contains a stop edge 72b for limiting the stroke of the piston guide 78, as well as another cross hole 85 which is connected to the chamber 59b via a canal 86. Using a screw 87 provided in the housing 54, the sleeve 72 can be fixed by means of a tool engaging a hexagonal socket 88 after its rotated position has been set. The sleeve 72 also has a groove 89, in which a sealing ring 89a is located.
The pushing drive of the upper feed foot 6 is ensured by a stitch length-regulating mechanism 90 (FIG. 2), which is connected to an eccentric 91 fastened on the main shaft 7. The stitch length-regulating mechanism 90 has an adjusting shaft 92, which is mounted in the housing and is rigidly connected to a bail 93, between the arms of which another bail 94 is rotatably mounted on a pin 95. The arms of the bail 94 are connected by a bolt 96 to which an eccentric rod 97 is hinged. The eccentric 91, which is surrounded by the eccentric rod 97, imparts rocking movements around the pins 95 to the bolt 96.
A connecting rod 98, one end of which acts on the bolt 96, is hinged at its other end to a lever arm 99, which is fastened at one end of the rocking shaft 14 mounted in the housing in parallel to the main shaft 7.
A lever arm 100, which is connected via a connecting rod 101 to a crank 103 fastened to an adjusting shaft 102, is fastened on the adjusting shaft 92 of the stitch length-regulating mechanism 90.
An adjusting crank 104, which is connected to an intermediate shaft 107 mounted in the housing via an intermediate member 105 and another adjusting crank 106, is clamped onto the adjusting shaft 102 mounted in the housing. A lever 108 is fastened on this intermediate shaft 107. The lever 108 is connected via a ball type tie rod 109 to one end of a rocking lever 110, which is pivotable around an axis 111 that is a rigid part of the housing. The still free end of the rocking lever 110 has a spherical projection 112 and extends into an adjusting cam 113 of an adjusting wheel 114 which can be fixed and is arranged on an axis 115 that is a rigid part of the housing. The adjusting curve 113 in the adjusting wheel 114 extends helically to its axis 115, so that stitch lengths of, e.g., 1-6 mm can be set on the upper feed foot 6. A spring 116, which surrounds the intermediate shaft 107 and one end of which is fastened in the housing, keeps the projection 112 of the rocking lever 110 constantly in contact with one of the side walls of the adjusting cam 113.
The adjusting shaft 102 is connected to the lower feed dog (not shown) in the usual manner, so that both the upper feed foot 6 and the lower feed dog are adjusted synchronously with one another when adjusting the adjusting wheel 114.
A shaft 117, which is rigidly connected to a hand lever 118, is mounted in a projection of the housing of the sewing machine (FIG. 1). A cam segment 119 is fastened beneath the arm 40 on the end of the shaft 117 extending into the housing.
The mechanism operates as follows:
The amount of feed of the upper feed foot 6 (FIGS. 1 and 2) and the needle 5 are set by rotating the adjusting wheel 114, as a result of which the adjusting cam 113 will correspondingly rotate the intermediate shaft 107 via the rocking lever 110.
The intermediate shaft 107 will now adjust the adjusting shaft 102 via the intermediate member 105 and the adjusting shaft 92 via the connecting rod 101 and the lever arm 100. It is achieved due to this arrangement that when adjusting the adjusting wheel 114, the feed setting of the upper feed foot 6 is changed synchronously with the feed setting of the lower feed dog via the adjusting shaft 102.
The movement derived from the eccentric 91 is transmitted to the needle bar holder 3 via the drive connection consisting of the eccentric rod 97, the bolt 96, the connecting rod 98, the lever arm 99, the rocking shaft 14, the crank 15, the pin 13), and the connecting link guide 12, as a result of which the needle bar holder 3 will impart a corresponding feed movement to both the needle bar 4 and the upper feed foot 6.
Via the eccentric 43, the eccentric rod 44 is driven synchronously with the feed movement of the upper feed foot 6, and the eccentric rod 44 rotates the triangular lever 27 via the angle lever 45 and the coupler 47 around the hinge pin 39, which is guided by the arm 40 that is rigidly mounted in the housing.
The up and down movements of the two sewing feet (the upper feed foot 6 and the presser foot 1) and consequently also their contact pressure on the fabric are produced by the oscillating rotary motion of the triangular lever 27. The contact pressure is predetermined by the pressure of the springs 23 and 36 of the two sewing feet and the pressure exerted via the drive connection 53, as will be explained below in greater detail.
The drive connection 53 acts on the hinge pin 39 and consequently also on the triangular lever 27 via the pair of brackets 49 with a force determined by the compression spring 62. Depending on the pivoted position of the triangular lever 27, the force is transmitted from this triangular lever 27 to one sewing foot or to both sewing feet (the upper feed foot 6 and the presser foot 1). The two springs 23 and 36 act as working springs. They are compressed individually or both together to different extents, and they press the sewing feet onto the material to be sewn with a predetermined pressing force. The springs 25 and 37 are stop springs for avoiding rebound shocks during the lifting off of the respective sewing foot. A mean value of the impulse-like forces of reaction acting on the sewing feet becomes established during the operation of the sewing machine. This mean value is transmitted via the pair of brackets 49 to the piston rod 52. The forces of reaction of both sewing feet, which occur in a pronounced pulse- like form, induce rhythmic movement impulses on the drive connection. They are greatly damped by their specific design. The drive connection 53 thus remains relatively rigid under constant sewing conditions, and only the sewing feet proper will perform up and down movements.
If disturbances occur due to a change in the thickness of the material being sewn, the forces of reaction acting on the sewing feet and consequently on the springs 23 and 36 will change as well. As a result, the force acting on the piston rod 52 will be correspondingly increased. For example, at the time of transition to a thicker material to be sewn, the springs 23 and 36 of the sewing feet (1 and 6) will first be compressed more intensely, as a result of which the forces will be transmitted to the piston rod 52 via the drive mechanism. The adjusting piston 56 increases the pressure exerted on the oil in the upper chamber 59a. The oil pressure is transmitted via both the canals 74 and 73 (FIG. 4) to the surface of the ball 81 lying on the opening 80, which surface is located within the opening 80. Corresponding to the pre-tension of the compression spring 79, the ball 81 is lifted off from the opening 80 at a predetermined oil pressure, the opening pressure. After a short lift-off movement of the ball 81, the oil pressure is transmitted to the surface of the piston 77. Since this surface is larger than the surface of the opening 80, a holding pressure that is smaller according to the ratio of the two surfaces will become established, i.e., a higher opening pressure is first necessary for opening the pressure relief valve 71, after which the pressure will drop to a lower holding pressure. At this lower pressure level, the piston 77 will continue to move against the force of the compression spring 79. The force of this spring can be assumed to be approximately constant during this short opening movement. The piston 77 will now move as long as its front edge has moved into the zone of the cross hole 83, as is shown in FIG. 4. In this position, the oil is able to enter the interior of the piston guide 78 around the ball 81, through the cross hole 83, around the piston 77, via the annular groove 76, and the cross hole 84. From here, the oil stream is able to flow off into the lower chamber 59b through the cross hole 85 and the canal 86. The adjusting piston 56 (FIG. 3) is able to yield to the force of reaction from the bottom, and will be displaced in the upward direction until an approximate equilibrium of forces has become established between the dynamic mean value of the forces acting on the piston rod 52 from the bottom and the static opposing force of the compression spring 62.
As soon as the compressive force of the oil on the surface of the piston 77 (FIG. 4) is lower than the compressive force of the spring 79, the latter will displace the piston 77, which will again close the opening 80 via the ball 81, as a result of which the adjusting piston 56 will be hydraulically blocked in the new position.
In the case of transition from a thicker to a thinner material to be sewn, the forces of reaction acting on the piston rod 52 drop below their normal values, after which the pressure relief valve 71' will be activated, and exchange of oil from the lower chamber 59b into the upper chamber 59a will take place in the same manner as was described in connection with the pressure relief valve 71.
The upward movement of the piston 77 is first blocked until the higher opening force needed to lift off the ball 81 is reached in the pressure relief valve 71'. The piston rod 52 is now able to move in the upward direction with reduced piston force. After pressure equalization, the pressure relief valve 71' is again closed.
The ratio of the opening pressure level for the two pressure relief valves 71 and 71' to the holding pressure level is reciprocal to the ratio of the surface of the opening 80 to the surface of the piston 77. The ratio of the opening pressure level to the holding pressure level can be changed by designing these surfaces differently. In addition, a change in the pressure of response of the respective pressure relief valve 71 or 71' can be achieved by replacing the compressive force 79. Thus, it is possible to achieve symmetrical response of the two pressure relief valves 71 and 71' working in the antiparallel mode or different response characteristics of both pressure relief valves 71 and 71'.
The lifting movement of the lower feed dog above the needle plate causes, via the sewing feet 1 and 6, a minimal rhythmic vertical displacement of the piston rod 52. The amount of this lifting movement is so small that the alternating pressure increase exerted by it via the adjusting piston 56 on the oil reserve in the chambers 59a and 59b is not sufficient for opening the pressure relief valves 71 and 71' during normal operation of the sewing machine.
To lift the sewing feet (the upper feed foot 6 and the presser foot 1), the hand lever 118 is pivoted in the upward direction. As a result, the cam segment 119 pushes the arm 40 in the upward direction, and the arm 40 also seeks to push the adjusting piston 56 in the upward direction via the bracket pair 49 and the piston rod 52. The pressure relief valve 71 will open under the effect of the pressure exerted on the opening 80, as a result of which the two chambers 59a and 59b will be connected to one another in the above-described manner, and exchange of oil is able to take place until the adjusting piston 56 reaches the position determined by the end position of the arm 40.
The sewing feet are lowered by pivoting the hand lever 118 in the downward direction, as a result of which the cam segment 119 will release the arm 40. The pre-tension produced by the compression spring 62 is now able to push the piston rod 52 with the adjusting piston 56 in the downward direction, as a result of which the two chambers 59a and 59b will be connected to one another via the pressure relief valve 71'. After one or both the sewing feet touch down on the needle plate or the material to be sewn, the force of reaction thus produced and exerted to the piston rod 52 will bring about closing of the pressure relief valve 71' in the above-described manner.
While a specific embodiment of the invention has been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
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Sewing machine with an upper feed mechanism is provided with a stroke-adjusting system in which the drive connection between the upper feed foot and the presser foot has a three-position control device for automatic adjustment of the height position of the upper feed system. This is preferably a hydraulic control device, whose hydraulic cylinder is subdivided by its adjusting piston into two chambers. A hydraulic difference measuring unit is provided wherein the two chambers 82a, 82b of the hydraulic cylinder 59 are connected via two antiparallel-connected pressure relief valves 71, 71'. Each pressure relief valve 71, 71' preferably consists of a spring-tensioned check valve R and a pressure-limiting valve D arranged downstream of it.
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This is a continuation of PCT application Ser. No. PCT/US95/07552, filed Jun. 8, 1995, which is a con. of Ser. No. 08/143,471, filed Oct. 26, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,425,619, issued Jun. 20, 1995.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
For centuries and up to the present, many attempts have been made to increase the conversion efficiency and durability of fluid energy converting machines especially as related to use in natural wind as a prime energy source. The power output of most types so far evolved has been overshadowed by the mass production of energy from gas, coal, oil, hydro-electric and nuclear systems, except in remote regions where the output from mass production energy units is not readily available. In recent years in the United States, especially in California, wind farms have proliferated as a result in part, of technology advancements but largely due to former tax subsidies and remaining legislated regulatory provisions.
Contemporary wind turbines as used in California falter economically when tax subsidies are omitted and suffer additionally from inherent vulnerability to capricious gusting winds and delinquent maintenance programs.
The present invention when applied to a pressure conversion turbine offers high conversion efficiency, low maintenance requirements and minimal vulnerability to wind characteristics which plague contemporary systems.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
Contemporary turbines designed for operation in natural flowing fluids, such as wind, are generally subject to the need to cone with non-constant velocities, or velocities exceeding design limits. The present invention includes a radial flow rotor having a generally axial fluid inlet and fluid outlets between spaced circumferentially distributed blades as well as auxiliary gate outlets and means for controlling flow dynamics and/or for releasing excess flow.
PRIOR ART
Wind turbines of the prior art, in general, have been of two types, namely (1) turbines with radially extending propeller blades having a horizontal axis of rotation and (2) turbines which have a vertical axis of rotation with vertically oriented blades circumferentially spaced about the axis. Hybrid turbines also exist such as the Darrieus rotor turbine which has a vertical axis and blades having both vertical and horizontal directional vectors in a form similar to bowed egg beater type blades extending from spaced points along the axis of rotation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid energy turbine device capable of efficient conversion of moving fluid energy to useful purposes which surpasses the efficiencies of most other known wind conversion devices, while providing means for governing rotational speed over a wide range of wind velocities.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low cost durable machine immune to adverse wind conditions and having a low need for maintenance.
A further object of the present invention is to provide means permitting wind power conversion even during high winds or in storms without the usual need under such conditions for total shut down.
A feature of the invention in addition to its capability of operation in extremely high winds is its adaptability to streamlining of air flow thereover for less operational noise than is experienced with open whirling blades which generate tip vortexes.
The invention lends itself particularly to use with radial flow wind turbines represented by the type disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,781,523 issued Nov. 1, 1988 as well as to use with other wind energy converters wherein air flow channeled to the driving components of the device is adaptable to being bypassed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention utilizes a radial flow rotor having a generally horizontal axis of rotation, a forward axial fluid inlet and outlets between a plurality of spaced side-by-side longitudinal fluid engaging blades which have their major directional component extending generally parallel to the rotor axis. In addition a number of auxiliary outlet ports are provided on the aft side of the rotor opposite the Inlet side, each of the ports being sealed against fluid flow by a hinged spring-loaded flap or gate which is closed when the rotor is at rest but is fully opened when a predetermined high flow through the outlets occurs while rotating. In addition, each gate flap is optionally balanced by an attached fly weight or counter weight in such a manner as to permit placement of the resultant center of gravity of the gate assembly at a chosen location away from its hinge pivot. The counterweight can be made adjustable in position for the desired location of the center of gravity by making it slidably positional to permit bringing it closer to the hinge pivot axis and thereby correspondingly provide adjustment for predetermined excess fluid pressures. The effectiveness of the counterweight can be minimized by positioning it close to the hinge pivot axis or alternately by removing it from its support, which in either case causes the biasing action on the gate flap to be reliant principally upon the weight of the flap and the hinged spring loading bearing on the gate flap.
When the center of gravity of the flap assembly is positioned away from the hinge pivot, at some combination of the dynamics of fluid flow and rotational speed, the centrifugal force and flow will move each flap away from its respective sealed relation with its outlet port. When it is determined to be desirable the gate flaps can be made to respond principally to fluid flow alone by adjustment or removal of the counterweight.
If fluid velocity continues to increase, dynamic and static pressures then force the flap to further open the auxiliary port, irrespective of zero or counter forces of the center of gravity. Extreme fluid flow conditions, such as are confronted in a storm, will maintain the flap at its limit of travel, leaving the port fully open for maximum "release" of excess flow. These features in general protect the equipment against storm damage and allow continued power generation and R.P.M. control even in high wind conditions that would otherwise require shut-down.
If further protection is needed, such as when the equipment is likely to be subjected to extremely high winds in known hurricane regions, release of flow from the turbine can be provided by incorporating biasing means which will allow the pitch of the rotor blades to first change to a more passive angular disposition at preselected high wind velocities prior to movement of the flaps to an open position. Alternately the gate flaps and the rotor blades may be optionally inter-connected by means such as cables or push rods, so that movement of the gate flaps and one or more blades will move in coordinated patterned relation to different preselected pitch angles matched to the changes in wind velocity.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fluid energy turbine device capable of efficient conversion of moving fluid energy to useful purposes which surpasses the efficiencies of most other known wind conversion devices, while providing means for governing rotational speed over a wide range of wind velocities.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a low cost durable machine immune to adverse wind conditions and having a low need for maintenance.
Other objects and features which are believed to be characteristic of my invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. My invention, however, both in organization and manner of construction, together with further objects and features thereof may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of a wind turbine rotor assembly incorporating the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the wind turbine rotor assembly shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a partially broken away front view of the wind turbine rotor of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the broken away section of the rotor shown in FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the portion of the rotor shown in FIG. 4 as taken at line 5--5;
FIG. 6 is a view of a single blade representing an embodiment of the invention incorporating means for passive response to fluid pressure or rotational speed;
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary view of another embodiment of the rotor of FIG. 1 wherein wind actuated flaps are interconnected by push rods by which the position of the flaps is coordinated with the pitch of the adjustable blades of the rotor; and
FIG. 8 is a side elevation view of the portion of the rotor shown in FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning to the drawings in greater detail, FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the rear wall of a housing for a radial flow type wind turbine rotor 9 incorporating wind gate flaps 10 according to the present invention. Each flap 10 of the six shown is pivotally supported by hinges 11 circumferentially distributed near the outer edge of the rear wall. Torque bar/hinge pins 12 providing the hinge action are supported by brackets 13. The gate flaps 10 thus pivot at a circumferential base to provide an opening near the axial center of the rotor. A fly weight 14 is illustrated located near the radially inward opening tip of each flap 10. Movement of flap 10 about the hinge axis air causes an outboard arm 42 at one end of the torque bar to follow. Upon such movement caused by wind flow into the turbine, the torque bar 12 is blocked from rotation by a radially outwardly extending arm 43 which bears against the wall of the rotor 9, which imposes a twisting balancing force against the air load acting to open the flap 10.
FIG. 2 is a side elevation view of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with the large "X" symbol 15 depicting the region occupied by rotor blades 16 shown more clearly in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Space 17 represents the region of flaps 10 and their associated torque bar hinge assemblies.
FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of an embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1 with a portion of the front entry ring 18 broken away to show three rotor blades 16 and their supporting spars 19. Also shown is an arrangement for inter-connecting the flaps 10 and the blades 16 in the form of cable guide pulleys 24 for cables 23; better shown in FIG. 4, whereby the movement of the flaps and changes in the blade pitch angle are coordinated.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the exposed broken away portion of FIG. 3 showing how each blade 16 is pivotally supported on a rod or tube type spar 19 about which the blade can pivot when acted upon by movement by a respective interconnected flap 10. Each pivot spar 19 is in turn supported by a respective radially extending spoke of a series of spokes 20. Alternate spokes in the series are arranged to match and cover the spacing between adjacent pairs of flaps with which it is associated. The alternate spokes are arranged to function as a flap seat to block air flow between the closed flaps and the spokes 20. The gate flaps 10 are normally closed when the rotor is at rest and is arranged to remain closed up to a preselected level of fluid pressure and/or up to a preselected rotational speed of the rotor 9. The aerodynamic center 22 of the blades is arranged, by appropriate positioning of their pivots and by contouring, to be ahead of their spars 19, which results in application of a counter-clockwise lift torque on the blades at preselected air flow speeds. This torque acts to transmit the lift torque force of each blade to its gate flap 10 by way of a cable system including a cable 23 anchored at the leading edge of blade 16, around pulley 24, and then, as shown in FIG. 5, in succession over pulleys 25 and 26 to a connection 27 on its respective flap 10. Thus the aerodynamic loads acting on the blades 16 establish a balanced relation with the biasing action of torque bars 12 to provide an open operating position of their respective flaps 10 matched to the air flow velocity and speed of rotation of the rotor.
At a chosen preselected air pressure, flap 10 will be forced to break its air sealing contact over its exit port formed with spokes 20, thus allowing passage of air from the rotor. This in turn reduces the static pressure inside the radial flow rotor and consequently reduces the driving torque which would otherwise be produced by the rotor from stronger winds. On the other hand a high wind flow movement of the flaps 10 is transmitted by connecting cables 23 to their respectively associated blades 16 to increase the pitch of the blades during rotor rotation. This increases the gap between blades 16 which further vents air from the rotor interior and reduces internal static pressure.
The steeper pitch of the blades 16 also acts to reduce the rotational speed of the rotor 9 which action continues progressively with increasing wind speeds. At the same time centrifugal force acts on the fly weights 14 to open the flaps which accentuates the action so that ultimately, when the wind is sufficiently strong, the flaps 10 move to a fully open position 28 corresponding to a maximum pitch position 29 of the blades 16. The effects of the aforementioned extreme limit positions of the open flaps 10 and feathered blades 16 are a reduction in loading on the rotor and drag load on a support tower with a reduction in rotational speed relative to the wind velocity.
FIG. 6 depicts an embodiment of the invention in which passively responsive blades 30 are not interconnected to the gate flaps 10 but are self feathering. In this embodiment, the aerodynamic center 31 of the blade 30 is designed by contouring to be located aft of soar 19. The aerodynamic load acts to move the blade clockwise which movement is resisted by a spring 32 anchored to the rotor 9 and connected to blade 30 near its leading edge. A stop member 33 limits the counter clockwise movement of blade 30. A flyweight 34 is provided secured in standoff relation to the underside of the blade which by reason of centrifugal force of rotor rotation acts on the weight to supplement the action of the aerodynamic load. The centrifugal force acting on the weight 34 becomes progressively more dominant as the pitch angle of the blade increases and the aerodynamic force is diminished by reason of a resulting progressively smaller angle of attack on the blades 30. Thus as wind and/or rotational speed of the rotor 9 increases the blade pitch angle ultimately achieves a limit position of the blade 30 illustrated in dashed lines and referred to by the reference numeral 35 which results in a reduced loading on the rotor. It will be recognized that the rotational direction of the rotor depicted by the curved vector arrows is reversible by reversing the pitch angle of the blades.
FIGS. 7 and 8 depict another embodiment of the invention incorporating a system of rigid connecting members such as rods or bars with adjustable joints such as a ball and socket joint at their ends as shown schematically in FIG. 8 by the unnumbered circles at the ends of the rods or bars for interconnection of gate flaps 36 to blades 53. As exemplified with a single flap, interconnecting rods 37 extending from a flap 36 are connected bar linking members 38 and 39 to bars 40 projecting from the end of each of the blades 53 through arcuate slots 41 in he rear wall of the rotor 52. When the flow-gate flap 36 is opened, each of the blades 53 is caused to move about a connected pivot spar 45 near the leading edge of the blades to increase the ultimate pitch angle. This position is shown in dotted lines at a position 46 when the flap 36 is raised to the dotted line position 47 shown in FIG. 8. A torque spring 48, supported by a pair of hinge brackets 49 hold the gate flap 36 closed against a flow-port 51 of the rotor 52 at low wind speeds. Optionally a counterweight 50 can be provided on the flap 36 depending upon weight of the flap and the design performance desired of the rotor 52.
In operation the flaps 36 are spring biased to initially open at a predetermined air pressure but as the rotor rotates, centrifugal force of rotation of the rotor assembly and flaps assists in opening the flaps still further. Release of the energy of high winds is thus effected by the centrifugal force which acts on the gate flap assembly to function as a governor in limiting the effects of high winds. In other words, when a high wind is present, the wind first acts against the biasing action of the springs which hold the gate flaps closed but, as rotation builds up, the centrifugal force of rotation acting on each flap assembly opens the flaps still further and releases the additional effects of the wind which would otherwise cause increased speed of rotation. A balance is thus established between a release of high winds through the flaps and the centrifugal force of rotation of the flaps 36. That is, the centrifugal force of a flap and counterweight assembly is reduced by rotor speed reduction caused by the by-pass of air through the flaps 36 rather than allowing its passage through the blades 16 thereby resulting in regulation of rotational speed.
In addition to such by-pass of air through the gate flaps 36 for regulation of speed, the blades 53 can be made automatically adjustable in position to adjust the amount of air passing between them. In this regard by biasing each of the featherable blades, such as with a spring, a predetermined pattern of different degrees of release of air between them can be established at different rotor speeds. That is, by providing for automatic feathering of the blades, the effect of high wind forces, which would otherwise cause a higher speed of rotation, can be subdued.
Three mechanisms are thus operable for regulation of the speed of a rotor under high winds. The mechanisms which can be arranged to function simultaneously or in sequence are namely the openable gate flap, the featherable blades and the positionable fly weights. Opening of the gate flaps 36 at the rear of the rotor for air release can be arranged to occur simultaneously with feathering of the blades 53 or operated in sequence one before the other or both together depending upon the tension of springs associated with each to regulate the speed of rotation of the turbine. In this regard, the blades and flaps can be arranged by selective adjustment of components dependent on weather experience in the specific region of use, that as wind velocity increases, feathering of the blades will be initiated before or after the flaps begin to open or simultaneously with the flaps or either the flaps or the blades first open to their maximum opening position before the other begin to open.
The flaps can be arranged to function responsive to the rotational speed of the rotor by providing a balancing counterweight 50 mounted on the back of each of the flaps 36. The centrifugal force of rotation of the flaps 36 and counterweights 50 in combination can be arranged to act to open the flaps 36 according to a rotational speed pattern determined by the position of the counterweights 50 with their respective gate flaps 36. In this respect the counterweights 50 each can be made adjustable in their position on their respective gate flap 36 both in their degree of projection from the back of the gate flap as well as their height position relative to the pivot line of the gate flap. As the flaps move out during rotor rotation, the moment arms of the counterweights about the flap hinges increase and their radius of rotation about the rotor axis also increases. The biasing springs acting on the flaps 36 in combination with the fly weights may therefore be selected and adjusted to exert a non-linear force with changes in rotor speed to avoid immediate full opening of the flaps and to avoid requiring a very low rotational speed to restore closure. The centrifugal force of the mass of the gate flap 36 and its associated counterweight 50 can thereby be varied in its effectiveness in dumping of air to regulate rotational speed of the rotor 52. Accordingly desired patterns of operation can be established as determined by trial and error adjustment and positioning of the fly weights 14.
Under still other circumstances such as for low level maximum wind conditions which might be calculated as likely to prevail in a region, the counterweights mounted on the flaps might be deleted and the biasing action of the spring 48 alone acting on each gate flap might be found adequate to provide the range of adjustability necessary to effect full opening of the flaps under the highest winds to be confronted.
In view of the foregoing it will be understood that many variations of the disclosed invention can be made within the broad scope of the principles embodied therein. Thus while particular preferred embodiments have been shown and described, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A fluid energy turbine has a radial flow rotor in which fluid driven blades are peripherally distributed about a horizontal axis and in which auxiliary-biased outlet gates are provided for release of high fluid pressures to govern turbine speed such as in high windstorms.
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