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BACKGROUND OF THE NEW VARIETY
The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of apple tree ‘Malus Pumila Mil’ and which has been denominated varietally as ‘Emmons’ and more particularly to an apple tree which bears a distinctively colored round apple which has a dense sweet flesh, and which further is noteworthy because it retains its firmness after harvesting and can be stored for long periods of time with little deterioration in the overall quality of the fruit.
ORIGIN AND ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION
It has long been recognized that a very important factor contributing to the success of any variety of apple tree bearing fruit for the fresh market is its ability to produce an attractively colored fruit, which has a distinctive noteworthy flavor, and which further has good handling and storage characteristics. The new variety ‘Emmons’ is noteworthy as noted above, in producing an attractively and distinctively colored fruit having a distinctive pink stripe over a cream-yellow background and which further has a distinctive taste, dense flesh and a sweetness with a hint of tartness. The new variety is firm at harvest and can be handled with little skin or flesh damage. The new variety ‘Emmons’ is harvested during the same season where other well-known varieties such as the Red Delicious (unpatented) are harvested under the ecological conditions prevailing in the Columbia Basin of Washington State. However, the present variety is noteworthy in producing a highly desirable dessert-type apple having noteworthy characteristics which distinguish it from other varieties which it is mostly similar to.
The new variety of apple tree ‘Malus Pumila Mil’ was discovered as a chance seedling growing within the cultivated area of the Applicant's orchard which is located near Gleed, Wash. The inventor discovered the chance seedling following the purchase of the same orchard in 1978. The orchard contained a variety of different apple trees including Golden Delicious (unpatented), and several different cultivars of Red Delicious apple trees all of which are unpatented. The inventor, with the intent that he would remove and replant trees in the future, deferred maintenance for several years allowing the chance seedling to develop. Subsequently, the inventor noted the chance seedlings unique characteristics and marked the variety for subsequent observation. In 1993, the inventor removed wood from the original tree and bench grafted it onto ‘M-7’ rootstock (unpatented). This original asexual reproduction in Gleed, Wash., produced 20 trees which were then planted in a nearby orchard. These test trees have since produced fruit and the inventor has confirmed that this first asexual propagation resulted in apple trees being produced which possess the same distinctive characteristics as the original chance seedling. Additional asexual reproductions have taken place in the years 1997-2004. These subsequent asexual reproductions have also confirmed the unique characteristics of the new apple tree.
The present variety ‘Emmons’ is most similar in its date of harvesting to the Red Delicious apple tree named ‘Bisbee’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 1,565) when grown under the same ecological conditions. In relative comparison to the ‘Bisbee’ apple tree, the ‘Emmons’ apple tree produces fruit which is round in relative comparison to the elongated Red Delicious apple shape that is quite familar to those who are skilled in the art. Still further, the ‘Emmons’ apple tree produces a fruit which has a pink stripe over a cream-yellow background that is unlike the coloration of any Red Delicious variety which is known. Still further, the growing characteristics of typical Red Delicious apple trees, especially the ‘Bisbee’ cultivar is typically more upright, then spreading, and its growth is only moderately vigorous. In relative comparison, the ‘Emmons’ apple tree is more spreading in form than most Red Delicious cultivars, and this growth pattern appears more vigorous. Still further, the ‘Emmons’ apple tree produces a fruit that has a unique and pleasing taste which is distinctly different from the fruit produced by known Red Delicious cultivars.
SUMMARY OF THE VARIETY
The ‘Emmons’ apple tree is characterized principally by novelty by producing a unique, attractively colored round-shaped apple which is ripe for harvesting and shipment about September 29 th under the conditions prevailing in the Columbia Basin of central Washington State.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings are color photographs of the present variety. These photographs depict whole fruit, fruit dissected in both the axial plane, as well as the plane transverse to the axial plane, typical leaves of the variety, and the branching habit of the same variety. Still further, a photograph is provided showing the present variety of fruit along side the fruit produced by the variety which is most closely similar to the date of harvesting of this new variety. The external coloration of the fruit as shown in these photographs is sufficiently matured for harvesting and shipment. These colors are as nearly true as reasonably possible and a color representation of this type. Due to chemical development, processing and printing, the leaves and fruit depicted in these photographs may or may not be accurate when compared to the actual specimen. For this reason, future color references should be made to the color plates (Royal Horticulture Society), and descriptions provided hereinafter. Occasionally, common color names will also be used.
FIG. 1 shows the fruiting habit of the present variety. The apples as seen in this photograph are sufficiently matured for harvesting and shipment.
FIG. 2 shows both the dorsal and ventral coloration of typical leaves taken from the present variety.
FIG. 3 shows an apple of the present variety dissected in the axial plane in order to show the flesh characteristics thereof.
FIG. 4 is a typical fruit dissected transverse to the axial plane and showing the flesh characteristics and pips thereof.
FIG. 5 depicts a typical branch and the associated foliage of the present variety.
FIG. 6 depicts four fruit. The first two fruit in the photograph are fruit harvested from a ‘Brisbee’ Red Delicious apple trees, and which are most closely similar to the present variety in the date of harvesting. The second two fruit in the photograph are that of the present variety.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring more specifically to the pomological details of this new and distinct variety of apple tree, the following has been observed under the ecological conditions prevailing at the orchard of the inventor which is located in Gleed, Wash. All major color code designations by reference to the R.H.S. Colour Chart, 4 th Edition provided by The Royal Horticulture Society of Great Britain.
Tree
Size. —Considered average as compared to other apple cultivars growing under the ecological conditions prevailing in Central Washington State. The original tree which is now 27 years old is about 3.5 meters in height, and about 3.5 meters in width. The second generation trees which are now 13 years old range in size from about 3.5 meters to about 4 meters in height and about 2.5 meters to about 3 meters in width. Productivity. —Considered productive. Vigor. —Considered moderate to vigorous. Density. —Considered medium for the species. Regularity of bearing. —Annual. Bearing is found on spurs and one year old shoots.
Trunk:
Size. —The original chance seedling tree has a circumference of 86.5 cm. when measured at a distance of about 20 cm. from the surface of the soil. The second generation trees have a size of about 33 to about 38 cm. when that measurement is taken about 20 cm. form the soil surface. Surface texture. —Considered smooth to semi-rough. The roughness of the surface texture increases with advancing senecence. The surface texture is not considered distinctive of the new variety. Lenticels. —Second generation trees — As a general matter, the lenticels have a length of about 1 cm. and a width of about 0.5 to about 1 cm. Lenticels. —Second generation trees color — Grey-orange (RHS 167A).
Branches:
Size. —Average as compared to other apple cultivars growing under the ecological conditions prevailing in Central Washington State. The lower branches of the second generation trees have a diameter of about 5 cm. to 6 cm. Crotch angle. —On average about 50 degrees. This characteristic is not distinctive of the present variety, however. Surface texture. —Generally — Considered smooth with pronounced lenticels. Branching habit. —Generally — Numerous branches are observed in young trees. Bark Color. —Generally — One year old wood has a grey-green color (RHS 197B). This color appears most prominent on the base of the branch, and more redness appears toward the tips thereof (RHS 187A). Bud Arrangement. —Generally — Typically the buds appear laterally on one year old wood. However, on two and three year old wood, some variability may be observed. Lenticels. —Numbers — Numerous. Lenticels. —Size — Small to medium for the variety. Lenticels. —Color — Grey-yellow (RHS 161C).
Leaves:
Length. —About 95 mm. Width. —About 65 mm. Leaf form. —Oval to lanceolate. Leaf texture. —Glabrous and glossy. Leaf thickness. —Considered medium for the species. Leaf base. —Shape — Considered regular. Leaf apex. —Considered acuminate. Marginal form. —Serrated, sharp and undulating. Pubescence. —Upper surface — Weak, or completely absent. Pubescence. —Lower surface — Considered weak. Leaf color. —Upper surface — Mature leaves have a yellow-green coloration (RHS 147A). Leaf color. —Lower surface — Mature leaves have a yellow-green coloration (RHS 148B). Leaf petiole. —Shape — Considered straight. Leaf petiole. —Length — About 24 mm. Leaf petiole. —Diameter — About 2.2 mm. Leaf petiole. —Color — Yellow-green (RHS 148C). The lower surface has a purple color. This color is not distinctive of the present variety, however. Leaf veins. —Size — Considered average for the variety. Leaf veins. —Position — The leaf veins lie at an angle of about 45 degrees to about 50 degrees relative to the main leaf vein. Leaf veins. —Lower surface color — Yellow-green (RHS 145C).
Flowers:
Flower buds. —Color — Red-purple. (About RHS 59C to 61B). Flower buds. —Length — About 12 mm. to about 15 mm. Flower buds. —Width — About 9 mm. to about 12 mm. Pedicel. —Length — About 28 mm. to about 33 mm. Pedicel. —Diameter — About 1 mm. Pedicel. —Color — Considered green (RHS 138A). Blooming time. —Generally — The blooming time is considered to be early to mid-season in relative comparison to other apple varieties. However, the blooming time is contingent upon the geographical location and the environmental conditions prevailing at the time of bloom. As a general matter, the bloom time is similar to the Red Delicious cultivars (unpatented) growing at approximately the same geographical location in Central Washington. Blooming period. —Generally — Considered medium to long for the species. Pollination requirements. —The present variety appears to be currently pollinated by both ‘Red Delicious’ (unpatented) and ‘JonaGold’ apple trees (unpatented) growing in the vicinity of same. This variety therefore appears to be compatible with both diploid and triploid pollination sources. Number of flowers per cluster. —As a general matter, 5 to 6 flowers appear. Petals. —Numbers — 5. Petals. —Length — About 19 to about 21 mm. Petals. —Width — About 15 to about 17 mm. Petals. —Shape — Considered ovate. Petals. —Position — Considered overlapping. Petal margin. —Considered straight. Petal texture. —Waved. Petal color. —When opened, the upper surface of the petals have a red-purple color (RHS 65A to RHS 65D). Still further, the lower surface has a reddish-purple color (RHS 62C to RHS 64D). Still further, the vein pattern in the petals has a pink color. This color does not appear distinctive of the variety, however. Sepals. —Shape — Acuminate. Sepals. —Marginal form — Considered straight. Sepals. —Length — About 8.0 mm. Sepals. —Width — About 3.0 mm. Sepals. —Color — Considered green (RHS 138B) and having a red-purple tip (RHS 59A). Stamens. —Numbers — About 15 are found with each flower. Filaments. —Length — About 7 mm. to about 9 mm. Anthers. —Shape — Considered irregular. Anthers. —Length — About 2 mm. Anthers. —Color — Yellow (RHS 11B). Pollen. —Color — Yellow (RHS 11A). Pollen production. —Generally — Considered very high. Pistils. —Length — About 12 mm. Styles. —Length — About 11 mm. Styles. —Color — Green-yellow (RHS 1B). Stigma. —Shape — Considered round to irregular. Stigma. —Color — Yellow (RHS 2B).
Fruit:
Maturity when described. —The present variety of apple is described as it would be found at full commercial maturity, and following about 6 weeks of storage. Date of first picking. —About September 29 th under the ecological conditions prevailing in Central Washington. Fruit size. —Generally — Considered medium to large for the species. Axial diameter. —About 6.5 cm. Diameter transverse to the axial plane. —About 7.5 cm. Fruit form. —Generally — Considered uniform, round and somewhat broader in the transverse measurements. As a general matter, transverse measurements are typically about 15% greater than the axial diameter as provided, above. Stem cavity. —Shape — Considered symmetrical. The stem cavity is considered acuminate at the base and the apex thereof. Stem cavity. —Depth — Considered medium. About 18-22 mm. Stem cavity. —Breadth — Considered average for the species. About 27 mm. to about 32 mm. Basin. —Shape — Considered symmetrical and rounded. Basin. —Markings — None are evident. Basin. —Depth — About 13 mm. Basin. —Width — About 31 mm. Calyx. —Form — Slightly open and considered shallow. Fruit skin. —Thickness — As a general matter, the thickness is considered medium to thin for the variety. Fruit skin. —Texture — Considered smooth. No russeting is evident. Tendency to crack. —Not observed. Skin color. —The color of the skin has a red to pink blush (RHS 45A) with a slightly darker red stripe (RHS 46A). Skin color. —Ground color — Considered yellow-green (RHS 151A) at harvest. This color softens with increasing senescence to yellow-orange (RHS 14C) following harvest. Flesh flavor. —Considered distinctive with a balanced sugar to acid ratio. Flesh color. —Considered creamy yellow (RHS 4D). Flesh texture. —Firm and crisp. Soluble solids. —Considered high, about 15.8% to 16.4%. This is, in some cases, 1.5% to about 3.3% higher than other common apple tree varieties growing under the same ecological conditions in Central Washington. Titratable acidity. —About 0.851. Eating quality. —Considered very good and having a sweet aromatic flavor. Fruit core. —Bundle area — The fruit core with seed cells are generally considered round when viewed in the longitudinal section. The fruit core has a diameter of about 20 mm. Fruit bundle shape. —Considered slightly flattened and onion shaped. Fruit bundle. —Height — About 32 mm. Fruit bundle. —Width — About 32 mm. Fruit bundle. —Texture — Strands of conductive tissue are found in the longitudinal section. Calyx tube. —Length — Considered short. Calyx tube. —Form — Considered closed to slightly open. Calyx tube. —Shape — Narrowly funnel shaped. Calyx tube. —Depth from the calyx tube to the shoulder — About 18 mm. Styles. —Generally — Present, but appear as dry residues. Stamens. —Generally — Present, but appear as dry residues Seed cells. —Wall thickness — Considered medium thick for the species. Seed cells. —Depth — About 16 mm. Seed cells. —Breadth — About 9 mm. Seed cells. —Longitudinal dimension — About 18 mm. to about 20 mm. Seeds. —Numbers — 6 to 10 may be found. Seeds. —Numbers in one cell — 1 to 2 seeds may be found. Seeds. —Length — About 9 mm. to about 11 mm. Seeds. —Breadth — About 5.5 mm. to about 6.5 mm. Seeds. —Form — Usually tear-dropped shaped, although slightly flattened forms may also be found. Seeds. —Color — Grey-orange (RHS 166A) to brown (RHS 200B) as might be found on the tip of same. Stem. —Size — Considered short, stout and slightly pubescent. Stem. —Length — About 7 mm. Stem. —Width — About 2.4 mm. Eating quality. —Considered good to excellent.
Although the new variety of apple tree herein denominated as ‘Emmons’ possesses the described characteristics when grown under the ecological conditions prevailing in the Columbia Basin of Central Washington, it is to be understood that variations of the usual magnitude and characteristics incident to changes in growing conditions, fertilization, pruning and pest control are to be expected.
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A new and distinct variety of apple tree ‘Malus Pumila Mil’ named ‘Emmons’ and which is characterized as to novelty by a uniqueness of shape, color, flavor and texture of the fruit, and a date of maturity for commercial harvesting and shipment of about September 29 th under the ecological conditions prevailing in Central Washington.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a trimming device for trimming a top cover thread on a multiple needle sewing machine.
A trimming device is known, for example, from German Offenlegungsschrift No. 35 31 595, which describes a movable trimming knife for trimming a top cover thread, which is provided with a hook edge and which is moved mechanically backwards and forwards between a spreader and the workpiece from a diagonal upper rear direction towards the middle of the top cover thread. Because of the alignment of the trimmed top cover thread, this device requires the first new stitch between the top cover thread guide and a thread trap to be absolutely securely formed, because only in this way is it ensured that the cover thread is bound by the needle threads. In order to eliminate the risk of a missed stitch at the beginning of a seam, the starting needle threads required for stitch formation are annoyingly long. Following termination of sewing, these thread ends must be additionally shortened in order to obtain an optically acceptable sewn product.
A further trimming device for trimming the top cover thread is known from German Patent Specification No. 25 35 316. In this device, a thread pulling hook passes between a leaf spring and a presser foot and catches the top cover thread in order to trap it by means of the raised presser foot and the leaf spring. Then the top cover thread is trimmed by a thread trimmer between the leaf spring and the retracted thread pulling hook. This construction has a large number of parts and is thus expensive. Furthermore, the cover thread trimming operation cannot take place until the presser foot has been raised. This leads to a further time delay in production.
The trimming of the remaining sewing threads at the end of the seam is generally known and is described, for example, in German Patent Specification No. 25 38 916.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A principal feature of the present invention is the provision of an improved trimming device for trimming a top thread on a sewing machine.
The trimming device of the present invention comprises, a workpiece support, a presser foot, a top cover thread guide, a top cover thread spreader, and a movable thread catching device which co-operates with a knife and a top cover thread trap.
A feature of the invention is that the trimming device operates such that on commencement of sewing, only short thread ends project from the work material and the trimming operation can take place independently of the raising of the presser foot.
Another feature of the invention is that by disposing the thread trap, which is in the form of a counter-plate for the swingable thread catching device, in front of the needles, and combining a thread catching and trimming device therewith, the top cover thread is made to extend transversely from the top cover thread spreader thereby ensuring that it is bound by the needle threads at the start of a seam and enabling the starting needle threads on a workpiece to be kept short.
Yet another feature of the invention is that with this alignment of the top cover thread, it is not necessary for the first stitch to be formed immediately, since it is ensured that the top cover thread is picked up even if the sewing stitches are formed later.
Still another feature of the invention is that since the top cover thread is trapped between the counterplate and the swingable thread catching device, this solution is not dependent on movement of the presser foot.
A feature of the invention is that the thread catching device is preferably disposed between the top cover thread spreader and the upper side of the presser foot, and advantageously a drive shaft engages in a recess in the thread catching device to swing it backwards and forwards.
Another feature of the invention is that the device contributes to a compact construction of the trimming device, and positioning the swingable thread catching device between the top cover thread spreader and the upper side of the presser foot results in a short end to the top cover thread on a workpiece at the end of a seam.
Still another feature of the invention is the provision of an air jet is provided for aligning free needle threads against the direction of sewing, thereby enabling the needle threads to be drawn in almost completely at the beginning of a seam. This is particularly advantageous when sewing tubular workpieces since the end of the seam will cover any incomplete seam beginning.
Further features will become more fully apparent in the following description of the embodiments of this invention and from the appended claims.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of a trimming device for trimming the cover thread on a multiple needle sewing machine;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the trimming device of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale;
FIG. 3 is a detailed view taken partly in section of the trimming device of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially as indicated along the line IV--IV of FIG. 3 showing a thread catching device in a thread catching position;
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a drive for the trimming device with the thread catching device in the thread clamping/trimming position;
FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating the thread catching and trimming device in an open position; and
FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating the catching and trimming device in a closed position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown an arrangement of a trimming device on a multiple needle sewing machine. A support 3 on which a holder 5 for the trimming device is adjustably mounted by means of a slotted claw 4 and clamping screw 6 is fastened to the casing 1 of the sewing machine by a screw 2. Two compressed air lines 7 and 8 are adapted to supply top 11 alternately with compressed air through a lid 9.
A workpiece 15 is clamped between a workpiece support 12 and a presser foot 13 having an upper side 14. A needle bar 16, which can move up or down, carries a needle head 17 which holds a needle 18 and a needle 19, each of which guides a needle thread 21 and 22 respectively.
A slotted top cover thread guide 23 and a driven top cover thread spreader 24 are disposed at the side of the needle head 17. A top cover thread 25 is controlled by a thread brake 26 and is guided to the workpiece 15 by way of an eye 27 in the needle head 17, a slot 28 in the top cover thread guide 23 and a step 29 on the top cover thread spreader 24.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, the presser foot 13 has between the needles 18 and 19 an opening 31, through which emerges an air jet 32 which aligns the needle threads 21 and 22, which have been trimmed following sewing, against the direction of sewing, that is to say, the direction in which the workpiece 15 is fed during a sewing operation, as indicated by the arrow 33.
FIG. 3 is a partially sectional view of the trimming device. Compressed air is fed from the compressed air line 7 through a bore 34 in the lid 9 into a chamber 35 in the top 11. A control device enables the compressed air supply to be changed over so that the chamber 35 can be supplied with compressed air by way of the pressure line 8 and a bore 36 instead. A vane 37 is connected to a drive shaft 38, which is mounted in the holder 5. A counterplate 39 is fastened to the end of the holder 5 facing the workpiece 15. The lower face of the counter-plate 39 is aligned with respect to the lower side of the top cover thread spreader 24 in such a way that a thread catching device 41 can swing unimpeded beneath the top cover thread spreader 24. A knife 42 is secured by a screw 43 to the counter-plate 39 and is kept at a distance 40 from the counter-plate 39 by a spacer ring 44.
FIG. 4 shows the top 11 with the chamber 35 and the vane 37, whose range of swing is limited by stop edges 45 and 46 respectively. Three threaded bores 47, 48 and 49 enable the lid to be fastened by means of three screws 51, 52 and 53. The thread catching device 41 is shown in a thread catching position below the counter-plate 39. It has a cutting edge 50 and a curved edge 54.
FIG. 6 shows the thread catching device 41 has a recess 55 into which extends a flattened end 56 of the drive shaft 38. The knife 42 has a cutting edge 57, an opening 58 and bore 59.
Following termination of the sewing operation, a positioning drive moves the needle bar 16 into a thread cutting position, e.g. into its raised position A spreader drive moves the top cover thread spreader 24 into a lefthand end position 61 as illustrated in FIG. 6. When the top cover thread spreader is in this position, the top cover thread 25 is guided in an angular manner around the step 29 on the top cover thread spreader 24. Disposing the counterplate 39 immediately in front of the top cover thereof means that only a short end of the top cover thread 25 protrudes from the sewn workpiece 15 following trimming.
During a trimming operation, the trimming device, which is, for example, closed during the sewing operation, is opened by the action of compressed air from compressed air tube 7 through the bore 34 into the chamber 35 and hence onto the vane 37 to rotate the drive shaft 38. The curved edge 54 pushes the top cover thread 25 to the side in such a way that when the thread catching device 41 closes, that is, by changing the compressed air over to compressed air tube 8, the top cover thread is caught by the cutting edge 50 of the thread catching device 41.
Since the cutting edge 57 is set back towards the inside below the counter-plate 39, comprising a top cover thread trap, the top cover thread 25 is first trapped between the counter-plate 39 and the thread catching device 41 and then severed by the edge 57 of the knife 42, with the device in a closed position, as shown in FIG. 7. The top cover thread thus extends transversely from the slot 28, behind the needle 18, in front of the needle 19 to the counter-plate 39.
At the start of a seam on a further workpiece to be sewn, the top cover thread is not released by the movement of the workpiece until a new stitch is formed, that is, it is ensured that the top cover thread is bound by the needle threads when a new stitch is being formed. As a result, it is possible to allow the starting needle threads to protrude slightly from the workpiece, since, even if a stitch is missed at the beginning of the seam, the top cover thread is bound by the needle threads when the first needle thread stitch is formed.
The foregoing detailed description is given for clearness of understanding only, and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom, as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.
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A trimming device for trimming a top cover thread from a workpiece on a multiple needle sewing machine having a thread catching device which is movable between a counter-plate and a knife. In operation the top cover thread is picked up by the thread catching device between a workpiece and a top cover thread guide. A top cover thread trap serves as a counter-plate for the thread catching device. The knife is attached to the counter plate with a gap therebetween, with the thread catching device being swingable within said gap.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The disclosure relates to the field of communication technologies, and in particular to a method and a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in a Machine-to-Machine or Machine-to-Man or Man-to-Machine (M2M) service.
BACKGROUND
With the continuous development of telecommunication services and Internet services, in order to better generate and provide services, and meanwhile to reduce the operation cost of operators, competitive telecommunication services and Internet services are provided and various service platforms emerge as the time requires. At present, with the further enlargement of the service application scope, a requirement for a M2M service is proposed gradually. The full name of M2M is Machine-to-Machine or Machine-to-Man or Man-to-Machine. Generally, the M2M service includes a data service and a message service, wherein the data service generally is born on Packet Switch (PS) of a telecommunication network; and the message service can be born on Circuit Switch (CS), also can be born on PS.
The M2M service is described below in further detail.
An M2M communication system provides simple means for using equipment real-time data to establish a wireless connection between systems, between remote devices, or between individuals. The M2M communication technology combines data collection technology, remote monitoring technology, telecommunication and information technology, automatizes a service process, integrates the real-time state of a company Information Technology (IT) system and non-IT equipment, and creates value-added services. An M2M platform can run in environments such as security monitoring, automatic muni-meter reading, mechanical service, maintenance service, vender, public transport system, vehicle fleet management, industrial process automation, motor machine and urban informationization, and provide widespread application and solutions.
At present, the M2M service application can be divided into a mobile application and an immobile application based on whether a terminal is moveable, wherein the mobile application is suitable for such applications in which peripheral equipment is not fixed, has high mobility, and needs real-time communication with a central node, for example, it is suitable for such industries as transportation, public security, customs, tax administration, medical treatment and logistics; while the immobile application is suitable for such applications in which peripheral equipment is fixed but geographically widespread, wired access is difficult to deploy or the cost is very high, for example, it is suitable for such industries as electric power, water conservation, oil extraction, mining, environment protection, meteorology, tobacco and finance.
The M2M communication technology involves four important technical parts, specifically including: an M2M machine terminal, a communication network, an M2M platform and an M2M application, wherein
the M2M machine terminal includes machine hardware and a communication module; for a mobile network, the communication module is configured to implement the access of the M2M machine terminal to the communication network and to implement communication; the machine hardware is configured to implement an M2M service. The M2M machine terminal can be divided into two types, namely, an M2M terminal device and an M2M terminal gateway device, wherein the M2M terminal gateway device can access an extended network, for example, a sensor network, an industrial control network, a broadcast television network or a satellite communication network, and other information interaction networks. The disclosure calls the M2M terminal device a terminal and calls the M2M terminal gateway device a terminal gateway for short in the following descriptions.
The communication network is configured to transmit M2M service data between terminals, as well as between a terminal and an M2M service platform, and can include a wide area network, a local area network, a wireless personal area network or the like.
The M2M platform is a component part for realizing M2M service logics, which implements the management of a terminal downwards and provides an open function of an Application Program Interface (API) to the M2M application upwards in a network hierarchical architecture diagram. In addition, the M2M platform is also configured to perform service logic processing. The M2M platform is an important part in the M2M industry chain, and an operator realizes the control on an M2M service by controlling the M2M platform. The M2M application develops and provides applications of corresponding industries by calling the API provided by the M2M platform.
The M2M application can be divided into two types of services according to an initiator of a service, namely, a service initiated by a terminal side and a service initiated by a network side.
The service initiated by the terminal side generally is a service data report service, an alarm information report service, or the like, and there are two bearing modes, namely, a service in which interaction is performed based on CS and a service in which interaction is performed is based on PS. Before a terminal actively initiates a service, the terminal might be in a message mode, that is, the terminal holds short messaging online but has no data connection, or the terminal probably keeps or has a data connection, or both of the two conditions coexist. When the terminal is in the message mode and needs to perform services on the PS, the terminal needs to establish a data connection channel before performing services.
The service initiated by the network side has similarities to the service initiated by the terminal side, that is, its service interaction also can be performed through a message mode or a data connection mode. For a service performed through the message mode, a message is generally transmitted through a message gateway, for example, a Short Messaging Service (SMS) gateway, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) gateway, a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) gateway, a Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD) gateway, an industry gateway and other network entities; for a service performed in the data connection mode, the network side might adopt an existing data connection channel to initiate the service directly, however, when there is no data connection channel, the terminal is needed to be activated through the message mode first and then actively establish a data connection before a related service is performed.
At present, the service initiated by the network side has problems as follows: no matter the message mode or the data connection mode is adopted to perform services, if the M2M service platform of the network side does not know the state of a terminal or the change of the state, that is, an event, the service probably can not be transmitted; for example, when the terminal is out of battery or has high loads, or the current signal is weak, the terminal probably can not work normally, and at this moment, the network side can not learn the state or event of the terminal in time, thus the service can not be performed successfully; or, when the M2M terminal or the terminal gateway simultaneously supports multiple communication modes, if the M2M service platform can not learn the state or event of the terminal in time, a different communication mode cannot be selected.
SUMMARY
In view of the problems above, the main purpose of the disclosure is to provide a method and a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service, so as to enable a network side to obtain a state or event of a terminal and to make a service judgment and perform service processing according to the state or event of the terminal, thereby improving the efficiency of the service.
In order to achieve the purpose above, the technical solution of the disclosure is realized as follows.
The disclosure provides a method for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service, which includes:
transmitting, by a terminal or a terminal gateway, state or event information of itself to a state or event management unit; and
determining, by an M2M service platform, a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway in the state or event management unit;
wherein, the state or event management unit may be set in the M2M service platform, or may be set separately; correspondingly,
when the state or event management unit is set separately, the state or event management unit may also provide a function of adding, inquiring about, modifying and deleting state or event information for the M2M service platform;
wherein, the transmitting, by a terminal or a terminal gateway, the state or event information of itself to a state or event management unit may include:
transmitting, by the terminal or the terminal gateway, the state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit which is set separately or to the state or event management unit which is set in the M2M service platform, through a gateway device.
The method may further include:
determining, by the gateway device, a target M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately, according to an identifier or an application identifier of the terminal or the terminal gateway contained in a message reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway.
The method may further include:
transmitting, by the terminal or the terminal gateway, the state or event information of itself to the M2M service platform or to the state or event management unit which is set separately through the gateway device, when the terminal or the terminal gateway receives a state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately.
In the solution above, the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway may be one of the following: reachablility, unreachableness, a signal condition, an abnormal condition, a communication mode, an electric quantity or load condition.
The disclosure also provides a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service, which includes: a terminal or a terminal gateway, a gateway device, a state or event management unit and an M2M service platform, wherein
the terminal or the terminal gateway is configured to transmit state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit through the gateway device;
the gateway device is configured to transmit the state or event information reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway to the state or event management unit;
the state or event management unit is configured to store the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway; and
the M2M service platform is configured to determine a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway stored in the state or event management unit;
wherein, the state or event management unit may be set in the M2M service platform or may be set separately; correspondingly,
when the state or event management unit may be set separately, the state or event management unit may also provide a function of adding, inquiring about, modifying and deleting state or event information for the M2M service platform;
wherein, the terminal or the terminal gateway may be further configured to transmit the state or event information of itself to the M2M service platform or to the state or event management unit which is set separately through the gateway device, when receiving a state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately; correspondingly,
the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately may be further configured to transmit the state or event information request to the terminal or the terminal gateway through the gateway device;
the gateway device may be further configured to transmit the state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately to the terminal or the terminal gateway.
In the solution above, the gateway device may be a Short Messaging Service (SMS) gateway, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) gateway, a WAP gateway, a USSD gateway, an industry gateway, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) or a public data network gateway device.
In the method and the system provided by the disclosure for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service, the terminal or the terminal gateway transmits state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit set separately or to the state or event management unit set in the M2M service through the gateway device, then the M2M service platform determines a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway acquired from the state or event management unit. The operation specifically includes: the M2M service platform inquires about and obtains the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway from the state or event management unit; or, the state or event management unit actively reports the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway to the M2M service platform; then the M2M service platform can perform the following operations according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway: when the terminal or the terminal gateway changes from offline to online, from high load to low load or from low bandwidth to high bandwidth, switching from CS online to PS online, that is, from an SMS state to an IP state, or switching from PS online to CS online, that is, from SMS online to IP online. The M2M service platform can transmit service messages or data to or perform service interaction with the M2M terminal or the M2M terminal gateway according to the information above.
In the disclosure, the terminal or the terminal gateway reports state or event information; in addition, the state or event management unit updates in time the state or event information reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway, so that the state or event information stored in the state or event management unit is consistent with the actual state or event of the terminal or the terminal gateway, and that the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway inquired and obtained by the M2M service platform before the M2M service platform transmits a service is accurate, that is to say, the M2M service platform can learn the state or event of the terminal or the terminal gateway in time, thereby improving the efficiency of the following service of the M2M service platform.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service of the disclosure;
FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the state or event management when a terminal or a terminal gateway is electrified and started in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure;
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the state or event management when a terminal or a terminal gateway changes a state or event in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure;
FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an M2M service platform performing a corresponding service interaction operation according to state or event information in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure; and
FIG. 5 shows a structure diagram of a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service of the disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
An existing M2M communication system mainly includes an M2M application, an M2M service platform, a gateway device in a communication network, a terminal and a terminal gateway, wherein the gateway device may be a Short Messaging Service (SMS) gateway, a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) gateway, a WAP gateway, a USSD gateway, an industry gateway, a Gateway GPRS Support Node (GGSN) or a public data network gateway device, or the like, and is mainly used for terminal access control, terminal information registration, data routing or the like; the M2M service platform is used for providing functions such as service management, service establishment, service generation, service calling and service capability abstraction; the M2M application is used for calling service capability from and providing the M2M application to the M2M service platform; the terminal and the terminal gateway are located at the bottom layer of the network architecture of the M2M communication system, and can access the communication network through multiple modes such as a wired mode and a wireless mode to perform service interaction with the M2M service platform.
The basic idea of the disclosure is that: a state or event management unit is added in an original M2M communication system; during a service operation process, a terminal or a terminal gateway transmits state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit through a gateway device; an M2M service platform determines a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway in the state or event management unit;
wherein, the state or event management unit is set in the M2M service platform, or is set separately.
In the disclosure, the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway may be: reachability, unreachableness, a signal condition, an abnormal condition, a communication mode, a load condition or the like, wherein the reachability refers to that the terminal or the terminal gateway can establish a data link with the M2M service platform or the terminal is in an active state or event; the unreachableness refers to that the terminal or the terminal gateway has no data link with the service platform or the terminal is in a non-active state or event; the signal condition refers to the strength condition of a wireless signal of the terminal or the terminal gateway in the current environment; the abnormal condition refers to that the terminal or the terminal gateway is in an abnormal working state or event; the load condition refers to the current working load condition of the terminal or the terminal gateway, wherein the load condition can be divided into such levels as high, general, low; and the communication mode refers to that the terminal or the terminal gateway currently is PS online, or CS online, or online in other communication modes, for example, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) mode, a Time Division-Synchronization Code Division Multiple Access (TD-SCDMA) mode, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) 2000 mode, a CDMA mode, a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) mode, a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) mode, a fixed access mode, or the like.
The disclosure is described below in further detail in conjunction with accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.
FIG. 1 shows a flowchart of a method for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service of the disclosure; as shown in FIG. 1 , the process includes the following implementation steps.
Step 101 : a state or event management unit is set in an original M2M communication system;
wherein, the state or event management unit may be set in an M2M service platform, or set separately; when the state or event management unit is set separately, an interface for communication with the M2M service platform is set simultaneously, and is used by the state or event management unit to receive and store state or event information reported by a terminal or a terminal gateway through a gateway device and the M2M service platform, so that the state or event information can be provided to the M2M service platform to search for in the following operation.
Here, when the state or event management unit is set separately, in order to support the function above, a corresponding interface function needs to be provided to perform service interaction related to state or event information with the M2M service platform, for example, operations such as adding, inquiring about, modifying or deleting state or event information.
Step 102 : during the service operation, a terminal or a terminal gateway transmits state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit to store through a gateway device or through a gateway device and an M2M service platform.
Specifically, during the service operation, for example, when the terminal or the terminal gateway is electrified and when the terminal or the terminal gateway performs login, or when the terminal or the terminal gateway changes a state or event, the terminal or the terminal gateway actively reports the state or event information of itself to the gateway device, then the state or event information is transmitted to the state or event management unit for storage through the gateway device, or the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway is transmitted to the M2M service platform through the gateway device first and then to the state or event management unit to be stored and managed by the state or event management unit.
Here, since the gateway device has a plurality of different types, correspondingly, the terminal or the terminal gateway may transmit the state or event information through SMS, MMS, USSD, WAP, IP or the like.
Further, during the service operation, the terminal or the terminal gateway also can transmit the state or event information of itself to the M2M service platform when receiving a state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit, or transmit the state or event information to the state or event management unit through the gateway device or through the gateway device and the M2M service platform;
wherein the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway managed by the state or event management unit corresponds to an identifier of the terminal or the terminal gateway, so that the M2M service platform can search for the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway through the identifier of the corresponding terminal or terminal gateway.
During the service operation, when the gateway device finds that the state or event of the terminal or the terminal gateway is abnormal, the gateway device reports the state or event information to the M2M service platform, which then transmits the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway to the state or event management unit; or the gateway device directly transmits the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway to the state or event management unit.
Here, the state or event information reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway can be divided into: reachability, unreachableness, a signal condition, an abnormal condition, a communication mode, a load condition or the like. After the terminal or the terminal gateway is just started, that is, when the terminal or the terminal gateway is electrified or is to perform login, the terminal or the terminal gateway actively reports the state or event information of itself to the gateway device, then the state or event information is transmitted to the state or event management unit through the gateway device or through the gateway device and the M2M service platform; during the service operation, when the terminal or the terminal gateway detects the change of the state or event of itself, the terminal or the terminal gateway actively transmits the changed state or event information to the state or event management unit through the gateway device or through the gateway device and the M2M service platform.
In addition, when the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway changes, the terminal or the terminal gateway also would transmit the state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit through the gateway device, or through the gateway device and the M2M service platform.
And Step 103 : before transmitting a service to the terminal or the terminal gateway, the M2M service platform inquires about and makes a judgment on state or event information of the corresponding terminal or terminal gateway in the state or event management unit, and performs a corresponding service interaction operation according to the state or event information obtained through inquiry.
Specifically, before actively initiating the service interaction with the terminal or the terminal gateway, the M2M service platform inquires about and makes a judgment on state or event information of the corresponding terminal or terminal gateway in the state or event management unit, and then performs a corresponding service interaction operation according to the state or event information obtained through inquiry. For example, when the terminal is CS online, the interaction is performed through SMS, USSD or MMS, or the like; when the terminal is PS online, the interaction is performed through IP.
The method for managing terminal states or terminal events of the disclosure is illustrated below in detail in conjunction with a plurality of specific embodiments.
Embodiment 1
FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of the state or event management when a terminal or a terminal gateway is electrified and started in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure; as shown in FIG. 2 , the process includes the following implementation steps:
Step 201 : a terminal or a terminal gateway is electrified or started;
Step 202 : when the terminal or the terminal gateway supports a link of IP mode, the terminal or the terminal gateway initiates a data link to and establishes the data link with a gateway device;
Step 203 : the terminal or the terminal gateway reports a login message to the gateway device;
Step 204 : the gateway device judges routing according to information contained in the login message reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway;
here, the information contained in the login message includes: an identifier or an application identifier of the terminal or the terminal gateway, wherein each identifier includes information of an M2M service platform corresponding to the terminal, in this way, the gateway device can determine a corresponding target M2M service platform according to the identifier information above;
Step 205 : the gateway device transmits the state or event information to a state or event management unit through the M2M service platform;
a case that the gateway device directly transmits state or event information to the state or event management unit is not referred to in this embodiment; and
Step 206 : the state or event management unit saves or updates the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway.
Embodiment 2
FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of the state or event management when a terminal or a terminal gateway changes a state or event in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure; as shown in FIG. 3 , the process includes the following implementation steps:
Step 301 : a terminal or a terminal gateway is on line;
Step 302 : a state or event of the terminal or the terminal gateway changes;
Step 303 : the terminal or the terminal gateway transmits the changed state or event information to a gateway device;
Step 304 : the gateway device judges routing according to a message reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway and transmits the state or event information to an M2M service platform;
here, the message reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway in Step 303 includes an identifier or an application identifier of the terminal or the terminal gateway; and the gateway device determines a corresponding target M2M service platform according to the identifier information above;
Step 305 : the M2M service platform forwards the state or event information to a state or event management unit;
this embodiment does not involves a case that the gateway device transmits state or event information to the state or event management unit directly; and
Step 306 : the state or event management unit updates corresponding state or event information.
Embodiment 3
FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an M2M service platform performing a corresponding service interaction operation according to state or event information in an M2M service according to an embodiment of the disclosure; as shown in FIG. 4 , the process includes the following implementation steps:
Step 401 : an M2M service platform needs to initiate service interaction with a terminal or a terminal gateway;
Step 402 : the M2M service platform transmits a message for inquiring about state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway to a state or event management unit;
wherein the inquired message includes identifier information of the terminal or the terminal gateway;
Step 403 : the state or event management unit returns corresponding state or event information to the M2M service platform;
Step 404 : the M2M service platform judges the received state or event information and determines a service interaction mode;
Step 405 : the M2M service platform establishes a data link with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the judgment result; and
Step 406 : the M2M service platform performs the service interaction with the terminal or the terminal gateway.
FIG. 5 shows a structure diagram of a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service of the disclosure; as shown in FIG. 5 , the system includes: a terminal or a terminal gateway, a gateway device, a state or event management unit and an M2M service platform, wherein
the terminal or the terminal gateway is configured to transmit state or event information of itself to the state or event management unit through the gateway device;
the gateway device is configured to transmit the state or event information reported by the terminal or the terminal gateway to the state or event management unit;
the state or event management unit is configured to store the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway; and
the M2M service platform is configured to determine a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway stored in the state or event management unit.
The state or event management unit is set in the M2M service platform or is set separately; correspondingly, when the state or event management unit is set separately, the state or event management unit also provides a function of adding, inquiring about, modifying and deleting state or event information for the M2M service platform.
The terminal or the terminal gateway is further configured to transmit the state or event information of itself to the M2M service platform or to the state or event management unit which is set separately through the gateway device, when receiving a state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately, during the service operation; correspondingly,
the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately is further configured to transmit the state or event information request to the terminal or the terminal gateway through the gateway device, during the service operation;
the gateway device is further configured to transmit the state or event information request transmitted by the M2M service platform or the state or event management unit which is set separately to the terminal or the terminal gateway.
The gateway device may be of a plurality of types, including: an SMS gateway, a MMS gateway, a WAP gateway, a USSD gateway, an industry gateway, a GGSN gateway or a public data network gateway device; correspondingly,
the terminal or the terminal gateway may transmit state or event information through SMS, MMS, USSD, WAP, IP, or the like.
Here, the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway can be: reachability, unreachableness, a signal condition, an abnormal condition, a communication mode, a load condition, or the like.
It should be noted that the M2M in the disclosure equals the Internet of things or a ubiquitous network; correspondingly, the terminal in the disclosure equals a terminal of the Internet of things or a terminal of the ubiquitous network; the terminal gateway equals a gateway of the Internet of things or a gateway of the ubiquitous network; and the M2M service platform equals a service platform of the Internet of things or a service platform of the ubiquitous network. In addition, the terminal gateway of the M2M can be used to access a sensor network, therefore, the terminal gateway of the M2M equals a gateway of the sensor network.
The above are only the preferred embodiments of the disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of the disclosure. Any modification, equivalent substitute and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the disclosure are deemed to be included within the scope of protection of the disclosure.
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The disclosure discloses a method for managing terminal states or terminal events in a Machine-to-Machine, Machine-to-Man or Man-to-Machine (M2M) service, including: a terminal or a terminal gateway transmits state or event information of itself to a state or event management unit through a gateway device; an M2M service platform determines a service interaction operation with the terminal or the terminal gateway according to the state or event information of the terminal or the terminal gateway in the state or event management unit. The disclosure also discloses a system for managing terminal states or terminal events in an M2M service. With the method and the system, a network side can know the state or event of a terminal in time, and process services according to the state or event of the terminal, thus the success rate of the service is improved.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of motorized solar protection elements and in particular of awnings with arms, such as for example terrace awnings.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Existing installations of motorized awnings include an awning cloth and arms that can unfold for guidance of the cloth whose movement accompanies a movement for deployment or retraction of the cloth, the cloth being capable of being rolled around a tube set in motion by an actuator.
More precisely, an awning installation with arms usually comprises the following elements: a rolling tube, held at its ends in a case or by supports, foldable arms, an awning cloth and a rigid bar called a load bar. A tubular actuator makes it possible to motorize the installation.
The awning cloth is attached by one of its sides to the rolling tube inside which the tubular, actuator is located. This actuator rotates the tube and consequently makes it possible to roll up or unroll the cloth. The cloth is also attached on its opposite side to said load bar. The latter makes it possible to hold the cloth and, where necessary, is used to close the awning case when the cloth is in its retracted position.
The awning arms are attached on the one hand to the awning case (or to appropriate supports) and on the other hand to the load bar. They have at least one articulated elbow allowing them to fold or unfold. The arms are furnished, usually at the elbow, with springs that are tensed when the cloth is retracted.
Awnings with arms are usually deployed substantially horizontally. Thus, the cloth cannot be deployed only under the effect of the weight of the load bar. For deployment, the arms have a tendency, under the effect of the springs, to try to unfold. Accordingly, if the actuator releases the rotation of the rolling tube, the cloth is operated by the arms and the awning deploys.
When the awning is retracted, the actuator rotates the rolling tube which has the effect of pulling on the arms via the cloth to fold them.
The springs of the arms usually have a strong stiffness factor. Specifically, it is required that the awnings conventionally sold on the market are unrolled with the cloth under great tension, irrespective of the stopping position, for esthetic and technical reasons (no water pocket in the event of rain, more rigid holding and hence resistance to the wind, etc.).
These cloth tension stresses cause over time a distention and lengthening of the latter which may lead to carrying out readjustments.
The fully deployed position, also known as the “bottom end-of-travel position” is identified without abutment, usually thanks to a metering device. In the existing installations, this position also corresponds to a locking position in which the arms are unfolded beyond a position in which the segments of the arms are aligned. More precisely, in existing installations, each arm comprises at least two segments articulated relative to one another about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane of movement. An angle α is defined by the two segments in the plane of movement. This angle α increases as the cloth is deployed. The locking position corresponds to a position in which the angle α is greater than 180°. In this position, it is said that the arms are “braced”. This locking position allows a good retention of the tension of the cloth, particularly relative to the wind.
On the other hand, the passing of this locking position, during the deployment or more particularly the retraction of the cloth, requires the actuator to be capable of developing a high operating torque.
Accordingly, the actuators designed for awnings with arms are dimensioned for a high torque that is globally necessary only for unlocking the arms, that is to say the transition from the locking position. The rest of the travel requires only a medium torque.
In addition, the whole awning must satisfy criteria of precision, sensitivity and sealing.
Because of these criteria, the motorization of the awnings is costly since the actuators must be powerful (from 25 to 120 Nm) and the metering devices elaborate.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention therefore seeks to work around these requirements and proposes to simplify the control of the awning installation, while retaining a cloth tension suitable for market demand.
Its subject is therefore a method for controlling an awning installation comprising:
during deployment of the cloth, a step of supervising a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth, a step of rolling the cloth on the tube initiated automatically in response to a drop in the tension of the cloth following a stoppage of the associated movement of the arms during deployment, this rolling step being stopped automatically before a perceptible folding of the arms.
Initiating the step of rolling the cloth as soon as the tension of the cloth drops in particular makes it possible to automatically re-tension this cloth. In addition, using a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth simplifies the control method since it is no longer necessary to use metering devices for controlling the stoppage of deployment of the cloth. In fact a simple abutment capable of stopping the unfolding of the arms is sufficient to cause a drop in the tension of the cloth and hence to stop its deployment.
Finally, detecting a drop in the tension of the cloth from the magnitude representative of this tension makes it possible not only to re-tension the cloth when the arms have reached abutment, but also to re-tension the cloth when the arms have encountered an obstacle external to the awning installation.
“A perceptible folding of the arms” is here defined as a folding movement of the arms corresponding to a movement of the cloth that is less than 5% of the total travel of this cloth between a fully retracted position and a fully deployed position.
The embodiments of this method may comprise one or more of the following features:
the supervision step comprises a measurement of the torque exerted by the actuator on the rolling tube; the rolling step is automatically stopped as soon as the magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth becomes greater than a predetermined threshold or as soon as the change in the representative magnitude exceeds a predetermined threshold; the rolling step is automatically stopped as soon as a predetermined time has elapsed since the initiation of the rolling step; the time or the threshold is predetermined during a learning phase so as not to cause a perceptible folding of the arms.
These embodiments of the method also have the following advantages:
using a measurement of the torque of the actuator as a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth makes it possible to house the sensor in the rolling tube or even in the actuator and therefore to protect it, stopping the rolling step according to a predetermined tension threshold makes it possible to guarantee that the cloth has been re-tensioned, stopping the rolling step after a predetermined time makes it possible to re-tension the cloth without, for all that, again measuring the tension of this cloth, and determining the predetermined time or the predetermined threshold so as not to cause the perceptible folding of the arms makes it possible to maintain a maximum deployment of this cloth.
A further subject of the invention is a motorized awning installation comprising:
an awning cloth, a controllable actuator capable of causing the awning cloth to be rolled on a rolling tube, several folding arms capable of accompanying the movement of the awning cloth, a sensor capable of measuring a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth during its deployment, and a computer capable of controlling the actuator, and capable of implementing the control method above.
The embodiments of this installation may include one or more of the following features:
each arm comprises at least two segments capable of pivoting relative to one another in a plane of movement of the arms, an angle α defined by the two segments in the plane of movement increasing as the cloth is deployed, the installation comprising an abutment mechanism capable of causing a stoppage of the arms during their unfolding when the value of the angle α reaches a given value called the stopping angle, less than 180° and preferably less than 150°; the installation comprises a retention mechanism allowing the angle α to be maintained in a range ±X° about the stopping angle so long as a tension force exerted on the arms to reduce this angle remains below a predefined tension threshold, X being small relative to the value of the stopping angle, and preferably less than 5°; the abutment and/or retention mechanism can be adjusted so as to regulate the value of the stopping angle, the predefined tension threshold or the value of X.
These embodiments of the installation also have the following advantages:
maintaining the angle α below 180° makes it possible to use a less powerful actuator to roll the cloth, which simplifies the design of the awning installation, and using a retention mechanism to maintain an angle α if a force, less than a predefined threshold, is applied to reduce this angle, makes it possible to lock the cloth close to its fully deployed position without using electrical energy.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given only as a nonlimiting example and made with reference to the drawings in which:
FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are schematic illustration in perspective of an awning installation,
FIGS. 2 a , 2 b and 2 c represent schematically the installation of FIG. 1 in three different positions,
FIGS. 3 a , 3 b and 3 c are time-series charts representing, as a function of time, the evolution of the torque of an actuator of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 4 is a flowchart of a control method of the installation of FIG. 1 ,
FIG. 5 is a method for adjusting the installation of FIG. 1 , and
FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are a schematic illustration of abutment mechanisms capable of being implemented in the installation of FIG. 1 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 presents an installation 1 of an awning with arms according to the invention.
Inside a case 2 attached to a structure, for example a building facade, there is a rolling tube 21 on which an awning cloth 3 rolls. The installation also comprises two foldable arms 4 , attached on one side directly to the case 2 and on the other side to a load bar 5 holding the cloth 3 tensioned widthwise.
The arms 4 fold and unfold in a common plane of movement. For example, here, the plane of movement is substantially parallel to the plane of the cloth 3 . Each arm is formed of two segments 41 and 42 . One end of the segment 41 is connected to another end of the segment 42 by means of a hinge 43 forming an articulated elbow. The hinge 43 allows a pivoting of the segments 41 and 42 relative to one another about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the plane of movement. The angle defined between the segments 41 and 42 in the plane of movement is here marked α.
Each arm is fitted with an elastic device 10 capable of forcing the arm toward an unfolded position. Usually, the device 10 is presented in the form of springs tensioned during the folding of the arms 4 .
Each arm also comprises an adjustable abutment mechanism 11 . This mechanism 11 makes it possible to impose a maximum value α max for the angle α. The value α max is always strictly less than 180° and preferably less than 150°. Exemplary embodiments of the mechanism 11 are described with reference to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b . The actuation device will now be described with reference to FIG. 1 b.
In the rolling tube there is a tubular actuator 6 furnished with an output shaft in the form of a wheel rotating the tube 21 in a first direction and, alternately in a second, opposite direction. For example, the output shaft is attached to the shaft of the tube 21 with no degree of freedom. The actuator 6 comprises a drive or reduction gear portion 6 a and a brake 6 b . The brake makes it possible to control the speed of rotation and also to keep the rolling tube locked.
During the deployment of the cloth, the actuator 6 at least partially releases the brake 6 b and hence the rotation of the rolling tube in the first direction, under the action of the elastic device 10 . The load bar 5 and the cloth 3 are then operated toward the fully deployed position.
The actuator also comprises a sensor 7 of the cloth motor torque. This sensor 7 makes it possible to measure a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth 3 . Alternately, it is the changes in this representative magnitude that make it possible to initiate the actions of deployment or retraction.
A sensor and a method for measuring the torque exerted by the actuator on the tube 21 are, for example, described in patent EP 1 269 596 (Somfy). This patent describes a device for stopping the motor when the load on the motor exceeds a determined value. It comprises means for converting the change in tension at the terminals of a phase difference capacitor, corresponding to a change in determined torque, into a chosen change in the tension irrespective of the maximum torque developed, means for comparing the converted tension with a reference tension and means for stopping the motor when the converted tension is less than the reference tension.
Typically, this sensor makes it possible to measure a motor or resisting torque. The torque is called resisting when the torque exerted by the actuator 6 is used to slow the deployment of the cloth. Conversely, the torque is called motor torque when the actuator 6 is controlled to roll the cloth 3 .
Any type of sensor making it possible to measure a magnitude representative of the tension of the cloth can be envisaged, the latter not necessarily forming part of the actuator. Therefore, a sensor directly measuring the tension of the cloth or a sensor measuring associated movements of the tube for example enter into the context of the invention.
Finally, the actuator comprises an electronic computer 8 capable of executing one of the methods described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . This computer 8 is typically a programmable computer associated with a data storage medium containing instructions for the execution of one of these methods.
During the rolling of the cloth, the actuator 6 rotates the tube 21 in the second direction, which has the effect of pulling on the cloth 3 and of forcing the arms 4 to fold.
FIGS. 2 a to 2 c show the various steps of the method for controlling the deployment of the cloth 3 . FIGS. 3 a to 3 c illustrate the change in the torque measured by the sensor 7 , as a function of time, at the moments corresponding respectively to the steps of FIGS. 2 a to 2 c.
During the deployment of the cloth 3 , seen in FIG. 2 a , the rolling tube rotates in the first direction, the arms 4 unfold and the awning cloth unrolls. This is called the opening of the awning.
During this phase, the sensor 7 measures the cloth motor torque, for example at the output shaft of the actuator. As illustrated, the measured torque is not necessarily constant as a function of time during this step, due to a particular kinematic linked both to the springs of the arms and to the control of the actuator, which makes it possible to tension the cloth during the movement. However, globally it follows a linear law.
In FIG. 2 b , the cloth has reached the fully deployed position, that is to say that the arms 4 can unfold no further. Here, it is the mechanism 11 that prevents the arms from unfolding more as will be detailed in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b.
When the cloth reaches its fully deployed position, for a brief moment, the arms pull strongly on the cloth before the actuator 6 continues unrolling. The cloth 3 then continues to unroll slightly and the measured torque (torque corresponding to the tension of the cloth) drops sharply because the tensioned cloth is no longer exerting any stress on the rolling tube and therefore on the actuator. Typically the measured torque falls below a threshold S 1 . The computer 8 detects the sharp change in the measured torque and then commands the stoppage of rotation and hence the locking of the tube.
The installation is then stopped but the cloth is slack. It therefore does not have the esthetic or technical features desired by the users.
FIG. 3 b illustrates the changes in the measured torque. The sharp drop B 3 in torque is detected without confusion by the computer 8 .
The computer 8 then automatically initiates a slight rotation of the tube 21 in the second direction, as shown in FIG. 2 c . This rotation has the effect of tensioning the cloth, but it is stopped before the arms 4 begin to fold.
Stopping the rolling may be a function of the measured torque and/or of a predetermined time.
During the rolling, the measured torque increases again as can be seen in FIG. 3 c . Therefore, in this particular embodiment, the computer 8 stops the rolling of the cloth 3 as soon as the measured torque exceeds a predetermined threshold S 2 . The value of the threshold S 2 is adjusted to cause the rolling of the cloth 3 to stop before the arms 4 begin to fold.
FIG. 4 reflects, in the form of a flowchart, the various steps linked to the deployment of the cloth and to the supervision of the tension of the cloth, and the links between these two aspects.
During a step P 1 , the unrolling of the cloth is started by an instruction from a user. The instruction is transmitted, for example, from a control point attached to the wall or from a mobile wireless remote control. This instruction causes the beginning of a step P 2 for supervision of the torque measured by the sensor 7 .
During step P 2 , the sensor 7 continuously measures a torque representative of the tension of the cloth 3 and this measured torque is compared in real time with the threshold S 1 . A drop in the tension of the cloth is detected if the measured torque falls below the threshold S 1 .
During a step P 3 , the arms 4 reach abutment. The arms lock. Shortly after the arms arrive at the abutment, the computer 8 detects a drop in tension of the cloth during a step P 4 .
For example, during the step P 4 , the computer 8 detects a drop in measured torque only if the latter is immediately preceded by an increase in the measured torque corresponding to the collision of the arms with an abutment. Accordingly, the computer 8 verifies that the detected drop in tension occurs in a predetermined period of time Δt after the measured torque has exceeded a predetermined threshold. For example, the predetermined threshold is equal to the threshold S 2 indicated in FIG. 3 b . The period Δt here is chosen to be less than 1 second and preferably less than 0.5 second.
In response to the detection of a drop in the tension of the cloth, during a step P 5 , the computer 8 immediately commands the actuator to stop. Following this stoppage, the computer 8 automatically initiates, during a step P 6 , a rotation of the tube 21 in the reverse direction to that which has just taken place. This rolling movement instantaneously initiates a step P 7 for supervising the stoppage of the rolling.
The step P 7 consists, for example:
in verifying whether a predetermined time counted from the beginning of step P 6 has elapsed, and/or in measuring the torque representative of the tension of the cloth 3 and in comparing this torque with the threshold S 2 .
If, during a step P 8 , the computer 8 determines that the predetermined time has elapsed or that the measured torque has exceeded the threshold S 2 , then it automatically commands, during a step P 9 , the rolling of the cloth 3 to stop. The cloth then remains immobilized in its deployed position until a new movement command is generated by the user.
The threshold S 2 is determined in a fixed manner, for example as a function of the surface area of the cloth, of the tension imposed on the elastic device 10 and/or on the type of abutments of the arms 4 .
The value of the threshold S 2 , or likewise the predetermined rolling time of the cloth, may also be adjusted manually by applying the adjustment method of FIG. 5 .
At the beginning of the method of FIG. 5 , during a step P 11 , a user switches the computer 8 to a learning Mode.
Then, the steps P 1 to P 5 of the method of FIG. 4 are applied.
However, in the learning mode, the computer 8 does not automatically proceed to step P 6 . On the contrary, during a step P 12 , the computer 8 waits for a command to roll the cloth that is generated manually by the user. Then, in response to this roll command, the computer 8 initiates the step P 6 and, in parallel, during a step P 13 , the computer again waits, but this time for a manual command to stop the rolling.
When the user ascertains that the arms are at the point of folding, he manually causes the transmission of this command to stop the rolling. In response, the step P 9 is applied and, in parallel, during a step P 14 , the computer determines and records the value of the threshold S 2 or the value of elapsed time during the rolling movement. The value of the threshold S 2 is determined on the basis of the value measured by the sensor 7 at the moment when the step P 9 was initiated.
The value of the threshold S 2 or the rolling time thus defined by learning may be automatically modified to take account of a reaction time of the user.
This learning is fully compatible with the mechanism 11 , particularly adjustable by the user.
FIG. 6 a shows an example of a mechanism 11 in the form of an adjustable abutment for an arm 4 . This device adjustably limits the mechanical clearance of the arms.
In the embodiment of FIG. 6 a , the mechanism 11 comprises an adjustment screw 110 , screwed into a tapped lug 111 . The lug 111 is attached, with no degree of freedom, to the first segment 41 of the arm 4 or to the hinge 43 of the arm 4 . One end of the screw 110 butts against a lug 112 attached to the second segment 42 of the arm 4 when the arm 4 is in a fully unfolded position. Therefore, the screw 110 makes it possible to adjust the value α max by screwing it more or less into the lug 111 .
It is also possible to imagine an elastic abutment making it possible to cushion the impact between the end of the screw 110 and the lug 112 , in order to protect the elements of the installation.
A second embodiment of the mechanism 11 is shown in FIG. 6 b . It makes it possible, in addition to keeping the value of the angle α below 180°, to hold the arms in the fully deployed position. Accordingly, a first lug 113 attached, with no degree of freedom, to the hinge 43 of the arm 4 supports a flexible tab 114 , at the end of which a protrusion 115 is mounted.
A second lug 116 is attached to the second segment 42 of the arm 4 .
Preferably, the protrusion 115 and/or the lug 116 have surfaces that are inclined relative to a direction F of relative movement of the protrusion 115 relative to the lug 116 . In FIG. 6 b , only the protrusion 115 has a surface 115 a that is inclined relative to the direction F.
The lugs 113 and 116 , the tab 114 and the protrusion 115 form a retention mechanism suitable for keeping the angle α in the range ±X° around the value α max so long as a tension force exerted on the arms to reduce this angle remains below a predefined tension threshold. For example, X is equal to or less than 5°.
Preferably, the protrusion 115 can be moved along the tab 114 in at least one direction contained in the plane of movement of the arms 4 . This possibility of modifying the position of the protrusion 115 makes it possible to adjust the value X.
In addition, the flexibility of the tab itself may be adjusted. This makes it possible to define the value of a tension threshold beyond which the unlocking of the arms 4 becomes possible, as will be understood on reading the following.
During the deployment of the arms 4 , the lug 116 encounters the inclined surface 115 a of the protrusion 115 . However, the deformation of the tab 114 allows the lug 116 to pass under the protrusion 115 . The interaction of the lug 116 with the protrusion 115 forms a retractable abutment causing a drop in the tension of the cloth. After having passed this retractable abutment, the lugs 113 and 116 can come into abutment to mechanically limit the deployment of the cloth. An adjustment means as described with reference to FIG. 6 a may also be used in this embodiment.
The arms 4 are then in a locking position, independent of the arm tension springs, capable of holding the cloth in its fully deployed position.
To unlock the arms 4 , it is also necessary to provide a torque for unlocking the arms, this torque however being markedly less than that necessary for unlocking braced arms.
During the deployment of the cloth 3 , the passing of the protrusion 115 causes a drop in the measured torque, which makes it possible to detect the proximity of the fully deployed position. In response, in this embodiment, the computer 8 automatically stops, after a predetermined time, the rolling of the cloth 3 . This time is here predetermined to allow enough time for the lug 116 to pass the protrusion 115 and the arms therefore to be in their locking position. It is not necessary for this time to be sufficiently long for the lug 116 to butt against the lug 113 .
The torque curve as a function of the time is then similar to that shown in FIG. 3 b.
During the rolling movement making it possible to tension the cloth 3 , it is also easier to automatically stop the movement before the passing of this protrusion 115 . Specifically, the passing of the protrusion 115 corresponds to a considerable increase in the measured torque. The threshold S 2 may then be easily determined by learning.
Other systems of abutment and/or of fixing the value α max may of course be envisaged without departing from the context of the invention. This is the case for example of a ball abutment or a retention device with a magnet, as described for example in patent application EP 1273733.
The invention finds a particularly worthwhile application in the context of awnings called autonomous awnings, that is to say operating thanks to a power source that is not connected to an electricity system and is, where necessary, rechargeable (for example thanks to photovoltaic cells).
Specifically, it is particularly important in this case to limit consumption, and hence to limit the power necessary to supply the actuator during the actuation of the awning, while keeping a sufficiently tensioned cloth.
The various functionalities usually associated with awnings are fully applicable in combination with what has just been described. For example, the docking abutment with reduced supply voltage or reduced speed, the destressing of the cloth, the joint use of sensors (of daylight, of wind, etc.) may be used in the above embodiments.
Other advantages linked to the invention are detailed below:
a position meter is not necessary, the awning may move between its extreme positions (on one side the case and on the other the abutment, retractable or not, on the arms). This structure then simplifies the actuator that can be more easily sealed (specifically, the metering devices are entry points for damp, which represents a manufacturing constraint to the extent that such an awning is placed outdoors), the abutments may also be used for resetting the position in the case of using a manual maneuver in a system with no supply and with electronic metering.
Another advantage is associated with the detection of an obstacle when the awning descends. The detected change in tension of the cloth could also be due to the presence of an obstacle in the zone of deployment of the awning (for example the presence of a truck in front of a cafe terrace awning). In this case, the deployment of the awning is stopped according to the invention.
As a variant, the computer 8 and/or the sensor 7 are mounted outside the actuator.
In other embodiments, each arm 4 may unfold in its own plane of movement parallel to the plane of movement of the other arm.
Here, the awning installation has been described in the particular case in which the rolling step P 6 is stopped automatically according to a predetermined time or the passing of the threshold S 2 . As a variant, the step P 6 of rolling the cloth is automatically stopped according to a predetermined angular distance. For example, the actuator 6 is automatically stopped as soon as the tube 21 has traveled this predetermined angular distance.
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This method for controlling a motorized awning installation comprises:
during the deployment of a cloth, a step of supervising the tension of the cloth, and a step of rolling up the cloth on a tube initiated automatically in response to a drop in the supervised tension, and stopped automatically before a perceptible folding of the arms for guidance of the cloth.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to industrial washers and refers more specifically to an industrial washer of the type wherein engine blocks are fed through the washer on a conveyor which is intermittently driven to move the engine blocks between predetermined stations, and wherein the engine blocks are cleaned and washed in the industrial washer beneath large covers over the conveyor and blocks. The invention refers more particularly to such an industrial washer including structure therein for and the method steps of selectively moving the covers to expose a significant portion of the conveyor and operably associated engine block handling apparatus for inspection and or maintenance of the blocks or apparatus whereby downtime of the industrial washer while fumes are being evacuated therefrom to permit inspection and/or maintenance thereof is substantially reduced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In the past, industrial washers of, for example, the type utilized to clean and wash engine blocks wherein engine blocks are indexed through a washer on a conveyor through a plurality of stations, both on and off the conveyor, for treatment by washing fluid or the like, have included covers over the conveyor, associated engine block handling apparatus, and/or cleaning and washing apparatus to restrict cleaning and washing fluids and their fumes substantially to the industrial washer.
With such structure, when it is desired to inspect the conveyor or associated engine block handling apparatus such as ferris wheel structures and the like for proper operation and/or to provide maintenance thereon, the industrial washer has had to be shut down while the fumes from the fluids used in the washer are evacuated therefrom prior to entry of personnel into the covered area to perform the inspection and/or maintenance. Costs for downtime of such industrial washers may run to hundreds of dollars per minute of downtime. Therefore, anything that can be accomplished to eliminate portions of such downtime is particularly desirable.
Further, with such structures of the past, wherein doors have been provided in the covers of such apparatus, and maintenance is carried on inside the apparatus by personnel entering the covers through the doors, the working space within the covers has usually been cramped, resulting in disagreeable working conditions and therefore longer downtime and low employee morale.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, an industrial washer for washing engine blocks and the like and method of operation thereof is provided in significant portions of the conveyor and engine block handling apparatus of the washer may be selectively exposed to rapidly dissipate fumes which prevent inspection and maintenance of the structure from the area of the conveyor and associated engine block handling apparatus and to provide substantially unlimited space for inspection and maintenance.
The structure of the invention comprises covers on an industrial washer for engine blocks or the like in which washer engine blocks are indexed through a plurality of stations, both on and off a conveyor beneath the covers in a closed position, which covers are mounted on rollers which are set on tracks extending parallel to the conveyor, whereby the covers may be moved parallel to the conveyor on the tracks. The invention also includes racks secured to opposite sides of each of the covers in mesh with pinions on a spindle associated with each cover, and means for driving the spindles through chain and sprocket apparatus independently for each cover.
The method of the invention includes moving the covers of an industrial washer, in which washer engine blocks are moved therethrough in a plurality of stations, both on and off a conveyor, longitudinally of the conveyor by selectively energizing motors to turn spindles having pinions on opposite ends thereof engaged with racks secured to the covers to roll the covers parallel to the conveyor on tracks positioned parallel to the conveyor and mating wheels secured to the covers and positioned on the tracks.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of the industrial washer structure of the invention for practicing the method of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the industrial washer structure of FIG. 1 taken substantially in the direction of arrow 2 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is an end view of the industrial washer structure illustrated in FIG. 1 taken substantially in the direction of arrow 3 in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial top view of structure for moving the left hand cover of the industrial washer as illustrated in FIG. 2 to expose a significant portion of the conveyor and engine block handling apparatus within the washer for inspection and/or maintenance in accordance with the method of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a partial section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4 taken substantially on the line 5--5 in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a partial section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 4 taken substantially on the line 6--6 in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial top view of structure for moving the right hand cover of the industrial washer as illustrated in FIG. 2 to expose a significant portion of the conveyor and engine block handling apparatus within the washer for inspection and/or maintenance in accordance with the method of the invention.
FIG. 8 is a partial section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 7 taken substantially on the line 8--8 in FIG. 7.
FIG. 9 is a partial section view of the structure illustrated in FIG. 7 taken substantially on the line 9--9 in FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The industrial washer 10 of the invention as shown in FIGS. 1 through 3 is operable to receive engine blocks from conveyor 12 and to clean them under a cover 14 and to wash them under a cover 16 while moving the engine blocks through a plurality of stations 18, both on and off the conveyor 12.
In accordance with the invention, the industrial washer 10 includes structure for effecting a method of moving the covers 14 and 16 independently parallel to the conveyor 12 to selectively expose a significant portion of the conveyor 12 and associated engine block handling apparatus, whereby fumes from cleaning and washing fluids are rapidly evacuated from the area of the conveyor and engine block handling apparatus to facilitate rapid inspection and/or maintenance of the washer.
More specifically, the industrial washer 10 includes ferris wheel engine block handling apparatus at stations 20, 22 and 24 wherein engine blocks on conveyor 12 are removed from and replaced on the conveyor. Engine blocks are removed from the conveyor 12 at stations 20, 22 and 24 and are rotated into a plurality of positions defining a plane transverse to the conveyor 12 and are cleaned beneath the cover 14 and washed beneath the cover 16.
A dry-off fan structure 26 and exhaust fan structure 28, as well as fluid flow control structure 30, which may be actuated by hydraulic control structure 31, are provided between the stationary bulkheads 32 and 34 in the center of the industrial washer 10 as shown.
In operation of the industrial washer 10, the engine blocks are first moved from end 19 of the conveyor 12 to a ferris wheel apparatus at the station 20 under the cover 14, at which station the blocks are rotated into a plurality of different attitudes whereby they are emptied of extraneous fluids and chips that may be carried thereby into the industrial washer. The engine blocks are then placed back on the conveyor 12 and dried in the area 36 between the bulkheads 32 and 34.
Subsequently, the engine blocks are indexed beneath the cover 16 and through the various positions shown and the ferris wheel structures at the positions 22 and 24. The engine blocks are washed beneath the cover 16 with a washing fluid while they are in different attitudes on ferris wheel structures at stations 22 and 24. The cleaned and washed engine blocks are then moved out of the industrial washer 10 at the end 38 of the conveyor 12.
Industrial washer 10 further includes the tank 40 for holding the washing fluid which may be a caustic washing fluid. The fluid is heated by heaters 42 and is filtered by the filter bed 44 and the filter 46 in the tank 40, after which it is pumped by motor and pump means 48 through a conduit 50 back into the area beneath the cover 16 of the industrial washer 10 through the structure 30.
The operation of the industrial washer 10 as indicated above is substantially continuous. However, when it is necessary to shut down the conveyor 12 to inspect either the industrial washer structure 10 or the engine blocks passing therethrough during operation, it is essential that the inspection and/or any maintenance required be accomplished as quickly as possible since downtime of the conveyor 10 in most engine plants is expensive. Unscheduled downtime due to unexpected occurrences in the washer structure 10 often costs several hundreds of dollars per minute.
As set forth above, in the past when it has been necessary to inspect or provide maintenance, particularly unscheduled inspection and/or maintenance on or in industrial washers, it has been necessary to evacuate the area beneath the covers 14 and/or 16 with fans or the like before permitting workmen inside the covers 14 and 16 through doors therein. Such inspection and/or maintenance has been carried out under the covers in such prior industrial washers under undesirable conditions due to cramped quarters and residual fumes therein.
In accordance with the present invention, structure is provided in the industrial washer 10 for moving the covers 14 and 16 parallel to the conveyor 12 between the closed positions shown in full lines in FIGS. 1 and 2 and the open positions shown in phantom in FIGS. 1 and 2, whereby a significant portion of the conveyor 12 and the engine block handling apparatus within the industrial washer 10 is exposed for rapid evacuation of fumes and to provide additional working space for maintenance operations.
More specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4-6, the structure for moving the cover 16 to the left as shown in FIG. 2 away from the bulkhead 32 against which it is sealed in a closed position to the open position illustrated in phantom in FIG. 2, includes the rear rollers 54 and 56 and the front rollers 52 and 58 spaced apart longitudinally and positioned transversely of the conveyor 12 as shown and rotatably secured to and supporting the cover 16 on rear rails 62 and 64 and front rails carried by the frame 68 of the industrial washer 10. The rollers 52-58 and rails 60-66 have cooperating engaged V-shaped surfaces which insure that the cover 16 is guided parallel to the conveyor 12 on the frame 68.
Movement of the cover 16 between the open and closed positions thereof as shown in full and phantom lines respectively in FIG. 2, is accomplished by rack and pinion means. The rack and pinion means includes racks 72 and 74 secured to the cover 16 parallel to the conveyor 12 and pinions 76 and 78 meshed therewith supported for rotation on the opposite ends 80 and 82 of the spindle structure 84. Spindle structure 84 includes bearing means 87 secured to the frame 68 as shown. In operation, the pinions 76 and 78 are rotated on rotation of the spindle means 84 in the bearing means 87.
The spindle structure 84 is connected to the sprocket 86 for rotation within the bearing means 87 to rotate pinions 76 and 78. Sprocket 86 is in turn rotated through drive chain 88, sprocket 90, gearbox 92 and motor 94.
Thus, in operation, the reversible motor 94 is selectively driven in opposite directions automatically on operation of electrical controls in control cabinet 100 to rotate the pinions 76 and 78 in a required direction to cause the cover 16 secured to the racks 72 and 74 to move into a closed position as shown in solid lines in FIG. 2 wherein the open end thereof is sealed against the bulkhead 32 or to move into an open position of the cover as shown in phantom in FIG. 2 to expose a significant portion of the conveyor 12 and associated engine block handling apparatus including ferris wheel apparatus at stations 22 and 24 to facilitate rapid inspection and maintenance of the industrial washer 10.
Similarly, the structure for effecting movement of the cover 14 into a closed position wherein the open end thereof is sealed against the bulkhead 34, as shown in full lines in FIG. 2, and an open position as shown in phantom in FIG. 2, includes the rear rollers 104 and 106 and front rollers 102 and 108 having a V-shaped outer periphery cooperable with the V-shaped tracks 110, 112, 114 and 116 to guide the cover 14 to the conveyor 12 in its movement on frame 68.
Again the movement of the cover 14 is accomplished through rack and pinion means including racks 120 and 122 secured to the cover 14 and pinions 124 and 126 engaged therewith. Said pinions are rotatably mounted on the spindle structure 128 in bearing means 130.
The spindle structure 128 and pinions 124 and 126 secured thereto are rotated from motor 132 which may be selectively actuated in opposite directions from the control box 100 to drive the gearbox 134, sprocket 136 and sprocket 138 through chain drive 140.
Movement of the covers 14 and 16 parallel to the conveyor 12 to expose the conveyor 12 and engine block handling apparatus of the industrial washer 10 promotes rapid evacuation of the fumes from cleaning and washing fluids from beneath the covers 14 and 16 and therefore permits quicker inspection and/or maintenance within the industrial washer 10. The more rapid inspection and maintenance possible is cost advantageous, particularly during unscheduled shutdowns of the industrial washer 10.
While one embodiment of the present invention has been disclosed in detail herein, it will be understood that other embodiments and modifications thereof are contemplated. It is the intention to include all embodiments and modifications as are defined by the appended claims within the scope of the invention.
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An industrial washer including structure for and method of automatically moving a cover of the industrial washer to permit rapid exhaust of washing fluid fumes from the washer to facilitate inspection and maintenance of the washer. The structure for removing the cover specifically includes independent rack and pinion means at opposite sides of covers at both ends of the washer for rolling the covers independently parallel to a conveyor moving engine blocks through the washer. The method of the invention includes selectively, independently rolling the covers parallel to the conveyor on mating track and rollers by the rack and pinion means to expose significant portions of the interior of the washer to rapidly exhaust fumes from the washer.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is the first application filed for the present invention.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to the field of electrical inverters and converters. More particularly, the invention deals with inverters and converters having DC power sources and/or loads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] In order to achieve DC bi-directional conversion many electrical components must be used. These electrical components are complex, require a large number of parts and hence are costly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention concerns a device that combines the functionality of an inverter and a bi-directional converter. The device provides, on a number of identical channels, transformation of a DC voltage source of a given level to a filtered DC voltage of another level. The inverter and bi-directional converter of the present invention also has the capability to invert a DC power input to thereby supply, to an AC output, AC power to an AC load, such as a fluorescent light. The DC voltage sources at the inputs of inverter and bi-directional converter may act as sources of DC power or sinks of DC power (e.g., for recharging) depending on the voltage level of each input and a winding ratio between the channels. The change of the source of DC power from a DC voltage source on one channel to a DC voltage on another channel is performed smoothly and without interference with the operation of the AC load.
[0005] In an embodiment, the present invention provides a converter for transforming a DC voltage source into a filtered DC voltage, said converter comprising: a first channel including an input for receiving said DC voltage source, and a first inductor connected to said input for converting said DC voltage source into a DC current source thereby producing AC energy; a second channel including a second inductor; transfer means for transferring said AC energy between said first inductor and said second inductor; and a switching and inverting circuit receiving said DC current source and producing unfiltered DC energy; wherein said second inductor sums said unfiltered DC energy and said transferred AC energy to provide said filtered DC voltage on said second channel.
[0006] In another embodiment, the invention provides an inverter and bi-directional converter comprising: at least two converter channels, each of said converter channels comprises an input/output; an inductor; an alternating switch; and a parallel LC circuit; a common inductor core for transferring AC energy, produced by said inductor, to and from each inductor; and a common transformer core for transferring a magnetic field, produced by said LC circuit, to and from each LC circuit; wherein while in an input operation mode: said input/output receives a DC voltage source; said inductor converts said DC voltage source into a DC current source, said inductor produces AC energy that is induced in a common inductor core, said induced AC energy being transferred through said common inductor core to an inductor on another channel, each said inductors being wound on said common inductor core; said alternating switch in combination with said parallel LC circuit produce an AC signal from said DC current source thereby producing said magnetic field; wherein while in an output operation mode: said magnetic field is induced in said parallel LC circuit which produces another AC signal; said alternating switch, acting as a synchronized rectifier, receives said another AC signal to produce unfiltered DC energy; and said unfiltered DC energy is summed with said transferred AC energy to provide a filtered DC voltage source.
[0007] In yet another embodiment, the invention provides a multi-source uninterruptible power supply (UPS) for providing power to an AC load, said UPS receiving power from a primary power source and a secondary power source, said primary power source having, in normal operating conditions, a higher voltage value than said secondary power source, said UPS comprising: a DC converter for transitioning from said primary to said secondary power sources when said primary power source decreases below a selected voltage level; and an AC output for producing, from one of said primary and secondary power sources, an output AC signal adapted to drive said AC load.
[0008] Still in another embodiment, the invention provides a method for converting a DC voltage source into a filtered DC voltage, said method comprising: receiving and converting said DC voltage source into a DC current, thereby producing AC energy; producing, from said DC current, unfiltered DC energy; and summing said unfiltered DC energy and said AC energy to provide said filtered DC voltage.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0009] Further features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in combination with the appended drawings, in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an inverter and bi-directional converter according to an embodiment of the invention; and
[0011] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the inverter and bi-directional converter that may be used in a ballast application.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Referring to FIG. 1 , an Inverter and Bi-directional Converter (henceforth referred to as Converter 10 ) will now be described. Generally, a purpose of Converter 10 is to provide, among other things, a simple device for transforming a DC voltage source 12 at a given input level into a filtered DC voltage 14 of another selected level. At all times, at least one of DC Sources 12 , 14 , and 16 is a source of DC power while the others may be DC loads. A DC load could be, for example, a rechargeable DC battery. Converter 10 also has the capability to invert a DC input to produce an AC output 36 to thereby supply AC power to a load 38 .
[0013] Converter 10 is shown having three (3) channels 7 , 8 and 9 . It is understood that the number of channels could be greater than three. As understood from this description, the minimum number of channels is two, where at least one is acting as a source of power. The number of channels is dictated by the selected application. Each channel (e.g., Channels 7 , 8 and 9 ), comprises an input/output at which is provided a DC source or Load 12 , 14 and 16 . Each channel further includes an inductor (e.g., Inductors 18 , 20 and 22 ) that converts DC voltage source 12 into a DC current source. In the conversion from a DC voltage to a DC current source, Inductor 18 also produces AC energy.
[0014] Converter 10 comprises a transfer means for transferring the AC energy to and from each Inductor 18 , 20 , 22 . In an embodiment of the invention, the transfer means includes Common Inductor Core 23 that is common to all channels and that performs the transfer of AC energy from Inductor 18 to Inductors 20 and 22 . The use of AC energy will be further discussed below.
[0015] Converter 10 includes a switching and inverting circuit that receives said DC current source and that produces unfiltered DC energy. In an embodiment, switching and inverting circuit comprises at least two alternating switches (e.g., two of Alternating Switches 24 , 26 , and 28 ), at least two parallel LC circuits (e.g., two of Parallel LC Circuits 30 , 32 , and 34 ) and a Common Transformer Core 35 .
[0016] In the presently described embodiment, Alternating Switch 24 in combination with Parallel LC Circuit 30 produce, from the DC current source, an AC signal and thereby producing a magnetic field. Common Transformer Core 35 transfers the magnetic field to and from each Parallel LC Circuit 30 , 32 , and 34 .
[0017] In this embodiment, the magnetic field is therefore induced from Channel 7 to Channel 8 through Common Transformer Core 35 . From the magnetic field, Parallel LC Circuit 32 produces another AC signal. Persons skilled in the art will recognize that the L's (inductors) in LC Circuits 30 , 32 , and 34 and Common Transformer Core form a transformer. Alternating Switch 26 , acting as a synchronized rectifier, receives the other AC signal and produces unfiltered DC energy. The unfiltered DC energy is summed with the previously mentioned transferred AC energy to provide the filtered DC voltage source at the output of Channel 8 .
[0018] A person skilled in the art will understand that, in the previously described embodiment, Channel 7 is in input operation mode while Channel 8 is in output operation mode.
[0019] Also shown on FIG. 1 are: a converter AC Output 36 comprising a coil and an AC Load 38 . In an exemplary embodiment, AC load 38 could be one or more fluorescent lights, an AC electric motor, another transformer, or any other AC device.
[0020] Finally, Converter 10 may further include synchronizing means (not shown) for synchronizing Alternating Switches 24 , 26 , and 28 with the resonance frequency of the switching and inverting circuit. The AC signals on each of the channels may thereby be in phase with each other. In an embodiment of the invention, each Alternating Switch 24 , 26 , and 28 may include a transistor arrangement that provides the necessary synchronized switching function. This type of synchronized switching arrangement is well known to those skilled in the art and will not be further described herein.
[0021] Converter 10 automatically and smoothly transitions between DC power sources 12 , 14 , and 16 . This is possible by selecting the appropriate turn ratios for Inductors 18 , 20 , and 22 . Transformer Coil Ratios are conversely selected and calculated. Turn ratios can be calculated according to the selected “Turn On” and “Turn Off” DC voltage levels. The Turn On and Turn Off voltages are used to determine which of the DC voltage sources 12 , 14 , or 18 will provide the DC power to feed the others and AC output 38 . It is understood that the Turn On and Turn Off voltage levels can be a range of values and not necessarily a discrete value thereby ensuring the transition from one channel to another within a window of voltage levels in a gradual manner. Converter 10 differentially transfers the load thereby balancing the energy it requires, within the window of voltage levels, from its respective DC voltage sources. The window is therefore centered on the Turn On and Turn Off voltages.
[0022] In Table 1, DC Voltage Source 12 on Channel 1 will act as the source of DC power (first priority) until its voltage level reaches the window centered on 85.0 VDC. At this point, Converter 10 decreases its energy consumption from DC Voltage Source 12 to increase proportionally the energy consumption from DC Voltage Source 14 thereby maintaining constant the energy at AC Output 36 and/or at other outputs of Converter 10 . This ensures the smooth transition between sources discussed earlier.
[0023] DC Voltage Source 14 on Channel 8 should be at 74.0 VDC and it will takeover as the DC power source until either DC Voltage Source 12 on Channel 7 reaches the bottom of the window centered on 85 VDC or more again, or DC Voltage Source 14 itself drops below the top of the window centered on 50.0 VDC. At that point, DC Voltage Source 16 on Channel 9 will takeover, in the same manner as DC Voltage Source 14 took over above, and act as the source of DC power for AC load 38 until either DC Voltage Source 14 reaches the bottom of the window centered on 50.0 VDC or more again, or DC Voltage Source 16 on itself drops below 6.0 VDC. At this point, if there is not another available channel, the last channel's DC power source will simply completely discharges itself.
[0024] Two examples for calculating Transformer and Inductor Coil Ratios are given in Tables 1 and 2 below.
TABLE 1 Transformer Channel Turn On Turn Off and Inductor Priority Channel no. Voltage (V) Voltage (V) Coil Ratio (%) First 7 120.0 85.0 100.0 Second 8 74.0 50.0 87.1 Third 9 7.2 6.0 8.5
[0025]
TABLE 2
Transformer
Channel
Turn On
Turn Off
and Inductor
Priority
Channel no.
Voltage (V)
Voltage (V)
Coil Ratio (%)
First
7
74.0
50.0
100.0
Second
8
120.0
85.0
240.0
Third
9
7.2
6.0
14.4
[0026] As can be seen from the examples above, Transformer and Inductor Coil Ratio can be calculated by the following formulae:
(Present Turn On Voltage/Precedent Turn Off Voltage)×100
[0027] For example, in Table 1, if the number of turns in Inductor 18 is the reference (100%), the Inductor Coil Ratio to determine the number of turns in Inductor 20 would be calculated as follows:
(74/85)×100=87.1
[0028] Furthermore, it will be obvious to persons skilled in the art that DC Voltage Sources 12 , 14 , or 18 may be selected as a function of the AC Load 38 and/or of the desired time of operation of the AC Load 38 .
[0029] Now referring to FIG. 2 , Converter 10 is shown in an emergency lighting ballast application. In this context, a multi-source uninterruptible power supply (UPS) designated by numeral 80 will now be described. In this particular embodiment, the purpose of UPS 80 is to receive electrical power inputs Primary Input 40 , Secondary Input 42 , and Local Input 44 , and to transition between the power sources available to them to eventually provide appropriate power to light a lamp or lamps (e.g., Lamps 64 ). Lamps 64 include any type of fluorescent lamps, High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps, etc. UPS 10 also has the capability to recharge the power source at Secondary Input 42 from the power source Primary Input 40 , and to recharge the power source at Local Input 44 from the power sources at Secondary Input and/or Primary Input 40 . Secondary Input 8 and Local Input 44 can therefore accommodate sinks as well as sources of power. Furthermore, UPS 10 receives Test & Control Signal 46 that is used to advise UPS 10 of a variation in a local condition, such the output of a local battery pack (not shown), or activating only the local battery pack. Operation of UPS 10 may therefore factor in Test & Control Signal 4 into its decision making process.
[0030] UPS 10 as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2 may be used in the context of providing different lighting levels such as would be required in “emergency” conditions. This context would be present, for example, in public transit vehicles (e.g., trains, metros, busses, ferries, aircraft, etc.), in office buildings, multi-family housing, homes, etc. “Emergency” lighting includes lighting provided at the same or lower level as in “normal” conditions, for a given or undetermined period of time (referred to as the emergency period), when a long term source of power is no longer available or intermittent, or when a decrease over time of a primary power source is detected. Details of the requirements for providing “emergency” lighting may be found in legislation and may vary according to each jurisdiction.
[0031] Referring back to FIG. 2 , UPS 10 as discussed above has three inputs, namely Primary Input 40 , Secondary Input 42 and Local Input 44 for electrical power. More specifically, in this embodiment, Primary Input 40 receives an AC power source while Secondary Input 42 and Local Input 44 receive DC power sources.
[0032] In this example, Primary Input 40 is converted to a DC power source through Rectifier & Filter Protection Circuit 48 and Power Factor Corrector (PFC) & Voltage Regulator 49 . The AC voltage source at Primary Input could be, in this example, 120 VAC. The DC voltage level at the output of PFC & Voltage Regulator 49 could be, for example, at a higher level (i.e., 200 VDC) than at Secondary Input 42 (i.e., 74.0 VDC) which itself is at a higher level (i.e., 7.2 VDC). Refer to Tables 1 and 2 above for other examples and further details. In an embodiment, Primary Input 40 , Secondary Input 42 and Local Input 44 are independent from one another.
[0033] Primary Input 40 may be from a central AC power source while Secondary Input 42 may be from a DC battery (e.g., in the range 50 VDC to 90 VDC). Local Input 44 is normally from a smaller DC battery (e.g., in the range 5 VDC to 12 VDC).
[0034] Controller 10 operates in the same manner as described above. Controller 10 will therefore contribute in determining from which source UPS 80 will drain power to drive lamps 64 . The output of Controller 10 will therefore reflect the highest power at its input.
[0035] Lamp Level Control blocks 54 , 56 receive the AC signal from Converter 10 and introduce an appropriate delay and adjustment in the AC signal under the control of Ballast Controller CPU 62 . Lamp Shutdown Switches 58 , 60 simply provide the ability to control, from the Ballast Controller CPU 62 , the shutting down of a selection from lamps 64 .
[0036] Finally, Ballast Controller CPU 62 receives inputs from components listed above and performs its functions as discussed earlier. Moreover, Ballast Controller CPU 30 may include a timer for monitoring the period after which Primary Input 40 is not in function.
[0037] Persons skilled in the art will understand that when power on Primary Input 40 drops below a given level (refer to examples in Tables 1 and 2), UPS 80 simply draws power from a secondary battery (not shown) at Secondary Input 42 .
[0038] The embodiment(s) of the invention described above is (are) intended to be exemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to be limited solely by the scope of the claims to be later appended to the corresponding non-provisional patent application.
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The present invention concerns a device that combines the functionality of an inverter and a bi-directional converter. The device provides, on a number of identical channels, transformation of a DC voltage source of a given level to a filtered DC voltage of another level. The inverter and bi-directional converter of the present invention also has the capability to invert a DC power input to thereby supply, on an AC output, AC power to an AC load, such a fluorescent light. The DC voltage sources at the inputs of inverter and bi-directional converter may act as sources of DC power or sinks of DC power depending on the voltage level of each input and a winding ratio between the channels. Passing from being a source to a sink of DC power is performed smoothly and without interference with the operation of the AC load.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a Division of application Ser. No. 773,097, filed Feb. 28, 1977, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,115,336, issued Sept. 19, 1978, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 711,182, filed Aug. 3, 1976 and now abandoned.
The present invention relates to emulsions formed by mixing water with a mixture of an unsaturated polyester and an unsaturated monomer and the use of such emulsions in the manufacture of hardenable mixtures containing a setting agent which sets by hydration thereof, for example, plaster of Paris and Portland cement.
Concrete derived from Portland cement has been used for many years in the construction industry. Its use in this industry derives from its high compressive strength. However it has very low tensile and flexural strength and is also subject to acidic attack. Further, because of the interstices in concrete, it is also liable to disintegration when subjected to freeze/thaw conditions.
In an effort to improve its properties, thereby extending its uses, various resins have been incorporated into the concrete by a variety of means. Thus, for example, emulsions of thermoplastic polymers have been blended into the concrete during mixing, or, if the concrete has a structure of sufficient porosity when set, the thermoplastic polymer has been impregnated into the set concrete. These compositions have improved the properties of concrete at normal ambient temperatures. However, when subjected to extreme temperatures, as in a fire, they melt and consequently lose their strength. Therefore, such materials have not found widespread use in the construction industry.
Improved properties would accrue to a concrete composition which incorporated a thermosetting resin rather than a thermoplastic resin since a thermosetting resin does not melt. Various attempts have been made to incorporate thermosetting resins, or more accurately, cross-linked resins, into concrete compositions. Thus Australian Pat. No. 426,171 refers to a dry cementitious composition containing a hydraulic cement, a polyvalent metal salt of a water redispersible addition polymer containing units derived from an α/β monoethylenically unsaturated carboxylic acid monomer, a sequestrant and a trimethylol alkane. Addition of water to the dry mix results in hydration of the addition polymer and sequestration of the polyvalent metal ions thereby allowing a condensation reaction to occur between the addition polymer and the trimethylol alkane simultaneously with the hydration of the cement.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,619 provides a dry mix comprising an unsaturated polyester resin, monomeric styrene, Portland cement, a base activated resin-dispersible initiator and an effective amount of an inhibitor. On the addition of water the hydroxyl ions provided by the cement activate the catalyst which then initiates an addition polymerization reaction between the unsaturated polyester and the styrene. Although prima facie polyester resin dry mixes have an advantage over emulsions since they reduce transport costs, this advantage is frequently outweighed by the cost of drying components, as in the case of the composition described in Australian Pat. No. 426,171, and the problem of avoiding setting during transit and storage which results in premature setting and consequent wastage. The use of inhibitors as in U.S. Pat. No. 3,437,619 to prevent early setting is also a disadvantage as they can prevent, and frequently retard, the addition polymerization from occurring in all but ideal circumstances. Thus advantages would accrue to a system which comprises cement, filler and an emulsion formed by mixing water with a cross-linkable monomer and cross-linking agent, wherein the water for hardening the cement is provided by the emulsion. Such a system is provided in U.S. Pat. No. 3,310,511 which describes an epoxy resin emulsion which can be incorporated into a concrete mix and hardened by an amine by means of a condensation polymerization reaction. However, epoxy resins are very expensive, thus an economic advantage is provided by using a cheaper cross-linkable system. Unsaturated polyester resins cross-linkable with an unsaturated monomer have been used for quite some time in the manufacture of fibre-glass reinforced polyester resins.
However, copolymerizable mixtures of an unsaturated polyester and an unsaturated monomer are not normally used as aqueous emulsions. Nevertheless, U.S. Pat. No. 3,256,219 describes water in resin emulsions in which the aqueous phase remains dispersed even during and after the addition polymerization of the unsaturated polyester with the unsaturated monomer. On the other hand there is no suggestion that the emulsions described in this Patent Specification remain stable after the addition of a setting agent which sets by hydration thereof.
Italian Pat. No. 585,721 describes polyester resins containing a hydraulic cement filler. Such filled polyester resins are manufactured by forming a dry mix of unsaturated polyester, unsaturated monomer, free radical initiator, promotor and nonionic emulsifier. Water is finally mixed into the dry mix. The water hydrates the cement. The heat of hydration accelerates the addition polymerization reaction between the unsaturated monomer and the unsaturated polyester initiated by the initiator and the emulsifier tends to aid the dispersion of water and thus cement throughout the mix. This invention suffers from the disadvantage that the mix has to be made in situ and further there is no appreciation of the fact that in order to obtain optimum properties for the mix when set it is essential to form an emulsion of water, unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer which remains stable after cement has been added.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly the present invention provides an emulsion formed by mixing water with a mixture consisting essentially of an unsaturated polyester resin and an unsaturated monomer, wherein said emulsion is so stable that demulsification does not occur when a setting agent of a kind which sets by hydration thereof is added thereto.
The invention also provides a method of forming a product which method comprises mixing the emulsion with
a setting agent of a kind which sets by hydration thereof to form a hardenable mixture, causing an addition polymerization reaction to occur between said unsaturated polyester and said unsaturated monomer, allowing the hardenable mixture to harden thereby forming a product wherein sufficient water is provided by said emulsion to allow said hydration to occur.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It should be understood that the term demulsification as used herein is used in the normal sense, i.e. the breaking of an emulsion to form two separate liquid layers, an aqueous layer and an organic layer. Thus, although the setting agent takes up water from the emulsion and, providing sufficient setting agent is present, the emulsion will eventually cease to exist, the emulsion at no stage breaks down into two separate liquid layers after the setting agent has been added thereto.
Preferably the emulsion contains from 35% to 65% by weight of water and is a water in resin emulsion. The setting agent may be an hydraulic cement, plaster of Paris, or a mixture of lime and hydraulic cement. Preferably the setting agent is a Portland cement.
The stability of the emulsion in the presence of the setting agent is influenced by the proportions of unsaturated monomer in the mixture, the ratio of reactants used in manufacturing the unsaturated polyester and the molecular weight of the reactants so used.
It has been discovered that emulsions based on unsaturated polyester/monomer mixtures comprising more than 30% by weight of unsaturated monomer based on the weight of the mixture, are unstable. Preferably therefore the mixture of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer comprises no more than 30% by weight of the unsaturated monomer based on the weight of the mixture.
Preferably the molar ratio of unsaturated to saturated components lies in the range from 0.8 to 1.75, and more preferably in the range from 1.35 to 1.4.
Preferably the polyhydric alcohols and the polycarboxylic acids used in manufacturing the emulsions of the present invention are of high M.W., i.e. in the range from 100 to 1000, and more preferably are not polymers in their own right such as polyether polyols or polyester polyols. Suitable polyols are ethylene glycol, trimethylpentane diol and neopentyl glycol. However, a polyethylene glycol may also be used.
The total of said alcohol components is preferably in excess of 2 to 5 mole percent over stoichiometric requirements. The preferred molecular weight of the unsaturated polyester lies in the range from 3,100 to 3,600.
In forming the said polyester the condensation polymerization reaction preferably proceeds until the polyester has an acid number of 25 or less.
Preferably the unsaturated polyester or the unsaturated monomer contain substituent atoms of bromine or chlorine in order to improve the flame resistant properties of articles produced by the method of the present invention. Thus tetrabromophthalic anhydride is preferably used as one of the reactants employed in manufacturing the unsaturated polyesters to be incorporated into the emulsions of the present invention.
The unsaturated monomer may be a vinyl monomer, e.g. styrene, methyl methacrylate, diallyl phthalate monomer, triallyl cyanurate monomer, or mixtures thereof.
Preferably the addition polymerization reaction is initiated by a free radical initiator. The addition polymerization reaction may be caused by a hot or cold polymerization process. It is possible to manufacture a resin with two initiator additives, one which allows partial polymerization at ambient temperature and a second catalyst additive which will achieve the complete and final polymerization in a hot press system. This double additive process makes it possible to deliver a mortar in pregelled rolls. A suitable initiator for initiation at low temperatures is dibenzoyl peroxide promoted by a copper compound. However the preferred initiators are methyl ethyl ketone peroxide and butyl perbenzoate. Other suitable initiators are the organic hydroperoxides, and hydrogen peroxide. It is also possible to employ free radical initiators which are activated by ultra violet light. Alternatively the addition polymerization process may be initiated by high energy irradiation.
When the setting agent and initiator are added to the emulsion and mixed therewith, the setting agent penetrates the emulsion and is hydrated by the water. If the initiator employed is of the heat activated type, the heat generated by hydration of the cement activates the initiator after 10-15 minutes. The activated initiator then initiates an addition polymerization reaction between the unsaturated polyester and the unsaturated monomer. The heat of hydration promotes the rate of addition polymerization, resulting in rapid setting of the mixture of emulsion and setting agent. Initial set usually occurs within 30 minutes. However if a low temperature initiator is added to a mixture of the emulsion and aggregate, the mixture does not begin to set for several hours. Thus in practice the setting agent is preferably added to the emulsion at the site of use. On the other hand if the site is not very distant from the mixing plant, the initiator may be added at the mixing plant, and the setting agent mixed in on site.
Of course any suitable form of reinforcement may be incorporated into the final product prior to setting thereof, such as fibre-glass or steel. Short fibre-glass lengths introduced into the material during manufacture have been found to be quite satisfactory. The formation of the emulsion of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer is important to the production of satisfactory materials. The emulsion may be prepared by mixing the unsaturated polyester, the unsaturated monomer and water in a high speed mixer which is able to render the dispersed phase into a particulate form with a particle size equal to, or somewhat less than, 25 microns. Preferably the unsaturated polyester resin is such that it can be emulsified with up to 60% by weight of water without demulsification occurring on the addition of the setting agent. In order to form such stable emulsions it is possible to employ small quantities of emulsifying agent, e.g. a non-ionic or anionic emulsifier but it is not necessary. In order to ensure stability of the emulsion for transportation and storage it may also be necessary to add stabilizers such as Titanium dioxide (rutile), an emulsion of a vinylic or acrylic addition polymer (1% by weight of the unsaturated polyester plus unsaturated monomer). This filler may be calcium carbonate or calcium silicate.
The invention is further described with reference to the following Examples:
EXAMPLE 1
An unsaturated polyester with one acid of high molecular weight was formed from the following components:
269 parts by weight Ethylene Glycol
382 parts by weight Tetrabromophthalic anhydride (MW=463.7)
224 parts by weight Maleic anhydride or fumaric acid
149 parts by weight Phthalic anhydride.
A mixture of the above components was formed and heated in a reaction vessel with continuous agitation, with a current of inert gas being swept through and over the charge. Heating was carried out as follows:
(a) initially at 170° C. for one hour,
(b) then at 185° C. for 30 minutes, and
(c) then at 190° C. for 7 hours.
The reaction of the components was terminated when an acid index under 20 was obtained and the resultant polymer was then cooled.
EXAMPLE 2
The steps of Example 1 were followed except that the components to form the polyester comprised the following:
467 parts by weight Trimethylpentanediol (MW=146.15)
15 parts by weight Pentaerythritol
98 parts by weight Maleic anhydride,
the components thus including one glycol of high molecular weight.
EXAMPLE 3
The steps of Example 1 were followed using, however, components as follows:
394 parts by weight of Trimethylpentanediol (MW=146.15)
430 parts by weight Tetrabromophthalic anhydride MW=463.7)
41 parts by weight Pentaerythritol
186 parts Maleic anhydride or fumaric acid.
the components thus including one glycol and one acid of high molecular weight.
EXAMPLE 4
The steps of Example 1 were followed using, however, components as follows:
250 parts by weight Ethylene Glycol
382 parts by weight Tetrabromophthalic anhydride
224 parts by weight Maleic anhydride or fumaric acid
149 parts by weight Phthalic anhydride
19 parts by weight 2,2-bis(methylallylether)-1-butanol
The substituted butanol was added at the end of the esterification reaction.
EXAMPLE 5
The steps of Example 1 were followed using, however, components as follows:
467 parts by weight Trimethylpentanediol
15 parts by weight Pentaerythritol
98 parts by weight Maleic anhydride
10 parts by weight 2,2-bis(methylallylether)-1-butanol
Again the substituted butanol was added at the end of the esterification reaction.
EXAMPLE 6
The steps of Example 1 were followed using, however, components as follows:
394 parts by weight Trimethylpentanediol
430 parts by weight Tetrabromophthalic anhydride
41 parts by weight Pentaerythritol
186 parts by weight Maleic anhydride or fumaric acid
8 parts by weight 2,2-bis(methylallylether)-1-butanol
Again the substituted butanol was added at the end of the esterification reaction.
EXAMPLE 7
The polyesters of Examples 1-6 were each blended with 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight, 280 parts by weight, 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight and 280 parts by weight respectively of monomer in the form of styrene to form a mixture of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer.
EXAMPLE 8
The polyesters of Examples 1-6 were each blended with 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight, 280 parts by weight, 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight and 280 parts by weight respectively of monomer in the form of methyl methacrylate to form a mixture of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer.
EXAMPLE 9
The polyesters of Examples 1-6 were each blended with 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight, 280 parts by weight, 290 parts by weight, 200 parts by weight and 280 parts by weight respectively of monomer in the form of a 50/50 mixture by weight of styrene and methyl methacrylate to form a mixture of an unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer.
EXAMPLE 10
The polyesters of Examples 1-6 were each blended with 710 parts by weight, 490 parts by weight, 690 parts by weight, 710 parts by weight, 490 parts by weight and 690 parts by weight respectively of diallylphthalate monomer to form a mixture of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer which can be cross-linked at high temperature.
EXAMPLE 11
The polyesters of Examples 1-6 were each blended with 710 parts by weight, 490 parts by weight, 690 parts by weight, 710 parts by weight, 490 parts by weight and 690 parts by weight respectively of a 50/50 molar mixture of styrene and triallyl cyanurate monomer to form a mixture of unsaturated polyester and unsaturated monomer according to the invention.
EXAMPLE 12
The mixtures of Example 7 to 11 were formed into emulsions with water, by mixing components as follows:
500 parts by weight mixture
3 parts by weight promotor in the form of Cobalt Octoate
300 parts by weight water.
The mixing was effected using a high speed mixer, the mixing speed being sufficient so that substantially all the dispersed phase was in particle form with a particle size equal to or less than 25 micron.
EXAMPLE 13
Cementitious products were formed by mixing in a standard cement mixer components in the proportions as follows:
803 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 12
500 parts by weight of Portland cement
5 parts by weight of Silica Flour
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
5 parts by weight of Catalyst in the form of
Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide.
The mixtures were poured into a mould between two sheets of fibreglass mat and pressed at 2.5 kg/cm 2 until hardening occurred. The results were panels with very high mechanical characteristics with good anti-corrosion properties.
EXAMPLE 14
The mixtures of Examples 8 and 9 were formed into emulsions with water, by mixing components as follows:
500 parts by weight of resin
300 parts by weight of water
The mixing was effected using a high speed mixer, the mixing speed being sufficient so that substantially all the resin was in particle form with a particle size equal to or less than 25 micron.
EXAMPLE 15
Cementitious products were formed by mixing in a standard cement mixer components as follows:
800 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 14
500 parts by weight of Portland cement
10 parts by weight of Catalyst (Tertbutyl perbenzoate)
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
The mixtures were poured into moulds between two sheets of fibreglass mat pressed at 4.5 kg/cm 2 and heated for 5 minutes at 99° C. and demoulded. The results were panels with very high mechanical properties, good chemical resistance and improved imperviousness. A torch welder flame applied on the surface of a so-produced panel for 30 minutes affected the surface only with a blackening effect, but there was no ignition.
EXAMPLE 16
The mixtures of Examples 7 to 9 were formed into emulsions with water, by mixing components as follows:
500 parts by weight mixture
3 parts by weight promotor in the form of Cobalt Octoate
500 parts by weight water
The mixing was effected using a high speed mixer, the mixing speed being sufficient so that substantially all the dispersed phase was in particle form with a particle size equal to or less than 25 micron.
EXAMPLE 17
Plaster materials were prepared by mixing in a standard cement mixer components as follows:
1003 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 16
500 parts by weight of plaster of Paris
5 parts by weight of Silica Flour
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
5 parts by weight of Catalyst in the form of
Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide
The resulting mixtures were poured into moulds between two sheets of fibreglass mat and pressed at 3 kg/cm 2 .
The panels obtained showed mechanical properties similar in strength to panels made with cement, but many times stronger than a standard plaster panel.
EXAMPLE 18
The mixtures of Examples 7 to 9 were formed into emulsions with water, by mixing components as follows:
500 parts by weight mixture
500 parts by weight water
The mixing was effected using a high speed mixer, the mixing speed being sufficient so that substantially all the dispersed phase was in particle form with a particle size equal to or less than 25 micron.
EXAMPLE 19
Plaster materials were prepared by mixing in a standard cement mixer components as follows:
1000 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 18
500 parts by weight of plaster of Paris
10 parts by weight of Catalyst (Tertbutyl perbenzoate)
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
The resulting mixtures were poured into moulds between two sheets of fibreglass mat and pressed at 3 kg/cm 2 .
The panels obtained showed mechanical properties similar in strength to panels made with cement, but many times stronger than a standard plaster panel.
EXAMPLE 20
Cementitious products were formed by mixing in a standard cement mixer components as follows:
800 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 14
500 parts by weight of lime
5 parts by weight of Silica Flour
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
5 parts by weight of Catalyst in the form of
Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide.
The mixtures were poured into a mould between two sheets of fibreglass mat and pressed at 2.5 kg/cm 2 until hardening occurred. The results were panels with very high mechanical strength and good anticorrosive properties.
EXAMPLE 21
Cementitious products were formed by mixing in a standard cement mixer components as follows:
800 parts by weight of the emulsion of Example 14
500 parts by weight of a 50/50 mixture by weight of lime and Portland cement
5 parts by weight of Silica Flour
3300 parts by weight of sand
2700 parts by weight of gravel
5 parts by weight of Catalyst in the form of
Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide.
The mixtures were poured into a mould between two sheets of fibreglass mat and pressed at 2.5 kg/cm 2 until hardening occurred. The results were panels with very high mechanical characteristics with good anticorrosive properties.
Products formed in accordance with the invention can easily be manufactured having strength characteristics far superior to standard concrete. For example, tests conducted on a product of Example 13 are compared in the following table with properties of standard concrete and with the properties of a resin sand mixture of known type.
______________________________________ Product Resin of this Concrete Sand invention______________________________________Specific gravity 2.4 2.1 1.9Compressive strength Kg/cm.sup.2 300 1200 1780Flexural strength Kg/cm.sup.2 70 1300 1300Tensile strength Kg/cm.sup.2 30 430 500Impact strength Kg/cm/cm.sup.2 0.4 10 8.2Exothermic maximum 30/40° C. 120° C. 75/80° C.______________________________________
The products obtained using the three polyesters of Examples 1 to 3 are almost completely waterproof, which is of significance in materials used for forming building panels and like components. While the polyesters of Example 3 have been found to be insensitive to temperatures at least in the range from -60° C. to 135° C. and to repeated thermal shocks between the same range of temperatures. Also the product can be arranged to exhibit small shrinkage during setting, shrinkages of less than 1 mm/meter being readily obtainable.
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An emulsion formed by mixing water with a mixture consisting essentially of an unsaturated polyester resin and an unsaturated monomer, wherein said emulsion is so stable that demulsification does not occur when a setting agent of a kind which sets by hydration thereof is added thereto.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates generally to methods for treating circulatory disorders and, more specifically, to a method for treating circulatory disorders through the use of acoustic waves.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are numerous disorders that effect the circulatory system of human and animal bodies. These include the following: atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, angina pectoris, and certain forms of impotence. The effective treatment of these disorders, and the pain, discomfort and other effects they cause, is obviously a matter for concern.
Some background information regarding these disorders, their causes, their effects on the body, and their treatments, illustrate the foregoing:
Atherosclerosis is a thickening or hardening of the arteries caused by a build-up of plaque in the inner lining of an artery. The plaque is made up of fatty substances, cholesterol, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin. The plaque can partially or totally block the flow of blood through an artery, and can cause bleeding/hemorrhaging into the plaque or the formation of a blood clot on the surface of the plaque. When the hemorrhaging or clot blocks an entire artery, a heart attack or stroke may result.
The name coronary artery disease describes the condition where the coronary arteries have become sufficiently narrowed that the flow of blood to the heart is reduced. (One of the possible causes of such narrowing is atherosclerosis.) Ischemia is another name for reduced blood flow. A reduced flow of blood to the heart results in coronary heart disease, in which the heart muscle is damaged as a result of receiving an inadequate amount of blood due to an obstruction of its blood supply. Symptoms of coronary artery disease range from mild angina, discussed below, to a full-scale heart attack. These symptoms generally begin when there is about a 75% narrowing of a coronary artery. Approximately 13,900,000 Americans suffer from coronary heart disease, and it is the leading cause of death in the United States.
One symptom of coronary heart disease is angina pectoris, a recurring chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart does not receive as much blood as it needs for a particular level of work. The symptoms of angina are usually triggered by physical exertion, although they may also be triggered by emotional stress, extreme cold or heat, a heavy meal, alcohol, or smoking. The pain of angina may usually be relieved by resting or with angina medication, such as nitroglycerin, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers. Preferably, the underlying coronary disease causing the angina should be treated as well.
Coronary disease may be treated by the control of risk factors, such as high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol levels, and excess weight. Drug therapy is also available, including beta blockers and clot-dissolving agents. Where these are insufficient, invasive procedures such as cardiac catheterization, cardiac angiography, coronary artery bypass grafting, and angioplasty may be utilized.
Impotence, or erectile dysfunction, refers to the consistent inability to sustain an erection sufficient for sexual intercourse. It affects between 10 and 15 million American men. Impotence usually has a physical cause, and any disorder that impairs blood flow in the penis may cause impotence. One of the most common causes of impotence is damage to arteries. Diseases relating to circulation, including atherosclerosis and vascular disease, also account for a significant percentage of the cases of impotence.
Treatments for impotence, following the elimination of potential harmful drugs and behavior modifications, include vacuum devices, oral drugs (such as Viagra®), locally injected drugs, and surgically implanted devices.
It should be clear then that each of these disorders presents a problem to those who are afflicted, and that safe and effective treatments are desirable. With respect to treatment methods, non-invasive, non-surgical techniques are generally preferred to surgery. Moreover, safe non-chemical treatments are generally preferred to the use of medications, which can have foreseen or unforeseen side-effects on the body. While the individual disorders listed here have different causes, the fact that they all relate to the circulatory system raises the possibility that a single treatment could potentially work for each of these disorders. The present invention is directed to a treatment for each of these disorders—a treatment that is non-invasive, non-surgical, and non-chemical.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,942, issued to applicant herein, a low frequency electroacoustic transducer (the “Cassone Transducer”) is disclosed. According to U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,942, the Cassone Transducer could be used to efficiently disperse emulsions, chemical and other wastes, and the like for recycling and environmental enhancement. The Patent does not disclose the use of the Cassone Transducer for medical purposes. It is to that use that the current invention is directed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a non-invasive method for treating circulatory disorders.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a non-surgical method for treating circulatory disorders.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a non-chemical method for treating circulatory disorders.
It is a still further object of this invention to provide a method for treating circulatory disorders through the use of acoustic waves.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating circulatory disorders is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: providing a low frequency sonic transducer; immersing the low frequency sonic transducer in a liquid-containing container; positioning a person having a circulatory disorder a therapeutically beneficial distance from the low frequency sonic transducer; and exposing the person for a therapeutically beneficial period of time to acoustic waves from the low frequency sonic transducer at a therapeutically beneficial frequency method for treating inflammatory musculoskeletal connective tissue disorders is disclosed.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating circulatory disorders is disclosed. The method comprises he steps of: providing a low. frequency sonic transducer; immersing the low frequency sonic transducer in a liquid-containing container; positioning a person having a circulatory disorder between approximately one foot and approximately twenty feet from the low frequency sonic transducer from the low frequency sonic transducer; and exposing the person for between approximately fifteen minutes and forty-five minutes to acoustic waves from the low frequency sonic transducer at approximately six hundred Hertz.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the present invention, a method for treating circulatory disorders is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of: Providing a low frequency sonic transducer; immersing the low frequency sonic transducer in a liquid-containing container; positioning at least a portion of a body a person having a circulatory disorder in the liquid-containing container; and exposing the person for between approximately fifteen minutes and forty-five minutes to acoustic waves from the low frequency sonic transducer at approximately six hundred Hertz.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the practicing of the method of the present invention, with the positioning of a person at varying distances from an electroacoustic transducer.
FIG. 2 is a side, cross-sectional view of an electroacoustic transducer of the type preferably used in the method of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is concerned with an improved method for treating circulatory disorders. Such disorders include but are not limited to: atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, ischemic heart disease, angina pectoris, and certain forms of impotence.
The method begins with the placement of a transducer 10 like the Cassone Transducer in a container 12 containing water or another liquid. The container 12 preferably has a volume ranging from one to five hundred gallons, with a volume of between five and fifty five gallons regarded as particularly preferred and a volume of approximately fifty gallons regarded as optimal. Preferably, the transducer 10 is modified slightly from the Cassone Transducer shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,942 by the addition of a water-tight electrical connector 14 to replace the coaxial supply line and terminal 10 shown in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,942, and an eye-bolt 16 to replace the pair of lift members 12 shown in FIG. 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,132,942. These modifications are intended to facilitate the dedicated use of the transducer 10 in a liquid environment, with the water-tight electrical connector 14 providing increased safety and the eye-bolt 16 making more easy the removal of the transducer 10 from the container 12 . (While a modified Cassone Transducer as described herein is preferred for the transducer 10 , any transducer capable of operating in a liquid environment and of generating acoustic waves at frequencies within the ranges described below would suffice.)
Referring now to FIG. 1, a person 18 suffering from a circulatory disorder is positioned near the container 12 with the transducer 10 therein. (While a person 18 is shown as a human, the term “person” as used herein is intended to include animals and humans alike.) The person 18 may be positioned at any distance relative to the transducer 10 /container 12 that is determined to be therapeutically beneficial. Tests have indicated that benefit is provided within a range of from approximately one foot to approximately twenty feet—though benefit may be provided outside of this range as well as at any point within this range. Distance A is intended to represent one foot of distance, distance B represents five feet of distance, distance C represents 10 feet of distance, and distance D represents 20 feet of distance.
While FIG. 1 illustrates a person 18 positioned at different points to one side of the transducer 10 , it should be noted that the transducer 10 is omni-directional, such that a person 18 could be positioned on any side of the transducer 10 —or two or more persons 18 could be positioned on different sides of the transducer 10 simultaneously. Indeed, preferably, persons 18 are placed in chairs surrounding the transducer 10 , and receive treatment in this relatively comfortable orientation.
The person 18 should be exposed to acoustic waves from the transducer 10 at any frequency that is determined to be therapeutically beneficial. Tests have indicated that benefit is provided within a range of from one to one thousand Hertz, with particularly good results obtained between four hundred and eight hundred Hertz and optimal results obtained at approximately six hundred Hertz.
The person 18 should be exposed to acoustic waves from the transducer 10 for a period of time that is determined to be therapeutically beneficial. Tests have indicated that benefit is provided by exposure for a period of time ranging from two seconds to one hour, with better results provided by exposure for a period of time ranging from fifteen minutes to forty-five minutes. A range of twenty minutes to thirty minutes is preferred, and an exposure lasting approximately twenty-five minutes appears to provide optimal results. It appears further that, for better results, the treatment should be repeated over time on a weekly or perhaps monthly basis, until the symptoms disappear permanently.
The method of the present invention has been tested on several people suffering from circulatory disorders. Most of those tested experienced a significant alleviation of their symptoms.
It should be noted further that good results have been achieved in certain instances by having a person 18 place the afflicted portion of his or her body in the liquid in the container 12 . In one embodiment, the container 12 may be made in a jacuzzi or bath size (or may actually be a jacuzzi), with persons 18 sitting in the container 12 for treatment. When practicing such a method, it is possible for a person 18 to be positioned extremely close to the transducer 10 , even less than a distance of one foot.
Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.
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A method for treating circulatory disorders by exposing the sufferer to acoustic waves from a transducer immersed in liquid. The person is preferably placed between one and twenty feet from the wave source, and is preferably exposed to waves at a frequency of about 600 Hertz for approximately twenty five minutes.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention is concerned with the control and regulation of sewing machine instrumentalities, more particularly, with the control of needle position in zig-zag sewing machines and with the regulation of feed of a variable feed system therefor.
In order to control the stitch forming instrumentalities of a sewing machine electronically, control systems have been devised which upon receipt of a signal, activate an electric solenoid or actuator to adjust, for example, the needle jogging mechanism or the material feed. In one type of known control system of this character, the signal receiving unit performs the actual adjustment of the machine instrumentality. This control system requires a signal receiving unit relatively large in size to provide the mechanical power necessary for moving the sewing machine instrumentality. In addition, due to the size and mechanical power output required of the signal receiving unit, the electrical power consumed by the unit must also be relatively large.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of this invention is to provide an electromechanical actuator for sewing machine instrumentalities which is responsive to the setting of a guide member, positioned by a low level electrical signal, for urging the sewing machine instrumentalities to a specific location relative to said electrical signal by means of the main drive means for the sewing machine. Thus, a galvanometer is responsive to a low level electrical signal to position an inclined surface linearly with respect to the sewing machine frame. A pair of opposing feelers on the ends of primary levers pivoted on a common axis fixed to the sewing machine frame conduct the inclined surface intermittent to the motion thereof under the urgings of a cam means driven by the main drive means of the sewing machine. With a change in position of the inclined surface, the feelers contact a different location thereon requiring, therefore, a rotation of the primary levers. By means of secondary levers and linkages, this rotation of the primary levers is transferred to the sewing machine instrumentalities.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
With the above and additional objects and advantages in view as will hereinafter appear, the invention will be described with reference to the drawing of the preferred embodiment.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sewing machine having the electro-mechanical actuator of this invention incorporated therein;
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the electromechanical actuator;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the bed of the sewing machine shown in FIG. 1, with some parts of the actuator removed to clearly show one extreme position thereof;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view as in FIG. 3 but showing the other extreme position of the electro-mechanical actuator; and
FIG. 5 is a timing chart indicating the required synchronization between the various components of the electro-mechanical actuators for needle positioning and feed control for one revolution of either the arm shaft or the feed shaft of a sewing machine completing one stitch cycle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings of the preferred embodiment, a sewing machine is generally referred to by the reference number 10. The sewing machine 10 includes a bed 12, a hollow standard 14 rising from the bed 12, and a bracket arm 16 projecting from the standard 14 and over-hanging the bed 12 and terminating in a sewing head 18. Carried within the sewing head is a reciprocating needle bar 20 to the end of which is attached a thread carrying needle 22. The needle bar 20 is supported for endwise reciprocation in a needle bar gate 21 pivotally mounted within the sewing head 18 to accommodate lateral jogging of the needle 22 under the urgings of driving arm 23, connected to the gate 21 and to an actuator as described hereinbelow.
A work feeding mechanism is shown in FIG. 1 and includes a feed dog 28 carried by a feed bar 30. The mechanism for imparting work feeding movement to the feed dog 28 includes a feed drive shaft 32 driven by gears 34 from a bed shaft 36, which, in turn, is driven by a motor (not shown), a cam 38 on the feed drive shaft 32, a pitman 40 embracing the cam 38 and arranged to reciprocate a slide block 42 along a slotted feed regulating guide 44. A link 46 pivotally connects the pitman 40 with the feed bar 30 so that, depending upon the inclination of the guide 44, the magnitude and direction of feed, in relation to the motion of the feed dog 28 will be determined. The inclination of the guide 44 may be influenced by manipulation of a rock shaft 48 which is secured to the guide 44. In this embodiment, the electro-mechanical actuator 50 of this invention is used to manipulate the rock shaft 48.
The electro-mechanical actuator 50 includes a galvanometer 52 having an electrical coil 54 slidably disposed on a guide 56, which coil 54, when excited, moves linearly in a magnetic field, produced by a magnetized frame 58, to a position dependent upon the magnitude of the excitation. A rod 60 attaches the galvanometer coil 54 to a block 62 having co-planar inclined surfaces, 64 and 66, opening each on opposite sides thereof. A pair of limbs 68 and 70 are provided having end portions in the form of feelers, 72 and 74, respectively, for engaging the inclined surfaces 64 and 66 of block 62. Located substantially at the center of each of said limbs 68 and 70 are enlarged sections, 76 and 78, respectively, having coaxial holes 80 formed therethrough for pivotally mounting said limbs 68 and 70 on a common support pin 84. The support pin 84 is affixed to a frame 85 which, in turn, is mounted within the bed 12 of the sewing machine 10.
The opposite ends 86 and 88 of limbs 68 and 70, respectively, are formed with ramp surfaces, 90 and 92, respectively, for engaging rollers 94. The rollers 94 are rotatably carried by a support pin 98 which is mounted on a floating swinging carrier 96. The swinging carrier 96 is formed with an open-ended slot 100 straddling the support pin 84. Co-located on support pin 84 for pivotal motion is a swinging frame 102 having a first portion 104 extending therefrom for eventual connection to the rock shaft 48 of the feed mechanism. A second portion 106 of the swinging frame 102 is formed with an open-ended slot 108 therein straddling an enlarged slabbed section 97 of the support pin 98 on the swinging carrier 96. By referring to FIGS. 1 through 4, it can be seen that any swinging movement of the swinging carrier 96 will be transferred to the swinging frame 102.
A sliding cam follower 110 is provided, engaging on one side the rollers 94 and engaging on the other side thereof an edge cam 112 mounted on the feed shaft 32. The cam follower 110 is mounted to a holder 114 which is slideably mounted in the frame 85. A slot 115 is formed in the holder 114 allowing the feed shaft 32 to pass therethrough. Biasing means in the form of spring 116 and slide block 117 are provided for maintaining positive engagement of the cam follower 110 with cam 112.
Mounted adjacent to cam 112 on feed shaft 32 is a second cam 118 for influencing movement of a locking lever 120 which is also pivotally mounted on support pin 84. The locking lever l20 has an end portion 122 formed to engage block 62 such that, in conjunction with a stop 124, supported in the bed 12, the locking lever 120, in response to the cam 118, will intermittently clamp the block 62. Biasing means in the form of spring 126 maintain positive engagement of the slide 121 of the locking lever 120 with the cam 118.
A spring 128 is also provided to urge the feelers, 72 and 74, of limbs 68 and 70, apart.
In operation, when a low level electrical signal is applied to the galvanometer coil 54, the coil 54 moves linearly along guide 56 to a position relative to the magnitude of the input signal. The movement of the coil 54 in turn positions the block 62. Now after the block 62 is positioned, cam 118 causes locking lever 120 to press the block 62 against stop 124, arresting any further movement thereof. Continuing the turning of cam 112 causes the cam follower 110 to shift radially away from the bed shaft 36. The movement of cam follower 110 forces the rollers 94 between the ramp surfaces 90 and 92 of limbs 68 and 70, respectively, causing the feelers, 72 and 74, thereof to engage the inclined surfaces 64 and 66 of block 62 in opposition to spring 128. Dependent on the positioning of block 62, the engaging of the feelers 72 and 74 with the inclined surfaces 64 and 66 of block 62 forces the limbs 68 and 70 to pivotally shift about the support pin 84. This pivotal shift is carried over to the swinging carrier 96 by the rollers 94 attached to support pin 98, which movement is then transferred through the swinging frame 102 to the feed mechanism.
The electro-mechanical actuator 50 of this invention may also be used to influence jogging of the needle bar 20, by applying the output of a similar actuator (not shown) to the driving arm 23, by means of a linkage arrangement similar to that disclosed hereinabove, and clearly depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 at both extremes of operation.
The timing chart of FIG. 5 indicates the states of the components of the electro-mechanical actuator 50 relative to their specifically controlled component of the sewing machine 10 and to each other. Thus when the needle 22 has placed a stitch in a work piece, the block 62 is unclamped by the action of the cam 118 on locking lever 120, so that the galvanometer 52 may reposition the block 62 and the inclined surfaces, 64 and 66, thereof while the needle is rising. Concurrently, as the needle 22 rises, the rollers 94 retract from the ramp surfaces, 90 and 92 of the limbs 68 and 70 respectively, to release their respective feelers 72 and 74 in order to permit the block 62 to more freely in response to the low level electrical signal applied to the galvanometer coil 54. After the block 62 is repositioned, it is once again clamped by the locking lever 120 and the rollers 94 advance to a forward position to cause the limbs 68 and 70 to assume a new angular positon relative to the position of the block 62.
The feed regulation takes place similarly as the needle jogging with, however, the respective events occurring at differing times in the cycle as shown in FIG. 5.
Numerous alterations of the structure herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. However, it is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
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An electro-mechanical actuator for sewing machine instrumentalities which allows settings to be made electrically using low level electrical signals, and then acts upon such signals mechanically using power derived from the sewing machine drive. Cam-actuated feeler elements are urged by the sewing machine drive to close upon an inclined surface, previously positioned in accordance with a low level electrical input signal by, for example, a galvanometer, resulting in an angular displacement of the feeler elements proportionate to the positioning of the inclined surface.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 647,412, filed Sept. 5, 1984, now U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,099.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to improvements in grinding apparatus or attrition mill, which include a pair of facially opposed, axially adjustable and relatively rotating grinding members defining therebetween a grinding space into which the raw material is passed, and during which passage substantial moments of axial thrust forces are generated opposing the means provided for maintaining the desired grinding clearance between the grinding members.
The invention relates more particularly to a rotating disc type grinding apparatus for refining paper pulp and the like usages, in which the pulp material to be ground or otherwise treated is passed into a grinding space defined between a pair of relatively axially adjustable grinding discs which rotate relative to one another in a plane perpendicular to their axes. At least one of the pair of discs is displaceable axially and is mounted on a rotating shaft which is free to move axially with the displaceable grinding member in response to pressure forces acting thereon. The pulp material, which may consist of wood chips, bagasse, fiber suspensions or similar material, is fed into the central portion of the grinding space, through which it is radially accelerated by the effect of the centrifugal force generated by the rotary movement of the discs. The resultant grist is ejected from the grinding space upon completion of the grinding operation, through a peripheral gap between the discs into a surrounding housing.
The axial movement or "float" of the rotating shaft is controlled to maintain the predetermined grinding clearance ranges between the discs, which clearance varies, depending on the particular application of the grinding apparatus. For instance, in conventional pulp refiners, the usual disc separation is between 0.1 mm. and 1 mm., whereas, in the application of the apparatus to waste paper (asphalt dispersion), the separation may be as much as 2.5 mm. In other applications, the discs may be spaced apart as little as 0.05 mm.
Pulp refining apparatus of the type described are generally exemplified by my U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,082,233, 4,253,233, 4,283,016 and 4,378,092.
The rapid acceleration of the material through the narrow grinding space generates axial thrust forces which tend to urge the discs away from one another and thus widen the grinding clearance, with consequent severe impairment of the efficiency of the apparatus.
If the grinding apparatus or attrition mill is operated as part of a closed and pressurized system for treating a fluid slurry, for example, in addition to the axial thrust forces acting on the discs, additional power must be imparted to the driving means, not only to drive the discs so as to achieve the desired attrition or grinding work, but also to drive the discs against the fluid friction or hydraulic drag forces acting on them, thus further adding to the axial load variations on the rotating shaft.
It should be understood that, unless these forces are effectively counteracted, the apparatus would break down or be rendered useless.
It should also be understood that the resistance to these thrust forces increases tremendously as the diameter of the discs increases.
Because of the growing demand for large capacity refining systems, which call for large diameter grinding discs, such as on the order of 150 cm. or larger, the absorption of these axial thrust forces has become an increasingly accentuated problem.
Late developments involve refiners having a diameter of 165 cm.- 170 cm., with a rotational speed of 1500 r.p.m. - 3600 r.p.m., capable of a power input of 15,000 kw. - 40,000 kw.
For a better understanding of the tremendous axial loads or thrust forces imposed on the rotating shaft, let us assume that a 150 cm. diameter disc rotating at 1800 r.p.m. will generate a centrifugal force corresponding to about 2800 g's accelerating the grist through the grinding space, which centrifugal force will impose an axial load on the shaft of about 100 tons, to be absorbed by the bearing construction. Now, if the speed of the grinding disc is doubled, i.e. increased to 3600 r.p.m. the centrifugal force will be increased by a factor of 4, according to Newton's law of force and motion. Thus, the centrifugal force will be increased to 11,200 g's, which might increase the axial load on the rotating shaft to the order of 200-300 tons. These abnormally heavy axial loads have to be distributed over a complicated bearing system requiring a multiplicity of bearings and servo motors, with consequent increase in dimensions and cost of manufacture of the apparatus.
An example of a bearing construction of the above mentioned type is disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 3,717,308, issued Feb. 20, 1973, on an application originally filed July 5, 1969. This patent discloses and claims a bearing system with combined axial and radial thrust bearings supporting the rotating shaft, each bearing being connected to a servo motor for absorbing the axial thrust forces imposed upon the rotating shaft. Other examples of bearing constructions heretofore used are disclosed in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,118,800, issued Oct. 3, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 3,212,721 to Asplund et al, issued Oct. 19, 1965, U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,442, to Nils G. Virving, dated Feb. 14, 1978, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,276,701, issued to Sprout Waldron & Co., Inc., assignee of Chester Donald Fisher, dated Oct. 4, 1966.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,402,463, issued Sept. 6, 1983, to Escher Wyss GmbH, assignee of Albrecht Kahmann et al, suggests another solution of the problem discussed herein.
Common to the prior art references is the fact that the hydraulic pistons in the servo motors for the thrust bearings are non-rotating.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
My present invention purports to solve the problem of absorbing these heavy axial thrust forces by replacing the expensive and complicated thrust bearings and associated servo motors by a combined hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing system including one or more cylinder pistons mounted on the rotatable shaft to rotate therewith within a pressure chamber defined within a stationary cylindrical housing permitting the piston or pistons to be displaced axially therein in response to changes in pressure caused by fluctuations in axial thrust forces acting on the rotatable displaceable grinding member. The invention provides means for applying a fluid pressure medium to at least one of the piston ends in a controlled manner, so as to constantly counteract fluctuating axial thrust forces acting on the displaceable rotatable shaft and to maintain a predetermined clearance range of the grinding space.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DISCLOSURE
FIG. 1 is a partial front elevational view of a grinding apparatus partly in section embodying the invention.
FIG. 2 is a fractional cross-sectional view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1, drawn to an enlarged scale.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views similar to FIG. 2, showing two modifications.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the pressure forces acting on the rotating piston.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a cross-section taken along the line VI--VI of FIG. 5.
FIGS. 7, 8, 9 and 10 are schematic views showing different applications of the invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of still another modification.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIGS. 1-4, in which the same reference numerals serve to indicate same or analogous parts, reference number 10 designates the frame in which an axially displaceable shaft 26 is journalled in two bearing members 34 and 36. One end 27 of the shaft 26 is adapted to be driven by a motor (not shown). The other end of the shaft 26 carries the rotating adjustable disc 24, which, together with the stationary disc 22, defines a grinding space therebetween. Both discs are provided with conventional grinding segments 23.
The grinding discs are enclosed within a casing 20, to which the stationary disc 22 is mounted by bolt connections 25. The raw material is advanced through a bore 11 by a conventional conveyor screw 12 and introduced into the grinding space through a central opening in the stationary disc 22. The bearing members 34, 36 are supported in bearing housing 32, which is provided with a cylindrical cavity between the two bearing members forming a pressure chamber 31, 33 on each side of a piston 30 which is fixed on the shaft 26 in a location so that it can rotate within the cylinder cavity between the chambers 31, 33. This piston is adjustable axially in response to the desired width of the grinding space defined between the two grinding discs.
Any axial displacement of the rotating piston 30 from its predetermined location corresponding to the selected interdisc spacing is constantly sensed by a position follower or slide shoe 40, which is maintained in frictional contact with the rear rotating surface of the piston 30 by the position indicator rod 42. The other end of the rod 42 is connected to a non-rotating piston 44 enclosed within the cylinder housing 46 and divides the cylinder cavity into chambers 46a and 46b. The position indicator rod 42 extends through the wall of cylinder housing 46 into contact with the means for regulating the supply of pressure medium, as will hereinafter be explained. A channel 43 extends through the rod 42 into the chamber 46a to connect the latter with the pressure chamber 31. Thus, the same oil pressure prevails in chamber 46a as in pressure chamber 31, forcing the glide shoe 40 into contact with the rotating surface of the piston 30.
The force applied by the rotating piston 30 on the rotating disc in a direction towards the stationary disc 22 is determined by means of a pressure medium supplied to the pressure chambers 31, 33. The supply of pressure medium to the pressure chambers is controlled by a conventional pilot valve, or spool valve, 52 fixed to the frame, which is actuated by the position indicator rod 42 and slide shoe 40 in response to displacements of the rotating piston 30.
In this manner, the rotating piston 30 and the shaft 26 are automatically restored to their predetermined location in the cylinder cavity after momentary displacements caused by fluctuations in the axial thrust forces exerted on the shaft. It will be noted that the slightest axial movement of the piston 30 is transmitted immediately via glide shoe 40 and position indicator rod 42 to the pilot valve or sensor 52, which then calls for pressure medium to be directed to the respective pressure chambers 31 and 33 to generate a counter force to restore the piston 30 to its predetermined position in the cylinder cavity, which position corresponds to the interdisc spacing selected for the particular application of the grinding apparatus.
The predetermined location of the piston 30 in the cylinder cavity, and, consequently, the predetermined spacing between the grinding discs, is achieved by means of a set screw 60 which projects from the pilot valve 52. The nut 61 is screwed onto the set screw 60 and is provided with a knob which abuts the end of rod 42 The position of the nut 61 on set screw 60 can be adjusted by means of chain wheel 62 driven by a reversible electric motor 63 via chain drive 64. The motor 63 can be remotely controlled in known manner to set the spacing between the grinding discs. An example of such a remote control device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,073,442 to Nils G. Virving, which has been referred to herein.
It should be understood that the adjustment of the nut can also be achieved manually. In either manner, the pre-set interspace clearance between the discs 22, 24 can be increased or reduced.
The pressure chambers 31 and 33 are supplied with a pressure medium, which, in the example shown, is oil of constant predetermined pressure which is pumped from the sump 55 by means of the pump 59 driven by the electromotor 50, through the pipe 58 into the conventional pilot valve or sensor 52, from which it is conducted through pipes 54 and 56 into the respective pressure chambers to provide a pressurized oil environment for the rotating piston 30.
It will follow from the foregoing description that any fluctuation in the pressure between the grinding discs which may occur, for example, by reason of accumulation of raw material in the grinding space or uneven wear of the grinding segments, will immediately be transmitted by the rotating piston 30 via glide shoe 40 and position indicator rod 42 to the pilot valve 52, which, in turn, will immediately adjust the pressure in the chambers 31 and 33, respectively, to produce a force on the piston which will instantaneously counteract any fluctuations in the thrust forces on the shaft and thus maintain the predetermined position of the rotating piston in the cylinder cavity and, consequently, the predetermined grinding clearance between the grinding discs.
The oil supplied to the pressure chambers 31 and 33 can be used to lubricate the bearings. The oil escaping from the bearings 34 and 36 is flung from the chambers 38 and 39 by conventional slinger rings 70 and 71 into conduit 53, from which it is drained back into the sump 55, where it is cooled for reuse by cooling coils 57.
In order to increase the volume of circulated oil with consequent reduced dwell time in the system and temperature rise, a valve 100 may be provided to drain a calculated amount of oil from chamber 33. A similar valve 101 may be installed to provide oil drainage also from chamber 31, if still greater oil circulation should be desired. These drainage valves may be used for lubricating the bearing by means of a separate oil flow.
Although the coefficient of friction is very small in a well-designed bearing system, some frictional heat still is generated. Unless this heat is dissipated, the lubricant oil will begin to decompose. It may, therefore, be desirable to surround the cylinder cavity with a cooling coil through which a cooling fluid is circulated from the inlet 110 to the outlet 112, in order to maintain a proper heat balance in the bearing system.
The unexpected and unobvious result emanating from the invention is believed to reside in the fact that the rotating piston generates a centrifugal force which increases the pressure in the hydraulic fluid progressively in the radial direction toward the periphery of the piston. This progressively increasing hydrodynamic pressure is in addition to the hydrostatic pressure in the liquid, and it provides stability against unbalanced forces acting on the rotating grinding discs, for example, when pulp material is unevenly distributed in the grinding space or when fiber bundles or chunks of wood become plugged therein, or when the grinding segments have worn down unevenly.
Another unobvious advantage resulting from the invention is the effective stiffening of the rotating shaft that may be attributed to the rotating piston which provides stability in its rotational plane. Thus, for instance, an eccentric loading of the rotating grinding disc tends to bend the shaft. This tendency is resisted by the hydraulic fluid rotating with the piston around its perimeter, which fluid is squeezed into the narrow gap between the piston periphery and the cylinder wall, thus wedging the piston in its vertical plane of rotation.
This self-generated wedge effect is illustrated by FIGS. 5 and 6. The progressively increasing hydrodynamic force is shown by the arrows in FIG. 5 which counteract the forces F 1 and F 2 exerted on the grinding discs. FIG. 6 illustrates how the oil rotating with the end surface of the piston will be squeezed out in a radial direction when travelling from A to B, thus further increasing the pressure at B and which pressure tends to force the shaft back to its center of rotation, thus counteracting the deflective thrust forces. The effect may be compared with the phenomenon of aquaplaning.
The application of the self-generated hydrodynamic pressure combined with the externally applied pressure, or hydrostatic pressure, to the rotating piston, results in a bearing system sufficient to support the heavy loads on the shaft, without the need of multiple thrust bearings and associated servo motors as has been the practice heretofore. This startling discovery constitutes a great advancement in the art, with consequent savings in cost of manufacture, maintenance and operation.
The inventive concept described herein applies also to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and in the schematic views 7-10.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the slider bearings 34 and 36 in FIG. 2 have been replaced by conventional roller bearings or axially displaceable radial roller bearings 36a and 34b. These bearings may also be lubricated by the oil in the pressure chambers, which flows through the narrow gaps 34c and 36c, respectively, which gaps provide a radial play on the order of 2/100 mm. to 10/100 mm. The great resistance developed in the gaps, however, is sufficient to maintain the predetermined oil pressure in the pressure chambers 31 and 33.
In some applications of the invention, oil pressure may be maintained only in pressure chamber 31, while oil passing through the narrow gap between the rotating piston and the cylinder into chamber 33 is drained through the valve 100 and returned to the oil sump 55.
In order to maintain the piston in the predetermined position when no oil pressure is maintained in chamber 33 against the oil pressure in pressure chamber 31, and when no axial loads are exerted on the shaft 26, a preloaded spring 120 may be mounted between the end cover of the bearing housing and the axially displaceable roller bearing 34b to counteract the axially directed thrust forces and the forces generated by the rotational movement of the oil in the pressure chamber 31. This arrangement allows the shaft 26 to be displaced axially also, when no axial external loads are exerted thereon merely by adjusting the oil pressure in pressure chamber 31. Without departing from the invention, an air pressure cushion may be provided in chamber 33, in place of the spring 120.
In the schematically illustrated application of the invention, FIG. 7 shows a separate conventional radial bearing supporting the shaft 120 at each side of the combined hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing system according to the invention. FIG. 8 shows an arrangement where two conventional radial bearings support the shaft between the rotating grinding disc and the combined hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing system according to the invention.
FIG. 9 shows an arrangement where the combined hydrostatic/ hydrodynamic bearing system according to the invention is located between the radial bearings and the grinding disc.
FIG. 10 shows schematically an arrangement in which two combined hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing systems according to the invention are arranged in series on the shaft in which the two rotating pistons 30 rotating within their respective cylinder housings 32 act as thrust bearings as well as radial bearings.
FIG. 11 shows a modification in which the rotating piston is divided into two sections 200 and 300 with an intervening space 400 for draining the oil being squeezed through the gap between the piston and the cylinder. This modification insures the maintenance of constant oil flow in the gap between the piston and the cylinder, even if the oil pressure in chambers 31 and 33 should be under substantially the same pressure, as, for example, when the shaft is not subjected to any axial loads, such as when the apparatus is idling.
It should be understood that the diameter of the shaft 26 may differ in size between the drive side and the disc side, resulting in different piston end areas on the two sides. Such difference, however, will have no effect on the function of the apparatus, since the combination of axial load and piston end areas always produces the same oil pressure on the opposed piston ends at a certain axial load sufficient to maintain the oil flow in the gap between the piston and the cylinder.
Lubrication and cooling of the pistons may also be insured by supplying oil of higher pressure to the space 400 than that prevailing in the chambers 31, 33.
It should be understood that the invention may be expressed in a variety of forms of application, in addition to the ones disclosed and illustrated herein.
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Combined hydrostatic/hydrodynamic bearing system for a grinding apparatus in which the material is ground in a grinding space defined between a pair of relatively rotating grinding members and in which at least one of the grinding members is carried by an axially displaceable rotatable shaft. One or more cylindrical pistons are mounted on the rotatable shaft to rotate therewith within a pressure chamber defined within a stationary cylindrical housing permitting the piston or pistons to be displaced axially therein. Fluctuations in axial thrust forces acting on the displaceable rotatable shaft are counteracted by applying a fluid pressure medium to one or both of the piston ends of the cylindrical piston or pistons in a controlled manner so as to maintain a predetermined clearance range of the grinding space.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of making polycarbonates prepared by the interfacial technique by using ammonia or ammonium compounds as the catalysts.
It is known that in the interfacial polymerization process to make aromatic polycarbonates from dihydric phenols and phosgene the use of small amounts of tertiary amines, quaternary ammonium compounds, arsonium and sulfonium compounds can be used to catalyze the reaction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It now has been discovered that thermoplastic aromatic polycarbonates can be made under interfacial polycarbonate forming conditions wherein the following are reacted:
1. A CARBONYL HALIDE,
2. A DIHYDRIC PHENOL OR MIXTURES OF DIHYDRIC PHENOLS, AND
3. A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF AMMONIA OR AN AMMONIUM COMPOUND WHICH LIBERATES AMMONIA UNDER THE CONDITIONS OF THE REACTION.
More specifically the process of this invention comprises reacting under interfacial polycarbonate-forming conditions
1. A CARBONYL HALIDE,
2. A DIHYDRIC PHENOL OR MIXTURES OF DIHYDRIC PHENOLS, AND
3. A CATALYTIC AMOUNT OF A COMPOUND HAVING ONE OF THE FORMULAS
A. nh 3
B. nh 4 z or
C. (nh 4 ) 2 z 1 wherein Z is a monovalent inorganic anion and Z 1 is a divalent inorganic anion.
The process is thus useful to make thermoplastic polycarbonates without the need for the known catalysts. The polycarbonates prepared have a weight average molecular weight range from about 20,000 to about 60,000 as measured by gel permeation chromatography and have reactive chloroformate end groups. The polymers of this invention are thus useful as intermediates to be end capped with known terminal groups as shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,026,298, 3,036,040, 3,080,342, 3,085,992, and 3,133,045.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The process of this invention is carried out by first reacting and stirring a dihydric phenol compound or a mixture of dihydric phenols such as bisphenol A with an aqueous caustic solution made from sodium or potassium hydroxide having a pH greater than 9 and preferably in the pH range from 10-12 wherein the aqueous solution contains a catalytic amount of a compound selected from the group consisting of ammonia or an ammonium compound which liberates ammonia under the conditions of the reaction.
For the purposes of this invention, a catalytic quantity is defined as being about 0.5 to about 5.0 weight percent based on the dihydric phenol of ammonia or an ammonium compound. This catalytic quantity is added to the reactants together with 5-10 moles of a halogenated solvent such as methylene chloride.
The catalyzed reactants are stirred and allowed to react for about 0.25 to about 3 hours at a temperature of about 20° to about 40° C.
Suitable catalytic compounds within the scope of this invention are exemplified by ammonia, ammonium hydroxide, ammonium carbonate, ammonium sulfite, ammonium chloride, ammonium phosphate, ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and the like.
The dihydric phenols employed in the practice of this invention are known dihydric phenols in which the sole reactive groups are the two phenolic hydroxyl groups. Some of these are represented by the general formula ##STR1## wherein A is a divalent hydrocarbon radical containing 1-15 carbon atoms, ##STR2## X is independently hydrogen, chlorine, bromine, fluorine, or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical such as an alkyl group of 1-4 carbons, an aryl group of 6-8 carbons such as phenyl, tolyl, xylyl, an oxyalkyl group of 1-4 carbons or an oxyaryl group of 6-8 carbons and n is 0 or 1.
One group of suitable dihydric phenols are those illustrated below:
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1-phenyl ethane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)-1,1-diphenyl methane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclooctane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cycloheptane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)cyclohexane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)chclopentane
2,2-bis(3-propyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)decane
2,2-bis(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)nonane
2,2-bis(3,5-isopropyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)nonane
2,2-bis(3,-ethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)octane
4,4-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)heptane
3,3-bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexane
3,3-bis(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)hexane
2,2-bis(3,5-difluoro-4-hydroxyphenyl)butane
2,2-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)propane (Bis A)
1,1-bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)ethane
1,1-bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)methane.
Another group of dihydric phenols useful in the practice of the present invention include the dihydroxyl diphenyl sulfoxides such as for example:
bis(3,5-diisopropyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide
bis(3-methyl-5-ethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide
bis(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide
bis(3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide
bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide
bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfoxide.
Another group of dihydric phenols which may be used in the practice of the invention includes the dihydroxaryl sulfones such as, for example:
bis(3,5-diisopropyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(3-methyl-5-ethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(3,5-dimethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone
bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)sulfone.
Another group of dihydric phenols useful in the practice of the invention includes the dihydroxydiphenyls:
3,3',5,5'-tetrabromo-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl
3,3'-dichloro-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl
3,3'-diethyl-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl
3,3'-dimethyl-4,4'-dihydroxydiphenyl
p,p'-dihydroxydiphenyl.
Another group of dihydric phenols which may be used in the practice of the invention includes the dihydric phenol ethers:
bis(3-chloro-5-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)ether
bis(3,5-dibromo-4-hydroxyphenyl)ether
bis(3,5-dichloro-4-hydroxyphenyl)ether
bis(3-ethyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)ether
bis(3-methyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)ether
bis(4-hydroxyphenyl)ether.
A further group of dihydric phenols outside the scope of the above generic formula which may be used in the practice of the invention includes the dihydroxy benzenes, and the halo- and alkylsubstituted dihydroxy benzenes, such as, for example, resorcinol, hydroquinone, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-chlorobenzene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-bromobenzene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2,3-dichlorobenzene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-methylbenzene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2,3-dimethylbenzene, 1,4-dihydroxy-2-bromo-3-propylbenzene.
Other dihydric phenols of interest include the phthalein type bisphenols which are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,035,021; 3,036,036; 3,036,037; 3,036,038; 3,036,039.
It is, of course, possible to employ a mixture of two or more different dihydric phenols in preparing the thermoplastic carbonate polymers of the invention.
The carbonate precursor employed in the process of this invention to prepare the linear thermoplastic polycarbonates is one of the carbonyl halides. Examples of the carbonyl halides are carbonyl bromide, carbonyl chloride and carbonyl fluoride.
The recovery of the polycarbonate is accomplished by decanting the aqueous layer, treating the remaining halogenated solvent with a strong aqueous acid solution (pH 1-3) such as hydrochloric or sulfuric acid solution, to neutralize the NaOH or KOH and washing with distilled water.
Finally, the polymer is precipitated from the solvent solution by pouring it into an excess of a non-solvent for the polymer such as hexane, ethanol, petroleum ether, etc. The white precipitated polymer is then filtered, water washed and dried in a vacuum.
EXAMPLES 1-9
Into a 5 liter flask equipped with stirrer, dip tube, thermometer, and reflux condenser were charged with the following: 400 gms p-Bisphenol A, 20 gms (NH 4 ) 2 SO 3 , and 1475 gms of water. The contents were stirred and nitrogen purged 5 minutes. With continued stirring and nitrogen purging, 217 gms of 35% aqueous NaOH were added. After stirring and purging 5 minutes and cooling to 25° C by external cooling, the phosgenation reaction was started. This involved the feeding of 218 gms of gaseous phosgene over a 99 minute period and controlling the reaction temperature between 25°-30° C. After 76 gms of phosgene had been added, alternating caustic and phosgene addition were made was follows: 98 gms 35% NaOH aqueous solution, 57 gms phosene; 98 gms 35% NaOH solution, 27 gms phosgene; 98 gms 35% NaOH solution, 26 gms phosgene; and 61 gms 35% NaOH solution, 32 gms phosgene. After completion of the phosgenation reaction, the external cooling was removed, and the reactions were stirred and digested 30 minutes at 25° C. The stirrer was stopped, the aqueous phase siphoned off, the viscous organic phase was then acidified with concentrated HCl, diluted with methylene chloride to a desirable viscosity, and then filtered through diatomaceous earth to give a clear solution. The polymer was precipitated in hexane, filtered, and vacuum dried at 120° C.
Following the procedures set forth above, the control and the examples set forth in Table I were prepared.
TABLE I______________________________________ Wt. Avg. Grams Ammonium (Am) Wt. % Mol. Wt.Example Catalyst Salt Catalyst Catalyst (G.P.C.)______________________________________Control 0 none no poly- merization1 4.2 (Am sulfite) 1.05 31,9002 5.8 (Am sulfite) 1.45 29,0003 5.8 (Am sulfite) 1.45 34,0004 5.8 (Am sulfite) 1.45 28,0005 6.4 (Am sulfite) 1.6 35,5806 6.9 (Am sulfite) 1.72 42,9407 8.5 (Am sulfite) 2.12 25,3008 9.6 (Am sulfite) 2.400 38,6009 11.7 (Am sulfite) 2.92 25,381______________________________________
EXAMPLE 10-12
Into a 1 liter flask equipped with stirrer, thermometer, dip tube and reflux condenser are measured 75 gms p-Bisphenol A, 1.1 gms NH 4 Cl, and 276 ml H 2 O. The contents are stirred and nitrogen purged for 5 minutes, then 34 ml of 35% NaOH are added with continued N 2 purging and stirring for 5 minutes (total NaOH to be used 37.5 gms solid NaOH plus 69.7 gms H 2 O). At this point 214 ml of methylene chloride was added with stirring. The N 2 purge was continued and the contents stirred for 5 minutes. The phosgenation was carried out in stages with incremental additions of caustic as follows: 14 gms of phosgene, 14 ml 35% NaOH; 10 gms phosgene, 14 ml NaOH 35%; 6 gms phosgene, 14 ml 35% NaOH; 5 gms phosgene, 6 ml 35% NaOH; and finally 5.5 gms phosgene. The phosgenation was carried out in 24 minutes at 28°-34° C. After the phosgenation step, the reaction mixture was stirred and digested 30 minutes at 30° C. The water was then siphoned off; the reaction mixture was acidified with HCl; diluted with methylene chloride to desired viscosity and transferred to separatory funnel. After the solution was allowed to separate for 30 minutes into two phases the lower phase was then filtered through a diatomaceous earth filter. The resulting clear solution was precipitated in hexane, and the polymer filtered out. The polymer was then chopped in a Waring blender with H 2 O, filtered, and vacuum dried.
Following the above procedures the examples set forth in Table II were prepared.
TABLE II______________________________________ Wt. Avg. Grams Ammonium (Am) Wt. % Mol. Wt.Example Catalyst Salt Catalyst Catalyst (G.P.C.)______________________________________10 1.1 Am chloride 1.46 23,95911 1.2 Am chloride 1.60 27,84612 1.3 Am chloride 1.73 24,453______________________________________
EXAMPLE 13
Following the procedures set forth in Examples 10-12 1.36 gms of ammonium hydroxide (28% by weight aqueous solution) was used as the catalyst to produre a bisphenol A polycarbonate having a weight average moelcular weight of 27,613 as determined by gel permation chromatography.
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Thermoplastic polycarbonates are prepared by interfacial polymerization wherein carbonyl halides, dihydric phenols and a catalytic amount of ammonia or an ammonium compound which liberates ammonia during the reaction are reacted.
The polycarbonates thus prepared have chloroformate end groups and are useful as intermediates to be capped with various terminal groups in a know manner.
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TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD AND BACKGROUND
[0001] The invention is in the field of user interface applications and is particularly useful for fronto-parallel imaging of a region of scene while scanning the scene with a camera.
[0002] It is generally known that in order to obtain a meaningful image of the scene based on multiple image data pieces obtain from different points of view (e.g. scanning a scene), a stream of images sequentially acquired is analyzed in order to select those that correspond to a desired orientation of the imager with respect to the region of interest. To this end, various image processing algorithms, based typically on pattern recognition techniques, are used.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
[0003] The present invention provides a novel technique for user assistance in acquiring image data suitable for use in fronto-parallel panoramic images. Conventional panoramic images are generally acquired by pivoting an imaging device at a given location. In contrast, fronto-parallel panoramic images are generally acquired by scanning the imaging device along a given axis. Fronto-parallel panoramic images thereby differ from conventional panoramic images by covering a field of view of relatively low angular distribution relative to the large angular coverage of the conventional panoramic images. More specifically, while acquiring a fronto-parallel panoramic photograph, the camera/imager unit changes its point of view and generally translates along a straight line being substantially parallel to the object plane (i.e. region/scene to be imaged) while facing at a direction being substantially perpendicular to the axis of translation. This may be used, for example, for imaging of a scene, which is relatively large with respect to a camera field of view (defined by the camera optics and a distance of the camera unit from the scene). It should be noted that due to the camera's movement, variations in orientation of the camera may cause an increase in the computation resources required for image data stitching and result in lower quality of the final stitched image.
[0004] To this end, the technique of the present invention provides for assisting a user in acquiring a set of images suitable for stitching to a single, complete fronto-parallel (FP) image of a scene being larger than a field of view of the camera/imager unit used. To this end, the technique utilizes data about orientation of an electronic device, or more specifically of a camera unit used for acquiring image data, to generate a display representation in the form of a geometrical shape provided to the user on a display unit (screen) of the electronic device.
[0005] More specifically, the technique of the invention utilizes reference orientation data (e.g., based on acquisition of a first frame in a sequence or based to predetermine requirements calculated from the image data) and a current orientation data, to determine data about orientation variation. A geometrical representation indicative of the orientation variation is determined and being displayed on a suitable display unit to provide suitable indication to a user.
[0006] The geometrical representation may be a polygonal structure (e.g. quadrilateral, rectangle, hexagon etc.) and may generally be displayed as a superimposed layer of the display data, together with a representation of an image to be collected. The geometrical representation provides indication of the orientation variation by varying orientation of the edges and varying angle along the vertices of the geometrical shape to illustrate perspectives thereof, corresponding to the orientation variation. It should be noted that the orientation of the devices (e.g. of the camera unit) may be defined by three angular relations (e.g. Roll, Pitch and Yaw rotations), as well as by its location along one or more linear axes.
[0007] In some embodiments, the geometrical representation may be obtained by determining a transformation of a given geometrical shape. The given geometrical shape may be a symmetrical shape, for example a rectangle or a square. The transformation may include determining an appropriate rotation operator in accordance with the orientation variation data. The operator may be, for example, in the form of a rotation matrix varied in accordance with the orientation variation thereby providing a linear transformation operator. However, it should be noted that the transformation may be a linear transformation, a rotation, a shearing, a scaling, affine, perspective, or any combination thereof. Thus, the geometrical representation may be determined by applying a transformation operator (e.g., rotation matrix) to the given geometrical shape and determining a projection of the resulting shape on a two-dimensional plane.
[0008] Additionally, the technique may include providing an appropriate indication to the user upon determining that the orientation variation is below a predetermined threshold. More specifically, this technique may indicate to a user that the current orientation data is similar to the reference orientation data up to certain error. This may be due to existence of unavoidable error and/or due the tremor or other movement of the user's hands or the device. Additionally, an indication gradient may be used, providing a first indication when the orientation variation is below a first threshold, a second indication if the orientation variation is below a second threshold etc. This is to provide the user with additional information about a distance from the desired orientation of the imager unit.
[0009] When such indication is provided, the device may operate automatically to acquire additional image data and/or wait for the user to manually initiate the acquisition of image data. It should be noted that in addition to orientation of the camera unit, additional data about location and movement of the imager unit may be used and corresponding indication may be provided to the user. For example, the translation speed of the camera unit, and in particular, the location along one or more axes may affect the quality of the acquired image data and its suitability for use in the resulting (processed) FP image. Thus, the technique of the present invention may provide additional graphical indication about location and speed of the camera unit to thereby instruct the user about optimal location and orientation of the imager unit to acquire suitable image data pieces.
[0010] Thus, according to one broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electronic device comprising: an imager unit having a certain field of view and configured to collect image data, an orientation detection unit configured to provide orientation data of the imager unit with respect to a predetermined plane, a processing unit, and a display unit. Wherein the processing unit is configured and operable for: receiving orientation data collected by the orientation detection unit; accessing pre-stored reference orientation data and analyzing said received orientation data with respect to said reference orientation data to determine orientation variation data of the imaging unit; and transmitting data indicative of said orientation variation data to the display unit to thereby initiate displaying of a predetermined geometrical shape indicative of said orientation variation. The device may be configured for use in acquiring fronto-parallel image data indicative of a region being larger than a field of view of the imager unit.
[0011] According to some embodiment, the geometrical shape may be a Quadrilateral shape and the variation in orientation is indicated by transformation of the Quadrilateral shape from a rectangular form (i.e. with four right angles) to appropriate trapezoids and/or rhomboids in accordance with direction of the orientation variation.
[0012] According to some embodiments, the processing unit may be connectable to the imager unit and configured to transmit command data to the imager unit to thereby cause the imager unit to automatically acquire image data of a current field of view upon identifying that the orientation variation between current orientation and the reference orientation is below a predetermined threshold. Additionally or alternatively, the processing unit may be configured and operable to transmit data indicative of display variations corresponding to display of said geometrical shape on the display unit, to thereby provide color indication that the orientation variation is below a predetermined threshold. Generally, the orientation data may be indicative of Roll, Pitch and Yaw of the device.
[0013] The orientation detection unit may comprise one or more acceleration detection unit configured to detect variation in orientation thereof with respect to a predetermined plane. However, it should be noted that the orientation detection unit may also comprise an image processing unit configured and operable to determine orientation data in accordance image processing of temporary display data received from the imager unit.
[0014] The processing unit may be configured and operable to be responsive to a first command from a user to reset stored reference orientation data and to initiate an operation session, and to a second user's command to acquire a first image frame data, the processing unit utilizes received orientation data from the orientation detection unit as reference orientation data. Moreover, the processing unit may be configured to cause the display unit to display predetermined indication in combination with said geometrical shape if said determined orientation variation is below a predetermined threshold, to thereby provide appropriate indication to the user to acquire additional image data.
[0015] According to one other broad aspect of the invention, there is provided a method for use in image data presentation. The method comprising: providing reference orientation data; and in response to current orientation data received from one or more orientation detection units, determining orientation variation data being indicative of difference between said current orientation data and said reference orientation data about at least one axis of rotation; generating presentation data comprising data about a predetermined geometrical shape indicating said orientation variation. The presentation data may be transmitted to a display unit for presentation to a user.
[0016] Additionally, the method may comprise generating a command to a corresponding imager unit, commanding the imager unit to acquire image data indicative of a current field of view thereof in response to detection that the orientation variation is below a predetermined threshold.
[0017] As noted above, the geometrical shape may be a Quadrilateral shape. Variation in orientation may be indicated in variation of the Quadrilateral shape between rectangular form to various trapezoids and rhomboids in accordance with the orientation variation.
[0018] According to yet another broad aspect, the present invention provides a method for use in acquisition of fronto-parallel image data. The method comprising: acquiring a first image by an imager unit, determining a corresponding reference orientation data, for each subsequent image determining an orientation variation data and generating a corresponding geometrical shape for display on a display unit, the geometrical shape providing a measure of said orientation variation, the method thereby enabling acquisition of fronto-parallel images corresponding to a region larger than field of view of the imager unit.
[0019] The method may also comprise, generating, in response to determining that the orientation variation is below a predetermined threshold, corresponding indication data corresponding to a visual indication to be display on the display unit. The predetermined threshold may comprise a first threshold and a second threshold, said corresponding visual indication being indicative of a relation between said orientation variation data to at least one of the first and second threshold.
[0020] According to yet another broad aspect, the present invention provides a computer program product, implemented on a non-transitory computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein to cause the computer to perform the steps of: providing a reference orientation data, in response to received orientation data, determining an orientation variation data and data about a geometrical structure indicating said orientation variation data, and processing said data about a geometrical structure to be displayed on a corresponding display unit.
[0021] According to yet another broad aspect, the present invention provides a program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for use in acquisition of fronto-parallel image data, the method comprising: acquiring a first image by an imager unit, determining a corresponding reference orientation data, for each subsequent image determining an orientation variation data and generating a corresponding geometrical shape for display on a display unit, the geometrical shape providing a measure of said orientation variation, the method thereby enabling acquisition of fronto-parallel images corresponding to a region larger than field of view of the imager unit.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] In order to better understand the subject matter that is disclosed herein and to exemplify how it may be carried out in practice, embodiments will now be described, by way of non-limiting example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1A schematically illustrates a device configured according to embodiments of the present invention;
[0024] FIG. 1B exemplifies angular orientation Roll, Pitch and Yaw;
[0025] FIG. 2A and 2B illustrates some concepts of fronto-parallel imaging;
[0026] FIG. 3 shows an operational flow diagram of a technique according to certain embodiments of the present invention;
[0027] FIGS. 4A to 4J illustrate user indication about orientation data according to some embodiments of the present invention; and
[0028] FIG. 5 illustrates additional example of user indication about orientation data according to some embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Reference is made to FIG. 1A schematically illustrating an electronic device 100 configured according to the present invention. The device may be of any type of electronic device including but not limited to a hand held device (e.g. mobile phone, smartphone, digital camera, laptop) or camera unit being connectable to a stationary computing device (e.g. desktop computer). The device 100 includes a camera/imager unit 120 , an orientation detection unit 130 and a processing unit 140 , the latter is connectable to the camera/imager unit 120 and the orientation detection unit 130 for data transmission to and from thereof. The device 100 is also connectable with at least a display unit 150 and a storage unit 160 , which may be integral with the device 100 or remote therefrom connectable through wired or wireless communication network.
[0030] The electronic device 100 of the present invention is configured to collect image data suitable for use to provide a wide field of view fronto-parallel (FP) image which is corresponding to a region being larger than a field of view 125 of the camera unit 120 . To this end, FP image may be produced from a set of two or more pieces of image data (frames) stitched together along one or two axes to form a single image corresponding to the regions of all the frames combined. To provide high quality FP images, the electronic device 100 is configured to provide user assistance for alignment of the camera unit while acquiring the different frames. According to the present invention, the electronic device is configured to provide graphical indication about orientation of the camera unit 120 in the form of a geometrical structure displayed on a display unit 150 associated with the device. It should be noted that the display unit 150 may be integral with the device 100 or connectable thereto by wired or wireless communication.
[0031] To this end, the camera unit 120 is connectable to the processing unit 140 for transmission of image data being either preview image data and/or image data associated with an acquired frame collected by the camera unit 120 . Additionally, the device 100 includes an orientation detection unit 130 (ODU) configured to determine orientation of the device 100 (generally of the camera unit 120 ) about at least one axis. The ODU 130 is connectable to the processing unit 140 and configured to transmit current orientation data for processing. It should be noted that the orientation detection unit 130 may be based on one or more physical sensors, e.g. acceleration sensors, configured to detect orientation of the device 100 with respect to the ground and/or integrate rotation thereof to determine current orientation data. alternatively or additionally, the orientation detection unit may be formed as a sub-processing unit being a part of the processing unit 140 or not. In this configuration the orientation detection unit 130 may be configured and operable to apply image processing analysis algorithms on temporary image data provided by the camera unit 120 (similar to image data used to provide preview of the scene being imaged) to thereby determine orientation data based on the image data. For example, determining orientation based on angular relation between lines in the image data.
[0032] For example, the orientation data may be determined as angular orientation of the device 100 (e.g. of the camera unit 120 thereof) about one or more axes. Generally orientation of the device is determined by providing angular orientation thereof about three perpendicular axes, thereby resulting in three parameters such as Roll, Pitch and Yaw as known in the art and exemplified in FIG. 1B .
[0033] The processing unit 140 is configured and operable to be responsive to orientation data received from the ODU 130 and to compare the received/current orientation data (COD) with stored reference orientation data (ROD) (e.g., being stored at the storage unit of the device). The processing unit comprises an orientation variation detector 142 (OVD) configured to compare the COD and ROD and to determine data about orientation variation (e.g. a difference between the reference orientation data and the current orientation data), and a projection calculator module 144 configured to determine a suitable graphic representation of the orientation variation. The processing unit may prepare the determined suitable graphic representation of the orientation variation and transmits it to be displayed to the user.
[0034] It should be noted that generally, the orientation detection unit 130 may provide periodic transmission of orientation data, e.g., at a rate of 100 measurements per second. Thus, certain averaging of the received orientation data and/or of the orientation variation data may be used to thereby provide a smooth display to the user. Constant movement of the device may generate fast variations in orientation which may render the “on-screen” notification unreadable. Thus, the processing unit may be configured to average the current orientation data and/or the orientation variation data along certain period to remove such fast variations. The processing unit may calculate the orientation variation based on the average orientation data acquired during a period of between 1/1000 to 1 second. It should be noted that the averaging period or smoothing level of the display data may be adjustable in accordance with user's preferences and/or environment conditions.
[0035] As indicated above, the electronic device 100 of the present invention may be configured for use in acquisition of fronto-parallel (FP) images of a region larger than a field of view 125 of the camera unit 120 . For example, the device may be used for providing image data corresponding to long horizontal elements (e.g. supermarket shelves) located such that a maximal distance away from the element is limited and thus also the field of view 125 . In this example, a complete FP image may be acquired by combining/stitching a set of frames acquired at different locations along the element. However, in order to provide high quality FP image, the different frames are preferably collected at similar distances and similar orientation to one another as possible.
[0036] The idea and concept of FP imaging is illustrated in FIGS. 2A and 2B . FIG. 2A exemplifies the use of FP imaging for providing image data of a region 500 being larger than field of view 125 of the camera unit 120 (taking into consideration the location of the camera unit). In this example, the camera unit 120 is shown as acquiring four different pieces of image data corresponding to field of view 125 a - 125 d, where the camera itself translated along an axis x being parallel to the region 500 to be imaged to four different positions 120 a - 120 d. FIG. 2B exemplifies the stitching of several frames (6 frames in this not limiting example) acquired from different locations of the camera unit. As shown, each of the six frames has a field of view 125 a - 125 f associated with the field of view of the camera unit at different locations. It should be noted that the rectangles illustrating field of view of the camera unit at different locations, i.e. rectangles 125 a - 125 f are translated with respect to one another along the short axis thereof only to illustrate the differences and to allow the reader to distinguish between them. According to the present invention, translation between frames is preferred to be along a single axis. It should also be noted that several elongated FP images may be joined together by stitching along the shirt axes thereof, to thereby form a 2-dimensional FP image.
[0037] It should also be noted that various frame stitching algorithms may be used to provide the complete FP image of the desired scene. The appropriate algorithms vary with respect to a type of the scene to be recorded and/or various other computational requirements that may arise.
[0038] Reference is made to FIG. 3 illustrating a flow diagram of an operational example according to the present invention. As shown, a user starts a FP imaging sequence and acquires a first frame 1000 , e.g. located at a far right edge of the region of interest. The processing unit ( 140 ), retrieves orientation data 1100 corresponding to orientation of the camera unit ( 120 ) at the time the user acquires the first frame, and stores 1200 this data as reference orientation data (ROD), e.g. at the storage unit ( 160 ). When the user moves the device ( 100 ), the operational loop 2000 continues, and the processing unit retrieves orientation data periodically. More specifically, the processing unit ( 140 ) retrieves a sequence of current orientation data pieces (COD) from the ODU ( 130 ), each COD data piece corresponds to the orientation of the camera unit at a certain time. The OVD ( 142 ), receives the COD and determines orientation variation 1300 data with respect to the stored ROD. The projection calculator ( 144 ) received the data about orientation variation, and determines an appropriate graphical structure corresponding to the orientation variation 1400 . This graphical representation is preferably presented on a display unit ( 150 ) to provide indication on orientation data to the user. When the calculated orientation variation data is determined to be below a predetermined threshold (i.e. current orientation is similar to reference orientation up to certain predetermined allowed limit) the processing unit provides a suitable notification to the user to direct him to acquire an additional image 1010 . According to certain embodiments, the user may indicate a sufficient translation of the camera unit and the processing unit may operate the camera unit to acquire an additional image automatically 1600 .
[0039] As indicated above, the technique of the invention may also utilize translation data along or more axes. To this end, such translation data may be provided by the orientation detection unit 130 or a corresponding accelerometer configured to provide linear translation data. It should be noted that such translation data may be use to provide proper indication to the user regarding location, thereof with respect to location of a previous frame acquisition step, and or speed of movement. Thus, if the user moves the camera too fast (or too slow), the processing unit may provide a suitable notification indicating the user of an optimal movement speed to provide desired image data.
[0040] According to some embodiments of the invention, the processing unit 140 (or e.g., the projection calculator 144 ) may use transformation of a geometrical shape to determine the appropriate indication to be displayed. For example, the projection calculator 144 may receive orientation variation data from the OVD 142 in the form of three angles being indicative of the variation in Roll θ, Pitch φ and Yaw ω. The projection calculator 144 may determine an appropriate three-dimensional rotation operator R which may be in the form:
[0000]
R
=
[
1
0
0
0
cos
(
α
θ
)
-
sin
(
α
θ
)
0
sin
(
αθ
)
cos
(
αθ
)
]
×
[
cos
(
β
φ
)
-
sin
(
β
φ
)
0
sin
(
βφ
)
cos
(
βφ
)
0
0
0
1
]
×
[
cos
(
γ
ω
)
0
sin
(
γ
ω
)
0
1
0
-
sin
(
γ
ω
)
0
cos
(
γ
ω
)
]
[0000] where α, β and γ are scaling parameters selected to allow proper variation of the displayed indication, i.e. to provide enhanced accuracy and/or wide overview of the device's orientation. It should be noted that these scaling parameters may be determined in accordance with the value of the orientation variation, in total or for each axis separately.
[0041] The projection calculator 144 utilizes the rotation operator R to determine 3D orientation of a rectangular model, which may for example be described by four vertices located at vectorial locations (0,0,1), (0,A,1), (B,A,1) and (B 4 0,1), thereby resulting in rotation of the rectangle model in 3D space. The rotated model may be determined by applying the rotation operator on each of the model's vertices. It should be noted that the third coordinate value is a a predetermined values which may vary in accordance with the computational technique. This depth coordinate will be eliminated by determining the projection of the geometrical shape onto a 2D surface and by replacing the shape to be displayed on the display unit.
[0042] It should be noted that the original orientation of the model may generally be determined in accordance with actual orientation of the display unit to provide more intuitive displayed data. It should also be noted that the size and width of the model may typically be determined in accordance with an aspect ratio of the display unit.
[0043] The rotated model is projected onto a two-dimensional space to provide simple and understandable representation thereof on the display unit. To this end, the projection calculator 144 may operate to determine a ratio between each coordinate value of the rotated model by the value of the depth coordinate (the coordinate which is set to zero in the initial model before rotation). Alternatively, the depth coordinate of the rotated model may be set to zero to provide an appropriate two-dimensional projection. This provides a set of four vertices and their location in a 2D space. The respective value of the vertices' location may be scaled to adjust representation of the model to an aspect ratio of the display unit and centered with respect to the display unit. The projection calculator 144 thus determined representation data suitable to provide indication of orientation variation of the device and for display to a user.
[0044] As indicated above, the graphical indication may be in the form of a geometrical shape illustrating orientation variation of the device. Examples of such indication to the user are illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4J showing variations in graphical representation in accordance with orientation variation data. According to this example of the invention, the geometrical structure is presented to the user as if observed from orientation which corresponds to the determined orientation variation. As exemplified in FIGS. 4A to 4J the geometrical structure may be in the form of a rectangle G 1 shown on the display unit as a layer on top of any other required display data S 1 (e.g. a layer on top of a preview of the field of view). FIG. 4A shows zero orientation variation, in such orientation, both the Roll (φ), Pitch (θ) and Yaw (ω) are zero with respect to the reference orientation data. Various variations in orientation are exemplified, including Roll variation ( FIGS. 4C and 4F showing variation of φ between 5° and −10°), Pitch variation ( FIGS. 4B and 4E showing variation of θ between 5° and −10°), Yaw variation ( FIGS. 4D and 4G showing variation of ω between 5° and −10°) and combined variations illustrated in FIGS. 4H to 4J . It should be noted that the represented shape is generally illustrated in a way that indicate the actual variation to the user. Thus, the geometrical structure is generally shown from a point of view corresponding to the actual orientation variation data. Suitable graphical indications, corresponding to landscape orientation of the display (other than portrait orientation) are similarly exemplified in FIG. 5 .
[0045] It should be noted that the effects of the camera orientation on the geometrical structure can be modified according to the scene and according to user preferences and/or camera operation history. These conditions may affect the determined value of parameters such as averaging period, appropriate first and second threshold values and linearity parameters such as α, β and γ described above. This is to provide appropriate graphical representation and to allow modifications thereof in accordance with a desired application.
[0046] It should be noted that the geometrical structure may be illustrated within the display region of the display unit. This may require appropriate re-scaling of the illustrated shape to reduce size thereof upon orientation variations. Alternatively, the structure may be illustrated such that at high variation in orientation, certain parts of the structure are outside the boundaries of the display region.
[0047] Thus, the present invention provides a novel technique and electronic device, configured to provide graphical indication of orientation variation thereof. The device is generally designed for use in acquiring of fronto-parallel imaging of a region larger than a field of view of the camera. However, it should be noted that the technique of the present invention may be used for various other techniques and process requiring appropriately aligned image acquisition.
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An electronic device and a corresponding method are presented. The device comprises: an imager unit having a certain field of view and configured to collect image data, an orientation detection unit configured to provide orientation data of the imager unit with respect to a predetermined plane, a processing unit, and a display unit. The processing unit is configured and operable for: receiving orientation data collected by the orientation detection unit; accessing pre-stored reference orientation data and analyzing said received orientation data with respect to said reference orientation data to determine orientation variation data of the imaging unit; and transmitting data indicative of said orientation variation data to the display unit to thereby initiate displaying of a predetermined geometrical shape indicative of said orientation variation.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns a new therapeutic or diagnostic agent which contains at least one nucleic acid as the active substance and is particularly suitable for the diagnosis or/and therapy of tumours. Diagnostic and therapeutic methods using these materials are also features of the invention.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
Proteins which contain a homeobox play an important role in the development of multicellular differentiated tissue. It is assumed that transcriptional regulation by the homeobox proteins coordinates the exact spatial and chronological sequence of growth and differentiation in the developing embryo. It is known from the literature (see e.g. K. Kongsuwan, J. M. Adams, Nucleic Acids Res. 17 (1989), 1881-1891; C. Blatt, D. Aberdam, R. Schwartz, L. Sachs, EMBO J. 7 (1988), 4283-4290; C. Blatt, Cancer Cells 2 (1990), 186-189; T. H. Rabbitts Cell 647 (1991), 641-644; A. W. Sasaki, J. Doskow, C. L. Macleod, M. B. Rodgers, L. J. Goudas, M. F. Wilkinson, MOD34 (1991), 155-164)) that some genes containing a homeobox are connected with oncogenesis.
A multigene family which has a common conserved sequence motif, the "paired"-box, is also connected with developmental control and tissue specificity in various organisms. The "paired" domain coded by the "paired" box represents a DNA-binding domain (J. Treisman, E. Harris, C. Desplan, Genes. Dev. 5 (1991), 594-604; G. Chalepakis, R. Fritsch, H. Fickenscher, 0. Deutsch, M. Goulding, P. Gruss, Cell 66 (1991), 873-884) and has been identified in various organisms such as Drosophila, mouse, tortoise, zebra fish, nematodes and humans. There has not yet been known to be a connection between the "paired" domain and oncogenesis. Great efforts are made in medical research to provide new therapeutic and diagnostic agents related to the development of tumours. The object of the present invention is to provide a new agent which is particularly suitable for the diagnosis and therapy of tumours.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object according to the invention is achieved by a process for the production of an agent for tumour diagnostics or/and tumour therapy and methods of using the agent, wherein the agent is characterized in that it comprises
(a) at least one nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes with a Pax gene
(b) at least one Pax protein or/and
(c) at least one antibody against a Pax protein or a derivative thereof
If desired together with common pharmaceutical carrier substances, auxiliary substances and diluents.
Surprisingly it was found that Pax proteins, i.e. proteins which contain the "paired" domain, can promote oncogenesis and can therefore be classified as a new group of strong oncoproteins which induce cell proliferation, anchor-independent growth and angiogenesis. It was found that cells transformed with Pax genes exhibit all the classical signs of malignancy such as e.g. contact inhibition in the focus assay, growth in soft agar and tumour induction in the nude mouse.
The therapeutic or diagnostic agent according to the invention can therefore be used as a molecular probe in tumour diagnostics since the use of a nucleic acid which hybridizes with a nucleotide sequence coding for a Pax protein enables a qualitative and quantitative, cell- and tissue-specific determination of the expression of the respective Pax gene.
However, the agent according to the invention is also suitable as an antisense nucleic acid for the specific inhibition of the expression of genes which contain the Pax sequence and is thus also suitable as a therapeutic agent.
For a diagnostic test or/and for a therapeutic treatment an agent according to the invention must contain at least one nucleic acid molecule which hybridizes to a Pax gene. The nucleic acid according to the invention preferably hybridizes under "stringent conditions" to a Pax gene. Stringent conditions within the meaning of the present invention are defined as those conditions that enable a selective and detectable specific binding of the nucleic acid to a particular Pax gene or to several Pax genes or Pax transcripts. Such a hybridization under stringent conditions preferably means that binding of the probe to the Pax gene or to the Pax RNA is still detectable after hybridization at 68° C. in an aqueous solution or at 42° C. in 50% formamide and subsequent washing of the filter at 65° C. in an aqueous solution.
The therapeutic or diagnostic agent according to the invention preferably contains as an active substance at least one nucleic acid molecule which comprises (a) the nucleotide sequence coding for a Pax protein, (b) a part thereof, (c) a nucleotide sequence hybridizing under stringent conditions (see above) with a nucleic acid from (a) or/and (b) or (d) a nucleotide sequence complementary to a nucleic acid from (a), (b) or/and (c). If it is desired that the nucleic acid molecule according to the invention should originate from a conserved region of the Pax gene, i.e. from the nucleotide sequence coding for the "paired" domain, it is preferable to use a nucleic acid which comprises (a) a nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acids 1 to 74 of the "paired"domain, (b) a part thereof, (c) a nucleotide sequence hybridizing under stringent conditions with a nucleic acid from (a) or/and (b) or (d) a nucleotide sequence complementary to a nucleic acid from (a), (b) or/and (c).
In a further preferred embodiment for the above purpose the agent according to the invention contains at least one nucleic acid which comprises (a) a nucleotide sequence coding for the amino acids 5 to 19, 35 to 41, 68 to 74, 95 to 100 or/and 115 to 120 of a "paired"domain, (b) a part thereof, (c) a nucleotide sequence hybridizing under stringent conditions with a nucleic acid from (a) or/and (b) or (d) a nucleotide sequence complementary to a nucleic acid from (a), (b) or/and (c).
The aforementioned nomenclature for the amino acids complies in this case with the publication of Walther et al., Genomics 11 (1991), 424-434 in particular FIG. 2 which hereby becomes by reference a part of the description.
If it is, however, necessary to specifically detect or inhibit a single Pax gene, it is expedient to use a nucleic acid molecule with a nucleotide sequence from a non-conserved region of the respective gene i.e. preferably from the region which does not code for the "paired"domain.
The agent according to the invention contains a nucleic acid which is derived from any desired Pax gene. Examples of suitable Pax genes are Pax-1 (Deutsch et al., Cell 53 (1988), 617-625), Pax-2 (Dressler et al., Development 109 (1990), 787-795; Nornes et al., Development 109 (1990), 797-809), Pax-3 (Goulding et al., EMBO J. 10 (1991), 1135-1147), Pax-4, Pax-5 and Pax-6 (Walther et al. (1991), supra), Pax-7 (Jostes et al., MOD 33 (1990), 27-38), Pax-8 (Plachov et al., Development 110 (1990), 643-651), HuP1, HuP2, HuP48 (Burri et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 1183-1190), prd, BSH4 and BSH9 (Bopp et al., Cell 47 (1986), 1033-1040) and Pox neuro and Pox meso (Bopp et al., EMBO J. 8 (1989), 3447-3457). The aforementioned literature references become by reference part of the description. Human Pax genes are particularly preferred.
The nucleic acid molecule in the agent according to the invention is--depending on the requirement--preferably an unmodified or modified DNA or RNA. The length of the nucleic acid molecule also depends on the respective area of application.
If the agent according to the invention is used as a molecular probe in tumour diagnostics, it is preferably a DNA probe with a length of 10 to 100 nucleotides, preferably 12 to 50 nucleotides. Furthermore it is preferred that the nucleic acid molecule carries a radioactive or non-radioactive label which serves to detect the binding to a Pax gene.
When the agent according to the invention is used as an antisense nucleic acid molecule to inhibit gene expression, it is preferably a RNA which, if necessary, can contain modified bases in order to increase its stability in the body to degradation by ribonucleases.
The application of the agent according to the invention as a molecular probe or/and as a therapeutic agent for the inhibition of gene expression is carried out in a manner known to a person skilled in the area of molecular biology.
The invention also concerns a therapeutic or diagnostic agent which is characterized in that it contains at least one Pax protein as the active substance. The Pax protein is preferably selected from the group comprising Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3, Pax-4, Pax-5, Pax-6, Pax-7, Pax-8, HuP1, HuP2, HuP48, prd, BSH4, BSH9, Pox neuro and Pox meso. The amino acid sequence of these proteins is shown in the aforementioned publications which were mentioned in connection with the nucleic acid sequence. Human Pax proteins are particularly preferred.
The agent is preferably used in tumour diagnostics or/and tumour therapy.
Yet a further subject matter of the present invention is a therapeutic or diagnostic agent which is characterized in that it contains at least one antibody against a Pax protein as the active substance. Antibodies are preferred which are directed towards one or several Pax proteins from the group comprising Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3, Pax-4, Pax-5, Pax-6, Pax-7, Pax-8, HuP1, HuP48, prd, BSH4, BSH9, Pox neuro and Pox meso. Antibodies against human Pax proteins are particularly preferred.
The antibodies according to the invention are preferably monoclonal antibodies which are obtainable via the well-known Kohler-Millstein method i.e., by immunizing an experimental animal, preferably a mouse, with the appropriate Pax protein or/and a mixture of Pax proteins, isolating antibody-producing B cells or spleen cells from the immunized experimental animal and subsequently fusing the antibody-producing cells with a suitable leukemia cell to produce hybridomas. Examples of suitable antibodies are Pax-1, Pax-2 and Pax-6 specific antibodies (FIG. 2).
The antibodies according to the invention can be preferably used in vitro or/and in vivo as agents in tumour diagnostics or/and tumour therapy. In this connection the antibodies can also be used as fragments (e.g. Fab or F(ab) 2 fragments) and if desired, coupled to a detectable group (enzyme, fluorescent marker, radioactive marker, nuclear resonance marker etc.) or to a toxin (e.g. ricin, diphtheria toxin etc.). The production of such antibody derivatives is carried out in a manner well-known to a person skilled in the area of immunology (e.g. by covalent coupling via a bi-functional linker).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 shows the schematic structure of the examined Pax proteins Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3, Pax-6 and Pax-8 and of the mutagenized Pax protein Un.
FIG. 2 shows Western blots of cell extracts expressing Pax protein after incubation with specific antibodies and enzymatic detection of the antibody-protein binding.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Example
1. Examined Pax Proteins
The effect of the proteins Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3, Pax-6 and Pax-8 and of a mutagenized Pax protein (Un) was examined. The schematic structure of these Pax proteins is shown in FIG. 1. The conserved domains within the proteins are shown as bars which also give their approximate positions within the open reading frames. Pax-1 is the only Pax protein which is known to have a complete absence of the homeodomain. Pax-3 and Pax-6 contain complete homeodomains in addition to the "paired" domain. Both DNA binding motifs are separated from one another by at least 100 amino acids. The proteins Pax-2 and Pax-8 only contain 23 amino acids of the a helix of the homeodomain. The point mutation of G to A in the gene coding for the Un protein is characterized by the resulting exchange of Gly by Ser. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences are disclosed by Deutsch et al. (Cell 53 (1988), 617-625) for Pax-1, by Dressler et al. (Development 109 (1990), 787-795) for Pax-2, by Goulding et al. (EMBO J. 10 (1991), 1135-1147) for Pax-3, by Walther and Gruss (Development 113 (1991), 1435-1439) for Pax-6 and by Plachov et al., (Development 110 (1990), 643-651) for Pax-8.
2. Transformation Test
Pax cDNAs were inserted into the multiple cloning site of the vector pCMV5 (Anderson et al., J. Biol. Chem. 264 (1989), 8222-8229). These constructs were cotransfected together with pGKneo as a selectable marker (Soriano et al., Cell 64 (1991), 693-702) in 208 cells and NIH 3T3 cells. The 208 cells were cultured in DMEM (Biochrome) with addition of 10% fetal calf serum (Boehringer Mannheim). The NIH 3T3 cells were cultured in DMEM containing 5% new-born calf serum (Boehringer Mannheim). 2 μg of the respective pCMV-Pax expression plasmid was transfected together with 1 μg pGKneo and 7 μg carrier DNA on 70% confluent single cell layers of a 100 mm tissue culture plate using the calcium phosphate method with modifications (Weber and Schaffner, Nature 315 (1984), 75-77). The transfected cells were divided into three groups after 24 hours. One group was allowed to stand for 2 to 4 weeks depending on the beginning of focus formation. Afterwards the cells were stained with a few drops of glutaraldehyde and with 1% methylene blue in water. The tissue culture plates were rinsed with water and the foci were counted.
A further third of the cells were either sown in 0.6%, 0.9% or 1.2% soft agar as described by Fidler et al., Anticancer Res. 11 (1991), 17-24. The remaining third was selected for DNA uptake by addition of G418 (Gibco) 24 hours after the shock of the cells. In the case of the 208 cells, 0.4 mg/l G418 and in the case of NIH 3T3 cells 0.6 mg/ml G418 was added. The morphologically transformed foci were picked out and subsequently cultured. These cell isolates were propagated by continuous incubation in the selection medium and used for expression analysis and the transformation tests.
3. Results of the Transformation Tests
The results of a transformation of 208 cells with Pax proteins is shown in Table 1. The left column lists the DNAs which were introduced into the cells. pCMV denotes cells which only contain a pCMV construct as a negative control, pSV is the T antigen (SV40 virus) expression construct used as a positive control. The various pCMV Pax expression constructs are indicated by the name of the Pax protein which they express. The growth of the cells was tested in 0.6%, 0.9% and 1.2% soft agar. The cell colonies were counted 2 to 3 weeks after plating. The experiments were carried out at least twice for each cell type. + denotes growth in soft agar, - denotes no growth, +- denotes contradictory results in two experiments.
The next column lists whether the corresponding transformed cells were able or not to induce focus formation when mixed with normal 208 cells. This mix experiment was carried out twice.
The last column shows the number of injected nude mice and the number of injections which led to tumour formation. For this, male nude NMRI mice at an age of 4 weeks were injected subcutaneously in the flank with 1 to 5×10 5 transformed cells. The cells were trypsinized and washed twice with phosphate-buffered salt solution before injection in order to exclude stimulating effects from the serum. The animals were examined on a weekly basis for a maximum of three months for the formation of tumours.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Tumorigenicity number of injections/Transfected Soft agar test Focus number of tumours inDNA 0.6% 0.9% 1.2% test nude mice______________________________________pCMV -+ -- -- - 5/0pSV ++ ++ ++ + 6/6Pax-1 ++ ++ ++ + 6/6Un -+ -- - 6/1Pax-2 ++ ++ ++ + 6/6Pax-3 ++ -+ ++ + 6/6Pax-6 ++ ++ ++ + 6/4Pax-8 ++ ++ ++ + 6/6______________________________________
The results in Table 1 show the oncogenic potential of Pax genes and of the "paired" domain. In the test which shows the clones expressing various Pax proteins in soft agar at different concentrations, the growth at increasing concentrations of soft agar can be related to the probability of the occurrence of tumours. Cells which only contained the pCMV expression vector showed no growth in 0.6% soft agar or more. Cells which expressed the Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3, Pax-6 or Pax-8 protein could in contrast grow at concentrations of up to 1.2% soft agar. Growth in this semi-solid medium shows that the Pax proteins impart the cells with the ability for anchor-independent growth. The mutated Un protein was not able to completely transform these cells which is apparent from the absence of anchor-independent growth at higher soft agar concentrations.
The tumours produced by injection of pCMV-Pax expression constructs were analyzed by standard in situ hybridization protocols (Goulding, EMBO J. 10 (1991), 1135-1147). The cells in the Pax tumours are spindle-shaped. The tumours are well provided with vessels and exhibit a strong extracellular matrix production. All tumours were solid and encapsulated.
In addition a methylene blue test was carried out in order to determine the ability of the cells to overcome contact inhibition. This test was carried out twice in untreated cells after transfection. Cells which had taken up the transforming DNA are able to grow over non-transformed cells which results in darkly marked cell foci. The formation of cell foci was observed in the cells transformed with Pax genes--as in the positive control with pSV--whereas in the cells transformed with the negative control pCMV and and in the non-transformed cells (208 and NIH 3T3 cells) considerably fewer foci were visible.
The results of the soft agar test are in agreement with the occurrence of strongly stained foci in the methylene blue test in the case of 208 and NIH 3T3 cell transfections using Pax proteins which contain functional "paired" domains, and with tumour formation in the nude mouse.
4. Immunological Detection of Pax Expression in Transfected Cells
Total cell extracts were prepared from the NIH 3T3 cells and 208 cells transfected according to point 2 supra using known protocols (Balling et al., Cell 55, (1988), 531-535). After determination of the protein concentration, 50 μg of each cell extract was separated on a 12.5% SDS polyacrylamide gel and transferred to an Immobilon P membrane by semi-dry electical transfer. The membrane was blocked in 5% dry milk powder/phosphate-buffered salt solution and incubated overnight with a 1:200 dilution of the respective Pax antibodies and developed with the peroxidase/diaminobenzidine reaction (Balling et al., Supra). It can be seen from FIG. 2 that antibodies against Pax-1, Pax-2, Pax-3 and Pax-6 showed a reaction with the corresponding transfected cells. The Pax-2 antibody showed a cross-reaction with Pax-8 and enabled a confirmation of the Pax-8 expression with the respective cell extracts (not shown). The molecular weight of the Pax proteins was determined by comparison with the rainbow protein marker (Amersham). The apparent molecular weight of the proteins is given in kD. 208 as well as NIH 3T3 cell extracts contained about equal amounts of the respective Pax proteins per 50 μg cell extracts. This shows that the CMV promoter functions equally well in both cell lines. The Western blot of Pax-1 shows that Pax-1 and the mutated Un protein are expressed in about equal amounts. A further cell extract which had been prepared by transfection of cells with a pSV40 promoter/Pax-1 construct contained even higher amounts of the Pax protein. In all cases the Western blots showed that the control cells transfected with pCMV produced very much less or no detectable amounts of protein.
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A therapeutic or diagnostic agent according to the invention contains as active substance at least one nucleic acid which hybridizes with a Pax gene or at least one Pax protein or at least one antibody against a Pax protein or a derivative thereof. The agents according to the invention are used in tumour diagnosis or/and tumour therapy as well as an antisense nucleic acid for the inhibition of gene expression.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method for acquiring measured values in electronic analog circuits having at least one measurement point, in particular safety-relevant circuits for passenger protection systems in motor vehicles, and a circuit arrangement for performing the method according to the invention.
In the case of passenger protection systems in motor vehicles comprising human protection devices such as airbags, belt tighteners and suchlike, a very high degree of system reliability is required. In particular, in the case of safety-critical electronic circuits, it is required that these are always ready to function and that if a fault occurs it will be displayed immediately because the user of a vehicle can immediately arrange for the passenger protection system to be inspected and repaired.
In airbag or belt-tightener systems, therefore, electrical and/or electronic components of the system are tested for proper functioning in the course of a self-diagnostics routine performed by the system electronics. This necessitates the implementation of additional circuit units in the electronic components of the system in order to generate test signals and to acquire measured values.
Thus, after the onboard power supply of the motor vehicle has been switched on, a comprehensive self-test is performed and also cyclic self-tests while the motor vehicle is in operation, where the comprehensive self-test that is performed when switching on the power supply serves as a basis for the subsequent cyclic self-tests.
The self-test of analog switching functions of the electronic components of a passenger protection system is particularly critical here on account of the wide variety of faults. Apart from the switching function as such, parametric errors or range tolerances must also be recorded. If such faults are to be registered, it is necessary to be able to stimulate the electronic components of such passenger protection systems accordingly and also to have the means available of performing analog measurements.
In existing safety systems, relatively elaborate A/D converters are used for this purpose to which the relevant measured quantities are offered via analog multiplexers. This measured quantity is then converted into a digital value and evaluated in a digital arithmetic unit (microprocessor).
As a rule, this digital arithmetic unit is normally also responsible for controlling the stimulation of the electronic components in order to generate appropriate measured quantities and for controlling the multiplexers.
Apart from the expense of applying analog multiplexers, considerable circuitry must usually be implemented for matching the signal to the input range of the A/D converter. Influencing factors such as various operating temperatures or crosstalk from other modules, especially when signals are transmitted beyond the individual components, must also be taken into consideration.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the invention is therefore to provide a simple method for acquiring measured values at electronic analog circuits having at least one measurement point, and in particular safety-critical circuits for passenger protection systems in motor vehicles, permitting low-cost realization and at the same time allowing diagnostic functions, in particular self-tests, to be performed reliably.
Furthermore, a circuit arrangement for performing the method according to this invention is provided.
According to the invention, the electrical voltages generated at the measurement points are compared as measured quantities with a ramp voltage that rises in steps, where the number of steps required to reach the voltage value of the measured quantity at the relevant measurement point serves as the unit of measurement, i.e. it represents a direct means of measurement for the measured value of the measured quantity.
According to the invention, the ramp voltage is thus compared with all measured quantities and at the same time the number of steps needed to reach the measured value of the relevant measured quantity with the ramp voltage is established. The voltage range of this ramp voltage is selected here such that it covers the entire measuring range required. This method according to the invention is very simple and can be realized with low-cost and standardized components, for instance by using the simplest of comparators and ramp generators.
In a particularly advantageous type of embodiment of the method according to the invention, the ramp voltage is compared with a reference voltage in order to calibrate the unit of measurement. This enables all measuring devices to be calibrated at once with just one single reference signal so that all measuring errors are recorded and, in particular, no temperature compensation is needed. The measuring error is thus established before each measurement and can therefore be allowed for in the evaluation of the measured value.
A measurement consists preferably of one measuring cycle with several steps, commencing with the stimulation of the circuit in order to generate a measured value at a selected measurement point, followed by generation of the ramp voltage by a specific voltage step starting at value "0", and then comparison of this ramp voltage with the measured quantity. If the ramp voltage is less than the measured quantity, the ramp voltage is incremented by a further voltage step and at the same time the number of voltage steps is determined in order to subsequently repeat the comparison process. If the ramp voltage is greater than the measured quantity, however, the measuring operation is ended and the number of voltage steps is evaluated.
For calibration of the unit of measurement, the same steps are performed as for the measuring cycle described above, except that, instead of stimulating the circuit to generate a measured quantity, the reference voltage is generated.
Finally, in a last type of embodiment of the method according to the invention, the evaluation of the number of voltage steps determined with a measuring cycle or with the calibration process can be performed by software using a microprocessor.
A circuit arrangement for performing the method according to the invention requires a clocked ramp generator in order to generate the ramp voltage and for each measured quantity a comparator that performs the comparison of the measured quantity with the ramp voltage. Furthermore, in order to calibrate the unit of measurement, only one single reference voltage source is needed and a comparator that compares the reference voltage generated by the reference voltage source with the ramp voltage.
Finally, in order to establish the number of voltage steps, a pulse counter can be provided which is driven together with the ramp generator from a microprocessor. Alternatively, the number of voltage steps can also be stored in a microprocessor.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The method according to the invention will be described and explained below on the basis of embodiment examples relating to the drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block circuit diagram for performing the method according to the invention;
FIG. 2 is a modified block circuit diagram in accordance with the embodiment example shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of a ramp generator;
FIG. 4 is a voltage/time graph for a ramp voltage generated by a ramp generator in accordance with FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a flowchart for performing a measurement cycle in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart for performing a calibration of the unit of measurement in accordance with the invention;
FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram of a trigger circuit with an output stage for triggering a passenger protection system with associated measurement points; and
FIG. 8 is a measurement circuit for measuring the resistance of a triggering device required to trigger a safety system, in particular an ignition pill.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The block diagram shown in FIG. 1 for a passenger protection system with airbags and belt tighteners includes a microprocessor 2 as central system control unit, a triggering circuit 1 that is driven by the microprocessor 2 through a cable 2a and which drives the relevant triggering devices such as the ignition pills for the airbags 1b and the belt tightener 1c through associated output stages that have the necessary power transistors to control the triggering current flowing through the ignition pills. Triggering of these protection devices 1b and 1c is effected by means of the microprocessor 2 in accordance with the acceleration signals generated by a sensor unit 7 and supplied to this microprocessor 2 through lines 7a for evaluation. This sensor unit 7 contains two acceleration sensors whose acceleration signals are amplified before being sent on to the microprocessor 2.
Triggering of certain diagnostics functions is also initiated in the triggering circuit 1 through microprocessor 2. Measurement points M1, M2 and M3, at which measuring-circuit voltages are generated and fed through a line 1a of a measuring circuit 4 in order to perform the method according to the invention, are provided on this triggering circuit 1 for this purpose.
For this purpose, this measuring circuit 4 includes a ramp generator 5 which is connected to one input of each of four comparators K1, K2, K3 and K4. This ramp generator 5 generates a stair-step ramp voltage U R as shown in the voltage/time graph of FIG. 4. Also, the measuring circuit 4 includes a reference voltage source 6 in order to generate a reference voltage U ref of, for example, 1.205 V which is applied to the second input of the comparator K4. The measured quantities U M1 , U M2 and U M3 generated at the measurement points M1, M2 and M3 are supplied to the second inputs of the comparators K1, K2 and K3 respectively.
The outputs of the comparators K1 to K4 lead to one input each of the microprocessor 2 and are designated by the reference numeral 4a. This microprocessor 2 resets the ramp generator 5 via a line 2c. A further line 2b is provided to cyclically drive the ramp generator 5 in order to generate the stair-step ramp voltage. At the same time, the clock pulses provided on line 2b are fed to a pulse counter 3 the count of which is sent to the microprocessor 2 through a line 3a. Alternatively, the number of clock pulses can be stored in the microprocessor 2 so that the pulse counter 3 can be omitted. Finally, the microprocessor 2 generates through a line 2d a control signal for the reference voltage source 6.
The rising stair-step ramp voltage U R generated by the ramp generator 5 is compared by means of the comparators K1 to K4 with the measured quantity U M1 , U M2 and U M3 , i.e., a voltage signal, provided at the respective measurement points M1, M2 and M3. If the ramp voltage U R becomes greater than the measured quantity U M1 , U M2 or U M3 the output of the relevant comparator K1, K2 or K3 switches its output over to another voltage level which causes the microprocessor 2 to evaluate the number of voltage steps required to switch over the respective comparator. If the ramp voltage passes through the entire measuring range of the measured quantities U M1 , U M2 and U M3 then, in the course of the rise of the ramp voltage U R all comparators K1 to K3 switch over so that when the last comparator switches over, the measurement can be ended by microprocessor 2. since the outputs of the comparators K1 to K3 are connected in parallel to the microprocessor 2, evaluation of the determinant number of voltage steps for each measured quantity can be carried out in parallel. This is only possible, however, if the number of inputs on the microprocessor 2 is sufficient.
With a limited number of inputs on the microprocessor 2, the outputs of the comparators K1 to K3 can be supplied to a multiplexer 8 which supplies the outputs of the comparators individually to the microprocessor 2 as shown in FIG. 2. Since the measuring circuit 4 is usually implemented together with the triggering circuit 1 on a single integrated circuit, the advantage results that only one single input pin is needed for the microprocessor 2.
A ramp generator 5 used in the embodiment examples according to FIGS. 1 and 2 is shown in FIG. 3 in which a capacitor C is charged step by step by a current balancing circuit made up of two transistors T1 and T2 and a controllable current source I. The controllable current source I is driven pulse by pulse through the line 2b of the microprocessor 2 such that the charging voltage at the capacitor C increases in steps. Thus, for example, the ramp voltage U R is generated with the 15 pulses supplied to the controllable current source I as shown in FIG. 4.
In order to reset the ramp generator 5, the capacitor C is bridged with the emitter-collector junctions of a transistor T3. The base of this transistor T3 is connected to the reference potential of the circuit through a resistor R1 and a controllable voltage source V connected in series. If this controllable voltage source V is switched on through the line 2c of microprocessor 2, the capacitor C discharges through the switched transistor T3. The charging voltage of the capacitor C is taken via an operational amplifier OP connected as a voltage follower, the capacitor voltage being buffered by a resistor R2, to the output of the ramp generator at which the ramp voltage U R is provided.
Furthermore, the microprocessor 2 performs calibration of the unit of measurement in that the reference voltage U ref generated by the reference voltage source 6 is also compared with the ramp voltage U R generated by the ramp generator 5 and in the comparotor K4 the number of voltage steps required for this is evaluated by the microprocessor 2 when there is a change in the output voltage level of the comparator K4. This results in an unambiguous association being established between the value of the reference voltage U ref and the necessary number of voltage steps. All measuring errors arising in such a calibration are thus recorded and in particular no temperature compensation is needed.
By including the reference voltage U ref in the calibration process, not only are errors eliminated due to temperature changes but also tolerances in the capacitance of the capacitor C of the ramp generator 5, deviations in the charging current of this capacitor C from the desired value, and similar errors. The accuracy of a measurement depends solely on the pulse duration of the pulse signal supplied to the current source I; it is however easily possible to obtain such pulses from an existing quartz time base and therefore a high degree of measuring accuracy is possible. Deviations in the charging current of the capacitor C and in its capacitance value thus lead simply to a different resolution but not to a higher error.
A realistic resolution could be in the region of 100 to 200 pulses, or in other words between 100 and 200 voltage steps per volt. Since most microprocessors have registers with a 16-bit word width, it is in principle also possible to build counters with a 16 bit resolution. Measured values could therefore be recorded with a very high resolution.
For example, a resolution of 100 pulses/volt can be achieved, corresponding to a resolution of 10 mV with a capacitor C of 10 nF, a charging current of 2 μA, a pulse frequency of 10 kHz and a pulse to pause ratio of 1:1.
With reference to the flowchart shown in FIG. 5, a measurement operation to be performed by the microprocessor 2 according to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 will now be described in order to illustrate the method. After the program has started, a measurement point is first selected in the triggering circuit 1 (step 1) via the microprocessor 2. Then, in step 2, the triggering circuit 1 is stimulated in such a way that a measured quantity U M1 , U M2 or U M3 is generated at the selected measurement point M1, M2 or M3.
If provision has been made for a multiplexer 8 (see FIG. 2), this is driven in step 3 is such a way that the output signal from the relevant comparator K1, K2 or K3 is supplied to the microprocessor.
Otherwise, the microprocessor 2 performs step 4, causing the ramp generator 5 to be reset through line 2c. This ramp generator 5 is then clocked with a single pulse so that the first voltage stage of the ramp voltage U R is generated. At the same time, this pulse is also supplied to the counter 3 so that its count Z is incremented by "1".
In the next step 7, the ramp voltage U R is compared with the measured quantity U MI at the relevant comparator Ki. Consequently, if the ramp voltage U R of the measured quantity U MI is exceeded (see step 8) the count Z of the pulse counter 3 is evaluated in the next step 9. This evaluation is performed by the microprocessor 2 and causes the measured value to be established.
If the ramp voltage U R has not yet reached the measured quantity U MI in step 8, however, a return jump takes place to step 5.
Instead of selecting a single measurement point (see step 1) it is also possible to select several measurement points at once which then also generate corresponding measured quantities simultaneously as a result of stimulating the triggering circuit 1.
The calibration function utilizing the reference voltage source 6 and the associated comparator K4 corresponds to the flowchart shown in FIG. 6. This flowchart corresponds largely with that shown in FIG. 5 except that steps 1 and 2 in FIG. 5 are replaced by the operation "Drive reference voltage source 6". In addition, the ramp voltage U R is compared with the reference voltage U ref in step 7. Evaluation of the count Z in step 9 leads to the establishment of the calibration factors.
The triggering circuit shown in FIG. 7 as an example, includes a triggering device Z, for instance an ignition pill for triggering an airbag or a belt tightener. Together with a power transistor T1 as high-side switch and a further power transistor T2 as low-side switch, this ignition pill Z makes up the triggering circuit. When triggering occurs, the two power transistors T1 and T2 are driven by the microprocessor 2 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) in such a way that a triggering current flowing through the ignition device Z causes triggering to take place. For the sake of simplicity, this triggering circuit includes only one output stage with associated ignition device Z as compared with the triggering circuit 1 shown in FIG. 1 or 2 where four output stages are provided.
In order to perform the diagnostic functions required in the output stage, this triggering circuit includes several measurement points M1 to M5 which call for additional elements.
Thus, a transistor T11 is provided connected as a diode which together with the power transistor T1 forms a current balancing circuit T1/T11. The output of this current balancing circuit, the collector terminal of transistor T11, forms a first measurement point M1 which is connected through a resistor R6 to the reference potential of the circuit.
Similarly, another transistor T22, also connected as a diode, forms together with the power transistor T2 another current balancing circuit T2/T22 the output of which, the collector electrode of transistor T22, forms a second measurement point M2 that is connected through a suitable resistor R7 to +5 V.
Furthermore, in parallel to both the power transistor T1 and to the power transistor T2 a 20 mA current source Q1 and Q2 respectively is connected that can be controlled by the microprocessor. The junction points to the ignition device Z provide the third and fourth measurement points M3 and M4 respectively.
Finally, a resistor R3 is connected in parallel to the current source Q1 and a voltage divider R4/R5 comprising two resistors R4 and R5 is connected in parallel to the current source Q2. The fifth measurement point M5 is obtained at this voltage divider.
These measurement points M1 to M5 supply measurement signals U M1 to U M5 when the power transistors T1 and T2 or the current sources Q1 and Q2 are driven accordingly.
The following tests are performed.
In order to test the power transistor T1, the current source Q2 and this power transistor T1 are switched on by the microprocessor μP. This causes a current of 20 mA to flow both through the ignition device Z and through the power transistor T1, but naturally this current cannot trigger the ignition device Z. The measurement point M3 thus supplies the saturation voltage UM 3 of the power transistor T1 and the current of 20 mA flowing through this transistor can be measured indirectly as voltage drop U M1 across the resistor R6.
The power transistor T2 is tested in the same way in that this transistor and also the current source Q1 are switched on by the microprocessor μP in order to be able to measure the saturation voltage U M4 of this power transistor T2 at the fourth measurement point M4 and the current flowing through this transistor T2 via the voltage drop U M2 across the resistor R7.
With the measurement point M5, the potential midpoint of the power supply (30 V) of the triggering circuit can be tested by forcing both the current sources Q1 and Q2 and also the power transistors T1 and T2 into the blocking state. With the voltage divider, designed to be of high resistance, made up of the resistors R3 and R4 and R5, respectively, the potential level of the ignition device Z is established at approx. 3 V. This is intended to permit a short-circuit to frame that could possibly occur in the cable connection from the triggering circuit to the ignition device Z to be detected with the measured quantity U M5 .
Thus both the current and the saturation voltage are measured at the power transistors T1 and T2, the saturation voltages being at a level of 1.4 V when using bipolar transistors of triple Darlington design. However, the current flowing through these power transistors is measured as a voltage drop across a resistor R6 and R7, respectively. The values of these resistors are selected such that a voltage drop in the region of 1 V is generated. With a resolution of 10 mV, the two measured quantities are then recorded with adequate precision.
In order to measure the resistance of the ignition device Z, the two measured quantities U M3 and U M4 , whose voltage difference represents the voltage drop across this ignition device Z, are supplied to a subtracting circuit as shown in FIG. 8 where this voltage difference is amplified and can subsequently be supplied as measured quantity U M6 directly to a measurement input of measuring circuit 4.
This subtracting circuit as shown in FIG. 8 includes an operational amplifier OP whose non-inverting input is connected on the one hand through a resistor R10 to the reference potential of the circuit and on the other hand through a resistor R8 to the measurement point M3. The inverting input, however, is connected through a resistor R9 to the measurement point M4 and also through a resistor R11 to the output at which the amplified voltage drop U M6 can be picked off through the ignition device Z.
If the resistors R10 and R11 each have a resistance value amounting to thirty times that of the resistors R8 and R9 which have the same resistance value, then a gain factor of 30 results. With a resistance value of 1.6 to 6.6 Ω and a current of 20 mA, a voltage drop of 32 mV to 132 mV is created across the ignition pill resulting in a measured quantity U M6 at the output of the subtracting circuit amounting to between 0.96 V and 3.96 V. These values are situated ideally in the measuring range of the ramp voltage generated by the ramp generator 6, where the resolution of 100 voltage steps per volt corresponds to about 16 mΩ.
Finally, the safety-relevant operating voltages must be checked. For this purpose, for example, the power supply voltage of +5 V is divided down with a voltage divider made up of equally sized resistors to 2.5 V and is thus within the voltage range of the ramp generator. Similarly, using a suitably dimensioned voltage divider, even higher operating voltages or the charging voltages of autonomous capacitors can be measured.
In order to safeguard the power supply to the triggering electronics in the event of an accident, when a fault can arise in the onboard network of the motor vehicle, so-called autonomous capacitors are provided that contain sufficient energy in order to definitely trigger the ignition devices, for example the ignition pills. Since aging of the autonomous capacitors and thus a reduction of their capacitance cannot be excluded, their charging capacity must be checked constantly, and as a rule this check is only performed at the time of starting the motor.
The 20 mA current sources Q1 and Q2 described in FIG. 7 are used for this purpose in order to bring a pulse-shaped charge to these autonomous capacitors. The change in charging voltage brought about by this pulse-shaped charge serves as a measured quantity and is also supplied to the measuring circuit 4.
If a capacitor with 4700 μF is charged with a current of 20 mA, its charging voltage varies at a rate of 4.25 V per second. A measurement duration of 0.5 s is therefore sufficient to be able to determine its capacitance with sufficient accuracy.
The application of this method in accordance with the invention is not only restricted to analog circuits in conjunction with passenger protection systems for motor vehicles, but it can also be applied in other fields such as, for example, circuits for motor control systems.
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A method for acquiring measured values in electronic analog circuits having at least one measurement point, in particular safety-relevant circuits for passenger protection systems in motor vehicles. The electrical potentials generated at the measurement points are each compared as measured quantities with a ramp voltage that rises in steps, where the number of steps required to reach the voltage value of the measured quantity at the respective measurement point is provided as a unit of measurement that is proportional to the measured quantity. This allows the comparison of all measured quantities with the ramp voltage to be performed simultaneously, the ramp voltage being selected to cover the entire range of measurement.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of the patent application U.S. Ser. No. 11/998,633—filed Nov. 30, 2007 now abandoned. The teachings of this prior patent application are incorporated by reference herein and to the extent that they do not conflict with the teachings of the present application.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to static structures and the handrails found therein, and, in particular, to a handrail adjoining a stair that is configured to minimize the risk of one falling on the stairs.
2. Description of the Related Art
Handrails are well known parts of multi-story buildings that are primarily used for the purpose of trying to prevent a person from falling when ascending or descending a stairway.
However, despite the use of handrails, each year thousands of people die and tens of thousands are injured from falls on stairways in their homes and in other places. Several conventional devices have been developed in order to reduce the number of injuries resulting from ascending or descending a stairway.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,992,832 discloses a stairway safety suspension support apparatus. This apparatus provides a plurality of loops along the stairway which a person can grasp in the event of a fall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,253,287 discloses a step walker for use in conjunction with a stairway. In this apparatus, a walking bar is temporarily positioned within guide slots as the person walks up or down the stairway.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,899,989 discloses an alternative to the standard or conventional stairway handrail. This alternative includes a rail that is secured to a wall adjacent a stairway. However, the configuration of this rail is such that the rail itself is not meant to be grabbed and held in the standard manner by one traversing the stairway. Instead, the rail has a bore that extends along the longitudinal extent of the rail and, through a slit opening in the side of the bore, receives one end of a handle that is slidable on the side of the rail and along its longitudinal extent. The other end of the handle has a loop which is held and pushed by one who is traversing the stairway so as to cause the handle to slide along the rail. The stated advantage of this alternative is that its handle can be gripped at all times so that a user in traversing a stairway does not have to grip, release and regrip the rail—thus supposedly decreasing the likelihood of a accident by eliminating the periods when a rail is not being gripped or held.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,167,297 discloses a waist-wrapped, safety harness which one wears when ascending and descending a stairway. This safety harness has a tether which is looped around an adjoining tubular handrail that is supported only at its ends.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,270,058 discloses a handrail whose cross-sectional shape is especially configured so that it sits further away from an adjoining wall and thereby makes it easier for one to grasp and lean on such a handrail so as to prevent a stairway fall. U.S. Pat. No. 7,093,825 also has a handrail with a uniquely shaped cross-section that seeks to help prevent stairway falls and other dangers during a broader spectrum of movements.
With the number of elderly people in the U.S. on the rise, there is a continuing need for improvements in handrails that will make people's movements on stairways safer.
OBJECTS AND ADVANTAGES
There has been summarized above, rather broadly, the prior art that is related to the present invention in order that the context of the present invention may be better understood and appreciated. In this regard, it is instructive to briefly consider the objects and advantages of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved handrail whose use will make it safer for the elderly and others (e.g., those with ambulatory infirmities, poor vision or balance problems) to ascend or descend stairs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost way to modify an otherwise conventional pole-like handrail so that this modified handrail's use will make it safer for the elderly and others (e.g., those with ambulatory infirmities, poor vision or balance problems) to ascend or descend stairs.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a low-cost way to retrofit existing pole-like handrails so that such a retrofitted handrail's use will make it safer for the elderly and others (e.g., those with ambulatory infirmities, poor vision or balance problems) to ascend or descend stairs.
It is an object of the present invention to modify or retrofit an otherwise conventional pole-like handrail, of the type that is mounted on the sidewall of a stairway and has an upper portion which is configured to be easily grasped by one utilizing the stairway, so that this modified or retrofitted handrail: (a) allows one who fears that he or she might fall in the stairway to use an especially designed wrist device that attaches to the modified or retrofitted handrail so as to prevent such a person from losing his or her grasp of the handrail, and (b) is not modified in such a way that its upper graspable portion is less usable by the those stairway users who have little or no fear of traversing the stairway and thus decline to use the present invention's wrist device.
It is an object of the present invention to modify or retrofit an otherwise conventional pole-like handrail, of the type that is mounted on the sidewall of a stairway and has an upper portion which is configured to be easily grasped by one utilizing the stairway, so that this modified or retrofitted handrail can still be just as easily used in the conventional manner by those who do not elect to use the present invention's especially designed wrist device that attaches to this modified or retrofitted handrail so as to prevent a person from losing his or her grasp of the handrail.
It is an object of the present invention to contribute to the reduction in the number of falls suffered by the elderly and others (e.g., those with ambulatory infirmities, poor vision or balance problems) when ascending or descending stairs.
It is an object of the present invention to contribute to the possibility that the elderly can continue to reside in their multi-story dwellings without having the fear of falling and being injured while using the dwellings stairways.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent as the invention is better understood by reference to the accompanying summary, drawings and the detailed description that follows.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Recognizing the need for the development of improved handrails that will contribute to minimizing the risk of falls on the stairs on which such handrails are used, the present invention is generally directed to satisfying the needs set forth above and overcoming the safety limitations seen in the prior handrails.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an improved handrail of the type includes: (a) a two-part cavity in the interior of the handrail and extending between its ends, with its first part being a slot that extends from the handrail's top surface and into its interior and its second part being a bore that is situated proximate the handrail's centerline and joined with the slot so as to make the bore accessible from the handrail's top surface, (b) a member which has a characteristic dimension that is less than that of the slot's width, (c) an adjustable wrist band, attached to a first end of the member, that has a shape which allows the is band to be wrapped around the wrist of a person who wishes to use the handrail, and (d) a stopper or spacer, having a characteristic dimension that is less than the characteristic dimension of the bore but greater than the slot's width, which is situated in the bore and attached to the member's second end and configured so that it is slideable along the entire length of the bore.
A person using the present invention: (i) inserts his or her hand into the wrist band and adjusts it so that it is secure on the wrist, (ii) holds onto the handrail and proceeds up or down the stairs in a normal manner; meanwhile, the wrist band slides in close proximity to the handrail's top surface while the stopper or spacer slides within the handrail's bore, (iii) upon completing one's traverse of the stairs, one unhooks the wrist band and proceeds. If for any reason the person should, during the ascent or descent of the stairs, let go of the handrail and try to pull his or her hand away from the handrail—one would not be able to do so since such an action would tend to pull the member up through the slot and cause the spacer to contact the top of the bore where it cannot pass through the handrail's slot and where friction between the spacer and the bore's top surface will prevent the wrist band from being moved further up or down the stair.
Thus, using the present invention, a person's hand or wrist is always held close to the handrail so that one may possibly regrip it should one feel oneself losing his or her balance and about to fall or, in a worst case scenario, be prevented from tumbling down the stairs.
Thus, there has been summarized above (rather broadly and understanding that there are other preferred embodiments which have not been summarized above) the present invention in order that the detailed description that follows may be better understood and appreciated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is the cross-sectional view 2 - 2 shown in FIG. 1 .
FIG. 3 is the cross-sectional view 3 - 3 shown in FIG. 1 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
The present invention, in the form of a safer handrail, reduces the risk of one who uses such a handrail from falling when ascending or descending the stairway that the handrail serves.
FIG. 1 shows a first preferred embodiment of a modified version of an otherwise conventional, pole-like handrail. It is seen to be a handrail 1 which has a relatively conventional looking exterior surface that includes a symmetrical-about-its-lateral-centerline upper portion with two, top surface outer edges (note: top surface for the purpose of this application is defined as that surface which would be on the upper or higher end of a straight line which is aligned with the direction of the earth's gravitational pull; i.e., between two surfaces, the top surface is that which is on average the furtherest distance away from the earth's center). This symmetric, upper portion is configured so that both its top surface outer edges are easily simultaneously gripable by one hand of one going up and down a stairway. The handrail's interior 2 has a relatively rectangular, cross-sectional shape that is uniform between its two ends 3 , 4 and along its longitudinal extent. Its upper portion has protrusions 2 a , 2 b ; one of which extends laterally and symmetrically from each side of its top surface 5 so as to make it easier to grip the handrail's top surface. This handrail also has a longitudinal centerline 6 that extends between its ends. A number of spaced-apart, mounting brackets, that typically attach to the handrail's bottom surface, may be used to mount the handrail to a stairway's adjoining vertical wall.
The modifications or improvements to this otherwise relatively conventional looking handrail must be made such that they make it safer to use for one who is fearful of possibly falling in a stairway, but do not in any way lessen or degrade the usability of the handrail for one who desires to use the handrail in the typical manner and thus is not unduly concerned about failing in a stairway. These improvements include: (a) a cavity 10 that extends between the handrail's ends and from the handrail's top surface 5 and into its interior 2 ; this cavity consists of two parts where the first part is a slot 12 of a prescribed width, s (e.g., approximately 0.25 inches), that extends from the handrails' top surface 5 and is joined on its interior portion to a bore 14 of characteristic dimension, b (e.g., 1 inch), that is situated proximate the centerline of the handrail and accessible through the slot 12 from the handrail's top surface 5 , (b) a member 20 with two ends 22 , 24 and a characteristic diameter or dimension, c, that is less than that of the slot's width, s, (c) a wrist securing means that one can attach to and, upon ascending or descending a stairway, then detach from one's wrist (see, for example, the hook and loop fasteners seen FIG. 2 ), consisting of an adjustable size, wrist band 30 that has a shape which allows it to be wrapped around or enclose the wrist of the hand that a person who wishes to use the handrail is also simultaneously using to grasp the top surface's outer edges, and with this band 30 being attached to the member's first end 22 , and (d) a stopper or spacer 40 that has a characteristic dimension, p (e.g., 0.75 inches), that is less than that of the bore but greater than that of the slot, and is affixed to the member's second end 24 and situated within the handrail's bore 14 ; with this spacer having an exterior surface and shape that is configured so as to allow it to be slideable along the entire length of the bore 14 . See also FIG. 2 's cross-sectional view 2 - 2 .
The slot's union with the handrail's exterior surface is smoothly rounded to prevent the member 20 that goes through the slot 12 from being damaged and to ensure that the tactile feel that a user experiences when grasping the handrail's upper portion is not adversely affected in order to prevent it being less likely that one would grasp said handrail in traversing said stairway because of said slot width. In one embodiment of the present invention, its spacer is formed by tying a suitably sized knot in the member's second end.
A person using the present invention to ascend or descent a stairway inserts his or her hand into the wrist band 30 and adjusts it so that it is secure on the wrist. The person then holds onto the handrail 1 and proceeds up or down the stairs in a normal manner. During this process, the wrist band slides in close proximity to the handrail's top surface 5 while the spacer 40 slides within the handrail's bore 14 . Upon completing one's traverse of the stairs, one unhooks the wrist band and proceeds. A line can be added to the wrist band assembly so that it can be brought to the other end of the handrail 1 in the event that its last user has left it at the opposite end of the handrail from which the next user wishes to ascend or descend the stairs.
If for any reason a person should, during a stairway ascent or descent, let go of the handrail 1 and try to pull his or her hand away from the handrail—he or she would not be able to do so since such an action would tend to pull the member 20 up through the slot 12 and such action would be stopped when the spacer 40 contacts the top of the bore and cannot pass through the handrail's slot and where friction between the spacer and the bore's top surface will prevent the wrist band from being moved further up or down the stair. The material used to construct the spacer 40 can be chosen so that its surface has the appropriate coefficient of friction with the bore's surface so as to provide the necessary frictional or binding force to prevent the wrist band's further movement.
An alternative to this friction stop is shown in FIG. 3 . It consists of dams 16 located within the bore which extend from the top portion of the bore or at the intersection of the slot 12 with the bore 14 and at spaced apart lengths along the longitudinal extent of the bore 14 . These dams provide a positive stop for the spacer when it is pulled upward, by a user pulling her or her hand away from the handrail, and encounters a dam that prevent it from sliding further along the bore. Typical dimension for these dams 16 are ⅛ of an inch in height, 2 inches in lateral extent and with centerlines that are spaced apart every 12 inches along the bore's lateral extent.
Using the present invention, a person's hand or wrist is always held close to the handrail. If one is sufficiently alert when he/she loses his/her balance while using the present invention and traversing a flight of stairs, the person can possibly grab or regrip the, now necessarily, nearby handrail 1 and hopefully prevent a fall on the stairs. However, if the person cannot regrab the handrail lafter losing his/her balance, he/she will as a result of his/her inevitable pull on the wrist band 30 and its consequent binding or locking of itself in its present position, be prevented from tumbling down the stairs.
A removable cover piece may be attached to each end of the handrail to provide easy access to the handrail's cavity 10 and thereby a way to service, if necessary, the present invention's member and spacer. Additionally, this easy access to the handrail's cavity makes it feasible to leave one or two spare wrist bands at either end of the handrail so that one of them can be used when needed by just inserting its spacer into the handrail's cavity.
It should be recognized that there are many obvious materials that can be used to construct the present invention and all of these should be considered to come within the scope of this invention's disclosure. For example, the handrail 1 may be made from wood and have a cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 1 . Alternative, the handrail can be a metal or plastic pipe or tube having a circular cross-section that allows the use of a slot and bore application.
Similarly, the spacer 40 can be a simple, appropriately sized knot that is tied in the member near its inner or second end 24 or it may be a more involved piece that is configured to slide optimally well in the handrail's bore and bind quickly when a outward pull on the member brings it into frictional contact with the bore's top surface. In a further simplification of the present invention, the other end 22 of the member can be extended and possibly formed into an adjustable—sized loop which can possibly serve as the wrist band portion of the present invention. Thus, hereinafter when we speak of a spacer and wrist band, this terminology should, in its broadest sense, be understood to convey that these elements may be fashioned from the present invention's member.
A hook and loop tape of approximately two inches in width has been found to be a very convenient material from which to make the adjustable wrist band of the present invention.
While the present invention has been discussed above in terms generally related to its use in private spaces and homes, it should also be recognized that a version of it can easily be adapted for use in public spaces where there are hundreds or thousands of users of the same stairway or handrail. In such applications (public handrails), it can be used by standardizing on the dimension's of the handrail's cavity (e.g., a 0.25 inch slot with a 1 inch bore) so that size of the present invention's member and spacer can also then be standardized for use in any number of standardized handrails. People could then carry their own standard-sized, member-spacer combinations which could be used in any such standardized public handrails that one might encounter in her/her travels.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention that is hereinafter set forth in the claims to this invention.
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To further prevent stairway falls, an otherwise conventional handrail, of the type that is mounted on the sidewall of a stairway and has an upper portion which is configured to be easily grasped by one utilizing, is modified by providing it with a two-part cavity in the interior of the handrail, with its first part being a slot that extends from the handrails' exterior surface and its second part being a bore that is situated in the handrail's interior and joined with the slot so as to make the bore accessible from the handrail's exterior surface. This modified handrail is also to provided with a wrist securing device that works in cooperation with the handrail's cavity for keeping the wrist of a user in close proximity to the handrail when the user is traversing the stairway.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to key lock covers and more particularly pertains to a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings for preventing moisture and dirt from entering key locks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The use of key lock covers is known in the prior art. More specifically, key lock covers heretofore devised and utilized are known to consist basically of familiar, expected and obvious structural configurations, notwithstanding the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.
Known prior art key lock covers include U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,732; U.S. Pat. No. 4,825,673; U.S. Pat. Des. 333,083; U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,182; U.S. Pat. No. 4,090,379 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,858,454.
While these devices fulfill their respective, particular objectives and requirements, the aforementioned patents do not disclose a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings. The inventive device includes a dome-shaped cap, a handle on one side of the cap, and a magnetized clip extending from the other side of the cap and sized to fit within a key lock opening.
In these respects, the Protection Device For Key Lock Openings according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in so doing provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of preventing moisture and dirt from entering key locks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing disadvantages inherent in the known types of key lock covers now present in the prior art, the present invention provides a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings construction wherein the same can be utilized for preventing moisture and dirt from entering key locks.
The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the key lock covers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art key lock covers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
To attain this, the present invention generally comprises a dome-shaped cap, a handle on one side of the cap, and a magnetized clip extending from the other side of the cap and sized to fit within a key lock opening.
There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood, and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto.
In this respect, before explaining at least one embodiment of the invention in detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.
As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
Further, the purpose of the foregoing abstract is to enable the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings apparatus and method which has many of the advantages of the key lock covers mentioned heretofore and many novel features that result in a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which is not anticipated, rendered obvious, suggested, or even implied by any of the prior art key lock covers, either alone or in any combination thereof.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which may be easily and efficiently manufactured and marketed.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which is of a durable and reliable construction.
An even further object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which is susceptible of a low cost of manufacture with regard to both materials and labor, and which accordingly is then susceptible of low prices of sale to the consuming public, thereby making such Protection Device For Key Lock Openings economically available to the buying public.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which provides in the apparatuses and methods of the prior art some of the advantages thereof, while simultaneously overcoming some of the disadvantages normally associated therewith.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings for preventing moisture and dirt from entering key locks.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings which includes a dome-shaped cap, a handle on one side of the cap, and a magnetized clip extending from the other side of the cap and sized to fit within a key lock opening.
Still yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings that is safe for locks and easy to use.
Even still another object of the present invention is to provide a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings that eliminates the use of heating devices to de-ice lock mechanisms.
These together with other objects of the invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention, its operating advantages and the specific objects attained by its uses, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter in which there is illustrated preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood and objects other than those set forth above will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:
FIG. 1 is a top view of a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a bottom view thereof.
FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side view of an alternate embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 5 is a side view of the protection device shown in an operative relationship in a key lock opening.
FIG. 6 is a side view of the alternate embodiment of the protection device shown in an operative relationship with a key lock opening.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference now to the drawings, and in particular to FIGS. 1 through 4 thereof, a new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings embodying the principles and concepts of the present invention and generally designated by the reference numeral 10 will be described.
More specifically, it will be noted that the Protection Device 10 for key lock openings comprises a cap 20 and a one-piece handle and clip assembly 30.
As best illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4, it can be shown that the device 10 is utilized with key operated locking mechanisms, such as those on cars and trucks. As best shown in FIG. 3, a car or truck includes a lock mechanism 14 with a key hole 16, affixed to an exterior panel or surface 18 of the vehicle.
The device 10 includes a cap 20 which is sized to fit around the lock mechanism 14. The cap 20 includes an exterior convex surface 21, an interior concave surface 22, and a bottom surface 23, to give the cap an overall dome-shaped appearance. The bottom surface 23 is made flat so as to closely engage with the panel 18. The cap is made of rigid plastic material.
Extending from the concave surface 22 is a sealing ring 24. The ring 24 is sized such that it surrounds the locking mechanism 14, and so that it extends past the bottom surface 23 of the cap 20. This provides increased sealing effect when the bottom surface 23 is disposed in contact with the panel 18, thus preventing moisture from entering the locking mechanism 14. The sealing ring is made of a flexible rubber material, such as foam rubber.
One-piece handle and clip assembly 30 is affixed to the cap 20. The cap is preferably molded around the assembly 30 during formation of the cap, so as to integrally attach the cap and assembly. The assembly 30 includes a loop-shaped handle 31 which extends from the convex surface, and a clip 32 extending from the concave surface. The loop of the handle is sized so as to permit at least one finger to be inserted into the loop for pulling on the handle. Preferably more than one finger can fit within the loop for increased pulling force.
The clip 32 is sized such that it can fit within the key hole 16 of the lock mechanism 14. The clip 32 is also magnetized. Since the lock mechanism is normally made of metal, the attraction force between the magnetized clip 32 and the metallic components of the lock mechanism keeps the clip 32 inside of the key hole 16, and thus secures the device in place. The clip is magnetized to an extent such that the attraction force keeps the device firmly in place during use, but permits a person to remove the device by pulling on the handle 31.
It should be recognized that the handle and clip do not need to be of one-piece construction. A separate handle and clip could be used and appropriately attached to their respective surfaces.
FIG. 4 shows an alternate embodiment for use with a different type of locking mechanism. Some vehicle panels 18a include a recess 19 therein, with the locking mechanism 14 and key hole 16 disposed at the bottom of the recess 19. The recess might cause the clip to fit loosely within the locking mechanism and not be securely engaged. FIG. 4 shows a protection device which is similar in all aspects to the device 10, but it includes a frusto-conically shaped rubber plug 26 which extends from the concave surface of the cap and is molded about the upper end of the clip 32. The plug 26 fits closely within the recess 19 and prevents shifting of the clip and cap due to the recess.
In use, the lock to be protected is chosen and the device is attached by inserting the clip within the key hole. The clip is inserted until the bottom surface 23 contacts the panel 18. The bottom surface of the cap contacting the panel, and the sealing ring 24 engaging the panel, form a series of seals preventing moisture from entering the lock. The magnetic force between the clip and the metallic elements of the lock keeps the device in place. The device is simply removed by grasping the handle 31 and pulling with a force sufficient to overcome the magnetic attraction force.
As to a further discussion of the manner of usage and operation of the present invention, the same should be apparent from the above description. Accordingly, no further discussion relating to the manner of usage and operation will be provided.
With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention.
Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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A new Protection Device For Key Lock Openings for preventing moisture and dirt from entering key locks. The inventive device includes a dome-shaped cap, a handle on one side of the cap, and a magnetized clip extending from the other side of the cap and sized to fit within a key lock opening.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Many people own small firearms, such as revolvers, pistols, and rifles for sport and for protection. The United States Constitution and state laws permit people to protect themselves. A person may use force, even deadly force, against another person when he/she reasonably believes that such force is immediately necessary for the purpose of protecting him/herself against the use of unlawful force by such other person. For a firearm to be used in this manner it needs to be quickly and accurately discharged or else it may provoke return fire and result in personal injury or even death.
[0002] A very simplified process describing the discharge of a firearm, such as a handgun, is to load with ammunition, aim the gun at a target, and fire the gun by actuating a trigger. The most common means to aim a gun is the visual alignment of a target with front and rear mechanical sights typically located along the top barrel of the gun. While aiming, the top of the front sight should be level with the top of the rear sight and the front sight should be centered left/right within the horizontal opening of the rear sight. Accurate firing using mechanical sighting requires that the target location, front sight, and rear sight be carefully aligned on the optical axis of the shooters eye to achieve success. This is not a process that lends itself to rapid response in an emergency situation. Many times a gun will need to be discharged rapidly and is aimed in an intuitive process where the gun is pointed at the target without mechanical sighting and then discharged. The accuracy when firing in this manner is marginally effective at short distances and relatively ineffective at longer distances.
[0003] The aiming accuracy problem has been addressed with the advent of the development of a laser sight. U.S. Pat. No. 5,179,235, entitled “Pistol Sighting Device”, issued Sep. 10, 1991 to Toole, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,934,086, entitled “Recoil Spring Guide Mounting for Laser Sight”, issued Jun. 19, 1990 to Houde-Walter, illustrate the utility of lasers for aiming firearms, such as guns and rifles. After a laser is calibrated to a firearm, a visible red laser dot shines on the target at the location that a bullet will strike when fired upon. The firearm can rapidly acquire a target and be fired from positions not requiring mechanical sighting. The laser system overcomes the aforementioned limitations for rapid firing and accuracy and provides a viable means to protect oneself with a firearm. It will be appreciated that laser sights are currently available as accessories for firearms and are available as factory integrated features on stock firearms. When purchased as an accessory there are a host of universal attachment methods known in the art to fasten the laser assembly to a firearm. Many firearms even come with accessory mounts built in. Sometimes the lasers are mounted below the firearm's barrel, sometimes above the firearms barrel, and sometimes along side the firearm's barrel. Additionally the calibration of the laser to the firearm needs to take into account basic targeting variables such as range (elevation) and windage. These adjustments are generally made with mechanical alignment set screws or thumb screws to position the laser to shine at the point of bullet impact and are also well known in the art. To assist in the calibration, range finders that calculate the distance from the firearm to a target are readily available. Some rangefinders are simple optical sights, some use sound waves, and some use modulated laser light. Laser sights require power that generally is provided by batteries, such as Alkaline or lithium batteries. Some laser sight models take into account power conservation and have a momentary push button activated by the thumb on the firearm's grip. Other laser sight models conserve power by pulsing the laser instead of simply leaving the laser on steady state. Most laser sights, however, just have on/off slide switches that steadily drain the batteries.
[0004] One of the statistics that is important concerning use of firearms for protection is that over 80% of shootings happen in low light situations. Many accessories for firearms contain either a visible flashlight or an IR flashlight for night vision. The ability to aim in low light situations with a visible flashlight introduces another dangerous issue. While the visible light allows the shooter to aim effectively, it also creates a clear target for an intruder to aim back. To circumvent the risk of illuminating oneself as a target for your opponent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,584,137, entitled “Modular Laser Apparatus”, Dec. 17, 1996 issued to Teetzel, includes the use of IR lighting and IR laser sights. When a shooter does not wish to endanger themself as a target, they switch to IR illumination and IR laser sighting. While no visible signature illuminates the shooter to an opponent, the shooter must now wear night vision seeing technology, preferably in goggle form, to view the intruder. Typical night vision equipment consists of a low light-level CCD camera with an image display. Night vision equipment has in the past been bulky and is certainly not designed for rapid response. Upon engagement with an intruder, a person seeking to protect themselves would have to power up the night vision equipment, put the night vision goggles on, locate their weapon, and power on the IR laser, to be in a readiness state. Not only is the time required for this sequence potentially hazardous, the additional motions required can also disclose your location and intent. What is ideally needed is a rapidly actuated firearm for protection that is equipped with a compact calibrated laser sight that can be used in a stealth mode that utilizes non-visible laser illumination and has built in night vision capability for sighting. It will be appreciated that such a firearm of this nature, while portrayed as a weapon of self-defense has many applications for law enforcement and military use as well. As an offensive weapon, this sighting technology facilitates stealth approach and targeting. It can be used with a host of military firearms, such as the M4 carbine and the M16 rifle.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is therefore an aspect of the present invention to provide stealth non-visible laser sighting for a firearm.
[0006] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide both visible laser sighting and stealth non-visible laser sighting for a firearm.
[0007] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide an attached means to image and display the non-visible laser.
[0008] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide stealth laser sighting capability integral to a firearm.
[0009] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide a compact stealth laser sighting apparatus as an accessory that can be retrofitted to firearms not factory equipped.
[0010] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide mounting interchangeably above or below the barrel of the weapon.
[0011] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide rapid or automatic actuation of all laser sighting and imaging means.
[0012] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide mechanical or electronic adjustment for calibrating the laser to the gun barrel.
[0013] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide mechanical or electronic adjustment for calibrating range (elevation) and windage.
[0014] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide automatic detection of range and electronic adjustment of sighting.
[0015] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide image zoom capabilities to accurately sight long-range targets.
[0016] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide a laser crosshair that projects range and windage adjustments on a target.
[0017] It is further an aspect of the present invention to provide memory means to record targeting and shooting events.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] The present invention will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below and the accompanying drawings which are given by way of illustration only, and thus are not limitations of the present invention, and wherein:
[0019] FIG. 1 is a side view of a stealth laser sighting system attached to a typical handgun according to one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIGS. 2A and 2B are perspective views of the stealth laser system in accessory form according to the present invention.
[0021] FIGS. 3A , 3 B, and 3 C are perspective views of the stealth laser system in accessory form according to an alternate embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIGS. 4A and 4B are front views of the stealth laser system in accessory form according to the present invention.
[0023] FIGS. 5A and 5B are side views of the stealth laser sighting system in accessory form illustrating alternate attachments to a typical handgun according to the present invention.
[0024] FIG. 6 is a side view of a stealth laser sighting system attached to an M- 16 rifle according to the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a stealth laser sighting system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
[0026] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the stealth laser sighting system using dual laser diodes according to the present invention.
[0027] FIGS. 9A and 9B are electrical schematic diagrams of laser diodes.
[0028] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a stealth laser sighting system using a photo detector for sensing range according to the invention.
[0029] FIG. 11 is top view of a circuit board according to the present invention.
[0030] FIGS. 12A-12E are perspective views showing an image display according to the present invention.
[0031] FIGS. 13A and 13B are perspective views showing the image display with zoom feature according to the present invention.
[0032] FIG. 14 is a side view of a stealth laser sighting system integrated within a typical handgun according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0033] Referring to FIG. 1 there is shown a typical handgun 10 that as illustrated is by way of example a Beretta pistol. The handgun 10 has a barrel 15 that is the tube that a bullet travels down when fired. Along the top of the barrel 15 is a mounting base 16 , which fastens accessories such as gun sights and scopes to the firearm. There are several types of mounting bases: a Weaver base, a Ruger base, a Leopold base, various .22 bases or “dovetail” bases are the most common. Attached to the mounting base 16 is mounting adapter 17 which fastens a stealth laser sighting system 19 in accessory form in accordance with the present invention to the handgun 10 and contains mechanical adjustment for elevation and windage.
[0034] FIG. 2A illustrates the stealth laser sighting system 19 , shown by way of example in accessory form in accordance with the present invention. The stealth laser sighting system 19 houses all the components necessary to project a non-visible or visible laser dot, and to then image and display the non-visible dot on its intended target. Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B the stealth laser sighting system 19 includes laser module housings 21 and 23 which contain laser modules 22 and 24 respectively. The laser modules are factory calibrated to be aligned with parallel axial alignment to each other with beams projected normal to the front surface of the stealth laser sighting system 19 . Each laser module contains a laser diode of a specific wavelength, appropriate optics to collimate and focus laser light, and driver circuitry for driving the laser diode. It should be noted that the electromagnetic spectrum is only visible in the range of 380 to 780 nm. The wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum immediately outside the range that the human eye is able to perceive are called ultraviolet (UV) at shorter wavelengths (high frequency) and infrared (IR) at longer wavelengths (low frequency). Laser module 22 contains a laser diode that projects visible light and is tuned to a predetermined wavelength, such as a wavelength of 635 nm. It will be appreciated that the visible light emitting laser diode can be tuned to any wavelength that is in the visible spectrum. Laser module 24 contains a laser diode that projects IR non-visible light and is tuned to a predetermined wavelength, such as a wavelength of 830 nm. It will be appreciated that the non-visible light emitting laser diode can be tuned at any wavelength that is outside of the visible spectrum that can be imaged and displayed to make the non-visible light beam visible. An imaging element 25 is used to capture and transmit real-time video. Imaging element 25 is designed to image light in the non-visible spectrum and shift the light into video in the visible spectrum. The imaging element 25 is designed to be in parallel axial alignment with the laser modules 22 and 24 and image the field of view where laser modules 22 and 24 illuminate a target. Ideally the center of imaging element 25 's field of view would be located along the axis of the laser modules 22 and 25 . In one embodiment of the imaging element 25 , the imaging element is a low light level (lux) CCD imager capable of producing a grayscale composite video image. The imaging element 25 has by way of example a 92-degree field of view with a pinhole lens, and has 420 lines of video resolution. Most importantly the spectral sensitivity of the CCD imager is by way of example from 200 nm-1000 nm that allows both visible and non-visible light to be displayed within the visible grayscale output as a video stream. Another important feature of the CDD imager is that it only requires, by way of example, as little as 0.01 Lux illumination, which produces very high contrast images in extremely low light situations. While this embodiment of the imaging element 25 uses a pinhole lens, it will be appreciated that any imager can be outfitted with any combination of lens assemblies to provide a fixed or variable zoom to provide any field of view desired. The imaging element 25 provides a continuous video stream to the image display 27 . The image display 27 is provided by any display technology that provides high-resolution video in a compact display that requires minimal power. In one embodiment of image display 27 , the display is a TFT graphic video LCD assembly that contains by way of example 640×480 pixels, displays 4096 colors, is a 1.8 inch (45 mm) diagonal display with a 1.8 inch (45 mm)×1.8 inch (45 mm)×0.25 (6 mm) inch footprint. The image display 27 is located on the top surface of the stealth laser sighting system 19 and is angled downward from front to back to allow clear visual inspection while in a comfortable shooting position with the gun held at arms length in front of one's body at chest height. A battery compartment 26 holds by way of example either lithium or alkaline batteries, or batteries that can be recharged and are selected to allow for a predetermined number of hours of usage, such as several hours of continuous use. Universal mounting feature 28 is a keyed mating recess designed to accept all of the previously described mounting adaptors 17 . The recessed design requires proper orientation and facilitates a rigid mount that is required to maintain the calibration between the sight and the gun. A three-way switch 29 has by way of example a center off position, a leftmost position powers up all components providing operation in a stealth mode, and a rightmost position powers up all components providing operation in a visible mode.
[0035] FIGS. 3A , 3 B, and 3 C and FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate another embodiment of stealth laser sighting system 19 . In this embodiment the imaging display 17 pivots using hinge 32 . Within hinge 32 is a rotary switch 33 that automatically powers up the stealth laser sighting system 19 in a stealth mode when the imaging display 17 is opened. Stealth mode powers up a non-visible light emitting laser 24 , imaging element 25 and imaging display 17 . This automatic power actuation allows for rapid deployment of a firearm in an emergency situation. To switch to a visible mode, one needs simply to depress a mode switch 34 . A single actuation of mode switch 34 will turn off the non-visible light emitting laser 24 and turn on a visible light-emitting laser 22 . Actuation again of mode switch 34 will turn off the imaging element 25 and imaging display 17 , which conserves power since the visible source can be seen without the aid of imaging element 25 and the imaging display 17 . Depressing mode switch 34 again will begin the cycle again and place the stealth laser sighting system 19 into the stealth mode.
[0036] FIGS. 3C and 4B show how compact the profile of the stealth laser sighting system 19 is when the display housing 35 is in the closed position. The intent of the narrow profile when the imaging display 17 is closed is to contain the module as much as possible within the confines of the handgun to enable holstering the firearm.
[0037] FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate multiple mounting locations of the stealth laser sighting system 19 to handgun 10 .
[0038] FIG. 6 illustrates the preferred use of the stealth laser sight 19 when attached to an automatic or semi-automatic firearm 60 , which as illustrated is by way of example an M- 16 army rifle.
[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates the use of a single laser element on stealth laser sighting system 19 . This version does not contain the visible laser module 22 or a laser module housing 21 .
[0040] Referring to FIGS. 8 , 9 A, and 9 B, FIG. 8 illustrates a stealth laser sighting system 19 that uses a dual output laser module 80 . The dual output laser module 80 contains a single set of collimating optics, a dual laser diode and driver circuitry. FIG. 9A illustrates a typical schematic for a single mode visible light emitting laser diode 90 . Single mode visible light emitting laser diode 90 typically includes a photodiode 92 that is used to provide feedback to control the output of the laser power and includes a laser diode 94 that is tuned to produce laser light in the visible spectrum. FIG. 9B illustrates a typical schematic for a dual mode laser diode 95 . The dual mode laser diode 95 includes a photodiode 92 , a laser diode 94 tuned to the visible spectrum, and a laser diode 96 tuned to the non-visible spectrum. This packaging conserves cost and space that is critical for compactness, and eliminates the machining tolerance to make the separate visible and non-visible laser modules parallel as described above regarding FIGS. 2A and 2B .
[0041] FIG. 10 illustrates the addition of a photo detector 50 that senses laser light for purposes of calculating the range to a target. A laser range finder, or LIDAR (Light Detection And Ranging), uses the laser beam from laser module 22 in order to determine the distance to an opaque object. The laser range finder works by sending a laser pulse in a narrow beam towards a target and measuring how long it takes for the pulse to bounce off the target and return. The pulse can be coded in order to reduce the chance that the laser range finder can be jammed. It will be appreciated that a LIDAR that uses very short (sharp) laser pulses and has a very fast detector can range on object to within a few centimeters. The distance from the firearm to the target is used to set the laser sight elevation, to calibrate where the bullet will strike a target.
[0042] FIG. 11 is a view of a circuit board 51 that is enclosed within stealth laser sighting system 19 . Circuit board 51 incorporates a micro controller unit 52 that can perform calculations and processes for the LIDAR. Circuit board 51 also can incorporate an accelerometer IC 53 and associated circuitry that can detect motion of the firearm and automatically power up the stealth laser sighting system 19 in stealth mode for quick firearm response. Circuit board 51 also can incorporate a display driver 54 that is used to process all of the video information, add video overlays, and drive the imaging display 27 as required. A memory 62 can be incorporated to record the video information delivered from the imaging element 25 . The memory 62 can be permanently incorporated onto the circuit board 51 , or can be removable, such as provided using a Flash RAM or a flash memory card. The content of memory 62 can be reviewed or transferred to other media, and used as visual evidence of the circumstances of the discharge of the firearm.
[0043] FIG. 12A illustrates an image as seen on imaging display 27 when the stealth laser sighting system 19 is used in stealth mode. A laser spot 55 , which is not visible directly on the target to the human eye, shows up on the imaging display 27 on the intended target where a bullet will strike once the stealth laser sighting system 19 and firearm are mechanically aligned and calibrated to each other as described above.
[0044] FIG. 12B illustrates the addition of laser apertures 56 that cause the stealth laser sighting system 10 to project a targeting grid 57 on the target instead of projecting just a laser spot 55 as described above. Laser apertures 56 can have, as shown by example, cross hatches that are indicative of windage and elevation adjustments that can be made prior to shooting by aiming the sight through a particular cross hatch on targeting grid 57 instead of the center of the target crosshair on targeting grid 57 .
[0045] FIG. 12C illustrates the addition of an electronic video overlay of a crosshair 58 . The electronic video overlay of a crosshair 58 highlights the location of laser spot 55 , which makes the laser spot 55 easier to see on imaging display 27 . Additionally the electronic video overlay of the crosshair 58 can have cross hatches that are indicative of windage and elevation adjustments, as described above, that can be made prior to shooting by aiming the sight through a particular cross hatch instead of the center of the target crosshair. In this case the laser spot 55 , imaging element 25 , and the handgun 10 need to be mechanically aligned, for the calibrations to aim the firearm effectively.
[0046] FIG. 12D illustrates when the laser spot 55 and the handgun 10 are not mechanically aligned. To accurately calibrate the stealth laser sighting system 19 and the handgun 10 , an electronic video overlay of a crosshair 59 is manually positioned using a button-sized joystick 68 where the bullet would strike when aimed. A similar sighting process known in the art for mechanical alignment of a sight and a gun would be used to perform this calibration accurately. To accurately fire the firearm, the shooter would align the target with crosshairs 59 instead of the actual laser spot 55 .
[0047] FIG. 12E illustrates an auto laser range finder that would automatically offset crosshair 65 to account for range relative to the laser spot 55 . The shooter would aim at the center of the crosshair to place a bullet accurately in the target from the actual distance the firearm was fired.
[0048] FIG. 13A illustrates a long range shot as imaged on imaging display 27 . Upon actuation of a digital zoom button 69 or rotational adjustment of a zoom lens 77 , the image illustrated in FIG. 13B zooms in to fill the viewing screen to make it easier to sight the target. It will be appreciated that both optical zoom, where a lens attached to the imaging device 17 is rotated, and digital zoom, where a portion of the image is digitally enlarged, serve identical functions.
[0049] FIG. 14 takes all of the features described above as a modular accessory for a small firearm and integrates the stealth laser sighting system 19 directly into the housing of firearm 100 . All of the stealth features and functionality of the stealth laser sighting system 19 are contained within the firearm body and all rigid alignments are maintained.
[0050] It will thus be seen that the description set forth above, and those made apparent from the preceding descriptions, are effectively attained and since certain changes may be made in the above construction without departing from the spirit and 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.
[0051] It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statements of scope of the present invention, which as a matter of language, might be said to fall there between.
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A stealth laser sighting system for a firearm includes a non-visible laser and night imaging device with display. The stealth laser sighting system combines all of the features required for stealth laser sighting within a self-contained accessory. The stealth laser sighting system provides for an optional visible laser system. and can include features such as electronic calibration, laser rangefinder compensation, target zoom, projected graphic laser marking, and windage and elevation adjustments on a graphical overlay. The stealth laser sighting system can be packaged as an accessory or all of the features can be integrated into a firearm.
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BACKGROUND
Aerial refueling of a receiver aircraft from a tanker aircraft is commonly performed. Nevertheless, aerial refueling is still a difficult and dangerous maneuver that is typically attempted only by military personnel throughout the world. Today, usually only two types of aerial refueling systems are used: extendable boom systems and a hose-and-drogue systems.
In a hose-and-drogue system, the drogue is attached to the outlet end of a hose. The inlet end of the hose is attached to a hose reel onto which the hose is wound. The hose reel is typically mounted either within a tanker aircraft fuselage or on a refueling pod or module which is attached to the bottom of the tanker aircraft. The hose reel is commonly connected to a motor and/or pump that is hydraulically driven. The hydraulic motor-pump can be connected through a coupling system, which may include, e.g., various gear boxes, shafts, and couplings. When the hose is deployed from the tanker aircraft, the drogue encounters drag and the hose reel rotates in a trail direction in which the hose extends behind the tanker aircraft.
When the hose and the drogue are fully extended, a pilot of a receiver aircraft maneuvers the receiver aircraft to engage a refueling probe of the receiver aircraft with the drogue. Danger arises because the high speeds of the aircrafts relative to the ground and to each other can result in the drogue being hit with considerable force during engagement. Such engagements may create slack in the hose that must be quickly eliminated. Otherwise, the risk of aircraft accidents increases substantially. Retracting the hose onto the hose reel eliminates the slack.
After the drogue is engaged, fuel can be pumped from the tanker aircraft to the receiver aircraft. When refueling is completed, the pilot of the receiver aircraft disengages the refueling probe from the drogue. The hose can then be retracted onto the hose reel for storage by rotating the hose reel in a retract direction.
Thus, when the hose extends, it drives the hose reel in a trail direction while the hydraulic motor-pump operates in a pump mode. Conversely, operating the hydraulic motor-pump in a motor mode rotates the hose reel in the retract direction, causing the hose to be retracted onto the hose reel. In the trail mode, hose position can be controlled independently from variations in hose tension. In the retract mode, hose tension can be controlled independently from variations in hose position.
Aerial refueling systems have utilized hydraulic motor-pumps that incorporate fixed displacement hydraulic motors that control the extension of the hose in a pump mode and control the retraction of the hose in a motor mode. However, such systems suffer from low hose retraction rates and accessory components that increase overall weight and response time of the system. Information relevant to attempts to address these problems can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,454,212 and 6,866,228, which disclose variable displacement hydraulic motor-controlled hose reel drive systems.
SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTION
Embodiments generally provide apparatuses and systems that regulate the output of a variable displacement motor-pump (VDMP) by varying the VDMP displacement, with relatively constant system pressure. Embodiments also generally provide apparatuses and systems that control the mixing of hydraulic fluid recirculating to a VDMP in, for example, an aerial refueling system while the VDMP operates in a pump mode.
One embodiment relates to a hydraulic motor assembly (HMA). The embodiment is described in relation to its use in an aerial refueling system, but it will be appreciated that it may also be used in other hydraulic systems and applications. The HMA can include a supply conduit for conveying hydraulic fluid from an aircraft hydraulic system, a return conduit for conveying hydraulic fluid back to the aircraft hydraulic system, and a pump conduit for conveying hydraulic fluid between the supply conduit and the return conduit. The HMA can also include a valve, such as a check valve, that includes an inlet connected to the supply conduit and an outlet connected to the pump conduit. The valve can isolate the pump conduit and allow independent metering of the supply conduit to the return conduit. The HMA can also include a VDMP having a first port connected to the return conduit, a second port connected to the pump conduit, and a spline shaft connected to a hose reel of the aerial refueling system. The VDMP can be capable of operating in a pump mode in which hydraulic fluid is conveyed through the VDMP from the first port to second port, i.e., in which hydraulic fluid flows from the return conduit to the pump conduit, when the hose reel rotates in a trail direction. The VDMP can also be operated in a motor mode in which hydraulic fluid is conveyed through the VDMP from the second port to the first port, i.e., in which hydraulic fluid flows from the pump conduit to the return conduit, to rotate the hose reel in a retract direction.
The HMA can also include a pump-motor relief valve (PMRV) which has a dual function. The primary function is to limit the VDMP output pressure by opening a throttling orifice which connects the VDMP output, e.g., the pump conduit, to the return conduit. In this way, energy generated by an extending hose and hose reel rotating in the extend direction is dissipated by the pressure drop across the orifice. The second function is to mix enough aircraft hydraulic system fluid with the hydraulic fluid from the VDMP to limit the combined fluid temperature to a safe level for recirculation to the system.
The PMRV can include a control chamber and a mixing chamber. The control chamber can be divided into an actuator chamber and a regulation chamber by a spool. The actuator chamber can be placed in fluid communication with an inlet conduit and can also house a bias spring, or a portion thereof, configured to exert a load on the spool. The regulation chamber can be placed in fluid communication with the pump conduit. The mixing chamber can be placed in fluid communication with the supply conduit, the pump conduit, and the return conduit and can also house a portion of the spool. The mixing chamber can be separated from the control chamber by the spool, or by another structure, and can be configured to control mixing of hydraulic fluid flowing from the supply conduit and the pump conduit through the mixing chamber into the return conduit when the VDMP operates in the pump mode. Furthermore, the spool can be configured to prevent hydraulic fluid from flowing through the mixing chamber into the return conduit when the VDMP operates in the motor mode.
In an aspect of an embodiment, the bias spring regulates a pressure of hydraulic fluid in the pump conduit to a load pressure when the VDMP operates in the pump mode. Such regulation can regulate the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in the pump conduit to an absolute value or to a predetermined offset pressure above or below a pressure of hydraulic fluid in the supply conduit, return conduit, or another conduit of the conduit system. Thus, the VDMP of the aerial refueling system remains consistently loaded while the VDMP operates in the pump mode.
In an aspect of an embodiment, the spool is further configured to control mixing of hydraulic fluid flowing from the supply conduit and the pump conduit at a predetermined ratio when the VDMP operates in the pump mode. Such controlled mixing can mix hydraulic fluid flowing across a throttling orifice from the pump conduit with cooler hydraulic fluid flowing from the supply conduit to maintain the hydraulic fluid recirculating to the VDMP of the aerial refueling system at a constant temperature while the VDMP operates in the pump mode.
The above summary does not include an exhaustive list of all aspects of the present invention. It is contemplated that the invention includes all systems and methods that can be practiced from all suitable combinations of the various aspects summarized above, and also those disclosed in the detailed description below.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present invention is illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.
FIG. 1 is a schematic view illustration of a hydraulic motor assembly in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 2A is a schematic view illustration of a hydraulic motor assembly operating in a pump mode in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 2B is a schematic view illustration of a hydraulic motor assembly operating in a motor mode in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve in accordance with an embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve in accordance with an embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Various embodiments and aspects will be described with reference to details discussed below, and the accompanying drawings will illustrate the various embodiments. The following description and drawings are illustrative and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Numerous specific details are described to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. However, in certain instances, well-known or conventional details are not described in order to provide a concise discussion of embodiments.
Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in conjunction with an embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment. In addition, the appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” in various places in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 1 , a schematic view illustration of hydraulic motor assembly (HMA) 100 in accordance with an embodiment is shown. HMA 100 includes a conduit system to interconnect various components of HMA 100 through various conduits, such as supply conduit 102 , return conduit 104 , and pump conduit 106 . For example, HMA 100 includes valve 108 disposed between supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 of the conduit system. Furthermore, HMA 100 includes variable displacement motor-pump (VDMP) 110 that connects with one or more other conduits of the conduit system. HMA 100 also includes pump-motor relief valve (PMRV) 112 that connects with several of the conduits of the conduit system.
Supply conduit 102 can convey hydraulic fluid from aircraft hydraulic system 113 to HMA 100 through a series of hydraulic pumps, valves, fittings, conduits, etc. This series of fluid pathways can originate in aircraft hydraulic system 113 reservoir, and can be duplicated in whole or in part to create redundant aircraft hydraulic systems that ensure supply of hydraulic fluid to supply conduit 102 in the event of a failed sub-system, e.g., a failed pump or valve.
Return conduit 104 can return hydraulic fluid from HMA 100 to aircraft hydraulic system 113 . Hydraulic fluid can be conveyed from return conduit 104 to the reservoir of aircraft hydraulic system 113 through a series of hydraulic pumps, valves, fittings, conduits, etc. similar or different from the series described above with respect to supply conduit 102 .
Pump conduit 106 can convey hydraulic fluid between supply conduit 102 and return conduit 104 . The conveyance of hydraulic fluid between supply conduit 102 and return conduit 104 need not be between the same two points. Depending on the mode in which HMA 100 is operating, the direction and or path that hydraulic fluid flows through pump conduit 106 may vary. For example, when HMA 100 is operating with VDMP 110 in a motor mode, pump conduit 106 may convey hydraulic fluid directly from supply conduit 102 to return conduit 104 through valve 108 and VDMP 110 . In contrast, when HMA 100 is operating with VDMP 110 in pump mode, flow in pump conduit 106 is reversed and must be routed through PMRV 112 to return conduit 104 . Simultaneously, flow from the aircraft hydraulic system 113 in supply conduit 102 proportional to flow from pump conduit 106 is routed to return conduit 104 . The VDMP 110 flow and aircraft hydraulic system 113 flow are thoroughly mixed in PMRV 112 , cooling the hydraulic fluid which is recirculated to first port 114 of VDMP 110 . Mixed hydraulic fluid from PMRV 112 also returns to aircraft hydraulic system 113 , and excess energy can be returned to aircraft hydraulic system 113 by this warmer fluid.
The conduit system described in reference to HMA 100 in FIG. 1 can include other conduits as well. For example, in at least one embodiment, an inlet conduit is connected with PMRV 112 . The inlet conduit may be the same or different than any of the other conduits. In other words, the inlet conduit can be connected to the same source or fluid pathway of another conduit, e.g., supply conduit 102 , with minimal resistance to fluid flow therebetween. Thus, a conduit as used herein refers generally to a fluid pathway, such as a fluid pathway that exists between two components of HMA 100 . Therefore, any conduit may be composed of one or more tubes, hoses, fittings, etc., that can create a continuous fluid pathway between the components that the conduit is described as being connected with.
In various embodiments, the conduits of the conduit system can be rigid fluid lines, flexible hose, drilled passages in manifolds, or any communicating volumes in which the fluid is in a functionally equivalent state. More particularly, the various conduits may be rigid tubing fabricated from copper, aluminum alloy, steel, or titanium 3Al-2.5V alloy, as is commonly used in aircraft hydraulic systems. However, conduit selection may be based on considerations such as operating pressures, space limitations, and routing requirements through the aircraft body. Thus, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the conduits may be formed from various other known materials and forms that meet the design requirements of a particular case.
Referring again to FIG. 1 , HMA 100 can include valve 108 connected to supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 . Thus, hydraulic fluid can flow from supply conduit 102 through an inlet of valve 108 to pump conduit 106 through an outlet of valve 108 . Valve 108 can operate to control the flow of hydraulic fluid through pump conduit 106 . For example, opening valve 108 can allow hydraulic fluid to flow through pump conduit 106 to VDMP 110 when HMA 100 is operating with VDMP 110 in a motor mode. Alternatively, valve 108 can be closed when HMA 100 is operating with VDMP 110 in a pump mode in order to isolate pump conduit 106 from supply conduit 102 and thus allow independent metering of flow from supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 through PMRV 112 .
In an embodiment, valve 108 is a check valve that allows hydraulic fluid to flow in only one direction, e.g., from the inlet to the outlet of valve 108 . Thus, hydraulic fluid is allowed to flow into pump conduit 106 from supply conduit 102 through valve 108 , but hydraulic fluid is not allowed to flow into supply conduit 102 from pump conduit 106 through valve 108 . The flow of hydraulic fluid through valve 108 can therefore depend on the relative pressures of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 . When a pressure of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 exceeds a pressure of hydraulic fluid in pump conduit 106 , hydraulic fluid will flow from supply conduit 102 to pump conduit 106 through valve 108 . Conversely, when the pressure of hydraulic fluid in pump conduit 106 exceeds the pressure of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 , hydraulic fluid will be checked by valve 108 and will not flow from pump conduit 106 through valve 108 .
In an alternative embodiment, valve 108 can be a valve type other than a check valve. For example, valve 108 can be a shuttle valve to allow for multiple inlets and directions of flow through valve 108 . Alternatively, valve 108 can be a two-port valve that is electromechanically controlled and, in one embodiment, placed in communication with a separate flow sensor. In this way, valve 108 can rely on flow sensor information to control valve 108 and thereby emulate the operation of a check valve. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that many other valve configurations may be used to achieve the functionality that is within the scope of this description. For example, in an embodiment described further below, PMRV 112 can include features that provide a check valve equivalent function.
Still referring to FIG. 1 , in this embodiment, HMA 100 can include VDMP 110 that includes first port 114 , second port 116 , and spline shaft 118 . First port 114 can be connected to return conduit 104 and second port 116 can be connected to pump conduit 106 . Thus, when VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode, hydraulic fluid can be sucked from return conduit 104 through first port 114 and conveyed through VDMP 110 to second port 116 and into pump conduit 106 . In contrast, when VDMP 110 operates in a motor mode, hydraulic fluid is conveyed from pump conduit 106 to return conduit 104 in an opposite manner.
VDMP 110 can include spline shaft 118 that is driven by, or drives, the internal mechanisms of VDMP 110 . Without going into detail, as the internal mechanisms and functions of VDMP 110 will be known to one skilled in the art, VDMP 110 can comprise inner structures, e.g., pistons, piston mounting plates, etc., that facilitate the conversion of fluid energy into mechanical energy, and vice versa. More particularly, in the pump mode VDMP 110 will convert mechanical energy in spline shaft 118 into fluid energy in the hydraulic fluid of HMA 100 . Conversely, in the motor mode, VDMP 110 will convert fluid energy of HMA 100 into mechanical energy in spline shaft 118 .
Spline shaft 118 can be connected to hose reel 119 of the aerial refueling system through various gear boxes, shafts, and couplings, as is known in the art. Additionally, hose reel 119 can couple with a hose and drogue of the aerial refueling system. Thus, spline shaft 118 will rotate in opposite directions corresponding to the extension and retraction of the hose. More particularly, in the pump mode, spline shaft 118 will rotate in a direction corresponding to rotation of hose reel 119 in a trail direction and extension of the hose. Conversely, in the motor mode, spline shaft 118 will rotate in a direction corresponding to rotation of hose reel 119 in a retract direction causing retraction of the hose.
Thus, whether VDMP 110 operates in a pump or motor mode can be characterized by observing the net torque applied to spline shaft 118 . The net torque is roughly equivalent to the torque applied to spline shaft 118 by the fluid energy in HMA 100 minus the torque applied to spline shaft 118 by hose reel 119 . Thus, the net torque of spline shaft 118 can be considered positive when operating in a motor mode and negative when operating in a pump mode. One skilled in the art will appreciate that the torque at which VDMP 110 drives its spline shaft 118 , i.e., the torque applied to spline shaft 118 by the fluid energy in HMA 100 , can be controlled by an electro-hydraulic control valve 121 . By way of summary description, the electro-hydraulic control valve 121 increases or decreases the pressure of hydraulic fluid within a spring-biased displacement control piston 125 . The hydraulic pressure in control piston 125 causes that piston to move into a position corresponding to such pressure. The position of control piston 125 determines the displacement of VDMP 110 , which in turn determines the torque applied to spline shaft 118 by the fluid energy at a given hydraulic pressure supplied to VDMP 110 . Furthermore, it will be appreciated that the electro-hydraulic control valve 121 can be controlled by a microprocessor (e.g., as represented by computer 123 ) based, for example, on flight data and commands provided by, e.g., the pilot or the avionic equipment of the tanker aircraft.
When electro-hydraulic control valve 121 manages control piston 125 so that VDMP 110 displacement is zero, there is minimal torque transmitted to spline shaft 118 by fluid energy in VDMP 110 . Essentially, spline shaft 118 is able to rotate freely under such conditions. Therefore, if the hose is deployed from the tanker aircraft fuselage, there would be negligible resistance torque to counteract the torque applied from hose reel 119 to spline shaft 118 , and thus, spline shaft 118 would rotate freely and the hose would extend at a maximum rate. In this mode of operation, VDMP 110 can be described as operating in the “pump mode”.
It will be appreciated that the HMA 100 is not a passive system, but is rather an actively controlled system, even when the net torque on the spline shaft is negative, i.e., when VDMP 110 is operating in the pump mode. More specifically, HMA 100 is a feedback positioning system whose primary function is to maintain tension on the refueling hose and thus can control torque applied to the spline shaft even when the hose is extending. The VDMP 110 is a constant pressure system in which the torque of the motor-pump is controlled by varying the displacement to maintain motor-pump shaft torque equal to the load torque. As stated above, the displacement is controlled by electro-hydraulic control valve 121 , which operates control piston 125 in a feedback control loop. When HMA 100 controls the displacement (output torque) of VDMP 110 at a point that is greater than required to maintain the load, VDMP 110 acts as a motor and retracts the hose. It will be appreciated that satisfactory operation of the system requires various sensors and feedback loops not shown in the accompanying figures, and these sensors and feedback loops can be controlled by a microprocessor represented by computer 123 .
Referring to FIG. 2A , a schematic view illustration of HMA 100 is shown in accordance with an embodiment. This schematic illustrates the hydraulic fluid flow through HMA 100 while VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode. With VDMP 110 operating in this mode, the net torque on spline shaft 118 is negative, meaning that spline shaft 118 rotates in a direction consistent with the torque applied to hose reel 119 by the hose.
While VDMP 110 is operating in a pump mode, hydraulic fluid is recirculated through VDMP 110 from return conduit 104 to pump conduit 106 . In this mode, the energy from VDMP 110 is dissipated across PMRV 112 , where it is mixed with a proportional flow from aircraft hydraulic system 113 via supply conduit 102 to prevent overheating the fluid. Flow is discharged into return conduit 104 and recirculated to VDMP 110 . In steady state, the portion that returns to VDMP 110 passes into pump conduit 106 at essentially the same temperature at which it entered VDMP 110 via return conduit 104 .
In one aspect, the mixture of flow from VDMP 110 and aircraft hydraulic system 113 is mixed in PMRV 112 . In PMRV 112 , the flow from VDMP 110 in pump mode is mixed with aircraft hydraulic system fluid to cool it below the temperature of hydraulic fluid in return conduit 104 . For example, as VDMP 110 fluid crosses throttling orifices in PMRV 112 , it can be heated by about 21 degrees Fahrenheit, for phosphate ester fluid and 2900 psi differential across the throttling orifice. Therefore, the VDMP fluid is mixed with enough aircraft hydraulic system fluid to cool it by about 21 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving the temperature of the hydraulic fluid mixture entering the return conduit 104 approximately the same as VDMP fluid before it was pumped to PMRV 112 .
Thus, the hydraulic fluid from VDMP 110 and aircraft supply system 113 are mixed within PMRV 112 before discharging into return conduit 104 . It will also be appreciated that as the hydraulic fluid flows through return conduit 104 , in order to maintain continuity of mass in the conduit system, a portion of the mixed hydraulic fluid can be diverted to aircraft hydraulic system 113 and a portion of the mixed hydraulic fluid can be returned to VDMP 110 .
Referring to FIG. 2B , a schematic view illustration of HMA 100 is shown in accordance with an embodiment. This schematic illustrates a scenario of hydraulic fluid flow through HMA 100 while VDMP 110 operates in a “motor mode”, as described above. More specifically, the feedback controlled HMA 100 can vary electro-hydraulic control valve 121 to control control piston 125 so that VDMP 110 displacement continues to increase. Assuming that VDMP 110 is properly sized for the application, the torque transmitted to spline shaft 118 by the fluid energy in VDMP 110 will increase beyond the torque applied to hose reel 119 by the extending hose. Thus, the net torque on spline shaft 118 will be positive, meaning that spline shaft 118 rotates in a direction that opposes the torque applied by the hose on hose reel 119 . As a result, hose reel 119 will reverse its direction of rotation and the hose will be retracted onto hose reel 119 . Again, this is a process that involves operation of the feedback controlled HMA 100 system using active system commands and various feedback loops.
While VDMP 110 is operating in a motor mode, hydraulic fluid is circulated from aircraft supply system 113 through valve 108 to pump conduit 106 . Hydraulic fluid then flows through pump conduit 106 through VDMP 110 . The hydraulic fluid drives VDMP 110 in motor mode to retract the hose, and returns to aircraft hydraulic system 113 via return conduit 104 . In at least one embodiment, there is no flow through PMRV 112 in motor mode. Thus, there can be no hydraulic fluid flow in the lines leading to and from PMRV 112 while operating in the motor mode.
Building on the previous description, in pump mode the hydraulic fluid that flows from second port 116 can pass through some form of throttling orifice in PMRV 112 before it enters return conduit 104 . From there it reenters VDMP 112 at first port 114 to complete the cycle. Since the total volume of fluid in the recirculating loop is small, the fluid temperature will quickly reach an intolerable level if the fluid is repeatedly passed through the throttling orifice. Excess heating may damage the fluid to the point of having to be replaced because it becomes corrosive, elastomer seals may be damaged or destroyed, and overheated fluid may present a fire danger. However, this can be avoided by a mechanism incorporated in HMA 100 for cooling the hydraulic fluid.
To regulate load on VDMP 110 and cool hydraulic fluid in the pump mode, HMA 100 can include PMRV 112 . Referring now to FIG. 3 , a schematic view illustration of PMRV 112 is shown in accordance with an embodiment. In this embodiment, PMRV 112 can include control chamber 302 for regulating pressure in pump conduit 106 to load VDMP 110 operating in the pump mode. Control chamber 302 is fluidly connected with pump conduit 106 and inlet conduit 318 . PMRV 112 also includes mixing chamber 304 that controls the mixing of hydraulic fluid flowing from supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 into return conduit 104 as the hydraulic fluid circulates through VDMP 110 operating in a pump mode. This controlled mixing can serve a cooling function to cool circulating hydraulic fluid in HMA 100 .
Still referring to FIG. 3 , mixing chamber 304 is connected with supply conduit 102 , pump conduit 106 , and return conduit 104 . More particularly, mixing chamber 304 is represented schematically as a pair of connected flow control valves, such as relief valves, where each flow control valve is connected with one of either the supply conduit 102 or pump conduit 106 . Moreover, flow of hydraulic fluid through the flow control valves is variable. This variation can be provided by the mechanical actuation of the valve orifices, e.g., by actuating a spool that is apposed with the orifices. Thus, flow from supply conduit 102 and the flow from pump conduit 106 are metered through the throttling orifices of mixing chamber 304 . After passing through the orifices, the hydraulic fluid converges and mixes before entering return conduit 104 . Although mixing chamber 304 has been shown schematically in FIG. 3 , one skilled in the art will appreciate that numerous physical embodiments may be used to achieve the represented hydraulic flow pattern. Several such embodiments are described in detail below.
Referring now to FIG. 4 , a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve is shown in accordance with an embodiment. The PMRV 112 includes various spaces within a cylinder, such as within sleeve 400 . Sleeve 400 can be physically combined or separated from the cylinders or other structures used to form PMRV 112 portions, such as control chamber 302 and mixing chamber 304 . More specifically, sleeve 400 can be encased by a separate housing (not shown) and be sealed against the separate housing by various o-rings or other seals that allow the sleeve to move rotationally and axially within the housing.
Control chamber 302 includes actuator chamber 402 and regulation chamber 404 . These chambers can be separated by spool 406 . Control chamber 302 and its portions may be disposed within a cylinder, e.g., sleeve 400 , that defines a chamber space within an inner wall of the cylinder. Alternatively, actuator chamber 402 and regulation chamber 404 can be disposed within entirely separate structures. For example, actuator chamber 402 may be disposed within a first cylinder and regulation chamber 404 may be disposed within a second cylinder. In such a case, the combination of the first cylinder and second cylinder could be considered to define control chamber 302 , in accordance with at least one embodiment.
Spool 406 that separates actuator chamber 402 and regulation chamber 404 can be slidably disposed within sleeve 400 . For example, spool 406 may include one or more landings 408 that slide along a surface of the inner wall of sleeve 400 . In an alternative embodiment, spool landings 408 may further include grooves that constrain o-rings, and these o-rings can form a sliding seal with the inner wall of sleeve 400 in order to separate actuator chamber 402 and regulation chamber 404 . In an embodiment, spool 406 includes first face 410 that is either directly or indirectly exposed to actuator chamber 402 . Spool 406 can also include second face 412 that is either directly or indirectly exposed to regulation chamber 404 . Thus, forces acting on first face 410 sum with forces acting on second face 412 to cause spool 406 , or a portion thereof, to move within sleeve 400 .
As shown in FIG. 4 , in an embodiment, actuator chamber 402 further includes bias spring 414 . For example, actuator chamber 402 may house a portion of a compression spring that has a first end and a second end. Whereas the first end of the compression spring can act on a surface of actuator chamber 402 , a second end of the compression spring can act on first face 410 of spool 406 . Thus, in the absence of any pressurized fluids applied to actuator chamber 402 or regulation chamber 404 , spool 406 can be biased by the spring toward a mechanical stop 416 . The mechanical stop 416 may simply be an end of control chamber 302 that spool 406 can slide against. However, in operation, with hydraulic fluid flowing through HMA 100 as VDMP 110 operates in the pump mode, spool 406 may operate in a floating condition with its position determined by the pressure difference across its faces.
In an embodiment, bias spring 414 , e.g., as embodied by a compression spring, can have an inherent spring rate. For example, the compression spring could have a spring rate in the range of about 100 pounds per inch to about 500 pounds per inch. By way of example, the compression spring could have a spring rate of about 350 pounds per inch. One skilled in the art would appreciate that various other spring rates within or even outside of this range could be used within the scope of this description.
In an alternative embodiment, mechanical stop 416 can be positioned within actuator chamber 402 , or it can exist in another structure of PMRV 112 . Furthermore, the mechanical stop 416 can be adjustable, such that movement of mechanical stop 416 alters the range of motion of spool 406 within control chamber 302 , or another chamber of PMRV 112 . More particularly, mechanical stop 416 could be a steel shim that can be moved, or replaced by other steel shims having varying dimensions. Thus, the position of the mechanical stop 416 can be altered through adjustment.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , actuator chamber 402 is connected with inlet conduit 318 , which is in turn connected with supply conduit 102 . Furthermore, regulation chamber 404 is connected with pump conduit 106 . Thus, when hydraulic fluid is conveyed from supply conduit 102 to actuator chamber 402 and from pump conduit 106 to regulation chamber 404 , a pressure differential may exist across first face 410 and second face 412 of spool 406 . Accordingly, the hydraulic fluid pressure in actuator chamber 402 exerts a load on spool 406 in one direction and the hydraulic fluid pressure in regulation chamber 404 exerts a load on spool 406 in a direction. In at least one embodiment, these directions can be partially or directly opposite to one another.
Thus, in an embodiment, the position of spool 406 within PMRV 112 can depend upon the sum of the load exerted on first face 410 of spool 406 by bias spring 414 , the load exerted on first face 410 of spool 406 by hydraulic fluid in actuator chamber 402 , and the load exerted on second face 412 of spool 406 by hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 . Furthermore, unless spool 406 is biased against a mechanical stop 416 , the pressure within regulation chamber 404 may be roughly equivalent to the pressure exerted on first face 410 by bias spring 414 and the hydraulic fluid in actuator chamber 402 . In other words, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 will be higher than the pressure of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 by an offset pressure that is proportional to the load exerted by bias spring 414 on first face 410 . This load will of course vary in some embodiments with the position of spool 406 , since the movement of spool 406 may compress bias spring 414 , which can exert a load proportional to its compression distance, as in the case of a compression spring.
Spool 406 can have various dimensions and features, such as landings, grooves, ports, protrusions, or any other features that enable the functionality described throughout this description. Dimensions can depend upon the overall system specifications and requirements. For example, it is contemplated that spool 406 diameter could be about 0.5 inches in an embodiment. However, spool 406 diameter could be in the range of about 0.1 inches to 2 inches in another embodiment. Even this range should not be considered restrictive, since spool 406 diameter could be any diameter that is necessary to regulate flow of hydraulic fluids in the system, consistent with the principles described herein.
Similarly, the motion of spool 406 or bias spring 414 can be selected and modified based on the principles of operation described throughout this description. For example, while in one embodiment, the stroke of spool 406 can be about 0.1 inches, it is also possible for the stroke of spool 406 to be several inches or more. Bias spring strokes can be similarly selected to meet the various operational and dimensional constraints of the system design.
Having discussed the basic interactions in control chamber 302 , it will now be apparent that the pressure of hydraulic fluid within regulation chamber 404 can be regulated by adjusting the loads applied to first face 410 . Thus, either the force applied through bias spring 414 or the pressure of hydraulic fluid from inlet conduit 318 can be adjusted in order to produce a corresponding change to the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 . Since regulation chamber 404 and pump conduit 106 are connected together, the hydraulic fluid pressure in pump conduit 106 can be regulated in a similar manner.
Given that the pressure of hydraulic fluid in pump conduit 106 can be controlled using hydraulic fluid in inlet conduit 318 as an input, it will be appreciated that the hydraulic pressure in pump conduit 106 can be regulated to any desired pressure. For example, in one embodiment, the pressure in pump conduit 106 can be regulated to a predetermined absolute value. For example, if a pump conduit pressure of 3000 psi is desired and bias spring 414 exerts 100 psi across first face 410 , inlet conduit 318 can be connected to a reservoir or other fluid source that supplies hydraulic fluid at 2900 psi in order to generate the desired pressure. It will be appreciated that the fluid source that is connected with inlet conduit 318 can be separate from any other fluid conduit or source in HMA 100 , including supply conduit 102 that delivers hydraulic fluid from aircraft hydraulic system 113 .
In an embodiment, pump conduit 106 pressure can be regulated to a predetermined offset pressure above the pressure of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 . By way of example, if bias spring 414 applies a load to first face 410 resulting in a 100 psi pressure distributed across the face surface area and the input conduit 318 is connected with supply conduit 102 to flow hydraulic fluid at a pressure of 2900 psi into actuator chamber 402 , then when spool 406 is operating in a floating condition, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 and pump conduit 106 would be regulated to 3000 psi, as exerted through second face 412 of spool 406 . Notably, if the pressure of hydraulic fluid in supply conduit 102 drifts, for example, to 3100 psi, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 and pump conduit 106 would be regulated to 4000 psi. Thus, the pressure in pump conduit 106 will always differ from supply conduit 102 by an offset pressure that is proportional to the load exerted by bias spring 414 on first face 410 while VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode.
In yet another embodiment, pump conduit 106 pressure can be regulated to a predetermined offset pressure above the pressure of hydraulic fluid in return conduit 104 . By way of example, if bias spring 414 applies a load to first face 410 resulting in a 100 psi pressure distributed across the face surface area and the input conduit is connected with return conduit 104 to flow hydraulic fluid at a pressure of 2900 psi into actuator chamber 402 , then when spool 406 is operating in a floating condition, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 and pump conduit 106 would be regulated to 3000 psi, as exerted through second face 412 of spool 406 . Notably, if the pressure of hydraulic fluid in return conduit 104 drifts, for example, to 3100 psi, the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 and pump conduit 106 would be regulated to 4000 psi. Thus, the pressure in pump conduit 106 will always differ from return conduit 104 by an offset pressure that is proportional to the load exerted by bias spring 414 on first face 410 while VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode.
In an alternative embodiment, the offset pressure can be below the pressure of hydraulic fluid in another conduit in the system. For example, bias spring 414 may be disposed within regulation chamber 404 instead of the actuation chamber 402 . Thus, bias spring 414 can exert a load on second face 412 of spool 406 . In this case, the pressure of hydraulic fluid within regulation chamber 404 will be offset below the pressure of hydraulic fluid within actuator chamber 402 by a pressure proportional to the load exerted by bias spring 414 on second face 412 . For example, in the case where inlet conduit 318 is connected with an external reservoir, regulation chamber 404 , and thus pump conduit 106 , would be regulated to a pressure below the pressure of the external reservoir.
In yet another embodiment, inlet conduit 318 can be connected to a valve, such as a three-way valve, that would allow actuator chamber 402 to be connected to supply conduit 102 , return conduit 104 , or another system conduit or reservoir, depending on the preference of the pilot and/or avionics equipment of the tanker aircraft.
It will be appreciated that bias spring 414 may be embodied by various other actuator types and configurations. In an alternative embodiment, rather than being a compression spring, bias spring 414 could be a tension spring disposed within regulation chamber 404 . The tension spring can pull second face 412 toward a wall of regulation chamber 404 . Additionally, bias spring 414 may not be a spring at all. For example, bias spring 414 can be an electric motor, a pneumatic actuator, a hydraulic actuator, or any other mechanism or object that stores energy or exerts a load. Further still, bias spring 414 could be used in combination with various sensors, microprocessors, and controllers in order to exert a variable load on spool 406 based on pressures, flow rates, temperatures, and other characteristics that are monitored throughout the system. Control of bias spring 414 could be based on calculations involving such sensor data. Thus, numerous potential actuator configurations exist within the scope of this description.
In at least one embodiment, bias spring 414 may be adjustable in that adjustments may be made to bias spring 414 or PMRV 112 that result in a change to the load exerted on spool 406 by bias spring 414 . For example, the load exerted by a compression spring actuator can be adjusted with a pressure adjusting screw (not shown) that changes the location of one end of the compression spring, and thus, changes the displacement of the compression spring when spool 406 is biased against a mechanical stop 416 . That is, the preload of the spring may be adjusted. In one embodiment, the preload of a compression spring bias spring could be in the range of about 1 to 10 pound force. In another embodiment, the preload of a compression spring bias spring could be in the range of about 3 to 7 pound force. In yet another embodiment, the preload of a compression spring bias spring could be about 5 pound force. However, it will be appreciated that these ranges for spring preloads are not restrictive and that suitable spring preloads exist beyond these ranges.
Other means of adjusting bias spring 414 can be contemplated by one skilled in the art. For example, in the case where the bias spring is a hydraulic actuator, bias spring 414 could be controlled by varying the pressure applied to a hydraulic piston in bias spring 414 . Alternatively, in the case of an electromechanical actuator, bias spring 414 could be controlled by varying the current supplied to a motor in bias spring 414 . One skilled in the art can contemplate various other means of adjusting bias spring 414 within the scope of this description.
Still referring to FIG. 4 , mixing chamber 304 can be in fluid communication with supply conduit 102 , pump conduit 106 , and return conduit 104 . Mixing chamber 304 can include premix chambers 420 , 420 ′ and admix chamber 422 . More particularly, supply conduit 102 can flow through a first orifice 424 formed in spool 400 into a premix chamber 420 and pump conduit 106 can flow through a second orifice 426 formed in spool 400 into a premix chamber 420 ′. These flows can subsequently enter into admix chamber 422 through a third orifice 424 ′, also formed in spool 400 , and a fourth orifice 426 ′, also formed in spool 400 . In an embodiment, premix chambers 420 , 420 ′ are defined by a space between the sleeve 400 inner wall and an outer surface of spool 406 . Furthermore, the premix chambers 420 , 420 ′ can be separated from each other by one or more landings 408 of spool 406 . The admix chamber 422 can be defined by an annular space formed within sleeve 400 or a space between sleeve 400 and an outer housing or encasement that sleeve 400 is disposed within. Thus, hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 can flow through first orifice 424 , over a surface of spool 406 housed within premix chamber 420 , and through third orifice 424 ′ into admix chamber 422 . Similarly, hydraulic fluid from pump conduit 106 can flow through second orifice 426 , over a surface of spool 406 housed within premix chamber 420 ′, and through third orifice 426 ′ into admix chamber 422 . Hydraulic fluid can exit mixing chamber 304 into return conduit 104 from admix chamber 422 .
When hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 enters admix chamber 422 , it can be thoroughly mixed and cooled. For example, hydraulic fluid flowing from pump conduit 106 can be heated as it passes through second orifice 426 and or fourth orifice 426 ′. Thus, heating can result from the work done to force the hydraulic fluid through the orifice. However, upon entering admix chamber 422 , it can be mixed with hydraulic fluid flowing from supply conduit 102 , which is cooler. Hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 can be maintained at a cooler temperature, for example, by forcing it through larger orifices at lower rates or pressures. Thus, the temperature of the mixed hydraulic fluid will be less than one of the constituent hydraulic fluid parts.
The configuration of spool landings 408 and the orifices that connect the conduits with the various portions of mixing chamber 304 can control the flow of hydraulic fluid from the conduits through mixing chamber 304 . More particularly, the flow control can depend on a position and size of the orifices formed in sleeve 400 and the relative locations of the spool landing surfaces. Thus, movement of spool 406 as managed by the control chamber in the manner described above will produce a corresponding movement of spool 406 within sleeve 400 . More particularly, movement of spool 406 within sleeve 400 can cause spool landings 402 to interact with the sleeve orifices in such a way that the flow through supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 into mixing chamber 304 is varied. Even more particularly, the flow through the orifices depends on the dimensions of spool landings 402 and the position of spool 406 relative to first orifice 424 , second orifice 426 , third orifice 424 ′, and fourth orifice 426 ′ formed in spool 400 .
By way of example, when VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode, spool 400 will be in a floating configuration as described above, with the pressure of hydraulic fluid in regulation chamber 404 being regulated to a pressure above or below the hydraulic fluid in actuator chamber 402 . In this floating configuration, the landings 402 of spool 406 in sleeve 400 can either not obstruct, or only partially obstruct, the orifices that connect with supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 . Thus, when VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode, hydraulic fluid will flow through mixing chamber 304 into return conduit 104 .
In an alternative scenario of the same embodiment, when VDMP 110 operates in a motor mode, valve 108 of HMA 100 will open as the pressure in supply conduit 102 exceeds the pressure that is generated at the outlet, i.e., second port 116 , of VDMP 110 . Supply conduit 102 pressure exceeds the pressure in pump conduit 106 at this stage. As a result, valve 108 opens and hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 will flow into pump conduit 106 . Thus, in the case where inlet conduit 318 of actuator chamber 402 is connected with supply conduit 102 , the pressure of the hydraulic fluid in both actuator chamber 402 and regulation chamber 404 , which is connected with pump conduit 106 , will be equal. However, since bias spring 414 will exert an additional load on first face 410 , spool 406 will be biased toward a mechanical stop 416 .
Referring to FIG. 4 , in the current example, spool 406 would be biased fully to the right. In this position, spool 406 , or more particularly spool landings 408 , can be configured to completely obstruct the flow of hydraulic fluid from the supply and pump conduits into PMRV 112 . Thus, when VDMP 110 operates in a motor mode, PMRV 112 configuration can prevent hydraulic fluid from flowing through mixing chamber 304 into return conduit 104 . It will be appreciated that this functionality improves the efficiency of the system because the hydraulic fluid conveyed through supply conduit 102 will be directed through VDMP 110 for generating torque in spline shaft 118 , rather than leaking to return conduit 104 through PMRV 112 without doing beneficial work in HMA 100 .
Having discussed the basic interactions inherent in mixing chamber 304 , it will be appreciated that configuration of spool 406 and the placement and shape of the orifices within sleeve 400 can be modified in many ways to create the flow characteristics and mixing profiles that are desired in either the pump or motor mode. For example, spool 406 can be configured to control the flow of hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 to facilitate the mixing of the hydraulic fluid from those sources at a predetermined ratio. By way of example, spool 406 can be configured to create a mixing ratio in the range of about one to three parts hydraulic fluid flowing from supply conduit 102 to every two to ten parts hydraulic fluid flowing from pump conduit 106 . In an alternative example, spool 406 can be configured to create a mixing ratio of about one part hydraulic fluid flowing from supply conduit 102 to two parts hydraulic fluid flowing from pump conduit 106 . It will be appreciated that this ratio can be varied such that more hydraulic fluid flows from supply conduit 102 than pump conduit 106 , or such that the ratio of fluid flowing from those sources is much higher or lower.
In an embodiment, the predetermined ratio is achieved by maintaining a ratio of orifice sizes regardless of spool position. More particularly, the spool and orifices can be sized and positioned such that the area of the opening of first orifice 424 is a predetermined ratio of the area of the opening of second orifice 426 . Any other orifices can be selected to create this predetermined ratio. For example, the ratio of area of openings in third orifice 424 ′ and second orifice 426 could be used. As discussed above, the ratio of areas will correspond to the flow rates through the orifices, and thus maintain the area of the opening of third orifice 424 ′ to be one half of the area of opening of fourth orifice 426 ′ will result in a mixture of approximately one part supply hydraulic fluid to two parts pump hydraulic fluid. This is only an example and it will be appreciated that other ratios can be maintained within the scope of this description.
One skilled in the art will appreciate that a predetermined ratio can be closely maintained through precise fabrication of sleeve 400 and orifices 424 , 424 ′, 426 , and 426 ′. For example, landing lengths, orifice sizes, and orifice shapes can be precisely machined as required. Furthermore, additional components can be used to sense system fluctuations and provide appropriate system inputs. By way of example, flow sensors could be used to monitor flow through pump conduit 106 and supply conduit 102 to ensure that the desired mixing ratio is being achieved. If the mixing ratio drifts from the predetermined ratio, inputs may be supplied to move spool 406 , such as by regulating pressure that is supplied to inlet conduit 318 , by adjusting a valve placed within supply conduit 102 or pump conduit 106 , or any number of other system modifications that can be contemplated by one skilled in the art to achieve this goal.
Despite the preceding description, it should still be recognized that a precise predetermined ratio is difficult to achieve, and thus, this description is not intended to be so limited that the predetermined ratio is considered to be constant throughout the entire operation of HMA 100 . In other words, although a predetermined ratio is contemplated in one embodiment, e.g., about one part to two parts flow, as the pressure in pump conduit 106 varies according to the variable displacement of VDMP 110 , then the flow from pump conduit 106 will vary too. Therefore, the ratio of flow may fluctuate according to transient system responses such as these pressure and flow fluctuations. Therefore, any reference to a predetermined ratio should be considered to be approximate, in at least one embodiment.
Referring to FIG. 5 , a schematic view illustration of a PMRV 112 is shown in accordance with yet another embodiment. A housing 500 can include features that emulate the control chamber and mixing chamber of the preceding embodiments. Housing 500 can include first orifice 502 connected with supply conduit 102 and second orifice 504 connected with pump conduit 106 . Thus, when unobstructed, hydraulic fluid from each conduit can flow into mixing chamber 512 at a rate determined by the orifice dimensions, hydraulic fluid viscosities, pressures, etc.
In an embodiment, mixing of the hydraulic fluid is controlled by a stopper plate 506 , which in one embodiment, is embodied by a bar having a width sufficient to occlude the orifices 502 , 504 . The stopper plate 506 can be hinged at pivot 508 , using a clevis fastener, for example. Furthermore, stopper plate 506 can be biased in a closed direction by bias spring 510 , which can be a compression spring, for example. The bias spring 510 can bias stopper plate 506 against the orifices, and thus, flow through the orifices will be stopped until the flow pressure through either orifice exceeds the bias force exerted on the stopper plate 506 by the bias spring 510 .
When stopper plate 506 is open, i.e. when the pressure in the conduits exceeds the bias force, the flow of fluid through the orifices connecting with the supply and pump conduits may be unrestricted. Thus, the ratio of flow through these orifices will be based on the orifice flow characteristics and the pressures within the connected conduits, rather than upon any configuration of a spool landing. In essence, mixing chamber 512 operates as a simple orifice with mixing of the hydraulic fluid corresponding directly to the flow characteristics of the input orifices.
However, in an alternative scenario of the same embodiment, the stopper plate 506 can be configured to close off a portion or all of one orifice, while not restricting flow through another orifice. For example, the stopper plate 506 can be configured to slide from side to side, rather than being configured to rotate up and down relative to the orifices. In such an embodiment, as stopper plate 506 moves from being fully biased in a direction that blocks both orifices to being fully biased in another direction, e.g., as it moves from left to right in housing 500 , it may first fully block both orifices, then not block the supply conduit orifice while partially blocking the pump conduit orifice, then not block either orifice. Thus, flow through mixing chamber 512 can be varied according to the mode of operation, i.e., motor mode or pump mode. The transition of stopper plate 506 through this range can be precisely controlled by adjusting orifice spacing, bias spring design, and so forth. This operation is consistent with the principles of operation described above.
Referring now to FIG. 6 , a schematic view illustration of a pump-motor relief valve is shown in accordance with an embodiment. The structure of this embodiment is similar in some respects to that shown in PMRV 112 previously illustrated in FIG. 4 . However, PMRV 112 embodiment shown here does not include external valve 108 . Instead, external valve 108 is replaced in HMA 100 system by a functional equivalent integrated within PMRV 112 . More specifically, PMRV 112 includes check orifice 602 formed within sleeve 400 . As in the case of an external valve 108 , check orifice 602 functions to permit flow from supply conduit 102 into pump conduit 106 when VDMP 110 operates in motor mode, but facilitates flow of hydraulic fluid from supply conduit 102 into mixing chamber 304 of PMRV 112 when VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode.
It will be appreciated that as in the embodiments described above, flow through check orifice 602 can depend on the interaction between check orifice 602 and a landing 408 of spool 406 . More specifically, landing 408 and check orifice 602 can be precisely fabricated to ensure that hydraulic fluid from the supply conduit 102 connects to return conduit 104 when hydraulic fluid from the pump conduit 106 is at a higher pressure than hydraulic fluid from the supply conduit 102 . Consistent with this objective, PMRV 112 also includes second bias spring 604 acting on second face 412 .
Second bias spring 604 exerts a force on second face 412 that counteracts the force exerted on first face 410 by bias spring 414 . Thus the position of spool 406 within sleeve 400 depends on the net load applied to it in actuator chamber 402 and the regulation chamber 404 . The load applied in actuator chamber 402 is the sum of the pressure of hydraulic fluid from aircraft hydraulic system 113 across first face 410 and the load applied by bias spring 414 to first face 410 . The load applied in regulation chamber 402 is the sum of the pressure of hydraulic fluid from pump conduit 106 across second face 412 and the load applied by second bias spring 604 to second face 412 .
In an embodiment, the bias springs maintain spool 406 in a floating condition within sleeve 400 . More particularly, as pressure of hydraulic fluid within pump conduit 106 increases, spool 406 will bias toward the left. However, as the pressure in pump conduit 106 decreases, spool 406 will bias toward the right.
In an embodiment, premix chamber 420 ′ can be formed between landing 606 and 608 of spool 406 . Furthermore, the landing size and spacing can be such that when spool 406 is biased leftward, a fluid pathway is created between first orifice 424 and third orifice 424 ′, and between second orifice 426 and fourth orifice 426 ′. In contrast, when spool 406 is biased rightward, a fluid pathway is created between check orifice 602 and second orifice 426 , while fluid flow through first orifice 424 is blocked. Thus, when spool 406 is biased leftward, hydraulic fluid flows from supply conduit 102 and pump conduit 106 to return conduit 104 through PMRV 112 . In contrast, when spool 406 is biased rightward, hydraulic fluid flows from supply conduit 102 into pump conduit 106 through PMRV 112 , but no fluid is returned to return conduit 104 .
Thus, by sizing the bias springs, spool, and orifices appropriately, PMRV 112 provides a check valve equivalent function, in which hydraulic fluid is mixed within PMRV 112 when supply conduit 102 pressure is less than pump conduit 106 pressure, i.e., when VDMP 110 operates in a pump mode. Furthermore, PMRV 112 flows hydraulic fluid directly from supply conduit 102 to pump conduit 106 without mixing the fluid when supply conduit 102 pressure exceeds pump conduit 106 pressure, i.e., when VDMP 110 operates in a motor mode.
The various components of HMA 100 described above, as well as the subcomponents of those components, can be fabricated from materials that are commonly used in aircraft hydraulic systems. For example, in at least one embodiment, one or more components may be wholly or partially formed from material groups including copper, aluminum alloy, steel, or titanium 3Al-2.5V alloy. Furthermore, it will be appreciated by one skilled in the art that the various components can be designed with various shapes, profiles, and cross-sections to achieve the functionality described above. These various features and modifications have been omitted in some cases for the sake of brevity, but they are considered to be within the scope of the description.
In the foregoing specification, the invention has been described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments thereof. It will be evident that various modifications may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
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Apparatuses and systems that use a variable displacement motor-pump (VDMP) to control the position and speed of a hose for an aerial refueling system are disclosed. At displacements greater than required to hold a position of the hose, the VDMP operates in a motor mode to retract the hose. For lesser displacements, the VDMP operates in a pump mode to control extension of the hose. In accordance with some embodiments, a pump-motor relief valve operates to throttle hydraulic fluid flow from the VDMP and to control mixing of hydraulic fluid flowing from the VDMP with system hydraulic fluid.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to completion methods for poorly consolidated formations, and more particularly, to methods of completing poorly consolidated formations whereby sand production is eliminated or reduced.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The migration of sand particles with fluids produced from soft or poorly consolidated formations has been a continuous problem. While numerous techniques have been developed for controlling sand production including placing screens and/or gravel packs between the sand producing formations and the well bores penetrating them, utilizing hardenable resin coated particulate material to form consolidated gravel packs, contacting the near well portions of poorly consolidated formations with consolidating fluids which subsequently harden, etc., sand production problems have continued. Sand production usually results in lost hydrocarbon production due to the plugging of gravel packs, screens and perforations as well as production equipment such as flow lines, separators and the like.
When a formation is penetrated by a well bore, the near well bore material making up the formation must support the stress that was previously supported by the removed formation material. In a poorly consolidated rock formation, this stress overcomes the formation strength which causes the formation to breakdown and sand to migrate into the well bore with produced fluids. As the poorly consolidated formation is produced over time, the breakdown of the formation progresses throughout the reservoir and the production of sand continues.
Thus, there is a need for improved methods of completing poorly consolidated subterranean formations whereby well bores or other circular holes are not created in the formation and the stress failures which bring about sand production are eliminated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Improved methods of completing poorly consolidated formations which prevent sand production are provided by the present invention which meet the need described above and overcome the shortcomings of the prior art. The methods basically comprise the steps of drilling a well bore, preferably a horizontal well bore, into a consolidated boundary formation adjacent to the poorly consolidated producing formation to be completed, and then forming at least one propped fracture in the consolidated boundary formation which communicates with the well bore and extends into the poorly consolidated formation. Fluids from the poorly consolidated formation are produced into the well bore by way of the propped fracture.
The fracture or fractures produced are preferably propped with a consolidated resin coated particulate material over their entire lengths whereby stress failures along the fractures are prevented. The fractures are also preferably created by first producing a plurality of directionally oriented perforations in the well bore followed by applying hydraulic pressure to the perforations in an amount sufficient to fracture the consolidated boundary formation and extend the fracture into the poorly consolidated formation. The directionally oriented perforations are arranged to produce the most conductive fracture possible.
Thus, it is a general object of the present invention to provide improved well completion methods for poorly consolidated formations which prevent sand production from the formations.
Other and further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the description of preferred embodiments which follows when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a subterranean poorly consolidated formation bounded by a consolidated formation which has a vertical well bore drilled therein and a fracture formed therein communicating the well bore with the poorly consolidated formation.
FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a poorly consolidated formation bounded by a consolidated formation which has a horizontal well bore drilled therein and a pair of fractures formed therein communicating the well bore with the poorly consolidated formation.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As mentioned, the methods of the present invention allow a poorly consolidated formation to be completed in a manner whereby sand production from the formation is prevented. Such poorly consolidated hydrocarbon producing formations are usually bounded by consolidated formations which are relatively non-productive. The term "poorly consolidated formation" is used herein to mean that the formation is formed of generally friable sand. When a well bore is drilled into such a formation, a plastic zone develops around the well bore and formation breakdown within the plastic zone is the main source of sand production. As formation fluids are produced from the formation, the plastic zone is expanded and sand production continues. The term "consolidated formation" is used herein to mean a rock formation in which the in-situ stresses are in equilibrium. While the drilling of a well bore in a consolidated formation causes the in-situ stresses to deform around the well bore and a stress concentration zone to be formed, the mechanical properties of the rock making up the formation are such that the stress concentration does not cause formation break down.
In carrying out the methods of the present invention, the first step is to drill a well bore into a boundary consolidated formation adjacent to the poorly consolidated formation to be completed. The well bore can be either vertical as shown in FIG. 1 or horizontal as shown in FIG. 2. However, it is preferable that a horizontal well bore be drilled into the consolidated formation above the poorly consolidated formation for reasons which will be described further hereinbelow.
Referring to FIG. 1, a poorly consolidated formation 10 is illustrated positioned below a consolidated formation 12. A vertical well bore 14 is drilled into the consolidated formation 12, close to but not into the poorly consolidated formation 10. The well bore 14 is completed conventionally, e.g., it contains casing 16 surrounded by a cement sheath 18. Other known completion methods can also be used such as open hole, sliding sleeves, liner, etc.
After the casing 16 has been cemented in the well bore 14, an interval of the well bore adjacent to the poorly consolidated formation 10 is perforated. That is, a plurality of directionally oriented perforations 20 are formed in an about 1 to about 5 foot interval in the well bore 14 which extend through the casing 16 and the cement 18 and into the consolidated formation 12. The perforations are formed utilizing conventional perforation forming equipment and known orienting techniques.
The particular arrangement and alignment of the perforations 20 are such that when a hydraulic pressure is applied to the perforations from within the well bore 14, one or more fractures are formed in the consolidated formation 12 which can be extended into the poorly consolidated formation 10.
It is known that when fractures are created from a substantially vertical well bore in a formation, two vertical fracture wings are generally produced which extend from opposite sides of the well bore at right angles to the in-situ least principle stress in the formation. Stated another way, the fractures extend in the direction of the maximum horizontal stress in the formation. Thus, a knowledge of the direction of the maximum horizontal stress in the consolidated formation 12 is advantageous and can be determined by a number of well known methods. In one such method, the formation is subjected to fracturing before the well is cased by applying hydraulic pressure to the formation by way of the well bore. When a fracture forms, the maximum horizontal stress direction can be determined from the direction of the formed fracture using a direction oriented fracture impression packer, a direction oriented well bore television camera or other similar tool. A preferred method of determining the maximum horizontal stress direction is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,529,036 to Daneshy et al. issued Jul. 16, 1985 which is incorporated herein by reference. In accordance with that method, a fracture is created during drilling by exerting hydraulic pressure with drilling fluid by way of the drill pipe on the bottom of the well bore. The fracture formed extends from the lower end portion of the well bore and a location oriented core containing a portion of the fracture is removed from the well bore. The direction of the fracture in the core determines the direction of the maximum horizontal stress in the formation and the direction that fractures created in the formation will extend.
In performing the method of the present invention utilizing the vertical well bore 14 and if it is possible to do so, the perforations 20 are preferably aligned with the maximum horizontal stress in the formation 12 to intersect the poorly consolidated formation 10. The reason for this is that the widest fractures having the least flow resistance are those formed in the direction of the maximum horizontal stress. Also, the perforations 20 are preferably positioned in a 180° phasing, i.e., whereby perforations extend from opposite sides of the well bore as shown in FIG. 1.
After the perforations 20 are formed, hydraulic pressure is applied to the perforations by pumping a fracturing fluid into the perforations and into the formation 12 at a rate and pressure such that the consolidated formation 12 fractures. As the hydraulic pressure is continued, a vertical fracture 22 is extended from the well bore 14 in opposite directions in alignment with the maximum horizontal stress in the consolidated formation 12. When the fracture 22 reaches the poorly consolidated formation 10, it is rapidly extended into the poorly consolidated formation 10 as illustrated in FIG. 1. The rapid extension of the fracture 22 into the poorly consolidated formation 10 diverts the energy of the fracturing fluid into the formation 10, and it stops growing into the consolidated formation 12.
Thus, the fracture 22 starts at the perforations 20 and progresses into the poorly consolidated formation 10. The directionally oriented perforations 20 provide an initiation point for application of the hydraulic pressure created by the introduction of fracturing fluid into the formation 12, and cause the fracture 22 to extend from the well bore 14 in the desired direction of maximum horizontal stress thereby minimizing fracture reorientation and the consequent restriction in the width of the formed fracture. Minimizing reorientation reduces the initial pressure that must be applied to achieve formation breakdown, reduces the pressure levels necessary to extend a created fracture, maximizes the fracture width achieved and produces smoother fracture faces which reduces friction on fluid flow.
In order to make the fracture 22 as conductive as possible to hydrocarbon fluids contained in the poorly consolidated formation 10, the fracture 22 is propped. That is, as the fracture 22 is extended in the consolidated formation 12 and in the poorly consolidated formation 10, a particulate material propping agent carried into the fracture in suspension in the fracturing fluid is deposited therein. Upon completion of the fracturing treatment, the propping agent remains in the created fracture thereby preventing it from closing and providing a highly permeable flow channel.
The fracturing fluid utilized to create the fractures in accordance with this invention can be any aqueous or non-aqueous fluid that does not adversely react with materials in the formations contacted thereby. Fracturing fluids commonly include additives and components such as gelling agents, crosslinking agents, gelbreakers, surfactants, carbon dioxide, nitrogen and the like. The propping agent used in the fracturing fluid can be any conventional propping agent such as sand, sintered bauxite, ceramics and the like. The preferred propping agent for use in accordance with this invention is sand, and the sand or other propping agent utilized is preferably coated with a resin composition which subsequently hardens to consolidate the propping agent and prevent its movement with produced fluids.
The use of a resin composition coated propping agent to consolidate the propping agent after its deposit in a subterranean zone is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,128,390 issued on Jul. 7, 1992 to Murphey et al., and such patent is incorporated herein by reference.
A preferred fracturing fluid for use in accordance with the present invention is comprised of an aqueous gelled liquid having a hardenable resin composition coated propping agent, preferably sand, suspended therein. Upon being deposited in the fracture created with the fracturing fluid, the resin coated propping agent is consolidated into a hard permeable mass therein.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a poorly consolidated formation 30 is illustrated positioned below a consolidated boundary formation 32. A well bore 34 is drilled into the consolidated formation 32 which includes a horizontal portion 35 positioned above the poorly consolidated formation 30. The well bore 34 contains casing 36 surrounded by a cement sheath 38.
As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the portion 35 of the well bore 34 is referred to herein as a horizontal well bore even though it may not actually be positioned at 90° from vertical. For example, the well bore portion 35 may penetrate a formation at an angle greater or less than 90° from vertical (often referred to as a deviated wellbore) which substantially parallels the direction of the bedding planes in the formation. Subterranean formations often include synclines and anticlines whereby the bedding planes are not 90° from vertical. As used herein, the term "horizontal well bore" means a well bore or portion thereof which penetrates a formation at an angle of from about 60° to about 120° from vertical.
A plurality of directionally oriented perforations 40 are produced in the lower side of the horizontal portion 35 of the well bore 34. The perforations 40 are aligned in a downward direction so that when a hydraulic pressure is applied to the perforations 40, a downwardly extending fracture 42 is formed. Because of the vertical over-burden induced stress in the consolidated formation 32, the fracture 42 will extend substantially vertically downwardly from the horizontal well bore 34. The angle at which the fracture 42 takes with respect to the axis of the horizontal portion 35 of the well bore 34 depends on the direction of the maximum horizontal stress in the consolidated formation 32. For example, if the maximum horizontal stress in the formation 32 parallels the axis of the well bore portion 35, the fracture 42 will be aligned with the axis of the well bore portion 35 as illustrated in FIG. 2. On the other hand, if the maximum horizontal stress direction is transverse to the axis of the horizontal well bore portion 35, the fracture 42 will be transverse thereto.
After the downwardly aligned perforations 40 are produced, hydraulic pressure is applied to the perforations by pumping a fracturing fluid thereinto and into the consolidated formation 32. The hydraulic pressure is applied in an amount (the fracturing fluid is pumped at a rate and pressure) such that the consolidated formation 32 fractures. As the hydraulic pressure is continued, the fracture 42 extends below the horizontal well bore portion 35 into the poorly consolidated formation 30 as shown in FIG. 2. As described above in connection with the fracture 22, a propping agent, preferably sand coated with a hardenable resin composition, is suspended in the fracturing fluid whereby it is carried into, deposited and formed into a consolidated permeable mass therein.
After forming the propped fracture 42, a second propped fracture 44 and other propped fractures (not shown) can be formed along the length of the horizontal portion 35 of the well bore 34 to provide additional flow channels in the poorly consolidated formation 30 through which hydrocarbon fluids can be produced without also producing sand.
As will now be understood by those skilled in the art, instead of removing formation material from a poorly consolidated formation by forming a well bore therein which causes the breakdown of the formation and the production of sand therefrom, the methods of the present invention add consolidated material (hardened resin consolidated propping agent) to a poorly consolidated formation which increases the overall formation consolidation and resistance to formation breakdown, etc. Further, the creation of conductive fractures in a poorly consolidated formation through which formation fluids are produced converts high pressure draw-down radial flow which occurs in a formation penetrated by a well bore to low pressure draw-down linear flow. This low pressure draw-down linear flow through one or more propped fractures in a poorly consolidated formation prevents the breakdown of the formation and the consequent sand production.
The completion methods of this invention are particularly advantageous when carried out in formations where water coning would occur if the formation fluids were produced through a vertical well bore penetrating the formation.
Thus, the present invention is well adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those which are inherent therein. While numerous changes in the construction and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art, such changes are encompassed within the spirit of this invention as defined by the appended claims.
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Methods of completing poorly consolidated subterranean formations bounded by one or more consolidated formations to prevent sand production from the poorly consolidated formations are provided. The methods basically comprise the steps of drilling a well bore into the consolidated boundary formation adjacent to the poorly consolidated formation, creating a propped fracture communicating with the well bore in the consolidated boundary formation which extends into the poorly consolidated formation and producing fluids from the poorly consolidated formation into the well bore by way of the propped fracture.
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ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The invention described herein was made by an employee of the United States Government and may be used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
This is a continuation of application(s) Ser. No. 08/342,452 filed on Nov. 16, 1994 now abandoned, which is a divisional application of U.S. Ser. No. 953,562 filed Sep. 29, 1992, now U.S. Pat No. 5,392,683.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to methods and apparatuses for braiding articles and more specifically to three-dimensional braiding of fibers useful inter alia as fiber reinforced structural preforms.
2. Description of the Related Art
Braiding apparatuses generally consist of a braiding surface upon which travel a plurality of yarn carrier members which dispense the braiding fibers. The braiding fibers generally intersect in an area near the article being braided, hereafter referred to as the braiding zone.
Various braiding surfaces have been developed, with the majority being a simple flat plane, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,881,444. Flat surfaces have the disadvantage that extremely large surface areas may be needed to accommodate a moderate range of braiding angles. In addition, flat braiding surfaces cause difficulties in maintaining yarn tension, since carrier members at different braid angles require different length yarns. To address this difficulty, some braiding machines have curved braiding surfaces that attempt to maintain constant yam tension by maintaining the carrier members at a constant distance from the braiding zone.
Various braiding patterns are possible by manipulation of carrier member positions on the braiding surface. Many devices use a push/pull mechanism to change the carrier positions of entire rows or columns of carrier members, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,885,973. Other devices use self-propelled carriers traveling in a fixed pattern determined by a preset track arrangement, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,972,756.
Most braiding machines incorporate some features to maintain yarn tension and to rewind yarn. A common means to accomplish these goals is a coil spring or an electric motor with a friction coupling.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a braiding machine capable of achieving a wide range of arbitrary weave angles in order to fabricate three-dimensional braided articles.
More specifically, this invention is directed to a braiding machine comprising a curved, segmented and movable braiding surface whereby the curved surface effectively allows a wider range of braiding angles than can be obtained with a flat braiding surface of comparable area. A plurality of individually self-propelled carrier members move across the braiding surface by movement from pivot disc to pivot disc. The motion of the carrier members is electronically monitored and controlled by computer. The yarn carriers have dedicated motors which control yarn tension and allow unlimited yarn rewind.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a curved, multi-segmented braiding surface;
FIG. 2 is an end view of the curved braiding surface demonstrating movement of several braiding segments;
FIG. 3 is a perspective of several pivot discs which lie on the braiding surface;
FIG. 4 is a detailed drawing of a typical pivot discs;
FIG. 5 is a drawing of a carrier member assembly;
FIG. 6 is a cutaway drawing of a typical carrier member assembly and
FIG. 7 is a view of a material takeup system.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Braided articles of this invention are preferably made on an apparatus that consists of a concave inner braiding surface 10 such as that shown in FIG. 1. The braiding surface consists of movable segments 20 which are capable of rotation about an axis 30 through a desired am of rotation. The concave surface 10 can be any partial or full surface of rotation. The concave inner surface 10 can of course consist of curved and flat portions. The segments 20 are supported and guided in their revolution by stationary guide rails 40. Rotation of the individual segments 20 may be accomplished by hydraulic or pneumatic actuators, electric motors or other conventional mechanisms which may be located at any convenient location such as between the guide rail 40 and the convex surface of the braiding segment 20. Pivot discs 50 are situated on the concave surfaces of the braiding segments 20. The shape of the braiding surface 10, the mobility of the braiding segments 20 and the individual control of carrier members 150 facilitates the unique placement of fibers that heretofore has been unattainable except by manual manipulation of yarns, as discussed below.
The end view of the braiding apparatus shown in FIG. 2 illustrates various positions of the segments 20 on the guide rail 40 in relation to the braiding zone 60 formed by the fiber strands of the article 80 being braided. Guide rings 45 secure the segments 20 on the guide rails 40. Guide mechanisms 25 such as a grooved wheel are powered by a motor 28, fixedly connected to movable segments 20, and travel along guide rails 40. The motor is powered by a power supply 216 controlled by a computer 215 in the same manner as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 illustrates the layout of evenly spaced, non-translating pivot discs 50 on the concave surface of the braiding segments 20. The braiding surface 20 consists of an assemblage of pivot discs 50. Along the flat or singularly curved regions of the braiding segments 20 the pivot discs 50 are evenly spaced. However, on the region of the braiding surface 10 with double curvature some of the rows of pivot discs 50 are omitted. Deleting rows along the doubly curved region of the braiding surface 10 limits the amount of movement between rows that is capable in this region. Each pivot discs 50 is capable of rotation through ±180° about its center point, i.e., about an axis perpendicular to the concave side of the braiding surface 20 as discussed below. Situated on the pivot discs 50 are linear shafts 90 which can be longitudinally aligned with similar shafts 90 on adjacent pivot discs 50 by rotation of the discs 50. Non-braiding yarn tubes 75 extend through the braiding segments 20 between the pivot discs 50 to guide unidirectional non-braiding fibers 77 for the braided article 80. By extending these yarns through the braiding surface, the need for separate tractor/yarn carriers for these yarns is eliminated, thereby further reducing the required braiding area.
FIG. 4 shows additional details of a pivot disc 50. The surface of the disc 50 has electrical power and sensor contact strips 110. The linear shaft 90 is flanked by shaft gears 120 which are used to facilitate movement of carrier members 150 discussed below. Below the pivot disc 50 is a stationary support disk 130 which houses a conventional stepper motor or rotary solenoid (not shown) which turns the pivot disc 50.
FIG. 5 illustrates a carrier member 150 which travels on the concave side of the braiding surface 10 from pivot disc 50 to pivot disc 50. The carrier member 150 consists of a yarn carrier 160, which dispenses a fiber strand 70, and a tractor assembly 170. The tractor assembly 170 has a linear motion bearing 190 which guides the carrier member 150 on linear shafts 90. Independent propulsion of each carrier member 150 is accomplished by an electric motor 180 which operates a drive gear 200 which intermeshes with shaft gears 120. The motor 180 is powered through integral electrical power and sensor contacts 210 and is controlled by a computer 215 through a power supply 216. The computer 215 is programmed to activate power at the carrier members 150, yarn carriers 160 and braid segments 20 in a sequence determined by the braiding pattern required to construct a given article. When power is turned on at a pivot point electrical current goes from the pivot point through the electrical contacts 110 and 210 and to the motor 180 on the carrier member 150. The shaft of the motor turns the gears in the gear head assembly and the drive gears 200. The drive gears 200 mesh with the rack gears 120 on the pivot disc 50. When the drive gears 200 turn the carrier member 150 moves.
Referring to FIG. 3, three different carrier member 150 movements are possible; a carrier member 150 (not shown in FIG. 3) located on pivot disc 50A may advance forward to pivot disc 50B, turn to the left or right and advance to pivot disc 50D or 50E, and turn ±180° and advance to the pivot disc 50C behind the original location. To advance forward to the next pivot disc 50B the computer 215 must turn on the electrical power at the first pivot disc 50A. The carrier member 150 moves forward onto the next pivot disc 50B until the electrical contacts 210 of the carrier member 150 no longer make contact with the contacts 110 on the first pivot disc 50A The computer 215, through monitoring the current levels on the first pivot disc 50A, turns the power off at the first pivot disc 50A and turns on the power at the second pivot disc 50B. Once the carrier member 150 is completely on the second pivot disc 150B the computer 215 turns off the power at the second pivot disc 50B.
To move the carrier member 150 to the pivot discs 50D or 50E to the right or left of the original pivot disc 50A, it is first necessary to rotate both pivot discs 50A and 50D or 50A and 50E 90° so that the longitudinal axes of horizontal shafts 90 mounted on the pivot discs 50A and 50D or 50A and 50E line up with each other. It is important to insure that the pivot discs 50 are rotated in phase so that the carrier member 150 will not be facing the wrong direction after the transfer is complete. The computer 215 turns the electrical power on at the first pivot disc 50A and the carrier member 150 advances to the designated second pivot disc 50D or 50E. When electrical contact no longer exists between the first pivot disc 50A and the carrier member 150, the computer 215 turns the electrical power off at the first pivot disc 50A and on at the second designated pivot disc 50D or 50E. Once the carrier member 150 is positioned correctly on the second pivot disc 50D or 50E, the computer 215 reorients both pivot discs 50A and 50D or 50E.
In the third case the computer 215 rotates the first pivot disc 50A 180° and the carrier member 150 advances to the second pivot disc 500 in a similar manner as is done in the other cases. After the carrier member 1 50 is correctly positioned onto the second pivot disc 500, the computer 215 reorients the first pivot disc 50A.
FIG. 6 illustrates a yarn carrier 160 which is mounted on the top of a carrier member 150 and dispenses a braiding fiber strand 70. The fiber 70 is wound on a spool 220 prior to the mounting of the yarn carrier 160 onto the carrier member 150. Yarn 70 is pulled from the yarn carrier 160 as the carrier member 150 is moved around the braiding surface 10. Tension is maintained in the yarn 70 to eliminate the beat up process by incorporating a friction coupling 230 and a rewind mechanism 240. An electric motor or coil spring 240 may be used to rewind the fiber 70. As the yarn 70 is being pulled out of the carrier 160 the coil spring 240 has already been contracted to its limit. Therefore, tension increases in the yarn 7.0 until the torque on the spool 220 exceeds the resisting torque supplied by the friction coupling 230. The yarn 70 is then pulled out of the carrier 160 when the tension in the yarn 70 exceeds the resisting force supplied by the friction coupling 230. During the braiding operation there are times when a movement of the carrier member 150 does not result in the extraction of yarn 70 from the carrier 160. Therefore, to maintain tension in the yarn 70 a rewind mechanism must exist and hence the coiled spring 240. The coiled spring 240 rewinds the yarn 70 when the tension in the yarn 70 diminishes.
In order to maintain a constant distance between the braiding zone 60 and the braiding surface 10 and to maintain tension of the braiding yarns 70, a material takeup system 85 is required. Maintaining a constant distance between the braiding zone 60 and the braiding surface 10 permits accurate control of yarn braid angles. Differing preform geometries require different customized takeup systems. Referring to FIG. 7, if a flat preform 80 is being braided a clamp 260 secures the top of the preform 80 and a simple set of tension rollers 270 advances the preform 80. As the preform 80 is braided the tension rollers 270 periodically rotate, in accordance with the braid length, and advance the material. However, if a curved I-beam is braided then the takeup system (not shown) would consist of a series of small movable tension rollers that advance the outer surface of the I-beam at a faster rate than the inner surface of the I-beam.
The programming required to achieve the desired movements of the segments 20, pivot discs 50 and the carrier members 150 is specifically tailored to the particular braiding pattern. The functions described above define the range of motion for each element and specific operating parameters are implemented straightforwardly.
The computer 215 also controls the position of the movable braiding segments 20. Certain yarns may be used as non braiding yarns 77 and it may be necessary for the braiding segments 20 to be rotated to facilitate the insertion of the fill yarn 77. There are other potential examples where the braiding segments 20 must be moved. It is possible that the braiding segments 20 may be rotated such that the carrier members 150 are inverted.
In the braiding process a fault condition could occur with one of the carrier members 150 or yarn carriers 160. For example, one of the yarn carriers 160 could have a yarn 70 breakage. A fault sensor (not shown) in the yarn carrier 160 signals the computer 215 that a problem existed and the computer 215 could stop the braiding process and signal the operator that a fault condition existed. The computer 215 could, by a graphical means, show which carrier member 150 or yarn carrier 160 signaled the problem. The operator would instruct the computer 215 to move the carrier member 150 to a position where the problem could be corrected or the computer 215 could rotate a braiding segment 20 and the operator manually correct the problem.
Even with the most sophisticated computers and state-of-the-art electronics, the braiding of complex structural preforms will be a slow process. The necessary fabrication efficiency will only be achievable when the entire process of braiding is automated from the original design of the preform to the final braiding of the preform. A designer from a Computer Aided Design (CAD) station preferably designs the structural preform 80. Prior to braiding the preform 80 the design undergoes computer braiding simulation to validate the design. After the design has been validated, the appropriate number of yarn carriers 160 are wound with yarn 70. Each yarn carrier 160 contains a specific amount of yarn 70 that is a function of the path the yarn travels in the braided preform 80. Each yam carrier 160 is bar coded and stored until the setup of the braider commences. Each yam carrier 160 is mounted to a carrier member 150, sensors tested, yarn tension set and then moved onto the braider 20. The computer 215 directs the movement of the carrier member 150 (as discussed above) to the correct starting pivot disc 50 on the braider surface 20. A robotic arm (not shown) extracts the end of the yarn 70 from the cap of the yarn carrier 160 and mounts it onto the material takeup system 85. The process of positioning carrier members 150 and mounting the yarn ends 70 onto the material takeup system 85 is repeated until all the carrier 150 members are correctly positioned onto the braider 20. When nonbraiding yarns 77 are used in a preform design the operator inserts these yarns 77 through the appropriate yarn tubes 75 on the braiding surface 20 and the robotic arm attaches the yarn ends 77 to the material takeup system 85.
Once the braider has been strung the braiding begins. While a preform 80 is being braided additional yarn carriers 160 are being wound with yarn 70, bar coded and stored for the next preform.
Many improvements, modifications and substitutions will be apparent to the skilled artisan without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as described herein and defined in the following claims.
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A machine for three-dimensional braiding of fibers is provided in which carrier members travel on a curved, segmented and movable braiding surface. The carrier members are capable of independent, self-propelled motion along the braiding surface. Carrier member position on the braiding surface is controlled and monitored by computer. Also disclosed is a yarn take-up device capable of maintaining tension in the braiding fiber.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a PSK (phase shift keying) system and method in a coherent optical fiber transmission and more particularly to a PSK system and method adapted to be able to directly modulate an injection current supplied to a laser diode.
Of the optical fiber transmission systems in practical use today, an IM/DD (intensity modulation/direct detection) system in which an intensity modulated light beam is directly received by a photodetector and converted thereby into an electric signal is quite general. In recent years, however, research and development for a coherent optical fiber transmission system has become actively carried on because of strong demands for larger transmission capacity and longer transmission distance. According to this system, since a coherent light beam from a laser diode is used as the carrier and its frequency, phase, etc. are modulated on the transmission side and the received light beam is mixed with a local light beam so as to be subjected to heterodyne detection or homodyne detection on the reception side, a greater improvement in the reception sensitivity compared with the IM/DD system can be achieved. Further, after the detection of the light has been performed, i.e., after the light signal has been converted into an electric signal, frequency selection can be made rather easily. Hence, high-density frequency-division multiplexing can be achieved by this system and the transmission capacity by a single optical transmission path can thereby be greatly increased.
As a system or method for transmitting information with the information carried by the wave parameter of a light beam emitted from a laser diode and being suitable for high speed transmission, DPSK (differential phase shift keying) or CPFSK (continuous phase frequency shift keying) has hitherto been known.
In the DPSK system, in order that a demodulation by delayed detection by one bit is performed on the reception side, differential coding is made on the transmission side in advance. The modulation through the differentially coded signal is an indirect modulation using an external modulator.
In the CPFSK system, on the other hand, the oscillation frequency of the laser diode is directly modulated on the transmission side so that the phase deviation between different signs becomes over π with the phase maintained continuous, and a demodulation with delayed detection is performed on the reception side. The delay time is set according to one time slot and the modulation index.
In the DPSK system, an external modulator is required and the loss due to its insertion (for example, 2 to 4 dB) becomes a cause of the deterioration in the reception sensitivity. Further, since most of the external modulators are such that utilize the electro-optic effect of an anisotropic crystal, it requires driving voltage of several to ten-odd Volts for obtaining a frequency band of several GHz. Further, a differential coding circuit is required for achieving a demodulation by delayed detection by one bit. Thus, the DPSK system becomes complex in structure.
In the CPFSK system, although neither external modulator nor differential coding circuit is required, the system is liable to be adversely affected by the wavelength dispersion and, hence, its transmission span is limited. Further, the carrier is unable to be reproduced for use in the CPFSK system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a PSK system and method adapted to simplify the system structure, hardly suffering from the effect of wavelength dispersion, and capable of reproducing the carrier.
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direct modulation PSK system. The system comprises a laser diode emitting a light beam at a frequency corresponding to an injection current, a bias current circuit for supplying the laser diode with a bias current, a modulating current pulse circuit for superposing a modulating current pulse with a pulse width smaller than one time slot T of a binary-coded input signal on the bias current, and an amplitude and pulse width control circuit for controlling the amplitude and pulse width of the modulating current pulse in accordance with the binary-coded input signal so that the integrated value of the frequency varied by the modulating current pulse may become π or -π as a phase amount.
Preferably, the pulse width of the modulating current pulse is set to be T/2m specified by the modulation index m expressed as m=ΔF/B and the time slot T, where B represents the bit rate of the input signal and ΔF represents the frequency deviation of the light beam. By the described setting, the integrated value of the frequency varied by the modulating current pulse becomes π or -π as a phase amount.
Preferably, the modulation index m satisfies 0.5<m. Thereby, the modulating current pulse with a pulse width smaller than one time slot T of a binary-coded input signal can be obtained.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, an asynchronous demodulation is performed by mixing a detected signal and the detected signal delayed by one bit.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a synchronous demodulation is performed by mixing a detected signal and a carrier extracted from the detected signal.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direct modulation PSK system, which comprises a laser diode emitting a light beam at a frequency corresponding to an injection current, a bias current circuit for supplying the laser diode with a bias current, a modulating current pulse circuit for superposing a modulating current pulse with a pulse width smaller than one time slot T of an n-value-coded input signal (n: a natural number larger than 2) on the bias current, and an amplitude and pulse width control circuit for controlling the amplitude and pulse width of the modulating current pulse in accordance with the input signal so that the integrated value of the frequency varied by the modulating current pulse may become 2πk/n or -2πk/n (k=1, 2, . . . , (n-1) as a phase amount.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direct modulation PSK method in which an injection current, which is supplied to a laser diode emitting a light beam at a frequency corresponding to the injection current, is varied for a predetermined period of time shorter than one time slot T of an input binary coded signal, and control is performed such that the integrated value of the frequency varied in accordance with the variation in the injection current becomes π or -π as a phase amount.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a direct modulation PSK method in which an injection current, which is supplied to a laser diode emitting a light beam at a frequency corresponding to the injection current, is varied for a predetermined period of time shorter than one time slot T of an input n-value-coded signal, and control is performed such that the integrated value of the frequency varied in accordance with the variation in the injection current becomes 2πk/n or -2πk/n (k=1, 2, . . . , (n-1)) as a phase amount.
The above and other features and advantages of this invention and the manner of realizing them will become more apparent, and the invention itself will best be understood, from a study of the following description and appended claims, with reference had to the attached drawings showing some preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a DM-PSK (direct modulation phase shift keying) system as an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a CPFSK system as a prior art example;
FIG. 3A is a drawing schematically showing a waveform of a light output and a waveform of a frequency deviation in the system shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3B is a drawing schematically showing a waveform of a light output and a waveform of a frequency deviation in the system shown in FIG. 2;
FIGS. 4(a)-4(f), FIGS. 5(a)-5(f), FIGS. 6(a)-6(f), and FIGS. 7(a)-7(f) are drawings showing waveforms of some signals in the CPFSK system shown in FIG. 2 at the times when m is equal to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0, respectively;
FIGS. 8(a)-8(e), FIGS. 9(a)-9(e), FIGS. 10(a)-10(e), and FIGS. 11(a)-11(e) are drawings showing waveforms of some signals in the DM-PSK system shown in FIG. 1 at the times when m is equal to 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 0.5, respectively;
FIG. 12 is a block diagram of a DM-PSK system as another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 13 is a block diagram showing another example of a demodulator in FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 is a block diagram of a DM-PSK system as a further embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 15 is a block diagram showing another example of a demodulator in FIG. 14.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a DM-PSK system with the present invention applied thereto. Reference numeral 2 denotes a laser diode in a DFB (distributed feedback) type, and this laser diode 2 outputs a light beam corresponding to an injection current. The injection current is supplied by means of a bias current circuit 4 and a modulating current pulse circuit 6. A DC current for biasing is supplied to the laser diode 2 through an inductor 8 and a high-speed modulating current pulse is supplied to the laser diode 2 through a capacitor 10. The modulating current pulse has a pulse width smaller than one time slot of a binary-coded input signal. An amplitude and pulse-width control circuit denoted by 12 controls the amplitude and pulse-width of the modulating current pulse according to the data input so that the phase of the integrated amount of the oscillation frequency of the laser diode 2 varied by the modulating current pulse may become π or -π at all times.
The light beam output of the laser diode 2 is sent to the reception side through an optical fiber 14. Reference numeral 16 denotes a local oscillator formed of a laser diode and its drive circuit. The local oscillator 16 outputs a local light beam with a frequency equivalent to or slightly different from the frequency of the light beam output from the laser diode 2 on the transmission side. The light beam transmitted through the optical fiber 14 and the local light beam are added up in an optical coupler 18 and input to a photodetector 20. When the received light beam and the local light beam together are input to the photodetector 20, an IF (intermediate frequency) signal including the transmitted information in the form of a phase deviation is generated by virtue of the square-law detecting characteristic of the photodetector 20, and this IF signal is input to a demodulator 22. The demodulator 22 divides the input IF signal into two portions and allows one portion thereof to be delayed by a time T, which corresponds to one time slot, by a delay circuit 24 and, thereafter, mixed with the other portion in a mixer 26, whereby a demodulated signal is output therefrom.
Since making the CPFSK system understood first is considered helpful for describing the operation of the system shown in FIG. 1, a block diagram of the same is shown in FIG. 2. On the transmission side, 28 denotes a laser diode whose oscillation frequency is variable and 30 denotes a modulator for modulating the oscillation frequency of the laser diode. Here, the deviation of the oscillation frequency is adjusted according to the data input so that the phase deviation between different signs becomes larger than π. A light beam transmitted to the reception side through an optical fiber 32 is added up with a local light beam from a local oscillator 36 in an optical coupler 34 and then subjected to a photoelectric transfer in a photodetector 38. An IF signal generated by the transfer is input to a demodulator 40, wherein its one portion delayed by a predetermined period of time τ in a delay circuit 42 is mixed with the other portion in a mixer 44 so that a demodulation is performed. The delay time τ is set up according to the modulation index m as
τ=T/2m,
m=ΔF/B,
where T represents the time of one slot, ΔF represents the frequency deviation, and B represents the bit rate. In this way, the CPFSK system is arranged such that, on its transmission side, the laser diode is directly modulated without using an external modulator and, on its reception side, the phase deviation in the IF sign is detected and thus the transmitted information is reproduced. Therefore, its system structure is relatively simple. However, the CPFSK system is susceptible to the influence of wavelength dispersion and, in addition, the carrier effective for clock generation or the like cannot be reproduced therein.
FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are drawings schematically showing waveforms of light outputs and waveforms of frequency deviations in the DM-PSK system of the present invention and the CPFSK system, respectively. The waveforms of light outputs in the drawings are depicted with the oscillation frequency of the laser diode greatly reduced from the actual value. In the CPFSK system, the frequency is uniformly deviated during the period of time corresponding to one time slot T so that the waveform of the light output may not become discontinuous at the junction of bits. On the other hand, in the DM-PSK system, the oscillation frequency is deviated by ΔF only during a predetermined period of time τ within one time slot T and thereafter the oscillation frequency is returned to the original frequency. The values of τ and ΔF, when the input signal is a binary-coded signal, are set such that the phase deviation after the time τ will become π (-π). The value of τ corresponds to the pulse width of the modulating current pulse.
The period of time during which the frequency is deviated, the time delayed in the demodulation process, and the preferred intermediate frequency are shown in the following table for both the DM-PSK system and the CPFSK system with these values arranged in contrast with each other.
TABLE______________________________________ Present Invention CPFSK System______________________________________Time for Freq. (1/2m)T 1TDeviationDelay Time in 1T (1/2m)TDemodulationPreferred (2N + 1)B/2 (2N + 1)mB/2IF______________________________________ T: time slot B: bit rate m: modulation index (m = ΔF/B, ΔF: frequency deviation) N: natural number
FIGS. 4(a)-(f) to FIGS. 7(a)-(f) are graphs showing results of calculations of the signal waveforms in the CPFSK system with the modulation index set to 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0, respectively. Conditions used for the calculations are as follows.
1 The rise time and the fall time of the input waveform are neglected and it is assumed that the modulation is performed by a square wave.
2 The modulation index m is defined by m=ΔF/B, where B represents the bit rate and ΔF represents the frequency deviation.
3 As ΔF, the maximum frequency deviation ΔF MAX providing the highest reception sensitivity is employed.
ΔF.sub.MAX =1/2τ=mB(τ: delay time)
4 The intermediate frequency ##EQU1##
5 Calculations are made with N=2 when the modulation index m=0.5, 1.0.
6 Calculations are made with N=1 when the modulation index m=1.5, 2.0.
Throughout the drawings from FIGS. 4(a)-(f) to FIGS. 7(a)-(f), (a) shows a code pattern for "01010", (b) shows a waveform of the IF signal, (c) shows the phase of the IF signal, and (d) shows the phase deviation referenced from the signal of code "0". What is shown here is a case in which f IF0 <f IF1 , where f IF1 and f IF1 respectively represent the IF signal frequency of the signal of code "0" and that of the signal of code "1". In the diagram (d) is also shown the time t 0-180 during which the phase of the IF signal makes a cumulative change of π. Further, (e) shows the phase of the IF signal (continuous line) and the phase of the IF signal delayed by the delay time τ (broken line) and (f) shows the demodulated waveform.
From results of the above described calculations, following things are known.
1 While a `0-π` modulation is digitally performed with respect to the signal phase in the PSK system, the modulation with respect to the frequency of signal is digitally performed in the CPFSK system. Therefore, the phase deviation develops as time integration of the frequency deviation (refer to (d) in the drawings) and, when a modulation by a code "1" is applied, the phase deviation (referenced from the signal of code "0") changes at a constant rate of change which is determined by the frequency deviation. Further, the period of time during which the demodulation is carried out, i.e., the frequency deviation takes place, is one time slot.
2 The time t 0-180 required for the phase to deviate π is obtained from (d) of each drawing as
t.sub.0-180 =T/2m,
which indicates that, the larger the frequency deviation ΔF (modulation index m) is, the shorter the time t 0-180 required for the phase to deviate π becomes.
3 The time t 0-180 agrees with the delay time τ in the demodulation of the IF signal.
In the DM-PSK system of the present invention, in contrast with the above described CPFSK system, the injection current supplied to the laser diode is varied only for a predetermined period of time shorter than one slot time in achieving the phase deviation of π. At the time of demodulation, a delayed demodulation by one bit, for example, can be performed.
FIGS. 8(a)-(e) to FIGS. 11(a)-(e) are graphs showing results of calculations of signal waveforms in the DM-PSK system with the modulation index respectively set to 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 0.5. Conditions used for the calculations are as follows.
1 The rise time and the fall time of the input waveform are neglected and it is assumed that the modulation is performed by a square wave.
2 As the intermediate frequency f IF =(N/2)B, (N=3, 4, 5, . . . ), f IF =2B is used.
Throughout the drawings, (a) shows a frequency deviation for "01010", (b) shows a waveform of the IF signal, (c) shows the phase of the IF signal, and (d) shows the phase deviation referenced from the signal of code "0". What is shown here is a case in which f IF0 <f IF1 , where f IF0 and f IF1 respectively represent the IF signal frequency of the signal of code "0" and that of code "1". Further, (e) shows the demodulated waveform. Here, the demodulated waveform can be obtained from the following calculation.
Considering that a delayed demodulation by one-bit with a delay time T is performed using a mixer, an IF signal f(t) is set as
f(t)=Acos(2π(f.sub.IF +ΔF·M(t))t),
where M(t) is defined by ##EQU2## where ΔF×1/(2m)=π. If it is assumed that the frequency characteristic of the used receiver is flat and no LPF (low pass filter) changing the demodulated waveform (baseband signal) is used, then the demodulated signal g(t) is expressed as ##EQU3## where C is a constant.
From the above results of calculations, the following facts are known as to the DM-PSK system.
1 While a `0-π` modulation is digitally performed with respect to the phase of the signal in the PSK system using an external modulator, a modulation is digitally performed with respect to the frequency of the signal in the DM-PSK system. Therefore, the phase deviation of the signal develops as time integration of the frequency deviation (refer to (d) in each drawing) and, when a modulation by a code "1" is applied, the phase deviation (referenced from the signal of code "0") changes with a constant gradient determined by the frequency deviation until the phase deviation becomes π or -π.
2 The time t 0-180 required for the phase to deviate π is obtained as
t.sub.0-180 =T/2m,
which indicates that, the larger the frequency deviation ΔF (modulation index m) is, the shorter the time t 0-180 required for the phase to deviate π becomes.
3 The time t 0-180 agrees with the delay time τ in the demodulation of the IF signal in the CPFSK system.
When the DM-PSK system is thus compared with the CPFSK system, the frequencies of the signals in both of the systems are changed without producing a discontinuous change of the phase of the signals, and therefore, they are equal in that a direct modulation of the laser diode is achieved therein without using an external modulator. However, the DM-PSK system according to the present invention has an advantage over the CPFSK system that it is hardly affected by the adverse influence of the wavelength dispersion. More specifically, when the CPFSK system is used, at the time point where the eye pattern of the demodulated waveform opens, the frequency providing the demodulated signal of "1" and the frequency providing that of "0" are different and, therefore, a code error due to the wavelength dispersion is liable to occur. In contrast with that, according to the present invention, when for example the modulation index is relatively great as shown in FIG. 10, the frequency providing the demodulated signal of "1" and the frequency providing that of "0" are in agreement at the time point where the eye pattern of the demodulated waveform opens, and therefore, the deterioration in the code error rate due to the wavelength dispersion hardly occurs.
In contrast with the DPSK system, a delayed demodulation by one bit can be simply performed in the present invention without using a differential coding circuit on the transmission side. While the upper limit of the modulation band has conventionally been determined by the performance of the phase modulator, a still higher speed can be achieved in the present invention by virtue of the capability of the direct modulation.
In the present invention, the deviation of the oscillation frequency of the laser diode during only a predetermined period of time τ, which is shorter than one time slot, can be provided by having an RZ signal with a suitable duty cycle generated by the amplitude and pulse width control circuit 12.
Since it is possible to perform a direct modulation of the laser diode in the system shown in FIG. 1, an external modulator is not necessary, and since a modulating current pulse is supplied to the laser diode so that the phase deviation between the different signs may become π or -π, a differential coding circuit is not required.
FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing a DM-PSK system as another preferred embodiment of the present invention. In this system, there is used a demodulator different from that in the preceding embodiment. In the demodulator 46 of the present embodiment, 48 denotes a frequency doubler for doubling the frequency of the input IF signal and 50 denotes a frequency halver for halving the frequency of the signal with the frequency once doubled by the frequency doubler 48. The IF signal, by being passed through the frequency doubler 48 and frequency halver 50 in order of mention, is deprived of its modulation component and the carrier is reproduced. Hence, by performing mixing of this carrier with the IF signal not deprived of the modulation portion in a mixer 52, a synchronized demodulation can be achieved. In this case, by providing, as shown in FIG. 13, a delay circuit 49, which will introduce a delay time corresponding to the delay time given to a signal passed through carrier reproducing means 47 formed of the frequency doubler 48 and the frequency halver 50, phase noise can be suppressed and reception with a high sensibility can be achieved.
FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a DM-PSK system as a further embodiment of the present invention. In this system, there are used a modulating current pulse circuit 54, an amplitude and pulse width control circuit 56, and a demodulator 58 of structure or operation different from those in the previous embodiments are used. The modulating current pulse circuit 54 superposes a modulating current pulse with a smaller pulse width than one time slot of an n-value-coded input signal (n: a natural number larger than 2) on the bias current. The amplitude and pulse width control circuit 56 controls the amplitude and pulse width of the modulating current pulse so that the integrated value of the oscillation frequency of the laser diode 2 varied by the modulating current pulse may become 2πk/n or -2πk/n (k=1, 2, . . . , (n-1)) as a phase amount. The control circuit 56 is supplied, for example, with a four-value signal. The control circuit 56 performs control of the waveform of the modulating current pulse so that a frequency deviation may not be caused in a first state of the four-value states and, in second to fourth states, the phase deviation may respectively become 2πk/4 (k=1, 2, 3) with respect to the first state. More specifically, if, in the present example, the state of the phase corresponding to one of the four-value signals is 0, then the other three states of the phase become π/2, π, and 3π/2, respectively.
In the demodulator 58, numeral 60 denotes a frequency quadrupler for quadrupling the frequency of the input IF signal, numeral 62 denotes a frequency quaterer for quartering the frequency of the output of the frequency quadrupler 60, numeral 64 denotes a phase shifter for shifting the phase of the output of the frequency quaterer 62 by π/4, numeral 66 denotes a phase shifter for shifting the output of the frequency quaterer 62 by -π/4, numeral 68 denotes a mixer for mixing the output of the phase shifter 64 and the IF signal, and numeral 70 denotes a mixer for mixing the output of the phase shifter 66 and the IF signal. A demodulation is performed in accordance with the carrier reproduced by the frequency quadrupler 60 and frequency quaterer 62, and first and second outputs are obtained from the mixers 68 and 70, respectively. Thereupon, by combining the first and second outputs, four-value signals can be reproduced.
Since such a DM-PSK system dealing with many value (many phase) signals is susceptible to the influence of phase noise of the light source, by providing, as shown in FIG. 15, delay circuits 72 and 74 of similar structure to that of FIG. 13 for delaying the respective IF signals input to the mixers 68 and 70 by predetermined amounts, the phase noise can be removed quite effectively and reception with a high sensitivity can be achieved.
According to the system or method of the present invention, different from the case of the CPFSK system, the carrier can be reproduced, and therefore, a synchronized demodulation can be performed as described with FIG. 12 and FIG. 13. Further, as described with FIG. 13, generation of many-value signals can be easily achieved. Specifically, when many-value signals are obtained, the range of the spectrum becomes narrower than that in the case where many-value signals are obtained in other systems, and therefore, in carrying out frequency-division multiplexing, the number of channels in the system can be increased and in addition the system is hardly affected by an adverse influence of the wavelength dispersion.
While the above description has been made as related to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the details of these embodiments. For example, in the preferred embodiments shown in the drawings, description has been made of the case where the signal is binary-coded or 4-value-coded, but an 8-value or 16-value-coded signal may be used in order to increase the transmission capacity. A demodulation using a filter of a narrow band may be performed thereby reproducing the carrier. Thus, preferred embodiments described herein are given by way of illustration only and not limitative of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the appended claims and all changes and modifications as fall within the equivalence of the scope of the claims are therefore to be embraced by the invention.
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A direct modulation PSK system and method, in a coherent optical fiber transmission system, in which an injection current supplied to a laser diode is adapted to be directly varied is disclosed. In this system or method, a modulating current pulse is superposed on a bias current for the laser diode so that a specified phase condition may be satisfied. Thereby, a differential coding circuit and an external modulator being indispensable for a DPSK system become unnecessary and, in addition, the system becomes less susceptible to the influence of wavelength dispersion than the DPSK system and able to reproduce the carrier.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an agricultural vehicle monitoring system and, more particularly, to an agricultural vehicle having a video camera and video monitor to monitor activity around the agricultural vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well-known in the art to use a pulling vehicle, such as a tractor, in conjunction with an applicator, such as a tool bar or planter. One major drawback of such combinations is the inability of the operator to simultaneously view both the direction of travel and the applicator.
Farm land is often rough and uneven. Accordingly, an operator of an agricultural vehicle must closely monitor the direction of the vehicle's travel to avoid drifting. The operator, however, must also monitor any applicator being towed behind the agricultural vehicle. If the applicator is not monitored, a problem with the applicator could go unchecked. Problems could range from having to retrace a particular area of ground to a hazardous waste cleanup in the event of leaking material. Often hazardous material, such as anhydrous ammonia, is being applied to the soil. If a leak were to occur during the application of the anhydrous ammonia, it may be several minutes before the operator turns around and notices the problem. Such a delay could result in a large loss of relatively expensive anhydrous ammonia. Additionally, if it is unclear when the leak began, it is difficult to determine how much of the soil must be reinjected with anhydrous ammonia. Most importantly, loss of a significant amount of anhydrous ammonia into the atmosphere could result in a harmful, or even potentially life threatening, situation if the anhydrous ammonia were inhaled by the operator or by persons standing nearby during the application process. Additionally, for commercial agricultural application concerns, an operator is often contracted to work a field with which he is unfamiliar. In such a circumstance, the operator often has to "guess" where to begin applying product. An incorrect "guess" could waste valuable product or even damage existing crops. It would, therefore, be desirable to be able to transmit visual images to a remote location. Persons at this remote location could then compare the visual information to instruct the operator where to begin and where to end the application process.
The difficulties encountered hereinabove are sought to be eliminated by the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a vehicle having a chassis, a video camera and an associated video monitor. In the preferred embodiment, the video monitor is located in a cab of the vehicle and the video camera is oriented facing the rear of the vehicle. When an agricultural implement is connected to the vehicle, the monitor may be used to view the implement, without forcing the operator to turn away from the direction of travel.
Preferably, the video camera is provided with pan, zoom and tilt capability. Operator controls for these functions are placed within the cab, next to the video monitor. An operator can thereby monitor various aspects of the agricultural implement, and even get a close-up detailed view of a specific problem area.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view of the pulling vehicle of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a top view of the pulling vehicle of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a rear view of the pulling vehicle of FIG. 1;
FIG. 4 is a top elevation of the tool bar of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a rear elevation of the tool bar of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a rear elevation of the tool bar of FIG. 4 shown in the folded position;
FIG. 7 is a side elevation of the injection assembly of the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the video monitoring system of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the drawings, shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, is an anhydrous ammonia applicator 10 having a pulling vehicle 12 and a tool bar 14. In the preferred embodiment, the pulling vehicle 12 is a field floater chassis such as that distributed by Ag-Chem under the name Terra-Gator®, 2505, which has a payload capacity of over ten thousand kilograms and preferably a payload capacity of eighteen thousand nine hundred and fifteen kilograms. While the pulling vehicle 12 may be any vehicle capable of carrying an anhydrous ammonia tank and pulling a tool bar, the large payload capacity, large towing capacity, and maneuverability of the field floater chassis make it particularly well-suited for the present application. The engine 16 is a Caterpillar® 3176B Turbocharged/Air to Air Aftercooled in-line six cylinder diesel with four hundred SAE horsepower at 2100 RPM and a peak torque of 1,282 foot pounds at 1500 RPM.
The transmission 18 is an Eaton Fuller® RTLO-14718-A, close ratio, manual having eighteen speeds forward, four in reverse and a torque capacity of 1,650 foot pounds. The tandem rear axles 20 are preferably Rockwell-International outboard planetary final reduction type. The tandem axle configuration has full time 4-wheel drive, and cab-controlled lockable interaxle differential (not shown) which may be shifted from the locked position for maximum traction to the unlocked position for minimum tire wear. The rear suspension system 22 is a tandem walking beam type with rigid saddles 24 which allows the axles to oscillate independently over rough ground.
The pulling vehicle 12 is provided with dual air brake system (not shown) which activates wedge-type drums. The pulling vehicle 12 is provided with a frame 28 having main frame rails 30 constructed of stress-relieved rectangular wall steel tubing. The pulling vehicle 12 is provided with a hydrostatic steering system 32 directing a single front wheel 34. Provided around the front wheel 34 is a front tire 36 similar in construction to four rear tires 38. All five tires 36 and 38 are 66×43.00-25 flotation tires, with a 10-ply rating. All tires are provided with a locking ring (not shown) and an O-ring (not shown) on the inside of the wheel 34.
The pulling vehicle 12 is provided with a twelve-volt electrical system 40 with three 650 cold cranking amp batteries (not shown) and a one hundred and twenty amp alternator (not shown). The pulling vehicle 12 is also provided with an air system 42 having a 428.9 liter per minute compressor (not shown) governed at 8.28 bar. The air system 42 is also provided with dual 19,680 cubic centimeter reservoirs (not shown) and an air dryer (not shown). Secured onto the frame 28 of the pulling vehicle 12 is an anhydrous ammonia tank 44. The anhydrous ammonia tank 44 is constructed of steel with a capacity of 13,960 liters of anhydrous ammonia. The anhydrous ammonia tank 44 may be of any desired capacity from 5,700 liters to 32,000 liters. The anhydrous ammonia tank 44 is coupled to the frame 28 with a plurality of bolts 46. The bolts 46 are coupled to the tank 44 by a plurality of hinges 48. The ends of the bolts 46 are threaded and provided with nuts 50. The two forward-most bolts 46 are provided with springs 52 to prevent torsion of the frame 28 from being transmitted to the tank 44. For each bolt 46, the frame 28 is fitted with a V-shaped retainer 53 which guides the bolts 46 and secures them to the frame 28.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, secured to the rear of the frame 28 is a corrosion resistant liquid container 54. In the preferred embodiment, the container 54 is constructed of crosslink polyolefin, but may be constructed of stainless steel or any material which is substantially chemically inert. The container 54 has a four hundred and sixteen liter capacity, but may have a capacity in the range of fifty liters to one thousand liters, or may have any desired capacity. The container 54 is approximately one meter high, one meter long and one meter deep. The container 54 is preferably attached to the frame 28 by straps 56 or similar releasable securement system to allow the container 54 to be removed from the pulling vehicle 12 when only anhydrous ammonia is being applied. The container 54 is also provided with a fluid inlet 58 and a fluid outlet 60. In the preferred embodiment, the container 54 is filled with a nitrogen stabilizing material such as a nitrapyrin/pyridine/xylene mixture. While the container 54 is filled with N-SERVE nitrogen stabilizer manufactured by Dow Elanco® of Indianapolis, Ind. in the preferred embodiment, the container may, of course, be filled with any agricultural product including, but not limited to, fertilizers such as potash and phosphate, pesticides and/or herbicides.
Secured to the frame 28, next to the container 54, is a fluid meter 62. In the preferred embodiment, the meter 62 is a Liquid Controls Corporation® MA-5 positive displacement meter or similar type meter such as those known in the art. The meter 62 is provided with a metering assembly 64, a digital display counter 66, and a printer 68. A fluid intake 70 is provided below and forward of the metering assembly 64 and a differential valve 72 is secured to an outlet 74 of the meter 62. In the preferred embodiment, the meter 62 has a maximum capacity of two hundred twenty seven liters per minute, a maximum working pressure of 25 bar and weighs approximately ten kilograms. The meter 62 is preferably provided within a housing 76 secured to the frame 28. the housing 76 is constructed of steel and is provided with a door 78 to allow access to the meter 62, while preventing the meter 62 from being damaged by the elements or by materials being applied by the applicator 10.
As shown in FIG. 1, a pump 80 is secured to the frame 28 to pump anhydrous ammonia from the tank 44. In the preferred embodiment, the pump is a Corken® Z2000 Coro-vane® vane pump. The pump 80 is provided with an inlet 82, a blade housing 84 and an outlet 86. Coupled between an outlet 88 of the tank 44 and the inlet 82 of the pump 80 is an excess flow valve 90. The excess flow valve 90 may be of any type known in the art and is provided to shut of f the flow of anhydrous ammonia from the tank if the rate of flow exceeds a predetermined rate.
Secured to the rear of the frame 28 is a hitch 92. Due to the large pulling capacity of the pulling vehicle 12, the hitch 92 is preferably a large capacity hitch having a capacity of forty-five metric tons. As shown in FIG. 4, the tool bar 14 is secured to the pulling vehicle by the hitch 92. Although the tool bar 14 may be of any type known in the art, in the preferred embodiment the tool bar 14 is a Nutri-Plac'r® 5300 pull-type applicator which is 16 meters wide. The tool bar 14 is provided with a hitch assembly 94 and a main frame 96 as shown in FIG. 4. Secured to the main frame 96 are three Raven Industries, Inc. super-coolers 98 or similar refrigeration devices electrically powered by the pulling vehicle 12. The super-coolers 98 use expansion of anhydrous ammonia to cool the anhydrous ammonia to a temperature sufficient to maintain the anhydrous ammonia in a liquified state until the anhydrous ammonia is pumped into the soil.
As shown in FIG. 4, the main frame 96 comprises a front support bar 100 and a pair of lateral support bars 102 and a rear support bar 104. These support bars 100, 102, and 104 are connected to one another by a plurality of longitudinal supports 106. Secured to the tool bar 14 between the front support bar 100 and the rear support bar 104 are a pair of main wheels 108. With tires, the wheels 108 are about 1.5 meters in diameter and approximately 27 centimeters wide. Secured to the rear support bar 104 near the outer edges of the rear support bar 104 are a pair of outrigger wheels 110.
As shown in FIG. 4, the tool bar 14 is preferably provided with twenty-one injection assemblies 112 spaced slightly less than one meter apart. As shown in FIG. 7, each injection assembly 112 comprises an opener 114, a knife 116, and a pair of closers 118. The opener 114 comprises a metal disk 120 having a sharp beveled edge 122. An arbor 124 secures the disk 120 to a pivot arm 126. The pivot arm 126, in turn, is hingably coupled to a support arm 128.
Secured between the arbor 124 and the support arm 128 is a compression spring assembly 130. The compression spring assembly 130 allows the pivot arm 126 to pivot upward when the metal disk 120 encounters a rock or is otherwise placed under an extreme load. This pivoting action limits damage to the metal disk 120 and extends the life of the opener 114. The support arm 128 is secured to a mounting bracket 132. The mounting bracket 132 is coupled to a stationary plate 134 by a hinge 135. The stationary plate 134 is wider than the mounting bracket 132 to allow the stationary plate 134 to be secured to the main frame 96 by a pair of U-bolts 136 and nuts 138 which straddle the mounting bracket 132. The mounting bracket 132 is also secured to the stationary plate 134 by a compression spring assembly 140 which allows the mounting bracket 132 to pivot relative to the stationary plate 134 when the injection assembly 112 encounters a rock or is otherwise placed under an extreme load.
Depending from the mounting bracket 132, rearwardly from the opener 114, is a knife support bar 142. The knife 116 is secured to the knife support bar 142 by bolts or similar securement means known in the art. The knife 116 is preferably beveled to allow the knife 116 to pass easily through soil.
Extending from the mounting bracket 132, behind the knife 116, is a closer support bar 144. The closer support bar 144 is secured to a closer bracket 146. The closer support bar 144 extends laterally to either side of the closer bracket 146 to accommodate a pair of depending closer arms 148. The closer arms 148 are secured to the closers 118 by a pair of arbors 150. Each closer in each pair of closers 118 is preferably convex, relative to the closer 118 with which it is paired, to aid in pushing soil together after material has been injected into the soil at the knife 116.
Since the pump 80 is located below the tank 44, gravity draws anhydrous ammonia out of the tank 44 through the outlet 88 of the tank 44 (FIG. 1). The anhydrous ammonia moves through the excess flow valve 90 and into the inlet 82 of the pump 80. The pump 80, which is hydraulically driven by the engine 16 of the pulling vehicle 12, moves the anhydrous ammonia through the outlet 86 and through a hose 113 to the fluid meter 62 (FIGS. 1 and 3). Coupled to the fluid meter 62 is a pulse generator 154. As the anhydrous ammonia moves through the meter 62, the pulse generator 154 generates an electronic pulse which wires (not shown) transfer from the meter 62 to a receiver 156 coupled to a central processing unit (CPU) 158 located in a cab 160 of the pulling vehicle 12. In the preferred embodiment, the CPU 158 is a notebook-type personal computer with a Pentium® processor and a liquid crystal display. The CPU 158 translates pulses received from the pulse generator 154 into information regarding the flow of anhydrous ammonia and the CPU 158 displays this information on the liquid crystal display of the CPU 158.
From the fluid meter 62, the anhydrous ammonia moves through a hose 162 which is connected via a quick-disconnect type coupling 164 to a hose 166 provided on the tool bar 14 (FIGS. 3-4). The hose 166 is, in turn, connected to the super-coolers 98 provided on the tool bar 14 (FIG. 3). The super-coolers 98 are coupled to the injection assemblies 112 via a series of smaller hoses 168. As shown in FIG. 7, each of the smaller hoses 168 is secured to a knife 116 and terminates in an opening 170 at the tip of the knife 116.
In a similar fashion, a hose 172 is secured to the fluid outlet 60 of the liquid container 54 (FIG. 3). The hose 172 is connected to another hose 176 via a quick-disconnect type connector 174 (FIG. 4). As shown in FIG. 4, the hose 176 is connected to a pump and meter assembly 178 located on the tool bar 14. The pump and meter assembly may be of any type known in the art for pumping and metering liquid. Smaller hoses 180 are coupled between the pump and metering assembly 178 and the smaller hoses 168 which move the N-SERVE. Accordingly, material located within the liquid container 54 can be transferred from the liquid container 54, through the smaller hoses 168, to be distributed in confluence with the anhydrous ammonia through each opening 170 of the smaller hoses 168 at the tip of each knife 116 (FIGS. 3, 4 and 7).
To monitor the tool bar 14, the frame 28 of the pulling vehicle 12 is fitted with a camera assembly 182 as shown in FIG. 3. A detailed view of this assembly 182 is shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 8, the camera assembly 182 comprises a hollow support cylinder 184 secured to a pan/tilt assembly 186. The pan/tilt assembly may be of any type known in the art, but is preferably of a weather resistant type. The pan/tilt assembly 186 is secured to a protective housing 188. The support cylinder 184 is secured to the frame 28 of the pulling vehicle 12 by bolts or any similar securement means.
In the preferred embodiment, the pan/tilt assembly 186 is powered by alternating current. Since the pulling vehicle 12 only generates direct current, the pulling vehicle 12, as shown in FIG. 1, is provided with a direct-current-to-alternating-current convertor 190 secured within a protective housing 192. The convertor 190 is wired directly to the pan/tilt assembly 186 (FIGS. 1 and 8).
The protective housing 188 is preferably constructed of sheet steel, but may, of course, be constructed of any suitable material (FIG. 8). Secured within the protective housing 188 is a video camera 194. Provided at the front of the protective housing 188 is a window 196 constructed of transparent plastic or other similarly suitable material. The protective housing 188 is also provided with an awning 198 to protect the window 196 from rain and other damage from the environment. Positioned below the window 196 is a blower 200 which moves a constant stream of filtered air across the window 196 to keep the window 196 free of debris. Filtered air is supplied to the blower 200 via a hydraulically driven air pump system 202 such as those well-known in the art.
The video camera 194 is powered by alternating current from the direct-current-to-alternating-current converter 190 (FIGS. 1 and 8). The video camera 194 is preferably provided with zoom capabilities to allow the video camera 194 to take close-up shots of various aspects of the tool bar 14. The video camera 194 and pan/tilt assembly 186 are wired to a control unit 204 and video monitor 206 located in the cab 160 of the pulling vehicle 12 (FIGS. 1 and 8). Using the control unit 204, an operator (not shown) can manipulate the camera assembly 182 to display different portions of the toolbar 14 on the video monitor 206.
To begin the application process, the anhydrous ammonia tank 44 is filled with anhydrous ammonia and the tool bar 14 is connected to the pulling vehicle 12 by the hitch assembly 92 (FIG. 1). The hoses 162 and 172 are connected via the quick-disconnect type couplers 164 and 174 to the hoses 166 and 176 of the tool bar 14 (FIG. 4). Additional electrical systems such as brake lights (not shown) provided on the tool bar may be coupled to the pulling vehicle via a quick-disconnect type electrical connector (not shown) so that all of the couplings to the tool bar 14 are of the quick-disconnect type. The quick-disconnect couplings prevent damage to the hoses 162, 166, 172 and 176, if the tool bar 14 were to become unintentionally disconnected from the pulling vehicle 12 (FIGS. 3-4). As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the tool bar 14 can be folded in on itself for transport or storage.
Once the tool bar 14 is coupled to the pulling vehicle 12, an operator (not shown), located within the cab 160 of the pulling vehicle 12, can actuate the pump 80 and pump and metering assembly 178 which are preferably wired to the CPU 158 (FIGS. 1 and 4). As the pulling vehicle 12 moves forward, the operator can monitor the tool bar 14 by manipulating the camera assembly 182 with the control unit 204 (FIGS. 1, 4 and 8). Additionally, the operator can monitor the amount of anhydrous ammonia or other material being applied via the monitor of the CPU 158. As anhydrous ammonia is pumped from the tank 44 and into the soil through each knife 116, each metal disk 120 of each opener 114 cuts a shallow trench (not shown) into which anhydrous ammonia and any other desired material is deposited by each knife 116 (FIGS. 1 and 7). After the anhydrous ammonia and other material has been deposited, the closers 118 move the soil back over the trench created by the metal disk 120 of the opener 114.
The large surface area of the tires 36 and 38 of the pulling vehicle 12 prevent undesirable compaction of the soil, and since there is no tank or other heavy object being pulled behind the tool bar 14, there is no post-injection compaction of the soil. Once an operator has delivered a sufficient amount of anhydrous ammonia or other material, the operator shuts down the pumps 80 and 178 with the central processing unit 158 and stops the pulling vehicle 12 (FIGS. 1 and 4). Once application has stopped, the operator can open the housing 76 for the fluid meter 62 and remove a printed receipt (not shown) from the printer 68 showing the quantity of anhydrous ammonia delivered (FIG. 3).
If it is desired to refill the tank 44 with anhydrous ammonia, the anhydrous ammonia can be delivered directly into the tank 44 through an inlet 208 provided on the tank 44 (FIG. 1). If it is desired to use the pulling vehicle 12 for another use, the quick-disconnect type couplings 164 and 174 may be disconnected, along with any other electrical systems or other couplings, including the tool bar hitch 92 between the pulling vehicle 12 and tool bar 14 (FIGS. 1 and 4). The pulling vehicle 12 can then be pulled forward and all of the connections between the pulling vehicle 12 and the tank 44, such as the excess flow valve 90 to the pump 80 and the bolts 46, can be disconnected. To release the bolts 46, the nuts 50 of the bolts 46 are loosened and the bolts 46 are pivoted upward and out of the V-shaped retainers 54. A crane (not shown) or other device may then be used to lift the tank 44 from the pulling vehicle 12 so that the pulling vehicle 12 may be used for other purposes.
Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to be so limited, since changes and modifications can be made therein which are within in the full intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims. For example, it is anticipated that various materials may be applied with the present invention and that additional liquid containers may be secured to the pulling vehicle 12 so that application of a plurality of materials may be controlled with the CPU 158 of the applicator 10. It is additionally anticipated that tool bars of various dimensions and row widths may be utilized with the applicator 10 of the present invention.
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A monitoring system for an agricultural vehicle. The vehicle is provided with a video camera and an associated video monitor. The video monitor is located in a cab of the vehicle and the video camera is oriented facing the rear of the vehicle. When an agricultural implement is connected to the vehicle, the monitor may be used to view the implement without turning away from the direction of travel.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the priority date of the provisional application entitled Happy Hunter Hat filed by Warren Nichols on Jan. 24, 2006, with application Ser. No. 60/766520.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to an apparatus for hunting, and more particularly to hat with an attached face mask.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Camouflage is an important tool of a hunter. Camouflage serves to break up the outline of the hunter, and makes it harder for an animal to see the hunter. One situation in which camouflage is especially useful is when trying to cover a hunter's face. Not only are animals able to spot two eyes more readily than other features in the environment, but a hunter's light colored face can appear quite contrasting to the surrounding green and brown tones in the environment. What hunters sometimes do to prevent their light face from being easily visible to animals, is to put coloration on their skin in the form of black, green and brown, camouflage paint. One disadvantage with using camouflage paint is that it can be uncomfortable on the skin, and it tends to make a mess out of the hunter's hands and clothes.
[0004] An alternative to camouflage paint on a hunter's face is the use of a facemask. The facemask has the disadvantage that it can obscure the hunter's vision when he is traveling and make it hard to see things at a distance. It also restricts the hunter's peripheral vision.
[0005] In a typical hunting situation, disguising the face is only needed when an animal is at close range to the hunter. One situation is when a hunter is in a hidden position, and an animal either wanders close to him, or is called close to the hunter by a call used by the hunter. When the animal comes close to the hunter, the hunter would need to put on a facemask in order to disguise the bright appearance of his face. At that moment it is exactly the time that a hunter needs to put on a facemask, but it is also the worst time to put on a facemask because he has to put his weapon down, use both hands to put on the facemask, possibly take a hat off, then put it back on once the facemask is adjusted, pick up his weapon, look around and try to find animal again, and by that time the animal most likely has seen the hunter's movement, heard the hunter, and is long gone. Additionally the typical face mask is hot, cumbersome, bulky, reduces hearing, and is slow to put on.
[0006] What is needed is a facemask to camouflage a hunter's face which can be instantly available to the hunter when needed, but which can be out of the way of the hunter's vision when it is not needed. Ideally it would allow the hunter to put a mask covering over his face at the same time as turning the bill towards the rear. The bill of a hat needs to be turned towards the rear in the case of archery hunting, because when the hunter pulls the bowstring it tends to be pulled against the bill of the hat, and either dislodge the hat or throw the aim of the bow off.
[0007] Also needed is a facemask which is always ready to be used, but which can be tucked away inside a hat or removed from the hat so that the hat may be used when the hunter is driving or doing other non-hunting activities.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The invention is a clothing device for use by people in the outdoors. The clothing device includes a hat body, which can be a billed or baseball type hat, or can be a hat with a soft brim around the bottom edge of the hat. The hat has a bottom edge, to which the bill or brim is attached. The clothing device also includes a flexible facemask. The facemask is attached to the rear bottom edge of the hat, on the opposite side as the bill in the case of a baseball type hat. The facemask is configured to hang freely from the bottom edge of the hat body, and to be foldable into the hat body so that it can be worn in a storage configuration. In this way, a person may wear the hat with the facemask down when he is in the field, and tuck the facemask into the interior of the hat when he wears the hat driving or to town.
[0009] The facemask shades the neck of the user, but its primary role is to serve as a facemask for hunting. When used by a hunter, the hat would be reversed when the hunter wanted to cover his face. When the hat is reversed, the bill of the hat would be over the hunter's neck, and the facemask would be over his face. The facemask is dimensioned so that it covers the user's entire face and neck.
[0010] The facemask can be of a sheer material which is suitable for seeing through without the use of eyeholes. However, it can also be provided with eyeholes and the user can adjust the hat so that the eyeholes match the location of his eyes by adjusting the position of the hat on his head. One optional feature of the facemask is that it can include a moldable material which can be shaped into a form selected by the user. The moldable material would be positioned adjacent the rear bottom edge of the hat, along the edges of the facemask. The user could form the moldable material into ear scoops adjacent the user's ear. These ear scoops aid in directing sound to the user's ear and thus increases ability to hear.
[0011] The invention can be configured so that the facemask is removable, and in this form would be attached or removed from the hat body by the user. One embodiment of the facemask includes positions for holding headphones in the facemask, so that the headphones are adjacent to the user's ear. These headphones can be used to listen to a radio, recorded music on a number of different types of devices or for wireless communication from one person to another. Similarly, a microphone may be built in to the facemask for wireless communication between users. The headphones and microphone can be separate from the facemask and be attachable to the facemask by the use of pocket snaps or hook and loop attachments. A version of the headphone can also include these devices built into the facemask.
[0012] In those versions of the facemask which include eyeholes, the eyeholes can be provided with a way to close or cover the holes. The holes can be covered with a hook and loop closure, snaps or other devices. The eyeholes can also be covered by flaps of fabric which can be secured in place over the eyeholes by similar means. The purpose for covering the eyeholes is to provide further protection for the user when the facemask is positioned over the user's neck.
[0013] When the hat utilized is a type of hat which includes a bill, the bill would contain a left and right side which join at the bottom edge of the hat. The facemask also includes a right and left side of the facemask which also join the bottom edge of the hat. A preferred configuration of the device is one in which there is a separation between the side of the bill and the side of the facemask of approximately ½ inch to 1½ inches. An optimal space between these two parts of the device is approximately 1 inch.
[0014] The facemask preferably includes a mask border which is made of a heavier material than the facemask. This heavier border is provided to increase the mask resistance to movement in the wind.
[0015] In the kit version of the device, a flexible facemask is provided for removable attachment to the rear bottom edge of the user's hat, and the flexible facemask is configured to hang freely from the rear bottom edge of the hat body. Like the facemask described above, the facemask of this version is configured to be foldable into the hat body so that it can be worn with the facemask out of sight. The facemask is dimensioned to cover the user's entire face and neck, so that when it is hanging down from the hat and moved to hang over the user's face, the user's entire face and neck are blocked from view by the facemask. Attachment strips are provided for this version of the facemask, so that the attachment strips may be attached to the hat. Once the attachment strips are attached to the hat, the facemask may be attached to the attachment strips. The attachment strips may be attached to the hat by adhesive means, or by other conventional means of attachment. The facemask would be attached to the attachment strips by hook and loop surfaces, or other similar methods. If the facemask is provided to be attached to a hat of the user, one version of the facemask would include an enlarged area in the forehead region of the face, which would cover the gap which is typically found around the adjustment strap in a baseball type hat. This area of the hat would be covered so that when the bill part of the hat is over the user's face, the facemask would block light from entering around the gap around the adjustment strap of the hat. Similarly, when this version of the hat is reversed so that the facemask is over the user's face, and the bill is over the user's neck, the mask would cover the skin of the user's forehead, so that would not appear as a white area to a game animal. It would also prevent sunburn of the forehead.
[0016] The facemask is preferred to be in a generally parabolic shape, with a more or less straight edge opposite the parabolic curve. The straight edge would be attached to the brim or bottom edge of the hat.
[0017] The hat and facemask can be made of a fabric which absorbs odor, such as Scentloc® or Scentblocker® fabric, or other commercially available scent reducing fabric brands. The hat is preferably made of a stretchable material. Mouth and nose holes are also optional features of the facemask, and may further include multiple fabrics so the user may mold the most comfortable shape around his face and nose.
[0018] The purpose of the foregoing Abstract is to enable the public, and especially the scientists, engineers, and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection, the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the invention of the application, which is measured by the claims, nor is it intended to be limiting as to the scope of the invention in any way.
[0019] Still other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description describing preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated by carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of modification in various obvious respects all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description of the preferred embodiments are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive in nature.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a side view of the hat with mask in the hat position.
[0021] FIG. 2 is a side view of the hat with mask with the hat and mask rotated to a hunting position.
[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of the hat showing the device in kit form with a detachable facemask.
[0023] FIG. 4 a is a version of the hat showing closeable eye holes and a coverage lobe.
[0024] FIG. 4 b is a view of the facemask showing the eye holes closed.
[0025] FIG. 5 is a side view of a version of the hat and mask which includes additional devices and pockets.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrated embodiments thereof have been shown in the drawings and will be described below in detail. It should be understood, however, that there is no intention to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but, on the contrary, the invention is to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalents falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.
[0027] In the following description and in the figures, like elements are identified with like reference numerals. The use of “or” indicates a non-exclusive alternative without limitation unless otherwise noted. The use of “including” means “including, but not limited to,” unless otherwise noted.
[0028] Several preferred embodiments are shown in the figures. FIG. 1 shows the hat and mask device of the invention, which is designated as 10 in the figures. The device includes a hat 12 , a facemask 14 . The hat 14 includes in the preferred embodiment a bill 16 and a periphery 18 . The periphery includes a front periphery and a rear periphery 20 and 22 , with the bill attached to the front periphery 20 of the hat and the facemask attached to the rear periphery 22 of the hat. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is included a pair of eye holes 24 , but it is to be understood that eyeholes are not required for this device to work. There are many sheer fabrics which are available which can be provided as a facemask 14 , through which the user 26 can easily see with very little obstruction to his vision. FIG. 1 shows the hat with mask device 10 of the invention in a position in which the bill 16 is over the user's face and the facemask 14 is over the user's neck.
[0029] The hat can be made of a number of different materials, including cotton, cotton polyester blends, nylon, of other materials. The face mask can also be made of a number of materials, including those listed above, as well as Gore-Tex, lycra, cool max, Scentloc® or Scentblocker® fabrics, or any other fabric that met the physical needs of the mask. A generally stretchy material works best, so that a “one size fits all” mask configuration can be utilized.
[0030] FIG. 2 shows the hat with mask 10 in a hunting position. In the hunting position, the facemask 14 is over the user's face, and the hat 12 is reversed so that the bill 16 is over the user's neck. The transition from the hat position to the hunting position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is accomplished merely by reversing the hat so that the bill points backwards instead of forwards. This allows a facemask to cover the user's face, neck and eyes, to reduce the user's visibility to animals. The facemask can be made of a number of different fabrics or color patterns, including various types of camouflage color patterns. Shown in FIG. 1 is a mask edge 28 which is preferably made of a thicker and heavier material than the rest of the facemask 14 . The mask edge 28 is provided to add increased weight and stiffness to the facemask 14 , to resist deflection of the facemask 14 by wind. This weighted edge 28 can also be formed by rolling up the facemask material, and sewing it in place. The facemask 14 can include a moldable strip 30 which is a material which can be molded by the user to form either a flat area continuous with the mask edge 28 , or a scoop like region adjacent to the user's ears (not shown). When molded into the form of a scoop like feature, the moldable strip 30 can be used to create a shape which reflects sound into the user's ear, and thus improves hearing for the user. The facemask shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is preferably of a lightweight material which may easily be inverted into the hat 12 , so that the hat may be worn with the mask completely concealed inside the hat and on top of the user's head.
[0031] FIG. 3 shows a version of the hat with mask in which the facemask 14 is attachable and removable from the periphery 18 of the hat 12 . This version of the invention can be provided in kit form, with one or more attachment strips 32 provided for attachment adjacent the periphery 18 of the hat. The attachment strips can be adhesive on the back, and hook and loop on the opposite side. The facemask 14 can have a strip of hook and loop fabric which corresponds to the attachment strips 34 . In this way, the facemask of the invention can be added to any of the user's hats by use of attachment strips 32 . One version of hat can be provided without a bill, or with a detachable bill 34 . The detachable bill 34 can be attached to the hat 12 by use of attachment strips 32 or by the use of snaps 36 , or other attachment devices. The facemask 14 can also be attached by the use of snaps 36 .
[0032] FIG. 4 shows a version of the hat in which the eye holes 24 include cover flaps 38 . The cover flaps 38 can be fixed in an open position as shown FIG. 4 a, or can be closed to a closed position as shown in FIG. 4 b. Hook and loop fabric patches are one way to secure the cover flaps in the open or closed position, as shown in FIGS. 4 a and 4 b. The purpose of the cover flaps 38 is to give the user the option of having a mask with or without eye holes, and also to allow the user to cover the eyeholes so that when the facemask is oriented over the user's neck, he will not be sunburned by sun coming through the eyeholes 24 . When the facemask of FIGS. 4 a and 4 b is utilized as a kit in which the facemask is added to another hat, the facemask can include a coverage lobe 40 . The coverage lobe 40 is to cover the region of the hat adjacent to the adjustment strap. There is usually a gap in this area in many hats, and the coverage lobe blocks the sun from passing through that region of the hat. This has the advantage of providing sun protection when the face mask is in the hat position, and it covers an area that could be a glaring light spot on the user's face when the facemask is in the hunting position.
[0033] FIG. 5 shows a version of the hat and facemask combination of the device in which the hat includes one or more pockets 42 adjacent to the periphery 18 of the hat. The facemask 14 can be attached to the hat as has been discussed above. The facemask can include pockets to hold a microphone 44 and earpieces 46 . The earpieces 46 and microphone can also be built into the fabric of the facemask 14 , or can be secured to the facemask either externally or internally. The pockets can be utilized for holding such articles as batteries, FM radio, mp3 player, music players of various types, two way radio transmitter and receiver, or other similar devices.
[0034] In order to optimize the functionality of the facemask 14 , it is preferable that there be a gap 48 between the edge of the facemask 14 and the edge of the bill 16 . It is preferable that this gap be approximately ½ to 1½ inches in width. The facemask is configured so that it covers the entire face of the user, including the user's ears and the user's neck.
[0035] A strap can be attached to the facemask for adjusting the facemask for fit on the user's face. The strap would store along the edge of the facemask, and when the face mask is in use in front of the user's face, could be used to secure the facemask to the users head by extending from one edge of the facemask to the other edge of the facemask, behind the users head and neck.
[0036] Eye lenses or lens can also be added to the face mask, to users with the need for prescription glasses, so that they don't have to wear their eyeglasses. The covers for the eyeholes may also have the coloration of eyes, to serve as predator deterrent for a predator stalking the user from behind him. A further feature is a mirror which can be attached to the bill of the hat, and can be folded into a storage position, or folded into a position available for a user to use the mirror to see objects behind him.
[0037] While there is shown and described the present preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that this invention is not limited thereto, but may be variously embodied to practice within the scope of the following claims. From the foregoing description, it will be apparent that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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A hat with a built-in facemask mounted on the rear side of the hat. By reversing the hat so that the bill is in the back of the head, and the facemask over the hunter's face, a hunter can use one hand to install a camouflage facemask for hunting, and in the same motion move the bill of the hat to the rear of his head so that it would not interfere with the draw of a bow.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a National Stage Application of PCT International Application No. PCT/DE2011/001947 (filed on Nov. 8, 2011), under 35 U.S.C. §371, which claims priority to German Patent Application No. DE 10 2010 050 515.3 (filed on Nov. 8, 2010), which are each hereby incorporated by reference in their complete respective entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle and, in particular, a radiator grille for a motor vehicle having a plurality of fastening points which are provided with through-holes for receiving aligning or fastening means and are movable in a latching manner between a plurality of positions relative to the aligning or fastening means used, in order to permit an adjustment of the vehicle trim part relative to the attachment point on the vehicle. The present invention also relates to a method for mounting such an attachment part and trim part.
BACKGROUND
Attachment parts and trim parts for vehicles and, in particular, the front radiator grille of a motor vehicle are generally fastened by means of a plurality of fastening elements to components fixed to the bodywork. Said components are, for example, the engine hood, a bodywork component configured as a crossmember or a fender. When mounting the radiator grille, a very accurate alignment or adjustment is undertaken before fastening in the final position. Thus a uniform gap size from the adjacent trim parts is achieved, irrespective of the tolerances of the components. This uniform gap size is regarded by the end user as a measure of the perceived value of the motor vehicle.
A very simple, cost-effective and rapid fastening of such attachment parts and trim parts is achieved by clip connections. Clips, however, require a positive fastening situation and generally do not permit an alignment of the components relative to one another. An alignment or adjustment is possible, for example, with screws and slots. However, locating and maintaining the position until the permanent connection is produced after tightening the screw relies on the skill of the factory worker.
Some improvement is achieved in this case by the adjustable fastening means for attaching a radiator grille disclosed in the official document DE 42 38 725 A1. As the adjustment is carried out by rotating an eccentric body, the locating of an accurate position is facilitated. Additionally, the loss of alignment by inadvertent movement of the components relative to one another, until the permanent connection is produced, is to a certain extent reliably excluded.
During the alignment or adjustment of the radiator grille, however, it is necessary to actuate the eccentric body by any mechanical means. The eccentric body is thus not able to be arranged at a position which is inaccessible during the positioning. This in turn restricts the installation situation. As in a typical case the positioning of the radiator grille is one of the last steps when mounting the vehicle front part, there is a very limited applicability for this known solution.
SUMMARY
In a first feature, the object of the present invention is to develop an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle and, in particular, a radiator grille for a motor vehicle such that simplified mounting is possible and thus the appearance of the join is improved in the mounted state.
In a second feature, the object of the present invention is to provide a particularly simple and reliable method for mounting an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle and, in particular, a radiator grille on a motor vehicle.
The object is achieved in a first feature by an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle having, for example, the following features: a plurality of fastening points provided with through-holes for receiving aligning or fastening means, such as, in particular, welded bolts, screws or rivets, and are designed to be movably held in a premounted situation in a latching manner between a plurality of predetermined positions relative to the aligning or fastening means used, in order to permit an adjustment of the attachment part or trim part relative to the attachment point on the vehicle, such that the positions are predetermined by the internal contour of the through-holes.
The object is achieved in the second feature by a method having, for example, the following steps: attaching a vehicle trim part with a plurality of fastening points to aligning or fastening means configured or premounted on the vehicle side, in a latched arrangement with limited mobility; aligning the vehicle trim part between the latched positions; and fixing the vehicle trim part by additional fastening means in the region of the fastening points.
By means of the embodiment in accordance with the invention of the attachment part and trim part, accurate gap dimensions may be achieved with a short mounting time. The advantage is substantially such that the alignment of the attachment part and trim part does not have to be carried out at the same time as the final fixing thereof. In particular, for a typical radiator grille there is the advantage that the alignment thereof with regard to the visible gap is possible when the engine compartment cover is closed, even when the final fixing is only possible when the engine compartment cover is open. Hitherto, in order to avoid additional retaining devices it was necessary to provide the insertion of fastening screws, clips or rivets through the openings of the radiator grille. Now, the choice of position of the attachment points of the radiator grille on the vehicle body no longer have to be dependent on this secondary condition.
In the method for mounting in accordance with the invention, in a first step the vehicle trim part and the component fixed to the vehicle may be brought into a latched arrangement with limited mobility. Subsequently, an accurate alignment of the components in the x-direction may take place by simple displacement of the aligning means between the latching positions. A subsequent fixing of the vehicle trim part is possible by an additional fastening means.
Further advantageous embodiments and developments of the vehicle trim part in accordance with the invention are revealed from the sub-claims.
DRAWINGS
Various preferred embodiments of the attachment part and trim part for a vehicle are described hereinafter by way of example, wherein for the purposes of illustration reference is made to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a first preferred embodiment of an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle in the form of a typical radiator grille, in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of a second preferred embodiment of an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle, in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a detailed view of the detail A of the schematic view in accordance with FIG. 1 .
FIG. 4 illustrates a sectional view of a fastening point in the second preferred embodiment in accordance with FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 illustrates a sectional view of the fastening point in accordance with FIG. 4 in a first mounting step when attaching the fastening point to an aligning means.
FIG. 6 illustrates a section through the fastening point in accordance with FIG. 4 in a further mounting step after the adjustment of the fastening point relative to the aligning means.
FIG. 7 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a third preferred embodiment of an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle, in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 8 illustrates a schematic perspective view of a fourth preferred embodiment of an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle, in accordance with the invention.
DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate schematic perspective views of two different radiator grilles 1 , 1 ′ which are described hereinafter in more detail as a first preferred embodiment and as a second preferred embodiment of an attachment part and trim part for a vehicle. Both radiator grilles 1 , 1 ′ are provided at approximately the same position for fitting to the structure of a motor vehicle front part.
The first radiator grille 1 illustrated schematically in FIG. 1 has two fastening points 2 for securing to the attachment points on the motor vehicle, and which are designed as preferably integrally formed rectangular tabs on one upper edge. In accordance with the coordinate system indicated schematically to the right in FIG. 1 , the z-direction in the present case coincides with the vertical axis of the vehicle which, with the y-axis, approximately spans the plane of the main direction of extension of the radiator grille 1 , 1 ′. The fastening points 2 protrude from said plane of the main direction of extension in an approximately negative x-direction and thus to the rear. Naturally, in the case of an approximately planar radiator grille 1 , the described situation represents a considerable simplification as regards typical currently applicable products. The simplification which has been implemented, however, facilitates the understanding of related solutions which are based thereon without undue effort and which are able to be extended to typical product designs and installation situations.
The second preferred embodiment illustrated schematically in FIG. 2 is a radiator grille 1 ′ which, instead of fixed struts or the like, has an extension arm 3 pivotably fastened to the upper edge. At the protruding end thereof, the fastening point 2 ′ is in turn configured as a rectangular tab with an elongate through-hole 7 . By means of the extension arm 3 fastened in an articulated manner, the introduction of buckling forces is avoided in the transition to the body of the radiator grille V. For supporting in the vertical direction, i.e., in the direction of the z-axis, a projection extending in the horizontal plane is rigidly arranged below the extension arm 3 on the second radiator grille V.
Details of the fastening points 2 , 2 ′, which are structurally identical in both embodiments, may be identified in the schematic detailed view in FIG. 3 . Here it is illustrated, in particular, that the fastening point 2 designed as a rectangular tab in its main direction of extension preferably has through-holes 4 , 5 aligned one behind the other. Said main direction of extension as already explained coincides with the x-direction of the usual coordinate system in accordance with FIG. 1 and is indicated in the drawings by a double arrow. Moreover, it may be seen in the detailed view that the first through-hole 5 is designed as a slot. Said slot serves for receiving a fastening means 6 which in the simplest case may be a cylindrical screw or a rivet. The second through-hole 7 is designed as an elongate opening 4 extending approximately in a linear manner with a toothed internal contour on both sides. Said through-hole 7 is provided to receive an aligning means, not illustrated in the drawings, which in the simplest case may be a welded stud or stud rivet.
The internal contour of the through-hole 7 in a first portion is an elongate opening 4 , the shape thereof being reminiscent of a row of adjacent, overlapping round bores. Said elongate opening 7 opens on one side into a preferably cylindrical through-bore 8 which clearly visibly has a greater diameter relative to the clear width of the adjacent gap and the overlapping bores. As a result, the fastening point 2 may be pushed over the top of the aligning means already premounted on the vehicle side, which simplifies the mounting. The factory worker does not have to fetch the aligning means and mount said aligning means on the vehicle structure before mounting the radiator grille 1 .
The aligning means in the described embodiment merely serves for cooperation with the internal contour of the through-hole when preparing the relative latching of the two components in a plurality of different positions and is not used for fastening in a specific position. Instead, the fastening points 2 are clamped non-positively together by a screw extending in the slot 5 . Thus it is clear that the displacement path provided in the elongate opening of the through-hole 4 also has to be present in the slot 5 .
In accordance with FIG. 4 , moreover, for simplifying the mounting, a locking means 9 ′ which is preferably designed as a resilient tongue is assigned to the second through-hole 7 ′. Said resilient tongue protrudes upwards from the upper face O of the fastening point 2 on the edge of the opening which is larger on one side. The selected description of the upper face O corresponds to the typical situation in which it is the side remote from the attachment point 9 on the vehicle. The tongue extends from the edge of the opening 8 ′ slightly in the plane of the fastening point 2 ′ toward the center thereof. The function of the locking means 9 ′ is described in connection with the mounting method.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show further preferred embodiments of the present invention in which, in turn, the typical design of a simplified radiator grille may be identified. The fastening points 2 ″, 2 ′″ correspond structurally to those of the first preferred embodiment described in the introduction in accordance with FIG. 1 , but are arranged for adjustment in the vertical direction, i.e., the z-direction. In the third preferred embodiment 1 ″ in accordance with FIG. 7 , only one fastening point 2 ″ is provided centrally on the upper edge. Said fastening point could be configured in advantageous circumstances on a radiator grille so that the fastening means may be inserted from the front through the openings and is accessible. Nevertheless, the possibility of aligning or adjusting the radiator grille 1 ′ to the latching premounted fastening before inserting the fastening means should also generally simplify the situation for the factory worker. This possibility could not arise in a typical installation situation with the fourth preferred embodiment 1 ′″. Here the fastening points 2 ′″ are located approximately in the x-z plane. The fastening means thus has to be inserted approximately in the y-direction. Thus, expensive special tools would be necessary in any case in order to insert the fastening means with the engine hood closed.
In all the exemplary embodiments described above, the aligning means and the fastening means are configured as separate components, in each case a through-hole being assigned thereto. However, a variant is also possible which provides only one element, wherein the vehicle trim part to be aligned and fixed has a through-hole in a fastening point, wherein said fastening point is movable in a latching manner between a plurality of positions relative to an aligning means. By means of the aligning means which is aligned and latched in the through-hole, the fastening point is subsequently fixed in the reference position.
A preferred implementation of a method in accordance with the invention for mounting an attachment part and trim part is explained hereinafter with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 . The method may, for example, be used when mounting a radiator grille on a crossmember fixed to the bodywork. The details in FIGS. 4 to 6 represent the situation in the region of the attachment point 11 ′ on the vehicle bodywork. In a typical mounting situation, the detail illustrated in FIGS. 4 to 6 is located in a region of the engine compartment to the rear of the radiator grille, not illustrated. As a result, the factory worker works from the right-hand side.
In a first mounting step, in accordance with FIG. 4 , the factory worker moves the radiator grille 1 ′ relative to the vehicle into a position in which the opening 8 ′ of the through-hole 4 ′ at the fastening point 2 ′ is aligned with an aligning means 10 ′ protruding from the attachment point 11 ′. As a result, the fastening point 2 ′ as indicated by the arrow is pushed in the manner of a tab over the aligning means 10 ′, into a latched arrangement with limited mobility. In this connection, in accordance with FIG. 5 , the resilient tongue of the locking means 9 ′ is pushed upward through the top of the aligning means 10 ′. Due to the resilience of the locking means 9 ′ only a small amount of force is required to this end.
From this position, the factory worker pushes the radiator grille 1 ′ in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 5 slightly into the engine compartment, whereby the aligning means 10 ′ is displaced into the region of the elongate opening 7 ′ of the through-hole 4 ′. As the top of the aligning means 10 ′ is slightly wider than the width of the elongate opening, the fastening point 2 ′ in this position is no longer able to slip off the aligning means.
Additionally, due to the displacement in accordance with FIG. 6 , the locking means 9 ′ has sprung back into its original position. The tip of the locking means 9 ′ striking against the top of the aligning means 10 ′ prevents the radiator grille 1 ′ from inadvertently moving back into the previous position. It is now not possible for the radiator grille to fall out of the mounting on the motor vehicle. The factory worker is now able to use his full attention to align the radiator grille. To this end, the factory worker successively pulls or pushes the radiator grille on the fastening points 2 ′ out of the engine compartment and/or into the engine compartment, until the join appears uniform. The latched clamping of the aligning means 10 ′ in the elongate opening 7 ′ requires minimum force for displacement and only permits discrete positions. This assists the factory worker when aligning a fastening point 2 ′ to avoid an inadvertent displacement of a further fastening point which is already aligned. Additionally, the factory worker is able to release the radiator grille after the alignment, without the risk of losing the located position. The latching predetermined by the internal contour of the elongate openings 7 ′ is dimensioned such that for changing from one position to another a considerably greater force is required than that generated by the inherent weight of the radiator grille.
At this point of the assembly, the factory worker is able to open the engine hood in order to fix the radiator grille finally and permanently in the aligned position by additional fastening means 6 ′. To this end, in the component fixed to the vehicle in the region of the attachment point 11 ′ a through-bore is provided with an internal thread, into which a fastening screw 6 ′ is inserted. The fastening screw also extends through the slot 5 ′ on the fastening point 2 ′ and presses said fastening point flat onto the attachment point 11 ′ on the vehicle bodywork. Naturally all suitable elements known to the person skilled in the art may be used as fastening means. For example, a rivet is also included therein.
It may be seen from the figures that the factory worker is able to release the radiator grille when mounting in a specifically located alignment without the risk of inadvertent displacement. As a result, an alignment with a closed engine hood is possible even when said engine hood has to be opened due to the accessibility of the attachment points 11 ′ for using the fastening means 6 ′.
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Attachment part or trim part for vehicles are typically provided with a plurality of fastening points of which several are provided with through-holes for receiving aligning or fastening devices, in particular welded bolts, screws or rivets. Some of the fastening points are additionally designed to be movable in a premounted situation in a latching manner between a plurality of predetermined positions relative to the aligning or fastening devices used, in order to permit thereby an adjustment of the attachment part or trim part relative to the attachment point on a vehicle. In order to achieve the simplest possible design, it is proposed that the positions are predetermined by the internal contour of the through-holes.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 07/625,739, filed Dec. 11, 1990, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,041,556.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Pyrrole carbonitrile compounds useful as insecticides, acaricides and molluscicides are described in copending patent application Ser. No. 430,601 filed Nov. 6, 1989. These compounds may be prepared by halogenating pyrrole-3-carbonitrile.
Pyrrole-3-carbonitrile is difficult to synthesize. Literature methods such as that reported by A. M. van Leusen et al., Tetrahedron Letters, 5337, (1972) report yields of 10% or less.
M. S. Morales-Rios et al., Tetrahedron, 45, pages 6439-6448 (1989) disclose the preparation of methyl 2-chloropyrrole-3-carboxylate from methyl 2-cyano4,4-dimethoxybutyrate and hydrochloric acid. However, methyl 2-chloropyrrole-3-carboxylate is distinct from the 2-halopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds prepared by the process of the present invention.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and efficient process for preparing 2-halopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a process for preparing insecticidal, acaricidal and molluscicidal 2-halopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds of formula I ##STR1## wherein X is Cl or Br.
Surprisingly, it has been found that in compounds of formula I may be prepared by reacting malononitrile with a base and a haloacetaldehyde di(C 1 -C 4 alkyl) acetal of formula II ##STR2## wherein R is C 1 -C 4 alkyl and X is as described above in the presence of a solvent to obtain a (formylmethyl)-malononitrile di(C 1 -C 4 alkyl) acetal compound of formula III ##STR3## wherein R is as described above and reacting said formula III compound with a hydrogen halide acid.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
One of the preferred embodiments of the present invention involves reacting malononitrile with at least 1 molar equivalent, preferably about 1 to 3 molar equivalents, of a base and at least 1 molar equivalent, preferably about 1 to 3 molar equivalents, of a formula II haloacetaldehyde di(C 1 -C 4 alkyl) acetal compound as described above in the presence of a solvent preferably at a temperature range of about 0° C. to 100° C. to form a formula III (formylmethyl)malononitrile di(C 1 -C 4 alkyl) acetal as described above and reacting the formula III compound with at least 1 molar equivalent of a hydrogen halide acid preferably hydrochloric acid or hydrobromic acid at a temperature range of about 15° to 100° C. to form 2-halopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds of formula I.
The formula I compounds may be isolated by conventional techniques such as dilution of the reaction mixture with water and filtration or, alternatively, extraction with a suitable solvent. Suitable extraction solvents include water-immiscible solvents such as ether, ethyl acetate, toluene, methylene chloride and the like.
Bases suitable for use in the process of the present invention include alkali metal C 1 -C 6 alkoxides, alkali metal hydroxides, alkali metal hydrides, alkali metal carbonates, C 1 -C 4 trialkylamines and pyridine. Preferred bases are potassium tert-butoxide, sodium methoxide and sodium hydride.
Reaction solvents suitable for use in the present invention include organic solvents such as ether, tetrahydrofuran, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, toluene and mixtures thereof. Preferred reaction solvents are tetrahydrofuran and thylene glycol dimethyl ether.
Starting formula II haloacctaldehyde di(C 1 -C 4 alkyl) acetal compounds are prepared according to the procedures of Beilsteins Handbuch Der Organischen Chemie, Band I, System-Number 1-151, pages 611, 624 and 625, 1918.
Molluscicidal 2,4,5-trihalopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds of formula IV may be prepared by halogenating formula I compounds using standard halogenating techniques. The reaction may be illustrated as follows: ##STR4## wherein X is Cl or Br and Y is Cl or Br.
Preparation of N-substituted formula IV 2,4,5-trihalopyrrole-3-carbonitriles may be achieved by reacting the formula IV pyrrole with an alkylating or acylating agent in the presence of an alkali metal alkoxide or hydride. The reactions are illustrated as follows: ##STR5## wherein X is Cl or Br;
Y is Cl or Br;
Z is halogen; and
R is C 1 -C 6 alkyl optionally substituted with one to three halogen atoms, one cyano, one C 1 -C 4 alkoxy, one C 1 -C 6 alkylcarbonyloxy group, one C 1 -C 6 alkoxycarbonyl group or one benzyloxy group.
In order t facilitate a further understanding of the invention, the following examples are presented to illustrate more specific details thereof. The invention is not to be limited thereby except as defined in the claims.
EXAMPLE 1
Preparation of (Formylmethyl)malononitrile dimethyl acetal ##STR6##
Malononitrile (20 g, 0.30 mol) is added to a 0° C. mixture of potassium tert-butoxide (37 g, 0.33 mol) , ethylene glycol dimethyl ether (300 mL) and tetrahydrofuran (745 mL). After a short time, bromoacetaldehyde dimethyl acetal (52 g, 0.30 mol) is added to the reaction mixture. The reaction mixture is refluxed for 48 hours then cooled to room temperature. Solvent is removed and ether, water and brine are added to the reaction mixture. The organic layer is separated, dried over magnesium sulfate and concentrated in vacuo to give a brown oil. Flash chromatography of the oil using silica gel and a 5:1 hexanes/ethyl acetate solution as eluant yields a colorless oil which is distilled to obtain the title compound as a colorless oil (10 g; 21%, bp 110°-115° C., 3 mmHg) which is identified by IR and NMR spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 2
Preparation of 2-Chloropyrrole-3-carbonitrile ##STR7##
Hydrochloric acid (7 mL, 37%) is added to (formylmethyl)malononitrile dimethyl acetal (2 g, 0.013 mol). The reaction mixture exotherms slightly to 33°-37° C. where it stays for about 10 minutes. After another 20 minutes of stirring, a light colored solid precipitates. At this point, the reaction mixture is poured over an ice-water mixture and vacuum filtered. The resultant orange solid is dissolved in ethyl acetate and flash chromatographed using silica gel and 3:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as eluant to give the title compound as a white solid (0.7 g; 43%, mp 105°-106° C.) which is identified by IR and NMR spectral analyses.
EXAMPLE 3
Preparation of 2-Bromopyrrole-3-carbonitrile ##STR8##
Hydrobromic acid (5 mL, 47-49%) is added to (formylmethyl)malonitrile dimethyl acetal (0.55 g, 0.0036 mol). After stirring for 30 minutes the reaction mixture is poured into an ice-water mixture and vacuum filtered. The solids are flash chromatographed using silica gel and 3:1 hexane/ethyl acetate as eluant to give the title compound as a beige solid (0.38 g, 62%, mp 102°-106° C.) which is identified by IR and NMR spectral analyses.
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There is provided a process for the preparation of 2-halopyrrole-3-carbonitrile compounds which are useful as insecticidal, acaricidal and molluscicidal agents.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional patent application Ser. No. 60/274,857 filed Mar. 9, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to communications systems and, more particularly, to methods and apparatus for scheduling signal transmissions, e.g., in a cellular communications network.
BACKGROUND
In a cellular wireless system, a service area is divided into a number of coverage zones referred to as cells. Wireless terminals in a cell communicate with the base station that serves the cell. Wireless terminals may include a wide range of mobile devices including, e.g., cell phones and other mobile transmitters such as personal data assistants with wireless modems.
There are scenarios in which certain signals are transmitted from each of the wireless terminals in a cell to the base station in the cell on a regular basis. For example, a wireless terminal may be required to notify the base station of its presence in the cell at various time intervals. For a given wireless terminal the required signal transmission may not have to be precisely periodical, e.g., it may occur at a time within an assigned transmission recurring time window. One example of such regular signal transmission in a closed-loop timing controlled system is described in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/503,040, wherein each wireless terminal transmits a particular signal, called a timing control signal, to the base station. For each wireless terminal in such systems, the timing control signal is transmitted in regularly recurring time slots so that the base station can track the arrival time of the received timing control signal and correct the transmission timing of the wireless terminal, thereby ensuring system synchronization. However, for a given wireless terminal, the timing control signal need not, but often is, transmitted at precisely periodic recurring time instants.
Thus, one known method of scheduling the transmission of signals is to use a traditional time division multiple access (TDMA) approach, where a given wireless terminal is assigned a set of time slots that recur at precisely periodic intervals. Different wireless terminals in a cell are assigned different sets of time slots so that transmissions of those wireless terminals do not collide with each other. One drawback of this approach is that mutual interference caused by wireless terminals in adjacent cells may be highly correlated. This is because when a time slot assigned to a wireless terminal A corresponding to a first base station substantially overlaps with a time slot of another wireless terminal B corresponding to an adjacent base station, the next time slot of wireless terminal A will also overlap with the next time slot of wireless terminal B as the assigned time slots recur periodically. Correlated interference of this type causes signals transmitted by the same two wireless terminals to repeatedly interfere with each other over a long period of time. If the two interfering wireless terminals are disadvantageously located, the base stations in the overlapping cells may not be able to detect the signals correctly from the two interfering wireless terminals for a long period of time.
A problem with known cellular communications systems is that transmission by wireless devices in one cell may collide with transmissions by wireless devices in a neighboring cell. When transmissions by a device use the same frequency or set of frequencies repeatedly, multiple collisions may occur over a period of time due to the operation of devices in neighboring cells. This problem is particularly noticeable where transmissions are periodic or nearly periodic.
In view of the above discussion, it becomes apparent that there is a need for minimizing the potential for collisions between transmissions which occur in neighboring cells of a wireless communications system. In addition, it is desirable that the probability that transmissions from devices in neighboring cells will collide on a periodic basis be minimized thereby allowing increasing the chance that transmission from a device to a base station will not be blocked do to collisions for extended periods of time.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
FIG. 1 illustrates a multi-cell communication system implemented in accordance with the invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a base station, suitable for use in the system of FIG. 1 , which implements the scheduling method of the present invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a wireless terminal, suitable for use in the system of FIG. 1 , which implements the transmission scheduling method of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates the transmission of signals from a plurality of wireless terminals to a base station.
FIG. 5 illustrates a series of group slots and the individual transmission time slots included in each group slot in accordance with the invention.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the exemplary allocation of time slots, in a plurality of sequential group slots, in accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
The present invention is directed to methods and apparatus for minimizing interference due to recurring signal transmissions in neighboring cells of a wireless communications system. One particular feature of the invention is directed to reducing or minimizing the chance that individual wireless devices, corresponding to neighboring cells, will have their signals collide in immediately sequential transmission periods thereby avoiding long periods of time where a wireless terminal is unable to communicate, e.g., with a base station, due to repeated signal collusions with a device in a neighboring cell.
In cellular communications systems, the transmission of regular signals between wireless terminals and base stations using the same frequency or set of frequencies can result in recurring periodic interference affecting neighboring base stations. Accordingly, there is a need for methods of scheduling the transmission of regular signals to reduce the possibility of recurring periodic inference between transmissions associated with adjacent or overlapping cells. Wireless terminals with which the present invention may be used include a wide range of mobile devices including, e.g., cell phones, wireless modems used in personal data assistants and notebook computers, etc.
This invention addresses the issue of scheduling regular signal transmissions. In many embodiments the signal transmissions which are scheduled in accordance with the invention are periodic signals. However, the scheduled signals are not required to be periodic or precisely periodic for the invention to work.
In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, time slots assigned to a given wireless terminal recur in a regular, e.g., predictable, but not precisely periodic manner, so that if two wireless terminals associated with adjacent base stations, corresponding to neighboring overlapping cells, use the same time slots at one time, the two wireless terminals will use different time slots next time. Thus, mutual interference between wireless terminals in adjacent base stations is not likely to correlate with respect to sequential time slots.
As a result of the applied scheduling method, the base station in any given cell does not have to wait a long time before it is able to receive or transmit signals to an individual wireless terminal with the signals colliding with those from a neighboring cell.
In accordance with the invention, signal transmissions of the wireless terminals in each cell are scheduled on a group slot basis. A group slot comprises a number of time slots. Each wireless terminal serviced by a particular base station is assigned a time slot in a group slot used by the particular base station. A given wireless terminal is assigned different time slots in successive group slots as specified by a hopping function. Adjacent, base stations e.g., base stations of physically neighboring or overlapping cells, use distinct, i.e., different, hopping functions for the scheduling purpose thereby avoiding correlation of slots between overlapping or adjacent cells during consecutive group slots.
The hopping functions are implemented on a CPU or other device. The base stations as well as individual wireless transmitters implement the hopping function used in a given cell. Each wireless transmitter implements the hopping function using information received from the base station with which it communicates at any given time.
In accordance with the invention, in the case where the number of time slots in a group slot, N, is either a prime or a prime power, the hopping functions are constructed from a linear equation defined in the finite field of N. In this manner, the potential for collisions between devices of neighboring cells is reduced or minimized.
In the case where N is neither prime nor a prime power, the hopping functions are constructed using a two-step procedure. In the first step, a linear equation defined in the finite field of M, with M>N, is used to calculate a first index, whose range is from 0 to M−1. Then in the second step, an index swapping function is used to map the first index to a second index, whose range is from 0 to N−1. The second index specifies which time slot to be used in a group slot. The results of the time slot scheduling process are used to control the transmission of the regular signals from the wireless transmitters in a cell to the cell's base station.
By using hopping functions in accordance with the present invention for allocating communications times to wireless devices, e.g., mobile devices, of neighboring communications cells the potential for collisions is reduced.
Additional benefits, features and embodiments will be apparent from the detailed description which follows.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows a communication system 100 implemented in accordance with the present invention including multiple cells 102 , 104 , 106 . Each cell 104 , 104 , 106 includes a plurality of wireless terminals ( 112 , 114 ), ( 112 ′, 114 ′) ( 112 ″, 114 ″) and a base station 110 , 110 ′, 110 ″, respectively. Each wireless terminal includes a transmitter as well as a receiver. The wireless terminals may be mobile communications devices such as cell phones, personal data assistants with wireless modems, etc. Each base station 110 , 110 ′, 110 ″ performs scheduling in accordance with the present invention. The wireless terminals use the hopping algorithm of the present invention along with information received from the base station to determine the time slots in which they are to transmit. Note that neighboring cells 102 , 104 , 106 overlap slightly thereby providing the potential for signal collisions between signals being transmitted by wireless devices in neighboring cells.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary base station 202 . The base station 202 may be used as any one of the base stations 110 , 110 ′, 110 ″ of the system 100 . The base station 202 includes a processor 214 , memory 201 , input/output (I/O) device 216 , network interface card 218 , internet interface 220 , a receiver circuit 222 and a transmitter circuit 224 which are coupled together by a bus 223 .
The processor 214 , may be, e.g., a general purpose central processing unit (CPU). Processor 214 controls operation of the base station 202 under direction of one or more routines stored in memory 201 . Memory 201 includes a scheduling routine 204 , communications routines 212 , transmission data 207 and customer/mobile station data 208 . Scheduling routine 204 is used to schedule the transmission of data and signals to wireless terminals served by the base station 202 . It is also used to determine when wireless terminals may be broadcasting predictable signals to the base station 202 . The hopping function of the present invention, which will be discussed in detail below, is implemented by instructions included in scheduling routine 204 . Communications routines 212 are responsible for controlling, when executed by the processor 214 , the receipt, transmission of data via receiver circuit 222 and transmitter circuit 224 . Antennas 230 , 232 are coupled to receiver circuit 222 and transmitter circuit 224 , respectively, and are used for receiving and broadcasting data and other signals, respectively.
Customer/mobile station data 208 includes information such as the maximum number of wireless terminals which may be served by the base station 202 , information identifying wireless terminals which are being serviced by the base station 202 at a particular point in time, the number of wireless terminals registered with the base station 202 as well as other customer and/or wireless terminal related information. Transmission data 207 is data that is to be transmitted to wireless terminals, data received from wireless terminals and/or information relating to the transmission or receipt of data.
NIC 218 provides an interface through which the bases station 202 can connect to a network, e.g., a corporate LAN or WAN. Internet interface 220 servers as an interface to the Internet through which wireless terminals interacting with the base station 202 can send and receive data and perform other Internet access operations.
FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary wireless terminal 302 which can be used as any one of the wireless terminals of the system 100 shown in FIG. 1 . The wireless terminal 302 includes a processor 314 , memory 301 , input/output (I/O) device 316 , a receiver circuit 322 and a transmitter circuit 224 which are coupled together by a bus 323 . An antenna 330 used for receiving signals from a base station is coupled to receiver circuit 322 . An antenna 332 used for transmitting signals, e.g., to base station 110 is coupled to transmitter circuit 324 .
Wireless terminal scheduling routine 304 , when executed by processor 314 , is used to determine when the wireless terminal 302 is to transmit one or more signals to the base station with which the wireless terminal 302 is registered. The scheduling routine 304 uses a hopping function, implemented in accordance with the present invention, along with information received from the base station, to determine the time slots in which it should transmit.
FIG. 4 shows the components of an exemplary cell 102 in which base station 110 serves multiple wireless terminals, i.e., terminals 0 to N−1 112 , 114 . Each wireless terminal 112 , 114 transmits one or more signals 408 , 410 to the base station 110 regularly. For purposes of explaining the invention N is used to denote the maximum number of the wireless terminals to be supported by the base station 110 . The wireless terminals 112 , 114 are indexed from purposes of explaining the invention from 0 to N−1. At any given time, the actual number of wireless terminals in the system may be less than N. Transmissions to the base station 110 are scheduled on a group slot basis, e.g., with each one of the N devices being allocated a time slot in which to transmit during each group slot. Group slots occur at periodic intervals, i.e., on group slot follows another over time.
FIG. 5 shows two exemplary sequential group slots 502 , 504 and the N time slots ( 506 , 508 , 510 ), ( 506 ′, 508 ′, 510 ′) in each group slot. A group slot has N time slots, one for each possible transmitter, e.g., wireless terminal, in a cell, e.g., cell 102 , used at any given time. Time slots in a group slot are indexed from 0 to N−1. Group slots recur periodically and are indexed using integer vales such as 0, 1, 2, . . . , X.
In accordance with the invention, the wireless terminals 112 , 114 in a cell 102 are scheduled on a group slot basis by the base station 110 . Scheduling routine 204 is executed by the base station's CPU 214 when scheduling is to be performed.
In a group slot 502 , 504 , each wireless terminal 112 , 114 is allocated one time slot for signal transmission. The base station 110 uses a hopping function, f(m,g), to determine the index of the time slot assigned to a wireless terminal 112 , 114 of index m in a group slot of index g.
For example consider where group slots are index 0 to X, and time slots are indexed within a group slot from 0 to N−1. In such a case, m may assume the values from 0 to N−1 and g may assume values 0 to X.
In order to avoid collision, in the base station the following constraint is applied, f(m 1 ,g)≠f(m 2 ,g) for any m 1 ≠m 2 , i.e., each device in the cell is allocated a different time slot in each group time slot in which to transmit.
In order to reduce the correlation of interference between signals transmitted by the wireless terminals in adjacent base stations, adjacent base stations 102 , 104 , 106 are programmed to use different hopping functions. For purposes of implementation simplicity, the maximum number of wireless terminals each base station 102 , 104 , 106 may support may be the same, i.e., N.
In accordance with one feature of the present invention when N, the number of time slots in a group slot, is a prime number or a prime power, the hopping function is given as follows:
f ( m,g )= Z ( A*g+m, N )
where parameter A is a constant stored in a base station 110 as part of the scheduling routine 204 . Adjacent base stations are controlled to store and use different values for A. In the above function “*” represents addition while “+” represents multiplication. Through the use of the Z( ,N) operation, the addition and multiplication operations in the above equation are defined in the finite field of order N. The various operations used to implement the function f(m,g) are well known in the art.
The resultant f(m,g) is an integer number from 0 to N−1, and is used as the index of the time slot assigned to wireless terminal m in group slot g.
Consider for example the case where a base station is assigned the value of A=3 and N=7. In this case, as N is a prime number, the Z operation becomes the modular operation over N. thus denoting as mod( ,N) in the following.
For the device assigned index 5 (m=5) the time slot allocation for group slot 1 (g=1) would be as follows:
f (5,1)=mod(3*1+5, 7)=mod(8,7)=1
Meanwhile for the device assigned index 6 (m=6) the time slot allocation for group slot 1 (g=1) would be as follows:
f (6,1)=mod(3*1+6, 7)=mod(9, 7)=2.
Accordingly, the base station assigns mobile terminal with index 5 time slot 1 for group slot 1 and mobile terminal with index 6 time slot 2 for group slot 1 .
For the next group slot, group slot 2 (g=2) mobile terminal with index 5 would be allocated a time slot as follows:
f (5,2)=mod(3*2+5, 7)=mod(11, 7)=4.
Meanwhile for the device assigned index 6 (m=6) the time slot allocation for group slot 2 (g=2) would be as follows:
f (6,2)=mod(3*2+6, 12)=mod(12, 7)=5.
Accordingly, the base station assigns mobile terminal with index 5 time slot 4 for group slot 2 and mobile terminal with index 6 time slot 5 for group slot 2 .
Neighboring base stations are assigned different values for A resulting in different hopping function even in cases where N is the same for each system. For example, in the system 100 , base station 110 may be assigned the value 1 for A, base station 110 ′ may be assigned the value 2 for A while base station 110 ″ may be assigned the value 3 for A.
When a wireless terminal, e.g., terminal 112 , enters a new cell 102 , 104 , or 106 , the base station 110 in the cell communicates the wireless terminal's slot index m and the value A to be used to implement the hoping function. The value N may also be communicated to the wireless terminal but, in some embodiments, N is fixed and therefore need not be transmitted. The values m, N and A may be explicitly communicated, e.g., transmitted to a wireless terminal, or implicitly communicated. In the case of implicit communication, one or more values m, N, g and/or A are derived from information and/or signals transmitted to wireless terminal.
While the base station implements the hopping function in accordance with the present invention to determine which time slots of a group slot are to be used by individual wireless terminals, each wireless terminal also implements the hopping function to determine which time slot in a group slot it is to use for transmissions to the base station with which is communicating at any given time.
FIG. 6 , is a table 650 showing the value of the hopping function when N=7 and A=1. In this case, N is a prime number. Each of rows 610 through 616 in FIG. 6 corresponds to a different one of the 7 wireless terminal time slots present in a group slot. Columns 600 through 606 in FIG. 6 correspond to individual group time slots, i.e., slots 0 , . . . , 6 , respectively. Each element in the table 650 is a terminal index that identifies the wireless terminal transmitter assigned to use the time slot to which the grid location corresponds.
By reading across a row 610 , 611 , 612 , 613 , 614 , 615 , 616 , it is possible to determine the terminal assigned to a particular time slot in each of the successive group slots represented by the columns 600 , 601 , 602 , 603 , 604 , 605 , 606 . Each entry in the chart 650 lists the number of a terminal assigned to the corresponding time slots 0 , . . . , 6 in a given group slot. For example, suppose the first column 600 is used for group slot 0 . Thus in group slot 0 , wireless terminal 0 is assigned time slot 0 , wireless terminal 1 is assigned time slot 1 , and so forth. The second column 601 is then used for group slot 1 . Thus in group slot 1 , wireless terminal 6 is assigned time slot 0 , wireless terminal 0 is assigned time slot 1 , wireless terminal 1 is assigned time slot 2 , and so forth.
FIG. 7 shows the construction, e.g., time slot allocations, of an exemplary hopping function, in accordance with the invention.
In the case where N is neither a prime number nor a prime power. In the FIG. 7 example N is equal to 6. The construction of the hopping function comprises two steps as follows:
Let M to be a prime number or a prime power that is greater than N. Preferably, M should be chosen as small as possible. For example assuming N=6, M=7 is a suitable choice.
In the first step, a function is fined as follows:
f 1 ( m,g )= Z ( A*g+m, M ).
The definitions of the parameter A and indices g and m are the same as in the case where N is a prime number or a prime power discussed above. The difference of the equations used to produce the data when N is not a prime number or prime power and in the above described example where it is, is that the addition and multiplication operations in the equation used to produce the function values f 1 (m,g) are defined in the finite field of order M, instead of N. The resultant f 1 (m,g) is an integer number from 0 to M−1, and is called herein the first index.
Since M is greater than N, this first index may exceed the maximum used index value N−1. As part of the second step of implementing the hopping function of the invention, the value of all or some of the individual first indexes are mapped to another index, e.g., an index in the utilized time slot range of 0 to N−1. Remapping of index values from first to second index values may be limited to first index values which fall outside the utilized time slot index range of 0 to N−1.
Thus, in the second step, which is used when N is neither a prime number or a prime power, the first index is mapped to another index, called the second index. The following exemplary index swapping function may be used for this purpose. The second index specifies the actual index of the time slot assigned to a wireless terminal in a group slot when N is neither a prime number or prime power.
For m=0, . . . , N−1, if the first index, f 1 (m,g), is less than N, then the second index is equal to the first index. Suppose that for m=0, . . . , N−1, there are L wireless terminal indices whose first indices are greater than or equal to N. For purpose of explanation let us denote these wireless terminal indices as m 1 , . . . , m L . The second indices of wireless terminals m 1 , . . . , m L , are determined as follows. There are exactly L indices i 1 , . . . , i L , where N≦i 1 , . . . , i L <M, such that 0≦f 1 (i 1 ,g), . . . , f 1 (i L ,g)<N. In accordance with the present invention the first indices f 1 (m 1 ,g), . . . , f 1 (m L ,g) are swapped into f 1 (i 1 ,g), . . . , f 1 (i L ,g) to generate the second indices. Hence, wireless terminals m 1 , . . . , m L are assigned time slots f 1 (i 1 ,g), . . . , f 1 (i L ,g) in group slot g. In one embodiment of the invention, wireless terminal m j is assigned time slot f 1 (i j ,g), for j=1, . . . , L.
FIG. 7 illustrates a chart 750 corresponding to the case where N=6 and A=1 for the hopping function of the invention. In such a case, N is neither a prime nor a prime power.
For purposes of explanation, assume M is set M=7. In such a case, the first indices can be generated using the table in FIG. 6 . Based on a review of FIG. 6 , it can be seen that the first indices of wireless terminals 0 , . . . , and 4 are less than 6. Thus, the second indices of those wireless terminals are set equal to the corresponding first indices. Thus, wireless terminal indices 0 through 4 are positioned in the same row/column locations in FIGS. 6 and 7 .
A need to assign different values to the terminal index occurs when the first terminal index falls outside the utilized range of 0 to N−1. Consider for example that the first index of wireless terminal 5 is equal to 6, (see col. 601 , row 616 ) which is equal to N. Meanwhile index 6 (recall that 6 is equal to N) occupies time slot 0 according to the second column 601 of the table 650 . This means that the time slot 0 of group slot 1 ( 710 , 701 ) is available for use by wireless terminal transmitter 5 . Thus, the second index of wireless terminal 5 is mapped to time slot 0 in group slot 1 702 in accordance with the recapping step of the invention. The remaining columns of the table 750 in FIG. 7 are derived from the table 650 using the same index swapping method that was just discussed.
Various index swapping techniques may be used to remap the first index values to second index values with the above described technique being but one example.
The steps of the various methods of the invention discussed above may be implemented in a variety of ways, e.g., using software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware to perform each individual step or combination of steps discussed. Various embodiments of the present invention include means for performing the steps of the various methods. Each means may be implemented using software, hardware, e.g., circuits, or a combination of software and hardware. When software is used, the means for performing a step may also include circuitry such as a processor for executing the software. Accordingly, the present invention is directed to, among other things, computer executable instructions such as software for controlling a machine or circuit to perform one or more of the steps discussed above.
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Scheduling of regular signal transmissions, e.g., between a plurality of wireless terminals and a base station in a cellular network in a manner designed to reduce or minimize recurring periodic interference encountered by individual wireless terminals from transmission in neighboring cells is described. Signal transmissions of wireless terminals in each cell are scheduled on a group slot basis. A group slot comprises a number of time slots. Each wireless terminal serviced by a particular base station is assigned a time slot in a group slot used by the particular base station. A given wireless terminal is assigned different time slots in successive group slots as specified by a hopping function. Adjacent, base stations e.g., base stations of physically neighboring or overlapping cells, use distinct, i.e., different, hopping functions for the scheduling purpose thereby avoiding correlation of slots between overlapping or adjacent cells during consecutive group slots.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No. 501,736 filed Aug. 29, 1974 and now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to fluid compressors and relates particularly to oscillating rotary compressors having a continuous cam-like projection with spaced side walls of sinusoidal configuration for moving at least one partition lengthwise in such a manner that fluid to be compressed is introduced into a housing when the projection is rotated and such fluid is compressed and discharged from the housing by the rotation of such projection.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore many efforts have been made to provide an oscillating rotary compressor having a shaft with a reversing outwardly projecting helical-like blade or projection located within a housing and a partition engageable with the blade so that rotation of the shaft causes the blade to move the partition endwise of the housing to permit fluid to be introduced into the housing, compressed and discharged therefrom. Ordinarily the partition is provided with movable seals which engage opposite sides of the blade for providing a seal to prevent the passage of air or other compressible fluid from one side of the partition to the other. These seals have been necessitated by the blade normally being of constant thickness in a plane at right angles to the surfaces of the blade. Some examples of the prior art are the patents to Hula U.S. Pat. No. 783,865; Jarvis U.S. Pat. No. 805,140 and 827,870; Fanning U.S. Pat. No. 1,172,692; Jaworowsky U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,654,883, 1,690,727 and 1,690,728; and Shelton U.S. Pat. No. 2,948,230.
Additionally, some prior art devices such as the patent to Phillips U.S. Pat. No. 2,990,782 have been provided in which the thickness of the blade has varied in accordance with the point of contact between the blade and the sealing structure carried by the movable partition.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is embodied in an oscillating rotary compressor including a shaft located within a housing having a cylindrical compartment with spaced generally parallel end walls. Such shaft has an outwardly extending continuous cam-like projection or rotor with sinusoidal side walls which define internal and external apices with each of the external apices forming a sliding seal with the end walls of the compartment. At least one partition is slidably mounted within the housing axially of the shaft. The partition has a slot of a size to snugly receive the cam-like projection or rotor in such a manner that the partition is moved endwise when the shaft is rotated. The cam-like projection is of a constant thickness along the plane of the axis of the shaft and cooperates with the partition to define a pair of pockets on opposite sides of the projection which progressively open and close as the shaft is rotated. Inlet and outlet means are provided for introducing compressible fluid into each pocket and discharging fluid under pressure from each pocket when the shaft is rotated.
It is an object of the invention to provide an oscillating rotary compressor having a shaft with a continuous cam-like projection or rotor extending outwardly therefrom into sliding engagement with the cylindrical walls of a compartment and such projection has sinusoidal side walls defining external apices which slidably engage the end walls of the compartment. The projection is of a constant thickness along the plane of the axis of the shaft and cooperates with a sliding partition to progressively open and close a pair of pockets to compress the fluid.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevation illustrating one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is a longitudinal section on the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 illustrating the cam-like projection in a first position.
FIG. 3 is a longitudinal section similar to FIG. 2 illustrating the cam-like projection in a second position.
FIG. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4--4 of FIG. 1.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 5--5 of FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a section on the line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary section on the line 7--7 of FIG. 3 with the cam-like projection removed.
FIG. 8 is a schematic layout of the projection.
FIG. 9 is a side elevation illustrating another embodiment.
FIG. 10 is an end view thereof.
FIG. 11 is a section on the line 11--11 of FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a section on the line 12--12 of FIG. 11.
FIG. 13 is a section on the line 13--13 of FIG. 12.
FIG. 14 is a fragmentary section on the line 14--14 of FIG. 12.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With continued reference to the drawings, a housing 10 is provided having a central compartment 11 with a generally cylindrical bore and a pair of end compartments 12 and 13 arranged along a common axis. The central compartment is separated from the end compartments by parallel inner walls 14 and 15 which extend entirely across the bore of the housing 10 and normal to the axis thereof. The end compartments 12 and 13 are provided with end walls 16 and 17, respectively, each of which is provided with an inwardly extending boss 18 having a bearing or bushing 19 disposed generally axially of the compartments. A drive shaft 20 is rotatably supported by the bearing 19 and such shaft is adapted to be driven in any desired manner, as by a power plant (not shown).
An elongated hub 24 is fixed to the shaft 20 within the housing 10 and the opposite ends of such hub engage the bosses 18 to prevent axial movement of the hub. If desired, thrust bearings (not shown) may be located between the ends of the hub 24 and the bosses 18 to reduce frictional losses. Within the central compartment 11, a continuous cam-like projection or rotor 25 is integrally connected to the hub 24 and has a pair of spaced side walls and a crown. The cam-like projection 25 is constructed so that the side walls are disposed at right angles to the cylindrical surface of the hub and the axial position of the side walls have a sinusoidal relationship determined by their angular position on the hub. The sinusoidal cam-like projection defines internal and external apices at opposite ends of the hub 24 which provide a righthand pocket R on one side of the projection and a lefthand pocket L on the other side. The crown of the cam-like projection is in sliding sealing engagement with the periphery of the cylindrical bore of the central compartment 11 and the external apices of the projection are in sliding sealing engagement with the inner walls 14 and 15 to separate each of the pockets R and L into two sections whose volume continuously change as the shaft rotates. The projection 25 has a predetermined constant thickness X (FIG. 8) in a plane parallel to the axis of the hub; however, due to the sinusoidal configuration, the thickness of the projection may vary in a plane normal to the side walls thereof.
With particular reference to FIGS. 1-5, the housing 10 is provided with an enlargement 26 located along one side and extending substantially the full length of the housing. The enlargement 26 is provided with a groove or recess 27 extending outwardly from the bore of the central compartment 11 and is provided with grooves or recesses 28 and 29 in the end compartments 12 and 13, respectively. As illustrated best in FIG. 3, the grooves 27, 28 and 29 are in alignment with each other and the grooves 28 and 29 are slightly deeper than the groove 27.
A generally flat rectangular partition 30 is provided having generally parallel inner and outer edges 31 and 32 and such partition is slidably mounted within the grooves 27, 28 and 29. The outer edge 32 of the partition slidably engages the bottom of the groove 27 and is spaced slightly from the bottoms of the grooves 28 and 29 to prevent fluid under pressure from passing around the partition in the central compartment while reducing frictional losses in the end compartments. The inner edge 31 of the partition slidably and sealingly engages the hub 24 in a manner to prevent the passage of fluid under pressure between the same.
The partition 30 has a slot or mouth 33 extending outwardly from the inner edge 31 and such mouth is adapted to receive and slidably engage the sides and crown of the cam-like projection 25. Along opposite sides or lips of the mouth 33, the partition is provided with tapered portions 34 terminating in sharp edges 35 extending substantially the full length of the mouth. The sharp edges 35 are spaced apart a constant distance indicated by the letter X in FIG. 7 which is substantially equal to the thickness of the projection 25. The sharp edges 35 are located substantially centrally of the thickness of the partition 30 and are adapted to slidably engage opposite sides of the projection 25 with a sufficiently close tolerance to substantially restrict the flow of fluid under pressure from one side of the partition to the other.
With particular reference to FIG. 7, each of the inner walls 14 and 15 is provided with an elongated opening 36 through which the partition 30 extends and each of such openings has a pair of sealing members 37 engaging the upper and lower surfaces of the partition to prevent the passage of fluid under pressure from the central compartment 11 into the end compartments 12 and 13. In most compressors having moving parts, such parts are supplied with a film of oil or the like to reduce frictional wear as well as to substantially reduce the build-up of heat. In the present invention, it is contemplated that oil will be supplied to the moving parts to reduce frictional engagement and heat as well as to assist in forming a seal between the relatively movable members. Accordingly, it is contemplated that the inner walls 14 and 15 could be provided with openings 36 of a size to slidably and sealingly receive the partition 30 with a film of oil thereon so that the sealing members 37 could be omitted.
With particular reference to FIGS. 1 and 4, a pair of inlets 38 and 39 are provided at opposite ends of the central compartment 11 and on opposite sides of the enlargement 26 for introducing air or other compressible fluid into the central compartment. A pair of fluid outlets 40 and 41 are provided at opposite ends of the central compartment 11 on opposite sides of the enlargement 26 and in opposed relationship to the inlets 38 and 39. Each of the inlets 38 and 39 communicates with the interior of the central compartment through an opening 42 and each of the outlets 40 and 41 communicates with the interior of the central compartment by openings 43 (FIG. 4). Preferably, each of the outlet openings 43 has a pressure operated discharge valve member 44 of conventional construction which prevents the discharge of air from the central compartment until a predetermined pressure has been reached within the high pressure portions of the pockets R and L.
In the operation of this embodiment of the device, the drive shaft 20 is rotated by the power plant to cause rotation of the projection 25 which causes the partition 30 to move back and forth within the grooves 27, 28 and 29 substantially lengthwise of the housing 10. Since the ends of the projection are in sliding engagement with the inner walls 14 and 15, pressure and vacuum sides of varying capacities are formed in each of the pockets L and R. As soon as one end of the projection passes the opening 42 of the inlet 38, the vacuum side of the pocket L begins to enlarge so that air or other fluid passes through the inlet to fill the pocket. Simultaneously fluid within the pocket L on the pressure side of the end seal begins to be compressed. Continued rotation of the projection 30 causes fluid under atmospheric pressure to continue entering the vacuum side of the pocket while fluid on the pressure side continues to be compressed. When the compressed fluid reaches a pressure sufficient to open the valve member 44, the compressed fluid is discharged from the pressure side of the pocket L while the vacuum side continues to draw fluid through the inlet 38. The discharge of compressed fluid and the introduction of fluid under atmospheric pressure into the pressure and vacuum sides of the pocket L continues until the end seal of the projection passes the outlet 40 at which time all of the fluid in the pressure side of the pocket is discharged. When the end seal passes through the mouth 33, it immediately passes the inlet 38 and interrupts the flow of fluid into the vacuum side of the pocket to cause such side to become the pressure side. Simultaneously, the portion of the pocket which was the pressure side becomes the vacuum side into which fluid is introduced. With this structure, fluid under atmospheric pressure is introduced into the pocket substantially continuously while compressed fluid is discharged from the pocket intermittently. While the fluid is being introduced into a portion of the pocket L, compressed and discharged therefrom, the partition 30 is sliding back and fourth within the housing and fluid is being introduced into the pocket R through the inlet 39 where it is compressed and discharged through the outlet 41 in timed relationship with the operation of the pocket L.
With particular reference to FIGS. 9-14, another embodiment of the apparatus is illustrated in which a pair of partitions 30 are disposed on opposite sides of the shaft 20. In this embodiment a pair of enlargements 26 are located on opposite sides of the housing 10 and each of such enlargements is provided with a guide 45 which slidably receives one of the partitions 30.
As illustrated best in FIGS. 12 and 13, a first pair of inlets 38 are located on opposite sides of the housing 10 and each of such inlets 38 is disposed adjacent to one of the partitions 30 and at one end of the central compartment to provide communication between a source of compressible fluid and the pocket L. A second pair of inlets 39 are provided substantially in longitudinal alignment with the inlets 38 and located at the opposite end of the central compartment for introducing compressible fluid into the pocket R.
A first pair of fluid outlets 40 are located at opposite sides of the housing 10 and at the same end of the central compartment as the inlets 38 but being disposed on opposite sides of the partitions 30 for providing communication between the pocket L and the exterior of the housing. A second pair of outlets 41 are located at the opposite end of the central compartment for providing communication between the pocket R and the exterior of the housing. With particular reference to FIG. 13, each of the inlets 38 and 39 is provided with a conventional suction valve 46 while each of the outlets 40 and 41 has a pressure operated discharge valve 44.
Preferably each of the pockets R and L includes a pair of opposed unloader valves 50 which remain closed as long as the demand of the compressor output is equal to or greater than the capacity. However, when the capacity exceeds the demand, the unloader valves operate when the pressure within the central compartment exceeds a predetermined value so that the compressed fluid is discharged either to atmosphere or to the low pressure supply for the compressor. Each of the unloader valves includes a capacity control piston 51 having a reduced portion 52 at its inner end. The housing 10 is provided with a bore 53 and a concentric counterbore 54 for each of the unloader valves and the piston 51 of each valve is slidably mounted within the counterbore 54. The outer end of each counterbore is closed by a plug 55 and defines a pressure chamber 56 between the piston 51 and the plug 55. An exhaust port 57 extends through the housing 10 substantially in alignment with the piston 51 in such a manner that the exhaust port ordinarily is closed and sealed by the piston.
Normally when the compressor is in operation, fluid under predetermined pressure is maintained within the pressure chamber 56 to urge the piston 51 toward the central compartment 11 so that the reduced end of the piston is flush with the inner surfaces of the walls 14 and 15. Pressurized fluid is supplied to the pressure chamber 56 through a line 58 connected to a pump 59 which is mounted on the housing 10 and is driven by the shaft 20. It is noted that at the beginning of operation of the compressor, the pump 59 has been idle and therefore the pressure within the pressure chamber 56 has been relieved and the piston 51 is easily moved lengthwise of the counterbore 54.
As the compressor begins operation, fluid within the pockets R and L begins to become compressed and such slightly pressurized fluid forces the piston 51 outwardly away from the central compartment to expose the exhaust port 57 to the bore 53 so that any fluid within the central compartment is discharged through the port 57 and the compressor starts under substantially no-load conditions. However, operation of the shaft 20 drives the pump 59 which forces fluid under pressure into the pressure chambers 56 so that the piston 51 is moved lengthwise toward the central compartment to block the escape of fluid from such central compartment and thereafter the fluid introduced into the pockets R and L is compressed and discharged through the discharge valves 44. The unloader valves 50 additionally function as relief safety valves in the event that slugging occurs within the central compartment of the compressor.
In the operation of this embodiment, due to the sinusoidal relationship between the cam-like projection 25 and the hub 24, the partitions 30 on opposite sides of the housing are moving in opposite directions, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 14. As soon as the external apex of the pocket L passes the inlet 38, as illustrated in FIG. 12, the portion of the pocket to the left of the apex and between the apex and the partition 30 on the opposite side of the housing becomes a pressure pocket, while the portion of the pocket between the inlet 38 and the partition on the right of the housing becomes a suction pocket. Simultaneously the portion of the pocket L below the partitions 30 communicate with the other inlet 38 as well as the discharge outlet 40; however, since the area of the pocket below the partitions is not being pressurized at this time, such pocket merely fills with compressible fluid.
Continued rotation of the drive shaft 20 causes the pressurized pocket to be reduced in size so that the fluid therein is compressed and when such fluid reaches a predetermined pressure, the discharge valve 44 opens to discharge the fluid under pressure from such pocket. When the external apex of the pocket L passes through the mouth 33 of the partition on the opposite side of the housing, the direction of movement of the partitions 30 is reversed and as soon as the external apex passes the inlet 38 on the left of FIG. 12, the lower portion of the pocket becomes the pressure pocket so that fluid under pressure is discharged from the discharge valve on the lower righthand side of FIG. 12. As the cam-like projection 25 alternately compresses the fluid in the upper and lower portions of the pocket L, the pocket R at the other end of the hub 24 is operating in an opposite manner with the inlets 39 and the outlets 41 so that compressible fluid under pressure is being discharged simultaneously from the outlets 40 and 41 at opposite ends of the central compartment to obtain a balanced condition within the compressor.
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Rotary apparatus for compressing and discharging fluid within a container. The apparatus includes an oscillating rotor or cam-like projection of substantially constant thickness in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the housing which cooperates with a sliding partition to define multiple compartments into which fluid is introduced during a portion of the rotation of the rotor or projection and is compressed during another portion of rotation of the rotor or projection.
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The present invention is concerned with a novel pepstatin phenyl derivative of the formula, C 40 H 59 N 5 O 9 , which selectively inhibits the proteolytic enzyme, renin, and is a useful starting material for the preparation of statine and the benzyl analog of statine; with pharmaceutical compositions containing the novel compound of the present invention as an active ingredient; and with methods of treating hypertension and congestive heart failure and methods of diagnosis which utilize the novel compound of the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Renin is an endopeptidase secreted by the juxtaglomerular cells of the kidney, which cleaves its plasma substrate, angiotensinogen, specifically at the 10-11 peptide bond, i.e., between Leu 10 and Leu 11 in the equinine substrate, as described by Skeggs et al, J. Exper. Med. 1957, 106, 439, or between the Leu 10 and Val 11 in the human renin substrate, as elucidated by Tewksbury et al., Circulation 59, 60, Supp. II: 132, Oct. 1979. Renin cleaves angiotensinogen to split off the decapeptide, angiotensin I, which is converted by angiotensin-converting enzyme to the potent pressor substance angiotensin II. Thus, the renin-angiotensin system plays an important role in normal cardiovascular homeostasis and in some forms of hypertension.
Inhibitors of angiotensin I converting enzyme have proven useful in the modulation of the renin-angiotensin system and consequently, specific inhibitors of the limiting enzymatic step that ultimately regulates angiotensin II production, the action of renin on its substrate, have also been sought as effective investigative tools and as therapeutic agents in the treatment of hypertension and congestive heart failure.
Renin antibody, pepstatin, phospholipids, and substrate analogs, including tetrapeptides and octa-toz8 tridecapeptides, with inhibition constants (K i ) in the 10 -3 to 10 -6 M region, have been studied.
Many efforts have been made to prepare a specific renin inhibitor based on pig renin substrate analogy, which as been shown to correlate well with and predict human renin inhibitor activity. The octapeptide amino acid sequence extending from histidine-6 through tyrosine-13 ##STR1## has been shown to have kinetic parameters essentially the same as those of the full tetradecapeptide renin substrate.
Kokubu et al., Biochem. Pharmacol., 22, 3217-3223, 1973, synthesized a number of analogs of the tetrapeptide found between residues 10 to 13, but while inhibition could be shown, inhibitory constants were only of the order of 10 -3 M. Analogs of a larger segment of renin substrate were synthesized, Burton et al., Biochemistry 14: 3892-3898, 1975, and Poulsen et al., Biochemistry 12: 3877-3882, 1973, but a lack of solubility and weak binding (large inhibitory constant) have proven to be major obstacles to obtaining effective renin inhibitors.
In the case of pepstatin, Umezawa et al., in J. Antibiot. (Tokyo) 23: 259-262, 1970, reported the isolated (from culture filtrates of actinomyces) of that N-acylated pentapeptide, (pepstatin), having the structure: ##STR2## This pentapeptide was reported to be an inhibitor of aspartyl proteases such as pepsin, cathepsin D, and renin, with an I 50 ratio against pepsin and renin generally in the range of 300 to 1000, depending on the sensitivity of the assay. Gross et al., Science 175:656, 1972, reported that pepstatin reduces blood pressure in vivo after the injection of hog renin into nephrectomized rats, but pepstatin has not found very wide application as an experimental agent because of its limited solubility and its inhibition of a variety of other acid proteases in addition to renin.
It has now been found that a novel phenyl derivative of pepstatin is about four times more potent than pepstatin A in inhibiting renin activity and has an I 50 ratio of renin to pepsin which is about ten-fold less than that for pepstatin A. This new phenyl derivative, therefore, offers significant therapeutic advantages for the treatment of high blood pressure and congestive heart failure in mammals. This derivative is also a useful starting material for the preparation of statine, a synthetic amino acid, which has been successfully substituted into renin substrates as a peptide bond isostere at the 10-11 position.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention discloses a new renin-inhibitory pepstatin derivative of the formula: ##STR3## and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof.
Pharmaceutically-acceptable salts of the Formula I compound include acid addition salts, such as acetate, adipate, alginate, aspartate, benzoate, benzenesulfonate, bisulfate, butyrate, citrate, camphorate, camphorsulfonate, cyclopentanepropionate, digluconate, dodecylsulfate, ethanesulfonate, fumarate, glucoheptanoate, glycerophosphate, hemisulfate, heptanoate, hexanoate, hydrochloride, hydrobromide, hydroiodide, 2-hydroxy-ethanesulfonate, lactate, amleate, methanesulfonate, 2-naphthalenesulfonate, nicotinate, oxalate, pamoate, pectinate, persulfate, 3-phenylpropionate, picrate, pivalate, propionate, succinate, tartrate, thicyanate, tosylate, and undecanoate. The base salts of these compounds include ammonium salts, alkali metal salts such as sodium and potassium salts, alkaline earth metal salts such as calcium and magnesium salts, salts with organic bases such as dicyclohexylamine salts, N-methyl-D-glucamine, and salts with amino acids such as arginine, lysine, and so forth. Also, the basic nitrogen-containing groups may be quaternized with such agents as lower alkyl halides, such as methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl chloride, bromides and iodides; dialkyl sulfates like dimethyl, diethyl and dibutyl; and diamyl sulfates or long chain halides such as decyl, lauryl, myristyl and stearyl chlorides, bromides and iodides or aralkyl halides like benzyl and phenethyl bromides and others. Conventional methods of preparing these water or oil-soluble or dispersible salts may be used.
There is further provided in the present invention a pharmaceutical composition for treating renin-associated hypertension and congestive heart failure, comprising a pharmaceutical carrier, optionally with an adjuvant, and a therapeuticaly-effective amount of the peptide of the formula I. The actual amount of active ingredient that may be combined with the carrier materials to produce a single dosage form will vary depending upon the host treated and the particular mode of administration, as determined within the professional competence of the attending physician.
The present invention also encompasses the use of the novel peptide of formula I as a starting material for the preparation of the peptide bond-isostere statine and its benzyl analog, by acid hydrolysis and chromatography.
The inhibitor/statine-starting material of the present invention may be prepared by the aerobic fermentation of a new strain of the microorganism, Streptomyces hygroscopicus (isolated from the forest soil of a small, isolated island of Japan, with a biologically-pure culture of which being maintained as Merck Culture Collection MA6044, deposited under the Budapest Treaty with the American Type Culture Collection, Rockville, Maryland, on June 8, 1987, under Accession No. ATCC 53628), or of other natural or artificial mutants or variants derived by physical or chemical mutagens (such as ultraviolet irradiation or nitrosoguanidine treatment, or recombinat techniques, such as protoplast fusion, plasmid incorporation, gene transfer, and the like) produced or derived from the Streptomyces hygroscopicus culture or of other species of the genus, Streptomyces, capable of producing the desired inhibitor compound.
The cultural characteristics of the producing organism were compared with culture descriptions of other Streptomyces species described in Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, Eighth Edition, 1974, Williams & Wilkens, Baltimore, MD, and the Intenational Streptomyces Project reports: Shirling, E. B.& D. Gottlieb, "Cooperative description of type cultures o f Streptomyces, II. Species description from first study", Intern. J. Syst. Bateriol. (IJSB) 18: 69 189, 1968;"III. Additional species descriptions from first and second studies", IJSB 18: 279 392, 1968;"IV. Species descriptions from the second, third, and fourth studies", IJSB, 19: 391 512, 1969;"V. Additional descriptions", IJSB 22: 265 394, 1972. By this method, the producing organism was identified as a new strain of the known species, Streptomyces hygroscopicus.
The cultural characteristics of this new strain of Streptomyces hygroscopicus (where V=vegetative growth; A=aerial mycelium; and SP=soluble pigment; and all readings were taken after three weeks at 18° C., unless noted otherwise, with the pH of all media approximately neutral [6.8-7.2]) include:
Morphology: Sporophores form short compact spirals clustered along the aerial hyphae, and as the culture ages, these spores coalesce to form large moist clusters.
Yeast extract-malt extract agar (ISP Medium 2)
V: Reverse - grayish-tan
A: Flat, granular, gray mixed with much white, giving speckled salt/pepper appearance, edged with dk gray
SP: None
Oatmeal agar (ISP Medium 3)
V: Reverse - dark gray
A: Flat, granular, dark gray mixed with some white
SP: None
Inorganic salts-starch agar (ISP Medium 4)
V: Reverse - dark gray
A: Flat, granular, dark gray, becoming moist as culture ages
SP: None shows hydrolysis of starch
Glycerol asparagine agar (ISP Medium 5)
V: Reverse - dark gray
A: Med. gray mixed with some white, edged in dark gray, flat, granular
SP: None
Peptone-iron-yeast extract agar (ISP Medium 6)
V: Grayish tan
A: None
SP: None
Melanin: Negative
Tyrosine agar (ISP Medium 7)
V: Reverse - grayish tan
A: Light gray mixed with some white, edged with dark gray
SP: None
Czapek-dox agar
V: Reverse - tan
A: Grayish-white, flat, granular
SP: None
Egg albumin agar
V: Reverse - grayish tan
A: Med. gray mixed with white, edged with dark gray, flat, granular
SP: None
Carbon Utilization
Pridham-Gottlieb basal medium (ISP Medium 9)+1% carbon source; +=growth; ±=growth poor or questionable; -=no growth as compared to negative control (no carbon source)
Glucose: +
Arabinose: +
Cellulose: -
Fructose: +
Inositol: +
Lactose: ±
Maltose: +
Mannitol: +
Mannose: +
Raffinose: +
Rhamnose: -
Sucrose: +
Xylose: +
Temperature range (Yeast extract-dextrose+salts agar)
28° C. - Good growth and sporulation
37° C. - Poor vegatative growth - no aerial hyphi
42° C. - No growth
50° C. - No growth
Oxygen requirements (Stab culture in yeast extractdextrose +salts agar)
Aerobic
The controlled aerobic fermentation of this new strain of Streptomyces hygroscopius is conducted in a suitable nutrient media which contains sources of assimilable carbon (such as from any of a wide variety of carbohydrates, including glucose, fructose, maltose, sucrose, xylose, and the like), especially in the presence of nitrogen sources, including proteinaceous materials (such as yeast hydrolysates, primary yeast, soybean meal, hydrolysates of casein, distillers solubles, cornsteep liquor, tomato paste, amino acids, figs, malts, cottonseed flour, lard water, animal viscera, and the like) and nutrient inorganic salts (such as the customary salts capable of yielding sodium, calcium, potassium, cobalt, manganese, iron, magnesium, ammonium, phosphate, sulfate, chloride, carbonate, and the like) at temperatures ranging from about 24° to 32° C., optimally at about 28° C., in a pH controlled to 6.8-7.4 by the use of suitable organic buffers incorporated into the fermentation medium. Any of a wide variety of media which contain at least carbon and nitrogen sources (preferably in a ratio of nutritional nitrogen sources to nutritional carbon sources of from 1:2 to 2:1, particularly in a ratio of from 0.8 to 1.2), with optional additional nutrients supplied by mineral salts and trace metals, may be used.
The inoculum for the fermentation may come from a small aliquot (seed) of vegetative growth in a seed medium which supports rapid growth of the microorganism or directly from spores, which is then innoculated into a production medium for large scale fermentation under optimum conditions. Usually the maximum yield of the inhibitor is achieved within about 24 to 200 hours, particularly in from 24 to 36 hours, although variations in the medium or in the microorganism will alter the rate of production and/or its yield. The accumulated products of the fermentation may then be separated and recovered from the broth by conventional chromatographic means.
Such a separation might include filtration of the fermentation broth to separate mycelia from liquid supernatant. The supernatant is shaken with an equal volume of a moderately polar, water-immiscible solvent, such as chloroform, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, and the like, and the layers are allowed to settle. The mycelia are stirred vigorously (homogenized) with several volumes of solvents, such as acetone, ethyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, or the like, which will dissolve most of the pepstatin phenyl derivatives located within the mycelia. The combined mycelia and supernatant organic extracts are concentrated to a small volume under reduced pressure. The resultant mass is subjected to a series of solvent partioning and washing steps, using petroleum ether, hexane, ether, methylene chloride, methanol and similar solvents.
Adsorption and partition chromatograhies, gel filtration, reversed-phase liquid chromatography and the like may be used, in conjunction with eluents of proper polarity and solubilizing characteristics to afford the desired pepstatin phenyl derivative.
The novel peptide of the present invention possesses a high degree of activity in treating renin-associated hypertension and congestive heart failure in humans, as well as in other warm-blooded animals, such as mice, rats, horses, dogs, cats, etc.
Therefore, in accordance with the present invention there is still further provided a method of treating renin-associated hypertension and congestive heart failure, comprising administering to a patient in need of such treatment, a therapeutically-effective amount of a peptide of the formula I.
For these purposes, the peptide of the present invention may be administered orally, parenterally (including subcutaneous injections, intravenous, intramuscular, intrasternal injection or infusion techniques), by inhalation spray, or rectally in dosage unit formulations containing conventional non-toxic pharmaceutically-acceptable carriers, excipients, adjuvants and other vehicles.
The pharmaceutical compositions may be in the form of a sterile injectable preparation, for example, as a sterile injectable aqueous or oleagenous suspension. This suspension may be formulated according to the known art using suitable dispersing or wetting agents and suspending agents. The sterile injectable preparation may also be a sterile injectable solution or suspension in a non-toxic parenterally-acceptable diluent or solvent, for example, as a solution in 1,3-butanediol.
Among the acceptable vehicles and solvents that may be employed are water, Ringer's solution and isotonic sodium chloride solution. In addition, sterile, fixed oils are conventionally employed as a solvent or suspending medium. For this purpose any bland fixed oil may be employed including synthetic mono- or diglycerides. In addition, fatty acids such as oleic acid find use in the preparation of injectables.
The peptides of this invention may also be administered in the form of suppositories for rectal administration of the drug. These compositions can be prepared by mixing the drug with a suitable nonirritationg excipient, such as coca butter or polyethylene glycol, which is solid at ordinary temperatures by liquid at the rectal temperature and will therefore melt in the rectum to release the drug.
Dosage levels of the order of 0.1 to 4.0 grams per day parenterally are useful in the treatment of the above indicated conditions, with oral doses three-to-ten times higher. For example, renin-associated hypertension and hyperaldosteronism are effectively treated parenterally by the administration of from 1.0 to 50 milligram of the compound per kilogram of body weight per day. It will be understood, however, that the specific dose level for any particular patient will depend upon a variety of factors, including the activity of the specific compound employed, the age, body weight, general health, sex, diet, time of administration, route of administration, rate of excretion, drug combination and the severity of the particular condition undergoing therapy.
The renin-inhibitory peptides of the present invention may also be utilized as diagnostic methods for the purpose of establishing the significance of renin as a causative of contributory factor in hypertension or congestive heart failure in a particular patient.
Both in vivo and in vitro methods may be employed. In the in vivo method, a novel peptide of the present invention is administered to a patient. in a single dose of from 0.1 to 10 mg per kg of body weight, preferably by intravenous injection, although other routes of parenteral administration are also suitable, at a hypotensive dosage level and as a single dose, and there may result a transitory fall in blood pressure. This fall in blood pressure, if it occurs, then indicates supranormal plasma renin levels.
The following Examples are intended to be representative and not limiting.
EXAMPLE 1
A frozen spore stock of the culture ATCC (Merck Culture Collection MA6044) was prepared by suspending the contents of a lyophilized preparation in 1 ml of sterile distilled water and applying its content to the surface of several BYME agar plates.
______________________________________BYME Agar______________________________________Yeast Extract (Difco) 4.0 g/LMalt Extract (Difco) 10.0 g/LGlucose 4.0 g/L3-N-(Morpholino)-propane-sulfonic 5.8 g/LacidpH 7.2______________________________________
These plates were incubated at 28° C. for 10-14 days, with the resulting spores being harvested and suspended in buffered 0.5% methylcellulose, prior to freezing at -80° C.
A frozen vial containing the spores o f the culture MA6044 was thawed and 0.1 ml of its contents used ot inoculate a 250 ml baffled flask containing 50 ml of KE medium.
______________________________________KE______________________________________Glucose 1.0 g/LDextrin 10.0 g/LBeef Extract 3.0 g/LArdamine pH 5.0 g/LNZ Amine ε 5.0 g/LMgSO.sub.4 ·7H.sub.2 0 0.05 g/LPhosphate Buffer 2.0 mlCaCO.sub.3 0.5 g/LpH 7.0-7.2______________________________________Phosphate Buffer______________________________________K.sub.2 HPO.sub.4 91.0 g/LNa.sub.2 HPO.sub.4 95.0 g/LpH 7.0______________________________________
This seed was incubated at 28° C. for 2 days at 220 rpm.
A 2% seed inoculum was then used to inoculate a 3 L stirred fermentation vessel containing R2 medium
______________________________________R2______________________________________Glucose 19.0 g/LYeast Extract (Difco) 7.0 g/LEdamine (Sheffield) 7.0 g/LAmisoy (Sheffield) 7.0 g/LMalt extract (Difco) 6.0 g/LNaH.sub.2 PO.sub.4 1.4 g/LN--2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N'--2- 13.0 g/Lethanesulfonic acidpH 7.0______________________________________
in which sterile glucose had been added after the medium was sterilized by steam treatment. The vessel was kept at 28° C. and stirred at 500 rpm, with 0.75 L/min air flow for 48 hours, with the remainder of the fermentation period being at 700 rpm, with 1.25 L/min air flow.
The inhibitor prepared according to this procedure demonstrated 97% renin inhibition, at a 1:10 dilution with 50% methanol, within 32 hours; and the titer remained at 91-100% inhibition throughout the remaining incubation period.
EXAMPLE 2
A frozen vial containing the spores of Merck Culture Collection MA6044 was thawed and 0.1 ml of its contents used ot incoculate a 250 ml baffled flask containing 50 ml of R2 medium. This medium was incubated at 28° C. for 4 days at 220 rpm and at the end of the incubation period the broths were placed into a equal volume of methanol and centrifuged prior to assay. All samples were diluted with 50% methanol to determine titer endpoint.
Samples produced according to this procedure exhibited 90% renin inhibition at a 1:4 dilution.
EXAMPLE 3
Forty liters of whole broth were acidified with concentrated hydrochloric acid to pH 2.8 and extracted twice with 12 liters of ethyl acetate. The combined soluble extracts were concentrated in vacuo to dryness, and the residue was washed with hexane and redissolved in methanol.
The methanol solution was again concentrated to dryness and the residue again redissolved in methanol at 102.4 mg/ml then diluted with water to 12.5 ml (pH 2.8) and extracted sequentially with 100 ml of hexane twice, with 100 ml of methylene chloride twice and 100 ml of ethyl acetate three times. The combined ethyl acetate extracts were dried over sodium sulfate, filtered and dried in a vacuum.
The residue was redissolved in methanol to about 50 ml, with 35 mg residue/ml, and the solution was passed through an LH-20 column and the active fraction eluted with 10:1 ethyle acetate/MeOH. This fraction was then pooled and further purified by Zorbax reverse phase C 18 high performance liquid chromatography, with the active fraction from the Zorbx column being eluted with 42.5% acetonitrile/0.2% acetic acid, collected and dried.
The yield of the purified component was 4.6 mg.
Employing low resolution mass spectra and high resolution mass measurements recorded on a Finnigan-MAT212 mass spectrometer in the electron impact mode (EI, 90 eV) and positive Fast Atom Bombardment [(+)FAB] spectra obtained on a MAT731 mass spectrometer, as well as a 1 H-NMR spectrum recorded at room temperature on a Varian XL-400 NMR spectrometer in CD 3 OD, and comparing the resulting spectral data to those of known pepstatins, a compound of Formula I was identified as that purified component.
EXAMPLE 4
The compound of Example 1 was evaluated against renin, employing a solid phase radioimmunoassay adapted and modified from the assay of Ikedo et al., W. of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 54, 423-428, 1982), and pepsin assays as illustrated below:
A. Renin Assay Methodology Ten μl of the test inhibitor/broth extract from Example 1 was mixed with 5 μl of 0.11M phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride and 0.25 ml of 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, containing 0.05% sodium azide and one mg/ml of bovine serum albumin. Twenty μl of 2 μg renin enzyme prepared from hog kidney was added and the mixture was incubated at 37° C. for 20 minutes. The enzyme reaction was initiated by adding 20 μl of substrate solution which was prepared by dissolving 4 mg of angiotensinogen in 4 ml of 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, containing 0.05% sodium azide and 1 mg/ml of BSA.
After 20 minutes incubation at 37° C., the enzyme reaction was stopped by the addition of 100μl of 125 I-angiotension I tracer-pepstatin. A solution which was prepared by mixing 10 μl of 0.5 mg 125 I-angiotensin I containing 200 μl of 16 mg/ml of pepstatin A in dimethyl formamide and eight ml of 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer, pH 7.0, and 0.05% sodium azide. One antibody coated ball was then added to each assay tube and the tube was vortexed and incubated at room temperature for 3 hours. Two ml of water was then added ot each tube and the solution was aspirated, with the tube with the ball being counted in a γ-counter.
The activity of the test compound was calculated based on the standard curve of known amount of angiotensin I.
BN Pepsin Assay Methodology Seventy-five μl of 50% aqueous MeOH extract of the test broths/inhibitor from Example 1, by 0.4 ml of 0.06N HCl and 25 μl of 0.15 μg pepsin was added ot a test tube, mixed and incubated at 37° C. for 10 minutes. The enzyme reaction was initiated by adding 0.5 ml of 14 C-hemoglobin substrate containing 0.2 mg of hemoglobin and 0.003 μg of 14 C-methemoglobin.
After 45 minutes incubation at 37° C., 0.1 ml of 2% hemoglobin in 0.6N HCl was added to the above solution and the enzyme reaction was stopped by adding 0.5 ml of 10% trichloroacetic acid. The tube was mixed and centrifuged for 5 minutes at 500 xg. One ml of supernatant was mixed with 10 ml of scintillation fluid and the radioactivity was counted.
The activity for the test compound was calculated by the percentage of 14 C-hemoglobin being solubilized.
C. Test Results and Analysis The compound of Example 1 shows a dose-related inhibition against both enzymes. The I 50 for the compound of Example 1 in renin was estimated to be 70 ng/ml which is about four times more potent than that of pepstatin A. The I 50 for the compound of Example 1 in pepsin was estimated to be 0.56 ng/ml which is about one-half of the activity of pepstatin A.
Thus, the I 50 ratios of both compounds against renin and pepsin assays are summarized below:
______________________________________ I.sub.50 ratio of renin/pepsin______________________________________Compound of Example 1 125Pepstatin A 1160______________________________________
The I 50 ration of the compound of Example 1 is about ten times better than that of pepstatin A.
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A phenyl derivative of pepstatin A, which is much more potent than pepstatin in inhibiting renin enzyme activity and has significantly greater selectivity for renin over pepsin inhibition than does pepstatin, which is useful in treating hypertension and congestive heart failure.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to tufting machines, and more particularly, to a novel method and apparatus for inserting more tufts into a backing fabric to produce a novel fabric of very high pile density.
In the past it has been known to use an intermittent step-by step feeding mechanism for the feeding of the backing fabric longitudinally through a tufting machine. One such arrangement is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,411,267, but as in other such arrangements the fabric is fed each time the needle bar is raised. Thus, each needle makes one penetration in each lateral or transverse row.
It is also been known to initiate relative lateral movement between the backing fabric and the needles of the machine in order to relatively laterally displace longitudinal rows of stitching and thereby provide patterning effects. Examples of this method are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,411,267, 3,026,830 and 3,301,205. However, when using such relative lateral displacement with a continuous feeding or with the known intermittent step-by-step mechanisms, the gauge of the fabrics, i.e., the spacing between adjacent needle penetrations in each lateral or transverse row, is not different than the gauge or distance between adjacent needles. The density of the finished fabric is related to the gauge of the fabric and this in turn has been limited by the needle gauge.
Two approaches to increasing the density are disclosed in U.S. Sts. Pat. Nos. 3,577,943 and 3,596,617. In the former patent the spacing of the tufts are spaced less than the full needle gauge by shifting the needle plate while maintaining the loops on the loopers and while penetrating the needles into the backing fabric so as to restrain the lateral shifting of the backing fabric while the shifting mechanism continues to shift relative thereto. This machine, however, requires a critical timing of the needles, loopers and shifting mechanism. In the latter patent the needle can be shifted a distance less than its actual gauge by simultaneously shifting the other gauge parts, i.e., the looper and cutting knife, so that the gauge parts remain in registry during relative movement. However, construction of this mechanism was found to be extremely complex.
In all these known prior art attempts to increase the fabric density each needle effects a zig-zag penetration of the backing fabric and thus even though there is a gauge reduction of the finished fabric, the density is not as great as a machine incorporating a smaller needle gauge equal to the transverse spacing of the penetrations. However, it was the space limitations of such a small gauge machine that created the necessity to look to other arrangements in the first place.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To overcome the limitations of the prior art the present invention provides an apparatus and method for producing very dense fabric by a programmed incremental feeding of the backing fabric and thereafter penetrating the backing fabric while it is stationary to deposit at least two laterally spaced series of tufts. Relative lateral movement between the needles and the backing fabric may be initiated between successive needle penetrations in the same transverse row while the backing fabric feed is stationary. When this relative movement is less than the needle gauge not only is the fabric gauge increased, but since there are more tufts formed per transverse row, the density is increased accordingly. Thus, the effect is the same as a machine having a correspondingly smaller needle gauge. For example, a 3/8 inch gauge machine can make 1/8 inch gauge fabric by relatively transverse shifting in three steps of 1/8 inch for each step forward. Each yarn thus forms a substantially open rectangular form on the underside of the backing fabric. Moreover, the inventive concept may be used to produce novel patterning effects by relative lateral shifting between the needles and backing fabric only in selective transverse rows and not shifting of shifting a greater or lesser amount in other transverse rows. This would create a specially unique pattern when various needles are threaded with different color yarn. Furthermore, by penetrating and depositing two or more tufts in selected points of penetration, unique effects are also possible.
It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide a novel method and apparatus for producing a high density tufted fabric.
Another object of this invention is to provide apparatus for controlling a tufting machine to tuft fabric of a gague less than the nominal gauge of the tufting machine.
A further object of this invention is to provide a method of tufting fabric in a multi-needle tufting machine by which more tufts are inserted in each transverse row of the backing fabric than there are needles transversely across the machine.
A yet further object of this invention is to provide a method by which more rows extending in the direction of feed may be produced by a tufting machine than there are needles in the machine transverse to the direction of feed.
A still further object of this invention is to provide a method which can produce more longitudinally rows of tufts in every transverse row of fabric than heretofore possible.
A yet still further object of this invention is to provide a tufted fabric having a plurality of transverse rows extending longitudinally and in which a single strand of yarn forms at least two tufts in each transverse row.
Another object of the invention is to provide apparatus and method in which the needles of a tufting machine deposit a first series of transversely spaced tufts in a backing fabric, thereafter initiate relative lateral movement between the needles and the backing fabric for depositing a second series of transversely spaced tufts laterally spaced from the first series and thereafter either initiating further relative lateral movement between the needles and the backing fabric one or more times to deposit a third or more series of transverse tufts laterally spaced from the first two, or longitudinally feeding a discrete increment of feed lengths, and repeating the operation.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The particular features and advantages of the invention as well as other objects will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a tufting machine embodying the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken through the tufting machine of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of the feed transmission box with the end plate removed;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the tuft forming elements of the machine of FIG. 1 illustrating one form of increased density pattern on the backside of a backing fabric;
FIGS. 5a and 5b are diagrammatic views of the backside of a tufted fabric of the prior art showing the points of penetration and yarn of a single needle of a tufting machine, FIG. 5a illustrating the stitches of a conventional tufting machine while FIG. 5b illustrates the stitching made by a machine in which relative lateral shifting movement between the needles and the backing fabric occur in combination with a continuous feed of the backing fabric; and
FIGS. 6a and 6b are diagrammatic views of two possible needle penetration arrays of only one needle and the yarn inserted thereby in accordance with the teachings of the present invention, FIG. 6a illustrating the effect when there is a first penetration of the needle into the backing fabric to create a first series of tufts, thereafter initiating relative lateral shifting movement between the needles and the backing fabric with no longitudinal feed, penetrating and depositing a second tuft and thereafter feeding the backing fabric a discrete increment of feed length, while FIG. 6b illustrates the stitching effect when there is a second relative lateral shifting between the needles and backing fabric prior to the feeding step.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the accompanying drawings there is illustrated a portion of a frame 11 of a tufting machine incorporating a preferred form of the invention. The frame includes, as illustrated in FIG. 2, a head 12 in which a main drive shaft 14 is journaled laterally thereof. The drive shaft 14 is driven by a motor 16 mounted on the frame and connected thereto by means including belts 18. Mounted on the main drive shaft are a plurality of eccentrics 20, only one of which is shown. Each of the eccentrics is connected by a link 22 to a push rod 24 mounted vertically for endwise sliding in the lower portion of the head 12. The lower ends of push rods 24 are connected to a needle bar 26 which carries a plurality of yarn-carrying needles defining a needle bank substantially aligned laterally of the machine. Thus, upon rotation of the main shaft 14 endwise reciprocation is imparted to the needles 28 for penetrating the backing fabric B and to project loops of yarns therethrough.
The frame 11 also includes a bed 30 having a needle plate 32 including a plurality of fingers 34 seated and secured in grooves in the needle plate 32 and extending in cantilever fashion therefrom toward the free ends which are shown as broken away and cross-sectioned for clarity. Beneath the needle plate 32 there is provided in the bed 30 an oscillatory hook shaft 36 securely carrying a plurality of hooks 38, each of which is adapted to cooperate individually with one of the needles 28 to seize the loop L of yarn presented by the needle and to hold the same as the needle is withdrawn to conventionally form loop pile fabric. To tuft cut pile fabric there may be provided adjacent and parallel to the hook shaft 36 an oscillatory knife shaft 40 carrying a plurality of knife brackets 42 in each of which is secured a knife 44. If it is desirable to manufacture both cut pile and loop pile in the same row of stitching a spring clip, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. of Card, No.3,084,645, may be secured to the looper and biased against the bill of the looper at its free end as taught in said patent.
The backing fabric feeding mechanism includes a conventional pair of feed rolls 46 and 48. The picker feel roll 46 is mounted on a shaft 50 journaled on each end in brackets 52, only one of which is shown, and is driven by a transmission, hereinafter described, within a transmission boy 54 attached to the end of the frame 11 and which in turn is driven by a belt 56 from the main shaft 14. The feed guide roll 48 is driven off the shaft 50 by means of a pair of inter-meshing gears 58 and 60. A pair of front feed rolls, not shown, may be positioned in the front of the machine to guide the backing fabric as it is being pulled through the machine by the rear feed rolls, or may be driven in timed relation with the rear feed rolls by conventional means.
In accordance with the principles of the present invention the feed rolls 46 and 48 are driven in a programmed step-by-step intermittent manner by any one of a number of known drive arrangements, only one of which is now to be described in connection with FIG. 3. Mounted on a stud shaft 62 journaled in the transmission box 54 is a pulley 64 on which the belt 56 is trained so as to drive the same. Also mounted on the stud shaft 62 but within the transmission box 54 is a cam 66 having a plurality of lobes 68 separated by low surfaces 70. Journaled in the transmission box housing 54 is a second stud shaft 72. A follower arm 74 is fixedly secured to the shaft 72 and includes at its free end a journaled follower 76 adapted to ride on the periphery of the cam 66. A pulley 78 is loosely mounted on the shaft 72. Fixed to the shaft 72 is a disk member 80 having one or more slanting notches 82 in which rollers 84 are adapted to loosely rest. A cup shape annular member 86 secured to, or integral with the pulley, and which may include an annular flange 88, confines the rollers within the notches 82. A spring 90 or any other conventional biasing member acts on the follower arm 74 to bias the same against the action of the cam 66 which is rotated continuously. With the direction or rotation of the shaft 62 counterclockwise as illustrated in FIG. 3 the follower 76 is driven downwardly as it is engaged by the leading surface of each lobe 68 of the cam. Thus, the roller 84 is forced into the narrow portion of the notch 82 and is wedged between the annular member 86 and the disk 80 to rrurn the annular member and the pulley 78 in a clockwise direction. The spring 90 acts on the follower arm to pull it upwardly in a counterclockwise direction when the follower 76 has passed the apex of each lobe of the cam. During this motion the roller 84 loosely moves into the wide portion of the notch 82 and does not transmit any motion between the disk 80 and the annular member 86 secured to the pulley 78. An intermittent step-by-step motion comprising drive and no drive intervals is thus transferred from the main drive shaft 14 to the pulley 78. The cam 66 determines the relationship between the rotation of the shaft 14 and the rotation of the pulley 78. The cam 66 may, of course, be selectively interchangeable so that the relation between the drive and no drive portions are possible. A second pulley 92 is fixed to the shaft 50 within the transmission box 54. Trained about both pulley 78 and pulley 92 is a flexible drive member such as a belt 94 which transmits the intermittent motion from the pulley 78 to the picker roll shaft 50 so that the feed rolls are driven in an intermittent step-by-step manner to effect a feed and stop motion to the backing fabric. Thus, the backing fabric can be fed in a stop and go manner according to the program defined by the contour of the cam 66, that is selected.
In order to effect relative lateral shifting movement between the needles and the backing fabric while the backing feed is stationary, the needle plate 32 is illustrated as mounted on the bed for sliding movement laterally of the machine. Other means for effecting this relative lateral shifting movement such as a step over needle bar as illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 3,026,830 or a fabric shifter may be utilized in place of a sliding needle plate. For illustration purposes, however, a sliding needle plate in accordance with the teachings of U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,205 is shown in the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The needle plate 32 is guided by a bar 96 secured to the bed 30 and abutting the edge of the needle plate opposite the edge from which the fingers 34 extend. At one end of the needle plate 32 there is provided an upstanding lug 98 to which is pivotably connected one end of a link 100. The opposite end of the link is pivotably connected to the lower end of a cam follower lever 102 pivotably mounted intermediate its ends at 104 on the head 12. On the upper end of the lever 102 there is a stud 106 which extends into a cam track 108 of a cam 110, which stud thus constitutes a cam follower. The cam 110 is mounted on a shaft 112 journaled on a bracket 114 on the head 12 and is rotated by a worm wheel 116 on the shaft 112. The worm wheel is driven by a worm 118 on the countershaft 120 which in turn is driven by a chain 122 entrained about a sprocket 124 on the countershaft 120 and a sprocket 126 on the main shaft 14 of the machine.
The cam track 108 is formed with concentric or rest portions 128 disposed at varying radii from the axis of the shaft 112 with active portions 130 intermediate of and smoothly connecting the rest portions 128. The cam 110 is timed such that the stud 106 tracks a concentric portion 128 while the needles are down and will track an active portion 130 when the needles are withdrawn. When the stud is in cooperation with the concentric portion 128 no motion is imparted thereto and the needle plate 32 is thus at rest. When the stud 106 is moved by an active portion 130, which is while the needles are withdrawn, the needle plate 32 is shifted laterally to a new position determined by a rest portion 128 which the studs 106 then tracks. The increment of motion imparted to the needle plate 32 by the active portions 130 of the cam track 108 is a multiple of and preferably, to insure responsiveness of mechanism, equal to the spacing between the fingers 34 so that the needles 28 will always descend between the fingers. As disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,205 a presser foot 132 is carried by the head 12 to not only act to prevent the backing fabric B from following the fabric as the needles are withdrawn, but also functions to hold the backing fabric B down on the fingers 34 to hold the pile between the fingers. Thus, the backing fabric B is secured to the needle plate 32 for unitary lateral movement therewith while providing for intermittent longitudinal movement of the fabric relatively to the fingers.
It is to be understood that the cams 66 and 110 are not to be limited to the specific shapes illustrated in the drawings, but may be individually selectively changed to cams of different configurations so as to give various combinations of patterning and density effects to the fabric.
As an illustration of the increase in density capable with the present invention reference may be had to FIGS. 5 and 6. FIG. 5a illustrates the backside of a backing fabric made by a single needle of a conventional tufting machine having no relative lateral shifting movement between the needle and backing fabric and having a continuous feed. FIG. 5b illustrates a similar view in which there is a relative lateral shifting movement of one or less gauge shifts and having a continuous backing fabric feed. It can be seen from the zig-zag penetration pattern of the backing fabric that although there is a gauge reduction in the finished fabric, the density of the product is not as great as a machine having a smaller needle gauge equaled to the transverse spacing of the penetrations. For example, for each ten needle penetrations made by a single needle in a conventional machine FIG. 5a illustrates that there is a single row in the direction of fabric feed A, while in FIG. 5b although penetrations 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are laterally displaced from penetrations 1, 3, 5, 7 and 9 there is still the same number of penetrations made by a single needle in the longitudinal direction of feed. If a machine incorporates a needle gauge equal to the lateral spacing between penetrations 1 and 2, for example, such a machine, would produce a fabric having substantially twice the density as that illustrated in FIG. 5b, since it would have made twice as many penetrations in the same increment of feed.
On the other hand, a fabric produced using the method and apparatus of the present invention can have a density much higher than that previously possible. Two such examples are illsutrated in FIG. 6. FIG. 6a illustrates the backside of the backing fabric when the cams 66 and 110 are selected such that the needle penetrates the backing fabric at two laterally spaced locations while the backing fabric feed is stationary, i.e., relative lateral movement between the needles and the backing fabric is initiated when the needles are raised and there is no longitudinal feed between successive penetrations of the needle through the backing fabric. The feed is thereafter activvated through means, such as disclosed in FIG. 3, to move the backing fabric one discrete increment of feed length, whereupon it is again stopped and the backing fabric is again then penetrated by the needles to form a tuft and lateral shifting movement is thereafter again initiated while the backing fabric feed is stationary. Thus, a single needle, and consequently a single strand of yarn, forms two tufts in each illustrated transverse row. The effect on the density of the finished product is therefore the same as a machine having a needle gauge equivalent to the spacing between for example penetrations 1 and 2. Thus, the density is substantially twice that of the fabric disclosed in FIG. 5b. FIG. 6b illustrates the effect when the cams 66 and 110 are selected so that there are two relative lateral shifting movements between the needles and backing fabric for each discrete increment of feed length. In this case a single strand of yarn deposited by a single needle forms three tufts in each transverse row, with a corresponding increase in the density of fabric produced. It should thus be clear that the present invention provides apparatus and a method for greatly increasing the density of a finished product produced by a tufting machine. It should also be understood that a tufting machine has a great many needles transversely spaced thereacross so that each needle penetration illustrated in FIGS. 6a and 6b represent a series of tufts and not merely a single tuft.
Numerous alterations of the structure and method herein disclosed will suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. For example, many novel patterning effects may be obtained by changing the program placed into the machine by the cams 66 and 110. Only a general idea of the many possibilities are suggested above. It is to be understood that the present disclosure relates to a preferred embodiment of the invention which is for purposes of illustration only and not to be construed as a limitation of the invention. All such modifications which do not depart from the spirit of the invention are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.
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Apparatus and method of making a very dense tufted fabric using a programmed intermittent backing fabric feed in combination with means for changing the relative lateral displacement of the point of needle penetration into the backing fabric. The method in general comprises feeding a backing fabric through the machine, tufting stitches into the backing, stopping the fabric feed and initiating relative lateral displacement between the backing fabric and the needles, tufting additional stitches into the backing fabric and either initiating further relative displacement between the backing fabric and the needles and tufting again or feeding the fabric forward and repeating the process.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/790,731, filed on Apr. 10, 2006. The disclosure of the above application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
The present disclosure relates to power supply circuits, and more particularly to voltage tripler circuits.
BACKGROUND
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it is described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description which may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present disclosure.
Circuits in many electrical and electronic devices can be powered by batteries. Referring now to FIGS. 1A-1B , a battery 10 may output a voltage V dd to a circuit generally called a load 12 . The load 12 may draw varying amounts of current from the battery 10 . The voltage V dd may vary depending on the amount of current drawn by the load 12 . Additionally, V dd may decrease over time as shown by line 20 in FIG. 1B as the battery 10 gets used.
When the load 12 instantaneously draws a large amount of current from the battery 10 , V dd may drop or dip momentarily before returning to a value that is less than or equal to V dd . Momentary drops in V dd are called voltage spikes in V dd . The amount of drop in V dd may be proportional to the amount of current instantaneously drawn by the load 12 .
For example, the drop in V dd may be small (i.e., the voltage spike may be small) as shown at 22 when the amount of current instantaneously drawn is small. On the other hand, the drop in V dd may be large (i.e., the voltage spike may be large) as shown at 24 when the amount of current instantaneously drawn is large.
Thus, voltage spikes in V dd momentarily decrease V dd . When voltage spikes decrease V dd below a threshold voltage V threshold , a reset may be triggered that resets the load 12 as shown at 26 and 28 . Large voltage spikes may trigger the reset even when the battery 10 is relatively new as shown at 26 . On the other hand, small voltage spikes may easily trigger the reset when the battery 10 gets relatively old as shown at 28 . Thus, limiting the drops or voltage spikes in V dd may minimize triggers that reset the load 12 and may increase life of the battery 10 .
SUMMARY
A three-phase voltage tripler comprises first, second, and third capacitive elements and a switching module. The switching module selectively switches connections among the capacitive elements and between the capacitive elements and a reference voltage during first, second, and third periods. The switching module charges the first capacitive element to a first voltage level during the first period, the second capacitive element to a second voltage level during the second period, and the third capacitive element to a third voltage level during the third period. The third voltage level is greater than the second voltage level and the second voltage level is greater than the first voltage level.
In another feature, the first voltage level is approximately equal to the reference voltage, the second voltage level is approximately equal to two times the first voltage level, and the third voltage is approximately equal to three times the first voltage level.
In another feature, the switching module comprises a plurality of switches and a clock module that generates clock signals that selectively control the plurality of switches.
In another feature, the plurality of switches comprise first, second, and third transistors. The first transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the reference voltage, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the first capacitive element. The second transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the second terminal of the first transistor, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the second capacitive element. The third transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the second terminal of the second transistor, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the third capacitive element. The clock module selectively biases the first, second, and third transistors during the first, second, and third periods.
In another feature, substantially the same peak current is drawn during the first, second, and third periods from a source of the reference voltage when the three-phase voltage tripler supplies a predetermined load current.
In another feature, during the first period, a first end of the first capacitive element communicates with the reference voltage and a second end of the first capacitive element communicates with a common voltage.
In another feature, during the second period, the first end of the first capacitive element communicates with a first end of the second capacitive element, the second end of the first capacitive element communicates with the reference voltage, and a second end of the second capacitive element communicates with the common voltage.
In another feature, during the third period, the first end of the second capacitive element communicates with a first end of the third capacitive element, the second end of the second capacitive element communicates with the reference voltage, and a second end of the third capacitive element communicates with the common voltage.
In still other features, a method comprises arranging first, second, and third capacitive elements and selectively switching connections among the capacitive elements and between the capacitive elements and a reference voltage during first, second, and third periods. The method further comprises charging the first capacitive element to a first voltage level during the first period, the second capacitive element to a second voltage level during the second period, and the third capacitive element to a third voltage level during the third period. The third voltage level is greater than the second voltage level and the second voltage level is greater than the first voltage level.
In another feature, the first voltage level is approximately equal to the reference voltage, the second voltage level is approximately equal to two times the first voltage level, and the third voltage is approximately equal to three times the first voltage level.
In another feature, the method further comprises arranging a plurality of switches, generating clock signals that selectively control the plurality of switches, and communicating among the capacitive elements, the switches, and the reference voltage based on the clock signals.
In another feature, the method further comprises including first, second, and third transistors in the switches, wherein each of the transistors has first, second, and control terminals. The method further comprises communicating between the first terminal of the first transistor and the reference voltage and communicating between the second terminal of the first transistor and a first end of the first capacitive element. The method further comprises communicating between the first terminal of the second transistor and the second terminal of the first transistor and communicating between the second terminal of the second transistor and a first end of the second capacitive element. The method further comprises communicating between the first terminal of the third transistor and the second terminal of the second transistor and communicating between the second terminal of the third transistor and a first end of the third capacitive element. The method further comprises communicating the clock signals to the control terminals of the transistors and selectively biasing the transistors during the first, second, and third periods.
In another feature, the method further comprises drawing substantially the same peak current during the first, second, and third periods from a source of the reference voltage when supplying a predetermined load current.
In another feature, the method further comprises communicating during the first period between a first end of the first capacitive element and the reference voltage, and between a second end of the first capacitive element and a common voltage.
In another feature, the method further comprises communicating during the second period between the first end of the first capacitive element and a first end of the second capacitive element, between the second end of the first capacitive element and the reference voltage, and between a second end of the second capacitive element and the common voltage.
In another feature, the method further comprises communicating during the third period between the first end of the second capacitive element and a first end of the third capacitive element, between the second end of the second capacitive element and the reference voltage, and between a second end of the third capacitive element and the common voltage.
In still other features, a three-phase voltage tripler comprises first, second, and third capacitive means for providing capacitance and switching means for selectively switching connections among the capacitive means and between the capacitive means and a reference voltage during first, second, and third periods. The switching means charges the first capacitive means to a first voltage level during the first period, the second capacitive means to a second voltage level during the second period, and the third capacitive means to a third voltage level during the third period. The third voltage level is greater than the second voltage level and the second voltage level is greater than the first voltage level.
In another feature, the first voltage level is approximately equal to the reference voltage, the second voltage level is approximately equal to two times the first voltage level, and the third voltage is approximately equal to three times the first voltage level.
In another feature, the switching means comprises a plurality of switches and clock means for generating clock signals that selectively control the plurality of switches.
In another feature, the plurality of switches comprise first, second, and third transistors. The first transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the reference voltage, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the first capacitive means. The second transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the second terminal of the first transistor, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the second capacitive means. The third transistor has a first terminal that communicates with the second terminal of the second transistor, a control terminal, and a second terminal that communicates with a first end of the third capacitive means. The clock means selectively biases the first, second, and third transistors during the first, second, and third periods.
In another feature, substantially the same peak current is drawn during the first, second, and third periods from a source of the reference voltage when the three-phase voltage tripler supplies a predetermined load current.
In another feature, during the first period, a first end of the first capacitive means communicates with the reference voltage and a second end of the first capacitive means communicates with a common voltage.
In another feature, during the second period, the first end of the first capacitive means communicates with a first end of the second capacitive means, the second end of the first capacitive means communicates with the reference voltage, and a second end of the second capacitive means communicates with the common voltage.
In another feature, during the third period, the first end of the second capacitive means communicates with a first end of the third capacitive means, the second end of the second capacitive means communicates with the reference voltage, and a second end of the third capacitive means communicates with the common voltage.
Further areas of applicability of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the disclosure, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The present disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1A is a functional block diagram of a battery-operated circuit according to the prior art;
FIG. 1B is a graph of output voltage of a battery relative to time showing voltage spikes generated by peak current drawn by a load according to the prior art;
FIG. 2A is a functional block diagram of a two-phase voltage tripler;
FIG. 2B is a schematic of a two-phase voltage tripler;
FIG. 2C is a schematic of the two-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 2B operating in charging phase;
FIG. 2D is a schematic of the two-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 2B operating in transfer phase;
FIG. 2E is a graph of supply current drawn by the two-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 2B relative to time in charging and transfer phases while maintaining a substantially constant load current;
FIG. 3A is a functional block diagram of a three-phase voltage tripler according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 3B is a schematic of a three-phase voltage tripler according to the present disclosure;
FIG. 3C is a schematic of the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B operating in charging phase;
FIG. 3D is a schematic of the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B operating in transfer phase;
FIG. 3E is a schematic of the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B operating in pumping phase;
FIG. 3F is a graph of supply current drawn by the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B relative to time in charging, transfer, and pumping phases while maintaining a substantially constant load current;
FIG. 4 is a graph of supply current drawn by the two-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 2B and by the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B relative to time while maintaining a substantially constant load current;
FIG. 5A is a schematic of an exemplary implementation of the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B ;
FIG. 5B is a timing diagram of various clock signals generated by a clock generator module to implement the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B ;
FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for implementing the three-phase voltage tripler of FIG. 3B ;
FIG. 7A is a functional block diagram of a hard disk drive;
FIG. 7B is a functional block diagram of a digital versatile disk (DVD);
FIG. 7C is a functional block diagram of a high definition television;
FIG. 7D is a functional block diagram of a vehicle control system;
FIG. 7E is a functional block diagram of a cellular phone;
FIG. 7F is a functional block diagram of a set top box; and
FIG. 7G is a functional block diagram of a media player.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The following description is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the disclosure, its application, or uses. For purposes of clarity, the same reference numbers will be used in the drawings to identify similar elements. As used herein, the term module, circuit and/or device refers to an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and memory that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. As used herein, the phrase at least one of A, B, and C should be construed to mean a logical (A or B or C), using a non-exclusive logical or. It should be understood that steps within a method may be executed in different order without altering the principles of the present disclosure.
Voltage triplers are circuits that triple an output voltage of a voltage source. Referring now to FIGS. 2A-2E , a two-phase voltage tripler (tripler) 50 triples an output voltage V dd of a battery 10 as shown in FIG. 2A . The tripler 50 outputs a voltage equal to 3V dd to a load 12 . The output voltage V dd of the battery 10 is the supply voltage of the tripler 50 .
The tripler 50 comprises two input capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 , a storage capacitor C pump , and seven switches S 1 through S 7 as shown in FIG. 2B . The tripler 50 operates in cycles. Each cycle comprises two phases: a charging phase and a charge transfer phase (i.e., a transfer phase). In the charging phase, switches S 1 through S 4 are closed, and switches S 5 through S 7 are open. The tripler 50 operates as shown in FIG. 2C . Specifically, capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 are connected in parallel to V dd . Both CP 1 and CP 2 charge to V dd .
In the transfer phase, switches S 1 through S 4 are opened and switches S 5 through S 7 are closed as shown in FIG. 2D . Specifically, capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 are connected in series. Charges stored in CP 1 and CP 2 in the charging phase are transferred to the storage capacitor C pump . Additionally, one end of CP 1 , which was connected to a common voltage in the charging phase, is now connected to V dd . Thus, the voltage at a second end of CP 1 , which is connected to CP 2 , is 2V dd , and V pump =3V dd .
Let I o denote a load current drawn by the load 12 from the battery 10 . To maintain the load current substantially constant at I o , the tripler 50 transfers an average charge equal to 3*I o *(2t) from V dd to V pump in each cycle as shown at 30 in FIG. 2E , where 2t is a period of one cycle, and t is a period of one phase.
Specifically, the charge transferred in the charging phase from V dd to each of CP 1 and CP 2 is equal to 2*I o *(t), where t is a period of the charging phase. In the transfer phase, an additional charge equal to 2*I o *(t) is transferred from V dd to CP 1 , where t is the period of the transfer phase.
If a current equal to 2I o is used to charge each of CP 1 and CP 2 in the charging phase, a supply current drawn by the tripler 50 from the battery 10 in the charging phase is equal to 2I o +2I o =4I o . Additionally, a supply current equal to 2I o is drawn by the tripler 50 from the battery 10 to charge CP 1 in the transfer phase. Thus, a total supply current equal to 3I o is drawn from the battery 10 in one cycle of the tripler 50 to maintain the load current substantially constant at I o .
A peak current I pk is an instantaneous value of the supply current drawn by the tripler 50 from the battery 10 at the beginning of each phase. I pk is mathematically obtained as follows. For the charging phase, (½)*I pk *(t)=2*I o *(2t) gives I pk =8I o . Similarly, for the transfer phase, (½)*I pk *(t)=I o *(2t) gives I pk =4I o . The supply current is in fact exponential. However, a linear approximation of the supply current is shown for illustrative purposes at 40 in FIG. 2E .
Thus, to supply a substantially constant load current I o , the tripler 50 instantaneously draws I pk =8*I o , in the charging phase and I pk =4*I o in the transfer phase from the battery 10 . The inequality in I pk may generate voltage spikes of different amplitudes in the supply voltage of the tripler 50 although an average supply current drawn by the tripler 50 from the battery 10 during each cycle does not change.
The present disclosure discloses a three-phase voltage tripler that draws a substantially equal peak current in each phase and that draws a lower peak current in each phase than the two-phase voltage tripler 50 . Consequently, voltage spikes in a supply voltage of the three-phase voltage tripler are substantially uniform in each cycle. Additionally, an amplitude of the voltage spikes in the supply of the three-phase voltage tripler is less than the amplitude of the voltage spikes in the supply of the two-phase voltage tripler 50 .
Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3F , a three-phase voltage tripler (voltage tripler) 100 triples an output voltage of a power supply. For example, the voltage tripler 100 may be used to triple an output voltage V dd of a battery 10 as shown in FIG. 3A . The voltage tripler 100 , in turn, outputs a voltage equal to 3V dd to a load 12 . The output voltage V dd of the battery 10 is the supply voltage of the voltage tripler 100 .
The voltage tripler 100 comprises two input capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 , a storage capacitor C pump , and seven switches S 1 through S 7 as shown in FIG. 3B . The voltage tripler 100 operates in continuous cycles. Each cycle comprises three phases: a charging phase, a charge transfer phase (i.e., a transfer phase), and a pumping phase. CP 1 is charged in the charging phase, and CP 2 is charged in the transfer phase as follows.
In the charging phase, switches S 1 and S 2 are closed, and switches S 3 through S 7 are open. The capacitor CP 1 charges to V dd as shown in FIG. 3C . In the transfer phase, switches S 1 and S 2 are opened, and switches S 3 through S 5 are closed while switches S 6 and S 7 are still open. Capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 are connected in series as shown in FIG. 3D . Charge stored in CP 1 in the charging phase is transferred from CP 1 to CP 2 . Additionally, one end of CP 1 , which was connected to a common voltage in the charging phase, is now connected to V dd . Thus, both CP 1 and CP 2 charge to 2V dd .
In the pumping phase, switches S 3 through S 5 are opened, and switches S 6 and S 7 are closed while switches S 1 and S 2 are still open. The voltage tripler 100 operates as shown in FIG. 3E . Charge stored in CP 2 in the transfer phase is transferred to the storage capacitor C pump . Additionally, one end of CP 2 , which was connected to the common voltage in the transfer phase, is now connected to V dd . Thus, V pump =3*V dd .
Let I o denote a load current drawn by the load 12 from the battery 10 . To maintain the load current substantially constant at I o , the voltage tripler 100 transfers an average charge equal to 3*I O *(3t) from V dd to V pump in each cycle as shown at 130 in FIG. 3F , where 3t is a period of one cycle, and t is a period of one phase.
Specifically, the charge transferred in the charging phase from V dd to CP 1 is equal to 3*I o *(t), where t is a period of the charging phase. In the transfer phase, an additional charge equal to 3*I o *(t) is transferred from V dd to CP 2 , where t is the period of the transfer phase. Finally, in the pumping phase, an additional charge equal to 3*I o *(t) is transferred from V dd to C pump . Thus, V pump =3*V dd .
If a current equal to 3I o is used to charge each of CP 1 , CP 2 , and C pump in the respective phases, a supply current drawn by the voltage tripler 100 from the battery 10 in each of the three phases is substantially equal to 3I o . Consequently, an instantaneous value of the supply current or a peak current I pk drawn by the voltage tripler 100 from the battery 10 at the beginning of each phase is also equal in each of the three phases.
I pk is mathematically obtained as follows. For each phase, (½)*I pk *(t)=3*I o *(t) gives I pk =6I o . Thus, to supply a substantially constant load current I o , the voltage tripler 100 instantaneously draws I pk =6I o in each phase from the battery 10 . The supply current is in fact exponential. However, a linear approximation of the supply current is shown for illustrative purposes at 140 in FIG. 3F .
Referring now to FIG. 4 , to supply a substantially constant load current I o , the three-phase voltage tripler 100 draws less peak current from the battery 10 than the two-phase voltage tripler 50 . Additionally, unlike the two-phase voltage tripler 50 , which draws unequal peak currents in charging and transfer phases, the three-phase voltage tripler 100 draws substantially equal peak current in each phase.
Consequently, the supply voltage of the three-phase voltage tripler 100 may have lower voltage spikes than the supply voltage of the two-phase voltage tripler 50 . Additionally, the voltage spikes in the output voltage of the three-phase voltage tripler 100 may be substantially uniform. Thus, the battery 10 may last longer when the three-phase voltage tripler 100 is used than when the two-phase voltage tripler 50 is used. Finally, input decoupling capacitors used in the three-phase voltage tripler 100 may be smaller than the input decoupling capacitors used in the two-phase voltage tripler 50 for the same ripple in the supply voltage.
Referring now to FIGS. 5A-5B , an exemplary voltage tripler circuit 150 that implements the three-phase voltage tripler 100 comprises a clock module 152 , three PMOS transistors (switches) M 1 , M 2 , and M 3 , and three capacitors CP 1 , CP 2 , and C pump . Although PMOS transistors are shown, NMOS transistors or other components capable of performing a switching operation may be used instead.
The clock module 152 generates clock signals that synchronize switching of transistors M 1 , M 2 , and M 3 and charging of capacitors CP 1 , CP 2 , and C pump as shown in FIG. 5B . That is, the clock signals sequence the charging, transition, and pumping phases of the voltage tripler circuit 150 as shown in FIG. 5B . The sequence of the charging phase and the transfer phase may be exchangeable.
Specifically, the clock module 152 generates three clock signals clk-a, clk-b, and clk-c that bias the three PMOS switches M 1 , M 2 , and M 3 , respectively. The three PMOS switches M 1 , M 2 , and M 3 open and close at times determined by the three clock signals clk-a, clk-b, and clk-c, respectively. Additionally, the clock module 152 generates clock signals clk- 1 and clk- 2 that bias input capacitors CP 1 and CP 2 as shown in FIG. 5B .
In the charging phase, clk-a biases M 1 to saturation. That is, switch M 1 is closed. Thus, a first plate of CP 1 is connected to V dd . clk-b and clk-c do not bias M 2 and M 3 to saturation, respectively. That is, switches M 2 and M 3 are open. Thus, CP 2 and C pump do not communicate with CP 1 and/or V dd . clk- 1 and clk- 2 bias second plates of CP 1 and CP 2 to a common voltage, respectively. Thus, at the end of the charging phase, the first plate of CP 1 is charged to V dd while the second plate of CP 1 is held at the common voltage by clk- 1 .
In the transfer phase, clk-a biases M 1 out of saturation. That is, switch M 1 is opened. Thus, V dd is not connected to the first plate of CP 1 . clk-b biases M 2 to saturation. That is, switch M 2 is closed. Thus, the first plate of CP 1 is connected to a first plate of CP 2 . Charge stored in CP 1 is transferred to CP 2 . Additionally, clk- 1 biases the second plate of CP 1 to V dd while clk- 2 still holds the second plate of CP 2 at the common voltage. Thus, the first plate of CP 2 is charged to 2V dd at the end of the transfer phase. Since clk-c still does not bias M 3 to saturation (i.e., since switch M 3 is still open), C pump is not yet connected to CP 2 , CP 1 , or V dd .
In the pumping phase, clk-c biases M 3 to saturation. That is, switch M 3 is closed. clk-b biases M 2 out of saturation (i.e., switch M 2 is opened) while clk-a still keeps M 1 out of saturation (i.e., switch M 1 is still open). Thus, the first plate of CP 2 is connected to the first plate of C pump . Charge stored in CP 2 is transferred to C pump . Additionally, clk- 2 biases the second plate of CP 2 to V dd . Thus, the first plate of C pump is charged to 3V dd at the end of the pumping phase, and V pump =3V dd . That is, V pump or an output voltage of the voltage tripler circuit 150 equals three times the output voltage V dd of a power supply or a battery 10 .
Referring now to FIG. 6 , a method 200 for reducing and regulating voltage spikes in a three-phase voltage tripler 100 begins at step 202 . A first end of a first input capacitor CP 1 is connected to a supply voltage V dd of a power source such as a battery 10 and a second end of CP 1 is connected to a common node in a charging phase in step 204 . Whether the first end of CP 1 is charged to V dd is determined in step 206 . Step 206 is repeated until charging time is reached.
When the first end of CP 1 is charged to V dd , the first end of CP 1 is disconnected from V dd and is connected to a first end of a second input capacitor CP 2 , and the charge is transferred from the first end of CP 1 to the first end of CP 2 in a transfer phase in step 208 . The second end of CP 1 is disconnected from the common node and is connected to V dd , and a second end of CP 2 is connected to the common node during the transfer phase in step 210 .
Whether the first end of CP 2 is charged to 2V dd is determined in step 212 . Step 212 is repeated until transfer time is reached. When the first end of CP 2 is charged to 2V dd , the first end of CP 2 is disconnected from the first end of CP 1 and is connected to C pump , and the charge is transferred from the first end of CP 2 to C pump in a pumping phase in step 214 . The second end of CP 2 is disconnected from the common node and is connected to V dd in step 216 . Whether C pump is charged to 3V dd is determined in step 218 . Step 218 is repeated until pumping time is reached. Once C pump is charged to 3V dd , the method 200 ends, and steps 204 through 218 are repeated.
Referring now to FIGS. 7A-7G , various exemplary implementations of the three-phase voltage tripler 100 including the voltage tripler circuit 150 (hereinafter collectively referred to as the three-phase voltage tripler) are shown. Referring now to FIG. 7A , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 403 of a hard disk drive 400 . In some implementations, a signal processing and/or control circuit 402 and/or other circuits (not shown) in the HDD 400 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, and/or format data that is output to and/or received from a magnetic storage medium 406 .
The HDD 400 may communicate with a host device (not shown) such as a computer, mobile computing devices such as personal digital assistants, cellular phones, media or MP3 players and the like, and/or other devices via one or more wired or wireless communication links 408 . The HDD 400 may be connected to memory 409 such as random access memory (RAM), low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory, read only memory (ROM) and/or other suitable electronic data storage.
Referring now to FIG. 7B , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 413 of a digital versatile disc (DVD) drive 410 . In some implementations, a signal processing and/or control circuit 412 and/or other circuits (not shown) in the DVD 410 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, and/or format data that is read from and/or data written to an optical storage medium 416 . The signal processing and/or control circuit 412 and/or other circuits (not shown) in the DVD 410 may also perform other functions such as encoding and/or decoding and/or any other signal processing functions associated with a DVD drive.
The DVD drive 410 may communicate with an output device (not shown) such as a computer, television or other device via one or more wired or wireless communication links 417 . The DVD 410 may communicate with mass data storage 418 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner. The mass data storage 418 may include a hard disk drive (HDD). The HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″. The DVD 410 may be connected to memory 419 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage.
Referring now to FIG. 7C , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 423 of a high definition television (HDTV) 420 . The HDTV 420 receives HDTV input signals in either a wired or wireless format and generates HDTV output signals for a display 426 . In some implementations, signal processing circuit and/or control circuit 422 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the HDTV 420 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other type of HDTV processing that may be required.
The HDTV 420 may communicate with mass data storage 427 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner such as optical and/or magnetic storage devices. At least one HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A and/or at least one DVD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7B . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″The HDTV 420 may be connected to memory 428 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The HDTV 420 also may support connections with a WLAN via a WLAN network interface 429 .
Referring now to FIG. 7D , the three-phase voltage tripler may be implemented in a power supply 433 of a control system of a vehicle 430 . In some implementations, a powertrain control system 432 receives inputs from one or more sensors such as temperature sensors, pressure sensors, rotational sensors, airflow sensors and/or any other suitable sensors and/or that generates one or more output control signals such as engine operating parameters, transmission operating parameters, and/or other control signals.
A control system 440 may likewise receive signals from input sensors 442 and/or output control signals to one or more output devices 444 . In some implementations, the control system 440 may be part of an anti-lock braking system (ABS), a navigation system, a telematics system, a vehicle telematics system, a lane departure system, an adaptive cruise control system, a vehicle entertainment system such as a stereo, DVD, compact disc and the like. Still other implementations are contemplated.
The powertrain control system 432 may communicate with mass data storage 446 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner. The mass data storage 446 may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices for example hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. At least one HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A and/or at least one DVD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7B . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″.
The powertrain control system 432 may be connected to memory 447 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The powertrain control system 432 also may support connections with a WLAN via a WLAN network interface 448 . The control system 440 may also include mass data storage, memory and/or a WLAN interface (all not shown).
Referring now to FIG. 7E , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 453 of a cellular phone 450 that may include a cellular antenna 451 . In some implementations, the cellular phone 450 includes a microphone 456 , an audio output 458 such as a speaker and/or audio output jack, a display 460 and/or an input device 462 such as a keypad, pointing device, voice actuation and/or other input device. Signal processing and/or control circuits 452 and/or other circuits (not shown) in the cellular phone 450 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform other cellular phone functions.
The cellular phone 450 may communicate with mass data storage 464 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner such as optical and/or magnetic storage devices for example hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. At least one HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A and/or at least one DVD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7B . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″The cellular phone 450 may be connected to memory 466 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The cellular phone 450 also may support connections with a WLAN via a WLAN network interface 468 .
Referring now to FIG. 7F , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 483 of a set top box 480 . The set top box 480 receives signals from a source such as a broadband source and outputs standard and/or high definition audio/video signals suitable for a display 488 such as a television and/or monitor and/or other video and/or audio output devices. Signal processing and/or control circuits 484 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the set top box 480 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other set top box function.
The set top box 480 may communicate with mass data storage 490 that stores data in a nonvolatile manner. The mass data storage 490 may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices for example hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. At least one HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A and/or at least one DVD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7B . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″The set top box 480 may be connected to memory 494 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The set top box 480 also may support connections with a WLAN via a WLAN network interface 496 .
Referring now to FIG. 7G , the three-phase voltage tripler can be implemented in a power supply 503 of a media player 500 . In some implementations, the media player 500 includes a display 507 and/or a user input 508 such as a keypad, touchpad and the like. In some implementations, the media player 500 may employ a graphical user interface (GUI) that typically employs menus, drop down menus, icons and/or a point-and-click interface via the display 507 and/or user input 508 . The media player 500 further includes an audio output 509 such as a speaker and/or audio output jack. The signal processing and/or control circuits 504 and/or other circuits (not shown) of the media player 500 may process data, perform coding and/or encryption, perform calculations, format data and/or perform any other media player function.
The media player 500 may communicate with mass data storage 510 that stores data such as compressed audio and/or video content in a nonvolatile manner. In some implementations, the compressed audio files include files that are compliant with MP3 format or other suitable compressed audio and/or video formats. The mass data storage may include optical and/or magnetic storage devices for example hard disk drives HDD and/or DVDs. At least one HDD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7A and/or at least one DVD may have the configuration shown in FIG. 7B . The HDD may be a mini HDD that includes one or more platters having a diameter that is smaller than approximately 1.8″.
The media player 500 may be connected to memory 514 such as RAM, ROM, low latency nonvolatile memory such as flash memory and/or other suitable electronic data storage. The media player 500 also may support connections with a WLAN via a WLAN network interface 516 . Still other implementations in addition to those described above are contemplated.
Those skilled in the art can now appreciate from the foregoing description that the broad teachings of the disclosure can be implemented in a variety of forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes particular examples, the true scope of the disclosure should not be so limited since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon a study of the drawings, the specification and the following claims.
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A three-phase voltage tripler includes first, second, and third capacitive elements and a switching module. The switching module selectively switches connections among the capacitive elements and between the capacitive elements and a reference voltage during first, second, and third periods. The switching module charges the first capacitive element to a first voltage level during the first period, the second capacitive element to a second voltage level during the second period, and the third capacitive element to a third voltage level during the third period. The third voltage level is greater than the second voltage level and the second voltage level is greater than the first voltage level.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a device for mixing powder. Further, the present invention relates to a process for producing a toner for developing electrostatic images in the image forming methods such as electrophotography, electrostatic recording, electrostatic printing and the like.
2. Related Background Art
As the powder mixing device, there have been known such mixers as the vessel rotation type mixer, the vessel fixed type mixer, the fluidized type mixer and the like.
The vessel rotation type mixer rotates a cylindrical or V-shaped vessel as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6. These devices are batchwise and hence continuous treatment is substantially impossible. Further, mixing of powder particles forming a relatively hard agglomerated mass cannot easily effect disintegration. If there is great difference in physical properties in powder starting materials, there is involved a problem that no good final mixed state can be expected. For solving the above problems, there has been made a contrivance to mount a compulsory stirring blade or a baffle in a mixer, but the above problems have not yet been sufficiently solved.
As the vessel fixed type mixer, there are a mixer of the structure in which a stirring screw in which the stirring blade undergoes planetary movement (revolution) within the vessel by rotation of its supporting implement while under rotation (rotation on its own axis) as shown in FIG. 7 or a mixer in which powder is fluidized in a mixing tank by high speed rotation of the blade at the lower part of the mixing tank to effect mixing as shown in FIG. 8.
With the mixer of the construction as shown in FIG. 7, it is difficult to disintegrate an agglomerated mass formed of fine particles.
The device shown in FIG. 8 is a Henschel mixer, and although it is possible to loosen an agglomerated mass to some extent by means of a blade under high speed rotation by the device, but if it is desired to effect sufficient integration, running for a long time is required. In that case, powder generates heat through collision mutually between particles, whereby there is a fear that they may be denatured. With these devices, uniform dispersion is obtained with difficulty, unless an amount is thrown in a certain amount of volume and mixing for a long time of several minutes to several hours is performed. In that case, because the mixing time is long and also the dust concentration is high, there ensues the problem that the particles once dispersed are agglomerated again. Reagglomeration tendency is more marked as the particle size is finer and/or the chargeability of powder is stronger.
Since the mixing device of the system as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 is batch system, continuous treatment is impossible. Further, it is difficult to perform uniform mixing in all the regions of the mixing vessel.
For example, as the powder, there is a toner for developing the electrostatic image formed by electrophotography.
As the electrophotographic method, there have been known a large number of methods as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,297,691, Japanese Patent Publications Nos. 42-23910 and 43-24748. Generally speaking, these are methods in which a photoconductive substance is utilized, an electrical latent image is formed on a photosensitive member by various means, subsequently the latent image is developed by use of a toner and the toner image is transferred onto a transfer material such as paper if necessary, followed by fixing by heating, pressure, hot pressure or solvent vapor to obtain a fixed toner image.
The toner to be used in these methods is triboelectrically charged to positive or negative corresponding to the polarity of the electrostatic latent image to be developed.
As the toner to be used in these developing methods, there can be included a pulverized toner obtained by kneading, pulverizing and if necessary, classifying a mixture comprising at least a binder resin and a colorant, a toner obtained by the polymerization method, or a capsule toner.
As the charging method of toner, there may be included (1) the charge injection method in which charges are injected into a toner which is made electroconductive, (2) the dielectric polarization method utilizing dielectric polarization under electrical field, (3) the ion stream charging method in which a shower of charged ions is poured on the particles by such means as corona charger, (4) the frictional charging method in which a toner is rubbed with a material at the position different in triboelectric charging series from the toner. Among them, in the charge injection method, it is difficult to transfer a toner image onto a material to be fixed such as paper from the latent image surface, because the toner is electroconductive. In the dielectric polarization, it is very difficult to produce sufficiently great charges.
On the other hand, according to the charging method by an ion charger, technical difficulty is involved in exposing a toner uniformly to ion stream, whereby it is extremely difficult to control the charging amount with good reproducibility.
The triboelectric charging method uses electrically insulating toner particles, can impart sufficient charging amount to the toner and also has reproducibility, and hence has been presently used widely. However, since the triboelectric charges are in proportion to the frictional work amount, it is difficult to make the frictional work amount of toner particles always at a constant level in the practical development, whereby excess or shortage of charges may occur, or influence from environmental conditions, particularly humidity, may be exerted.
Toner may be attached on the carrier which is in contact with the toner and imparts triboelectric charges to the toner and/or the surface of the sleeve of developing instrument, and through gradual increase of the toner attached, the triboelectric characteristic values of the carrier and the sleeve are caused to be change. As the result, there is also a tendency that deterioration phenomenon of copy image quality occurs when a large number of copies are taken.
As the means for solving this problem, it has been proposed to add fine particulate powdery colloidal silica alone or together with another functional material into a developing agent. For example, there are Japanese Patent Publication No. 54-16219 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 3,720,617) and Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 55-120041 and 53-81127. Even silica itself has been improved with an aim to control hydrophobicity or chargeability as shown in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 58-60754, 58-186751 and 59-200252 (corresponding to U.S. Pat. No. 4,568,625).
However, as the method for adding these, mere addition, or, mixing with stirring blades of a mixer such as Henschel mixer as shown in FIG. 8 or Papenmeier at a circumferential speed of several m/sec. to 40 m/sec. has been generally practiced. In Henschel mixer, through the rotation of the blades fixed on the rotation axis at the central portion, the colored particles and an additive such as silica are dispersed, whereby a part of the additive is attached electrostatically onto the surface of colored particles, and further a part exists under free state to contribute to the flowability of the colored particles. However, according to this method, the circumferential speed is greatly different at the vicinity of the rotary axis portion at the central portion from that of the tip of the stirring blade, and also since there is no blade-like member at the rotary axis portion, the stirring force and dispersing force will differ partially internally of the device to give readily nonuniform dispersed state. For this reason, irregularity occurs in the state of silica attached onto the colored particle surface, and also color particles (toner particles) attached with poorly dispersed silica are formed. Such silica will be readily freed from the colored particles. The freed silica is liable to be consumed by copying to reduce the amount of silica in the developing instrument, thereby causing lowering in the flowability of colored particles or lowering in the image density, and also the freed silica agglomerated may also cause increase of fog.
In a mixer of the structure such as Henschel mixer, mixing is effected batchwise, and hence the dust concentration during mixing is high, and if uniform dispersion is intended to be effected, it will generally take a long time of several minutes to several 10 minutes. For this reason, the particles once dispersed are susceptible to reagglomeration, whereby heat generation is liable to occur by mutual friction of the particles and friction of particles with blades to form a fused product. When the agglomerated body or fused product formed is mixed into the toner as the final product, lowering in the toner quality will be caused to occur.
On the other hand, there has been also known for long time the thought of securing powdery silica onto the surface of colored particles. One method is to add powdery silica together with a binder for the colored particles, colorant, charge controller, etc., melting and kneading the mixture, cooling the kneaded product, followed by pulverization and, if necessary classification, to form a toner. However, when a toner is produced according to this method, silica exists on the toner surface and in the vicinity thereof, and for obtaining sufficient effect, a large amount of silica must be added during melting and kneading. This is not only accompanied with considerable difficulty in production, but also may be a cause in lowering of fixability, which is particularly conspicuous in thermal fixing toner. According to such method, since the ammount of silica existing on the toner surface is small, the improvement of such problems in image quality cannot be said to be sufficient, although some improvement can be seen. As to addition of silica into toner, examples are shown in Japanese Patent Publication No. 44-18995, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 51-81623 and 56-1946.
As the means for dispersing silica onto the surface of colored particles, there is a method in which colored particles and silica powder are added, mixed and heated to the softening point or higher to secure the powder onto the surface of the particles, as exemplified by Japanese Patent Application Laid-open Nos. 54-2741 and 57-125943. However, according to this method, there is a danger that fusion of colored particles may be caused to occur.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a device for dispersing sufficiently and mixing uniformly two or more kinds of powder.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a powder mixing device capable of continuous operation.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a device which mixes efficiently and uniformly two or more kinds of powder with average particle size of 100 μm or less.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing a toner which has solved the problems as described above.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a process for producing efficiently a toner for electrostatic image development of good quality.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a continuous mixing device for mixing continuously powder, comprising a casing having a mixing chamber inside of the device, a rotary shaft included within said casing, a rotatable stirring blade axially supported with said rotary shaft, and a fixed blade fixed inside of said casing, wherein said stirring blades and fixed blades are provided in plural numbers.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a process for producing a toner composition for developing electrostatic latent images, comprising introducing colored particles having at least a binder resin and a colorant, and a powdery additive into a continuous mixing device, said continuous mixing device comprising a casing having a mixing chamber inside of the device, rotary shaft included within said casing, a rotatable stirring blade axially supported with said rotary shaft, and a fixed blade fixed inside of said casing, wherein said stirring blades and fixed blades are provided in plural numbers; and mixing the colored particles and the powdery additive to obtain a toner composition.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a schematic sectional view of an example of the continuous mixing device of the present invention, FIG. 1B shows an illustration of the device at the central portion shown in FIG. 1A from which stirring blades and fixed blades are omitted, FIG. 2A shows a front view of the stirring blade used in the device shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 2B shows a front view of the fixed blade used in the device shown in FIG. 1A, and FIGS. 5 through 8 are schematic illustrations showing a mixer of the prior art.
FIG. 3 shows an example of the flow chart during production of a toner by use of the device shown in FIG. 1A.
FIG. 4 shows a schematic illustration of an example of the mixing device for preliminary mixing of the powder introduced into the continuous mixing device of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The continuous mixing device of the present invention is described by referring to an example shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B.
The continuous mixing device shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B is equipped with casing 1 for forming mixing chamber, stirring blades 2 capable of high speed rotation, fixed blades 3 fixed on the casing, rotary shaft 4 supporting axially the stirring blades rotatably, introduction inlet 5 and discharging outlet 6.
FIG. 2A is a front view of the stirring blade 2 used in the device shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, which stirring blade 2 is constituted of rotary plate (preferably disc) 13 and blade 12 mounted on the rotary plate 13.
FIG. 2B is a front view of the fixed blade 3 to be used in the device shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B, and the fixed blade 3 is constituted of annular fixed plate (preferably disc) 15 and blades 14 mounted on the annular fixed plate 15.
In the continuous mixing device, stirring blades 2 axially supported by rotary axis 4 and fixed blades 3 are provided in multiple stages, and the powder is uniformly dispersed and mixed by high speed rotation of the stirring blades 2.
The powder to be mixed is thrown through the introducing inlet 5, dispersed and mixed by the stirring blades 2 rotating at high speed and the fixed blades 3, delivered to the next zone through the gaps between the respective fixed blades 3 and the rotary shaft 4 in the vicinity thereof, and again dispersed and mixed by the stirring blades and the fixed blades. As shown by the arrowhead shown in FIG. 1A, the powder is delivered while being successively dispersed and mixed surely between the stirring blades 2 and the fixed blades 3, until finally it is taken out of the continuous mixing device through the discharging outlet 6.
For performing mixing in the continuous mixing device more effectively, it is effective to mix previously two or more kinds of powder to be mixed by means of, for example, a mixing device shown in FIG. 4 before mixing by means of the continuous mixing device, thereby forming a state macroscopically dispersed. By this, mixing in the present device can be aided to give a mixture dispersed highly uniformly. The numbers of the stirring blades 2 and the fixed blades 3 may be set as desired depending on the desired mixed state. For obtaining good dispersed state, three (3) or more each of the stirring blades 2 and the fixed blades 3 may be employed to provide three (3) or more communicating stirring zones.
The circumferential speed of the tip portion of the stirring blade 2 may be preferably 20 m/sec. to 100 m/sec., more preferably 30 m/sec. to 80 m/sec., to give better mixed state.
The stirring blades 2 may have a diameter of 10 to 100 cm, preferably 15 to 50 cm. Further, the rotation number of the stirring blades 2 may be 500 to 10,000 rpm, preferably 1,000 to 7,000.
The dust concentration during mixing (amount of powder thrown per second/amount of air transported per second) may be more preferably 0.1 Kg/m 3 to 20 Kg/m 3 .
In a batch system mixer of the prior art shown in FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, mixing is performed at a dust concentration generally of 100 Kg/m 3 or more in the container. In contrast, in the continuous mixing device of the present invention, since mixing is performed continuously at a dust concentration of 1/5 of that of the prior art, the mixing efficiency and dispersing efficiency are good, whereby agglomerated product of fine powder is formed with difficulty. For making the dust concentration small in a batch system mixer of the prior art, the amount thrown (throughput at one time) may be made smaller, but in that case, the treatment ability is extremely reduced to cause undesirably lowering in production efficiency.
In the continuous mixing device of the present invention shown in FIG. 1A, the mixture to be mixed passes surely through the gaps between the fixed blades 3 and the rotary blades 2, whereby at every time the mixture is dispersed and mixed by the rotary blades 2 and the fixed blades 3, and therefore uniform and sufficient mixed state and dispersed state can be obtained without occurrence of poor mixing.
In the continuous mixing device of the present invention, the mixing operation is performed continuously by one pass, and therefore the mixing time is very short as several seconds to improve extremely productivity.
Further, since the mixing time is short, heat generation is also small, with less generation of thermal fusion of powder as compared with the prior art device. When materials which are apt to thermally readily melt are mixed, the continuous mixing device may be also cooled for inhibiting heat generation.
The shapes of the fixed blades 3 and the rotary blades 2 are not limited to those shown in FIG. 1A, FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, but may be also varied depending on the characteristics of the powder to be treated, and the desired mixed state.
The continuous mixing device of the present invention is suitable for mixing of fine powder. Particularly, it is effective when ultra-fine powder with primary particle sizes of 1 μm or less and powder with particle sizes greater than that are to be uniformly mixed. Such ultra-fine particle is very susceptible to agglomeration, rarely existing themselves as primary particles but existing as agglomerated body. For mixing such ultra-fine powder with other powder, the agglomerated body of the ultra-fine powder is demanded to be loosened sufficiently to be dispersed sufficiently, and mixed uniformly. The mixing device of the prior art is unsatisfactory for loosening agglomerated body, and, even if loosening can be effected, it will take a long time. In contrast, in the continuous mixing device of the present invention, satisfactory dispersion can be obtained because it performs dispersing surely with stirring blades and fixed blades, and yet is constituted of multiple stages, whereby agglomerated body comprising ultra-fine powder can be loosened to give a mixture in uniform mixed state.
As described above, by the continuous mixing device according to the present invention, powder can be surely dispersed and mixed by the stirring blades, fixed blades provided in multiple stages. Also, due to low dust concentration, reagglomeration of powder will occur with difficulty. Besides, continuous operation is possible.
Next, the case when the powder is a toner is to be described.
In an insulating toner, it is important to control constantly the amount of triboelectric charging. For obtaining a good toner image even under different environment and, even in continuous image formation, for obtaining a good toner image which is not different from that in the initial stage, what is important resides in how the triboelectric charging amount of the toner is controlled. In general, by improvement of the triboelectric charging characteristic of toner, the absolute amount of the toner tends to be increased. Particularly, under low humidity environment, it becomes necessary to create a great electrical field for transferring the toner onto the latent image face on account of its excessive charging amount, whereby there is possibility of the risk of load on the system or discharging by dielectric breakdown.
On the other hand, if charging amount of toner is suppressed, particularly under high humidity environment, it will take a time for having sufficient amount of triboelectric charges, and a toner to be attached on other portions than the latent image portion with forces other than electrical force is liable to be formed to ensue the problem of contamination of toner image.
For solving such problem, it has been known to attach uniformly an additive such as silica powder onto the surface of colored particles forming the toner, thereby to control the triboelectric charging characteristic. At this time, silica powder is required to be sufficiently loosened and attached under the uniformly dispersed state on the surface of colored particles, and preferably attached uniformly on the individual colored particles.
In the prior art, for example, the colored particles and silica powder have been mixed in a mixing device as shown in FIG. 8. When a device shown in FIG. 8 is used, sure dispersing with blades can be done with difficulty.
In the present invention, by use of a continuous mixing device as shown in FIG. 1A, it is possible to form a toner efficiently by mixing well colored particles with silica powder.
The colored particles and silica powder are thrown through the introducing inlet 5, dispersed and mixed with stirring blade 2 under high speed rotation and fixed blade 3, delivered through the gaps between the respective fixed blade 3 and the rotary shaft 4 in the vicinity to the next zone, where they are again dispersed and mixed by the stirring blade and fixed blade. As shown by the arrowhead shown in FIG. 1A, the mixture of the colored particles and the silica powder are delivered while being dispersed and mixed between the stirring blades 2 and the fixed blades 3, until finally taken out of the continuous mixing device through the discharging outlet 6.
FIG. 3 shows a flow chart of a preferable system when a toner composition is produced by use of the continuous mixing device shown in FIG. 1A. The production system shown in FIG. 3 has starting material hopper 7, vibration feeder 8, collection cyclone 9, bag filter 10 and blower 11.
In the continuous mixer, the colored particles and the additive pass through the gaps between the fixed blade and the rotary blade to be dispersed and mixed every time of passing, and therefore mixing efficiency is good. When the additive is silica, agglomerated mass of silica is surely loosened to dissociate free silica under agglomerated state.
Further, for effecting mixing of the colored particles and the powdery additive in the present device, it is effective to stir lightly the colored particles and the additive previously before mixing by the present device, thereby attaching the additive dispersed macroscopically onto the surface of colored particles.
In this case, efficiency of mixing by the continuous mixing device is made better to give a toner of high quality. As the pre-mixer, for example, a device of the system shown in FIG. 4 (Nauta mixer: manufactured by Hosokawamicron Co.) can be used.
In production of a toner, the number of stages of the stirring blades 2 and the fixed blades 3 may be set as desired depending on the desired mixed state. Preferably, 3 or more stages may be employed. The circumferential speed of the tip portion of the stirring blade 2 may be preferably 20 m/sec. to 100 m/sec., more preferably 30 m/sec. to 80 m/sec., to give better mixed state. The dust concentration during mixing (amount of mixture of colored particles and powdery additive per second/amount of air transported per second) may be more preferably 0.1 Kg/m 3 to 20 Kg/m 3 .
On the other hand, the colored particles to be used in the present invention can be obtained according to, for example, the process as described below. As the colored particles according to the pulverization method, there may be employed those obtained by melting and kneading a mixture comprising at least a binder resin and a colorant, pulverizing after cooling by a known pulverizer and classifying the product, if necessary, to have a uniform particle size distribution. The volume average particle size of colored particles preferable as a toner for developing is 2 to 20μ. Colored particles obtained by the polymerization or encapsulated colored particles may be also employed.
In the process of the present invention, since mixing of colored particles and additive is performed continuously by one pass, mixing time is as short as several seconds to improve productivity to great extent. Since the mixing time is short, heat generation is also small, whereby occurrent of a fused product is little as compared with the case of the prior art device, and the continuous mixer may be also cooled for suppressing heat generation when materials susceptible to fusion are to be mixed.
Next, a preferable process for producing toner is described by referring to a device flow chart shown in FIG. 3.
A composition containing at least a binder resin and a colorant is melted and kneaded, and the kneaded product is cooled to be solidified. The solidified product is pulverized to form a pulverized starting material. The pulverized starting material is classified, if necessary, and the colored particles obtained and a powdery additive such as silica are thrown into Nauta mixer as shown in FIG. 4 to obtain a preliminarily mixed product. The preliminarily mixed product obtained is thrown into the starting material hopper 7, and via the vibration feeder 8, introduced through the introducing inlet 5 into the casing 1 of the continuous mixing device. The preliminarily mixed product is dispersed and mixed continuously in the continuous mixer, then discharged through the discharging outlet 6, collected by the collection cyclone 9 equipped with bag filter 10 and blower 11 and recovered as a toner product. It was confirmed by observation by an electron microscope that silica was finely and uniformly attached on the surface of the colored particles. No presence of free silica agglomerated could be found.
The present invention is described in detail below by referring to Examples.
The particle size representation in Examples is according to measurement by Coulter counter TA-II Model (100μ aperture).
EXAMPLE 1
______________________________________Styrene-acrylic acid ester type resin 100 wt. parts(weight average molecular weight:about 300,000)Magnetite (BET value 8 m.sup.2 /g) 60 wt. partsLow molecular weight polyethylene 2 wt. partsChromium complex of di-tertbutyl 2 wt. partssalicylate______________________________________
The toner starting material comprising the above mixture was melted and kneaded at about 180° C. for about 1.0 hour, cooled to be solidified, coarsely crushed by a hammer mill and then pulverized by a supersonic jet mill (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Kogyo) to obtain a pulverized product with a weight average particle size of 10.5 μm (having 9.3% by weight of particles with particle size of 5.04 μm or less). From the pulverized product obtained, fine powder and coarse powder were removed by classification by means of two DS classifying machines (manufactured by Nippon Pneumatic Kogyo) to obtain colored particles with a volume average particle size of 11.5 μm (containing 0.3% by weight of particles with an average particle size of 5.04 μm or less). 100 Parts of the colored particles obtained and 0.3 part by weight of the silica fine powder were thrown into Nauta mixer shown in FIG. 4 to carry out preliminary mixing. When the preliminarily mixed product obtained was observed by an electron microscope, the silica fine powder was found to be macroscopically dispersed under agglomerated state.
Next, the preliminarily mixed product was subjected to dispersing mixing according to the flow shown in FIG. 3. The preliminarily mixed product was thrown into the starting material hopper 7 and, via the vibrating feeder 8, introduced through the introducing inlet 5 into the casing 1 of the continuous mixing machine to be mixed therein, and after mixing the powder discharged through the discharging outlet 6 was collected by the cyclone 9 to obtain a product toner.
Mixing was conducted with the use of 15 stirring blades 2 and 14 fixed blades 3 combined alternately to form 15 communicating stirring zones, under the conditions of a circumferential speed 50 m/sec. of the tip portion of the stirring blade 2, with diameter of the stirring blade 2 of 30 cm, length of the blade 12 of 8 cm, longer diameter of the fixed blade 3 of 37 cm, inner diameter of the fixed blade of 15 cm, length of the blade 14 of 9 cm, gap between the stirring blade 2 and the fixed blade 3 of about 1 cm, gap between the tip of the stirring blade 2 and the casing 1 of about 3 cm, gap between the inner peripheral of the fixed blade 3 and the rotary shaft 4 of about 4 cm, length of the casing 1 of about 100 cm, at rotation number of the stirring blade of 3200 rpm, and at a powder dust concentration of 1 Kg/cm 3 .
The residence time of the powder in the continuous mixing device was about 2 to 3 seconds, and about 2 Kg/min. of the toner was obtained.
When the toner obtained was observed by an electron microscope, most of the silica fine powder was found to be dispersed substantially to primary particles and attached uniformly on the surface of colored particles. No agglomerated body of free silica could be found.
The toner obtained was thrown into a copying machine NP270RE manufactured by Canon, and development was carried out. As the result, a good image with an image density of 1.30 was obtained, with little fog, and no increase of fog was seen even when left to stand in an atmosphere temperature of 35° C. under a high humidity of 90% RH for 10 days.
EXAMPLE 2
The colored particles obtained in Example 1 and silica fine powder were preliminarily mixed similarly as described in Example 1, and mixing was carried out according to the flow shown in FIG. 3.
The mixing was conducted under the conditions of 5 stages of stirring blades 2 and fixed blades 3 (5 stirring blades), circumferential speed of the tip portion of stirring blade of 70 m/sec., and dust concentration of 0.8 Kg/m 3 . The residence time of the powder in the continuous mixing machine was about 1 sec.
When the toner obtained was observed by an electron microscope, it could be confirmed that most of the silica fine powder was dispersed to primary particles and attached uniformly on the surface of colored particles. No agglomerated body of free silica could be found.
The toner obtained was thrown into a copying machine NP270RE manufactured by Canon and development was carried out. As the result, a good image without fog was obtained. No increase of fog was seen even when left to stand in an atmosphere temperature of 35° C. under a high humidity of 90% RH for 10 days.
EXAMPLE 3
______________________________________Styrene-butyl methacrylate 100 wt. parts(weight ratio 7:3) copolymerMagnetite (BET value 8 m.sup.2 /g) 65 wt. partsNigrosine 2 wt. partsPolypropylene wax 3 wt. parts______________________________________
The above components were mixed, and melted and kneaded at 160° C. by a roll mill. After cooling, the kneaded product was coarsely crushed by a hammer mill and then pulverized by a jet mill pulverizer, followed by classification by use of a wind force classifier to obtain a colored product with a volume average particle size of 12.0 μm.
100 Parts of the colored particles obtained and 0.4 part by weight of silica fine powder were thrown into Nauta mixer shown in FIG. 4 to carry out preliminary mixing, and subsequently mixing was carried out according to the flow shown in FIG. 3 similarly as in Example 1 to obtain a product toner.
The mixing conditions were 15 stages of stirring blades 2 and fixed blades 3 (15 stirring blades), circumferential speed of the tip portion of the stirring blade 2 of 50 m/sec., and dust concentration of 1 Kg/m 3 . The residence time of the powder in the continuous mixing machine was about 2 to 3 seconds.
When the toner obtained was observed by an electron microscope, it could be confirmed that most of the silica fine powder was found to be dispersed to primary particles and attached uniformly on the surface of colored particles. No agglomerated body of free silica could be found.
The toner obtained was thrown into a copying machine NP3525 manufactured by Canon and development was carried out. As the result, a good image with an image density of 1.35 was obtained. No increase of fog was seen even when left to stand in an atmosphere temperature of 35° C. under a high humidity of 90% RH for 10 days.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 1
100 Parts of the colored particles obtained similarly as in Example 1 and 0.3 parts by weight of silica fine powder were thrown into a mixer of the system shown in FIG. 8 (volume in the mixing vessel: 75 liters), and mixed at a circumferential speed of the tip portion of the stirring blade of 20 m/sec. for 3 minutes to obtain a toner. The total time of throwing time of the powder into the mixer, the mixing time and the take-out time of the toner from the mixer was about 5 minutes. Throughput for one time in the mixer shown in FIG. 8 was about 10 kg.
When the toner obtained was observed by an electron microscope, silica was found to be attached on the surface of colored particles under unloosened state, and also agglomerated mass of free silica was seen.
The toner obtained was thrown into the developing device of a copying machine NP270RE manufactured by Canon, fog was more conspicuous as compared with the toner obtained in Example 1, and fog was further increased when left to stand under an atmosphere temperature of 35° C. and a high humidity of 90% RH for 10 days.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
100 Parts of the colored particles obtained similarly as in Example 3 and 0.4 part by weight of silica fine powder were thrown into a mixer of the system shown in FIG. 8, and mixed at a circumferential speed of 40 m/sec. for one minute to obtain a toner. Throughput for one time was about 10 kg.
When the toner obtained was observed by an electron microscope, silica was found to be attached on the surface of colored particles under unloosened state, and also agglomerated mass of free silica was seen.
The toner obtained was thrown into the developing device of a copying machine NP3525 manufactured by Canon, fog was more conspicuous as compared with the toner obtained in Example 3, and fog was further increased when left to stand under an atmosphere temperature of 35° C. and a high humidity of 90% RH for 10 days.
According to the process of the present invention as described above, by means of stirring blades provided in multiple stages, the colored particles and the additive can be surely mixed, whereby the additive is attached under the state sufficiently dispersed uniformly on the surface of the colored particles and therefore the triboelectric charging characteristics of the toner obtained are stabilized without influence from fluctuation in environmental conditions and no quality deterioration of the toner will be brought about in copying of a large number of sheets.
In the process of the present invention, since the additive such as silica is attached on the surface of colored particles under the state dispersed to primarily particles, those once attached will be freed with difficulty and therefore there is the advantage that no deterioration with lapse of time will occur even when the toner obtained may be left to stand for a long term. Since there is little agglomerated body of additive such as silica or fused product of colored particles, fog which may be considered to be caused by these particles is reduced. According to the process of the present invention, since an additive such as silica can be dispersed more finely to be attached on the surface of the colored particles, the amount of the additive to be added in the colored particles can be made smaller to effect reduction in cost.
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A continuous mixing device for mixing continuously powder, comprising a casing having a mixing chamber inside of the device, a rotary shaft included within said casing, a rotatable stirring blade axially supported with said rotary shaft, and a fixed blade fixed inside of said casing, wherein said stirring blades and fixed blades are provided in plural numbers. A process for producing a toner composition of developing electrostatic latent images, comprising introducing colored particles having at least a binder resin and a colorant, and a powdery additive into a continuous mixing device, said continuous mixing device comprising a casing having a mixing chamber inside of the device, a rotary shaft included within said casing, a rotatable stirring blade axially supported with said rotary shaft, and a fixed blade fixed inside of said casing, wherein said stirring blades and fixed blades are provided in plural numbers; and mixing the colored particles and the powdery additive to obtain a toner composition.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates in general to wellbore casing or liner and in particular to a high integrity hanger and seal used in casing while drilling operations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] In conventional well drilling, several casings 12 , 14 are installed in the well borehole 10 to maintain the integrity of the borehole wall, as shown in FIG. 1 . The installed casing 12 , 14 further prevents undesired flow of drilling fluid into the formation or flow of fluid from the formation into the borehole 10 . An initial depth of the borehole 10 is drilled and a casing segment 12 is cemented in place. A subsequent casing 14 , which is to be installed in a lower segment of the borehole 10 , is lowered through the previously installed casing 12 of an upper borehole segment.
[0003] The casing 14 to be installed in a lower segment may be hung at the wellhead 16 as shown in FIG. 1 . The casing 14 of the lower segment is of smaller diameter than the casing 12 of the upper segment to allow passage of the subsequently installed casing 14 through the casing 12 of the upper segment. Thus, the casings 12 , 14 are in a nested arrangement with casing diameters decreasing in downward direction Annuli are formed between the outer surfaces of the casings 12 , 14 and the borehole wall to seal the casings 12 , 14 from the borehole wall. Cement is introduced into the annuli to cement the casings in place. Due to this nested casing arrangement, a relatively large borehole diameter is required at the upper part of the wellbore. A large borehole diameter typically involves increased costs due to heavy casing handling equipment, large drill bits and increased volumes of drilling fluid and drill cuttings. Drilling rig time is involved due to required cement pumping, cement hardening, equipment changes due to large variations in hole diameters to be drilled, and the large volume of cuttings drilled and removed.
[0004] To try and remedy the issues with the nested casing arrangement, expandable tubulars have been employed for the sections of casing, or liner, below the upper section of casing. The subsequent expandable tubular is lowered into a portion of the well drilled out below the upper casing. Once in place, the tubular is expanded radially such that the bore diameter is approximately slightly less that of the upper casing. An overlap exists between the upper and lower casing segments that creates a seal between the segments when the tubular is expanded. However, due to well pressure and thermal growth, the seal may lose integrity.
[0005] A need exists for a technique that addresses one or more of the limitations of the existing procedures for forming new sections of casing in a wellbore. The following technique may solve these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In an embodiment of the present technique, a casing may be comprised of a plurality of casing segments joined approximately end to end, with each casing segment comprising a wicker profile formed on the interior surface at one end of the casing segment. Once the casing segment is cemented in place within the well borehole, a subsequent casing segment having a smaller diameter than that of the cemented casing may be lowered on a drill string through the initial, cemented casing. The drill string may extend past the lower end of the subsequent, lower casing where a bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) is attached to the drill string. The BHA may comprise a drilling head and an underreamer. The drilling head and underreamer rotate during drilling operations to drill a desired length below the end of the initial casing segment. Once the drilling operation is complete, the BHA may be retrieved and the subsequent casing is cemented in place in a conventional manner such that a portion of the subsequent casing segment overlaps with the wicker profile of the initial, upper casing segment.
[0007] In an illustrated embodiment, a pig or expandable cone may then be run into the bore of the lower, subsequent casing on a string to radially expand the lower casing along its length. As the lower casing segment is radially expanded by the pig, the portion of the lower casing segment that overlaps with the wicker profile of the upper casing is deformed onto the wicker profile to form a metal-to-metal seal. The wicker profile bites into the exterior surface of the subsequent casing segment In addition to forming a high integrity metal to metal seal, the wicker mechanism can function as a casing hanger while the cement cures. The procedure described above may be repeated until the desired length of casing is installed.
[0008] The combination of the wicker profile, and the radial expansion of each subsequent casing segment to form a metal-to-metal seal against the wicker profile, improves sealing between casing segments while reducing the telescoping and borehole reduction effect.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a casing arrangement of the prior art.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a sectional view of joined casing segments, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0011] FIG. 3 is a sectional view of overlap or packoff region, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0012] FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a casing while drilling operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a casing while drilling operation, in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0014] Referring to FIG. 2 , an embodiment of the invention shows a portion of a casing 20 is within a well borehole 24 . Cement 22 is introduced into an annulus formed by the borehole 24 and the casing 20 to hold the casing 20 in place. In this embodiment, the casing 20 may be comprised of a plurality of segments, for example, an upper or initial casing or liner segment 28 is joined at one end with a lower or subsequent liner or casing segment 26 . The term “liner” refers to casing that has its upper end a short distance above a previously installed string. A casing string normally extends to a wellhead at the surface. The terms “liner” and “casing” are used interchangeably herein.
[0015] An overlap region, tubular seal section, or packoff 32 , shown in more detail in FIG. 3 , exists at approximately where the segments 28 , 26 are joined to each other after the lower casing segment 26 has been radially expanded. The upper casing segment 28 has an exterior surface 34 that is in contact with the cement 20 and also has an inner bore 30 . Likewise, the lower casing segment 26 has an exterior surface 38 that is in contact with the cement 20 and has an inner bore 36 . The inner bore 36 of the lower casing segment 26 has a diameter that is slightly smaller than the diameter of the inner bore 30 of the upper casing segment 28 .
[0016] Referring to FIG. 3 , an embodiment of the invention shows an enlarged illustration of the overlap region 32 in a set position, with the lower casing segment 26 radially expanded. In the set position, the exterior surface 38 of the lower casing segment 26 is sealingly engaged with a wicker profile 40 formed onto an interior end of the upper casing segment 28 . Wickers 40 are not threads, but a series of small triangular-shaped, parallel grooves and ridges on the sealing surface. The wickers may have a depth ranging from 1/16″ to ⅛″. The wickers 40 are formed from metal and bite into the exterior surface 38 of the lower casing segment 26 to form a metal-to-metal seal to create a better seal than a smooth surface. Initially, the wicker profile 40 may also function as a hanger to support the weight of the lower casing 26 prior to the cement 20 curing around lower casing 26 . Further, the interior of the overlap region 32 may comprise a set of grooves 42 above and below the wicker profile 40 . The grooves 42 initially may allow a drill head to be located during casing while drilling operations. Once a drilling operation is completed, the grooves 42 may further function as pockets into which the lower casing segment 26 may extrude to thereby provide a secondary sealing function. Although a downward facing shoulder is shown, a shoulder is not necessary.
[0017] During casing operations as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the upper casing segment 28 may be lowered into the well borehole 24 and cased with cement 22 that is pumped through the bore of the upper casing 28 and back up the annulus in a conventional manner as taught by US 2007/0175665, hereinafter referenced in its entirety. If the upper casing segment 28 is the first segment then it may be hung from a hanger at the wellhead (not shown). As described in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the overlap or packoff region 32 is formed on the lower, interior end of the upper casing segment 28 .
[0018] The wellbore will be drilled deeper, either with a drill pipe string or by liner drilling. Continuing to refer to FIG. 4 , the lower or subsequent casing segment 26 may be lowered into the well borehole 14 through the interior of the upper casing 28 . In this embodiment, the lower casing segment 26 is suspended from a drill string 50 via a sub 52 attached to the drill string for liner drilling. That is, the well is being drilled while casing 26 is being run into the well. The sub 52 may be ported to allow for the flow of drilling mud and other fluid during drilling operations. The drill string 50 may extend through the sub 52 and past the lower end of the lower casing 26 where a bottom hole assembly (“BHA”) 60 is attached to the drill string 50 . The BHA may comprise a drilling head 62 and a collapsible underreamer 64 that may radially extend beyond the exterior surface 38 of the lower casing segment 26 . The drilling head 62 along with the underreamer 64 rotate during drilling operations to drill a desired length below the end of the upper casing segment 28 . Once the desired drilled length is achieved, the underreamer 64 is collapsed and the BHA 60 may be retrieved.
[0019] As shown in FIG. 5 , the lower casing segment 26 may be conventionally cemented, such as by reference to US 2007/0175665, and a pig or expandable cone 70 may then be run into the bore of the lower casing 26 on a string 72 . The outer diameter of the pig 70 is expandable to be slightly larger than the bore of the lower casing segment 26 to allow the pig 70 to exert a force Fo ( FIG. 3 ) to radially expand the lower segment 26 or at least an overlapping portion of lower segment 26 . Pig 70 is normally lowered into lower casing 26 , then radially expanded and pulled upward. Several techniques for expanding pig 70 are known in the art, such as in U.S. Pat. No. 7,195,061, for example. As the lower casing segment 26 is radially expanded by the pig 70 , a portion of the lower casing segment 26 that overlaps with the overlap region 32 of the upper casing 28 is deformed onto the wicker profile 40 ( FIG. 3 ) to form a metal-to-metal seal. The wicker profile 40 bites into the exterior surface 38 of the lower casing segment 26 that is within the overlap region 32 as previously shown in FIG. 3 . The inner diameter of the overlapping portion of lower casing will be the same or approximately the same as the inner diameter of the non-overlapping portion of the upper casing 28 . Optionally, the entire length of lower casing 26 could be expanded, rather than just the one overlapping portion. If the entire length is expanded, the resultant inner diameter will equal or nearly equal the inner diameter of upper casing 28 .
[0020] The exterior surface 38 of the lower casing may be formed of a softer metal than that of the wickers 40 or wickers 40 may contain an inlay of soft metal. Further, the wickers 40 may be formed from a different type of metal that is harder than that of the rest of the upper casing 28 , such as Inconel® 725. The yield strength of carbon steel casing is approximately 55 to 110 ksi, depending on the application. The wickers may have 120 ksi minimum yield strength and a hardness can vary between roughly less than 20 Rockwell C (“HRC”) to greater than roughly 37 HRC. The higher hardness of the wickers 40 ensures biting into the lower casing 28 overlap region. In addition, any portion of the lower casing segment 28 that remains above the overlap region 32 may be cut-off and removed, if desired. No additional sealing or pachoffs are required. The procedure described above may be repeated to install additional liner strings. Further, each metal-to-metal seal formed may be tested by pressurizing the interior of the casing and observing any drop in pressure.
[0021] While the invention has been shown in only one of its forms, it should be apparent to those skilled in the art that it is not so limited but is susceptible to various changes without departing from the scope of the invention.
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Casing segments and an expansion cone are positioned and cemented within a new section of a wellbore with a lower casing segment in an overlapping relationship with an upper casing segment. The lower casing segment is radially expanded such that an upper end of the lower casing segment comes into contact with the interior wall of the upper casing segment at the overlap region. The upper casing segment has an inward facing profile at the overlap region that includes a set of wickers that are driven into the lower casing exterior when it is expanded. This forms a metal-to-metal seal between the upper and lower casing segments at the overlap region.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to the field of domestic apparatuses for water purification. It is known that quality of tap water in many countries doesn't satisfy householders. Tap water has usually relatively high concentration of mineral salts, organic substances and microorganisms. There are some ways to overcome this problem.
[0002] The first one is supply to the householders bottled spring water, however, this way is very expensive. In addition, bottled water can readily become contaminated by airborne bacteria and viruses during dispensing process by the introduction of ambient air drawn inside the bottle as the water is dispensed.
[0003] For this reason different type of tap water purifiers are widely presented in domestic application.
[0004] The main type of such purifiers is related to filtration devices. In the first period of a filter operation a significant part of contaminants of the tap water is held in the filter. However, in the process of contaminants' collection in the filter, its purifying ability is decreased.
[0005] The purification systems based on reverse osmosis are very expensive.
[0006] For all these reasons the domestic tap water purifiers are very attractive. These devices operates on the base of evaporation-condensation principle and include usually a boiler provided with an electrical heating element (the boiler generates a steam from tap water), a condenser for steam condensation, and a distilled water storage.
[0007] There are some the USA patents, which disclose different constructions of such devices (see for example U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,762,762, 5,536,375, 4,943,353, 4,805,692). However all these patents describe devices with boilers which operate under certain pressure with application of boiling process.
[0008] Such devices do not provide required safety, expensive and are not suitable for cleaning the scaling formed on the internal walls of their boilers.
[0009] In addition, several designs of these patents incorporate demisters for separation of droplets contained in the generated steam as the result of boiling process.
[0010] All these circumferences make these devices very expensive and cause difficulties in their maintenance.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] This invention proposes a tap water purifier, which operates under atmospheric pressure. Evaporation process is performed in this device by simple evaporation from the surface of hot tap water without boiling process. It allows achieving several advantages:
[0012] 1. It is possible to combine evaporation and condensation processes in one chamber, which operates at atmospheric pressure. It permits in turn to construct a safely purifier with sufficiently thin walls. Such construction can be cheap and of low weight.
[0000] 2. Since the evaporation process occurs without boiling, it is not accompanied with mist formation and, therefore, a demister designed to prevent condensation of vapors with droplets of tap water is not needed.
[0000] 3. It is possible to construct the purifier with two or more evaporation-condensation sub-units, when in the following sub-unit the heat of vapors' condensation is used for evaporation of an additional portion of tap water.
[0000] 4. The purifier can be easily disassembled and cleaned from scaling. In addition, rate of scaling formation for evaporation without boiling will be significantly lower.
[0013] The proposed purifier comprises some main units.
[0000] A distillate container has the rectangular horizontal cross-section, this container is provided with bottom legs, which should be positioned on a table.
[0014] This distillate container is provided with a tap positioned on the lower section of its front wall; the tap serves for dispensing the distilled water.
[0015] In addition, the distillate container can be provided with a level gauge showing the level of distillate in this container. It is possible to install a small water pump on the outer surface of the distillate container; this water pump serves for dispensing the distillate to a consumer. The distillate container is covered by an upper metal horizontal partition, which is provided with one lateral slot at its left extreme section and with two smaller lateral slots at its right section.
[0016] These slots serve for circulation of the cooled air via the upper space of the distillate container and for introduction of the distillate into the distillate container.
[0017] Heating the tap water is performed by an electrical heater, which has a form of a flat coil and is positioned in a metal housing. In addition, there is a layer of thermal insulation situated below this flat coil in the metal housing (the flat coil can be separated from the layer of thermal insulation by an additional metal partition). The lower horizontal side of the housing is installed on the central section of the upper horizontal partition of the distillate container. In addition, the flat coil of the electrical heater can be joined with a metal sheet in order to provide heating with higher homogeneity.
[0018] An external housing of a unit, which is intended to perform evaporation of the tap water and following condensation of formed vapors, is installed on the upper edge of the distillate container; this external housing has a form of a rectangular box. An evaporation sub-unit itself is formed by combination of the front and back walls of the external housing, two vertical partitions situated perpendicularly to these front and back walls, and the upper wall of the housing of the electrical heater, which plays a role of the bottom.
[0019] The external housing is covered at the top with a cover. There is a certain gap between this cover and the upper edges of the aforementioned vertical partitions. This gap serves for removal of vapors obtained in the evaporation sub-unit to a condensation sub-unit, which is formed between one vertical partition and the lateral adjacent wall of the external housing, and introduction of heated air from the gap between the second vertical partition and the opposite lateral wall of the external housing into the internal vapors' space in this evaporation sub-unit.
[0020] The central area of the cover is provided with an inlet connection with a plug; it is applied for filling the evaporation sub-unit with the tap water. Additionally, the evaporation sub-unit can be connected with a water cock in order to perform delivery of tap water automatically from the water main, in this case the evaporation sub-unit is provided as well with a float valve.
[0021] The central section of the front wall of the external housing, which serves as well as the front wall of the evaporation sub-unit, is provided with a tap for removal of residues of the tap water with concentrated impurities, and with a level gauge showing the tap water level in the evaporation sub-unit.
[0022] A heat-exchanging plate with fins directed inwards is installed on the inner side of the right lateral wall of the external housing in the gap between this wall and the right vertical partition. Another finned heat-exchanging plate is F installed on the outer side of this wall adjacently to the first heat-exchanging plate. In addition, a fan (or a set of fans) serves for blow of the surrounding air through the fins of the outer heat-exchanging plate.
[0023] The aforementioned upper horizontal partition of the distillate container is provided with a flanging and an opening; this section of the horizontal partition is located beneath the inner heat-exchanging plate; in such a way this section of the upper horizontal partition forms a tray. The opening in this tray serves for installation of a filter for performance additional purification of the distillate mainly from chlorine and organic volatile impurities. In addition, this filter can contain minerals with low solubility in water for improvement of taste of the distillate.
[0024] The upper cover of the external housing can be supplied with an opening and a plug, this opening is intended for installation of a small bottle with minerals' solution, this solution added to the distillate during a certain period and serves for improvement of its taste.
[0025] The outer side of the left partition is provided in turn with an additional heat-exchanging plate with fins directed inward the gap between the left vertical partition and the left lateral wall of the external housing.
[0026] The described water purifier operates in the following manner:
[0027] The power of the electrical heater is chosen is such a way, that specific heat flux transferred via the horizontal cross-section of the evaporation sub-unit does not exceed a specific value (about of 5 W/cm 2 ). For such low value of heat flux, the tap water is evaporating in the evaporation sub-unit without boiling process. It obviates the need of a demister application.
[0028] The hot water vapors with the air contained in the evaporation sub-unit are moving to the fins of the cooled inner heat-exchanging plate. After vapors' condensation on these fins and accompanied cooling the air, this air is descending via the right slots in the upper horizontal partition of the distillate container into its inner space. Then the air is ascending via the slot in the left lateral section of the upper horizontal partition into the gap between the left lateral wall of the external housing and the left vertical partition.
[0029] The left heat-exchanging plate, which is transferring heat from the external wall of the evaporation sub-unit into the gap between this wall, heats the air in this gap. Thereafter the heated air enters into the upper space of the evaporation sub-unit and it is mixed with new portions of vapors of the tap water before its passing to the inner cooling heat-exchanging plate.
[0030] In order to intensify air circulation in the circle described above, it is possible to apply (additionally or instead of the left finned heat-exchanging plate) a fan, which is positioned in the gap between the left vertical partition and the left lateral wall of the external housing.
[0031] In another version of the purifier, the left vertical partition, the left slot in the upper horizontal partition and the left heat-exchanging plate are not used and there is a relatively big distance between the upper edge of the right vertical partition and the cover. Such distance allows locating the inner and outer heat-exchanging plates on the right wall of the external housing at the level of the gap between the upper edge of the right vertical partition and the cover. This design ensures as well removal of cold air from the fins of the inner heat-exchanging plate.
[0032] The upper wall of the housing of the electrical heater can be provided with the vertical fins in order to increase the heat-exchanging surface in the evaporation chamber and to prevent boiling of the tap water.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF SEVERAL VIEWS THE DRAWINGS
[0033] Preferred embodiments of the invention are described below by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0034] FIG. 1 is a middle cross-sectioned view of a purifier in parallel to its front plan;
[0035] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the purifier taken on line A-A perpendicularly to the front plan;
[0036] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the purifier taken on line B-B perpendicularly to the front plan;
[0037] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the purifier taken on line C-C in parallel to the horizontal plane;
[0038] FIG. 5 is a middle cross-sectional view of a purifier in parallel to its front plan, when the condensation unit of this purifier is arranged on the lateral wall of the distillate container.
[0039] FIG. 6 is a top view of an electrical heater.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0040] FIG. 1 is the middle cross-sectional view of a tap water purifier in parallel to its front plan.
[0041] It comprises a distillate container 101 which has the rectangular horizontal cross-section, this container is provided with bottom legs 102 , which should be positioned on a table.
[0042] Container 101 is covered by an upper metal horizontal partition 103 , which is provided with one lateral slot at its left extreme section and with two smaller slots at its right section. These slots serve for circulation of cooled air via the upper space of the distillate container.
[0043] An electrical heater 104 in the form of a flat coil is positioned in a metal housing 105 . In addition, there is layer 106 of thermal insulation situated below this flat coil in the metal housing 105 (the flat coil is separated from the layer of thermal insulation by an additional metal partition 107 ). The lower horizontal side of the metal housing 105 is installed on the central section of the upper horizontal partition 103 of the distillate container. In addition, the coil of the electrical heater 104 is joined with a metal sheet 108 in order to provide heating with higher homogeneity.
[0044] An external housing 109 of evaporation and condensation sub-units is installed on the upper edge of the distillate container 101 ; this external housing has a form of a rectangular box. The evaporation sub-unit itself is formed by combination of the front and back walls of the external housing, two vertical partitions 110 and 111 situated perpendicularly to these front and back walls, and the upper wall 112 of the metal housing 105 of the electrical heater 104 .
[0045] The external housing 109 is covered at the top with cover 113 . There is a certain gap between this cover and the upper edges of the aforementioned vertical partitions 110 and 111 .
[0046] This gap serves for removal of vapors obtained in the evaporation sub-unit to the condensation sub-unit, which is formed between the first vertical partition 110 and the lateral adjacent wall 114 of the external housing 109 , and introduction of heated air from the gap between the second vertical partition 111 and the opposite lateral wall 115 of the external housing into the internal vapors' space in this evaporation sub-unit.
[0047] The central area of the cover 113 is provided with an inlet connection 116 with plug 117 ; they are applied for filling the evaporation unit with the tap water.
[0048] A heat-exchanging plate 118 with fins 119 directed inwards is installed on inner side of the right lateral wall 115 of the external housing in the gap between this wall and the right vertical partition 111 . Another heat-exchanging plate 120 with fins 121 is installed on the outer side of this wall adjacently to the first heat-exchanging plate. In addition, fan 122 (or a set of fans) serves for blow of surrounding air through fins 121 of the outer heat-exchanging plate 120 . The aforementioned upper horizontal partition 103 of the distillate container is provided with flanging 123 and opening 124 ; this section of the horizontal partition is located beneath the inner heat-exchanging plate 118 and its fins 119 ; in such a way this section of the upper horizontal partition forms a tray. Opening 124 in this tray serves for installation of filter 125 for performance additional purification of the distillate mainly from chlorine and organic volatile impurities. In addition, this filter can contain some mineral substances; these substances are dissolving slowly in distillate and improve its taste.
[0049] The upper cover 113 of the external housing can be supplied with opening 126 which serves for installation a small bottle 127 with minerals' solution, this solution is added to the distillate during a certain period and serves for improvement of its taste.
[0050] The outer side of the left partition 110 is provided with an additional heat exchanging plate 128 with tins 129 directed inward the gap between the left vertical partition 110 and the left lateral wall 115 of the external housing 109 .
[0051] FIG. 2 presents a cross-sectional view of the purifier shown in FIG. 1 , this cross-sectional view is taken on line A-A perpendicularly to the front plan.
[0052] The cross-sectional view comprises a distillate container 201 with bottom legs 202 and an upper horizontal partition 203 . The front wall of the distillate container 201 is provided at its lower section with tap 204 for dispensing the distillate. An electrical heater 205 in the form of a flat coil is positioned in a metal housing 206 . In addition, there is layer 207 of thermal insulation situated below this flat coil in the metal housing 206 (the flat coil is separated from layer 207 of the thermal insulation by an additional metal partition 208 ).
[0053] The lower horizontal side of the metal housing 206 is installed on the central section of the upper horizontal partition 203 of the distillate container. In addition, the coil of the electrical heater 205 is joined with a metal sheet 209 in order to provide heating with higher homogeneity.
[0054] An external housing 210 of evaporation and condensation sub-units is installed on the upper edge of the distillate container 201 , this external housing has a form of a rectangular box. The cross-sectional view A-A shows front and back walls 211 and 212 , and bottom 213 of the evaporation sub-unit, which plays at the same time a role of the upper wall of the housing of the electrical heater 205 .
[0055] The front wall 211 is provided with a level gauge 214 and tap 215 , which serves for discharging the tap water with concentrated impurities. The external housing 210 is covered at the top with cover 216 . The central area of cover 216 is provided with an inlet connection 217 and plug 218 ; they are applied for filling the evaporation sub-unit with the tap water.
[0056] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of the purifier taken on line B-B perpendicularly to the front plan (see FIG. 1 ). It comprises a distillate container 301 with bottom legs 302 and an upper horizontal partition 303 with flanging 304 . The central area of this section of the upper horizontal partition 303 is provided with opening 305 and a detachable filter 306 . In addition, this detachable filter can contain minerals with low solubility in water in order to improve taste of the distillated water.
[0057] A heat-exchanging inner plate 307 with fins 308 is installed on a lateral wall 309 of a condensation sub-unit 310 . The condensation sub-unit 310 is covered from aloft by cover 311 , which is common for the whole external housing; the section of cover 311 , which is related to the condensation sub-unit, is provided with opening 312 serving for installation a small bottle 313 with minerals' solution, this solution is added to the distillate during a certain period and improves its taste.
[0058] FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of the purifier taken on line C-C in parallel to the horizontal plane (see FIG. 1 ). It comprises an evaporation sub-unit 401 formed by the central sections of front and back walls 402 and 403 , and by left and right vertical partitions 404 and 405 . A dispensing tap 406 is installed at the lower section of the front wall 402 forming this evaporation sub-unit.
[0059] A condensation sub-unit 407 is formed by extreme right sections of the front and back walls 402 and 403 , the vertical right partition 405 and a right lateral wall 408 of the external housing. A heat-exchanging plate 411 with fins 412 is installed on the external side of the vertical left partition 404 . An inner heat-exchanging plate 409 with fins 410 is installed on the internal side of the right lateral wall 408 . An external heat-exchanging plate 413 with fins 414 is installed on the external side of the right lateral wall 408 . In addition, some fans 415 are installed beneath the external heat-exchanging plate 413 .
[0060] The whole outer construction (the external heat-exchanging plate 413 and fans 415 ) is covered by casing 416 , which is provided with upper and lower slots.
[0061] FIG. 5 is the middle cross-sectional view of a purifier in parallel to its front plan, when its condensation sub-unit is arranged on the lateral wall of a distillate container.
[0062] It comprises a distillate container 501 , which has the rectangular horizontal cross-section; this distillate container is provided with bottom legs 502 , which should be positioned on a table. The distillate container 501 is covered by an upper metal horizontal partition 503 , which is provided with one lateral slot at its left extreme section and with a lateral slot at its right extreme section. These slots serve for circulation of cooled air via the upper space of the distillate container 501 .
[0063] An electrical heater 504 in the form of a flat coil is positioned in a metal housing 505 . In addition, there is layer 506 of thermal insulation situated below this flat coil in the metal housing 505 (the flat coil is separated from the layer of thermal insulation by an additional metal horizontal partition 507 ). The lower horizontal side of the metal housing is installed on the central section of the upper metal horizontal partition 503 of the distillate container.
[0064] The coil of the electrical heater 504 is joined with a metal sheet 508 in order to provide heating with higher homogeneity.
[0065] An inner heat-exchanging plate 509 of a condensation sub-unit is installed on the right lateral wall 510 of the distillate container. In addition, there is a vertical partition 511 , which is installed on the upper metal horizontal partition 503 in order to ensure complete condensation of vapors on fins 512 of the inner heat-exchanging plate 509 .
[0066] An outer heat-exchanging plate 513 with fins 514 is installed on the outer side of this lateral wall adjacently to the inner heat-exchanging plate. In addition, fan 515 or a set of fans serves for blow of the surrounding air through fins 514 of the outer heat-exchanging plate 513 .
[0067] An evaporation sub-unit of the purifier comprises an external housing 516 with the lateral left and right walls 517 and 518 (front and back walls are not shown), and the left and right vertical partitions 519 and 520 . Cover 521 is provided with an inlet connection 522 and plug 523 , which serve for filling the evaporation sub-unit with the tap water. This evaporation sub-unit is installed on the upper edge of the distillate container by flanging 524 .
[0068] The outer side of the left partition 519 is provided with an additional heat-exchanging plate 525 with fins 526 directed inward the gap between the left vertical partition 519 and the left lateral wall 517 of the external housing 516 . In addition, there is fan 527 (or fans) installed in the lower section of the gap between the left vertical partition 519 and the left lateral wall 517 .
[0069] FIG. 6 is the front view of an electrical heater. It comprises an electrical flat heating coil 601 , electrical wires 602 with terminals 603 , and a metal sheet 604 which is joined with good thermal contact with the electrical flat heating coil 601 .
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This invention proposes a domestic apparatus for water purification, which is based on evaporation-condensation principle and operates under atmospheric pressure. Evaporation process is performed in this apparatus by simple evaporation from the surface of hot tap water without boiling process. The purifier can be easily disassembled and cleaned from scaling.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a high-sensitivity, thin, miniature, electromagnetic polar relay.
2. Description of the Related Art
The cross-sectional views shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b) together with the perspective views shown in FIGS. 1(c) and 1(d) schematically illustrate the structure and operation of a typical electromagnetic miniature polar relay such as disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication Toku-Kai-Sho 61-116729. This relay is provided with a coil 1 wound on a bobbin 2, a permanent magnet 6, and an armature 3 which moves due to energization of the coil 1 so as to move contact springs (not shown). The permanent magnet 6 is polarized, for example, as denoted with N and S in FIGS. 1(c) and 1(d). A non-energized state, where no current is applied in the coil 1, is shown in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(c). In this state an end 3a and an end 3b of the armature 3 are moved so as to respectively contact an end 4a of an L-shaped yoke 4 and an end 5a of a U-shaped yoke 5 due to a magnetic flux 6a of the permanent magnet 6. An energized state, where the armature 3 is magnetized due to a current through the coil 1, is shown in FIGS. 1(b) and 1(d). In this state the direction of the current is such that the induced magnetic field is opposite that of the permanent magnet 6. Therefore, the armature end 3a is repelled by the end (N-pole) 4a and is attracted onto an end (S-pole) 5b of the U-shaped yoke 5, and the other armature end 3b is magnetically attracted to contact the other end 5a of a U-shaped yoke 5, due to a magnetic flux 1a of the coil as shown in FIG. 1( d). In this state the armature end 3b and the end 5a of the U-shaped yoke 5 tend to repel each other; however, they are kept in contact by a leaf spring 7. One end of leaf spring 7 is fixed to the armature 3 as seen in FIGS. 1(a) and 1(b). After the armature position is switched, the end 3b of the armature 3 and the end 5a of the yoke 5 are magnetically attracted to each other, and thus contact each other.
Operational characteristics of the FIG. 1 relay are shown in FIG. 2, where the abscissa indicates armature position on its stroke, and the ordinate indicates mechanical force on the armature. In FIG. 2, curve A denotes a load characteristics of the contact spring. That is, curve A represents a mechanical load on the armature during the armature stroke, and more particularly the force tending to push the armature back to the center. This mechanical load is zero at the center of the stroke, and gradually increases as the armature deviates from the center of the stroke due to bending of a contact spring. At kink points K and K' of curve A, a contact on the contact spring begins to touch a stationary contact. Further deviation of the armature towards a magnetic pole 4a or 5b causes further bending of the contact spring. As indicated by FIG. 2, this further bending requires a layer force.
In FIG. 2, curve B denotes a mechanical force magnetically induced on the armature by the permanent magnet 6. Curve B is shown as a negative force. This means that the force is towards N-pole 4a. Curve B must be always below the curve A. The gap between the curves A and B is a margin for variation of various conditions. At the N-Pole 4a, the difference F B between the holding force Fgr and the load P B indicates a pressure on the contacts, and is a margin that protects tho contacts from external shock or chattering.
A curve C denotes a mechanical force magnetically induced on the armature as a sum of magnetic forces of the permanent magnet 6 and the energized coil 1, to which the current is applied. The direction of this force is opposite that of the magnetic field of the permanent magnet 6. Curve C is shown as a positive force. This means that the force is towards S-pole 5b. Curve C must be always above the curve A. When armature 3 is at the S-pole 5b, the difference between the holding force Pgr and the mechanical load P B ' indicates a pressure on the stationary contacts and protects the contacts from external shock or chattering.
In an electromagnetic polar relay having structure as described above, the desirable characteristics for achieving a high sensitivity, i.e. low coil energization power, and reliable performance are as follows: Curves B and C must have enough margin (e.q., F B ', F 8 ) with respect to curve A. However, the margin should not be too much, i.e., should be as small as possible. This is because the margin of curve C to curve A requires excessive ampere-turns, i.e. coil power consumption. However, because of magnetic characteristics of some permanent magnet materials the value of curve B (i.e. F B ) becomes very large at the N-pole. In order to overcome this large value, the coil requires large ampere-turns which causes high power consumption and a very excessive margin at the S-pole.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is a general object of the invention to provide a miniature electromagnetic polar relay requiring low coil actuating power, while maintaining electrical and mechanical durability.
It is another object of the invention to provide a miniature electromagnetic polar relay which is less susceptive to the effects of external magnetic fields.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a miniature electromagnetic polar relay which has reduced variations in relay characteristics.
According to the present invention, an electromagnetic polar relay comprises: a coil; an armature swingably positioned within the coil; a main yoke along an outer side of the coil; a permanent magnet polarized along in the direction of swing of the armature and located along a flat edge of the main yoke; a first pole plate which is a part of the main yoke and is bent orthogonally from the main yoke parallel to an axis of the coil, and is magnetically connected with one pole of the permanent magnet; a second pole plate facing the first pole plate and magnetically connected with another pole of the permanent magnet. An edge of the second pole plate faces the flat end of the main yoke and is magnetically connected with main yoke through a reluctance which is larger than a reluctance between the first pole plate and the main yoke. The high reluctance is due to, for example, an air gap provided by a tapered edge of the second pole plate. An end of the armature is pivotably and magnetically connected to another end of the main yoke. Another end of the armature swings between the first and second pole plates depending on the direction of current within the coil. A magnetic circuit comprising the above-mentioned air gap and a part of the main yoke shunts the permanent magnet, and controls an amount of magnetic flux flowing therethrough. Thus an undesirably large attractive force on the armature by the second pole plate can be reduced, resulting in an reduction of ampere-turn, i.e. power consumption, of the coil while allowing enough margin for the mechanical load characteristics and a reliable contact force. Furthermore, the resulting closed magnetic circuit prevents an external magnetic field from affecting the magnetic characteristics of the relay and prevents variation of the parts comprising the relay from causing variations in the relay characteristics.
The above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention, together with other objects and advantages, which will become apparent, will be more fully described hereinafter, with reference being made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1(a) and 1(c) respectively, are schematic cross-sectional views of a prior art relay in a non-energized and energized state;
FIGS. 1(b) and 1(d) respectively, are schematic cross-sectional views of a prior art relay in a non-energized and energized state;
FIG. 2 is a graph representing the mechanical forces versus armature position of the prior art relay of FIGS. 1(a)-(d);
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a relay according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a lead employed in the relay of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 schematically illustrates a magnetic circuit employed in the relay of FIG.
FIG. 6(a) schematically illustrates the magnetic polarization of each magnetic pole of FIG. 5, when the coil is not energized;
FIG. 6(b) schematically illustrates the magnetic polarization of each magnetic pole of FIG. 5, when the coil is energized;
FIG. 7(a) schematically illustrates a path of magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit of FIG. 5 when the coil is not energized;
FIG. 7(b) schematically illustrates a path of magnetic flux in the magnetic circuit of FIG. 5 when the coil is energized;
FIG. 8(a) is a perspective view showing a pivotally connectable armature before the armature is inserted into the slot;
FIG. 8(b) is a perspective view showing a pivotally connected armature after the armature is inserted into the slot;
FIG. 8(c) is a perspective view armature mounted into the yoke has mounted thereon a bobbin;
FIG. 9(a) illustrates the cut angle of the taper;
FIG. 9(b) is a graph showing an effect of cut angle α of the tapered edge of the second yoke;
FIG. 10 is a graph showing mechanical forces in the relay versus armature position of the FIG. 3 embodiment of the present invention in comparison with prior art relay; and
FIGS. 11(a)-(f) are cross-sectional views of variations of the high reluctance circuit formed between a pole of the permanent magnet and a main yoke in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
As schematically illustrated in FIG. 3, an electromagnetic polar relay (referred to hereinafter as a relay) 21 according to the present invention. The relay 21 comprises an electromagnetic circuit sub-assembly 22 and a base sub-assembly 23 having moving-contact springs and stationary contacts thereon.
The electromagnetic circuit subassembly 22 has a bobbin 24 whose main portion is not shown in the figure; and electromagnetic coil (simply referred to hereinafter as coil) 1 wound on the bobbin 24; a permanent magnet 6 for providing a magnetic polarization; an armature 3 made of a soft magnetic material located swingably through a center hole of bobbin 24; a first yoke 12 (a), (b), (c) made of a soft magnetic material and having a structure as described below; a second yoke 13 made of a soft magnetic material; and a card 14, made of a non magnetic material, mechanically engaged with the armature, for delivering a stroke of the armature to moving-contact springs 27 on the base sub-assembly 23. Wire ends 1a and 1b of coil 1 are each electrically connected to pins 25 planted on a flange 24a provided on an end of bobbin 24. A protruding portion 24b of another end of bobbin 24 holds an end 12a of the main yoke 12 and second yoke 13.
The base sub-assembly 23 has a box-shaped insulating substrate 26; a pair of moving-contact springs 27 having first ends respectively planted via leads 27a on an edge of the substrate 26; and two pairs of stationary contacts 28 located such that second ends of the moving contact springs 27 are each positioned between a pair of the fixed contacts 28. Leads 27a and 28a are led out through the substrate 26 of the base. The substrate 26 further has two through-holes 29, into which the pins 25 of the electromagnetic circuit sub-assembly 21 are inserted. Thus, when the electromagnetic circuit sub-assembly 21 is mounted onto the base sub-assembly 23, a pair of vertical slits 14a provided on the card 14 engage the moving-contact springs 27 respectively at the middle portion of the moving-contact springs. The moving-contact spring 27 and their leads 27a are formed of one piece of approximately 0.1 mm thick plate. The leads 27a are longitudinally beaded as shown in a cross-sectional view in FIG. 4 to provide mechanical enforcement.
The magnetic circuit within the electromagnetic circuit sub-assembly 22 is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5, and described below. Ends 12c and 12b of the first yoke 12 are bent from a flat main portion 12h of the first yoke 12. The ends 12c and 12b form an L-shape with the main portion 12h so that the first bent end 12c is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the bobbin 24, and the second bent end 12b is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the bobbin 24 as shown in FIGS. 3, 5, 6(a) and 6(b).
The permanent magnet 6 is typically formed of a rare-earth metal preferably shaped in a rectangular parallelepiped. The permanent magnet 6 is positioned parallel to a flat end 12a of the main portion 12h between the first bent end 12c and a second yoke 13. As shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the second yoke 13 is parallel to the first bent end 12c. There is generally provided a gap between the permanent magnet 6 and the flat end 12a. In this example, it is assumed that N-pole of the permanent magnet 6 contacts the first bent end 12c and the S-pole contacts the second yoke 13 as shown in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b).
A pivot end 3b of the armature 3 is T-shaped and is inserted into a slot 12e vertically cut in the second bent end 12b of the first yoke 12 so that the armature 3 can pivotably swing about a longitudinal axis of the slot 12c, and along a direction parallel to the magnetization of the permanent magnet 6. The structure of the pivot end 3b of the armature 3 is shown in FIGS. 8(a)-8(c); that is, before and after the insertion of the armature 3 into the slot 12e, and after having the bobbin 24 mounted thereon. Thus, the other end 3a of the armature swings between the first bent end 12c and the second yoke 13, within the bobbin 24. Thus, the armature end 3a is referred to hereinafter as a swing pole.
As shown in FIGS. 5, 6(a) and 6(b), lower end 13a of the second yoke 13 has taper of a cut angle α, and the sharp edge of the taper 13a contacts the flat end 12a of the first yoke 12. The cut angle α of the taper 13a is typically in the range of 10°-30°.
Notches 12f, 12g, 13b and 13c, provided respectively, on the first bent end 12c, the flat end 12a and the second yoke 13 are for engaging the yokes 12 and 13 with the protruded part 24 b of the bobbin.
Referring to FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), the permanent magnet 6 magnetizes the first bent end 12c as an N-pole, and the second yoke 13 as an S-pole. Accordingly, they are referred to hereinafter as N-pole plate and S-pole plate, respectively. There is an air gap 13g between the tapered edge 13a and a portion 12d of the first yoke 12. The air gap 13g produces a reluctance Rg between the S-pole plate 13 and the flat end 12a of the first yoke 12. The between the N-pole plate 12c and the flat end 12a, because the N-pole plate 12c and the flat end 12a are of one-piece, i.e. continuous. Therefore, the S-pole plate 13 has less magnetic effect on the first yoke 12h than does the N-pole plate 12c. Accordingly, the swing pole 3a is polarized an N-pole rather than a S-pole as shown in FIG. 6(a).
When no current is applied to the coil 1, i.e. when it is in a non-energized state, the swing pole 3a of the armature 3 is repulsed by the N-pole plate 12c and attracted by the S-pole plate 13 so as to contact the S-pole 13. In this state the magnetic flux flows in the magnetic circuit as shown by a dot-dash line in FIG. 7(a). As a result, the armature 3 pushes the card 14, which in turn pushes the moving-contact springs 27 onto a stationary contact 28.
When the coil is energized, i.e., an adequate current in a direction indicated by arrows in FIG. 7(b) is applied to the coil 1 in order to overcome the effective magnetic force of permanent magnet 6, the swing pole 3a of the armature 3 becomes reversely polarized, i.e. as an S-pole. The first bent plate 12c remains polarized as an N-pole, and the second yoke 13 remains polarized as an S-pole. This is shown in FIG. 6(b) and by the dot-dash line of flux in FIG. 7(b). Accordingly, the swing pole 3a is repulsed by the S-pole plate 13 and attracted by the N-pole plate 12c so as to contact the N-pole plate 12c. Therefore, the card 14 laterally pushes the moving-contact springs 27 onto the stationary contacts 28 opposite the stationary contacts previously contacted when in the nonenergized state.
As described above, the magnetic circuit comprising the flat end 12a and the air gap 13g shunts the permanent magnet 6. Accordingly, the flat end 12a is referred to hereinafter as a shunt plate. The magnitude of the magnetic flux induced through the shunt plate 12a is controlled by reluctance Rg of the air gap 13g. The reluctance Rg is in series with the S-pole of the permanent magnet 6 and reluctance Rs of the shunt plate 12a itself. The magnitude of the reluctance Rg of the tapered gap portion depends on the area that the edge of the taper 13a contacts or that faces the shunt plate 12a, and depends on the angle α of the cut, i.e. the size of the air gap. In order to appropriately determine the reluctance value Rs of the shunt plate, the width of shunt plate 12a that is underneath the permanent magnet 6 is typically chosen to be narrower than the width of the permanent magnet 6. For example, shunt plate 12a would be underneath only 2 mm of a 3.6 mm wide permanent magnet as shown in FIG. 9, even through FIGS. 3, 5 and 7 show the permanent magnet 6 being coplanar with the shunt plate 12a.
In the above preferred embodiment of the polar relay, leakage magnetic flux (such as from N-pole to S-pole of prior art relay as shown with dotted lines 6b in FIG. 1(c)), is confined within the shunt plate 12a. In other words, the magnetic circuit in the structure of the present invention is closed. Therefore, the magnetic characteristics of the relay of the present invention are not affected by an external magnetic field. Furthermore, in the structure of the present invention, variation in the dimension of parts has a reduced effect on the magnetic characteristics of the relay in comparison. Accordingly, in the structure of the present invention, variations in the relay characteristics can be reduced by 1/4˜1/2 those occurring in the prior art relay.
The effect of the cut angle α of the taper is shown in the graph of FIG. 9. The FIG. 9 data is of a relay having a yoke with cross-section as shown in FIG. 9. That is, the shunt plate 12a covers only a 2 mm width of the 3.6 mm wide permanent magnet 6 which is 1.25 mm thick and 1.57 mm long along the direction of polarization; and the yokes are 0.8 mm thick. The curve in FIG. 9 represents an attractive force (gr) on the S-pole plate 13 while the coil current zero. As seen from the curve, as the air gap increases, the attractive force on the S-pole plate increases. It is apparent that the attractive force (gr) on the S-pole plate 13 may also be varied by varying the amount of the shunt plate 12a that underlies the permanent magnet 6.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing mechanical forces magnetically induced in the relay versus the position of the armature in the FIG. 3 relay are shown in comparison with those of the prior art relay. In FIG. 10, the ampere-turns of the coil are varied. In the relay structure of the present invention, the majority of the resulting increase in margin is used to reduce the ampere-turns of the coil needed to break the swing pole from the S-pole plate. Some of the margin is used to increase the attractive force of the S-pole plate, i.e. the margin of curve B'. The ampere-turns needed to overcome the kink point K can be as small as 35 AT (ampere-turn) (which is not shown in the figure as a curve) compared to 47 AT of the prior art relay. If the permanent magnet 6 has a lower magnetic force and the structure of the present invention is not used, the 0 AT curve B" may touch the load curve A. However, according to the structure of the present invention the attractive force (gr) on the S-pole plate 13 can be kept almost same or a little higher than that of the prior art relay without having the 0 AT curve B' touch the load curve A. This is the case even with a remarkable reduction in the coil ampere-turns needed to break the swing pole 3a from the S-pole plate 13. As a result, with as few as 65 AT the structure of the present invention has an operation rating that compares with 80 AT of a prior art relay. This reduction of ampere-turns allows reduction of the coil power consumption from about 150 mW to about 100 mW.
Variations in the structure of the high reluctance magnetic circuit at the lower edge of the second yoke 13 are shown in FIGS. 11(a) through 11(f). In FIGS. 11(a) and 11(f), the hatched portions denote spacers comprising a non-magnetic material, such as copper or plastic, which is magnetically equivalent to an air gap. The feature of each variation of the lower end of the second yoke 13 that faces the shunt plate 12a is self explanatory; thus requiring no more description.
Though in the above preferred embodiment of the present invention the polarization of the permanent magnet is such as shown in the figures, it is apparent that the invention can be embodied even if the polarization is reversed. In this case, the direction of the current application in the coil must be reversed.
The many features and advantages of the invention are apparent from the detailed specification; and thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the system which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes may readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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An electromagnetic polar relay comprising a first yoke having a main portion and first and second ends positioned at respective angles to the main portion; a second yoke, positioned to face the first yoke, having a lower end positioned to face the main portion so that magnetic reluctance between the second yoke and the main portion is larger than a magnetic reluctance between the first end of the first yoke and the main portion; an armature having a first portion movably connected to the second end of the first yoke and having a second portion movable between the first yoke and the second yoke; a coil positioned about the armature; and a permanent magnet, positioned over the main portion, having a first pole magnetically connected to the first end of the first yoke and a second pole magnetically connected to the second yoke. The higher reluctance is due to, for example, an air gap provided by a tapered edge of the second yoke. The difference in magnetic reluctance between the first and second yokes assures that an undesirably large attractive force on the armature by the second yoke is reduced in comparison with previous relay.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates to a method and apparatus for isolation of contaminants in wood pulp, specifically sclereids, for the purpose of measuring sclereid contamination levels.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
[0002] Sclereids form naturally in the inner bark of most trees but are considered contaminants when found in pulp or paper. It is becoming increasingly important for mills that produce pulp or paper to accurately know what the sclereid contamination level of their products is.
[0003] Sclereids are dense cellulosic inclusions found in many plants, including both hardwood and softwood trees, used in papermaking pulps. Sclereids can cause a variety of problems in papermaking, calendering, coating and converting operations. For instance, in papermaking mills where high-speed paper machines are employed, the sclereids may produce areas of weakness on the forming sheet, resulting in more frequent breakage thereof. Breaks on the paper result in down time and loss of production. In the finished paper, they may produce blemishes, reduce the visual quality of the paper and result in non-uniform reception of printing inks. There are few tests available for measuring sclereid inclusions in pulp and paper, and they are mainly empirical, based on human observation and manual count.
[0004] At present there is little published literature on sclereid measurement techniques. Below are listed the literature references that do cite method(s) for sclereid measurement:
1. Forster, S. Sclereid control at Canfor Prince George. 1987 Spring Conference Preprints, CPPA Technical Section, 1987. 2. Ringdahl, L. Replacing bleached-pulp cleaning system improves quality at Tahsis. Pulp and Paper 54(3), 1980:96-98. 3. Thair, B. W. and Corcoran, P. J. A quantitative method for the measurement of sclereid clusters in bleached softwood kraft pulp. 1979 Spring Conference Preprints, CPPA Technical Section, 1979.
[0008] Below are listed U.S. patents or patent applications that may be considered to provide information in the field of sclereid measurement:
1. US 2003/0076492 A1 Apr. 24, 2003 “Identification of material inclusions in pulp and paper using Raman spectroscopy” James E. Bradbury, Donald R. Smith, Edward R. Grant, and Philipp Kukura. 2. US 2003/0020029 A1 Jan. 30, 2003 “Method and apparatus for determining stone cells in paper or pulp” Deborah Jean Henry, Ross S. Chow, and Hongqi Yuan. 3. U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,542 Aug. 6, 1996 “System for detecting contaminants” John D. Hoffmann, Robert W. Gooding, Norman Roberts, and Robert S. Hart. 4. U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,823 Feb. 11, 1992 “Device for determining the characteristics of particles in suspension in a liquid” Jacques Silvy and Rene Pascal. 5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,308 Jul. 19, 1988 “System for monitoring contaminants with a detector in a paper pulp stream” Wayne F. Carr.
[0014] The first patent listed above (Bradbury et al, US 2003/0076492 A1) employs a laser Raman spectroscopic probe to generate Raman spectroscopic images of pulp, paper and contaminant samples. A spectroscopic finger print of each material or mixtures of materials is placed in a data base and used to identify unknown samples.
[0015] In literature the term sclereid and stone cell are often used interchangeably. Unfortunately, the term stone cell does not always refer to a sclereid and, therefore, to prevent ambiguity, the use of the phrase “stone cell” should be avoided. Stone cells can also refer to phellem cells. Phellem cells have a flat, disk like shape with a cog wheel patterned cell structure.
[0016] The second patent publication listed above (Henry et al, 2003/0020029 A1) describes a device that irradiates paper or pulp samples with light of a specific range of wavelengths. This incident light causes the sclereids to fluoresce strongly relative to the background matrix of pulp or paper. The strongly fluorescing sclereids are observed and counted or they are digitally recorded using a camera.
[0017] The third patent listed above (Hoffmann et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,542) is assigned to Paprican and covers a plastic detection device available under the trade-mark Paprispec®. In this device a hydrocyclone (cleaner) is used to concentrate lightweight contaminants in its reject flow. The contaminants are then transferred into a mini-screen to separate fiber from contaminants. The cleaner is typically operated at a solids content range of 0.3 to 1.5%. Pulp is fed through the cleaner in a single pass arrangement. The cleaner is a “flow through” design characterized by the accept port exiting near the base of the cleaner and the reject port exiting at the base of the cleaner. More importantly, this style of cleaner is designed to concentrate lightweight contaminants in the reject flow.
[0018] The fourth patent listed (Silvy et al, U.S. Pat. No. 5,087,823) encompasses a device for measuring fiber length. This device can also be used to calculate the ratio between organic and mineral elements in a furnish or used to indicate how efficient retention control is on the paper machine. The device includes a pulp sampler, a fractionator, an optical measurement cell and a programmable controller.
[0019] This device is interesting in the sense that it may be configured to measure sclereids in pulp yet its process is quite different from our sclereid measurement technique. The fractionator device does not use a hydrocyclone in its construction. The approach consists of an optical measurement cell to image and count particles.
[0020] The fifth patent listed (Carr, U.S. Pat. No. 4,758,308) uses one or more cleaners to split a pulp containing contaminants into heavy, medium and small sized particle fractions. The particle removal includes sequential stages for removing the heavy, medium and small sized contaminants. These contaminants are passed through an illuminated photodetecting unit in the form of a thin sheet like flow. When a contaminant particle travels past the linear array of photosensitive elements, the momentary shadowing or blocking of the illumination on the elements produces a drop in analog signal output. This analog output is then digitized, and with the help of a computer and related software, contaminant quantity and size distributions can be produced.
[0021] Carr states that “ . . . particle removal includes sequential stages for removing the heavy, medium and small sized contaminants.” Judging by Carr's patent figures and description, sequential stages means one or both outputs of the primary cleaner can be directed into a secondary cleaner and the secondary cleaner accepts can be redirected back into the primary cleaner. Motor driven pumps are used to supply pressurized pulp slurry to the feed port of each cleaner.
[0022] In the pulp and paper industry there is no standard or officially recognized method for sclereid measurement. This is most likely due to the fact that sclereid contamination has only become a serious concern in the pulp and paper industry within the last five years or so.
[0023] Up till now mills have been left up to their own devices when it comes to finding or developing a sclereid measurement method for their mill. As a result, there are many different sclereid measurement methods in use today. We looked at all of the methods we could find and performed a comprehensive evaluation on two of the most promising ones—“the black tray” and “the pressed handsheet” methods. The evaluation showed these two techniques could track sclereid concentration trends but both had a high level of error.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0024] It is an object of this invention to provide a method of isolating sclereid contamination in a pulp for the purpose of evaluating the level of such contamination.
[0025] It is another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for isolating sclereid contamination in a pulp for the purpose of evaluating the level of such contamination.
[0026] It is still another object of this invention to provide a method for determining the level of sclereid contamination in a pulp.
[0027] It is yet another object of this invention to provide an apparatus for determining the level of sclereid contamination in a pulp.
[0028] In accordance with a particular embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method of isolating sclereid contaminants from pulp fibers in a pulp sample comprising: providing an aqueous suspension of a known amount of a pulp sample in a flow chamber, withdrawing the suspension from said chamber and entraining the suspension in an aqueous dilution stream to produce a highly diluted suspension, and feeding the highly diluted suspension into a hydrocyclone and separating a sclereid fraction from a pulp fiber fraction in said hydrocyclone.
[0029] In accordance with another particular embodiment of the invention, there is provided a method for determining the level of sclereid contamination in a pulp comprising isolating sclereid contaminants in accordance with the invention, as described herein, recovering the isolated sclereids and evaluating the isolated sclereids as a measure of contamination of the pulp.
[0030] In accordance with still another particular embodiment of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for isolating sclereid contaminants from pulp fibers in a pulp sample comprising: a flow chamber for flow therethrough of a suspension of a known amount of the pulp sample; a flow passage for flow of an aqueous dilution stream, and means to withdraw the suspension from said flow chamber into said flow passage for entrainment in the aqueous dilution stream, as a highly diluted suspension; a hydrocyclone, said flow passage being in flow communication with said hydrocyclone for delivery of the highly diluted suspension to the hydrocyclone; the hydrocyclone being adapted to separate a sclereid fraction from a pulp fiber fraction of the suspension, the hydrocyclone having a first outlet port for the pulp fiber fraction and a second outlet port for the sclereid fraction; said second outlet port being in communication with said flow chamber for return of the sclereid fraction thereto.
[0031] In accordance with yet another particular embodiment of the invention, there is provided an apparatus for determining the level of sclereid contamination in a pulp comprising an apparatus of the invention for isolating sclereids, as described herein, and further including means for recovery of isolated sclereids for evaluation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF INVENTION
[0032] In the operation of the methods of the invention, the separated sclereid fraction is preferably returned to the flow chamber and recycled into the aqueous dilution stream for return to the hydrocyclone for further separation a plurality of times, to produce a progressively sclereid enriched sclereid fraction.
[0033] Suitably, the flow chamber is vertically elongate and the suspension therein flows vertically downwardly under a condition of plug flow.
[0034] Suitably, the highly diluted suspension has a solids content, comprising pulp fibers and sclereids of not more than 0.1%, by weight.
[0035] The withdrawal of suspension from the flow chamber is suitably carried out with an eductor in the flow passage, effective to suction the suspension from the flow chamber into the flow passage for entrainment by the aqueous dilution stream. Typically, the apparatus has a flow path for the suspension, including the flow chamber, the eductor and the flow passage, which flow path provides for minimal mechanical impact forces on the sclereids.
[0036] The sclereid concentrator is the first device used in the sclereid measurement procedure. The concentrator is used to remove most of the fibrous material from a pulp sample. Typically a ten gram sample is placed in the concentrator and the device is turned on. The pulp sample will circulate through the concentrator's mini-hydrocyclone (cleaner) 1 to 10, preferably 5 to 7, and more especially 6 times. After each pass a portion of the sample's fiber will be removed by the accept or overflow port of the hydrocyclone. Following the final pass, more especially the sixth pass, the remaining material will be deposited into a collection cup. At this point the sample mass has been reduced by approximately 95%, yet virtually all the sclereids remain.
[0037] In the second step the sclereid sample is run through a screen, for example, the Pulmac “Master Screen” or Pulmac “Shive Analyser” fitted with a slotted screen plate; by way of example there may be mentioned a 0.004″ slotted screen plate or a 0.006″ slotted screen plate; the latter might suffer from excessive sclereid loss. After the screening step, there should be virtually no fiber remaining in the sclereid sample. The sample is then placed under a low power stereo microscope and the sclereids are identified and counted. Alternatively, the sclereid sample is placed on a flat bed scanner, an image made, and a personal computer based image analysis program counts and measures the particle size distributions.
[0038] In this sclereid measurement procedure the function of the concentrator is to remove most of the pulp fiber, fibrous material like fiber knots, knife knits, strings, and any other lightweight or high specific surface particles. If the concentrator step were to be removed from the procedure, the result would be more residual fiber and other fibrous material, remaining in the final sclereid sample.
[0039] When rapidly identifying and counting sclereids, it is important to have a sample that is free of materials such as pulp fiber, knits, strings, and shives. The concentrator employed in the invention reduces the initial sample fiber mass by 95%. This allows the remaining 5% of fiber to be easily removed by the subsequent screening step, thus producing a sclereid sample with few other contaminants.
[0040] The proposed sclereid concentrator apparatus uses a hydrocyclone or cleaner. The concentrator employs a “forward cleaner” design that is efficient at removing heavy weight contaminants in the reject flow. The forward cleaner design is characterized by having the accept port located at the cleaner top and a reject port at the cleaner base. In this application the cleaner is operated at much lower solids content than normal, 0.01 to 0.1%, and is configured to, run in a sequential, multiple pass mode. Also, the cleaner on the sclereid concentrator operates at relatively low feed pressures of about 20 psi.
[0041] The sclereid concentrator device uses only one cleaner (hydrocyclone) and the reject flow from it is continuously redirected back to the cleaner feed via an eductor. In this configuration the sclereid concentrator is able to pass the same reject sample through the same cleaner many times, over a relatively short time period (5 min.). The purpose of each pass is to further reduce the residual fiber component of the sclereid sample. The sclereid concentrator does not use a motor driven pump to reintroduce the cleaner reject sample back into the cleaner feed. The suction produced by the flow of cleaner feed water traveling through the eductor produces suction on a side port that draws in, mixes and dilutes the cleaner reject sample en route to the cleaner feed port.
[0042] The concentrator comprises the flow chamber, the flow passage, and the hydrocyclone.
[0043] An eductor in the flow passage has a venturi passage, and flow of the dilution stream therethrough creates a vacuum effect, suctioning the suspension from the flow chamber into the flow passage where the suspension is entrained by the flowing dilution stream, and a further dilution of the suspension is effected prior to delivery of the suspension to the hydrocyclone.
[0044] The process commences with a relatively dilute suspension of the pulp sample, with further dilution in the flow passage. The high dilution is of importance in ensuring a low concentration suspension of fibers and sclereids, particularly such that collisions between the particles are minimized, individual fibers and sclereids being well spread apart in the suspension, avoiding agglomeration or adhesion between particles so that an efficient separation of fibers from sclereids is achieved in the hydrocyclone, and there is minimal loss of sclereids with the fiber fraction removed from the hydrocyclone.
[0045] The use of the eductor avoids the need for mechanical pumps of the type in which impellers apply impacts to force the liquid flow.
[0046] The flow of the suspension in the invention is such that the suspension is not subjected to mechanical impelling forces, and the particles in the flow of entrained suspension, in the flow passage, will suffer minimal impacts with each other, and with the walls of the passage.
[0047] It is believed the hydrocyclone separates the sclereid particles based primarily on specific surface area. The suspension is introduced tangentially into the hydrocyclone and the lower specific surface area particles, namely, the sclereids, remain adjacent the interior wall of the hydrocyclone while the higher surface area particles, namely, the pulp fibers, migrate to the center of the hydrocyclone.
[0048] The flow chamber is suitably vertically elongate, and the suspension flows therethrough under a condition of plug flow so that a sclereid fraction entering the flow chamber from the hydrocyclone is not mixed with an earlier fraction. Consequently, the suspension in the flow chamber becomes progressively poorer in pulp fibers as the suspension is recycled along the flow path which is defined by the flow chamber, flow passage, and hydrocyclone.
[0049] The invention permits a 10 gram pulp sample to be distilled down to just sclereids in a simple and quick two-step process, thereby allowing easy identification and summation of the sclereid contaminants.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0050] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an apparatus of the invention for carrying out the methods of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS WITH REFERENCE TO THE DRAWING
[0051] With further reference to the drawing, the following components are identified:
( 1 ) hydrocyclone (cleaner) ( 2 ) accept line—from cleaner to drain ( 3 ) shower head—rinses Plexiglas tube tank walls, also adds dilution water ( 4 ) sample funnel—used to introduce pulp sample into Plexiglas tube tank ( 5 ) system controller—controls test timing and the operation of all electrically actuated valves—wires connect it to the upper and lower level sensors and valves ( 6 ) upper level sensor—indicates whether fluid level is above or below this point ( 7 ) lower level sensor—indicates whether fluid level is above or below this point ( 8 ) Plexiglas tube tank—contains sample at start of test, produces “plug flow” effect ( 9 ) three way ball valve—switches the flow from feeding the eductor to feeding the sample cup ( 10 ) pipe line—from three way ball valve to sample cup ( 11 ) sample cup—sclereid/fiber mixture is deposited here after test is complete ( 12 ) wire mesh—sample cup bottom is lined with 150 mesh stainless steel wire mesh to allow water to rapidly drain through it ( 13 ) pipe line—from Plexiglas tube tank to three way ball valve ( 14 ) pipe line—from three way ball valve to eductor ( 15 ) pipe line—feeds flush water to three way ball valve ( 16 ) two way valve—turns on or off the flush water directed at the three way ball valve, valve is controlled by system controller ( 5 ) ( 17 ) pipe line—from main water supply line to the two way valve ( 16 ) ( 18 ) pipe line—main water supply line, feeds the eductor ( 19 ) two way valve—turns flow of water on or off in the main water supply line, valve may be controlled by system controller ( 5 ) ( 20 ) pipe line—main water supply line, feeding two way valve ( 19 ) ( 21 ) pipe line—carries flush water from the main water supply line to the two way valve ( 22 ) ( 22 ) two way valve—turns on or off flow of water to tube tank showers, valve is controlled by system controller ( 5 ) ( 23 ) eductor—driven by flow of fresh water through it, draws in pulp sample from tube tank (via pipe line ( 13 ), through three way ball valve ( 9 ) and pipe line ( 14 )) and blends/dilutes it with fresh water and sends the mixture out line ( 25 ) ( 24 ) pipe line—carries fresh water from valve ( 22 ) to shower head ( 25 ) pipe line—carries water pulp/blend from eductor ( 23 ) to the hydrocyclone ( 1 )
[0077] This description covers both the method and the novel apparatus used in the sclereid measurement procedure of the invention. The details will follow the natural order of the sclereid measurement procedure.
[0078] The concentrator consists of five main components: a mini-hydrocyclone or cleaner ( 1 ), a Plexiglas “tube tank” ( 8 ), an actuated three-way ball valve ( 9 ), an eductor ( 23 ) and an electronic controller ( 5 ).
[0079] At the beginning of the test, the Plexiglas tube tank ( 8 ) is filled with a 10 gram slush pulp sample. Before the pulp has had a chance to settle in the tube tank ( 8 ), the main water supply line valve ( 19 ) is fully opened and the system controller button is triggered ( 5 ). When the main water supply line valve is opened, fresh water flows from pipe line ( 20 ), through valve ( 19 ), up pipe line ( 18 ), through the eductor ( 23 ), up pipe line ( 25 ), and into the hydrocyclone (cleaner) ( 1 ). Once inside the cleaner ( 1 ), the water flow splits into two paths; one flows out the top of the cleaner and the other out the bottom. The majority of the flow coming into the cleaner ( 1 ) exits out the top and is carried to the drain by pipe line ( 2 ). A small portion of the flow fed to the cleaner ( 1 ) exits out the bottom (reject port) and free falls into the Plexiglas tube tank ( 8 ).
[0080] At this point the Plexiglas tube tank ( 8 ) is full of pulp and cannot accept much more water. As the fresh water flows through the eductor ( 23 ), a vacuum is produced in the eductor's side port—which is connected to pipe line ( 14 ). This vacuum draws the pulp sample out of the Plexiglas tube tank ( 8 ), out pipe line ( 13 ), through the three way ball valve ( 9 ), in pipe line ( 14 ) and finally into the eductor ( 23 ). In the eductor ( 23 ) the pulp sample is diluted and mixed with fresh water, and then sent through pipe line ( 25 ) to the cleaner ( 1 ). The cleaner then sends most of the fiber and other low density or high specific surface particles out the accept line ( 2 ) to the drain. Sclereids along with some coarse fiber/shives pass out the cleaner reject port and free fall back into the Plexiglas tube tank ( 8 ).
[0081] To ensure the tube tank ( 8 ) does not overflow, the eductor ( 23 ) is sized so that the flow out the tube tank bottom is always greater than the feed into the top of it from the cleaner reject port. If the tube tank level drops too low, air could become entrained into the flow circuit, affecting the performance of the eductor ( 23 ) and cleaner ( 1 ). To prevent air entrainment and to ensure no pulp sticks to the tube tank walls, a shower head ( 3 ) system is incorporated in the concentrator. As the fluid level drops past the low level sensor ( 7 ), the system controller ( 5 ) opens the two way valve ( 22 ) to allow fresh water from pipe line ( 18 ) into line ( 21 ), through valve ( 22 ), up line ( 24 ) and through the shower head ( 3 ). Once the shower is activated, the fluid level in the tube tank ( 8 ) rises until it reaches the upper level sensor ( 6 ) which causes the system controller ( 5 ) to close the two way valve ( 22 ) and stops the flow of shower water. The system controller thus maintains the level of fluid in the tube tank ( 8 ) between the upper and lower level sensors ( 6 , 7 ).
[0082] The test ends when the pulp sample has been re-circulated through the eductor/cleaner loop six times. At this point a timer in the system controller trips into “drain” mode and causes the three way ball valve ( 9 ) to rotate ninety degrees, allowing the pulp/sclereid mixture in the tube tank ( 8 ) to drain out pipe line ( 10 ) into the sample cup ( 11 ). The system controller ( 5 ) keeps the shower water on (two way valve ( 22 ) open) to help rinse any residual sclereids into the sample cup ( 11 ).
[0083] A rinse water line is also turned on during the drain mode. Two way valve ( 16 ) is opened, allowing fresh water into pipe line ( 17 ), through valve ( 16 ), in pipe line ( 15 ) and flushing out the closed port of the three way valve ( 9 ), pipe line ( 14 ), the eductor ( 23 ), pipe line ( 25 ), the cleaner ( 1 ), the tube tank ( 8 ), pipe line ( 13 ), the open port of the three way ball valve ( 9 ) and pipe line ( 10 ).
[0084] The contents of the sample cup are then used in the subsequent Pulmac screening step and a microscope counting step. The full procedures of the sclereid measurement method in a specific example are set out below.
[heading-0085] Sclereid Measurement Procedure
[0086] Required Equipment:
Sclereid concentrator device Pulmac Shive Analyzer or Master Screen fitted with an accurate 0.004″ screen plate. Low power good quality stereo microscope (approx. 6 to 40 times magnification) Black, ruled, 42.5 mm diameter, filter paper disks Vacuum filter holder Stainless steel spatula Dissecting probe Stainless steel dissecting forceps, with smooth needle point Plastic petri dishes, 50 mm diameter, used to store sclereid samples
Procedure:
A) Sclereid Concentration
1) System Check
[0099] First turn the Feed Water valve to the open position.
[0100] With the concentrator cord plugged into an electrical outlet, push the start button on the control panel to start the system.
[0101] Observe the pressure gauge located on the mini-cleaner feed port. Check the pressure readings as the shower water cycles ON and OFF. The pressure readings should fall between 20-23 PSI regardless of whether the shower is on or off.
[0102] Allow the control system to finish its 5 minute concentration sequence.
[0103] Turn off the Feed Water valve.
[0104] Inspect, clean and reposition the sample cup.
[heading-0105] 2) Sample Preparation
[0106] Make a slush pulp so that a representative 10.0 gram (O.D. basis) sample can be withdrawn. If the 10.0 gram sample volume is not between 2½ to 3 liters then dilute to this volume by adding fresh water. If the pulp is to be immediately run through the concentrator then well mix the pulp with a stirring rod and rinse off the rod into the sample.
[heading-0107] 3) System Fill
[0108] Start with the Feed Water valve in the off position, the control timers off and the water level in the column below the 1.0 liter mark.
[0109] Ensure the pulp sample is thoroughly mixed. Very carefully pour the sample into the concentrator fill funnel. Rinse the beaker into the funnel several times using a wash bottle. Rinse the funnel several times with the wash bottle.
[0110] With the wash bottle or small water hose fill the column to the 4.0 liter mark.
[heading-0111] 4) Concentrator Operation
[0112] With the column filled to the 4.0 liter mark, turn on both the Feed Water valve and push the Start Button on the control box at the same time.
[0113] After the green start button has been pushed and the feed valve opened, the pulp sample level in the column should start dropping. Flow should be seen exiting the bottom of the cleaner into the column and exiting out the transparent tubing on the top (accept port) of the cleaner. When the fluid level reaches below the bottom level sensor, the shower water will turn on. The shower will continue to operate until the fluid level rises above the top mounted level sensor. The shower system will continue to switch on and off until the run mode timer turns off (between 3 and 4 minutes). Next, the rinse mode will activate, flushing all remaining materials (mainly sclereids and fiber) into the clean sample cup located on the base of the concentrator.
[0114] When both control timer LED lights have turned off and the water flow into the sample cup has stopped, turn off the Feed Water Valve.
[0115] Remove the sample cup and bring it to the Pulmac screen for processing.
[heading-0116] B) Fiber Seperation—Using the Pulmac Screen
[0117] In this step, the sample is processed through the Pulmac screen to remove all residual fibers. The screen is equipped with a narrow slotted screen plate having slot widths of 0.004 thousandths of an inch. The screen is turned on and the remaining sample from the previous step is transferred into the Pulmac's sample tank. Over a period of five minutes the sample is processed through the screen and the material that is unable to pass through the slots (mostly sclereid material) is deposited in a sample cup.
[0118] After processing in the Pulmac Screen the sclereid sample is ready to be transferred onto a special embossed black filter paper.
[heading-0119] C) Sclereid Sample Transfer
[heading-0120] 1) Filter Paper
[0121] For rapid microscopical sclereid identification and summation, round, black, ruled, 42.5 mm filter paper is needed. Start with 42.5 mm white Whatman # 4 round filter disks.
[0122] Use a new, black, permanent, waterproof felt tipped pen to color the filter paper completely black.
[0123] Before the black ink has had a chance to dry, place the blackened filter paper on a ruled embossing anvil. Rest the plastic embossing cup on top of the anvil. While firmly pressing the embossing cup down on top of the anvil, use a mallet or ball-peen hammer to swiftly strike the top of the embossing cup several times. This will transfer the image of the embossing anvil to the blackened filter paper disk. (Alternatively a hydraulic press could be used to press the image of the embossing anvil onto the filter paper).
[0124] Separate the embossing cup from the anvil and carefully remove the filter paper from the anvil.
[heading-0125] 2) Sample Transfer
[0126] Place the base of the vacuum funnel on top of a suitable sized vacuum flask.
[0127] Place a new blackened, embossed filter disk on the stainless steel screen located on the vacuum funnel base. Ensure the filter disk is well centered.
[0128] Place the top of the Vacuum funnel on the base. Be careful when positioning the funnel top not to shift the position of the filter disk directly below it.
[0129] Place the funnel spring clamp into position, firmly holding the top and base of the funnel together.
[0130] Using a high flow-rate wash bottle, wash the contaminants in the Pulmac sample cup to one side. Tip the sample cup into the vacuum funnel, to a relatively steep angle. With the wash bottle, spray water on the outside bottom edge of the screen cup (directly underneath the sclereid sample location) and carefully wash all the contaminants into the vacuum funnel. Repeat this rinse procedure.
[0131] Apply vacuum to the flask. As the fluid level drops use the wash bottle to rinse down the walls of the funnel. When the fluid level is about 1.0 cm above the filter disk observe the random positioning of the sclereids on the filter disk. If they look well spaced then continue applying vacuum until the fluid level has disappeared. If the water currents have gathered the sclereids into one area of the funnel, break the vacuum line and use the stream of water from the wash bottle to re-distribute the sclereids on the filter disk. Re-connect the vacuum line and apply enough vacuum to drain the water.
[0132] Ensure vacuum is off.
[0133] Carefully remove the funnel spring clamp.
[0134] Tip the funnel top to break the seal and lift it a few centimeters directly above the filter disk. Position the funnel horizontally (90 degrees off of its normal position) in such a way that if sclereids were scraped off the funnel bottom, they would land towards the middle of the filter disk. Use a fine stainless steel analytical spatula to scrape off any sclereids that are clinging to the inner funnel edge. Ensure they fall onto the filter disk.
[0135] Very carefully slide the spatula under the filter disk and lift the filter disk off the vacuum funnel screen. Place the filter disk into a clean plastic petri dish. Keep the sclereid sample sealed in the petri dish while transporting the sample or for storage purpose.
[heading-0136] D) Sclereid Identification and Counting
[heading-0137] 1) Manual Counting
[0138] Carefully remove the filter disk from the plastic Petri dish and place it on a flat plate. Place the plate under a low power stereo microscope and at about 30 times total magnification proceed with the identifying and counting of sclereids. Counting should be performed in a very systematic fashion, starting at the top of the filter disk, traveling from left to right on each of the sections (the sections are created by the embossed lines), until all sclereids on each section have been identified and counted. Results are typically expressed as sclereids per gram (of pulp inspected).
[heading-0139] 2) Counting by Image Analysis
[0140] Carefully remove the filter disk from the plastic Petri dish and place it on a flat plate. Place the plate under a low power stereo microscope and at around 30 times total magnification ensure the particles (sclereids or other contaminants) are not touching each other. Carefully remove the flat plate with the filter disk on top of it and place it on an imaging system such as a special digital camera setup or flat bed scanner. A digital image is taken of the filter disk. The image is then processed with an image analysis software which detects and counts the sclereids on the filter disk. Results are typically expressed as sclereids per gram (of pulp inspected).
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A sclereid concentrator is an apparatus designed to concentrate sclereids found in pulp. The sclereid concentrator is based around a mini-hydrocyclone. When a slush pulp sample is passed through the mini-hydrocyclone, practically all the sclereids are removed by the reject port. The reject sample is then collected, screened and the sclereids are then manually counted or an image analysis system is used to automatically count the sclereids. This count, expressed on the basis of the original sample mass, gives an accurate measurement of the sclereid contamination level in the pulp. There is provided a sclereid concentrator device, a procedure to produce almost pure sclereids and a method to count sclereids manually or by image analysis.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a thread protector andmore specifically a protector for the threaded ends of a well casing or tubing joint such as those used in oil wells, and the like, with the protector including unique structural features enabling it to be easily installed on and removed from the threaded end of the pipe in a safe and efficient manner without the use of any special tools with the protector effectively protecting the threads while enabling the interior of the pipe to be gauged by a driftable gauging member being moved through the pipe joint, by gravity, without interference from the thread protector.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 3,240,232, issued to carrol J. Matherne on Mar. 15, 1966, discloses a thread protector which generally includes a tension belt, a latching structure interconnecting the ends of the tension belt and a body of resilient material associated with the tension belt and latching structure so that the protector may be mounted on the threaded end of a pipe and the pipe can be gauged by a drift gauge in a well-known manner. This type of thread protector has been in use in the oil well field for some time. U.S. Pat. No. 3,038,502 issued to Ernest D. Hauk et al on June 12, 1962, discloses another thread protector having generally the same components as the above-mentioned patent except that the latching device is cam operated and includes a handle structure extending diametrically of the pipe on which the protector is mounted. U.S. Pat. No. 4,036,261, issued to Ernest D. Hauk on July 17, 1977, discloses another type of thread protector which is pneumaticaly operated. Other prior patents relating to thread protectors are listed in the above-mentioned patents. While such devices have been utilized in the oil fields for a number of years, it is desirable that such protectors be improved to render them more economical, easier to use, safer to use, more effective for their purposes and longer lasting when in use.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invenion is to provide a thread protector for the threaded end of a casing or tubing joint which enables the pipe to be drift gauged without interference by the thread protector when it is installed on the pipe, casing or tubing with the protector including a tension belt that is spring biased toward the open position thereby eliminating the necessity of holding the thread protector open when removing it from the casing or installing it on the casing.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a thread protector which is safe in operation inasmuch as opening the latching device to remove the thread protector does not require that the person performing this function place his hand and arm between casing joints with the installation and removal of the protector requiring no tools or other equipment under normal conditions with a person being able to install or remove the protector by using only his hands.
A further object of the invention is to provide a thread protector in accordance with the preceding objects in which the latching structure is quick acting and providing with a flange under which a person may easily place their fingers to open the latching device and thread protector.
Still another object of the invention is to provide a thread protector constructed of corrosion resistant metallic components and a chemically resistant resilient body having a high visibility red color to provide a long lasting, dependable and efficiently handled thread protector.
These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsquently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a schematic elevational view illustrating the manner of use of the thread protector of the present invention in association with a casing joint and oil well rig.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the thread protector.
FIG. 3 is a transverse sectional view of the thread protector illustrating the relationship of the resilient body to the tension belt, plates and housing for the latching device.
FIG. 4 is a horizontal sectional view through a portion of the thread protector illustrating the latching device in closed position.
FIG. 5 is a sectional view similar to FIG. 4 but illustrating the latching device in open position.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the tension belt, housing plates and latching device in open condition.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now specifically to the drawings, the thread protector of the present invention is generally designated by reference numeral 10 and in FIG. 1 it is illustrated in use in relation to an oil well drilling or servicing rig 12 having a drilling or servicing platfrom 14 and a travelling block 16 by which joints 18 of casing or tubing are moved from a pipe storage rack 20 into vertical position in the rig 12 for connection to a string of casing or tubing 22 already oriented in a well bore 24 in a conventional and well-known manner to those skilled in this art with the thread protector of the present invention being disposed on the pin or externally threaded end of the casing or tubing joint 18 while it is slid along the pipe rack 20 and platform 14 and adjacent inclined surface areas which could result in damage to the threads if the thread protector 10 does not stay in position thereon. When the thread protector 10 is removed from the casing or tubing joint 18, when it is disposed in suspended relation above the joint 22, it is placed on an inclined guy wire 26 for gravitational return to the pipe rack for subsequent use on other joints with the number of thread protectors being adequate to enable personnel to appropriately install the thread protector on the casing or tubing joint 18 before it is moved from the pipe rack and removed from the joint 18 and returned to the pipe rack so that there will always be a supply of thread protectors available for use and the installation and removal can be quickly and safely performed.
the thread protector 10 includes a tension belt generally designated by numeral 28, a resilient body encapsulating the tension belt and generally designated by numeral 30 with a latching device generally designated by numeral 32 being connected with the tension belt for use in clamping the thread protector to the casing or tubing joint 18 and enabling removal thereof in a manner described in detail hereinafter.
The tension belt 28 is in the form of a cold rolled steel sheet 34 which is rolled on a radius equal to the pipe diameter on which the thread protector is to be used in order to produce a spring force biasing the thread protector to open position thus eliminating the necessity of the thread protector to be held in open position by the person installing or removing the thread protector. The steel sheet 34 is heat treated to impart spring properties and is provided with a plurality of drilled holes 36 oriented in horizontal rows with the holes being staggered. The opposite ends of the steel sheet 34 are attached to a housing plate 38 and a handle box plate 40, respectively, by the use of rivets 42 extending through holes formed in the components, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in which the rivets 42 support the shear loads induced by the plates 38 and 40 and the tension belt 28 and retain the steel sheet 34 in rigid alignment with the plates.
The housing plate 38 is in the form of a stainless steel casting wih the inside radius being 1/4 greater than the nominal pipe outside radius with the plate 38 includig an outwardly projecting, hollow rectangular housing 44 integral therewith and disposed adjacent to the end of the plate 38 remote from the rivets 42. The interior of the housing 44 is provided with a substantilly square hole 46 extending therethrough with the hole being perpendicular to a plane passing through the plates inside surface center of curvature. Similarly mounted within the opening 46 is a swivel member pivotally or swivelly supported from the top and bottom walls of the housing by shear pins or bolts 50 which extend through threaded apertures in the top and bottom walls of the housing 44 and into the upper and lower ends respectively of a passageway through the swivel member 48. As illustrated, the radially inner and outer surfaces of the swivel member 48 are radiused as at 52 to enable pivotal movement of the swivel member 48 with respect to the inner and outer surfaces of the hole or passageway 46 in the housing 44. The swivel member 48 also includes a passageway or hole 54 extending therethrough generally in perpendicular relation to the shear pins 50 which receive a yoke bolt 56 therethrough with the bolt 56 including a theaded end portion 58 on which is threaded a hexagonal nut 60 and a washer 62 in order to effectively adjust the length of the bolt 56, lock it is adjusted position and prevent the bolt 56 from pulling out of the swivel when loads are applied thereto with the nut being serrated at the outer end and self-locking. The other end of the bolt 56 is provided with a yoke 64 having a bifurcated end portion 66 with the yoke 64 being arcuately curved and of rectangular cross-sectional configuration. The bifurcated end 66 is pivotally connected to a link 68 by a roll pin 70 for a purpose described hereinafter with it being pointed out that the yoke 64 and bolt 56 bridges the ends of the plates 38 and 40 when the thread protector is in the clamped position and open position.
The handle box plate 40 has an inside radius 1/4" greater than the nominal pipe outside radius and includes a pair of generally parallel outwardly extending walls 72 which extend substantially throughout the length of the plate 40 with the ends of the walls 72 adjacent the rivets 42 being interconnected by an end wall 74 and the ends of the walls 72 adjacent the housing plate 38 including an end wall 76 in the form of a relatively thick casting which has a rectangular hole 78 extending therethrough which receives the rectangular yoke 64 to prevent rotation of the yoke bolt 56 and thus serves as a guide for the yoke 64 during reciprocation thereof through the opening 78 which is provided with a greater radial dimension than the radial dimension of the yoke 64 to enable restricted pivotal movement of the yoke 64 about the axis defined by the shear pins 50 which support the swivel member from the housing 44.
Pivotally supported between the walls 72 in spaced relation to the end walls 74 and 76 but closer to the end wall 76 is a handle 80 which at one end portion thereof and extending for a substantial portion of the length thereof includes a pair of parallel lugs 82 which extend over a substantial portion of the length thereof and have rounded ends 84 extending between the walls 72 and pivotally connected thereto by upper and lower pins 86 each of which extend only through one wall 72 and an adjacent lug 82, thus leaving the space between the lugs 82 unobstructed. Adjacent the inner ends of the lugs 82, the link 68 is pivotally connected between the lugs by a pivot bolt 88 having a countersunk head 89 thereon with a Phillips socket or recess therein to enable replacement with the pivot bolt 88 restricting the motion between the handle and link to rotation about an axis through the handle lugs. The portion of the link received between the lugs is provided with a dimension substantially equal to the distance between the lugs whereas the end of the link extending into the bifurcated end 66 of the yoke 64 is of reduced width to be received between the lugs defining the bifurcated end 66.
The end of the handle 80 remote from the pins 86 is reduced in dimension along the opposed surfaces thereof which are closest to the wall 72 when the handle is received therebetween, as designated by numeral 90. The radially outer surface of the handle 80 is provided with a recessed areas 92 which extends in the same general area as the recessed areas 90 with the radially inner surface of the handle and the outer surface of the handle being radiused along the same radius as the plate 40 and the outer edges of the walls 72 as illustrated clearly in FIG. 4. The terminal end portion of the handle 80 includes a radially outwardly extending member 94 generally radially perpendicular to the plate 40 when positioned adjacent thereto with the radially outer end portion of the terminal end 94 including a flange 96 which extends laterally to both sides of the reduced thickness radially outwardly extending portion 94 in order to enable a person to insert two fingers inwardly of the walls 72 and between the walls 72 and the outwardly extending portion 94 and under the flanges 96 to enable outward force to be exerted on the handle to swing it from the position illustrated in FIG. 4 to the position illustrated in FIG. 5. The outward pivoting or swinging movement of the handle 80 moves the pivot bolt 88 in an arcuate path about the center of rotation of the pins 86 thus causing pivotal movement of the link 68 and translatory movement of the link 68 and the yoke 64 with the pivot bolt 88 moving from a position radially inwardly of the pivot axis defined by the pivot pins 86 to a position radially outwardly thereof. When the handle 80 is in closed position, tension exerted on the bolt 56, yoke 64, pivot pins 70, link 68 and pivot bolt 88 will be inwardly of the pivot axis of the pivot pins 86 thus providing an over center latch which will stay closed until the handle 80 is swung outwardly so that the line of force between the bolt 56, yoke 64 and pivot bolt 88 will move outwardly of the pivot axis defined by the pins 86 so that the spring bias of the steel sheet 34 will cause the opening of the thread protector until the inner ends of the lugs 82 engage the outer surface of the plate 40 thus limiting the opening movement of the thread protector.
The flange 96 is provided with an inwardly extending and slightly inwardly curved hook 98 which, combined with the recess 92, produces a guide and hook structure for hooking the thread protector onto the guy wire 26 after it has been removed from the casing or tubing joint 18 for gravitational movement down the guy wire 26 in a well known manner.
The body 30 is constructed of molded neoprene of a bright red color to render it more visible and is resistant to various chemicals normally used in oil production and encapsulates the tension belt 28, the plates 38 and 40 with the end edges thereof extending beyond the end edges of the plates with the body including a unitary member 100 which includes internal threads 102, an inwardly extending flange 104 at one end thereof and rounded external corners 106 to facilitate the thread protector passing over objects or obstructions as the casing or tubing joint 18 is moving from the pipe rack to the rig. The overhanging lip or flange 104 does not extend inwardly of the interior of the pipe joint so that even if a thin wall casing joint is being used, a driftable gauge can still be moved through the pipe without interference from the thread protector. The threads 102 engage the threads on the casing joint 18 and serve to retain the thread protector in place when it is clamped to the pipe. The resilient body member 100 completely encloses the tension belt 28 and both portions of the plates 38 and 40 outwardly of the housing and walls with the body member 100 also including an angular recess or opening 108 providing access to the hexagonal nut 60 to enable adjustment of the yoke bolt and replacement if necessary. Also, passageways 110 are provided in the upper and lower edges of the body member 100 in alignment with the shear bolt 50 to enable removal and replacement thereof when necessary.
The thread protector can be adjusted with ordinary hand tools and can be serviced by similar tools with each shear bolt 50 including an Allen head socket which, of course, requires an Allen wrench. The exposed metal components are constructed of stainless steel which is corrosion resistant and the resilient body of neoprene as well as the exposed metal parts are resistant to various chemicals that are commonly used in oil well drilling operations. The capability of opening the latch device and removing the thread protector does not require that a person place his hand and arm between the casing joints, i.e., between the upper end of a casing already in the well bore and the lower end of a casing to be connected thereto since the hands and arms can be disposed radially outwardly of the thread protector at all times thus providing a safer operation. Also, the thread protector can be installed or removed without the use of any tools other than the hands of the person applying or removing the thread protector. The tension belt 28 being rolled on a radius equal to twice the normally closed radius provides adequate spring bias to open the thread prtector thus eliminating the necessity of the person opening the device to provide an opening force to the handle. With the thread protector in installed position, the fingers of the hand can be curved so that two fingers can be readily inserted beneath the flange to pull the handle outwardly thus opening the latch. When the over center structure passes the center on the opening movement, the thread protector will completely open and fall off of the casing joint or can be easily removed by using the palms of the hands at diametrically opposed points on the resilient body member 100. The spring bias toward open position requires ony a closing force to be exerted by the yoke bolt and swivel thereby preventing any sliding action between the yoke bolt and swivel thus reduced wear. It is pointed out that the rubber body member 100 extends slightly beyond the ends of the plates thus increasing the bond strength, stabilizing the plates and reduce rubber to metal separation. Also, the plates do not have any sharp edges which would tend to cut through the rubber body member when the weight of the casing joint is placed on the thread protector. Recessing the handle within the handle box formed by the walls 72, 74 and 76 prevents hang-ups on irregular surfaces and the handle incorporates the actuating flange as well as the hook which serves to accommodate guy wire delivery back to the pipe rack. The resilient body 100 will absorb shock without permanent deformation and will support the weight of one end of the casing joint without excessive deformation and the interior threads thereof retain the thread protector on the casing joint in a secure manner. The handle box formed by the radial walls prevents yoke bolt rotation, resists the hinge pins and maintains alignment of the handle, supports side loads which would tend to twist or break the yoke bolt, supports the handle in a manner necessary to maintain alignment of the components and protects the handle and other components from side loads when in use. The large surface area of the plates and the corresponding width of the tension belt serve to distribute loads over large areas and compress that portion of the resilient body 100 in contact with the threads of the casing joint. The various components other than belt 28 may be cast using conventional investment techniques and the like and all components are provided with adequate dimensional characteristics capable of providing the required strength characteristics for producing a thread protector which will be dependable in operation and long lasting.
The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
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A protector for easy and quick installation on and removal from the threaded end of a pipe, such as well casing or tubing, when making up a string of well casing or tubing for insertion into a well bore. The protector includes a tension belt constructed in a manner to resiliently bias the protector toward open position with the ends of the tension belt being interconnected by a latching device having an integral handle associated therewith with the tension belt being encapsulated by a resilient body to protect the threads of the pipe. The latching device and associated handle structure is recessed into the body and related housing structure so that no components project beyond the periphery of the resilient body. The handle structure includes a unique undercut portion enabling the finger or fingers to move the operating end of the handle outwardly of the body and also a hook structure for engagement over an inclined guy wire for gravity movement of the protector back to a point adjacent the pipe rack for attachment to a section of casing or tubing to be moved from the pipe rack into position for connection with a joint of casing already in the well bore. The resilient body of the protector is constructed of a readily distinguishable color and provided with rounded corners to enable it to more easily slide over objects or obstructions.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/403,067 filed Aug. 13, 2002 the contents of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and method for extraction of catalyst fines from a slurry oil, catalyst fines and diluent mixture (SCDM) in a petroleum refining process while recycling the slurry oil and diluent in an efficient manner.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Slurry Oil/Catalyst Fines Tank Bottoms Recovery & Processing
The problems presented by catalyst attrition from fluid catalytic cracking units (FCCU) have plagued the refining industry since the advent of fluid catalytic cracking in the first half of the 20th century. Over time, FCCU catalyst deteriorates in size. The size deteriorated catalyst is commonly referred to as catalyst fines.
In the FCCU process, cracked product stream vapor and some catalyst (typically of less than 20 microns in diameter) leave the reactor and enter the main fractionator near its base. On most units the bottom stream from the fractionator is called heavy cycle oil (HCO) or slurry oil. HCO has a typical gravity of from about −4.0 API to about 3 API. For purposes of the present invention, it is sufficient to know that catalyst fines of about 20 microns in diameter or less, make their way to the slurry oil product storage tank. Slurry oil is a saleable product of FCCU processing. Once in the storage tank, the catalyst fines settle to the bottom, albeit very slowly.
The existence of catalyst fines in the slurry tank presents a variety of problems to the refiner. The immediate and obvious problem has to do with product contamination. Slurry oil has proven to be an ideal feedstock for carbon black manufacture. Utilization as carbon black feedstock maximizes the value of slurry oil product. However, the presence of catalyst fines above a specified percentage in the slurry oil product results in an “ash content” specification in excess of that which is acceptable for use of the slurry oil as a carbon black feedstock. Even when the slurry oil product is utilized as a fuel source, a “price penalty” is, effectively, rendered by the market place as a result of ash content, in the form of the inorganic catalyst fines.
Firms within the specialty chemical industry, which service the petroleum refining industry, have built proprietary product lines that serve to enhance settling of the catalyst fines. In recently or relatively recently cleaned storage tanks this procedure is typically successful in enabling the stored slurry oil product to meet even the rigorous specifications of carbon black manufacturers. As the accumulation of catalyst fines continues in the storage tank, a time comes when no amount of settling enhancement will permit the stored product to “meet specifications” of carbon black manufacturers or even fuel products.
When accumulation of catalyst fines in the slurry oil storage tank becomes intolerable, in terms of meeting product specification, refinery management schedules a clean-out. The clean-out is conducted under one of two typical scenarios. One type of clean-out calls for the removal of the catalyst fines without human entry. In this instance, enough of the catalyst fine sediment is removed to make the bottoms manageable once again. The second type of clean-out entails a complete removal of all catalyst fine sediment, subsequent human entry for complete clean up, a so-called mop-up, all followed by inspection, repairs and return-to-service.
The low API/high density of the slurry oil, coupled with the entrained catalyst fines, contributes to recovery and handling problems that are reputed to be some of the toughest in the tank cleaning industry. The tank cleaning industry has devised a number of procedures for catalyst fine removal from slurry oil storage tanks. These include the injection of diluent at high pressure either via side ports or from the roof, the cutting of “door sheets” using a water torch and various probe insertion devices. One such insertion device was co-invented by the present inventor and is called the SWEEPBER and is the subject of U.S. Pat. No. 6,142,160, which serves the purpose of recovering catalyst fines from the bottom of slurry oil storage vessels. A diluent is required to enhance ease of handling of the catalyst fine bottoms in all instances known to this inventor. The observed diluent of choice is Light Cycle Oil or LCO, a side-cut of the FCCU fractionator.
The overwhelming preponderance of catalyst fine projects are then conducted in a manner described as follows: As removal from the tank is carried out the typical procedure calls for transfer of the slurry oil/catalyst fines/diluent mixture (hereinafter “SCDM”) to a mobile mix tank, such as that supplied by Baker Tanks Inc., of approximately 22,000 gallons (approximately 500 barrels) capacity. The mix tank has the capability of heating the contents. A heated catalyst fine suspension of pre-specified temperature and concentration is then prepared, in the mix tank, as feed for centrifuge processing.
The heated feed is charged to the centrifuge and processed at a typical rate of 35 gallons per minute to 42 gallons per minute. Two streams result from the centrifuge process. One stream is referred to as recovered oil; the second stream is referred to as “filter cake”. The recovered oil is utilized per refinery management discretion. A typical option is to blend the recovered oil into heavy fuel oil products.
Pursuant to current U.S. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines, the filter cake is considered a hazardous waste. The cost of hazardous waste disposal has risen by ten fold in the last decade and is expected to continue rising. The principal specification that governs the acceptability of filter cake for disposal to a hazardous waste landfill is the “paint filter test”. This test requires the absence of free flowing oil through a standard filter. However, despite the absence of free-flowing oil within the filter cake, a substantial amount of hydrocarbon content remains within the filter cake and, thus, goes unutilized.
It is not unusual to find that the true hydrocarbon content of post-centrifuged filter cake is greater than 50%. It has been observed that filter cake of high melting point hydrocarbons, such as slurry oil, may contain as much as 83% hydrocarbon. The determination of true hydrocarbon content may be found by conducting a standard ASTM procedure for oil and grease or a true distillation.
There is a currently-used, second method of disposal for filter cake that renders the cake non-hazardous under EPA guidelines. The method is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,443,717 to Robert M. Scalliet, et al. entitled “Recycle of Waste Streams”.
The Refinery Desalting Process
On the front line of defense in preventing refinery, process-side corrosion and processing unit contamination is the crude unit desalter. Despite the name, the desalter serves two principal functions: A) to minimize the chloride contamination and contamination by other water soluble, deleterious chemistries, found in raw crude oil, by precluding their introduction into the crude unit and downstream processes and B) to minimize and/or preclude the introduction of so-called “Basic Sediment and Water” (BS&W) into the crude unit and downstream processes.
The desalting process takes place in the desalter vessel. The desalter may be likened to a crude oil washing machine. Simply described, the desalting process consists of adding wash water to raw crude oil and then mixing the wash water with the raw crude such that the water makes contact with both soluble chemical contaminants and insoluble sediments. The wash water extracts the inorganic salts and other water-soluble chemistries. Further, under ideal conditions, the wash water serves to “water wet” insoluble sediments rendering them hydrophilic.
The objective to desalting optimization is to bring about a resolution of the oil water emulsion that has been purposely created by injecting a water wash into the crude charge prior to the mix valve. Two of the principal contributors to dehydration of the emulsified raw crude oil, not necessarily in order of importance, are A) the application of a treatment additive, commonly referred to as a demulsifier, that serves to promote coalescence of the water and B) the passing of the crude oil emulsion through an electric field, created within the desalter, that serves to enhance an electrostatic coalescing process.
The two factors previously referenced, the treatment additive and the electrostatic coalescing field, are by no means the only contributors to desalter opt optimization. Additional parameters that contribute to desalter optimization are referenced in the section herein below entitled: Translating Bench Model Results To Commercial Scale Practice. When all variables are set satisfactorily, dehydration of the crude emulsion will occur with a simultaneous migration of the cat' fine component of the SCDM into the water phase of the desalting process. The mechanism for dehydration is suggested by a coalescence of water droplets, which settle according to Stokes Law. As settling of the water occurs, both soluble contaminants and water-wetted sediments are carried downward, out of the hydrocarbon phase and into the lower water layer, which is maintained in the desalter. In the desalter, this process takes place on a continuous basis with dehydrated hydrocarbon rising upward and out of the top of the desalter vessel while, simultaneously, water settles downward and is pumped out of the desalter and through piping at the desalter bottom. The so-called desalter effluent water carries with it both the soluble chemical contaminants and the water-wetted, insoluble sediment in the form of the original crude oil inorganic contaminants and cat' fines introduced by the SCDM.
Prior to being charged into the desalter, a water wash is injected into the crude stream. The wash water is mixed into the crude by means of a special piece of hardware termed a mix valve. The mix valve is designed to create a repeatable mixing shear such that the wash water and raw crude oil may be mixed in a predictable manner that can be duplicated and repeated. The determination of the precise mix valve setting is paramount to the achievement of desalter optimization as is the amount and source of the water wash. The previous description of the desalting process, which is essentially a deliberate emulsification followed by a dehydration process, is widely held to be as much an art as a science by those professionals who specialize in the craft of optimizing desalter operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises a method for separating hydrocarbons from catalyst fines in a slurry oil/catalyst fines/diluent mixture (SCDM) comprising the steps of removing SCDM from a slurry oil storage tank and combining the SCDM with crude oil entering a desalter in order to separate the slurry oil from the catalyst fines, whereby the desalter causes the hydrocarbon content of the SCDM to exit the desalter with dehydrated hydrocarbon from the crude oil while catalyst fines exit the desalter with basic sediment and water removed from the crude oil.
Of particular note to this section are the highly detrimental consequences of the formation of an emulsion in the context of desalter processing operations. The typical specification for the so-called “desalted crude” leaving the desalter as charge to crude unit operations is A. Less than one pound of chlorides per thousand barrels of crude (2.86 ppm), B. Less than 0.2% water and C. Less than 0.05% sediment or inorganic solids. Optimum desalter operation is characterized by an upper layer of desalted crude oil and a lower layer of water, most of which is the remnants of the wash water previously introduced. The water serves to transport both deleterious soluble salts and inorganic solids out of the desalter. This refuse stream is channeled to the refinery waste water treatment plant (WWTP) that is specially equipped to deal with the inorganic solid waste. Typically, a very narrow emulsion band (2 inches or less) will develop, within the desalter, at the interface of the oil and water layers. The undesirable nature of an emulsion band is highlighted by the derogatory term that those, skilled in the art of desalting, apply to it, i.e., “the rag layer”. Optimum desalter operations are characterized by an emulsion band of a few inches or less to the vertical and never more than a foot if possible.
Desalter upset conditions arise when the emulsion band, within the desalter, begins to expand. As the emulsion band widens, the solids and water components of the emulsion are elevated toward the crude oil discharge line located at the top of the desalter vessel. Once the emulsion band becomes too great in width the phenomenon of solids and water carry-over occurs and the objectives of desalting are not attained. This is represented by the analysis of crude, exiting the desalter, exceeding the specifications previously described. A severe desalter upset, whereby wash water containing copious amounts of chlorides or other corrosive chemistry makes its way to the crude tower overhead, can result in corrosion through the overhead system of the crude tower creating a highly dangerous potential for fire within the refinery. The negative consequences of emulsion formation, in the context of desalter processing operations, cannot be overemphasized.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view of the system of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
While the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is described in detail preferred embodiments of the invention. It is to be understood that the present disclosure is to be considered only as an example of the principles of the invention. This disclosure is not intended to limit the broad aspect of the invention to the illustrated embodiments. The scope of protection should only be limited by the claims.
In a broad overview of the present invention, the recovery of hydrocarbons within SCDM and the treatment of catalyst fines, such that they extracted, is accomplished by mixing the SCDM with crude oil before the crude oil enters the desalter. Once in the desalter, the hydrocarbon content of the SCDM is extracted into the crude oil and sent to the crude distillation unit fractionator while catalyst fines are removed as is other ordinary sediment within the desalter.
In order to utilize the present invention on a production scale, it is first necessary to optimize the processing condition through bench modeling. After an appropriate bench model has been formulated, the process is incorporated in production equipment where further enhancements to the process may be performed.
Also, as a precautionary note, all laboratory testing should be conducted within the constraints of generally accepted laboratory safety procedures. Bench modeling requires the heating of semi-volatile crude oil systems, which may contain volatile hydrocarbons that result in increased pressure when heated. All containment vessels should be certified explosion proof for pressures anticipated by the procedure.
In order to perform the appropriate bench modeling of the desalting process, samples of upcoming crude unit charge blends, as well as samples of the SCDM to be processed, are procured. The samples of crude oil and SCDM are washed with water with samples of the wash water that will be used in the production-scale process. Next a choice is made as to the most desirable crude unit charge blend in the context of crude availability.
As a starting point it is preferred that an SCDM is prepared such that a 1 part addition of SCDM to 99 parts of the chosen crude slate will result in a concentration of less 0.4% BS&W in the SCDM/Crude mixture. The present invention is not limited to 0.4% BS&W. The SCDM is then heated to 125° F. to 180° F. in a water bath and stirred. 198 milliliters of raw crude are stirred at ambient temperatures or at a temperature at which the crude oil will exist at the point of injection of SCDM, as anticipated for the commercial scale processing. Two (2) milliliters of SCDM are added to the 198 milliliters of raw crude from the previous step and stirred until the mixture is homogenous.
The bench model may be constructed using a water bath or, alternatively, an electrostatic precipitator device, available in the market place, which serves to simulate the desalting process. The desalting simulating apparatus serves to incorporate electrostatic coalescence into the bench modeling procedure. If constructing a bench model without the desalter simulating apparatus, the SCDM/raw crude mixture is transferred to a containment vessel capable of minimizing the loss of light hydrocarbon components at a temperature of 180° F. The vessel containing the mixture is placed in a water bath at 180° F. The water bath should be located in a fume hood. The containment vessel must be of adequate construction to assure that light hydrocarbon components, heated to 180, will not create a pressure sufficient to explode the vessel. The wash water sample is heated to 200° F.
A blender jar, constructed of glass or stainless steel with a lid and mixing components, impervious to organic solvent attack, is heated in a water bath to 205° F. A demulsifier treatment additive is selected for testing. A treatment rate at which the additive is to be injected is also chosen. A blender system, associated with the blender jar, is arranged for easy access. The blender system is controlled via a variable transformer. The variable transformer should have settings ranging from 0 to 100. Settings, for both the blender system and the variable transformer, are chosen for the first bench-model test.
The vessel containing the SCDM/raw crude mixture is opened, carefully and inside the fume hood, such that pressure, created by volatilized light hydrocarbon components, may be vented safely. The chosen demulsifier, at the chosen dosage rate, is injected into the SCDM/raw crude mixture.
The vessel is sealed and then shaken for at least 150 seconds. This step simulates the dispersion of demulsifier throughout the SCDM/raw crude mixture. A standard laboratory shaker is used so that the shaking or mixing procedure is repeatable. The container is then returned to the water bath and raised to a temperature of 180° F.
When the SCDM/raw crude has reached 180° F., the mixture is transferred to the preheated blender jar and 10 milliliters of wash water sample, preheated to 200° F. is added to the blender jar. A choice of initial settings for the variable blender is made. The lid is closed, the jar is secured and the power is turned on for a selected period of time.
At the completion of the blending cycle, 100 milliliters of the treated and washed SCDM/Raw crude sample is transferred to a 100 ml centrifuge tube commonly referred to in the petroleum industry as an oil tube. The oil tube is immediately transferred to the water bath maintained at 200° F.
Alternatively, desalter simulating apparatus may be employed in preference to a water bath. In this event, the tube components, associated with the laboratory desalting simulator apparatus may be used and the simulating apparatus will serve as a heating device rather than the water bath. The desalting simulator apparatus delivers an electrical charge to the treated and washed sample thereby simulating electrostatic coalescence.
The oil tube or desalting simulator tube component, containing the sample, is placed in the water bath or simulating apparatus respective of the method used. The results of testing are described in terms of the so-called “Water & Sediment Drop”. The settling of water and sediment volumes is recorded at selected intervals. This entails examining the treatment vessel and observing the amount of water and sediment that has settled to the bottom of the tube. The tube is calibrated such that volume of settled water or sediment is gauged. All variables described in the testing procedure may be adjusted through experience and iteration until such a time as the acceptable results are achieved in accordance with refinery specifications.
Generally, acceptable results have been obtained when the resulting water and sediment drop, i.e. the amount of BS&W found to be settled to the bottom of the oil tube, will directly correlate to the amount of BS&W contained in the sum total of raw crude, SCDM and wash water introduced by the original mixture.
Of particular importance is the rate of water and sediment drop achieved. For this reason, pursuant to placement of the oil tube or desalting simulator tube into the respective heating and settling apparatus, readings are taken at intervals of no more than five minutes apart. A relatively fast rate of water and sediment settling is preferable to slower settling rates.
A sample of the top 50 milliliters of the contents of the oil tube is carefully procured by the use of an appropriate syringe. The sample is tested for chlorides and BS&W according to standard refinery practices or according to ASTM procedures.
If the top 50 milliliters are tested and found to be within acceptable specifications and if the Water & Sediment Drop observed in the Oil Tube or desalter simulator tube component is found to correlate to a high degree with the total BS&W of the treated sample, then an efficient processing of the SCDM may be presumed, contingent upon the proper translation of bench model results to the commercial scale application.
Translating Bench Model Results to Commercial Scale Practice
Based upon the values determined in the bench model, commercial scale desalting of the mixed SCDM and crude oil may be accomplished. As will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, the conditions of the bench model should be repeated in the commercial scale process and all rates of the desalting process are performed within the teachings of the prior art.
Referring to FIG. 1 , there is shown a desalting system in accordance with the present invention. The desalting process begins by retrieving crude oil from a crude oil storage tank 2 through a crude charge pump 4 and a crude oil feed line 10 . Slipstreamed into the crude oil, upstream from the crude oil charge pump 4 , is a feed of SCDM from a SCDM feed tank 6 which has been filled with SCDM retrieved from a slurry oil storage tank 8 and a demulsifier from an SCDM demulsifier injection 9 . Alternatively, the SCDM could be slipstreamed into the crude oil downstream of the crude charge pump 4 , but before a wash water injection point (described below). Optionally, also introduced into the crude oil is a demulsifier from a demulsifier supply 11 .
The crude oil/SCDM mixture is then mixed with a quantity of wash water from a wash water supply 12 and pumped through a mix valve 14 , in accordance with concentrations determined in the bench model. The crude oil/SCDM/wash water mixture is then pumped into a prior art desalter 16 where the crude oil/SCDM/wash water mixture is dehydrated and crude oil is removed from the top of the desalter 16 while BS&W is removed from the bottom of the desalter 16 . The BS&W removed from the bottom of the desalter 16 contains the catalyst fines from the SCDM while dehydrated hydrocarbon is removed from the top of the desalter containing the hydrocarbons from the SCDM. Therefore, the hydrocarbons from the SCDM are recycled.
While the specific embodiments have been described, numerous modifications come to mind without significantly departing from the spirit of the invention, and the scope of protection should only be limited by the scope of the accompanying claims.
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The present invention comprises a method for separating hydrocarbons from catalyst fines in a slurry oil/catalyst fines/diluent mixture (SCDM) comprising the steps of removing SCDM from a slurry oil storage tank and combining the SCDM with crude oil entering a desalter in order to separate the slurry oil from the catalyst fines, whereby the desalter causes the hydrocarbon content of the SCDM to exit the desalter with dehydrated hydrocarbon from the crude oil while catalyst fines exit the desalter with basic sediment and water removed from the crude oil.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to guards for rain gutters on buildings, and more particularly, is directed to a gutter guard having two drainage sections and a heating mechanism associated therewith.
It is well-known to provide guards on top of gutters to prevent leaves from falling into the gutters, while permitting water to drain into the gutters. Examples of known arrangements presently being sold are, for example, the system sold under the registered trademark “GUTTER TOPPER” by Gutter Topper Ltd., L.L.C. Of Amelia, Ohio; the system sold under the registered trademark “GUTTER CAP” by Selective Seamless Siding Co. of Naperville, Ill.; and the system sold under the registered trademark “LEAFPROOF” by Eran Industries, Inc. of Omaha, Nebr.
In these systems, the gutter guard includes a sheet of metal that covers the gutter, and has a curved forward end that extends back into the gutter. Thus, leaves and the like are prevented from entering the gutter, but because of surface tension, water flows along the forward curvature of the guard and falls through small openings thereat into the gutter, where the water is carried away to the down spout.
One problem with these systems is that during a heavy water flow, because of the large volume of water, much of the rain water will tend to fall off the roof from the curved end of the gutter guard, rather than flow around the curved end into the gutter. In such case, the gutter guard, although preventing leaves and the like from entering the gutter, does not provide the function of guiding the rain water into the gutter.
In an attempt to solve this problem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,404,775 to Demartini discloses a gutter guard in which there are bumps to slow down the velocity of the rain water so that it travels around the bend into the gutter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,557,891 to Albracht discloses a gutter guard having water slowing means in the form of an S-shaped bend spaced rearwardly of the forward curved portion.
However, the problem with these approaches is that, during heavy rain, there is still too much rain water, so that much of the rain water will still fall off the roof from the curved end of the gutter guard, and will not travel by surface tension around the curved front end, into the gutter.
Another problem with such gutter guards is that ice and snow tend to accumulate thereon, which impedes the flow of water, and or, defeats the surface tension aspect so that the water falls from the roof at the curved end of the gutter guard.
Various proposals have been presented for adding heating elements to gutter guards in order to avoid this problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,696 to Schroeder discloses a gutter guard having heating elements as lengthwise extending strips on the flat upper surface portion of the gutter guard. U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,526 to Taouil discloses bent, raised portions extending along the length thereof, with heating cables positioned to the lower surface of the bent, raised portions. The heating cables are positioned between the roof and the gutter guard. In order to retain the heating cables in place during assembly, a dielectric adhesive-tape secures the cables in the bent, raised portions. U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,563 to Tiburzi discloses modular ice and snow removal heating panels for a gutter guard system having a built-in flexible heating layer.
However, none of these proposals are entirely satisfactory in that they are complex and burdensome to assemble, and are costly.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard that overcomes the problems with the aforementioned prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard having two spaced apart drainage sections, both of which drain separately into the gutter.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard in which the first drainage section removes water during a heavy rain so that the remaining water travels around the curved free end by surface tension into the gutter through the second drainage section.
It is a yet another object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard in which the first and second drainage sections have similar shapes and functions.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard having a heating wire mounted in the upstream first drainage section for heating the gutter guard to melt any snow or ice thereon.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a gutter guard in which the S-shape of the upstream first drainage section holds, secures and protects the heating wire.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a gutter guard includes a first inclined section of water impervious material having a rear end adapted for insertion below shingles of a roof of a building; a second inclined section of water impervious material; and a securing section for securing a front end of the gutter guard to a gutter of the building. A first drainage section connects a front end of the first inclined section to a rear end of the second inclined section. When the rear end of the first inclined section is inserted below the shingles and the securing section is secured to the gutter, the first drainage section is positioned above an open end of the gutter for draining water thereinto. A second drainage section connects a front end of the second inclined section with the securing section. When the rear end of the first inclined section is inserted below the shingles and the securing section is secured to the gutter, the second drainage section is positioned above the open end of the gutter for draining water thereinto.
The first or second drainage sections, and preferably both, include a forwardly facing convex surface around which water travels; and at least one opening at a position below the forwardly facing convex surface through which water traveling around the forwardly facing convex surface exits into the gutter.
Specifically, the first drainage section includes an S-shaped bend including an upper forwardly facing convex surface over which water travels and a lower forwardly facing concave surface having the at least one opening therein. The upper forwardly facing convex surface has an upper edge connected with a front edge of the first inclined section, and the lower forwardly facing concave surface has a lower edge connected with a rear edge of the second inclined surface. Preferably, there are a plurality of openings in the lower forwardly facing concave surface that extend to a height which is at least equal to one-half the height of the lower forwardly facing concave surface, and more preferably, the openings also extend at least partially in the upper forwardly facing convex surface.
The second drainage section includes a channel below the forwardly facing convex surface thereof, and the at least one opening is provided in at least one wall of the channel. Preferably, there are a plurality of the openings in the at least one wall of the channel. More preferably, the channel is a U-shaped channel and the openings are provided in adjacent bottom and side walls of the channel. The securing section is connected with a front portion of the channel of the second drainage section.
The securing section includes an inverted U-shaped channel adapted to fit over a front upper edge of a gutter.
There is further a heating device positioned in the first drainage section for heating the gutter guard to melt any snow and ice thereon. The heating device includes a heating wire, and the heating wire is positioned at the lower forwardly facing concave surface. In one embodiment, the heating wire is fixed to the lower forwardly facing concave surface.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a gutter guard according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the gutter guard;
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the gutter guard in its installed condition; and
FIG. 4 is an elevational view of the gutter guard, viewed along line 4 — 4 of the FIG. 1 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1–4 thereof, a gutter guard 10 according to the present invention includes an elongated thin metal sheet 12 bent in a particular manner for fitting over a gutter 14 to prevent leaves and other debris from entering gutter 14 , while still permitting water to enter gutter 14 . It will be appreciated that the side to side length of gutter guard 10 is preferably made of a generally very long section, for example, five feet long, and is merely shown in a reduced length scale for purposes of illustration herein. Further, in the general concept of the present invention, a material other than metal can be used, such as plastic or other water impervious material. Preferably, as will be appreciated from the discussion hereafter, the material is a heat conducting material.
Specifically, metal sheet 12 includes an upper inclined, substantially planar section 16 of a generally rectangular shape, having an inclination relative to the horizontal of about 15°–25°. The upper free edge 18 of upper inclined section 16 is intended to be slipped under shingles 20 or shakes on a roof 22 of a building, so that any rain water which falls from roof 22 continues falling on the upper surface of upper inclined section 16 . Upper inclined section 16 extends at the same pitch as roof 22 , and extends outwardly from roof 22 to a position above gutter 14 . Upper inclined section 16 can also be formed with various small bends, such as the triangular shaped bend 24 or stepped bend 26 shown in FIG. 1 . Bends 24 and 26 function as stiffening ribs. Triangular shaped bend 24 may also aid in slowing down the flow rate of any rain water.
An S-shaped bend 28 forming a first drainage section extends down from the lower edge 30 of upper planar section 16 such that the upper edge 32 of S-shaped bend 28 is integrally secured as one-piece with the lower edge 30 of upper planar section 16 . S-shaped bend 28 thereby includes an upper forwardly facing convex surface 34 over which water travels and a lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 . Concave surface 36 includes a plurality of openings 38 extending therealong. Although the openings are shown in an oval or oblong shape, the present invention is not limited thereby. Openings 38 also extend upwardly so that openings 38 preferably extend at least partially in upper convex surface 34 . With such an arrangement, some of the water traveling from upper inclined section 16 to S-shaped bend 28 , travels around upper convex surface 34 by means of surface tension and then travels through openings 38 into gutter 14 . This reduces the amount of rain water traveling to the next section.
Metal sheet 12 further includes a lower inclined, substantially planar section 40 of a generally rectangular shape, having the same inclination relative to the horizontal of about 15°–25°. The upper edge 42 of lower planar section 40 is connected with the lower edge 44 of lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 of S-shaped bend 28 . As a result of S-shaped bend 28 , it will be appreciated that lower inclined planar section 40 is parallel with, but spaced lower than, upper inclined planar section 16 .
A bullnose section 46 extends down from the lower edge 48 of lower inclined planar section 40 such that the upper edge 50 of bullnose section 46 is integrally secured as one-piece with the lower edge 48 of lower inclined planar section 40 . Bullnose section 46 thereby includes a forwardly facing convex surface 52 over which water travels. With such an arrangement, the remaining-water traveling from lower inclined section 40 to bullnose section 46 , travels around forwardly facing convex surface 52 by means of surface tension.
Metal sheet 12 further includes a U-shaped channel section 54 integrally formed at the lower edge 56 of bullnose section 46 . Specifically, U-shaped channel section 54 includes a rear vertically oriented wall 58 having an upper edge 60 integrally secured as one-piece with the lower edge 56 of bullnose section 46 , a lower horizontally oriented wall 62 having a rearward edge 64 secured as one-piece with the lower edge 66 of rear vertically oriented wall 58 , and a front vertically oriented wall 68 having a lower edge 70 secured as one-piece with the forward edge 72 of lower horizontally oriented wall 62 .
A plurality of openings 74 are formed at the connection between rear vertically oriented wall 58 and lower horizontally oriented wall 62 . Openings 74 extend approximately to one-half the height of rear vertically oriented wall 58 and one-half the width of lower horizontally oriented wall 62 . Although openings 74 are shown in an oval or oblong shape, the present invention is not limited thereby. With such an arrangement, the remaining water traveling from lower inclined section 40 to bullnose section 46 , travels around forwardly facing convex surface 52 by means of surface tension and then travels through openings 74 into gutter 14 .
Bullnose section 46 and U-shaped channel section 54 together from a second drainage section.
Metal sheet 12 further includes an inverted U-shaped channel section 76 integrally connected as one-piece at the upper edge 78 of front vertically oriented wall 68 , in order to secure the forward end of gutter guard 10 to the upper bent front end 79 of gutter 14 , as shown in FIG. 3 . Specifically, inverted U-shaped channel section 76 is formed by front vertically oriented wall 68 , an upper horizontally oriented wall 80 having a rearward edge 82 secured as one-piece with the upper edge 78 of front vertically oriented wall 68 , and a frontmost vertically oriented wall 86 having an upper edge 88 secured as one-piece with the forward edge 90 of upper horizontally oriented wall 80 .
As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper edge 79 of gutter 14 includes an inward L-shaped bent section formed from an upwardly extending wall 92 and a rearwardly extending horizontal wall 94 having its front edge secured to the upper edge of upwardly extending wall 92 . Inverted U-shaped channel section 76 is preferably friction fit over the L-shaped bent section such that rearwardly extending horizontal wall 94 fits snugly between front vertically oriented wall 68 and frontmost vertically oriented wall 86 , and is positioned immediately below upper horizontally oriented wall 80 . In this manner, the rear end of gutter guard 10 is secured under roof shingles 20 and the front end of gutter guard 10 is secured to L-shaped bent section 90 of gutter 14 . If desired, although not required, in order to provide a greater securement to gutter 14 , nails, screws or the like 96 can secure upper horizontally oriented wall 80 to rearwardly extending horizontal wall 94 .
With the arrangement thus far described, the rain falling from roof shingles 20 will fall along the upper surface of upper inclined section 16 to S-shaped bend 28 . Some of the rain will travel around upper convex surface 34 by means of surface tension and then travel through openings 38 into gutter 14 . This reduces the amount of rain water traveling to the next section. The remaining water will travel around forwardly facing convex surface 52 by means of surface tension and then travel through openings 74 into gutter 14 . In this manner, during heavy downpours, S-shaped bend 28 and the openings 38 therein will reduce the amount of rain traveling around bullnose section 46 . This will substantially reduce the possibility of rain falling off the roof from bullnose section 46 .
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an insulated heating wire 98 is positioned in lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 of S-shaped bend 28 , and secured thereto by adhesive 100 or the like. Alternatively, adhesive 100 can be eliminated, and heating wire 98 can be merely positioned in lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 of S-shaped bend 28 .
Heating wire 98 heats the metal of metal sheet 12 of gutter guard 10 by being in contact therewith. As a result, any snow or ice that forms on gutter guard 10 is melted and does not impede the flow of water to gutter 14 . Because of the S-shaped bend 28 , heating wire 98 fits within lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 of S-shaped bend 28 . This differs from conventional heating wires that are merely positioned on the upper exposed surface of the gutter guards where they are more readily exposed to the elements and can more easily become dislodged, and from heating wires that are formed at the lower surface of the gutter guards, which are more complicated and burdensome to assemble. With this arrangement of the present invention, heating wire 98 is less prone to escape from lower forwardly facing concave surface 36 , and at the same time, is protected at least partially from the elements.
It will further be appreciated that, because openings 38 extend upwardly to an extent preferably at least partially in upper convex surface 34 , the upper ends of openings 38 are at a height which is above heating wire 98 . As a result, water traveling around upper forwardly facing convex surface 34 , will fall through openings 38 before substantially hitting heating wire 98 . The remaining water will fall like a waterfall onto lower planar section 40 without substantially impinging upon heating wire 98 .
Having described a specific preferred embodiment of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to that precise embodiment and that various changes and modifications can be effected therein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention defined by the appended claims.
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A gutter guard includes a first inclined section for insertion below shingles of a roof; a second inclined section; and a securing section securing a front end of the gutter guard to a gutter of the roof. A first S-shaped drainage section connects the first inclined section to the second inclined section, and is positioned above an open end of the gutter for draining water thereinto. A second drainage section connects the second inclined section with the securing section, and is positioned above the open end of the gutter for draining water thereinto. The drainage sections each include a forwardly facing convex surface around which water travels, and openings at positions below the convex surfaces through which water exits into the gutter. A heating wire is positioned in the S-shaped drainage section.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/273,030, filed on May 8, 2014, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/541,249, filed on Jul. 3, 2012, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,800,658, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/597,370, filed on Jun. 23, 2010, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,236,738, which is a National Stage Entry under 35 U.S.C. §371 of PCT Application No. PCT/CA08/00786, filed on Apr. 25, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/924,006, filed on Apr. 26, 2007, the entirety of each of which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to fluid compositions and their use in controlling proppant flowback after a hydraulic fracturing treatment and in reducing formation sand production along with fluids in poorly consolidated formations.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Hydraulic fracturing operations are used extensively in the petroleum industry to enhance oil and gas production. In a hydraulic fracturing operation, a fracturing fluid is injected through a wellbore into a subterranean formation at a pressure sufficient to initiate fractures to increase oil and gas production.
[0004] Frequently, particulates, called proppants, are suspended in the fracturing fluid and transported into the fractures as a slurry. Proppants include sand, ceramic particles, glass spheres, bauxite (aluminum oxide), resin coated proppants, synthetic polymeric beads, and the like. Among them, sand is by far the most commonly used proppant.
[0005] Fracturing fluids in common use include aqueous and non-aqueous ones including hydrocarbon, methanol and liquid carbon dioxide fluids. The most commonly used fracturing fluids are, aqueous fluids including water, brines, water containing polymers or viscoelastic surfactants and foam fluids.
[0006] At the last stage of a fracturing treatment, fracturing fluid is flowed back to the surface and proppants are left in the fractures to prevent them from closing back after the hydraulic fracturing pressure is released. The proppant filled fractures provide high conductive channels that allow oil and/or gas to seep through to the wellbore more efficiently. The conductivity of the proppant packs formed after proppant settles in the fractures plays a dominant role in increasing oil and gas production.
[0007] However, it is not unusual for a significant amount of proppant to be carried out of the fractures and into the well bore along with the fluids being flowed back out the well. This process is known as proppant flowback. Proppant flowback is highly undesirable since it not only reduces the amount of proppants remaining in the fractures resulting in less conductive channels, but also causes significant operational difficulties. It has long plagued the petroleum industry because of its adverse effect on well productivity and equipment.
[0008] Numerous methods have been attempted in an effort to find a solution to the problem of proppant flowback. The commonly used method is the use of so-called “resin-coated proppants”. The outer surfaces of the resin-coated proppants have an adherent resin coating so that the proppant grains are bonded to each other under suitable conditions forming a permeable barrier and reducing the proppant flowback.
[0009] The substrate materials for the resin-coated proppants include sand, glass beads and organic materials such as shells or seeds. The resins used include epoxy, urea aldehyde, phenol-aldehyde, furfural alcohol and furfural. The resin-coated proppants can be either pre-cured or can be cured by an over-flush of a chemical binding agent, commonly known as activator, once the proppants are in place.
[0010] Different binding agents have been used. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,492,147 and 3,935,339 disclose compositions and methods of coating solid particulates with different resins. The particulates to be coated include sand, nut shells, glass beads, and aluminum pellets. The resins used include urea-aldehyde resins, phenol-aldehyde resins, epoxy resins, furfuryl alcohol resins, and polyester or alkyl resins. The resins can be in pure form or mixtures containing curing agents, coupling agents or other additives. Other examples of resins and resin mixtures for proppants are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,643,669; 5,916,933; 6,059,034 and 6,328,105.
[0011] However, there are significant limitations to the use of resin-coated proppants. For example, resin-coated proppants are much more expensive than normal sands, especially considering that a fracturing treatment usually employs tons of proppants in a single well. Normally, when the formation temperature is below 60° C., activators are required to make the resin-coated proppants bind together. This increases the cost.
[0012] Thus, the use of resin-coated proppants is limited by their high cost to only certain types of wells, or to use in only the final stages of a fracturing treatment, also known as the “tail-in” of proppants, where the last few tons of proppants are pumped into the fracture. For less economically viable wells, application of resin-coated proppants often becomes cost prohibitive.
[0013] During hydrocarbon production, especially from poorly consolidated formations, small particulates, typically of sand, often flow into the wellbore along with produced fluids. This is because the formation sands in poorly consolidated formations are bonded together with insufficient bond strength to withstand the forces exerted by the fluids flowing through and are readily entrained by the produced fluids flowing out of the well.
[0014] The produced sand erodes surface and subterranean equipment, and requires a removal process before the hydrocarbon can be processed. Different methods have been tried in an effort to reduce formation sand production. One approach employed is to filter the produced fluids through a gravel pack retained by a screen in the wellbore, where the particulates are trapped by the gravel pack. This technique is known as gravel packing. However, this technique is relatively time consuming and expensive. The gravel and the screen can be plugged and eroded by the sand within a relatively short period of time.
[0015] Another method that has been employed in some instances is to inject various resins into a formation to strengthen the binding of formation sands. Such an approach, however, results in uncertainty and sometimes creates undesirable results. For example, due to the uncertainty in controlling the chemical reaction, the resin may set in the well bore itself rather than in the poorly consolidated producing zone. Another problem encountered in the use of resin compositions is that the resins normally have short shelf lives. For example, it can lead to costly waste if the operation using the resin is postponed after the resin is mixed.
[0016] Thus, it is highly desirable to have a cost effective composition and a method that can control proppant flowback after fracturing treatment. It is also highly desirable to have a composition and a method of reducing formation sand production from the poorly consolidated formation.
SUMMARY
[0017] The present invention in one embodiment relates to an aqueous slurry composition having water, particulates, a chemical compound for rendering the surface of the particulates hydrophobic and an oil.
[0018] The present invention in another embodiment relates to a method of controlling sand in a hydrocarbon producing formation comprising the steps Of mixing water, particulates and a chemical compound for rendering the surface of the particulates hydrophobic, pumping the mixture into the formation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Aggregation phenomena induced by hydrophobic interaction in water are observed everywhere, in nature, industrial practice, as well as in daily life. In general, and without being bound by theory, the hydrophobic interaction refers to the attractive forces between two or more apolar particles in water. When the hydrophobic interaction becomes sufficiently strong, the hydrophobic particles come together to further reduce the surface energy, essentially bridging the particles together and resulting in the formation of particle aggregations, known as hydrophobic aggregations. It is also known that micro-bubbles attached to hydrophobic particle surfaces also tend to bridge the particles together.
[0020] In this invention the concept of hydrophobic aggregation is applied to develop compositions and methods to control proppant flowback as well as to reduce formation sand production during well production. Unlike in conventional approaches, where attention is focused on making proppants or sand particles sticky through formation of chemical bonds between resins coated on the particle surfaces, in the present invention the attention is focused on making particle aggregations by bridging the particles through strong hydrophobic force or micro-bubbles. Moreover, the hydrophobic surfaces of the particles induced by the present compositions reduce the friction between the particles and water making them harder to be entrained by fluids flowing out of the well.
[0021] In general, only a limited amount of agents is required in the present invention, and the field operational is simple.
[0022] There are different ways of carrying out the invention. For example, during a fracturing operation, a proppant, for example, sand, which is naturally hydrophilic and can be easily water wetted, is mixed with a fluid containing a chemical agent, referred as hydrophobizing agent, which makes the sand surface hydrophobic. The hydrophobizing agent can be simply added into a sand slurry comprising sand and fracturing fluid which is pumped down the well. Depending on the hydrophobizing agent used and the application conditions, different fracturing fluids (aqueous or non-aqueous fluids) can be used. Aqueous fluid is normally preferred. Of particular interest as a fracturing fluid, is water, or brine or water containing a small amount of a friction reducing agent, also known as slick-water.
[0023] The hydrophobizing agent can be applied throughout the proppant stage or during a portion of the proppant stage such as the last portion of the proppant stage, i.e., tail-in. Alternatively, sand can be hydrophobized first and dried and then used to make a slurry and pumped into fracture.
[0024] It has been discovered that when a small amount of an oil, including hydrocarbon oil and silicone oil, is mixed into the aqueous slurry containing the hydrophobized sands, the hydrophobic aggregation is enhanced significantly. The possible explanation for this is that the concentration of oil among the hydrophobic sands may further enhance the bridge between sand grains.
[0025] The present invention can be used in a number of ways. For example, in a fracture operation, proppant such as sand is mixed with a hydrophobizing agent in water based slurry and pumped into the fractures, and then followed by over flush with oil or water containing a small amount of oil to strengthen the bridge between the sand grains. Similarly, the same operation can be applied in the tail-in stage. Alternatively the slurry containing a hydrophobizing agent can be pumped into the fracture forming the proppant pack, which can be further consolidated by oil or condensate contained in the formation. Or the pre-hydrophobized sand is used as proppant and then followed by flushing with water, containing small amount of oil. Or the pre-hydrophobized sand is used as proppant which can be further consolidated by oil or condensate contained in the formation. Or the pre-hydrophobized sand is tailed in and followed by flushing with water containing small amount of oil. In all such operations, a gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or air can be mixed into the fluid.
[0026] There are different ways of pre-treating the solid surface hydrophobic. For example, one may thoroughly mix the proppants, preferable sands, with a fluid containing the appropriate hydrophobizing agent for certain period of time. After the proppant grains are dried, they can be used in fracturing operations. Different fluids can be used. Different hydrophobizing agents may need different conditions to interact with the solid surface. When an aqueous fluid is used, the pH of the fluid may also play a role.
[0027] Besides controlling proppant flowback in hydraulic fracturing treatments, the present invention is also useful in reducing formation sand production during well production. In the majority of cases, sand production increases substantially when wells begin to produce water. The formation sand is normally hydrophilic, or water-wet, and therefore is easily entrained by a flowing water phase. Depending on the hydrophobizing agent used and the operational conditions, different carrying fluids, aqueous or non-aqueous, can be used. There are different methods, according to the present invention, to treat a formation to reduce formation sand production. For example, a fluid, preferably an aqueous fluid, containing an appropriate amount of hydrophobizing agent can be injected into the poorly consolidated formation. After the sand grains become hydrophobic they tend to aggregate together. The hydrophobic surfaces also reduce the dragging force exerted by the aqueous fluid making them more difficult to be entrained by the formation fluid. If the water phase contains certain amount of oil, the hydrophobic aggregation between sand grains can be further enhanced. Alternatively, the fluid contain the hydrophobizing agent can be first injected into the poorly consolidated formation, and then followed by injecting small volume of oil or a fluid containing oil. In all these applications, a gas such as nitrogen, carbon dioxide or air can be mixed into the fluid.
[0028] Also, the compositions and methods of the present invention can be used in gravel pack operations, where the slurry containing hydrophobised sands are added in the well bore to remediate sand production.
[0029] There are various types of hydrophobizing agents for sand, which can be used in the present invention. For example, it is known that many organosilicon compounds including organosiloxane, organosilane, fluoroorganosiloxane and fluoro-organosilane compounds are commonly used to render various surfaces hydrophobic. For example, see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,537,595; 5,240,760; 5,798,144; 6,323,268; 6,403,163; 6,524,597 and 6,830,811 which are incorporated herein by reference for such teachings.
[0030] Organosilanes are compounds containing silicon to carbon bonds. Organosiloxanes are compounds containing Si—O—Si bonds. Polysiloxanes are compounds in which the elements silicon and oxygen alternate in the molecular skeleton, i.e., Si—O—Si bonds are repeated. The simplest polysiloxanes are polydimethylsiloxanes.
[0031] Polysiloxane compounds can be modified by various organic substitutes having different numbers of carbons, which may contain N, S, or P moieties that impart desired characteristics. For example, cationic polysiloxanes are compounds in which organic cationic groups are attached to the polysiloxane chain, either at the middle or the end. Normally the organic cationic group may contain a hydroxyl group or other functional groups containing N or O. Themost common organic cationic groups are alkyl amine derivatives including secondary, tertiary and quaternary amines (for example, quaternary polysiloxanes including, quaternary polysiloxanes including mono- as well as, di-quaternary polysiloxanes, amido quaternary polysiloxanes, imidazoline quaternary polysiloxanes and carboxy quaternary polysiloxanes.
[0032] Similarly, the polysiloxane can be modified by organic amphoteric groups, where one or more organic amphoteric groups are attached to the polysiloxane chain, either at the middle or the end, and include betaine polysiloxancs and phosphobetaine polysiloxanes.
[0033] Similarly, the polysiloxane can be modified by organic anionic groups, where one or more organic anionic groups are attached to the polysiloxane chain, either at the middle or the end, including sulfate polysiloxanes, phosphate polysiloxanes, carboxylate polysiloxanes, sulfonate polysiloxanes, thiosulfate polysiloxanes. The organosiloxane compounds also include alkylsiloxanes including hexamethylcydotrisiloxane, octamethylcyclotetrasiloxane, decaniethylcydopentasiloxane, hexamethyldisiloxane, hexaethyldisiloxane, 1,3-divinyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane, octamethyltrisiloxane, decamethyltetrasiloxane.
[0034] The organosilane compounds include alkylchlorosilane, for example methyltrichlorosilane, dimethylchlorosilane, trimethylchlorosilane, octadecyltrichlorosilane; alkyl-alkoxysilane compounds, for example methyl-, propyl-, isobutyl- and octyltrialkoxysilanes, and fluoro-organosilane compounds, for example, 2-(n-perfluoro-octyl)-ethyltriethoxysilane, and perfluorooctyldimethyl chlorosilane.
[0035] Other types of chemical compounds, which are not organosilicon compounds, which can be used to render particulate surface hydrophobic are certain fluoro-substituted compounds, for example certain fluoro-organic compounds including cationic fluoro-organic compounds.
[0036] Further information regarding organosilicon compounds can be found in Silicone Surfactants (Randal M. Hill, 1999) and the references therein, and in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,046,795; 4,537,595; 4,564,456; 4,689,085; 4,960,845; 5,098,979; 5,149,765; 5,209,775; 5,240,760; 5,256,805; 5,359,104; 6,132,638 and 6,830,811 and Canadian Patent No. 2,213,168 which are incorporated herein by reference for such teachings.
[0037] Organosilanes can be represented by the formula
[0000] R n SiX (4−n) (I)
[0000] wherein R is an organic radical having 1-50 carbon atoms that may possess functionality containing N, S, or P moieties that imparts desired characteristics, X is a halogen, alkoxy, acyloxy or amine and n has a value of 0-3. Examples of organosilanes include: CH 3 SiCl 3 , CH 3 CH 2 SiCl 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 SiCl 2 , (C 6 H 5 )SiCl 3 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiCl, CH 3 HSiCl 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 HSiCl, CH 3 SiBr 3 , (C 6 H 5 )SiBr 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 SiBr 2 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiBr, CH 3 HSiBr 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 H SiBr, Si(OCH 3 ) 4 , CH 3 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 3 Si[O(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 ] 3 , CH 3 CH 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 C H 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , C 6 H 5 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 2 ═CHCH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CH)Si(CH 3 ) 2 Cl, (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si[O(CH 2 ) 3 CH 3 ] 2 , (CH 3 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CH) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , HSi(OCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 3 SiOCH 3 , CH 3 HSi(OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 HSi(OCH 3 ), CH 3 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 CH 3 ) 3 , CH 2 ═=CHCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 3 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 3 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (CH 2 ═CHCH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , (C 6 H 5 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 , CH 3 Si(CH 3 COO) 3 , 3-aminotriethoxysilane, methyldiethylchlorosilane, butyltrichlorosilane, diphenyldichlorosilane, vinyltrichlorosilane, methyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris(methoxyethoxy)silane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, aminopropyltriethoxysilane, divinyldi-2-methoxysilane, ethyltributoxysilane, isobutyltrimethoxysilane, hexyltrimethoxysilane, n-octyltriethoxysilane, dihexyldimethoxysilane, octadecyltrichlorosilane, octadecyltrimethoxysilane, octadecyldimethylchlorosilane, octadecyldimethylmethoxysilane and quaternary ammonium silanes including 3-(trimethoxysily)propyldimethyloctadecyl ammonium chloride, 3-(trimethoxysilyppropyldinnethyloctadecyl ammonium bromide, 3-(trimethylethoxysilylpropyl)didecylmethyl ammonium chloride, triethoxysilyl soyapropyl dinnonium chloride, 3-(trimethylethoxysilylpropyl)didecylmethyl ammonium bromide, 3-(trimethylethoxysilylpropyl)didecylmethyl ammonium bromide, triethoxysilyl soyapropyl dimonium bromide, (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 P + (C 6 H 5 ) 3 Cl, (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 P + (C 6 H 6 ) 3 Br—, (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 P + (CH 3 ) 3 Cl − , (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 P + (C 6 H 13 ) 3 Cl − , (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 C 4 H 9 Cl, (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 CH 2 C 6 H 5 Cl − , (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 CH 2 CH 2 OHCl − , (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (C 2 H 5 ) 3 Cl − , (C 2 H 5 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 C 18 H 37 Cl − .
[0038] Among different organosiloxane compounds which are useful for the present invention, polysiloxanes modified with organic amphoteric or cationic groups including organic betaine polysiloxanes and organic quaternary polysiloxanes are examples. One type of betaine polysiloxane or quaternary polysiloxane is represented by the formula
[0000]
[0000] wherein each of the groups R 1 to R 6 , and R 8 to R 10 represents an alkyl containing 1-6 carbon atoms, typically a methyl group, R 7 represents an organic betaine group for betaine polysiloxane, or an organic quaternary group for quaternary polysiloxane, and have different numbers of carbon atoms, and may contain a hydroxyl group or other functional groups containing N, P or S, and m and n are from 1 to 200. For example, one type of quaternary polysiloxanes is when R 7 is represented by the group
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 are alkyl groups with 1 to 22 carbon atoms or alkenyl groups with 2 to 22 carbon atoms. R 4 , R 5 , R 7 are alkyl groups with 1 to 22 carbon atoms or alkenyl groups with 2 to 22 carbon atoms; R 6 is —O— or the NR 8 group, R 8 being an alkyl or hydroxyalkyl group with 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a hydrogen group; Z is a bivalent hydrocarbon group with at least 4 carbon atoms, which may have a hydroxyl group and may be interrupted by an oxygen atom, an amino group or an amide group; x is 2 to 4; The R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 7 may be the same or the different, and X- is an inorganic or organic anion including Cl − and CH 3 COO—. Examples of organic quaternary groups include [R—N + (CH 3 ) 2 —CH 2 CH(OH)CH 2 —O—(CH 2 ) 3 —](CH 3 COO—), wherein R is an alkyl group containing from 1-22 carbons or an benzyl radical and CH 3 COO— an anion. Examples of organic betaine include —(CH 2 ) 3 —O—CH 2 CH(OH)(CH 2 )—N + (CH 3 ) 2 CH 2 COO—. Such compounds are commercial available. Betaine polysiloxane copolyol is one of examples. It should be understood that cationic polysiloxanes include compounds represented by formula (II), wherein R 7 represents other organic amine derivatives including organic primary, secondary and tertiary amines.
[0039] Other examples of organo-modified polysiloxanes include di-betaine polysiloxanes and di-quaternary polysiloxanes, where two betain or quaternary groups are attached to the siloxane chain. One type of the di-betaine polysiloxane and di-quaternary polysiloxane can be represented by the formula
[0000]
[0000] wherein the groups R 12 to R 17 each represents an alkyl containing 1-6 carbon atoms, typically a methyl group, both R 11 and R 18 group represent an organic betaine group for di-betaine polysiloxanes or an organic quaternary group for di-quaternary, and have different numbers of carbon atoms and may contain a hydroxyl group or other functional groups containing N, P or S, and m is from 1 to 200. For example, one type of di-quaternary polysiloxanes is when R 11 and R 18 are represented by the group
[0000]
[0000] wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 5 , R 7 , Z, X- and x are the same as defined above. Such compounds are commercially available. Quaternium 80 (INCI) is one of the commercial examples.
[0040] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that cationic polysiloxanes include compounds represented by formula (III), wherein R 11 and R 18 represents other organic amine derivatives including organic primary, secondary and tertiary amines. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are different mono- and di-quaternary polysiloxanes, mono- and di-betaine polysiloxanes and other organo-modified polysiloxane compounds which can be used to render the solid surfaces hydrophobic and are useful in the present invention. These compounds are widely used in personal care and other products, for example as discussed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,054,161; 4,654,161; 4,891,166; 4,898,957; 4,933,327; 5,166,297; 5,235,082; 5,306,434; 5,474,835; 5,616,758; 5,798,144; 6,277,361; 6,482,969; 6,323,268 and 6,696,052 which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0041] Another example of organosilicon compounds which can be used in the composition of the present invention are fluoro-organosilane or fluro-organosiloxane compounds in which at least part of the organic radicals in the silane or siloxane compounds are fluorinated. Suitable examples are fluorinated chlorosilanes or fluorinated alkoxysilanes including 2(n-perfluoro- octyl)ethyltriethoxysilane, perfluoro-octyldimethylchlorosilane, (CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 2 , CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 Si(OCH 3 ) 3 , (CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 ) 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 2 and CF 3 CH 2 CH 2 Si(OCH 2 CH 2 OCH 3 ) 3 and (CH 3 O) 3 Si(CH 2 ) 3 N + (CH 3 ) 2 (CH 2 ) 3 NHC(O)(CF 2 ) 6 CF 3 Cl − . Other compounds which can be used, but less preferable, are fluoro-substituted compounds, which are not organic silicon compounds, for example, certain fluoro-organic compounds.
[0042] The following provides several non-limiting examples of compositions and methods according to the present invention.
Example 1
[0043] 300 g of 20/40 US mesh frac sand was added into 1000 ml of water containing 2 ml of a solution containing 20 vol % Tegopren 6924, a di-quaternary polydimethylsiloxane from Degussa Corp., and 80 vol % of ethylene glycol mono-butyl ether, and 1 ml of TEGO Betaine 810, capryl/capramidopropyl betaine, an amphoteric hydrocarbon surfactant from Degussa Corp. The slurry was shaken up and then let stand to allow sands settle down. When tilted slowly, the settled sand tended to move as cohesive masses. After 1 ml of silicon oil, where its viscosity is 200 cp, was mixed into the slurry and shaken up sand grains were visually observed to clump together forming strong bridge among each other.
[0044] The solution was decanted, and the sand was dried overnight at the room temperature for further tests.
Example 2
[0045] 200 g of pre-treated sand according to Example 1 was placed in a fluid loss chamber to form a sand pack and wetted with water. Afterward, 300 ml of water was allowed to filter from the top through the sand pack. The time was stopped when water drops slowed to less than one every five seconds. Same test using untreated sand was carried out as the reference. The average filter time over 6 runs for the pre-treated sand was 2 minutes and 5 seconds, while it was 5 minutes for the untreated sand.
Example 3
[0046] 200 g of pre-treated sand according to Example 1 was placed in a fluid loss chamber to form a sand pack and wetted with kerosene. Afterward, 300 ml of kerosene was allowed to filter from the top through the sand pack. The time was stopped when kerosene drops slowed to less than one every five seconds. Same test using untreated sand was carried out as the reference. The average filter time over 5 runs for the pre-treated sand was 3 minutes and 2 seconds, while it was 3 minutes and 28 seconds for the untreated sand.
Example 4
[0047] 100 ml of water and 25 grams of 30/50 US mesh fracturing sands were added into each of two glass bottles (200 ml). The first sample was used as the reference. In the second sample, 2 ml of a solution containing 20% Tegopren 6924 and 80% of ethylene glycol mono-butyl ether, and 0.05 ml of kerosene were added. The slurry was shaken up and then let stand to allow sands settle down. When tilted slowly, the settled sand tended to move as cohesive masses. Sand grains were visually observed to clump together forming strong bridge among each others.
Example 5
[0048] 100 ml of water and 25 grams of 30/50 US mesh fracturing sands were added into each of two glass bottles (200 ml). The first sample was used as the reference. In the second sample, 2 ml of a solution containing 20% Tegopren 6924 and 80% of ethylene glycol mono-butyl ether, and 0.05 ml of frac oil were added. The slurry was shaken up and then let stand to allow sands settle down. When tilted slowly, the settled sand tended to move as cohesive masses. Sand grains were visually observed to clump together forming strong bridge among each others.
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An aqueous slurry composition for use in industries such as petroleum and pipeline industries that includes: a particulate, an aqueous carrier fluid, a chemical compound that renders the particulate surface hydrophobic, and a small amount of an oil. The slurry is produced by rendering the surface of the particulate hydrophobic during or before the making of the slurry. The addition of the oil greatly enhances the aggregation potential of the hydrophobically modified particulates once placed in the well bore.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a cabinet fitting, in particular a cabinet hinge, with a braking and damping device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Damping and braking devices are well known in different variations in the present technology and are used in assorted areas of application. There are currently damping elements for movable cabinet parts in the form of simple buffers on the market. Such buffers are very well suited for moderating noise, but are, however, not suitable for diminishing the kinetic energy of the movable cabinet parts in the amount necessary. Another further development of a ductile buffer that is integrated in a hinge is described in DE-OS 27 08 545. Here, a flexible damping element is located between the hinge links of a cabinet hinge and deforms shortly before reaching the hinge's open position. A similar damping element for cabinet hinges is shown by AT-PS 349 931. Here, there is a flexible attenuator between the hinge arm and hinge cup on which the hinge arm is supported in a cushioned and absorptive manner.
Also, among other things, hydraulic or pneumatic dampers are well known, which have a piston-cylinder system with two working chambers, between which a liquid or gaseous medium flows and which then causes a braking or damping effect. Such dampers have a high static friction, due to the piston rod and piston sealing, which sets a reduction of the borders of the pump size. Furthermore, they are complex and expensive and are not suitable, therefore, as integrated dampers in cabinet fittings.
With cabinets and furniture, especially drawers and cabinet doors, braking and damping elements are likewise usually used in connection with spring elements. Braking elements of this type are made known in DE 199 15 164 A1 or DE 197 17 937 A1. These friction brake elements can, because of their high static friction, lead to the so-called ‘Slip-Stick-Effect,’ which becomes apparent by the rattling, sticking, etc. of the parts that are to be braked. Likewise, the wear and tear plays a large role with friction damping, especially if masses with high kinetic energy must be braked.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The task of the invention is to introduce a cabinet fitting, in particular a cabinet hinge with an integrated braking and damping device, which is able to brake and damp a moving cabinet component during its closing and opening process.
Furthermore, vibrations or impact noises are prevented during the closing process; that is, the movable cabinet component that can have varying mass and speed, should brake almost free from wear and tear over a certain distance (e.g. the closing angle).
According to the invention, a driver plate is held movable in the hinge cup, can be operated directly or indirectly by the articulated lever and shifts at least one brake plate held swiveling in the hinge cup, so that the brake plate has at least one braking surface that glides on at least one corresponding fixed or, opposite the first braking surface, on a movable second braking surface.
The core of the invention lies in the shifting of the linear adjusting movement of the driver plate to a rotating motion at least one, preferably circular brake plate. Thus, this results in a maximum braking surface, related to the hinge cup's dimensions that is formed by the brake plate's surface. Preferably, the outside dimension of the brake plate corresponds essentially to the inside diameter of the hinge cup.
Furthermore, depending on the type of movement transfer between the driver plate and brake plate, a considerably larger “braking distance” can be attained in comparison to the linear movement distance, which is defined by the rotation angle of the brake plate. Further, the relative velocity of the brake plate is greater in comparison to the speed of the driver plate, which, likewise, affects the attainable braking action positively.
The driver plate is located, preferably, closed to the base area of the hinge cup and is guided there linearly by a guide groove.
The hinge cup is locked by a base plate, whose inner surface forms the fixed braking area on which the brake plate rests.
Preferably, at least one brake plate is held swiveling on the base plate and is located between the base plate and the driver plate.
In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the driver plate has at least one driver pin, which engages in a driver opening (eccentric to the rotation axle) of the brake plate. In this way the linear movement of the driver plate is converted into a rotating motion of the brake plate around its rotation axle. The speed ratio is determined by the distance of the driver pin from the rotation axle of the brake plate.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention, a second brake plate is held swiveling in a hinge cup so that the movable brake surface is formed by the second brake plate. In this embodiment, both brake plates lay one on the other. The driver plate has here a second driver pin that engages in a driver opening of the second brake plate; whereby, the driver pin of the driver plate and the corresponding driver openings of both brake plates are arranged in such a manner around the rotation axle of the brake plates so that a movement of the driver plate shifts the two brake plates into rotation movements in opposite directions.
The use of two or more brake plates can increase the obtainable braking force substantially. Moving in opposite directions can double the speed of the brake plates relative to one another and can, thereby, also double the relative “braking distance.”
Preferably, the manipulation of the driver plate by the articulated lever occurs only in the area of the cabinet fitting's defined closing angle. Thus, the effective range of the braking and damping device adapts to the respective conditions.
The driver plate is preferably operated by two separated, one-side loaded contact surfaces by the articulated lever. When the cabinet hinge is closed, the edge of the articulated lever meets a driver nose of the driver plate and so shifts the driver plate linear for a short distance. At the same time the brake plates are shifted turning. When the cabinet hinge is opened, two latches that are on the driver plate are carried forward by release pins that are on the articulated lever. Thus, the driver plate and the brake plates are shifted again into its initial “exit” position.
In another embodiment of the invention, the outside diameter of the brake plate is selected substantially smaller than the inside diameter of the hinge cup. The brake plate is surrounded by a brake gear rim and partly provided by external teeth, which comb with the inner teeth of the brake gear rim that sets the brake gear rim in rotation.
In a favorable way, an increase in the “braking force” is attained because the surfaces of at least one brake gear rim form additional movable brake surfaces.
It can be provided with all embodiments that a highly viscous liquid medium is brought in between the fixed and movable brake surfaces, so that the highly viscous medium exposes its inner molecular friction by its adhesion to the surfaces and the kinetic energy of the mass to be intercepted is converted into friction heat.
Compared with known braking and damping devices of cabinet fittings, the invention offers substantial advantages.
It can be defined whether the damping and braking actions are to work over the entire closing area or only in a certain closing angle. Furthermore, the design of the cabinet fitting is very compact because no external damping elements are needed. The braking and damping device is integrated in the hinge and is not visible externally. Altogether, the cabinet hinge remains unchanged externally; that is, no change is necessary in the design. The size, likewise, remains the same. Furthermore, the adjustment possibilities (for example, side and vertical adjustments) are invariably present. Also, the installation on the cabinet stays the same.
A further advantage is the suggested braking and damping elements are quite inexpensive to produce and can be integrated into the cabinet fitting.
In the following, the invention is more closely described based on several embodiment examples with reference to the design figures. Further characteristics, features, advantages and application possibilities are shown in the drawings and the descriptions.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 : an overview of the cabinet hinge, according to the invention, in a first embodiment;
FIG. 2 : a side section cut through the cabinet hinge, according to FIG. 1 , in a half-closed position;
FIG. 3 : a partially cut, perspective view of the cabinet hinge;
FIG. 4 : an exploded representation of the cabinet hinge;
FIG. 5 : a section cut through the braking and damping device in the hinge cup;
FIG. 6 : a detailed view of the driver plate's operation by the articulated lever when the hinge is being closed;
FIG. 7 : a detailed view of the driver plate's operation by the articulated lever when the hinge is closed;
FIG. 8 : a detailed view of the driver plate's operation by the articulated lever when the hinge is being opened;
FIG. 9 : a partially cut, perspective view of the cabinet hinge in a second embodiment;
FIG. 10 : an exploded representation of the cabinet hinge, according to FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 11 : a detailed view of the driver plate's operation by the articulated lever when the hinge is being closed, according to FIG. 9 ;
FIG. 12 : a detailed view of the driver plate's operation by the articulated lever when the hinge is being opened, according to FIG. 9 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a cabinet hinge ( 1 ), by means of which a cabinet component (for example, a cabinet door), can be fastened movable to a cabinet body. The cabinet door can be opened, thereby, within the range of an opening angle, so that closes, within the range of a closing angle, automatically by the cabinet hinge ( 1 ). This automatic closing movement applies to the braking and damping, since the cabinet door would, otherwise, impact hard on the cabinet body.
The cabinet hinge ( 1 ) includes a hinge arm ( 2 ) that is fastened to the cabinet door and that is connected swiveling by an outer and an inner articulated lever ( 3 , 4 ) with a hinge cup ( 5 ). The hinge cup is locked by a base plate ( 6 ) and contains the invention-related braking and damping device ( 7 ), which produces the necessary braking action when the cabinet hinge is closed.
As shown in FIG. 3 , there is a driver plate ( 8 ) in the cup base area, which is held linearly movable in arrow direction ( 9 ). The moving or shifting results from the articulated hinge's ( 3 , 4 ) movement in arrow direction ( 10 ), so that a link edge ( 11 ) of the inner articulated lever ( 4 ) activates a driver nose ( 12 ) of the driver plate ( 8 ). Underneath the driver plate ( 8 ) there are two, preferably circular, brake plates ( 15 , 16 ), into which a corresponding driver pin ( 13 , 14 ) of the driver plate ( 8 ) always engages.
FIG. 4 shows an overview representation of the cabinet hinge ( 1 ) with the hinge arm ( 2 ) and the hinge cup ( 5 ) that are connected together by an articulated lever ( 3 , 4 ), a link spring ( 18 ) and a bearing pin ( 19 ). A driver pin ( 14 ) of the driver plate ( 8 ) engages in a corresponding driver opening ( 23 ) of the upper brake plate ( 15 ). The other driver pin ( 13 ) engages by a release ( 24 ) of the upper brake plate ( 15 ) into a driver opening ( 28 ) of the lower brake plate ( 16 ). The release ( 24 ) is designed as a slotted hole, so that movement of a brake plate ( 15 ) is not obstructed by the other brake plate ( 16 ) and vice versa. The two brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) are held swiveling by centric bore holes ( 22 , 27 ) on the bearing pin ( 31 ) of the base plate ( 6 ). The base plate ( 6 ) is, for example, screwed in by an outer thread in the hinge cup ( 5 ).
Based on the fact that the brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) rotate, which is caused by the linear movement of the driver plate ( 8 ), the driver openings ( 23 , 28 ) of the brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) have a certain play or clearance, in order to avoid a wedging or sticking of the driver pins ( 13 , 14 ) in the driver openings ( 23 , 28 ).
The layer-like structure of the braking device is shown very well in FIG. 5 . The device's course of movement is shown in FIGS. 6 to 8 .
The articulated lever's ( 4 ) rotating motion in arrow direction ( 10 ) in the cabinet hinge causes a link edge ( 11 ) to meet on a driver nose ( 12 ) of the driver plate ( 8 ) and moves these linear in arrow direction ( 9 ) in a guide groove ( 33 ) of the hinge cup ( 5 ). This linear movement of the driver plate ( 8 ) causes the eccentrically linked brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) to shift into a rotating motion. Because of the nesting of the linked brake plates ( 15 , 16 ), two or more brake plates can be moved at the same time. If several brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) are used, these turn against each other, so that the relative velocity between the swiveling held brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) is doubled. The braking action is achieved by the friction between the brake surface ( 32 a ) of the driver plate ( 8 ), the brake surface ( 32 b ) between the brake plates ( 15 , 16 ) and the brake surface ( 32 c ) between brake plate ( 16 ) and the base plate ( 6 ).
The closed end position of the cabinet hinge ( 1 ) is shown in FIG. 7 . When the hinge ( 1 ) is opened in arrow direction ( 10 ), a release pin ( 34 ) on the articulated lever ( 4 ) engages corresponding tabs ( 20 , 21 ) of the driver plate and move these back in arrow direction ( 9 ) until the release pins ( 34 ) disengage with the tabs ( 20 , 21 ) due to the turning motion of the articulated lever ( 4 ) and the hinge can be opened with braking action, as shown in FIG. 8 .
FIGS. 9 to 12 show a cabinet hinge ( 1 ) with a modified design of the braking and damping device ( 7 ). The structure and the function mode are similar to the first embodiment.
The design of the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) and the additional use of brake gear rims ( 37 , 40 ), that always surround the corresponding brake plates ( 35 , 38 ), are substantially different from the first embodiment. The diameter of the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) is smaller than the inside diameter of the hinge cup ( 5 ). Besides the additional driver openings ( 23 , 28 ) and releases ( 24 , 29 ) described above, the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) have centric bearing pins, which are held swiveling in a bearing bore hole ( 42 ) of the base plate ( 41 ). Furthermore, the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) have on their outer circumference to some extent teeth ( 36 , 39 ) that work together with the respective internal teeth of the corresponding brake gear rims ( 37 , 40 ). The driver pin ( 14 ) of the driver plate ( 8 ) engages in the driver opening ( 23 ) of the upper brake plate ( 35 ) and then moves the outer teeth ( 36 ) of the upper brake plate ( 35 ) into engagement with the inner teeth of the upper brake gear rim ( 37 ). The opposite driver pin ( 13 ) engages by the release ( 24 ) into the driver opening ( 28 ) of the lower brake plate ( 38 ) and moves the outer teeth ( 39 ) of the lower brake plate ( 38 ) into engagement with the inner teeth of the lower brake gear rim ( 40 ). In this phase of the movement, the brake plate ( 35 , 38 ) is shifted linear from the driver plate ( 8 ) a short distance until the teeth ( 36 , 39 ) of the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) are engaged with the corresponding brake gear rims ( 37 , 40 ).
When the teeth are engaged with one another, the linear shift of the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) is blocked and the brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) and the respective brake gear rims ( 37 , 40 ) turn against each other. The brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) are led with their bearing pins ( 43 , 44 ) into the bearing bore hole ( 42 ), which is designed as a slotted hole, of the base plate. Thus, a free-run between the teethed brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) results. The braking or damping action can be strengthened, preferably, because these brake components can be placed in a silicone oil or other similarly high viscous medium.
When the cabinet hinge is opened, the teeth disengage with each other. The brake plates ( 35 , 38 ) and the gear rims ( 37 , 40 ) no longer rotate. The cabinet hinge can be opened without brakes. So the driver plate ( 8 ) is then pushed back and the brake plate ( 35 , 38 ) turns into the initial “exit” position, so that the driver plate ( 8 ) of the brake plate ( 35 , 38 ) is brought into a linear backward movement in the initial “exit” positions and brings it out of the “teeth,” with the brake gear rims ( 37 , 40 ). Because of the backward stops of the bearing pins ( 43 , 44 ) in the slotted-bearing bore hole ( 42 ), the brake plates ( 43 , 44 ) are then rotated into the initial “exit” position.
The operation of the braking and damping device by the articulated lever ( 4 ) takes place in the same way as described above. This is again shown individually in FIGS. 11 and 12 .
DRAWING LEGEND
1 Cabinet hinge
2 Hinge arm
3 Outer articulated lever
4 Inner articulated lever
5 Hinge cup
6 Base plate
7 Braking and damping device
8 Driver plate
9 Arrow direction
10 Arrow direction
11 Link edge
12 Driver nose
13 Driver pin
14 Driver pin
15 Brake plate (upper)
16 Brake plate (lower)
17 Adjusting screw
18 Link spring
19 Link pin
20 Tab
21 Tab
22 Bore hole
23 Driver opening
24 Release
25 Direction of rotation
26 Angle
27 Bore hole
28 Driver opening
29 Release
30 Direction of rotation
31 Bearing pin
32 Brake surface
33 Guide groove
34 Release pin
35 Brake plate (upper)
36 Teeth
37 Brake gear rim (upper)
38 Brake plate (lower)
39 Teeth
40 Brake gear rim (lower)
41 Base plate
42 Bearing bore hole
43 Bearing pin
44 Bearing pin
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The invention concerns a cabinet fitting, in particular a hinge, with integrated braking and damping device, including a fastenable hinge arm on a cabinet component and a fastenable hinge cup on another movable cabinet component that is connected by at least one articulated lever with the hinge arm. The invention is characterized by the driver plate, which can slide, is held in the hinge cup and can be operated directly or indirectly by the articulated lever and has held in the hinge cup at least one pivoting or swiveling brake plate moves turning, so that the brake plate has at least one brake surface that glides on at least one corresponding, fixed brake surface or, on one opposite the first brake surface, a second movable brake surface.
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This application is a division, of application Ser. No. 894,702, filed Jun. 5, 1992, which is a division of application Ser. No. 500,813 filed Mar. 27, 1990, issued Aug. 4, 1992 as U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,774.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to methods and compositions to impart coffee stain resistance to polyamide textile substrates, as well as to the treated substrates themselves. More particularly, the present invention relates to compositions useful in imparting coffee stain resistance to polyamide textile substrates, such as carpets, the compositions comprising either (i) a copolymer selected from the group consisting of a hydrolyzed aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, a half ester of an aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, and mixtures thereof, or (ii) an aromatic-containing acrylate copolymerized with an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and maleic acid.
2. The Prior Art
Polyamide textile substrates, such as carpeting and upholstery fabrics, may be permanently discolored or stained by certain colorants, like food or beverage dyes. It is known to use sulfonated aromatic formaldehyde condensates (a) in a yarn finish, during or after fiber quenching (U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,212), (b) in a dye bath (U.S. Pat. No. 4,501,591), or (c) incorporated into the fiber (U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,762), all for the purpose of improving stain resistance of carpet fiber. Use of fluorochemicals in combination with sulfonated aromatic formaldehyde condensates to improve stain and soil resistance is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,680,212. Commonly assigned U.S. Ser. No. 101,652, filed Sep. 28, 1987 now abandoned, (International Publication No. WO 89/02949), discloses improved methods, utilizing application of sulfonated aromatic condensates, to enhance stain resistance of dyed nylon carpet fiber. These documents are all hereby incorporated by reference.
In the prior art the stain blocking performance of compositions is typically determined by testing for resistance to FD&C Red Dye 40, which is found in Cherry Kool-Aid® drink product, as well as in other beverages and foods. Those compositions which are effective in enhancing the stain resistance of the substrate to FD&C Red Dye 40 are then described as "stain blockers". Applicants have discovered, however, that not all "stain blockers" which are effective against staining by FD&C Red Dye 40 are effective in enhancing the stain resistance of the substrate to coffee.
The present invention was developed as a consequence of a need for a stain blocker which would be effective in resisting hot coffee stains, preferably in addition to resisting Red Dye 40 stains.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a composition useful in imparting coffee stain resistance to polyamide textile substrates. The composition comprises a copolymer selected from the group consisting of a hydrolyzed aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, a half ester of an aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, and mixtures thereof. By the hydrolyzed copolymer, or hydrolysis product, is meant the hydrolyzed copolymer in which some, preferably less than about 25 to 50 percent, of the original anhydride units remain as anhydride. By the half ester is meant the esterification product of the copolymer with a lower alcohol, preferably a C 1 -C 5 alcohol, most preferably isopropyl alcohol, in which some, preferably about 25 to 50 percent, of the original anhydride units remain as anhydride and in which the reacted anhydride units are monoesterified. The copolymer has a weight average molecular weight between about 1,200 and 23,000, preferably between about 1,200 and 15,000, more preferably between about 2,000 and 10,000 and most preferably between about 2,000 and 4,000. The weight average molecular weight is determined by Gel Permeation Chromatography (hereafter "GPC") by comparison with polystyrene standard using a set of Phenogel columns of the 10 micron particle size, covering a range of 50-500 angstroms pore diameter, 300 mm length, 7.8 mm I.D. and with tetrahydrofuran as eluent.
Preferred copolymers can be represented by the formula ##STR1## wherein m is 4 to 100, p is 0.5 m to 0.7 m, X is a moiety of an aromatic compound effective to improve stain resistance, R is alkyl or hydrogen and Z is either -0- or -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. Preferably m is 2 to 20, X is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, naphthyl, and a partially saturated naphthyl-like ring, and R is C 1 -C 5 . When X is selected from the group consisting of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1-naphthyl and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-naphthyl, then Z is preferably -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O- and R is preferably C 1 -C 3 . When X is selected from the group consisting of 1-naphthyl and 2-naphthyl, and R is C 1 -C 5 , then Z is preferably -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. When X is phenyl, and R is C 1 -C 5 , Z can be either -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O- or -O-, preferably the latter.
The present invention is also a method of imparting improved coffee stain resistance to a polyamide textile substrate comprising treating the substrate with an effective amount of a copolymer selected from those set forth above, i.e., a hydrolyzed aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, a half ester of an aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, and mixtures thereof. The preferred copolymers are also as set forth above. The amount of the copolymer added to the substrate ranges from about 0.2 to 3.0, preferably 1.5 to 3.0 percent based on the weight of the substrate. When the substrate is treated with the half ester of phenyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, the copolymer preferably is applied to the substrate in an aqueous solution at a temperature ranging from about 20 to 90° C., preferably 50 to 90° C., and having a pH ranging from about 2 to 9. The degree of coffee stain resistance imparted depends on the application pH. The optimum pH depends on the form the material appears to take when applied. If the material appears to be in a dispersion, then application pH can be about 2 to 5; if the material appears to be in solution, then application pH can be about 4 to 9, preferably 5 to 7, most preferably 5 to 6.
This invention is also a coffee stain-resistant polyamide textile substrate, preferably a nylon-6 substrate, having deposited thereon an effective amount of a composition which imparts coffee stain resistance to the substrate. The composition comprises a copolymer as set forth above. When the copolymer is either the half ester or the hydrolysis product of 2-(phenoxy) ethyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer or of phenyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, the substrate has improved resistance to dye fading upon exposure to ozone and light, and does not yellow on exposure to UV light or oxides of nitrogen. When the copolymer is the half ester or the hydrolysis product of phenyl vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, the substrate also has excellent resistance to staining by FD&C Red Dye 40.
In another embodiment, this invention is another composition useful in imparting coffee stain resistance to polyamide textile substrates. This composition comprises an aromatic-containing acrylate copolymerized with an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and maleic acid. The copolymer has a weight average molecular weight between about 2,000 and 15,000, determined by GPC as previously set forth.
Preferred copolymers for this embodiment can be represented by the formula ##STR2## wherein s is 2 to 50 and t is 2 to 50, X is a moiety of an aromatic compound effective to improve stain resistance, and Z is either -O- or -O-CH2-CH2-O-. Preferably, X is selected from the group consisting of phenyl, naphthyl, and a partially saturated naphthyl-like ring. When X is selected from the group consisting of 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-1-naphthyl and 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2naphthyl, then Z is preferably -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. When X is selected from the group consisting of 1-naphthyl and 2-naphthyl, then Z is preferably -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. When X is phenyl, Z can be either -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O- or -O-, preferably the latter.
This invention is also a method of imparting improved coffee stain resistance to a polyamide textile substrate comprising treating the substrate with an effective amount of a copolymer selected from those of the second embodiment above, i.e. an aromatic-containing acrylate copolymerized with an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and maleic acid. The preferred copolymers are as set forth. The amount of the copolymer added to the substrate ranges from about 0.2 to 3.0, preferably 1.5 to 3.0, percent based on the weight of the substrate.
This invention is also a coffee stain resistant polyamide textile substrate having deposited thereon an effective amount of a composition which imparts coffee stain resistance to the substrate. The composition comprises a copolymer of the second embodiment above. It is expected that the substrate will not yellow on exposure to light when the copolymer has the formula ##STR3## wherein s is 2 to 50 and t is 2 to 50, X is phenyl, and Z is either -O- or -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-.
This invention is also a method to apply a polymer, preferably a stain blocker, to the surface of polyamide fibers comprising preparing an aqueous dispersion of microfine polymer beads and causing said beads to contact said fiber by electrostatic attraction to coat said fiber, then heating the coated fiber. It is preferred that the aqueous dispersion be prepared by dissolving the polymer into a water-soluble solvent, preferably an organic solvent such as acetone, tetrahydrofuran and/or an alcohol, most preferably acetone, followed by injecting the solution into water, whereby the polymer precipitates to form microfine beads which are smaller then about 2 microns. The solvent is then evaporated to leave a dispersion of microfine polymer beads in water. The dispersion has a pH in the range of about 2.0 to 7.0, preferably 2.0 to 3.0. The heating temperature is in the range 70° C. to 200° C., preferably 100° C. to 135° C.
The following terms are defined for use in this specification.
By polyamide is meant nylon 6, nylon 6,6 nylon 4, nylon 12 and the other polymers containing the ##STR4## structure along with the chain. Nylon 6 and 6,6 are preferred.
By textile substrate is meant fiber or yarn which has been typically tufted, woven, or otherwise constructed into fabric suitable for final use in home furnishings, particularly as floor covering or upholstery fabric.
By fiber is meant continuous filament of a running or extremely long length, or cut or otherwise short fiber known as staple. Carpet yarn may be made of multiple continuous filaments or spun staple fiber, both typically pretextured for increased bulk.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the preferred embodiment coffee stain resistance is imparted to a nylon 6 textile substrate, by the hydrolysis product, the half ester, or mixtures thereof, of copolymers made from vinyl ethers and maleic anydride in which the vinyl ether contains an aromatic ring structure. These copolymers can be represented by the formula ##STR5## wherein m is 4 to 100, p is 0.5m to 0.7m, X is a moiety of an aromatic compound effective to improve stain resistance, R is alkyl or hydrogen and Z is either -O- or -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. X preferably is phenyl, naphthyl or a partially saturated naphthyl-like ring.
The most preferred copolymer is prepared from phenyl vinyl ether and maleic anhydride. These are typically 1:1 alternating copolymers. The hydrolysis product of this copolymer is preferred for resistance to FD&C Red Dye 40 staining, whereas the half ester product, preferably the half isopropyl ester product, of this copolymer is preferred for resistance to hot coffee staining, although each product provides protection against both types of staining. Substrates treated with these most preferred copolymers have the added advantages of not yellowing on exposure to UV light or oxides of nitrogen, and of resistance to dye fading upon exposure to ozone or light.
Alkali metal hydroxides, such as sodium, potassium, and lithium preferably the former, are suitable hydrolyzing agents for making the hydrolysis product. Alcohols, such as the C 1 -C 5 alcohols, preferably isopropyl alcohol, are suitable hydrolyzing agents for making the half ester product of the copolymer.
In the second less preferred embodiment of this invention, coffee stain resistance is imparted to a nylon 6 textile substrate by an aromatic-containing acrylate copolymerized with either acrylic acid or maleic acid. The more preferred copolymers, which can be random or block, made with maleic acid, can be represented by the formula ##STR6## wherein s is 2 to 50 and t is 2 to 50 (this is not necessarily an alternating copolymer), X is a moiety of an aromatic compound effective to improve stain resistance, and Z is either -O- or -O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O-. X preferably is phenyl, naphthyl, or a partially saturated naphthyl-like ring.
The copolymers of all of the embodiments are readily soluble, even at high concentrations, in water at neutral to alkaline pH; increasing dilution is needed at pH below 6.
The copolymers of this invention can be used as such in treating polyamide textile substrates. They can be applied to dyed, and possibly undyed, polyamide textile substrates. They can be applied to such substrates in the absence or presence of polyfluoroorganic oil-, water-, and/or soil-repellent materials. In the alternative, such a polyfluoroorganic material can be applied to the textile substrate before or after application of the copolymers of this invention thereto. The copolymers can be applied to textile substrates in a variety of ways, e.g. during conventional beck and continuous dyeing procedures. The quantities of the polymers of this invention which are applied to the textile substrate are amounts effective in imparting coffee stain-resistance to the substrate. The amounts can be varied widely; in general, one can use between 0.2 and 3% by weight of them based on the weight of the textile substrate, preferably 1 to 3%, more preferably 1.5 to 3.0%. The copolymers can be applied, as is common in the art, at pHs ranging between 2 and 9.
The copolymers of this invention can also be applied in-place to polyamide carpeting which has already been installed in a dwelling place, office or other locale. They can be applied as a simple aqueous preparation at the levels described above, at temperature described, and at a pH between about 1 and 12, preferably between about 2 and 9. Heating after application is preferred but not necessary for performance. Steam treatment after application does not adversely affect performance.
Staining and test procedures utilized in the Examples were as follows.
TESTING PROTOCOLS
Unless noted otherwise, the fabric samples were a 3.4 g, 2.5 inch wide nylon 6 fabric (plain weave, 12-13 ends/inch×11-12 picks/inch) woven from Allied Type 1189-7B39/2 ply Superba heatset [at 270° F. with presteam] yarn. The fabric was beck dyed into a 1/25 Standard Depth Neutral Grey Shade using C.I. Acid Orange 156, C.I. Acid Red 361 and C.I. Acid Blue 324. The samples were about 3 to 4 inches long.
A. COFFEE
A brew of coffee was prepared using 20g of Maxwell House Master Blend Auto Drip coffee per 500 mL of water. Thirty milliliters of this coffee solution at 71° C. was dropped from a 12 inch height onto a fabric samples. After one minute the coffee solution was drained and the stain was allowed to remain on the fabric for 4 hours. Then the fabric was rinsed with cold tap water.
1. The coffee stain resistance of early samples was measured by the following technique: A 0-10 scale was used to rate the stain protection, with a score of 0 for a stain similar to stain in a control (no protection) nylon-6 fabric, and a rating of 10 when the stain was not detectable. The rating was done by visual evaluation by the same panel of evaluators.
2. The coffee stain resistance of later samples was measure using a photovolt single filter colorimeter, as follows. The stain protection of the samples was evaluated using the red (R), green (G), and the blue (B) reflected light values measured with a photovolt single filter colorimeter. The RGB values from the stained, tested samples were referenced to those of a stained control and related in a quantitative form to an unstained fabric sample. The RGB data of each sample represented a color response vector in an RGB tridimensional space. The stain value of each sample was computed from the length of each response vector. The vector length was calculated as follows: Length (i)=SquareRoot (Square(R(i))+Square(G(i))+Square(B(i)) ) where i was the test sample. The stained control was the darkest sample and was represented by the shortest vector. The maximum length vector was derived from the RGB vector of the unstained sample. The stain protection performance of the same is then given by Stain Protection (i)= ##EQU1## The stain protection is reported in percent, for comparison with the unstained, untreated fabric sample (at 100%) and the stained control (at 0%).
B. FD&C RED DYE 40
1. Unsweetened cherry Kool-Aid® (0.14 oz) was dissolved in two quarts of water. Thirty milliliters of this solution was poured on a (2.5 inch piece of nylon-6 fabric weighing 3.4 g) from a 12 inch height. After one minute the Kool-Aid was drained and the stain was allowed to remain on the fabric for 4 hours. Then the stain was removed by rinsing the fabric with cold tap water. FD&C Red Dye 40 stain resistance for samples stained in this manner was measured on a 0-10 scale like Technique 1 for coffee above.
2. Unsweetened cherry Kool-Aid (0.14 oz) was dissolved in two quarts of water. Twenty milliliters of this solution were placed in a vial, and a 3.4 g blue grey nylon-6 flat fabric was immersed in this solution with agitation to achieve wetting of the fabric. The fabric was left in contact with this solution for 1.5 minutes and then it was removed and placed in a beaker. The remaining solution was combined with another 5 mL of Kool-Aid solution and it was poured onto the soaked flat fabric from a 12" height. After one minute, the Kool-Aid solution was drained, and the sample was allowed to stand for 4 hrs. At the end of this period the sample was rinsed with cold water and left to dry. FD&C Red Dye 40 stain resistance for samples stained by this procedure was measured using a photovolt single filter colorimeter, like Technique 2 for coffee, above.
C. Colorfastness to light (Yellowing) was measured in accordance with AATCC Test Method 16E-1987, at 40 fading units.
D. Ozone fastness was measured in accordance with AATCC 129-1985.
E. NO 2 fastness was measured in accordance with AATCC 164-1987.
F. Application Methods
1. Solvent Application
A known weight percent of the stain blocker oligomer per weight of fiber (typically 2-4%) was dissolved in 5-10 mL of tetrahydrofuran and diluted to 150 mL with trifluorotoluene. A nylon-6 fabric sample was immersed in half the amount of the above solution, and heated in a steam bath for 15 min. Then the sample was retrieved from the remaining liquid and dried with a hot (40°-90° C.) stream of nitrogen. The remainder of the liquid was mixed with the second half of oligomer solution and this was sprayed over the sample. The treated sample was then dried with a stream of nitrogen, and annealed for 15 min at 105° C.
2. Aqueous Application
(a) The oligomeric stain blocker was dissolved in water at basic pH (e.g. 8-10) and then brought to acidic pH (2-7) with acetic or sulfamic acid. At acidic pH the stain blocker adsorbs onto nylon 6 with a rate of adsorption depending on the temperature and pH of the dispersion/solution.
(b) A 10% solution of the stain blocker in water can be made using NaOH (0.73 eq. NaOH per vinyl ether unit). This solution can be brought to a pH of between 5.5 and 6.5 and diluted with water typically to a 1.3% Stain Blocker solution. Nylon 6 flat fabric is then impregnated with said solution at 65°-75° C. for 1 to 2 min, to give, after squeezing the fabric between two rollers, a take up of 2.8% stain blocker per weight of fabric. The fabric is then annealed at 250° F. for 15 min.
(c) A dispersion is generated by spraying a solution of 1 g of copolymer in 50 mL of acetone into 50 mL of water. The acetone is evaporated to leave an aqueous dispersion of submicron beads. This dispersion is diluted to 1% with water at a pH of 2.0. One gram of nylon 6 fabric is soaked for about 20 minutes in 20 mL of this suspension at 45° C. and then annealed at 135° C. for 15 minutes.
PREPARATION OF STAIN BLOCKERS
Preparation of Saturated Naphthyl Derived Ring Systems by Hydrogenation:
The reduction of the naphthalene rings to yield 5,6,7,8 tetrahydronaphthalene derivatives was done by low pressure catalytic hydrogenation in methanol. The hydrogenations were carried out with the naphthol, naphthoxyethanol, or naphthyl ethyl derivatives. Except for 2-(2-naphthyl) ethanol, the reduction of the first ring was accomplished using 5% rhodium on carbon catalyst (R h/C), 60 psi H 2 , 60° C., until complete reduction of the unsubstituted ring was observed by gas chromatography (GC). To hydrogenate the 5,6,7,8 position of 2-(2-naphthyl) ethanol it was necessary to use palladium on carbon catalyst (Pd/C), since rhodium is not active enough.
Preparation of Vinyl Ether Derived Stain Blockers:
Except for phenyl vinyl ether, the vinyl ether monomers were prepared either by reaction of the appropriate alcohol with 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether or by transvinylation using palladium acetate phenanthroline catalyst. These methods are presented below. Phenyl vinyl ether was prepared according to the method of Mizuno et al., Synthesis, 1979, 688, by dehydrohalogenation of phenyl-2-bromoethyl ether with aqueous sodium hydroxide by utilizing the phase-transfer ability of tetra-n-butylammonium hydrogen sulfate. The reaction is exothermic and is completed within 1.5 hours at ambient temperature.
Preparation of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethyl Vinyl Ether) via reaction with 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether):
Three pounds of 2-naphthol were placed in a three necked round bottom flask equipped with an overhead stirrer and a reflux condenser. One liter of dimethyl sulfoxide was used to dissolve the naphthol and to this solution was slowly added 0.8 lb. of NaOH, while keeping the temperature below 50° C. After the addition of NaOH was completed, 1.1 liters of 2-chloroethyl vinyl ether were added slowly while keeping the temperature at 60° C. The reaction mixture was heated at this temperature for 20 hours (the progress of the reaction was followed by GC). After cooling the reaction product was poured into a polyethylene decantation tank and water was added to separate the product. Toluene was added to dissolve the product, and the toluene phase was washed several times with enough 5% NaOH to remove any residual naphthol starting material. The toluene layer was dried with anhydrous Na 2 SO 4 filtered and the toluene was evaporated. The product was identified by GC. A product yield of approximately 85% based on the weight of the naphthol starting material was obtained with this procedure.
Preparation of (2-Naphthyl) Methyl Vinyl Ether (via transvinylation catalyst):
a. Preparation of Palladium Acetate Phenanthroline Catalyst:
Pd(II) acetate, 3.36 g (0.01497 moles), was dissolved in 375 mL of benzene, and filtered through fluted filter paper giving a brown transparent solution. To this was added, dropwise, under nitrogen, a solution of 2.7 g (0.1498 moles) anhydrous 1,10-phenanthroline in 125 mL of benzene. A yellow precipitate resulted, which was filtered off and washed with benzene to obtain 4.7 g of a pale yellow solid.
b. Vinyl Ether Monomer Preparation:
In a three necked round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer, condenser, and magnetic stirrer were added 16 g (0.1 moles) of 2-naphthalene methanol, 200 mL of butyl vinyl ether and 1.0 g of palladium (Pd(II)) acetate phenanthroline. The reaction mixture was stirred overnight while the reaction progress was followed by GC. When conversion was 85% or higher, the catalyst was removed with activated charcoal. After separating the catalyst by filtering, the butanol and the unreacted butyl vinyl ether were removed by distillation. The vinyl ether product was purified to 97%+purity by column chromatography on silica gel using hexane/2% ethyl ether.
Vinyl Ether and Maleic Anhydride Copolymer:
The copolymers were prepared in 1,2-dichloroethane, using VAZO 67, 2,2'-azo-bis-(2 methylbutyronitrile) as initiator, and butanethiol or dodecanethiol as the chain transfer agent to control the degree of polymerization.
Preparation of 2-(2-Naphthoxy Ethyl Vinyl Ether/Maleic Anhydride Copolymer:
2-(2-naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl ether (20.0 g, 0.09524 moles), and maleic anhydride (9.33 g, 0.09524 moles) were dissolved in (155 mL) dichloroethane. The solution was placed in a three necked round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer, a condenser, and nitrogen inlet, and purged with nitrogen for half an hour. Then VAZO 67 (0.61 g, 0.003175 moles) and butanethiol (4.08 mL, 0.93799 moles) were added under nitrogen. The polymerization was carried out at 60° C. for 24 hrs or longer until complete monomer conversion. The polymer was isolated by precipitation in hexane.
Preparation of the Isopropyl Monester of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethyl Vinyl Ether/Maleic Anhydride Copolymer:
The anhydride copolymer was dissolved in the minimum amount of tetrahydrofuran. The solution was diluted with toluene, and then isopropanol. The solution was refluxed, until 50-75% of the monoester was formed as determined by infra red (IR) or by carbon 13 nuclear magnetic resonance ( 13 C NMR). The copolymer was recovered by precipitation. The average molecular weight of the copolymer was determined by gel permeation chromatography (GPC).
Acrylate Derived Stain Blockers:
The acrylate monomers were prepared by the reaction of the corresponding alcohols with acryloyl chloride as described below.
Preparation of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethanol:
The reaction set-up consisted of a three necked round bottom flask, equipped with a thermometer, condenser and a mechanical stirrer, and a dropping funnel. 2-Naphthol, 100 g (0.6936 moles), was dissolved in 60 mL of dimethyl sulfoxide. Sodium hydroxide, 27.7 g (0.6936 moles), was carefully added to the solution. Then 2-chloroethanol, 61.4 g (0.7629 moles), was slowly added, keeping the reaction temperature at 80° C. The reaction was followed by GC. After >>80% conversion was achieved, the reaction was worked-up by adding toluene and extracting the unreacted naphthol with 5% aqueous NaOH. The product was then recrystallized in ethanol or distilled under vacuum (70-80% yield).
Preparation of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethyl Acrylate:
In a round flask provided with an overhead stirrer, condenser, and addition funnel 2-(2-naphthoxy) ethanol, 40.0 g (0.2127 moles), was added and the system was swept with nitrogen for 15 minutes, then a dry tube was placed in the outlet of the condenser to prevent moisture from getting into the system. Acryloyl chloride, 21.1 g (0.2340 moles), was added dropwise, and the solution was stirred overnight. The solution was worked-up by extracting the HC1 formed with water, evaporating the solvent and purifying the product by distillation (84% yield). Further purification by column chromatography was necessary.
The polymerization was carried out under nitrogen, using 1,2-dichloroethane as the solvent, VAZO 67 as the initiator, and butanethiol as a chain transfer agent to control the degree of polymerization. A typical polymerization is described below.
Homopolymerization of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethyl Acrylate:
The monomer, 3.0 g, was dissolved in 1,2 dichloroethane. The system was purged with nitrogen, and VAZO 67 , 30.6 mg (0.0002065 moles), and butanethiol, 0.53 mL (0.004942 moles), were added. The polymerization was carried out at 60° C. until total monomer conversion. The polymer was precipitated in hexane.
Preparation of 2-(2-Naphthoxy) Ethyl Acrylate/Maleic Diacid Copolymer:
2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl acrylate (3.0 g, 0.01239 moles) and maleic anhydride (1.21 g, 0. 01239 moles) were dissolved in 20.7 mL of dichloroethane. The solution was placed in a 100 mL three-necked round bottom flask equipped with a thermometer, condenser, stirring bar, and nitrogen inlet, and purged with nitrogen for half an hour. Then VAZO 67 (0. 159 g, 0. 000826 moles) and butanethiol (0.028 g, 0.000309 moles) were added under nitrogen. The polymerization was carried out at 60° C. for 24 hours until complete monomer conversion. The dichloroethane was then evaporated, a brown gummy solid was redissolved in tetrahydrofuran (15 mL) and added dropwise to 75 mL of ethanol to give once filtered, 1.86 g of a light brown solid. 1.20 g of this light brown solid, 20 mL of tetrahydrofuran, 3.0 mL H 2 O, and 0.10 g of p-toluene sulfonic acid were added to a 50 mL single necked round bottom flask and the reaction was run at 80° C. with stirring overnight. IR analysis then indicated that only about 20% of the anhydride remained, and the main peak came at 1700 CM -1 characteristic of a carboxylic acid group. The brownish solution was precipitated in 100 mL of hexane to give 1.5 g of a light brown solid (30-40% yield). The average molecular weight of the copolymer was determined by GPC.
EXAMPLE 1
With reference to Table 1, the copolymers listed were applied to a nylon 6 fabric sample by the solvent application method. These copolymers, which were each about 50-75% isopropyl monoester, had a number average molecular weight of about 5000-10,000. The fabric samples were tested for coffee stain resistance by Technique 1 set forth above, the 0-10 stain protection rating wherein 0 represents no protection and 10 represents complete protection. Data are presented in Table 1.
EXAMPLE 2
With reference to Table 2, the copolymers listed were applied to a nylon 6 fabric sample by the solvent application method. These copolymers, which were each 50-75% isopropyl monoester, had the number average molecular weights set forth in Table 2. The fabric samples were tested for coffee stain resistance by Technique 1 previously set forth. Data are presented in Table 2.
EXAMPLE 3
With reference to Table 4, the copolymers listed were applied to a nylon 6 fabric sample by the solvent application method. These copolymers, which were each 50-75% isopropyl monoester, had a number average molecular weight of about 5000-10,000. These fabric samples were then tested for lightfastness using AATCC method 16E-1987. Data are presented in Table 4.
EXAMPLE 4
With reference to Table 5, the copolymers listed were applied to a nylon 6 fabric sample via the solvent application method, modified as follows: the copolymer/trifluorotoluene solution was sprayed onto the sample to achieve about 3% of the copolymer based on the weight of the substrate. These copolymers, which were each about 50-75% isopropyl monoester, had a number average molecular weight of about 5,000-10,000. The fabric samples were tested for coffee stain resistance by Technique 2 set forth above, using a photovolt single filter colorimeter.
EXAMPLE 5
Best Mode
Fifteen grams of phenyl vinyl ether/maleic isopropyl monoester copolymer were added to 119 g of water to make a slurry. Then 15.6 g of a 10% NaOH aqueous solution were added, and the mixture was heated to 75° C. for 20 min. The solution was then allowed to cool to room temperature. A 10% w/w clear golden solution was obtained and the pH of this solution was around 6.0 to 6.5. This copolymer solution was diluted with water to a 1.32% w/v and the pH was adjusted to 5.8 with sulfamic acid. A grey nylon 6 flat fabric (3.4 g), was immersed in 50 g of the 1.32% weight by volume (w/v) aqueous copolymer solution at 70° C. for 3 minutes. The flat fabric was wrung out to a 237% weight pick-up, which resulted in a 3.1% polymer add-on per weight of fiber (wof). The flat fabric was then heated at 220°-250° F. for 20 minutes.
A sufficient number of fabric samples were prepared to test separately for resistance to coffee staining, resistance to FD&C Red Dye 40 staining, lightfastness, ozone fastness and resistance to the action of oxides of nitrogen. Data are presented in Tables 6 and 7 (sample 22).
For comparison, untreated control samples were stained with coffee and cherry Kool-Aid, respectively. These control samples and a blank are presented in Table 6.
EXAMPLE 6 (COMPARATIVE)
Twelve and a half grams of deionized water were added to 20 g of a styrene maleic anhydride copolymer (commercially available from Aldrich Chem. Co., Catalog No. 20060-3, 1600 weight average molecular weight, white solid, 1:1 ratio styrene to maleic anhydride) in a 250 ml three-necked round bottom flask, and stirred with an overhead stirrer to make a white slurry. Then 22.5 g of a 30% NaOH aqueous solution were added dropwise so as not to exceed 40° C. temperature in the flask. The flask was then heated to 70° C. and stirred for three hours. Then 11.6 g of deionized water were added to make a 30% concentrated solution. This solution was then allowed to cool to room temperature. A viscous, light yellow solution was obtained, and the pH of the solution was about 9.9. This copolymer solution was diluted with water to a 1.32% w/v and the pH was adjusted with acetic acid to 5. A blue-grey nylon-6 flat fabric (3.4 g, about 4 inches×2.5 inches) was immersed in 50 g of 1.32% w/v aqueous copolymer solution at about 85° C. for 5 minutes. The solution container was shaken once every minute. The flat fabric was wrung out to achieve about a 2.9% polymer add-on per weight of fabric. The sample was dried at about 200° F. for 25 minutes, without rinsing first since this adversely affected performance. A sufficient number of samples were prepared to test for coffee stain protection and FD&C Red Dye 40 stain protection using a photovolt single filter colorimeter. Data are presented in Table 6.
EXAMPLE 7
5.4 g phenyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride were added to 13.2 g of water (in a 250 mL 3-necked round bottom flask) to make a slurry. Then 8.44 g of a 20% NaOH aqueous solution were added, and the mixture was heated to 75° C. for 2.5 hours with stirring by overhead stirrer. The solution was then allowed to cool to room temperature. A viscous, orange solution was obtained with a pH of about 9. This copolymer solution was diluted with water to a 1.32% w/v, and the pH was adjusted to 5 using a 5% acetic acid/water solution. Fabric samples were made as in Example 5 except that the polymer add-on per weight of fiber was about 3%. Samples were tested for stain resistance (%) to coffee and FD&C Red Dye 40, respectively, using a photovolt single filter colorimeter. Data are presented in Table 6 (Sample 24).
EXAMPLE 8
Example 7 was repeated, except that the pH was adjusted to 5.8. Data are presented in Table 6 (Sample 25) .
EXAMPLE 9
0.1 g of phenyl vinyl ether/maleic isopropyl monoester (number average molecular weight 4500) stain blocker was dissolved in 5 mL of 1% NaOH solution to make a 2% polymer in water solution, which was then diluted to 0.2% polymer in water. This diluted solution was then sprayed, using a thin layer chromatography (TLC) sprayer onto 500 mL of water at pH 2.0 (sulfamic acid), under constant stirring at 40° C. while keeping the overall pH at 2.0. This created a dispersion of the polymer in water. 2.5 g of a nylon-6 fabric were immersed in the polymer dispersion at 40° C. for 2 hours. The dispersion was not completely exhausted. The coated fabric was dried in air and annealed at 120° C. for 30 minutes. Coffee stain test, Technique 1, gave a rating of 8.
EXAMPLE 10
A solution of 1 gram of phenyl vinyl ether/maleic isopropyl monoester copolymer in 50 mL of acetone was sprayed into 50 mL of water. The acetone was evaporated to leave an aqueous dispersion of submicron beads. This dispersion was diluted to 1% with water at pH 2. One gram of nylon-6 fabric was soaked in 20 mL of this suspension at 45° C. for 20 minutes and then annealed at 135° C. for 15 minutes. The resulting fabric sample showed good protection against coffee staining according to Technique 1.
EXAMPLES 11-12
Example 7 was repeated in Example 11 with the following modifications: The copolymer solution in which the fabric was immersed was at 75° C. rather than 70° C., and the flat fabric was heated at 90° C. for 20 minutes. The fabric was tested for stain reistance (%) to FD&C Red Dye 40 using a photovolt single filter colorimeter -protection was 99.3%.
Example 12 was a repeat of Example 11 except that the fabric was allowed to air dry at room temperature, about 25° C., i.e., there was not heating step. Protection level was 92.0%.
This set of examples demonstrates that the hydrolysis product of phenyl vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymer can be applied to an installed carpet to yield excellent protection against FD&C Red Dye 40 stains. The product can be applied by soaking the installed carpet with the product followed by air drying of the carpet. There is no need to provide extra heat in drying the carpet or as an added treatment to achieve good stain protection.
DISCUSSION
Applicants have found that coffee stain protection can be achieved when the vinyl ether monomer of the vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymer contains an aromatic ring (phenoxy, naphthyl or a partially saturated naphthyl-like ring). With reference to Table 1, it can be seen that straight chain hydrocarbons (Samples 3 and 2) provide little to no protection, but when the side chains include an aromatic ring system (Samples 4-6, 8-9, 11), there is good protection.
Applicants have also found that the aromatic ring of the copolymer must be bound to an oxygen as part of the chain connecting the ring to the polymer backbone. See samples 22-25 in Table 6 which demonstrate the superior coffee stain resistance of Samples 22,24 and 25 versus Sample 23. Also see Table 5, Samples 4 and 21.
The importance of an oxygen being part of the chain binding the aromatic ring of the copolymer to the polymer backbone is also seen with FD&C Red Dye 40 Stains. See Table 6 wherein Comparative Sample 23 does not have such an oxygen and has inferior performance to both of Samples 22 and 24 of the present invention.
Coffee stain protection was tested with coffee at a temperature of 71° C., i.e., with hot coffee. The samples in Table 3 demonstrate that having a glass transition temperature and/or a melt temperature greater than 71° C. is not required of the copolymer in order to achieve hot coffee stain protection.
While vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymers are considered the best mode of practicing this invention, it was also found that acrylate/maleic anhydride copolymers offer coffee stain protection; homoacrylates, however, did not protect against coffee stains. See Table 2. And although the protection offered by the copolymer of Sample 17 is only 4, this sample is included as part of the present invention since it was not an optimized structure; the monomers' ratio could probably be varied to provide improved performance.
The naphthoxy containing copolymers yellowed upon exposure to ultra violet (UV) light even when the oxygen in the naphthoxy or 5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-2-naphthoxy ring of the above mentioned copolymers was etherified. See Table 4. A phenoxy ring linked from the phenoxy oxygen (phenyl-0-) to the vinyl ether oxygen (O-CH═CH2 by a CH2CH2 group : (phenyl-O-CH2CH2-OCH═CH2) gave stain protection against coffee, although much lower than the protection given by the same naphthoxy arrangement (compare Samples 9 and 4 in Tables 1 and 4); however it had the advantage that it did not yellow. This was surprising because the 5,6,7,8 tetrahydro-2-naphthoxy ethyl vinyl ether/maleic isopropyl monoester (Sample 6, Table 4), which could be considered an etherified dialkyl substituted phenoxy derivative, did yellow upon exposure to UV light.
A preferred stain blocker was obtained when a phenyl ring was linked directly to the vinyl ether oxygen. This arrangement with the oxygen from the phenoxy ring being the vinyl ether oxygen, gave the best combination of coffee stain protection with no yellowing upon exposure to UV light or oxides of nitrogen. See Tables 4, 5, 6 and 7.
The half ester, namely the half isopropyl ester of the vinyl ether/maleic anhydride copolymers gave better coffee stain protection than the hydrolysis product (see Table 6). This is in contrast with FD&C Red Dye 40 protection where both the half ester and the hydrolysis product of the anhydride copolymer gave excellent protection. Furthermore, each can be applied to achieve this protection as easily as soaking the carpet in an aqueous solution thereof, steaming the carpet if desired, and allowing to air dry.
It is possible that optimum performance against both types of stains may be obtained with a combination of the half ester and the hydrolysis product.
Effect of Molecular Weight on Performance
Using the compound of the invention, 2-(1-naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl ether/maleic isopropyl monoester copolymer, (50-75% monoester), of the following molecular weights, stain protection was evaluated as shown:
______________________________________Mol. Wt. × 10.sup.3 Stain Protection*______________________________________less than 4.5 7 4.5 9-10 7.9 8-9 23 7-8______________________________________ *by Technique 1 for Coffee Stains, above.
It is believed that the other compounds of this invention will show very similar results.
TABLE 1______________________________________ Coffee StainSample Copolymer Protection______________________________________1 Control 02 Decyl vinyl ether/Maleic 0(comparative) anhydride3 Docosyl vinyl ether/Maleic 4-5(comparative) isopropyl monoester4 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl 9-10 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester5 2-(1-Naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl 9-10 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester6 2-(5,6,7,8-Tetrahydro-2- 8-9 naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester7 2-(2-Decahydro naphthoxy) 2(comparative) ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester8 Phenyl vinyl ether/Maleic 9-10 isopropyl monoester9 2-(Phenoxy) ethyl vinyl 8-9 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester10 2-(4-Cyclohexyl phenoxy) 6-5 ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester11 2-(2-Naphthyl) ethyl vinyl 7-8 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester12 (2-Naphthyl) methyl vinyl 0(comparative) ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester______________________________________
TABLE 2______________________________________ Coffee Stain Mol. Protec-Sample Copolymer Wt. tion______________________________________13 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl 4.8 × 10.sup.3 9-10 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester14 Poly 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 2.9 × 10.sup.3 2(comparative) acrylate15 Poly 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 7.7 × 10.sup.3 2(comparative) acrylate16 Poly 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 14 × 10.sup.3 2(comparative) acrylate17 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 6 × 10.sup.3 4 acrylate/Acrylic acid18 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 6 × 10.sup.3 7-8 acrylate/Maleic acid______________________________________
TABLE 3______________________________________ CoffeeSam- Stainple Copolymer T.sub.g.sup.1 (°C.) T.sub.m.sup.2 (°C.) Protection______________________________________6 2-(5,6,7,8, 98 -- 8-9Tetrahydro-2-naphthoxy) ethylvinyl ether/Maleicisopropyl monoester4 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl 50 -- 9-10vinyl ether/Maleicisopropyl monoester10 2-(4-Cyclohexyl- 60 126 6-5phenoxy) ethyl vinylether/Maleic isopropylmonoester______________________________________ .sup.1 Glass transition temperature. .sup.2 Melt temperature.
TABLE 4______________________________________ Yellowing (40Samples Copolymer AATCC Fading Units)______________________________________8 Phenyl vinyl ether/Maleic No yellowing isopropyl monoester9 2-(Phenoxy) ethyl vinyl No yellowing ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester4 2-(2-Naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl Yellowing ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester11 2-(2-Naphthyl) ethyl vinyl Yellowing ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester6 2-(5,6,7,8-Tetrahydro-2- Yellowing naphthoxy) ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester19 2-(4-Methyl-2-naphthoxy) Yellowing ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester20 2-(5,6,7,8-Tetrahydro-2- Yellowing naphthyl) ethyl vinyl ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester______________________________________
TABLE 5______________________________________ Coffee Stain Protection (%)Sam- Technique 2 Detergentple Copolymer Water Rinse Rinse*______________________________________4 2-(2-Naphthoxy ethyl 55.8 74.3vinyl ether)/Maleicisopropyl monoester21 2-(1-Naphthyl ethyl 33.5 --vinyl ether)/Maleicisopropyl monoester8 Phenyl vinyl ether/Maleic 64.2 89.4isopropyl monoester9 Phenoxy ethyl vinyl ether/ 54.2 --Maleic isopropyl monoester______________________________________ *5 minute wash with AllIn-One detergent solution (7.5 g/l) at 60° C.
TABLE 6______________________________________ Coffee Stain Protection (%) FD&C Red Dye Water Detergent No. 40Sample Copolymer Rinse.sup.1 Rinse.sup.2 Protection (%)______________________________________Blank.sup.3 -- 100 -- 100Coffee -- 0 -- --StainedControlCherry -- -- -- 0Kool-AidStainedControl22 Phenyl vinyl 69 90 93 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester23* Styrene/Maleic 18.3 -- 77.9 acid.sup.424 Phenyl vinyl 32.7 -- 99.3 ether/Maleic acid.sup.525 Phenyl vinyl 21.1 -- -- ether/Maleic acid.sup.6______________________________________ *Comparative .sup.1 As set forth in Coffee Testing Protocol. .sup.2 Five minute wash with Allin-one detergent solution 7.5 g/l at 60° C. .sup.3 The blank was an untreated, unstained sample. It is given a value of 100% for protection since it is what a sample with 100% protection would look like. .sup.4 Hydrolysis product of the anhydride copolymer, number average molecular weight about 1600. .sup.5 Hydrolysis product of the anhydride copolymer, aqueous application at pH 5. .sup.6 Hydrolysis product of the anhydride copolymer, aqueous application at pH 5.8.
TABLE 7______________________________________ Gray Scale Rating* Oxides of Ozone Nitrogen Lightfastness.sup.1 Fastness.sup.3 FastnessSample Copolymer (40 SFU.sup.2) (3 cycles) (1 cycle).sup.4______________________________________Control -- 3 1 322 Phenyl vinyl 4 3-4 3 ether/Maleic isopropyl monoester______________________________________ .sup.1 AATCC 16E1987. .sup.2 AATCC Standard fading unit. .sup.3 AATCC 1291985. .sup.4 AATCC 1641987. *AATC Evaluation Procedure 1
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The present invention provides methods and compositions to impart coffee stain resistance to polyamide textile substrates such as carpets. The compositions comprise either (i) a copolymer selected from the group consisting of a hydrolyzed aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, a half ester of an aromatic-containing vinyl ether maleic anhydride copolymer, and mixtures thereof, or (ii) an aromatic-containing acrylate copolymerized with an acid selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid and maleic acid. The coffee stain-resistant polyamide textile substrates made are also part of the invention.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority from German application DE 10 2010 060 325.2 filed on Nov. 3, 2010, which is incorporated in its entirety by this reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to a method for cutting a food strand into slices including the steps of:
[0000] a) feeding the food strand forwards at a feed velocity to a cutting device having a rotating blade;
b) successively cutting off slices with the cutting device from the food strand at a forward end in feed direction during feeding;
c) placing the cut off slices onto an intermediary storage device moveable transversal to the feed direction and in the feed direction in order to form a portion after cutting the slices off from the food strand, wherein a stacked or fish scaled slice arrangement with a total of n slices is generated and n is a natural number greater than or equal to 3;
d) moving the intermediary storage away from the cutting device with feed velocity; and
e) transferring a non-finished portion including m slices, wherein m is a natural number and m<n, in its entirety from the intermediary storage device to a conveying device, wherein the slices are extracted through the conveying device, wherein the transferred portion after being transferred to the conveying device is completed by cutting off and adding one additional slice and is subsequently extracted.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] DE 197 13 813 C1 discloses a method in which a transfer of a partial portion from the intermediary storage which is configured as a fork is provided to a feed device which is configured as a conveyor belt. The feed device is moveable relative to the cutting device, in particular relative to its blade in vertical direction. Transferring a partial portion from the intermediary storage device to the conveying device is provided so that the intermediary storage device continuously moves away from the cutting device with the feed velocity and penetrates with its tongs into the intermediary spaces between adjacent drive belts of the conveying device. Thus the storage conditions, this means the vertical distance between the cutting plane and the top side of the slice that has been cut off last and already stored is being maintained constant. After transferring the partial portion to the conveying device it is required for keeping the storage conditions constant that the conveying device moves away with feed velocity from the cutting device while cutting off the slices that are still missing to form a complete portion. The feed device only stops this lowering process when the last slice of a portion has been cut off and deposited. Thereafter the horizontal extraction of the completed portion is initiated and the intermediary storage device that has been moved into its idle position in the mean time can be moved back into the cross section of the food strand in order to start receiving the next partial portion slice by slice.
[0004] It is disadvantageous for the known method that the intermediary storage device and also the feed device have to be synchronized in their vertical movements with the feed movement of the food strand in vertical direction. This places stringent requirements on the type of drives and on the control. In particular the point in time of the transfer when the partial portion switches from being placed on the intermediary storage to being placed on the feed device has to be determined precisely.
[0005] Another method is furthermore known from, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,842,692. The device as disclosed in this printed document in FIGS. 10 to 14 includes two intermediary storage devices which are transferrable from opposite directions from respective idle positions adjacent to the food strand cross section into their receiving positions below the food strand. The intermediary storage devices that are also moveably supported in feed direction in addition to a direction perpendicular to the feed direction are used in the known method to respectively receive a complete portion of the cut off slices in a form vertically stacked on top of one another in order to transfer them with a transfer element connected there between to a conveying device including a plurality of circumferential belts. The transfer element enters from the bottom side of the conveying device facing away from the food strand into intermediary spaces between adjacent belts and also penetrates intermediary spaces in the fork shaped intermediary storage device in order to approach the bottom side of the formed portion and in order to be able to receive them in a supporting manner.
[0006] The two intermediary storage devices are being used in order to be able to provide feeding of the food strand continuously, this means continuously without interruptions when transporting out completed portions. While one portion is still on the first intermediary storage device or is just being taken over by the transfer element, the second intermediary storage device is already in an idle position or in a receiving position moved under the cross section of the food strand, so that the cutting process can be continued without interruption.
[0007] This does not only provide advantages with respect to the cutting performance which is accordingly high based on the continuity of the cutting process, but also avoids interrupting the feed movement which is always critical. Deviations in the feed velocity, in particular a short term stoppage of the food strand leads to problems in the feed device due to vibrations namely in particular for softer and deformable foods (e.g. pork sausage, meat loaf, ham, sausage, cheese etc.). Due to calibrations nozzles shortly above the blade the feeding of the food strand has high friction. Additionally, there is a so called “slip stick effect” this means when undercutting a particular feeding force the food strand suddenly breaks loose, this means uneven feeding of the food strand occurs. Due to the strong dynamics of all movements longitudinal vibrations at the knife side end of the material strand cause the food strand to protrude by a small amount below the blade plane in spite of a wanted stop, which leads to cutting off small food pieces (snipping effect). In particular for self service packages using clear foil as packaging material slice fragments of this type are not acceptable since they are perceived as substantial optical deficiency. Providing a continuous feeding without interruption is therefore an essential prerequisite for obtaining high cutting performance and in particular first class cutting quality so that the cut off slices always have an identical geometry.
[0008] Whereas the latter problem has been solved for the method according to U.S. 3,842,698, its design complexity is high and the control algorithms for controlling the movements of the many device components are complex.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is the object of the invention to provide a method for cutting a food strand into slices, wherein high cutting performance and high geometrical precision of the cut off slices can be implemented with low design complexity.
[0010] The object is achieved through a method as recited supra in that after transferring the unfinished portion onto the feed device a distance between a top side of the last cut off slice and a bottom side of the blade is successively reduced with each additional slice produced. The invention is based on the finding that the storage conditions for generating portions with high geometric precision are not only optimum or acceptable for a particular distance, but also that the function of the placement quality over the distance between the bottom side of the blade and the top side of the slice placed last extends very flat in the range of the optimum distance. This means that the distance between the bottom side of the blade and the top side of the partial portions already formed can be varied within particular limits without the storage quality being significantly impaired. The invention uses this finding in that in the end phase of producing a portion, this means after transferring a partial portion from the intermediary storage device to the conveying device the distance between the top side of the partial portion and the bottom side of the blade is not kept constant any more through an active vertical movement of the conveying device but that after transferring the partial portion onto the conveying device an increase of the height of the partial portion is permitted until the final stacking height is reached.
[0011] According to the method according to the invention a vertical adjustment of the partial stack is only performed during the phase in which the partial stack is still on the intermediary storage. Only the intermediary storage device therefore has to be capable to change its position in vertical direction as a function of the feed velocity. On the other hand side a vertical position change of this type is not performed any more after the transfer onto the conveying device is performed so that with a further increase of the portion height the distance between the top side of the portion and the bottom side of the blade is successively reduced with each additional slice. As already stated supra a reduction of the distance of this type does not lead to a perceivable deterioration of the storage quality when the distance previously was slightly greater that the “optimum distance” and through producing the last slice was only slightly smaller than the “optimum distance”.
[0012] Another prerequisite for obtaining sufficient cutting quality with the method according to the invention is the fact that the number of the slices which are cut off after the partial portion is transferred to the feed device does not exceed a particular number. Exceeding a particular number, however, is not required according to the method according to the invention since only a certain number of slices still have to be cut off after transferring the partial portion to the feed device, wherein the number of slices is required for moving the intermediary storage device back into the idle position. Thus while a synchronous movement of food strand and intermediary storage device can be provided maintaining constant storage conditions while the partial portion is formed on the intermediary storage device the distance to the conveying device standing still in vertical direction is successively reduced with each added slice after the partial portion is transferred.
[0013] According to an advantageous embodiment of the method according to the invention the intermediary storage device is moved away from the cutting device after storing m slices on the intermediary storage device with a velocity which is greater than the feed velocity of the food strand which transfers the non-finished portion to the feed device, wherein a distance between the blade of the cutting device and the top side of the m-th slice when transferring the non-finished portion from the intermediary storage to the feed device is greater than during cutting off the first m slices.
[0014] This way the storage conditions while cutting the first m slices can be kept constant, whereas transferring the non-finished portion to the feed device is performed after a drop of the intermediary storage into the conveying device with maximum dynamics. Starting with the point in time of the transfer the distance between the top side of the m-th slice and the bottom side of the blade is then increased and successively reduced with each additional cut off slice up to the n-th slice. It is important that the distance at the point in time of transferring the unfinished portion is sufficiently large in order to be able to receive all slices of the portion which still need to be cut off without a collision between the blade and the top side of the n-th slice occurring.
[0015] An embodiment of the method according to the invention includes moving the intermediary storage device so that the respective distance between the top side of the first slice to the m-th slice is greater than the respective distance of the (m+1)-th slice to the n-th slice. In this case the distance between the top side of the portion and the bottom of the blade is only minimal at the point in time when the n-th slice, this means the last slice, is cut off, whereas it is greater than cutting off all preceding slices. Thus the intermediary storage device can be moved downward when cutting off the first m slices, this means up to the point in time of transferring the non-completed portion to the conveying device with the feed velocity of the material strand, wherein constant placement conditions are provided during this phase of the cutting process. A successive reduction of the distance between the portion top side and the bottom side of the blade only occurs after the point in time when the portion is transferred to the feeding device. The advantage of this method is that dynamic movements of the loaded intermediary storage device are not necessary.
[0016] Furthermore there is also the option to increase the distance between the top side of the partial portion and the bottom side of the blade while cutting off the first m slices. This increase can be performed immediately when producing the first slice but it can also be provided after a particular number of slices have already been cut off and stored. The distance reduction is achieved in that the intermediary storage device is moved away from the blade with a greater velocity than the feed velocity of the material strand. This way it is possible to store the first slice or the first slices with a particularly small distance between the top side of the slice stored last and the bottom side of the blade. This continuous distance increase provides the necessary increased distance at the point in time when the partial portion is transferred in order to provide sufficient reserves for storing the last n−m slices on the conveying device that is standing still in vertical direction. In turn highly dynamic movements of the intermediary storage device can be omitted for this method.
[0017] In the method according to the invention thus the storage conditions after transferring a non-completed portion to the feed device are changed voluntarily, thus in a sense that the distance between the cutting plane and the surface of the slice cut off last is successively reduced with each additional slice. This has the advantage that a synchronization of a vertical movement of the conveying device with the feed movement of the food strand is not required. The requirements upon the control and the precision of the conveying device are thus smaller for the methods according to the invention which affects costs favorably.
[0018] According to an embodiment of the invention the conveying device stands still at least in vertical direction at the point in time in which the non-finished portion is handed over to it from the intermediary storage device. This helps reducing control complexity and device complexity with respect to the type of the drive of the feed device in vertical direction. When the conveying device stands still in vertical direction it is important at the point in time when transferring the non-finished portion to the conveying device to provide a distance in vertical direction to the cutting plane so that when the conveying device stands still in vertical direction during the entire cutting process, so that sufficient vertical space is provided for storing all slices that still need to be cut off in order to complete the portion (number n−m).
[0019] Thus, in this case the distance between the top side of the m-th slice and the blade of the cutting device is a maximum and the distance is reduced again when additional slices are cut off (when the conveying device stands) still in vertical direction, wherein advantageously the storage conditions when cutting off the last, this means the n-th slice of a portion are the same again as they were while cutting off the first m slices of the portion.
[0020] The method according to the invention thus leads to a change in the storage conditions during a transition time in order to thus gain time for bringing back the intermediary storage device. This gains time namely through the accelerated lowering and the “premature handover” of the non-finished portion to the feed device measured by the vertical distance, wherein the time gain can be used for moving the intermediary storage device back into its idle position in order to be able to insert the intermediary storage device in a timely manner back into the food cross section or its projection into the cutting plane when beginning to generate the next portion.
[0021] An improvement of the method according to the invention is characterized in that the distance between the blade of the cutting device and a surface of the cutting device before beginning the cutting process as a function of the number n of the slices of the portion to be produced and a thickness d of a particular slice is adjusted. In particular the recited vertical distance is determined from the multiplication of the number n of the slices and their thickness d plus a distance A 0 which provides safe clearance for the blade and typically is in a range of a few millimeters.
[0022] During tests it has become apparent that it is favorable in particular when the number n of the slices of a completed portion is greater by 2 to 4, advantageously by 3 than the number n of the slices of a non-finished portion when it is transferred from the intermediary storage device to the feed device. This facilitates a sufficient time gain in order to move the intermediary storage device back into its idle position after transferring the non-finished portion to the conveying device or to then also move the intermediary storage device back into the food cross section. Thus, it has also become apparent that increasing the storage distance by such an amount as it is required for subsequent generation and storage of two to four or preferably three vertically stacked slices the storage quality is not significantly deteriorated. As a matter of principle a more “premature” transfer of the non-finished portion to the feed device can increase the time available for moving the intermediary storage device back, wherein however the storage conditions are increasingly deteriorated through stronger vertical lowering of the unfinished portion with an increasingly earlier transfer, at least when the conveying device stands still in vertical direction. The recited number n−m=3 of slices which still have to be produced after the transfer to finish the respective portion thus has proven to be an ideal compromise.
[0023] Thus, the method according to the invention omits the transfer element known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,846,698 and therefore substantially reduces manufacturing complexity. Thus, a direct transfer of the partial portion to the feed device is provided without using other components there between. Not only the engineering complexity is reduced, but the invention also simplifies control when implementing a device according to the new method since the complex adjustment between intermediary storage device and transfer element on the one hand side and transfer element and conveying device is reduced to an adjustment between intermediary storage device and conveying element.
[0024] Producing a finished portion is provided in two phases according to the method according to the invention, namely one phase in which the intermediary storage device is initially used as a support device for the portion being produced. After a particular amount of time, this means producing a particular number of slices of the portion currently being produced the portion is placed on the feed device during the ongoing cutting process, this means in particular also when the feeding is continued unchanged and the rotation of the blade is unchanged which is not critical, because the storage, this means adding additional slices is performed on the top side of the portion, whereas changing the support from the intermediary storage device to the feed device is performed on the bottom side and therefore can be configured so that it does not cause any interferences on the top side of the portion being created.
[0025] A particularly simple transfer of the cut off slices from the intermediary storage device to the feed device is facilitated when the support elements of the intermediary storage device penetrate the intermediary spaces between adjacent belts of the feed device during transfer, wherein a surface of the support elements which supports the slices is arranged below a surface of the belts of the conveying device after the transfer. Through the penetration a change of the support of the slices occurs from the intermediary storage device to the feed device.
[0026] In another embodiment of the invention it is proposed that the intermediary storage device performs a movement including translatoric movement sections along a closed path, wherein the intermediary storage device:
is moved starting from an idle position in which it is located outside of a projection of the cross section of the food strand into a plane orthogonal to the longitudinal axis of the food strand and including the surface of the support elements, is moved essentially parallel to the recited plane into a first receiving position in which a first slice of a new portion is received, is subsequently successively moved into subsequent receiving positions in which it is moved for generating the respectively desired storage pattern of the slices and for receiving the respective subsequent slice relative to the preceding receiving condition in feed direction of the food strand and/or perpendicular to the feed direction of the feed strand, assumes an emptying position after receiving a predetermined number of slices in which emptying position the intermediary storage device and the conveying device viewed in feed direction have moved relative to one another far enough so that the slices have lost contact to the surface with the support elements and instead have entered contact with the surface of the belts of the conveying device, and is eventually transferred back into the waiting position without contacting the plane of the surface of the belts of the conveying device in the portion of the belts.
[0032] Transferring the cut off slices from the intermediary storage device to the conveyor belt can be advantageously provided through a relative movement in feed direction between the intermediary storage device and the conveying device. Thus, the intermediary storage device is lowered accordingly for an advantageously still standing conveying device.
[0033] During cutting operations when producing simple vertical (non-fish scaled) slice stacks the conveying device or before that also the intermediary storage device is lowered by the thickness dimension of the slice for each newly added slice successively or with a corresponding mean velocity continuously per section in order to provide a constant distance between the cutting plane of the blade and the storage surface for the newly created slice during the entire cutting process, wherein the storage surface is provided in the form of the surface of the intermediary storage device or of the surface of the last slice that has already been cut off.
[0034] In order to facilitate a quick insertion of the intermediary storage device in the moment of activating the intermediary storage device for receiving the first slice of a new portion it is helpful that the intermediary storage device with the surface of its support elements is in the same plane as the surface of the last completely cut off slice on the conveying device, wherein the surface is oriented towards the food strand in the idle position of the intermediary storage device. For a continued lowering of the conveying device (continuously or in increments) the exact amount of vertical space is provided above the already cut off and slightly lowered slices in the next moment so that the intermediary storage device can be inserted into the strand cross section transversal to the feed device.
[0035] In order to have sufficient time for inserting the intermediary storage device into the strand cross section the intermediary storage device can leave the idle position only when the blade has already started to cut off another slice and is already within the cross section of the food strand. On the particular critical time conditions, this means under a high cutting frequency and an accordingly high cutting performance the intermediary storage device during its movement into a projection of the cross section of the food strand in a plane orthogonal to the feed direction can even lift a portion of the slice that is currently being produced, wherein the portion already hangs down due to gravity or even contacts the previously cut off slice, wherein the lifting is performed with the surface of the support elements of the intermediary storage device. This way a starting storage of the newly produced slice on the slices of the preceding portion is reversed again through transferring the intermediary storage device into the receiving position in order to associate the currently produced slice with the new portion, this means with the intermediary storage device.
[0036] According to another embodiment of the method according to the invention the intermediary storage device penetrates from one side into the cross section of the food strand and the blade of the cutting device penetrates the cross section of the food strand from the opposite side. Thus, collisions between the intermediary storage device to be inserted and a completed portion are prevented on the feed device during transporting. Also the insertion can be time delayed far enough so that downward extending portions of a slice that is being created are lifted off from the inserting intermediary storage device and picked up, wherein precise storage conditions can also be provided for an extreme time based arrangement of this type.
[0037] From a device point of view the intermediary storage device advantageously includes support elements which are arranged so that they can be positioned in intermediary spaces between adjacent belts of the feed device, wherein a plane defined by the surface of the support elements extends parallel to a plane defined by the surface of the belts of the feed device. Since the planes are parallel, a transfer of the slices from the intermediary storage device to the belts is configured particularly gentle which provides high quality of the placement geometry. Advantageously the intermediary storage device is configured fork shaped and the supports elements are configured tongue shaped and arranged at a support beam and preferably welded together therewith.
[0038] In order to provide high dynamics when moving the intermediary storage device the mass of the intermediary storage device that shall be accelerated quickly shall be kept as low as possible. Therefore, the height of the support elements measured in feed direction shall be smaller than twice the thickness, advantageously smaller and 1.5 times the thickness of the slices to be cut off in particular smaller than 10 mm, advantageously smaller than 8 mm, particularly advantageously shall be between 4 mm and 6 mm. The mass of the intermediary storage device should be less than 0.5 kg advantageously less than 0.3 kg. For a material for the intermediary storage device in particular for the support elements besides stainless steel or aluminum alloys also fiber reinforced plastic material in particular using carbon fibers is suitable.
[0039] From a design point of view it is advantageous when the intermediary storage device is moveably supported perpendicular to the feed direction in a receiving frame and the receiving frame is moveably supported in feed direction at a machine frame, wherein the receiving frame includes two linear supports for the intermediary storage device arranged laterally adjacent to the feed device. A receiving frame according to the instant application is not necessarily a closed arrangement of the members. This rather also includes a three sided, this means U shaped arrangement of members which is helpful in order to be able to implement support devices for the intermediary storage device at both sides adjacent to the conveying device. For the linear supports in particular also a drive using a timing belt is suitable, wherein the timing belt provides operation without slippage even for movements with highest dynamics.
[0040] Typically the conveying device is followed by an extraction device also configured as a band with a plurality of belts extending parallel to one another. In order to provide a continuous transition between the conveying device and extraction device when moving the conveying device, in particular on the side of the conveying device oriented towards the extraction device, the feed device can be supported at a extraction frame together with an extraction device, wherein the extraction frame is adjustably supported, in particular moveably or pivotably supported at a machine frame.
[0041] In order to also be able to implement a fish scaled storage of slices on the intermediary storage device before transferring them to the conveying device the support elements of the intermediary storage device should have a length measured perpendicular to the feed direction which is at least twice the width of the cut off slices measured perpendicular to the feed direction, preferably at least three times the width.
[0042] In order to prevent time based problems in the time critical phase of inserting the intermediary storage device, the intermediary storage device starting from its idle position shall be insertable in the same direction into a projection of the cross section of the food strand into a plane which is formed by the support elements of the intermediary storage device, wherein the cut off slices are transportable by the conveying device in the same direction.
[0043] It provides further time relief for the cutting process when the intermediary storage device enters from one side into a projection of the cross section of the food strand into a plane which is formed by the surface of the support elements of the intermediary storage device, wherein the surface is opposite to a side where a slice that is being created disengages from the food strand driven by gravity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0044] The method according to the invention is subsequently described based on an embodiment of a device with reference to drawing figures and two diagrams, wherein:
[0045] FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a portion of a device for cutting a strand shaped food material with a completed portion including fish scaled slices on a conveying device and with an intermediary storage device in an idle position;
[0046] FIG. 2 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 1 with the completed portion when transferring it from the conveying device to an extraction device and with an intermediary storage device with a cut off slice in a receiving position;
[0047] FIG. 3 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 2 , however with the completed portion on the extraction device and with two slices on the intermediary storage device;
[0048] FIG. 4 illustrates view analogous to FIG. 3 , however with three slices on the intermediary storage device;
[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 4 , however after transferring a new completed portion to the feed device and with the intermediary storage device in an intermediary position between the emptying position and the idling position;
[0050] FIG. 6 illustrates a lateral view of the device according to FIGS. 1-5 including the feed device arranged above the conveying device including a food strand arranged therein and the cutting device, wherein a completed portion including stacked slices is arranged on the conveying device and the intermediary storage device is disposed in the idle position;
[0051] FIG. 7 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 6 , however with the completed portion in a position laterally moved on the conveying device and the intermediary storage device in a first receiving position;
[0052] FIG. 8 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 7 , however with the finished portion when transferring from the conveying device to the extraction device and with the intermediary storage device in a second receiving position;
[0053] FIG. 9 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 8 , however with the finished portion on the extraction device and the intermediary storage device in a third receiving position;
[0054] FIG. 10 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 9 , however with the finished portion in a moved position on the extraction device and the intermediary storage device in a fourth receiving position;
[0055] FIG. 11 illustrates a view analogous to FIG. 10 , however with a partial portion to be transferred still arranged on the intermediary storage device that is lower by a greater amount;
[0056] FIG. 12 illustrates a view according to FIG. 11 , however with the transferred partial portion on the feed device and the intermediary storage device in the idle position;
[0057] FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram with a depiction of a path of the intermediary storage device over the number of cut off slices; and
[0058] FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram with a representation of the velocity of the intermediary storage device over the number of cut off slices.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0059] A device 1 for cutting a food strand 2 (e.g. sausage, cheese etc.) illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 5 in details in a perspective view and in FIGS. 6 through 10 in a lateral view includes a cutting device 3 only illustrated in FIGS. 6-11 which includes a blade 5 rotating about a rotation axis 4 , wherein the blade is configured, for example, as a sickle blade, alternatively also configured in the form of a circular blade rotating at a pivot arm like a planetary gear. A cutting edge 6 defines a cutting plane 7 through rotation, wherein the cutting plane is oriented perpendicular to a longitudinal axis 8 of the food strand 2 . The longitudinal axis 8 extends in parallel with the feed direction illustrated by an arrow 9 in which the food stand 2 is pushed forward through a feed device 10 which is only schematically illustrated wherein the forward movement occurs towards the blade 5 of the cutting device 3 . The feed device 10 includes a gripping device 11 at its upper end, wherein the gripping device is moveable in feed direction (arrow 9 ), wherein the gripping hooks 12 of the gripping device are dug into the rear end of the food strand 2 oriented away from the blade 5 thus forming a form locked connection. The gripping device 11 and also two feed belts that are not illustrated in detail which laterally support the food strand 2 and are configured as required with form locking devices (spikes) for preventing slippage and have a configuration that is known in the art and do not have to be described in more detail. As a result, the food strand 2 can be moved forward through the feed device 10 with high precision in feed direction (arrow 9 ) which is important for achieving high precision for the geometry of the slices to be cut off.
[0060] On a side of the cutting plane 7 that is oriented away from the food strand 2 and the feed device 10 , there are adjacent and partially overlapping with one another an extraction device 10 , a conveying device 14 and an intermediary storage device 15 . The intermediary storage device 15 is formed as a fork and includes a plurality of support elements 16 that are arranged in parallel and equidistant to one another and configured tongue shaped and a support beam 17 that extends perpendicular to the support elements and is connected therewith. The intermediary storage device 15 is supported in a receiving frame 18 , thus so that it is movable perpendicular to the feed direction, this means parallel to the cutting plane 7 . Thus, the support beam 17 is supported respectively at both longitudinal ends in a respective linear support 19 which is respectively arranged in the interior of a longitudinal member 20 of the receiving frame 18 . The drive of the intermediary storage device 15 in a direction of the linear support devices 19 is provided through a timing belt 21 which is connected with the support beam 17 on both sides of the intermediary storage device 15 through a coupling element.
[0061] The receiving frame 18 as such is movable in a direction (double arrow 22 ) parallel to the feed direction (arrow 9 ) within a machine frame 23 that is schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 but not illustrated in more detail in FIG. 6 . The adjustability is provided, for example, through a cylinder 24 that is activated hydraulically or pneumatically, wherein a bottom component of the receiving frame 18 is connected to the respective piston rod 25 of the cylinder. As apparent from FIG. 1 in which only the piston rods are visible which are configured with an elbow in reality and which are illustrated straight in FIGS. 6 through 11 for simplicity purposes support and adjustment of the receiving frame 18 is provided through two cylinders 24 in FIGS. 6 through 11 (not visible) and two associated piston rods 25 which engage opposite sides of the receiving frame 18 . A servo drive for moving the intermediary layer 15 through the timing belts 21 and arranged behind a cover 27 of the receiving frame 18 is not illustrated in the figures.
[0062] The conveying device 14 includes a plurality of belts 29 which are arranged equidistant from one another and which form a common conveying plane 28 on their top side, wherein the belts are run about two deflection rollers 30 , 31 including ring grooves for the belts 29 , wherein one of the deflection rollers is drivable through a servo drive. The inner distance between two adjacent belts is slightly greater than the width of the support elements 16 measured perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the fork shaped support elements 16 . Since the pitch of the belts 29 of the conveying device 14 corresponds to the pitch of the support element 16 of the intermediary storage device 15 , the latter can penetrate intermediary spaces between adjacent belts which is important for the transfer of cut off slices from the intermediary storage device 15 to the feed device 14 described infra.
[0063] The extraction device 13 like the conveying device 14 includes a plurality of belts 32 , whose width is substantially greater than the width of the belts 29 of the conveying device 14 . A deflection roller of the extraction device 13 is arranged close enough to the deflection roller 30 of the conveying device 14 so that the belts 29 , 32 do not collide with one another, which provides a transfer from the conveying device 14 to the extraction device 13 which does not impair the slice arrangement.
[0064] The extraction device 13 is supported in an extraction frame 34 which is pivotably supported in the machine frame 23 about the rotation axis of a deflection roller 35 . The end of the extraction device 13 which is associated with the deflection roller 33 of the extraction device 13 is connected in FIG. 1 with an additional cylinder 36 (hydraulically or pneumatically activated) which is covered by the machine housing, but visible in FIG. 6 , or its piston rod 37 . Extending the piston rod 37 from the cylinder 36 thus causes an upward pivoting of the extraction frame 34 and also a parallel movement of the feed device 14 which is also coupled with the piston rod 37 . Due to one longitudinal axis 38 of the cylinder 36 being parallel to the feed direction (arrow 9 ) and a respective connection of the conveying device 14 with the piston rod 37 , a receiving plane 39 of the feed device 14 formed by the surface of the belts 29 always remains aligned in parallel with the cutting plane 7 , this means perpendicular to the feed direction (arrow 9 ). Due to the pivotable connection between the feed device 14 and the extraction device 13 , the angle enclosed between the receiving plane 39 and an extraction plane 40 formed by the surface of the belts 32 changes as a function of the position of the feed device 14 , this means the position of the piston rod 37 of the cylinder 36 . Another timing belt 40 establishes a coupling between the deflection roller 30 of the conveying device 14 and the deflection roller 35 of the extraction device 13 .
[0065] The method according to the invention is subsequently illustrated in more detail wherein the particular method steps are described with reference to the drawing figures, wherein:
[0066] FIGS. 1 through 5 initially illustrate forming portions according to a method that is not performed according to the invention, wherein the portions include five slices that are placed on top of one another in a fish-scale pattern, that means offset from one another. Due to omitting the cutting device 3 and the feed device 10 including the food strand 2 , the interaction between the conveying device 14 , the intermediary storage device 15 and the extraction device 13 is visible particularly well.
[0067] FIG. 1 illustrates a situation in which a portion that is just completed and formed from five slices contacts the conveying device 14 . Per blade revolution, one slice is cut off from the food strand 2 , wherein the belts 29 of the feed device 14 are moved forward between two subsequent cuts by the amount of the “fish scaling dimension” in a direction towards the extraction device 13 in order to generate a partially overlapping, so-called fish scaled or shingled storage.
[0068] FIG. 1 illustrates a situation in which the blade 5 has just finished cutting off the last uppermost slice and the intermediary storage device 15 is still in its idle position in which it has a maximum distance from the extraction device 13 through respective control of the timing belts 21 . The height of the receiving frame 18 which is adjustable through the control of the cylinders 24 that are not visible and thus the movement of the associated piston rods 25 and thus also the height of the top side of the support elements 16 of the intermediary storage device 15 at this moment is adjusted so that the intermediary storage device 15 can be moved in a direction towards the extraction device 13 through activating the drive of the timing belt 21 without contacting the uppermost slice of the finished portion lying on the conveying device 14 .
[0069] FIG. 2 illustrates the intermediary storage device 15 in its receiving position in which it is arranged vertically below the face of the food strand and can therefore receive a slice that has just been cut off on the top side of its support elements 16 . Since the rotation of the blade 5 and also the forward movement of the food strand 2 during the entire cutting process, this means until the food strand 2 besides a residual piece in which the gripper hooks 12 are located is completely cut up, moves with constant speed, this means without a change of angular velocity, the intermediary storage device has to be moved from its idle position into its receiving position between the production of two slices. This requires a high level of dynamics in the movement of the intermediary storage device which is facilitated by a high performance servo drive for the synchronous belts 21 . As a matter of principle it is feasible that the slice that is being produced for a new portion hangs down with its cut off portion following gravity, possibly even already contacts the last slice of the preceding completed portion, because the intermediary storage device entering into the gap between the blade and the preceding completed portion can receive or lift the downward hanging or already stored portion of a slice that is being newly produced before it is completely cut off from the food strand 2 so that the new slice is completely and correctly placed on the intermediary storage device 15 . It is furthermore visible in FIG. 2 that the completed portion due to the continued movement of the feed device 14 with its two frontal slices has already reached the extraction device 13 and is disposed in a transfer phase.
[0070] It is evident from FIG. 3 that a second slice of the portion currently being formed is cut off and was stored on the intermediary storage device 15 . In order to generate a fish scaled storage also on the intermediary storage device, the intermediary storage device has moved forward perpendicular to the feed direction by the fish scaling dimension, so that the second slice only partially overlaps the first slice of the new portion. The conveying device does not move perpendicular to the feed direction. Based on the further continued movement of the conveying device 14 and the extraction device 13 , the preceding completed portion is now substantially completely disposed on the extraction device 13 .
[0071] According to FIG. 4 , the intermediary storage device 15 is now moved into an emptying position in which the support element 16 penetrates the gaps between two adjacent belts 29 through the downward movement of the intermediary storage device 15 so that the slices that are previously in contact with the support elements 16 of the intermediary storage device 15 are transferred to the surface of the belts 29 . Simultaneously with the transfer of the slices to the feed device 14 or time based shortly before or thereafter the third slice of the portion to be newly formed is cut off, wherein the portion was moved forward through respective movement of the intermediary storage device 15 parallel to the feed direction or movement of the conveying device 14 in order to facilitate a continuation of the fish scaled storage. The preceding completed portion has meanwhile moved on the extraction belt 13 further in a direction towards the deflection roller 35 in order to be subsequently forwarded into a packaging device in which the slices are welded into a self service foil package.
[0072] FIG. 5 shows how a fourth slice is added to the portion currently formed. The portion that is still unfinished thus only contacts the feed device 14 and is moved forward in order to maintain the fish scaling relative to the preceding slice section by one piece towards the extraction device 13 . The intermediary storage device 15 was retracted in an intermediary position while maintaining its distance to the cutting plane from the emptying position, wherein any contact with the cut off slices is avoided. Based on the illustrated intermediary position of the intermediary storage device 15 , it can be raised in a next step into its idle position again which is performed by raising the entire receiving frame 18 . After cutting off another slice, a fifth slice completing the current portion, the starting position according to FIG. 1 is reached again.
[0073] Contrary to providing the fish scaled portions according to FIGS. 1 through 5 , FIGS. 6 through 11 illustrate the method according to the invention for producing a portion which includes slices that are stacked exactly on top of one another. Also such portions are welded in a packaging device in foil packaging subsequent to the device according to the invention and offered as self service packaging units in supermarkets.
[0074] Comparable with the situation according to FIG. 1 , FIG. 6 illustrates a completed portion disposed on the conveying device 14 , wherein the completed portion in the present case includes a number of n=12 slices. The blade 5 is still disposed within the cross-section of the food strand 2 , however will depart the food strand in the next moment in order to subsequently penetrate again by some distance into the food strand 2 moved forward by a portion in between in order to start cutting off the next slice. At this particular point in time, the intermediary storage device 15 is transferred from the idle position illustrated in FIG. 6 into the receiving position illustrated in FIG. 7 , this means inserted with high dynamics. Thus, at the beginning of generating the next slice, the next slice is stored on the intermediary storage device 15 which is only slightly above the surface 41 of the completed portion in its inserted position (receiving position). Also when cutting off slices which as illustrated in FIG. 7 are initially stored on the intermediary storage device 15 , the principle is applied that the free end that hangs down due to gravity of a slice that is being created is already placed on the surface of the intermediary storage device 15 or the surface of slices already previously placed there, before the slice is completely cut off from the food strand 2 . This known method has the advantage that the storage quality is very good, since the slice is never in free fall, this means without contact either with the food strand 2 or the storage device. Uncontrolled throwing around of cut off slices as this would be unavoidable for a greater drop distance of the slices is safely prevented by this method. It is furthermore apparent from FIG. 7 that the completed portion was already moved by a certain amount towards the extraction device 13 through the horizontal movement of the conveying device 14 .
[0075] FIG. 8 illustrates a situation where the second slice of the portion to be newly formed is just before being completely cut off from the food strand 2 . Differently from the fish scaled storage according to FIGS. 1 through 5 , the vertically stacked storage according to FIGS. 6 through 11 only requires that the intermediary storage device 15 has to be moved in feed direction while it is being used for storage in order to keep the distance between the cutting plane defined by a cutting edge of the blade 5 and the storage plane for the next slice that is being created constant and thus also not to change the storage conditions. The portion previously completed in the situation illustrated in FIG. 8 is in a transfer portion between the conveying device 14 and the extraction device 13 .
[0076] In FIG. 9 it is illustrated how the third slice of the portion that is being newly formed is cut off. The preceding completed portion is transferred to the extraction device 13 and is moved further forward from there.
[0077] FIG. 10 illustrates a condition in which nine of the twelve slices of a portion are cut off from the food strand. The storage conditions in this moment are the same as they were at the beginning of the production of the portion that is just being produced. The distance A is provided between the bottom side 43 of the blade 5 and the top side 42 of the slice cut off last.
[0078] On the other hand side, FIG. 11 illustrates a condition that was generated through accelerated lowering of the intermediary storage device 15 , wherein the forks of the intermediary storage device 15 are inserted between the belts of the conveying device 14 so that the non-finished portion now contacts the conveying device 14 and does not contact the intermediary storage device 15 anymore. The present distance A′ between the bottom side 43 of the blade 5 and the top side 42 of the slice cut off last is greater than the distance A previously provided.
[0079] Now the intermediary storage device 15 can be pulled out of the projection of the cross-section of the food strand 2 in a next step perpendicular to the feed direction (intermediary position c.f. FIG. 5 ) in order to move in a next step back into the idle position illustrated in FIG. 12 . In this position the intermediary storage device 15 can remain until the last slice of the portion being created is cut off and placed onto the stack. As apparent from FIG. 12 , the distance A between the bottom side 43 of the blade 5 and the top side 42 of the slice cut off last is the same again as it was before accelerated lowering of the intermediary storage device ( FIGS. 6 through 10 ).
[0080] It is essential for the transfer in the illustrated variant of the method according to the invention that the storage conditions are changed, this means a greater distance between the top side 42 of the unfinished portion and the cutting plane is provided in a preliminary manner in that the intermediary storage device 15 quickly penetrates into the conveying device 14 that is standing still in vertical direction. When cutting off the subsequent three slices 10 , 11 , 12 of the portion to be completed, the storage conditions change while reducing the vertical distance successively so that when storing the n-th, this means the 12 th slice, the same storage conditions are provided again as they were provided when storing the first nine slices of the portion due to the synchronous movement of food strand 2 and intermediary storage device 15 .
[0081] FIG. 13 furthermore illustrates the path of the lowering travel of the intermediary storage device 15 over the number of cut off slices which is proportional to time due to the blade 5 continuously rotating with identical speed. The diagram with the solid lines illustrates that the intermediary storage device 15 from the beginning of generating a new portion until cutting off the 9 th slice is continuously lowered with the feed velocity of the material strand. After storing the 9 th slice a strong increase of the lowering is provided in that the intermediary storage device 15 penetrates the conveying device 14 so that a transfer of the partial portion to the conveying device 14 is provided. The intermediary storage device 15 is not in a supporting function any more from this point in time which is not visible in the diagram in FIG. 13 due to only considering the vertical movement component it can be pulled out in horizontal direction from the cross section of the food strand in order to be quickly moved back into the starting position (idle position) as evident in FIG. 13 in order to be ready for the next insertion.
[0082] FIG. 14 illustrates a diagram in which the curve of the velocity of the intermediary storage device 15 over the cut off slices, this means in turn over time is visible. While cutting off the first 9 slices of a portion the velocity (c.f. solid line) is comparatively small and corresponds to the feed velocity of the food strand 2 . After cutting off the 9 th slice the velocity increases quickly which corresponds to the quick lowering of the intermediary storage device below the level of the feed device. The intermediary storage device 15 then remains in its lowest position for a short period of time wherein it is pulled out in horizontal direction from the cross section of the food strand during this time which is not visible in the diagram. Then there is a quick vertical upward movement which is represented by a high velocity with negative prefix. The cycle terminates with a short phase with a velocity of 0 (in vertical direction), wherein the horizontal insertion of the intermediary storage device 15 however is provided in this phase. Subsequently there is a downward movement of the intermediary storage device 15 according to the forward feed velocity of the food strand 2 which, however, already starts a new cycle.
[0083] In FIGS. 13 and 14 two additional variants of the method according to the invention are illustrated in dotted and dash dotted lines.
[0084] The dotted line shows that the travel of the intermediary storage device is already by a thickness of 3 slices greater than in the previously described method already at the beginning of the cutting process. As a consequence the travel of the intermediary storage device 15 after cutting off the 9 th slice is already large enough so that a sufficient buffer distance between the top side 42 of the 9 th slice and the bottom side 43 of the blade 5 is provided, wherein the last three slices can be stored on the conveying device 14 that is standing still in vertical direction. The accelerated downward movement of the intermediary storage device 15 after storing the 9 th slice as illustrated in the form of solid lines in FIG. 13 is thus omitted, this means the movements are less dynamic.
[0085] The procedure illustrated in dash dotted lines in FIGS. 13 and 14 represents an intermediary path. In this case the distance A is initially like in the case described first, wherein the lowering velocity of the intermediary storage device during the first nine slices is greater than the feed velocity of the material strand, so that during forming the partial stack the “buffer” of distance required after the transfer for the last 3 slices is continuously built up. Also in this case the velocity peak visible in the form of the variant with solid lines when transferring the partial portion to the feed device 14 is omitted. The variant described last thus has the advantage that the distance relative to the variant illustrated in dotted lines is reduced when the cutting process begins, this means when storing the first slice.
REFERENCE NUMERALS AND DESIGNATIONS
[0000]
1 device
2 food strand
3 cutting device
4 rotation axis
5 blade
6 cutting edge
7 cutting plane
8 longitudinal axis
9 arrow
10 feed device
11 gripper device
12 gripper hook
13 extraction device
14 conveying device
15 intermediary storage device
16 support element
17 support beam
18 receiver frame
19 linear support
20 longitudinal member
21 timing belt
22 double arrow
23 machine frame
24 cylinder
25 piston rod
26 base component
27 cover
28 conveying plane
29 belt
30 deflection roller
31 deflection roller
32 belt
33 deflection roller
34 extraction frame
35 deflection roller
36 cylinder
37 piston rod
38 longitudinal axis
39 receiving element
40 timing belt
41 surface
42 top side
43 bottom side
A distance
m number
n number
d thickness
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A method for cutting a food strand into slices, including the steps of feeding the food strand forward to a cutting device including a rotating blade, successively cutting off slices, placing the cut off slices onto an intermediary storage device moveable transversal to the feed direction and in feed direction in order to form a portion, wherein a stacked or fish scaled slice arrangement with a total of n slices is generated and n is a natural number≧3, transferring a non-finished portion including m slices, wherein m is a natural number and m<n, in its entirety from the intermediary storage device to a conveying device, wherein the slices are extracted through the conveying device, wherein the transferred portion after being transferred to the conveying device is completed by cutting off and adding at least one additional slice and is subsequently extracted.
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FIELD
[0001] The disclosed embodiments relate to a method for mapping of gestures to particular functions of a communications terminal. In particular, it relates to a method for invoking an operation of a communication terminal in response to registering and interpreting a predetermined motion or pattern of an object. It furthermore relates to a computer program arranged to perform said method.
BACKGROUND
[0002] In interacting with electronic devices such as computer terminals, cameras, mobile phones, and television sets, people have become used to enter information and maneuver these electronic devices through keyboards, touch sensitive displays etc.
[0003] With the increased popularity of hand held devices, and the miniaturization of these, usability problems caused by the decrease in size of the input means of these devices becomes apparent. Hence, an alternative solution for providing input to electronic devices, especially handheld ones, is sought. It is furthermore an aim to find a more natural interaction between humans and computing devices.
[0004] Various input techniques that are experimented with include accessory sensor modalities connected to computing devices, such as motion sensors, surface muscle or nerve sensors, etc. for acquiring specified gestures. However, as a drawback the use of such sensors require extensive computational power, something which is associated with considerable costs.
[0005] Hence, it is desired to develop an input technology that is able to solve the usability problems brought from the miniaturization of input devices.
SUMMARY
[0006] In the following, a natural UI interaction system based on hand gestures captured from one or more cameras is presented. With the system integrated in mobile devices, it will efficiently solve the conflict of miniaturized hardware and maximized software input, meanwhile, the interaction by hand gestures will dramatically improve the usability of the mobile devices.
[0007] In one embodiment, a communication terminal is provided that is capable of establishing interaction with an external object by detecting and recognizing predetermined motions for controlling the communication terminal.
[0008] In another embodiment, a communication terminal is provided with proximity detection for activating the interaction with an external object for detection and recognition of predetermined motions.
[0009] In a further embodiment, a method comprises invoking an operation of a communication terminal in response to registering and interpreting a predetermined motion or pattern of an object. A convenient solution for realizing command input to a communication terminal, such as a mobile phone is realized. As a further advantage, a direct solution for the conflict of device miniaturization and usability is provided. The interaction is more natural, and input is not limited by the miniaturization of device hardware. The term invoking is may also be construed as associating.
[0010] The motion or pattern may advantageously be registered and interpreted visually, such as by capturing an image of an object. Advantageously, image input is readily provided by a camera, for instance integrated in the communication terminal.
[0011] According to one embodiment, the object comprises a hand and the predetermined motion or pattern comprises a hand gesture. As an advantage, a natural interaction between humans and computing devices can be achieved by using hand gestures for command input and navigation of user interface to the devices. Furthermore, the user may move the hand according to predetermined patterns, which may have been set by the user at a previous occasion, and thereby invoke different operations of the mobile phone such as calling the sender of the message, go to the next message and so forth.
[0012] According to various embodiments, the wording registering may be construed as capturing image data, and the wording interpreting may be construed as recognizing an object as a hand and recognizing and associating a gesture of the hand with a reference gesture. According to one embodiment of the invention, the wording interpreting may be construed as comprising steps of identifying an object, recognizing the object, determining its orientation, recognizing and associating it with a hand gesture. The interpretation may be performed by a software of the terminal.
[0013] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the method according to the invention, the operation involves provision of a command input to the communication terminal using a hand gesture, and the method comprises:
capturing image data of a hand gesture 201 ; identifying an object in said image data 202 ; recognizing object as a hand 203 recognizing and associating characteristics of said object of said hand with a first reference gesture from a set of predetermined reference gestures 205 providing a command input associated with said reference gesture 206 .
[0019] The wording capturing image data may be construed as simply taking a picture with an image capturing device, such as a camera of for instance a mobile phone.
[0020] With the wording identifying an object in said image data, it may be construed as finding an object in the picture.
[0021] According to one embodiment, said identification involves classifying skin color. As an advantage, human-like objects, such as a hand may be recognized from an image.
[0022] According to another embodiment, the skin color classification comprises performing Gaussian mixture modelling. Hence, the complex nature of human skin color and intensity spectra is imitated and, as an advantage, the precision of recognizing objects comprising human skin within an image is increased.
[0023] Advantageously, various techniques may be employed to improve the process of separating noisy regions from wanted regions of a gesture. For instance, according to one embodiment, the color classification may involve color space analysis and/or probability analysis.
[0024] Furthermore, according to another embodiment, the color space analysis may involve conversion of image data to chrominance plane (CbCr) color space image data.
[0025] According to still yet another embodiment, the object recognition may involve eliminating visual noise using connected component extraction.
[0026] According to one embodiment, the connected component extraction may comprise any of the following:
determining aspect ratio of the object; determining size of object compared to image size; determining regions connecting to the borders of the input image; and wherein said noise is eliminated in case the following requirements are fulfilled: said aspect ratio is within 10; said object size is greater than a predetermined value set in relation to the input image size; and there is either only one region connecting to the borders of the input image, or a plurality of regions which do not meet the other requirements
[0034] According to one embodiment, the association may involve a step of determining orientation of the hand and involving:
[0035] determining a Karhunen-Loeé (KL) axis orientation of said object;
[0036] determining a first geometric centerpoint of said object; and
[0037] determining a second geometric centerpoint of a convex polygon of said object, and wherein the orientation of said KL axis is used to determine a positional relationship of said first and second centerpoints. Hence, the first geometric centerpoint represents a geometric center of the segmented hand region, i.e., the gravity center of the hand region. The second geometric centerpoint represents the geometric center of a hand region profile, preferably represented by a convex polygon. Normally, the first geometric centerpoint does not include the information of hand shape. However, the position of the second geometric centerpoint reflects the convexity of a region. Hence, by determining the KL axis of the hand region, the location relation of the first and second geometric centerpoints in respect of each other can be determined. Knowing the relative position between the two centerpoints, or centers, it is possible to determine the position of the hand and recognize the gesture.
[0038] According to a further embodiment, the orientation determining arrives at one of the following:
performing a first operation, that is, for instance UP, if said KL-axis extends along a first direction, and the first and second centerpoints are displaced in a first displacement direction in relation to each other, essentially along said first direction; performing a second operation, that is, for instance DOWN, if said KL-axis extends along said first direction, and the first and second centerpoints are displaced reversely in said displacement direction in relation to each other, essentially along said first direction; performing a third operation, that is, for instance RIGHT, if said KL-axis extends along a second direction, essentially perpendicular to said first direction, and the first and second centerpoints are displaced in a second displacement direction in relation to each other, essentially along said second direction; performing a fourth operation, that is, for instance LEFT, if said KL-axis extends along said second direction, and the first and second centerpoints are displaced reversely in said displacement direction in relation each other, essentially along said second direction; performing a fifth operation, that is, for instance OPEN, if said centerpoints are essentially superpositioned, and a first area of said object of said gesture is less than at least half a second area of a previously determined object of a previously recognized gesture; performing a sixth operation, that is, for instance CLOSE, if said centerpoints are essentially superpositioned, a first area of said object of said gesture is greater than at least twice a second area of a previously determined object of a previously recognized gesture, and said gesture corresponds to said previously recognized gesture. performing a seventh operation, that is for instance STOP, if said centerpoints are essentially superpositioned, a first area of said object of said gesture is greater than at least twice a second area of a previously determined object of a previously recognized gesture, and said gesture does not correspond to said previously recognized gesture.
[0046] According to a preferred embodiment in a common, general reference frame, the first, second, third, and fourth operations correspond to moving focus up, down, left, and right respectively, and said fifth, sixth, and seventh operations correspond to open an item, such as a file, folder or image, close a file folder or image, and stop the focus motion respectively. The wording focus refers to focus of an item, such as an image, a file, a contact, a detail entry, phone number, or the alike.
[0047] Furthermore, according to one preferred embodiment, the first KL axis direction is vertically upwards, and the second KL axis direction horizontally to the left.
[0048] With being essentially superpositioned, it is to be construed that the two centerpoints are in the vicinity of each other and not necessarily completely superpositioned.
[0049] According to one embodiment, the registering may be performed using a camera comprised by the communication terminal.
[0050] According a further embodiment, the communication terminal may comprise a mobile phone.
[0051] The wording gesture should in this context be construed as a single formation or shape of a gesticulation produced with a hand, such as a closed fist, open hand, closed hand with thumb extended and pointing in a direction. The wording gesture is also to be construed as a group consisting of a sequence of single gestures after each other and furthermore, also as a gesture comprising a moving hand, such as a ticking-in-the-air with a finger.
[0052] The wording image data is to be construed as a still image or a series of still images, such as a video sequence.
[0053] According to yet another embodiment, the method further comprises a step of activation by proximity detection. Hence, equipped with a proximity sensor that detects range to nearby objects, means for registering motions may be activated by proximity detection, rendering it enough to approach the terminal with an object without bringing them into mechanical contact. Useable proximity switches may comprise inductive, capacitative, electromagnetic radiation or ultrasonic types. Detecting electromagnetic radiation includes optical sensing and infrared radiation as detected from emitted heat from for instance, the hand of a user.
[0054] The above advantages and features together with numerous other s advantages and features, which will become evident from below detailed description, are obtained according to a second aspect of the disclosed embodiments by a computer-readable medium having computer-executable components, said computer-readable medium being adapted to invoke an operation of a communication terminal in response to registering and interpreting a predetermined motion or pattern of an object.
[0055] Especially, according to one embodiment, the computer-readable medium may further be adapted to:
[0056] receive an input;
[0057] capture image data of said object;
[0058] identify said object in said image data;
[0059] recognize said object as a hand;
[0060] recognize and associate characteristics of said object as a gesture of said hand with a first reference gesture from a set of predetermined reference gestures;
[0061] provide a command input associated with said reference object. Hence, as an advantage, the features of the present invention are enabled in any mobile communication apparatus having the ability to download and run such a computer program.
[0062] In other words, the disclosed embodiments provide a method for controlling different operations of a communication terminal by recognition of predetermined motions of an object. In the case where a hand, such as the user's, is used as the object, the predetermined motions may comprise closing the hand into a fist, grabbing, waving, pointing with one or more fingers, or like a pattern, such as comprising a series of motions. Hence, the predetermined motions may be coupled or paired with actions, commands or tasks which are executed by the communication terminal. The wording controlling is in this context also to be construed as invoking or executing different operations of the mobile communications terminal.
[0063] The predetermined motions may be recognized to control opening and/or closing items of media content, accessing previous or next item of media content in a list or stack of items, deleting an item of media content, scrolling through the content of an item of media content, answering an incoming voice call, take an action on an item selected from a list of items, call the sender of SMS or ending the projection.
[0064] The incoming communication may comprise a message, such as an SMS or MMS. As media content or message may comprise text, image, video or any combinations thereof. Although these messaging services are the most frequently used today, the invention is also intended for use with other types of text or multimedia messages.
[0065] The method may further comprise a step of moving the object away from the projector along a projected cone of light until a preferred size of the image is obtained. By virtually holding the information in the hand the user feel in control of the presentation, only revealing data for him or herself. The nature of the gesture is intuitive for the user getting the impression and feeling of taking the image with the hand, out of the communication terminal and after having reviewed the information, putting the it back into the terminal again.
[0066] The method may further comprise a step of moving the object back to the device and/or a step of detecting a second tap to end projection of said image. Hence, in an intuitive manner, the user will perform the same steps as when initiating the process, only in a reverse order.
[0067] The object referred to may be the hand of, for instance, a user of the communication terminal. Among the advantages of using a hand is the direct possibility of slightly folding the hand to shield off the image from the environment. Other objects that can be used comprise a newspaper, a pencil or even an umbrella.
[0068] The predetermined motions may be detected and recognized by using an image-acquiring means. An image-acquiring means could be, for instance, any type of digital camera, such as a CMOS camera.
[0069] The wording interpreting may also be interpreted as recognizing.
[0070] A natural interaction between humans and computing devices can be achieved by using hand gestures for command input and navigation of user interface to the devices. Especially, with the availability of mobile camera devices and powerful image/video content analysis and pattern recognition technologies realizing command input by hand gestures through camera input is a convenient solution, expected to be highly appreciated by end users.
[0071] In other words, with the invention disclosed herein, input technology is able to provide one direct solution for the conflict of device miniaturization and usability. The interaction is more natural. Input is not limited by the miniaturization of device hardware. Hence, the way of interaction presented with this invention provides an advantageous, hands free solution with numerous benefits, especially for hand held communication devices.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0072] The above, as well as additional objects, features and advantages of the disclosed embodiments, will be better understood through the following illustrative and non-limiting detailed description of preferred embodiments, with reference to the appended drawing, wherein:
[0073] FIG. 1 shows schematically a flow chart of a gesture recognition process according to one embodiment;
[0074] FIG. 2 shows schematically a block diagram according to a method;
[0075] FIG. 3 shows schematic examples of a number of hand gestures, sections a) to f);
[0076] FIG. 4 shows schematically various orientations, sections a) to f), of a geometric approach for hand gesture recognition according to the disclosed embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0077] In the following description of the various embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration various embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and functional modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed embodiments.
[0078] FIG. 1 illustrates schematically a communication terminal 101 in which the aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be implemented. The terminal 101 is capable of communication via an air interface 103 with a radio communication network 105 such as the well known systems CDMA2000, D-AMPS, GSM, UMTS, EDGE, etc. The terminal comprises a processor 107 , memory 109 as well as input/output units in the form of a microphone 111 , a speaker 113 , a display 115 and a keyboard 117 . Radio communication is realized by radio circuitry 119 and an antenna 121 . Connected to the radio communication network 105 is a controller 123 . The details regarding how these units communicate are known to the person skilled in the art and is therefore not discussed further. The terminal 101 is further comprises an imaging unit 124 for capturing image data.
[0079] In FIG. 2 , it is depicted a flow chart for a method for providing a command input to a communication terminal using hand gestures. In particular, it shows a gesture recognition process according to the present invention. In a first step 201 of the depicted method, image data of a hand gesture is captured with image acquiring means, preferably with a digital camera of a mobile phone. An image-acquiring means could be, for instance, any type of digital camera, such as a CCD (Charge-Coupled Device) or CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) based camera for image recording.
[0080] In a second step 202 of the method, one or more objects are identified from the image data. Further details of how the object identification is performed is outlined below in steps 207 and 208 for skin color segmentation and connected component labeling and mergence 208 respectively.
[0081] In a third step 203 of the method, it is investigated whether, or not, any of the objects corresponds to a hand. For this, a number of hand gesture requirements must be fulfilled, the details of which are given below in connection with step 209 for noise area elimination.
[0082] In a fourth step 204 of the method, the orientation of the hand is determined. This is done in an orientation-based geometric approach using Karhunen-Loeé orientation, which will be described in further detail below in connection with step 210 .
[0083] In a fifth step 205 of the method, the gesture of the hand is recognized and associated with one of a set of predetermined gestures. The procedure for this is described in further detail below in connection with steps 211 to 217 .
[0084] In a sixth step 206 of the method, it is provided an input corresponding to the recognized gesture. The various input alternatives are described in greater detail below in connection with steps 218 to 224 .
[0085] Further to the step 202 of the method as depicted in FIG. 2 , the process of object identification involves a step of skin color segmentation 207 for identifying skin colored regions in the image. The technique of skin color segmentation, or skin color classification, can be described as a classification of individual image pixels into skin and non-skin categories. For this purpose, color space analysis is used. A wide variety of color spaces have been used in skin segmentation such as RGB, HSV and YCbCr etc.
[0086] RGB colour space is one of the most widely-used color spaces for processing and storing colour image data, but normally it does not fit for colour analysis and colour based recognition due to the high correlation between channels and mixing of chrominance and luminance data.
[0087] Hue-saturation based color spaces like HSV, HSI, HSL are models which are consistent to human's intuitive perceptions and similar to how an artist actually mixes colours. Especially Hue has the invariant property to white light sources and ambient light and surface orientation.
[0088] YCbCr is a hardware-oriented model. In the colour space, the luminance is separated from the chrominance data. Cb and Cr values are formed by subtracting luma from RGB red and blue components. The transformation simplicity and explicit separation of luminance and chrominance components make this color space attractive for skin colour modelling [Hsu et al. 2002].
[0089] In order to select either a Hue-based color space or YCbCr space to make skin color detection invariant to luminance, YCbCr and HSV are evaluated respectively with a set of skin color training data, which is composed of 550 skin color samples extracted from various still images and video frames, covering a large range of skin color appearance (totally more than 20 million skin color pixels in the skin sample data).
[0090] In FIG. 5 , skin color samples 500 are plotted in YCbCr space section a) and HSV space section b), respectively. It is clearly seen that the skin color samples form a single and compact cluster 501 and 502 in both YCbCr and HSV color spaces. In YCbCr color space, it is observed that the intensity value Y has little influence on the distribution in the CbCr plane and the sample skin colors form smaller and more compact cluster in the CbCr plane. Hence, in the invention, the chrominance plane (CbCr) is directly used for skin color classification without taking the intensity value into account. Thus, the comparison of FIG. 5 illustrates why it may be preferable to select YCrCb space for skin-color region segmentation. Furthermore, the data is also used to train the skin-color model used for hand region segmentation.
[0091] For modelling the skin color segmentation, a Gaussian mixture model and Expectation Maximization (EM) estimation is used.
[0092] Gaussian density functions and a mixture of Gaussians are often used to model skin color [Yang et al. 2002]. The parameters in a unimodal Gaussian distribution are often estimated using maximum-likelihood. The motivation for using a mixture of Gaussians is based on the observation that the colour histogram for the human skin with different ethnic background does not form a unimodal distribution, but rather a multimodal distribution.
[0093] With a unimodal Gaussian, the class-conditional probability distribution function (PDF) of skin color is approximated by a parametric functional form [Yang, Waible 1996].
[0000] p ( x |skin)= g ( x;m s ,C s )=(2π) −d/2 |C s | −1/2 exp{−( x−m s ) T C s −1 ( x−m s )} (1)
[0094] where d is the dimension of the feature vector, m s is the mean vector and C s is the covariance matrix of the skin class. In the case of multimodal distribution, skin color distributions are approximated by GMM (Gaussian Mixture Model).
[0000]
p
(
x
skin
)
=
∑
i
=
1
N
s
ω
s
,
i
g
(
x
;
m
s
,
i
,
C
s
,
i
)
(
2
)
[0095] The parameters of Gaussian mixture (i.e., weights ω, means m, covariances C) are typically found using the Expectation Maximization (EM) algorithm [Bilmes 1998].
[0096] The EM algorithm is a general method of finding the maximum-likelihood estimate of the parameters of an underlying distribution from a given data set when the data is incomplete or has missing values. The mixture-density parameter estimation problem is one of the most widely-used applications of the EM algorithm [Xu, Jordan 1996]
[0097] In the invention, YCbCr color space and GMM are used to implement skin colour classification. In order to build a GMM model, K-means [Duda, Hart 2001] algorithm is used to set the cluster centres, and then the parameters of each Gaussian component are estimated with EM algorithm.
[0098] In the case, the GMM model for skin color classification consists of 20 Gaussian components. Each component is a 2-element (Cb and Cr element) Gaussian distribution. The parameters of the 20 Gaussian components are listed as follows.
[0000]
No.
Weight
Centre
Covariance
1
0.0702
(109.8462, 151.5873)
(5.2380, 6.2722)
2
0.0657
(99.9267, 159.2890)
(2.6080, 6.9135)
3
0.0861
(112.8403, 144.3406)
(9.1854, 16.0524)
4
0.0737
(107.4903, 157.2522)
(6.6948, 5.4418)
5
0.0393
(96.5935, 152.4062)
(31.4322, 44.6357)
6
0.0128
(82.6950, 157.0569)
(25.4192, 25.2871)
7
0.0351
(94.6656, 170.6002)
(4.7205, 16.8803)
8
0.0626
(116.0954, 146.3582)
(8.8988, 15.1916)
9
0.0645
(95.1594, 160.7084)
(3.7062, 15.6597)
10
0.0203
(79.6508, 170.3406)
(31.2517, 39.3632)
11
0.0552
(120.2977, 138.1978)
(9.4732, 15.4720)
12
0.0623
(102.9900, 157.9256)
(0.8807, 4.7835)
13
0.0184
(84.0346, 181.6167)
(100.3211, 52.0002)
14
0.0428
(102.1408, 167.0846)
(26.0495, 4.2852)
15
0.0767
(104.3367, 153.5133)
(5.8803, 3.6749)
16
0.0275
(113.8521, 155.1590)
(6.8684, 11.1284)
17
0.0509
(104.9962, 162.3113)
(21.1715, 4.5049)
18
0.0176
(99.4697, 173.3117)
(25.8624, 6.2579)
19
0.0861
(107.1334, 147.7768)
(16.2802, 13.8575)
20
0.0323
(88.9360, 166.3086)
(5.9463, 19.0921)
[0099] After skin color classification, the post processing, connected component extraction [Gonzalez, Woods 2002], is needed for noise area removal.
[0100] In a step 208 of “connected component labeling and mergence” neighboring regions or components which should belong to one object are merged, and the size of the region is computed. Based on the size information of labeling objects, a step 209 of “noise area elimination” is performed to remove those noise-like small regions and those regions with regular shapes (man-made objects).
[0101] Hence, after segmentation, the original image is turned into a black/white image in which the white regions stand for objects, while the black regions stand for background. However, at the moment, the size and shape of the white regions is not known. With connected component labeling, the size and shape of the object regions are computed, and according to some given prior criteria, neighbouring object regions belonging to the same object are merged. After the step of labeling and merging, the step of noise area removal is performed to remove those small regions and those regions with regular shape (man-made objects).
[0102] According to one embodiment, there should be a unique hand region in any input gesture image. After color skin based segmentation, sometimes, not only hand region, but also other noisy regions, may be segmented. Thus, step 203 in which an object is recognized as a hand involves a step of noise elimination 209 . Hence, if there are any noisy regions extracted, they are removed according to the following rules:
A hand region should have the aspect ratio within 10 (step 210 ); A hand region should be enough in size comparing to the input image size. (step 211 ) The morphological open operation can be used to remove those small isolated regions. All the regions connecting to the borders of the input image could be considered as noisy regions, unless there is only one segmented region which meets the two rules above. (step 212 ) After noisy regions removal, the remaining region is the hand region.
Gesture Orientation Analysis
[0107] As a part of the step of associating the object with a predetermined object 204 the orientation of the hand is determined in a step 210 for determining Karhunen-Loeé (KL) orientation. This orientation-based geometric approach for hand gesture recognition comprises determining of the Karhunen-Loeé (KL) orientation, and a determining centroids of the hand region and its convex hull.
KL Orientation
[0108] FIG. 4 illustrates the KL orientation [Pratt 2001] and the centroids of a hand region in various orientations as depicted in section a) to f). A detailed description of FIG. 4 follows further below.
[0109] The KL orientation is derived as follows:
[0110] Assuming that each pixel coordinate in the skin colour pixel set P s of the input gesture image is (x si , y si ), then P s =[p s1 p s2 . . . p sN ], p si =(x si , y si ) T ,i=1 . . . N is coordinates of skin colour pixels. The mean of P s is P s =[ x s , y s ] T , where
[0000]
x
s
_
=
∑
i
x
i
/
N
,
y
s
_
=
∑
i
y
i
/
N
.
[0000] The corresponding covariance matrix is defined as
[0000]
C
s
=
1
N
∑
i
(
p
si
-
P
s
_
)
(
p
si
-
P
s
_
)
T
.
[0111] The eigen value E s =[e s1 e s2 ] and the corresponding eigen vector Ev s =[ev s1 ev s2 ] are easily calculated from the covariance matrix Cs. Hence, the eigen vector ev s max , corresponding to the bigger eigen value e s max , determines KL orientation in the image coordinate plane, refer to the dash lines 407 to 412 in FIG. 4 .
Centroids of Hand Region and its Convex Hull
[0112] With the segmented hand region, shown in section d) of FIG. 4 , the centroids of hand region and its convex polygon —C 1 (x 1 , y 1 ) and C 2 (x 2 , y 2 ) can be computed respectively.
[0000]
x
1
=
∑
i
x
si
/
N
,
y
1
=
∑
i
y
si
/
N
,
i
=
1
…
N
[0000] , i= . . . N is ith skin color pixel in the hand region.
[0113] C 2 (x 2 , y 2 ) is derived as:
[0000]
x
2
=
∫
S
x
s
s
∫
S
s
,
y
2
=
∫
S
y
s
s
∫
S
s
,
S
-
skin
area
,
ds
-
skin
area
element
[0114] Based on the Green theorem,
[0000] ∫ S xds=−∫ L x 2 dy,∫ S ds=∫ L x*dy , L—perimeter of polygon
[0115] For a polygon as a sequence of line segments, this can be reduced exactly to a sum,
[0000]
x
2
=
-
2
∑
(
(
x
si
2
+
x
si
+
1
2
+
x
si
x
si
+
1
)
(
y
si
+
1
-
y
si
)
)
3
∑
(
(
x
si
+
x
si
+
1
)
(
y
si
+
1
-
y
si
)
)
y
2
=
-
2
∑
(
(
y
si
2
+
y
si
+
1
2
+
y
si
y
si
+
1
)
(
x
si
+
1
-
x
si
)
)
3
∑
(
(
x
si
+
x
si
+
1
)
(
y
si
+
1
-
y
si
)
)
[0116] The shape of the second centroid C 2 is created by “shortcutting” the edges connecting the hand region. The effect is thus to smear the contour of the hand region such that the thumb coalesce with the body of the hand, and the “centre of gravity” of the image object is displaced.
[0117] Further to the fifth step 205 of the method as depicted in FIG. 2 , the procedure for recognizing and associating a hand gesture with one of a set of predetermined gestures is outlined in the following. Also included in the outline below is how the gestures are mapped to various input alternatives as indicated in step 206 above for providing input corresponding to a recognized gesture.
[0118] If the KL orientation of a hand region, and the centroids of the region and its convex hull have been computed, then the orientation of the hand shape can be estimated by the position relationship of the two centroids referring to the KL orientation of the hand region.
[0119] The input alternatives that are available according to this outlined embodiment of the present invention are UP, DOWN, RIGHT, LEFT, OPEN, CLOSE, and STOP. However, other input alternatives may be employed. It is furthermore also possible to have other predetermined gestures to which provided gestures can be matched from. A user may for instance provide individual gestures to the group of predetermined gestures recognized by the system. Hence, providing a learning system capable of being individualized according to each user's choice and preferences.
[0120] The principle of matching an input gesture with a reference gesture object can be described as follows: A reference gesture object is selected from a predetermined number of available reference objects by eliminating less likely alternatives, such that the last one remaining is selected. That is, for instance, knowing that there are six different alternatives to choose from, the one with best correspondence is selected.
[0121] Referring to FIG. 2 , in the case of separated centroids the centerpoints in step 211 , and nearly vertical KL orientation in step 212 , the gesture corresponds to the operation DOWN 218 in the case the centroid the first centerpoint is above centroid the second centerpoint in step 213 , and UP 219 in case the centroid the first centerpoint is below centroid the second centerpoint in step 213 . Also in the case of separated centroids the centerpoints in step 211 , but with nearly horizontal KL orientation in step 212 , the gesture corresponds to the operation RIGHT 220 in the case the centroid the first centerpoint is to the left of centroid the second centerpoint in step 214 , and LEFT 221 in the case centroid the first centerpoint is to the right of centroid the second centerpoint in step 214 .
[0122] In order to optimize the use of a limited number of gestures, various input can be associated with a single gesture. Hence, according to the present example, the operations CLOSE and STOP can both be associated with a closed fist. Depending on the previous action, or operation, the closed fist gesture in step 217 results in different operations, for instance CLOSE, as in step 223 , if the last input was STOP and the last gesture was an open hand. Otherwise, the resulting operation is STOP indicated by step 224 . In case the area of the convex hull of the gesture is at least twice the area of the previous gesture, as indicated by step 215 , and the previous operation was STOP, as indicated by step 216 , then the present operation is OPEN indicated by step 222 . In case the last operation had not been OPEN in the last example, the present operation had been NO operation at all as indicated in step 216 .
[0123] Put it slightly different, if the KL orientation of the hand region is nearly horizontal and the two centroids are separated from one another, the gesture means LEFT or RIGHT. While in the case of nearly vertical KL orientation, the gesture means UP or DOWN. Then the positional relationship of two centroids is used to determinate the gesture meaning. It's easily understood that the difference of the two centroids is affected by the extending thumb. If the thumb extends left, the convex hull's centroid lies in the left of hand region's centroid. For the gestures RIGHT, UP and DOWN position relationship of two centroids resemble that of LEFT. On the other hand, centroid of convex hull will be in different position with that of hand region if there's a protruding thumb of hand.
[0124] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the following specifications apply:
gestures relating to UP, DOWN, LEFT and RIGHT are used to moving the focus from one item to another. An OPEN gesture is used to open an item, while a CLOSE gesture is used to close an open item. From a gesture order perspective, a CLOSE gesture should follow an OPEN gesture. However, if there is one or more other gestures, for instance UP/DOWN/LEFT/RIGHT between, these gestures are disabled, and the system will only accept OPEN/CLOSE gestures. A STOP gesture is used to make the focus stop on an item. A STOP gesture and a CLOSE gesture have the same hand gesture. If the system detects an OPEN gesture, the gesture information, e.g., hand region size, hand gesture (OPEN), will be registered. Until the system detects a CLOSE gesture, further gestures are not accepted. For a STOP/CLOSE gesture and OPEN gesture, the centerpoints of a hand region and its convex hull are not necessarily completely, but almost superpositioned For a CLOSE gesture, the hand size is approximately twice smaller than the hand size of an OPEN gesture. If there is no OPEN gesture registered, and if the system detects a fist-shape gesture, the system will consider it as a STOP gesture, not a CLOSE gesture.
[0134] An item may comprise a document, a folder, a contact, a recipient, a multimedia content, such as an image, audio or video sequence, a reminder, a multimedia message, or the alike.
[0135] FIG. 4 will be used as an illustrative example depicting in sections a) to f) various KL orientations and centroids of a hand region and its convex hull 400 . For example, if the KL orientation of a hand region is nearly horizontal 407 as depicted in FIG. 4 section a) with a thumb 401 pointing to the left, and the centroid of the convex hull C 2 413 lies in the left of the hand region's centroid C 1 414 , then the gesture corresponds to a LEFT sign. In section b), in the case where a thumb points to the right, its two centroids 415 and 416 are reversed in positions. If the KL orientation of a hand region is nearly vertical 409 as depicted in section c) of FIG. 4 with a thumb 403 pointing upwards, but C 2 417 lies above C 1 418 , then the gesture corresponds to an UP sign. In section d), in the case where a thumb points downwards, its two centroids 419 and 420 are reversed in positions.
[0136] If the two centroids C 1 and C 2 421 and 422 of a hand region are almost overlapping, as depicted with an open hand 405 and essentially vertical KL axis 411 in section e), and a closed fist 406 and essentially horizontal KL axis 412 in section f) of FIG. 4 , the gestures are recognized as OPEN and STOP respectively. To distinguish whether a gesture is to be recognized as OPEN or STOP, it is assumed that the area of the convex hull of an open hand for OPEN is about twice the size of the area of the gesture of a closed fist corresponding to STOP. Other heuristic schemes for the differentiation include that OPEN should be performed after STOP, while CLOSE should follow OPEN, etc.
[0137] FIG. 3 depicts a set of predefined fixed, reference hand gestures 300 . Sections a) to d) of FIG. 3 shows a closed hand with the thumb pointing: a) to the right 301 for indicating motion to the right, b) to the left 302 for indicating motion to the left, c) up 303 for indicating motion upwards, d) down 304 for indicating motion downwards. Section e) of FIG. 3 shows a closed hand 305 for indicating stop or close. Section f) of FIG. 3 shows an open hand 306 for indicating open or accept. The indication of motions may refer to maneuvering in menus, toggling between items such as messages, images, contact details, web pages, files, etc, or scrolling through an item. Other hand gestures (not shown) include moving hand gestures such as drawing of a tick in the air with an index finger for indicating a selection, drawing a cross in the air with the index finger for indicating deletion of an active object such as a message, image, highlighted region or the like. A terminal may be distributed to the end user comprising a set of predetermined hand gestures. A user may also define personal hand gestures or configure the mapping between hand gestures and the associated actions according to needs and personal choice.
[0138] In other words, a user interface interaction is enabled through provision of certain, defined hand gestures. Hence, hand gestures can be used for command input, and entry of letters and digits as well. According to one application, namely media gallery navigation, in which “Up” is used to move the focus up, “Down” to move the focus down, “Left” to move the focus left, “Right” to move the focus right, “Stop” means the focus movement is stopped, “Open” is used to open a focused picture, and “Close” is used to close an opened picture in the gallery. The hand gestures also can be used for controlling the movement of an object on a graphical user interface, e.g. the movement of the worm in the well known greedy worm game.
[0139] According to one implementation, the communication terminal is configured to register and interpret motions of an object, preferably with a built-in camera combined with software that registers and analyses motions/patterns in front of it. The terminal is then configured to respond to predetermined motions or patterns of a user's hand, for instance to select and execute actions such as opening and/or closing items of media content, accessing previous or next item of media content in a list or stack of items, deleting an item of media content, scrolling through the content of an item of media content, answering an incoming voice call, take an action on an item selected from a list of items, call the sender of an SMS or take actions in connection with an incoming communication, such as an SMS (Short Messaging Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service). In the two last mentioned cases, motions or patterns mentioned previously may comprise a closed fist which may be interpreted by the communication terminal to delete the message, tilting of the hand may be used to go to next message in the folder or list of messages, tilting upward may indicate going forward in the list and tilting downward going back in the list. A number of actions can be associated with different patterns by rotating, tilting, circling or simply moving the hand back and forth or up and down. A pattern may also comprise a series or sequence of motions. The communication terminal may be configured to recognize a number of pre-set motions. However, it may also be possible for a user to configure individual motions, or adjust the motions to better match existing patterns.
[0140] Hence, using proximity detection, a gesture of approaching the terminal with an object may trigger the terminal to activate the projector to present information of the incoming communication. A proximity sensor detects when something comes into its proximity. Such a sensor, which gives a switched output on detecting something coming into proximity, is called a proximity switch.
[0141] Finally, the above described embodiments provide a convenient and intuitive way of providing input to a communication terminal. It is well suited for provision in connection with devices of reduced size. It is also particularly convenient in situations and environments where the hands of a person are exposed to fluids or other substances, such that physical contact with the terminal is directly undesirable.
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A method and system for invoking an operation of a communication terminal in response to registering and interpreting a predetermined motion or pattern of an object. An input is received, the image data of the object is captured and the object in the image data is identified.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/706,757, filed Nov. 12, 2003; which is a continuation-in part of U.S. Ser. No. 10/301,475, filed on Nov. 21, 2002; which is a continuation of U.S. Ser. No. 09/430,602, filed Oct. 29, 1999, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,518,189; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 09/107,006, filed Jun. 30, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,580; which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/558,809, filed Nov. 15, 1995, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,905; each of which patents and patent applications are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. This application also claims benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/425,587, filed Nov. 12, 2002, incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
FIELD THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to compositions for use in nanoimprinting processes and nanoimprinting apparatus. The invention also relates to processes of using moldable compositions that create patterns with ultra fine features in thin films carried on substrate surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Lithography, particularly photolithography, is used to fabricate semiconductor-integrated electrical circuits; integrated optical, magnetic, mechanical circuits; and microdevices. Lithographic pattern formation involves chemically treating specific regions of a thin film carried on a substrate then removing either the treated or untreated regions as appropriate, for example, by dissolving in a processing solvent. In subsequent steps, the pattern is replicated in the substrate or in another material. In combination with traditional resist imaging, lithography can be used to manufacture printing plates and resist images. The thin film, which accepts a pattern or image during the lithographic process, is often referred to as resist. The resist may be either a positive resist or a negative resist. A positive photoresist becomes more soluble in the processing solvent where irradiated, while a negative resist becomes insoluble where irradiated. A typical lithographic process for integrated circuit fabrication involves exposing or irradiating a photoresist composition or film with a radiation or particle beam, such as light, energetic particles (e.g., electrons), photons, or ions by either passing a flood beam through a mask or scanning a focused beam. The radiation or particle beam changes the chemical structure of the exposed area of the film, so that when washed or immersed in a processing solvent, either the exposed or the unexposed areas of the resist dissolve. Lithographic resolution is limited by the wavelength of the particles, the resolution of the beam, the particle scattering in the resist and the substrate, and the properties of the resist. There is an ongoing need in art of lithography to produce smaller pattern sizes while maintaining cost efficiency. Particularly, there is a great need to develop low-cost technologies for mass-producing sub-50 nm structures. As used herein, the term “sub-xx nm features”, wherein xx is a number, generally refers to a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than xx nm. As used herein, the term “sub-xx nm features”, wherein xx is a number, refers generally to a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than xx nm. Such developments will have an enormous impact in many areas of engineering and science.
[0004] Numerous technologies have been developed to service these needs, but they all suffer drawbacks and cannot be used to mass produce sub-50 nm lithography at a low cost. Electron beam lithography has demonstrated 10 nm lithography resolutions. A. N. Broers, J. M. Harper, and W. W. Molzen, APPL. PHYS. LETT. 33, 392 (1978) and P. B. Fischer and S. Y. Chou, APPL. PHYS. LETT. 62, 2989 (1993). But using this technology to mass produce sub-50 nm structures is economically impractical due to inherent low throughput. X-ray lithography, which can have a high throughput, has demonstrated 50 nm lithography resolution. K. Early, M. L. Schattenburg, and H. I. Smith, MICROELECTRONIC ENGINEERING 11, 317 (1990). But X-ray lithography devices are expensive. X-ray lithography has not been used to commercially mass produce sub-50 nm structures. Lithography based on scanning probes has produced sub-10 nm structures in a very thin layer of materials. But, the practicality of such lithography as a manufacturing tool is not apparent.
[0005] Another nanostructure manufacturing process is refereed to in the art as nanoimprinting or nanoimprint lithography, which involves compressive patterning of deformable films coated on a substrate by way of a mold having protrusions and recesses. See for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,772,905 and 6,309,580. The thickness of the film under the protruding feature is thinner than the thickness of the film under the recess. Thus, a relief is formed in the thin film. The relief conforms the mold's features. The relief is processed such that the thinner portion of the film is removed thereby exposing the underlying substrate in a pattern complementary to the mold. The relief patterns so produced can be reproduced in the substrate or in another material.
[0006] The patterns formed in nanoimprint lithography are defined by the mold instead of any radiation exposure. Nanoimprint lithography can eliminate many resolution limitations imposed in conventional lithography, such as wavelength limitation, backscattering of particles in the resist and substrate, and optical interference.
[0007] This low-cost mass manufacturing technology and has been around for several decades. Using nanoimprint technology, features on the order of 1 micrometer have been routinely imprinted in plastics. Compact disks, which are based on imprinting of polycarbonate, are one example of the commercial use of this technology. Other examples are imprinted polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) structures with a feature size on the order to 10 micrometers for making micromechanical parts. M. Harmening et al., PROCEEDINGS IEEE MICRO ELECTRO MECHANICAL SYSTEMS, 202 (1992). Molded polyester micromechanical parts with feature dimensions of several tens of microns have also been used. H. Li and S. D. Senturia, PROCEEDINGS OF 1992 13TH IEEE/CHMT INTERNATIONAL ELECTRONIC MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY SYMPOSIUM, 145 (1992). But imprint technology has not been able to provide 25 nm structures with high aspect ratios.
[0008] Because nanoimprint lithography is based on the deformation of the polymer resists by a mold instead of changing the solvent-dissolution properties of the resists in photolithography (E. Reichmanis and L. F. Thompson, CHEM. REV. 89, 1273-1289 (1989)), it is necessary to develop the specific polymer resist compositions that can be easily deformed with good viscose flow ability by mold on a substrate and can survive on the substrate after mold separation. Disadvantageously, the thin-film compositions used in standard nanoimprinting processes have physical properties that cause deformities that decrease resolution. Stress is caused when higher temperatures are used to increase the polymeric film's flowability so that it can flow into the nanomold. As used herein, the term “nanomold” generally refers to a mold having a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. On the other hand, if the temperature used during heated-imprinting is not too high and the resist material is then cooled and solidified after conformal deformation against the mold, or if other physical or chemical conditions are applied after conformal imprinting of a liquid resist material at room temperature and the material is solidified, then the resist material does accurately conform to the small features of the mold because of the decreased or totally loss of the flowability.
[0009] The requirements for nanoimprint lithography materials (“nanoimprint resists”) are quite different than polymeric materials that are typically used in traditional plastics molding techniques, such as injection molding or liquid casting. For example, nanoimprint resists typically require the ability to be processed into uniform thin-films on substrates. In addition, the rheology (i.e., flow characteristics) of polymeric materials deposited as thin polymeric films or discrete liquid drops on surfaces is oftentimes quite different that the rheology of bulk polymeric materials or liquids.
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 5,772,905 discloses the use of polymethylmethacrylate (“PMMA”) as a nanoimprint resist, which is advantageously spin castable on a silicon wafer, has good mold release properties and has low thermal shrinkage. The disclosed nanoimprint process requires heating of the spin coated PMMA nanoimprint resist to temperatures (ca. 200° C.) substantially higher than the glass transition temperature (“T g ”) of PMMA (ca. 105° C.) to soften the resist to enable nanoimprinting. The nanoimprint mold is removed after cooling the nanoimprint resist below T g . This heating and cooling disadvantageously requires process time and can lead to alignment and registration problems of the process equipment arising from thermal expansion and contraction. The need therefore exists to develop nanoimprint resists that overcome these problems.
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 6,309,580 the discloses nanoimprint lithography wherein the mold is pre-treated with a release material that facilitate mold removal and thereby enhance image resolution. Use of the release material also protects the mold so that it can be used repeatedly without showing wear of its fine features. After the relief is processed, the exposed portions of the substrate's surface have sub-200 nm features. Because mold pretreatment is an additional step that is preferably eliminated from the nanoimprint lithography process to increase manufacturing throughput, the need therefore exists to develop nanoimprint resists that provide enhanced image resolution without the need to pretreat the nanomolds.
[0012] Accordingly, there is a continuing need for additional improvements in processes, apparatus, materials, and protocols for use in nanoimprint lithography. For example, there is need for new thin-film compositions for use in nanoimprint technology that overcome the above-mentioned problems. Thus, there is a need to provide nanoimprint resists that do not require extensive heating and cooling and which release well from untreated molds.
[0013] Mostly, the ultimate goal of the lithography process is to make 3D shapes out of certain functional materials. In today's art, almost all the lithography methods (photolithography, electron-beam lithography, including nanoimprint lithography) are used to first define the micro- or nano-patterns on top of a functional material. To finally achieve 3D shapes of the functional material, subsequent steps (often being multiple steps) are needed to remove and shape the materials. This is obviously a costly process. Imprinting provides the advantage of directly shaping a material into 3D structures; and many functional materials used in micro- and nano-devices are inherently moldable or can be redesigned and formulated to be moldable. These type of materials include, but not limited to, dielectric materials, conductive polymers, organic LED materials, optical media, photoactive materials, and chemically active materials. Therefore, nanoimprint process can be used to make functional material structures in an essentially one-step process, greatly saving manufacturing cost of these types of devices. Accordingly, new imprintable functional material compositions are needed.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0014] In overcoming the problems associated with nanoimprint resists that do not require extensive heating and cooling and which release well from untreated molds, the invention provides, inter alia, methods for forming patterns in a film carried on a substrate. In various aspects of the invention, there are provided methods of:
[0015] obtaining a mold of a material, which mold is hard relative to the film, the film including a polymeric composition deformable by said mold at a temperature of less than 200° C.;
[0016] the mold having first and second protruding features spaced apart from each other and a recess formed thereby, the first and second features and the recess having a shape forming a mold pattern and providing at least one mold pattern lateral dimension which is less than 200 nm;
[0017] urging the mold into the nanoimprint material under a molding pressure;
[0018] the thickness of the nanoimprint material under the protruding features of the mold being formed at the minimum level, and the thickness of the nanoimprint resist material under the recessing features of the mold being formed at the maximum level, thereby forming the molded pattern in the nanoimprint material;
[0019] removing the mold from the nanoimprint material; and
[0020] removing the nanoimprint material in the patterns where it has the minimum thickness, thereby exposing portions of the surface of the substrate which underlie the thin region such that the exposed portions of the surface of the substrate substantially replicate the mold pattern and have at least one lateral dimension which is less than 200 nm.
[0021] In further aspects, there are provided methods of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm, which includes the step of imprinting a nanoimprint resist using a mold, said nanoimprint resist having a polymeric composition deformable by said mold at a temperature of less than 200° C. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining the plurality of structures upon removal of said mold.
[0022] Within additional aspects, there are provided thin films having a nanoimprint resist including a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining said plurality of structures upon removal of said mold.
[0023] In yet other aspects, there are provided nanoimprint resists including a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining said plurality of structures upon removal of said mold.
[0024] In yet other aspects, there are provided nanoimprint resists including a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining said plurality of structures upon removal of said mold.
[0025] In various aspects, new nanoimprint resist compositions are provided for use in nanoimprinting lithography. The compositions permit economical high-throughput mass production, using nanoimprint processes, of patterns having sub-50 nm features. Various compositions are selected from: (a) thermoplastic materials that are sufficiently soft at ambient conditions, or which can soften sufficiently upon additional heating to flow into the nanomold features (that thermoplastic polymer may be further polymerizable, crosslinkable, graft-linkable, or a combination thereof); and (b) liquid or flowable compositions (e.g., polymers, oligomers, monomers, cross-linking agents, lubricants and plasticizers) that can flow into the features of a nanomold, and which can be subsequently hardened using chemical means (e.g., cross-linking, polymerization, or both) or using thermophysical means (e.g., cooling through a first order transition such as known in block copolymers, or crystallization, or both; or cooling through a second order transition, such as the glass transition); or a combination of both chemical and thermophysical means.
[0026] In various aspects, the compositions are provided as single or multiple layer structures, or as discrete liquid droplets on a substrate. In this embodiment, a pattern can be imprinted in the top layer and then is transferred to the lower layer by etching or other methods.
[0027] In certain aspects, there are provided compositions that permit a high throughput mass production method for generating patterns having sub-25 nm features, which is unattainable with methods described in the prior art. The flowability and stability of a variety of compositions in molds having different feature size patterns provided by these aspects of the invention is particularly noteworthy. Accordingly, in contrast to conventional lithography, nanoimprint lithography processes involve low temperatures. Because in nanoimprint processes, the resist compositions desirably flow into the mold, they desirably have good low-temperature flowability. The excellent flowability of compositions at low temperature is much improved over prior-art thin film or liquid compositions.
[0028] In further aspects, the compositions provide highly uniform thin films on substrates. Such high uniformity greatly improves nanoimprint processes. The compositions further improve nanoimprinting processes because they exhibit good adhesion to the substrate while, at the same time, exhibit good release properties from the mold.
[0029] In further aspects, the compositions provide imprintable functional materials including, but not limited to, dielectric materials, conductive polymers, organic LED materials, optical media, photoactive materials, and chemically active materials.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0030] The term “polymer” used herein denotes a molecule having two or more units derived from the same monomer component, so that “polymer” incorporates molecules derived from different monomer components to for form copolymers, terpolymers, multi-component polymers, graft-co-polymers, block-co-polymers, and the like. These polymers can bear at least one reactive group and thus called “reactive polymers.”
[0031] The term “glassy” used herein denotes the thermodynamic state of a polymer below its glass transition temperature. The term “units derived from” used herein refers to polymer molecules that are synthesized according to known polymerization techniques wherein a polymer contains “units derived from” its constituent monomers. The term “molecular weight” used herein refers to the weight average molecular weight of polymer molecules as determined by the gel permeation chromatography method. The term “graftlinker” used herein refers to multi-functional monomers capable of forming multiple covalent bonds between polymer molecules of one type with polymer molecules of another type. The term “crosslinker” used herein refers to multi-functional monomers capable of forming two or more covalent bonds between polymer molecules of the same type. The term “alkyl (meth)acrylate” used herein refers to both alkyl acrylate and alkyl methacrylate monomer compounds. The term “parts” used herein is intended to mean “parts by weight”. Unless otherwise stated, “total parts by weight” do not necessarily add to 100. The term “weight percent” used herein is intended to mean “parts per hundred by weight” wherein the total parts add to 100. All ranges described herein are inclusive and combinable. As used herein, the term “micro-replication” refers to relief surface patterns capable of transferring features greater than about 200 nm. As used herein, the term “nano-replication” refers to relief surface patterns capable of transferring features smaller than about 200 nm.
[0032] The methods of the invention for forming a pattern having features small than 200 nanometers in a film or discrete liquid droplets carried on a substrate typically involve a variety of steps which include obtaining a mold of a material, which mold is hard relative to the nanoimprint material, the nanoimprint material including a polymeric composition deformable by said mold at a temperature of less than 200° C. In these methods, the mold typically has first and second protruding features spaced apart from each other and a recess formed thereby. The first and second features and the recess typically have a shape that is capable of forming a mold pattern and providing at least one mold pattern lateral dimension which is less than 200 nm. In these methods, the mold is urged into the nanoimprint resist material under a molding pressure, thereby forming a minimum thickness of the material under the protruding features of the mold, which forms the mold pattern in the film. Further steps of solidifying the material, removing the mold from the imprinted resist material; and removing the imprinted material from the pattern areas of minimum material thickness, exposes portions of the surface of the substrate which underlie the thin region such that the exposed portions of the surface of the substrate substantially replicate the mold pattern and have at least one lateral dimension which is less than 200 nm. Additional details pertaining to nanoimprint lithography processes are provided in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,772,905; 6,309,580; 6,482,742; 6,518,189; U.S. Pat. App. Pub Nos. 2002/0132482A1; 2002/0167117A1; 2003/0034329A1; 2003/0080471A1; 2003/0080472A1; 2003/0170995A1; 2003/0170996A1; and Int. App. Nos. PCT/US01/21005 and PCT/US03/08293, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
[0033] In one embodiment, the nanoimprint resist may comprise a photo-curable material, thermal-curable material, or the combination of both a photo-curable material and a thermal-curable material. When both a photo-curable material and a thermal-curable material are present in the nano-resist material, it is possible to first photocure and then, after imprinting, thermally cure. Or first thermally cure and then, after imprinting, photocure. These materials can be functional material which will be part of the devices that will not be removed in later processing. The second curing step may be carried out before or after removal of the mold from the film comprising the nanoimprint resist.
[0034] Suitable polymeric compositions deformable by said mold at a temperature of less than 200° C. can be formulated from a variety of polymers, oligomers, monomers, cross-linkers, graft-linkers, diluents, initiators, curing agents, and other additives known in the polymer art. Typically the polymeric compositions will be relatively soft at temperatures less than 200° C., such as by having a glass transition temperature less than 200° C. or being in a liquid state at a temperature less than 200° C. Polymeric compositions that have a liquid or soft state at use temperatures of the nanoimprint resist may also be used. Such liquid or soft polymeric compositions will typically be subject to a hardening condition prior to their subsequent in nanoimprint lithography. Examples of suitable hardening conditions include chemical reactions, such as cross-linking reactions, graft-linking reactions, condensation reactions, acid-base reactions, polymerization, as well as any a combination thereof. Examples of suitable hardening conditions also include thermophysical reactions such as crystallization and ordering upon heating or cooling of the polymeric composition. Combinations of chemical and thermophysical reactions are also envisioned as providing suitable polymeric compositions deformable by said mold at a temperature of less than 200° C.
[0035] Suitable polymeric compositions used in various embodiments of the invention include homopolymers, copolymers, a random co-polymers, block co-polymers, graft co-polymers, telechelic polymers, star polymers, as well as dendrimers, e.g., the so-called “starburst” polymers, as well as any combination thereof. Suitable polymers typically include: poly(C 1 -C 20 alkyl acrylates) and poly(C 1 -C 20 alkyl methacrylates) (both of which are also referred together to as C 1 -C 20 alkyl (meth)acrylates), typical examples being poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(octadecyl methacrylate), poly(methylacrylate), poly(n-butyl acrylate), poly(butyl methacrylate), poly(isobutyl methacrylate); copolymers including C 1 -C 20 alkyl (meth)acrylate units, typical examples being poly(vinyl stearate)/poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(methylhexadecylsiloxane)/poly(m-ethyl methacrylate), poly(octadecyl methacrylate)/poly(methyl methacrylate), poly(butyl methacrylate-co-isobutylmethacrylate), poly(butyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate); polycarbonates, such as poly(bisphenol-A carbonate); polysiloxanes such as poly(methylhexadecylsiloxane); various vinyl polymers such as poly(vinylacetate), poly(vinyl stearate), and polyvinyl ethers; various alkyl oxide polymers such as poly(ethylene oxide) and poly(propylene oxide); polycaprolactone; styrenic polymers such as poly(styrene), poly(.alpha.-methylstyrene), as well as styreneic-containing copolymers such as poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-α-methylstyrene); graft-co-polymers such as poly(ethylene-covinylacate-)-graft(t-maleic anhydride); halide containing polymers and copolymers such as poly(vinyl chloride), poly(vinylidene fluoride), poly(chlorotrifluoroethylene), poly(dichloroethylene), poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinylacetate), poly(vinyl chloride-co-isobutylvinylether), poly(chlorotrifluorethylene-co-vinylidene fluoride); and any blend, graft, or block of a combination of one or more polymers.
[0036] Suitable polymeric compositions also can include thermoset resins. Many thermoset resins that can be used in the present invention include: alkyd resins, allyl diglycol carbonate resins, diallyl isophthalate resins, diallyl phthalate resins, melamine resins, melamine/phenolic resins, phenolic resins; unsaturated polyester resins, vinyl ester resins, acrylic systems, thiol-ene systems, vinyl ether systems; epoxy resins; unsaturated polyester resins; cyanoacrylate resins; melamine-formaldehyde resins; polyurethane resins; polyimide resins; polyphenol resins; and combinations thereof.
[0037] Suitable polymeric compositions may also include one or more oligomers. As used herein, the term “oligomer” refers to a compound comprised of from two to about 200 monomeric units, all of which can be the same or different. Suitable oligomers include those having reactive functionalities as well as non-reactive functionalities. Examples of suitable reactive and non-reactive oligomers composed of up to five monomeric units of C 1 -C 20 alkyl (meth)acrylates are provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,546, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Other suitable oligomers include reactive polysiloxane oligomers, reactive or any combination thereof.
[0038] Suitable polymers and oligomers can also include the so-called “liquid rubbers” (“LR”), which are widely used in thermosetting materials. Suitable LRs are composed of flexible polymer chains that have at least one non-functional aromatic terminal end-group. While polymer chain flexibility is provided by a glass transition temperature (T g ) less than about 25° C., it is often typical that the T g will be less than 10° C., more typically less than 0° C., even more typically less than −20° C., and further typically less than −40° C. Suitable LRs typically have low viscosities in uncured liquid resin formulations. Suitable LRs also tend to be miscible in uncured liquid resin formulations, however immiscible formulations can also be used. In certain embodiments, the LRs may phase separate upon curing (crosslinking) when provided with thermoset resins in the polymeric composition. Such phase separation typically forms rubbery microdomains in the polymeric matrix of the thermosetting resin. In other embodiments, however, it is desirable that such phase separation is minimized or avoided. Various types of LRs are disclosed in R. Mulhaupt, “Flexibility or Toughness?-The Design of Thermoset Toughening Agents”, CHIMA 44, 43-52 (1990). Examples of liquid rubbers that are composed of flexible polymer chains that have at least one non-functional aromatic terminal end-group are also described in LaFleur, EPO Application No. 1 270 618.
[0039] In certain embodiments, the polymers and oligomers may contain functional groups. In these embodiments, the functional groups can be located anywhere on the molecule, including at their ends, denoted “terminally functional” or “functionally terminated”. The functional groups can be at lease one of the following types: hydroxyl, phenolic, chlorobenzyl, bromobenzyl, mercapto (thiol), sulfide, amino, carboxylic acid, carboxylic esters, carboxyl halide, carboxylic amide, anhydride, aldehyde, epoxy, isocyanate, isothiocyanate, cyanate, alkoxysilane, silanol, vinyl, styryl, olefinic, dienes, allyl, acrylic, methacrylic, maleic, alkynyl, benzo-cyclo butene (BCB), and perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB).
[0040] Commercially available functionally terminated LRs include carboxy-terminated copolymers of butadiene and acrylonitrile monomers, known as “CTBN” resins, and amino-terminated copolymers of butadiene and acrylonitrile monomers, known as “ATBN” resins. Similar copolymers end-functionalized with vinyl groups and epoxy groups are also known as “VTBN” and “ETBN”, respectively. A particular useful composition includes an epoxy resin blended with one or more oligomers.
[0041] Suitable imprintable compositions of the present invention may also include one or more functional materials. These functional materials include, but not limited to: 1) low-dielectric silicon-containing materials: sol-gels from silicates, sol-gels from alkoxysilanes, acrylic-, methacrylic-, vinyl-, and epoxy-functionalized alkoxysilanes; HSQ (Hydrogen Silsesquioxane; MSQ (methyl silsesquioxane); and other reactive group-functionalized silsesquioxanes and oligomeric silsesquioxanes (hydroxyl, phenolic, chlorobenzyl, bromobenzyl, mercapto (thiol), sulfide, amino, carboxylic acid, carboxylic esters, carboxyl halide, carboxylic amide, anhydride, aldehyde, epoxy, isocyanate, isothiocyanate, cyanate, alkoxysilane, silanol, vinyl, styryl, olefinic, dienes, allyl, acrylic, methacrylic, maleic, alkynyl, benzo-cyclo butene (BCB), and perfluorocyclobutyl (PFCB)). 2) Low-dielectic organic polymeric materials including polyolefines, aromatic polyesters, aromatic polyimides, fluoropolymers, aromatic hydrocarbon oligomers, etc. 3) Nano-porogens may be used in the low-dielectric imprinting compositions. These include diblock polymer micelles, hyperbranched polymers/dendrimers, polymer nanoparticles, cage supermolecules, and high boiling point molecules. 4) Nanoparticles may be used in imprintable functional material compositions, including Au, Ag, Cu, Si, and other metal nanoparticles; SiO2, TiO2, and other inorganic nanoparticles; Polymeric nanoparticles. 5) Conductive polymers including thermoplastic moldable polymers; crosslinkable polymeric compositions with inherent conductive chain segments; conductive nanoparticles including metals, carbon blacks, graphites, fullerenes, and carbon nanotubes.
[0042] The viscosities of the imprintable functional material compositions in the present invention are in the range of 1 cent-poise to 1000,000 poise, preferably in the range of 1 cent-poise to 5000 cent-poise, at imprinting temperatures. The materials form stable structures after imprinting and removal of the mold.
[0043] In related embodiments of the invention, there are provided methods of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm, which includes the step of imprinting a nanoimprint resist using a mold, the nanoimprint resist having a polymeric composition deformable by the mold at a temperature of less than 200° C. In these embodiments, the polymeric compositions are capable of retaining a plurality of structures upon removal of the mold.
[0044] In these and other embodiments, the polymeric compositions are deformable by the mold, typically at a temperature of less than 200° C., more typically at a temperature of less than about 150° C., and even more typically at a temperature of less than about 100° C. Suitable polymeric compositions typically include a photocurable polymeric composition, a thermoplastic polymeric composition, a thermosettable polymeric composition, or any combination thereof.
[0045] As used herein, the term “photocurable” refers to compositions in which a chemical reaction is brought about upon the application of a photon, such as light, e.g., ultraviolet (“UV”) light and/or visible light. Suitable photocurable compositions typically include at least one monomer and one photocuring agent. Any one monomer, or combination of monomers, as herein described may be suitably used. Suitable photocuring agents include polymerization initiators, cross-linkers and graft-linkers that are activated by radiation, typically ultraviolet light. Suitable photocurable polymeric compositions will typically cure upon the exposure of radiation within the range of about 1 millisecond to about 2 seconds, although curing times are envisioned as capable of being outside this range. Suitable photocurable polymeric and monomeric compositions have viscosities in the range of 1 centipoise (cps) to 100,000 cps at the curing temperature, although viscosities are envisioned as capable of being outside this range.
[0046] If the resist material is to be applied on substrate by forming thin films from a resist solution, using methods such spin-coating, spray-drying, or dipping, the viscosity of the dry resist material (without any solvent) is in the range of 20 cps to 100,000 cps, preferably in the range of 50 cps to 500 cps, at the imprinting temperature. If the resist material is to be applied on substrate by forming discrete droplets on it, it viscosity at the imprinting temperature is in the range of 1 cps to 50 cps, preferably in the range of 1 cps to 10 cps.
[0047] In one embodiment, the polymeric composition includes about 10 weight percent to 50 weight percent of an monofunctional acrylic monomer, such as isobornyl methacrylate; about 5 to 40 weight percent of difunctional acrylic monomer, such as polyethyleneglycol (400) diacrylate; from about 5 to 70 weight percent of an oligomer, such as CN-2253 (a tetrafunctional polyester acrylate oligomer, from Sartomer); from about 5 to 50 weight percent of a trifunctional acrylic monomer, such as PHOTOMER® 4094 (propoxylated(4) glycerol triacrylate, from Cognis); and 1 to 10 weight percent of a photoinitiator, such as IRGACURE® 184 (1-hydroxy-cyclohexyl-phenyl-ketone, from Ciba Specialty Chemicals). In this embodiment, the monomers typically act like a solvent for dissolving all of the components. Typically, the composition has a viscosity of about 300 cps at 25° C., and can be spin-coated from a 5-10% solution in a suitable solvent, such as propyleneglycol methyl ether acetate (PMA), on a silicon wafer to form uniform thin nanoimprint resist film, The resist film can be imprinted by a nanomold, and photocured with a mercury UV lamp in about 2 seconds.
[0048] In another embodiment, the resist composition includes about 10 weight percent to 50 weight percent of an monofunctional acrylic monomer, such as isobutyl methacrylate; about 5 to 40 weight percent of a difunctional acrylic monomer, such as SR-212 (1,3-butylene glycol diacrylate, from Sartomer); from about 5 to 50 weight percent of a trifunctional acrylic monomer, such as PHOTOMER® 4094 (propoxylated(4) glycerol triacrylate, from Cognis Corporation); and 1 to 10 weight percent of a photoinitiator, such as IRGACURE® 184. Typically, the composition has a viscosity of smaller than 5 cps at 25° C., and can be dispensed on a silicon wafer as discrete resist droplets. The distributed resist liquid can be imprinted by a nanomold, and photocured with a mercury UV lamp in about 2 seconds.
[0049] Suitable thermoplastic polymeric compositions typically include any of the polymers described hereinabove. Suitable thermoplastic polymers typically having a glass transition temperature less than 100° C. Suitable thermoplastic polymers typically have a weight average molecular weight in the range of about 5,000 g/mol and 1,000,000 g/mole, although suitable thermoplastic polymers may have weight average molecular weights outside of this range. Examples of suitable thermoplastic polymers typically include any of the non-crosslinked or lightly crosslinked polymers described herein.
[0050] In other embodiments, there are provided thin films having a nanoimprint resist including a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining the plurality of structures upon removal of the mold.
[0051] In other embodiments, there are provided nanoimprint resists including a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm. In this aspect of the invention, the polymeric composition is capable of retaining the plurality of structures upon removal of the mold.
[0052] In one embodiment, the invention provides nanoimprint resist compositions and thin films for use in nanoimprinting lithography to form patterns on a substrate. The compositions of the present invention permit formation of thin-film patterns in the form of nanoscale features, such as holes, pillars, or trenches. These nanoscale features typically have a minimum size of about 25 nm, a depth over about 100 nm, a side wall smoothness better than about 3 nm, and corners with near perfect 90 degrees angles. The compositions of the present invention can be used in nanoimprint processes to form sub-10 nm structures having a high aspect ratio.
[0053] One embodiment includes a material deposition and a lift-off process for fabricating 100 nm wide metal lines of a 200 nm period and 25 nm diameter metal dots of 125 nm period. The resist pattern that can be created using the present invention can also be used as a mask to etch nanostructures (features having dimensions less than 1000 nm, preferably less than 500 nm) into a substrate. The compositions also permit manufacture of larger film surface areas, while still retaining high resolution and lowered waste due to damage of the film when removed from the nanomold. The present invention can also is capable of improving the nanoimprint process to even larger area mold (over 6 inch) with high quality.
[0054] In another embodiment of the present invention the imprintable functional material composition includes about 10 weight percent to 50 weight percent of a siloxane monomer, SIB1400.0 (from Gelest, Inc); about 10 weight percent to 50 weight percent of a functionalized silsesquioxane monomer, SIM6486.6 (feom Gelest, Inc.); about 10 weight percent to 45 percent of a functionalized alkoxysilane, methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane; about 5 weight percent to 40 percent of crosslinkers, such as TMPTMA and divinylbenzene; and about 2 weight percent to 10 weight percent of a combination of initiators, such as Irgacure 184, Irgacure 819, and dicumyl peroxide. The imprintable composition has a modest viscosity at room temperature and can be imprinted and UV-cured well in a nanomold. The imprinted structures are subsequently thermally baked at 450° C. to give low dielectric material nano-structures.
[0055] In certain embodiments, the nanoresist compositions present include: (A) one or more materials from the group of polymers, oligomers, and monomer mix. Optionally, the compositions may further comprise other additives as needed, such as one or more of (B) one or more plasticizers; (C) one or more internal mold release agents; and (D) other additives, such as compatibilizers, lubricants, and stabilizers.
[0056] In other embodiments, a variety of nanoimprint resist compositions are provided by the present invention for a variety of nanoimprint process schemes. For example, for a thermal imprint, where the temperature is used to control the viscosity and flowability of moldable materials, a photoinitiator is typically not required, although a combination of thermal and photoinitiator can be used, for example photo-initiator, thermal initiator, or both, can be used for post-imprint UV exposure or bake for improving mechanical strength. In these embodiments, crosslinking agents can also be added to crosslink the nanoimprint resist compositions.
[0057] In various nanoimprint processes, it is also possible for one to use either a single layer nanoimprint composite or multi-layers of composites in the present inventions. In the multilayer embodiments, the layer properties can be the same or different than each other. For example, patterns created at the top layer can be transferred to the underlayers by etching or other conventional techniques of pattern transfer known in the art of chemical microelectronics lithography.
Component Group A: One or More Materials From the Group of Polymers, Oligomers, and Monomer Mix
[0058] This category includes different polymers with the structures of homopolymers or co-polymers, which can be random, block, alternative, grafted, telechelic, star, dendrimer, e.g., hyperbranched polymers and oligomers; polymers having different molecular weights; oligomers; different monomers; the mix from polymers, oligomers, and monomers; non-reactive system; reactive system (the materials become hard or non-flowable during or after the process by UV, thermal and other treatments); polymer blends (of the above systems); materials that are resistive to reactive ion etching; moldable polymers and reactive oligomers (monomers); as well as any combinations thereof.
[0059] Examples of polymers having a different main chain backbone, suitable for use in compositions, include, but are not limited to, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), poly(bisphenol-A carbonate), and poly(methylhexadecylsiloxane).
[0060] Examples of suitable polymers having different side chains suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, PMMA, poly(methylacrylate), poly(n-butyl acrylate), poly(octadecyl methacrylate), poly(isobutyl methacrylate), and poly(butyl methacrylate)
[0061] Typically, suitable polymeric components will typically have a weight average molecular weight in the range of from about 1,000 g/mol to about 1,000,000 g/mol, typically in the range of from about 5,000 g/mol to about 200,000 g/mol. More typically in the range of from about 10,000 g/mol to about 100,000 g/mol, and even more typically in the range of from about 20,000 g/mol to about 50,000 g/mol. Examples of polymers having different weight average molecular weights suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, poly(vinylacetate 110,000 g/mol) and poly(vinylacetate 650,000 g/mol).
[0062] A variety of polymer morphologies are also suitable for use in the present invention, for example, crystalline, semi-crystalline, amorphous, glassy, as well as containing microphase separated regions that are commonly found in ordered block and graft copolymers. Examples of polymers having different morphologies suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, poly(vinyl stearate) (PVS), poly(ethylene oxide), polycaprolactone, and poly(α-methylstyrene). Advanced polymeric architectures (such as graft copolymers, block copolymers, comb polymers, star polymers, starburst polymers, etc.) each having two or more polymer chains or chain fragments are also envisioned. In the case of advanced polymeric architectures such as these, it is typical that up to all of the chain ends can contain non-functional aromatic end-groups.
[0063] Examples of suitable polymer blends suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, PVS/PMMA; poly(methylhexadecylsiloxane)/PMMA; and poly(octadecyl methacrylate)/PMMA.
[0064] Examples of suitable random co-polymers suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, poly(butyl methacrylate-co-isobutylmethacrylate); poly(butyl methacrylate-co-methyl methacrylate); poly(dimethylsiloxane-co-α-methylstyrene); copolymers of isobornyl (meth)acrylate; copolymers of isobutyl methacrylate; poly(ethylene-co-vinylacate)-graft(t-maleic anhydride); poly(vinyl chloride-co-vinylacetate); poly(vinyl chloride-co-isobutylvinylether); and poly(chlorotrifluorethylene-co-vinyldiene fluoride).
[0065] Monomers suitable for use in the present invention include “High-T g ” as well as “Low-T g ” monomers. Low-T g monomers are typically selected from the following group: C 1 to C 20 alkyl acrylate monomers such as butyl acrylate, ethyl acrylate, n-octyl acrylate, and 2-ethylhexyl acrylate; diene monomers such as butadiene and isoprene; siloxane monomers such as dimethylsiloxane, vinyl acetate monomers; vinyl ether monomers, dithiol, trithiol, and multiple thiol monomers, and copolymers thereof. Examples of high-T g monomers typically include C 1 to C 8 alkyl methacrylates, isobornyl methacrylate, styreneics, acrylonitrile, epoxies and imides.
[0066] In certain embodiments, it is desirable that the weight fraction of the low-T g monomers in the polymeric compositions be selected so that the nanoimprinting layer is not too soft. Accordingly, in instances where harder nanoimprinting layers are sought, it is desirable that the weight fraction of the C 1 to C 20 alkyl acrylate monomers typically comprise no more than 50, more typically no more than 40, even more typically no more than 30, and most typically no more than 20 weight percent of the polymerized polymeric composition.
[0067] Various co-monomers that may also be incorporated in the polymeric compositions of the present inventions, include one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers from one or more of the following monomer classes: (meth)acrylic acids; (meth)acrylonitriles; (meth)acrylamides; 2-(perfluoroalkyl)ethyl (meth)acrylates; 2-(perhaloalkyl)ethyl (meth)acrylates; C 1 -C 20 alkyl (meth)acrylates; alkyl(ethyleneoxy) n (meth)acrylates; amino (meth)acrylates; aryl (meth)acrylates including multiple rings and substituted rings; conjugated dienes; silanes; siloxanes; vinyl aromatics, including multiple rings and substituted rings; vinyl benzoic acids; vinyl ester; vinyl ethers; vinyl halides; vinyl phosphoric acids; vinyl sulfonic acids; vinylic anhydrides; vinylidene halides; fluorophenyl (meth)acrylates; vinyltrimethylsilanes; and any combination thereof.
[0068] Co-monomers are typically selected from mono-functional monomers such as: vinyl aromatic (e.g., styrene and methyl styrenes), alkyl acrylates and alkyl methacrylates (e.g., methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, etc.), and acrylonitrile monomers (acrylonitrile and methyl acrylonitrile). These co-monomers help to adjust the solubility of the liquid rubber in the uncured liquid thermoset resins. In certain embodiments of the present invention, suitable monomers and oligomers include, lauryl methacrylate; epoxy resin; acrylic (methylacrylic) oligomers; reactive polysiloxane oligomers; fluorinated acrylate/methacrylate; and trimethylolpropane triacylate/methacrylate/tri/tetra-allylether.
Other Additives
[0069] The compositions can include other suitable additives including, but not limited to, plasticizers, internal release agent, lubricants, antioxidants, processing aids, UV stabilizers, anti-static agents, flame retardants etc. One of skill in the art can readily select these materials and their amounts based on the properties desired. The materials, if solid, are typically of dimensions that do not interfere with the ability of the polymeric material or the polymerizable liquid to flow into the mold cavities.
Component Group B: Plasticizers
[0070] As used herein, the term “plasticizer” refers to a compound capable of reducing the T g of polymeric composition when blended therewith. Examples of suitable plasticizers suitable for use in the invention include, but are not limited to, adipic acid derivatives, such as diisodecyl adipate and dinonyl adipate; azelaic acid derivatives, such as diisotyl azeleate and di-n-hexyl azelate; benzoic acid derivatives, such as diethylene glycol dibenzoate and polyethylene glycol 200 dibenzoate; epoxy derivatives, such as epoxidized soy bean oil; glycerol derivatives such as glycerol triacetate; isophthalic acid derivatives, such as dimethyl isophthalate; myristic acid derivatives, such as isopropyl myristate; oleic acid derivatives, such as propyloleate and tetrahydrofurfuryloleate; paraffin derivatives, such as chloroparaffin); phosphoric acid derivatives, such as triphenyl phosphate; phthalic acid derivatives, such as diisooctyl phthalate and diisodevyl phthalate; ricinoleic acid derivatives, such as propylene glycol ricinoleate; sebacic acid derivates, such as dibutyl sebacate; stearic acid derivatives, such as butyl stearate and propylene glycol monostearate; succinic acid derivatives, such as diethyl succinate; and sulfonic acid derivatives, such as ortho- and para-toluenesulfonamide.
Component Group C: Internal Release Agents
[0071] As used herein, the term “internal release agent”, which is synonymous with “internal mold release agent” used herein, refers to a compound, which when blended in a polymeric composition, is capable of reducing adhesion of the polymeric composition to a surface. While not wishing to be bound to a particular theory of operation, it is believed that the internal release agents of the present invention migrate to the interface between the nanoimprint mold and the nanoimprint resist, thereby reducing the energy of adhesion of the nanoimprint resist composition for the nanoimprint mold surface. Examples of suitable internal mold release agents suitable for use in the invention include but are not limited to polysiloxane and perfluorinated surfactants; polysiloxane-containing polyether or polyesters; perfluorinated (methyl)acrylates; reactive and non reactive backbones; fluorinated agents, such as ZONYL® FSE (Dupont), ZONYL® FS-62 (Dupont), FC-170-C (3M), and FC-95 (3M); siloxane based agents, such as GP-187, GP-277, GP-287 (Innovative Polymer Technology), and 55-NC (Dexter); siloxane containing polymers, as well as combinations thereof.
Component Group D: Compatibilizers, Lubricants, and Stabilizers
[0072] Other additives suitable for use in the invention, include, but are not limited to reactive ion etching (“RIE”) resistance, antistatic agents, stabilizers, compatibilizers, flame retardants, and lubricants. These additional additives can be included in the compositions for improving other properties of the resists.
Initiators
[0073] Examples of initiators suitable for use in compositions include, but are not limited to, thermal initiators, such as benzyl peroxide (BPO) and azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN); UV and other radiation initiators, such as substituted and unsubstituted polynuclear quinones, benzophenone, 1-hydroxydhexyl phenyl ketone, 2-hydroxy-2-methyl-1-phenyl-1-propanone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenyl-acetophenone (benzildimethyl ketal, BDK), 2-methyl-1-[4-(methylthio)phenyl]-2-morpholinopropanone-1,2,4,6-trimethylbenzolyl-diphenylphosphine oxide (IRGACURE® 819), and combinations thereof, as well as any other chemical substance or combination of substances that can generate free radicals, cations, anions and any other reactive species that can initiate polymerizations or crosslinking reactions. Free radical initiators are described, for example, in B. M. Monroe and G. C. Weed, CHEM. REV., 93, 435-448 (1993).
[0074] Many suitable polymeric compositions useful in the invention are composed of at least one of each of the components described above in Component Groups A, B, C and D. In certain embodiments of the present invention, the nanoimprint resists include from about 20 weight percent to 100 weight percent of the polymeric composition, up to about 80 weight percent of a plasticizer, and up to about 30 weight percent of a mold release agent. In other embodiments, the nanoimprint resists include from about 1 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of an oligomer; from about 0.01 weight percent to about 10 weight percent of a crosslinking agent; from about 50 weight percent to about 90 weight percent of a monomer; and from about 0.01 weight percent to about 2 weight percent of a photoinitiator. In certain of these embodiments, the polymeric compositions are capable of providing sub-50 nanometer structures in the nanoimprint resists. Desirably, the polymeric materials in these embodiments are below their glass transition temperature upon removal of the mold during the nanoimprinting process.
[0075] In certain embodiments, there are provided thin films that include a nanoimprint resist comprising a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., said mold being capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm, said polymeric composition being capable of retaining said plurality of structures upon removal of said mold. In certain of these embodiments, the nanoimprint resist further include a plasticizer, a mold release agent, a monomer, a crosslinker, an additive, or any combination thereof. In particular, there are provided several embodiments where the thin films are composed of nanoimprint resists that include from about 20 weight percent to 100 weight percent of the polymeric composition, up to about 80 weight percent of a plasticizer, and up to about 30 weight percent of a mold release agent.
[0076] In another embodiment of the present invention, the polymeric composition includes from about 1 weight percent to about 50 weight percent of units derived from an oligomer; from about 0.01 weight percent to about 10 weight percent of units derived from a crosslinking agent; and from about 50 weight percent to about 90 weight percent of units derived from a monomer. Typically, these polymeric compositions are deformable at a temperature of less than about 100° C., and typically deformable at a temperature above about 10° C. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, suitable thermoplastic compositions can provide nanoimprint resist having a glass transition temperature below about 10° C. In these embodiments, the polymeric composition typically includes at least one of a photocurable polymeric composition, a thermoplastic polymeric composition, a thermosettable polymeric composition, or any combination thereof.
[0077] In another embodiment, there is provided a nanoimprint resist, which includes a polymeric composition deformable by a mold at a temperature of less than 200° C., the mold capable of forming a plurality of structures having at least one dimension less than 200 nm, the polymeric composition capable of retaining said plurality of structures upon removal of said mold. In this embodiment, the nanoimprint resists is provided by any of the polymeric compositions provided herein.
[0078] All ranges described herein are inclusive and combinable.
[0079] The advantageous properties of this invention can be observed by reference to the following examples, which illustrate but do not limit the invention.
EXAMPLES
[0080] Examples 1-10 disclose various compositions that are useful in the invention. The compositions can be prepared according to well known methods in the art.
Example 1
[0081] A polymeric composition is composed of the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
poly(butyl methacrylate)
20%-99.9%
dioctyl phthalate
0-79.9%
GP-277
0.1-30%
Example 2
[0082] A polymeric composition is composed of the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
poly(methylhexadecylsiloxane)
50%-100%
polyethylene glycol 200 dibenzoate
0-50%
Example 3
[0083] A polymeric composition is composed of the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
polystyrene
20%-99.9%
diisodecyl adipate
0%-79.9%
GP-187
0.01%-30%
Example 4
[0084] A polymeric composition is composed of the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
poly(octadecyl methacrylate)
90-99%
triphenyl phosphate
0%-10%
FS-62
0%-1%
Example 5
[0085] A polymeric composition is composed of the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
poly(vinylchloride-co-vinylacetate)
20%-100%
diisodevyl phthalate
0%-80%
GP-187
0%-30%
Example 6
[0086] A composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
polyvinylacetate
20%-100%
diisodevyl phthalate
0%-80%
siloxane containing polymer
0%-30%
Example 7
[0087] A composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
Divinylbenzene (DVB)
28%
polyvinylacetate (PVAc)
68%
GP-187
2%
AIBN
2%
Example 8
[0088] A composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
Acrylic polysiloxane
73%
TMPTA (trimethylolpropane triacrylate)
11%
Lauryl methylacrylate
12%
IRGACURE ® 184
4%
Example 9
[0089] A composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
Isobornyl methacrylate
20%
Polyethyleneglycol(400) diacrylate
10%
CN-2253
41%
PHOTOMER ® 4094
25%
IRGACURE ® 184
4%
Example 10
[0090] A composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
Isobutyl methaacrylate
40%
SR-212
30%
PHOTOMER ® 4094
25%
IRGACURE ® 184
5%
Example 11
[0091] An imprintable functional material composition of the invention comprises the following components.
[0000]
component
weight percent
SIB1400.0
27%
SIM6486.6
30%
Methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane
16%
TMPTMA
10%
Divinyl benzene
10%
IRGACURE ® 184
3%
IRGACURE ® 819
1%
Dicunyl peroxide
3%
[0092] Having described the invention, we now claim the following and their equivalents.
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The invention is directed to new nanoimprint resist and thin-film compositions for use in nanoimprinting lithography. The compositions permit economical high-throughput mass production, using nanoimprint processes, of patterns having sub-200 nm, and even sub-50 nm features.
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RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation-in-part of our copending application Ser. No. 313,585, filed Oct. 21, 1981, and now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to isocyanate-containing polymers, e.g., methacrylate of low residual monomeric isocyanate content and to their preparation by adding as a scavenger a small amount of an active monomer near the end of the polymerization process.
2. Prior Art
Bortnick U.S. Pat. No. 2,718,516 shows the preparation of some β-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate polymers.
Simms U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,632 shows the preparation of β-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate polymers of controlled low molecular weight.
Brixius and Simms U.S. Pat. No. 4,351,755 (Brixius) shows another preparation of β-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate polymers of controlled low molecular weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A problem in the preparation of isocyanate polymers by methods used in the art is the residual toxic monomeric isocyanate left after the polymerization reaction is complete. Optimization of the process of the Brixius patent noted above, for example, results in residual isocyanate monomer of down to about 500 ppm for the preparation concentration. While this figure is quite low, it is nevertheless desirable to lower the concentration of the monomer further because of its toxicity.
Reduction of the toxic monomeric content of an isocyanate methacrylic polymer is accomplished in the present invention by the use of a scavenger near the end of the polymerization reaction. The scavenger should be an active polymerizable monomer and here is preferably butyl acrylate. It is added in an amount at least equal to the concentration of isocyanate monomer when at least 98% of the isocyanate monomer has been polymerized.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the present invention, polymers are produced between (1) at least one isocyanatoalkyl methacrylic monomer of the formula: ##STR1## wherein A is alkylene of 2-6 carbons, and (2) optionally but preferably at least one other acrylic or vinyl monomer polymerizable therewith, preferably of the formula: ##STR2## wherein
R is hydrogen or methyl and
X is phenyl, tolyl, cyano, ##STR3## R' being alkyl of 1-8 carbons.
The polymers may be prepared by any of the methods known to the art, e.g., by batch or continuous bulk or solution polymerization as shown by Simms, or by other processes. The process of Brixius noted above, in which the polymerization is accomplished under substantially anhydrous conditions and in the presence of a mercaptan chain-transfer agent, can also be used. In the last-mentioned process, the product is polydisperse and at least partially chain terminated by a monosulfide group.
The preferred isocyanato monomer of formula (1) for use in the invention is 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate (IEM), although any of those of the general formula can be used. Several such isocyanate monomers can be used at one time, if desired.
The preferred monomer of formula (2) for use with the present process is styrene, but one or more other can also be used, such as 2-ethylhexyl acrylate or methacrylate or even butyl acrylate. In addition to acrylate monomers, other ethylenically unsaturated monomers such as acrylonitrile or vinyl acetate can be used.
The monomers may be polymerized in any weight ratio but usually about 27-75% of the isocyanate monomer is employed, the remainder being the other, nonisocyanato, monomer.
The process of this invention is carried out in an organic solvent calculated to yield a product of at least 50% by weight solids. Any solvent inert to the reactants, especially isocyanate, can be used. When the reaction is 98% complete, a scavenger, an active monomer that will selectively react with unreacted isocyanate faster than with itself (homopolymerize), is added. The extent of reaction can be determined in any convenient way as by direct analysis of samples. Computer simulation, however, can also be employed.
A preferred monomer for the present process is n-butyl acrylate but other monomers such as ethyl and propyl acrylates, and diethyl and dimethyl fumarates, are also useful. Since the isocyanato monomer is a methacrylate, methacrylates are not preferred.
The polymerization is preferably carried out in a continuous process in which reactants and catalysts or initiators are continuously fed into a refluxing solvent giving a final concentration of at least 50% solids. When the reactants have all been added and the reaction is 98% complete, a single addition of the scavenger monomer is made.
The scavenger should be added in an amount at least equal to the amount of monomeric isocyanate present. Preferably, at least 1.5-5 times as much scavenger as isocyanate is added.
By means of the scavenger, the residual isocyanato monomer can be reduced below 500 ppm, e.g., to between 100-500 ppm based on the concentration. This amounts to a decrease in about 20-50% by weight of the residual isocyanato monomer.
There follow a control carried out according to the procedure of Brixius and some examples of the invention. In these examples and the control, parts and percentages are in terms of weight and temperatures in degrees centrigrade unless otherwise noted.
CONTROL
In a 5-liter round-bottom flask fitted for reflux with a stirrer, thermometer, nitrogen blanket and a dropping funnel, a reaction was run according to the procedure of Brixius with the following charge:
______________________________________Ingredient Parts______________________________________Portion 1Ethyl Acetate 293.0IEM 269.0Styrene 249.0Portion 2Styrene 506.0IEM 539.0Portion 3Azobis(isobutyronitrile) 35.0Cellosolve ® Acetate 275.0Ethyl Acetate 199.0Portion 4n-Dodecyl Mercaptan 175.0Portion 5Ethyl Acetate 729.0 3,269.0______________________________________
Portion 1 was charged to the flask, 15.2 parts of Portion 4 was added and reflux was begun. Portions 2, 3 and 4 were started simultaneously, Portion 2 being added over 180 minutes and Portion 3 over 380 minutes. Portion 4 was added at varying rates, 51.5 p over 0-45 minutes, 99.5 p over 45-190 minutes, and 9.8 p over 190-245 minutes. After the catalyst (Portion 4) was fed completely, reflux was continued for 40 minutes and the thinner, Portion 5 was added.
The product was a solution of the thioalkylterminated copolymer of IEM/styrene/dodecyl mercaptan of the ratio: 46/43/10, useful, for example, as a crosslinking agent: % Solids=53.68%; % NCO=6.65 (6.66; 6.64); Brookfield Viscosity=75.6 cps, 100 rpm, No. 2 spindle. The conversion of isocyanatoethyl methacrylate was 99.80%, and the product contained 500 ppm of residual IEM monomer.
EXAMPLE 1
The control run above was substantially repeated except that a new Portion 5 of the active nontoxic monomer, n-butyl acrylate, was interpolated.
The following charge was used:
______________________________________ Parts______________________________________Portion 1Ethyl Acetate 234.0IEM 269.0Styrene 249.0Portion 2Styrene 491.0IEM 539.0Portion 3Azobis(isobutyronitrile) 35.0Cellosolve ® Acetate 275.0Ethyl Acetate 199.0Portion 4n-Dodecyl Mercaptan 176.0Portion 5Butyl Acrylate 15.0Portion 6Ethyl Acetate 788.0 3,270.0______________________________________
Portion 1 was added to a 5-liter flask equipped as above and reacted to 100°, 15.2 p of Portion 4 was added, and reflux was continued. Portion 2 was added over 180 minutes concomitantly with Portion 3, added over 380 minutes. The remainder of Portion 4 was added as follows: 0-45 minutes, 51.5 p; 45-190 minutes, 99.5 p; and 190-245 minutes, 9.8 p. Portion 5 was added in 5 minutes beginning at 300 minutes when 99% of the pot charge had been added and 97-98% converted. After all the catalyst feed was in, the reaction was held 40 minutes at reflux and the product thinned immediately with Portion 6. Constants of the product were: % Solids, 54.05; % NCO, 16.69, 6.67/6.68; Brookfield Viscosity, 77.6 cps, 100 rpm #2 spindle. The product was the IEM/styrene/dodecyl mercaptan copolymer (plus a small amount of butyl acrylate) having the ratio 46.46/42.55/10.12/0.87. The residual IEM monomer was only 315 ppm (290, 340 ppm) with 99.87% (99.88, 99.86%) conversion.
These figures represent a 37% reduction in residual monomeric isocyanate from the control.
EXAMPLE 2
A 2-isocyanatoethyl methacrylate/styrene copolymer was made with butyl 2-mercaptopropionate as chaintransfer agent from the following ingredients:
______________________________________ Parts______________________________________Portion 1Ethyl Acetate 240.0IEM 276.0Styrene 250.0Portion 2Styrene 513.0IEM 558.0Portion 3Azobis(isobutyronitrile) 36.0Cellosolve ® Acetate 282.0Ethyl Acetate 204.0Portion 4Butyl 3-Mercaptopropionate 145.0Portion 5Butyl Acrylate 16.0Portion 6Ethyl acetate 800.0 3320.0______________________________________
Portion 1 was charged to a 5-1 flask and brought to reflux at about 100°. 13 p of Portion 4 (the mercaptan) was added at one time and the remainder as follows: 99.5 p over the next 65 minutes; 26.5 p over the next 45 minutes, 6 p over the next 30 minutes. Beginning with the addition of Portion 4, Portion 2 was added over 60 minutes, Portion 5 was added after 180 minutes and Portion 3 over 260 minutes. Following a hold at 100° after the complete addition of Portion 3, Portion 6 was added for dilution.
The product was a solution of an IEM/styrene/mercaptan polymer in the proporiton 47/43/812 (with about 1% initiator residue); M w =6,000; M w =2,100; % Solids=53.9; % NCO=6.67; Brookfield Viscosity=82.4 cps, 100 rps, No. 2 Spindle; Residual IEM=300 ppm.
These figures represent a 33% reduction in residual isocyanate monomer as compared with the control.
EXAMPLE 3
In a 2-1 flask fitted for polymerization, the following was reacted:
______________________________________ Parts______________________________________Portion 1Cellosolve ® Acetate 192.0Toluene 128.0Portion 2IEM 368.0Styrene 328.0Portion 32-t-Butylazo-2-cyanobutane 64.0Portion 4t-Dodecyl Mercaptan 32.0Toluene 32.0Portion 5n-Butyl Acrylate 6.4 1,150.4______________________________________
Portion 1 was put in the flask and brought to reflux (133°). Portion 2 was added over 170 minutes. Portion 3 was simultaneously added, 60 parts over 195 minutes and 4 p over the following 30 minutes. Portion 4 was added beginning 5 minutes into the run and finishing 155 minutes later. Portion 5 was added at 180 minutes and the run finished by holding 30 minutes at 130°.
All (100%) of the expected value of --NCO, 8.65% (8.65% calc.) was found with the residual IEM=500 ppm, a 17% reduction in residual monomer as compared with a control of equal nonvolatiles content.
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Disclosed is an improvement in the (co)polymerization of an isocyanate-containing monomer, e.g., an isocyanatoalkyl methacrylate, forming a product of very low residual toxic monomeric isocyanate (less than 500 ppm) useful in avoiding air pollution. The improvement consists in adding a scavenger, a small amount of an active nonpolluting monomer such as butyl acrylate, near the end of the polymerization.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/348,909, filed on Feb. 7, 2006 and published as U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0118118 on Aug. 9, 2007, the entirety of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The present invention relates generally to fluid control valves for production well equipment. In particular, this invention relates to back pressure valves for reverse cementing applications.
[0003] Production wells typically have valves and valve seats also known as check valves and back pressure valves. These valves are utilized in different applications in various industries including but not limited to the oil and gas industry. Current back pressure valves supply a one direction flow and a negative flow from the other direction. This may be desirable when a controlled flow is important for such purposes as safety well control while placing a casing string and/or tubing in a potentially active well.
[0004] Typical valves may be mechanically manipulated to selectively change the direction of flow during operations and then selectively change the flow direction back to an original direction. Valves are usually manipulated between configurations by mechanical movement of the casing/tubing, or placing an inter string inside the casing/tubing string to apply weight on the valve so as to hold the valve in an open configuration. Other mechanisms for manipulating valves include disabling the valve with a pressure activated ball or plug allowing flow to enter the casing/tubing string. But these valves cannot be reactivated, if desired. Other valves are manipulated when the casing bottoms in the rat hole at the bottom of the well bore so that the valve is mechanically held open by the set down weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] The present invention relates generally to fluid control valves for production well equipment. In particular, this invention relates to back pressure valves for reverse cementing applications.
[0006] More specifically, one embodiment of the present invention is directed to a valve for a well pipe, the valve having the following parts: a valve collar connectable to the well pipe; an index piston coaxially positioned within the valve collar for longitudinal translation within the valve collar between closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations; a detent in the index piston, wherein the detent restricts fluid flow in a circulation direction through a flow path through the index piston; a spring that biases the index piston toward the closed and locked-open configurations; and a plug of the valve collar that mechanically communicates with the index piston to be in corresponding closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations.
[0007] According to a further aspect of the invention, there is provided a valve for a well pipe, the valve being made up of different components including: a valve collar connectable to the well pipe, wherein the valve collar comprises an indexing lug; an index piston coaxially positioned within the valve collar for longitudinal translation within the valve collar between closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations, wherein the index piston comprises an index pattern comprising closed, flow-open, and locked-open positions such that when the indexing lug is positioned at the closed, flow-open, and locked-open positions, the index piston is configured in the closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations, respectively; a detent in the index piston, wherein the detent restricts fluid flow in a circulation direction through a flow path through the index piston; a spring that biases the index piston toward the closed and locked-open configurations; and a plug of the valve collar that mechanically communicates with the index piston to be in corresponding closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations.
[0008] Another aspect of the invention provides a method of regulating fluid circulation through a well casing, the method having the following steps: attaching a valve to the casing; running the valve and casing into the well, wherein the valve is in a closed configuration to maintain relatively higher fluid pressure outside the casing compared to the fluid pressure in the inner diameter of the casing; circulating fluid down the inner diameter of the casing and through the valve to the outside of the casing, wherein the valve is manipulated by the fluid circulation to an open configuration; and ceasing the circulating fluid, wherein the valve is manipulated to a locked-open configuration.
[0009] The features and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the description of the exemplary embodiments, which follows.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] A more complete understanding of the present disclosure and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
[0011] FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a valve of the present invention, wherein the valve is shown in a closed configuration.
[0012] FIG. 1B is a schematic side view of an embodiment of an index pattern and indexing lug, wherein the indexing lug is located in a closed position.
[0013] FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side view of the valve of FIG. 1A , wherein the valve is shown in a flow-open configuration.
[0014] FIG. 2B is a schematic side view of the index pattern and indexing lug of FIG. 1B , wherein the indexing lug is located in a flow-open position.
[0015] FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional side view of the valve of FIGS. 1A and 2A , wherein the valve is shown in a locked-open configuration.
[0016] FIG. 3B is a schematic side view of the index pattern and indexing lug of FIGS. 1B and 2B , wherein the indexing lug is located in a locked-open position.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a valve of the present invention fixed in a casing by a cement attachment.
[0018] FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional side view of an embodiment of a valve of the present invention, wherein the valve is shown in a closed configuration.
[0019] FIG. 5B is a schematic side view of an embodiment of an index pattern and indexing lug, wherein the indexing lug is located in a closed position.
[0020] FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional side view of the valve of FIG. 5A , wherein the valve is shown in a flow-open configuration.
[0021] FIG. 6B is a schematic side view of the index pattern and indexing lug of FIG. 5B , wherein the indexing lug is located in a flow-open position.
[0022] FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional side view of the valve of FIGS. 5A and 6A , wherein the valve is shown in a locked-open configuration.
[0023] FIG. 7B is a schematic side view of the index pattern and indexing lug of FIGS. 5B and 6B , wherein the indexing lug is located in a locked-open position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0024] The present invention relates generally to fluid control valves for production well equipment. In particular, this invention relates to back pressure valves for reverse cementing applications. The details of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. This specification discloses various valve embodiments.
[0025] Referring to FIGS. 1A , 2 A, and 3 A, cross-sectional side views of a valve 1 are illustrated. The valve 1 has several major components including: a valve collar 10 , a detent in the form of a ball cage 20 , an index piston 30 , an index pattern 40 , a spring 50 , and a poppet plug 60 . FIGS. 2A and 3A also illustrate cross-sectional side views of the valve 1 . In FIG. 1A , the valve 1 is shown in a closed position. In FIG. 2A , the valve 1 is shown in a flow-open position. In FIG. 3A , the valve 1 is shown in a locked-open position. FIGS. 1B , 2 B, and 3 B illustrate schematic side views of the index pattern 40 . In each of these figures, an indexing lug 11 is shown in a different position as described more fully below.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 1A , 2 A, and 3 A, each of the major components of the valve 1 are described. The valve collar 10 is a cylindrical structure that houses the other major components. The valve collar 10 has three sections, including: the indexing section 12 , the mounting section 13 , and the seat section 14 . The mounting section 13 has female threads at its upper and lower ends, wherein male threads of the indexing section 12 are made up to the upper end of the mounting section 13 and male threads of the seat section 14 are made up to the lower end of the mounting section 13 . The indexing section 12 has a shoulder 15 wherein the inside diameter of the indexing section 12 is smaller below the shoulder as compared to above the shoulder 15 . The mounting section 13 has a stem mount 16 that extends from the inside diameter side wall of the mounting section 13 . The stem mount 16 is an arm having an annular eyelet at its distal end for receiving a stem 33 of the index piston 30 . The seat section 14 has a beveled valve seat 18 for receiving the poppet plug 60 .
[0027] The ball cage 20 is a somewhat umbrella-shaped structure mounted to the top of the index piston 30 that serves as a ball valve type of detent. The ball cage 20 has a support shaft 21 that extends along the longitudinal central axis of the ball cage 20 . The ball cage 20 also has a cylindrical strainer section 22 that has an outside diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of the indexing section 12 of the valve collar 10 . The strainer section 22 is mounted to the support shaft 21 via a top plate 23 . The strainer section 22 has a plurality of side holes 24 that allow fluid communication through the strainer section 22 . The top plate 23 also has a plurality of top holes 25 that also allow fluid communication through the ball cage 20 . The ball cage 20 is connected to the index piston 30 via the support shaft 21 , which extends into a recess in the top of the index piston 30 . The support shaft 21 is threaded, welded, or otherwise connected to the index piston 30 . The lower edge of the strainer section 22 sits on the top of the index piston 30 and may also be connected thereto. The ball cage 20 also comprises a plurality of balls 26 , which are freely allowed to move about within the ball cage 20 . The outside diameter of the balls 26 are larger than the inside diameter of the side holes 24 and top holes 25 so that the balls 26 are retained within the ball cage 20 .
[0028] The index piston 30 has a plurality of flow ports 31 that extend through the index piston 30 parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the piston 30 . The inside diameter of the flow ports 31 are smaller than the outside diameter of the balls 26 of the ball cage 20 . An annular seal 32 is positioned in a recessed near the top of the outside circumference of the index piston 30 to form a seal between the index piston 30 and the valve collar 10 . The annular seal 32 restricts fluid flow between the two structures even as the index piston 30 translates longitudinally within the valve collar 10 . The indexing piston 30 also has an indexing J-Slot 34 in its exterior wall. The indexing J-Slot 34 has an index pattern 40 described in more detail below. The stem 33 extends from the bottom of the index piston 30 so as to connect the poppet plug 60 to the index piston 30 through the stem mount 16 . The poppet plug 60 is threaded, welded, molded, or otherwise fastened or connected to the end of the stem 33 .
[0029] As shown in FIGS. 1A , 2 A, and 3 A, the spring 50 is positioned concentrically around the stem 33 of the index piston 30 . At its upper end, the spring engages the lower face of the index piston 30 and at its lower end, the spring 50 engages a spring shoulder 17 at the upper edge of the stem mount 16 . In FIG. 1A , the spring 50 is illustrated in a relaxed or expanded position, while in FIG. 2A , the spring 50 is completely compressed. In FIG. 3A , the spring 50 is only partially compressed.
[0030] The poppet plug 60 is connected to a lower most end of the stem 33 for longitudinal movement into and out of engagement with the valve seat 18 of the seat section 14 . The poppet plug 60 has a conical seal surface 61 for engagement with the valve seat 18 . The seal surface 61 terminates in a seal lip 62 that deflects slightly when the poppet plug 60 is inserted into the valve seat 18 . The deflection of the seal lip 62 ensures the integrity of the seal when the valve is closed.
[0031] Referring to FIGS. 1B , 2 B, and 3 B, the index pattern 40 defines several lug positions that are used to configure the valve in closed, flow-open, and locked-open positions. Closed positions 41 are located in the lower-most portions of the index pattern 40 . When the indexing lug 11 is located in one of the closed positions 41 , the valve 1 is configured in a closed configuration. Flow-open positions 42 are found in the upper-most portions of the index pattern 40 . As shown in FIG. 2B , when the indexing lug 11 is positioned in one of the flow-open positions 42 , the valve 1 is configured in a flow-open configuration. Locked-open positions 43 are found in a medium lower position of the index pattern 40 . When the indexing lug 11 is in a locked-open position 43 , the valve 1 is in a locked-open configuration. FIG. 3B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a locked-open position 43 which corresponds to a valve 1 configuration that is locked-open as illustrated in FIG. 3A . FIG. 1B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a closed position 41 , which corresponds to a closed valve 1 configuration as illustrated in FIG. 1A . FIG. 2B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a flow-open position 42 which corresponds to a valve flow-open configuration as illustrated in FIG. 2A .
[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates a valve 1 of the present invention assembled into a casing 2 . The annular space between the valve collar 10 of the valve 1 and the casing 2 may be filled with a concrete or cement attachment 3 to allow the valve 1 to be drilled out of the casing should removal of the valve 1 become necessary. In other embodiments of the invention, the valve 1 may be connected to the casing 2 by any means known to persons of skill. For example, the valve 2 may be stung into a casing collar, or threaded into an internal casing flange.
[0033] The process for operating the valve is described with reference to FIGS. 1A , 2 A, and 3 A. When the valve is run into the well, the valve 1 is in the closed configuration with the spring 50 holding the valve 1 closed. In the illustrated embodiment, the spring 50 is compressed between the bottom face of the index piston 30 and the spring shoulder 17 . The force of the spring 50 biases the poppet plug 60 toward the valve seat 18 . In particular, the valve 1 is biased to a closed configuration. With the valve 1 in the closed configuration, the indexing lug 11 is located in a closed position 41 as shown in FIG. 1B . As the casing 2 and valve 1 are run into the well, increasing fluid pressure from below the valve 1 is checked against the poppet plug 60 and is not allowed to enter the inner diameter of the casing 2 .
[0034] When it is desired to open the valve 1 , fluid may be circulated down the inner diameter of the casing 2 to the valve 1 . Due to gravity, fluid moving in the circulation direction, or any other forces in play, the balls 26 within the ball cage 20 seat themselves in the tops of some of the flow ports 31 (see FIGS. 1A and 2A ). The circulating fluid then flows through the remaining open flow port(s) 31 . However, for fluid to flow through the valve 1 , the fluid pressure inside the inner diameter of the casing 2 must increase to overcome the fluid pressure outside the valve 1 and to overcome the bias force applied by the spring 50 . When the fluid pressure becomes large enough, the poppet plug 60 unseats from the valve seat 18 to allow fluid to circulate through the valve. The valve 1 becomes partially open.
[0035] As fluid is circulated through the valve 1 , the remaining open flow port(s) 31 present a relatively restricted cross-sectional flow area, a pressure differential is created across the valve 1 . As the flow rate increases, the pressure differential increases. When the pressure differential becomes great enough to overcome the bias force of the spring 50 , the valve 1 is reconfigured to the flow-open configuration (see FIG. 2A ). In this configuration, the valve 1 is completely open and the indexing lug 11 is driven to a flow-open position 42 in the index pattern 40 .
[0036] The relative movement of the indexing lug 11 and the index pattern 40 , as the valve 1 moves from the closed configuration to the flow-open configuration, is described with reference to FIGS. 1B and 2B . As the poppet plug 60 moves out of the valve seat 18 , the index piston 30 translates downwardly relative to the valve collar 10 and the indexing lug 11 . This relative movement corresponds to the indexing lug 11 moving upward in the index pattern from a closed position 41 to a flow-open position 42 (see FIGS. 1B and 2B ). As the indexing lug 11 approaches the flow-open position 42 , the indexing lug 11 contacts and slides along an upper ramp 44 . As the indexing lug 11 slides along the upper ramp 44 , the index piston, ball cage 20 and poppet plug 60 rotate and translate relative to the valve collar 10 . As long as fluid continues to circulate at a sufficient flow rate through the remaining open flow port(s) 31 from the inside diameter of the casing 2 to the exterior of the casing 2 , the indexing lug 11 is driven to the flow-open position 42 . Simultaneously, the spring 50 collapses and the indexing J-slot 34 moves across the indexing lug 11 so as to position the indexing lug 11 in the flow-open position 42 of the index pattern 40 (see FIGS. 1B and 2B ).
[0037] Fluid flow in the circulation direction through the valve 1 may be continued as long as desired to circulate the well. When flow in the circulation direction is discontinued (pumping stops), the pressure equalizes across the flow ports 31 allowing the spring 50 to push the poppet plug 60 upwards. This upward movement of the poppet plug 60 , stem 33 , and index piston 30 will index the indexing J Slot 34 to either the closed position 41 or the locked-open position 43 . The index pattern 40 has alternating closed positions 41 and locked-open positions 43 . Thus, each time flow in the circulation direction is continued and discontinued, the valve 1 will alternate between a closed configuration and a locked-open configuration. Because the index pattern 40 repeats itself indefinitely in circular fashion, there is no limit to the number of times the valve 1 may opened and closed.
[0038] The relative movement of the indexing lug 11 and the index pattern 40 , as the valve 1 moves from the flow-open configuration to the locked-open configuration, is described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 3B . When fluid flow in the circulation direction is discontinued, the valve 1 is no longed held in the flow-open configuration. The spring 50 pushes the index piston 30 upwardly relative to the valve collar 10 and the indexing lug 11 . This relative movement corresponds to the indexing lug 11 moving downward in the index pattern 40 from a flow-open position 42 to a locked-open position 43 (see FIGS. 2B and 3B ). As the indexing lug 11 approaches the locked-open position 43 , the indexing lug 11 contacts and slides along a lower ramp 45 . As the indexing lug 11 slides along the lower ramp 45 , the index piston 30 , ball cage 20 and poppet plug 60 rotate and translate relative to the valve collar 10 . The spring 50 expands to drive the indexing lug 11 to the locked-open position 43 . Simultaneously, the spring 50 expands and the indexing J-slot 34 moves across the indexing lug 11 so as to position the indexing lug 11 in the locked-open position 43 of the index pattern 40 (see FIGS. 2B and 3B ).
[0039] If the valve 1 had previously been in the locked-open configuration immediately before fluid flow in the circulation direction is started and stopped, the valve will then cycle to a closed configuration. The relative movement of the indexing lug 11 and the index pattern 40 , as the valve 1 moves from the flow-open configuration to the closed configuration, is described with reference to FIGS. 2B and 1B . When fluid flow in the circulation direction is discontinued, the valve 1 is no longed held in the flow-open configuration. The spring 50 pushes the index piston 30 upwardly relative to the valve collar 10 and the indexing lug 11 . This relative movement corresponds to the indexing lug 11 moving downward in the index pattern 40 from a flow-open position 42 to a closed position 41 (see FIGS. 2B and 1B ). As the indexing lug 11 approaches the closed position 41 , the indexing lug 11 contacts and slides along a lower ramp 45 . As the indexing lug 11 slides along the lower ramp 45 , the index piston 30 , ball cage 20 and poppet plug 60 rotate and translate relative to the valve collar 10 . The spring 50 expands to drive the indexing lug 11 to the closed position 41 . Simultaneously, the spring 50 expands and the indexing J-slot 34 moves across the indexing lug 11 so as to position the indexing lug 11 in the closed position 41 of the index pattern 40 (see FIGS. 2B and 1B ).
[0040] In certain embodiments of the invention, the valve 1 may be cycled between closed, flow-open and locked-open configurations an unlimited number of times as the index pattern 40 around the index piston 30 is a repeating pattern without end. In other embodiments of the invention, the index pattern 40 may have more than one locked-open position 43 , such that the different locked-open positions 43 have different heights in the index pattern 40 . Locked-open positions 43 of different heights hold the valve 1 open in different degrees so as to make it possible to provide restricted flow through the valve 1 in the reverse-circulation direction.
[0041] According to one embodiment of the invention, a casing string 2 is deployed with complete well control while making up the casing string 2 and positioning it into the desired location of the well bore. Once the casing 2 is positioned at its desired location and the top end of the casing is secured with safety valves (cementing head or swage) the back pressure valve 1 may be disabled (without casing/tubing movement) allowing flow from the well bore to enter the string and exit from the top of the string which in return will allow placement of desired fluids into the well bore and around the casing string 2 . When the fluid is at the desired location within the well bore the movement of fluid can be stopped by reactivating the back pressure valve 1 .
[0042] Certain embodiments of the invention include cementing float equipment back pressure valves for reverse cementing applications. These valves involve the use of an indexing mechanism to activate and deactivate the back pressure valve allowing fluid movement from desired directions. The activation process may be manipulated as often as desired during operations of running casing in the hole or the actual cementing operations.
[0043] The valve may be activated as follows. First, when the valve 1 is in the normal operation mode (closed position), flow from the outside is checked (see FIG. 1A ). The well may be circulated from the inside of casing to outside without deactivation of back pressure valve 1 . Increased flow rate creates pressure drop across flow ports 31 , thus indexing the valve into the open position (see FIG. 2A ). Releasing the flow pressure allows the lug to hold the valve 1 open (see FIG. 3A ). Flow from either direction can be achieved at this time (circulation or reverse-circulation) (see FIG. 3A ). The valve may be closed again by increased flow rate from the inner diameter to outside of casing/tubing 2 . ( FIG. 2A ) This allows the valve 1 to return to normal operation (no flow allowed from outside to inside). ( FIG. 1A ) This process can be repeated as often as desired.
[0044] The valve 1 allows complete well control while running the casing/tubing 2 in the hole with the ability to circulate the well without manually activating the indexing mechanism. When desired the valve can be locked-open to perform reverse circulation. If or when desired the valve can be activated again to shut off (check) the flow from annuals gaining complete well control again with the ability to release any pressure trapped on the side of the casing/tubing string. The valve can be activated and deactivated as often as desired.
[0045] Referring to FIGS. 5A , 6 A, and 7 A, cross-sectional side views of an alternative valve 1 are illustrated. The valve 1 has several major components including: a valve collar 10 , a detent flapper 27 , an index piston 30 , an index pattern 40 , a spring 50 , and a flapper plug 63 . In FIG. 5A , the valve 1 is shown in a closed position. In FIG. 6A , the valve 1 is shown in a flow-open position. In FIG. 7A , the valve 1 is shown in a locked-open position. FIGS. 5B , 6 B, and 7 B illustrate schematic side views of the index pattern 40 . In each of these figures, an indexing lug 11 is shown in a different position as described more fully below.
[0046] Referring to FIGS. 5A , 6 A, and 7 A, each of the major components of the valve 1 are described. Similar to the previously described embodiment, the valve collar 10 is a cylindrical structure comprising an indexing section 12 , a mounting section 13 , and a seat section 14 . As before, the indexing section 12 has a shoulder 15 . The mounting section 13 has a stem mount 16 that extends from the inside diameter side wall of the mounting section 13 . The stem mount 16 is an arm having an annular eyelet at its distal end for receiving a stem 33 of the index piston 30 . The seat section 14 has a beveled valve seat 18 for receiving the flapper plug 63 .
[0047] As shown in FIGS. 5A , 6 A and 7 A, the index piston 30 has a plurality of flow ports 31 that extend through the index piston 30 parallel to the longitudinal central axis of the index piston 30 . At least one detent flapper 27 is positioned at the opening of at least one of the flow ports 31 . An annular seal 32 is positioned in a recessed near the top of the outside circumference of the index piston 30 to form a seal between the index piston 30 and the valve collar 10 . The annular seal 32 restricts fluid flow between the two structures even as the index piston 30 translates longitudinally within the valve collar 10 .
[0048] In this embodiment of the valve 1 , the indexing section 12 of the valve collar also has an indexing J-Slot 34 in its interior wall. The indexing J-Slot 34 has an index pattern 40 . The stem 33 extends from the bottom of the index piston 30 through the stem mount 16 . As shown in FIGS. 5A , 6 A, and 7 A, the spring 50 is positioned concentrically around the stem 33 of the index piston 30 . At its upper end, the spring engages the lower face of the index piston 30 and at its lower end, the spring 50 engages a spring shoulder 17 at the upper edge of the stem mount 16 . In FIG. 5A , the spring 50 is illustrated in a relaxed or expanded position, while in FIG. 6A , the spring 50 is completely compressed. In FIG. 7A , the spring 50 is only partially compressed. The flapper plug 63 is connected to a lower most end of the seat section 14 of the valve collar 10 for pivotal movement into and out of engagement with the valve seat 18 of the seat section 14 . The flapper valve seats in the valve seat 18 and is biased to a closed position by a spring as is known in the art. The flapper plug 63 has a conical seal surface 61 for engagement with the valve seat 18 . The flapper plug 63 is opened by the stem 33 when the stem extends through to the seat section 14 to push the flapper plug 63 from its biased position in the valve seat 18 . When the index piston 30 and stem 33 are driven downwardly relative to the flapper valve, the stem extends through the valve seat 18 to push and hold the flapper valve open. In further embodiments of the invention, the poppet plug 60 or flapper plug 63 are replaced with any valve mechanism known to persons of skill.
[0049] Referring to FIGS. 5B , 6 B, and 7 B, the index pattern 40 defines several lug positions that are used to configure the valve in closed, flow-open, and locked-open positions. Closed positions 41 are located in the upper-most portions of the index pattern 40 . When the indexing lug 11 is located in one of the closed positions 41 , the valve 1 is configured in a closed configuration. Flow-open positions 42 are found in the lower-most portions of the index pattern 40 . As shown in FIG. 6B , when the indexing lug 11 is positioned in one of the flow-open positions 42 , the valve 1 is configured in a flow-open configuration. Locked-open positions 43 are found in a medium upper position of the index pattern 40 . When the indexing lug 11 is in a locked-open position 43 , the valve 1 is in a locked-open configuration. FIG. 7B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a locked-open position 43 which corresponds to a valve 1 configuration that is locked-open as illustrated in FIG. 7A . FIG. 5B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a closed position 41 , which corresponds to a closed valve 1 configuration as illustrated in FIG. 5A . FIG. 6B illustrates the indexing lug 11 in a flow-open position 42 which corresponds to a valve flow-open configuration as illustrated in FIG. 6A .
[0050] In the embodiments of the invention illustrated in FIGS. 5A , 6 A, and 7 A, one or more flapper valves 27 are seated in the tops of the flow ports 31 . To allow restricted flow through the flow ports 31 in the circulation direction, at least one of the flow ports 31 is not equipped with a flapper valve. In still further embodiments of the invention, the ball cage 20 or flapper valves 27 are replaced with any valving system known to persons of skill, wherein the valving system provides restricted fluid flow through the flow ports in the circulation direction, and unrestricted fluid flow through the flow ports 31 in the reverse-circulation direction.
[0051] The valve described with reference to FIGS. 5 , 6 and 7 is operated in a similar manner as that described for FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 .
[0052] As described herein the detent in the indexing piston takes on many forms. In FIGS. 1A , 2 A, and 3 A, the detent is a fewer number of balls 26 than flow ports 31 . In alternative embodiments of the invention, the ball cage 20 retains the same number of balls 26 as flow ports 31 , but each of the balls has grooves in their exterior surfaces so that when the balls 26 lodge or seat themselves in the openings of the flow ports 31 , a relatively smaller amount of fluid passes through the grooves in the balls 26 and into the flow ports 31 . In FIGS. 5A , 6 A, and 7 A, the detent is a fewer number of detent flappers 27 than flow ports 31 in the indexing piston 30 . In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the detent has the same number of detent flappers 27 as flow ports 31 , but the detent flapper(s) 27 only partially closes the flow port(s) 31 when the detent flapper(s) 27 moves to a closed position. For example, where the flow port(s) 31 has a circular cross-section, the detent flapper(s) 27 has a half-moon cross-section to only partially close the flow port(s) 31 .
[0053] Therefore, the present invention is well-adapted to carry out the objects and attain the ends and advantages mentioned as well as those which are inherent therein. While the invention has been depicted, described, and is defined by reference to exemplary embodiments of the invention, such a reference does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is capable of considerable modification, alteration, and equivalents in form and function, as will occur to those ordinarily skilled in the pertinent arts and having the benefit of this disclosure. The depicted and described embodiments of the invention are exemplary only, and are not exhaustive of the scope of the invention. Consequently, the invention is intended to be limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims, giving full cognizance to equivalents in all respects.
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A valve for a well pipe, the valve having the following parts: a valve collar connectable to the well pipe; an index piston coaxially positioned within the valve collar for longitudinal translation within the valve collar between closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations; a detent in the index piston, wherein the detent restricts fluid flow in a circulation direction through a flow path through the index piston; a spring that biases the index piston toward the closed and locked-open configurations; and a plug of the valve collar that mechanically communicates with the index piston to be in corresponding closed, flow-open, and locked-open configurations.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 15/084,291, filed Mar. 29, 2016, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 62/140,039, filed Mar. 30, 2015, each of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure is related to a chemical plant or refinery. Specifically, the disclosure is related to early fault diagnosis of plant optimization opportunities to minimize impact on operations.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Companies operating refineries and petrochemical plants typically face tough challenges in today's environment. These challenges may include increasingly complex technologies, a reduction in workforce experience levels, and/or constantly changing environmental regulations.
[0004] Furthermore, as feed and product demand become more volatile, operators often find it more difficult to make the operating decisions that may optimize their operations. This volatility may be unlikely to ease in the foreseeable future; but it may represent potential to those companies that may quickly identify and respond to opportunities as they arise.
[0005] Pressures generally force operating companies to continually increase the return on existing assets. In response, catalyst, adsorbent, equipment, and/or control system suppliers develop more complex systems that may increase asset performance. Maintenance and operations of these advanced systems generally requires increased skill levels that may be difficult to develop, maintain, and transfer, given the time pressures and limited resources of today's technical personnel. This means that these increasingly complex systems are not always operated to their highest potential. In addition, when existing assets are operated close to and beyond their design limits, reliability concerns and operational risks may increase.
[0006] Plant operators typically respond to above challenges with one or more of several strategies, such as, for example, availability risk reduction, working the value chain, and continuous optimization. Availability risk reduction generally places an emphasis on achieving adequate plant operations as opposed to maximizing performance. Working the value chain typically places an emphasis on improving the match of feed and product mix with asset capabilities and market demands. Continuous optimization often employs tools, systems and models to continuously monitor and bridge the gaps in plant performance.
[0007] In a typical data cleansing process, only flow meters are corrected. Data cleansing is performed to correct flow meter calibration and fluid density changes, after which the total error of flow meters in a mass balance envelope is averaged to force a 100% mass balance between the net feed and net product flows. But this conventional data cleansing practice ignores other related process information available (e.g., temperatures, pressures, and internal flows) and does not allow for an early detection of a significant error. Specifically, the errors associated with the flow meters are distributed among the flow meters, and thus it is difficult to detect an error of a specific flow meter. Therefore, there is a need for improved data cleansing for chemical plants and refineries.
SUMMARY
[0008] A general object of the disclosure is to improve operation efficiency of chemical plants and refineries. A more specific object of this disclosure is to overcome one or more of the problems described above. A general object of this disclosure may be attained, at least in part, through a method for improving operation of a plant.
[0009] A method for improving operation of a plant may include obtaining plant operation information from the plant and generating a plant process model using the plant operation information. The plant operation information may, in some embodiments, include one or more factors, such as a temperature, a pressure, a feed flow, a product flow, and the like. In some embodiments, the plant operation information may include, for example, a density, a specific composition, and the like.
[0010] Some embodiments may use process measurements from, for example, pressure sensors, differential pressure sensors, orifice plates, venturi, other flow sensors, temperature sensors, capacitance sensors, weight sensors, gas chromatographs, moisture sensors, and other sensors commonly found in the refining and petrochemical industry. Alternatively or additionally, some embodiments may use process laboratory measurements from gas chromatographs, liquid chromatographs, distillation measurements, octane measurements, and other laboratory measurements commonly found in the refining and petrochemical industry.
[0011] The process measurements may be used to monitor the performance of process equipment, such as, for example, pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, fired heaters, control valves, fractionation columns, reactors, and/or other process equipment commonly found in the refining and petrochemical industry.
[0012] Some embodiments may use configured process models to reconcile measurements within individual process units, operating blocks, and/or complete processing systems. Routine and frequent analysis of model predicted values versus actual measured values may allow early identification of measurement errors that may be acted upon to minimize impact on operations.
[0013] Some embodiments may be implemented using a web-based computer system. The benefits of executing work processes within this platform may include improved plant performance due to an increased ability by operations to identify and capture opportunities, a sustained ability to bridge performance gaps, an increased ability to leverage personnel expertise, and improved enterprise tuning. Advanced computing technology in combination with other parameters may change the way plants, such as refineries and petrochemical facilities, are operated.
[0014] A data collection system at a plant may capture data that is automatically sent to a remote location, where it may be reviewed to, for example, eliminate errors and biases, and used to calculate and report performance results. The performance of the plant and/or individual process units of the plant may be compared to the performance predicted by one or more process models to identify any operating differences, or gaps.
[0015] A report, such as a daily report, showing actual measured values compared to predicted values may be generated and delivered to a plant operator and/or a plant or third party process engineer via a network, such as, for example, the internet. The identified performance gaps may allow the operators and/or engineers to identify and resolve the cause of the gaps. The process models and plant operation information may be used to run optimization routines that converge on an optimal plant operation for the given values of, for example, feed, products and demand.
[0016] Thus, plant operators and/or engineers may receive regular advice and/or recommendations to adjust setpoints or reference points allowing the plant to run continuously at or closer to optimal conditions. The operator may thus receive alternatives for improving or modifying the future operations of the plant. In some embodiments, the system may regularly maintains and tunes the process models to correctly represent the true potential performance of the plant. Some embodiments may include optimization routines configured per specific criteria, which may be used to identify optimum operating points, evaluate alternative operations, and/or evaluate feed.
[0017] The present disclosure provides a repeatable method that may help refiners bridge the gap between actual and achievable performance. The method of this disclosure may use process development history, modeling and stream characterization, and plant automation experience to address the critical issues of ensuring data security as well as efficient aggregation, tuning and movement of large amounts of data. Web-based optimization may enable achieving and sustaining maximum process performance by connecting, on a virtual basis, technical expertise and the plant process operations staff.
[0018] The enhanced workflow may use configured process models to monitor, predict, and optimize performance of individual process units, operating blocks, or complete processing systems. Routine and frequent analysis of predicted versus actual performance allows early identification of operational discrepancies, which may be acted upon to optimize impact.
[0019] As used herein, references to a “routine” are to be understood to refer to a sequence of computer programs or instructions for performing a particular task. References herein to a “plant” are to be understood to refer to any of various types of chemical and petrochemical manufacturing or refining facilities. References herein to a plant “operators” are to be understood to refer to and/or include, without limitation, plant planners, managers, engineers, technicians, and others interested in, overseeing, and/or running the daily operations at a plant.
[0020] In some embodiments, a cleansing system is provided for improving measurement error estimation and detection. A server is coupled to the cleansing system for communicating with the plant via a communication network. A computer system has a web-based platform for receiving and sending plant data related to the operation of the plant over the network. A display device interactively displays the plant data. A data cleansing unit is configured for performing an enhanced data cleansing process for allowing an early detection and diagnosis of the measurement errors of the plant based on at least one environmental factor. The data cleansing unit calculates and evaluates an offset amount representing a difference between feed or measured and product or simulated information for detecting an error of equipment or measurement during the operation of the plant based on the plant data.
[0021] In another embodiment, a cleansing method for improving measurement error detection of a plant is provided, and includes providing a server coupled to a cleansing system for communicating with the plant via a communication network; providing a computer system having a web-based platform for receiving and sending plant data related to the operation of the plant over the network; providing a display device for interactively displaying the plant data, the display device being configured for graphically or textually receiving the plant data; obtaining the plant data from the plant over the network; performing an enhanced data cleansing process for allowing an early detection and diagnosis of the operation of the plant based on at least one environmental factor; and calculating and evaluating an offset amount representing a difference between feed or measured and product or simulated information for detecting an error of equipment or measurement during the operation of the plant based on the plant data.
[0022] The foregoing and other aspects and features of the present disclosure will become apparent to those of reasonable skill in the art from the following detailed description, as considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 depicts an illustrative use of the present data cleansing system in a network infrastructure in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the present data cleansing system featuring functional units in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0025] FIG. 3 depicts an illustrative data cleansing method in accordance with one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] Referring now to FIG. 1 , an illustrative data cleansing system, generally designated 10 , using an embodiment of the present disclosure is provided for improving operation of one or more plants (e.g., Plant A . . . Plant N) 12 a - 12 n , such as a chemical plant or refinery, or a portion thereof. The present data cleansing system 10 uses plant operation information obtained from at least one of plants 12 a - 12 n.
[0027] As used herein, the term “system,” “unit,” or “module” may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, memory (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or a computer processor (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more computer-executable instructions (e.g., software or firmware programs), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. Thus, while this disclosure includes particular examples and arrangements of the units, the scope of the present system is not so limited, since other modifications will become apparent to the skilled practitioner.
[0028] The data cleansing system 10 may reside in or be coupled to a server or computing device 14 (including, e.g., database and video servers), and may be programmed to perform tasks and display relevant data for different functional units via a communication network 16 , which may use a secured cloud computing infrastructure. Other suitable networks may be used, such as the internet, a wireless network (e.g., Wi-Fi), a corporate intranet, a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), and the like, using dial-in connections, cable modems, high-speed integrated services digital network (ISDN) lines, and/or other types of communication methods. Some or all relevant information may be stored in databases for retrieval by the data cleansing system 10 or the computing device 14 (e.g., as a data storage device and/or a machine-readable data storage medium carrying computer programs).
[0029] Further, the present data cleansing system 10 may be partially or fully automated. In some embodiments, the data cleansing system 10 is performed by a computer system, such as a third-party computer system, local to or remote from the plants 12 a - 12 n and/or the plant planning center. The present data cleansing system 10 may include a web-based platform 18 that obtains or receives and sends information over a network, such as the internet. Specifically, the data cleansing system 10 may receive signals and/or parameters from at least one of the plants 12 a - 12 n via the communication network 16 , and may cause display (e.g., in real time or after a delay) of related performance information on an interactive display device 20 accessible to an operator or user.
[0030] Using a web-based system for implementing the method may provide many benefits, such as improved plant performance due to an increased ability by plant operators to identify and capture opportunities, a sustained ability to bridge plant performance gaps, and/or an increased ability to leverage personnel expertise and improve training and development. Some embodiments may allow for automated daily evaluation of process measurements, thereby increasing the frequency of performance review with less time and effort from plant operations staff.
[0031] The web-based platform 18 may allow all users to work with the same information, thereby creating a collaborative environment for sharing best practices or for troubleshooting. The method of this disclosure provides more accurate prediction and optimization results due to fully configured models, which may include, for example, catalytic yield representations, constraints, degrees of freedom, and the like. Routine automated evaluation of plant planning and operation models may allow timely plant model tuning to reduce or eliminate gaps between plant models and the actual plant performance. Implementing the method of this disclosure using the web-based platform 18 may allow for monitoring and updating multiple sites, thereby better enabling facility planners to propose realistic optimal targets.
[0032] Referring now to FIG. 2 , the present data cleansing system 10 may include a reconciliation unit 22 configured for reconciling actual measured data from the respective plants 12 a - 12 n in comparison with process model results from a simulation engine based on a set of reference or set points. In some embodiments, a heuristic analysis may be performed against the actual measured data and the process model results using a set of predetermined threshold values. A statistical analysis and other suitable analytic techniques may be used to suit different applications.
[0033] As an example only, kinetic or other associated plant parameters relating to temperatures, pressures, feed compositions, fractionation columns, and the like, may be received from the respective plants 12 a - 12 n . These plant parameters may represent actual measured data from selected pieces of equipment in the plants 12 a - 12 n during a predetermined time period. Comparisons of these plant operational parameters may be performed with the process model results from the simulation engine based on predetermined threshold values.
[0034] The data cleansing system 10 may include an interface module 24 for providing an interface between the data cleansing system 10 , one or more internal or external databases 26 , and/or the network 16 . The interface module 24 receives data from, for example, plant sensors and parameters via the network 16 , and other related system devices, services, and applications. The other devices, services, and applications may include, but are not limited to, one or more software or hardware components related to the respective plants 12 a - 12 n . The interface module 24 also receives the signals and/or parameters, which are communicated to the respective units and modules, such as the data cleansing system 10 and its associated computing modules or units.
[0035] A data cleansing unit 28 may be provided for performing an enhanced data cleansing process for allowing an early detection and diagnosis of plant operation based on one or more environmental factors. As discussed above, the environmental factors may include one or more primary factors and/or one or more secondary factors. The primary factor may include, for example, a temperature, a pressure, a feed flow, a product flow, or the like. The secondary factor may include, for example, a density, a specific composition, or the like. An offset amount representing a difference between the feed and product information may be calculated and/or evaluated for detecting an error of specific equipment during plant operation.
[0036] In operation, the data cleansing unit 28 may receive at least one set of actual measured data from a customer site or at least one of plants 12 a - 12 n on a recurring basis at a specified time interval (e.g., every 100 milliseconds, every second, every ten seconds, every minute, every two minutes). For data cleansing, the received data may be analyzed for completeness and corrected for gross errors by the data cleansing unit 28 . Then, the data is corrected for measurement issues (e.g., an accuracy problem for establishing a simulation steady state) and overall mass balance closure to generate a duplicate set of reconciled plant data.
[0037] By performing data reconciliation over an entire sub-section of the flowsheet, substantially all of the process data relating to particular equipment is used to reconcile the associated operational plant parameters. As described in greater detail below, one or more plant operational parameters, such as a mass flow rate, may be used in the correction of the mass balance. Offsets calculated for the plant measurements may be tracked and stored in the database 26 for subsequent retrieval.
[0038] The data cleansing system 10 may include a diagnosis unit 30 configured for diagnosing an operational status of a measurement based on at least one environmental factor. The diagnosis unit 30 may evaluate the calculated offsets between the plant measurements and process simulation based on the at least one environmental factor for detecting a fault or error of specific plant measurement during plant operation. Thus, plant equipment may be evaluated and diagnosed for the fault without distributing measurement errors for the rest of plant equipment.
[0039] In some embodiments, the diagnosis unit 30 may receive the feed and product information from at least one of the plants 12 a - 12 n to proactively evaluate a specific piece of plant equipment. To evaluate various limits of a particular process and stay within the acceptable range of limits, the diagnosis unit 30 determines target tolerance levels of a final product based on actual current and/or historical operational parameters, e.g., from a flow rate, a heater, a temperature set point, a pressure signal, and/or the like. When the offsets are different from previously calculated offsets by a predetermined value, the diagnosis unit 30 may determine that the specific measurement is faulty or in error. An additional reliability heuristic analysis may be performed on this diagnosis in certain cases.
[0040] In using the kinetic model or other detailed calculations, the diagnosis unit 30 establishes boundaries or thresholds of operating parameters based on existing limits and/or operating conditions. Illustrative existing limits may include mechanical pressures, temperature limits, hydraulic pressure limits, and operating lives of various components. Other suitable limits and conditions may suit different applications.
[0041] The data cleansing system 10 may include a prediction unit 32 configured such that the corrected data is used as an input to a simulation process, in which the process model is tuned to ensure that the simulation process matches the reconciled plant data. The prediction unit 32 performs that an output of the reconciled plant data is inputted into a tuned flowsheet, and then is generated as a predicted data. Each flowsheet may be a collection of virtual process model objects as a unit of process design. A delta value, which is a difference between the reconciled data and the predicted data, is validated to ensure that a viable optimization case is established for a simulation process run.
[0042] The data cleansing system 10 may include an optimization unit 34 configured such that the tuned simulation engine is used as a basis for the optimization case, which is run with a set of the reconciled data as an input. The output from this step may be a new set of data, namely an optimized data. A difference between the reconciled data and the optimized data may provide an indication as to how the operations may be changed to reach a greater optimum. In this configuration, the data cleansing unit 28 provides a user-configurable method for minimizing objective functions, thereby maximizing production of at least one of the plants 12 a - 12 n.
[0043] Referring now to FIG. 3 , a simplified flow diagram is depicted for an illustrative method of improving operation of a plant, such as one or more of the plants 12 a - 12 n of FIGS. 1 and 2 , according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure. Although the following steps are primarily described with respect to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 and 2 , the steps within the method may be modified and executed in a different order or sequence without altering the principles of the present disclosure.
[0044] The method begins at step 100 . In step 102 , the data cleansing system 10 is initiated by a computer system that is at or remote from one or more of plants 12 a - 12 n . The method may be automatically performed by the computer system, but the disclosure is not so limited. One or more steps may include manual operations or data inputs from the sensors and other related systems, as desired.
[0045] In step 104 , the data cleansing system 10 obtains plant operation information or plant data from at least one of the plants 12 a - 12 n , over the network 16 . The desirable plant operation information or plant data includes plant operational parameters, plant process condition data, plant lab data, and/or information about plant constraints. As used herein, “plant lab data” refers to the results of periodic laboratory analyses of fluids taken from an operating process plant. As used herein, “plant process condition data” refers to data measured by sensors in the process plant.
[0046] In step 106 , a plant process model is generated using the plant operation information. The plant process model estimates or predicts plant performance that is expected based upon the plant operation information (e.g., how at least one of plants 12 a - 12 n is operated). The plant process model results may be used to monitor the health of at least one of plants 12 a - 12 n and to determine whether any upset or poor measurement occurred. The plant process model is desirably generated by an iterative process that models at various plant constraints to determine the desired plant process model.
[0047] In step 108 , a process simulation unit is used to model the operation of the at least one of plants 12 a - 12 n . Because the simulation for the entire unit would be quite large and complex to solve in a reasonable amount of time, each of plants 12 a - 12 n may be divided into smaller virtual sub-sections consisting of related unit operations. An illustrative process simulation unit 10 , such as a UniSim® Design Suite, is disclosed in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010/0262900, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,053,260, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Other illustrative related systems are disclosed in commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 15/084,237 and 15/084,319 (Attorney Docket Nos. H0049260-01-8500 and H0049324-01-8500, both filed on Mar. 29, 2016), which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
[0048] For example, in some embodiments, a fractionation column and its related equipment such as its condenser, receiver, reboiler, feed exchangers, and pumps may make up a sub-section. Some or all available plant data from the unit, including temperatures, pressures, flows, and/or laboratory data may be included in the simulation as Distributed Control System (DCS) variables. Multiple sets of the plant data may be compared against the process model and model fitting parameter and measurement offsets are calculated that generate the smallest errors.
[0049] In step 110 , fit parameters or offsets that change by more than a predetermined threshold, and measurements that have more than a predetermined range of error, may trigger further action. For example, large changes in offsets or fit parameters may indicate the model tuning may be inadequate. Overall data quality for the set of data may then be flagged as questionable.
[0050] More specifically, a measured value and corresponding simulated value are evaluated for detecting an error based on a corresponding offset. In some embodiments, an offset may be detected when the measured information is not in sync with the simulated information. The system may use evidence from a number of measurements and/or a process model to determine the simulated information.
[0051] As an example only, consider the following measurements: a feed with the composition of 50% component A and 50% component B and a flow of 200 pounds per hour (90.7 kg/hr) and two product streams, the first with a composition 99% component A and a flow of 100 pounds per hour (45.3 kg/hr) and the second with a composition of 99% component B and 95 pounds per hour (43.1 kg/hr). Based on the first-principles model, the total feed may equal the total product and the total amount of A or B in the feed may equal the total amount of A or B in the product. The expected flow of the second product stream would be 100 pounds per hour (45.3 kg/hr), and the system may therefore determine that the offset between the measurement and simulation is 5 pounds per hour (2.27 kg/hr).
[0052] In step 112 , when the offset is less than or equal to a predetermined value, control returns to step 104 . Otherwise, control proceeds to step 114 . Individual measurements with large errors may be eliminated from the fitting algorithm, and/or an alert message or warning signal may be raised to have the measurement inspected and rectified.
[0053] In step 114 , the operational status of the measurements may be diagnosed based on at least one environmental factor. As discussed above, the calculated offset between the feed and product information may be evaluated based on the at least one environmental factor for detecting the fault of a specific measurement. If a measurement is determined to be within a fault status, an alert is sent to the operator (e.g., to an operator's device, a control panel, a dashboard). The method ends at step 116 .
SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS
[0054] While the following is described in conjunction with specific embodiments, it will be understood that this description is intended to illustrate and not limit the scope of the preceding description and the appended claims.
[0055] A first embodiment of the disclosure is a system for improving operation of a plant, the cleansing system comprising a server coupled to the cleansing system for communicating with the plant via a communication network; a computer system having a web-based platform for receiving and sending plant data related to the operation of the plant over the network; a display device for interactively displaying the plant data; and a data cleansing unit configured for performing an enhanced data cleansing process for allowing an early detection and diagnosis of the operation of the plant based on at least one environmental factor, wherein the data cleansing unit calculates and evaluates an offset amount representing a difference between measured and simulated information for detecting an error of measurement during the operation of the plant based on the plant data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the at least one environmental factor includes at least one primary factor, and an optional secondary factor. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the at least one primary factor includes at least one of a temperature, a pressure, a feed flow, and a product flow. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the optional secondary factor includes at least one of a density value and a specific composition. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the data cleansing unit is configured to receive at least one set of actual measured data from the plant on a recurring basis at a predetermined time interval. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the data cleansing unit is configured to analyze the received data for completeness and correct an error in the received data for a measurement issue and an overall mass balance closure to generate a set of reconciled plant data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the data cleansing unit is configured such that the corrected data is used as an input to a simulation process, in which the process model is tuned to ensure that the simulation process matches the reconciled plant data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the data cleansing unit is configured such that an output of the reconciled plant data is inputted into a tuned flowsheet, and is generated as a predicted data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the data cleansing unit is configured such that a delta value representing a difference between the reconciled plant data and the predicted data is validated to ensure that a viable optimization case is established for a simulation process run. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein a tuned simulation engine is used as a basis for the viable optimization case being run with the reconciled plant data as an input, and an output from the turned simulation engine is an optimized data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein a difference between the reconciled data and the optimized data indicates one or more plant variables that are capable of being changed to reach a greater performance for the plant. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising a reconciliation unit configured for reconciling actual measured data from the plant in comparison with a performance process model result from a simulation engine based on a set of predetermined reference or set points. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the reconciliation unit is configured to perform a heuristic analysis against the actual measured data and the performance process model result using a set of predetermined threshold values, and wherein the reconciliation unit is configured to receive the plant data from the plant via the computer system, and the received plant data represents the actual measured data from the equipment in the plant during a predetermined time period. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising a diagnosis unit configured for diagnosing an operational status of the measurement by calculating the offset amount based on the at least one environmental factor. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the first embodiment in this paragraph, wherein the diagnosis unit is configured to receive the feed and product information from the plant to evaluate the equipment, and to determine a target tolerance level of a final product based on at least one of an actual current operational parameter and a historical operational parameter for detecting the error of the equipment based on the target tolerance level.
[0056] A second embodiment of the disclosure is a method for improving operation of a plant, the cleansing method comprising providing a server coupled to a cleansing system for communicating with the plant via a communication network; providing a computer system having a web-based platform for receiving and sending plant data related to the operation of the plant over the network; providing a display device for interactively displaying the plant data, the display device being configured for graphically or textually receiving the plant data; obtaining the plant data from the plant over the network; performing an enhanced data cleansing process for allowing an early detection and diagnosis of the operation of the plant based on at least one environmental factor; and calculating and evaluating an offset amount representing a difference between feed and product information for detecting an error of equipment during the operation of the plant based on the plant data. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the second embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising generating a plant process model using the plant data, estimating or predicting plant performance expected based on the plant data using the plant process model. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the second embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising evaluating the measurement and simulation of the measurement for detecting the error of the measurement. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the second embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising detecting the error of the measurement when the corresponding offset is less than or equal to a predetermined value. An embodiment of the disclosure is one, any or all of prior embodiments in this paragraph up through the second embodiment in this paragraph, further comprising diagnosing an operational status of the measurement by calculating the offset amount based on the at least one environmental factor.
[0057] Without further elaboration, it is believed that using the preceding description that one skilled in the art may use the present disclosure to its fullest extent and easily ascertain the essential characteristics of this disclosure, without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, to make various changes and modifications of the disclosure and to adapt it to various usages and conditions. The preceding specific embodiments are, therefore, to be construed as merely illustrative, and not limiting the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever, and that it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims.
[0058] In the foregoing, all temperatures are set forth in degrees Celsius and, all parts and percentages are by weight, unless otherwise indicated.
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A chemical plant or refinery may include process equipment, such as, for example, pumps, compressors, heat exchangers, fired heaters, control valves, fractionation columns, and reactors. Performance monitoring equipment may monitor the process equipment for one or more factors, such as temperature, pressure, feed flow, product flow, density, and specific composition. Monitoring to detect and diagnose operational errors or inefficiencies may allow for optimizing product output from a refinery or petrochemical facility.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is generally directed to a method and apparatus for producing via holes in polymer dielectrics without the use of a mask. More particularly the present invention is directed to producing via holes in a dielectric film which is deposited over integrated circuit chips, the film operating as an insulative support medium for conductive material which interconnects the contact pads on the same and/or different chips where the chips may exist within a wafer or be separate and supported on a substrate. The conductive material takes the form of a patterned metal layer which overlaps and fills the holes in the film. The method and apparatus of the present invention produces via holes in a polymer film overlay and thereby provides a means for electrically interconnecting parts of one or a plurality of circuit chips disposed on a substrate through the vias thus formed as specifically provided in copending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 947,151, (RD-17193), filed in the name of Alexander J. Yerman and Constantine A. Neugebauer, entitled "Fabrication of Large Power Semiconductor Composite By Wafer Interconnection of Individual Devices". It is also noted that the present invention provides significant advantages in a system of microchip packaging.
Polymer dielectrics are finding increased use in multichip packaging approaches because such dielectrics are easily applied at low tempertures and result in relatively thick coatings having a low dielectric constant. More particularly, the problem addressed by the present invention is the production of holes in such polymer layers for the purpose of connecting metallization on the top of the polymer to metallization under the polymer dielectric.
One prior art method for providing such via holes in a polymer is to apply a metal mask to the top surface of the polymer by metal deposition. For example, a 1,000 Angstrom thick layer of titanium can be applied. The titanium is then processed by photolithographic methods and holes are etched in the titanium where via holes are desired. The polymer is then etched in an oxygen plasma. The oxygen plasma does not attack the titanium, but does attack the exposed polymer. One main disadvantage of this technique is that it involves a substantial number of steps which add greatly to the complexity and expense of process: depositing the metal mask which involves first cleaning the polymer for good adhesion then depositing a photoresist, drying the resist, exposing the resist, developing the resist, hard-baking the resist, then etching holes in the metal mask. Secondly, these patterning steps involve the use of masks which are not easily changed if such changes are necessary due to changes in the circuits being fabricated. This is followed by a carefully controlled plasma etch step which is highly dependent on the temperature of the etchant and gas pressures. Additionally, the metal mask layer must be removed in order to assure good adhesion between the conductor metallization which is to be applied next and the polymer.
An alternative approach to forming via openings is to spin or spray polyimide on a substrate and only partially cure the polyimide. Subsequently, the polyimide is coated with a photoresist and the resist is developed. In the partially cured state, the polyimide is also attacked by the developer and via holes can be etched in thin films of polyimide. This process is not satisfactory for thick films of polyimide since entrapped water vapor in the polymer cannot escape. The limit on this process is a thickness of 5 microns. In addition, this process could not be used to produce an overlay layer across the space between two chips since there is no supportive film involved in spraying or spin methods. Photosensitive polyimides are becoming available, but they suffer the same problems of thickness and inability to provide a continuous film across two chips.
A method which can be used to provide via openings through relatively thick layers of polymer involves patterning the lower layer of metallization and building up by electroplating the areas where vias are desired. This essentially leaves pillars of conductor material where the via is desired. Polymer material is then sprayed or spun on the substrate in multiple coats with sufficient curing between coats to allow solvent and byproducts of the curing process to escape. Enough coats are built up to completely cover the conductors, but to barely cover the via pillars. Short etch or even mechanical lapping is sufficient to uncover the top surface of the via pillars. While this method results in a planar surface, it involves a large number of steps and, again, cannot be used where an overlay layer must bridge a gap between two chips.
In addition to the problems associated with the approaches described above for providing via holes, it is noted that these processes cannot be achieved without the use of wet processing; that is, wet chemistry must be employed for developing a photoresist for etching of the mask or for the plating of the via areas. A distinguishing characteristic of the disclosed invention is that it is achieved using a plasma etch, which is a dry process.
The use of lasers for drilling holes is another method employed in the prior art to provide vias, Typically, a laser is used in a pulsed mode to evaporate polymer material wherever the laser energy is concentrated. Very short pulses heat the material to the point that it vaporizes. This approach, however, is not satisfactory for providing via holes in the circumstances contemplated herein. First, in such methods, the underlying pads may be damaged by energy which is sufficient to vaporize the polymer. It is unacceptable to damage the underlying pads. Second, the process is relatively slow in that several pulses are required. In an interconnect system, a large number of holes is required so that slow processes are again unacceptable.
The polymer film may also be provided with holes by the process described in copending and commonly assigned patent application Ser. No. 912,455 (RD-17428) in which a laser is focussed on a polymer to sensitize it to the extent that it can be selectively removed in a plasma etching process. In such a process, however, the sensitization of the polymer requires that radiation within a given exposure window be applied and this may be difficult to control because of variations in laser inter-pulse intensity, polymer absorption, etc.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a method for producing via holes in the polymer film comprises the following steps. A layer of a suitable conductor such as chromium or chromium-copper is deposited on the polymer film. Then a spot on the conductive layer is irradiated above where the hole in the polymer is desired by means of short focused bursts of electromagnetic energy in the visible region at an intensity level sufficient to evaporate a portion of the metal layer and thereby create an opening therein. This is preferably accomplished by means of a laser operated in a repetitive capacitive discharge mode. Subsequent to the irradiation, the dielectric film is plasma etched so as to make a hole in the film directly underlying the previously made opening in the conductive layer. The plasma etching also serves a second purpose, namely that of preparing the surface of the conductive layer for subsequent application of a second augmenting metallization layer to initiate the interconnection of the semiconductor contact pads underlying the polymer film. This method is particularly useful for films between about 5 and about 50 microns in thickness. The conductive layer is then patterned by etching to complete the electrical interconnection system.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for directly forming via holes which method requires a minimum number of processing steps.
It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a method for directly forming via holes which does not require an etch mask.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a method of directly forming via holes which can be achieved completely with dry processing methods.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a method for directly forming via holes which is compatible with polymer overlay interconnect methods; that is a method which is compatible with the use of polymer films.
It is another object to provide a process for forming holes in a polymer film by use of a laser in which the damage caused by the laser is confined to non-sensitive materials.
Yet another object is to provide a system for forming holes in a dielectric film which may be easily programmed to change the resultant pattern of electrical interconnections of chips which are located under the film.
Lastly, but not limited hereto, it is an object of the present invention to facilitate the interconnection of multiple electronic circuit chip packages affixed to a substrate and covered by a polymer film bridging the chips.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
The subject matter which is regarded as the invention is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. The invention, however, both as to organization and method of practice, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation view of an apparatus for carrying out the method of the present invention;
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional side elevation view illustrating the results of an initial step of coating a polymer with a conductive layer carried out in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2B is a view illustrating an opening created in the conductive layer of FIG. 2A by means of focused laser light in accordance with the present invention; and
FIG. 2C is a view showing a hole provided in a polymer film immediately beneath the opening in the conductive layer as a result of a plasma etching step.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 illustrates the essential parts of a laser system for directly forming via holes in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1 there is shown laser 10 which preferably comprises an xenon laser operated in the optical range from approximately 0.48 to 1.54 microns. This wavelength of radiation has been focused to be adequately absorbed by conductive layers most commonly used in semiconductor processing and, in particular, those most appropriate for use in the process of this invention. The light output of laser 10 is reflected 90° by a corner reflector 18 and focused onto a small spot on the workpiece 25 by means of a focusing lens 20. While not shown in FIG. 1, intermediate to the laser 10 and the mirror 18 is located a variable aperture apparatus for defining the spot size in a conventional manner. In a capacitive discharge mode, the beam energy is controlled by the voltage or charge on the capacitor. Depending on the characteristics of the circuit being fabricated, a spot size in the range of from 50-500 microns in diameter may be used. The substrate which carries the polymer film in which the via holes are to be fabricated is placed on x-y table 22 so that the substrate can be moved. In this manner, the focused laser spot may be made to fall at a point on the workpiece 25 where the via hole is desired.
FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C illustrate the results of the process steps in accordance with the present invention. In particular, FIG. 2A shows dielectric film 32 deposited over conductive pad 34 on substrate 30. It should be borne in mind that while FIG. 2 illustrates only one conductive micropad 34 as part of the underlying structure of substrate 30, in reality, in the situations contemplated by the present inventors, substrate 30 and micropad 34 actually are generally a part of a much more complicated microchip structure. In particular the substrate 30 may be a fabricated semiconductor wafer containing a plurality of individual chips, each of which includes several micropads 34, as is discussed in the aforementioned copending application Ser. No. 947,151 (RD-17193).
FIG. 2A also shows a thin conductive layer 36 deposited on the dielectric film 32 and overlying contact pad 34. It should be pointed out that the step of plasma etching of a polymer is really performing two actions at the same time: that of cleaning the damaged area to produce via opening 38 (FIG. 2C) and that of cleaning the surface of layer 36 to prepare it for accepting a subsequent metallization layer. As was indicated above, one object of the present invention is to reduce the total number of processing steps. It is seen that the only processing steps involved to form the via openings are the original coating of the dielectric film 32 with a conductive layer 36 followed by laser exposure which, inturn, is followed by a cleaning step in a plasma etcher.
The specific details for carrying out the method of the invention on a fabricated semiconductor wafer of the type disclosed in the above noted copending application Ser. No. 947,151 (RD-17193) are as follows, with reference to the drawings. The wafer 30 is first probed and mapped to define the locations of all acceptable chips on the wafer 25, as outlined in the aforementioned copending application. The wafer 30 is then coated with a suitable dielectric layer 32 which typically might be a polyimide-siloxane varnish such as GE type SPI-1000 applied by spin coating. The polyimide coating is subsequently cured at a temperature of approximately 350°-475° C. In order to insure that small pinhole discontinuities are not present in the dielectric coating 32, in the preferred method, a second coating of the same dielectric is made in a manner identical with the first. The desired thickness of the dielectric film 32 may range from 5 microns to 50 microns, with a 10 micron thickness being preferred.
Following the application of the dielectric coating, a layer 36 of chromium, chromium-copper or some other suitable metal is deposited on the surface of the dielectric film 32 under high vacuum conditions. An initial sputter cleaning operation may optionally be performed on the dielectric film 32 to prepare it to accept the metal layer. The thickness of the conductive layer is in the range between 500 Angstroms to 5000 Angstroms, with a 1000 Angstrom thickness being optimal.
The next step in forming openings in the dielectric film 32 so that contact can be made at selected locations with the underlying wafer metallization pads 34 is to selectively remove small portions of the metal layer 36 directly above the area it is desired to etch through the film 32. This is done by mounting the wafer 25, FIG. 2A, on a positionable X-Y table 22, FIG. 1, onto which the xenon laser 10 is positioned to focus its output. The X-Y table 22 is movable in accordance with a drive means (not shown) which has been programmed to move the table so that metal contact pads 34 of acceptable chips on the wafer 25 are successively brought under the focused light from laser 10. In this manner, after an initial alignment operation program has been run, the table and laser are used to evaporate openings 37 in the metal layer above the contacts of all good chips in the wafer 25. Using a laser system such as a Florod MEL-10 or MEL-20 in the single shot mode, with a chromium layer 1000 Å thick, power settings in the range of 500 to 999 result in adequate removal which can be confirmed visually.
Following this, the wafer 25 is placed in a plasma etching system to etch holes in the polyimide layer 32. While a number of different equipment designs are suitable, a Barrel type plasma reactor with a gas mixture of 20% CF 4 and 80% O 2 has been found to etch holes 38 in layer 32, FIG. 3C, down to the underlying aluminum metallization pads 34 in about 20 minutes using a power level setting of about 300 watts.
After the holes have been etched, a second layer metallization (not shown) is applied by evaporating an additional chromium layer over the first so that the exposed semiconductor contacts pads 34 are all interconnected, as desired. This is followed by an evaporated copper layer (not shown) for solderability. This upper layer metal (all metal coated onto the dielectric film 32) is then patterned by etching as disclosed in the aforementioned application Ser. No. 947,151 (RD-17193) to interconnect appropriate contact pads.
Some of the advantages of the use of chromium or chromium-copper for the mask is its strong adherence to other materials, and its relative chemical inertness during the etching procedure. Because of the former property, it is frequently used as an intermediate layer for other metals. For example, it is frequently used as the first layer with copper to make contacts to aluminum because of its affinity for oxygen, and its strong adhesion. Since the chromium is only slowly attacked by the reactive ions of the Freon/Oxygen plasma it serves as an excellent mask for the plasma etching process used in this invention. The copper overlayer further enhances this immunity from attack.
The polymer layer 32 may comprise, in addition to the polyimide described above, ULTEM™ polymer resin (as sold by the General Electric Company) polysulfone, XYDAR™ (as sold by Dart Company) polyimide, MYLAR™ plastic (as sold by Dupont de Nemours Company, Inc.) epoxy or virtually any other polymer. An alternate configuration for the polymer coating would be to deposit a first layer of an adhesive material with subsequent lamination of a dielectric polymer thereon. In an exemplary embodiment, ULTEM™ thermoplastic resin is sprayed from a solvent carrier onto integrated circuit chips mounted on a substrate. Solvent is driven off at a temperature of 300° C. for two minutes. KAPTON™ polyimide (as sold by the Dupont de Nemours Company, Inc.) is etched in a plasma etcher and laminated to the top surface of the integrated circuit chip using a pressure of approximately 50 pounds per square inch and a temperature of 260° C.
From the above, it should be appreciated that all of the aforementioned objects are achieved by the process of the present invention. In particular, it is seen that a dry chemical process having few steps is described for accurately producing via holes in polymer films. In particular, it is seen that the method of the present invention is particularly usable with polymer materials which are capable of bridging multiple integrated circuit chips affixed to a common substrate.
While the invention has been described in detail herein in accordance with certain preferred embodiments thereof, many modifications and changes therein may be effected by those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A method for producing a hole in a polymer film includes the steps of depositing a conductive layer onto the polymer film and irradiating a spot on the layer with a burst of focused laser energy at a level sufficient to form an opening in the film and, subsequently, plasma etching the film so as to form a hole of desired depth in the polymer film underlying the opening in the conductive layer. This method is particularly applicable to the formation of multichip intergrated circuit packages in which a plurality of chips formed in a semiconductor wafer are coated with a polymer film covering the chips and the substrates. The holes are provided for the purpose of interconnecting selected chip contact pads via a deposited conductive layer which overlies the film and fills the holes.
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This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 645,361 filed on Jan. 29, 1991, now abandoned.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to soap bars, especially soap bars designed for personal hygiene and/or cosmetic use, which contain polyhydroxy fatty acid amides.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The formulation of soap bars (i.e., "toilet bars") for personal cleansing has been a matter of standard practice for many, many years. However, and irrespective of historical usage, there are still several problems associated with soap bars. As is well known to formulators and users, soap bars tend to undesirably form a type of soap/water gel, especially when stored in-use under circumstances where they can be contacted by water, e.g., in soap dishes, and the like, typically used in home lavatories. The bar then softens and smears. Besides being unsightly, this leads to wastage of the bar, in-use. One method of decreasing bar smear is by reducing the water content of the soap bar. However, reducedwater content soap bars tend to crack on storage. In addition, soap bars for personal hygiene use desirably have high lathering properties. Inappropriately adjusting the water content of otherwise standard soap bars to reduce wastage can impact negatively on lather properties. Another way to decrease soap bar wastage is to employ highly saturated (i.e., low Iodine Value) fatty acid feedstocks in the soap. However, low Iodine Value soaps lather poorly, yield bars which crack on storage and can have an undesirable gritty feel. Thus, there is a continuing search for means whereby wastage of soap bars can be diminished so that the consumer is not left with the impression that soap bar usage is uneconomical, yet without otherwise negatively affecting lather properties, cleansing performance and other desirable aspects of the bars.
It is an object of the present invention to provide soap bars having low smear, appropriate bar hardness with associated decreased wastage, adequate, or even improved, lather properties, and low tendency to crack on storage.
The present invention employs polyhydroxy fatty acid amides in combination with water-soluble fatty acid soaps, in the manner described hereinafter, to secure the above-mentioned objects. The addition of the polyhydroxy fatty acid amides reduces the tendency of the soap bar to gel, thereby resulting in less smear and a longer-lasting bar. Furthermore, the polyhydroxy fatty acid amides boost lather and reduce bar cracking. These and other objects are secured by the invention herein, as will be seen from the following disclosures.
BACKGROUND ART
U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,627, issued Apr. 4, 1967 to D. T. Hooker, addresses the problems of excessive toilet bar wastage, excessive solubility or softening when the bar is wetted, etc. Hooker describes bars which contain lithium soaps of certain fatty acids, which he considers to be unique in the practice of his invention (column 8, line 20). More broadly, Hooker also describes nonionic surfactants of various types, and also nonionic lathering components which can include polyhydroxyamides of the formula RC(O)NR 1 (R 2 ) wherein RC(O) contains from about 10 to about 14 carbon atoms, and R 1 and R 2 each are H or C 1 -C 6 alkyl groups, said alkyl groups containing a total number of carbon atoms of from 2 to about 7 and a total number of substituent hydroxyl groups of from 2 to about 6; column 4, line 11-28. Among his lathering components, Hooker mentions stearoyl N-methyl glucamide and lauroyl N-methyl glucamide. See also, U.S. Pat. No. 3,312,626, also issued Apr. 4, 1967 to D. T. Hooker.
The following references may be of assistance to the formulator in the synthesis of the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactants used herein: U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,016,962; 1,985,424; 2,703,798; 2,993,887; EP-A 285,768; see also H. Kelkenberg in Tenside Surfactants Detergents 25 (1988) 8-13; also, Biochem J., 1982, Vol. 207, pp 363-366.
A variety of polyhydroxy fatty acid amides have been described in the art. N-acyl, N-methyl glucamides, for example, are disclosed by J. W. Goodby, M. A. Marcus, E. Chin, and P. L. Finn in "The Thermotropic Liquid-Crystalline Properties of Some Straight Chain Carbohydrate Amphiphiles," Liquid Crystals, 1988, Volume 3, No. 11, pp 1569-1581, and by A. Muller-Fahrnow, V. Zabel, M. Steifa, and R. Hilgenfeld in "Molecular and Crystal Structure of a Nonionic Detergent: Nonanoyl-N-methylglucamide," J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 1986, pp 1573-1574. The use of N-alkyl polyhydroxyamide surfactants has been of substantial interest recently for use in biochemistry, for example in the dissociation of biological membranes. See, for example, the journal article "N-D-Gluco-N-methyl-alkanamide Compounds, a New Class of Non-Ionic Detergents For Membrane Biochemistry," Biochem. J. (1982), Vol. 207, pp 363-366, by J. E. K. Hildreth.
The use of N-alkyl glucamides in detergent compositions has also been discussed. U.S. Pat. No. 2,965,576, issued Dec. 20, 1960 to E. R. Wilson, and G.B. Patent 809,060, published Feb. 18, 1959, assigned to Thomas Hedley & Co., Ltd. relate to detergent compositions containing anionic surfactants and certain amide surfactants, which can include N-methyl glucamide, added as a low temperature suds enhancing agent. These compounds include an N-acyl radical of a higher straight chain fatty acid having 10-14 carbon atoms. These compositions may also contain auxiliary materials such as alkali metal phosphates, alkali metal silicates, sulfates, and carbonates. It is also generally indicated that additional constituents to impart desirable properties to the composition can also be included in the compositions, such as fluorescent dyes, bleaching agents, perfumes, etc.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,703,798, issued Mar. 8, 1955 to A. M. Schwartz, relates to aqueous detergent compositions containing the condensation reaction product of N-alkyl glucamine and an aliphatic ester of a fatty acid. The product of this reaction is said to be useable in aqueous detergent compositions without further purification. It is also known to prepare a sulfuric ester of acylated glucamine as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,717,894, issued Sep. 13, 1955, to A. M. Schwartz.
PCT International Application WO 83/04412, published Dec. 22, 1983, by J. Hildreth, relates to amphiphilic compounds containing polyhydroxyl aliphatic groups said to be useful for a variety of purposes including use as surfactants in cosmetics, drugs, shampoos, lotions, and eye ointments, as emulsifiers and dispensing agents for medicines, and in biochemistry for solubilizing membranes, whole cells, or other tissue samples, and for preparation of liposomes. Included in this disclosure are compounds of the formula R'CON(R)CH 2 R" and R"CON(R)R' wherein R is hydrogen or an organic grouping, R' is an aliphatic hydrocarbon group of at least three carbon atoms, and R" is the residue of an aldose.
European Patent 0 285 768, published Oct. 12, 1988, H. Kelkenberg, et al, relates to the use of N-polyhydroxy alkyl fatty acid amides as thickening agents in aqueous detergent systems. Included are amides of the formula R 1 C(O)N(X)R 2 wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 17 (preferably C 7 -C 17 ) alkyl, R 2 is hydrogen, a C 1 -C 18 (preferably C 1 -C 6 ) alkyl, or an alkylene oxide, and X is a polyhydroxy alkyl having four to seven carbon atoms, e.g., N-methyl, coconut fatty acid glucamide. The thickening properties of the amides are indicated as being of particular use in liquid surfactant systems containing paraffin sulfonate, although the aqueous surfactant systems can contain other anionic surfactants, such as alkylaryl sulfonates, olefin sulfonate, sulfosuccinic acid half ester salts, and fatty alcohol ether sulfonates, and nonionic surfactants such as fatty alcohol polyglycol ether, alkylphenol polyglycol ether, fatty acid polyglycol ester, polypropylene oxide-polyethylene oxide mixed polymers, etc. Paraffin sulfonate/N-methyl coconut fatty acid glucamide/nonionic surfactant shampoo formulations are exemplified. In addition to thickening attributes, the N-polyhydroxy alkyl fatty acid amides are said to have superior skin tolerance attributes.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,982,737, issued May 2, 1961, to Boettner, et al, relates to detergent bars containing urea, sodium lauryl sulfate anionic surfactant, and an N-alkylglucamide nonionic surfactant which is selected from N-methyl,N-sorbityl lauramide and N-methyl, N-sorbityl myristamide.
Other glucamide surfactants are disclosed, for example, in DT 2,226,872, published Dec. 20, 1973, H. W. Eckert, et al, which relates to washing compositions comprising one or more surfactants and builder salts selected from polymeric phosphates, sequestering agents, and washing alkalis, improved by the addition of an N-acylpolyhydroxyalkyl-amine of the formula R 1 C(O)N(R 2 )CH 2 (CHOH) n CH 2 OH, wherein R 1 is a C 1 -C 3 alkyl, R 2 is a C 10 -C 22 alkyl, and n is 3 or 4. The N-acylpolyhydroxyalkyl-amine is added as a soil suspending agent.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,654,166, issued Apr. 4, 1972, to H. W. Eckert, et al, relates to detergent compositions comprising at least one surfactant selected from the group of anionic, zwitterionic, and nonionic surfactants and, as a textile softener, an N-acyl, N-alkyl polyhydroxylalkyl compound of the formula R 1 N(Z)C(O)R 2 wherein R 1 is a C 10 -C 22 alkyl, R 2 is a C 7 -C 21 alkyl, R 1 and R 2 total from 23 to 39 carbon atoms, and Z is a polyhydroxyalkyl which can be --CH 2 (CHOH) m CH 2 OH where m is 3 or 4.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,021,539, issued May 3, 1977, to H. Moller, et al, relates to skin treating cosmetic compositions containing N-polyhydroxylalkyl-amines which include compounds of the formula R 1 N(R)CH(CHOH) m R 2 wherein R 1 is H, lower alkyl , hydroxy-lower alkyl, or aminoalkyl, as well as heterocyclic aminoalkyl, R is the same as R 1 but both cannot be H, and R 2 is CH 2 OH or COOH.
French Patent 1,360,018, Apr. 26, 1963, assigned to Commercial Solvents Corporation, relates to solutions of formaldehyde stabilized against polymerization with the addition of amides of the formula RC(O)N(R 1 )G wherein R is a carboxylic acid functionality having at least seven carbon atoms, R 1 is hydrogen or a lower alkyl group, and G is a glycitol radical with at least 5 carbon atoms.
German Patent 1,261,861, Feb. 29, 1968, A. Heins, relates to glucamine derivatives useful as wetting and dispersing agents of the formula N(R)(R 1 )(R 2 ) wherein R is a sugar residue of glucamine, R 1 is a C 10 -C 20 alkyl radical, and R 2 is a C 1 -C 5 acyl radical.
G.B. Patent 745,036, published Feb. 15, 1956, assigned to Atlas Powder Company, relates to heterocyclic amides and carboxylic esters thereof that are said to be useful as chemical intermediates, emulsifiers, wetting and dispersing agents, detergents, textile softeners, etc. The compounds are expressed by the formula N(R)(R 1 )C(O)R 2 wherein R is the residue of an anhydrized hexane pentol or a carboxylic acid ester thereof, R 1 is a monovalent hydrocarbon radical, and --C(O)R 2 is the acyl radical of a carboxylic acid having from 2 to 25 carbon atoms.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention encompasses soap compositions in bar form, comprising:
(a) from about 75% to about 85% by weight of a substantially water-soluble, non-lithium fatty acid soap;
(b) from about 1% by weight of a polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant; and
(c) the balance of the bar is typically water and optional minor ingredients such as perfume, preservatives, and the like.
Typical soap bars herein comprise from about 75% to about 85% by weight of a C 12 -C 18 soap in the sodium, potassium, ammonium, or alkanolammonium salt form; from about 1% to about 10% by weight of polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant; and from about 8% to about 12% by weight of water. The preferred polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant is a C 12 -C 18 alkyl N-methyl glucamide, and the preferred fatty acid soap comprises the sodium salt of mixed C 12 -C 18 fatty acids. Preferred bars according to this invention are characterized by a hardness value below about 3, more preferably below about 2, as measured by a "dry" (or, "as is") penetrometer test.
A highly preferred soap bar herein comprises:
(a) about 75% to 85% of a sodium soap having an I.V. in the range of from about 25 to about 35;
(b) about 3% of a C 12 -C 18 N-methyl glucamide surfactant;
(c) about 0.3% to about 0.5% of NaCl; and
(d) about 10% water, the balance comprising conventional soap bar minor ingredients,
said bar being characterized by a hardness value from about 2 to about 2.5.
The invention also encompasses a method for improving the hardness qualities of soap bars comprising substantially watersoluble, non-lithium fatty acid soap wherein said bar contains from about 8% to about 12% by weight of water, but without substantial deleterious effect on the lather properties or tendency of said bars to crack on storage or use, by formulating said bars to comprise:
(a) from about 8% to about 12% of water;
(b) from about 75% to about 85% by weight of substantially water-soluble, non-lithium fatty acid-derived soap, said soap preferably having an Iodine Value in the range from about 25 to about 35;
(c) from about 1% to about 10% by weight of a polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant;
(d) from about 0.2% to about 0.6% by weight of electrolyte; and
(e) forming said stock into bar form by conventional processing techniques.
The bars herein can optionally also contain synthetic ("Syndet") non-soap, non-polyhydroxy fatty acid amide, detergents typically at levels from about 0% to about 30% of the bar, depending on the desires of the formulator.
All percentages, ratios and proportions herein are by weight, unless otherwise specified. The cited patents and articles mentioned herein are incorporated herein by reference.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The soap bars of this invention are prepared using processes and equipment which are well-known and standard in the industry, and the manufacturing operations for forming the bars form no part of this invention. However, to assist the formulator the following description is provided by way of illustration and not by way of limitation of bar-making operations useful herein.
189 pounds (85.6 kg) of tallow fatty acid, 27 pounds (12.2 kg) of stearic acid, and 54 pounds (24.4 kg) coconut fatty acid are blended in a "crutcher" at a temperature of about 120° F. (49° C.). This crutcher is equipped with a standard turbine agitator and a recirculation loop to further improve mixing. The blend of fatty acid is then neutralized with NaOH solution. About 84 pounds (38 kg) of a 50% solution is needed to complete the neutralization. Prior to the addition of the caustic, 2.1 pounds (0.95 kg) of salt (NaCl) is added to the caustic solution. During neutralization the temperature rises to 180°-190° F. (82° to 88° C.).
After neutralization is completed, 9.78 pounds (4.4 kg) tallowalkyl N-methyl glucose amide in the form of powder is added to the neutralized mass keeping strong agitation so that good mixing results. The temperature is maintained at about 180° F. (82° C.). After the tallowalkyl N-methyl glucamide addition, about 15 minutes of agitation is enough to provide good mixing.
The resulting mixture contains about 30% moisture. The mixture is then dried to 10.5% moisture in a vacuum flash dryer under the following operating conditions:
temperature before heat exchanger=180° F. (82° C.)
temperature after heat exchanger=220° F. (104° C.)
temperature of dried product noodles=120° F. (49° C.)
vacuum chamber pressure=40 mmHg
The dried product noodles are then processed into bars using standard process equipment: premilling, amalgamator, milling, plodding, and stamping. Bars made in this manner can exhibit hardness grades ("dry") of about 2, by the penetrometer Test 1 described hereinafter.
The following procedures can be used to measure the physical parameters of the bars of this invention.
Hardness Test Procedure--The hardness of the bars prepared herein can be measured by the following procedure. In general, bars having a hardness value in the range below about 3, preferably below about 2, in the first Test (Test 1) listed give good consumer value, acceptable smear, and the like. The first Test listed involves "pin" penetration of the "dry" bar, i.e., without contacting the bar with additional moisture other than the, roughly, 10% water present in the bar. In an alternate Test (Test 2; also shown below) the bar is first moistened. In the second Test procedure, penetration of a "ball" is used, and in this type of Test penetration scores below about 1.25, more preferably below about 1.0, are desirable.
Test 1
Bar Penetrometer Test
Equipment:
Precision penetrometer 1/10 millimeter division instrument. (Model 1- Meter 538 Fisher Scientific)
Cone penetrometer (12.79 g)
230.6 g weight
Kodak timer
Method:
Place bar under the penetrometer cone with the bar resting on a wood slab. Cover the bar with thin wax paper.
Lower the metal penetrating cone unit until the point of the cone touches the surface of the paper. (Place paper between bar and cone and lower cone to the point where the paper can be removed without tearing.)
Remove the sheet of paper.
Cone has a 230.66 g weight on top of the cone shaft.
Press cone release lever; hold for 10 seconds; release; raise cone arm; move to new point on bar surface; repeat process.
Repeat three times forming a triangle on the bar with the three penetrating points.
Push top shaft button down to obtain a dial reading for penetrometer depth division=1/10 millimeters.
The reading will be an accumulative sum of the three penetrations.
Divide by three to obtain an average penetrometer reading. Then divide by 10 to give a reading in millimeters, and report the hardness value (in millimeters).
Test 2
Ball Penetrometer Test/100 ML Smear
Equipment:
Precision penetrometer 1/10 millimeter divisions instrument. (Model 1- Meter 538 Fisher Scientific)
Ball penetrometer (11.40 g)
300.6 g weight
Petri dishes, 90 mm inside, 22 mm deep
Standard plastic perch (soap dish style; bar barely touching the water)
Graduated cylinder or dispensing flask.
Method
Place bar centrally on plastic perch in a petri dish.
Take bars to the 80/80 (80° F./80% relative humidity) room and add 100 mls of distilled water. Store bars (overnight) in the 80/80 room.
Next morning bring bars back to the lab. Gently remove bar from petri dish, place wet side up under penetrometer ball.
Lower the metal penetrating ball so that it just touches the surface of the bar.
Ball has a 300.6 g weight on top of shaft.
For curved bars, hold the bar securely while conducting measurements.
Press release lever, hold for 10 seconds, release, raise ball arm, wipe excess gel off ball, move ball to new point on bar surface, repeat process.
Do this three times. For curved bar, make three points across the arc of the bar. For brick shape make a triangle.
Push top shaft button down to obtain a dial reading for penetrometer depth division=1/10 millimeter.
The reading will be an accumulative sum of the penetrations.
Divide by three to obtain an average penetrometer reading. Then divide by 10 to give a reading in millimeters, and report the hardness value (in millimeters.)
The ingredients used in the practice of this invention are known materials, and the ingredients per se and their individual methods of manufacture form no part of this invention. Rather, it is the combination of these ingredients to provide the compositions disclosed herein to achieve the desirable results that constitutes the invention herein. However, the ingredients are described below in order to assist the formulator.
Soaps--The soap ingredient herein is the well-known article of commerce, comprising the substantially water-soluble salts of fatty acids, typically C 12 -C 18 fatty acids. Such salts include the alkali, ammonium, alkanolammonium salts, and the like. Sodium salts, potassium salts, triethanolammonium, ammonium, and the like, salts are mentioned here by way of exemplification and not not by way of limitation. (Non-water soluble soaps, especially lithium soaps, as well as insoluble calcium and magnesium soaps, are not used as the "soap" component of the bars of this invention.) Fatty acids are available by synthetic processes, or, more typically, by base hydrolysis of fats and oils such as lard, palm oil, tallow, coconut oil, and the like. Coconut, tallow and palm oil fatty acids are mentioned by way of exemplification, but not limitation of fatty acid sources for typical soaps. Mixtures of fatty acids derived from various sources can be used. In a preferred mode the soaps used herein have a relatively low degree of unsaturation, i.e., have a relatively low Iodine Value, preferably in the I.V. range of from about 25 to about 35. As is known in the art, low I.V. soaps can be prepared by hydrogenating fatty soap feedstocks, or by blending soap feedstocks with saturated fatty acids to lower the overall I.V. of the feedstock. For example, soaps prepared from the mixed tallow/stearic/coconut fatty acids noted hereinafter yield a very desirable bar, but this can be varied according to the desires, objectives and raw material resources of the formulator.
Water--The water content of the bars herein is at least about 8% and typically ranges from about 8 to about 15, preferably, about 10% by weight, of the finished bar. The amount of water used by the formulator will depend on the softness of the bar that the formulator and user might find acceptable, the chain length of the fatty acid soaps, the amount of polyhydroxy fatty acid amide used in the bar, and the like. Such matters can be adjusted, as a matter of routine.
Electrolytes--The bar herein will optionally, but preferably, contain an electrolyte. Electrolytes are commonly added to soap bars to cause the soap to be in the form of what is commonly referred to as "neat" phase. The selection of electrolytes for use in soap bars is a matter of discretion of the formulator, but typical, inexpensive, water-soluble toxicologically-acceptable electrolytes include a wide variety of organic or, more typically, inorganic salts such as alkali metal halides, sulfates, phosphates, and the like. Among such materials there can be mentioned solely by way of exemplification and not by way of limitation: sodium chloride (preferred), potassium chloride, sodium sulfate, sodium phosphate, and the like. Typically, the electrolyte need not comprise more than about 2%, and more preferably comprises from about 0.2% to about 0.6%, by weight of the bar.
Optionals--The bars herein can optionally contain various additional ingredients of the type typically used in toilet and cosmetic bars. Various ingredients which can be mentioned by way of exemplification, but not by way of limitation, include: perfumes; opacifiers; pearlescent agents; antibacterials; dyes; "super-fatting" agents such as glycerin; abrasives such as pumice; and the like. Such ingredients can typically range from about 0.1% to about 15% by weight of the bars, depending on the objectives of the formulator.
One additional type of optional ingredient used in the bars herein includes the synthetic detergents such as the sulfated and sulfonated Of C 12 -C 18 alcohols, alkyl benzene, and the like. Nonionic synthetic detergents such as the C 12 -C 18 polyethoxylates, C 12 -C 18 alkyl phosphates, zwitterionics, cationics, amine oxides, and the like, can be used. Such synthetic detergents are wellknown, and reference can be made to McCutcheon's Index or other texts for standard listings. If used, such syndets conveniently comprise about 2% to about 15% by weight of the bar.
Polyhydroxy Fatty Acid Amide Surfactants--These materials are also known in the literature, along with various methods for their synthesis. (See, for example, the references cited in the Background Art, above.) However, to further assist the formulator, the following provides examples of convenient, but nonlimiting, syntheses of such polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactants for use herein.
The reaction for the preparation of the polyhydroxyamines which are used to prepare the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactants employed herein can be termed the "R-1" reaction, and is illustrated by the formation of N-methylglucamine, wherein R 1 is methyl. ##STR1##
The reactants, solvents and catalysts used in the R-1 reaction are all well-known materials which are routinely available from a variety of commercial sources. The following are nonlimiting examples of materials which can be used herein.
Amine Material--The amines useful in the R-1 reaction herein are primary amines of the formula R 1 NH 2 , wherein R 1 is, for example, alkyl, especially C 1 -C 4 alkyl, or C 1 -C 4 hydroxyalkyl. Examples include methyl, ethyl, propyl, hydroxyethyl, and the like. Nonlimiting examples of amines useful herein include methyl amine, ethyl amine, propyl amine, butyl amine, 2-hydroxypropyl amine, 2-hydroxyethyl amine; methyl amine is preferred. All such amines are sometimes jointly referred to as "N-alkyl amines".
Polyhydroxy Material--A preferred source of polyhydroxy materials useful in the R-1 reaction comprises reducing sugars or reducing sugar derivatives. More specifically, reducing sugars useful herein include glucose (preferred), maltose, fructose, maltotriose, xylose, galactose, lactose, and mixtures thereof.
Catalyst--A variety of hydrogenation catalysts can be used in the R-1 reaction. Included among such catalysts are nickel (preferred), platinum, palladium, iron, cobalt, tungsten, various hydrogenation alloys, and the like. A highly preferred catalyst herein comprises "United Catalyst G49B" a particulate Ni catalyst supported on silica, available from United Catalysts, Inc., Louisville, Ky.
Solvent--Formation of the adduct in the R-1 process is carried out using an excess of the amine as the solvent. The excess amine also is used in the subsequent reaction with hydrogen. Optionally, the amine can be replaced with an alcohol, such as methanol, for the hydrogen reaction. Typical examples of solvents useful herein in the formation of the amine-sugar adduct include methyl amine, ethyl amine, and hydroxyethyl amine; methyl amine is preferred; methyl amine/water solvent can also be used.
General R-1 Reaction Conditions--Reaction conditions for the R-1 reaction are as follows.
(a) Adduct formation--The reaction time used for adduct formation will typically be on the order of 0.5-20 hours, depending somewhat on the reaction temperature chosen. In general, lower reaction temperatures in the range of 0° C.-80° C. require longer reaction times, and vice-versa. In general, over the preferred 30° C.-60° C. reaction temperature range, good adduct yields are achieved in 1-10 hours. Generally good adduct formation is achieved at about a 4:1 to 30:1 mole ratio of amine:sugar. Typical sugar reactant concentrations in the amine solvent are in the 10%-60% (wt.) range. Adduct formation can be carried out at atmospheric or superatmospheric (preferred) pressures.
(b) Reaction with Hydrogen--The reaction with hydrogen can typically be run, for example, at temperatures of 40° C.-120° C. at 50-1,000 psi or, for example, at 50° C.-90° C. at 100-500 psi for periods of 0.1-35 hours, generally 0.5-8 hours, typically 1-3 hours. The adduct/solvent solution used in the hydrogen reaction is typically at a 10%-60% (wt.) solute level. (It will be appreciated that the selection of hydrogen reaction conditions will depend somewhat on the type of pressure equipment available to the formulator, so the above-noted reaction conditions can be varied without departing from this invention.) Hydrogen reaction catalyst levels are typically 1% to 40%, preferably about 2% to about 30% solids weight, calculated based on wt. catalyst:wt. reducing sugar substituent for batch processes. Of course, continuous processes could be run at much higher catalyst levels. The product of step (b) can be dried by solvent/water stripping, or by crystallization, trituration, or by means of effective drying agents.
EXAMPLE I
Anhydrous glucose (36.00 g; Aldrich Chemical Company) is weighed into a glass liner. The glass liner is placed into a dry-ice bath and methyl amine gas (68.00 g; Matheson) is condensed into the glass liner. The liner is then loaded into a rocking autoclave (500 ml capacity). The autoclave is heated to 50° C. and rocked for 5 hours at 50° C. under 600 psig nitrogen to form the adduct (N-methylglucosylamine). The reaction is then cooled in a dry-ice bath. The autoclave is then vented cold. Raney nickel (7.2 g of a 50% suspension in water, W/2 type, Aldrich Chemical Company) is added. The reaction is heated to 50° C. under 500-600 psig hydrogen and is rocked for 16 hours. The reaction is cooled in dry-ice bath and vented and purged with nitrogen. The reaction solution is pressure filtered through a Zeofluor filter (PTFE, 47 mm, 0.5 micron filter) with a 4 inch bed of Celite 545 (Fisher Scientific Company). The filtrate is concentrated under a stream of nitrogen to give 8.9 g of white solid. The Celite plug is washed with about 300 mls of water and the water is stripped on a rotary evaporator to give 18.77 g of white solid. The two solids are combined as they are analyzed to be of similar composition (90+ purity by GC analysis). The product is N-methyl glucamine.
EXAMPLE II
The process of Example I is repeated in a stirred autoclave fitted with a fritted exit filter, a triple impeller stirrer, outlet and inlet tubes and a baffle. Reagents and reaction conditions for the preparation of N-methyl glucamine are as follows: 15 g of 20% G49B catalyst (Ni/silica; United Catalyst) and 75 g glucose powder (Aldrich, Lot 07605LW) are slurried in 160 mls methanol and pretreated with H 2 for one hour (50° C.). The mixture is then cooled and the methanol is removed by pressure.
The reactor is cooled to less than 5° C. and charged with 76 mls of liquid methyl amine.
The reaction mixture is slowly heated to 60° C. over 46 minutes at 250 psi hydrogen and sampled. Heating is continued at 60° C. for 20 minutes and sample 2 is taken. Heating is continued at 60° C. for 46 minutes (sample 3) and then at 60° C. for 17 minutes (sample 4). The reaction mix is heated to 70° C. for an additional 33 minutes (sample 5). Total reaction time is 2.7 hours. The dried product is 93.2% N-methyl glucamine (GC analysis).
The polyhydroxyamine products of the aforesaid R-1 reaction, preferably with water substantially removed, are desirable and can be further employed in an amide-forming reaction which is designated herein as the "R-2" reaction. A typical R-2 amide-forming reaction herein can be illustrated by the formation of lauroyl N-methyl glucamide, as follows. ##STR2## wherein R 2 is C 11 H 23 alkyl.
Thus, an overall reaction for preparing polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactants comprises:
(a) reacting a reducing sugar (preferably glucose) or reducing sugar derivative with an amine reactant (preferably methyl amine) in an amine solvent (preferably, methyl amine) to provide an adduct;
(b) reacting said adduct from step (a) dissolved in said amine solvent with hydrogen in the presence of a metal catalyst;
(c) removing said catalyst and substantially removing water and excess amine solvent from the reaction mixture to provide the polyhydroxyamine reaction product; and, thereafter, per the R-2 process;
(d) reacting said substantially anhydrous polyhydroxyamine product from step (c) with a fatty acid ester in an organic hydroxy sol vent (preferably, methanol or propylene glycol) in the presence of a base catalyst to form the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant (preferably, at a temperature below about 100° C.); and
(e) optionally, when the reaction step (d) is essentially complete, removing said solvent used in step (d).
More specifically, the combination of R-1 and R-2 reactions herein provides an overall process (R-1 plus R-2) which can be used to prepare polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactants for use herein having the formula: ##STR3## wherein: R 1 is H, C 1 -C 4 hydrocarbyl, 2-hydroxyethyl, 2-hydroxy propyl, or a mixture thereof, preferably C 1 -C 4 alkyl, more preferably C 1 or C 2 alkyl, most preferably C 1 alkyl (i.e., methyl); and R 2 is a C 5 -C 31 hydrocarbyl moiety, preferably straight chain C 7 -C 19 alkyl or alkenyl, more preferably straight chain C 9 -C 17 alkyl or alkenyl, most preferably straight chain C 11 -C 17 alkyl or alkenyl, or mixture thereof; and Z is a polyhydroxyhydrocarbyl moiety having a linear hydrocarbyl chain with at least 3 hydroxyls directly connected to the chain, or an alkoxylated derivative (preferably ethoxylated or propoxylated) thereof. Z preferably will be derived from a reducing sugar in a reductive amination reaction; more preferably Z is a glycityl moiety. Suitable reducing sugars include glucose, fructose, maltose, lactose, galactose, mannose, and xylose. As raw materials, high dextrose corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, and high maltose corn syrup can be utilized as well as the individual sugars listed above. These corn syrups may yield a mix of sugar components for Z. It should be understood that it is by no means intended to exclude other suitable raw materials. Z preferably will be selected from the group consisting of --CH 2 --(CHOH) n --CH 2 OH, --CH(CH 2 OH)--(CHOH) n-1 --CH 2 OH, --CH 2 --(CHOH) 2 (CHOR')(CHOH)--CH 2 OH, where n is an integer from 3 to 5, inclusive, and R' is H or a cyclic mono- or poly- saccharide, and alkoxylated derivatives thereof. Most preferred are glycityls wherein n is 4, particularly --CH 2 --(CHOH) 4 --CH 2 OH.
In Formula (I), R 1 can be, for example, N-methyl, N-ethyl, N-propyl, N-isopropyl, N-butyl, N-isobutyl, N-2-hydroxy ethyl, or N-2-hydroxy propyl.
R 2 -CO-N< can be, for example, cocamide, stearamide, oleamide, lauramide, myristamide, capricamide, palmitamide, tallowamide, etc.
Z can be 1-deoxyglucityl, 2-deoxyfructityl, 1-deoxymaltityl, 1-deoxylactityl, 1-deoxygalactityl, 1-deoxymannityl, 1-deoxymaltotriotityl, etc.
The following reactants, catalysts and solvents can conveniently be used in the R-2 reaction herein, and are listed only by way of exemplification and not by way of limitation. Such materials are all well-known and are routinely available from a variety of commercial sources.
Reactants--Various fatty esters can be used in the R-2 reaction, including mono-, di- and triesters (i.e., triglycerides). Methyl esters, ethyl esters, and the like are all quite suitable. The polyhydroxyamine reactants include reactants available from the above-described R-1 reaction, such as N-alkyl and N-hydroxyalkyl polyhydroxyamines with the N-substituent group such as CH 3 --, C 2 H 5 --, C 3 H 7 --, HOCH 2 CH 2 --, and the like. (Polyhydroxyamines available from the R-1 reaction are preferably not contaminated by the presence of residual amounts of metallo hydrogenation catalysts, although a few parts per million [e.g., 1-20 ppm] can be present.) Mixtures of the ester and mixtures of the polyhydroxyamine reactants can also be used.
Catalysts--The catalysts used in the R-2 reaction are basic materials such as the alkoxides (preferred), hydroxides (less preferred due to possible hydrolysis reactions), carbonates, and the like. Preferred alkoxide catalysts include the alkali metal C 1 -C 4 alkoxides such as sodium methoxide, potassium ethoxide, and the like. The catalysts can be prepared separately from the reaction mixture, or can be generated in situ using an alkali metal such as sodium. For in situ generation, e.g., sodium metal in the methanol solvent, it is preferred that the other reactants not be present until catalyst generation is complete. The catalyst typically is used at a level of about 5 mole % of the ester reactant. Mixtures of catalysts can also be used.
Solvents--The organic hydroxy solvents used in the R-2 reaction include, for example, methanol, ethanol, propanol, iso-propanol, the butanols, glycerol, 1,2-propylene glycol, 1,3-propylene glycol, and the like. Methanol is a preferred alcohol solvent and 1,2-propylene glycol is a preferred diol solvent. Mixtures of solvents can also be used.
General R-2 Reaction Conditions--It is preferred to prepare the desired products while minimizing the formation of cyclized by-products, ester amides and color bodies. Reaction temperatures below about 135° C., typically in the range of from about 40° C. to about 100° C., preferably 50° C. to 80° C., are used to achieve this objective, especially in batch processes where reaction times are typically on the order of about 0.5-2 hours, or even up to 6 hours. Somewhat higher temperatures can be tolerated in continuous processes, where residence times can be shorter.
The following examples are intended to illustrate the practice of the R-2 reaction using the N-polyhydroxyamines prepared by the above-disclosed R-1 reaction (with H 2 O having been substantially removed), but are not intended to be limiting thereof. It is pointed out that the concentration ranges of the reactants and solvent in Example III provide what can be termed a "70% concentrated" (with respect to reactants) reaction mixture. This 70% concentrated mixture provides good results, in that high yields of the desired polyhydroxy fatty acid amide product are secured rapidly. Indeed, indications are that the reaction is substantially complete within one hour, or less. The consistency of the reaction mixture at the 70% concentration level provides ease of handling. However, even better results are secured at the 80% and 90% concentration levels, in that chromotography data indicate that even less of the undesired by-products are formed at these higher concentrations. At the higher concentrations the reaction systems are somewhat more difficult to work with, and require more efficient stirring (due to their initial thickness), and the like, at least in the early stages of the reaction. Once the reaction proceeds to any appreciable extent, the viscosity of the reaction system decreases and ease of mixing increases.
EXAMPLE III
The product of Example I (9.00 g, 0.0461 moles, N-methylglucamine) is combined with 8.22 g methanol anhydrous in a round bottom flask fitted with condenser, drying tube and argon blanket. The reaction methanol and N-methylglucamine are heated to reflux for 15 minutes. Sodium methoxide (0.1245 g, 0.0023 moles, Aldrich Chemical Company) and methyl ester (10.18 g, 0.0461 moles, Procter & Gamble CE1270, includes C 12 -C 18 fatty acid esters) are added and reaction continued at reflux for 3 hours. Methanol is then removed under reduced pressure to give essentially colorless white product. Yields are not reported since samples were taken during reaction at 30 minutes, 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours before drying. The dried sample is washed with cold methanol and filtered and final drying is done under vacuum to give 10.99 g of the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant.
EXAMPLE IV
An overall process at the 80% reactant concentration level for the amide synthesis is as follows.
A reaction mixture consisting of 84.87 g. fatty acid methyl ester (source: Procter & Gamble methyl ester CE1270), 75 g. N-methylglucamine per Example I, above, 1.04 g. sodium methoxide and a total of 39.96 g. methyl alcohol (ca. 20% by wt. of reaction mixture) is used. The reaction vessel comprises a standard reflux set-up fitted with a drying tube, condenser and mechanical stirring blade. The N-methyl glucamine/methanol is heated with stirring under argon (reflux). After the solution has reached the desired temperature, the ester and sodium methoxide catalyst are added. The reaction mixture is maintained at reflux for 6 hours. The reaction is essentially complete in 1.5 hours. After removal of the methanol, the recovered product weighs 105.57 grams. Chromatography indicates the presence of only traces of undesired ester-amide by-products, and no detectable cyclized by-product.
EXAMPLE V
The process of Example IV is repeated at the 90% reactant level for the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide synthesis step. Levels of undesirable by-products are extremely low, and reaction is essentially complete at 30 minutes. In an alternate mode, the reaction can be initiated at a 70% reactant concentration, for example, and methanol can be stripped during the course of the reaction and the reaction taken to completion.
EXAMPLE VI
The process of Example III is repeated in ethanol (99%) and 1,2-propylene glycol (essentially dry), respectively, with good product formation. In an alternate mode, a solvent such as 1,2-propylene glycol is used in the R-2 step, with methanol stripping throughout the process. The resulting surfactant/glycol mix can be used directly in a detergent composition.
Having thus disclosed reaction conditions involving amine solvents in the R-1 step of the instant process, it has further been determined that mixtures of amine/water solvents for use in R-1 affords still additional advantages in the R-1 reaction. In particular, the use of an amine/water solvent: yields substantially no color formation in the reaction products; gives high product yields relatively quickly; and leaves essentially no reducing sugars in the reaction product, which can contribute to color formation in the subsequent R-2 reaction. The R-1 reaction in a mixed amine/water solvent is as follows.
EXAMPLE VII
Using a stirred autoclave and procedure per Example II, 15 g of the 649B catalyst, glucose powder (75 g; Aldrich) and 160 mls methanol are slurried and treated with H 2 to remove oxide from the catalyst surface. Methanol is removed. 80 mls (52.8 g) of methyl amine are added to the glucose/catalyst mixture at below 5° C., and 22 mls water are added at room temperature.
The reaction mixture is heated to 70° C. in 34 minutes and held at 70° C. for 40 minutes, during the hydrogenation. The H 2 O/methyl amine solution of the reaction product is blown out of the reactor through the frit (removes catalyst) and dried to yield the N-methylglucamine product.
When using the mixed amine/water solvent, weight ratios of amine (especially, methyl amine) and water in a range of from about 10:1 to about 1:1 are typically employed. The R-1 reaction product, substantially free from water (preferably, less than about 1%, more preferably, less than about 0.3% by weight of water) can then be used in the R-2 reaction to prepare polyhydroxy fatty acid amides, as described above.
While the foregoing disclosure generally relates to a solvent-assisted method for preparing N-methyl polyhydroxy amines, such as N-methyl glucamine, as well as their fatty acid amide derivatives using fatty methyl esters, it is to be understood that variations are available. Thus, reducing sugars such as fructose, galactose, mannose, maltose and lactose, as well as sugar sources such as high dextrose corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup and high maltose corn syrup, and the like, can be used to prepare the polyhydroxyamine material (i.e., to replace glucamine) of the reaction. Likewise, a wide variety of fats and oils (triglycerides) can be used herein in place of the fatty esters exemplified above. For example, fats and oils such as soybean oil, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil, tallow, lard, safflower oil, corn oil, canola oil, peanut oil, fish oil, rapeseed oil, and the like, or hardened (hydrogenated) forms thereof, can be used as the source of triglyceride esters for use in the present process. The present process is particularly useful when preparing the longer-chain (e.g., C 18 ) and unsaturated fatty acid polyhydroxy amides, since the relatively mild reaction temperatures and conditions herein afford the desired products with minimal by-product formation. A preformed portion of the polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant can be used to assist initiation of the R-2 amide-forming reaction when triglycerides or the longer-chain methyl esters are used as reactants. Furthermore, use of propylene glycol, or glycerine, or preformed mono esters thereof, can assist in initiation of the R-2 reaction, as well. Surfactant yields in the R-2 process can be increased by simply storing the solidified product (which contains some minor amount of entrained solvent and reactants) e.g., at 50° C., for a few hours after removal from the reaction vessel. Storage in this manner apparently allows the last fraction of unreacted starting materials to continue to form the desired polyhydroxy fatty acid amide surfactant. Thus, yields can be increased appreciably, i.e., to a high degree of completion, which is an important consideration in large-scale industrial processes.
The following illustrates the use of the above-described surfactant products of the overall R-1 plus R-2 process to prepare bar soap compositions in the manner of this invention. These examples are not intended to be limiting, since a wide variety of surfactants, perfumes and optional other ingredients well-known to bar soap formulators can optionally be used in such compositions, all at conventional usage levels.
EXAMPLE VIII
A typical soap bar composition is as follows.
______________________________________A typical soap bar composition is as follows.Ingredient Percent (wt.)______________________________________Fatty acid soap* 83.75Alkyl glucamide** 3.00NaCl 0.44Minors (perfumes, etc.) 2.5Water BalancepH 10.25______________________________________ *Sodium salts of mixed tallow/stearic/coconut fatty acids at a weight ratio of 70/10/20. **Mixed tallow alkyl Nmethylglucamide prepared in the manner of Example III; tallow chain alkyl groups in the C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 range.
EXAMPLE IX
The bar of Example VIII is modified by reducing the soap level to 76% and increasing the alkyl glucamide (made per Example IV) level to 10%. A softer bar is thereby secured.
EXAMPLE X
The bar of Example VIII is modified by increasing the soap level to 85% and decreasing the alkyl glucamide surfactant level to 2%. A harder bar is thereby secured.
EXAMPLE XI
A soap/syndet mixed bar is as follows.
______________________________________A soap/syndet mixed bar is as follows.Ingredient Percent (wt.)______________________________________Fatty acid soap* 78.0Syndet** 6.0Glucamide*** 8.0NaCl/KCl (1:1 wt.) 0.38Water Balance______________________________________ *1:1 (wt.) mixed Na/K coconut soap. **Mixed C.sub.14-18 alkyl sulfate, sodium salt. ***Mixed C.sub.12 -C.sub.18 alkyl Nmethyl glucamide, prepared as disclose above in Example V.
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Bar soaps containing polyhydroxy fatty acid amides exhibit good "smear" qualities, desirable hardness and good lather properties. The bars also have a decreased tendency to crack. Bars comprising soap and materials such as C 12 -C 18 N-methyl glucamide are provided.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the manufacture of small thin flat metallic parts which are non-uniform with regard to at least one significant characteristic. That is, the parts may be of non-uniform thickness, non-uniform material etc. and may therefor be fairly described as "multi-characteristic parts". Such parts have been manufactured in the past, as for example, in a "step rolling" operation resulting in a metal strip of non-uniform thickness longitudinally. A subsequent blanking operation included at least one interface between sections of differing thickness. As will be apparent, parts of non-uniform thickness or "multi-gage" parts have been thus provided.
It is the general object of the present invention to provide an improved method of manufacture for both multi-gage and other multi-characteristic parts wherein the step rolling operation is eliminated and an electron beam welding step is substituted therefor, substantial advantage being realized in the elimination of metal waste and particularly in flexibility of the method.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
In fulfillment of the foregoing object, a first elongated strip of metal which extends longitudinally for a known but indeterminate length is provided. A second strip of metal is also provided and has at least one characteristic which differs from that of the first strip of metal. For example, the strips may differ in thickness, material from which they are formed, etc. The second strip of metal is substantially coextensive longitudinally with the first strip of metal and the two strips of metal are positioned in edge-wise contiguous and substantially co-planar relationship. The longitudinal edges of the two strips may be butted, lapped or positioned in other welding arrangements. An electron beam welding process is then carried out to join the two strips together in side-by-side substantially co-planar relationship along a longitudinally extending weld zone. Thereafter, a series of like small parts are blanked or otherwise severed from the welded strip with each part extending transversely relative to the strip so as to provide a first portion of each part which derives from the first strip and a second portion of each part which derives from the second strip.
As mentioned, the thin flat metallic parts may differ in a variety of characteristics. For example, each of the parts may have first and second portions of the same thickness but of different material. The first and second portions of each part may be of differing thickness. Still further, the parts may have first and second portions of differing thickness and the same material or, alternatively, the parts may have first and second portions with the same or differing thickness and with the same or differing materials.
In an illustrative example of the method of the present invention, a "sinker", comprising a multi-gage thin flat metallic part used extensively in the knitting industry is provided with a first portion of 1095 steel and of 0.010 thousandths thickness whereas a second portion thereof also of 1095 steel, has a 0.020 thousandths thickness.
The limitations imposed on the finished parts by the step rolling operation of the prior art are readily overcome with the present method. That is, the variation in thickness which can be achieved with the step rolling process of the prior art is practically limited to approximately a 50% reduction whereas no similar limit is encountered with the present method. Further, the present method is readily adaptable to parts having first and second portions of either the same or differing thickness and of differing material. Such structure is difficult if not impossible to achieve with the prior art method.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 of the drawings is a side view of a prior art strip of metal of varying thickness.
FIG. 2 is a top view of the prior art strip of metal with "sinkers" blanked therefrom and with each "sinker" having at least two portions of differing thickness.
FIG. 3 is an enlarged side view of the "sinker".
FIG. 4 is a top view of two strips of metal welded together in an electron beam welding process and thereafter blanked in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged side view of the strip of FIG. 4.
FIGS. 6A through 6H are sequential schematic representations of a front portion of a sinker in co-operation with a knitting needle.
FIG. 7 is a top view of three strips of metal welded together and thereafter blanked in a pattern varying from that of FIG. 4.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring to the prior art and particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2, it will be apparent that a strip such as best illustrated in the FIG. 1 side view can be provided through an intermittent or "step" rolling operation. That is, relatively thick portions 10,10 of the strip may represent the initial thickness of the strip whereas relatively thin portions 12,12 represent the intermittent or step rolled portions thereof. As mentioned, step rolling can be accomplished to a maximum reduction ratio of approximately 50% but excessive reduction beyond such ratio is either impractical or impossible of attainment. Thus, if the sections 10,10 are of 0.020 thousandths thickness the sections 12,12 may be reduced to approximately 0.010 thousandths thickness in the manufacture of parts 14,14, FIG. 3, the outlines of which are illustrated in FIG. 2 at 14a,14a. The parts 14,14 are known in the knitting industry as "sinkers" and have front end portions 12a,12a of reduced thickness with rear end portions 10a,10a of the initial or original thickness of the strip. A conventional blanking operation may be employed in severing the sinkers 14,14 from the strip with locating holes 16,16 employed as an aid in achieving precise location of the interface between different thicknesses on each sinker. As will be apparent, and in addition to the limitations on reduction in thickness, there is a substantial amount of waste material in the manufacturing process of the prior art as set forth in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The improved method of the present invention can be employed in the manufacture of a wide variety of multi-characteristic parts including knitting machine "sinkers", "transfer jacks" et al. As mentioned, the manner in which the characteristics of the parts vary from one portion to another include variations in thickness, material etc. The illustrative example disclosed herein may be referred to as a multi-gage part wherein first and second portions of each part are of like material but different thickness. More specifically, the sinker manufactured in the illustrative example of the method of the present invention is a conventional part used in tube-type or circular knitting machines and illustrated at 14 in FIG. 3. Each sinker 14 has a first or front end portion 20 which is an "operating" portion and a second or rear end portion 22 which constitutes a driven portion. More specifically, the second or rear end portion 22 of each sinker 14 is normally cam driven in a tube type or circular knitting machine.
The manner in which a sinker co-operates with a knitting needle in a tube type or "circular" knitting machine is illustrated in general in FIGS. 6A-H. The knitting operation depicted in FIGS. 6A-H, is known as a "single jersey" knit and hundreds of thousands of needles and sinkers are employed in such operations throughout the world. In FIG. 6A, knitting needle 24, also cam operated, is shown at an intermediate position in its upward stroke, the latch of the needle 26 is in an open position and, in the trade, the position is known as a "tuck position". In FIG. 6B the knitting needle 24 has terminated its upward movement and commenced a reverse or downward movement with the loop of fabric 28 now clear of the latch 26 and residing therebeneath. This is known as a "clearing position". Concurrently the sinker has commenced rearward movement. In FIG. 6C the needle and sinker are shown in a "yarn feeding position" with a section of yarn 30 disposed behind the sinker portion 20 and extending upwardly and forwardly so as to be captured by the hook of the needle on further downward movement thereof. In FIG. D, the yarn 30 has been captured by the needle so as to be drawn slightly downwardly in further downward movement of the needle while the latch 26 has been swung to a partially closed position by a preceding loop 28 extending about the needle 24. This is known as the "latch closing position". In FIG. 6E, the needle and sinker are shown in a "casting off position" wherein the latch has achieved its fully closed position, the yarn 30 has been drawn downwardly and is about to enter the loop 28. Downward movement of the needle continues in FIG. 6F to a position known as a "knockover position" wherein the yarn 30 has been drawn downwardly through the loop 28 in an initial movement with a new loop partially formed. Still further downward movement of the needle coupled with concurrent forward movement of the sinker in FIG. 6G results in an extension of a loop 30a formed from the yarn 30 to approximately its full length whereupon the needle 24 and the sinker portion 20 both reverse direction as illustrated in FIG. 6H. From the FIG. 6H position, the needle and sinker return to the FIG. 6A position whereupon the cycle is repeated.
The cycle described may be repeated at rates as high as 5000 per minute in tube-type or circular knitting machines with all of the obvious accompanying stresses on both the needle and the sinker in rapid movement and particularly in the rapid reversal of direction of movement which occurs during each cycle. As mentioned, both the sinker and the needle are generally cam driven from rear-end portions thereof and the sinkers are captured within slots for rectilinear guidance during the necessarily precise reciprocal action. It is also to be noted that the front ends of the sinkers and needles may reside in an extremely crowded environment with the thinnest possible gage metal thus desirable at the front end portion 20 of the sinker. The rear-end thereof, engaged and driven by a cam, should of course be substantially thicker and stronger. Thus, one conventional sinker design includes a front end portion of 1095 steel and approximately, 0.010 thousandths in thickness while the rear-end portion, also of 1095 steel is of 0.020 thousandths thickness.
Reverting now to FIG. 4, a strip of metal 32 may be regarded as 1095 steel of 0.010 thousandths thickness while a strip 34 is of 1095 steel and 0.020 thousandths thickness. As will be apparent, the strips 32 and 34 are elongated and positioned in side-by-side arrangement with their inner longitudinal edges contiguous and with the strips substantially in co-planar relationship. The inner edges may be in butted or lapped arrangement or in other inter-relationships suitable for electron beam welding.
The electron beam welding process is well known and readily applicable to a wide variety of steel including 1095 strip steel. A weld line or zone 36 accomplished by electron beam welding extends longitudinally and joins the strips 32 and 34 in a high quality and high strength weld meeting or exceeding characteristics of the parent metal. Thus, the welded strip 32,34 may be readily blanked to provide a series of sinkers each extending transversely across the welded strip as illustrated in FIG. 4 by the cutouts or openings 18a,18a. The weld line or zone 36 is of course located precisely at a desired position on each sinker or other part in order to provide the desired relationship of the first and second portions of each part. Locating holes such as 16 are unnecessary. When a three-part strip such as that of FIG. 7 is to be employed in the manufacture of sinkers, it is of course possible to provide a parallel pair of electron beam welds 38,40 concurrently or sequentially with three strips of metal 42,44, and 46 positioned in side-by-side relationship as illustrated. Strips 42 and 46 may be 10 thousandths thick with the strip 44 having a thickness of 20 thousandths.
The flexibility of the method of the present invention has been mentioned above and it should be noted that various materials such a metal, carbide, etc. can be joined together in accordance with the method. Similarly, the ability to exceed the thickness limitations encountered in a step-rolling operation will be readily apparent. Still further, material waste is greatly reduced.
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A method of manufacturing multi-characteristic small thin flat metallic parts comprising the steps of providing first and second strips of metal differing in at least one characteristic. The metal strips are welded together along their edges in an electron beam welding process and the small multi-characteristic parts are blanked transversely from their resulting strip whereby each part has a first portion deriving from the first strip and a second portion deriving from the second strip.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This patent application claims the benefit of provisional U.S. Patent Application No. 60/055,194 filed on Aug. 11, 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Ceramics are a general class of compounds that are the product of treating earthy raw materials with heat. Many ceramics comprise silicon and its oxides. Some of the more common ceramics are clay products, such as brick, porcelain, glass, and alumina. Ceramics are known for their heat-resistance, hardness, and strength. Metals, which are easily machined, do not retain their machined form at high temperatures. Ceramics, however, retain their shape at extremely high temperatures, but are brittle and very difficult to machine into a desired shape. Materials engineers have directed a great deal of effort into finding compositions that are easily machined into a desired shape and are stable at extremely high temperatures.
Ternary ceramic compounds such as titanium silicon carbide (Ti 3 SiC 2 ), and related “3-1-2” phase ceramics, as well as the “H-phase” ceramics have been studied and identified as meeting these requirements; that is, they are easily machineable and heat-resistant. For these reasons ternary ceramic compounds have been used to construct workpieces of varied shapes having heat-resistant properties and high strength. International Patent Application WO98/22244, published on May 28, 1998, of Barsoum et al. for “Process for Making a Dense Ceramic Workpiece” describes a process for making workpieces from these types of ceramic compounds and is herein incorporated by reference.
The application of corrosion resistant coatings to different articles in order to protect their surfaces from degradation by oxidation or chemical attack is a vastly important field of study. Much effort has been devoted to extending the useful lives of articles subject to corrosion by coating the article with a corrosion resistant composition. Coatings are also applied to substrates for protection against wear. Coatings with corrosion-resistant and wear-resistant properties are applied in many different ways. Some are applied by dipping or painting, others are applied by chemical adsorption, and still others are applied by chemical reaction. Many coatings used to provide protection to surfaces are applied by thermal spraying processes.
Thermal spray processes are a well known family of coating technologies that include detonation guns, high-velocity oxyfuel spray processes, wire-arc spraying, and both air and vacuum plasma spraying. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,470 of Ashary et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,164 of Browning; U.S. Pat. No. 5,271,965 of Browning; U.S. Pat. No. 5,223,332 of Quets; U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,382 of Simm et al.; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,694,990 of Karlsson et al., collectively describe thermal spray processes and are herein incorporated by reference.
The types of coatings applied by these thermal spray techniques have generally been grouped into two broad categories, carbides and non-carbides. The carbides applied by thermal spray processes are generally transition-metal carbides such as tungsten carbide, chromium carbide, and cobalt-based carbides. The non-carbides applied by thermal spraying processes include iron-nickel based alloys, copper-nickel-indium alloys, metals and alloys such as aluminum, zinc, steel, bronze, and nickel, and aluminum-polyesters. Some ceramics, such as alumina and titania, which offer good wear-resistance, can be applied as coatings using the extremely high temperature (usually greater than 11,000° C.) plasma spraying technique. Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ), another ceramic, is well known as a thermal barrier coating in applications subject to extremely high temperatures.
High-velocity oxyfuel spray processes are advantageous in that they provide excellent dense, adherent coatings. Also the equipment used is more portable than other thermal spray equipment. Unfortunately, the ternary ceramic compounds described above have dissociation temperatures in the general range of from about 1000° C. to about 1800° C., and most thermal spray processes, including high-velocity oxyfuel, have gas jet temperatures in excess of 2500° C.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It has been both unexpectedly and surprisingly found, however, that the ternary ceramic compounds in accordance with the present invention can be sprayed using thermal spray processes to form adherent, corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant and/or wear-resistant coatings, and that the composition of the compounds remains substantially unchanged after undergoing the thermal spray process.
According to the present invention, articles are produced having a surface with a coating having corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant and/or wear-resistant properties, the coating comprising at least one of a ceramic compound of the general formula (I):
M 2 X 1 Z 1 (I)
wherein M is at least one transition metal, X is an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Ge, Pb, Sn, Ga, P, S, In, As, Tl and Cd, and Z is a non-metal selected from the group consisting of carbon and nitrogen; and a ceramic compound of the general formula (II):
M 3 X 1 Z 2 (II)
wherein M is at least one transition metal, X is at least one of Al, Ge, and Si, and Z is at least one of carbon and nitrogen.
In accordance with the present invention, it is desirable that the coating be substantially comprised of the ceramic compounds of the general formulas (I) and/or (II), by minimizing the dissociation of the ceramic compounds during application. The ternary ceramic compounds of the general formulas (I) and/or (II) are present in the coatings of the present invention in an amount of at least about 70% by volume of the ternary ceramic compounds sprayed. Preferably, the ternary ceramic compounds of the general formulas (I) and (II) are present in the coatings of the present invention in an amount of at least about 80% by volume of the ternary ceramic compounds sprayed, and more preferably they are present in the coatings of the present invention in an amount of at least about 90% by volume of the ternary ceramic compounds sprayed.
Also, according to the present invention, articles are produced having a surface with a coating having corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant and/or wear-resistant properties, the coating being produced by a process comprising the steps of providing a powder of at least one of a ceramic compound of the general formula (I) as described above, and a ceramic compound of the general formula (II) as described above; and thermal spraying the powder of the at least one compound onto the surface. It is preferable that the coating is substantially comprised of the ceramic compounds of the general formulas (I) and/or (II) and the presence of dissociation products of the ceramic compounds is minimized. The minimization of dissociation of the ceramic powder particles is accomplished by controlling both the temperature of the thermal spraying device, and the length of time which the ceramic powder particles remain within the thermal spraying device, during which they are being heated.
According to another aspect of the present invention, a method is provided for coating a surface comprising the steps of providing a powder of at least one of a ceramic compound of the general formula (I) as described above, and a ceramic compound of the general formula (II) as described above; and thermal spraying the powder of the at least one compound onto the surface, whereby a coating having corrosion resistant, oxidation resistant and/or wear resistant properties results on the surface, the coating substantially comprised of ceramic compounds of the general formulas (I) and/or (II).
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention the coating is comprised of titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 , and the thermal spray process utilized is a high-velocity oxyfuel spraying process. The preferred coatings in accordance with the present invention have thickness of at least about 0.002 inches, and more preferably at least about 0.005 inches.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Ceramic powders of the general formula (I) are known synonymously both as “H-phase” and “2-1-1” ceramics, signifying the molar ratio of component M to component X to component Z, or M:X:Z. Ceramics of this type and their syntheses are disclosed and described in detail in International Patent Application WO97/27965, published on Aug. 7, 1997, of Barsoum et al. for “Synthesis of H-phase Products”, and its disclosures are herein incorporated by reference.
Ceramic powders of the general formula (II) are known as “3-1-2” ceramics, signifying the molar ratio of component M to component X to component Z, or M:X:Z. Ceramics of this type and their syntheses are disclosed and described in detail in International Patent Application WO97/18162, published on May 22, 1997, of Barsoum et al. for “Synthesis of 312 Phases and Composites Thereof”, and its disclosures are herein incorporated by reference.
The ceramics used in the present invention can be powdered in a conventional manner, for example, by mechanical crushing. The powders used in the present invention should have a maximum particle size of about 100 μm, and a minimum particle size of about 5 μm. In a more preferred embodiment of the present invention, the powders have a maximum particle size of about 65 μm, and a minimum particle size of about 7 μm, and in a most preferred embodiment, the powders have a maximum particle size of about 45 μm, and a minimum particle size of about 10 μm. Particle size determination can be accomplished by any conventional method, such as for example, mesh screening or laser scattering.
The preferred ceramic compounds to be used in accordance with the present invention are those corresponding to general formula (II), the “3-1-2” phase ceramics. The most preferred ceramic is titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 .
The coating comprising a ceramic as described above should have a thickness of at least about 0.002 inches, preferably at least about 0.005 inches, and more preferably at least about 0.008 inches. The thickness of the coating should be such that complete coverage of the surface is obtained. Coverage that is not complete, or near complete can hinder the corrosion-resistant properties of the coating. Additionally, the above mentioned approximate minimum coating thickness is necessary to maintain the integrity or cohesion of the coating. The approximate maximum thickness of the coating may be determined by the intended end use of the article being coated, although the approximate maximum thickness of the coating should not be so great that residual stresses in the coating itself impair its properties. The possibility that contraction of the ceramic coating upon cooling will create cracks in the coating increases as the outer surface of the coating moves farther and farther away from the surface being coated.
The coatings in accordance with the present invention have limited porosity. The porosity of the coatings is approximately 30% or less.
Additional materials or powders can be further mixed with the ternary ceramic powders being sprayed onto a surface in accordance with the present invention. Examples of such additional materials and powders are carbides, silicides, nitrides, oxides, other thermally sprayable compounds, and mixtures thereof.
The coatings in accordance with the present invention are useful for providing corrosion-resistance and/or wear-resistance to the surfaces of articles, both metal and non-metal (e.g., other ceramics), such as those used in the manufacture of chemical plant equipment including without limitation, pressure vessels, reactors, storage tanks, pipe lines, valves, heat exchangers, and the like.
In accordance with the present invention, a coating comprising a ceramic as described above can be applied to the surface of an article by a thermal spray process. The method of coating a surface with a coating comprised of a ceramic, as described above, involves the heating of a stream of ceramic particles and accelerating the particles through a nozzle, aimed at the surface to be coated. Upon impact the heated particles impact against the surface, spreading out and adhering to the surface. By using a thermal spray process, a dense, thick, contiguous coating of ceramic can be obtained according to the present invention. Thermal spraying techniques of other materials have been used to apply coatings to various substrates, and these thermal spraying processes may be adapted to the application of the coatings of the present invention to substrates on which a corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant and/or wear-resistant coating is desired.
The temperature of the gas jet exiting a thermal spray gun is usually in excess of at least about 2000° C., and more usually in excess of 2500° C. The dissociation temperatures of the ceramic compounds used in accordance with the present invention are between about 1000° C. and about 1800° C. In accordance with the present invention, it is therefor desirable to optimize the residence time of the powder particles inside the spray gun. The residence time, the time spent by the powder particle from the moment it enters the jet of heated gas to the moment it exits the jet, must be controlled in conjunction with the gas jet temperature to minimize the dissociation of the ceramic compound. The higher the gas jet temperature, the faster the particles must exit the spray gun. Conversely, the lower the gas jet temperature, the less quickly the particles must exit the spray gun. It is necessary to control the residence time and the temperature of the thermal spray jet so that the ceramic particles are at least partly softened or near their dissociation temperature so that they will adhere to the surface and to each other on impact, but also so that the ceramic does not appreciably dissociate. Some dissociation of the ceramic is not necessarily harmful, particularly where the dissociation products are other wear-resistant ceramics such as titanium carbide. However, it is preferred that the ternary ceramics of the invention be maintained to the greatest extent possible.
Thermal spray processes that can be used to apply a coating in accordance with the present invention include, but are not limited to detonation gun techniques, both air and vacuum plasma spraying, high-velocity oxyfuel spray processes, wire arc spraying, conventional flame spraying and the like. The preferred thermal spray process to be used in accordance with the present invention is a high-velocity oxyfuel spray process, although any thermal spray process could be used. High-velocity oxyfuel processes involve the feeding of a gaseous fuel, oxygen and a coating powder into a spray gun. Inside of the gun the fuel is combusted, usually with oxygen although in some guns air is used, and the powder is fed into the path of the combusted fuel exiting through the nozzle of the gun. Particle velocity, which determines the residence time or dwell time of the particles, is a function of the combustion process gases and their flow rate, which is typically on the order of 1500 scfh (standard cubic feet per hour). The fuel used in high-velocity oxyfuel spraying processes can be a gas or liquid fuel. Gases commonly used are, for example, hydrogen, propylene, propane, and acetylene. An example of a liquid fuel used is kerosene.
The specific parameters used in the high-velocity oxyfuel spray process can vary. The distance from the nozzle tip to the surface being coated, the flow rates of the fuel and oxygen gases, and the horizontal speed of the spray gun relative to the part being coated are some examples of the parameters which can be varied in applying a coating in accordance with the present invention. When applying a coating of a ceramic compound in accordance with the present invention the spray distance, the distance from the exit of the gun nozzle to the surface being coated, should be from about 5 inches to about 10 inches, preferably from about 6 inches to about 9 inches, and more preferably from about 7 inches to about 8 inches. The horizontal traverse speed of the spray gun, the speed at which the stream of molten, or nearly molten, particles exiting the gun nozzle, moves across the surface of the article being coated should be from about zero feet per minute to about 100 feet per minute, preferably from about 1 foot per minute to about 50 feet per minute, and more preferably from about 2 feet per minute to about 40 feet per minute.
The gas used as the combustion fuel in a high velocity oxyfuel spray process can vary, but is usually hydrogen. The rate at which the oxygen is fed into the spray gun can be from about 400 standard cubic feet per hour (SCFH) to about 600 SCFH. The rate at which oxygen is fed into the spray gun is preferably from about 450 SCFH to about 550 SCFH, and more preferably about 500 SCFH. The rate at which hydrogen is fed into the spray gun can be from about 1000 SCFH to about 1800 SCFH. The rate at which hydrogen is fed into the spray gun is preferably from about 1050 SCFH to about 1250 SCFH, and more preferably from about 1100 SCFH to about 1200 SCFH. These rates can be adjusted accordingly for other common fuel gases used in high-velocity oxyfuel processes, such as propylene or acetylene, as is known in the art.
Other variables of concern with respect to the thermal spray process are the powder feed rate, the nozzle size, number of passes across the surface, and whether or not the surface is preheated. When the present invention is practiced using a high velocity oxyfuel spray process, the powder feed rate can be from about 5 grams per minute (g/m) to about 100 grams per minute (g/m). The powder feed rate is preferably from about 10 grams per minute (g/m) to about 80 grams per minute (g/m), and more preferably from about 20 grams per minute (g/m) to about 50 grams per minute (g/m).
The nozzle used in the high-velocity oxyfuel process in accordance with the present invention may be any normal spray nozzle used for such processes. A nozzle with an inner diameter of one quarter of an inch and a length of six to nine inches can be used, as is common in high-velocity oxyfuel spray processes. It should be understood that any conventional nozzle useful for high-velocity oxyfuel spray processes could be used.
The number of passes of the gun across the surface being coated can vary greatly. The number however, is proportional to the desired thickness of the coating. The gun may be passed across the surface as little as once and as many as 50 times, though preferably between 10 and 25 passes.
The surface being coated may also be preheated, for example, by passing the flame exiting the spray gun over the surface without having turned on the powder feed, or by other heating methods. By heating the surface just prior to applying the heated ceramic particles, the amount of stress on the resulting coating, that is caused by the contraction of the coating upon cooling, can be decreased. The surface may be preheated to whatever extent desired, though no preheating at all is required. The surface being coated and the ceramic compound being applied as a coating will often have different coefficients of thermal expansion. Based on the coefficients of thermal expansion for both the surface material and the coating ceramic, the surface can be preheated such that upon cooling, both the surface material and the ceramic contract equally, thereby minimizing stress on the coating. Other forms of pretreatment of the surface to be coated include gritblasting, sanding, and other mechanical or chemical roughening methods to improve adhesion of the coating to the surface.
The method of the present invention is useful for providing corrosion-resistant and/or wear-resistant coatings to the surfaces of metal and/or non-metal articles. The corrosion resistance of substrates coated with Ti 3 SiC 2 coatings is anticipated to be excellent in view of the preliminary corrosion results obtained from steel coupons coated with Ti 3 SiC 2 in accordance with the present invention and evaluated with various corrosive materials, as shown in Table I below:
TABLE I
Temperature
Time
Weight Loss
Corrosive Agent
(° C.)
(Hrs.)
(grams)
25% H 2 SO 4
20
72
−0.0136
25% H 2 SO 4
20
96
−0.0150
25% H 2 SO 4
20
168
−0.0129
25% H 2 SO 4
20
240
−0.0296
25% H 2 SO 4
20
408
−0.0346
H 2 SO 4 (conc.)
20
72
−0.0622
H 2 SO 4 (conc.)
20
168
−0.0655
H 2 SO 4 (conc.)
20
240
−0.0776
H 2 SO 4 (conc.)
20
408
−0.0809
25% HCl
20
168
0.0039
25% HCl
20
432
0.0048
25% HCl
20
624
0.0066
25% HCl
20
768
0.0067
25% HCl
20
936
0.0074
HCl (conc.)
20
72
0.0038
HCl (conc.)
20
168
0.0047
HCl (conc.)
20
240
0.0050
HCl (conc.)
20
408
0.0060
25% HNO 3
20
72
0.1548
25% HNO 3
20
168
0.2178
25% HNO 3
20
408
0.2792
HNO 3 (conc.)
20
72
0.0207
HNO 3 (conc.)
20
168
0.0009
HNO 3 (conc.)
20
408
−0.0097
Negative weight loss measurements in Table I indicate a weight gain. As can be seen from Table I, most corrosive agents have a minimal effect on the ceramic blocks. In some cases, as with sulfuric acid (both concentrated and dilute), there is evidence (i.e. weight gain) of the formation of a passive coating on top of the ceramic, providing enhanced resistance to corrosion. Some corrosive agents, such as dilute nitric acid, appear to have more of an effect on the ceramic blocks than others, although all results indicate, at most, minimal weight loss over long periods of time.
The invention will now be illustrated in more detail with reference to the following specific, non-limiting examples. The particular size and material of the surface being coated is not critical in any of the following examples.
EXAMPLE 1
A thermally sprayed coating of a ternary ceramic compound was applied to a 1018 mild steel coupon having dimensions of 1 inch by 3 inches by 0.125 inches thick. The steel coupon was sprayed with powdered titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 , having a maximum particle size no greater than 63 μm, using a high-velocity oxyfuel spray gun operating under the following parameters:
Powder Feed Rate: 25 grams/min.
Spray Distance: ˜7 inches
O 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜500 SCFH.
H 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜1100 SCFH.
Horizontal Traverse Speed: 20 ft./min.
Spray passes: 8
Preheating: None
The coating applied in the above manner had a thickness of approximately 0.006 inches.
Micrographic examination of the cross sections of the steel coupon produced according to Example 1 showed a coating of relatively uniform thickness which exhibited excellent bonding between the steel surface and the coating. Additionally, x-ray diffraction analysis of the unsprayed ceramic coating particles and the coating applied to the steel coupon according to Example 1 showed that the Ti 3 SiC 2 was substantially unchanged in its composition when it underwent thermal spraying to form a consolidated coating. The peaks present in the x-ray diffraction spectrum of the uncoated particles were compared with the peaks present in the x-ray diffraction spectrum of the coating. The presence of the same peaks at roughly the same intensities and roughly the same position indicates the lack of substantial change in the ceramic compositions.
EXAMPLE 2
A second 1018 mild steel coupon was sprayed with powdered titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 , having a maximum particle size no greater than 65 μm and no smaller than 7 μm, using a high-velocity oxyfuel spray gun operating under the following parameters:
Powder Feed Rate: 25 grams/min.
Spray Distance: ˜9 inches
O 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜500 SCFH
H 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜1050 SCFH
Horizontal Traverse Speed: 20 ft./min.
Spray passes: 12
Preheating: 2 passes with spray gun without powder feed turned on to heat the surface to be coated to about 150° C.
Pretreatment: Grit blasted using #12 alumina grit
The coating applied in the above manner had a thickness of approximately 0.010 inches.
EXAMPLE 3
A third 1018 mild steel coupon was sprayed with powdered titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 , having an maximum particle size no greater than 63 μm and minimum particle size no smaller than 7 μm, using a high-velocity oxyfliel spray gun operating under the following parameters:
Nozzle: 9 inches long
Powder Feed Rate: 25 grams/min.
Spray Distance: ˜8 inches
O 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜500 SCFH
H 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜1200 SCFH
Horizontal Traverse Speed: 2 ft./min.
Spray passes: 10-20
Preheating: 4-5 passes with spray gun without powder feed turned on to heat the surface to be coated to from about 100° C. to about 200° C.
Pretreatment: Grit blasted using #12 alumina grit
The coating applied in the above manner had a thickness of approximately 0.0115 inches.
EXAMPLE 4
A fourth 1018 mild steel coupon was sprayed with powdered titanium silicon carbide, Ti 3 SiC 2 , having an maximum particle size no greater than 45 μm, using an air plasma spray gun operating under the following parameters:
Powder Feed Rate: 25 grams/min.
Arc Current/Voltage: ˜1050 amps/˜50 volts
Spray Distance: ˜4 inches
Plasma-Forming Gas: argon/hydrogen
Ar Gas Flow Rate: ˜195 SCFH
H 2 Gas Flow Rate: ˜12.5 SCFH
Horizontal Traverse Speed: 15 ft./min.
Spray passes: 3
Preheating: None
Pretreatment: None
The coating applied in the above manner had a thickness of approximately 0.010 inches.
Using x-ray diffraction analysis, some decomposition of the coating particles in the coating of Example 4 was found. The decomposition was most likely due to the higher temperatures associated with the plasma spray process used.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could be made to the embodiments described above without departing from the broad inventive concept thereof. It is understood, therefore, that this invention is not limited to the particular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.
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Corrosion-resistant, oxidation-resistant, and/or wear-resistant coatings are made of ternary ceramic compounds of the general formula (I):
M 2 X 1 Z 1 (I)
wherein M is at least one transition metal, X is an element selected from the group consisting of Si, Al, Ge, Pb, Sn, Ga, P, S, In, As, Tl and Cd, and Z is a non-metal selected from the group consisting of carbon and nitrogen; and/or compounds of the general formula (II):
M 3 X 1 Z 2 (II)
wherein M is at least one transition metal, X is at least one of Al, Ge, and Si, and Z is at least one of carbon and nitrogen. Such coatings may be applied by a thermal spraying process.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention involves the recovery of metal from mixtures of diverse materials.
PRIOR ART
[0002] The invention has application, among others, to recovery of metal from automobile shredder residue (ASR). Such residue is the byproduct of systems that shred essentially whole automobiles, white goods and mixed metals to reclaim their component materials, mostly their metal content. Typically, such material is shredded into small pieces which are processed through various types of material separation devices. These devices include, for example, magnetic separators, eddy current separators, and induction sorters to collect various metals. Plastics can be air separated from heavy material on the basis of density.
[0003] Current shredding and metal reclaiming systems produce a fraction of ASR waste of particulate materials of, say, between 0 to 12 and 0 to 25 mm that is sent, primarily, to landfills. It has been estimated that currently 9 million tons of ASR is disposed of each year in the U.S.A. The general consensus in the industry is that in these smaller fractions, it is not practical to recover significant metal content from the ASR that is currently discarded into landfills. It has been estimated that $600 million of metal content is being sent to landfills annually in the U.S.A. because of a previous lack of a practical process and system to reclaim these metals.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The invention provides a process and apparatus that effectively and economically reclaims metals from ASR and other currently discarded materials such as industrial, commercial and residential incinerator bottom ash. In accordance with one aspect of the invention, ASR material is initially separated into streams of different particle size prior to separating various component materials. In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the ASR material is preliminarily separated on the basis of particle density. In accordance with still another aspect of the invention, the ASR is processed through a rod mill to crush the friable material content into particle sizes that enable effective screen separation of the crushed friable material from non-crushed, non-friable metal materials. In another aspect of the invention, material is directed to two successive rod mills each followed by a screening. Practice of the invention can involve one or more of the foregoing aspects, as well as additionally disclosed aspects.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0005] FIGS. 1A and 1B are partial views that show one complete view of a flow diagram of a preferred system for practicing the invention;
[0006] FIG. 2 is an isometric view of a material crushing and screen separating station;
[0007] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a rod mill separator;
[0008] FIG. 4 is a side view of the rod mill of FIG. 3 ; and
[0009] FIG. 5 is an end view of the rod mill of FIG. 3 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0010] Metals laden waste particulate, nominally 25 mm and below, with a mixture of organics, rock, glass, wire, metal fragments, wood and fibers is a typical feed material for the disclosed process. A source of such material is automotive shredder residue or ASR. The disclosed process is expected to produce at least a 90%, and ideally up to about a 98% plus, metal recovery, with minimal process losses.
[0011] The following text references 4 digit process/apparatus identifiers in FIG. 1 . The particle size groups and the maximum particle size used in the following disclosure is by way of example, not limitation.
[0012] Process 1000 —Metering, Drying and Screening
[0013] 1000 —Metering Drum Feeder—The recovery process is very dependent on the material being metered at an even and consistent flow rate. The metering drum feeder ( 1000 ) incorporates a feed hopper for receiving and holding a large quantity of feed material. Fitted to the discharge end of the hopper is a hexagonal rotating drum that can be mechanically raised and lowered via powered screw jacks. By raising and lowering the screw jacks the material flow depth can be increased or decreased depending on the desired flow rate. Below the feed hopper and hexagonal rotating drum is a vibrating pan feeder to meter the material under the hexagonal drum to the next process ( 1010 ). The vibrating pan feeder is controlled by a variable speed drive to enable the increase or decrease in feed rate automatically via a PID (proportional-integral-derivative) loop control ( 1030 ) coupled to a moisture monitoring sensor ( 1020 ) located after the dryer ( 1010 ). Other metering systems may be incorporated.
[0014] 1010 —The rotary dryer is a known type of industrial dryer employed to reduce or minimize the liquid moisture content of the material it is handling by bringing it into direct contact with a heated gas. The dryer is made up of a large, rotating cylindrical tube, usually supported by concrete columns or steel beams. The dryer slopes slightly so that the discharge end is lower than the material feed end in order to convey the material through the dryer under gravity. Material to be dried enters the dryer, and as the dryer rotates, the material is lifted up by a series of internal fins lining the inner wall of the dryer. When the material gets high enough to roll back off the fins, it falls back down to the bottom of the dryer, passing through the hot gas stream as it falls. This gas stream can either be moving toward the discharge end from the feed end (known as co-current flow), or toward the feed end from the discharge end (known as counter-current flow). The gas stream can be made up of a mixture of air and combustion gases from a burner, in which case the dryer is called a direct heated dryer. Alternatively, the gas stream may consist of air or another (sometimes inert) gas that is preheated. When the gas stream is preheated by some means where burner combustion gases do not enter the dryer, the dryer is known as an indirect-heated type. Often, indirect heated dryers are used when product contamination is a concern. In some cases, combinations of direct-indirect heated rotary dryers are also available to improve the overall efficiency.
[0015] 1040 —Long Piece Separator—This linear screening machine has a flat receiving plate to receive the feed material and evenly introduce the feed material to the “double nose” type screen deck. This screening deck allows the removal of long pieces of wire, wood, rods and other large foreign objects. The screen deck is mechanically clamped into the screen body in which the vibratory energy is transmitted thru the screen body into the screen deck to cause the material to be conveyed and screened at the same time. The overs are considered “longs” and may be further processed to recover valuable metals. The “unders” will continue to screener ( 1050 ).
[0016] 1050 —Double Deck Screener—This vibratory screen is based on a resonance system. The inner frame of the screen is set in motion as a result of the motion of the screen body putting the screen panels in a high vertical motion. The linear or circular motion of the screen is producing an acceleration of the screen deck, which can be higher than any other screen (>50 g). This way the screen deck is kept clean and the highest screen efficiency can be achieved even with heavy materials. The top deck is fitted with 8 mm screen openings to generate the material for Line 1400 , which is +8 mm material. Throughout this description, unless otherwise noted, material dimensions are nominal particle size. The lower deck is fitted with 4 mm screen openings to generate the material for Line 1300 , which is 4-8 mm material. Fines (−) 4 mm material is discharged to the fines screener ( 1060 ) for further size separation
[0017] 1060 —Fines Screener—This linear screening machine has a flat receiving plate to receive the feed material and evenly introduce the feed material to the “woven screen material” type screen deck. This type of screening deck allows the over-sized material to be segregated from smaller particles. The screen deck is mechanically clamped into the screen body in which the vibratory energy is transmitted thru the screen body into the screen deck to cause the material to be conveyed and screened at the same time. Fitted with 2 mm screen openings, the oversize material will feed Line 1200 , which is +2 mm material. The under-sized material will feed Line 1100 , which is −2 mm material.
[0018] Process 1100 —Air Separation of the 0-2 mm Material
[0019] 1110 —Zig-Zag Air Separator—The feed material (0-2 mm) is conveyed into an air-tight chamber to the separator channel. According to the multiple-cross flow-separating process, light material is separated from heavy material. The air stream required for separation is blown through the separation channel from bottom to top. The air stream carries light material. Heavy material falls through the air stream and is discharged through the separator base and is feed material for the metering feeder ( 1230 ). The light material transported by the air stream to a cyclone gets separated there and is discharged via rotary gate valve. Zig Zag Air Separators are usually operated in recirculation air mode, whereby the cleaned air is returned via blower to the separator base. In case of dusty or moist products the operation of the plant is also possible in partial air circulation or suction mode. A radial blower generates the required air stream and pressure.
[0020] Process 1200 —Air Separation, Air Density Separation, Particle Separation and Magnetic Separation of the 2-4 mm Material
[0021] 1210 —Zig-Zag Air Separator—The feed material (2-4 mm) is conveyed into a separator as described in process 1110 . Separated heavy material is feed material for an air density table ( 1220 ).
[0022] 1220 —Air Density Table—Particles of different specific weights are separated on a fluidized bed vibrating table. The product is fed onto the separation table via dosing feeder with charging hopper. The material flow can be continuously adjusted by the speed controller, to evenly distribute material over the whole width of machine. The adjustable air flow (pressure side) is fed under the separating table over the screen segment. The combined effects of the vibration of the table, as well as the air flow from below, nearly eliminates the friction between the particles. The particle mass thereby behaves like a fluid. That means heavy (high bulk density) particles sink, while light (low bulk density) particles swim on top of the flow. The slope of the table is arranged so that there is an incline from the light particle side to the heavy particle side. The sinking heavy particles are finally conveyed up the incline via vibrating process in direction of the upper discharge and become the feed material for the vibratory metering feeder ( 1230 ). The floating lighter particles follow the incline down to the lower discharge and may be processed further to recover additional metal fines. The dusty discharged air from the separation table is cleaned by a cyclone and/or filter.
[0023] 1230 —Vibratory Metering Feeder—The product is fed into the vibrating rod mill ( 1240 ), via vibratory metering feeder with charging hopper. The material flow can be continuously adjusted by speed controller, to evenly meter the product into the machine ( 1240 ).
[0024] 1240 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—The vibrating rod mill receives the material via the vibratory metering feeder ( 1230 ). The vibratory rod mill's main tubular body, referred to as the milling chamber, is fitted with a vibratory exciter to generate circular motion along the length of the machine. Within the tubular body of the mill are a number of round and or square bars. When the vibratory energy is imparted on the milling chamber, the bars, which are within the chamber, are caused to circulate while also being caused to impact one another. The complete vibrating body is supported via a spring or rubber isolation system to eliminate the transmission of the vibratory energy to surrounding structures. In addition, the milling chamber can be inclined, or declined, to increase or decrease the material retention time. The chamber is also fitted with dust exhaust ports to vent and extract any dust that may be generated during the milling process. When friable (glass & rock) and non-friable (precious metals) materials are fed into the milling chamber the material becomes entrapped between the circulating bars causing the friable materials to be pulverized while the non-friable material remains in its original state. This allows for the effective separation of the non-friable product during the screening step ( 1250 )
[0025] 1250 —Screening is as described at process 1060 . The overs material will feed the secondary vibratory rod mill ( 1260 ). The under-sized material is a glass/rock waste material.
[0026] 1260 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—This unit is as described in process 1240 . The arrangement produces effective separation of the non-friable product during the screening step ( 1270 ). This process of vibratory milling and screening can be continued to increase process throughput.
[0027] 1270 —Screening is as described in process 1060 . The overs material, will be further processed with magnetic separation ( 1280 ) The under-sized material is a glass/rock waste material.
[0028] 1280 —Magnetic Separation—Magnetic head pulleys are incorporated into the transfer belt conveyors to remove magnetic materials ( 1600 ). As magnetic material nears the separator's magnetic field, it is attracted and held to the conveyor belt until it reaches the conveyor underside, where it passes out of the magnetic field and discharges into a chute or bin. The cleaned, contaminant-free, non-magnetic material, discharges from the top of the conveyor, away from the magnetic materials and are considered recovered copper and precious metals ( 1630 ). The magnetic material is recovered ferrous product ( 1600 ).
[0029] Process 1300 —Air Separation, Air Density Separation, Particle Separation and Magnetic Separation of the 4-8 mm Material
[0030] 1310 —Zig-Zag Air Separator—The feed material (4-8 mm) is conveyed into a separator as described in process 1110 . Separated heavy material is feed material for an air density table ( 1320 ).
[0031] 1320 —Air Density Table—Particles of different specific weigh s are separated as described in process 1220 . Heavy particles become the feed material for a vibratory metering feeder ( 1330 ).
[0032] 1330 —Vibratory Metering Feeder—The product is fed into the vibrating rod mill ( 1340 ), via vibratory metering feeder with charging hopper. The material flow can be continuously adjusted by speed controller, to evenly meter the product into the machine ( 1340 ).
[0033] 1340 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—This unit is as described in process 1240 . The vibrating rod mill receives the material via the vibratory metering feeder ( 1330 ). The arrangement produces effective separation of the non-friable product during a screening step ( 1350 ).
[0034] 1350 —Screening is as described in process 1060 . The overs material will feed the secondary vibratory rod mill ( 1360 ) The under-sized material, is a glass/rock waste material.
[0035] 1360 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—This unit is as described in process 1240 . The vibrating rod mill receives the material via the screener ( 1350 ). This arrangement produces effective separation of the non-friable product during a screening step ( 1370 ). This process of vibratory milling and screening can be continued to increase process throughput.
[0036] 1370 —Screening is as described at process 1060 . The overs material, will be further processed with magnetic separation ( 1380 ). The under-sized material is a glass/rock waste material.
[0037] 1380 —Magnetic Separation is the same as described at 1280 . The cleaned, contaminant-free, non-magnetic material, discharges from the top of the conveyor, away from the magnetic materials and is further processed in a fines eddy current #1 ( 1500 ).). The magnetic material is recovered ferrous product ( 1600 ).
[0038] Process 1400 —Air Separation, Air Density Separation, Particle Separation and Magnetic Separation of the 8-20 mm Material
[0039] 1410 —Zig-Zag Air Separator—The feed material (8-20 mm) is conveyed into a separator as described in process 1110 . Heavy material is feed material for an air density table ( 1420 ).
[0040] 1420 —Air Density Table—Particles of different specific weights are separated as described in process 1220 . Heavy particles become the feed material for a vibratory metering feeder ( 1430 ).
[0041] 1430 —Vibratory Metering Feeder—The product is fed into the vibrating rod mill ( 1440 ) via vibratory metering feeder with charging hopper. The material flow can be continuously adjusted by the speed controller, to evenly meter the product into the machine ( 1440 ).
[0042] 1440 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—This unit is as described in process 1240 . The vibrating rod mill receives the material via the vibratory metering feeder ( 1430 ). This arrangement produces effective separation of the non-friable product during a screening step ( 1450 )
[0043] 1450 —Screening is as described at process 1160 . The overs material will feed a secondary vibratory rod mill ( 1460 ). The under-sized material is a glass/rock waste material.
[0044] 1460 —Vibratory Rod Mill/Separator—This unit is as described in process 1240 . The vibrating rod mill receives the material via the screener ( 1450 ). The arrangement produces effective separation of the non-friable product during a screening step ( 1470 ). This process of vibratory milling and screening can be continued to increase process throughput.
[0045] 1470 —Screening is as described in process 1060 . The overs material, will be further processed with magnetic separation ( 1480 ). The under-sized material is a glass/rock waste material.
[0046] 1480 —Magnetic Separation is the same as described at 1380 .
[0047] Process 1500 —Eddy Current Separation
[0048] 1500 —Fines Eddy Current #1 (Aluminum Recovery)—An eddy current separator uses a powerful magnetic field to separate aluminum metals from the product stream after all ferrous metals have been removed via magnetic separation ( 1380 & 1480 ). The device makes use of eddy currents to effect the separation. The eddy current separator is applied to a conveyor belt carrying a thin layer of mixed metal product. At the end of the conveyor belt is an eddy current rotor. Aluminum metals are the most reactive to eddy current, thus will be thrown the greatest distance over a splitter gate. The recovered aluminum ( 1610 ) will be collected into a product bin. The less reactive metals simply fall off the belt due to gravity and are processed in fines eddy current #2 ( 1510 ).
[0049] 1510 —Fines Eddy Current #2 (Copper Recovery)—With the aluminum removed via fines eddy current #1 ( 1500 ), a secondary eddy current separator uses a powerful magnetic field to separate copper metals from the product stream. The device makes use of eddy currents to effect the separation. The eddy current separator is applied to a conveyor belt carrying a thin layer of mixed metal product. At the end of the conveyor belt is an eddy current rotor. Copper metals are the second most reactive to eddy current, thus will be thrown the greatest distance over a splitter gate. The recovered copper ( 1620 ) will be collected into a product bin. The less reactive metals simply fall off the belt due to gravity and are considered recovered precious metals ( 1640 ).
[0050] The streams of the high density fractions of ASR material in the paths directed to the vibratory metering feeders ( 1230 , 1330 , 1430 ) from the Zig-Zag Separator ( 1110 ) and air density tables ( 1220 , 1320 and 1420 ) has a typical bulk density of about 70 to about 100 lbs/ft 3 and frequently between about 80 to about 90 lbs/ft 3 .
[0051] FIG. 2 illustrates a pair of tandem rod mills 11 , 12 of a crushing and separating station 10 discussed in sections 1240 , 1260 ; 1340 , 1360 ; 1440 , 1460 above. The output of each mill 11 , 12 is processed by a screen 13 , 14 described in sections 1250 , 1270 ; 1350 , 1370 and 1450 , 1470 . The size and configuration of each rod mill 11 , 12 can be different depending on, for example, the expected throughput at a particular stream of material.
[0052] In general, the screen opening size of the screens 13 , 14 is the same in the several streams of particle size, described above at 1250 , 1270 , 1350 , 1370 and 1450 , 1470 and can be between 0.7 and 1.5 mm and, preferably, is nominally 1 mm.
[0053] FIGS. 3-5 illustrate an example of a typical rod mill 11 , 12 sometimes called a separator, that functions as described in section 1240 above. As discussed above and as displayed in FIG. 2 , each stream of material employs a pair of mills 11 , 12 in sequence. A mill 11 , 12 is preferably a steel weldment including a cylindrical tube housing 16 closed at both ends with removable, bolted end plates 17 .
[0054] As revealed in FIG. 5 , the interior of the housing 16 is approximately half filled with parallel steel rods 18 slightly shorter than the inside length of the housing. Inlet and outlet tubes 21 , 22 communicate with the interior of the housing 16 adjacent respective ends of the housing. A pair of semi-circular brackets 23 wrapped below the housing 16 enable the mill 11 , 12 to be suspended by vertical rods 24 . Upper ends of the suspension rods 24 are supported on compression springs 26 which isolate vibrational forces on the housing 16 from the station framework 27 .
[0055] A set of D shaped brackets 31 are welded around the periphery of a mid-section of the housing 16 and to an underlying plate 32 . A rotary electric vibratory motor 33 is bolted to the underside of the plate 32 . The motor 33 is operable to torsionally vibrate the housing at 1200 vibrations per minute at 6 to 10 g's of acceleration, for example. By way of example, but not limitation, the housing can be 16 inches in outside diameter, 6 foot long, and the steel rods 18 can be 1 inch in diameter. The mechanical rod mill 11 , 12 of the type disclosed herein, has been discovered to be surprisingly effective in crushing the higher density friable materials, primarily glass and rock, existing in ASR. Relatively little energy is consumed by such mills and wear of the mill components is negligible compared to that of other types of mechanical crushers.
[0056] It should be evident that this disclosure is by way of example and that various changes may be made by adding, modifying or eliminating details without departing from the fair scope of the teaching contained in this disclosure. The invention is therefore not limited to particular details of this disclosure except to the extent that the following claims are necessarily so limited.
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A method and apparatus to reclaim metals from scrap material such as automobile shredder residue (ASR) that, after separating out light density components, separates out friable material such as rock and glass by crushing and screening operations to generate a high metal content product.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to my U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/214,248 filed Apr. 20, 2009 which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The invention herein relates to a bail for a spinning reel wherein the bail wire provides spring tension biasing the bail wire to an open or closed position.
BACKGROUND OF INVENTION
[0003] Spinning reels are a popular type of fishing reel, and are especially well adapted for casting lures and bait. A spinning reel generally comprises a body and a leg for mounting the spinning wheel to a fishing rod. A spool is mounted for reciprocal and rotational movement with respect to the body, and a drag system for the spool for controls the release of line. A rotor with a line pickup generally surrounds the spool, and a handle drive mechanism reciprocates the spool and rotates the rotor thereabout to wind line from the line pickup onto the spool. The spool holding the line is oriented along the rod, so that line plays off the spool freely during casting without need to rotate the spool in order to release line.
[0004] To retrieve line, or to release line by rotation of the spool against the drag system, line is positioned on a line pickup mounted to the rotor. In retrieving line, the rotor is rotated by the handle drive mechanism.
[0005] Line can be positioned on the line pickup in one of two ways. First, the line pickup can be fixed on the rotor generally over the spool, and the fisherman then uses a finger to place the line on the line pickup.
[0006] Line may also be positioned on the line pickup by a bail assembly. The bail assembly generally includes a bail wire that extends across the rotor and pivots between an open position and a closed position. In the open position, the bail does not interfere with line playing off the spool during casting. In the closed position, the bail wire catches the line and directs it onto the line pickup.
[0007] A requirement of a bail assembly is that there must be a force that keeps it firmly in the closed position or firmly in the open position. It must remain open during casting, so that line plays freely off the spool. It must remain closed during line retrieval or line play off against the drag system, so that the line is controlled as desired. In presently know bail assemblies, this force is provided by one or more coil springs acting on the bail wire through connecting members. The coil spring and its connecting members are generally positioned in a pocket or housing positioned on the rotor, which creates a relatively bulky structure. The springs are prone to failure, from rust, saltwater corrosion or simply breakage, and often have insufficient force to prevent the bail from closing as a result of casting motion.
[0008] Therefore, an improvement in bail mechanisms would be a welcome advance in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is a principal object of the invention herein to provide an improved bail assembly for spinning reels.
[0010] It is an additional object of the invention herein to provide a bail for a spinning reel with high reliability.
[0011] It is also an object of the invention herein to provide a bail with simplicity of construction and light weight, in part achieved through a minimum of moving parts.
[0012] It is a further object of the invention herein to provide a bail that smoothly guides line onto a line pickup of the spinning reel.
[0013] In carrying out the invention herein, a bail assembly is provided for a spinning reel of the type having a body and leg, a spool mounted for reciprocal and rotational movement with respect to the body, a drag system for the spool, a rotor with a line pickup generally surrounding the spool, and a handle drive mechanism for reciprocating the spool and rotating the rotor thereabout to wind line from the line pickup onto the spool. The bail assembly for use with the spinning reel has an arcuate bail wire formed of spring tempered steel wire stock, the arcuate bail wire having first and second ends respectively pivotally attached to the rotor at generally diametrically opposed first and second end mounts. The bail wire is formed in an arc that creates spring tension, and the end mounts are configured such that the bail wire is manipulable in spring toggle motion utilizing the spring tension of the bail wire, from an open position permitting line to play off freely from the spool to a closed position directing line to the line pickup for collecting line on the spool.
[0014] In certain aspects of the invention, the end mounts are positioned and configured such that the bail wire spring tension toggles the bail wire at the approximate mid-point of movement between the open and closed bail positions, wherein as the bail wire moves from the mid-point, the spring tension biases the bail wire to the closest one of the open and closed bail positions. Stops are provided to establish the opened and closed positions.
[0015] In another aspect of the invention, the first end of the bail wire is attached to a first end mount at a fixed position on the rotor and the second end of the bail wire is attached to a bail arm, the bail arm being pivotally mounted to the rotor for pivoting movement about a bail arm pivot axis, the fixed position of the first end mount being offset from the bail arm pivot axis. The first end mount is offset below the bail arm pivot axis, such that the bail wire exerts increased spring tension on the mid-point of the transition between the open and closed bail wire positions, thereby causing the toggle motion.
[0016] In an additional aspect of the inventions, both end mounts accommodate and control positions of the bail wire that cause toggle motion as the bail wire is moved between its open and closed positions.
[0017] Other aspects of the invention include low friction end mounts for the ends of the arcuate bail wire. A fixed low friction end mount is a hard polymer ball secured to the end of the bail wire and received and retained in a socket in the rotor. For an end mount including an arm, the arm is mounted to the rotor on low friction bearings, such as ball bearings.
[0018] In another aspect of the invention, one of the end mounts includes a bail arm and the line pickup of the rotor is mounted on the bail arm. An end of the bail wire is attached to the bail arm by a guide that directs line from the bail wire to the line pickup. The guide may have a generally conical shape.
[0019] The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention herein will in part appear in the following detailed description of the invention and the claims, taken together with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0020] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a spinning reel according to the invention herein, having a bail assembly thereon;
[0021] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a rotor for the spinning reel of FIG. 1 with another bail assembly according to the invention herein, in its closed position;
[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view, taken from the line pickup side, of the rotor and bail assembly of FIG. 2 , in the closed position;
[0023] FIG. 4 is a side view, taken from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the closed position;
[0024] FIG. 5 is an end view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the closed position;
[0025] FIG. 6 is a rear view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the closed position;
[0026] FIG. 7 is a front view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the closed position;
[0027] FIG. 8 is a side view, taken from the bail arm side, of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the open position;
[0028] FIG. 9 is a side view, taken from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 in the open position;
[0029] FIG. 10 is a front view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 , in the open position;
[0030] FIG. 11 is a rear view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 2 , in the open position;
[0031] FIG. 12 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one end of the bail wire mounting to the rotor;
[0032] FIG. 13 is a fragmentary sectional view showing one end of the bail wire mounting to the rotor;
[0033] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 1 in the closed position;
[0034] FIG. 15 is another perspective view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 1 in the closed position;
[0035] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 1 in the open position;
[0036] FIG. 17 is another perspective view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 1 in the open position;
[0037] FIG. 18 is a side elevation diagrammatic view, from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail assembly of FIG. 1 in the closed position;
[0038] FIG. 19 is a side elevation diagrammatic view, from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail assembly of FIG. 1 with the bail assembly in transition from the closed position toward the open position;
[0039] FIG. 20 is a side elevation diagrammatic view, from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail assembly of FIG. 1 in transition from the closed position toward the open position;
[0040] FIG. 21 is a side elevation diagrammatic view, from the counterweight side, of the rotor and bail assembly of FIG. 1 in the open position;
[0041] FIG. 22 is a side elevation view of another rotor and bail arm assembly, taken from the opposite side of the bail arm, in the closed position;
[0042] FIG. 23 is a side elevation view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 22 , transitioning from the closed position toward the open position;
[0043] FIG. 24 is a side elevation view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 22 , transitioning from the closed position toward the open position; and
[0044] FIG. 25 is a side elevation view of the rotor and bail arm assembly of FIG. 22 , in the open position.
[0045] The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the various Figures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] With reference to FIG. 1 , a spinning reel 10 having a bail assembly 12 according to the invention herein is illustrated. The spinning reel 10 generally comprises a body 14 having a mounting leg 16 extending therefrom, a spool 18 mounted for reciprocal and rotational movement with respect to the body 14 and a drag system 19 for the spool. A rotor 20 generally surrounds the spool 18 , and a handle drive mechanism 22 including a handle 24 and internal gearing, not shown but well known in the art, reciprocates the spool and rotates the rotor 20 thereabout to wind line onto the spool. The bail assembly 12 is mounted to the rotor 20 .
[0047] Several bail assemblies are described herein, and a second bail assembly 30 is illustrated in FIGS. 2-13 . The bail assembly 30 is characterized by a bail wire 32 , which is formed of spring tempered stainless steel wire stock. The bail wire 32 is bent into an arc, which develops spring tension and provides the energy to assist in toggling the bail wire from the closed position shown in FIGS. 2-7 to the open position in FIGS. 8-11 and for retaining the bail wire 32 in the appropriate position once it is moved to one of the open and closed positions.
[0048] The rotor 20 has opposed extending walls 34 and 36 which generally surround the spool 18 in the reel 10 . The bail assembly 30 is mounted to the rotor 20 on the walls 34 , 36 . The bail wire 32 is arcuate, and has a first end 40 and a second end 42 . The first end 40 is mounted to the rotor wall 34 at end mount 41 , which in the embodiment shown includes a counterweight arm 44 , which is in turn mounted to the rotor wall 34 by a screw 45 . The first end 40 of the bail wire 32 has a stub axle 46 which extends into the counterweight arm 44 , wherein the pivot point of the first end 40 of the bail wire 12 is offset from the screw 44 . It is important that the bail assembly 12 pivot freely, and therefore the stub axle 46 is received in a polymer bearing 48 , shown in FIG. 12 , and received in a mating socket in the counterweight arm 44 .
[0049] The second end 42 of the bail wire 32 is mounted to rotor wall 36 by bail arm 50 . The bail arm 50 is rotatably mounted to the rotor wall 36 about axis 52 , seen in FIG. 5 , being secured by a screw 54 . The screw 54 is diametrically opposed from the screw 45 mounting the counterweight arm 44 , and the axis 52 passes through both screws 45 and 54 . Thus it can be seen that the mounting point of the first end 40 of the bail wire 32 is offset from the axis of rotation of the bail arm 50 . The second end 42 of the bail wire 32 is mounted to the outer end of the bail arm 50 by a conical guide member 60 . The second end 42 of the bail wire 32 extends into the conical guide member 60 , and the guide member 60 is secured to the bail arm 50 . A line pickup 58 is also mounted at the end of the bail arm 50 , and the conical guide member 60 guides line captured by the bail wire 32 onto the line pickup 58 when the bail assembly 12 is closed. The line pickup 58 is preferably a line roller with bearings, for low friction.
[0050] Before the bail wire 32 is attached to the bail arm and counterweight, the first and second ends 40 , 42 are closer together. In other words, in untensioned condition, the bail wire 32 would define an arc of a smaller radius than when it is installed, and the bail wire 32 is therefore tensioned when installed to provide a force between the ends 40 and 42 . If the ends 40 , 42 are further spread apart during operation of the bail assembly 12 , the tension and force increase. As the bail wire 32 is transitioned from the closed position shown in FIGS. 2-5 to the open position shown in FIGS. 8-11 , the bail arm 50 rotates about its rotational axis 52 . The configuration of the end mounts 41 , 43 of the bail wire 32 , including the bail arm 50 , cause the first and second ends 40 , 42 of the bail wire 32 to separate during the transition with the greatest point of separation occurring at or near the mid-point of the transition from open to closed position. This creates a toggle function, such that when the bail is incrementally directed toward either of the open or closed positions, the spring force drives the bail wire to that position and maintains it there.
[0051] It is important that the end mounts 41 , 43 of the bail wire 32 rotate with minimal friction. With reference to FIG. 12 , end mount 41 is shown. The first end 40 of bail wire 32 has a stub axle 46 received in a polymer ball 64 . The polymer ball 64 is received in socket 66 in the counterweight arm 44 , where it rotates with minimal friction. A clip 68 secures the stub axle, polymer ball and bail wire 32 .
[0052] The bail wire 32 is offset at the position established by the polymer ball pivot point such that the toggle point favors the closed direction. This will make it more difficult to close the bail and easier to open the bail. It is preferred that the bail is more difficult to close because the force from the casting out can prematurely close the bail. This bail design helps prevent this problem by the two directional offset position of the bail wire 32 at the polymer ball pivot point.
[0053] With reference to FIG. 13 , the bail arm 50 of end mount 43 is mounted to the rotor wall 36 by bearings 70 on bearing post 72 . An O-seal 74 is also provided. Ball bearings, roller bearings or other low friction mounting may be used.
[0054] The open and closed positions of the bail assembly 12 are established by a pin 62 extending from rotor wall 36 adjacent the axis of rotation 52 of the bail arm 50 , and the bail arm 50 has an arcuate slot in which the pin 62 travels. The pin 62 engages against one end of the slot to establish the open position of the bail assembly 12 , and against the other end of the slot to establish the closed position of the bail.
[0055] In actual operation of the spinning reel 10 and bail assembly 12 , the fisherman will grasp the bail wire 32 and move it from its present position, which may be open or closed, to its other position. As the bail wire 32 crosses the center point, i.e., the point at which the compressive force of the spring is greatest, the bail wire 32 exhibits its toggle function and will continue its transition to the desired position without further input from the user.
[0056] With reference to FIGS. 14-22 , bail assembly 80 according to the invention herein is illustrated. It is also the bail assembly shown on reel 10 in FIG. 1 . In bail assembly 80 , a bail wire 82 has first end 84 and second end 86 , which are respectively secured to first and second end mounts 88 and 90 . The first end mount 88 is a rotatable lever arm 92 , with an axis of rotation 94 extending through its mounting screw 96 . The axis of rotation 94 also extends through end mount 90 . The first end 84 of the bail wire 82 is rotatably mounted to the lever arm 92 , offset from the axis of rotation of the lever arm 92 .
[0057] The second end mount 90 is a bail arm 100 , having its first end rotatably mounted to rotor wall 36 on the same axis of rotation 92 of the lever arm 92 . The second end 86 of the bail wire 82 is secured to the distal end of the bail arm 100 , such that the bail wire 82 feeds line onto the line pickup 58 at the end of the bail arm.
[0058] The bail wire 82 is also spring tempered stainless steel stock bent to an arcuate shape and has a larger diameter when free of the end mounts 88 , 90 than when it is secured to the end mounts. Therefore, the mounted bail wire 82 is under tension that tends to pull on the lever arm 92 .
[0059] The lever arm 92 has an arcuate slot therein which cooperates with a pin 102 extending from the rotor wall 34 to establish open and closed positions of end mount 88 of the bail assembly 80 . In the closed position shown in FIGS. 14 , 15 and 18 , the bail wire pulls on the lever 92 , maintaining it against the pin 102 in the closed bail condition. As shown in FIG. 19 , as the bail assembly 80 is moved from the closed position toward the opened position, the configuration of the end mounts 88 , 90 increases the spring tension in the bail wire 82 , and as the bail wire 82 reaches the center point, the lever arm 92 begins to rotate. The rotation is shown continuing in FIG. 20 , after the bail wire 82 has passed over center, and is complete in FIG. 21 , where the bail assembly 80 is shown in its open position. When the bail is returned to its closed position, the sequence of motion illustrated in FIGS. 18-21 is reversed. Therefore, the toggle function of the bail assembly 80 is expressed in the toggle action of the lever arm 92 . This is another example of an end mount configuration that utilizes spring tension of the bail wire to toggle the bail assembly between its open and closed positions.
[0060] FIGS. 22-25 illustrate another bail assembly 110 , which may be used with the spinning reel 10 of FIG. 1 . The bail assembly 110 is mounted to a rotor 20 a having rotor walls 34 a and 36 at end mounts 112 and 114 . End mount 114 includes a bail arm 100 and line pickup 58 as described above with respect to bail assembly 80 is wall 36 and receives end 118 of bail wire 120 . The second end 116 of the bail wire 120 is received in a slot 122 in the rotor wall 34 a , which functions as the end mount 112 . The slot 122 is elongated, and has stop indents 126 and 128 at its opposite ends.
[0061] The second end 118 of the bail wire 120 that is received in the slot 122 is fitted with a small roller bearing or the like, to reduce friction in the slot 122 as the end 118 of the bail wire 120 moves in the slot 122 between indents 126 , 128 .
[0062] FIGS. 22-25 illustrate the progression of the bail assembly 110 when moved from its closed position in FIG. 22 to its open position shown in FIG. 25 . In the closed position shown in FIG. 22 , the end 116 of the bail wire 110 is in detent 126 of the slot 120 . The bail assembly 110 is manipulated to its open position by lifting the bail wire 120 . As shown in FIG. 23 , as the bail wire 110 is initially pushed and lifted toward the open position, end 116 of the bail wire 120 moves from detent 128 toward detent 126 . As the bail wire 120 goes over center, which is the position generally shown in FIG. 24 , the bail assembly 110 toggles to the open position shown in FIG. 25 with the end 116 of the bail wire 120 at the second detent 128 of the slot 122 . Again, moving the bail assembly 110 from the open to the closed position is achieved by reverse manipulation. The slot 122 provides an end mount 112 for the tensioned bail wire 120 in a configuration that achieves toggle action of the bail assembly 110 from its closed to open position and from its open to its closed.
[0063] Accordingly, bail assemblies for spinning reels have been described which admirably achieve the objects of the invention herein. It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the foregoing embodiments are illustrative only, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A bail assembly is provided for a spinning reel of the type having a spool mounted for reciprocal and rotational movement with respect to a body, a drag system, a rotor with a line pickup generally surrounding the spool, and a handle drive mechanism for reciprocating the spool and rotating the rotor thereabout to wind line onto the spool. The bail assembly has a bail wire formed of spring tempered stainless steel wire stock and is bent in an arc with first and second ends respectively attached to the rotor by generally diametrically opposed first and second end mounts. The arcuate bail wire exerts spring tension and the end mounts are cooperatively configured so that the bail wire is manipulable in spring toggle motion from an open position permitting line to play freely off the spool to a closed position directing line to the line pickup for collecting line on the spool. The arcuate bail wire also biases the bail assembly to remain in one of the open and closed positions until manipulated to the other position.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The invention relates to a dispenser or discharge device for media which may be gaseous, liquid, pasty and/or powdery.
DESCRIPTION OF THE BACKGROUND ART
Such dispensers are simultaneously held and actuated or applied single-handedly. Substantially all parts, more particularly, housing parts can be made of a plastics material or injection molded so that their wall thickness is not more than 5 mm or 2 mm. The medium can be finely dispersed in a fluid flow, conveyed in a gas or air and discharged in individual quantities precisely dispensed and sufficiently swirled for this purpose within the dispenser by multiple deflection.
If the dispenser is intended to serve inhaling a pharmaceutical medium, the medium is expediently admixed in the conveying flow not before application, it previously being stored substantially more dense and compact.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
An object of the invention is to provide a dispenser in which disadvantages of prior art embodiments are avoided. Another object is to ensure facilitated handling. Another object is to provide a most finely atomized discharge of medium. A further object is to precisely dose the amount of medium dispensed. Still another object is to permit administration of the medium deeply at the inner ends of the human respiratory ducts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the invention means are provided to very finely particulate the medium within the conveying paths of the dispenser, for example, by merely a single or multiple reciprocating motion of the medium so that already existing largish particles can be separated into smaller particles or droplets at at least two impact surface areas located opposite each other. In the case of a powder this may first gain access downwards into a dished impact or guiding surface area with or without an air flow, after which it is lifted by the air flow from this first surface area at high speed, swirled and catapulted against an opposite wall which results in any clumped powder particles being size-reduced. The proportion of respiratory particles, i.e. particles gaining access to the lungs of the patient is thus substantially enhanced as compared to such discharge devices which are merely intended for nasal application or for application of the medium in the region of the throat.
The cited first or any other surface area may be provided as a buffer storage or initial hold for at least part of the single-shot dose of the medium. During opening and, where necessary also thereafter, at least part of this dose of the flowable medium then falls on the troughed upwardly flared initial hold and it is not until the then occuring conveying flow that this medium is lifted swirled from the initial hold, after which it is immediately catapulted against the wall located thereabove before being redeflected in the falling direction from the reservoir to the outlet or mouthpiece.
Expediently by means of suitable sealing, the conveying flow flows through the reservoir space completely so that any remainders of the medium remaining therein are entrained up to the outlet. These remainders too, gain access from the reservoir with no contact directly to the initial hold which may feature inclined sliding surfaces so that the medium is able to gain access to the lowest point of the initial hold by its gravity effect even in the absence of a conveying flow.
Between the reservoir outlet and the initial hold a parting member may be provided for fanning out the medium flow, for example, a spike or a tip which also serves to open the reservoir and protrudes into the reservoir space or the medium contained therein.
The conveyance path between the reservoir and the outlet after which the medium emerges into the open in becoming totally detached from the discharge device, is configured to advantage as short as possible and as of the swirl zone as straight as possible or angled or curved at an obtuse angle once only to minimize flow losses. The path between the reservoir outlet and the swirl zone is shorter than the flow path between the middle of this swirl zone and the outlet, but maximally three-times as large. The middle of the swirl zone may coincide with the middle of the opposite impact surface area. The minimum passage cross-section of the conveyance paths which is to advantage smaller than the full-length constant passage cross-section of the reservoir space is located preferably at the transition point which is defined as the most constricted point of the two surface areas located opposite each other, it guiding the medium from the initial hold into the end passage leading to the outlet. This end passage may have a constant passage cross-section throughout.
The outlet as well as the straight end passage forming this outlet by one end are located at an angle to the reservoir or main axis of the device so that the latter can be held more or less vertically in an oral application with the head slightly tilted backwards and the thumb of the person using the device is located between upper lip and mouthpiece or in contact with both.
In the conveyance paths upstream and/or downstream of the reservoir space a valve may be provided which opens as a function of pressure so that it is not until a predetermined vacuum pressure is attained downstream of the valve that the conveying flow is abruptly set in motion through the opening of the valve, resulting in very high flow rates. The valve may be a sleeve valve.
These and further features are evident from the description and the drawings, each of the individual features being achieved by themselves or severally in the form of subcombinations in one embodiment of the invention and in other fields.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Example embodiments of the invention are explained in more detail in the following and illustrated in the drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is an axial section through the discharge device in accordance with the invention,
FIG. 2 is a partly sectioned view of the discharge device as shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from underneath and
FIG. 3 is a scrap view of a further embodiment including a conveying flow pressurizer.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device 1 comprises a base body 2 of but five housing parts 3 to 7 of which in the readiness or operative condition merely three parts 3, 4, 6 firmly connected in common with a crib unit 8 form the completely outer surface area of the device 1. The part 5 is arranged totally countersunk firmly seated in the part 3 and directly located axially by the part 4. The unit 8 comprises at least four and not more than eight reservoir locations 9 for the medium arranged evenly distributed and directly juxtaposed in a circle about an axis 10. The axis 10 is located parallel to the main axis 11 in which the location 9 operative in each case is located to be discharged directly from this position for discharge through an outlet 12. The axis 13 of the latter is oriented at an obtuse angle of minimally 110° and maximally 160°, more particularly 135°, to the axis 10 or 11. As viewed parallel to the axis 10, 11 the outlet 12 is located totally within the outer circumference of the base body 2.
Provided totally within the base body 2 is a fluid guide 14 or passageway connecting the latter at both ends, between which a reservoir outlet 15 is located for discharging the medium. The outlet 15 has a substantially smaller spacing away from the upstream end of the guide 14 than from its outlet end 12. The outlet 15 is formed by one end of an elongated, separate reservoir body 16 having an elongated reservoir space 17 which in the emptying position is coaxial to the axis 11. The dimensionally rigid body 16 is formed by a two-part capsule of rigid gelatine or the like, the two shell-shaped parts of which are axially combined in a tight fit and the ends of which face away from each other are hemispherical so that the medium contained in the space 17 is sealingly packaged prior to opening of the device 18, filling the space 17 totally or merely partly as a single-shot dose. The body 16 or the space 17 which permits opening only by destruction forms in operation a section of the guide 14 extending over its full length, the openings of which located at the two ends are substantially more constricted in a throttle like action than the full-length constant passage cross-section of the portion of the space 17 located between the ends.
The exposed outer shell 19 formed merely by the parts 3, 4, 6, 8 of the device 1 can be clasped almost completely by a single hand. Within this shell 19 the guide 14 forms a zone 20 for swirling, size-reduction and atomized dispersion of the medium already entrained upstream by the air flow. In the middle between the ends of the guide 14 or device 1, in the operative position below the outlet 15 a dished or troughed initial hold 21 open only to the top is provided, the bottom 24 of which is spaced away from the outlet 15 by a spacing which is smaller than the length of the space 17. The concave curved bottom 24 adjoins a longer flank 22 and a shorter flank 23 which diverse upwards at an acute angle. The common axial plane of the surface areas 22 to 24 or bowl 21 located between the axes 10, 11 but nearer to the axis 10 is offset to one side of the axis 11 of the outlet 15 so that the outlet 15 is located vertically above the middle of the bottom 24 when the device 1 is slightly tilted rearwards in the operative position, the axis 13 thus being less inclined than in the vertical orientation of the axes 10, 11. The flank 22 sealingly adjoins the outlet 15 and the flank 23 extends only to a constricted transition point 25 between the bowl 21 and the part of the guide 14 located downstream thereof. The flank 23 extends to a rounded, lengthwise lip 26 which is located opposite a concave surface area 27 above the latter, this surface area 27 like the bowl 21 being curved about an axis located transversely at right angles to the axes 10, 11, but which has a radius of curvature larger than that of the bottom 24 by at least four or five times. The surface area 27 extends in and opposite to the direction of flow beyond the transition point 25 defining the lip 26, namely up to the outlet 15 and as a circumferential definition up to a straight passage section 28 adjoining upstream the transition point 25 and the lip 26.
The end of the section 28 located downstream adjoins an end passage 29 in an obtuse angled curvature, the end of the end passage forming the outlet 12. The axis 30 of the section 28 is located parallel to the axis 10, 11 and on the side of the axis 10 facing away from the axis 11. The two passage sections 28, 29 are straight and have a constant flow cross-section throughout which is greater than that of the transition point 25. The section 29 is formed by a freely protruding, tubular port 31 of constant outer cross-sections which as the mouthpiece is to be introduced over the majority of its length into the mouth of the patient, whose lips sealing surround it. In this arrangement the section 29 may be slightly longer than the section 28 up to the lip 26. Bowl 21 and port 31 are located on the same side of the section 28.
The bowl 21 including the surface areas 22 to 24, 26 and a first longitudinal section of the passage part 28 is defined exclusively by part 5 which is inserted totally countersunk as far as it will go in part 3 opposite the direction of flow and is axially located by the part 4 likewise inserted in this direction. This part 4 forms a longitudinal section of the passage part 28 adjoining the part 3 therewithin as well as the section 29, the port 21 and the outlet 12. The part 4 does not protrude beyond the outer circumference of part 3, it sealing contacting the lower annular face surface area of the latter by a ring shoulder. The surface area 27 extending over an angle of an arc of less than 90° and more than 45° is formed only by the part 3 as well as being smoothly continued at both ends so that it forms an intermediate section of a semi-circular or hemi-spherical or U-shaped impact surface area of the part 3, the part 5 sealingly contacting the continuations of the latter adjoining the surface area 27 by convex surface areas and subsequently thereto the part 4 by its circumferential surface area.
The flank 22 extends up to these curved surface areas and the flank 27 is passed through in the region of the outlet 15 as well as subsequent to the flank 22 by a transition opening 46 for the medium and the air flow. The passage cross-section of this transition opening 46 located in the axis 11 corresponds to the largest passage cross-section of the space 17, but the clearance of the transition opening 46 is larger than the largest clearance of the space 17. The bowl 21 is located between the axes 11, 30 and the largest clearance of the bowl 21 level with edge 26 is larger than the associated depth of this bowl 21. The definitions of the passage sections 21, 25, 28 location parallel to the plane of the drawing may be more or less flat as well as parallel to each other so that as viewed axially the device is web-shaped in the associated region. Like the cited surface areas this region may be rotationally curved about the axis 11, however.
Spaced away above the arrangements 12, 29, 31 part 4 of the body 2 forms a barrel-shaped handle 32 which adjoins the rear end of the outer circumference of the mouthpiece 31 in an inwardly directed acute angle at right angles transverse to the axis 11 and ascends to the region remote therefrom up to the outer circumference of the shell 19. The other handle 33 is formed by the rear end of the body 2, namely the outer side of the face end wall of the part 6 so that the two handles form a grip 32, 33 in which the thumb rests on the handle 32 and further fingers of the same hand clasp the handle 33 facing away from the latter, whilst the mouthpiece 31 is introduced between the lips of the patient and the finger supported by the convex handle 32 may be in contact with the upper lip of the patient as well as by its side facing away therefrom with the outer circumference of the mouthpiece 31. Throughout the complete operation and discharge of the device the handles 32, 33 are located rigidly positioned to each other.
The unit 8 comprises a crib body 34 movable about the axis 10 which is defined axially between the parts 3, 6 and carries replacably on its side facing the part 6 a crib insert 35 having the cited number of reservoir bodies 16. The body 34 comprises for each location 9 a sleeve-shaped mount 36 freely protruding in the direction of flow, this mount surrounding the one lower end of the body 16 in a tight seal and forming by a constriction a stop for the lower curved end surface area of the body 16. A mount 37 correspondingly protruding only in the direction of flow, but substantially smaller also comprises the insert 35 for each location 9. The crib body 34 and crib insert 35 provide a dosage carrier, and the mounting structures 36, 37 provide receptacles for receiving doses of the medium encapsulated within reservoir spaces 17. The mount 37 which protrudes only beyond the lower face side of the otherwise circular or disk-shaped flat insert 35 engages by a conical outer circumference a conical inner surface area at the rear end of the mount 36 so that it adjoins the outer circumference of the narrower part of the body 16 in a radially constricted seal, whereby the flared cap part of the body may adjoin by its face surface area the upper face surface area of the insert disk 35. As a result of this, this rear end or the cap part protrudes opposite to the direction of flow non-contactingly into the internal space of the part 6 whilst the lower longitudinal section is located totally in the mounts 36, 37 and passes through the bodies 34, 35. The body 34 which like each of the parts 3 to 7, 35 is configured integrally comprises at its outermost circumference a shell 38 at the inner circumference of which spaced away between its ends a face end wall 39 adjoins, beyond the undersides of which the mounts 36 protrude and adjoin the insert 35 at their upper face surface area. The outer circumference of the shell 38 forms a handle 40 and is located in an angle of an arc of minimally 90° or 160° and maximally 220°, more particularly only 180° about the axis 10 freely accessible at the outer circumference of the bodies 3, 6 for actuation. In the operative position the constricted end of the mount 36 surrounding the outlet 15 is located directly adjacent the transition opening 46 in the surface area 27 or adjacent to the outer side of the curved wall 47 which forms the surface area 27.
The body 34 located totally at this outer side is rotatably mounted directly on part 3 by two concentric bearings and is axially fixed in position in the opposite direction. The bearing parts configured integrally with the part 3 are formed by two nested bearing bodies such as sleeves freely protruding contrary to the direction of flow which slide on the underside of the wall 39 by their end surface areas. The outer sleeve of the bearing 41 slides by its outer circumference on the inner circumference of the shell 38 and by its inner circumference on the outer circumferences of the mounts 36. The inner sleeve of the bearing 42 slides by its outer circumference likewise on the outer circumferences of the mounts 36 which for this purpose form in common an inner circumference. Located between the two sleeves is the transition opening adjoining the outlet 15, the two sleeves translating integrally into the curved wall of the surface area 27. Since the sleeve of the bearing 41 is provided eccentrically to the axis 11 of the housing parts 3, 4 of the body 2 adjoining underneath, the sleeve protrudes beyond the parts 3, 4 at the side face away from the handle 32. For axial location a snap-action connector may be provided on one of the sleeves, more particularly between the outer circumference of the inner sleeve and the body 34 so that following completely removal of the part 6 the insert 35 including the emptied body 16 can be pulled out contrary to the direction of flow without releasing the body 34 from the bearings 41, 42.
A further radial and axial bearing is provided on the upper side of the bodies 35, 39 for which the shell 43 of the part 6 slides on this side at the inner circumference of the shell 38 and on the upper face surface area of the body 35, as a result of which the body 36 is held in close contact with the upper side of the wall 39. The shell 43 also forms only over part of the circumference the outer shell of the part 6 since the shell is located eccentrically relatively to this outer shell. Outside of the bearing member 43 this outer shell engages the interior of the shell of part 3 firmly seated, the outer shell being locked in place by a springy snap-action connector preventing removal except when a suitably high removal force is applied for removal contrary to the direction of flow. After this removal the body 35 is located with the bodies 16 freely accessible for replacement.
The device 18 comprises two opposing opening members 44, 45 in the axis 11 which may be formed by metal tips and serve to break open the end walls of the capsule 16 in the switching movement of the unit 8, as a result of which the capsule 16 is captured by the members 44, 45 in the last phase of translation into the operative position and is thus ruptured at the ends so that the tips protrude into the space 17, each being surrounded by a jagged opening. The member 44 passes through the associated transition opening 46 of the curved wall 47 after which it can be locked in place by the arms of a star-shaped mount. The outer circumference of this tip 44 forms a gliding surface area by which the medium and the air flow are flared into an envelope flow. The rear tip 45 is secured to the inner side of the face end wall of the part 3 so that the tips 44, 45 are oriented coaxially relative to each other.
For making use of the device 1 the ring 38, which may be provided with a means for indicating its rotary position and which has spring action to lock into each opening position, is turned until the next capsule 16 is located in the axis 11 and is then opened at both ends. Due to this opening action part of the medium trickles via the tip 44 along the flank 22 or 23 onto the bottom 24 of the bowl 21, i.e. after having left the tip 44 via a free-fall distance. After this the patient sucks on the mouthpiece 31 so that air is drawn in from without through openings in the housing space accommodating the upper end of the capsule 16 and the tip 45, the air flowing through the upper opening of the capsule 16 into the space 17.
The air flows through the space 17 entraining the remainder of the medium still left in this space 17, flows through the outlet 15 around the tip 44 directly into the opening 46 and from here against the flank 22 located nearer to the outlet 12 so that this conveying flow is diverted along the flank 22 and the bottom 24 back upwards as well as being directed directly against the surface area 27 on leaving the edge 26, the conveying flow thereby entraining the medium present in the bowl 21. In the region of the bowl 21 a rolling flow may briefly materialize, however, the conveying flow gains access whilst being accelerated due to the suction effect through the transition point 25 into the passage 28, 29 where mollification of the flow takes place which continues up to the outlet 12. On impinging against the surface area 27, opposite which the flank 23 is located on a direction of the radius the larger particles of the medium are reduced in size by the force of impact. For the next application the unit 8 is turned further to a location 9. The unit 8 is rotatable in one direction only, due to a free-wheel lock.
Downstream of the outlet 15 or the transition point 25 a sieve 48 or a filter inserted e.g. between the parts 3, 4 is provided in the passage 28 so that any fragments of the fractured capsule 16 or excessively large medium particles cannot gain access to the throat of the patient. Furthermore, a valve 49 may be provided in the flow path, namely upstream or downstream of the space 17, this valve opening as a function of the pressure being lower downstream than upstream. The opening force of this valve may be constant or reducing, the more the opening is made, so that the valve abruptly opens fully following commencement of the opening movement to release the conveying flow pulsedly. The valve 49 returning to its closed position as a function of the pressure may be located near to the outlet 12 within the passage 29 so that the section of the guidance 14 located upstream is sealingly closed off to prevent the ingress of any contamination during the non-active periods. The part 7 is configured as a protective cap which is to be completely removed axially prior to use of the device and in its protective position sealingly accommodates the port 31 including the opening 12 as well as the complete part 4 and the lower section of the part 3.
In FIG. 3 only the upper section of the device is shown as of part 6, on the underside of which an air pump 50 is arranged as a discharge actuator and pressure generator. Here, the upper face end wall of the part 6 does not form a handle, it instead comprising a shell 52 freely protruding upwards in which a dished piston 41 is inserted firmly in place by its shell as far as it will go against the face end wall of the part 6 so that its flared piston lip protrudes beyond the upper end of the shell 52. The piston lip slides on a cylinder 53 which closely surrounds the outer circumference of the shell 52 and which can be shifted downwards against the force of a spring 54 as far as it will go against the face end wall of the part 6 to supply air through an opening 55 in the crown of the piston as well as in the face end wall of the part 6 around the tip 45 of the capsule 16. The pump 50 is located in the axis 11 and the face end wall of the cylinder 53 forms the movable handle 33, on release of which the pump returns to its starting position in drawing in fresh air. Due to this action the path through the opening 55 may be closed off from suction by a valve, for example the valve 49. In this embodiment too, the air flow may be produced solely by suction action through the opening 12 and boosted at any time by actuating the pump 50. In FIG. 3 the insert 35 is shown in its change position by itself and without insert 34.
All cited effects and properties, such as positions, sizes and the like may be provided precisely as described, merely roughly so or substantially so and may also greatly vary therefrom, depending on the particular application. The device may be configured true to scale as depicted in FIGS. 1 to 3. The defining surface areas of the portions coming into contact with the medium, more particularly the portions 12, 14, 18, 20 to 29, 44 to 46, 48 and 49 may be provided with an anti-stick or anti-static coating of metal and/or a plastics material such as tetrafluoroethylene to prevent the medium tacking due to electrostatic charging. The coating is but a few mm thick and may be applied by spraying, bonding, pressurization or the like to the surface areas of the cited portions.
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A dispenser for discharging media has a duct (14) including a medium outlet (12), and a dosage carrier (34, 35) mounted on a base body (2) and including receptacles (36, 37) for receiving doses of the medium entirely enclosed in respective reservoir spaces (17), a medium holder (21) disposed beneath the reservoir spaces and adjacent the duct (14) for holding the medium when it is released from one of the reservoir spaces (17), and a device (44, 45) for opening one of the reservoir space (17) to allow the medium to be first deposited in the medium holder (21), and then picked up and conveyed out the medium outlet (12) by a transfer flow through the reservoir space (17).
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority from the Korean Patent Application No. 10-2014-0169983, filed on Dec. 1, 2014, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] Apparatuses consistent with exemplary embodiments relate to an ultrasonic probe to obtain ultrasonic images.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] An ultrasonic imaging apparatus is an apparatus configured to transmit ultrasonic signals toward a target portion located in an inside a body from a surface of the body, and non-invasively obtain images related to cross sections or blood flow of a soft tissue by using information from the reflected ultrasonic signals, that is, ultrasonic echo signals.
[0006] The ultrasonic image apparatus, when compared to other image diagnostic apparatus such as an x-ray diagnostic apparatus, an x-ray CT (Computerized Tomography) scanner, a MRI (magnetic Resonance Image), and a nuclear medicine diagnostic apparatus, is smaller in size, is less expensive, has better capabilities of displaying information on real-time basis, and is provided to be safer with respect to exposure to radiation. Therefore, the ultrasonic image apparatus is widely used for diagnoses of hearts, abdomens, and urinary system, and in obstetrics.
SUMMARY
[0007] One or more exemplary embodiments provide an ultrasonic probe capable of preventing ultrasonic gel or cleansing solution from being introduced into an inside the ultrasonic probe at the time of ultrasonic test. In addition, One or more exemplary embodiments provide a probe lens of the ultrasonic probe which may be prevented from abrasion by outside pressure and friction.
[0008] In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an ultrasonic probe includes a case and a probe lens. The case may be provided with an opening formed thereto. The probe lens may have at least a portion thereof exposed through the opening, and one side thereof coupled to the case. At the coupling portion of the case and the probe lens, a groove may be formed on one of the case and the probe lens, while the other one of the case and the probe lens may be provided to have a shape corresponding to the groove and is coupled to the one of the case and the probe lens.
[0009] The case may be provided with a protrusion protruded toward a front.
[0010] The protrusion may be injection-molded integrally with the probe lens.
[0011] The protrusion may be injection-molded integrally with the case.
[0012] The protrusion may be positioned at an outer side of the opening.
[0013] The protrusion may be provided in a plurality of units thereof while spaced apart to each other.
[0014] The protrusion may be provided in the shape of a semi-sphere.
[0015] The protrusion may be provided in the shape of a polyhedron.
[0016] The probe lens may be injection-molded as the case is inserted.
[0017] The case may include a first surface positioned at a front, and a second surface bent at and extended from the first surface, and the groove may be formed at an inner side surface of the first surface or at an inner side surface of the second surface.
[0018] The probe lens may include a first portion exposed through the opening, a second portion extended from the first portion and coupled to an inner side surface of the case.
[0019] A front of the first surface may be provided with a plurality of protrusions formed thereto.
[0020] The groove may be provided by the shape of a mold at the time of the injection molding of the case as to be formed at an inner side surface of the case.
[0021] The groove may be provided by carving after the injection molding of the case.
[0022] In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an ultrasonic probe having a case provided with an opening formed thereto and a probe lens exposed through the opening, a plurality of grooves are formed on at least one portion of a rear surface of the case, and one side of the probe lens is mounted at a rear surface of the case while provided to correspond to the shape of the grooves, and a plurality of protrusions provided to make contact with an object may be provided at a front surface of the case.
[0023] The groove may be formed at an entire area of a rear surface of the case coupled to the probe lens.
[0024] The protrusion may be injection-molded integrally with the probe lens.
[0025] The protrusion may be provided at an outer side of the opening without covering the opening.
[0026] A moving path may be provided in between protrusions adjacent to each other among the plurality of protrusions so that ultrasonic gel is moved through the moving path.
[0027] The protrusion may be injection-molded integrally with the case
[0028] As is apparent from the above, an abrasion of a transducer or a printed circuit board positioned at an inside an ultrasonic probe by ultrasonic gel G or cleansing solution introduced in between a probe lens and a case at the time of ultrasonic test can be prevented by forming a concave-convex structure at an inner side surface of the case at which the probe lens is mounted.
[0029] In addition, lubricativeness can be improved and the pressure applied at the probe lens can be reduced as a certain amount of the ultrasonic gel is retained in between the probe lens and an object by the protrusion structure of a front of the ultrasonic probe.
[0030] In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an ultrasonic probe, including: a case including: an opening; and a coupling portion; and a probe lens including: a first portion being exposed through the opening and a second portion coupled to the coupling portion of the case, wherein one of the coupling portion of the case and the second portion of the probe lens comprises a groove, and other one of the coupling portion of the case and the second portion of the probe lens comprises a shape matching the groove to couple the case and the probe lens to each other.
[0031] The case may include a protrusion which protrudes from a front surface of the case.
[0032] The protrusion may be integrally formed with the probe lens.
[0033] The protrusion may be integrally formed with the case.
[0034] The protrusion may be provided at an outer side of the case with respect to the opening.
[0035] The protrusion may be one of a plurality of protrusions which are spaced apart with respect to one another.
[0036] The protrusion may include a cross-section shape of a semi-sphere.
[0037] The protrusion may include a cross-sectional shape of a polyhedron.
[0038] The probe lens may include an injection-molded lens.
[0039] The case may include: a first case portion positioned at a front side of the ultrasonic probe; and a second case portion bent at and extended from the first case portion, and wherein the groove is formed at an inner side surface of the first case portion or at an inner side surface of the second case portion.
[0040] The second portion may extend from the first portion and coupled to an inner side surface of the case.
[0041] A first surface of the first case portion may include a plurality of protrusions.
[0042] A shape of the at least one groove may correspond to a shape of a mold used for injection molding of the case.
[0043] The at least one groove may include a carved groove.
[0044] In accordance with an aspect of an exemplary embodiment, there is provided an ultrasonic probe including: a case provided with an opening; and a probe lens exposed through the opening, wherein: the case includes a plurality of grooves provided on at least one portion of a rear surface of the case, and the probe lens includes a shape corresponding to the plurality of grooves and is configured to be mounted at the rear surface of the case, and the case further includes a plurality of protrusions provided at a front surface of the case and configured to make contact with an object.
[0045] The groove may be provided over an entire area of the rear surface of the case coupled to the probe lens.
[0046] The protrusion may be provided at an outer side of the case with respect to the opening and is formed to be spaced apart from the opening.
[0047] A moving path may be provided between adjacent protrusions of the protrusions and configured to allow ultrasonic gel to move through the moving path.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0048] The above and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0049] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an ultrasonic imaging apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0050] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0051] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case of an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0052] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case and a probe lens of an ultrasonic probe coupled to each other in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0053] FIGS. 5A, 5B, 5C, 5D, and 5E are drawings illustrating various examples with respect to a shape of an inner side surface of an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0054] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0055] FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a portion of an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0056] FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, and 8E are drawings illustrating various examples with respect to a shape of a case and a probe lens of an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0057] FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are drawings illustrating a surface of an ultrasonic probe in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0058] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
[0059] FIG. 1 is a drawing illustrating an ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0060] Referring to FIG. 1 , an ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment includes a body 2 , an ultrasonic probe 3 , an input unit 7 , and a display 8 . The display 8 may include a main display 80 and a sub display 81 .
[0061] The display 8 may display ultrasonic images obtained in ultrasonic diagnostic process. In addition, the display 8 may display applications related to motions of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 . In the exemplary embodiment, the main display 80 may display ultrasonic images obtained from an ultrasonic diagnostic process. The sub display 81 may display aspects related to motions of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 .
[0062] The main display 80 or the sub display 81 may be implemented in the form of a Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) or a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). The main display 80 or the sub display 81 may be provided while coupled to the body 2 , or may be provided as separate units separated from the body 2 .
[0063] The body 2 may be provided with the input unit 7 . The input unit 7 may be provided in the form of a keyboard, a foot switch, or a foot pedal. In a case when the input unit 7 is provided in the form of the keyboard, the input unit 7 may be provided at an upper portion of the body 2 . In a case when the input unit 7 is provided in the form of the foot switch or the foot pedal, the input unit 7 may be provided at a lower portion of the body 2 . A test administrator may control motions of the ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 through the input unit 7 .
[0064] The ultrasonic probe 3 may be connected to a connecting member 9 . The connecting member 9 includes a cable 90 and a connector 91 . One side of the cable 90 may be provided with the ultrasonic probe 3 and the other side of the cable 90 may be provided with the connector 91 . As described above, the ultrasonic probe 3 and the body 2 may be connected to each other via the connecting member 9 .
[0065] The ultrasonic probe 3 may be held at the body 2 via a holder 4 to be used by a test administrator. A test administrator may store the ultrasonic probe 3 by placing the ultrasonic probe 3 in the holder 4 when not using the ultrasonic probe 3 .
[0066] The body 2 may be provided with a moving apparatus 6 to move the ultrasonic imaging apparatus 1 . The moving apparatus 6 may be provided in the form of a plurality of casters provided at a lower surface of the body 2 . The casters may be aligned as to drive the body 2 in a particular direction while provided to be freely moved, or may be locked as to stop at a particular position.
[0067] FIG. 2 is a drawing illustrating an ultrasonic probe 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case 30 of an ultrasonic probe 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a case 30 and a probe lens 31 of the ultrasonic probe 3 coupled to each other in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0068] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the ultrasonic probe 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment includes a case 30 and a probe lens 31 . An opening 300 is formed at a front of the case 30 , and the probe lens 31 may be provided to make contact with a test body while exposed through the opening 300 of the case 30 . An imaging with respect to the test body may be taken place by ultrasonic signals passing at a first portion 310 exposed through the opening 300 of the probe lens 31 . The probe lens 31 may include a second portion 311 coupled to an inner side surface of a coupling portion 30 c of the case 30 .
[0069] A transducer 32 , which generates ultrasonic signals, may be provided at an inside the case 30 . The transducer 32 may be provided at a rear of the probe lens 31 . The transducer 32 may include an acoustic matching layer (not shown), piezoelectric material (not shown), and an acoustic absorption layer (not shown). The acoustic matching layer, the piezoelectric material, and the acoustic absorption layer may be arranged at a rear of the probe lens 31 in the order in which the acoustic matching layer, the piezoelectric material, and the acoustic absorption layer are described.
[0070] The piezoelectric material is provided to perform a role release electric signals into air by converting the electric signals into ultrasonic signals, that is, acoustic signals, and convert the ultrasonic signals reflected from the air again into the electric signals.
[0071] The piezoelectric material may be composed of piezoelectric substance to generate ultrasonic signals by receiving electric signals and converting the electric signals into mechanical vibration. An effect in which a voltage is generated when a mechanical pressure is applied at predetermined substance and a mechanical transformation is taken place when the voltage is applied is referred to a piezoelectric effect or an inverse piezoelectric effect, and the substance having the effect as such is referred to as the piezoelectric substance. That is, the piezoelectric substance is referred to as the substance to convert electric energy into mechanical vibration energy and mechanical vibration energy into electric energy.
[0072] The acoustic matching layer may be positioned at a front of the piezoelectric material. The acoustic matching layer may perform a role to efficiently deliver the ultrasonic wave signals generated at the piezoelectric material to a test body by matching the acoustic impedance of the piezoelectric material and the acoustic impedance of the test body.
[0073] A protective layer may also be provided at a front of the acoustic matching layer. The protective layer is provided as to prevent an outside leakage of high frequency elements that may be generated at the piezoelectric material, and to block an introduction of outside high frequency signals to an inside.
[0074] The acoustic absorption layer may be disposed at a rear of the piezoelectric material. The acoustic absorption layer may reduce the pulse width of ultrasonic signals by restraining free vibration of the piezoelectric material, and prevent image distortion by blocking ultrasonic signals from being unnecessarily delivered toward a rear of the piezoelectric material.
[0075] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5E are drawings illustrating various examples with respect to a shape of an inner side surface of the ultrasonic probe in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0076] Referring to FIG. 3 , FIG. 4 and FIG. 5A to FIG. 5E , the ultrasonic probe 3 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may be provided such that at least a portion of a surface of the case 30 and a portion of the probe lens 31 are overlapped with respect to each other. In an exemplary embodiment, at least a portion of a rear surface of the case 30 and a portion of a front surface of the probe lens 31 may be coupled to each other as to be overlapped with respect to each other.
[0077] Referring to FIG. 3 , a groove 301 may be formed at the rear surface of the case 30 . The case 30 may include a first case portion 30 a provided with the opening 300 formed thereto, and a second case portion 30 b bent at and extended from one end of the first case portion 30 a. The groove 301 may be formed at least at one of a rear surface 30 r of the first case portion 30 a or at a rear surface of the second case portion 30 b.
[0078] A front surface of the probe lens 31 , which is overlapped with a surface of the case 30 provided with the groove 301 formed at the rear surface 30 r thereof, may be provided with a shape thereof to match the shape of the groove 301 . In an exemplary embodiment, the probe lens 31 may be injection-molded as the case 30 is inserted in a mold for injection molding. The injection material provided to become the probe lens 31 , as the injection material is cooled after injected at an inside the groove 301 formed at the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 , may be injection-molded so that the probe lend 31 is provided with the shape corresponding to the groove 301 of the case 30 .
[0079] The groove 301 may be formed by the shape of a mold at the time of the injection molding of the case 30 . The groove 301 may be formed by carving the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 after the injection molding of the case 30 . The groove 301 may be formed at a portion of the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 or at an entirety of the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 in a regular pattern of in an irregular pattern.
[0080] The probe lens 31 may be injection-molded as the case 30 is inserted at the mold at the time of injection-molding the probe lens 31 . The probe lens 31 may be provided to cover the portion of the opening 300 of the case 30 , and the probe lens 31 may also be provided to cover at least a portion of the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 . One surface of the probe lens 31 exposed through the first case portion 30 a and the opening 301 of the case 30 may form a coplanar surface with respect to a front surface of the first case portion 30 a.
[0081] In an exemplary embodiment, the probe lens 31 may be injection-molded in the shape which corresponds to the groove 301 formed at an inner side surface of the case 30 . At the time of injection-molding of the probe lens 31 , the injection material may be inserted in a state when the case 30 is inserted at the mold. The mold may be closed after inserting the injection material of the probe lens 31 , and predetermined heat and pressure may be applied. At this time, by vacuuming and defoaming an inside the mold, the injection material may be evenly introduced into an inside the groove 301 . After the heat and pressure are applied for a predetermined period of time, the mold is cooled, and then the module of which the case 30 is coupled to the probe lens 31 may be separated from the mold.
[0082] As described above, as the probe lens 31 is injection-molded while the case 30 is inserted in a mold for injection molding, the probe lens 31 may be formed to correspond to the shape of the groove 301 formed at the rear surface of the case 30 . From the above, a method of the probe lens 31 injection-molded as the case 30 is inserted in the mold is described, while a method of probe lens 31 coupled to the rear surface 30 r of the case 30 is not limited to the description provided above.
[0083] The shape of the groove 301 may be provided in various forms. As illustrated in FIG. 5A , the groove 301 may be provided to form a rectangular cross section at the inner side surface of the case 30 , or, as illustrated on FIG. 5D , the groove 301 may be provided to form a rhombus-shaped cross section at the inner side surface of the case 30 . As illustrated on FIG. 5B , the groove 301 may be provided to form a trapezoidal cross section at the inner side surface of the case 30 . As illustrated on FIG. 5C , the groove 301 may be provided to form a triangular cross section at the inner side surface of the case 30 . In addition, as illustrated on FIG. 5E , the groove 301 may be provided to form a semicircular cross section at the inner side surface of the case 30 .
[0084] However, the shape of the groove 301 is not limited to the descriptions provided above.
[0085] In the exemplary embodiment, the groove 301 may be formed at the rear surface 30 r / inner side surface of the case 30 , and the probe lens 31 positioned at a rear side of the case 30 may be formed to have a shape to correspond to the shape of the groove 301 .
[0086] In an exemplary embodiment, ultrasonic gel G is applied at a body B to perform an ultrasonic test. The ultrasonic probe 3 may obtain ultrasonic images with respect to the body B while making contact with the body B applied with the ultrasonic gel G. The ultrasonic probe 3 may be exposed to the ultrasonic gel G as the ultrasonic probe 3 is provided to capture ultrasonic images while making contact with the body B applied with the ultrasonic gel G as illustrated in FIG. 4 . The ultrasonic gel G remaining at the ultrasonic probe 3 may be removed by cleansing solution. Therefore, the ultrasonic probe 3 may be exposed to the ultrasonic gel G when performing ultrasonic imaging, and may also be exposed to the cleansing solution provided to remove the ultrasonic gel G.
[0087] In the related art, with respect to the front of an ultrasonic probe 3 at which a probe lens is positioned, when frequently exposed to ultrasonic gel G or cleansing solution, the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution is introduced into an area between of the probe lens and the case. The ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution may weaken the coupling force between the probe lens and the case, and may separate the probe lens and the case. In addition, the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution introduced into the area between of the probe lens and the case may cause corrosion on components provided inside the ultrasonic probe, such as the transducer and a printed circuit board.
[0088] In the related art, as to improve adhesiveness between the probe lens and the case, a method of using an adhesive promoter in the area between the probe lend and the case or a method of coupling the probe lens by increasing coarseness of the rear surface 30 r of the case by means of sanding is used. However, even in the use of the method of using the adhesive promoter or the sanding process, a prevention of the introduction of the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution through the area between of the probe lens and the case is found to be difficult. Particularly, as the area of the probe lens making contact with the body B is increased as to capture ultrasonic images, more incidences of the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution introduced into the area between the case and the probe lens frequently occur.
[0089] In the exemplary embodiment, as the groove 301 is formed at the rear surface 30 r / inner side surface of the case 30 and as the probe lens 31 is injection-molded to correspond to the shape of the groove 301 , the area at which the case 30 and the probe lens 31 are coupled to may be increased. Therefore, the case 30 and the probe lens 31 may be coupled by stronger adhesive force than the method of which the case 30 and the probe lens 31 are coupled conventionally. As the case 30 and the probe lens 31 are coupled by stronger adhesive force, a phenomenon of which the case 30 and the probe lens 31 are separated by the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution may be prevented.
[0090] In addition, as the shape of the groove 301 is provided at the coupling potion at which the case 30 and the probe lens 31 are coupled, the path of the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution introduced to an inside the ultrasonic probe 3 through the area between of the probe lens 31 and the case 30 is lengthened. Even when the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution is introduced through the area between of the probe lens 31 and the case 30 , the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution is introduced along the surface forming the groove 301 , and thus, when compared with the conventional case, the path for the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution to reach the transducer 32 or the printed circuit board positioned at the inside the ultrasonic probe 3 may be lengthened. Therefore, corrosion of the inside components of the ultrasonic probe 3 by chemical products such as the ultrasonic gel G and the cleansing solution may be effectively prevented.
[0091] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 7 is a drawing illustrating a portion of an ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0092] Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 , an ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may be provided with a protrusion 512 . A case 50 may include a first case portion 50 a at which an opening 500 is formed, and a second case portion 50 b bent at and extended from the first case portion 50 a. The first case portion 50 a may include a front surface 50 f of the case 50 , and the second case portion 50 b may include a side surface of the case 50 . The protrusion 512 may protrude from the front surface 50 f of the first case portion 50 a. A probe lens 51 may include a first portion 510 exposed through the opening 500 , and a second portion 511 coupled to an inner side surface of the case 50 .
[0093] The protrusion 512 may be injection-molded integrally with the probe lens 51 or the case 50 . For example, the protrusion 512 may be injection-molded integrally with the probe lens 51 . At this time, when the probe lens 51 is injection-molded as the case 50 is inserted in a mold, the protrusion 512 may be formed by the shape of the mold. A hole (not shown) may be formed at the first case portion 50 a of the case 50 , and the injection material may be injected into a space at an inside the mold corresponding to the protrusion 512 .
[0094] The protrusion 512 may be provided to make contact with the body B while protruding from a front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 as shown in FIG. 6 . At the time of capturing ultrasonic images, by having the protrusion 512 make contact with the body B while the protrusion 512 is protruded toward the ultrasonic probe 5 , repetitive frictions between the probe lens 51 and the body B and the pressure applied at the probe lens 51 may be prevented.
[0095] The probe lens 51 may be injection-molded with softer material when compared to the case 50 , and pressure may be applied at the probe lens 51 by the force that presses the body B at the time of capturing ultrasonic images, and friction may be applied at a front surface of the probe lens 51 as the probe lens 51 is provided to capture ultrasonic images while moving at the surface of the body B. Irregular abrasion may be generated at the probe lens 51 by the pressure and the friction as such, and the regularity of the captured ultrasonic images may be reduced by the abrasion as such. In addition, the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution may be introduced to an inside the ultrasonic probe 5 along an inner side surface of the case 50 that is coupled to a portion of the abrasion of the probe lens 51 . The transducer 52 or the printed circuit board positioned at an inside the ultrasonic probe 5 may be damaged by the ultrasonic gel G or the cleansing solution introduced to the inside the ultrasonic probe 5 .
[0096] In the exemplary embodiment, as the protrusion 512 protruding from a front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 is provided by means of reducing the pressure and friction applied at the probe lens 51 , the abrasion of the probe lens 51 is prevented, and the structure at the inside the ultrasonic probe 5 may be prevented from being damaged. In addition, the ultrasonic gel G provided in between the body B and the ultrasonic probe 5 may improve lubricativeness as the ultrasonic gel G is provided to remain well by the protrusion 512 at a capturing area A of ultrasonic images.
[0097] The protrusion 512 may be positioned at an outer side of the capturing area A such that the capturing area A is not interfered. The height H of the protrusion 512 , the angle θ that is formed by the protrusion 512 and the first case portion 50 a of the case 50 at which the protrusion 512 is positioned, and the width D of the protrusion 512 may vary according to the shape and size of the ultrasonic probe 5 .
[0098] FIG. 8A to FIG. 8E are drawings illustrating various examples with respect to a shape of an inner side surface of an ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0099] As illustrated from FIG. 8A to FIG. 8E , the ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may be provided with various shapes of the protrusion 512 . As illustrated on FIG. 8A , the protrusion 512 may be injection-molded integrally with the case 50 as to be adjacent to the capturing area A formed by the opening 500 of the case 50 .
[0100] As illustrated on FIG. 8B , at least a portion of the protrusion 512 may be provided to cover a portion of an inner side of the opening 500 of the case 50 at which the probe lens 51 is exposed. At this time, a distortion may be generated at an image captured by ultrasonic signals passing at the portion of the protrusion 512 , and thus, an actual capturing area A′ may be the portion positioned at an inner side of the protrusion 512 .
[0101] As illustrated on FIG. 8C , the protrusion 512 may be provided such that the probe lens 51 connected to the protrusion 512 is provided to cover a portion of an upper surface of the first case portion 50 a of the case 50 . At this time, the capturing area A may be a portion that corresponds to the area of the opening 500 .
[0102] As illustrated on FIG. 8D , the protrusion 512 may be provided in the shape of a semi-sphere, or may be provided in the shape of a polyhedron.
[0103] A protrusion 512 ′ may be injection-molded integrally with the case 50 . As illustrated on FIG. 8E , the protrusion 512 ′ may be injection-molded with identical material of the case 50 , or the probe lens 51 may be injection-molded as the case 50 is inserted in a mold.
[0104] FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B are drawings illustrating a surface of the ultrasonic probe 5 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
[0105] Referring to FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B , the protrusion 512 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment may be provided in a plurality of protrusions thereof while spaced apart to each other by a predetermined distance at a front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 . In a case when the plurality of protrusions 512 is provided while the protrusions are spaced apart to one another, the ultrasonic gel G applied at a portion at which the capturing area A is positioned may be moved toward an outer side of the capturing area A through a moving path 501 provided between adjacent protrusions 512 of the plurality of protrusions. Therefore, when the ultrasonic probe 5 is moved along a surface of the body B, the lubrication may be improved by the ultrasonic gel G.
[0106] As illustrated in FIG. 9A and FIG. 9B , the area occupied by the each protrusion 512 of the plurality of protrusions 512 , which is provided at the front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 , at the front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 may be varied.
[0107] As the above, an abrasion of the probe lens may be prevented as the protrusion is provided at a front surface 50 f of the ultrasonic probe 5 , and a damage of the transducer or the printed circuit board at an inside the ultrasonic probe by the introduction of the ultrasonic gel or the cleansing solution to an inside the ultrasonic probe may be prevented.
[0108] While exemplary embodiments have been particularly shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made therein without departing from the principles and spirit of the inventive concept, the scope of which is defined in the following claims.
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A ultrasonic probe including: a case including: an opening; and a coupling portion; and a probe lens comprising: a first portion being exposed through the opening and a second portion coupled to the coupling portion of the case, wherein one of the coupling portion of the case and the second portion of the probe lens comprises a groove, and other one of the coupling portion of the case and the second portion of the probe lens comprises a shape matching the groove to couple the case and the probe lens to each other.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention concerns a folded box, in particular of carton, comprising two principal wall sections which are connected to each other on one side, in particular through a principal folding line, and can be connected to each other on the opposite side e.g. by a flap, to form a substantially tubular body whose ends can be closed. The invention also concerns a folded box of a one-piece blank.
Conventional cushioned packages have closing sections which can be folded on top of each other to close the cushioned package. The closing sections of cushioned packages simultaneously serve to shape and keep the shape of the substantially tubular body. The closing sections of cushioned packages are e.g. elliptical. The non-rectangular contour of the closing sections prevents use of a rectangular blank for cushioned packages. For production, an intermediate section is therefore required between two blanks. The non-rectangular contour of the closing sections of cushioned packages increases the material consumption since the material between the closing sections of two different blanks must be removed. Moreover, closing of the cushioned packages by hand is relatively demanding since the closing sections must be folded successively against each other. Moreover, cushioned packages cannot be closed in a fluid-tight fashion through welding or sealing.
It is therefore the underlying purpose of the invention to provide a blank, which can be produced in an easy and inexpensive fashion, for a folded box which can be closed by hand. A further object of the invention consists in providing a folded box of a one-piece blank of simple construction which can be produced in an inexpensive fashion. The inventive folded box shall be easy to close manually and also by a machine.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This object is achieved in a one-piece, in particular, rectangular blank for a folded box, in particular of carton, comprising two main wall sections which are connected to each other on one side, in particular by a principal folding line and can be connected to each other on the opposite side e.g. by a flap to form a substantially tubular body, whose ends can be closed, in that in at least one of the two principal wail sections, a side wall section with tapering ends is formed. The side wall section gives the tubular body a stable spatial shape.
A preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the side wall section is formed by two folding lines which are separated from each other in the center and merge into each other at the ends. The folding lines provide the tubular body with a polygonal cross-section. Usually, two side wall sections are disposed opposite to each other to provide the tubular body with a rectangular cross-section in the center.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the two folding lines forming the side wall section are disposed parallel to each other in the central region, which gives the tubular body a the shape of a right parallelepiped in the central region.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the side wall section has triangular ends providing the cross-section of the tubular body with particular stability.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the side wall section has the shape of an ellipse which provides the folded box produced from the blank with an optically pleasant shape. The cross-section of the tubular body decreases from the center to the outside.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the principal wall sections on the tapering ends of the side wall section merge into closing sections. The closing sections abut each other when the folded box is assembled. This greatly facilitates closing of the folded box by hand and by machine.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that closure folding lines are formed between the principal sections and the closing sections. The closure folding lines permit surface abutment of the closing sections providing fluid-tight closure of the folded box.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the closure folding lines are disposed substantially transversely to the at least one side wall section and the distance between the closure folding lines and the associated edge of the respective closing section is not constant but varies. This ensures safe closure of a package produced from the blank.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that a side wall section with tapering ends is formed in both principal wall sections and that a continuous folding line is disposed between and substantially parallel to the side wall sections. The continuous folding line ensures folding of the tubular body for storage or transport. The continuous folding line also facilitates machine production on conventional gluing machines and facilitates insertion of products.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the distance between the closure folding lines and the associated edge of the respective closing section increases starting from the side wall sections to the inside and to the outside. Abutting closing sections are thereby held together in the erected state of the folded box. The course of the closure folding lines produces tension in the erected folded box which keeps the folded box closed.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the distance between the closure folding lines and the associated edge of the respective closing section increases linearly starting from the side wall sections to the inside and to the outside. The resulting straight closure folding lines are advantageous in that they are easy to produce.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the closure folding lines are curved to the inside like a circular arc, relative to the blank. Experiments carried out within the scope of the present invention showed that a slightly curved shape of the closure folding lines is particularly advantageous. The curvature of the closure folding lines ensures that the closing sections snap in when a folded box produced from the blank, is closed.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the distance between the closure folding lines and the associated edge of the respective closing section is constant in the region within the two side wall sections and increases to the outside in the regions outside of the two side wall sections. The closing sections are thereby pretensioned in the closing direction in the assembled state of the folded box. Pretensioning ensures snapping in or convergence of the closing sections when the folded box is closed.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that on the side, opposite to the continuous folding line, of one of the side wall sections, a flap is formed on the associated principal wall section by a further folding line which is disposed parallel to the continuous folding line. The flap servers to connect the two wall sections to each other.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the continuous folding line and the further folding line substantially coincide when the folded box is assembled. This ensures folding of the blank even when the two wall sections are connected to each other on two sides to form the tubular body.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that an outlet funnel is provided on one of the tapering ends of the side wall section. The outlet funnel serves for pouring out a fluid located in the closed folded box. The outlet funnel may, of course, also be used for filling in a fluid depending on size and shape.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the outlet funnel is formed by means of five outlet funnel folding lines which are formed on the tapering end of the side wall section. The five folding lines ensure repeated opening and closing of the outlet funnel when the folded box is erected.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that the distance between the outlet funnel folding lines from each other decreases to the associated tapering end of the side wall section which guarantees funnel-shaped widening of the outlet funnel to the outside.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that a triangular projection with tip pointing to the outside is disposed in the region of the outlet funnel on the two associated closing sections. The triangular projection ensures, in connection with a centrally disposed outlet funnel folding line, precise pouring out.
A further preferred embodiment of the blank is characterized in that a closing flap is provided on the outside of the outlet funnel which can be separated from the two bordering closing sections by at least one perforation line. The closing flap serves to keep the outlet funnel closed. When the closing flap is removed, the outlet funnel can be opened.
The above-stated object is achieved in a folded box of a one-piece blank, in that the folded box has one body in the assembled state which tapers to the outside with two ends and has a substantially rectangular cross-section in the center. The shape of the folded box therefore resembles a plastic bag welded at the ends. A plastic bag obtains its shape by the solid content. The shape of the inventive folded box is determined by the folding lines. The inventive folded box is advantageous in that it can be supplied in a flat state. Moreover, it has its own body whose size and shape are determined without product, and a functioning closing unit. It can be erected manually and also by a machine. The inventive blank can be processed on conventional production machines without additional equipment. The folded boxes can be produced in many variants, e.g. as carrier package or with particular features such as closing means and tearing techniques.
A preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that the body has two outwardly tapering side wall sections. The side wall sections provide the erected folded box with stability. Shaping of the side wall sections provides the erected folded box with e.g. the shape of a right parallelepiped with two opposite tapering ends.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that two flat closing regions are formed on the outwardly tapering ends of the body. The flat closing regions permit fluid-tight closure of the folded box e.g. by welding. The closing regions also permit manual closure and re-opening of the folded box. The specific arrangement of the closure folding lines ensures snapping in and holding together of the closure regions without having to use other techniques or auxiliary means. The closing regions may also be sealed or glued.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that the principal and side wall sections are mutually separated from each other only by a folding line. This single folding line between each principal wall section and the joining side wall section provides the erected folded box with its defined shape.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that a cut is provided in at least one of the closing sections into which a flap can engage which is formed on the closing section which abuts the closing section with the cut when the folded box is erected. The flap and the cut facilitate closing of the erected folded box. When the flap engages in the associated cut, the two abutting closing sections are fixed relative to each other.
This closing mechanism is advantageous in that it is easy to realize since no additional fastening means are required and repeated opening and closing of the folded box is ensured.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that the cut has the shape of a circular arc which is curved inwardly relative to the blank. This shape of the cut has proven to be particularly advantageous in practice.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that the flap is formed by a cut which has the shape of a circular arc which is curved inwardly relative to the blank. This shape of the cuts ensures simple closing of the folded box when it is erected.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that in at least one closing section at least one flap is formed which abuts on an adhesive surface, formed on an abutting closing section and covered by the flap, when the folded box is erected. As long as the foldable flap abuts the adhesive surface, the associated closing sections also abut each other and the folded box is closed. When the flap is folded, the connection to the closing section with adhesive surface is released and the abutting closing sections can be removed from each other.
A further preferred embodiment of the folded box is characterized in that the adhesive surface is delimited by a groove. The groove extends preferably only in an upper layer of the blank. The groove ensures defined pulling out of the upper blank layer which provides on the one hand that the original seal cannot be reproduced. On the other hand, the outer side of the closing section provided with the adhesive surface remains untouched also after removal of the upper blank layer, i.e. the optical impression is not impaired.
One substantial advantage of the inventive folded box consists in that a one-piece, square blank can be used. This permits production of folded boxes without new technical equipment. The simple and quick closing of the folded box due to the distance between the closure folding lines and the associated edge of the closing sections ensures that the folded box can be made flat again after use.
In the flat state, the folded box can either be supplied to a recycling cycle or be manually or mechanically erected again. The possibility of welding or sealing the closing sections of the folded box is important in particular for food and in general for powdery and liquid products. The closing sections can also be formed as handles or have a so-called Euro hole.
Due to the particularly simple handling, the inventive folded box is particularly well suited as gift wrapping, e.g. for dessous, accessories or jewellery. The folded box is also suitable for accommodating sweets, household goods, office equipment or food. Since the folded box can be tightly sealed, it is also suited to accommodate powder and liquids. The inventive folded box finally has a particularly pleasant design when it is erected. The pleasant design and the flatly tapering closing flaps make the folded box suitable also for display in a decoration wall.
In the embodiment with the slightly curved closure folding lines, a tension is generated which ensures snapping in of the closing sections when the folded box is manually closed. The outlet funnel integrated in the closing sections can be closed again after opening thereby protecting the content of the folded box from vermins and dirt also after opening and handling is moreover facilitated.
The inventive blank can be provided with pre-glued points or be printed or punched by a machine and erected on a machine. In the latter case, the folding lines can also be eliminated. The package becomes more stable thereby and the package has no disturbing lines. The closing region can be displaced depending on the optics of the printed image.
Further advantages, features and details of the invention can be extracted from the following description which describes in detail different embodiments with reference to the drawing. The features mentioned in the claims and in the description may be essential to the invention either individually or collectively in arbitrary combination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a first embodiment;
FIG. 2 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a second embodiment with elliptical side wall sections;
FIG. 3 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a third embodiment;
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box with handle and a window;
FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box with reclosable opening flap;
FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box with flap closure;
FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box with a breaking line in the center;
FIG. 8 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a fourth embodiment with circular arc-shaped curved closure folding lines;
FIG. 9 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a fifth embodiment with straight folding lines;
FIG. 10 shows a top view onto a blank for a folded box according to a sixth embodiment with an outlet funnel;
FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box with an outlet funnel as shown in the blank of FIG. 10 ;
FIG. 12 shows a blank for a folded box according to a seventh embodiment with a closing flap; and
FIG. 13 shows a blank for a folded box according to an eighth embodiment with an original seal.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a top view of a rectangular blank 1 . A plurality of folding lines is disposed on the blank 1 . The folding lines may be folds, grooves, scratches or perforations. The folding lines form defined sections when the blank 1 is erected to a folded box.
The blank 1 comprises a principal section 5 having two partial sections 3 and 4 , and a principal section 9 having two partial sections 7 and 8 . The principal sections 5 and 9 are separated from each other by a principal folding line 10 . The principal sections 5 and 9 have the shape of rectangles abutting each other along their longitudinal sides.
The side wall section 11 is formed by two side wall folding lines 14 and 15 which extend parallel to each other in the central region and taper towards each other at the ends. At the tapering ends, the side wall folding lines 14 and 15 merge into terminating folding lines 22 and 23 . The side wall section 12 is delimited in the same fashion by two side wall folding lines 16 and 17 which extend parallel to each other in the center and merge at the end into terminating folding lines 24 and 25 .
The side wall section 11 is disposed between the partial sections 3 and 4 of the principal section 5 . The side wall section 12 is disposed between the partial sections 7 and 8 of the principal section 9 . The partial section 3 is delimited at two opposite sides by two closure folding lines 26 and 29 . The partial section 4 is delimited on two opposite sides by two closure folding lines 27 and 28 . The partial section 7 is delimited on two opposite sides by two closure folding lines 30 and 33 . The partial section 8 is delimited on two opposite sides by two closure folding lines 31 and 32 .
The partial section 8 is also delimited by the side wall folding line 17 , the closure folding lines 31 , 32 and a terminating edge 35 of the blank 1 . The partial section 7 is delimited by the principal folding line 10 , the closure folding lines 30 , 33 and the side wall folding line 16 . The partial section 4 is delimited by the principal folding line 10 , the closure folding lines 27 , 28 and the side wall folding line 15 . The partial section 3 is delimited by the side wall folding line 14 , the closure folding lines 26 , 29 and a terminating folding line 37 .
The terminating folding line 37 delimits a flap 39 on the side facing away from the partial section 3 . The flap 39 is divided by perpendicular cuts 71 and 72 into three flap sections 39 a , 39 b and 39 c . The flap 39 serves to connect the principal sections 5 and 9 to each other. When the principal sections 5 and 9 are connected to each other through the flap 39 , the terminating edge 35 of the blank 1 abuts the terminating folding line 37 thereby providing the blank 1 with a tubular shape when it is erected.
Eight closing sections 41 , 42 , 45 , 46 and 44 , 43 , 48 , 47 are formed on the longitudinal sides of the blank 1 . The closing sections 41 to 44 are formed on the principal section 5 and the closing sections 45 to 47 are formed on the principal section 9 . The closing section 41 is delimited by the longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 37 , the closure folding line 29 and the terminating folding line 22 .
The closing section 42 is delimited by the longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 22 , the closure folding line 28 and the principal folding line 10 . The closing section 43 is delimited by a longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 23 , the closure folding line 27 and the principal folding line 10 . The closing section 44 is delimited by the longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 23 , the closure folding line 26 and the terminating folding line 37 .
The closure section 45 is delimited by a longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the principal folding line 10 , the closure folding line 33 and the terminating folding line 24 . The closing section 46 is delimited by the longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 24 , the closure folding line 32 and the terminating edge 35 of the blank 1 . The closure section 47 is delimited by a longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the terminating folding line 25 , the closure folding line 31 and the terminating edge 35 of the blank 1 . The closing section 48 is delimited by the longitudinal edge of the blank 1 , the principal folding line 10 , the closure folding line 30 and the terminating folding line 25 .
The closure folding lines 27 , 30 and 28 , 33 extend parallel to the longitudinal edges of the blank 1 . The closure folding lines 26 , 29 and 31 , 32 extend non-parallel to the longitudinal edges of the blank 1 . Dotted lines 51 , 52 , 53 and 54 indicate that the distance between the closure folding lines 26 , 29 and 31 , 32 and the associated longitudinal edges of the blank 1 increases slightly providing snapping in of the abutting closing section when the folded box is closed. Moreover, the abutting closing sections are held in abutment when the folded box is closed.
For assembling the inventive folded box, the flap 39 formed on the principal section 5 is glued to the principal section 9 such that the terminating edge 35 coincides with the terminating folding line 37 which produces a flat configuration which can be erected to a tubular body with rectangular cross-section.
When the folded box is erected, the side wall sections 11 and 12 produce a rectangular cross-section in the center of the folded box. When the folded box is erected, the closing sections 41 and 42 , 43 and 44 , 45 and 46 , 47 and 48 abut each other. The folded box can be closed with two fingers pressing together the closing sections in the region of the terminating folding lines 22 , 24 and 23 , 25 .
In the closed state, the abutting closing sections can be welded, glued or fastened to each other in another fashion. The inventive design of the closure folding lines 26 , 29 , 31 and 32 does not necessarily require mounting of the abutting closing sections to each other since the abutting closing sections are held together by the inventive design of the closure folding lines 26 , 29 , 31 and 32 . When the abutting closing sections are not mounted to each other, the erected folded box can be easily opened by moving apart the abutting closing sections. The folded box can be easily collapsed again.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the side wall folding lines 14 , 15 and 16 , 17 of the side wall sections 11 and 12 extend largely parallel to each other. The side wall folding lines 14 and 15 , 16 and 17 meet only at the ends of the side wall sections 11 and 12 .
The embodiments shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 resemble the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 . Identical parts have identical reference numerals such that reference is made to FIG. 1 . Below, only the differences between the individual embodiments are mentioned.
In the embodiment of the blank 1 shown in FIG. 2 , the side wall folding lines 14 ′, 15 ′ and 16 ′, 17 ′ which form the side wall sections 11 ′ and 12 ′ are not disposed parallel to each other but elliptical. The erected folded box therefore has an elliptical cross-section between abutting closing sections.
In the embodiment of the blank 1 shown in FIG. 3 , the side wall folding lines 14 ″, 15 ″ and 16 ″, 17 ″ of the side wall sections 11 ″ and 12 ″ are disposed parallel to each other and form one rectangle each with two folding lines 20 . Two folding lines 18 and 19 extend from the points of intersection between the folding lines 20 and the side wall folding lines 14 ″, 15 ″ and 16 ″, 17 ″ to the terminating folding lines 22 to 25 . The folding lines 18 , 19 and 20 each form a triangle at the end of the side wall sections 11 and 12 . The tips of the triangles extend to the outside. The terminating folding lines 22 to 25 extend from the tips of the triangles.
In all three embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , five folding lines each intersect or meet at the tips of the tapering side wall sections 11 and 12 . This is an essential feature of the present invention. This feature obtains that the inventive folded box can be erected and collapsed again in a simple fashion.
In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 , firstly the folding lines 14 , 15 , 28 , 22 and 29 , secondly the folding lines 14 , 15 , 26 , 23 and 43 , thirdly the folding lines 16 , 17 , 31 , 25 and 30 and fourthly the folding lines 16 , 17 , 32 , 24 and 33 merge in one point. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 , firstly the folding lines 18 , 19 , 28 , 22 and 29 , secondly the folding lines 18 , 19 , 27 , 23 and 26 , thirdly the folding lines 18 , 19 , 31 , 25 and 30 and fourthly the folding lines 18 , 19 , 32 , 24 and 33 merge in one point.
FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box in accordance with a fourth embodiment. As shown in FIG. 4 the partial sections 4 and 7 can be connected to each other in one piece in machine blanks without forming a folding line between them. The same is true for the closing sections 42 and 45 . A common opening 55 is formed in the closing sections 42 and 45 which serves as handle. The opening 55 may also have the shape of a Euro hole on which the erected folded boxes can be hung.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has an opening which can be re-sealed by an opening flap 58 . The opening provides access to the erected folded box from the outside without having to open the closing sections 42 , 45 or 43 , 48 .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the closing sections 42 and 45 are held in abutment on the associated closing sections by a locking flap 60 . When closing, the locking flap 60 is folded from the position shown in FIG. 6 such that a projection 62 formed in the locking flap 60 at the end engages in a recess 63 . At the end of the closing sections 43 and 48 , a perforation line 61 is provided for opening the folded box. The perforation line 61 is formed between the closing sections 43 , 48 and a section 65 in which the abutting closing sections are glued to each other. The folded box can be opened by tearing or cutting off the section 65 .
In the embodiment of FIG. 7 , the center of the erected folded box has a perforation line 64 which serves as breaking line for opening the folded box. The closing sections 43 and 48 are held in abutment on their associated closing sections by a circular punching 66 . The closing sections 42 and 45 are held in abutment on their associated closing sections by grooves 68 and 69 . It is of course also possible to combine different types of closure.
The embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 , 9 and 10 , resemble the embodiment of FIG. 1 . Identical parts have identical reference numerals such that reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 . Only the differences between the individual embodiments are mentioned below.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , the closure folding lines 26 ′ to 33 ′ are slightly curved to the inside. The slight curvature results in that the distance between the closure folding lines 26 ′ to 29 ′ and the associated outer edge of the respective closing section is not constant but decreases to the tips of the side wall section 11 . The same is true for the closure folding lines 30 ′ to 33 ′. This course of the closure folding lines 26 ′ to 33 ′ obtains that the width of the closing sections 41 to 44 and 45 to 48 decreases towards the terminating folding lines 22 , 23 or 24 , 25 .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 , the closure folding lines 26 ″ to 33 ″ are not slightly curved but straight. The distance between the closure folding lines 29 ″ to 33 ″ and the associated edge of the respective closing sections decreases towards the associated tips of the respective side wall sections 11 , 12 as shown in the embodiment of FIG. 8 . The width of the closing sections 41 to 48 is thereby decreased towards the respective terminating folding lines 22 to 25 .
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10 , the distance between the closure folding lines 26 a to 33 a and the associated edge of the respective closure sections is constant. Therefore, the closing sections have a constant width. For closing, the closing sections 42 a , 43 , 45 and 48 have adhesive surfaces 85 and 86 . The adhesive surfaces 85 and 86 serve to glue the closing sections which come into abutment when the erected folded box is closed. Gluing of the abutting closing sections permits a guarantee closure of the inventive folded box.
The corresponding closing sections may be sealed to each other instead of glued. For sealing, a lacquer to be applied to the closing sections is heated, wherein the closing sections are held in mutual abutment by means of pressure jaws. In a subsequent cooling process, the closing sections are permanently joined.
Two outlet funnel folding lines 74 and 75 are formed in the closing section 41 a . The outlet funnel folding lines 74 and 75 intersect in a point 90 which is disposed on the side wall folding line 14 slightly separated from the tapering end 92 of the side wall section 11 . The outlet funnel folding line 75 is disposed at a more acute angle to the terminating folding line 22 a which forms a further outlet funnel folding line, than the outlet funnel folding line 74 .
The outlet funnel folding lines 76 and 77 are axially symmetrical to the outlet funnel folding lines 75 , 74 relative to the terminating folding line 22 a or outlet folding line. The outlet funnel folding lines 76 and 77 intersect at a point 91 which is disposed at the same level of the side wall section 11 as the point of intersection 90 of the outlet funnel folding lines 74 and 75 .
The points of intersection 90 and 91 are connected to each other via an outlet funnel folding line 93 which is slightly curved away from the tapering end 92 . The outlet funnel folding line 93 increases the opening cross-section of the outlet funnel.
A triangular projection 79 joins the region of the closing sections 41 a disposed between the outlet funnel folding lines 75 and 76 . This triangular projection 79 forms an outlet channel when the outlet funnel is opened.
A closing flap 80 joins the closing sections 41 a , 42 a and the triangular projection 79 . The closing flap 80 is connected via perforated lines 81 , 82 , 83 and 84 to the closing sections 41 a , 42 a and the triangular projection 79 . An adhesive surface 87 is formed on the closing flap 80 , which connects the two halves of the closing flap 80 , formed by the terminating folding line 22 a when the outlet funnel is closed. For opening the outlet funnel, the closing flap 80 must be torn off. The outlet funnel can then be opened by moving the outlet funnel folding lines 75 and 76 away from each other.
FIG. 11 shows a perspective view of an erected folded box from a blank similar to the blank of FIG. 10 . The closing sections 41 a and 46 have a recess 88 in the form of a so-called Euro hole.
FIG. 12 shows a blank similar to the blank of FIG. 1 . Identical parts have the same reference numerals plus 100 such that reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 . In the following, only the differences between the individual embodiments are mentioned. The flap 139 comprises in the embodiment shown in FIG. 12 three separate flaps 139 a , 139 b and 139 c which have different designs. The flap 139 a is based on a partial section 103 and has the shape of a longitudinal rectangle which has two inclined sides. The flaps 139 b and 139 c are each based on the associated closing section 141 and 144 and have the shape of rectangles with one inclined side and a U-shaped section.
Moreover, in the embodiment of FIG. 12 , a circular arc-shaped cut 201 , 211 is provided in the closing sections 142 and 143 which is curved towards the associated partial section 104 . The ends 202 , 203 and 212 , 213 of the cuts 201 and 211 are also curved in a circular arc shape but in opposite directions to the associated cut. Moreover, the closing sections 146 and 147 have circular cuts 205 and 215 which are curved towards the associated partial section 108 . The curvature of the cuts 205 and 215 is slightly stronger than the curvature of the cuts 201 and 211 . The ends 206 , 207 and 216 , 217 of the cuts 205 and 215 are also curved in the shape of a circular arc but in the opposite direction to the cuts 205 and 215 .
The cuts 205 and 215 form flaps 208 and 218 whose contour is more curved than the cuts 201 and 211 . This ensures that the flaps 208 and 218 can engage well in the cuts 210 and 211 when the closing sections 142 and 146 or 143 and 147 come into abutment. Folding lines 204 and 214 which extend straight between the ends of the cuts 201 and 211 ensure easy opening of the cuts 201 and 211 .
FIG. 13 shows a blank which is similar to the blank of FIG. 1 . Identical parts have the same reference numerals plus 300 such that reference is made to the description of FIG. 1 . Only the differences between the individual embodiments are described below.
In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13 , the partial sections 304 and 307 have a common window 401 which can be filled or backed with a transparent plastic foil. The window 401 serves to make the content of the erected folded box visible from the outside.
In the region of the point of intersection between the closing sections 342 and 345 , a flap 405 is cut out which is connected to the principal wall section 305 via a folding line. In the same way, a disposed flap 406 is cut out between the closing sections 343 and 348 which is also connected to the main wall section 305 via a folding line. The flaps 405 and 406 come in abutment on adhesive layers 412 and 413 provided in the connecting region between the flap 339 b and the closing section 241 and the flap 339 c and the closing section 344 , when the folded box is erected. The adhesive surfaces 412 and 413 are delimited by grooves 414 and 415 which extend only in the upper layer of the blank 301 .
When the flaps 405 and 406 abut on the associated adhesive surfaces 412 and 413 after erection of the folded box, the folded box is originally sealed. When the flaps 405 and 406 are folded, the upper layers of the blank 301 adhere to the flaps 405 and 406 within the grooves 414 and 415 together with the adhesive layers 412 and 413 . Renewed closing of the folded boxes with the flaps 405 and 406 is no longer possible.
The coinciding design of the closing sections provides among other thing the advantage that a plurality of in particular simple sealing possibilities can be applied. The closing sections can also be designed having different functions e.g. as Euro hole, pouring means, apportioning means or handles. The closing sections can also be provided with a decorative contour punching.
The inventive folded box combines the advantages of a plurality of closing possibilities, simple production, simple handling and reduced machine and tool costs in all regions. It also offers a plurality of possible applications and is suited for package anything.
The transition from the package body to the closing sections may be formed by a displaced or curved line whereby tension is generated in the erected state through which the closing sections are held in mutual abutment. Simple manual securing is possible through two circular arc-shaped cuts.
For presents, simple geometrical shapes can be punched out in the closing sections through which e.g. a cord or ribbon can be guided to close the folded box.
An original seal may be provided by connecting the abutting closing sections mechanically to each other by a hot setting adhesion point. This ensures that opening of the package will always damage it to prevent undesired manipulation and theft of the contents of the packing.
When the closing sections are rigidly connected by sealing, even liquid media can be kept in the erected folded box. The material of the blank must, of course, be suitable for accommodating the liquid or be provided with a corresponding coating.
It is pointed out that the principal folding line 10 and/or the terminating folding line 37 may be omitted in all embodiments depending on the production method.
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The invention relates to a folded box comprising two principal wall sections ( 5, 9 ), which are joined on one side and can be interconnected on the opposing side, for example by means of a flap ( 39 ), to form a substantially tubular body, whose ends can be sealed. To reduce production costs, a lateral wall section ( 11, 12 ), with ends that taper to a point, is configured in at least one of the two principal wall sections ( 5, 9 ).
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 176,846 filed Apr. 4, 1988, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention:
This invention relates to machines for making parts in which two or more parts have shaped surfaces that must bear a precision relationship. More particularly this invention relates to machines for making parts having both trochoidal and circular surfaces that must be positioned in precision relationship to each other. Such machines are useful in speed change devices and other units having a plurality of shaped surfaces which must have a near perfect eccentricity between all of the shaped surfaces.
2. Description of the Related Art:
Speed change devices having both hypotrochoidal and epitrochoidal surfaces that must bear predetermined precision positions in relation to each other and to circular bearing races are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,584,904 to Distin and Shaffer and U.S. Pat. No. 4,643,047 to Distin. The speed change devices described in those patents make use of rollers positioned between adjacent epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal bearing races to reduce friction and backlash. Grinding machines for making such parts typically are capable of grinding only one surface without making a new set-up. In speed change devices made by such a method it is difficult or impossible to maintain the degree of concentricity necessary for optimum operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In the preferred embodiment, the grinding machine is constructed to shape three basic parts useful in the speed change devices set forth in the above-referenced patents:
(a) an orbital inner element or rotor having an epitrochoidal surface (called the "EPI Orbiting Rotor");
(b) a reaction ring having a hypotrochoidal surface (called the "HYPO Reacting Ring"); and
(c) an output ring having a hypotrochoidal surface (called the "HYPO Output Ring").
The first part has two concentric outer circular epitrochoidal races and an inner circular bearing race that is concentric with the two epitrochoidal surfaces. The second part has an inner hypotrochoidal bearing race, an inner circular bearing race and an outer pilot diameter, all of which must be concentric. The last part has an inner hypotrochoidal bearing race, an outer circular bearing race and an inner circular bearing race, all of which must be concentric.
A servomotorized table is arranged to be driven at any selected rotary speed. A second rotary table is mounted on top of first table and is capable of lateral adjustment to provide any desired degree of eccentricity between the rotation centers of the tables. The upper table is driven by a second servomotor so that its speed, relative to the lower table, can be adjusted to any desired speed and in either direction. Three independently controlled grinding spindles, capable of horizontal and vertical adjustment, perform the successive drilling operations.
The true trochoidal contours of the bearing races are generated analogously with high precision under computer control with minimal software. The true contours can be ground as rapidly as if they were circular.
By using the same eccentric adjustment between the two rotary tables and simply changing the synchronization between the tables, the difference between major and minor diameters of the hypotrochoidal and epitrochoidal bearing races will be exactly the same insuring perfect conjugation. Complete grinding operations are performed without moving or relocating the part being machined thus insuring near perfect concentricity of all bearing races.
With simple changes the grinder can accommodate epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal rings with different pitch diameters and with different numbers of intervening rollers. The machine is completely automatic through the complete grinding cycle and switches from epitrochoidal and hypotrochoidal contour to circular without operator intervention and without any change in the machine setup.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a portion of a speed change device, such as is described in the above-referenced patents, showing the hypotrochoidal and epitrochoidal surfaces and the intervening rollers;
FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 illustrate three different parts that can be made on the particular embodiment of the invention described here;
FIG. 2 illustrates the EPI Orbiting Rotor positioned on the magnetic clutch affixed to the top of the upper rotary table;
FIG. 3 illustrates the HYPO Reacting Ring positioned on the magnetic clutch;
FIG. 4 illustrates the HYPO Output Ring mounted on the magnetic clutch;
FIG. 5 is a front view of a grinding machine embodying the invention; and
FIG. 6 is a side view of the machine shown in FIG. 5.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, a base 1 supports an upper structure 2 that carries a horizontally-adjustable slide support 3. Three vertically-adjustable slide supports 4, 5 and 6 are rigidly mounted in spaced positions on the support 3. Three grinding support brackets 7, 8 and 9 are respectively mounted for vertical movement on the slide supports 4, 5 and 6. These brackets 7, 8 and 9 in turn respectively carry three motorized grinding spindles 10, 11, and 12.
The horizontal position of the horizontally-slideable support 3 is controlled by a lead screw driven by a servomotor 13. The vertical positions of the brackets 7, 8 and 9 are controlled respectively by means of lead screws operated by servomotors 14, 15 and 16.
A rotary table 17 is mounted on the base 1 and is operated by a servomotor adjustable to any desired speed and direction of rotation. An upper rotary table 18 is mounted on the table 17 and is driven by a separate servomotor by which its speed and direction of rotation can be adjusted relative to the speed and direction of rotation of the table 17. The axis of rotation of the table 18, when in its zero-reference position, is concentric with the axis of rotation of the lower table 17. The table 18, however, is adjustable horizontally with respect to the table 17. By this means, the table 18 can be adjusted to provide the desired degree of eccentricity and then locked in that position. Known mechanisms can be used to provide the rotary and offset movements of the tables 17 and 18. For example, the table 17 can be provided with a rotatable platen 17a, controlled by a servo motor (not shown) mounted within the table 17. The upper table 18, is supported on the platen 17a and is slideable horizontally with respect to the table 17. The table 18 carries a rotatable platen 18a that is driven by a servo motor (not shown) positioned within the table 18. Any other construction that provides two independently controllable mounting tables can be used. To simplify the description from this point on, the tables 17 and 18 will be referred to as the mounting elements and the motions ascribed to them may in fact be the motions of the associated platens 17a and 18a.
The rotation of the servomotors 13, 14, 15, and 16 and the speed of the servomotorized tables 17 and 18 are each controlled, in known fashion, by a computer (not shown). The lower end of each of the spindles 10, 11 and 12 carries a grinding wheel selected in accordance with the particular grinding function.
The part to be formed, in this case the EPI Orbiting Ring shown in FIG. 2, previously rough machined to the approximate size and shape of the finished part, is mounted on a magnetic chuck 19, secured to the top of table 18, in a position concentric with the rotation of the table 18. The trochoidal bearing races are always operated in conjugate sets of two, consisting of the outer epitrochoidal bearing race and the inner hypotrochoidal bearing race, as illustrated by FIG. 1. A set of rollers 38 is interposed between the inner and outer bearing races and are more fully described in the above-referenced patents.
For each conjugated set of hypotrochoidal and epitrochoidal races and the intervening rollers, the trochoidal bearing races are defined by two basic parameters: (a) the number of rollers 38, and (b) the pitch diameter of the rollers 38. The number of rollers is established by the selected speed ratio according to the formula:
R=1/[1-((N.sub.i +1)(N.sub.o -1) /(N.sub.i -1)(N.sub.o +1))]
where N i is the number of rollers 38 on the HYPO Reacting Ring and N o is the number of rollers on the HYPO Output Ring. The pitch diameter of the rollers is selected according to the torque to be transmitted.
From these two parameters, the maximum size of the roller diameter is established and the maximum eccentricity is also established so there will be minimum clearance between the lobes of the epitrochoidal race and its associated hypotrochoidal race. This clearance is typically between 0.005 and 0.010 inches. The number of lobes on the hypotrochoidal race is always N+1; the number of lobes on the epitrochoidal race is always N-1; the theoretical major diameter of the epitrochoidal race is equal to D-d+e; the theoretical minor diameter of the epitrochoidal race is equal to D-d-e; the theoretical major diameter of the hypotrochoidal race is equal to D+d+e; and the theoretical minor diameter of the hypotrochoidal race is equal to D+d-e; where "D" is the pitch diameter of the rollers 38, "d" equals the roller diameter; and "e" equals the eccentricity which is equal to the radius of the orbital path of the inner element.
To grind an EPI Orbiting Rotor, the grinder is prepared as follows: Locating pins 29 and 30 (FIG. 2) are located in the magnetic clutch 19. These pins are of different diameters and are uniquely located to correctly position and orient the blank radially and angularly for grinding. A grinding wheel with a diameter equal or nearly equal to that of the rollers used on the epitrochoidal race 21 is then mounted on the spindle 12. A grinding wheel with a diameter equal to that of the rollers to be used on the epitrochoidal bearing race 20 is mounted on the spindle 11. A cylindrical cup-type grinding wheel with a diameter less than the diameter of the bearing race 22 is mounted on the spindle 10. The rotary table is displaced horizontally from its zero-reference position by a distance equal to one half the eccentricity (e/2) and clamped in place.
The computer is then programmed, in known manner, so the two rotary tables 17 and 18 are synchronized as follows:
For each rotation of the rotary table 17, the upper rotary table 18 will rotate in the opposite direction at a speed equal to that of the rotary table 17 minus 1/(N-1) turn, where N is the number of rollers. The speed ratio between rotary tables 17 and 18 is then equal to 1-(1/(N-1) with the two table always rotating in opposite directions.
The operating cycle is as follows:
(a) The rotary tables are stopped at a rotary position called "home".
(b) The blank for the EPI Orbiting Rotor is placed on the magnetic chuck 19 on the locating pins 29 and 30.
(c) The spindle 12, with the grinding wheel in place, is started and moved to approach the epitrochoidal bearing race 21.
(d) The rotary tables 17 and 18 start to rotate in synchronism, as set forth above.
(e) The grinding wheel on the spindle 12 is rotating and adjustment of the slide support 6 brings it to the appropriate height with respect to the epitrochoidal bearing race 21. The servomotor 16 controls the height adjustment. In addition, a short-stroke oscillatory movement, along the axis of the spindle 12, is imparted to the grinding wheel through the servomotor to provide a smooth, cross-hatched finish on the surface of the epitrochoidal bearing race 21. Because the blank for the EPI Orbiting Rotor has been oriented angularly and centered on the rotary table, and because of the pre-set eccentricity of the rotary table 18 with respect to the table 17, and because of the synchronized angular motion of the two rotary tables 17 and 18, the surface of the rough machined epitrochoidal bearing race 21 follows a path that is a constant distance from the grinding wheel. When the grinding wheel comes in contact with the surface of the epitrochoidal bearing race 21, it is like grinding a smooth circle, the "bumps" and "valleys" of the epitrochoidal surface having been offset by the motion generated by the two rotary tables. The epitrochoidal contour is thus analagously generated with utmost precision. The major diameter of the epitrochoidal bearing race 21 is controlled by the lateral displacement of the slide support 3, which is controlled by the servomotor 13. The minor diameter is generated automatically as a function of the major diameter and is equal to the major diameter minus two times the pre-set eccentricity of the rotary table 18. When the correct major diameter is reached the grinding wheel is retracted to terminate the first grinding operation.
(f) The two rotary tables stop and restart under a new synchronization reflecting the different number of rollers. The eccentricity between the rotary tables 17 and 18 remains unchanged.
(g) The spindle 11 is started and a similar cycle is repeated for grinding the epitrochoidal bearing race 20.
(h) The bottom rotary table 17 stops at home position: the top rotary table 18 keeps turning.
(i) The spindle ten is then rotated and moved to grind the internal face 22 of the epitrochoidal bearing races 20 and 21.
The finished part is then removed from the magnetic chuck 19 and each of the grinding spindles is retracted. The two rotary tables 17 and 18 are each returned to the home position. The machine is then ready to process another EPI Orbiting Rotor.
To grind a HYPO Reacting Ring, shown in FIG. 3, the grinding machine is prepared as follows: The two rotary tables 17 and 18 are synchronously programmed so that for each turn of the bottom table 17, the upper rotary table 18 will rotate in the opposite direction one turn plus 1/(N+1) turn, where N is the number of rollers. The speed ratio between between the tables 17 and 18 is then equal to 1+[1/(N+1)], with the two tables always turning in opposite directions. The spindle 12 is fitted with a grinding wheel having a diameter equal or nearly equal to that of the roller to be used on the hypotrochoidal bearing race 23. The spindle 11 is fitted with a form grinding wheel to grind the bearing race 24. The spindle 10 is fitted with a cup-type cylindrical grinding wheel to grind the pilot diameter 23.
The grinding cycle of the machine is as follows:
(a) The two rotary tables 17 and 18 are stationary at the home position.
(b) The rough machined blank for the HYPO Reacting Ring is placed on the magnetic chuck 19 and located radially and angularly by the pins 31 and 32.
(c) The spindle 12 is started and moved into position at the appropriate height and near the hypotrochoidal bearing race 23.
(d) The two rotary tables 17 and 18 begin synchronized rotation. The grinding wheel on spindle 12 begins the grinding of the hypotrochoidal bearing race 23 as if it were a smooth, continuous circular surface because the motion is generated by the two synchronized tables to accurately generate the contour of the hypotrochoidal race. Preferably, a vertical oscillation is imparted to the grinding wheel to provide a smooth cross-hatched finish on the bearing race surface. When the minor dimension has been reached, the spindle 12 is moved out and retracted.
(e) The bottom rotary table 17 stops at its home position, while the table 18 continues to rotate.
(f) The spindle 11 moves into position and form-grinds the bearing race 24. The diameter of the bearing race is provided by the computer program, in known manner, and is controlled by the servomotor 13.
(g) When the correct diameter of the race 24 is reached, the spindle 11 backs off and is retracted.
(h) The spindle 10 moves into position and grinds the pilot diameter 25 and the face 36 and retracts.
(i) The rotary table 18 stops at its home position and the completed part is removed from the chuck 19.
To grind the HYPO Output Ring 26a (FIG. 4), the machine will be prepared as follows: The eccentricity of the two rotary tables is not changed, but the synchronization is modified according to the new number of rollers with the ratio being equal to 1+[1/(N+1) ], where N is the number of rollers. The spindle 12 is fitted with a grinding wheel having a diameter equal or nearly equal to that of the rollers to be used on the hypotrochoidal bearing race 26. The spindle 11 is fitted with a cup-type cylindrical grinding wheel with a diameter smaller than the diameter of the bearing race 28. The spindle 10 is fitted with the same form grinding wheel as was used to grind the bearing race 24 of the HYPO Reacting Ring 23a.
The grinding cycle is as follows:
(a) The two rotary tables 17 and 18 are stopped at the home positions.
(b) The rough-machined blank for the HYPO Output Ring is placed on the magnetic chuck 19 and is located by means of the pins 33 and 34.
(c) The two rotary tables 17 and 18 are driven in synchronization.
(d) The grinding spindle 12 moves into position and starts grinding the hypotrochoidal bearing race 26. When the minor diameter dimension is reached, the spindle 12 is backed out and retracted.
(e) The bottom table 17 is stopped at its home position while the top table 18 continues to rotate.
(f) The spindle 11 brings the form-grinding wheel into position and grinds the bearing race 27. The final diameter of the bearing race is controlled by the lateral displacement of the slide support 3 which in turn is controlled by the servomotor 13, under control of the computer program.
(g) When the correct diameter of the bearing race 27 is reached, the grinding wheel backs up and is retracted.
(h) The spindle 10 is then started and moved into position to grind the bearing race 28, whose diameter is under the control of the horizontal slide support and servomotor 13 as directed by the computer program.
(i) The table 18 stops rotation at the home position and the finished part is removed. The machine is then ready for grinding another HYPO Output Ring.
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A grinding machine for grinding epitrochoidal, hypotrochoidal, and circular bearing races in one set-up without having to move the part and to insure near perfect concentricity between all of the bearing races.
A machine blank is mounted on an upper rotary table that is in turn mounted on a lower rotary table. The upper table is driven both by the lower table and by an independent servomotor. The net speed of the upper table is the difference between the two driving speeds of the tables. The axis of rotation of the upper table is capable of being offset from the axis of rotation of the lower table. The two tables are rotated in opposite directions while a grinding wheel is moved laterally into contact with the surface of a rough-machined part to form thr trochoidal surface. The characteristics are determined by the amount of the offset, the diameter of any rollers that are to be positioned between the trochoidal surfaces in the speed change device, and the relative speeds of the two tables. After the trochoidal surface or surfaces are completed, the lower table is stopped in its home position and the upper table is driven in order to grind the circular bearing race or races. Three independently-driven grinding spindles are provided.
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This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/484,161, filed on Jun. 7, 1995, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to hinges and collapsible containers in general, and specifically to an improved collapsible container.
In the materials handling and other industries, it can be beneficial to use collapsible containers to transport and store objects and materials. Among other things, such containers can be erected to hold things in a relatively secure manner during transport or storage, and can be collapsed during non-use to minimize the space occupied by the container. Commonly, such containers are provided in reusable, stackable configurations, to further improve their usefulness. An example of containers of this type is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,255 to Foy et al. Drawings from that patent are included herein as FIGS. 1-8, to illustrate certain aspects of prior art containers.
In a common application for such containers, the containers are erected and filled with parts to be used (for example) on an assembly line. A plurality of erected containers are stacked atop one another and loaded into a semi-trailer, which transports them to the location of the assembly line. Upon arrival there, the containers are positioned beside the assembly line adjacent the location at which the parts are to be used. Once a container is emptied of parts, it is collapsed and set aside. The collapsed containers can be gathered together and returned to the parts supplier (or to another supplier) in the collapsed state, where the entire cycle can then be repeated.
In such an application, it is beneficial for such containers to have a high "return ratio". This ratio is the number of collapsed containers that occupies the same space as one erected container. The name "return ratio" is thus apparently derived from an application such as the foregoing, in which the focus is on "returning" the maximum number of collapsed containers (to eventually be refilled by the parts supplier) in the smallest space. By returning a greater number of containers in a given space, the number of shipments required to transport the empty, collapsed containers is thereby reduced. Correspondingly, the amount of space required to store the empty, collapsed containers is reduced, both before and after shipment. Thus, collapsible containers with a relatively high return ratio (current "good" ratios are currently typically 3:1) are in many applications more economical to use and store than are containers with lower return ratios.
In addition, however, the efficiency, speed, quality and profitability of many applications (including those similar to the aforementioned assembly line application) can be improved by simplifying the processes and time required to erect and collapse the containers. To the extent that the containers can be collapsed by the assembly line workers without a great deal of physical effort or mental concentration, the workers can instead focus that effort and concentration on the actual assembly work (hopefully improving that work product). A common configuration which allows rapid erection and collapse is a rectangular or square base and four interlocking sidewalls, each hinged to a side of the base so that the sidewalls fold over the base into a parallel, stacked relationship.
In many prior art containers of this type, these two factors (return ratio versus speed or efficiency) have been a tradeoff. For example, when the required or desired height of the erect container is more than half the width of the container base, and when the walls are hinged to the base along a hinge line near the base itself, opposing pairs of walls cannot be collapsed without overlapping each other. This problem has been resolved in prior art containers in two primary ways, each exemplifying a different balance of the two factors.
In the first approach, each hinge line is raised away from the base. This is done by integrally molding onto the edge of the base what is equivalent to a portion of the erected sidewall. Because it is integrally molded and is not hinged but is instead fixed to the base, this portion cannot be collapsed, and it therefore typically makes the collapsed container taller than it otherwise might be (it reduces the "return ratio" because it spaces the collapsed walls away from the base). Because it reduces the height of the foldable portion of the sidewall, however, it permits the sidewalls to be folded in a relatively simple manner (without overlapping). In other words, moving the hinge line up the side of the container makes it easier to collapse the container (because the collapsed wall portions do not overlap and therefore do not have to be collapsed in any specific order) but prevents the containers from being collapsed as compactly as if the hinge line were nearer the base.
In the second approach, the hinge lines are staggered in distance from the base as compactly as permitted by the thicknesses and configurations of the sidewalls. In other words, the portion of the erected sidewall that is integrally molded onto the edge of the base is minimized. In the overlapped collapsed wall situation, the maximum overall compaction of the container normally occurs if the four collapsed sidewalls are effectively "stacked" on each other and the stack is directly against the base. To accomplish this, the four hinge lines are typically spaced from the base in increments of approximately the thickness of the sidewalls, each of the four hinge lines being progressively further from the base. The tradeoff in this design is that the walls must be collapsed in the specific order in which the hinges are positioned, in order to accomplish the desired "stacking" result (or sometimes even to permit all four of the walls to be collapsed at all). This can make the collapsing process relatively more complicated and slower than in designs in which the walls can be collapsed in any order.
This latter problem is somewhat reduced in designs such as the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,255 because one pair of opposing walls interfits with the other pair such that it is easy for users to see that the first pair must be released and collapsed before the other pair. In that patent, for example, the walls 16 and 18 in its FIG. 1 must be released from their engagement at the corners and then collapsed before the walls 20 and 22 can be collapsed on top of them (see FIG. 14 of that patent similar to FIG. 2 in this application! for an illustration of all four sidewalls in a collapsed condition). Even the type of design in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,255 requires, however, that a specific wall of each opposing pair be lowered before the other of the pair (thus, in FIG. 1 of the foregoing patent, wall 16 must be lowered before wall 18, and wall 20 before wall 22). This is conveniently described as sequential folding. Although sequential folding maximizes the return ratio for a given configuration of container, sequential folding requires more concentration and effort to manipulate the container into its collapsed condition, and is therefore less efficient in assembly-line processes (and can even be more time-consuming to collapse) than containers in which there is no wall overlap.
If the sidewalls are not collapsed in the precise order required, the containers (including their hinges and other components) can be damaged by assembly line workers who sometimes try to force the sidewall members flat against the base member.
Another drawback of the sequential folding approach is that, in order to provide a container with a uniformly tall top edge when the sidewalls are erect, each sidewall member must be manufactured to its own specific dimensions. In other words, each sidewall member will be a different height and shape than the other sidewall members, because of the four different distances between the hinge pins and the top edge of the erect container. This requires additional investment in manufacturing capacity (for example, four separate sidewall molds must be built and used for injection molded, blow-molded and similar embodiments) and in inventory and distribution (again, four different types of sidewalls must be inventoried and controlled for distribution, assembly, replacement and repair).
Other applications and devices employing hinges or hinged members are similarly limited by the relatively fixed position of the pivot axis of the hinge. Negative effects (such as the need for sequential folding, a reduced return ratio, or the like) result from this limitation.
Objects and Advantages of the Invention
It is, therefore, an object of my invention to provide a hinge means to affix members to each other and permit the members to be moved relatively to each other transversely of the longitudinal hinge axis while remaining hinged to each other. The hinge means of my invention is characterized by the members having leave members with aligned hole means in which hinge pin means is disposed, with the hole means including slot means to permit the desired transverse movement. The hinge pin means of my invention can be in any of a wide variety of configurations, including, for example, a single elongated hinge rod passing through all the aligned hole means on a given sidewall, a plurality of rod members passing through the aligned hole means on a given sidewall, and molding or attaching pin members onto the sidewall itself, in the form of one or more projecting members configured to engage the hole means. The concept of such projecting members is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,647, at FIG. 9 thereof.
A further object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible container assembly utilizing hinges of the aforementioned character. In the common collapsible container assembly line application described above, my invention reduces the sequential limitations for collapsing the container (and can virtually eliminate the mental concentration required to properly collapse the container; the container can virtually automatically collapse in the proper order once the walls are disengaged from each other) but provides the maximum available return ration (or at least the same return ratio as comparable prior art containers).
An additional object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible container of the aforementioned character, in which sidewall and base components of the erected container are effectively interlocked with each other to a similar degree as prior art containers. In many applications it would be undesirable for the sidewalls to be transversely slidable with respect to their hinge axis when they are erected. Among other things, such movement in the erected position might occur during transportation of the filled container, and might cause a stack of such containers to become unstable and possibly fall or rock undesirably, and/or bind or damage some of the product being carried in the container. A preferred embodiment of such interlocking means is described below as interfitting mortise and tenon members.
Yet another object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible container of the aforementioned character, in which the erected container is stackable with similarly sized and shaped containers.
An additional object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible container of the aforementioned character, in which opposing pairs of sidewalls are interchangeable with each other. As indicated above, this reduces the design, investment and maintenance costs for manufacturing, inventorying, assembling, repairing and distributing the containers. This same benefit attaches to many other applications in which the variety of components required to complete the assembly is reduced.
Another object of my invention is the provision of a collapsible container having a base member and a plurality of sidewall members hinged to the base member so that the sidewall members can be moved between an overlapping collapsed position and an erect position, including hinge means for hinging each the sidewall member to the base member, the hinge means permitting the sidewalls to be collapsed into the overlapping position in various orders. In other words, the precise sequence of folding the sidewalls during collapse would not be as specific as in prior art containers. In certain embodiments similar to that shown in the aforementioned U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,255, there are spring-actuated latches to hold each comer of the erected sidewalls in the erected position. By incorporating my invention into such containers, the sidewalls can automatically collapse in the proper order simply by releasing those latches.
A further object of my invention is the provision of hinge means of the aforementioned character, in which the hinge pin means is slidable within the slot means to permit the hinged members to be pivoted relative to each other at any of a range of positions along the slot means.
Yet another object of my invention is the provision of hinge means of the aforementioned character, in which the hinge pin means is constituted by a plurality of axially aligned hinge pins.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following specification and the accompanying drawings, which are for the purpose of illustration only.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a prior art collapsible container with its sidewall members in an erect position;
FIG. 2 is an isometric view of the prior art collapsible container of FIG. 1, with its sidewall members in a collapsed position;
FIG. 3 is a side view of the prior art collapsible container of FIG. 2, illustrating the stacking of the sidewall members with respect to the base member and each other, and with a partial broken view of a similar container stacked thereon;
FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but illustrates the view from an adjacent side of the collapsed container;
FIG. 5 is an elevation view of a portion of the base member and a sidewall member of the prior art collapsible container of FIG. 1, prior to assembly of those members to each other with hinge pin means;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 9 is an isometric view of a preferred embodiment of a portion of a collapsible container utilizing hinge means in accordance with the teachings of my invention, including a base member, a sidewall member, and hinge pin means prior to their assembly together;
FIG. 10 is similar to FIG. 9, but illustrates the components after their assembly together;
FIG. 10a is similar to FIG. 10, but illustrates the sidewall member and hinge pin means slid in the direction of the arrow U;
FIG. 11 is similar to FIG. 10, but illustrates the sidewall member in an erect position;
FIG. 12 is a broken sectional view taken along line 12--12 of FIG. 1, illustrating a preferred embodiment of the interlocking means of my invention;
FIG. 13 is a side view of a preferred embodiment of a collapsible container showing two sidewall members in collapsed position over the base member; and
FIG. 14 is similar to FIG. 13, but illustrates a different folding sequence for the sidewall members.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawings, and particularly to FIGS. 1-8 thereof, I show a typical prior art collapsible container 10. As indicated above, these drawings are similar to some in U.S. Pat. No. 4,917,255, and the function of the various components is explained in additional detail in that patent. Such containers are typically fabricated from blow-molded or injection-molded plastic such as polyethylene, but may be of any suitable material. Examples of such other suitable materials include, without limitation, wood, metal, rubber, glass, fiberglass, etc. The rod (such as one of the hinge pins 30, 32, 34 and 36 discussed below) utilized to hingedly attach the sidewalls to the base is preferably fabricated from fiberglass or other pultruded materials, but could be formed from metal or any other suitable material. Except where otherwise indicated herein, the preferred materials for my invention are similar to those of such prior art devices.
The container includes a base member 12 having a plurality of sides 14. Sidewall members 16, 18, 20 and 22 are hinged to the base member 12 at each of its sides 14. One or more drop doors 24 may be provided in the sidewall members to improve accessibility to the interior of the container when it is in the erected position.
Interfitting webs and flanges 26 are provided on the edges of the sidewall members to provide stability to the erected container. Latches 28 (such as spring-actuated latch members) hold the sidewall members in the erected position. The release of the latches 28 permits the sidewall members to be disengaged from each other and collapsed.
The collapsed position is illustrated in FIGS. 2-4. As illustrated, because of the respective heights of the sidewall members and the width of the base member, the sidewalls overlap in the collapsed position. In order to lie flat in the most compact collapsed arrangement, the sidewall members must be collapsed in the specific order of sidewall member 16, sidewall member 18, sidewall member 20 and finally sidewall member 22. To accomplish this compact collapsed arrangement, hinge pins 30, 32, 34 and 36 attaching the respective sidewall members 16, 18, 20 and 22 are spaced at staggered distances from the base member 12.
The positions of these hinge pins 30, 32, 34 and 36 with respect to the base member 12 are relatively fixed, in that they are disposed through axially aligned holes 38 on the base member 12 (FIGS. 5, 6 and 8) and correspondingly aligned holes 40 on each respective sidewall member (FIGS. 5 and 7). These holes 38 and 40 are commonly provided in interfitting hinge tangs or leaf members 42 and 44, respectively. The holes or troughs 40 on the sidewall members alternate in direction (in and out of the page as shown in FIG. 5) so that, when each sidewall is assembled at its appropriate location on the base member 12 and the respective hinge pin is passed through the aligned holes 38 and 40, the sidewall cannot be separated from the base member 12 without removal or destruction of the hinge pin.
The prior art container 10 is typically injection molding from plastic or other suitable material, although other processes and materials can be used. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, as described herein, the preferred embodiment of the present invention may be fabricated from similar materials and from similar processes, as well as from other materials and processes, so long as the embodiment functions as described hereinbelow.
A preferred embodiment of the container of my invention is similar to that just described for the prior art container 10. Several important differences between the prior art container and a preferred embodiment of my invention are illustrated in FIGS. 9-14.
In FIG. 9, a base member 50 includes side portions 52 extending therefrom. A sidewall member 54 includes one or more tangs or leaf members 56 and 58 positioned and configured to interfit with tangs or leaf members 60 and 62 on the base side portions 52. After the sidewall members are properly positioned (so that the leaf members 56 and 58 are between leaf members 60 and 62 on the base side portions 52), hinge pin means such as a hinge rod 64 is inserted through one or more holes or openings 70 in the leaf members 60 and through holes or openings 66 and 68 in the leaf members 56 and 58, respectively. The holes or openings 70 are preferably in the form of a straight slot (although curved slots or other openings might also be useful). After the hinge rod 64 is so inserted, it may be retained in the desired assembled positioned by affixing lock washers to each end (or by using other suitable means of retention).
As indicated above, the hinge pin means of my invention can be provided in any of a wide variety of configurations, including the preferred single elongated hinge rod 64 passing through all the aligned hole means on a given sidewall. Among the many alternative embodiments are a plurality of shorter rod members (not shown) passing through the aligned hole means on a given sidewall, and providing molded pin members or attaching pin members onto the sidewall itself, in the form of one or more projecting members configured to engage the hole means. This latter concept of molded projecting members is illustrated, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,647, at FIG. 9 thereof.
The slot 70 is preferably sized to permit ready transverse movement of the hinge pin 64 in the direction indicated by the arrow U in FIG. 10a and the direction opposite thereto. This movement is illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 10a, showing the same structure and components but with the hinge pin means 64 at opposite ends of the slot 70. This results in the non-sequential folding order illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14, which show that either of the two sidewall members 54 could be collapsed or folded before the other (or could be allowed to fall) without affecting the overall height of the collapsed assembly. As discussed above, in some embodiments, the comer latches can be disengaged and the sidewall members released, and the sidewall members will "automatically" fall into the optimum return ratio for the container.
As indicated above, it is sometimes desirable for collapsible containers of this type to be relatively solid and non-shifting when erected. To limit the aforementioned movement of the hinge pin 64 in the direction indicated by the arrow U in FIG. 10a and the direction opposite thereto when the sidewall member 54 is erected, the preferred embodiment of my invention includes interlocking means such as a mortise 72 in the base member side portion 52, and corresponding tenon 74 on the sidewall member 54. The interlocking means can be provided in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and arrangements, but is conveniently illustrated in the drawings as preferably having a substantially rectangular configuration with a wall thickness suitable for injection molding. By way of example and not limitation, the mortise could instead be provided on the sidewall member, and/or could include a plurality of mortises of triangular and circular configurations. The interlocking means (or some part thereof) may be provided as solid plugs rather than thin-walled structures shown in the drawings. Among the many additional alternative embodiments are separately attachable interlocking members, which are not integrally molded or formed as part of the sidewall or base, but instead are operatively affixed by glue, adhesive, screws, welding, fasteners or other expedient.
The erected sidewall member 54 is illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 12. As shown in FIG. 12, the interlocking means may be provided in a tapered cross-sectional configuration, to facilitate engagement of the mortise and tenon as the sidewall member 54 is raised into the erect position.
By precise positioning of the interlocking means on each respective sidewall member, the position of the top edge around the entire erected container (not shown) can be controlled. Normally, this top edge is desired to be of uniform height (similar to that shown as FIG. 1 for the prior art) to facilitate stacking of a plurality of containers.
Because of the slidable nature of the hinge of my invention, opposing members of a device in which it is used (such as opposing sidewall members in a collapsible container) can be provided in interchangeable (and even identical) shapes and sizes. If interlocking means such as mortise and tenon are also utilized, they would preferably also be interchangeably positioned, sized and shaped to facilitate the interchangeability of the sidewall members. As indicated above, this interchangeability has numerous economic benefits.
Thus, by my invention, I provide a hinge means useful in, among other things, collapsible containers in which opposing sidewalls are dimensioned and configured so that they overlap when collapsed. Among the many alternative embodiments and applications in which my invention may be useful are containers having non-rectangular shapes and/or more than four sides (such as hexagonal bases, octagonal bases, etc.).
The apparatus of my invention has been described with some particularity but the specific designs and constructions disclosed are not to be taken as delimiting of the invention in that various modifications will at once make themselves apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, all of which will not depart from the essence of the invention and all such changes and modifications are intended to be encompassed within the appended claims.
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A hinge is provided to affix members to each other and permit a the members to be moved relatively to each other transversely of the hinge axis while remaining hinged to each other. A collapsible container assembly utilizing such hinges is provided, in which a plurality of sidewall members hinged to a base member can be collapsed onto the base member and each other in a stacked arrangement with the resulting height of the stack being the same regardless of which of several stacking orders is utilized. Leave members of the hinge include slot means axially aligned to permit a hinge pin disposed therein to slide transversely of the longitudinal hinge axis while maintaining the hinged relationship of the members.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This application is a divisional application of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/787,222, filed May 25, 2010, which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/181,099 filed May 26, 2009, the applications of which are herein incorporated by reference, in their entirety, for any purpose.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to gasification and waste treatment systems. More specifically, this invention relates to high temperature systems used to convert organic matter to useful fuels such as synthesis gas.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There have been a number of examples of apparatus and methods for converting organic matter into useful fuel. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,666,891 title “Arc Plasma-Melter Electro Conversion System for Waste Treatment and Resource Recovery” describes a system that combines joule heating and plasma heating in a process chamber. In this system, organic materials can be converted into hydrogen rich gasses which may be used as fuels, or which may be converted into other fuels, such as liquid methanol.
[0004] The advantages of these systems are readily apparent, as they allow waste products, which normally must be disposed of at some expense, to be converted into fuels, which can then be sold. In this manner, these types of systems convert a cost into revenue source.
[0005] As a result, significant research and development related to improving these waste treatment systems is ongoing. Generally speaking, this research attempts to make these systems more efficient and less expensive. The present invention accomplishes both of those goals simultaneously.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The present invention is an improvement over prior art gasification and vitrification systems that provides numerous advantages over those prior art systems. The main distinguishing feature of the present invention and these prior art systems is that the present invention operates at elevated pressures. The present invention is thus distinguished from the prior art by the use of higher pressures, and the ancillary systems used to contain those pressures. Operation of gasification and vitrification systems at elevated pressures provides numerous advantages over operating at lower pressures, but it presents problems which were heretofore not encountered in the prior art. The present invention provides those advantages, while overcoming those problems.
[0007] As an example of the advantages offered by operating at elevated pressures, the gas produced by gasification and vitrification systems typically contains impurities such as inorganic particulate, carbon particles, soot, tars and oils. These impurities are typically handled with additional processing steps. For example, additional reactions of the organic impurities in a high temperature thermal residence chamber can cause these impurities to be converted into gasses, such as CO and H.sub.2. By operating at elevated pressures, the present invention reduces the chamber volume that is required to provide the necessary residence time for these reactions to occur, resulting in greater throughput, and thus more efficient operation of the overall system. As a further result, the size of the thermal residence chamber may be reduced, resulting in a cost savings. As yet another further result, the energy necessary to promote these reactions is reduced, resulting in yet another cost savings.
[0008] Operations at elevated pressures has the same effect on the other equipment used to scrub impurities from gasification and vitrification systems. Generally, this scrubbing equipment may be sized smaller, able to be operated at higher rates of throughput and with less energy required, thereby resulting in lower capital and operating costs.
[0009] Operating gasification and vitrification systems at elevated pressures also presents numerous complications not encountered by the prior art systems. Specifically, operation at elevated pressures requires that all penetrations of the processing chamber have modifications that contain that pressure. For example, many of the gasification and vitrification systems use graphite electrodes to introduce energy into a processing chamber. Seals may be formed between these electrodes and the processing chamber to prevent gasses from escaping from within the processing chamber to the atmosphere surrounding the processing chamber. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,018,542 shows one prior art method of forming a seal between the electrode and the processing chamber to prevent the escape of gasses. In this system, the seal also forms an electrode feeder device for allowing a continuous feed of the electrodes while keeping the atmosphere at the exterior of the chamber separate from the atmosphere in the interior of the chamber. This prior art electrode feeding device is shown in the cut away view of FIG. 1 .
[0010] As shown in FIG. 1 , the electrode feeding device includes a mounting flange 1 attached to a cooling and electrical contact assembly housing 2 . The mounting flange 1 is constructed to allow the electrode feeding device to be attached about a penetration in a process chamber through which electrodes 3 are introduced. Isolating collar 4 is provided interior to electrical contact assembly housing 2 which holds in place electrical contact collar 5 . Isolating collar 4 also prevents power from electrical contact collar 5 from being passed to electrical contact assembly housing 2 .
[0011] Power and cooling water are provided to electrical contact collar 5 through power and cooling water port 6 which is in communication with electrical contact collar 5 via hose 7 and a wire connection (not shown). A secondary gas purge port 8 is provided to allow the introduction of an inert gas, preferably nitrogen, into the electrode feeding device to flush air from the electrode feeding device. Electrode 3 is inserted through electrical contact collar 5 , which passes electrical power to the electrode 3 . Cooling water from power and cooling water port 6 prevents overheating of electrical contact collar 5 allowing continuous, high powered operation.
[0012] The inner 9 and outer 10 internal sealing mechanisms are each assembled of two flexible bladders 11 . Bladders 11 surround electrode 3 and are fitted over insulating bladder supports 12 . Passage of gas through bladder inlet 13 allows the bladders to be inflated and deflated. When inflated, bladders 11 tighten around electrode 3 forming an airtight seal. When deflated, bladders 11 loosen from electrode 3 allowing the electrode 3 to slide through the bladder 11 . Within the inner 9 and outer 10 internal sealing mechanisms, isolating bladder supports 12 are separated from one and another and bladder assembly flanges 14 by isolators 15 . The inner 9 and outer 10 internal sealing mechanisms are each held together by screws 16 threaded through the bladder assembly flanges 14 . Bladder assembly flanges 14 also connect electrical contact assembly housing 2 with electrode housing 17 . Electrode housing 17 is divided by bellows 18 which allows the inner 9 and outer 10 internal sealing mechanisms to move independently of one and another.
[0013] While the prior art electrode feeding device described in FIG. 1 is effective at keeping gasses from passing out of the processing chamber when the system is operated at ambient pressures, operation at elevated pressures creates problems unknown in the prior art. For example, the inventors have discovered that when the system is operated at higher pressures, the graphite electrodes are sufficiently porous to allow gasses within the processing chamber to escape through the electrodes themselves. Thus, even though a seal, such as an electrode feeding device, may be used to form a gastight seal between the electrode and the processing chamber, gasses inside the processing chamber are nevertheless forced out of the processing chamber through the electrode itself
[0014] Accordingly, one aspect of the present invention is to prevent the escape of gasses through the electrode. This is accomplished by providing a coating to the graphite electrodes in addition to the sealing mechanisms, such as the electrode feeding device, of the prior art, thereby preventing the pressure from within the processing chamber from forcing gasses through the electrodes into the surrounding atmosphere. Suitable coatings include, but are not limited to, acrylic, cyanoacrylate, epoxy, urethane, poly(methyl methacrylate), and hot melt adhesives.
[0015] These coatings may be applied to the electrode with a simple application to the surface of the electrode. Additionally, a vacuum may be applied to the coated electrode to cause these coatings to diffuse into the electrode. Generally, it is preferred that the coating material be sufficiently diffused within the electrode to form an airtight coating on the outer surface, but no so diffused through the electrode as to interfere with the electrode's ability to conduct electricity.
[0016] In addition to sealing the electrodes themselves, the present invention provides a method for sealing all of the penetrations into the processing chamber to prevent the escape of gasses, organic materials, vitreous glass, and metals, all of which are contained within the processing chamber during processing. Accordingly, the present invention contemplates both the operation at elevated pressures, and the various techniques described herein for effectively sealing the penetrations to the processing chamber.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] The following detailed description of the embodiments of the invention will be more readily understood when taken in conjunction with the following drawing, wherein:
[0018] FIG. 1 is an illustration of a prior art system for maintaining the internal atmosphere of a gasification system as separate from the atmosphere external to the system.
[0019] FIG. 2 is an illustration of one embodiment of the present invention.
[0020] FIG. 3 is an illustration of a second embodiment of the present invention.
[0021] FIG. 4 is an illustration of the arrangement of the joule heating electrodes in one embodiment of the present invention.
[0022] FIG. 5 is an illustration of a third embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0023] For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of the invention, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitations of the inventive scope is thereby intended, as the scope of this invention should be evaluated with reference to the claims appended hereto. Alterations and further modifications in the illustrated devices, and such further applications of the principles of the invention as illustrated herein are contemplated as would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which the invention relates.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 2 , one embodiment of the present invention is a processing chamber 101 for converting organic material 102 to useful gas products 103 . The processing chamber has at least one port 104 , and at least one electrode 105 penetrating the processing chamber 101 through the port 104 . Organic material 102 and oxygen are introduced into the processing chamber 101 , while maintaining the processing chamber 101 at a pressure of at least 2 atmospheres. Electrical energy is provided to the electrode 105 to induce reactions between the organic material and the oxygen to form synthesis gas 103 . As a result of maintaining a pressure of at least 2 atmospheres, the present invention also provides a seal 106 to prevent pressure from inside the processing chamber 101 from expelling organic material 102 , oxygen or synthesis gas 103 from the processing chamber 101 through port 104 . Seal 106 is preferably provided as described previously, with the combination of electrodes coated with sealing materials 122 and a sealing mechanism between the processing chamber and the electrode, such as an electrode feeding device.
[0025] Another embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for converting organic compounds to useful gas products and the gas products manufacturing system shown in FIG. 3 . The method begins by providing a processing chamber 101 having a set of joule heating ports 109 and a set of plasma heating ports 108 as shown in FIG. 3 . A set of joule heating electrodes 111 is provided, with each of the joule heating electrodes 111 penetrating the processing chamber 101 through each of the joule heating ports 109 . A set of plasma heating electrodes 110 is provided, with each of the plasma heating electrodes 110 penetrating the processing chamber 101 through each of the plasma heating ports 108 . Organic material and oxygen is introduced into the processing chamber 101 while maintaining the processing chamber 101 at a pressure of at least 2 atmospheres. Electrical energy is provided to the joule heating electrodes 111 sufficient to form and maintain a molten glass bath 121 within the processing chamber 101 . Electrical energy is provided to the plasma heating electrodes 110 sufficient to form a plasma 112 and to induce reactions between the organic material 103 and the oxygen exposed to the plasma 112 to form synthesis gas. A seal 106 is provided to prevent pressure from inside the processing chamber 101 from expelling organic material, oxygen or synthesis gas from the processing chamber 101 through the ports.
[0026] Another embodiment of the present invention may further include a material port 113 , an inlet gas port 114 , a glass drain port 115 , a product gas port 116 . Oxygen is introduced to the processing chamber 101 through the inlet gas port 113 . Material port 113 has an opening to the outside, where material is introduced to the system, and an opening to the processing chamber 101 , where material is fed into the processing chamber. The two openings form an airlock which is operated to prevent pressure from inside the processing chamber 101 from expelling organic material, oxygen and/or synthesis gas from the processing chamber 101 through the material port 113 . Gas from within the material port 113 is preferably purged into the processing chamber 101 . Seals are provided to prevent pressure from inside the processing chamber 101 from expelling organic material, oxygen or synthesis gas from the processing chamber 101 through the ports. An encapsulation 117 is provided surrounding the product gas port 116 to maintain pressure within the processing chamber 101 . The synthesis gas is removed through the product gas port 116 and is preferably routed to a thermal residence chamber 119 . Other gas treatment equipment that is conventional and known in the art (not shown) can also be incorporated. Preferably, the output of the thermal residence chamber 119 is provided to other gas treatment equipment for further treatment. An encapsulation 118 surrounding the glass port 115 is provided to control the pressure differential on each side of the glass port 115 . Glass from the molten glass bath is removed through the glass port 115 .
[0027] Alternatively, the method for converting organic compounds to useful gas products and the gas products manufacturing system may further include a separate gasification system, such as a downdraft gasifier. While the separate gasification system may require an energy source to begin operations, it is preferred that the separate gasification system operates as a result of exothermic reactions between the organic materials fed into the gasifier and oxygen, for example from air, and the separate gasification system therefore does not have a need for an ongoing, external source of power during normal operations. As shown in FIG. 5 , the separate gasification system 120 is interposed between the material port 113 and the processing chamber 101 .
[0028] FIG. 4 shows a detailed cut away view of one embodiment of the seal for the joule heated electrodes. As shown in FIG. 4 , joule heating electrode 111 projects from pressure tank 201 into processing chamber 101 . Water cooling jacket 202 surrounds joule heating electrode 111 . Power is provided to joule heating electrode 111 through electrical connection 203 . Cooling water is provided to joule heating electrode 111 through water supply 204 . Connection flange 205 forms a pressure tight fitting around electrical connection 203 , water supply 204 , and gas supply 212 sufficient to prevent pressure from within pressure tank 201 from escaping.
[0029] AC holder flange 206 holds electrode 111 in place. On either side of AC holder flange 206 are electrical isolators 207 . Housing flanges 208 are on the opposite side of electrical isolators 207 . Bolt 209 is secured by nuts 210 and then holds the assembly of AC holder flange 206 , electrical isolators 207 and housing flanges 208 in place. Refractory blocks 211 provide thermal isolation between pressure tank 201 and processing chamber 101 .
[0030] It is preferred that the pressure in the pressure tank 201 be maintained as equal to, or even slightly greater than, the pressure in the processing chamber 101 . Gas supply is used to provide gas, preferably nitrogen, to pressure tank 201 to maintain that pressure. Line 213 provides communication of the pressure within pressure tank 201 and processing chamber 101 . Pressure control valve 214 provides relief to pressure tank by allowing a flow of nitrogen from pressure tank 201 to processing chamber 101 .
[0031] While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered as illustrative and not restrictive in character. Only certain embodiments have been shown and described, and all changes, equivalents, and modifications that come within the spirit of the invention described herein are desired to be protected. Any experiments, experimental examples, or experimental results provided herein are intended to be illustrative of the present invention and should not be considered limiting or restrictive with regard to the invention scope. Further, any theory, mechanism of operation, proof, or finding stated herein is meant to further enhance understanding of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention in any way to such theory, mechanism of operation, proof, or finding.
[0032] Thus, the specifics of this description and the attached drawings should not be interpreted to limit the scope of this invention to the specifics thereof. Rather, the scope of this invention should be evaluated with reference to the claims appended hereto. In reading the claims it is intended that when words such as “a”, “an”, “at least one”, and “at least a portion” are used there is no intention to limit the claims to only one item unless specifically stated to the contrary in the claims. Further, when the language “at least a portion” and/or “a portion” is used, the claims may include a portion and/or the entire items unless specifically stated to the contrary. Likewise, where the term “input” or “output” is used in connection with an electric device or fluid processing unit, it should be understood to comprehend singular or plural and one or more signal channels or fluid lines as appropriate in the context. Finally, all publications, patents, and patent applications cited in this specification are herein incorporated by reference to the extent not inconsistent with the present disclosure as if each were specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference and set forth in its entirety herein.
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The present invention is a vitrification and gasification system that operates at elevated pressures. The system includes a processing chamber having numerous penetrations, and seals for effectively sealing the penetrations to the processing chamber.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a switching mechanism for a sewing machine with an electronic control which electronically stores, as pattern signals, the amount of needle amplitudes and fabric feeds, drives a control motor per rotation of the sewing machine in response to the pattern signals, outputs the rotation of the control motor via a link mechanism and produces stitching patterns, and more particularly relates to a switching mechanism for the control mount of the electronic control sewing machine.
With respect to the fabric feed amount in the control amount for the formation of stitching patterns by an electronic sewing machine it is practically sufficient in almost all of the patterns to divide the 8 mm between the forward 5 mm and the backward 3 mm into 16 steps and prepare the control for 0.5 mm increment. However in the buttonhole stitching fine feed amounts around 0.25 mm are required, and for this reason it is necessary to divide the 8 mm into 32 steps.
In the electronic control sewing machine which outputs the rotation of the control motor via a turning link, the range of the rotation angle of the turning link is limited to be less than 90° in view of the mechanism. Therefore, for obtaining the fabric feed amounts around 0.25 mm, it is necessary to make the stepping angles of the control motor rotating the turning link less than around 2.8° which is obtained by dividing the 90° into 32 steps.
With respect to the fabirc feed amount in the control amount, for example, as shown in FIG. 1, if the maximum amount W of the needle amplitude is divided into 16 steps, the zigzag pattern as shown may be formed. However, in such patterns where the minimum amount of the needle amplitude is used in one step (in regard to the needle amplitude amount such as (1)-(2)-(3) and (18)-(19)-(20)) in the needle droppings, needle amplitudes smaller than this minimum needle amplitude could not obtained, and the pattern could not be reduced proportionally in the amplitude direction.
In this case, if the maximum amount W of the needle amplitude is determined to be divided into 32 steps, it is possible to proportionally reduce by 1/2, the stitching pattern as shown in FIG. 1 in the amplitude direction, and thus the stitching application will be preferably broadened. Also in this case, the stepping angle of the control motor should be less than about 2.8° for the fabric feed.
For the above mentioned reason, the electronic sewing machine which employs the control motor and outputs the rotation of the motor via the turning link, has conventionally and structurally used a pulse motor of the hybrid type which produces the comparatively small stepping angle. However, this type of pulse motor has the following problems:
In comparison with the pulse motors of other types, inertia of the motor is larger; it takes a long time to determine the positioning; the rotation speed of the sewing machine is restricted; and vibrations, noises and other inconveniences are generated at the time of the slight stepping.
High precision is required to obtain a small stepping angle, so that the motor would be expensive.
Therefore, in the electronic control sewing machine using the turning link as mentioned above, pulse motors of the induction type belonging to PM (permanent magnet) have been reconsidered for the control motor. In comparison with the hybrid type, the inductor type can structurally lessen the inertia of the rotor, and can also be produced at an economical cost. However, it is difficult to apply the inductor type to a electronic control sewing machine, since small stepping angles cannot be obtained as can in the hybrid type.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of these circumstances, the present invention provide a switching mechanism for the control amount which uses a motor having a comparatively large stepping angle as the control motor in the electronic control sewing machine and outputs rotation of the control motor as the control amount via the turning link.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an example of stitching lines of the prior art;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the fabric feed control of the present invention of the sewing machine;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the main parts of a switching mechanism and a fabric feed controller of the present invention,
FIG. 4 is a view seen from H in FIG 3;
FIG. 5 is a view seen from J--J in FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a view seen from K--K in FIG. 4;
FIG. 7 is a view showing the normal feed control of a switching mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a view seen from L--L in FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a view showing the reduced feed control of a switching mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 10 shows the feed control of the switching mechanism of the present invention;
FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing the controller of the needle amplitude of the present invention;
FIGS. 12 to 15 show examples of applied stitchings of the needle amplitude of the present invention;
FIG. 12 is an example of a stitching pattern produced by the normal feed and amplitude control;
FIG. 13 shows a reduction in the pattern of FIG. 12;
FIG. 14 shows a reduction in the feed of the stitching pattern of FIG. 12; and
FIG. 15 shows a reduction in the aplitude and the feed of the stitching pattern of FIG. 12.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The invention will be explained with reference to embodiments shown in the attached drawings. In FIG. 2, the numeral 1 is a machine body, and 2 is a fabric feed controller where, as shown, are provided a feed dog 3, a feed regulator 4, a feed control arm 5, a feed control motor 6 (henceforth referred to as "motor") and a feed rod 7. In FIG. 3, the motor 6 is secured, by screws with a guide cam 8, and a rotor shaft 6a is secured to a feeding output arm 10 by stopper screws 11.
A stepped screw 12 is screwed into a screw portion 10a of the output arm 10 and thereon mounts a feeding link 13 and a guide pin spring 14. A hole 13a in the link 13 is inserted with one end of a guide pin 15 while the other end of the guide pin 15 is fitted in a groove 88 of the guide cam 8 by the action of the guide pin spring 14.
The feed rod 7 is thrust-stopped by an E ring 16, at its one end, on a shaft portion 13b of the feed link 13, and is thrust-stopped by another E ring 17, at its other end, on a shaft portion 5a of the feed control arm 5. The feed control arm 5 is fixed on a shaft 18 which is mounted, by a screw 19, with the feed regulator 4.
In FIG. 4, the groove 88 of the guide cam 8 comprises a first groove 8a of radius R1 fom the center of the rotor shaft 6a, a second grooves 8b of radius R2, and groove 8c and 8d connecting grooves 8a, 8b to each other. The guide pin 15, fitted in the groove 88 of the guide cam 8, is moved along the groove 88 by rotation of the motor 6 via the feed arm 10 and the feed link 13.
There is a step formed, as shown in FIG. 5, between grooves 8a and 8c, and also as shown in FIG. 6, between the grooves 8d and 8a.
When the guide pin 15 is moved with an angle from the axis of the rotor shaft 6a, and when the guide pin 15 is guided in the first groove 8a of the radius R1 from the axis of the rotor shaft 6a (henceforth referred to as "normal feed") the angle is the rotation angle, since the position of the guide pin 15 is not changed with respect to the feed arm 10. This rotation is also the same when the guide pin 15 is guided in the second groove 8b of the radius R2 from the axis of the rotor shaft 6a (henceforth referred to as "reduced" feed).
The feed is 0 in the normal feed when the center of the guide pin 15 is at a position PPo. The guide pin 15 is rotated between point A and point B by the guide pin 15 which is rotated from the position PPo forward by an angle α (angle of the rotor shaft 6a from the axis), and in point B the guide pin 15 is rotated from a position Po backward by an angle β
Angles θ 1 , θ 2 and θ 3 indicate the control range of the guide pin 15 when operating the super pattern. Points C and B are at the same angle in both forward and backward directions from the position Po.
In the reduced feed, the feed is 0 when the center of the guide pin 15 is positioned at the position PPo, between points E and F by the motor 6.
A further reference will be made to the operation of the embodiment of the present invention. The guide pin 15 is rotated by the motor 6 in accordance with the program stored in the memory of the sewing machine and switched to either the normal feed or to the reduced feed. This switching is made in association with the pattern selection when the button hole stitching is selected from the normal pattern and vice versa. In other cases, the switching is carried out in association with the order of manual operation of the other members.
The switching from the first groove 8a to the second groove 8b is made via the groove 8c, and the switching from the second groove 8b to the first groove 8a is made via the groove 8d.
When switching from the first groove 8a to the second groove 8b, the motor 6 moves the guide pin 15 by angle θ 2 from point A to point D in a counterclockwise direction and positions the guide pin 15 at one end of the groove 8c and then rotates in a clockwise direction to position the guide pin 15 in the second groove 8b through the groove 8c.
In this switching, due to the difference in step formed between the grooves 8a and 8c as shown in FIG. 5, when the guide pin 15 is pressed by the spring 14 to the bottom of the groove it is moved to point D and the motor 6 is rotated in a clockwise direction. The guide pin 15 does not return to the groove 8a but instead is guided to the groove 8b, so that the reduced feed condition is achieved.
When the guide pin 15 is switched from the second groove 8b to the first groove 8a, the motor 6 rotates in a clockwise direction to move the guide pin 15 to point G which exceeds and positions the guide pin 15 in the groove 8a. The motor 6 then rotates in a counterclockwise direction for more than the angle θ 3 to guide the guide pin 15 between point a and point B of the groove 8a.
In this switching, due to the difference in step formed in the grooves 8d and 8a as shown in FIG. 6, when the guide pin 15 is moved to point G and the motor 6 is rotated in a counter-clockwise direction, the guide pin 15 does not return to the groove 8d but is instead guided along the groove 8a to achieve the normal feed condition.
Assuming both that the rotation angles δ2 (FIG. 9) and δ'2 are in the normal feed condition and that the reduced feed condition of the feed control arm 5 is at the same rotation angle of the control motor 6, then the relation of "δ'2 ≈(R2/R1)δ2" is obtained between the rotation angle δ2 and δ'2. That is,
The amount of reduced feed ≈(R2/R1)×(normal feed)
The present embodiment uses the motor 6 having a stepping angle of 5°. In FIGS. 4 and 10, the distance of 8 mm between the forward 5 mm and the backward 3 mm is divided into 16 steps where α at time of the normal condition is 50° and the forward side is 10 steps, and β is 30° and the backward side is 6 steps. The feed amount of each of the steps is changed by 0.5 mm as shown with the solid line in FIG. 10. At the time of reduced feed controlling, in FIG. 4, the forward and backward sides are each 6 steps, and when R2/R1 is 0.5 (different from the conditions shown in FIG. 4 and others), the feed amount of each of the steps is changed per 0.25 mm as shown with the dotted line in FIG. 10.
The control of the amount and the switching of the needle amplitude can be carried out by means of the same cam because the guide cam 8 is used for controlling the amount of the needle amplitude and for switching the needle amplitude.
In FIG. 11, the numeral 22 is a needle amplitude controller. A control motor 26 (henceforth referred to as "motor"). A guide cam 28 and an amplitude output arm 30 turnably hold an amplitude link 33 and guide a guide pin 35. The amplitude are 30 is secured on an output shaft 26a of the motor 26. The link 33 is connected at its shaft 33a to a needle bar holder 42, via an amplitude rod 40. Bar holder 42 guides a needle bar 41.
The guide cam 28 has the same shape as the guide cam 8 shown in FIG. 4 and is placed such that point A of the guide pin 15, in FIG. 4, corresponds to the right basic line of the needle bar 41 and point B corresponds to the left basic line of the needle bar 41. The guide cam 28 is switched to the normal amplitude controlling condition and to the reduced amplitude controlling condition in the same manner as is done in switching the feed.
According to the switching mechanism of the present invention, the switching operation is available not only in switching from the normal feed controlling condition to the reduced feed controlling condition in association with the pattern selection, but also in switching with regard to the order of the manual operation of the other members. For example, when the needle amplitude is reduced with respect to the pattern shown in FIG. 12, the pattern shown in FIG. 13 is obtained, and when the feed is reduced, the pattern shown in FIG. 14 is obtained. Furthermore, when the amplitude and the feed are reduced concurrently, the pattern shown in FIG. 15 is obtained. Thus, with the present invention the application of stitchings may be broadened.
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An electronic control for a sewing machine, which electronically stores needle amplitude amounts and feed amounts as pattern signals, including a control motor having an output shaft with a center, an output arm affixed to the output shaft of the control motor and a guide pin connected with the output arm and a guide cam disposed at a predetermined distance to the control motor and having first and second grooves being arc-shaped and having different radii from the center of the output shaft of the control motor so as to provide both normal and reduced amounts of feed.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a medical device for delivery of a drug to the body through intact skin. More particularly, the invention relates to the transdermal delivery of an appetite suppressant drug through the skin.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The use of transdermal patches for the delivery of drugs through the skin is well-known. For example, transdermal patches have been used to deliver drugs in all of the major therapeutic areas including, but not limited to, antibiotic and antiviral agents, analgesics, antidepressants, antihistomines, antinauseants, antispasmodics, diuretics, vasodialators, appetite suppresssants, stimulants, etc.
Although the transdermal delivery of drugs is rapidly becoming the preferred method of delivery of drugs, it is not without problems. For example, some drugs cause undesirable skin reactions, while other drugs do not readily permeate the skin. In the latter case, permeation enhancers are usually added to the drug in order to enhance the transfer of the drug through the skin; however, in some cases some drugs are difficult to use in an effective manner even when combined with a permeation enhancer. This has been found to be the case with the use of an appetite suppressant drug known as phenylpropanolamine HCL, i.e. PPA, as well as similar drugs of the same class.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a medical device for the transdermal delivery of an appetite suppressant.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an adhesive/drug combination for use in a transdermal delivery device.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a transdermal drug delivery device for an appetite suppressant.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The above and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:
FIG. 1 is a cross section view of the transdermal drug delivery device of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
PPA is an indirect-acting sympathomimetic amine commonly used as an anorexiant in short-term obesity therapy. In recent years, it has been found general usage as a commercially-available over-the-counter drug for diet control. While there is some literature which teaches its use in a transdermal delivery system, it is more commonly taken orally.
It is suspected that one reason PPA has not found its way into common usage in a transdermal delivery system probably stems from the fact that PPA per se does not easily permeate human skin. In fact, experimentation has shown that even in the presence of a known compatible permeation enhancer, permeation of said drug is at best marginal.
In the present invention, it has been found that PPA may be combined with a carrier adhesive and a combination of permeation enhancers to provide a transdermal delivery system which is capable of delivering approximately 72 mg. of PPA in 12 hours, i.e. 6-7 mg. PPA per hour, which is an acceptable dosage for effective use of said drug.
As seen in FIG. 1, the product or transdermal patch of the present invention is comprised of a carrier layer 10, an adhesive/drug layer 12 and a release coat or layer 14.
The carrier layer 10 of the patch may be any material which is impermeable and insoluble with respect to the adhesive/drug combination, yet flexible enough to permit application to and removal of said patch from skin without tearing or breaking. Typical materials include ethylene vinyl acetate copolymers, polyesters, polyolefins, polycarbonates, polyvinyl chlorides, copolymers of ethylene and acrylic acid, etc. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, said carrier layer is a copolymer of ethylene and acrylic acid sold by Dow Chemical, U.S.A. as Dow Adhesive Film 821. This film is the preferred backing layer as it provides a good anchor for the adhesive/drug layer.
As should be understood, the adhesive/drug layer of the present invention is a mixture of an adhesive and PPA. The adhesive must be one that is compatible with the PPA and with human skin. Such adhesives that are known to meet this criteria are acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesives such as Gelva 788 and Gelva 737 produced by Monsanto Company and Durotak 280-2287 produced by National Starch Company. The PSA adhesive may be present in amounts of from about 25% by weight of the adhesive/drug mixture to about 90% by weight. Preferably said adhesive is present in an amount of from about 55% by weight to about 65% by weight.
The drug portion of the adhesive/drug mixture, i.e. the amount of PPA, amounts to from about 10% by weight to about 60% by weight. It has been found that amounts of from about 30% by weight to about 50% by weight are preferable.
The adhesive/drug mixture also contains a mixture of a permeation enhancer and a PH control additive which also acts as an enhancer. Said permeation enhancer may be selected from the group of compounds known as polyalkylene polyol such as polypropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol and glycenol, while said PH control additive is an alkylamine such as Trolamine 85NF produced by the Dow Chemical Company. It has been found that the PH control additive must also have permeation enhancer properties in order for the transdermal patch to be effective. Further, both the permeation enhancer and the Ph control additive/enhancer are each present in the adhesive/drug mixture in amounts of from about 0.5% by weight to about 15% by weight. Preferably, said ingredients are present in amounts of from about 3% by weight to about 4% by weight.
The final part of the transdermal patch product is the release film or layer which is removed from the product prior to use. Typically, said release layer is a silicone-coated polyester film which releasably bonds to the adhesive/drug mixture. Said release layers or films are produced by a number of companies on a commercial basis.
In addition to the above-noted components of the adhesive/drug mixture which are essential to the invention, the mixture may also contain pigments and dyes, inert fillers, processing aids such as viscosity control additive, excipients and other conventional components of transdermal devices known to the art.
The preparation of the adhesive/drug mixture is simple and straight-forward. To begin the mixing process, a predetermined amount of the adhesive is added to a Hockmeyer mixer and mixed for a predetermined period of time at 650-750 rpm. Next, the polyalkylene polyol is added to the adhesive in the Hockmeyer mixer and the speed increased to about 1750-1850 rpm. This is followed by slowly adding the drug component, i.e. PPA, to the Hockmeyer mixer and the speed thereof is increased to about 2300 rpm. Once the drug component has been added to the mixer, it is mixed for about 15 minutes and then allowed to stand for at least 6 hours before use.
One hour prior to using the adhesive/drug mixture as a coating, the standing mixture noted above is again mixed in the Hockmeyer mixer at about 1750 rpm. At this point, the PH additive/enhancer is slowly added to bring the PH to about 8.5 to 9.5 and mixed for an additional 5 minutes. A viscosity control additive such as xylene is then added to the mixture and mixed for an additional 10 minutes. The amount of viscosity control additive is that amount which is sufficient to adjust the viscosity of the adhesive/drug mixture to 2900±300 cps.
When the target viscosity is achieved, the adhesive/drug mixture is then coated onto a silicone release-coated polyester film to a thickness of about 4.5 to 6.5 mils depending upon the amount of drug component desired. It is then oven-dried to remove solvents and finally laminated to a carrier layer or backing. It has been found that a release layer of from about 1.5 mils to about 4.5 mils thickness and a carrier layer of from about 2.0 mils to about 4.0 mils thickness provide an acceptable product. The laminated product may be further processed into smaller rolls which may be further treated by die cutting and packaging as finished patches.
The following examples are offered to illustrate the product of the present invention.
Employing the mixing process noted above, two samples of the transdermal patch of the present invention were prepared. A third sample was also prepared; however, said sample did not include the combination permeation enhancer/PH control additive.
______________________________________ SAMPLE SAMPLE SAMPLE I II III______________________________________ACRYLIC PSA 58.1 54.4 62.2PHENYL 34.9 32.6 37.4PROPANOLAMINEHCLPROPYLENE GLYCOL 3.5 9.7 --TROLAMINE N.F. 3.5 3.3 --GLYCERINE -- -- 0.4______________________________________
SAMPLES I and II were coated to a thickness of about 5.5 mils on a silicone release-coated polyester film having a thickness of 2 mils and then the coated film was laminated to a film of low density polyethylene having a thickness of 3 mils. SAMPLE III was coated to a thickness of about 5.0 mils on a silicone release-coated polyester film having a thickness of 3 mils and then was laminated to a foil/polyethylene composite film having a thickness of 2 mils.
An in vitro skin penetration study was conducted following application of the three sample formulations to excised abdominal skin preparations from human subjects using Franz-type diffusion cells. For dosage purposes, each sample PPA patch was clamped in place in the Franz-type cells so as to expose an area of 0.279 sq. in. of skin. Effuent from each Sample experiment was analyzed utilizing a high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) method for PPA content. Calculations were made for the total milligrams of applied PPA which penetrated per sq. in. skin surface for both interval and cumulative data. The rate of penetration of PPA is expressed in mg/in 2 /hour. The results of each Sample are as follows:
______________________________________SAMPLE ICOLLECTION INTERVAL MEAN PPA LEVEL(hrs.) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________SUMMARY OF INTERVAL DATA0-4 24.444-8 3.87 8-12 1.6112-24 2.53SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE DATA0-4 24.444-8 28.31 8-12 29.9212-24 32.44______________________________________SUMMARY OF RATE OF PENETRATION DATACOLLECTION ELAPSED MEAN PPA LEVELINTERVAL (hrs.) TIME (hrs) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________0-4 4 6.114-8 4 0.88 8-12 4 0.4012-24 4 0.21______________________________________
______________________________________SAMPLE IICOLLECTION INTERVAL MEAN PPA LEVEL(hrs.) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________SUMMARY OF INTERVAL DATA0-4 22.904-8 3.96 8-12 1.6212-24 2.79SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE DATA0-4 22.904-8 26.86 8-12 28.4812-24 31.27______________________________________SUMMARY OF RATE OF PENETRATION DATACOLLECTION ELAPSED MEAN PPA LEVELINTERVAL (hrs.) TIME (hrs) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________0-4 4 5.724-8 4 0.99 8-12 4 0.4012-24 12 0.23______________________________________
______________________________________SAMPLE IIICOLLECTION INTERVAL MEAN PPA LEVEL(hrs.) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________SUMMARY OF INTERVAL DATA0-4 0.0304-8 0.055 8-12 0.11912-24 0.628SUMMARY OF CUMULATIVE DATA0-4 0.0304-8 0.085 8-12 0.20312-24 0.832______________________________________SUMMARY OF RATE OF PENETRATION DATACOLLECTION ELAPSED MEAN PPA LEVELINTERVAL (hrs.) TIME (hrs) (mg/in.sup.2)______________________________________0-4 4 0.0074-8 4 0.014 8-12 4 0.03012-24 12 0.052______________________________________
From the above data, it is clear that the patches of SAMPLES I and II have a significantly higher skin penetration rate than the patch of SAMPLE III. Accordingly, if one is required to deliver approximately 72 mg of PPA in a 12-hour period (6-7 mg PPA per hour), said patch for SAMPLE I would have to be at least 5.83 inches in diameter, the patch for SAMPLE II would have to be at least 5.41 inches in diameter and the patch for SAMPLE III would have to be 21.32 inches in diameter.
While this invention has been described in detail with particular reference to certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that variations and modifications may be effected without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A medical device for the transdermal delivery of an appetite suppressant drug wherein said device comprises a silicone-coated release layer, a coating containing a mixture of a pressure-sensitive adhesive, an appetite suppressant drug, a permeation enhancer and a PH control additive wherein said coated release layer is laminated to a carrier layer.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application having the Ser. No. 61/007,312 filed Dec. 11, 2007, incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates generally to an apparatus for adapting mezzanine cards and more particularly to a chassis or ATCA card design configured for use with both standard (AMC) and non-standard (AMC+) circuit cards.
DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART
Modular systems are typically used in communication networks and avionic platforms where reliability and cost effectiveness are important factors. The modularity of the components in a modular system helps to reduce costs and improve reliability. A key component of a modular system is the modular platform. A modular platform includes, but is not limited to, backplanes that receive various types of circuit cards. These circuit cards may further include smaller circuit cards as front insertion Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) that provide additional functionality to the modular platform.
Typically, backplanes in modular platforms are designed to receive circuit cards that have a common design. This creates modularity by allowing circuit cards to be interchangeable in a modular platform. For example, circuit cards may be designed in compliance with the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group (PICMG), Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture (ATCA) Base Specification, PICMG 3.0 (hereinafter referred to as “the ATCA specification”). If circuit cards are designed to be compliant with the ATCA specification, the circuit cards will be interchangeable with other ATCA compliant circuit cards.
A, type of circuit card, commonly referred to as a “mezzanine carrier board,” includes interfaces for additional Input/Output capability. One type of module to be attached to a mezzanine carrier board is a front accessible module. Similar to ATCA compliant circuit cards, a front accessible module's compliance with a specification may also result in interchangeability. One example specification is the AMC Specification, PIGMG AMC.0, (hereinafter referred to as “the AMC.0 specification”). PICMG specifications are available at (www.picmg.org).
The AMC relates to a wide-range of high-speed mezzanine cards. AMC can be plugged into an ATCA module or standalone module within a chassis. When plugged into an ATCA module the AMC is referred to as a mezzanine card. However when the AMC is used as a standalone module in a chassis it is no longer a mezzanine card, but instead it is the primary card that is in direct communication with the backplane.
AMC is designed to take advantage of the strengths of the PICMG 3.0 AdvancedTCA specification and the carrier grade needs of reliability, availability, and serviceability (RAS). The AMC module is designed to be hot swappable into an ATCA card or chassis.
The AMC faceplate are modular and will change depending upon the Input/Output (IO) required for the particular function. Module card guides support the insertion of the modules into the AMC connectors while the AMC bay provides mechanical support as well as Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) shielding. Connectivity between the AMC module and the carrier/chassis can be provided via an AMC connector that is attached to the carrier board or backplane. The AMC utilizes an edge finger connector whose mating connector is either on a carrier board or backplane.
One draw back with existing AMC is that it does not physically support the capability to host a PCI Mezzanine Card (PMC) or Switched Mezzanine Card (XMC) as a sub-assembly within a Single Module size form factor. The current solutions for this situation are to use an AMC Double Module size form factor which has enough room to accommodate one or more add on cards, (e.g., PMC. XMC). However, using a Double Module AMC imposes a number of drawbacks including non-optimal chassis design which include additional cooling requirements, reduced capability to meet harsh environments, decreased reliability, increased size and increased weight. Accordingly for these reasons as well as others this solution is expensive and not favored in the industry.
Therefore what is needed in the industry is a capability to host a PMC or XMC on an AMC that is much smaller than the Double Module AMC. This would be highly desirable to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks which collectively contribute to an optimized design of a chassis or blade configuration. Further, having such a capability would allow a designer to be able to take advantage of the large number of PMC and/or XMC modules that are presently available in the Commercial off the shelf (COTS) market in a minimum footprint. It is always preferred to maximize the use of common or COTS components whenever possible. Additionally, there exist a class of PMCs and XMCs, such as video capture and processors that are only suitable to a niche market and as a result are also not likely to be redesigned as AMC.
Accordingly the present invention described below and set forth in the claims is directed to an apparatus designed to overcome the aforementioned drawbacks of devices available on the market today.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present disclosure provides a non-standard mechanically sized AMC module, referred to herein as an AMC+ module, and an apparatus for accommodating, both the AMC+ module as well as a standard AMC module. The apparatus of the present invention includes a modified card guide system which maybe implemented in a chassis or on an ATCA card.
The modified card guide system of the present invention generally comprises a lower card guide assembly and an upper card guide assembly. In one embodiment, the lower card guide assembly is fixed and the upper card assembly is adjustable. In another embodiment, the lower card guide assembly is adjustable and the upper card assembly is fixed. In yet another embodiment, both the lower card guide assembly and the upper card assembly are adjustable.
According to an aspect of the present invention, adjustable adaptors are provided for use within each card slot of a chassis to allow a user to readily adapt any chassis slot to be configured for use with an AMC standard card/module or an AMC+ card/module as needed.
An advantage of the invention includes the ability to accommodate both an AMC and AMC+ modules in a single chassis or ATCA blade using a novel card/module guide system. The novel card guide system allows users to utilize both standard AMC modules as well as a novel AMC+ module within the same chassis or ATCA card. An advantage of using the AMC+ module is that it provides a capability for hosting a large pre-existing inventory of legacy add-on cards/modules, such as, for example, pre-existing commercially available PMC and/or XMC cards/modules. The ability to allow users to incorporate a large pre-existing inventory of legacy add-on cards, such as PMC and XMC daughter cards, provides enhanced functionality at modest cost, given that such cards are readily available on the COTS market. At the same time, the novel card/module guide system of the present invention is advantageously backward compatible with the standard mechanically sized AMC modules. A further advantage provided by the present invention is that it becomes unnecessary to develop an AMC module to provide a function(s) which may already exist in a PMC or XMC form factor.
According to an aspect of the present invention, the novel card guide system design provides an environment suitable for a novel mezzanine card of the present invention that is non-standard only with respect to its mechanical configuration (e.g., width dimension). These cards are sometimes referred to herein as AMC+ cards. The non-standard AMC+ mezzanine card/module of the present invention may, in one embodiment, be constructed to be slightly larger in its width dimension than a standard AMC card/module. For example the width dimension may be slightly increased on the order of about 0.1 to about 0.8 inches, preferably about 0.3 to about 0.6 inches, and more preferably about 0.6 inches. Using a mezzanine card that is slightly larger than a standard single-width AMC card/module overcomes the prior art limitation of using double-width mezzanine cards as add-on card hosts.
The present invention is further described in the drawings and the detailed description following herewith.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
These and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following Detailed Description Of The Invention considered in conjunction with the drawing Figures, in which:
FIG. 1 representatively illustrates a prior art MicroTCA subrack.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a MicroTCA subrack in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of an AMC+ 310 as shown in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating an AMC+ module as one example of a module that may be utilized within the chassis according to embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an AMC+ module as one example of a module that may be utilized within an ATCA blade according to embodiments of the present invention.
FIG. 6 illustrates a number of AMC module configurations suitable for use with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth, such as implementations for Advanced Mezzanine Card (AMC) cards and chassis, 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, etc. In other instances, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.
Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.
The present invention overcomes the limitation of not being able to utilize a large pre-existing inventory of legacy products, such as PMC and XMC cards/modules, without resorting to use a standard double width AMC card/module as a host or otherwise having to design an AMC card module, either in a single or double width AMC form factor, to accommodate the functionality that presently exists within the presently available XMC or PMC form factor.
Accordingly, the present invention contemplates the use of a modified AMC card/module, sometimes referred to herein as an AMC+ card/module. The AMC+ card module may be characterized in that at least one dimension is slightly increased above that of a standard single width AMC card/module, which are well known in the art. It is recognized by the present invention that this increased dimension is sufficient to accommodate the large pre-existing inventory of legacy products.
As will be described further below, the novel AMC+ card/modules are used together with a novel optimized card guide system of the invention. The novel card guide system is flexibly suitable for use with both standard AMC card/modules and the novel AMC+ card/modules of the invention, while maintaining compliance with the AMC.0 specification, which includes features such as hot swapping, for example. Further details of the AMC.0 specification may be readily obtained from www.PICMG.org, incorporated in its entirety herein by reference.
While examples of the novel non-standard AMC+ card/module of the present invention are illustrated throughout the figures, it should be understood that the AMC+ card/module is described herein for purposes of illustration and explanation only. It is understood that embodiments of the present invention are generally applicable to any insertable card/module that is non-standard in at least one dimension, such as optical card/modules, transceiver card/modules, and the like.
The present invention is further described in connection with FIGS. 1 through 5 and their description set forth below.
FIG. 1 representatively illustrates a prior art MicroTCA subrack 201 . The MicroTCA chassis 201 is an example of a typical subrack utilized in industry to provide a reference to which the present invention is to be compared. Details on MicroTCA subrack design and configurations can be found in PICMG™ MicroTCA.0.
The prior art MicroTCA system is a collection of interconnected elements including at least one AMC module 204 and the interconnect, MicroTCA carrier hub, power, cooling and mechanical resources need to support them.
A typical prior art MicroTCA system, such as the one shown in FIG. 1 , may consist of plurality of AMC modules 204 , 14 of which are shown by way of example, coupled to a subrack 205 , and a chassis 201 .
With continued reference to FIG. 1 , the single width standard AMC modules 204 shown are suitable for use with the MicroTCA chassis 201 of FIG. 1 . These AMC modules 204 typically have dimensions of a standard size AMC module. It is noted that a drawback of the prior art MicroTCA chassis 201 is that there are no provisions in the chassis 201 or subrack 205 for accommodating AMC modules other than those of the single width or double width standard form factor sizes. The present invention overcomes this limitation as will be described below.
FIG. 2 representatively illustrates a MicroTCA chassis 301 in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For the purpose of simplicity and clarity, other components including cooling fans and ducting are not shown in FIG. 2 . A novel card guide system of the MicroTCA chassis 301 includes a plurality of adjustable card guides 314 , one of which is shown by way of example, to accommodate the insertion of the novel AMC+ card/modules 310 of the invention into any of the available chassis slots. FIG. 2 illustrates a single AMC+ card 310 shown in exploded view. The AMC+ card 310 is suitable for insertion into the corresponding chassis slot by utilizing adjustable card guide 314 .
A key feature of the invention is that the MicroTCA chassis 301 also accommodates standard AMC cards, such as AMC card 306 , shown in exploded view in FIG. 2 . Given that the AMC card/modules 360 are of a standard mechanical configuration, when they are inserted into the MicroTCA chassis 301 they do not require the assistance of adjustable card guide 314 to accommodate their insertion.
As described above, the MicroTCA chassis 301 flexibly accommodates both the standard AMC card/modules 306 and the novel AMC+ card/modules 310 of the invention. Advantages of flexibly accommodating both types of cards are described above.
It should be understood that the exemplary MicroTCA chassis 301 , as shown in FIG. 2 , is not limited to being a MicroTCA chassis for hosting standard 306 and non-standard 310 mezzanine card/modules. In other embodiments, the invention contemplates the use of chassis and insertable cards/modules that comply with and/or are compatible with various technical specifications in addition to, or in the alternative to, the AMC Specification. For example the card/modules may be embodied as standard and non-standard sized PC cards, common mezzanine cards, and the like. In other words, the scope of the present disclosure should not be construed as being limited to any particular module or card form factor.
FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of one exemplary embodiment of an AMC+ 310 as shown in FIG. 2 . In the illustrated example, the AMC+ module 310 is comprised of a modified faceplate 312 coupled to a novel AMC+ printed wiring board (pwb) 330 . The printed wiring board 330 is further comprised of a first portion 332 and a second portion 334 . The first portion 332 represents a conventional single width pwb area as defined in AMC.0 having a width H 1 . The second portion 334 of pwb 330 represents an increased pwb area having a width H 2 . The width H 2 represents an increased single physical dimension which differentiates the novel AMC+ card/module 310 of the invention from the standard AMC card/modules 306 of the prior art.
It is noted that the increased area provided by second portion 334 maintains the module depth as specified in AMC.0 while increasing the dimension which governs the width of the AMC module as indicated by the increased width H 2 . It should be appreciated that the novel AMC+ card/module 310 , as modified in its width dimension, maintains full compliance to the AMC.0 specification.
FIG. 4 a illustrates a standard single width AMC card/module 310 comprised of a module printed circuit board (PCB) 440 coupled to a module front plate 442 . The AMC card/module 310 may be inserted into a backplane connector 444 via an AMC connector 446 . Card guides 448 guide the AMC card/module 310 for insertion into the backplane connector 444 . The AMC card/module 310 PCB 440 is shown to have a width dimension, generally designated as H 1 , where H 1 =73.8 mm=2.91 inches.
FIG. 4 c illustrates a conventional double width AMC card/module 312 comprised of the same components described above. However, the double width AMC card/module 312 PCB 464 has a width dimension of H 2 =148.8 mm=5.86 inches.
FIG. 4 b illustrates an AMC+ card/module 306 of the present invention comprised of the same components described above, however, the AMC+ card/module 306 PCB 462 has an increased width dimension of H 2 prime , which is greater than the conventional single width AMC card module 310 , i.e., designated as H 1 , and less than the conventional double width AMC card, designated as (H 1 +H 2 ). Therefore, the width of the PCB 462 of the AMC+ card/module 306 , W AMC+ , is in the range:
H 1 >W AMC+ <( H 1+ H 2)
Accordingly, the increased width of the AMC+ card/module 310 over a conventional single width AMC card/module 306 is less than H 2 =75 mm, where
H
2
=
width
of
double
width
AMC
card
-
width
of
single
width
ACM
card
=
148.8
mm
-
73.8
mm
=
75
mm
By way of example and not limitation, the novel AMC+ card/module 310 shown in FIG. 4 b has a total width dimension W AMC+ ,=(H 1 +H 2 prime ) which, in a preferred embodiment, is on the order of about 0.6 inches larger than the width H 1 of the well-known standard single length AMC card module 306 , i.e., (H 2 =0.6). In other preferred embodiments, the AMC+ module 310 is about 0.3 to about 0.6 inches larger than the well-known standard single length AMC card module 306 . It should be understood, however, that in general, the novel AMC+ card/module 310 of the present invention can have any increased width dimension that is greater than the width of a single length AMC card module 306 , i.e., 73.8 mm and less than the width of a double length AMC card module, i.e., 148.8 mm.
FIG. 5 representatively illustrates a ATCA card design configured for use with both standard (AMC) and non-standard (AMC+) circuit cards, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. For the purpose of simplicity and clarity, other components of the ATCA card design are not shown in FIG. 5 . A novel card guide system of the ATCA card 502 includes one or more adjustable card guides 314 , one of which is shown by way of example, to accommodate the insertion of the novel AMC+ card/modules 310 of the invention into a slot of the ATCA card 502 . FIG. 5 illustrates a single AMC+ card 310 shown in exploded view. The AMC+ card 310 is suitable for insertion into the ATCA slot by utilizing adjustable card guide 314 .
FIG. 6 illustrates a number of AMC module configurations suitable for use with the present invention in accordance with the previously described dimensional modifications. The exemplary module configurations suitable for modification in a single dimension include, but are not limited to, single modules of various sizes including a Mid-Size single module 602 and a Full-Size single module 604 . Each of the afore-mentioned module configurations is preferably modified in a single dimension, such as the module's width “w”.
The foregoing is to be construed as only being an illustrative embodiment of this invention. Persons skilled in the art can easily conceive of alternative arrangements providing a functionality similar to this embodiment without any deviation from the fundamental principles or the scope of the invention.
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There is provided an apparatus for accommodating at least two different sized cards, the apparatus comprising a card housing comprising one or more card slots, each card slot being adaptable for inserting the at least two different sized cards; and a card guide system for adapting said one or more card slots for insertion of at least one of the at least two different sized cards. There is also provided a modified mezzanine card having at least one increased non-standard physical dimension relative to a standard mezzanine card suitable for insertion in the apparatus using the card guide system.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to an orthogonal spread code of a CDMA mobile communication system, and more particularly, to a method for generating an LS code via extension of the initial matrix based upon certain rules.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] In general, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) mobile communication system adopts a spread spectrum communication method which uses a spread code with a transmission bandwidth which is much wider than that of an information signal to be transmitted. The spread spectrum communication method uses a wide frequency bandwidth, and thus can regenerate an original signal via after despreading which increases the signal power and keeps the noise power low. According to a basic principle of the spread spectrum communication method, when a transmitting block modulates a data multiplied by a spread code to widen the bandwidth of a frequency and then transmits a signal, a receiving block multiplies the signal by the same spread code used in the transmitting block to narrow the bandwidth of the frequency and then demodulates the signal to detect the original signal. In general, the signal received through an antenna of the receiving block includes several kinds of noises mixed thereto in addition to the original signal. However, using the spread spectrum communication method converts the several kinds of noises into very weak electric power via despreading process because the original signal is changed into a narrow bandwidth while the several kinds of noises are initially multiplied by the spread code to widen the bandwidth and remarkably reduce the interference of the noises when the receiving block multiplies the spread code for despreading.
[0005] The spread code used in such spreading and despreading processes can be used for spreading, synchronization and base station discrimination. In other words, autocorrelation and crosscorrelation processes can be executed for spreading, synchronization and base station discrimination. For detection of a desired signal, autocorrelation characteristics are required to have the maximum value when there are no time-offsets and a smaller value when time-offset values are not zero. Also, the crosscorrelation characteristics are required to have small values at all of the time-offsets for discrimination against a spread code used by a user.
[0006] In order to meet the foregoing autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics, a conventional CDMA method uses a Pseudo Noise (PN) code together with a Walsh code as spread codes. The PN code satisfies required characteristics in autocorrelation, and the Walsh code satisfies required characteristics in crosscorrelation.
[0007] According to the required characteristics in the foregoing crosscorrelation, no mutual interferences exist among spread codes allocated to a number of users having one channel path but the interferences exist among the spread codes having a number of channel paths. To be more specific, the interferences are as follows:
[0008] With one channel path, the amount of mutual interference among the spread codes is determined only by the value of crosscorrelation having no time-offsets. On the contrary, with several channel paths, the amount of crosscorrelation among the spread codes is influenced not only by the crosscorrelation value having no time-offsets but also by the crosscorrelation values which have path delay times among separate channel paths as the time-offsets.
[0009] Therefore, in a multi-path channel environment having a number of channel paths which can be a real channel environment, the crosscorrelation characteristics among the spread codes have no time-offsets and the crosscorrelation values in other time-offsets become important as well.
[0010] As a result, ideally the crosscorrelation values of the spread codes are required to be 0 at all of the time-offsets. However, it is not known so far about those codes for satisfying the crosscorrelation characteristics and the autocorrelation characteristics at the same time. In other words, referring to the PN and Walsh codes in use for the conventional CDMA method, the PN codes satisfy the required characteristics of autocoirelation while failing to satisfy the required characteristics of crosscorrelation. Also, the Walsh codes fail to meet the required characteristics of autocorrelation while only partially meeting the required characteristics of crosscorrelation. So, referring to the crosscorrelation characteristics of the Walsh codes, the crosscorrelation value is 0 when the time-offsets do not exist, but is not 0 when the time-offsets are not 0.
[0011] To solve such drawbacks, one of the orthogonal codes is proposed. The code is called Large Synchronization (LS) code. The LS codes perfectly meet the autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics in a certain time-offset interval. The time-offset interval for perfectly meeting the autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics will be defined as an Interference Free Window (IFW).
[0012] Referring to autocorrelation characteristics in the IFW, the autocorrelation value is the maximum where no time-offsets exist, and 0 at any time-offsets in the IFW where the time-offsets are not 0. Also, according to the crosscorrelation characteristics of the LS codes, the crosscorrelation value is 0 at any time-offsets in the IFW.
[0013] As a result, in the multi-path channel environment, the interference among the spread codes allocated to users can be eliminated if the path delay time-offsets exist among the channel paths in the IFW. Therefore, the time-offset interval satisfying the foregoing autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics is referred to as the Interference Free Window or IFW.
[0014] Referring the autocorrelation characteristics in the IFW, the autocorrelation value is the maximum where no time-offsets exist, and 0 at any time-offsets in the IFW where the time-offsets are not 0. In other words, when the time-offsets are restricted to the IFW interval, the autocorrelation value is the maximum when the time-offsets are 0, and 0 when the time-offsets are not 0.
[0015] However, the LS codes are known only by resultants thereof (refer to FIGS. 1A to 1 F) whereas a method of generating the resultants is not known up to the present.
[0016] Meanwhile, the LS codes satisfy the autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics at any time-offsets in the IFW interval.
[0017] However, the LS codes have the autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics excellent in the IFW, whereas there is a disadvantage that the number of codes, which are available in use, is small thereby decreasing increase of channel capacity.
[0018] In general, referring to a set of the LS codes satisfying the autocorrelation and crosscorrelation characteristics as an orthogonal code set, a reverse proportional relation is established between the length of the IFW interval and the number of the orthogonal code set. Therefore, in the LS codes, the element number of the orthogonal code set decreases as the IFW interval increases, and on the contrary, the IFW interval decreases as the element number of the orthogonal code set increases. Therefore, a novel orthogonal spread code generating method is in request for solving the disadvantages of the LS codes thereby enabling increase of the IFW interval as well as the element number of the orthogonal code set at the same time. In convenience, a novel orthogonal spread code is called Quasi-LS (QLS) code hereafter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Accordingly, the present invention has been devised to solve the foregoing problems and it is an object of the invention to provide a method of generating LS codes, which are known by only resultant codes, by using the initial matrix.
[0020] It is another object of the invention to provide a novel orthogonal spread code generating method for compensating a disadvantage of LS codes that elements of an orthogonal code set and an IFW interval exist in a reverse proportional relation. According to an aspect of the invention to obtain the foregoing objects, it is provided a method for generating orthogonal spread codes in a mobile communication system comprising : generating a first square matrix having a size of powers of 2 by operating an initial matrix 2×2, generating a second square matrix of same size of the first square matrix by operating the first square matrix, composing a third square matrix of double size of the first square matrix by arranging the first square matrix as a second quarter matrix and a third quarter matrix of the third square matrix, arranging the second square matrix as a first quarter matrix of the third square matrix, and arranging the second square matrix as a fourth quarter matrix of the third square matrix by multiplying all elements thereof with −1, making a deformed matrix by inserting a zero vector between a column or a row of the third square matrix and generating orthogonal spread codes for channel discrimination from the rows or columns of the deformed matrix.
[0021] According to the method, the first quarter matrix can be arranged in the upper right of the third square matrix, the second quarter matrix in the upper left of the third square matrix, the third quarter matrix in the lower left of the third square matrix, and the fourth quarter matrix in the lower right of the third square matrix.
[0022] According to the method, the first row of the initial matrix is arranged in the left and the second row thereof is arranged in the right to generate the first row of the first 4×4 square matrix, and the first row of the initial matrix can be arranged in the left and the second row can be applied with the opposite symbol and arranged in the right to generate the second row of the first 4×4 square matrix. Also, the first row of the initial matrix can be arranged in the right and the second row thereof is arranged in the left to generate the third row of the first 4×4 square matrix, and the first row of the initial matrix can be applied with the opposite sign and arranged in the right and the second row thereof can be arranged in the left to generate the fourth row of the first 4×4 square matrix.
[0023] According to the orthogonal spread code generating method, the second square matrix can be generated by recursively shifting the rows in the first square matrix as half of the matrix size.
[0024] According to another aspect of the invention, it is provided a method for generating orthogonal spread codes in a mobile communication system comprising operating an initial square matrix having a size of powers of 2 to generate a first square matrix two times larger than the initial square matrix, operating the first square matrix to generate a second square matrix, arranging the first square matrix as a second quarter matrix and a third quarter matrix, arranging the second square matrix as a first quarter matrix, and arranging the second square matrix as a fourth quarter matrix by multiplying all elements thereof with −1 to generate a third square matrix, inserting a zero vector certain row or column of the third square matrix to compose a deformed matrix and generating orthogonal spread codes for channel discrimination from the rows or columns of the composed matrix.
[0025] According to the method, the initial square matrix having the size of powers of 2 can use a quarter matrix of the third square matrix in the previous step having a size that is half of the third square matrix to be obtained.
[0026] According to the orthogonal spread code generating method, the odd rows and the even rows of the initial square matrix can be arranged as first and second rows to generate four rows of the first square matrix.
[0027] According to other aspect of the invention, it is provided a method for generating orthogonal spread codes in a mobile communication system comprising: operating an 2×2 initial matrix to generate a first square matrix having a size of powers of 2, arranging the first square matrix as a second quarter matrix and a third quarter matrix, operating the first square matrix to generate a second square matrix, arranging the second square matrix as a first quarter matrix and applying a minus symbol to all elements of the second square matrix to generate a fourth quarter matrix, composing a third square matrix by taking the first to fourth quarter matrices as quarter matrices of the third square matrix, inserting zero column vectors among certain columns of the third square matrix to compose a target matrix and taking rows of the target matrix to generate orthogonal spread codes for channel discrimination.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0028] [0028]FIGS. 1A to 1 F show LS codes with lengths of 16, 32, 64 and 128 which are generated according to a code generating method of the invention;
[0029] [0029]FIG. 2 schematically shows an LS and QLS code generating procedure using an initial matrix;
[0030] [0030]FIG. 3 shows a BPSK spreading process according to the invention;
[0031] [0031]FIG. 4 shows a QPSK spreading process according to the invention;
[0032] [0032]FIG. 5 shows a complex spreading process according to the invention; and
[0033] [0033]FIG. 6 is a flow chart for illustrating a QLS code generating method for enlarging an effective IFW interval and the element number of an effective orthogonal code set.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0034] The following Detailed Description will present an orthogonal spread code generating method of the invention in reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0035] [0035]FIGS. 1A to 1 F show resultant LS codes respectively having lengths of 16, 32, 64 and 128 according to the code generating method of the invention. As mentioned above, a general method of generating the LS codes is not known so far, but it is known only about the resultant LS codes respectively corresponding to the code lengths of 16, 32,64and128.
[0036] In the resultant LS codes, numbers in the left designates corresponding code numbers, symbols + and − respectively designate +1 and -1. Also, the LS codes are divided into C and S components based upon ‘,’ or ‘comma’, in which the left part of the comma designates the C components and the right part of the comma designates the S components. Again, the C components are divided into the first C components in the upper part and the second C components in the lower part. In this case, it can be seen that the first C components are the same as the second C components. Also, the S components are divided into the first S components in the upper part and the second S components in the lower part. In this case, it can be seen that the first S components have symbols opposite to those of the second S components.
[0037] Hereinafter a method of generating the resultant LS codes according to embodiments of the invention will be described as follows.
[0038] The LS codes with the code length of N (=2 m ) exist in total N numbers, and the N number of LS codes are expressed as in the following Equation 1 when constructed in a matrix. In this case, m designates a natural number equal or greater than 2 since the code length N should be equal or greater than 4 according to the characteristics of the LS codes.
LS N = [ C N S N C N - S N ] = [ LS 0 N ⋮ LS k N ⋮ LS N - 1 N ] , Equation 1
[0039] herein, LSN is a matrix sized of N×N, C N and S N are sub-matrices having a size of
N 2 × N 2 .
[0040] Further, LS k N (k is an integer from 0 to N−1) is a row vector having a size of 1×N for designating the kth LS code.
[0041] Therefore, the LS code matrix is calculated from C N and S N , herein, C N can be recursively obtained via
C N 2
[0042] (refer to FIG. 2), which will be described in detail hereinafter.
[0043] Meanwhile, a guard component having a value of 0 can be inserted in front or the rear of both C N and S N . In other words, an LS code having a code length N(=2 m )+2×L GUARD can be expressed by the following Equation 2, herein, m is a natural number equal and greater than 2, and L GUARD is an natural number.
LS N + 2 × L GUARD = [ 0 L GUARD C N 0 L GUARD S N 0 L GUARD C N 0 L GUARD - S N ] or
[ C N 0 L GUARD S N 0 L GUARD C N 0 L GUARD - S N 0 L GUARD ] = [ LS 0 N + 2 × l GUARD ⋮ LS k N + 2 × l GUARD ⋮ LS N - 1 N + 2 × l GUARD ] . Equation 2
[0044] Herein, the L GUARD value means a matrix composed of 0 in the right or left of C N and in the right or left of S N so as to produce an IFW. Also, LS k N+2×L GUARD (k is an integer from 0 to N−1) is a row vector sized of 1×(N+2×L GUARD ) designating the kth LS code, 0 L GUARD is a zero matrix having a size of
N 2 × L GUARD
[0045] and composed of 0. C N and S N mean sub-matrices having a size of
N 2 × N 2 .
[0046] [0046]FIG. 2 schematically illustrates an LS and QLS code generating procedure using the initial matrix. Referring to FIG. 2, LS N and QLS N can be generated using the initial matrix C 4 .
[0047] First, it will be described about a method of generating LS N using the initial matrix C 4 .
[0048] As described above, the code length N should be equal and greater than 4 in order to generate the LS codes. Therefore, since N is a natural number equal and greater than 4, C 4 is the initial matrix and can be defined as in the following Equation 3:
C 4 = [ 1 1 1 - 1 ] . Equation 3
[0049] As shown in the foregoing Equation 3, in the initial matrix C 4 , all elements corresponding to the matrix are 1 except for an element in the second row and second column. As shown in FIG. 2,
C N 2
[0050] can be generated from the initial matrix C4, and C N can be generated from
C N 2 .
[0051] First of all,
C N 2
[0052] is defined as in the following Equation 4:
C N 2 = [ C 1 N 2 C 2 N 2 ⋮ C i N 2 ⋮ C N 4 N 2 ] , Equation 4
[0053] herein,
C i N 2
[0054] is the ith row vector having a size of
1 × N 4 ,
[0055] and i is a natural number from 1 to
N 4 .
[0056] Therefore, the above
C N 2
[0057] is recursively operated to generate C N , a row vector contained in C N can be expressed as in the following Equation 5:
C i N = ( [ C 2 k + 1 N 2 C 2 k + 2 N 2 ] , i = 4 k + 1 [ C 2 k + 1 N 2 - C 2 k + 2 N 2 ] , i = 4 k + 2 [ C 2 k + 2 N 2 C 2 k + 1 N 2 ] , i = 4 k + 3 [ C 2 k + 2 N 2 - C 2 k + 1 N 2 ] , i = 4 k + 4 ) , Equation 5
[0058] herein k is an integer from
0 to N 8 - 1 ,
[0059] and i is a natural number from
1 to N 2 .
[0060] As shown in the foregoing Equation 5, it can be understood that C i N is generated from the foregoing Equation 4. In other words, k is 0, the row vectors such as C 1 N , C 2 N , C 3 N and C 4 N can be respectively generated into
[ C 1 N 2 C 2 N 2 ] , [ C 1 N 2 - C 2 N 2 ] , [ C 2 N 2 C 1 N 2 ] and [ C 2 N 2 C 1 N 2 ]
[0061] according to the foregoing Equation 5. This shows that Equation 5 is generated by respectively using the row vectors of
C N 2
[0062] in Equation 4. Since the foregoing Equation 5 is a row vector of the C N matrix, all of the remaining row vectors can be generated from the foregoing Equation 5.
[0063] Therefore, combining all of the row vectors contained in the C N matrix generated from the foregoing Equation 5, it can be expressed as in the following Equation 6:
C N = [ C 1 N C 2 N C 3 N C 4 N C 5 N C 6 N C 7 N C 8 N ⋮ C N 2 - 3 N C N 2 - 2 N C N 2 - 1 N C N 2 N ] = [ C 1 N 2 C 2 N 2 C 1 N 2 - C 2 N 2 C 2 N 2 C 1 N 2 C 2 N 2 - C 1 N 2 C 3 N 2 C 4 N 2 C 3 N 2 - C 4 N 2 C 4 N 2 C 3 N 2 C 4 N 2 - C 3 N 2 ⋮ ⋮ C N 4 - 1 N 2 C N 4 N 2 C N 4 - 1 N 2 - C N 4 N 2 C N 4 N 2 C N 4 - 1 N 2 C N 4 N 2 - C N 4 - 1 N 2 ] . Equation 6
[0064] From Equation 6, it can be seen that C N is composed of
N 2
[0065] number or row vectors and generated by recursively using the foregoing Equation 5.
[0066] Referring to FIG. 2 again, S N can be generated from C N . Describing it in more detail, C N and S N has a relationship that can be expressed as in the following Equations 7 and 8:
C N = [ C 1 N C 2 N • • • C N 4 - 1 N C N 4 N C N 4 + 1 N C N 4 + 2 N • • • C N 2 - 1 N C N 2 N ] , and Equation 7 S N = [ C N 4 + 1 N C N 4 + 2 N • • • C N 2 - 1 N C N 2 N C 2 N C 1 N • • • C N 4 - 1 N C N 4 N ] . Equation 8
[0067] From the foregoing Equations 7 and 8, it can be seen that S N is generated from C N . S N and C N are symmetric from each other on the basis of the row vectors. In other words, S N can be generated via cyclic shift of C N as much as half of the S N matrix.
[0068] An example will be described for more apparent understanding of the foregoing Equations.
[0069] Assuming that the code length N is 8, generation of C 8 from initial matrix C 4 is required to generate an LS 8 matrix.
C N 2
[0070] is C 4 from Equation 4, and C N is C 8 from Equation 6. C 4 is the initial matrix, and thus becomes
[ 1 1 1 - 1 ] · C i 4
[0071] becomes [1 1] using Equation 4 and is defined as the first row. Also, C 2 becomes [1 −1] and is defined as the second row. Therefore, C 8 becomes
[ 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 ]
[0072] from Equation 6.
[0073] In this case, [1 1 1 −1], [1 1 −1 1], [1 −1 1 1] and [1 −1 −1 −1] are defined as the first to fourth rows of C 8 .
[0074] Then, the first row of C 8 can be generated through arranging the first row of C 4 in the left and the second row thereof in the right. The second row of C 8 can be generated through arranging the first row of C 4 in the left and the second row thereof in the right as multiplied with −1. The third row of C 8 can be generated through arranging the first row of C 4 in the right and the second row thereof in the left. Further, the fourth row of the C 8 can be generated through arranging the first row of C 8 in the right as multiplied with −1 and arranging the second row thereof in the left.
[0075] Meanwhile, S 8 can be generated by using Equation 8, and the matrix thereof is
[ 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 ] .
[0076] In other words, S 8 is composed of four rows of C 8 and generated through recursively shifting C 8 based upon rows.
[0077] Therefore, the LS code matrix LS 8 can be generated as follows using Equation 1 based upon C 8 and S 8 :
LS 8 = [ C 8 S 8 C 8 - S 8 ] [ 1 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 1 - 1 1 1 1 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 1 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 - 1 1 - 1 ] .
[0078] Note that the guard component can be inserted in LS 8 above in order to generate IFW.
[0079] Of course, C 8 can be extended by multiples without limitations. In other words, it can be understood that C 8 can be extended to C 16 , C 32 , C 64 , C128 and the like. Also, generation of S 16 , S 32 , S 64 , S 128 and the like can be made respectively corresponding to C 16 , C 32 , C 64 , C 128 and the like, and generation of LS 16 , LS 32 , LS 64 and LS 128 can be followed.
[0080] Regarding the LS codes generated as above, they have the following characteristics.
[0081] First, LS codes with the code length N(=2 m )+2×L GUARD are N numbered in total. When the N number of LS codes have no time-offset, i.e., the time-offset is zero, the LS codes which are mutually orthogonal are N numbered, herein, m is a natural number equal and greater than 2 and L GUARD is an integer equal and greater than 0.
[0082] Second, the LS codes having the foregoing length have an autocorrelation value N where no time-offsets exist, but zero when time-offsets exist in time-offsets [−L GUARD , L GUARD ], i.e., the time-offsets are not zero.
[0083] Third, a time-offset interval where the LS codes of the foregoing code length have a crosscorrelation value of zero is defined as an IFW.
[0084] In this case, in an interval of time-offset=[−L IFW , L IFW ] as the IFW interval, the LS codes which are mutually orthogonal are numbered 2 m−g , in which L IFW exists in a range of 2 g−1 L IFW 2 g , herein, g is a natural number and L IFW is an integer from 0 to L GUARD .
[0085] For example, when the code length is 2 m +2×L GUARD , the IFW has the maximum size of time-offset=[−L GUARD , L GUARD ], the codes which are mutually orthogonal are numbered 2 m−g . In other words, when the code length is 2 7 +2×4, the IFW of the maximum size is [−4, 4], and the codes which are mutually orthogonal are numbered 16 (i.e., 2 4 is 2 7−3 ), herein, g is 3 when is the L IFW =4 due to 2 g−1 (=2 3−1 ) L IFW (=4) 2 g (=2 3 ).
[0086] Referring to FIG. 2 again, C* N and
S N 2
[0087] can be generated from
C N 2 ,
[0088] S* N can be generated by using
S N 2 ,
[0089] and the QLS N matrix can be generated from each of the resultant C* N and S* N .
[0090] Hereinafter description will be made about a QLS N matrix generating method using an Equation.
[0091] There exist total N kinds of QLS codes having a code length N(=2 m ), and when the N number of QLS codes are composed of a matrix, they are expressed as in the following Equation 9, herein, m is a natural number equal and greater than 3 because the code length N should be equal and greater than 8 according to the QLS code characteristics.
QLS N = [ C * N S * N C * N - S * N ] = [ QLS 0 N QLS 1 N ⋮ QLS k N ⋮ QLS N - 2 N QLS N - 1 N ] . Equation 9
[0092] In this case, QLS N is a matrix sized of N×N, QLS k N is a row vector having a size of 1×N for expressing the kth QLS code (herein, k is an integer from 0 to N−1), C* N and S* N are sub-matrices sized of
N 2 × N 2 .
[0093] It can be understood that the QLS codes are composed of C* N and S* N components.
[0094] As shown in FIG. 2, C* N and
S N 2
[0095] are generated by using
C N 2 ,
[0096] S* N is generated by using
S N 2 .
[0097] Then, QLS N can be generated from the foregoing Equation 9 by using C* N and S* N .
[0098] Meanwhile, a guard component having a value of 0 can be added to C* N and S* N in the left or right thereof so as to generate an IFW in the each QLS code. In other words, the QLS codes having the code length N(=2 m )+2×L GUARD applied with the foregoing guard component can be expressed as in the following Equation 10, herein m is a natural number equal and greater than 3 and L GUARD is an integer equal and greater than 0.
QLS N + 2 × L GUARD = [ 0 L GUARD C * N 0 L GUARD S * N 0 L GUARD C * N 0 L GUARD - S * N ] or [ C * N 0 L GUARD S * N 0 L GUARD C * N 0 L GUARD - S * N 0 L GUARD ] = [ QLS 0 N + 2 × L GUARD QLS 1 N + 2 × L GUARD ⋮ QLS k N + 2 × L GUARD ⋮ QLS N - 2 N + 2 × L GUARD QLS N - 1 N + 2 × L GUARD ] . Equation 10
[0099] In this case, the value L GUARD is obtained through inserting a matrix composed of 0 in the left or right of both C* N and S* N for generating the IFW. Also, QLS k N+2×L GUARD is a row vector sized of 1×(N+2×L GUARD ) for expressing the kth QLS code, herein k is an integer from 0 to N−1, and 0 L GUARD is a zero matrix composed of 0 with a size of
N 2 × L GUARD .
[0100] C* N and S* N mean sub-matrices having a size of
N 2 × N 2 .
[0101] Hereinafter description will be made about a C* N and S* N generating method. First, describing the C* N matrix generating method, the code length N is equal and greater than 8 as described above.
C N 2
[0102] can be expressed as in the following Equation 11 by using the initial matrix:
C N 2 = [ C 1 , 1 N 2 C 1 , 2 N 2 C 2 , 1 N 2 C 2 , 2 N 2 ⋰ C N 4 - 1 , N 4 - 1 N 2 C N 4 - 1 , N 4 N 2 C N 4 , N 4 - 1 N 2 C N 4 , N 4 N 2 ] , Equation 11
[0103] herein,
C i , j N 2
[0104] designates the element in the ith row and the jth column of the
C N 2
[0105] matrix.
[0106] C* N can be expressed as in the following Equation 12 based upon the foregoing Equation 11:
C * N = [ C 1 , 1 N 2 C 1 , 1 N 2 C 1 , 1 N 2 - C 1 , 1 N 2 • • • C N 4 , N 4 N 2 C N 4 , N 4 N 2 C N 4 , N 4 N 2 - C N 4 , N 4 N 2 ] , Equation 12
[0107] herein, C j,k designates the element in the jth row and the kth column.
[0108] Then,
S N 2
[0109] can be generated by using the foregoing Equations 7 and 8, and expressed as in the following Equation 13:
S N 2 = [ S 1 , 1 N 2 S 1 , 1 N 2 S 2 , 1 N 2 - S 2 , 2 N 2 • • • S N 4 - 1 , N 4 - 1 N 2 S N 4 - 1 , N 4 N 2 S N 4 , N 4 - 1 N 2 - S N 4 , N 4 N 2 ] . Equation 13
[0110] In sequence, S* N can be derived from the foregoing Equation 13 as in the following Equation 14:
S * N = [ S 1 , 1 N 2 S 1 , 1 N 2 S 1 , 1 N 2 - S 1 , 1 N 2 • • • S N 4 , N 4 N 2 S N 4 , N 4 N 2 S N 4 , N 4 N 2 - S N 4 , N 4 N 2 ] . Equation 14
[0111] Therefore, QLS N can be generated from the foregoing Equation 9 based upon the foregoing Equations 13 and 14. Of course, using Equation 13 and Equation 14, C* N and S* N can be recursively extended by multiples. This has been already mentioned when describing the LS code generating method, and thus detailed description thereof will be omitted.
[0112] Regarding to the QLS codes generated as above, they have the following characteristics.
[0113] Description will be made about the characteristics of the QLS codes generated by a relational expression of C* N and S* N .
[0114] First, there exist total N number of QLS codes having a code length N(=2 m )+2×L GUARD . When no time-offsets exist in the N number of QLS codes, the QLS codes which are mutually orthogonal are N numbered, herein, m is a natural number equal and greater than 3 and L GUARD is an integer equal and greater than 0.
[0115] Second, the autocorrelation value of the QLS codes having the foregoing code length is N where no time-offsets exist, and
N 2 and - N 2
[0116] when the time-offsets are +1 or −1. Also, within the time-offset interval [−L GUARD , L GUARD ], the autocorrelation value is 0 in the time-offset which is not 0, +1 or −1.
[0117] Third, the time-offset interval where the crosscorrelation value of the QLS codes having the foregoing code length is 0 is defined as an IFW. In this case, the number of the QLS codes which are mutually orthogonal is 2 m−g−1 in the time-offset=[−L IFW , L IFW ] interval as the IFW interval. In this case, L IFW should exist in the range of 2 g−1 L IFW 2 g , herein g is a natural number and L IFW is an integer in the range of L GUARD L IFW 0.
[0118] Meanwhile, in the time-offset=[−L IFW , L IFW ] interval which is the IFW interval, when the crosscorrelation value is not 0 in only one pair of codes when the time-offsets are +1 or −1 and satisfies the orthogonality during the remaining time-offsets except for +1 and −1 in the interval of IFW [−L IFW , L IFW ], a set of the orthogonal codes satisfying the foregoing characteristics is defined as an effective orthogonal code set, and the IFW satisfying the foregoing characteristics is defined as an effective IEW(EIFW). Then, in the time-offset=[−L IFW , L IFW ] interval as the effective IEFW interval, the number of the QLS codes which are effectively orthogonal to one another is 2 m−g . In this case, a condition of
2 g - 1 ≤ ⌊ L EIFW 2 ⌋ < 2 g
[0119] should be satisfied, herein g is a natural number, and L EIFW is an integer in the range of L GUARD L EIFW 0. Also, [X] means the maximum integer which does not exceed └X┘. Therefore, with regard to the effective IFW, the QLS codes are increased in element number of an effective orthogonal code set compared the LS codes.
[0120] Naming the effective orthogonal code set of the QLS codes as Q, the effective orthogonal code set can be expressed as in the following Equation 15:
Q={QLS 0 ,QLS 1 , . . . , QLS 2 m−g −2 ,QLS 2 m−g −1} Equation 15,
[0121] herein, g is a natural number in the range of
2 g - 1 ≤ L IFW 2 < 2 g ,
[0122] and the element number of Q is 2 m−g .
[0123] Then, as described before, all codes of the effective orthogonal code set Q respectively have a crosscorrelation value 0 in the time-offset=[−L EIFW ; L EIFW ] interval. In this case, it has been described already that the crosscorrelation value is not 0 in only one pair of codes when the time-offset is +1 or −1.
[0124] In other words, when the time-offset is +1 or −1, the crosscorrelation value is 0 in all codes except for between QLS 2×k and QLS 2×k+1 , herein k is an integer from 0 to 2 m−g−2 .
[0125] Also, the crosscorrelation values can be 0 in QLS 2×k , QLS 0 , QLS 1 , . . . , QLS 2×k−1 , QLS 2×k+2 , . . . , QLS 2 m−g −1 . In the same manner, the crosscorrelation values can be 0 also in QLS 2×k−1 , QLS 0 , QLS 1 , . . . , QLS 2×k−1 , QLS 2×k+2 , . . . , QLS 2 m−g −1 .
[0126] As described above, when the code length is N(=2 m )+2×L GUARD , the number of the QLS codes having the crosscorrelation value 0 is 2 m−g−1 in the interval of time-offset=[−L IFW , L IFW ] as the IFW interval. hi other words, if the IFW interval is [−L IFW , L IFW ] in the QLS codes, the element number of the orthogonal code set is 2 m−g−1 in 2 g−1 L IFW 2 g . Further, if the effective IFW is [−L EIFW , L EIFW ], the element number of the effective orthogonal code set is 2 m−g in
2 g - 1 ≤ ⌊ L EIFW 2 ⌋ < 2 g .
[0127] On the contrary, if the IFW is [−L IFW , L IFW ] in the LS codes, the element number of the orthogonal code set is 2 m−g in 2 g−1 L IFW 2 g .
[0128] Explaining the foregoing description with an example, when the code length is 2 7 +2×4, the maximum available IFW is time-offset=[−4,4], and the orthogonal code number of the QLS codes is 8(=2 3 =2 7−3−1 ) since g is 3 with regard to the IFW interval. Also, it can be understood that the effective orthogonal code number is 32(=2 5 =2 7−2 ) since g is 2 with regard to the effective IFW interval. On the contrary, g is 3 in the LS codes while the orthogonal code number is 16(=2 4 =2 7−3 ). As described above, using the QLS codes can increase the effective IFW interval and the element number of the effective orthogonal code set.
[0129] The LS codes and the QLS codes generated according to the invention are orthogonal spread codes which can be applied to a CDMA mobile communication system.
[0130] In general, spreading methods in use include three types of such as BPSK spreading (refer to FIG. 3), QPSK spreading (refer to FIG. 4) and complex spreading (refer to FIG. 5). The BPSK spreading allocates the same spread code to both In- phase(I) branch and Quadrature-phase(Q) branch, the QPSK spreading and the complex spreading allocate different spread codes to I and Q branch. In this case, the QPSK spreading is different from the complex spreading in a method of multiplying spread codes, which is well known in the art and thus explanation thereof will be omitted.
[0131] [0131]FIG. 6 is a flow chart for illustrating a QLS code generating method for increasing the effective IFW interval and the element number of the effective orthogonal code set.
[0132] First, a wanted code length other than 0 is selected in step 61 . In this case, the code length N has a value 2 m , herein, m is a natural number equal and greater than 3. It is preferred that the code length is pre-selected.
[0133] The initial matrix C 4 is generated with a size of 2×2 in step 62 , a sub-matrix S 4 is generated with a size of 2×2 by using the initial matrix in step 63 . In this case, the S 4 matrix can be generated by arranging rows of the intial matrix C 4 symmetrically.
[0134] It is confirmed if the size of the initial matrix C4 is
N 4 × N 4
[0135] in step 64 , and the initial matrix is extended by multiples until the size of the initial matrix C4 becomes
N 4 × N 4
[0136] in step 66 . In this case, the initial matrix can be magnified by using the foregoing Equation 11.
[0137] If the size of the extended matrix from the initial matrix C4 is
N 4 × N 4 ,
[0138] a new sub-matrix C* N is generated by using a matrix corresponding to the size of
N 4 × N 4
[0139] in step 68 , in which the matrix corresponding to the size of
N 4 × N 4
[0140] can be a
C N 2
[0141] matrix.
[0142] Meanwhile, it is confirmed if the size of a sub-matrix S 4 of 2×2 is
N 4 × N 4
[0143] in step 65 , the sub-matrix S 4 is extended by multiples until the size of the sub-matrix S 4 of 2×2 becomes
N 4 × N 4
[0144] in step 67 . In this case, the sub-matrix S 4 can be extended by using the foregoing Equation 13.
[0145] If the size of the extended matrix of the sub-matrix S4 is
N 4 × N 4 ,
[0146] a new sub-matrix S* N can be generated by using the matrix corresponding to the size
N 4 × N 4
[0147] in step 69 . In this case, the matrix corresponding to the size
N 4 × N 4
[0148] can be an
S N 2
[0149] matrix.
[0150] In step 70 , a QLS code matrix is generated based upon C* N and S* N generated from step 68 and step 69 , in which the QLS code matrix can be generated by using Equation 9.
[0151] If the length L GUARD of the guard component is selected in step 71 , the QLS code matrix generated in step 70 is applied with a zero matrix 0 L GUARD which is as long as the length of the selected guard component in step 71 . When the zero matrix 0 L GUARD of the guard component is applied as in step 71 , the IFW interval can be obtained.
[0152] As described above, the invention generates the QLS codes which can enhance the system capacity while increasing the effective IFW interval and the element number of the effective orthogonal code set which are free from the influence of performance degradation due to interference.
[0153] Also, the QLS codes generated like this can be applied to the BPSK spreading, the QPSK spreading and the complex spreading.
[0154] According to the invention as described hereinbefore, it can be understood more apparent and wider about the method of generating the LS codes which are known as only the resultant codes up to the present.
[0155] According to the invention, the QLS codes as new orthogonal 'spread codes are .generated for solving the inverse proportional relation between the element number of the orthogonal code set and the IFW interval length which is a disadvantage of the LS codes so that the effective IFW interval and the element number of the effective orthogonal code set can be increased.
[0156] According to the invention, the QLS codes can be applied to the BPSK spreading, the QPSK spreading and the complex spreading of the related art so as to avoid channel prediction errors and reduce power imbalance as effects.
[0157] While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been described hereinbefore, it can be understood that a number of variations, modifications and substitutions can be made without departing from the principle of the invention. It is apparent that the invention can be applied equivalently by adequately modifying the embodiment. Therefore, the foregoing description may not restrict the scope of the invention which will be defined by the appended claims.
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The present invention relates to an orthogonal spread code of a CDMA mobile communication system, and more particularly, to a method for generating an LS code via magnification of the initial matrix based upon certain rules. The method of the invention generates the magnified first and second square matrices using the 2×2 initial matrix, arranges the first and second square matrices adequately to obtain the third square matrix, and then takes rows or columns from the third square matrix to generate a code sequence, thereby increasing the element number of orthogonal code and the length of an IFW as the same time.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a divisional application under 35 U.S.C. Section 121 of the following and commonly-assigned U.S. utility patent application: Ser. No. 09/879,821, filed Jun. 11, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,937,638 by Gregory A. Fish and Larry A. Coldren, entitled “IMPROVED, MANUFACTURABLE SAMPLED GRATING MIRRORS,”which application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. Section 119(e) of the following and commonly-assigned U.S. provisional patent application: Ser. No. 60/210,612, filed Jun. 9, 2000, by Gregory A. Fish and Larry A. Coldren, entitled “IMPROVED, MANUFACTURABLE SAMPLED GRATING MIRRORS,”both of which applications are incorporated by reference herein.
This application is related to the following and commonly-assigned U.S. utility patent applications:
Ser. No. 09/614,224, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “METHOD OF MAKING A TUNABLE LASER SOURCE WITH INTEGRATED OPTICAL AMPLIFIER,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,654,400;
Ser. No. 09/614,377, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Lay A. Coldren, and entitled “INTEGRATED OPTO-ELECTRONIC WAVELENGTH CONVERTER ASSEMBLY,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,580,739;
Ser. No. 09/614,376, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “METHOD OF CONVERTING AN OPTICAL WAVELENGTH WITH AN OPTO-ELECTRONIC LASER WITH INTEGRATED MODULATOR,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,614,819;
Ser. No. 09/614,378, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “OPTO-ELECTRONIC LASER WITH INTEGRATED MODULATOR,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,628,690;
Ser. No. 09/614,895, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren, and entitled “METHOD FOR CONVERTING AN OPTICAL WAVELENGTH USING A MONOLITHIC WAVELENGTH CONVERTER ASSEMBLY,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,349,106;
Ser. No. 09/614,375, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “TUNABLE LASER SOURCE WITH INTEGRATED OPTICAL AMPLIFIER,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,658,035;
Ser. No. 09/614,195, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “METHOD OF MAKING AND OPTOELECTRONIC LASER WITH INTEGRATED MODULATOR,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,259;
Ser. No. 09/614,665, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren et al., and entitled “METHOD OF GENERATING AN OPTICAL SIGNAL WITH A TUNABLE LASER SOURCE WITH INTEGRATED OPTICAL AMPLIFIER,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,278; and
Ser. No. 09/614,674, filed Jul. 12, 2000, by Larry A. Coldren, and entitled “METHOD FOR MAKING A MONOLITHIC WAVELENGTH CONVERTER ASSEMBLY,” now U.S. Pat. No. 6,624,000;
all of which are incorporated by reference herein, all of which claim priority to each other, and all of which claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C §119(e) to the following U.S. provisional patent applications:
Ser. No. 60/152,038, filed on Sep. 2, 1999, by Gregory Fish et al., and entitled “OPTOELECTRONIC LASER WITH INTEGRATED MODULATOR”;
Ser. No. 60/152,049, filed on Sep. 2, 1999, by Larry Coldren, and entitled “INTEGRATED OPTOELECTRONIC WAVELENGTH CONVERTER”; and
Ser. No. 60/152,072, filed on Sep. 2, 1999, by Beck Mason et al., and entitled “TUNABLE LASER SOURCE WITH INTEGRATED OPTICAL AMPLIFIER”.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to wide-range tunable semiconductor lasers and particularly to sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector (SGDBR) lasers. More particularly, this invention relates to an improved design for sampled grating distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) mirrors.
2. Description of the Related Art
Diode lasers are being used in such applications as optical communications, sensors and computer systems. In such applications, it is very useful to employ lasers that can be easily adjusted to output frequencies across a wide wavelength range. A diode laser which can be operated at selectably variable frequencies covering a wide wavelength range, i.e. a widely tunable laser, is an invaluable tool. Such a “widely-tunable” laser enables real-time provisioning of bandwidth, and a much simplified sparing scheme. By including widely-tunable lasers in a system, if one laser malfunctions, a spare channel purposely left unused, may be configured to the wavelength of the malfunctioning laser and ensure the proper function of the system.
Thus, while diode lasers have provided solutions to many problems in communications, sensors and computer system designs, they have not fulfilled their potential based on the available bandwidth afforded by light-based systems. It is important that the number of channels be accessed and switched between in order for optical systems to be realized for many future applications.
For a variety of applications, it is necessary to have tunable single-frequency diode lasers which can be quickly configured to emit coherent light at any of a wide range of wavelengths. Such applications include sources and local oscillators in coherent lightwave communications systems, sources for other multi-channel lightwave communication systems, and sources for use in frequency modulated sensor systems. Continuous tunability is usually needed over some range of wavelengths. Continuous tuning is important for wavelength locking or stabilization with respect to some other reference, and it is desirable in certain frequency shift keying modulation schemes.
In addition, widely tunable semiconductor lasers, such as a sampled-grating distributed-Bragg-reflector (SGDBR) laser, a grating-coupled sampled-reflector (GCSR) laser, and vertical-cavity surface emitting lasers with micro-electromechanical moveable mirrors (VCSEL-MEMs) generally must compromise their output power in order to achieve a large tuning range. Designs that can provide over 40 nm of tuning range have not been able to provide much more than a couple of milliwatts of power out at the extrema of their tuning spectrum. However, current and future optical fiber communication systems as well as spectroscopic applications require output powers in excess of 10 mW over the full tuning band. Current ITU bands are about 40 nm wide near 1.55 μm and comprise the c-band, s-band and L-band, and it is desired to have a single component that can cover at least one or more of these bands.
Systems that are to operate at higher bit rates may require more than 20 mW over the full ITU bands. Such powers are available from DFB lasers, but these can only be tuned by a couple of nanometers by adjusting their temperature. Thus, it is very desirable to have a source with both wide tuning range (>40 nm) and high power (>10 mW) without a significant increase in fabrication complexity over existing widely tunable designs.
One path to achieving high output power and wide tuning ranges, is to improve upon the conventional sampled grating mirrors or reflectors (which shall be used interchangeably hereinbelow). FIG. 1 shows a typical reflectivity spectrum from a pair of mirrors used within a SG-DBR laser. The design of the SG-DBR is constrained by the desired tuning range, output power and side-mode suppression. It is impossible to simultaneously maximize all three of the above specifications using a SG-DBR, as improving one specification worsens the others. The major concerns when designing a multi-peaked mirror are to achieve the desired coupling constant (κ) and reflectivity (R) for each peak.
The sampled grating approach is limited largely by the fact that the unsampled grating κ is technologically limited by optical scattering to around 300 cm −1 . Another limiting factor is that the reflectivity of the multi-peaked mirror falls off at the outer peaks, along with the gain. Therefore, it is desirable to increase the effective κ of each peak as well as compensate for any loss in gain with increased reflectivity. In order to increase the κ of the SG mirror peaks, the sampling duty ratio L B /Λ (the length of sampled portion L B divided by the sampling period Λ) must also increase. This duty ratio, however, is inversely proportional to the wavelength range the multi-peaked SG mirror can effectively cover, which limits the tuning range of a SG-DBR laser. See the mirror reflectivity peak envelope of FIG. 3 b.
Therefore, what is needed in the art is a sampled grating mirror that covers a wide tuning range with the desired κ, as well as having mirror peaks that do not have substantial power dropoffs at the edges of the band.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
To address the issues described hereinabove, enhanced sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector (SGDBR) mirrors are disclosed and taught in accordance with the present invention. The major concerns when designing a SGDBR or multi-peaked mirror are to achieve the desired coupling constant (κ) and reflectivity (R) for each peak. The explicit details of the mirror design with respect to these values are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,325, issued Jan. 23, 1990, to Larry A Coldren, entitled “MULTI-SECTION TUNABLE LASER WITH DIFFERING MULTI-ELEMENT MIRRORS”, which patent is incorporated by reference herein.
Several references describe structures and methods for achieving wide tuning ranges. These references include:
V. Jayaraman, A. Mathur, L. A. Coldren and P. D. Dapkus, “Theory, Design, and Performance of Extended Tuning Range in Sampled Grating DBR Lasers,” IEEE J. Quantum Elec ., v. 29, (no. 6), pp. 1824-1834, (June 1993);
H. Ishii, H. Tanobe, F. Kano, Y. Tohmori, Y. Kondo, Y. Yoshikuni, “Quasicontinuous Wavelength Tuning in Super-Structure-Grating (SSG) DBR Lasers”, IEEE J. Quantum Elec ., v. 32, (no. 3), pp. 433-441, (March 1996);
I. Avrutsky, D. Ellis, A Tager, H. Anis, and J. Xu. “Design of Widely Tunable Semiconductor Lasers and the Concept of Binary Superimposed Gratings (BSG's)”, IEEE J. Quantum Elec ., v. 34, (no. 4), pp. 729-741, (April 1998);
B. Mason, G. A. Fish, S. P. DenBaars, and L. A. Coldren, “Widely Tunable Sampled Grating DBR Laser with Integrated Electroabsorption Modulator,” Photon. Tech. Letts., 11, (6), 638-640, (June 1999); and
Tennant, D. M., Koch, T. L., Verdiell, J.-M, Feder, K., Gnall, R. P., Koren, U., Young, A. G., Miller, B. I., Newkirk, M. A., Tell, B., Journal of Vacuum Science & Technology B vol. 11, (no. 6), November-December 1993. p. 2509-13.
Each of the proceeding references are incorporated herein by reference, however, they fail to teach or suggest the present invention.
The present invention comprises a specially configured DBR mirror. And such a mirror may be included in a tunable laser. The tunable laser generally comprises a gain section for creating a light beam by spontaneous emission over a bandwidth, a phase section for controlling the light beam around a center frequency of the bandwidth, a waveguide for guiding and reflecting the light beam in a cavity, a front mirror bounding an end of the cavity and a back mirror bounding an opposite end of the cavity wherein gain is provided by at least one of the group comprising the phase section, the front mirror and the back mirror.
This invention relates to the tailoring the reflectivity spectrum of a SGDBR by applying digital sampling theory to choose the way each mirror is sampled. The resulting mirror covers a larger wavelength span and has peaks with a larger, more uniform, coupling constant (κ) than the mirrors produced using conventional approaches. The improved mirror also retains the benefits of the sample grating approach. These embellishments on the SGDBR design provide devices that meet the higher power goals with wide tuning. In addition, most of the embodiments are relatively simple to manufacture.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represent corresponding parts throughout:
FIG. 1 Shows a schematic of a SG-DBR laser illustrating the use of two sampled grating reflectors to form the laser resonator containing a gain and phase shift region.
FIG. 2 illustrates the typical reflectivity spectrum of a sampled-grating mirror showing the multiple peaks and the decrease of the reflectivity at the edges of the spectrum.
FIGS. 3 ( a ) & ( b ) illustrates a schematic diagram and the mathematical representation of the sampled grating reflector. The representation can be thought of the multiplication of grating function and a sampling function.
FIG. 4 gives an example of a very simple modification to the conventional grating that could be used to tailor the envelope of the peak mirror reflectivities, in which a burst of anti-phased grating is positioned properly in front of the 15 st burst of the conventional grating.
FIG. 5 shows a simulation illustrating the effect of the adding a single anti-phased burst to a conventional sampled grating DBR Proper positioning of the anti-phased burst can be used to flatten or modify the conventional spectra.
FIG. 6 illustrates a manipulation of the sampling function that leads to a more desirable multi-peaked sampled-grating reflector, by reversing the phase of the sampling function at the beginning and end of each burst.
FIGS. 7 ( a ) & ( b ) illustrate an example of using the modified sampling function to give a wider wavelength range than the conventional sampling function.
FIGS. 8 ( a ) & ( b ) illustrates an example of using the modified sampling function to give an increase in the κ of the sampled grating mirror over the same wavelength range as the conventional sampling function.
FIG. 9 illustrates the flow chart of the process for designing the sampled grating laser.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown, by way of illustration, an embodiment of the present invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
FIG. 2 depicts a widely-tunable, four-section SG-DBR laser 10 that makes use of two multi-peaked DBR mirrors 12 , 14 , which are formed and configured in accordance with the present invention, to achieve an extended tuning range. Currents are applied to the various electrodes to provide a desired output optical power and wavelength as discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,896,325. As described therein, a current to the gain section 16 creates light and provides gain to overcome losses in the laser cavity, currents to the two differing SG-DBR wavelength-selective mirrors 12 , 14 are used to tune a net low-loss window across a wide wavelength range to select a given mode; and a current to a phase section 18 provides for a fine tuning of the mode wavelength. It should also be understood that the sections 12 , 14 , 16 , 18 are somewhat interactive, so that currents to any will have some effect on the parameters primarily controlled by the others.
An example of the mirror spectra from a conventional pair of mirrors, without the improved configuration, is shown in FIG. 2 . Mathematically, the sampled grating can be thought of as the multiplication of a grating function and a sampling function f(x) , as illustrated in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b . In the conventional design, the sampling function f(x) can only have the value of +1 or 0, due to the technological method used in fabrication. The grating function is also technologically limited to κ's less than 300 cm −1 , to prevent optical scattering.
Examining FIG. 3 , the Fourier transform relation between the square sampling function f(x) of the conventional SG mirror and its sinc sine function mirror peak envelope of reflectivity peaks is clearly obvious. A typical sampled grating includes a plurality of sampled grating portions separated from each other by portions with no grating. The sampled grating can be defined by the length L B of each sampled grating portion and the sampling period Λ. See FIG. 3 a . Modification of the sampling function f(x) to tailor the frequency response F(λ) of the peak envelope is well known to those skilled in the art. In the case of the SG-DBR to be produced with a phase mask the sampling function f(x) can only take the value of 0, 1 or −1, with −1 indicating a phase reversal of the grating function. Thus, sampling function value of −1 indicates a sampled grating portion having a phase opposite that of another sampled grating portion having a value of 1.
The phase mask technology for printing gratings, allows the sampling function to take on a value of +1, 0 and −1, with a manufacturable process that can be used to create sampled grating. Phase masking is well known to those skilled in the art, although this application is new. This invention relates to using this added degree of freedom offered by current phase masking technology to tailor the spectrum of the SG-DBR wavelength-selective mirrors to improve the laser performance.
An embodiment of this invention can be as simple as adding a single anti-phased (i.e. having a phase opposite that of the sampled grating portions 402 A, 402 B) first grating burst portion 400 at the beginning of the first sampled grating portion 402 A of a plurality of sampled grating portions 402 A, 402 B as shown in FIG. 4 . The first grating burst portion 400 is defined by a length L B− and a distance L φ from the first sampled grating portion 402 A. Properly positioned, this first grating burst portion 400 can flatten the multi-peaked reflectivity spectrum or make the reflectivity larger at the edges, as shown in FIG. 5 . These examples are very simple, and more sophisticated tailoring can be achieved identifying the analog sampling function that produces the desired effect and digitizing it using the strategies commonly employed in digital sampling applications.
Another sampling function is shown in the lower half of FIG. 6 . The entire sampled grating portion 600 has a first phase (associated with the L B+ middle length 602 ) and a second phase (associated with the L B− end lengths 604 A, 604 B). Reversing the phase of the grating at the beginning and end of each sampled grating portion 600 can be used to tailor the peak envelope to allow for higher kappa over a larger range. FIGS. 7 a and 7 b illustrate an example of the peak envelopes that would result from the modification discussed in FIG. 6 , showing that the modification produces the intended effect: a mirror with a wider wavelength range and with a larger throughout.
FIGS. 8 a and 8 b show a similar application of the sampling function that produces a mirror with twice the κ over the same tuning range with a much flatter envelope. A more sophisticated and powerful embodiment is to use the phase mask capability to tailor the sampling function to achieve the desired mirror peak spectrum.
FIGS. 7 and 8 show specific modifications to the sampling function used to create sampled-grating mirrors that cover a larger wavelength range and have higher reflectivity than the conventional approach. However, those skilled in the art can manipulate the sampling function within the constraints of the phase mask technology to produce a wide range of desirable changes to the conventional approach. Additionally, as phase masking technology improves, the precision with which one may refine the sampling function will improve as well.
A method to select the configuration of a mirror 12 , 14 and therefore an associated sampling function, is to a) select a preferred κ for the wavelengths of a specific region of the band(s) that are to be used, b) select a preferred tuning range, c) using a sampling function that, when applied to the laser's output, results in the closest fit to the desired κ and output powers.
It is important to realize that one of the advantages of the sampled grating mirrors is that the areas without grating are technologically easier to produce with high tuning efficiency and reliability, as they have no etch damage and less exposed surface area. Therefore, it is desirable that the grating areas (regardless of its phase) occupy only a fraction of the entire mirror.
There are several advantages of this invention over the mirrors disclosed in the prior art. One of the biggest advantages is that the phase between the sampling function and the grating function need not be preserved, allowing the required phase mask to be fabricated with simply holography. In addition, all of the other methods accomplish the peak tailoring through the use of a modified grating that covers the entire surface of the waveguide, whereas this invention preserves the fact that the grating occupies less than 30% of the entire SG mirror. This is very important because it has a direct impact on the tuning efficiency of the mirror. During the fabrication of multi-peaked mirrors the process introduces crystal damage in the grating due to both etching and regrowth. This crystal damage reduces both tuning efficiency and lifetime of the widely tunable laser using these mirrors. It is much easier to produce a damage free surface in waveguide areas without grating, and SG-DBR's were shown to have superior tuning performance over other forms of widely tunable lasers with continuous gratings. Therefore, using the sampling function approach to modify the mirror spectrum is advantageous.
The foregoing description of one or more embodiments of the invention has been presented for the purposes of illustration and description. It 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. It is intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claims appended hereto.
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The present invention relates to the tailoring the reflectivity spectrum of a sampled-grating distributed Bragg reflector (SGDBR) by applying digital sampling theory to choose the way each reflector is sampled. The resulting mirror covers a larger wavelength span and has peaks with a larger, more uniform, coupling constant (κ) than the mirrors produced using conventional approaches. The improved mirror also retains the benefits of the sample grating approach. Additionally, most of the embodiments are relatively simple to manufacture.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/358,183, filed Jul. 20, 1999, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/903,395, filed Jul. 22, 1997, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,588, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/813,055, filed Mar. 7, 1997, that issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,513.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] I. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to absorbent articles. Particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent articles containing macroporous absorbent materials that provide quick absorption and subsequent containment of liquid. More particularly, the present invention relates to absorbent articles containing aerogels.
[0004] II. Description of the Prior Art
[0005] It is often desirable to impregnate, cover, or otherwise treat a base material with an absorbent or adsorbent material to form an absorbent article. Examples are found in children's diapers, adult incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products. Other examples include coated paper tissues, toweling, and surgical bandages.
[0006] The active adsorbent or absorbent materials used to coat a base material may be fibrous, particulate or both. Fluff pulp is a fibrous absorbent well known in the art. However, fluff pulp fibers have limited absorption capacity and as such, do not always meet the expectations of normal use. In addition, fluff pulp fibers are heavy and bulky, and impart these characteristics into products that contain fluff pulp fibers.
[0007] Super adsorbent polymers (hereinafter SAP) in powdered or granular form provide enhanced absorptive capacity over traditional fluff pulp when used alone, or when used in combination with fluff pulp fiber. However, SAP particles that are not well dispersed within an absorbent product undergo a phenomenon known as “gelling” or “gel blocking”.
[0008] Contact of SAP with liquid causes SAP to swell. Upon contact with liquid, SAP polymer particles in close proximity coalesce to create an SAP gel of limited permeability. Once formed, the SAP gel prevents utilization of underlying absorbent by blocking access thereto.
[0009] The effect of SAP gelling on absorption is of particular concern when the absorbent is used in combination with fluff pulp fibers. This problem is made worse by the well-known and often practiced method of bonding a high percentage of SAP particles directly to the fibers contained in the absorbent article.
[0010] In light of the foregoing, there exists a need for improved absorbent articles that are thin, light weight and effective. Still further, there exists a need for adsorbent and absorbent articles free of fluff pulp fibers, having both internal porosity suitable for bulk absorption and subsequent containment of liquid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] The present invention describes an absorbent article comprising a first substrate and a laminate, wherein the laminate comprises a mixture of binder particles and absorbent macroporous particles.
[0012] In addition, the present invention includes the above absorbent article, wherein the binder particles are on average smaller than the absorbent macroporous particles.
[0013] Furthermore, the present invention includes the above absorbent article, wherein at least some of the absorbent macroporous particles are coalesced by the binder particles to each other, to the first substrate, or to both each other and to the first substrate.
[0014] The present invention also includes the above absorbent article further comprising a second substrate on the laminate, optionally wherein at least some of the absorbent macroporous particles are coalesced by the binder particles to the second substrate, and said laminate is in-between the first substrate and the second substrate.
[0015] The present invention also describes an absorbent article, wherein the absorbent macroporous particles are produced by a process comprising the steps of forming a liquid-containing gel, and then removing the liquid from the gel in a way sufficient to produce absorbent macroporous particles.
[0016] This invention will be discussed in greater detail in the description that follows. Additional advantages of the invention will become apparent from this discussion, together with accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] [0017]FIG. 1 is a side plan-view of the adsorbent media of the present invention; and
[0018] [0018]FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an apparatus for the practice of the method of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0019] Referring to the drawings and, in particular, FIG. 1, there is provided an absorbent article generally indicated as 1 . Related absorbent articles and the methods for producing them are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,077,588 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,792,513, which are incorporated herein by reference.
[0020] Absorbent article 1 has a first substrate 6 and optionally a second substrate sometimes referred to as a covering layer or top sheet 7 . First substrate 6 and second substrate 7 may be formed of various materials depending upon the intended application, and need not be formed of the same or similar material within one composite. By way of example only, substrates 6 and/or 7 may be permeable materials such as non-woven fibrous webs, e.g., spun bonded, melt blown or carded materials composed of polyester or polyolefinic fibers. The substrates may also be formed from woven materials. Substrates 6 and/or 7 may optionally be formed wholly or in part from cellulosic materials including tissue or towel stock. In the alterative, substrates 6 and/or 7 may be semi-permeable to liquids, e.g., a membrane, or a porous polymeric film, or can be impermeable to liquids, such as, for example, a plastic film.
[0021] The particular material selected for first substrate 6 and/or second substrate 7 can effect the kinetics of absorption of absorbent article 1 . For example, first substrate 6 and/or second substrate 7 can modify the mean pore size, the overall porosity, and permeability of the absorbent article. They can also provide supplemental absorption, improve tensile strength, flexibility, pleatability, effect wicking and effect fluid distribution within absorbent article 1 .
[0022] Coalesced with first substrate 6 , and optionally with second substrate 7 , is a laminate indicated generally as 2 . Laminate 2 is comprised of absorbent macroporous particles 3 and binder particles 4 . The binder particles 4 coalesce at least some of the absorbent macroporous particles 3 . An amount of binder particles 4 also coalesce at least some of the absorbent macroporous particles 3 to substrate 6 , and optionally to substrate 7 , or to both substrates 6 and 7 .
[0023] The size distribution of the absorbent macroporous particles 3 is typically from about 5 microns to about 5000 microns, preferably from about 140 microns to about 865 microns.
[0024] Any suitable binder material may be employed in this invention. Materials suitable for forming binder particles 4 include, but are not limited to: thermoplastic and/or thermosetting binders. Preferred binder materials are hydrophobic, and include, polyethylene, polypropylene, poly (ethylene vinyl acetate), and nylon.
[0025] Binder particles 4 are on average smaller than the absorbent macroporous particles 3 , generally having a size from about 0.1 microns to about 100 microns. Preferably, binder particles 4 are 4 to 25 times smaller in size, on average, than absorbent macroporous particles 3 .
[0026] Thickness 5 of composite 1 will vary depending on a variety of factors including, the size of absorbent macroporous particles 3 , binder particles 4 , and the quantity of particles 3 and 4 per unit area. Thickness 5 of composite 1 is generally about 0.2 mm to about 10 mm, preferably from about 1 mm to about 2 mm.
[0027] Absorbent macroporous particles 3 have large pores that provide rapid wicking, quick absorption of liquids, and can hold a large amount of fluid within in the absence of traditional absorbent materials such as, for example, fluff pulp. As used herein, the terms macropore or macroporous particle refer to particles having pores of a size from about 90 nanometers to about 1,000 nanometers across.
[0028] Absorbent macroporous particles 3 can be produced in several ways. For example, polyethylene beads containing a chemical crosslinking agent, such as dicumyl peroxide, can be suspended in an aqueous solution and heated to a suitable temperature to trigger a crosslinking reaction. The resultant crosslinked resin is then impregnated with a hydrocarbon or chlorofluorocarbon blowing agent, such as butane. Drying the resin through heating or freeze-drying creates the absorbent macroporous particles.
[0029] Other forms of absorbent macroporous particles 3 include what are generally referred to as aerogels. Aerogels are highly porous materials and typically have a much lower density than other absorbent materials. As used herein, the term “aerogel” includes any highly porous material prepared by removing the liquid from a gel, in such a way that an esseritially dry absorbent macroporous structure of the gel material is retained.
[0030] It is believed that fluids are quickly drawn into absorbent macroporous materials, including aerogels, because of the high capillary attraction created by the large pores of these absorbents. These high capillary attraction forces are due to the fact that absorbent macroporous particles provide a combination of high capillary and osmotic force, with channels that are large enough to provide rapid fluid flow. These macropores, however, being small enough to retain the absorbed fluid, thereby avoiding “rewetting” of the absorbent article 1 .
[0031] The term “aerogel” was coined by S. S. Kistler in U.S. Pat. No. 2,188,007, which is incorporated herein by reference. Kistler produced aerogels from a variety of compounds including cellulose, collodion, gelatin, albumin, alumina, nickel hydroxide, thoria, titania, stannic oxide, magnesium hydroxide, chromic oxide, pyroxylin and various compounds of iron, cobalt, zinc, cadmium, barium, manganese, vanadium and copper. Kistler's method involved forming an aqueous gel or jelly with a gel material, and then exchanging the water with a solvent, typically alcohol, and then exchanging the alcohol in the gel with ethyl ether. The ether containing gel was then submerged in the solvent, and then placed in a pressure vessel. It was then heated under pressure to above the critical point of the solvent. This step filled the gel with gas instead of liquid. The gaseous ether was then allowed to escape from the vessel while maintaining the conditions within the vessel above the critical temperature of the solvent. The result was an expanded but dried gel of low density. Aerogels produced according to this method typically have densities in the range of 0.03 to 0.3 g/cm 3 .
[0032] Xerogels are a type of aerogel in which the liquid has been removed from the gel under supercritical conditions. Hrubesh of The Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory modified the basic technique for forming aerogels by using condensed silica, a base catalyst and supercritical fluid extraction to achieve silica aerogels having an ultra low density of about 0.005 g/cm 3 (See, Robert Pool Science, 247 (1990), at 807).
[0033] Others have produced aerogels by crosslinking polymeric gel materials, such as chitosan. For example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 61-133143, published Jun. 20, 1986, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,833,237 to Kawamura et al., incorporated herein by reference, both refer to crosslinked granular bodies derived from a low molecular weight chitosan crosslinked with diisocyanate.
[0034] Cryogels are another form of aerogel in which the liquid is removed from a frozen gel by sublimation. Cryogels being dried while frozen are macropores due to the particles being pre-swollen prior to liquid removal. This greatly enhances the inter-particle diffusivity of liquids (see U.S. Pat. No. 5,573,994 to Kabra et al.).
[0035] [0035]FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary apparatus used to produce this invention. A supply roll 10 provides a first substrate 12 . Downstream from supply roll 10 is a knurled roller 13 positioned to receive a mixture of absorbent macroporous particles 3 and binder particles 4 , generally indicated as mixture 14 , from hopper 16 . Mixture 14 is applied to the upper surface of substrate 12 as a continuous coating or, alternatively, as a coating in a specific design including, but not limited to, stripes.
[0036] Thereafter, substrate 12 containing mixture 14 is passed through nip 20 between a heated idler roller 22 and a drive roller 24 . Alternatively, before being passed through nip 20 , substrate 12 containing mixture 14 , may be preheated by a pre-heater 50 such as, for example a convection or infrared oven. A pneumatic cylinder 26 is connected via a rod 28 to the axle of idler roller 22 to maintain a desired pressure on substrate 12 containing mixture 14 within nip 20 . In passing through pre-heater 50 , and over the surface of heated roller 22 , mixture 14 is heated to a temperature equal to or greater than the softening temperature of binder particles 4 , but to a temperature below the softening temperature of absorbent macroporous particles 3 . Within nip 20 , an amount of binder particles 4 coalesce under pressure with an amount of absorbent macroporous particles 3 . An amount of binder particles 4 may also coalesce with first substrate 12 .
[0037] Furthermore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a second supply roll 30 of a second substrate 32 , which may be of the same or may be of a different material from that of substrate 12 , is also passed between nip 20 on the top of mixture 14 . An amount of binder particles 4 may also coalesce with second substrate 32 . Upon leaving nip 20 , binder particles 4 cool and harden. The finished composite 34 then passes onto take-up roll 36 .
[0038] By suitable selection of: substrate materials 12 and 32 , binder particles 4 , absorbent macroporous particles 3 , absorbent macroporous particle 3 to binder particle 4 weight ratios, absolute amounts of mixture 14 applied to substrate 12 per unit area, binder particle 4 size, absorbent macroporous particle 3 size, the ratio of binder particle 4 size to absorbent macroporous particle 3 size, heating temperature, nip pressure and linear speed of first substrate 12 , it is possible to vary the composite depth, average porosity, permeability, tensile strength, flexibility, pleatability, draping ability, wicking, absorption, adsorption, or other attributes of the absorbent macroporous composite of the present invention.
[0039] Although the absorbent article of the present invention has been described with respect to one or more particular embodiments, it will be understood that other embodiments of the present invention may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Hence, the present invention is deemed limited only by the appended claims and the reasonable interpretation thereof.
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An absorbent article containing a composite mixture of absorbent macroporous particles and binder particles. Preferably, the absorbent macroporous particles are those having a macroporous structure which allow for the rapid flow of liquid therein, e.g., aerogels, xerogels, cryogels, or mixtures thereof. The absorbent articles produced thereby are preferably thin and lightweight, but maintain an ample rate of absorption allowing for a more rapid uptake of higher volumes of liquids.
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This is a continuation, of application Ser. No. 08/131,191, filed Sep. 13, 1993, abandoned which is hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nonwoven fabrics have been known for many years. Many nonwoven fabrics are produced by forming a web or batt of textile like fibers and treating the fiber batt with binder to hold fibers together and provide some strength to the batt. In other instances a nonwoven fabric may be produced by treating a fiber batt with water streams to cause the fibers to entangle with each other and provide some strength in the batt. Many methods have been developed for treating fiber batts in such a manner in an attempt to duplicate the physical properties and appearance of woven fabrics. While the methods developed for producing non-woven fabrics have produced fabrics with some of the characteristics of woven or knitted fabrics, one property, namely drapability, has been difficult to achieve. None of the nonwoven fabrics produced to date have had the appearance, drapability or flexibility of tricot knit fabrics.
It is an object of the present invention to produce a nonwoven fabric which emulates the appearance and draping characteristics of the tricot knitted fabrics.
It is a further object of the present invention to produce a very drapable nonwoven fabric having good strength in all directions. Further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The nonwoven fabrics of the present invention have an upper surface and a lower surface. Disposed between these surfaces are a plurality of fibers. The fibers are intertwined and interentangled with each other and define a predetermined pattern of openings in the nonwoven fabric. A portion of the openings include a fiber segment loop disposed in the opening. The loop comprises a plurality of substantially parallel fiber segments which are in the shape of a U. The open end of the U is directed towards one surface of the fabric while the closed end of the U is directed towards the opposite surface of the fabric. The nonwoven fabrics of the present invention have excellent drapability and have a drape index in all directions of the fabric of 75 degrees or greater.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of a nonwoven fabric of the present invention enlarged about 20 times, as seen from the upper surface which surface faces away from a support member on which the fabric is formed;
FIG. 2 is a photomicrograph of a nonwoven fabric of the present invention enlarged about 20 times, as seen from the bottom surface which surface is supported on the support member on which the fabric is formed;
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view of one type of apparatus for producing the nonwoven fabrics of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view of another type of apparatus for producing nonwoven fabrics of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one type of topographical support member that may be used in the apparatus depicted in FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 is a photomicrograph of a nonwoven fabric of the present invention at an enlargement of approximately 20 times. The fabric 10 is made from a plurality of fibers. As seen in the photomicrograph, the fibers are intertwined and interentangled and form a pattern of openings 11 in the fabric. A number of these openings include a loop 12 formed from fiber segments. Each loop is made from a plurality of substantially parallel fiber segments. The loop is in the shape of a U with the closed end of the U pointed upwardly towards the upper surface of the fabric as viewed in the photomicrograph. FIG. 2 is a photomicrograph of the opposite surface of the fabric of FIG. 1 at an enlargement of about 20 times. The fibers in the fabric are intertwined and entangled to form a pattern of openings 11 in the fabric. In some of these openings there are U-shaped loops 12 formed from substantially parallel fiber segments. When viewed from this bottom surface of the fabric, the open end of the U-shaped loop is pointed towards the surface of the fabric viewed in this photomicrograph.
FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of apparatus which may be used to produce fabrics of the present invention. The apparatus includes a movable conveyer belt 55. Placed on top of this belt to move with the belt is a topographically configured support member 56. The support member has a plurality of raised three-dimensional areas. Holes or openings extending through the support member are disposed between these three dimensional areas as will be more fully discussed in conjunction with FIG. 5. The fiber web 57 to be treated is disposed or supported at the top of the three dimensional areas. The web may be a web of carded fibers, air laid fibers, melt blown fibers or the like. Above the fiber web is a manifold 58 for applying fluid 59, preferably water, through the fibrous web as the fibrous web is supported on the support member and moved on the conveyer belt beneath the manifold. The water may be applied at varying pressures. Disposed beneath the conveyer belt is a vacuum manifold 60 for removing water from the area as the web and support member are passed under the fluid manifold. In operation, the fiber web is placed on the support member and the fiber web and support member passed under the fluid manifold. Water is applied to the fibers to wet out the fiber web, as to be certain the web is not moved or disrupted from its position on the support member upon further treatment. Thereafter, the support member and web are passed beneath the manifold a series of times. During these passes, the pressure of the water of the manifold is increased from a starting pressure of about 100 psi to pressures of 1000 psi or more. The manifold consists of a plurality of orifices of from about 4 to 100 or more holes per inch. Preferably, the number of the holes in the manifold is 13 to 70 per inch. The holes may have a diameter of from 3/1000 of an inch to 10/1000 of an inch.
In FIG. 4, there is depicted an apparatus for continuously producing fabrics in accordance with the present invention. The schematic representation includes a conveyer belt 80 which serves as a support member in accordance with the present invention. The belt is continuously moved in a counter-clockwise direction about spaced apart members as is well known in the art. Disposed above this belt is a fluid feeding manifold 79 connecting a plurality of lines or groups of orifices 81. Each group has one or more rows of fine diameter holes with 30 or more holes per inch. The manifold is equipped with pressure gauges 88 and control valves 87 for regulating fluid pressure in each line or group of orifices. Disposed beneath each orifice line or group is a suction member 82 for removing excess water and to keep the water from causing undue flooding. The fiber web 83 to be treated and formed into a fabric according to the present invention is fed to the support member conveyer belt. Water is sprayed through an appropriate nozzle 84 onto the fibrous web to prewet the web and aid in controlling the fibers as they pass under the pressure manifolds. A suction box 85 is placed beneath the water nozzle to remove excess water. The fibrous web passes under the fluid feeding manifold with the manifold preferably having progressively increasing pressures. For example, the first line of holes or orifices may supply fluid forces at 100 psi while the next line of orifices may supply fluid forces at a pressure of 300 psi and the last line of orifices may supply fluid forces at a pressure of 700 psi. Though 6 lines of orifices are shown, the number of lines or rows of orifices is not critical, but will depend on the width of the web, the speed, the pressure used, the number of rows and holes in each line, etc. After passing between the fluid feeding and the suction manifolds, the formed fabric is passed over an additional suction box 86 to remove excess water from the web. The support member may be made from relatively rigid material and may comprise a plurality of slats. Each slat extends across the width of the conveyer and has a lip on one side and a shoulder on the opposite side so that the shoulder of one slot engages with the lip of an adjacent slot to allow for movement between adjacent slots and allow for these relatively rigid members to be used in the conveyer configuration shown in FIG. 4. Each orifice strip comprises one or more rows of very fine diameter holes of approximately 7/1000 of an inch. There are approximately 50 holes per inch across the orifice strip.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of one type of support member that may be used to produce the fabrics of the present invention. The member comprises a plate 90 having a plurality of openings 91 extending through the thickness of the plate. The openings are aligned in rows extending the length and width of the plate. The top portion of each opening has a conical shape 92. The conical shape surfaces are relatively smooth with varying undulations as seen in the Figure. The surface formed from the conical shapes is the surface on which the fiber web is placed and treated in accordance with the present invention.
Following is a specific example of a method for producing the fabrics of the present invention.
EXAMPLE
In this Example, the starting web used to make a fabric according to the present invention comprises 100% cotton fibers. The web weighs 2.5 ounces per square yard and comprises a 1.5 ounce per sq. yd. randomized web laminated on top of a 1.0 ounce per sq. yd. carded web. The web is prebonded by placing it on a 100×92 mesh bronze belt and passing the web and belt under columnar water jet streams. The jet streams are produced from 0.007 inch diameter orifices arranged in a row running in the transverse direction or the width of the web. There are 30 orifices per inch. The web is passed under the columnar jet streams at a speed of 92 ft/min. Three passes are made at 100 psig and 9 passes at 900 psig. The web to orifice spacing is 0.75 inch. The pretreated web is removed from the belt surface, turned over and placed on a forming plate as depicted in FIG. 5. The forming plate and web are passed under columnar water jet streams as described above. The plate and web are passed under the jet streams at 90 ft/min. One pass is made at 600 psig and 7 passes at 1400 psig. The resulting fabric is dried on drying cans to remove the water.
As previously mentioned, the fabrics of the present invention have excellent drapability in all directions of the fabric. While drapability may be measured by various techniques, the drapability of the fabrics of the present invention are measured by taking a 12 inch×12 inch square of the fabric and conditioning it for at least 6 hours in a room at a temperature of 70° F. and a relative humidity of 65 percent. The conditioned fabric is placed on a flat, horizontal surface and one edge of the fabric moved over the edge of the surface so that 6 inches of the fabric extends beyond the surface edge and is unsupported by the surface. The angle the fabric deflects from the horizontal surface is measured. This angle is called the drape index of the fabric. The fabrics are tested in the machine direction, the cross direction and at 45 degrees and 135 degrees from the machine direction.
A comparison of the drapability of the fabrics of the present invention with prior art nonwoven fabrics is made. The fabric of the present invention made as described in the previous Example is processed through a binder pad operation and impregnated with 20% acrylic binder pickup and dried on drying cans.
One of the comparative prior art samples is made using the same base web of 21/2 ounces per square yard, the web is treated and formed into a nonwoven fabric as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,485,706. Another comparative sample is made using the 21/2 ounces per square yard base web. The web is treated and formed into a fabric as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,098,764. The fabric of the invention described above and the fabrics made as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,485,706 and 5,098,764 are passed through a jet dyeing process to enhance properties. The process used is a standard dyeing process used on many apparel and home finishing fabrics to soften the fabric and provide uniform color distribution. Such finishing processes are standard in the textile industry and are used with many woven, knit and nonwoven fabrics. The other fabric compared is a commercial entangled nonwoven fabric sold by DuPont under the trademark Sontara. This fabric is made from polyester and pulp fibers which are not as stiff as cotton fibers. The fabric is commercially finished to enhance softness and drapability. Cotton is used in the comparison since it has poor drapability as a result of the stiffness properties of cotton. The drape index of each of the three fabrics is determined by the drapability test previously described. Each of the samples is tested in the machine direction, the cross-direction, and at 45 degrees and 135 degrees to the machine direction. The samples had the following drape indices:
TABLE______________________________________ Fabric of U.S. U.S.Drape Present Pat. No. Pat. No.Index Invention 3,485,706 5,098,764 Sontara______________________________________Machine 80° 65° 75° 72°DirectionCross 87° 85° 85° 84°Direction 45° 81° 63° 77° 66°135° 80° 63° 71° 66°______________________________________
As may be seen from the above table, the fabrics of the present invention have a drapability index of at least 75 degrees and preferably 80 degrees or more in all directions of the fabric. Preferably, the drapability of the fabrics of the present invention, in the machine direction, is at least 80 degrees and in the cross-direction is at least 85 degrees.
Having now described the invention in specific detail and exemplified the manner in which it may be carried into practice, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that many variations, applications, modifications, and extensions of the basic principles involved may be made without departing from its spirit or scope.
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A nonwoven fabric of entangled fibers defining a predetermined pattern of openings with the fabric having excellent draping characteristics.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] The instant application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/817,065 filed Jun. 28, 2006, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
GOVERNMENT CONTRACT
[0002] This invention was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under Contract No. CA 89300. The government has certain rights in the invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] 1. Field of the Invention
[0004] The present invention relates to compounds that are selective chemotherapeutic agents which selectively target folate receptors (FR) of cancerous tumor cells and inhibit GARFTase contained in the cells, particularly types of ovarian cancer cells. Specifically, the present invention relates to fused cyclic pyrimidines, having a long chain CH 2 group between cyclic groups, which themselves selectively target folate receptors (“FR”), particularly FR-alpha of cancerous tumor cells. They also inhibit glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferace enzyme (GARFTase) in tumor cells, where the fused cyclic pyridimines themselves are effective to selectively penetrate inside of the cancerous tumor cells.
[0005] 2. Description of the Prior Art
[0006] Cancer chemotherapy agents as taught, for example in U.S. Pat. No. 5,939,420 (Gangjee), do not specifically selectively target cancer tumor cells. However, chemotherapy agents have targeted both normal and tumor cells. This lack of selectivity for tumor cells results in cytotoxicity to the normal cells and is also one of the major causes of chemotherapeutic failure in the treatment of cancer. Further, advanced stage and platinum resistant tumors may be difficult to treat with traditional chemotherapeutic agents such as, but not limited to, carboplatin or paclitaxel (docitaxel). Other documents in this area include J. Med. Chem. 48 (16), 5329-5336, web release date Jul. 9, 2005 “Synthesis of Classical Four-Carbon Bridged 5-Substituted Furo-[2-3-d]-Pyrimidine and 6-Substituted Pyrrolo-[2,3-d]-Pyrimidine Analogues as Antifolates” by A. Gangjee et al.
[0007] As is known in the prior art, a type of folate receptor FR, FR-alpha, is overexpressed on a substantial amount of certain surfaces of a number of cancerous tumors including, but not limited to, ovarian, endometrial, kidney, lung, mesothelioma, breast, and brain tumors.
[0008] In most normal tissues, the FR-alpha is not present. In most normal tissues, folic acid is not taken up by normal cells by way of a reduced folate carrier system (RFC). In light of the specificity of the folic acid, conjugates of folic acid have been used in the prior art to selectively deliver toxins, liposomes, imaging and cytotoxic agents to FR-alpha expressing tumors.
[0009] However, one of the major limitations of the foregoing, such as cytotoxic-folic acid conjugates, is that this requires cleavage from the folic acid moiety to release the cytotoxic drug. Even more importantly, premature release of the cytotoxic agent during the transport before reaching the tumor destroys selectivity and thereby leads to undesired toxicity in normal cells. This is a very serious detriment scientifically and commercially.
[0010] Further, if the folic acid moiety of the cytotoxic-folic acid conjugate is difficult to cleave, then the anti-tumor activity is hindered as a result of the inability or reduced ability to release the cytotoxic agent. Accordingly, treatment of the tumor cells with the cytotoxic agent is either hindered or rendered nil as a result of the difficulty in cleaving the cytotoxic agent moiety from the folic acid-based conjugate.
[0011] In spite of the foregoing prior art, however, there remains a very real need for compositions that selectively target the FR of tumor cells.
[0012] An object of this invention is to provide compositions for selectively targeting FR, particularly FR-alpha, of tumor cells with a cancer-treating agent targeting the GARFTase enzyme.
[0013] In a related object, the compound does not contain conjugated compositions and does not need cleavage to release a cytotoxic drug.
[0014] In yet another related object, the compound will allow penetration into the cancerous cells expressing FR, that is, FR-alpha and/or FR-beta, but not into a cell using the reduced folate carrier system (RFC).
[0015] Another object of this invention is to provide a non-toxic FR targeting compound to the cancerous tumor in the process of treating a patient.
[0016] Another object of this invention is to efficiently target a cancerous tumor.
[0017] Another object of this invention is to utilize an essentially noncompound useful in treating a cancerous tumor.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0018] The present invention has filled the above described need and satisfied the above objects by providing a narrow range of compounds that selectively target the FR of tumor cells. Other folate receptors of the FR-beta type are overexpressed on surfaces of myeloid leukemia cancerous tumors. The term “FR” used herein includes receptors selected from the group consisting of FR-alpha, FR-beta and mixtures thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the compositions selectively target FR-alpha and beta of cancerous tumor cells.
[0019] Very significantly, the cancer-treating compound is not significantly taken up by a cell or tissue using the RFC system.
[0020] The cancer-treating agent is a fused cyclic pyrimidine and is used to selectively target FR of ovarian tumors, advanced stage cancerous tumors that express FR receptors and drug-resistant tumors such as, but not limited to, those resistant to carboplatin, paclitaxel, and/or docitaxel. The receptors are preferably FR-alpha and beta types.
[0021] More specifically, the invention relates to a compound that is useful in inhibiting GARFTase in a cancerous tumor of a patient consisting essentially of: the fused cyclic pyrimidine shown in FIG. 1( a ) and ( b ), where n=5-8 alkyl chain carbons between the major ring groups, I and II; wherein the compound is effective to selectively target a FR cancerous tumor, where due to the use of long chain carbons, n=5-8, the fused cyclic pyrimidine targets primarily cancerous tumors which contain FR to inhibit GARFTase within the tumors.
[0022] The distance and orientation of the side chain p-aminobenzoyl-L-glutamate moiety with respect to the pyrimide ring are extremely important for biological activity; hence, n=5-8 in FIGS. 1( a ) and ( b ) provide surprisingly unique results. Here the fused cyclic pyrimidine acts as carrier, targeting and cancer treating agent. No conjugating of a separate cancer treating agent to the fused cyclic pyrimidine is required.
[0023] The invention will be more fully understood by review of the drawings in view of the following detailed description of the invention, and the claims appended thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1( a ) shows a general chemical formula for the fused cyclic pyrimide used in the method of this invention, where “L-Glu” is a L-Glutamic Acid (or L-Glutamate) group based on an amino acid having the formula C 5 H 9 —NH 4 ; and
[0025] FIG. 1( b ) shows another description of the formula of FIG. 1( a ), where n is the total number of CH 2 groups between the major cyclic/ring groups, such groups shown as I and II.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0026] As used herein, “tumor” refers to an abnormal growth of cells or tissues of the malignant type, unless otherwise specifically indicated and does not include a benign type tissue. The “tumor” may comprise of at least one cell and/or tissue. The term “inhibits or inhibiting” as used herein means reducing growth/replication. As used herein, the term “cancer” refers to any type of cancer, including ovarian cancer, leukemia, lung cancer, colon cancer, CNS cancer, melanoma, renal cancer, prostate cancer, breast cancer, and the like. As used herein, the term “patient” refers to members of the animal kingdom including but not limited to human beings. The fused cyclic pyrimidine of the invention has six unique properties: 1) inhibition of FR-alpha and beta cancerous tumors, 2) a lack of appreciable uptake by the RFC; 3) ability to act itself as a cancer treating agent; 4) ability to penetrate cancerous tumors having folate receptors; 5) ability to function as a substrate of folylpolyglutamate synthetase (FPGS) thereby being trapped in tumor cells; and 6) inhibition of GARFTase. The fused cyclic pyrimidine of this invention targets cancers with certain receptors, and is practically non-toxic. These fused cyclic pyrimidines are taken into the tumor cells.
[0027] Selectivity of the fused cyclic pyrimidine is made possible since most normal cells do not have FRs. FR-alpha is the most widely expressed receptor isoform in adult tissue. FR-alpha occurs at the apical (i.e., luminal) surface of epithelial cells where it is not supplied by folate in the circulation and does not take it up into the cell.
[0028] Embodiments of the invention follow. The fused cyclic pyrimidine where n=5-8 has a particular affinity for the receptors such as FR or FR-alpha or FR-beta_which are mainly present on the surface of cancerous tumor cells and not other types of folate transport systems that are more predominant on the surface of normal cells. In other words, the fused cyclic pyrimidine of this invention having long chain CH 2 where n=5-8, preferably is not taken up to an appreciable degree by the reduce folate carrier (RFC) system. FR-alpha and beta receptors are generally not expressed in normal cells. The fused cyclic pyrimidine stays inside of the cancerous tumor cell for an adequate amount of time to kill the tumor cell. This occurs by way of polyglutamylation and the multi ionic form of the fused cyclic pyrimidine itself inside of the tumor cell. The fused cyclic pyrimidine also disrupts the replication process of the cancerous tumor cell, thereby inhibiting the growth of FR-alpha expressing cancerous tumor cells.
[0029] The foregoing embodiments are enabled by way of a glycinamide ribonucleotide formyltransferase (“GARFTase”) inhibition. GARFTase is an enzyme which is essential to DNA synthesis of normal and cancerous tumor cells.
[0030] Here the fused cyclic pyrimidine itself has a high affinity for the FR-alpha receptors which are overexpressed on the surface of cancerous tumor cells. The fused cyclic pyrimidine passing into the cancerous tumor cells inhibits GARFTase activity and inhibits DNA synthesis. Accordingly, the targeted tumor cells which overexpress FR-alpha are prevented from replicating and are killed.
[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the fused cyclic pyrimidine has a significantly greater affinity for FR-alpha expressing cells compared with cells that do not express FR-alpha. Accordingly, the fused cyclic pyrimidine would have a greater affinity for cells which overexpress FR-alpha (i.e., certain cancerous tumor cells as described in more detail above) but also has an affinity for FR-beta cells.
[0032] At present, there appears to be no other agents known with the above-described six attributes in a single chemotherapy agent and therefore the presently invented compositions are unique with regard to other GARFTase or FR-alpha targeting agents, including any known agent in clinical or investigational use.
[0033] Moreover, other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification be considered as exemplary only.
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A compound for treating cancer tumors, particularly ovarian cancer tumors, is described, where a fused cyclic pyrimidine having a cancer treating ability is effective to allow selective delivery to a cancerous tumor.
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The United States Government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-AC04-76DP00789 between the Department of Energy and AT&T Technologies, Inc.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Nonvolatile semiconductor memories have the property of storing a charge while power is removed from the memory. Prior art devices, conventionally manufactured from silicon, generally have relatively slow write/clear operations because they require charge conduction through insulators, a process that limits lifetimes because of material damage. A typical prior art nonvolatile memory is described in S. M. Sze, Physics of Semiconductor Devices, 2nd Ed., John Wiley & Sons, 1981, pg. 496.
F. Capasso et al., "New Floating-Gate AlGaAs/GaAs Memory Devices . . . ", IEEE Electron Device Letters, Vol. 9, No. 8, August 1988, discloses a Type III/V floating gate memory. This memory differs significantly from the invention in that charge is put into and removed from the memory through a vertically displaced gate, rather than through the horizontal edges of a storage cell. Capasso also does not provide protection from ionizing radiation in the manner of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a nonvolatile memory where charge is controllably confined in a quantum well formed by a double heterojunction.
It is another object of this invention to provide a field effect transistor (FET) acting as a nonvolatile memory element.
It is also an object of this invention to provide a nonvolatile memory FET, controlled through standard FET action, where charge flows only along, never perpendicular to, a channel in the gate region.
Additional objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following description or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and attained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
To achieve the foregoing and other objects, and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, the present invention may comprise a nonvolatile semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor substrate; a storage channel; a first barrier layer between the storage channel and the substrate surface; a second barrier layer covering the opposite surface of the storage channel; and isolation means for controllably permitting charge to flow into or out of the boundaries or perimeter of a storage portion of the storage channel, and for retaining charge in the storage portion. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the isolation means is a Schottky barrier formed by a metal ring in a groove in the second barrier around the perimeter of the storage portion. Application of a voltage to the ring controls the flow of current through the isolation means into and out of the storage channel. The device also may include a sense channel extending under the storage channel between the first barrier layer and the substrate, a gate electrode radially inside and vertically above the storage area, and external electrodes for passing current through the sense channel. The device functions as a field effect transistor (FET), the flow of current through the sense channel being affected by the presence of stored charge in the storage channel. The isolation means is spaced sufficiently from the sense channel to not impede current through the sense channel.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of the specification, illustrate an embodiment of the present invention and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of two embodiments of a charge storage cell of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a FET in accordance with the first embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a top view of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The basic concept of this invention is that charge may be confined in a compound semiconductor by a quantum well formed by the different energy band gaps of adjacent layers. This confined charge is also protected from ionizing radiation by additional heterojunctions. The basic storage unit described herein can be used as the central component for nonvolatile memories, charge coupled devices, dynamic RAMs, or any other device that depends on stored charge for operation.
FIG. 1 shows two embodiments of storage cell 10 to include a compound semiconductor formed on a buffer/substrate 12 including a storage channel 20 having a first surface 18 and a second surface 28, a first barrier layer 14 between buffer/substrate 12 and first surface 18, and a second barrier layer 30 covering second surface 28. The barrier layers 14, 30 are made of materials having a greater energy band gap than the material of storage channel 20. As a result, any charge which enters channel 20 from an edge is confined vertically in the figure to channel 20 in a manner well known in this art.
According to the invention, charge will be placed in channel 20 by any known manner (not shown). To confine charge horizontally in channel 20, perimeter 22 is constructed to electrically "pinch off" the channel and restrain the charge in central storage portion 24. To controllably release the stored charge, an electrical signal is applied to perimeter 22 to cause conduction in channel 20 as discussed hereinafter.
FIG. 1 shows two embodiments of isolation means for closing perimeter 22. Embodiment "A" utilizes a Schottky barrier and is illustrated at the left side of the figure; embodiment "B" utilizes a heterojunction and is shown on the right side. In practice, the construction of either embodiment would be symmetric around the centerline of the figure and would define the boundaries or perimeter of a storage portion 24.
In either embodiment, a groove 32 is cut in second barrier layer around at least a portion of perimeter 22.
For the preferred embodiment "A" (illustrated on the left side of the figure), a metal ring 36 is placed in groove 32A to form a Schottky barrier to "pinch off" channel 20. The depth of the bottom 34A of groove 32A is selected to provide adequate Schottky "pinch off" of channel 20.
An approximate expression for barrier height, V p , along the channel due to the Schottky contact is given by:
V.sub.p ≃φM-ΔE.sub.c -qN.sub.D d.sup.2 /2ε
where φ M is the Schottky barrier height, ΔE c is the conduction band offset at the wide bandgap barrier 30 and channel 20, N D and ε, respectively, are the doping level and the dielectric constant of the barrier layer 30.
For embodiment "B" (illustrated on the right side of the figure), the bottom 34B of groove 32B is cut into storage channel 20 and groove 32B is filled with a second material to form a heterojunction to confine the charge. Molecular beam epitaxy regrowth techniques exist for separate growths of the layered structure, which structure may be removed from the reactor and etched, followed by additional growth steps. Localized alloy formation produced by selected area diffusion or ion implantation and annealing could also be used to construct this embodiment.
For either embodiment, the storage barriers may be altered for the movement of charge into or out of storage portion 24 by the application of a control voltage to either ring 36 or material 38 through a contact means 35. This voltage changes the Schottky barrier (φ M ) and reduces V p . In addition, a gate contact 40 may be utilized to detect the presence or absence of stored charge in storage portion 24 of storage channel 20 by measuring the capacitance of the device.
For sufficiently thick barrier layers, there are two primary leakage mechanisms which determine the storage time of the invention.
The first mechanism is thermal emission over the quantum well potential of the barrier layer. The relevant rate equation is
dn.sub.s /dt=n.sub.s /τ.sub.B,
where
τ.sub.B =d(2m.sup.* π/kT).sup.1/2 e(-qΔE.sub.c /kT)
and n s is the area density of stored charge, d is the well thickness, and m * is the effective mass of the channel electrons. For storage on the order of one hour at room temperature, a barrier of about 1 volt is needed. A barrier of about 1.25 volts will provide more than 10 years storage time.
The second mechanism is recombination, which is represented by
dn.sub.s /dt=n.sub.s /τ.sub.R
where n s is the area density and τ R represents the stored carrier lifetime. A semiconductor having the property of spatially separating the energy minimums for electrons and holes is known as a Type II semiconductor. This property increases τ R and suggests that such materials would be advantageous for use in the nonvolatile memory of this invention.
Ionization radiation could be a potential problem for quantum well confinement as it can introduce carriers for recombination with the stored charge. This effect may be minimized by placing Type I semiconductor quantum wells (i.e., a semiconductor having the property that energy minima for electrons and holes occur at the same location) above and below the storage channel. The Type I material will trap both holes and electrons created by the ionizing radiation and allow recombination to occur before these photogenerated carriers can drift or diffuse to the storage vicinity.
The storage cell of the invention may be made from many materials able to form a quantum well on the multilayer structure described above. Group III/V semiconductors are especially well suited for use with the invention. In particular, the barrier layers may be AlAs or AlSb, while the storage layer may be GaAs or InAs. In addition, the invention may be formed of combinations of group III/V semiconductors, such as Ga x In 1-c As. Deeper wells can be formed with II-VI compounds such as ZnSe grown on GaAs. Schottky barriers above 1 V on n- type GaAs are observed for Pt, and wider bandgap materials should increase this value. Both lattice matched and strained layer systems may be used in the practice of this invention.
For lattice matched structures, typical layer thicknesses would be on the order of 500 Angstroms; in strained layer applications layer thickness would be below 100 Angstroms.
The storage cell of this invention may be utilized as part of a MODFET (modulation doped FET) such as FET 50 shown in FIG. 2. In a preferred embodiment, FET 50 includes a sense channel 46 for carrying current between sense contact means such as conventional spaced source electrode 42 and drain electrode 44. An external current source is connected to sense channel 46 through Ohmic drain contacts 52, 54. The flow of current through sense channel 46 is regulated by the application of an external voltage to a control gate, preferably gate 40 of the storage cell, in a manner well known to those skilled in this art. The sense channel is spaced a sufficient distance from the isolation means so that the isolation means do not control the flow of charge through the sense channel.
FET 50 differs from a conventional FET described above with the addition of storage cell 10. In particular, storage channel 20 extends between two spaced storage contact means, preferably source 42 and drain 44. Channel 20 is spaced from sense channel 46 by first barrier layer 14, and spaced from gate 40 by second barrier layer 30. Isolation ring 36, in groove 32, serves to control current flow between storage portion 24 and drain 44, while isolation ring 37, in groove 33, serves to control current flow between storage portion 24 and source 42. Sense channel 46 may be grown directly upon buffer/substrate 60, or separated therefrom by a third barrier layer 56.
FET 50 is shown to be symmetrical about a centerline passing through the center of source 42. Each of grooves 32, 33, gate 40, and drain 54 may define the storage cell 10 as a square, circle, rectangle, or other closed shape. Preferably, each of these items is concentric with the other items around source 42.
FIG. 3 illustrates a rectangular version of FET 50 when viewed from the top and illustrates the appearance of the invention when rotated about the center of the source 42 as shown in FIG. 2. The layers underlying the second barrier layer 30 which comprise the storage channel 20, the first barrier layer 14, the sense channel 46, a third barrier layer 56 and buffer/substrate 60 cannot be seen. Illustrated as extending from the center is the source 42, isolation ring 36 in groove 32, gate 40, isolation ring 37 in groove 33 and drain 54 with the second barrier layer 30 interposed between each of the above elements.
In operation, Schottky isolation rings 36, 37 are spaced sufficiently close to storage channel 20 to be able to electrically close portions 22, restraining charge in channel 20 to doughnut-shaped storage portion 24 when power is removed from FET 50. The store operation (write) is accomplished by raising the voltage on both isolation rings and connecting source 42, drain 44, and gate 40 to a common (high) potential. Charge is cleared from storage portion 24 (clear) by raising the potential of only isolation ring 36 next to drain 44, which electrode is connected to high potential while gate 40 is grounded.
The presence or absence of stored charge in storage portion 24 is sensed by measuring either the threshold voltage of FET 50 or the current through sense channel 46. For example, the simplest operation occurs for transistor parameters chosen such that the area of sense channel 46 under the storage portion 24 is "pinched off" when charge is stored, a condition which occurs when the voltage, ΔV, due to stored charge
ΔV=(d/ε)n.sub.s
is approximately equal to the conduction band offset for sense channel 46. When this condition is met, connecting the source and gate to ground and the drain to a supply voltage will result in current flow from source to drain with no charge stored, and no current flow with charge in storage portion 24, independent of gate voltage.
FET 50 may preferably be epitaxially grown from the Group III/V materials discussed above.
The particular sizes and materials discussed above are cited merely to illustrate a particular embodiment of this invention. It is contemplated that the use of the invention may involve components having different sizes and shapes as long as the principle of edge confinement of charge in a storage channel is followed. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto.
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A layered semiconductor device with a nonvolatile three dimensional memory comprises a storage channel which stores charge carriers. Charge carriers flow laterally through the storage channel from a source to a drain. Isolation material, either a Schottky barrier or a heterojunction, located in a trench of an upper layer controllably retains the charge within the a storage portion determined by the confining means. The charge is retained for a time determined by the isolation materials' nonvolatile characteristics or until a change of voltage on the isolation material and the source and drain permit a read operation. Flow of charge through an underlying sense channel is affected by the presence of charge within the storage channel, thus the presences of charge in the memory can be easily detected.
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This application claims priority from provisional patent application 60/087,766 filed on Jun. 2, 1998.
STATEMENT AS TO RIGHTS TO INVENTIONS MADE UNDER FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
This work was supported, in part, by NIH Grants 5T32EM-07598-18 and GM-32308. The government of the United States of America may have some rights in this invention.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention relates to the use of self-assembled monolayers attached to surfaces for the detection and probing of target molecule structure and function.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Combinatorial chemistry techniques are used to synthesize diverse “libraries” of unique chemical compounds. These small molecule libraries often yield drug candidates that are capable of binding a specific biological target but because of their small size and relative simple chemical makeup, they characteristically interact with the target in a low affinity interaction. These low affinity interactions cannot adequately compete with larger more diverse natural ligands, like proteins and protein complexes, and thus provide little therapeutic value. Natural products, which are naturally occurring organisms isolated from soils, yeast, marine organisms, and the like are larger and chemically more interesting than small molecules from combinatorial libraries. Natural products are routinely screened for therapeutic activity against disease-related organisms. Many cancer drugs have been identified in this way. The problem with developing a natural product for the drug market is that they are large and chemically complicated, which means that elaborate and expensive schemes for their synthesis must be developed. Identifying a synthetic scheme that is commercially feasible is a technical challenge that at best takes years and millions of dollars to accomplish and at worst cannot be done. For this reason, there is interest in enhancing the affinity between small molecule drugs and their biologically relevant targets.
Knowles and colleagues, at Harvard, reported that they could enhance the binding affinity of a small molecule for a particular target by attaching a “greasy tail” to the small molecule. This hydrophobic tail was later shown to interact with a hydrophobic patch on the target molecule adjacent to the binding site.
Many biologically relevant target molecules present more than one binding site for a particular ligand. Some present pseudo identical binding sites with which they bind natural ligands that contain “repeats” of a binding motif. It is known that bivalent interactions (like antibody interactions) are higher affinity interactions than monovalent interactions, due to the cooperative binding effect. Therefore, one would like to link several small molecule drugs together to form a pseudo multivalent drug that would interact more strongly with a multi-binding-site target molecule. The problem with this logic is that the enthalpic advantage of the additional binding energy is offset by the large entropic energy cost of ordering the connected binding moieties. However, making the linker between the binding moieties a rigid linker would introduce order and thus minimize the entropic cost to yield a higher affinity interaction. In order to connect two binding moieties (the small molecule drugs) with a rigid linker, in a geometry that would encourage its binding to the target molecule, one would need to know apriori the distance between the binding sites on the target molecule. This inter-binding-site distance information is currently derived from X-ray or NMR structure determination of the target molecule. This process is time-consuming (years) and expensive.
The subject of this invention is how (self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) can be used to present discrete binding moieties, at varying densities, in a rigid 2-dimensional array, to multivalent target molecules in order to promote a higher affinity, cooperative interaction. Ligand densities within the SAM are varied to determine the critical distance between binding moieties that will promote simultaneous, cooperative binding of the target molecule. By monitoring the kinetics of binding events between the target molecule and the variable density ligand surfaces, one can empirically determine the lowest surface density that prompts a large shift in affinity for the multivalent target molecule. One can then use Poisson statistics to infer the distance between surface-immobilized ligands and thus also the distance between the binding sites on the target molecule. Once this distance information has been deduced, it can be used to rationally design bi- or multi-valent drugs or rigid-linkers to connect two binding moieties. Alternatively, the SAM itself can become a part of the “drug”; in this case, the SAM is used as the “rigid linker” between binding moieties to present multiple binding motifs, at the empirically determined critical density, to promote the higher affinity cooperative interaction. The SAM, presented ligands and underlying gold (may be gold colloids) are both the drug and the drug delivery system. Inert thiols of the SAMs can be terminated with lipid-like groups to facilitate drug delivery. Similarly, a biospecific ligand could be incorporated (at varying densities) into a liposome, at the critical presentation density determined, and used directly as a multivalent drug in its own delivery system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Self-assembled monolayers are used as a rigid 2-dimensional matrix for presenting binding moieties, at varying distances from each other, to a target molecule. Two-component SAMs incorporate an inert spacer molecule and a biospecific molecule that can directly or indirectly present a binding moiety to a target molecule. The distance between the biospecific molecules in the array, the ligand density, is controlled by manipulating the concentrations of the two component thiols in solution before deposition onto gold. The affinity of the interaction between the surface immobilized ligands and the multivalent target molecule is monitored as a function of ligand density. The lowest ligand surface density that elicits a jump in affinity for the target molecule contains the critical information needed to extract the distance between binding sites on the target molecule. The dimensions of the hexagonal tiling pattern formed when the sulfurs from the thiols bind to gold solid are known. Therefore, Poisson statistics can be used to infer the distance between surface immobilized ligands, and thus the inter-binding-site distance on the target molecule, from the concentrations of the thiols in solution. Further, the gold surface itself and the attached SAM can be used as a scaffold to present binding moieties, in a controlled, higher affinity geometry, to a target molecule.
In a preferred embodiment, SAMs are generated that incorporate two thiol types: 1) an inert-tri-ethylene glycol-terminated thiol and 2) a nitrilo tri-acetic acid (NTA) terminated thiol that when complexed with Ni, captures histidine-tagged proteins or peptides. The density of NTA-thiol within the SAM is varied to present varying densities of a histidine-tagged binding moiety to a multi-valent target molecule. The affinity of the interaction is plotted as a function of ligand density within the SAM. A dramatic increase in the binding affinity occurs at a critical surface density when the presented ligands are close enough to each other to simultaneously bind to a common target molecule. The solution concentrations of the two thiol types and the dimensions of the tiling pattern that the thiols form on the gold substrate are input into Poisson distribution equations to extract the probable distance between binding sites on a target molecule.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows the predicted structure of mixed self-assembled monolayers made by doping a thiol solution with a nitriloacetic acid terminated thiol.
FIG. 2 shows the results of the binding of hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) to GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) peptide surfaces of differing densities.
FIG. 3 shows the binding of TBP (SEQ ID NO:2) target protein as a function of peptide surface density.
FIG. 4 shows that the binding of hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) to surface immobilized GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) is a non-linear function of the surface density of the peptide.
FIG. 5 shows the three possible mechanistic models for describing the interaction of TBP (SEQ ID NO:11) with reiterated peptide activation motifs.
FIG. 6 shows titration curves summarizing competitive inhibition experiments designed to measure the kinetics of hTBPc-peptide activation motif binding.
FIG. 7 shows that TATA sequence DNA bound to hTBP (SEQ ID NO:12) does not inhibit the interaction of hTBP with GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:14).
FIG. 8 shows that there is a synergistic increase in affinity between hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) in solution and surface-bound GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) when the density of immobilization is increased from 3.8% to 5.7%.
FIG. 9 shows competitive inhibition experiments demonstrating that 2X (SEQ ID NO:11) ligands behave very differently in solution versus when immobilized.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Variable density nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA)-SAMs were used to probe the binding site(s) of a biologically important molecule, the human general transcription factor-TATA box binding protein (hTBP) [Burley, S. K. and Roeder, R. G. (1996) Biochemistry and structural biology of transcription factor IID (TFIID). Annu. Rev. Biochem . 65:769-799]. This transcription factor has been implicated as a direct target of transcriptional activators such as VP16 [Ingles, J. C., M. Shales, W. D. Cress, S. J. Triezenberg and J. Greenblatt. (1991) Reduced binding of TFIID to transcriptionally compromised mutants of VP16 . Nature . 351:588-590]. In fact, the need for,an activator is eliminated when TBP is artificially tethered to a DNA promoter [Xiao, H., J. D. Friesen and J. T. Lis. 1995. Recruiting TATA-binding protein to a promoter: transcriptional activation without an upstream activator. Mol. and Cell. Biol . 15(10):5757-5761].
Transcriptional activator proteins are modular in that they have functionally separable domains [Brent, R. and M. Ptashne. (1985) A Eukaryotic transcriptional activator bearing the DNA specificity of a prokaryotic repressor. Cell . 43:729-736], a DNA binding domain, and an activating region. The structures of TBP [Nikolov, D. B., H. Chen, E. D. Halay, A. A. Usheva, K. Hisatake, D. K. Lee, R. G. Roeder and S. K. Burley. (1995) Crystal structure of a TFIIB-TBP-TATA element ternary complex. Nature . 377:119-128] and several activator DNA binding domains [Marmorstein, R., M. Carey, M. Ptashne, and S. C. Harrison. 1992. DNA recognition by Ga14: structure of a protein/DNA complex. Nature . 356:408-414; Ellenberger et al., 1992; and Baleja, J. D., R. Marmorstein, S. C. Harrison and G. Wagner. 1992]. The structure of the DNA-binding domain of Cd2-Gal4 from Saccaromyces cervisiae in solution has been solved, yet the structure of an activating region, alone or complexed with a target molecule has remained elusive. Fundamental questions as to how an activating region effects gene transcription remain unanswered. One mechanistic model of gene activation proposes that DNA-bound activators trigger transcription by merely “recruiting” some necessary factor, perhaps TBP, to the promoter through direct contact with the activating region [Triezenberg, S. J., 1995. Structure and function of activation domains. Curr. Opin. Genet. Dev ., 5(2): 190-196]. Another model proposes that activating regions induce a conformational change in a target protein(s) [Sheldon and Reinberg, 1995] or sequentially perform some function until a threshold is reached which catalyzes gene transcription.
In eukaryotes, more than one DNA-tethered activator is typically required to achieve activated transcription and that multiply bound activators transcribe synergistically [Lin, Y. S., M. Carey, M. Ptashne and M. R. Green. (1990) How different eukaryotic transcriptional activators can cooperate promiscuously. Nature 345:359-361]. Cryptic repeats of minimal activation motifs have been identified in eukaryotic activators that, when tandemly reiterated and tethered to DNA, efficiently activate transcription in vitro [Blair et al., 1994; Tanaka, M. and W. Herr, (1994) Reconstitution of transcriptional activation domains by reiteration of short peptide segments reveals the modular organization of a glutamine-rich activation domain. Mol. Cell. Biol . 14(9):6056-6067]. An eight amino acid minimal activation motif (DFDLDMLG) (SEQ ID NO:10) derived from the prototypic mammalian activator VP16 was recently identified [Tanaka, M. (1996) Modulation of promoter occupancy by cooperative DNA binding and activation-function is a major determinant of transcriptional regulation by activators in vivo. Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA . 93(9):4311-4315]. As an exemplary embodiment, this invention describes novel biophysical methods to quantitate the kinetics, as well as investigate the mechanism, of the interaction between hTBP and tandem repeats of the VP 16 minimal motif.
The interactions were characterized by SPR in a BIAcore instrument. SPR is a fairly new optical technique for the real time detection and kinetic analysis of intermolecular interactions [Liedberg, B., C. Nylander and L. Lundstrom. (1983) Surface plasmon resonarce for gas detection and biosensing. Sens. Actuators . 4(2):299-304; Daniels et al., 1988; Lofas, S. and Johnsson, B. (1990) A novel hydrogel matrix on gold surfaces in surface plasmon resonance sensors for fast and efficient covalent immobilization of ligands. J Chem. Soc., Chem. Commun.: 1526-1528]. The basis of the technology is as follows: ligands are immobilized on a surface; putative target molecules are flowed over this surface; the protein concentration at the solution-surface interface changes as target binds ligand. The increased protein mass at the interface causes a change in the optical properties of the system. The amount of new protein recruited to the interfacial region can be quantitated by measuring the change in the angle at which light reflected off the interface is a minimum [for a review see Bamdad, C. 1997. Surface plasmon resonance for measurements of biological interest. Current Protocols in Molecular Biology 20.4.1-20.4.12.]. Changes in this angle are measured in resonance units (RUs) where 1 RU is defined as a change of 1/10,000th of a degree. A rule of thumb is that for a distance of about 150 mn from the interface, 1 ng protein/mm 2 registers 10 3 RUs.
SAMs were generated that incorporated an NTA group for the specific binding of histidine-tagged peptides. The density of NTA in the SAM was varied so that different amounts of a His-tagged activation motif could be presented to TBP, in solution. SPR was used to quantitate avidity effects between TBP and surface-bound peptides as a function of peptide density.
FIG. 1 shows mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) that were generated by doping a thiol solution with an NTA-terminated thiol and designed to capture histidine-tagged proteins. Sulfur atoms deposit on gold substrates in a hexagonal tiling pattern 4.99 Å on edge with three possible positions for thiol deposition per hexagon. If it is assumed that in a well-ordered SAM all sites are occupied, Poisson statistics can be used to calculate an average distance between NTA-thiols for a given NTA concentration. Equation (1) calculates how many hexagons must be filled before two NTA-thiols are deposited. For a 3.8% NTA-thiol concentration in solution, relative to EG 3 -thiol, an average of 17.5 hexagons must be filled before 2 NTA ligands appear. For a 5.7% NTA solution, 11.7 hexagons must be filled before an average of two NTA ligands are deposited. The area of a hexagon 4.99 Å on edge is 64.69 Å 2 which is equal to the area of a square, 8.04 Å on edge. NTA ligands on SAMs formed from a 3.8% NTA-thiol solution would be an average of 29 Å apart, while NTA ligands in a SAM formed from a 5.7% NTA-thiol solution would be 23 Å apart. It was assumed that the concentration of NTA-thiol in solution was equal to its concentration in the SAM; see FIG. 2 of Sigal et al., 1996.
FIG. 2 shows that hTBPc in solution will not bind to GST-2X peptide surfaces unless peptides are immobilized close to one another. The BIAcore SPR instrument records changes in the angle of minimum reflectance (RUs) as a function of time. Reagents are flowed over individual flow cells of the SAM. The “square waves” represent injections of protein “plugs” that interrupt the constant buffer flow. An association constant can be derived from an analysis of the initial phase of the injection and a dissociation rate can be extracted from analysis of the system as it returns to buffer flow. GST-2X or 4 X (SEQ ID NO:12) fusion proteins (X=DFDLDMLG) (SEQ ID NO:3) were separately immobilized on NTA-SAMs via histidine-tags then hTBPc (124 nM) was injected over the surfaces. An overlay of two SPR sensorgrams shows that hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) does not bind to GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) immobilized on a 3.8% NTA-SAM (dashed line) but binds very tightly when immobilized on a 5.7% NTA-SAM (solid-line).
FIG. 3 shows the binding of target protein TBP measured by SPR as a function of peptide surface density. A series of NTA-SAMs were generated to display peptides at low to high density. When two tandem repeats of the minimal activation peptide (GST2X) (SEQ ID NO:13) were displayed at low density (1.3%-3.8%), human TBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) did not bind to the surface. In contrast, a more dense GST-2X surface (5.7%-11.4%), bound significant amounts of human TBPc. Fusion proteins bearing four tandem repeats of the minimal activation peptide (GST-4X) (SEQ ID NO:14) bound hTBPc whether the peptides were displayed at low or high density. The stoichiometry of the interaction was a constant, independent of the immobilization density. Notably, at corresponding surface concentrations, GST-2X bound half as much hTBPc as GST-4X, suggesting that two-2X modules immobilized at close proximity to each other (high density) simultaneously contact one hTBPc molecule.
FIG. 4 shows that the binding of hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) to surface immobilized GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) is a non-linear function of the surface density of the peptide. Histidine-tagged peptides were separately immobilized on SAMs presenting NTA over a wide range of surface densities. SPR was used to quantitate the amount of target protein, hTBPc that bound to each surface. The mass ratios of captured hTBPc to surface immobilized peptide (GST-2X or -4X) (SEQ ID NOs:13 or 14) was plotted as a function of peptide concentration. The binding of hTBPc to GST4X (dashed line) is roughly constant over the range of surface peptide densities. However, the binding of hTBPc to GST-2X (solid line) approximates a step function of GST-2X surface concentration.
FIG. 5 shows experiments that were designed to discriminate between three possible mechanistic models to explain how reiterated peptide activation motifs synergistically effect transcription of a nearby gene. Model 1: two connected peptide motifs must be positioned such that they can simultaneously bind to quasi-identical sites on TBP (SEQ ID NO:2). The bivalent, high affinity interaction would keep the general transcription factor tethered near the start site of transcription awaiting other steps in the transcriptional activation process. Model 2: the binding of one or two peptide activation motifs causes a conformational change in TBP. The allosteric effect enhances the subsequent binding of additional peptide motifs and a high affinity interaction results. Model 3: a high affinity interaction occurs between the peptide repeats and TBP but rather than resulting from a “bivalent” interaction or an allosteric effect, it results from the simple summation of multiple interactions between TBP and the entire length of the activation peptide.
FIG. 6 shows titration curves, summarizing competitive inhibition experiments, that yield IC 50 s that show the 4X peptide (SEQ ID NO:12) binds hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) 250 times tighter than the 2X peptide (SEQ ID NO:11). In order to quantitate the solution kinetics of hTBPc binding to synthetic 4X peptides (4 tandem repeats of DFDLDMLG) (SEQ ID NO:12) or 2X peptides (2 repeats), (SEQ ID NO:11) aliquots of hTBPc (124 nM) were incubated with increasing concentrations of either peptide at 4° C. for 1 hour. The mixtures were then separately injected over identical SAMs that were pre-bound with GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:14). Percent inhibition is plotted against the concentration of the blocking peptide in solution. 0% inhibition was taken to be the amount of hTBPc that bound to GST-4X surfaces when it was incubated with buffer alone. Background levels of binding were determined by injection of protein mixtures over naked GST surfaces. An IC 50 of 370 nM and 90 μM describe the equilibrium kinetics of hTBPc binding to 4X and 2X peptides, respectively.
FIG. 7 shows that TATA sequence DNA bound to hTBP (SEQ ID NO:2) does not inhibit the hTBP/GST-4X interaction. N-terminally histidine-tagged hTBP (SEQ ID NO:15) was bound to NTA-SAMs and the mass of bound protein was quantitated and recorded by a BIAcore SPR instrument. The SAMs, bound with hTBP, were then removed from the instrument and separately incubated at RT for 15 minutes with solutions containing equal mass amounts of either DNA bearing the hTBP TATA recognition sequence or random sequence DNA (150 MM NaCl; 50 nanomoles DNA). The SAMs were then washed in running buffer and re-docked in the SPR instrument. The increase in absolute RUs of the baseline indicated that the TATA sequence DNA bound to surface immobilized hTBP with roughly 1:1 stoichiometry while the random DNA bound only nonspecifically. Protein plugs of GST4X (SEQ ID NO:14) were separately injected over these surfaces; the presence of DNA, bound nonspecifically or specifically, was not inhibitory to the subsequent binding of GST-4X to hTBP. Additionally, the measured association and dissociation rates, which were not affected by DNA-binding, were identical to those measured with GST-4X bound to the SAM and TBP in solution.
FIG. 8 shows that there is a synergistic increase in affinity between hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) in solution and surface-bound GST-2X when the density of immobilization is increased from 3.8% to 5.7%. Low (3.8% NTA) then high (5.7% NTA) density SAMs were docked in an SPR device. Histidine-tagged GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) and GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:17) fusion proteins (0.3 mg/ml) were separately immobilized on individual flow cells of the SAMs. The mass of the immobilized species is recorded in resonance units (RUs), where 1000 RUs=1 ng protein/mm 2 . One RU results from a net change of 1/10,000 of a degree in the angle of minimum reflectance off of the differential dielectric interface of the sensing wave. hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) (124 nM) was then injected over the derivatized surfaces. The mass of the captured analyte was obtained by taking the difference between RUs recorded 10 seconds prior to and 25 seconds after the injection. When GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) was immobilized at low density it was not able to bind hTBP. However, when immobilized at slightly higher density, a high affinity interaction resulted. The stoichiometry of surface immobilized GST4X (SEQ ID NO:14) binding to hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) was relatively constant but, notably, twice that of GST-2X binding to hTBPc which reinforces the idea that two -2X ligands bind one hTBPc molecule.
FIG. 9 shows competitive inhibition experiments in which 2X ligands behave very differently in solution than when surface immobilized and that reiterated minimal activation motifs effectively compete for the same binding site(s) on hTBP (SEQ ID NO:2) as the parent protein. Histidine-tagged GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:17) or GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:16) were separately immobilized on NTA-SAMs docked in a BIAcore SPR instrument. hTBPc(residues 155-335) or hTBP (full length) was pre-incubated at high concentration (35 μM) with either buffer, a synthetic 2X peptide (SEQ ID NO:11) (X=DFDLDMLG) at 1:4 stoichiometry, a 4X peptide at (SEQ ID NO:12) 1:2 stoichiometry or a 1X-linker-1X peptide DFDLDMLG-((Ser) 4 Gly 1 ) 3 -DFDLDMLG) (SEQ ID NO:19) at 1:2 stoichiometry for 1 h at 40° C. Just prior to injection over the derivatized surfaces, the pre-incubation mixtures were diluted such that the final hTBP concentration was (124 nM). The synthetic 4X and 1X-linker-1X peptides blocked the interaction of hTBP with surface immobilized ligands but 2X peptides were not inhibitory. Histidine-tagged Gal4(1147)+VP16(413-490) (SEQ ID NO:20) were similarly immobilized on NTA-SAMs. hTBP (SEQ ID NO:2) was preincubated, as described above, with either buffer or 4X peptide (SEQ ID NO:12) then diluted and injected over the VP16 presenting surfaces. The 32 amino acid 4X peptide effectively blocked the interaction of hTBP with the 78 amino acid VP16 activation domain.
A panel of variable density NTA-SAMs were prepared by diluting the concentration of the active component, NTA-thiol, relative to that of the inert component, EG 3 -thiol, in ethanol solutions. Gold-coated glass slides were incubated in solutions containing 1.3%, 3.8%, 5.7%, or 11.4% NTA-thiol, with the total thiol concentration constant at 1 mM. The SAMs were glued onto blank CM-5 SPR chip cassettes and docked into a BIAcore instrument. A 16-mer peptide comprised of two repeats of the eight amino acid minimal activation motif (X=DFDLDMLG), (SEQ ID NO:10) derived from the human activator VP16, (SEQ ID NO:5) was fused to histidine-tagged GST (GST-2X) (SEQ ID NO:16). The fusion proteins were then immobilized on variable-density SAMs through complexation of the NTA group by the protein's histidine tag. This generated a series of surfaces that displayed peptides at incrementally decreasing distances from each other. The core region of human TBP (hTBPc: residues 155-335) (SEQ ID NO:3) (Nikolov et al., 1995) was injected over the peptide surfaces. GST-2X (SEQ ID NO:13) immobilized at low density (1.3%-3.8%), was unable to bind hTBPc. In contrast, when the same concentration hTBPc was injected over a more dense (5.7%-11.4%) GST-2X surface, where the average distance between peptide motifs would be smaller, a high affinity interaction resulted (see FIGS. 2 and 8 ). As a control, fusion proteins bearing four iterations of the minimal motif (GST-4X) (SEQ ID NO:14) were immobilized on the different density SAMs and assayed for the ability to bind the target molecule. Human TBPc, in solution, bound identically to GST-4X surfaces irrespective of the peptide density (see FIG. 3 and FIG. 8 ).
As the graph of FIG. 4 shows, the stoichiometry of hTBPc binding to GST-4X derivatized surfaces is a constant, independent of the immobilization density. In contrast, the binding of hTBPc to GST-2X surfaces is a non-linear function of the surface density. Notably, at corresponding surface concentrations, GST-2X bound half as much hTBPc as GST-4X, suggesting that two 2X modules (SEQ ID NO:11) immobilized at close proximity to each other (high density) simultaneously contact one hTBPc molecule. Kinetic rate constants were extracted by analyzing association and dissociation phases of sensorgram curves using a non-linear regression curve fitting program: BIAevaluation, version 2.1. The analysis assumed pseudo-first order reactions. The interaction between GST4X and hTBPc was characterized by an average association rate of 2.5×10 4 s −1 M −1 and an average dissociation rate of 4×10 31 4 s −1 , yielding a calculated average k d of 16×10 −9 M. Standard errors obtained for each SPR experiment were considerably smaller than the variation in kinetic rates measured among several experiments using a wide range of NTA concentrations. There could be as much as a two-fold variation in the calculated k d . Sensorgram association curves from the binding of hTBPc to GST-2X could not be fit by pseudo first order kinetics, again consistent with the idea that two -2X modules bind one hTBPc molecule. However, the dissociation phase of the sensorgram was well fit and yielded an average k d of 1.5×10 −3 +/−0.13 s −1 for the interaction. The almost ten-fold difference between the 4X k d and 2X k d may indicate that the 2X dissociation curve is the superposition of two decay rates, corresponding to two dissociating species.
Note that at-high NTA density, the chip surface acted as a rigid linker between two -2X modules (SEQ ID NO:11) to mimic a 4X (SEQ ID NO:12) module, thus creating a higher affinity ligand. Three possible models might explain why the 4X (SEQ ID NO:12) peptide is higher affinity ligand for hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) than a 2X (SEQ ID NO:11) peptide (See FIG. 5 ). Model 1 proposes that the 4X peptide is a “bivalent” ligand that simultaneously and cooperatively binds more than one site on the target protein, producing a high affinity interaction characterized by a slower off-rate (Jencks, W. P. 1981. On the attribution and additivity of binding energies. Proc. Natl. Acad Sci. USA . 78(7):4046-4050.). Model 2 says the binding of one recognition motif causes an allosteric effect that enhances the binding of subsequent motifs. Four connected minimal motifs provide for an increased local concentration of ligand available for the second higher affinity interaction. Model 3 proposes that the higher affinity interaction is the result of the summation of multiple interactions of equal strength between the target protein and the entire length of the peptide. A prediction of Model 1 is that 2X peptides, free in solution, will interact with hTBPc independently and exhibit a faster off-rate which is characteristic of monovalent binding. Therefore, if hTBPc is pre-bound by peptide in solution, the 4X peptide should be a much better inhibitor of hTBPc binding to surface immobilized ligand than the 2X peptide. Model 2 predicts that hTBPc pre-bound by 4X or 2X peptides (at twice the concentration) would be similarly inhibited, so long as incubation concentrations were high enough to compensate for the 4X local concentration advantage. Model 3 implies that mutation of amino acids within the peptide would decrease its affinity for TBP as an approximately linear function of the number of mutations.
In order to compare dissociation rates, aliquots of hTBPc were pre-incubated at very high concentration (35 μM) with either buffer, 2X peptide (1:4 stoichiometry), or 4X peptide (1:2 stoichiometry), then diluted to the usual hTBPc concentration 1, (124 nM) before injection over GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:13) surfaces. Synthetic 2X (16-mer) and 4X (32-mer) peptides were used to eliminate possible interference from GST. FIG. 9 shows that the preincubation of hTBPc with 2X peptide was in no way inhibitory to its interaction with surface immobilized GST-4X. In contrast, preincubation of hTBPc with 4X peptide (SEQ ID NO:12) completely abolished the interaction. Additional experiments showed that the 32-mer, but not the 16-mer peptide, also blocked the binding of hTBPc to high density GST-2X surfaces, again demonstrating that GST-2X, immobilized at high density, behaves like GST-4X.
The experiments tabulated in FIG. 9 argue against the allosteric effect model but are consistent with Models 1 and 3. The question is, does the increased binding energy of the hTBP-4X interaction result from the cumulative effect of multiple bonds along the length of the peptide or from the synergistic effect of two minimal motifs simultaneously binding to the target molecule, with the intervening amino acids merely serving as a tether between the two? A synthetic 31 amino acid peptide consisting two minimal motifs (DFDLDMLG) (SEQ ID NO:11) separated by a flexible linker ((Ser 4 Glyl 3 ) (SEQ ID NO:18) was generated. This peptide, 1X-linker-1X, (SEQ ID NO:19) when preincubated with hTBP (SEQ ID NO:2) (under the same conditions described above) inhibited by 83% the complex's ability to bind to surface immobilized GST-4X (see FIG. 9 ). These results reinforce the premise of Model 1 and imply that the enhanced strength of binding between hTBP and the 4X peptide is due to a synergistic effect caused by two connected minimal activation motifs simultaneously binding to two separate and discrete sites on hTBP. One may also infer, from the last experiment, that the interaction between minimal activation motifs and hTBP is specific.
Next the kinetics of the surface interaction to analogous interactions in solution were compared. A series of equilibrium inhibition experiments were performed to characterize the solution interactions between hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) and 2X or 4X (SEQ ID NO:11) peptides. Aliquots of hTBPc, (124 nM), were mixed with increasing amounts of synthetic 2X or 4X peptide then incubated at 4° for 1 hour prior to injection over GST4X surfaces. Titration curves (see FIG. 6) yield an IC 50 of 370nM for the 4X peptide and 90 μM for the 2X peptide binding to hTBPc. In summary, the 4X peptide binds hTBPc about 250-times better than the 2X peptide. This is the relative difference between monovalent and bivalent binding of hTBPc. The interaction between the 4X peptide and hTBPc in solution is about 20-times weaker than the comparable surface interaction where diffusion is limited.
The physiological relevance of the interaction between hTBP and the reiterated minimal motifs was investigated. It has been argued that the widely observed in vitro interactions between TBP and activation domains are artifacts resulting from a nonspecific interaction between TBP's basic DNA-binding region and the acidic peptides. To rule out this possibility, N-terminally histidine-tagged hTBP (SEQ ID NO:15) was immobilized on NTA-SAMs then separately incubated with either: a) TATA sequence DNA; or b) DNA that did not contain a hTBP recognition sequence. GST-4X was then injected over the derivatized surfaces. DNA that did not contain a TATA sequence did not bind to the immobilized hTBP significantly. DNA containing a TATA sequence bound to immobilized hTBP with approximate 1:1 stoichiometry but was in no way inhibitory to the subsequent binding of GST-4X (SEQ ID NO:14) (see FIG. 7 ). In fact, hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) complexed by its cognate DNA bound roughly twice as much GST-4X as the uncomplexed hTBPc. This result is consistent with the observation that hTBPc exists as a dimer that is disrupted upon DNA binding (Taggart, A. K. P. and B. F. Pugh. 1996. Dimerization of TFIID when not bound to DNA. Science . 272:1331-1333.). The binding of an activating region does not seem to disrupt hTBPc dimerization.
A competitive inhibition experiment was performed to determine whether the 4X peptide (SEQ ID NO:12) could block the interaction between hTBP (SEQ ID NO:2) and the native activation domain of VP16 (SEQ ID NO:5). A histidine tagged Gal4(1-147)+VP16(413-490) (SEQ ID NO:20) fusion protein was immobilized on NTA-SAMs. hTBP was incubated with buffer or 4X peptide then injected over VP16 derviatized surfaces. The last two lines of FIG. 9 show that preincubation of hTBP with the 4X peptide (32 amino acids) completely abolished the hTBP-VP 16 (78 amino acids) interaction. This result is consistent with the idea that minimal activation motifs recognize the same binding site(s) on hTBP as the parent activator.
In conclusion, SAMs were used to form biospecific rigid, nano-scale probe arrays of known surface density and then utilized to determine the number of binding sites on a target molecule and an approximate distance between sites. This approach is not hampered by the vagaries of secondary or tertiary structures that would be encountered by using DNA or peptide spacers to determine distances between active sites. SPR was used to show that the avidity between TBP, in solution, and surface immobilized peptides was a non-linear function of peptide surface density.
Peptides immobilized on a 3.8% NTA-SAM were not able to bind hTBP, while peptides presented on a 5.7% NTA-SAM bound TBP with nano-molar affinity. The findings are consistent with the idea that this large increase in binding strength marks the transition between mono- and bivalent binding of the target protein. Individual 8 amino acid minimal activation motifs separated by a 15 amino acid flexible linker bound hTBP nearly as well as four tandem repeats of the motif, leading to the conclusion that hTBP has at least two discrete sites capable of simultaneously interacting with the 8 amino acid motif. Calculations based on an assumed Poisson distribution of NTA in the SAM indicate that the surfaces that did not bind hTBP (3.7% NTA) presented peptides an average distance of 29 Å apart while peptides in denser arrays (5.7% NTA) that bound hTBP with high avidity were on average 2 Å apart.
The crystal structure of hTBPc (SEQ ID NO:3) has been solved (Nikolov et al., 1995). The peptide consists of two imperfect repeats that form a two-domain saddle shaped DNA-binding protein with two-fold intramolecular symmetry. TBP binds DNA with the concave underside of its “saddle” shape. The general transcription factor TFIIB binds near the TBP/DNA complex at the downstream end leaving the convex “seat” of the to saddle available for other intermolecular interactions. Quasi-identical structures composed of basic helices and P sheets flank the seat of the saddle. Mirror image helices H2 and H2′ are separated by distances on the order of 20 Å. It is conceivable that the minimal activation motifs, described herein, simultaneously bind to two-fold related pseudo-identical recognition sites that may be separated by approximately 23 Å.
Similar schemes can be devised to determine distances between active sites on other bivalent molecules or complexes. Of particular interest are dimeric hormone receptors whose signaling activity depends on its association state. Detailed knowledge of distances between active sites would allow for the rational design of agonist or antagonist drugs.
Experimental Methods
Protein preparation: hTBPc was prepared according to Nikolov et al., 1996 and full length histidine-tagged hTBP (SEQ ID NO:15) according to Lee et al. [Lee, W. S., C. C. Kao, G. O. Bryant, X. Liu and A. J. Berk. (1991) Adenovirus ElA activation domain binds the basic repeat in the TATA box transcription factor Cell 67:365-376]. Glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins (SEQ ID NO:9) were prepared according to Tanaka, 1996. The preparation of Gal4-VP 16 is described by Hori, R., S. Pyo and M. Carey, 1995. Protease footprinting reveals a surface on transcription factor TFHB that serves as an interface for activators and co-activators. Proc. Nati. Acad Sci. USA . 92(13):6047-6051.
DNA: TATA sequence DNA was prepared according to Parvin et al. [Parvin, J. D., R. J. McCormick, P. A. Sharp, and D. E. Fisher. 1995. Pre-bending of a promoter sequence enhances affinity for the TATA-binding factor. Nature . 373:724-727] with the exception that it was not circularized. A 50 base-pair double stranded oligo containing 2 Gal 4 binding sites, synthesized and quantitated by GibcoBRL, Life Technologies Inc., Grand Island, N.Y., was used as non-specific control DNA. Equal mass amounts of specific vs. non-specific DNA were added.
Synthetic peptides: Peptides were generated by F-MOC synthesis and quantitated by amino acid analysis, analytical HPLC and-mass spectroscopy.
The preparation self-assembled monolayers: NTA-SAMs were prepared according to Sigal et al., 1996. A panel of incrementally different density NTA surfaces was generated by serial dilution of a stock solution containing 11.4% NTA-thiol, relative to tri-ethylene glycol terminated thiol, into solutions containing the tri-ethylene glycol terminated thiol alone. Total thiol concentration was kept constant at 1 mM. NTA-SAMs were stored under argon for up to 1 week prior to use. Background levels of binding were assessed by passing reactants over underivatized GST surfaces and subtracted.
Surface plasmon resonance: Experiments were carried out in a BIAcore instrument at room temperature in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) (137 mM NaCl) running at a constant flow rate of 5 μl/min. Sample injection volumes (plugs) were 35 μl. Association and dissociation rate constants were extracted from the data with BIAevaluation software, version 2.1, assuming a pseudo first order kinetics model: A+B⇄AB. Error rates were taken from the deviation of measurements among multiple experiments performed on surfaces of different NTA densities with a range of protein concentrations and using several different protein preparations, of the same species, to account for variation of the active concentration of a component.
Statistical calculations: Sulfur atoms bind to gold to form a face-centered hexagonal tiling pattern 4.99 Å on edge. In an ordered monolayer, all the positions of the hexagon are occupied by a thiol. Each vertex is shared by three hexagons, so there are three possible positions for thiol deposition per hexagon. If the thiol solution is doped with a derivatized species of thiol, such as ours is, the average number of NTA-thiols deposited per some number of hexagons (λ), can be calculated, assuming Poisson statistics, for a given NTA-thiol concentration. (It was assumed that the concentration of NTA-thiol in solution was equal to its concentration in the SAM; see FIG. 2 of Sigal et al., 1996). Equation (1) of FIG. 1 calculates how many hexagons, on average, must be filled before two NTA-thiols are deposited. For a 3.8% NTA-thiol concentration in solution, relative to EG 3 -thiol, an average of 17.5 hexagons must be filled before 2 NTA ligands appear. For a 5.7% NTA solution, 11.7 hexagons must be filled before an average of two NTA ligands are deposited. The area of a hexagon 4.99 Å on edge is 64.69 Å 2 which is equal to the area of a square, 8.04 Å on edge. 17.5 hexagons would occupy the same area as a square (17.5×8.04 2 )½Å on edge, which equals 33.6 Å. Two NTA ligands were arbitrarily placed in a square representing 17.5 hexagons either 33.6 Å or 23.8 Å apart (See FIG. 1 ).
Since there are equal numbers of nearest and next-nearest neighbors, the average of these two distances is a first order approximation of the average distance between ligands resulting from a random distribution. According to this model, NTA ligands on SAMs formed from a 3.8% NTA-thiol solution would be an average of 29 Å apart, while NTA ligands in a SAM formed from a 5.7% NTA-thiol solution would be 23 Å apart. Calculations were done to evaluate the contribution of clustering using Poisson statistics.
Equation 2 calculates the probability, P, of having n NTA ligands per unit area, where λ, equals the average number of NTAs per unit area. Equation 3 calculates the ratio of the probabilities of having one NTA ligand to two NTA ligands deposited per unit area. It is 17-times more likely to get one NTA than two, per unit area, for 3.8% NTA-thiol SAMs and 11 times more likely at 5.7% NTA concentration.
P ( n )= e −λ λ n /n! (2)
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P
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)
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)
(
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)
]
1
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1
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-
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)
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NTA
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All publications cited in this application are hereby incorporated by reference. The citation of any publication is for its disclosure prior to the filing date and should not be construed as an admission that the present invention is not entitled to antedate such publication by virtue of prior invention.
It is to be understood that the above invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described which are meant to be for illustrative purposes only. Variations and modifications of these embodiments may be made that are still included in the description of this invention and fall within the scope of the appended claims.
20
1
1876
DNA
Homo sapiens
CDS
(242)...(1261)
hTBP
1
cgcggccgcg gttcgctgtg gcgggcgcct gggccgccgg ctgtttaact tcgcttccgc 60
tggcccatag tgatctttgc agtgacccag cagcatcact gtttcttggc gtgtgaagat 120
aacccaagga attgaggaag ttgctgagaa gagtgtgctg gagatgctct aggaaaaaat 180
tgaatagtga gacgagttcc agcgcaaggg tttctggttt gccaagaaga aagtgaacat 240
c atg gat cag aac aac agc ctg cca cct tac gct cag ggc ttg gcc tcc 289
Met Asp Gln Asn Asn Ser Leu Pro Pro Tyr Ala Gln Gly Leu Ala Ser
1 5 10 15
cct cag ggt gcc atg act ccc gga atc cct atc ttt agt cca atg atg 337
Pro Gln Gly Ala Met Thr Pro Gly Ile Pro Ile Phe Ser Pro Met Met
20 25 30
cct tat ggc act gga ctg acc cca cag cct att cag aac acc aat agt 385
Pro Tyr Gly Thr Gly Leu Thr Pro Gln Pro Ile Gln Asn Thr Asn Ser
35 40 45
ctg tct att ttg gaa gag caa caa agg cag cag cag caa caa caa cag 433
Leu Ser Ile Leu Glu Glu Gln Gln Arg Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
50 55 60
cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag caa cag caa cag cag cag cag cag 481
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
65 70 75 80
cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag cag caa cag gca 529
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Ala
85 90 95
gtg gca gct gca gcc gtt cag cag tca acg tcc cag cag gca aca cag 577
Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Val Gln Gln Ser Thr Ser Gln Gln Ala Thr Gln
100 105 110
gga acc tca ggc cag gca cca cag ctc ttc cac tca cag act ctc aca 625
Gly Thr Ser Gly Gln Ala Pro Gln Leu Phe His Ser Gln Thr Leu Thr
115 120 125
act gca ccc ttg ccg ggc acc act cca ctg tat ccc tcc ccc atg act 673
Thr Ala Pro Leu Pro Gly Thr Thr Pro Leu Tyr Pro Ser Pro Met Thr
130 135 140
ccc atg acc ccc atc act cct gcc acg cca gct tcg gag agt tct ggg 721
Pro Met Thr Pro Ile Thr Pro Ala Thr Pro Ala Ser Glu Ser Ser Gly
145 150 155 160
att gta ccg cag ctg caa aat att gta tcc aca gtg aat ctt ggt tgt 769
Ile Val Pro Gln Leu Gln Asn Ile Val Ser Thr Val Asn Leu Gly Cys
165 170 175
aaa ctt gac cta aag acc att gca ctt cgt gcc cga aac gcc gaa tat 817
Lys Leu Asp Leu Lys Thr Ile Ala Leu Arg Ala Arg Asn Ala Glu Tyr
180 185 190
aat ccc aag cgg ttt gct gcg gta atc atg agg ata aga gag cca cga 865
Asn Pro Lys Arg Phe Ala Ala Val Ile Met Arg Ile Arg Glu Pro Arg
195 200 205
acc acg gca ctg att ttc agt tct ggg aaa atg gtg tgc aca gga gcc 913
Thr Thr Ala Leu Ile Phe Ser Ser Gly Lys Met Val Cys Thr Gly Ala
210 215 220
aag agt gaa gaa cag tcc aga ctg gca gca aga aaa tat gct aga gtt 961
Lys Ser Glu Glu Gln Ser Arg Leu Ala Ala Arg Lys Tyr Ala Arg Val
225 230 235 240
gta cag aag ttg ggt ttt cca gct aag ttc ttg gac ttc aag att cag 1009
Val Gln Lys Leu Gly Phe Pro Ala Lys Phe Leu Asp Phe Lys Ile Gln
245 250 255
aac atg gtg ggg agc tgt gat gtg aag ttt cct ata agg tta gaa ggc 1057
Asn Met Val Gly Ser Cys Asp Val Lys Phe Pro Ile Arg Leu Glu Gly
260 265 270
ctt gtg ctc acc cac caa caa ttt agt agt tat gag cca gag tta ttt 1105
Leu Val Leu Thr His Gln Gln Phe Ser Ser Tyr Glu Pro Glu Leu Phe
275 280 285
cct ggt tta atc tac aga atg atc aaa ccc aga att gtt ctc ctt att 1153
Pro Gly Leu Ile Tyr Arg Met Ile Lys Pro Arg Ile Val Leu Leu Ile
290 295 300
ttt gtt tct gga aaa gtt gta tta aca ggt gct aaa gtc aga gca gaa 1201
Phe Val Ser Gly Lys Val Val Leu Thr Gly Ala Lys Val Arg Ala Glu
305 310 315 320
att tat gaa gca ttt gaa aac atc tac cct att cta aag gga ttc agg 1249
Ile Tyr Glu Ala Phe Glu Asn Ile Tyr Pro Ile Leu Lys Gly Phe Arg
325 330 335
aag acg acg taa tggctctcat gtacccttgc ctcccccacc cccttctttt 1301
Lys Thr Thr *
ttttttttta aacaaatcag tttgttttgg tacctttaaa tggtggtgtt gtgagaagat 1361
ggatgttgag ttgcagggtg tggcaccagg tgatgccctt ctgtaagtgc ccaccgcggg 1421
atgccgggaa ggggcattat ttgtgcactg agaacaccgc gcagcgtgac tgtgagttgc 1481
tcataccgtg ctgctatctg ggcagcgctg cccatttatt tatatgtaga ttttaaacac 1541
tgctgttgac aagttggttt gagggagaaa actttaagtg ttaaagccac ctctataatt 1601
gattggactt tttaatttta atgtttttcc ccatgaacca cagtttttat atttctacca 1661
gaaaagtaaa aatctttttt aaaagtgttg tttttctaat ttataactcc taggggttat 1721
ttctgtgcca gacacattcc acctctccag tattgcagga cggaatatat gtgttaatga 1781
aaatgaatgg ctgtacatat ttttttcttt cttcagagta ctctgtacaa taaatgcagt 1841
ttataaaagt gttaaaaaaa aaaaaaaaaa aaaaa 1876
2
339
PRT
Homo sapiens
2
Met Asp Gln Asn Asn Ser Leu Pro Pro Tyr Ala Gln Gly Leu Ala Ser
1 5 10 15
Pro Gln Gly Ala Met Thr Pro Gly Ile Pro Ile Phe Ser Pro Met Met
20 25 30
Pro Tyr Gly Thr Gly Leu Thr Pro Gln Pro Ile Gln Asn Thr Asn Ser
35 40 45
Leu Ser Ile Leu Glu Glu Gln Gln Arg Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
50 55 60
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
65 70 75 80
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Ala
85 90 95
Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Val Gln Gln Ser Thr Ser Gln Gln Ala Thr Gln
100 105 110
Gly Thr Ser Gly Gln Ala Pro Gln Leu Phe His Ser Gln Thr Leu Thr
115 120 125
Thr Ala Pro Leu Pro Gly Thr Thr Pro Leu Tyr Pro Ser Pro Met Thr
130 135 140
Pro Met Thr Pro Ile Thr Pro Ala Thr Pro Ala Ser Glu Ser Ser Gly
145 150 155 160
Ile Val Pro Gln Leu Gln Asn Ile Val Ser Thr Val Asn Leu Gly Cys
165 170 175
Lys Leu Asp Leu Lys Thr Ile Ala Leu Arg Ala Arg Asn Ala Glu Tyr
180 185 190
Asn Pro Lys Arg Phe Ala Ala Val Ile Met Arg Ile Arg Glu Pro Arg
195 200 205
Thr Thr Ala Leu Ile Phe Ser Ser Gly Lys Met Val Cys Thr Gly Ala
210 215 220
Lys Ser Glu Glu Gln Ser Arg Leu Ala Ala Arg Lys Tyr Ala Arg Val
225 230 235 240
Val Gln Lys Leu Gly Phe Pro Ala Lys Phe Leu Asp Phe Lys Ile Gln
245 250 255
Asn Met Val Gly Ser Cys Asp Val Lys Phe Pro Ile Arg Leu Glu Gly
260 265 270
Leu Val Leu Thr His Gln Gln Phe Ser Ser Tyr Glu Pro Glu Leu Phe
275 280 285
Pro Gly Leu Ile Tyr Arg Met Ile Lys Pro Arg Ile Val Leu Leu Ile
290 295 300
Phe Val Ser Gly Lys Val Val Leu Thr Gly Ala Lys Val Arg Ala Glu
305 310 315 320
Ile Tyr Glu Ala Phe Glu Asn Ile Tyr Pro Ile Leu Lys Gly Phe Arg
325 330 335
Lys Thr Thr
3
181
PRT
Homo sapiens
PEPTIDE
(1)...(181)
hTBPc
3
Ala Ser Glu Ser Ser Gly Ile Val Pro Gln Leu Gln Asn Ile Val Ser
1 5 10 15
Thr Val Asn Leu Gly Cys Lys Leu Asp Leu Lys Thr Ile Ala Leu Arg
20 25 30
Ala Arg Asn Ala Glu Tyr Asn Pro Lys Arg Phe Ala Ala Val Ile Met
35 40 45
Arg Ile Arg Glu Pro Arg Thr Thr Ala Leu Ile Phe Ser Ser Gly Lys
50 55 60
Met Val Cys Thr Gly Ala Lys Ser Glu Glu Gln Ser Arg Leu Ala Ala
65 70 75 80
Arg Lys Tyr Ala Arg Val Val Gln Lys Leu Gly Phe Pro Ala Lys Phe
85 90 95
Leu Asp Phe Lys Ile Gln Asn Met Val Gly Ser Cys Asp Val Lys Phe
100 105 110
Pro Ile Arg Leu Glu Gly Leu Val Leu Thr His Gln Gln Phe Ser Ser
115 120 125
Tyr Glu Pro Glu Leu Phe Pro Gly Leu Ile Tyr Arg Met Ile Lys Pro
130 135 140
Arg Ile Val Leu Leu Ile Phe Val Ser Gly Lys Val Val Leu Thr Gly
145 150 155 160
Ala Lys Val Arg Ala Glu Ile Tyr Glu Ala Phe Glu Asn Ile Tyr Pro
165 170 175
Ile Leu Lys Gly Phe
180
4
2211
DNA
Herpes simplex virus type 2
CDS
(88)...(1560)
VP16
4
ggatccctcc ccccctctcc gccgccgggc gctcgggcac gtctcattcg cctctcgaga 60
tcgttattcc cggacccaac cgccccc atg gac ctg ttg gtc gac gat ctg ttt 114
Met Asp Leu Leu Val Asp Asp Leu Phe
1 5
gcg gac cgg gac ggg gtt tcg cca ccg ccc ccc agg cca gcc ggg ggt 162
Ala Asp Arg Asp Gly Val Ser Pro Pro Pro Pro Arg Pro Ala Gly Gly
10 15 20 25
ccc aag aac acc cca gcc gcc cct ccg ctg tac gcc acc ggt cgg ctg 210
Pro Lys Asn Thr Pro Ala Ala Pro Pro Leu Tyr Ala Thr Gly Arg Leu
30 35 40
agt cag gcc cag ctg atg ccc tcg ccg ccc atg ccc gtc ccc ccc gcg 258
Ser Gln Ala Gln Leu Met Pro Ser Pro Pro Met Pro Val Pro Pro Ala
45 50 55
gcc ctg ttt aac cgt ctc ctc gac gat ctg ggc ttc agc gcg ggt ccc 306
Ala Leu Phe Asn Arg Leu Leu Asp Asp Leu Gly Phe Ser Ala Gly Pro
60 65 70
gcg ctg tgt acc atg cta gat acc tgg aac gag gac ctg ttc tct ggg 354
Ala Leu Cys Thr Met Leu Asp Thr Trp Asn Glu Asp Leu Phe Ser Gly
75 80 85
ttc ccg acc aac gcc gac atg tac cgg gag tgc aag ttt ctg tcg acg 402
Phe Pro Thr Asn Ala Asp Met Tyr Arg Glu Cys Lys Phe Leu Ser Thr
90 95 100 105
ctg ccc agc gac gtg atc gac tgg ggg gat gcg cac gtc ccc gag cgc 450
Leu Pro Ser Asp Val Ile Asp Trp Gly Asp Ala His Val Pro Glu Arg
110 115 120
tcc ccg atc gac att cgc gcc cac ggc gac gtg gcg ttc ccc acc ctg 498
Ser Pro Ile Asp Ile Arg Ala His Gly Asp Val Ala Phe Pro Thr Leu
125 130 135
ccc gcc acc cgc gac gag ctg cct tcg tac tac gag gcc atg gcg cag 546
Pro Ala Thr Arg Asp Glu Leu Pro Ser Tyr Tyr Glu Ala Met Ala Gln
140 145 150
ttt ttc cgc ggt gag ctg cgg gcg cgg gag gag agc tac cgg acc gtg 594
Phe Phe Arg Gly Glu Leu Arg Ala Arg Glu Glu Ser Tyr Arg Thr Val
155 160 165
ttg gca aat ttt tgc tcg gcc ctg tac cgg tac ctg cgc gcc agc gtt 642
Leu Ala Asn Phe Cys Ser Ala Leu Tyr Arg Tyr Leu Arg Ala Ser Val
170 175 180 185
cgg cag cta cac cgc cag gca cac atg cgg ggc cgc aac cgc gac ctg 690
Arg Gln Leu His Arg Gln Ala His Met Arg Gly Arg Asn Arg Asp Leu
190 195 200
cgg gag atg ctg cgc acc acg atc gcg gac agg tac tac cgc gag acc 738
Arg Glu Met Leu Arg Thr Thr Ile Ala Asp Arg Tyr Tyr Arg Glu Thr
205 210 215
gcg cgc ctg gcg cgc gtc ctg ttt ctg cat cta tac ctc ttt ctg agc 786
Ala Arg Leu Ala Arg Val Leu Phe Leu His Leu Tyr Leu Phe Leu Ser
220 225 230
cgc gag atc cta tgg gcc gcg tac gcc gag cag atg atg cgg ccc gat 834
Arg Glu Ile Leu Trp Ala Ala Tyr Ala Glu Gln Met Met Arg Pro Asp
235 240 245
ctg ttc gac ggc ctc tgc tgc gac ctg gag agc tgg cgc cag ttg gcg 882
Leu Phe Asp Gly Leu Cys Cys Asp Leu Glu Ser Trp Arg Gln Leu Ala
250 255 260 265
tgt ctg ttt cag ccc ctg atg ttt atc aac gga tcg ctc acc gtg cgg 930
Cys Leu Phe Gln Pro Leu Met Phe Ile Asn Gly Ser Leu Thr Val Arg
270 275 280
gga gtt ccc gtg gag gcc cgg cga ctg cgg gag cta aac cac att cgc 978
Gly Val Pro Val Glu Ala Arg Arg Leu Arg Glu Leu Asn His Ile Arg
285 290 295
gag cac ctg aac ctc ccg ctg gtg cga agt gcg gcg gcg gag gaa ccc 1026
Glu His Leu Asn Leu Pro Leu Val Arg Ser Ala Ala Ala Glu Glu Pro
300 305 310
ggg gcg ccc ctc acg acc ccg ccc gtc ctg cag ggc aac cag gcc cgc 1074
Gly Ala Pro Leu Thr Thr Pro Pro Val Leu Gln Gly Asn Gln Ala Arg
315 320 325
tcc tct ggg tac ttt atg ctg ctg atc cgg gcc aag ttg gac tcg tac 1122
Ser Ser Gly Tyr Phe Met Leu Leu Ile Arg Ala Lys Leu Asp Ser Tyr
330 335 340 345
tcc agc gtc gcg acc tcg gag ggc gag tcc gtc atg cgg gag cac gcg 1170
Ser Ser Val Ala Thr Ser Glu Gly Glu Ser Val Met Arg Glu His Ala
350 355 360
tat agc cgc ggg cgg acc aga aac aat tac gga tcg aca atc gag ggc 1218
Tyr Ser Arg Gly Arg Thr Arg Asn Asn Tyr Gly Ser Thr Ile Glu Gly
365 370 375
ctg ctc gac ctc ccg gac gac gat gac gct cct gcg gag gcc ggg ctg 1266
Leu Leu Asp Leu Pro Asp Asp Asp Asp Ala Pro Ala Glu Ala Gly Leu
380 385 390
gtg gcg ccg cgc atg tcg ttt ctc tcc gcg gga caa cgc ccc cgc aga 1314
Val Ala Pro Arg Met Ser Phe Leu Ser Ala Gly Gln Arg Pro Arg Arg
395 400 405
ctg tcc acc acc gcc ccc att acc gac gtc agc ctg gga gac gaa ctc 1362
Leu Ser Thr Thr Ala Pro Ile Thr Asp Val Ser Leu Gly Asp Glu Leu
410 415 420 425
cgc ctg gac ggc gag gag gtg gat atg acg ccc gcc gac gcc ctg gac 1410
Arg Leu Asp Gly Glu Glu Val Asp Met Thr Pro Ala Asp Ala Leu Asp
430 435 440
gac ttc gac ttg gag atg ctg ggg gac gtg gag tcc ccc tcc ccg gga 1458
Asp Phe Asp Leu Glu Met Leu Gly Asp Val Glu Ser Pro Ser Pro Gly
445 450 455
atg acc cac gac ccc gtc tcg tat ggg gct ttg gac gtg gac gat ttt 1506
Met Thr His Asp Pro Val Ser Tyr Gly Ala Leu Asp Val Asp Asp Phe
460 465 470
gag ttt gaa cag atg ttt acc gat gcc atg ggc att gac gac ttt ggg 1554
Glu Phe Glu Gln Met Phe Thr Asp Ala Met Gly Ile Asp Asp Phe Gly
475 480 485
ggg tag gatgtgcgac cgggcggcgc gccccccccc caccaccgcc ccgcctcacc 1610
Gly *
490
tccgtctgta tcgcgataga gggttcgcaa ccacagcaat aaacattggc aagcaactca 1670
tcatacgcgg cgtgcgttgg ctgtttatta cgggaccatg aaagaaatgg ggttacgcgc 1730
ggggtggggg gtgtgtgccg ttgggttggg cgttagtcgc gcctacgagc ccgcggtcgt 1790
gtagattcgc gtcacagaac ggctcgtggt gctggggtcc gcgtataaag gcaggcgcgc 1850
gggtcccgtt ctcgcatttg cccgcgggtc tgcgtgggga cgaggcccac ccccccaccc 1910
ttgttggagc ggtcgcgttt tctctgttcc cgtcgtgccg gttcctaccc cccgctccct 1970
gggaccgccc cctacccccc acctccccgt ttgggcctcc cccctcgcac cacccctttc 2030
ctcgtccgtc tgcggggagg gcgtgtgtaa aaaatcgggc ctccggccac catgtccgtg 2090
cgcgggcatg ccgtacgccg gaggcgcgcc tccacccggt cccatgcccc gtccgcgcat 2150
cgcgccgact cgcccgtgga ggacgagccc gagggcggtg gagtcgggtt aatggggtac 2210
c 2211
5
490
PRT
Herpes simplex virus type 2
5
Met Asp Leu Leu Val Asp Asp Leu Phe Ala Asp Arg Asp Gly Val Ser
1 5 10 15
Pro Pro Pro Pro Arg Pro Ala Gly Gly Pro Lys Asn Thr Pro Ala Ala
20 25 30
Pro Pro Leu Tyr Ala Thr Gly Arg Leu Ser Gln Ala Gln Leu Met Pro
35 40 45
Ser Pro Pro Met Pro Val Pro Pro Ala Ala Leu Phe Asn Arg Leu Leu
50 55 60
Asp Asp Leu Gly Phe Ser Ala Gly Pro Ala Leu Cys Thr Met Leu Asp
65 70 75 80
Thr Trp Asn Glu Asp Leu Phe Ser Gly Phe Pro Thr Asn Ala Asp Met
85 90 95
Tyr Arg Glu Cys Lys Phe Leu Ser Thr Leu Pro Ser Asp Val Ile Asp
100 105 110
Trp Gly Asp Ala His Val Pro Glu Arg Ser Pro Ile Asp Ile Arg Ala
115 120 125
His Gly Asp Val Ala Phe Pro Thr Leu Pro Ala Thr Arg Asp Glu Leu
130 135 140
Pro Ser Tyr Tyr Glu Ala Met Ala Gln Phe Phe Arg Gly Glu Leu Arg
145 150 155 160
Ala Arg Glu Glu Ser Tyr Arg Thr Val Leu Ala Asn Phe Cys Ser Ala
165 170 175
Leu Tyr Arg Tyr Leu Arg Ala Ser Val Arg Gln Leu His Arg Gln Ala
180 185 190
His Met Arg Gly Arg Asn Arg Asp Leu Arg Glu Met Leu Arg Thr Thr
195 200 205
Ile Ala Asp Arg Tyr Tyr Arg Glu Thr Ala Arg Leu Ala Arg Val Leu
210 215 220
Phe Leu His Leu Tyr Leu Phe Leu Ser Arg Glu Ile Leu Trp Ala Ala
225 230 235 240
Tyr Ala Glu Gln Met Met Arg Pro Asp Leu Phe Asp Gly Leu Cys Cys
245 250 255
Asp Leu Glu Ser Trp Arg Gln Leu Ala Cys Leu Phe Gln Pro Leu Met
260 265 270
Phe Ile Asn Gly Ser Leu Thr Val Arg Gly Val Pro Val Glu Ala Arg
275 280 285
Arg Leu Arg Glu Leu Asn His Ile Arg Glu His Leu Asn Leu Pro Leu
290 295 300
Val Arg Ser Ala Ala Ala Glu Glu Pro Gly Ala Pro Leu Thr Thr Pro
305 310 315 320
Pro Val Leu Gln Gly Asn Gln Ala Arg Ser Ser Gly Tyr Phe Met Leu
325 330 335
Leu Ile Arg Ala Lys Leu Asp Ser Tyr Ser Ser Val Ala Thr Ser Glu
340 345 350
Gly Glu Ser Val Met Arg Glu His Ala Tyr Ser Arg Gly Arg Thr Arg
355 360 365
Asn Asn Tyr Gly Ser Thr Ile Glu Gly Leu Leu Asp Leu Pro Asp Asp
370 375 380
Asp Asp Ala Pro Ala Glu Ala Gly Leu Val Ala Pro Arg Met Ser Phe
385 390 395 400
Leu Ser Ala Gly Gln Arg Pro Arg Arg Leu Ser Thr Thr Ala Pro Ile
405 410 415
Thr Asp Val Ser Leu Gly Asp Glu Leu Arg Leu Asp Gly Glu Glu Val
420 425 430
Asp Met Thr Pro Ala Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Phe Asp Leu Glu Met Leu
435 440 445
Gly Asp Val Glu Ser Pro Ser Pro Gly Met Thr His Asp Pro Val Ser
450 455 460
Tyr Gly Ala Leu Asp Val Asp Asp Phe Glu Phe Glu Gln Met Phe Thr
465 470 475 480
Asp Ala Met Gly Ile Asp Asp Phe Gly Gly
485 490
6
3694
DNA
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
CDS
(443)...(3088)
GAL4
6
gatcccttaa gtttaaacaa caacagcaag caggtgtgca agacactaga gactcctaac 60
atgatgtatg ccaataaaac acaagagata aacaacattg catggaggcc ccagaggggc 120
gattggtttg ggtgcgtgag cggcaagaag tttcaaaacg tccgcgtcct ttgagacagc 180
attcgcccag tatttttttt attctacaaa ccttctataa tttcaaagta tttacataat 240
tctgtatcag tttaatcacc ataatatcgt tttctttgtt tagtgcaatt aatttttcct 300
attgttactt cgggcctttt tctgttttat gagctatttt ttccgtcatc cttccccaga 360
ttttcagctt catctccaga ttgtgtctac gtaatgcacg ccatcatttt aagagaggac 420
agagaagcaa gcctcctgaa ag atg aag cta ctg tct tct atc gaa caa gca 472
Met Lys Leu Leu Ser Ser Ile Glu Gln Ala
1 5 10
tgc gat att tgc cga ctt aaa aag ctc aag tgc tcc aaa gaa aaa ccg 520
Cys Asp Ile Cys Arg Leu Lys Lys Leu Lys Cys Ser Lys Glu Lys Pro
15 20 25
aag tgc gcc aag tgt ctg aag aac aac tgg gag tgt cgc tac tct ccc 568
Lys Cys Ala Lys Cys Leu Lys Asn Asn Trp Glu Cys Arg Tyr Ser Pro
30 35 40
aaa acc aaa agg tct ccg ctg act agg gca cat ctg aca gaa gtg gaa 616
Lys Thr Lys Arg Ser Pro Leu Thr Arg Ala His Leu Thr Glu Val Glu
45 50 55
tca agg cta gaa aga ctg gaa cag cta ttt cta ctg att ttt cct cga 664
Ser Arg Leu Glu Arg Leu Glu Gln Leu Phe Leu Leu Ile Phe Pro Arg
60 65 70
gaa gac ctt gac atg att ttg aaa atg gat tct tta cag gat ata aaa 712
Glu Asp Leu Asp Met Ile Leu Lys Met Asp Ser Leu Gln Asp Ile Lys
75 80 85 90
gca ttg tta aca gga tta ttt gta caa gat aat gtg aat aaa gat gcc 760
Ala Leu Leu Thr Gly Leu Phe Val Gln Asp Asn Val Asn Lys Asp Ala
95 100 105
gtc aca gat aga ttg gct tca gtg gag act gat atg cct cta aca ttg 808
Val Thr Asp Arg Leu Ala Ser Val Glu Thr Asp Met Pro Leu Thr Leu
110 115 120
aga cag cat aga ata agt gcg aca tca tca tcg gaa gag agt agt aac 856
Arg Gln His Arg Ile Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Ser Glu Glu Ser Ser Asn
125 130 135
aaa ggt caa aga cag ttg act gta tcg att gac tcg gca gct cat cat 904
Lys Gly Gln Arg Gln Leu Thr Val Ser Ile Asp Ser Ala Ala His His
140 145 150
gat aac tcc aca att ccg ttg gat ttt atg ccc agg gat gct ctt cat 952
Asp Asn Ser Thr Ile Pro Leu Asp Phe Met Pro Arg Asp Ala Leu His
155 160 165 170
gga ttt gat tgg tct gaa gag gat gac atg tcg gat ggc ttg ccc ttc 1000
Gly Phe Asp Trp Ser Glu Glu Asp Asp Met Ser Asp Gly Leu Pro Phe
175 180 185
ctg aaa acg gac ccc aac aat aat ggg ttc ttt ggc gac ggt tct ctc 1048
Leu Lys Thr Asp Pro Asn Asn Asn Gly Phe Phe Gly Asp Gly Ser Leu
190 195 200
tta tgt att ctt cga tct att ggc ttt aaa ccg gaa aat tac acg aac 1096
Leu Cys Ile Leu Arg Ser Ile Gly Phe Lys Pro Glu Asn Tyr Thr Asn
205 210 215
tct aac gtt aac agg ctc ccg acc atg att acg gat aga tac acg ttg 1144
Ser Asn Val Asn Arg Leu Pro Thr Met Ile Thr Asp Arg Tyr Thr Leu
220 225 230
gct tct aga tcc aca aca tcc cgt tta ctt caa agt tat ctc aat aat 1192
Ala Ser Arg Ser Thr Thr Ser Arg Leu Leu Gln Ser Tyr Leu Asn Asn
235 240 245 250
ttt cac ccc tac tgc cct atc gtg cac tca ccg acg cta atg atg ttg 1240
Phe His Pro Tyr Cys Pro Ile Val His Ser Pro Thr Leu Met Met Leu
255 260 265
tat aat aac cag att gaa atc gcg tcg aag gat caa tgg caa atc ctt 1288
Tyr Asn Asn Gln Ile Glu Ile Ala Ser Lys Asp Gln Trp Gln Ile Leu
270 275 280
ttt aac tgc ata tta gcc att gga gcc tgg tgt ata gag ggg gaa tct 1336
Phe Asn Cys Ile Leu Ala Ile Gly Ala Trp Cys Ile Glu Gly Glu Ser
285 290 295
act gat ata gat gtt ttt tac tat caa aat gct aaa tct cat ttg acg 1384
Thr Asp Ile Asp Val Phe Tyr Tyr Gln Asn Ala Lys Ser His Leu Thr
300 305 310
agc aag gtc ttc gag tca ggt tcc ata att ttg gtg aca gcc cta cat 1432
Ser Lys Val Phe Glu Ser Gly Ser Ile Ile Leu Val Thr Ala Leu His
315 320 325 330
ctt ctg tcg cga tat aca cag tgg agg cag aaa aca aat act agc tat 1480
Leu Leu Ser Arg Tyr Thr Gln Trp Arg Gln Lys Thr Asn Thr Ser Tyr
335 340 345
aat ttt cac agc ttt tcc ata aga atg gcc ata tca ttg ggc ttg aat 1528
Asn Phe His Ser Phe Ser Ile Arg Met Ala Ile Ser Leu Gly Leu Asn
350 355 360
agg gac ctc ccc tcg tcc ttc agt gat agc agc att ctg gaa caa aga 1576
Arg Asp Leu Pro Ser Ser Phe Ser Asp Ser Ser Ile Leu Glu Gln Arg
365 370 375
cgc cga att tgg tgg tct gtc tac tct tgg gag atc caa ttg tcc ctg 1624
Arg Arg Ile Trp Trp Ser Val Tyr Ser Trp Glu Ile Gln Leu Ser Leu
380 385 390
ctt tat ggt cga tcc atc cag ctt tct cag aat aca atc tcc ttc cct 1672
Leu Tyr Gly Arg Ser Ile Gln Leu Ser Gln Asn Thr Ile Ser Phe Pro
395 400 405 410
tct tct gtc gac gat gtg cag cgt acc aca aca ggt ccc acc ata tat 1720
Ser Ser Val Asp Asp Val Gln Arg Thr Thr Thr Gly Pro Thr Ile Tyr
415 420 425
cat ggc atc att gaa aca gca agg ctc tta caa gtt ttc aca aaa atc 1768
His Gly Ile Ile Glu Thr Ala Arg Leu Leu Gln Val Phe Thr Lys Ile
430 435 440
tat gaa cta gac aaa aca gta act gca gaa aaa agt cct ata tgt gca 1816
Tyr Glu Leu Asp Lys Thr Val Thr Ala Glu Lys Ser Pro Ile Cys Ala
445 450 455
aaa aaa tgc ttg atg att tgt aat gag att gag gag gtt tcg aga cag 1864
Lys Lys Cys Leu Met Ile Cys Asn Glu Ile Glu Glu Val Ser Arg Gln
460 465 470
gca cca aag ttt tta caa atg gat att tcc acc acc gct cta acc aat 1912
Ala Pro Lys Phe Leu Gln Met Asp Ile Ser Thr Thr Ala Leu Thr Asn
475 480 485 490
ttg ttg aag gaa cac cct tgg cta tcc ttt aca aga ttc gaa ctg aag 1960
Leu Leu Lys Glu His Pro Trp Leu Ser Phe Thr Arg Phe Glu Leu Lys
495 500 505
tgg aaa cag ttg tct ctt atc att tat gta tta aga gat ttt ttc act 2008
Trp Lys Gln Leu Ser Leu Ile Ile Tyr Val Leu Arg Asp Phe Phe Thr
510 515 520
aat ttt acc cag aaa aag tca caa cta gaa cag gat caa aat gat cat 2056
Asn Phe Thr Gln Lys Lys Ser Gln Leu Glu Gln Asp Gln Asn Asp His
525 530 535
caa agt tat gaa gtt aaa cga tgc tcc atc atg tta agc gat gca gca 2104
Gln Ser Tyr Glu Val Lys Arg Cys Ser Ile Met Leu Ser Asp Ala Ala
540 545 550
caa aga act gtt atg tct gta agt agc tat atg gac aat cat aat gtc 2152
Gln Arg Thr Val Met Ser Val Ser Ser Tyr Met Asp Asn His Asn Val
555 560 565 570
acc cca tat ttt gcc tgg aat tgt tct tat tac ttg ttc aat gca gtc 2200
Thr Pro Tyr Phe Ala Trp Asn Cys Ser Tyr Tyr Leu Phe Asn Ala Val
575 580 585
cta gta ccc ata aag act cta ctc tca aac tca aaa tcg aat gct gag 2248
Leu Val Pro Ile Lys Thr Leu Leu Ser Asn Ser Lys Ser Asn Ala Glu
590 595 600
aat aac gag acc gca caa tta tta caa caa att aac act gtt ctg atg 2296
Asn Asn Glu Thr Ala Gln Leu Leu Gln Gln Ile Asn Thr Val Leu Met
605 610 615
cta tta aaa aaa ctg gcc act ttt aaa atc cag act tgt gaa aaa tac 2344
Leu Leu Lys Lys Leu Ala Thr Phe Lys Ile Gln Thr Cys Glu Lys Tyr
620 625 630
att caa gta ctg gaa gag gta tgt gcg ccg ttt ctg tta tca cag tgt 2392
Ile Gln Val Leu Glu Glu Val Cys Ala Pro Phe Leu Leu Ser Gln Cys
635 640 645 650
gca atc cca tta ccg cat atc agt tat aac aat agt aat ggt agc gcc 2440
Ala Ile Pro Leu Pro His Ile Ser Tyr Asn Asn Ser Asn Gly Ser Ala
655 660 665
att aaa aat att gtc ggt tct gca act atc gcc caa tac cct act ctt 2488
Ile Lys Asn Ile Val Gly Ser Ala Thr Ile Ala Gln Tyr Pro Thr Leu
670 675 680
ccg gag gaa aat gtc aac aat atc agt gtt aaa tat gtt tct cct ggc 2536
Pro Glu Glu Asn Val Asn Asn Ile Ser Val Lys Tyr Val Ser Pro Gly
685 690 695
tca gta ggg cct tca cct gtg cca ttg aaa tca gga gca agt ttc agt 2584
Ser Val Gly Pro Ser Pro Val Pro Leu Lys Ser Gly Ala Ser Phe Ser
700 705 710
gat cta gtc aag ctg tta tct aac cgt cca ccc tct cgt aac tct cca 2632
Asp Leu Val Lys Leu Leu Ser Asn Arg Pro Pro Ser Arg Asn Ser Pro
715 720 725 730
gtg aca ata cca aga agc aca cct tcg cat cgc tca gtc acg cct ttt 2680
Val Thr Ile Pro Arg Ser Thr Pro Ser His Arg Ser Val Thr Pro Phe
735 740 745
cta ggg caa cag caa cag ctg caa tca tta gtg cca ctg acc ccg tct 2728
Leu Gly Gln Gln Gln Gln Leu Gln Ser Leu Val Pro Leu Thr Pro Ser
750 755 760
gct ttg ttt ggt ggc gcc aat ttt aat caa agt ggg aat att gct gat 2776
Ala Leu Phe Gly Gly Ala Asn Phe Asn Gln Ser Gly Asn Ile Ala Asp
765 770 775
agc tca ttg tcc ttc act ttc act aac agt agc aac ggt ccg aac ctc 2824
Ser Ser Leu Ser Phe Thr Phe Thr Asn Ser Ser Asn Gly Pro Asn Leu
780 785 790
ata aca act caa aca aat tct caa gcg ctt tca caa cca att gcc tcc 2872
Ile Thr Thr Gln Thr Asn Ser Gln Ala Leu Ser Gln Pro Ile Ala Ser
795 800 805 810
tct aac gtt cat gat aac ttc atg aat aat gaa atc acg gct agt aaa 2920
Ser Asn Val His Asp Asn Phe Met Asn Asn Glu Ile Thr Ala Ser Lys
815 820 825
att gat gat ggt aat aat tca aaa cca ctg tca cct ggt tgg acg gac 2968
Ile Asp Asp Gly Asn Asn Ser Lys Pro Leu Ser Pro Gly Trp Thr Asp
830 835 840
caa act gcg tat aac gcg ttt gga atc act aca ggg atg ttt aat acc 3016
Gln Thr Ala Tyr Asn Ala Phe Gly Ile Thr Thr Gly Met Phe Asn Thr
845 850 855
act aca atg gat gat gta tat aac tat cta ttc gat gat gaa gat acc 3064
Thr Thr Met Asp Asp Val Tyr Asn Tyr Leu Phe Asp Asp Glu Asp Thr
860 865 870
cca cca aac cca aaa aaa gag taa aatgaatcgt agatactgaa aaaccccgca 3118
Pro Pro Asn Pro Lys Lys Glu *
875 880
agttcacttc aactgtgcat cgtgcaccat ctcaatttct ttcatttata catcgttttg 3178
ccttctttta tgtaactata ctcctctaag tttcaatctt ggccatgtaa cctctgatct 3238
atagaatttt ttaaatgact agaattaatg cccatctttt ttttggacct aaattcttca 3298
tgaaaatata ttacgagggc ttattcagaa gcttcgctca tataacgaaa aaaaagggtt 3358
tggatcgaac gtaattgaga ttgattagtt aatactcaaa ataaaacagc tcctaccacc 3418
agtgtaaagt agaacgttaa tagagcaatg tcttcagaca aatctattga gaaaaataca 3478
gatacgatcg cctctgaagt tcacgaaggt gataatcatt cgaataattt gggttcaatg 3538
gaggaagaga taaaatcaac gccatcagac caatatgaag agatagctat aattccaact 3598
gagcccctcc attcggacaa agaactaaat gacaagcaac aaagtttagg ccatgaagca 3658
cccacaaatg tatcaagaga agaacctatt gggatc 3694
7
881
PRT
Saccharomyces cerevisiae
7
Met Lys Leu Leu Ser Ser Ile Glu Gln Ala Cys Asp Ile Cys Arg Leu
1 5 10 15
Lys Lys Leu Lys Cys Ser Lys Glu Lys Pro Lys Cys Ala Lys Cys Leu
20 25 30
Lys Asn Asn Trp Glu Cys Arg Tyr Ser Pro Lys Thr Lys Arg Ser Pro
35 40 45
Leu Thr Arg Ala His Leu Thr Glu Val Glu Ser Arg Leu Glu Arg Leu
50 55 60
Glu Gln Leu Phe Leu Leu Ile Phe Pro Arg Glu Asp Leu Asp Met Ile
65 70 75 80
Leu Lys Met Asp Ser Leu Gln Asp Ile Lys Ala Leu Leu Thr Gly Leu
85 90 95
Phe Val Gln Asp Asn Val Asn Lys Asp Ala Val Thr Asp Arg Leu Ala
100 105 110
Ser Val Glu Thr Asp Met Pro Leu Thr Leu Arg Gln His Arg Ile Ser
115 120 125
Ala Thr Ser Ser Ser Glu Glu Ser Ser Asn Lys Gly Gln Arg Gln Leu
130 135 140
Thr Val Ser Ile Asp Ser Ala Ala His His Asp Asn Ser Thr Ile Pro
145 150 155 160
Leu Asp Phe Met Pro Arg Asp Ala Leu His Gly Phe Asp Trp Ser Glu
165 170 175
Glu Asp Asp Met Ser Asp Gly Leu Pro Phe Leu Lys Thr Asp Pro Asn
180 185 190
Asn Asn Gly Phe Phe Gly Asp Gly Ser Leu Leu Cys Ile Leu Arg Ser
195 200 205
Ile Gly Phe Lys Pro Glu Asn Tyr Thr Asn Ser Asn Val Asn Arg Leu
210 215 220
Pro Thr Met Ile Thr Asp Arg Tyr Thr Leu Ala Ser Arg Ser Thr Thr
225 230 235 240
Ser Arg Leu Leu Gln Ser Tyr Leu Asn Asn Phe His Pro Tyr Cys Pro
245 250 255
Ile Val His Ser Pro Thr Leu Met Met Leu Tyr Asn Asn Gln Ile Glu
260 265 270
Ile Ala Ser Lys Asp Gln Trp Gln Ile Leu Phe Asn Cys Ile Leu Ala
275 280 285
Ile Gly Ala Trp Cys Ile Glu Gly Glu Ser Thr Asp Ile Asp Val Phe
290 295 300
Tyr Tyr Gln Asn Ala Lys Ser His Leu Thr Ser Lys Val Phe Glu Ser
305 310 315 320
Gly Ser Ile Ile Leu Val Thr Ala Leu His Leu Leu Ser Arg Tyr Thr
325 330 335
Gln Trp Arg Gln Lys Thr Asn Thr Ser Tyr Asn Phe His Ser Phe Ser
340 345 350
Ile Arg Met Ala Ile Ser Leu Gly Leu Asn Arg Asp Leu Pro Ser Ser
355 360 365
Phe Ser Asp Ser Ser Ile Leu Glu Gln Arg Arg Arg Ile Trp Trp Ser
370 375 380
Val Tyr Ser Trp Glu Ile Gln Leu Ser Leu Leu Tyr Gly Arg Ser Ile
385 390 395 400
Gln Leu Ser Gln Asn Thr Ile Ser Phe Pro Ser Ser Val Asp Asp Val
405 410 415
Gln Arg Thr Thr Thr Gly Pro Thr Ile Tyr His Gly Ile Ile Glu Thr
420 425 430
Ala Arg Leu Leu Gln Val Phe Thr Lys Ile Tyr Glu Leu Asp Lys Thr
435 440 445
Val Thr Ala Glu Lys Ser Pro Ile Cys Ala Lys Lys Cys Leu Met Ile
450 455 460
Cys Asn Glu Ile Glu Glu Val Ser Arg Gln Ala Pro Lys Phe Leu Gln
465 470 475 480
Met Asp Ile Ser Thr Thr Ala Leu Thr Asn Leu Leu Lys Glu His Pro
485 490 495
Trp Leu Ser Phe Thr Arg Phe Glu Leu Lys Trp Lys Gln Leu Ser Leu
500 505 510
Ile Ile Tyr Val Leu Arg Asp Phe Phe Thr Asn Phe Thr Gln Lys Lys
515 520 525
Ser Gln Leu Glu Gln Asp Gln Asn Asp His Gln Ser Tyr Glu Val Lys
530 535 540
Arg Cys Ser Ile Met Leu Ser Asp Ala Ala Gln Arg Thr Val Met Ser
545 550 555 560
Val Ser Ser Tyr Met Asp Asn His Asn Val Thr Pro Tyr Phe Ala Trp
565 570 575
Asn Cys Ser Tyr Tyr Leu Phe Asn Ala Val Leu Val Pro Ile Lys Thr
580 585 590
Leu Leu Ser Asn Ser Lys Ser Asn Ala Glu Asn Asn Glu Thr Ala Gln
595 600 605
Leu Leu Gln Gln Ile Asn Thr Val Leu Met Leu Leu Lys Lys Leu Ala
610 615 620
Thr Phe Lys Ile Gln Thr Cys Glu Lys Tyr Ile Gln Val Leu Glu Glu
625 630 635 640
Val Cys Ala Pro Phe Leu Leu Ser Gln Cys Ala Ile Pro Leu Pro His
645 650 655
Ile Ser Tyr Asn Asn Ser Asn Gly Ser Ala Ile Lys Asn Ile Val Gly
660 665 670
Ser Ala Thr Ile Ala Gln Tyr Pro Thr Leu Pro Glu Glu Asn Val Asn
675 680 685
Asn Ile Ser Val Lys Tyr Val Ser Pro Gly Ser Val Gly Pro Ser Pro
690 695 700
Val Pro Leu Lys Ser Gly Ala Ser Phe Ser Asp Leu Val Lys Leu Leu
705 710 715 720
Ser Asn Arg Pro Pro Ser Arg Asn Ser Pro Val Thr Ile Pro Arg Ser
725 730 735
Thr Pro Ser His Arg Ser Val Thr Pro Phe Leu Gly Gln Gln Gln Gln
740 745 750
Leu Gln Ser Leu Val Pro Leu Thr Pro Ser Ala Leu Phe Gly Gly Ala
755 760 765
Asn Phe Asn Gln Ser Gly Asn Ile Ala Asp Ser Ser Leu Ser Phe Thr
770 775 780
Phe Thr Asn Ser Ser Asn Gly Pro Asn Leu Ile Thr Thr Gln Thr Asn
785 790 795 800
Ser Gln Ala Leu Ser Gln Pro Ile Ala Ser Ser Asn Val His Asp Asn
805 810 815
Phe Met Asn Asn Glu Ile Thr Ala Ser Lys Ile Asp Asp Gly Asn Asn
820 825 830
Ser Lys Pro Leu Ser Pro Gly Trp Thr Asp Gln Thr Ala Tyr Asn Ala
835 840 845
Phe Gly Ile Thr Thr Gly Met Phe Asn Thr Thr Thr Met Asp Asp Val
850 855 860
Tyr Asn Tyr Leu Phe Asp Asp Glu Asp Thr Pro Pro Asn Pro Lys Lys
865 870 875 880
Glu
8
781
DNA
Schistosoma bovis
CDS
(6)...(641)
GST
8
atacg atg act ggt gat cac atc aag gtt ata tat ttt aac gga cgc gga 50
Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly
1 5 10 15
cga gct gaa tcg atc cgg atg aca ctt gtg gca gct ggt gtg aac tac 98
Arg Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr
20 25 30
gaa gat gag aga att agt ttc caa gat tgg ccg aaa atc aaa cca act 146
Glu Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr
35 40 45
att ccg ggc gga cga ttg cct gca gtg aaa atc acc gat aat cat ggg 194
Ile Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile Thr Asp Asn His Gly
50 55 60
cac gtg aaa tgg atg tta gag agt ttg gct att gca cgg tat atg gcg 242
His Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala
65 70 75
aag aag cat cat atg atg gga gaa aca gac gag gag tat tat aat gtt 290
Lys Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val
80 85 90 95
gag aag ttg att ggt cag gtt gaa gat cta gaa cat gaa tat cac aaa 338
Glu Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu His Glu Tyr His Lys
100 105 110
act ttg atg aag cca gaa gaa gag aaa cag aag ata acc aaa gag ata 386
Thr Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile
115 120 125
ctg aac ggc aaa gtg cca gtt ctt ctc gat att atc tgc gaa tct ctg 434
Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu
130 135 140
aaa gcg tcc aca ggc aag ctg gct gtt ggg gat aaa gtg act cta gcc 482
Lys Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp Lys Val Thr Leu Ala
145 150 155
gac tta gtt ctg att gct gtc att gac cat gtg act gat ctg gat aaa 530
Asp Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys
160 165 170 175
gaa ttt cta act ggc aag tat cct gag atc cat aaa cat aga gaa aat 578
Glu Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His Lys His Arg Glu Asn
180 185 190
cta tta gcc agt tca ccg aga ttg gcg aaa tat tta tca gac agg gct 626
Leu Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala
195 200 205
gca act ccc ttc tag aactgtcaac agaatgctgg gtgtgacgag attgaagata 681
Ala Thr Pro Phe *
210
ttgatagtag tgcactggtg tgaccttttt acaaagacgt catttgtttt atggtatttt 741
ttttcgcaat cgttattaaa ataaacttag ttttctgttt 781
9
211
PRT
Schistosoma bovis
9
Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly Arg
1 5 10 15
Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr Glu
20 25 30
Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr Ile
35 40 45
Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile Thr Asp Asn His Gly His
50 55 60
Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala Lys
65 70 75 80
Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val Glu
85 90 95
Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu His Glu Tyr His Lys Thr
100 105 110
Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile Leu
115 120 125
Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu Lys
130 135 140
Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp Lys Val Thr Leu Ala Asp
145 150 155 160
Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys Glu
165 170 175
Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His Lys His Arg Glu Asn Leu
180 185 190
Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala Ala
195 200 205
Thr Pro Phe
210
10
8
PRT
Artificial Sequence
1X peptide
10
Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
1 5
11
16
PRT
Artificial Sequence
2X peptide
11
Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
1 5 10 15
12
32
PRT
Artificial Sequence
4X peptide
12
Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
1 5 10 15
Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
20 25 30
13
227
PRT
Artificial Sequence
GST-2X
13
Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly Arg
1 5 10 15
Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr Glu
20 25 30
Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr Ile
35 40 45
Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile Thr Asp Asn His Gly His
50 55 60
Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala Lys
65 70 75 80
Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val Glu
85 90 95
Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu His Glu Tyr His Lys Thr
100 105 110
Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile Leu
115 120 125
Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu Lys
130 135 140
Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp Lys Val Thr Leu Ala Asp
145 150 155 160
Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys Glu
165 170 175
Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His Lys His Arg Glu Asn Leu
180 185 190
Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala Ala
195 200 205
Thr Pro Phe Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp
210 215 220
Met Leu Gly
225
14
243
PRT
Artificial Sequence
GST-4X
14
Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly Arg
1 5 10 15
Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr Glu
20 25 30
Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr Ile
35 40 45
Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile Thr Asp Asn His Gly His
50 55 60
Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala Lys
65 70 75 80
Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val Glu
85 90 95
Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu His Glu Tyr His Lys Thr
100 105 110
Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile Leu
115 120 125
Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu Lys
130 135 140
Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp Lys Val Thr Leu Ala Asp
145 150 155 160
Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys Glu
165 170 175
Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His Lys His Arg Glu Asn Leu
180 185 190
Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala Ala
195 200 205
Thr Pro Phe Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp
210 215 220
Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp
225 230 235 240
Met Leu Gly
15
345
PRT
Artificial Sequence
His-tag-hTBP
15
His His His His His His Met Asp Gln Asn Asn Ser Leu Pro Pro Tyr
1 5 10 15
Ala Gln Gly Leu Ala Ser Pro Gln Gly Ala Met Thr Pro Gly Ile Pro
20 25 30
Ile Phe Ser Pro Met Met Pro Tyr Gly Thr Gly Leu Thr Pro Gln Pro
35 40 45
Ile Gln Asn Thr Asn Ser Leu Ser Ile Leu Glu Glu Gln Gln Arg Gln
50 55 60
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
65 70 75 80
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln
85 90 95
Gln Gln Gln Gln Gln Ala Val Ala Ala Ala Ala Val Gln Gln Ser Thr
100 105 110
Ser Gln Gln Ala Thr Gln Gly Thr Ser Gly Gln Ala Pro Gln Leu Phe
115 120 125
His Ser Gln Thr Leu Thr Thr Ala Pro Leu Pro Gly Thr Thr Pro Leu
130 135 140
Tyr Pro Ser Pro Met Thr Pro Met Thr Pro Ile Thr Pro Ala Thr Pro
145 150 155 160
Ala Ser Glu Ser Ser Gly Ile Val Pro Gln Leu Gln Asn Ile Val Ser
165 170 175
Thr Val Asn Leu Gly Cys Lys Leu Asp Leu Lys Thr Ile Ala Leu Arg
180 185 190
Ala Arg Asn Ala Glu Tyr Asn Pro Lys Arg Phe Ala Ala Val Ile Met
195 200 205
Arg Ile Arg Glu Pro Arg Thr Thr Ala Leu Ile Phe Ser Ser Gly Lys
210 215 220
Met Val Cys Thr Gly Ala Lys Ser Glu Glu Gln Ser Arg Leu Ala Ala
225 230 235 240
Arg Lys Tyr Ala Arg Val Val Gln Lys Leu Gly Phe Pro Ala Lys Phe
245 250 255
Leu Asp Phe Lys Ile Gln Asn Met Val Gly Ser Cys Asp Val Lys Phe
260 265 270
Pro Ile Arg Leu Glu Gly Leu Val Leu Thr His Gln Gln Phe Ser Ser
275 280 285
Tyr Glu Pro Glu Leu Phe Pro Gly Leu Ile Tyr Arg Met Ile Lys Pro
290 295 300
Arg Ile Val Leu Leu Ile Phe Val Ser Gly Lys Val Val Leu Thr Gly
305 310 315 320
Ala Lys Val Arg Ala Glu Ile Tyr Glu Ala Phe Glu Asn Ile Tyr Pro
325 330 335
Ile Leu Lys Gly Phe Arg Lys Thr Thr
340 345
16
233
PRT
Artificial Sequence
His-tag-GST-2X
16
His His His His His His Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr
1 5 10 15
Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly Arg Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala
20 25 30
Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr Glu Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro
35 40 45
Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr Ile Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile
50 55 60
Thr Asp Asn His Gly His Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile
65 70 75 80
Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala Lys Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu
85 90 95
Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val Glu Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu
100 105 110
His Glu Tyr His Lys Thr Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys
115 120 125
Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile
130 135 140
Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu Lys Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp
145 150 155 160
Lys Val Thr Leu Ala Asp Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val
165 170 175
Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys Glu Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His
180 185 190
Lys His Arg Glu Asn Leu Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr
195 200 205
Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala Ala Thr Pro Phe Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu
210 215 220
Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
225 230
17
249
PRT
Artificial Sequence
His-tag-GST-4X
17
His His His His His His Met Thr Gly Asp His Ile Lys Val Ile Tyr
1 5 10 15
Phe Asn Gly Arg Gly Arg Ala Glu Ser Ile Arg Met Thr Leu Val Ala
20 25 30
Ala Gly Val Asn Tyr Glu Asp Glu Arg Ile Ser Phe Gln Asp Trp Pro
35 40 45
Lys Ile Lys Pro Thr Ile Pro Gly Gly Arg Leu Pro Ala Val Lys Ile
50 55 60
Thr Asp Asn His Gly His Val Lys Trp Met Leu Glu Ser Leu Ala Ile
65 70 75 80
Ala Arg Tyr Met Ala Lys Lys His His Met Met Gly Glu Thr Asp Glu
85 90 95
Glu Tyr Tyr Asn Val Glu Lys Leu Ile Gly Gln Val Glu Asp Leu Glu
100 105 110
His Glu Tyr His Lys Thr Leu Met Lys Pro Glu Glu Glu Lys Gln Lys
115 120 125
Ile Thr Lys Glu Ile Leu Asn Gly Lys Val Pro Val Leu Leu Asp Ile
130 135 140
Ile Cys Glu Ser Leu Lys Ala Ser Thr Gly Lys Leu Ala Val Gly Asp
145 150 155 160
Lys Val Thr Leu Ala Asp Leu Val Leu Ile Ala Val Ile Asp His Val
165 170 175
Thr Asp Leu Asp Lys Glu Phe Leu Thr Gly Lys Tyr Pro Glu Ile His
180 185 190
Lys His Arg Glu Asn Leu Leu Ala Ser Ser Pro Arg Leu Ala Lys Tyr
195 200 205
Leu Ser Asp Arg Ala Ala Thr Pro Phe Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu
210 215 220
Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu
225 230 235 240
Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
245
18
15
PRT
Artificial Sequence
linker
18
Ser Ser Ser Ser Gly Ser Ser Ser Ser Gly Ser Ser Ser Ser Gly
1 5 10 15
19
31
PRT
Artificial Sequence
1X-linker-1X
19
Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly Ser Ser Ser Ser Gly Ser Ser Ser
1 5 10 15
Ser Gly Ser Ser Ser Ser Gly Asp Phe Asp Leu Asp Met Leu Gly
20 25 30
20
231
PRT
Artificial Sequence
His-tag-GAL4-VP16
20
His His His His His His Met Lys Leu Leu Ser Ser Ile Glu Gln Ala
1 5 10 15
Cys Asp Ile Cys Arg Leu Lys Lys Leu Lys Cys Ser Lys Glu Lys Pro
20 25 30
Lys Cys Ala Lys Cys Leu Lys Asn Asn Trp Glu Cys Arg Tyr Ser Pro
35 40 45
Lys Thr Lys Arg Ser Pro Leu Thr Arg Ala His Leu Thr Glu Val Glu
50 55 60
Ser Arg Leu Glu Arg Leu Glu Gln Leu Phe Leu Leu Ile Phe Pro Arg
65 70 75 80
Glu Asp Leu Asp Met Ile Leu Lys Met Asp Ser Leu Gln Asp Ile Lys
85 90 95
Ala Leu Leu Thr Gly Leu Phe Val Gln Asp Asn Val Asn Lys Asp Ala
100 105 110
Val Thr Asp Arg Leu Ala Ser Val Glu Thr Asp Met Pro Leu Thr Leu
115 120 125
Arg Gln His Arg Ile Ser Ala Thr Ser Ser Ser Glu Glu Ser Ser Asn
130 135 140
Lys Gly Gln Arg Gln Leu Thr Val Ser Thr Ala Pro Ile Thr Asp Val
145 150 155 160
Ser Leu Gly Asp Glu Leu Arg Leu Asp Gly Glu Glu Val Asp Met Thr
165 170 175
Pro Ala Asp Ala Leu Asp Asp Phe Asp Leu Glu Met Leu Gly Asp Val
180 185 190
Glu Ser Pro Ser Pro Gly Met Thr His Asp Pro Val Ser Tyr Gly Ala
195 200 205
Leu Asp Val Asp Asp Phe Glu Phe Glu Gln Met Phe Thr Asp Ala Met
210 215 220
Gly Ile Asp Asp Phe Gly Gly
225 230
|
Weak binding motifs were transformed into a high affinity ligand surface by using a heterologous self-assembled monolayer (SAM) as a rigid scaffold to present discrete binding moieties, in a controlled geometry, to a target molecule. At a critical ligand density, the discrete binding moieties simulated a multivalent ligand and promoted high-affinity, cooperative binding of the target molecule. Statistical calculations were applied to SAM components in solution and gold-sulfur packing dimensions to extract the inter-ligand-distance within the SAM. This distance information is valuable to the rational design of multivalent drugs.
| 6
|
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
[0001] A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The patent 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.
RELATED PATENT APPLICATIONS
[0002] This application claims priority from, and is a divisional of prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/260,959 filed Oct. 29, 2008, which application claimed priority from prior U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/983,857, filed Oct. 30, 2007, entitled LAWN SPRINKLER, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein in their entirety, including the specification, drawing, and claims, by this reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0003] This invention relates to lawn sprinklers, and more particularly, to lawn sprinklers of the pop-up type adapted for use in watering a selected water receiving area.
BACKGROUND
[0004] Water sprinklers of various designs have been utilized for many years. However, many of the currently utilized designs water over a circular area that is of uniform diameter. A few designs have the ability to water over a selected arcuate shaped receiving area. However, significant amounts of water are wasted due to the inability of the general public to obtain and install lawn sprinklers that are capable of being provided for, or which are adjustable to, watering only in a specific and often irregularly shaped area where watering is needed, rather than applying a water stream relatively indiscriminately over an area that may include features where water is not required, such as driveways or sidewalks.
[0005] Since water is increasingly scarce and/or increasingly costly in many locales (whether as a result of increased fees from the utility provider, or as a result of energy costs for pumping, or otherwise) there remains a need for a law sprinkler apparatus that can reliably provide the needed water over the required area, while minimizing or eliminating the application of water to adjacent areas which do not require the application of water.
[0006] Thus, there remains an unmet need for an improved lawn sprinkler with suitable features that would direct available water to those areas needing water, while avoiding application of water to those areas which do not require such watering.
SUMMARY
[0007] I have now developed a lawn sprinkler with flow restricting passageways that enable water projected from the lawn sprinkler to be varied for application according to a predefined pattern, so that the volume of water applied to a particular portion of lawn remains relatively uniform although the water is applied over an area having a non-circular shape or irregular geometric pattern.
[0008] In one embodiment, a lawn sprinkler apparatus is provided for regulating the flow of water to be applied to a non-circular or irregularly shaped area, while providing substantially uniform quantities of water per unit area of the lawn. The sprinkler apparatus includes a base configured to confiningly receive a pressurized water flow, and a sprinkler nozzle assembly coupled to the base for rotating movement with respect to the base. The sprinkler nozzle assembly is responsive to the pressurized water flow to pop-up into an operating position for discharge of water from a nozzle; A drive mechanism is coupled to the sprinkler nozzle assembly. The drive mechanism includes a water driven impeller and a gear train adapted for operatively driving the sprinkler nozzle assembly in arcuate movement.
[0009] A water flow regulator is provided to regulate the water flow outward from the nozzle in a predetermined pattern consistent with the size and shape of the area to be watered. The water flow regulator is configured for regulating a first portion of a water flow to increase water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow over a first unit of time, and for regulating the first portion of a water flow to decrease the water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow over a second unit of time. In one embodiment, increased water flow of the first portion of water through an impeller increases the rotational speed of the sprinkler, when the sprinkler rotates through angular positions with respect to a lawn pattern where less water is required along the then current radial direction, with respect to a receiving lawn pattern. In this manner, less water is placed on positions requiring less water along a particular radial, so that in spite of irregular or varying radial lengths of water application, a substantially uniform amount of water is placed on each area of a lawn, even though a given radial length from the sprinkler to the then current edge of the lawn varies, as the angular position of the water stream from the sprinkler varies with respect to the lawn. Decreased flow of the first portion of water through an impeller decreases the rotational speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly, allowing more water to be provided to a portion of the lawn. Consistent with the regulation of the first portion of water that is directed to the impeller and used for increasing and decreasing rotational speed of the sprinkler, the water flow regulator is also configured for regulating a second portion of a water flow. The second flow of water bypasses the impeller and is routed to the nozzle in order to decrease the water flow rate or increase the water flow rate of the stream of water exiting the nozzle and which is delivered to the lawn. Thus, the second portion of the water flow is decreased over a first unit of time and is increased over the second unit of time, when the rotational speed of the sprinkler is decreased but the volume of water exiting the nozzle needs to be increased, for application along a longer radius.
[0010] A water outlet nozzle is provided that is sized and shaped (a) to decrease the radial length of water distribution along a first vector over the first unit of time in response to the increase in water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow, and (b) to increase the radial length of water distribution along a second vector over a second unit of time in response to a decrease in water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow. The drive mechanism is operative to increase the arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly over the first unit of time in response to the increase in water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow, and to decrease the arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly over the second unit of time in response to the decrease in water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow.
[0011] In one embodiment, the water flow regulator includes an impeller regulator and a nozzle regulator, wherein during the first unit of time, the impeller regulator is configured to operatively increase fluid flow through the impeller, to increase rotational speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly, and at the same time, the nozzle regulator is configured to operatively decrease water flow through the nozzle. Similarly, during a second unit of time, the impeller regulator is configured to operatively decrease the water flow through the impeller, and the nozzle regulator is configured to operatively increase water flow through the nozzle. In one embodiment, the impeller regulator is provided in part by an inner portion of a first perforated disk, wherein the inner portion having apertures therethrough defined by first perforated disk inner aperture sidewalls. In such an embodiment, the impeller regulator is further provided by an inner portion of a second perforated disk, wherein the inner portion of the second perforated disk has apertures therethrough defined by second perforated disk inner aperture sidewalls. In such an embodiment, the nozzle regulator is provided by an outer portion of the first perforated disc, wherein the outer portion has apertures therethrough defined by first perforated disk outer aperture sidewalls. Further, the nozzle regulator is also provided in part by an outer portion of a second perforated disc, wherein the outer portion has apertures therethrough defined by second perforated disk outer aperture sidewalls. The second perforated disk is located and configured for relative movement with respect to said first perforated disk so that the passageways provided by the first perforated disk inner portion apertures and the passageways provided by the second perforated disk inner portion apertures cooperatively provide the increasing and decreasing water flow first fluid flow during movement of the second perforated disk relative to the first perforated disk, to provide the impeller regulator. Likewise, the second perforated disk is located and configured for relative movement with respect to the first perforated disk so that passageways provided by the first perforated disk outer portion apertures and passageways provided by the second perforated disk outer portion apertures cooperatively provide the increasing and decreasing water flow first fluid flow during movement of the second perforated disk relative to the first perforated disk, to provide the nozzle regulator.
[0012] The foregoing briefly describes a lawn sprinkler apparatus having flow restrictors for regulating the flow of water to provide a substantially uniform quantity of water per unit area of lawn, even in non-circular or irregular geometric shapes. The invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with careful examination of the accompanying figures of the drawing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING
[0013] In order to enable the reader to attain a more complete appreciation of the invention, and of the novel features and advantages thereof, attention is directed to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0014] FIG. 1 provides a perspective view of an irregular shaped lawn area that is to be watered, preferably with a relatively uniform volume of water per square foot of lawn wherever located, via a rotating sprinkler that provides water substantially along vectors of differing radial lengths from the sprinkler.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a pop-up lawn sprinkler design, illustrating the sprinkler nozzle assembly located in its inoperative, resting position, nested within the sprinkler base, and showing at the bottom an inlet for a pressurized flow of water.
[0016] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of embodiment just illustrated in FIG. 3 above, now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly located in its pop-up, operating position.
[0017] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a first flow restrictor, showing, for this embodiment a generally circular perforated disk shape with a plurality of anti-rotation guide tabs extending outward from the periphery thereof.
[0018] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a flow restrictor assembly in a first rotary position, showing the edge of a lower, first flow restrictor, and thereabove, a second flow restrictor which is also provided in a generally circular, perforated disk shape, but mounted for rotary movement relative to the first flow restrictor, so that when water passageways through each of the flow restrictors effectively overlap, water is allowed to flow through the flow restrictor assembly. As configured in FIG. 5 , the overlapping water passageways are configured for a slow rotational movement, with lots of water bypassing the impeller, to increase total water flow, and is applicable for water placement along a long radius such as along R 8 in FIG. 1 .
[0019] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a flow restrictor assembly in a second rotary position, again showing the lower, first flow restrictor, and thereabove, a second flow restrictor which is also provided in a generally circular, perforated disk shape, but mounted for rotary movement relative to the first flow restrictor, so that when water passageways through each of the flow restrictors effectively overlap, water is allowed to flow through the flow restrictor assembly. As configured in FIG. 6 , the overlapping water passageways are configured for a fast rotational movement, with minimal water bypassing the impeller, to decrease the total water flow, as applicable for water placement along a relatively short radius such as along R 5 in FIG. 1 .
[0020] FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view, showing a first flow restrictor, a second flow restrictor, an outer O-ring that is used to effectively seal the joint between a stationary first flow restrictor and a rotating second flow restrictor, then an inner O-ring that is used to effectively seal the joint between the second flow restrictor and the housing of the sprinkler nozzle assembly (which housing preferably rotates at the same speed as the second flow restrictor), then an impeller, and a gear train driven by the impeller that acts through a shaft, a driving gear, and a planetary gear to provide rotary movement to the sprinkler nozzle assembly.
[0021] FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 2 , 3 , and 7 above, now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly located in an inoperative position, with the spring biasing the flow restrictor assembly downward, so that the top of the sprinkler nozzle assembly is flush with the top of the stationary sprinkler base.
[0022] FIG. 9 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 2 , 3 , 7 , and 8 above, but now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly in an operating, pop-up position, with the pressurized water flow biasing the flow restrictor assembly upward against an upper end stop, so that the nozzle is exposed for projection of a water stream outward from the sprinkler nozzle assembly.
[0023] FIG. 9A is a vertical cross-sectional view, similar to the embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 2 , 3 , 7 , and 8 above, but now showing an embodiment in which a removable cap is utilized to allow ease of final assembly and maintenance of the components of the sprinkler nozzle assembly.
[0024] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a flow restrictor assembly, showing the upper or second flow restrictor in solid lines, and the lower or first flow restrictor in hidden lines. The water flow rates delivered from such a juxtaposition of the first and second flow restrictors correspond to deliver substantially uniform water application per unit of surface area of a lawn of the shape illustrated in FIG. 11 .
[0025] FIG. 11 is a plan view of another non-circular lawn area that is to be watered, preferably with a relatively uniform volume of water per square foot of lawn wherever located, via a rotating sprinkler that provides water substantially along vectors of differing radial lengths from the sprinkler, showing watering along short vectors, where the rotary speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly will be increased.
[0026] FIG. 12 is a plan view of a flow restrictor assembly, similar to FIG. 10 above, and again showing the upper or second flow restrictor in solid lines, and the lower or first flow restrictor in hidden lines, but now showing the upper flow restrictor rotated forty five (45) degrees, so that the water flow rates through the flow restrictor assembly match the flow rates required for watering that portion of a lawn as indicated in FIG. 13 .
[0027] FIG. 13 is a plan view of the non-circular lawn area just illustrate in FIG. 11 above, but now showing watering along longer radial lengths from the sprinkler, which as described herein will preferably be provided with a substantially uniform volume of water per square foot of lawn, wherever located, from the rotating sprinkler nozzle assembly.
[0028] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of a pop-up lawn sprinkler design, illustrating the sprinkler nozzle assembly located in its inoperative, resting position, nested within the sprinkler base, and showing at the bottom an inlet for a pressurized flow of water.
[0029] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of embodiment just illustrated in FIG. 14 above, now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly and upwardly projecting nozzle housing located in its pop-up, operating position.
[0030] FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view if a second embodiment of the invention, showing a first flow restrictor, a second flow restrictor, an outer O-ring to seal the joint between a stationary first flow restrictor and a rotating second flow restrictor, then an inner O-ring to effectively seal the joint between the second flow restrictor and the housing of the sprinkler nozzle assembly (which housing rotates at the same speed as the second flow restrictor, then an impeller, and a gear train driven by the impeller that acts, through a shaft, a driving gear, and a driven gear located below the nozzle housing to provide rotary movement to the sprinkler nozzle assembly and upwardly projecting nozzle housing and nozzle.
[0031] FIG. 17 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the second embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 14 , 15 , and 16 above, now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly located in an inoperative position, with the spring biasing the flow restrictor assembly downward, so that the top of the upwardly projecting nozzle housing is flush with the top of the stationary sprinkler base.
[0032] FIG. 17A is a vertical cross-sectional view, similar to the embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 14 , 15 , and 16 above, but now shown the use of a removable cap, that may be utilized to allow ease of final assembly and maintenance of the components of the sprinkler nozzle assembly.
[0033] FIG. 18 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the embodiment just illustrated in FIGS. 14 , 15 , 16 , and 17 above, but now showing the sprinkler nozzle assembly in an operating, pop-up position, with the nozzle housing rising above the top of the sprinkler base, so that the nozzle is exposed for projection of a water stream outward from the nozzle housing.
[0034] In the various figures of the drawing, like features may be illustrated with the same reference numerals, without further mention thereof. Further, the foregoing figures are merely exemplary, and may contain various elements that might be present or omitted from actual implementations of various embodiments depending upon the circumstances. The features as illustrated provide an exemplary embodiment for a sprinkler that may control rotational speed of the sprinkler, and water volume applied along a radial length, at the same time. An attempt has been made to draw the figures in a way that illustrates at least those elements that are significant for an understanding of the various embodiments and aspects of the invention. However, various other elements of a lawn sprinkler with water flow restrictor designs, or gear train designs, especially as applied for different variations of the functional components illustrated, as well as different embodiments such as a shape of components or final design of various elements, may be utilized in order to provide a useful, reliable, lawn sprinkler in a pop-up sprinkler design useful for minimizing waste of water and in normalizing the application rate of water (on an irrigation volume per square foot or similar basis) over areas of a lawn, particularly for irregular or other non-circular lawn shapes.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0035] Attention is directed to FIG. 1 of the drawing, which provides a perspective view of an exemplary non-circular, irregular shaped lawn 20 . Lawn 20 may be irrigated using a lawn sprinkler 22 as described herein in order to water the irregularly shaped lawn while minimizing or substantially eliminating watering of areas beyond the perimeter 24 of the lawn 20 . Further, in one embodiment, a relatively uniform volume of water per unit area (e.g., gallons per square foot of lawn 20 in a given period of time, or alternate measurement such as inches of rainfall equivalent over the irrigated area in a given period of time) may be provided to lawn 20 , using pop-up type sprinkler 22 . Sprinkler 22 may, in an embodiment, be configured to rotate, such as in the direction of the clockwise reference arrows 26 and 28 . As the angle of rotation changes from a starting point (such as that at a reference angle zero (A 0 ) along radial R 0 having a length LR 0 between sprinkler 22 and perimeter 24 ) to other angles of rotation about sprinkler 22 , for example to A 1 , A 2 , A 3 , etc. to an A N , (where N is a positive integer representing an angle between 0 and 360 degrees), then the volume of water provided via sprinkler 22 is regulated so that a nozzle 30 (see FIG. 9 ) in sprinkler 22 delivers a regulated volume of water for a regulated length of time along a suitable radial length LR 1 , LR 2 , LR 3 . etc. along radials R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , etc., as indicated for example in FIG. 1 .
[0036] As shown in FIGS. 2 , 3 , 7 , 8 , and 9 , an exemplary lawn sprinkler 22 may be provided in a pop-up operational configuration. Such an embodiment includes a sprinkler base 32 having a sprinkler base chamber 34 defined by a sprinkler base inner side wall 36 . The sprinkler base chamber 34 has an inlet 38 for receiving a pressurized water flow, as indicated by reference arrow 40 in FIG. 9 or 9 A.
[0037] A sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 is rotatably coupled to the sprinkler base 32 and configured for operative pop-up extension upward a distance H 3 as indicated in FIG. 3 or 9 , relative to the top 44 of base 32 (or relative to top 44 A of screw on cap 47 as seen in FIG. 9A ). As seen in FIG. 8 , the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 includes a sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 , which housing has an outer wall 48 and an inner wall 50 . In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2 , 3 , 7 , and 8 , the inner wall 50 defines a sprinkler nozzle assembly chamber 52 which receives water therein, and for discharge therefrom. Nozzle 30 , operatively located with or as an exit port from sprinkler nozzle assembly chamber 52 , is adapted for discharging water therethrough, as indicated by reference arrow 54 in FIGS. 9 and 9A . As seen in FIG. 8 , a sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet 56 is defined at, and by, the lower end portion 58 of sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 . The sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet 56 is in fluid communication with nozzle 30 , via sprinkler nozzle assembly chamber 52 . A sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet 60 is provided, which as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be provided as defined by through wall apertures defined by edgewall portions 61 in sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 . The sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet 60 is thus also in fluid communication with the nozzle 30 .
[0038] A transmission 62 is provided. As illustrated in FIG. 9 , the transmission 62 may have a housing 64 that houses at least a portion of a gear mechanism, such as gears G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 . Various shafts S 1 , S 2 , and S 3 , as well as a reduction gear package G R as depicted in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 may also be provided wholly or partially within or supported by gear housing 64 . The driven planetary gear G P may be outside of housing 64 and in one embodiment as illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 9A may be located at the internal periphery 66 of sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 adjacent the top 67 thereof. The various shafts S 1 , S 2 , S 3 , et cetera, and the reduction gear package G R , as well as the other parts of transmission 62 (e.g., bushings B 1 and B 2 and support 68 ) are secured in working relationship with the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 . In an embodiment, the transmission 62 includes an impeller 70 and gear mechanism including gears, shafts, and gear reduction package as just mentioned, to transfer force from the impeller 70 to rotationally drive the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 . Also, as seen in FIG. 7 , support 68 may include a cutout or water flow passageway 69 which may be defined by passageway edgewall 69 E , through which water flows after passage across impeller 70 . In one embodiment, the first flow restrictor 82 supports bushing B 1 , and the lower end 71 of shaft S 1 , which shaft S 1 is secured to impeller 70 , turns in bushing B 1 .
[0039] As indicated in FIGS. 9 and 9A , a sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway 72 is provided to conduct water therethrough as indicated by reference arrow 74 in FIG. 9 . The sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway 72 is defined between at least an upper portion 75 of the sprinkler base inner side wall 36 and a portion of the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing outer wall 48 . The sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway 72 , when sprinkler 22 is in operation, is in fluid communication with the sprinkler base chamber 34 and with the sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet 60 , the latter of course being in fluid communication with nozzle 30 , as indicated by reference arrows 76 and 78 in FIGS. 9 and 9A .
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 7 , 9 , and 9 A, a flow restrictor assembly 80 is provided, including a lower or first flow restrictor 82 , and an upper or second flow restrictor 84 . As better seen in FIG. 8 , 9 , or 9 A, an outer O-ring 86 is provided between first flow restrictor 82 and second flow restrictor 84 . The outer O-ring is seated in lower groove 82 G . The upper or second flow restrictor 84 rides above outer O-ring 86 at upper groove 84 g .
[0041] As shown in FIG. 4 , the first flow restrictor 82 includes a first flow restrictor inner portion 90 that has at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture 92 with a cross-section open area defined by at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall 94 . Multiple first flow restrictor inner apertures 92 1 , 92 2 , 92 3 , 92 4 , through 92 N , with corresponding multiple first flow restrictor inner aperture sidewalls 94 1 , 94 2 , 94 3 , 94 4 , through 94 N , where N is a positive integer, may be provided in many embodiments, as indicated, for example, in FIG. 4 . One or more variable edges such as 95 1 , 95 2 , 95 3 , 95 4 , through 95 N may be provided in order to vary the flow of water through the first flow restrictor inner apertures 92 1 , 92 2 , 92 3 , 92 4 , through 92 N ,
[0042] Likewise, the first flow restrictor 82 includes an outer portion 96 . The first flow restrictor outer portion 96 has at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture 98 with a cross-section open area defined by at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall 100 , Multiple first flow restrictor outer apertures 98 1 , 98 2 , 98 3 , 98 4 , through 98 N , with corresponding multiple first flow restrictor aperture sidewalls 100 1 , 100 2 , 100 3 , 100 4 , through 100 N , where N is a positive integer, may be provided in many embodiments, as indicated, for example, in FIG. 4 . One or more variable edges 105 , such as 105 1 , 105 2 , 105 3 , 105 4 , through 105 N may be provided in order to vary the flow of water through the first flow restrictor outer apertures 98 1 , 98 2 , 98 3 , 98 4 , through 98 N .
[0043] In one embodiment, as illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9 , for example, the first flow restrictor 82 may include one or more guide tabs 106 suited for location in complementary tab grooves or slots 108 in sprinkler base 32 . In such an embodiment, interaction of guide tabs 106 with tab grooves or slots 108 prevents the first flow restrictor 82 from rotating within the base 32 of sprinkler 22 . However, the first flow restrictor 82 may move upward in response to pressurized water flow or downward in response to action of the biasing spring 140 , as further described herein, while the first restrictor 82 is prevented from rotary movement by the interaction of the guide tabs 106 and the tab grooves or slots 108 .
[0044] In the embodiment just referenced, the second flow restrictor 84 is configured for rotary movement relative to the first flow restrictor 82 . As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9 , connector 110 operatively couples the second flow restrictor 84 with the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 . In this manner, the second flow restrictor 84 rotates at the same angular speed as the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 . Regardless of the precise mechanical linkage or operable configuration, or which flow restrictor actually moves, the second flow restrictor 84 and the first flow restrictor 82 are configured for rotary movement relative to each other. The second flow restrictor 84 includes a second flow restrictor inner portion 112 . The second flow restrictor inner portion 112 has at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture 114 with a cross sectional area defined by at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture sidewall 116 . Multiple second flow restrictor inner apertures 114 1 , 114 2 , 114 3 , through 114 N , with corresponding multiple first flow restrictor aperture sidewalls 116 1 , 116 2 , 116 3 , through 116 N , where N is a positive integer, may be provided in many embodiments, as indicated, for example, in FIG. 6 .
[0045] The second flow restrictor has an outer portion 118 . The second flow restrictor outer portion 118 has at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture 120 with a cross-sectional water flow passageway area defined by at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture sidewall 122 . Multiple second flow restrictor outer apertures 120 1 , 120 2 , 120 3 , through 120 N , with corresponding multiple first flow restrictor aperture sidewalls 122 1 , 122 2 , 122 3 , through 122 N , where N is a positive integer, may be provided as indicated, for example, in the embodiment suggested by the details shown in FIG. 6 .
[0046] The at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures 92 are hydraulically coupled with the sprinkler base chamber 34 . The at least one first flow restrictor inner portion apertures 92 and the at least one second flow restrictor inner portion apertures 114 are cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate the flow rate of a first water flow as indicated by reference arrow 124 in FIGS. 9 and 9A , to drive the impeller 70 . This is accomplished by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area for water flow through (a) the cross-sectional area defined by the at least one first flow restrictor inner aperture 92 , and (b) the cross-sectional area defined by the at least one second flow restrictor inner aperture 114 .
[0047] The second flow restrictor inner portion apertures 114 are hydraulically coupled to the sprinkler nozzle assembly primary inlet 56 . The second flow restrictor outer apertures 120 are hydraulically coupled with the sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass passageway 72 .
[0048] The at least one first flow restrictor outer portion apertures 98 are in fluid communication with the sprinkler base chamber 34 . The at least one first flow restrictor outer portion apertures 92 and the second flow restrictor outer apertures 120 are cooperatively positioned to operatively modulate flow rate of a second water flow as indicated by reference arrow 126 in FIGS. 9 and 9A , which second water flow enters the sprinkler nozzle bypass passageway 72 , by increasing and decreasing intersecting cross sectional area available for water flow through both the at least one first flow restrictor outer aperture 92 cross-sectional area and the at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture 120 cross-sectional area.
[0049] The at least one first flow restrictor 82 and the at least one second flow restrictor 84 are arranged for relative rotary movement with respect to each other so that, if and as necessary to water an irregularly shaped parcel of lawn 20 , the first water flow rate as indicated by reference arrow 124 increases and said second water flow rate 126 decreases over a selected first unit of time, and so that the first water flow rate as indicated by reference arrow 124 decreases while the second water flow rate 126 increases over a second unit of time. This facilitates increased water volume being applied to lawn 20 at longer radial distances (e.g., R 3 and R 8 in FIG. 1 ), while the sprinkler 22 rotates at a slower rate, and then, decreased water volume being applied at a shorter radial distance (e.g., R 6 in FIG. 1 ), while the sprinkler 22 rotates at a faster rate.
[0050] The operational scheme just described above is also easily visualized by reference to FIGS. 10 , 11 , 12 , and 13 , wherein a lawn 20 2 is indicated for application of water via sprinkler 22 2 . Flow restrictor assembly 80 is shown in juxtaposed relationship at a first unit of time in FIG. 10 , with respect to application along radials R A , R B , and R C as indicated in FIG. 11 . In this relationship, at a first unit of time when the sprinkler 22 2 is watering along radials R A , R B , and R C , the second water flow rate 126 decreases, in order to limit the amount of water provided to nozzle 30 for watering of relatively short radials R A , R B , and R C as shown in FIG. 11 . At the same first unit of time, the first water flow rate as indicated by reference arrow 124 is increased, due to a larger common passageways defined by the aperture edge walls as noted above, as between the inner portions of first and second flow restrictors 82 and 84 , as can be easily seen in FIG. 10 .
[0051] Similarly, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 , the flow restrictor assembly 80 is shown juxtaposed in relationship at a second unit of time, for watering along longer radial lengths R D , R E , and R F . During such second unit of time, the second water flow rate 126 increases, in order to provide more water to the nozzle 30 for watering along the relatively longer radials R D , R E , and R F as indicated in FIG. 13 . At the same second unit of time, the first water flow rate as indicated by reference arrow 124 is decreased, due to smaller common passageways defined by the aperture edge walls as noted above, as between the inner portions of first and second flow restrictors 82 and 84 , as can be easily seen in FIG. 12 .
[0052] As can be appreciated by comparison of FIGS. 10 and 12 , as well as examination of the lawn shape 20 2 , it can be seen that the precise design of first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors can be tailor made or individually designed. Thus, an open area in the inner and in the outer portions of each of the first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors can be suitably juxtaposed or matched, so that a given lawn size and shape can be properly watered by a lawn sprinkler, or by a plurality of lawn sprinklers, with complementary or minimally overlapping patterns, where appropriate. In FIGS. 10 and 12 , the lower or first flow restrictor 82 is shown in hidden lines, whereas the upper or second flow restrictor 84 is shown in black lines. These first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors are shown in an embodiment as situated in coaxial relationship for rotation of the second 84 flow restrictor above the lower or first flow restrictor 82 . Further, the precise shape of the inner sidewall 95 of the at least one first flow restrictor 82 inner aperture 92 may be provided in a curving contoured shape. See, for example, inner sidewall 95 4 as illustrated in FIG. 4 . Further, one of the at least one sidewalls of the at least one first flow restrictor 82 outer aperture 98 may be provided in a curving contoured shape. See, for example, sidewall 105 2 as illustrated in FIG. 4 .
[0053] In the apparatus depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9 , the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 is arcuately driven by the transmission 62 as described above about at least a portion of an axis of rotation (defined along rotational centerline C L as indicated in FIG. 7 ) of the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 . In an embodiment, the sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 revolves completely around, i.e., in a continual but controlled variable speed rotary motion, about the axis of rotation C L . With respect to the controlled variable rotary motion, as just noted above, the transmission is configured to operatively increase the arc speed of said sprinkler nozzle assembly 42 in response to an increase in first water flow as indicated by reference arrow 124 to the impeller 70 during a first unit of time. The nozzle 30 operatively decreases the radial length that water is projected along a first vector, such as any one of R A , R B , and R C as indicated in FIG. 11 , in response to the decrease in second water flow 126 , i.e., via water pressure modulation, to the sprinkler nozzle assembly bypass inlet 60 . More generally, the first flow restrictor 82 and the second flow restrictor 84 are shaped and sized to cooperatively regulate and ultimately provide delivery of variable quantities of water for discharge from the nozzle 30 along variable radial lengths, while maintaining a substantially constant volume of water per unit area of a lawn 20 over a given unit of time.
[0054] As generally described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, the at least one first flow restrictor 82 may be provided in the form of a perforated disk. Similarly, the at least one second flow restrictor 84 may be provided in the form of a perforated disk. Moreover, as shown in FIGS. 4 , 5 , and 6 , for example, the at least one first flow restrictor 82 inner aperture 92 may be provided in the form of a plurality of first flow restrictor inner apertures 92 1 , 92 2 , 92 3 , Likewise, the at least one first flow 82 may have first flow restrictor outer apertures provided in the form of a plurality of first flow restrictor outer apertures 98 1 , 98 2 , 98 3 , etc.
[0055] Similarly, as generally described above and illustrated in the drawing figures, the at least one second flow restrictor 84 inner aperture 114 may be provided in the form of a plurality of second flow restrictor inner apertures 114 1 , 114 2 , 114 3 , etc. Likewise, the at least one second flow restrictor outer aperture 120 may be provided in the form of a plurality of second flow restrictor outer apertures 120 1 , 120 2 , 120 3 , etc.
[0056] In one embodiment, the first flow restrictor 82 has an obverse side 82 o and a reverse side 82 R . The reverse side 82 R may be provided in a substantially planar configuration. Also, the second flow restrictor 84 has an obverse side 84 O and a reverse side 84 R . The obverse side 84 O may be provided in a substantially planar configuration. As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 , the obverse side 84 O of the second flow restrictor and the reverse side 82 R of the first flow restrictor may be provided in an adjacent configuration. As seen in FIG. 7 and further shown in FIG. 8 , an outer O-ring 86 may be provided and positioned between the reverse side 82 R of the first flow restrictor 82 and the obverse side 84 O of the second flow restrictor 84 . In one embodiment, as shown for example in FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 9 A, the outer O-ring 86 sealingly separates the first flow restrictor 82 and the second flow restrictor 84 , so that water passing through the first flow restrictor 82 is effectively confined and must pass onward in the direction of, and thence through, the second flow restrictor 84 . To assist in the sealing separation just mentioned, the reverse side 82 R of the first flow restrictor 82 may further include a first recessed groove 82 G shaped and sized to accept and seat the outer O-ring 86 . Additionally, the obverse side 84 O of the second flow restrictor may be provided with a second recessed groove 84 G1 shaped and sized to accept and seat the outer O-ring 86 .
[0057] An inner O-ring 130 may be provided, as variously shown in FIGS. 7 , 8 , 9 , and 9 A. The reverse side 84 R of the second flow restrictor 84 then may include a third recessed grove 85 G shaped and sized to accept and seat the inner O-ring 130 . In an operable assembly, the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 includes a lower end portion 58 that rides on the inner O-ring 130 . The inner O-ring 130 effectively seals the space between the reverse side 84 R of the second flow restrictor 84 and the lower end portion 58 of the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 .
[0058] As noted in FIG. 9A , sprinklers configured as described herein may be provided in an embodiment having a screw-on cap 47 , as illustrated in FIG. 9A , or 47 B , as illustrated in FIG. 17A . In such a configuration, caps 47 or 47 B , as applicable, may be used for providing access to the first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors, so that each of first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors are removably insertable in the sprinkler base, such as base 32 .
[0059] As illustrated in FIGS. 8 , 9 , and 9 A, the first 82 and second 84 flow restrictors may be provided in the form of a flow restrictor assembly 80 . In an embodiment, such as seen by comparison of FIG. 8 with FIGS. 9 and 9A , at least a portion of the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 may be extensible upward from within the sprinkler base 32 . When not operative, the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 is normally biased in a downward, closed position, so that the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 is not in a “pop-up” position. The flow restrictor assembly 80 , as well as the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 connected therewith, is normally biased downward by spring 140 . The spring 140 operatively biases the flow restrictor assembly 80 against pop-up movement, yet the flow restrictor assembly is responsive to pressurized water flow acting against the bottom or obverse side 82 O of the first flow restrictor 82 . Thus, when at rest, i.e., with no flow, the flow restrictor assembly is resting against stop 142 at height H 1 , as indicated in FIG. 2 . Then, in response to pressurized water flow acting against the bottom or obverse side 82 0 of the first flow restrictor 82 , the flow restrictor assembly 80 rises upward. The spring 140 may be located between the outer wall 48 of the sprinkler nozzle assembly housing 46 and the sprinkler base inner sidewall 36 . In an embodiment, the spring 140 may be provided as a coiled, generally helical spring. The flow restrictor assembly 80 has a resting position wherein the spring 140 biases the flow restrictor assembly 80 downward against pop-up movement to a lower end stop 142 , which in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8 , is in sprinkler base 32 . Similarly, the flow restrictor assembly 80 has an operating position wherein the pressurized water flow (see reference arrow 40 in FIGS. 9 and 9A ) acts against the flow restrictor assembly 80 to move the flow restrictor assembly 80 upward to an operating position against an upper end stop 144 of height H 2 , as indicated on FIG. 3 .
[0060] Turning now to FIGS. 14 though 18 , another embodiment for an exemplary lawn sprinkler is described. Where applicable, a detailed description of like or similar parts to those already described hereinabove need not be repeated, and thus, like reference numerals have been provided for identification of such components, without further mention thereof.
[0061] A lawn sprinkler apparatus 200 is provided for regulating the flow of water 240 and delivering water to lawn 20 . The lawn sprinkler apparatus 200 includes a base 232 that is configured to confiningly receive a pressurized water flow of water 240 , as noted in FIG. 18 . A pop-up nozzle 300 is provided, fluidically coupled to the base 232 . The pop-up nozzle 300 is configured to be driven by a drive mechanism 310 (see FIG. 17 ) for arcuate movement with respect to the base 232 . In this embodiment, the pop-up nozzle 300 includes an outlet orifice 30 and a driven gear G 16 . The pop up nozzle 300 is responsive to the pressurized flow of water 240 , which acts against first water flow restrictor 282 to move the entire sprinkler nozzle assembly 302 (see FIG. 16 ) upward into an operating position for discharge of a water stream, indicated by reference arrow 304 , from the outlet orifice 30 .
[0062] The drive mechanism 310 is coupled to the pop-up nozzle 300 . The drive mechanism 310 includes a gear train 262 and a water driven impeller 270 for operatively driving the sprinkler nozzle assembly 302 , including pop-up nozzle 300 , for arcuate movement with respect to base 232 . As seem in more detail in FIGS. 17 and 18 , impeller 270 may be mounted on shaft S 10 , which in turn is situated for rotary movement in bushing B 10 . Shaft S 10 turns gear G 10 . The driven gear, G 11 , turns shaft S 13 as an input to gear reducer G R2 . A reduced rotary speed shaft S 12 has gear G 15 mounted thereto, and gear G 15 drives G 16 on the pop-up nozzle 300 . Also, gear G 15 drives gear G 14 , which in turn, via shaft S 11 , rotates G 13 to drive G 12 , which rotates the second water flow restrictor 284 .
[0063] As seen in FIG. 17 , at the upper inner edge 320 of sprinkler nozzle assembly 302 , a seal 322 is provided at or adjacent to a flange 323 on pop-up nozzle 300 , to prevent leakage of water. In an embodiment, flange 323 may be generally L-shaped and sized and shaped to prevent ejection of pop-up nozzle 300 from sprinkler nozzle assembly 302 . In this configuration, at the inner annular edge 324 of top 326 of base 232 , a seal 328 is provided. Seals 322 and 328 may, in an embodiment be substantially in the shape and form of flexible O-rings of rubber and other suitable elastomer. Similarly, as seen in FIG. 17A , when a screw-on cap 47 B is provided on lawn sprinkler apparatus 201 , at the inner annular edge 324 B of cap 47 B a seal 328 B is provided, which seal may be in the shape an form of flexible O-ring of rubber or other suitable elastomer.
[0064] As shown in operation in FIG. 18 , a water flow regulator 280 is provided. The water flow regulator 280 functions generally as described above with respect to water flow regulator 80 . More specifically, water flow regulator 280 regulates a first portion 224 of water flow to increase water flow rate of the first portion 224 water flow over a first unit of time, and regulates the first portion 224 of water flow to decrease water flow rate of the first portion 224 of water flow over a second unit of time. Further, the water flow regulator 280 is configured for regulating a second portion 226 of water flow to decrease water flow rate of the second portion 226 of water flow over a first unit of time and to increase water flow rate of the second portion 226 of the water flow over a second unit of time.
[0065] The first water flow restrictor 282 is provided with at least a first inlet, here illustrated as inlet 292 in FIG. 18 , which is fluidically coupled to the base 232 . A first outlet, here shown as passageways 314 in second water flow restrictor 284 , is fluidically coupled to the outlet orifice 30 . The drive mechanism 262 is fluidically driven by the first portion 224 of water 240 acting against impeller 270 , after passage of water through the water flow regulator 280 .
[0066] The outlet orifice 30 is sized and shaped to (a) to decrease the radial length of water distribution along a first vector (e.g., R 6 as depicted in FIG. 1 above) over a first unit of time in response to a decrease in water flow rate of the second portion 226 of water flow, and (b) to increase the radial length of water distribution along a second vector (e.g., R 8 as depicted in FIG. 1 above) over a second unit of time in response to the increase in water flow rate of the second portion 226 of the water flow. The drive mechanism 310 is operative to increase the arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly 300 over the first unit of time in response to the increase in water flow rate of the first portion 224 of water flow, and to decrease the arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly 302 over the second unit of time in response to a decrease in water flow rate of the first portion 224 of the water flow.
[0067] The water flow regulator 280 may be provided in one embodiment by a first water flow restrictor 282 and a second water flow restrictor 284 (similar to second flow restrictor 84 as described above, but including a driven gear G 12 ). The water flow regulator 280 includes an impeller regulator portion and a nozzle regulator portion. The impeller regulator portion may be provided by the juxtaposition of the passageways, or lack thereof, in inner portions of first water flow restrictor 282 and the second water flow restrictor 284 . Further, the nozzle regulator portion may be provided by the juxtaposition of outer portions of the first water flow restrictor 282 and the second water flow restrictor 284 . In this manner, during a first unit of time, the impeller regulator portion is configured to operatively increase flow of first portion 224 of water that is acting on impeller 270 , and the nozzle regulator portion is configured to operatively decrease fluid flow through the outlet orifice 30 . Likewise, during a second unit of time, the impeller regulator portion is configured to operatively decrease the fluid flow through the impeller 270 (and thus decrease arcuate speed of the nozzle assembly 300 and thus of the nozzle 30 ), while the nozzle regulator portion is configured to operatively increase fluid flow through the nozzle 30 . Thus, it can be understood that the pop-up nozzle 300 (and the outlet orifice 30 ) is driven in arcuate movement through the drive mechanism 310 , including gear train 262 , as powered via the turbine or impeller 270 . The water flow regulator 280 includes the impeller regulator portion that is shaped and sized to regulate the flow of water flow through the impeller 270 . The nozzle regulator portion is sized and shaped to regulate at least a portion of the flow of water to the outlet orifice 30 . During a first period of time (1) the shape and size of the impeller regulator portion is configured so that the impeller regulator portion operatively increases water flow through the impeller 270 , and (2) the shape and size of the nozzle regulator portion is configured so that the nozzle regulator portion decreases water flow to the outlet orifice 30 . During a second period of time, (1) the shape and size of the impeller regulator portion is configured so that the impeller regulator portion operatively decreases water flow through the impeller 270 , and (2) the shape and size of the nozzle regulator portion is configured so that the nozzle regulator portion operatively increases water flow to the outlet orifice 30 .
[0068] In one embodiment, the flow regulator portion includes, an impeller regulator portion made up, at least in part, of an inner portion of a first water flow restrictor 282 provided in the form of a first perforated disk, and wherein the inner portion of the first water flow restrictor 282 has apertures therethrough defined by the first flow restrictor inner aperture sidewalls. Further, such an impeller regulator portion may also be made up by portions of a second water flow restrictor 284 , provided in the form of a perforated disk, and wherein the inner portion of the second water flow restrictor 284 has apertures therethrough defined by second flow restrictor inner aperture sidewalls. The various features and structures mentioned in this paragraph may be provided as described with respect to the features and structures described in relation to FIGS. 4 , 5 , and 6 as noted above, and need not be further detailed to enable those of skill in the art, and to whom this disclosure is directed, to make and use such a device.
[0069] Similarly, the water flow regulator 280 may include a nozzle regulator portion that uses a first water flow restrictor 282 in the form of a perforated disc which includes an outer portion having apertures 92 therethrough defined by first perforated disk outer aperture sidewalls. In such a configuration, the nozzle regulator portion may also use a second water flow restrictor 284 in the form of a perforated disc which includes an outer portion having an outer apertures 120 defined by second perforated disk outer aperture sidewalls.
[0070] The water flow regulator 280 may be provided in a configuration wherein the second water flow restrictor 284 is located and configured for relative movement with respect to the first water flow restrictor 282 , so that the inner portion apertures 92 of the first flow restrictor 80 and the inner portion apertures 114 of the second water flow restrictor 284 cooperatively provide the increasing and decreasing flow of the first portion 224 of water flow during movement of the second water flow restrictor 284 relative to the first water flow restrictor 282 , to provide an impeller 270 regulator portion.
[0071] Likewise, the water flow regulator 280 may be provided with a nozzle regulator portion provided via the relative movement of the second water flow restrictor 284 outer apertures 120 with respect to the first water flow restrictor 282 outer apertures 98 , for cooperatively providing the increasing and decreasing water flow first fluid flow during movement of the second water flow restrictor 284 relative to the first water flow restrictor 282 .
[0072] When the first 282 and second 284 water flow restrictors are designed for relatively movement in an arcuate fashion, as herein described, it may be convenient to provide the first 282 and second 284 water flow restrictors each in the form of a substantially circular disk with perforations therethrough.
[0073] Using an apparatus as described herein, a useful method for watering a lawn (or other area) is provided. An increasing volume of water may be distributed along a first radial of first radial length via a rotating sprinkler nozzle assembly, while decreasing arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly over a first unit of time. Then, a decreasing volume of water may be distributed along a second radial of second radial length via a rotating sprinkler nozzle assembly while increasing arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly over a second unit of time. In the method, a sprinkler of the type described herein above is provided. The sprinkler is provided in a “pop-up” configuration. A drive mechanism drives a sprinkler nozzle assembly. The nozzle assembly provides variable direction of a water outlet nozzle. The sprinkler nozzle assembly is driven by a drive mechanism that regulates a first portion of water flow with a water flow regulator to increase water flow rate of the first portion of said water flow over a first unit of time, and to decrease water flow rate of a first portion of water flow over a second unit of time. The water flow regulator has a first inlet fluidically coupled to a base and a first outlet fluidically coupled to the nozzle. A second portion of water flow is regulated by the water flow regulator to decrease water flow rate of the second portion of the water flow over a first unit of time and to increase water flow rate of the second portion of the water flow over a second unit of time. The water flow regulator may also include an outlet fluidically coupled to the drive mechanism, in that the drive mechanism is driven by the first portion of the water flow. The nozzle configuration is such that the nozzle decreases radial length of water distribution along a first vector from an axis of rotation over a first unit of time in response to a decrease in water flow rate of a second portion of water flow, and increases radial length of water distribution along a second vector from the axis over a second unit of time in response to an increase in water flow rate of a second portion of said water flow. The drive mechanism decreases the arcuate speed of a sprinkler nozzle assembly over a second unit of time in response to a decrease in water flow rate of a first portion of water flow, and increases arcuate speed of the sprinkler nozzle assembly over a first unit of time in response to an increase in water flow rate of the first portion of the water flow. Generally, the description as set forth in this paragraph is analogous to the description noted above with respect to the lawn 20 , angles, and radials set forth in FIG. 1 .
[0074] It is to be appreciated that the various aspects, features, structures, and embodiments of a lawn sprinkler with flow regulator for substantially uniform delivery of water on a volume per square foot of lawn as described herein is a significant improvement in the state of the art. The lawn sprinkler design is simple, reliable, and easy to use. Although only a few exemplary aspects and embodiments have been described in detail, various details are sufficiently set forth in the drawing figures and in the specification provided herein to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention(s), which need not be further described by additional writing.
[0075] Importantly, the aspects, features, structures, and embodiments described and claimed herein may be modified from those shown without materially departing from the novel teachings and advantages provided, and may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the various aspects and embodiments presented herein are to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. As such, this disclosure is intended to cover the structures described herein and not only structural equivalents thereof, but also equivalent structures. Numerous modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The scope of the invention, as described herein is thus intended to include variations from the various aspects and embodiments provided which are nevertheless described by the broad meaning and range properly afforded to the language herein, as explained by and in light of the terms included herein, or the legal equivalents thereof.
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A lawn sprinkler providing water distribution over an irregular or unique shaped water receiving area. The apparatus includes a water impeller, a first water regulator, a second water regulator, and a bypass channel. The sprinkler regulates the delivery of water according to the shape of the area to be irrigated, so that water is not wasted on adjacent areas which do not require irrigation.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method of closing a mold before at least partly filling a cavity of this mold with a solidifiable liquid, whereby a first mold part is moved towards a second mold part parallel to a central axis and pressed against the second mold part by a hydraulic system, and subsequently a mold cavity enclosed by the mold parts is filled with the solidifiable liquid. The invention also relates to a press suitable for carrying out this method. The invention also relates to a mold part suitable for use in the press.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A method of the kind described in the opening paragraph and a press for carrying out this method are known from the German Patent 838.438 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 2,657,429. In a first phase of this known method, a first mold part is moved from an initial position parallel to a central axis to a second mold part by means of a liquid medium which is pumped into a cylinder under a first pressure (for example, 35 at), upon which in a second phase the same liquid medium is brought under a second, increased pressure (for example, 200 at) in order to press the mold parts together. After the solidifiable liquid placed in the mold has cured or solidified, the first mold part is returned to the initial position by purely hydraulic means. A disadvantage of the known method and press is that the quantity of hydraulic liquid medium which is displaced for opening and closing the mold parts is comparatively great, so that a comparatively large hydraulic pump is required with an associated cooling device for cooling the liquid medium. The total quantity of energy required for opening and closing the mold parts as a result is also comparatively great.
SUMMARY
The invention has for its object to provide a method by which the mold parts can be moved towards one another and pressed against one another with a comparatively small quantity of hydraulic liquid medium having to be pumped.
The method according to the invention is for this purpose characterized in that a primary displacement parallel to the central axis in the direction of the second mold part is carried out by the first mold part by means of a mechanical drive in a first displacement range, and subsequently in an adjoining second displacement range a secondary displacement parallel to the central axis in the direction of the second mold part is carried out purely by means of a pressurized fluid operated system via actuators which after the primary displacement of the first mold part are moved from an idle position to an operational position in which the mold parts are kept pressed against one another by the actuators after the secondary displacement has been completed by the actuators. The fluid operated system is suitable for exerting a comparatively great force during pressing together of the mold parts. A mechanical drive on the other hand is particularly suitable for moving the mold parts. Thus a mold part may be displaced over a comparatively large distance with a comparatively small force thereby. The term "mechanical drive" is here understood to mean any direct drive of the first mold part in which no use is made of a fluid medium for the transfer of forces during the displacement in the first displacement range. During the primary displacement, the mold parts are moved up to a small distance from one another by the mechanical drive. The quantity of hydraulic liquid medium to be pumped in the method according to the invention is comparatively small and is used during the secondary displacement for displacing the first mold part over the very small distance which causes the first mold part to lie against the second mold part and for pressing together of the mold parts via the actuators.
The invention also has for its object to provide a press with which the disadvantage of the known press is counteracted. According to the invention, therefore, the press suitable for carrying out the method is characterized in that the press is provided with a mechanical drive by means of which the first mold part can be displaced parallel to the central axis and with a number of follower pins which cooperate with the first mold part and whose centerlines extend parallel to the central axis and which can be coupled to a pressurized fluid system by means of a number of drive pins arranged between the follower pins and the fluid operated system and functioning as actuators, which drive pins are collectively rotatable about the central axis for alignment of the centerlines of the follower and drive pins. At the start of the primary displacement, the drive pins are in the idle position and the follower pins are situated between the drive pins. After the primary displacement, the drive pins are collectively rotated about the central axis in order to align the centerlines of the follower and drive pins. The drive pins are then in the operational position. The fluid operated system then exerts a force on the drive pins so that the drive pins are displaced during the secondary displacement, whereby the follower pins are displaced and the first mold part is pressed against the second mold part.
An embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that the follower pins have their bearings in a slide which is displaceable by means of the mechanical drive, while the follower pins can be coupled to the fluid operated system at one side of the slide and cooperate with the first mold part at another side of the slide. The result of this is that the mechanical drive is not loaded when the mold parts are pressed against one another by means of the fluid system. Another advantage is that the mold parts can be easily exchanged upon the switch-over to a different product to be formed in the mold cavity, while the slide and the follower pins supported in the slide need not be removed from the press.
A further embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that the follower pins are displaceable relative to one another and that the first mold part can be tilted about a pivot axis which is transvers to the central axis. As a result, the first mold part is pressed against the second mold part with forces evenly distributed over the mold part.
Another embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that the press is provided with at least a stop pin which is situated between two follower pins and whose centerline extends parallel to the central axis. The stop pin determines in a simple manner a change-over position of the first mold part in which the product formed in the mold cavity can be removed. The stop pin in this change-over position lies against the drive pin which has been brought into a position intermediate between the idle position and the operational position.
A yet further embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that the drive pins have their bearings in a turret which is rotatable about the central axis. The result is that the drive pins are supported and rotated about the central axis in a simple manner.
A still further embodiment of a press according to the invention is characterized in that the turret is provided with a ring gear which is in engagement with a pinnion and whose centerline coincides with the central axis. Such a turret drive is easy to manufacture and comparatively cheap to purchase and maintain.
A yet further embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that the mechanical drive comprises a threaded spindle and a nut which is displaceable over this threaded spindle, the nut being coupled to the first mold part. Such a mechanical drive is particularly suitable for converting a rotary movement of, for example, an electric motor into a translatory movement, which is performed by the first mold part.
A still different embodiment of the press according to the invention is characterized in that a side of the first mold part facing away from the second mold part is provided with ribs which are situated opposite faces of the first mold part which can be pressed against the second mold part. In such a mold part, the compression force supplied by the fluid system of the press is transmitted via the ribs to the faces which can be pressed against the second mold part. A better transfer of forces takes place by this than in the known press, in which the side facing away from the second mold part is entirely flat. The second mold part may also be provided with such ribs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which
FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 diagrammatically show a press according to an embodiment of the invention suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention, in which
FIG. 1 shows the press during a first displacement range,
FIG. 2 shows the press during a second displacement range, the actuators being moved into an operational position, and
FIG. 3 shows the press while the two mold parts are pressed against one another;
FIG. 4 shows partly in front elevation and partly in cross-section a press suitable for carrying out the method according to the invention;
FIG. 5 shows a side elevation of the press of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 shows a first and a second mold part according to an embodiment of the invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Corresponding parts have been given the same reference numerals in the various Figures.
The FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 diagrammatically show in various phases a press 1 according to the invention suitable for carrying out the method according to one embodiment of the invention. The press 1 is provided with a base plate 3 and an upper plate 7 which is connected to the base plate 3 by means of four columns 5. One column of the three columns 5 shown is represented in part only for the sake of clarity (the fourth column is hidden). The columns 5 also serve as guides for a plate-shaped slide 9 which is movable along a central axis 13 which extends parallel to and central with respect to the centerlines 11 of the columns 5. The slide 9 is provided with a first support block 15 and a first mold part 17, while the upper plate 7 is provided with a second support block 19 and a second mold part 21, which together with the first mold part 17 encloses three mold cavities 22 (see FIGS. 3 and 6). The shape of the mold cavities 22 depends on the products to be formed. The slide 9 can be moved along the columns 5 by means of a mechanical drive which comprises a threaded spindle 23 and a nut 25 (FIG. 4) which can be moved along the threaded spindle 23 and is connected to the slide 9. The mechanical drive will be explained in more detail with reference to FIG. 4. The base plate 3 is provided with a pressurized fluid operated system comprising a combined pneumatic and hydraulic system 27 (only a portion of which is shown) which will also be explained with reference to FIG. 4. Between the pneumatic hydraulic system 27 and the bottom of the slide 9 are positioned four drive pins 29 which function as actuators and which, after alignment, can exert a pressure force on four follower pins 31 which are slidably supported in the slide 9. The follower pins 31 bear on the first support block 15 above the slide 9. The press 1 has a turret 33 which can rotate about the central axis 13 and which comprises a bushing 35 in which the threaded spindle 23 is arranged and two discs 37, 39 fastened to the bushing 35 and providing the bearings for the drive pins 29 with sliding possibility. The disc 37 is provided with a ring gear 41 at its circumference which cooperates with a pinion 43 which is coupled to an electric motor 44 (see FIG. 5) via a shaft 42. In the position of the turret 33 shown in FIG. 1, the drive pins 29 are in an idle position. The first mold part 17 is at some distance from the second mold part 21 since the slide 9 has been moved in the direction toward the base plate 3 by means of the mechanical drive (described below in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5) until the stop pins 46 connected to the slide bear with their bottom ends on the upper ends of the drive pins 29. The follower pins 31 project through openings 45 in the disc 39. To move the mold parts 17, 21 against one another, the slide 9 is moved (by a mechanical drive to be described) in connection with FIGS. 4 and 5 below in the direction toward the second mold part 21 in a first displacement range until the bottom ends of the follower pins 31 lie in a plane which, seen from the base plate 3, is higher than a plane in which the upper ends of the drive pins 29 are situated. The first mold part 17 is then at a small distance D (FIG. 2) from the second mold part 21. The distance D between the mold parts 17, 21 may be equal to 0 mm if the first mold part 17 is moved against the second mold part 21 by the mechanical drive. The position now occupied by the mold parts 17, 21 corresponds to the end of the primary displacement of the slide 9.
In this position of the slide 9 it is possible to rotate the turret 33 until the centerlines of the drive pins 29 are aligned in relation to the centerlines of the follower pins 31. The drive pins 29 are then in the operational position (see FIG. 2). In a second displacement range, the combined pneumatic hydraulic system 27 exerts an equal force on each of the drive pins 29, so that the drive pins 29 are moved in the direction toward the second mold part 21 until the upper ends of the drive pins 29 and the lower ends of the follower pins 31 lie against one another and exert a force on the follower pins 31 which are moved through the slide 9. A force is thereby exerted on the first support block 15 which is moved in the direction toward the second mold part 21 in the second displacement range until the mold part 17 connected to the support block 15 lies against the second mold part 21 (see FIG. 3). The combined pneumatic hydraulic system presses the first mold part 17 against the second mold part 21 via the drive pins 29, the follower pins 31, and the first support block 15. A solidifiable liquid is then introduced into the mold cavity, for example, by means of a diagrammatically shown multi-plunger device of a kind as described in, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,723,899 incorporated by reference herein or German Patent 3336173 which corresponds to U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,653 and which patents are incorporated by reference which illustrate encapsulation of semiconductor chips. As a result, the term herein "filling of the mold cavity" includes at least partly filling the cavity with a solidifiable liquid since the remainder of the cavity is occupied by the component being encapsulated. The solidifiable liquid may be a thermosetting or thermoplastic, usually electrically insulating synthetic material which is introduced into the mold cavity in liquid form and then cured or solidified. After filling of the mold cavity, the pressure of the pneumatic hydraulic system 27 is set for zero N/m 2 , the turret 33 is turned into the idle position, and the slide 9 is moved in the direction toward the base plate 3, upon which the formed product can be removed from the mold cavity and the press 1 is ready for a new cycle. For the exchange of the mold parts, the turret 33 is turned to a position in which both the follower pins 31 and the stop pins 46 can enter the openings 45 of the disc 39, and the slide 9 may be further moved in the direction toward the base plate 3.
FIGS. 4 and 5 show a press 2 of which the operational principle corresponds to that of the press 1 diagrammatically shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
The mechanical drive of the press 2 comprises a threaded spindle 23 to which a gear 49 is fixed. The gear 49 is driven by a pinion 53 coupled to an electric motor 51 via a shaft 52. The mechanical drive further comprises a nut 25 which is connected to the slide 9 via coupling rods 54. When the threaded spindle 23 rotates, the nut 25 performs a translation parallel to the central axis 13 in the upward or downward direction.
The pneumatic-hydraulic system 27 comprises a pneumatic pump 55, a transmission mechanism (not shown), a set of pneumatically driven pistons (not shown) and four hydraulically driven pistons 59 which move in cylinder 57. Each hydraulic piston 57 has a corresponding pneumatic piston. The pump 55 applies air pressure of comparatively low value (for example, 3.5×10 5 N/M 2 ) against each of the pneumatically driven pistons (not shown), each piston having an effective piston surface area A transverse the piston displacement direction. A hydraulic plunger (not shown) is fastened to each of the pneumatic pistons and has an effective cross-sectional surface area B transverse the piston displacement direction, the plunger being in contact with a liquid medium, for example, oil which is in fluid communication with openings 61. The plunger effective transverse surface area B is smaller than the pneumatic piston transverse area A by a factor X, so that the hydraulic pressure exerted by the plunger is greater than the air pressure driving the pneumatic piston by the same factor X. In this way it is possible to apply oil under a high pressure to the pistons 59 via connection openings 61 by means of the pneumatic pump 55 and the pneumatic pistons so as to realise a compression force of 150.000N for each cylinder 57. The pistons 59 each have a portion 63 of reduced diameter which can be moved through an opening 65 in a cover plate 67 of the base plate 3. During rotation of the turret 33, the drive pins 29 slide over the cover plate 67. The diameter of the drive pins 29 is greater than the diameter of the openings 65, so that the drive pins 29 cannot pass through the openings 65. In the second displacement range and during pressing, the portions 63 of reduced diameter of the pistons 59 press against the drive pins 29. The stroke of each piston 59 is approximately 5 mm and is determined by the distance D between the first and second mold parts 17, 21, the distance between the lower ends of the follower pins 31 and the upper ends of the drive pins 29, which is approximately 1-2 mm, and the distance between the lower ends of the drive pins and the ends of the portions 63 of reduced diameter, which is also 1-2 mm. To strip the pistons 59 from the drive pins after pressing, the oil pressure in openings 61 is reduced to zero N/m 2 and air pressure (for example, 3.5×10 5 N/m 2 ) is applied to chambers 71 of the cylinders 57 via ducts (not shown) to drive pistons 59 toward the bottom of the drawing figure.
Each follower pin 31 is at its upper end provided with a bore 30 in which an auxiliary peg 73 is located, which is connected at one side 73A to the follower pin 31 and at another side 73B carries a circular support plate 75 which bears on the slide 9 and by means of which the follower pin 31 is suspended from the slide 9. Between the side 73A and the side 73B, the diameter of the bore 30 is greater than the diameter of the auxiliary peg 73, and the auxiliary peg is capable of bending under mechanical load. The circular support plates 75 support hardened plates 77 which are present in recesses 32 of the first support block 15.
When the first mold part 17 and the second mold part 21 are pressed against one another, surfaces of the first mold part 17 are pressed against surfaces of the second mold part 21. In practice, owing to tolerances, not all surfaces of the first mold part 17 will always hit against the surfaces of the second mold part 21 at the same moment. If the mold part 17 can only be moved parallel to the central axis 13, the result will be that a minimum required clamping force will be applied to only a few surfaces of the mold parts. This results in that plastic mold material will creep between surfaces of the two mold parts during pressing, since these are insufficiently pressed against one another. To prevent this, the press 2 is provided with a "floating" first mold part 17. This means that the mold part 17 is movable not only parallel to the central axis 13, but it also tiltable about a pivot axis transverse to the central axis 13. The moment the first mold part 17 is already locally in contact with the other mold part 21 via a first follower pin 31 with the maximum force F supplied by the pneumatic hydraulic system 27, the other follower pins 31 will try to displace the support block 15 and the first mold part 17 in the direction of the second mold part 21 until the force by which each of the follower pins 31 presses is equal to the force F. The support block 15 and the first mold part 17 as a result will tilt about the pivot axis until all follower pins 31 press against the first mold part 17 via the support block 15 with the same force F. This is possible because the follower pins 31 can be moved independently of one another and because the auxiliary pegs 73 are arranged in the follower pins 31 with bending capability, so that the first support block 15 which rests on the support plates 75 is tiltable about the pivot axis.
FIG. 6 shows the first mold part 17 which is provided with ribs 81 at a side 79 remote from the second mold part 21, which ribs are situated opposite faces 83 of the first mold part 17 which can be pressed against the second mold part 21. The pressure force supplied by the system 27 of the press 2 is transmitted to the ribs 81 by the first support block 15, the ribs passing the force on to the faces 83. The use of the mold part 17 depicted in FIG. 6 in combination with the tilting possibility of the mold part described above results in a very good compression of the first mold part 17 against the second mold part 21, so that no plastic mold material can enter between the surfaces of the two mold parts pressed together. It is possible to construct the first mold part 17 in mirror-symmetrical form, so that in case of wear of the side facing the second mold part, the first mold part 17 may be turned and the side 79 will face the second mold part 21. For the sake of clarity, the mold parts 17, 21 are drawn in a position in which the mold parts 17, 21 do not lie against one another.
The mechanical drive may be realized by means of any known mechanism. As an alternative to the threaded spindle and the nut, for example, a linear motor may be used. The drive pins 29 may also have their bearings in a slide which is movable transverse to the central axis.
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A method of closing a mold and a press therefore, whereby a first mold part is moved towards a second mold part by a first relatively large displacement via a mechanical non-fluid drive. The mold parts are then pressed against one another by a fluid system including a pneumatically driven hydraulic system to provide relative high mold pressures. Drive and follower pins are selectively coupled to the hydraulic system by a carousel for selectively coupling a mold part to the hydraulic system during the pressing portion of the cycle. The method and press are particularly suitable for encapsulating electrical components.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a method of and apparatus for automatically making food products such as bread, cakes and the like.
The invention is more particularly related to a baking apparatus for automatically making food products in piece form from dough-like substances. The apparatus may for example comprise a housing containing holding means adapted to be affixed to either end of a flexible sealable bag containing the ingredients for the doughlike substance, and a dough preparation station having an upper and a lower slit forming slit openings. Kneading means are included for mechanically working the ingredients in the bag, and the apparatus provides for relative movement between the bag and the kneading means so that the ingredients are kneaded into a dough-like substance. A heat treatment station is in said housing in which the kneaded dough-like substance is baked.
Baking e.g. bread for household purposes is a relatively complicated, time consuming, work intensive and messy business. Due to the fact that the quality of the bread to a certain extent depends on the fermentation time and that the fermentation procedure has to be performed under the correct conditions, which takes a relatively long time, there are few people who have the privilege of eating fresh home-made bread for breakfast.
In the EP-A No. 0 113 327 there is disclosed a baking apparatus of the above mentioned kind which can produce bread automatically without soiling various vessels and utensils, as the mixing and kneading operations of the dough takes place in a flexible sealable bag containing the necessary ingredients for the dough.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
If the baking apparatus is to be of practical use it should be able to cope with variations in the type and quality of the ingredients used and be able to produce a variety of baked products. There is then a need to provide the baking apparatus with the necessary instructions to take account of these variations in a reliable and effective but uncomplicated manner.
The invention is defined in the claims below to which reference should now be made.
In an embodiment of this invention the baking apparatus receives a bag and reads from the bag a first identification indicia which confirms to the apparatus that the bag is of a type usable in the apparatus, followed by a second command indicia which instructs the apparatus as to the parameters appropriate to the particular baking operation required. Either or both of these indicia may take the form of a bar code, the apparatus then including an appropriate bar code reader.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a section through a first embodiment of the baking apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a section on the line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a section to the line III--III in FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 shows a section through a second embodiment of the baking apparatus;
FIG. 5 shows a part of the baking oven of FIG. 4;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a bag used in the baking apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 7 shows a section through a third embodiment having a different means for opening the rolls: and
FIG. 8 is a detail similar to FIG. 5 for the embodiment of FIG. 7.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The baking apparatus illustrated is basically of the type described in EP-A No. 0 113 327 and consists of holding means 11, a flexible bag 12 attachable thereto and a common dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14. The whole arrangement is located inside a thermally insulated casing 15.
The flexible bag 12, an embodiment of which is shown in FIG. 6, is used as a transportation package for the dry ingredients from the producer to the user and as a vessel during the preparation of the dough and possibly also during the baking. The bag 12 must therefore withstand rough mechanical treatment and preferably also contains a second bag or a separate compartment, in which is contained the liquid required for preparation of the dough. The compartments containing the dry ingredients and the baking liquid respectively are separated by e.g. a weld joint which is burst when the kneading operation starts. Alternatively, the liquid for the dough can also be added through a nozzle, especially if the liquid is only water. The bag 12 is attached to at least two holding means 11 which are so formed that the end oieces of the opening of the bag can be squeezed between gripping jaws 17.
A programmer interrupts the dough preparation after an empirically predetermined dough preparation time so that no overworking of the dough occurs which could lead to dry bread. The heater 23 in the heat treatment station 14 can already be started during the preparation of the dough in order to obtain an appropriate fermentation time. The dough can be made to ferment several times possibly interrupted by new kneading operations, depending upon the program in the programmer. When the fermentation of the dough is finished the baking takes place directly in the combined dough preparation and baking station 13,14.
The embodiment shown in FIG. 1 comprises a common dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14 consisting of two housing halves 81,82 of which the first one 81 is stationary while the second one 82 is displaceable or rotatable with respect to the stationary half. In the embodiment shown the movable housing half 82 is rotatable about a vertical hinge so that access can be obtained to the dough preparation and heat treatment stations 13,14 and the holding means.
The mixing of the ingredients and the dough preparation is sccomplished by attaching the upper end portion of the bag 12 to a aholding means 11 at an upper rotatable cylinder 84, while the lower end of the bag in a corresponding way is attached to another holding means 11 at a lower rotatable cylinder 85. The cylinders 84 and 85 are driven by a reversible motor (not shown) for about one revolution, after which the motor is reversed. In this way the bag 12 is given an oscillating up and downwards movement. The bag must pass through an upper and a lower slit-shaped opening 86 between the housing halves 81 and 82, which only permits a substantially empty bag to pass. This means that the content of the bag--the dough--will alternately be kneaded against the upper and lower part of the inner walls of the baking oven 14, where the slit 86 is located. In order to reduce the friction between the bag and the edge between the slit and the inner wall, these parts are provided with rolls 88a and 88b.
Practical tests have proved that a very effective mixing and kneading of the dough is achieved by this very simple device, even if the dough is relatively stiff.
The bags with the ingredients are preferably delivered hermetically sealed and if the baking recipe prescribes that the preparation of the dough and/or the baking should be made under atmospheric conditions it is appropriate to arrange a perforation and/or cutting device 89 which can perforate the bag in a certain position, so that the interior of the bag will communicate with the atmosphere.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-3 a baking tin 28 is arranged in the common dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14. The baking tin 28 also consist of two parts, e.g. hingedly connected to each other along the same parting line as the housing halves 81,82 for washing purposes.
It usually is necessary to ventilate the bag 12 during the mixing and kneading operation due to formation of gas in the dough. One of the rolls 88a in each pair of rolls 88 between which the bag 12 passes is therefore displaceable in an inclined oblong groove 100 so that when the bag 12 is unrolled from the respective rotatable cylinders 84 or 85 the respective pair of rolls 88 is permitted to move apart a few millimeters, so that gas may escape between the rolls 88a and 88b and out of the bag through e.g. perforations 118 (FIG. 6). The opposite pair of rolls 88 are at the same time pressed together against the bag 12 and seal the opening thereof. If any dough would pass between the rolls 88a and 88b it will be allowed to pass back when the bag 12 is unrolled from the cylinders 84 or 85 and the rolls 88a and 88b are moved apart.
A similar function can be provided in other ways, e.g. by making one of the rolls 88 in each pair of rolls 88 spring-loaded and actuated by an electromagnet.
A cutting device 89 in the form of a heating filament is arranged to open the bag 12 after the mixing and kneading operation is finished. The dough is then pressed out of the bag 12 and is spread in the baking tin 28 when the bag is reeled on the rotatable roll 85 and removed from the dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14 before the fermentation takes place.
A number of sensors, e.g. photocells 101, are arranged to detect the rise level of the dough in order to determine when the fermentation is sufficient. Apertures 102 are provided in the walls of the dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14 and in the baking tin 28 just opposite the photocells 101.
A temperature sensor 103 sensing the temperature in the dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14 is also provided.
A steam generator 104 is arranged in the dough preparation and heat treatment station 13,14 and is arranged to introduce steam into said station during and/or after the baking operation in order to produce a crust and/or glossy surface on the bread. The steam generator 104 (see also FIG. 4) comprises a heating rod 105 and a tube 106 which is perforated 121 and communicates with a water container 122 through a valve 123 controlling the supply of water to the steam generator 104. Water can be filled through an opening covered by a lid 124. The steam generated in the steam generator 104 can escape through a slit 125.
In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 the ventilation of the bag 12 is provided by means of a spring-loaded 108 lever arm 109 actuating the spring-loaded 110 roll 88a. The other roll 88b is fixed. The lever arm 109 has a surface 111 bearing against the roll 88a and is on its side facing the roll 88 provided with a small recess 112 with a slanting approach along which a roll 113 attached at an actuator in the form of a presser cam 114 can be moved. The presser cam 114 is rotatably attached to the hub of the cylinder 84 and is actuated by a driving pin 115 attached to the cylinder 84. Two stops 116 and 117 limit the movement of the presser cam 114.
In the position shown in FIG. 4 the roll 113 of the presser cam 114 is located in the recess 112 of the lever arm 109 which in this position does not exert any pressure on the roll 88a, which therefore is pressed against the fixed roll 88b by the spring 110. When the cylinder 84 is rotated in the counter clockwise direction the bag 12 is moved upwards between the rolls 88a and 88b which are pressed against each other and when the driving pin 115 reaches the presser cam 114 this will be moved together with the roll 84 until it reaches the stop 117. The roll 113 is then moved from the recess 112 and along the approach thereof, at which the lever arm 109 will be pressed downwards and exert a pressure on the roll 88a, which will lbe moved apart from the fixed roll 88b a short distance (FIG. 5).
The motor is then reversed and the cylinder 84 is rotated in clockwise direction, while the lever arm 109 will remain in the position shown in FIG. 5 until the driving pin 115 reaches the presser cam 114 and forces it to move to the position shown in FIG. 4 at which the lever arm 109 releases the roll 88a. Thus during the time the bag 12 is unrolled from the cylinder 84 the rolls 88a and 88b are moved apart allowing ventilation of the bag and/or the passage of possible dough residues in the bag that might have come along with the bag.
The gas may escape out of the bag 12 through perforations 118 (FIG. 6), which before use of the bag are covered by an adhesive tape 119 or the like. Alternatively the upper edge which seals the bag 12 is torn away before the bag is attached to the cylinder 84 and 85 between gripping jaws 17 (FIG. 1). One or both gripping jaws 17 can be provided with a cogging or similar irregularities, so that gas may escape therebetween.
A bar code scanner 120 reading a bar code 121 applied or printed on the upper portion of the bag 12 (see FIG. 6) is arranged just opposite the upper cylinder 84. The bar code 120 contains the baking program, such as mixing and kneading time, speed of the cylinders, fermentation time and temperature, baking time and temperature, steam generation etc. The bar code scanner 121 initiates the programmer which takes care of the whole production process. It is important to note that the bar code 121 is read before the bag 12 is wound up on the cylinder 84, which can stretch the bag and destroy the bar code symbols.
The bar code scanner preferably comprises a CCD (charge coupled device) line scan image sensor such as the Fairchild CCD III 256 element sensor available from Fairchild Camera and Instrument Corporation, 4001 Miranda Avenue, Palo Alto, CA. The output of the scanner feeds the programmer which can comprise any suitable commercially available microprocessor to provide stored program control appropriate to the type of bread etc. being baked. There are several variables in the kneading and baking operation. For example, in a typical bread-making sequence the bag will initially be moved between the rolls to break the water bag or seal and then held steady while the water penetrates the dry ingredients. Then kneading commences which may take place at a high speed continuously or at a lower speed and intermittently. After the first kneading operation there will then normally be a rising period while the dough rises. This can be followed by a second kneading and rising, after, or during, which baking commences. Baking continues for a set time and temperature, during which steam may or may not be introduced.
The durations of all these operations have to be set. Wide variation in the parameters is permissible, depending upon the type of bread to be produced and the nature of the flour used. In particular differences will arise depending upon the relative proportions of wheat and rye flour. The necessary parameters can only effectively be determined empirically.
It will be seen, therefore, that there is a need to instruct the machine as to what the values of these parameters are. In practice it is possible for the machine to hold several sets of predetermined values for a range of breads and then it is only necessary to instruct the machine to select the appropriate set. Variations on these sets can be obtained by instructing the machine to select one set but to vary one or two, say, of the parameters.
The bar code scanner 120 reads the bar code 121 on the bag to obtain information from the bag as to which parameters are required for that particular bag. The code is read with the bag conforming around the surface of the upper rotatable cylinder 84 so that it is evenly stretched and thus reliably read, but is not yet stretched by the kneading such as might distort the bar code. Furthermore, because the bag is driven by the motor at a set speed, the bar code passes under the scanner 120 at a constant and even speed, again aiding very reliable reading.
Preferably the code or other indicia being read on the bag comprises two parts. The first or identification part serves to identify that the bag is an appropriate bag for that type of machine, and is one that the machine can operate with. Thus this first indicia enables the microprocessor so that it can be programmed by the second indicia or part of the bar code. The second or command indicia then instructs the microprocessor in relation to the appropriate baking sequence for that bag. The microprocessor only responds to the second indicia if the scanner has correctly detected the first indicia.
The total length of the bar code can be of the order of 30 digits. If the first part of the bar code is the first or identification indicia referred to above, then typically the first 5 to 15 digits can constitute the first indicia, and this can correspond to a number identifying the particular supplier of the bag in accordance with a standard article numbering scheme. The remaining digits constitute the second or command indicia. The code used can conveniently be that known as the interleaved 2 of 5 code.
Other means than bar codes can be used for either or both the identification and command indicia discussed above. One may be a bar code and the other a characteristic design or figure. As noted above the command indicia can comprise the full kneading and baking parameters required, or indicate a selected one of a plurality of preprogrammed parameters. Which method is chosen depends to some extent on the number of digits in the command indicia.
The cutting device 89 in the embodiment of FIG. 4 consists of a bimetallic member which when heated will bend and be brought into contact with the bag and cut this off. The bag 12 will then be wound up on the roll 85 while the dough remains in the baking tin 28.
Alternatively the attachment of the bag 12 at the upper cylinder 84 is released after the kneading operation is finished and the bag is wound up in the lower cylinder 85 at the same time as the dough is pressed out of the upper open end of the bag. The gripping jaws 17 can e.g. be actuated by an electromagnet. In this case the cutting device 89 can be eliminated.
In order to prevent any dough residues from penetrating between the lower pair of rolls 88 during the fermentation and baking it can be appropriate not to wind the entire emptied bag 12 on the cylinder 84, but to leave the free end of the bag between the rolls 88 as a seal.
In FIG. 6 is shown a perspective view of a bag 12 containing the dry ingredients for the dough and an inner bag 97 with the baking liquid. The sealed upper and lower side edges of the bag 12 may be provided with perforations 107. The bag 12 may at its upper portion be provided with a bar code 121 as described above. The liquid may instead be contained in a separate compartment in the lower part of the bag separated from the dry ingredients by a breakable seal which is burst when the bag passes between the rolls 88.
The bread-making apparatus 200 illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8 is based on that shown in FIG. 4 and comprises two housing halves 202,204, of which one half 204 is openable by pivoting about a pivot 206. Latch means 208 are provided incorporated with the opening handle 210 to hold the housing closed. The kneading and baking chamber 212 is formed in two opposed parts 214,216 of the fixed and openable halves of the machine and linings 218 are provided for the open portion of the chamber 212, namely the lower part thereof. The chamber 212 has a slit opening 220 at its top and another 222 at its bottom formed on the join line of the two halves and each comprising opposed rolls 224 on the fixed part and 226 on the openable part. The rolls 226 are biased by springs 228 towards the opposed rolls 224 on the fixed part.
The bag 12 runs between the rolls as described for the preceding embodiments and extends over an upper cylindrical drum 230 and a lower cylindrical drum 232. The drums are driven together as previously described to move the bag up and down during the kneading operation. In this instance the drums are provided with a line of spaced pins 234. The bag is provided with a corresponding line of apertures at each of its upper and lower edges which engage over the pins. No cutting means is provided for the bag as was the case in FIG. 4, but instead the bag is wound downwardly to pull the bag off the pins 234 on the upper drum 230 when the contents of the bag are to be emptied into the baking chamber 212, the bag then being wound on the lower drum 232.
The housing has a window 236 to allow the user to look into the oven and a light (not shown) to illuminate the interior of the chamber, operated by a push-button switch so that it is only on when the user is actually looking inside. Otherwise the heat from the lamp upsets the temperature. A temperature sensor 238 is provided in the oven and height sensors 240 similar to the photocells 101 of FIG. 4 but preferably taking the form of moisture sensors to sense contact with the damp dough.
The machine of FIG. 7 includes a bar code scanner 270 located similarly to the scanner of FIG. 4 and similarly operative to read the one or two-part bar code 121 on the bag as shown in FIG. 6.
The arrangement for opening and closing the slot 220 differs from that of FIG. 4 and is shown in more detail in FIG. 8. The drum 230 carries a pin 242 which rotates with the drum. Loosely mounted on the same shaft as the drum is a cam member 244 which has two portions. The first portion provides two abutments 246,248 which can bear against the pin 242, these abutments being spaced to permit the pin to rotate freely through about 270° relative to the cam member. The second portion of the cam member 244 is axially spaced from the first and provides a cam surface 250. A lever 252 pivoted about a fixed pivot 254 has an end portion 256 which bears against the cam surface 250. A connecting rod 258 is pivoted at 260 to an intermediate portion of the lever 252 and is connected by a lost-motion pin and slot connection to the roll 224. A spring 262 bears against the roll 224 to bias it towards the opposed roll 226. The entire arrangement is duplicated at the other end of the drum.
In the position shown in FIG. 8 the bag is assumed to be at the bottom of its travel. During the last part of its movement it has moved the cam member 244 to the position shown so that the lever 252 and connecting rod 258 are moved to the right, allowing the spring 262 to force the roll 224 against the roll 226 to close the slit. When the bag then moves up again the pin will rotate until it strikes the other abutment surface 248. This rotates the cam member 244 to move the lever 252 and connecting rod 258 to the left thus pulling the roll 224 away from the roll 226 against the spring 262 and opening the slit 220. The cam surface 250 has two flat portions against which the lever 252 bears at the upper and lowermost positions of the bag. The use of such flat portions rather than a continuous curve assists in stopping undesired rotation of the cam member 244 as the drum 230 commences its reverse rotational movement.
The invention is not limited to the embodiments described and shown but a plurality of modifications and combinations of details from the different embodiments are possible within the scope of the claims. It would e.g. be possible to have the heat treatment station separated from the dough preparation station, at which the prepared dough is pressed out of the bag into a baking tin placed in the heat treatment station. The heat treatment station may consist of a baking oven which is displaceable from a position in which it can receive the dough from the bag to baking position or alternatively the baking tin is displaceable with respect to the heat treatment station.
The baking apparatus may further be provided with a fan which leads air into a hallow bottom plate of the apparatus for cooling the electronic components and ventilating the baking oven after the baking.
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Apparatus for automatically making food products in piece form, such as loaves of bread, from dough-like substances, comprises a housing having holding drums (230,232) adapted to be fixed to either end of a flexible sealable bag (12) containing the ingredients. A dough preparation and baking chamber (212) has upper and lower slit openings (220,222). The bag is moved to and fro through the slit openings to perform kneading of the dough, and then baked in the chamber. The variable baking parameters dependent upon the particular ingredients and product are controlled dependent upon instructions read from the bag by a scanner (270). The instructions comprise a bar code (121) which can have a first identification portion to confirm that the bag is suitable for use in the apparatus and a second command portion to instruct the apparatus as to the baking sequence required.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a fabric finishing apparatus.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Heretofore, wet pickup finishing has been accomplished by means of spraying, immersion, padding, foam application, engraved roll, kiss roll, loop transfer and knife coating. All have inherent disadvantages in achieving the desired low wet pickup sought by industry to achieve energy conservation, reliability and uniformity of coating.
Direct spray applications for low wet pickup have been utilized. However, these direct spray applications met with little commercial success because of several problems involved in spraying solutions directly on fabric. Some of these problems are:
Direct spraying of fabric requires moving the fabric directly through a spray chamber. Volume distribution, from side to side using a flat spray produces erratic results. Pneumatic and rotary spraying methods and apparatus produce patterns with serious overlapping. The resultant fabric is one of unreliable distribution.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to an apparatus used to apply atomized spray solutions onto fabric in order to achieve a uniform, low wet pickup finished fabric product. An atomization. chamber is fitted with spraying means which mixes a solution with air and sprays a cloud of atomized solution particles into the chamber. An opening is provided in the chamber through which the atomized cloud exits due to internal air pressure.
The fabric to be treated is juxtaposed across this exit opening so that when the cloud of spray exits, the solution is absorbed by the fabric as the air passes through. The resultant fabric has a uniform finish not heretofore achieved and is produced at lower energy costs.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a cross section of the atomization chamber showing the salient parts and recycling means.
FIG. 2 is a detail of the air manifold showing air holes and means for attachment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Wet pickup is defined as the weight of solution absorbed by a fabric divided by the original dry fabric weigh times 100, giving the result in percent of wet pickup. For purposes of the present invention, the term low wet pickup applies to any fabric with a wet pickup in the range of one to forty percent.
Referring now to FIG. 1 wherein a chamber 1 is fitted with two spray nozzles 2 which receive external air and solution from storage tank 24 through feed line 25 (FIG. 3) are mounted to the center of opposing sides 14 (FIG. 1) of chamber 1. Pneumatic type external mix, air/solution, spray nozzles which produce a plane of spray parallel to bottom side 15 of chamber 1 are used in the present invention, but any nozzles capable of uniform spray patterns are acceptable. By locating nozzles 2 on opposing sides 14 of chamber 1, uniform mixing is achieved in the center of chamber 1. When air and solution are sprayed into chamber 1, in the direction of arrows A, the solution is atomized into a cloud of very fine solution particles. Additional air is supplied to chamber 1 through manifold 3 which is located near and traverses substantially the full width of the center of bottom side 15 of chamber 1. Manifold 3 must be positioned below spray nozzles 2 to accomplish uniform mixing. This additional air increases the velocity of the atomized spray particles, aids in transporting the spray particles (cloud) through opening 5 and brings the solution into contact with fabric 8. Manifold 3 (FIG. 2) is constructed with a plurality of exit air holes 4 spaced laterally along the bottom side of the full length of manifold 3. Exit air holes 4 are thus directed toward bottom side 15 of chamber 1. Air exiting holes 4 strikes side 15 of chamber 1 and returns in the direction as shown by arrows B (FIG. 1). This additional air aids in uniformly mixing the atomized solution. cloud in the center of chamber 1. Air is fed into manifold 3 through both ends by external means (not shown) since both ends of manifold 3 are open ended. The ends of manifold 3 are mounted to and through opposing sides 13 which are adjacent to nozzle mounting sides 14 of chamber 1. While manifold 3 is shown as mounted to and through sides 13 by means of threaded ends 20 and nuts 21, (FIG. 2) obviously any means of attaching manifold 3 to and through sides 13 is acceptable.
Exit opening 5 (FIG. 1) is located in the center of top side 17 of chamber 1. The cross sectional configuration and area of opening 5 is determined by: the configuration of fabric 8 which is to be finished; the velocity desired for solution particles to strike fabric 8; and, the low wet pickup concentration of solution per square inch of fabric needed.
In the preferred embodiment of the present invention an exemplary 2"×12" rectangular opening is used to interface a 12" width moving fabric 8. The cross sectional area of opening 5 can be narrowed or expanded to vary the velocity and volume of solution which exits opening 5 and strikes fabric 8 which is juxtaposed to and moving past opening 5 on external rollers 7 at a controlled rate of speed.
Since friction between moving fabric 8 and chamber 1 is very undesirable, opening 5a is the vertical extension of opening 5 and is approximately 2" above the external surface of side 17. Rollers 7, on opposite sides of extended opening 5a, are positioned to put fabric 8 in tension when moving across the external periphery of extended opening 5a. This is to avoid loss of solution to the surrounding environment and bring the solution cloud into efficient contact with fabric 8. Thus, the two rollers 7 which are located on opposite sides of extended opening 5a are positioned with the maximum lowest point of circumference slightly below the top plane of the external surface of extended opening 5a. Thus, when fabric 8 is moved between rollers 7 and the external periphery of extended opening 5a it is placed in a slight tension and forms a tight seal over the end of extended opening 5a, whereby fabric 8 efficiently intercepts the solution cloud as it exits extended opening 5a.
Baffles 9 are adjustably attached to two sides of the internal periphery of opening 5 by hinges 22 and are provided at an angle of 45° with respect to top side 7 to more efficiently direct the flow of atomized solution particles to and through opening 5 in the direction as shown by arrows C where the solution is absorbed by fabric 8 which is juxtaposed externally to opening 5 or 5a. Baffles 2 are the full length of the opening which is 12" long.
In the preferred embodiment the rate at which fabric 8 moves past opening 5 can be controlled to vary the amount of solution absorbed by fabric 8. Decreasing the speed of fabric 8 increases the amount of solution brought into contact with fabric 8 and consequently, the amount of solution absorbed per square inch of fabric can be increased. Increasing the speed of fabric 8 decreases the amount of solution brought into contact with fabric 8 and consequently the amount of solution absorbed by fabric 8 can be decreased. Therefore, accurate concentrations of wet pickup per square inch of treated fabric can be accurately controlled.
Reference number 10 designates a pump which is attached externally to drain bottom side 15 of chamber 1. Pump 10 can therefore collect and recycle unused solution. For example, unused solution collecting on bottom side 15 is drained by pump 10 and either recycled through line 12 back to solution storage tank 24 which feeds spray nozzles 2 or pumped through line 11 to a disposal drain or pump (not shown) for disposition.
Obviously, chamber 1 can be of any size or shape which will efficiently accomodate the above detailed description. In the present invention an exemplary atomization chamber, 30" high, 45" long and 15" wide is used. Naturally, the materials of construction must be compatable with any chemical used in the processing of the fabric. The present invention utalizes a stainless steel as exemplary material of construction to accomodate a durable press treatment process.
Details for an exemplary the durable press formula are as follows: crosslinker, dimethyloldihydroxyethyleneurea; catalyst, MgCl 2 .6H 2 O/citric acid (50/50); wetting agent, Triton x-100; softener, Seycolube 0-19, and solvent (water).
It is further obvious that negative pressure means (not shown) can be provided to draw the solution cloud from chamber 1 through opening 5 and into contact with fabric 8 as an alternative to the positive pressure description set forth above.
Flow rates of solution through the nozzles are acceptable in the range of from about 50 ml/min to 350 ml/min with an exemplary rate of 100 ml/min.
Air pressure to nozzles 2 can be varied to control the size of solution spray particle. The higher the nozzle air rate the smaller the particle of solution in the cloud and consequently the greater the amount of solution carried by air into contact with fabric 8. Air pressure supplied to nozzles 2 is acceptable in the range of from about 2 cuft/min to 8 cuft/min with the exemplary rate at 6 cuft/min.
Increasing the air flow in manifold 3 increases the rate of wet pickup on fabric 8. The higher the air velocity flowing through exit opening 5, the larger the quantity of solution absorbed by fabric 8 since more particles are picked up. Air supplied to manifold 3 is acceptable in the range of from about 15 cuft/min to 60 cuft/min with the exemplary air rate being 60 cuft/min (Given in SCFM).
Slot widths are acceptable in the range of from about 1"×12" to about 6"×12" with 2"×12" being an exemplary cross sectional area when interfacing with a 12" wide fabric.
Fabric speeds are acceptable at approximately 0.2 yd/min to 2 yds/min with exemplary speeds being 1 yd/min.
The angle of baffles 9 with respect to the plane of top side 17 is acceptable from about 30° to 60° with 45° being exemplary.
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An apparatus for applying atomized spray solution to fabric to produce a low wet pickup, uniformly finished fabric is disclosed. A chamber, into which solution is sprayed as an atomized spray cloud, is fitted with means for adding air and an opening through which the cloud exits into contact with a fabric that absorbs the solution and allows the air to pass through. Means for recycling unused solution is also provided.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 83,871, filed Oct. 11, 1979 and now U.S. Pat. No. 4,279,443.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a shearer for use in coal or metal mining and suitable for effecting the long wall mining method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a shearer provided with a device for detecting the position of a lower cutting drum according to the height which the long wall face or coal or metal mine is cut by another upper cutting drum so as to always keep the mining height constant.
Ranging drum shearers are well known as conventional coal mining machines and the shearers of this kind can be divided in to two groups, one of which is a single ranging drum shearer provided with a ranging arm only at one end of shearer and having a cutting drum, while the other is a double ranging drum shearer provided with ranging arms at both ends of the shearer having cutting drums.
Since the single ranging drum shearer has only one cutting drum, generally speaking, it is difficult to cut the whole height of the seam by one pass of said shearer. Accordingly, it is necessary to reciprocate the shearer along the pit face changing the height of the shearer every pass along the pit face.
On the other hand, the double ranging drum shearer has ranging arms provided at the front and back ends of the shearer, each ranging arm having one cutting drum. Therefore, the preceding drum is positioned high to function as a drum for cutting the pit face at the side of the mine roof and the other succeeding drum is positioned low to function as another drum for cutting the pit face at the side of the mine floor, thus enabling the shearer to cut the entire seam height at one time.
In order to cut the pit face using the double ranging drum shearer, the operator must judge by himself whether or not the cutting operation is correct by viewing the top of the cutting drum arranged at the side of the mine roof and the bottom of another cutting drum arranged at the side of the mine floor. The cutting operation of the drum arranged at the side of mine roof provides no problem since the top of the drum can be easily viewed. However, the cutting operation of another drum arranged at the side of the mine floor depends on the skill of the operator since the bottom of the drum cannot be easily viewed because of the presence of coal previously cut by the preceding cutting drum and scattered on the mine floor and also because of the presence of a conveyor arranged on the mine floor along the pit face. Therefore, when the shearer is operated by an unskilled operator, the mine floor is either made uneven having wave-formed concave convex portions, or the distance between the mine roof and floor, i.e., the mining height, is either exceeded by the maximum height of self-advancing supports or made lower than the minimum height of self-advancing supports, so that the working operation at the pit face is hindered and the mining efficiency is lowered.
In order to overcome the above-mentioned drawbacks, the inventors of the present invention previously disclosed a new technique in their publicly opened Japanese Patent No. 958,841. This technique comprises attaching a sensor to the head of a ranging arm of a cutting drum arranged at the side of the mine roof, said sensor to use the change in the elasticity of a spring or oil pressure by the pantograph or diaphragm manner and arranged to contact and follow the mine roof surface to detect the change in the shape of the mine roof surface. Accordingly, the other cutting drum arranged at the side of the mine floor is raised or lowered responding to the signals transmitted from the sensor to thereby keep the mining height constant. However, according to this technique, the succeeding lower cutting drum is raised or lowered responding to the changes in the mine roof height detected by the sensor arranged to the preceding upper cutting drum, and the mining height is therefore not maintained accurately, because the preceding and succeeding cutting drums are arranged at both ends of the shearer body with a certain space interposed therebetween and the succeeding lower cutting drum is raised or lowered instantly responding to the information detected by the sensor which is arranged to the upper cutting drum several meters ahead of the succeeding lower cutting drum. In addition, the sensor is affixed to the head of the ranging arm. Therefore, when the ranging arm is raised or lowered, the sensor is also raised or lowered at the same time, so that the sensor is slanted, causing the measurement by this slanted sensor to have errors. Further, the sensor employed by this technique is arranged to contact and follow the mine roof surface. However, it is difficult to cause the sensor to contact and follow the concave-convex surface of the mine roof accurately. In addition, an accident can easily happen in this case.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is intended to eliminate the above mentioned drawbacks. Accordingly, an object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine wherein a sensor for measuring the distance to the mine roof is arranged to a cutting drum arranged at the side of the mine floor, whereby the mining operation can be effected keeping the mining height accurately constant.
Another object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine provided with a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum to cut the lower portion of the coal seam, said device comprising a sensor arranged to move parallel in the vertical direction without rotating even when the ranging arm to which the sensor is attached is raised or lowered, whereby the measurement errors caused by the conventional slanted sensor are eliminated.
A further object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine provided with a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum, said device which serves to function as a sensor for measuring the distance to the mine roof comprising a means for projecting a ray or fluid whereby the distance to the mine roof can be accurately measured and the occurrence of accident is eliminated.
A still further object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine provided with a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum capable of easily keeping the mining height constant, so that a machine operator can easily operate the cutting drum to cut a lower portion of the coal seam by observing a cross point shown on a surface of the mine roof by rays or fluids projected from the projectors.
A still further object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine provided with a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum wherein said device includes a parallel link means which includes a board to which the sensor for measuring the distance to the mine roof is attached and a ranging arm as two sides thereof, to prevent the sensor from being rotated or slanted whereby said device can be accurately operated even when the violent vibration of the coal mining machine or the impact of crumbling lumps or scattering pieces of coal is imparted to said device.
A still further object of present invention is to provide a coal mining machine provided with a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum wherein the board to which the sensor is attached is pivoted on the axial line of a drum rotating shaft of a ranging arm whereby the board is precisely moved upwardly or downwardly according to movement of the cutting drum.
These and other object as well as the merits of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of present invention.
FIG. 2 is a partly broken isometric view showing the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
FIGS. 3 through 5 are explanatory views illustrating the function of detecting devices of present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example in which the present invention is applied to the double ranging drum shearer. Numeral 1 represents a shearer body, which is mounted on conveyors 2 with skids 3 interposed therebetween. In the shearer body 1, a means for driving cutting drums or the like is housed which will be described later. Numerals 4 and 5 represent ranging arms of which bottom ends are attached to both ends of shearer body 1, respectively. Numerals 6 and 7 denote ranging jacks, which serve to rotate the ranging arms 4 and 5. Numerals 8 and 9 denote cutting drums each being attached to the foremost end of the corresponding ranging arm through a rotating shaft 10.
Numeral 11 represents a bearing housing by which the rotating shaft 10 is held. Numeral 15 denotes a device for detecting the position of a cutting drum, said device comprising a means 15A, 15B for projecting a ray or fluid. The detection device 15 is arranged on a board 12, which is freely rotatably mounted on the bearing housing 11 of foremost end of ranging arm 5. Numeral 13 represents a fixing plate erected on the shearer body 1 in front of the bottom end of ranging arm 5. Numeral 14 denotes a link bar, one end of which is pinned at a point to the upper end of fixing plate 13 and the other end of which is pinned at a point D to the board 12. Points A, B, C and D are in the following positional relation. Namely, line A-B is equal in length and parallel to line C-D, and line A-C is equal in length and parallel to line B-D, thus forming a parallelogram. In this embodiment, lines A-C and B-D are always kept vertical. As apparent from above, a parallel link mechanism is formed by the ranging arm 5, fixing plate 13, link bar 14 and board 12. Accordingly, even when the jack 7 is operated to change the slant angle of ranging arm 5, the board 12 on which the detection device 15 is arranged is changed in an angle relative to the ranging arm 5 always keep line B-D vertical. In other words, the board 12 is vertically moved corresponding to the extent to which the cutting drum 9 is raised or lowered.
Though the positions of points A, B, C and D can be freely changed so far as these points occupy any of a apexes of parallelogram, it is desirable that the moving direction and amount of point D are equal to those of the center of the cutting drum 9. When point B is replaced in the direction of point A to form a parallelogram, the moving direction and amount of points B and D are not equal to those of the center of cutting drum 9, and therefore, it becomes necessary to add to the detection device 15 a complicated circuit or the like for correcting the measurement values. The above mentioned parallel link means of the present invention includes a kind of link means which does not form a parallelogram such as the present invention, but has equal function as the same as a parallel link in allowed measurement errors.
In the present invention, the detection device 15 comprises a sensor for measuring the distance to the mine roof which is attached to the board 12. This sensor 15 includes a projectors 15A, 15B for projecting a ray, fluid, for example water, colored air, powdered or grained material or the like, to the mine roof. The projector of this kind is publicly well known and the operation principle thereof is also publicly well known. Therefore, construction of the projector 15A and 15B employed in the present invention will be not described in detail but may be attached to the board 12 as described below.
The sensor 15 consists of at least one pair of the projectors 15A and 15B, each of which is mounted on the board 12 with desired projection direction and distance, with rays projected from the projectors 15A, 15B appearing as a cross point on surface of the mine roof. Because mining height occasionally changes according to condition of the coal or metal seam, therefore it is necessary to arrange a mechanism by which the cross point of the two projected rays is moved upwardly and downwardly. For this technical object, it is desired that at least one projector 15A or 15B is movably mounted on the board 12 to change projection direction or mounted point thereof.
Furthermore, more than two pairs of the projector may be mounted on the board 12. To prevent the projected ray from being intersepted by a part of the shearer, self-advancing support or materials around the projector 15A, 15B, many sets of the projector are separately mounted in different directions and mounted positions.
To project a visible ray of light, a flood light projector is used for the projector 15A, 15B. If fluid similar to water is projected, a nozzle continued to a water pump or the like through hoses is used for the projector. In case the projector projects visible aerial material similar to coloured air, a nozzle is continued to a source of supply of aerial material as an air compressor. Further, if the projector projects powdered or grained materials, a nozzle is jointed with a source of supply of said materials.
For example, if a flood light projector projecting visible ray is used for the projector 15A, 15B, each of projector 15A and 15B may projects rays in different color, and then the cross point of said rays is shown in mixture color.
In addition to the above, in this invention it is unnecessary that the cross point O is indicated literally as a small point. Said cross point may be indicated as a sectioned portion having some square measurements.
The function of the sensor of the present invention constructed above will now be described.
In FIG. 3, a level a is regulated for a desired cutting face of a lower portion of the coal or metal seam, when the mine roof is provided in level L1. Before beginning the coal mining, a position of the cutting drum 9 used to cut the lower portion of the coal or metal seam is previously set by moving the arm 5 upwardly or downwardly in the level so that a bottom face of said drum 9 is on the level a. At the same time, two projectors 15A, 15B are regulated to cause visible rays or fluid projected from said projectors to cross on the surface of the mine roof L1. Accordingly an operator operates the shearer at the same time that he detects through his eyes the cross point O of rays shown on the surface of the mine roof.
Next, while the shearer continues to cut the coal or metal mine, as shown in FIG. 4, when a level of the mine roof changes into a level L2 which is higher than the level L1, a cross point of the rays projected from the projectors 15A and 15B is not shown on the surface of the mine roof, because first level L1 of the mine roof is moved to new level L2. Accordingly, the cutting drum 9 should be raised to a level so that the cross point of the rays projected from the projectors 15A and 15B is shown on the surface of the mine roof. This operation is done by the shearer operator in the manner of operating a valve 16A, for example an electromagnetic valve, to raise a jack 7 of the cutting drum 9. At this time, the board 12 is also raised equal to the raised extent of the cutting drum 9 to come closer to the mine roof. When a new cross point of the rays become visible on new level L2 of the mine roof, the operator closes the valve 16A to stop raising of the jack 7, and the cutting drum 9 is regulated at the desired level.
Further cutting is continued, and when the level of the mine roof changes into a lower level as shown at L3 in FIG. 5, the cross point disappears, and two points of the light now appear separately on the level L3. At this time, the shearer operator opens a valve 16B to lower the jack 7 and cutting drum 9. And just then, because the board 12 is mounted on the cutting drum 9, said board 12 is also lowered equal to the lowered extent of the cutting drum 9 to come nearer to the coal floor. In a short time, the board 12 is lowered, and a new cross point of the rays appears on the new surface of the mine roof. When the operator detects the above new cross point, he closes the valve 16B to stop unwanted movement of the cutting drum 9. Through this operation, the cutting drum 9 is regulated according to new level L3 of the mine roof, and said cutting drum 9 shears a lower portion of the coal or metal seam according to an imagined lower level c.
By repeating the above operation regardless of the height of the mine roof changing irregularly, coal or metal mining height is kept at desired constant height.
Though the present invention has been described in detail, it includes the following other embodiments:
(1) In the shearer having one ranging arm 5, two cutting drums 9 are provided between which the sensor attaching board 12 is mounted. The cutting drums are arranged on the shaft at the side of mine floor.
(2) In the double ranging drum shearer as shown in FIG. 1, the device for detecting the position of a cutting drum according to the present invention is also arranged to the ranging arm 4 to which the cutting drum to be arranged at the side of mine roof is attached, so that either of cutting drum 8 and 9 can be used as the lower cutting drum reciprocating the shearer body 1 along the long wall pit face.
(3) The shearer is a single ranging one having no ranging arm 4 to which the cutting drum to be arranged at the side of mine roof is attached as shown in FIG. 1.
(4) Point (B) is not positioned on the drum rotating shaft 10, but is replaced a little to the side of point (A) on a line connecting points (B) and (A), and correction of measured values is made by a controller, not shown.
(5) Lines connecting points (A), (B), (C) and (D) do not form a correct parallel link means, but a quasi-parallel link means capable of keeping the measurement errors of the sensor smaller than several centimeters, preferably five centimeters.
(6) As disclosed in the Japanese Patent Publication No. 53-4043, the shearer has a main ranging arm to which a sub-ranging arm is attached, and two cutting drums are attached to both ends of the sub-ranging arm. In this case, two parallel links are formed as shown in FIG. 5 and the sensor attaching board 12 is mounted on the shaft to which the cutting drum to be arranged at the side of mine floor is attached. When either the main or sub-ranging arm is fixed, it is enough to form one parallel link.
(7) A plurality of sensors 15 are attached to the board 12 and the average of values measured by these sensors 15 is employed to represent the distance to the mine roof.
(8) One end of link bar 14 is pivoted to the shearer body 1.
(9) A plurality of position detection devices are arranged to prevent the ray or wave from being intercepted by any obstacle at the mining site.
It is thought that the present invention can be applied as follows: Instead of board 12 and parallel link means employed in the present invention, other publicly well-known levels which use the surface of liquid or a float, or are of hanging or swinging weight type, or of gyro-type for example, are employed and the sensor 15 is attached to one of these levels.
The coal mining machine according to the present invention and having such arrangements as described above can be operated as follows
When the shearer body 1 is moved along the long wall pit face in the direction shown by an arrow in FIG. 1, the ranging arm 4 is turned in the upper direction to determine the position of cutting drum 8 which is intended to cut the coal seam at the side of mine roof, and then the coal seam at the side of mine roof is cut by the cutting drum 8. The coal seam at the side of the mine floor is cut by the following lower cutting drum 9 in such a way that the sensor 15 measures the distance to the mine roof as described above, namely the distance to the roof of the coal seam which has been cut by the preceding upper cutting drum 8, and the cutting drum 9 is manually or automatically raised or lowered according to the height of the mine roof. Accordingly, the mining height can be always kept constant.
Since the present invention can provide the above mentioned arrangements and operational functions, the objects of present invention can be attained. Namely, since the sensor for measuring the distance to the mine roof is arranged to the lower cutting drum, the distance to the mine roof can be accurately measured at the time of cutting the coal seam at the side of mine floor. Since the sensor is attached to the board which is kept moving in the vertical direction even if the ranging arm is rotated in the upper or lower direction, measurement errors are not caused because the sensor is not slanted as the conventional sensors are. Since the parallel link means is employed as a means to keep the sensor attaching board level, the sensor can be accurately operated even if violent vibration and impact of crumbling lumps and scattering pieces of coal are imparted to the shearer at the mining site. In addition, since the ray or fluid projector is employed as the sensor, the distance to the mine roof can be accurately measured even if the distance between the mine roof and the lower cutting drum is great, and accidents can be substantially reduced as compared with the conventional sensors which are designed to contact and follow the mine roof.
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The present invention is directed to a method for regulating position of a mining apparatus comprising the steps of transmission of a plurality of signals from a position detection device, interception of said signals at an edge of a mine at a distance away from the position detection device, and adjustment of the position of the mining apparatus to form an intersection between at least two signals at the edge of the mine.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Cross-Reference to Related Applications
This application is a related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/917,199, filed Jul. 22, 1992, entitled: "METHOD FOR RETORTING ORGANIC MATTER", which is a CIP of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/820,134, filed Jan. 13, 1992, entitled: "METHOD FOR RETORTING ORGANIC MATTER", and is also related to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/917,186, filed Jul. 22, 1992, entitled: "APPARATUS FOR ALLOWING THERMAL DIMENSIONAL CHANGES OF METAL PARTS IN A RETORT MECHANISM".
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an apparatus for removing hydrocarbons from materials contaminated therewith and waste materials for recycling, and more particularly to an apparatus for retorting organic matter in an essentially continuous closed system which is adaptable to various types of raw materials to be treated and which does not have a negative effect on the ecology.
DESCRIPTION OF PRIOR ART
In the past, there have been many methods and apparatus for disposing of or treating waste materials and contaminated materials for recycling. Procedures have been utilized in the past for cleaning up contaminated materials and for recycling materials containing hydrocarbons. Such prior methods have included chemically treating the materials, burning the materials, disposing of the materials in landfills, and retorting the materials under high temperatures. Some examples of prior methods and apparatus as disclosed in the prior art are described as follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,682,115 to Rodgers, issued Aug. 8, 1972, discloses a portable disposal apparatus for combustible waste in which the combustible waste is crushed and chopped and conveyed to a combustion chamber where it is ignited with an auxiliary fuel and burned. Products of combustion which have not been fully consumed are condensed in condenser tanks. Unburned gases are then directed back into the combustion chamber to sustain combustion while residual tars, oils, and condensed liquids are removed from the condenser tanks from time to time.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,235,676 to Chambers, issued Nov. 25, 1980, discloses an apparatus including an elongated tube that is maintained at a temperature of about 1100 degrees Fahrenheit and through which organic waste material, such as shredded rubber automobile tires or industrial plastic waste or residential trash which preferably has metal and inorganic matter removed therefrom, is moved at a uniform rate of speed in the absence of air and/or oxygen. The vapors and gases which are produced and/or liberated within the tube are quickly removed therefrom by means of a vacuum of from about four inches to about six inches of mercury, with the vapors being condensed and the gases separated therefrom.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,308,103 to Rotter, issued Dec. 29, 1981, discloses a system including a cylindrical, horizontally disposed reactor vessel having a material conveying device including a plurality of paddle-like impellers mounted on a rotatable pipe for transporting comminuted solid carbonizable materials, such as coal, shredded scrap tires, comminuted municipal waste, sawdust and wood shavings, and the like, through the reactor vessel; a heating chamber arranged coaxially around the reactor vessel to subject the material passing through the reactor vessel to an indirect heat transfer relationship with a burning air-fuel mixture spirally swirling within the heating chamber and moving in a direction generally countercurrent to the material passing through the reaction vessel with the burning air-fuel mixture and combusted gases being progressively constricted and confined by the heating chamber. One end of the reaction vessel has a feed material inlet. Communicating with the feed material inlet is a gravity packed feed material column which assists in effectively sealing the feed material inlet from oxygen-containing gases. A rotary air lock is located near the upper end of the feed material column to further assure the exclusion of oxygen-containing gases from the interior of the reaction vessel. A side inlet may be provided in the feed material column for introducing inert gas to such column to further seal the system against oxygen-containing gases. The other end of the reaction vessel has a solid residue outlet and a gas-vapor outlet. Communicating with the solid residue outlet is a gravity packed column which contributes to the sealing at the outlet end of the reaction vessel from oxygen-containing gases. The comminuted solid carbonizable material passing through the reactor vessel is converted by pyrolysis, or high-temperature destructive distillation, into combustible gases, liquid hydrocarbons and solid carbonaceous residues. Gases and vaporized liquids generated from the solid carbonizable material introduced into the reaction vessel leave the reaction vessel through the gas-vapor outlet and are withdrawn under a slightly negative pressure and in a manner so as to avoid the entrance of any oxygen-containing gases into the reaction vessel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,965 to Sigerson et al., issued Dec. 29, 1987, discloses a method for separating volatilizable contaminants from soil by introducing the soil into a rotary aggregate dryer through which a working gas indirectly heated to between 750 degrees and 1800 degrees Fahrenheit is drawn to vaporize the contaminants, and for recovering the contaminants for disposal or for cooling the effluent to condense and precipitate out a substantial portion of the contaminants and passing the effluent through activated carbon.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,730,564 to Abboud, issued Mar. 15, 1988, discloses a multi-stage rotary kiln for burning waste and including a pair of concentric tubes affixed one inside the other with waste being conveyed through the inner tube and with hot burning gases being introduced into the inner tube to cause the waste to burn.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,653 to Jones, issued Apr. 18, 1989, discloses an apparatus for detoxifying heavy metals and the like contained in sludges, soils, incinerated ashes and similar materials by passing the metal-containing material through a pyrolyzer means operated with a substantially oxygen-free environment.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,974,528 to Barcell, issued Dec. 4, 1990, discloses a method for removing hydrocarbon contaminants from soil by advancing the soil through a dryer having a combustion chamber therein, and exposing the soil to a gaseous flame in the combustion chamber to volatilize certain of the contaminants in the soil.
The patents to Rodgers, Abboud and Barcell teach direct contact between a flame and the material being treated.
The patents to Chambers and Jones teach an anaerobic treatment.
The patent to Sigerson et al. teaches drawing a hot working gas stream at a temperature of between 750 degrees Fahrenheit and 1800 degrees Fahrenheit through the soil by an induced draft fan.
The patent to Rotter teaches moving a spiralling high temperature heating medium within the heating zone toward the material inlet end of the reaction pipe.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter which is easily selectably adaptable to a number of variables including the input raw material to be treated, the desired quality of the output byproducts, a start-up versus steady state condition, and flow rate.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter in an essentially closed system which is capable of recycling selected byproducts of the process for burning within the system.
It is a further object of this invention to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter without creating atmospheric pollution.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter which is capable of utilizing, selectively, byproducts of the process for creating heat within the process in an essentially closed system manner.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter which is simple and cost-effective and which will profitably process a substantial volume of material on a continual operating basis.
A further object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for retorting organic matter in a system which is highly mobile and completely self-contained.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING$
The invention will be further described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a side plan view of the exterior of the apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side view of the inlet portion of the mobile apparatus of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a partial cutaway end view of the retort chamber of the present invention;
FIG. 6 is a partial end plan view of the inlet portion of the apparatus of the present invention; and
FIG. 7 is a partial side view of the outlet portion of the retort chamber of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
With reference to the figures, wherein like reference characters indicate like elements throughout the several views and, in particular, with reference to FIG. 1, there is shown a source of raw material 11, to be treated, which is first loaded into a feed hopper 13 manually or, preferably, by way of a motorized front-end loader, dump-truck, or the like. The raw material to be treated may be any solid material, wherein it is desired to remove hydrocarbons or contaminants such that the separated byproducts of the process can be separately utilized or disposed of. Some examples of such raw materials are contaminated soil, tires, automobile fluff, medical waste, batteries, asphalt, roof shingles, chicken droppings, iron oxide, gas contaminated soil, PCB in soil, tanker bottoms, drill cuttings, oil field sludge, tar sands, landfills (household garbage), and belt cake. The feed hopper 13 is preferably equipped with rotating blades to break the material into chunks, which then drop onto an inlet conveyor means 15 such as an auger conveyor. The inlet conveyor means 15 lifts or conveys the chunk material to the input end of a retort chamber means 17. The retort chamber means 17 is heated by a heater means 19. The heater means 19 includes a plurality of burners 21 spaced along the length of the retort chamber 17, with each burner 21 being capable of selective individual adjustment. The burners 21 are spaced along the length of the retort chamber 17 for directing a plurality of individual gases flames along the length thereof.
The retort chamber means 17 preferably includes a retort screw or auger that rotates inside of a stainless steel retort pipe causing the raw material 11 to be conveyed through the retort pipe to the outlet end of the retort chamber 19. The interior of the retort pipe is maintained oxygen-free by the use of airlocks in a conventional manner which will be apparent to those skilled in the art.
The heated air from the burners 21 passes through a plenum chamber to heat the retort pipe to a desired temperature which may be in excess of 1200° F. The temperature is selected to be sufficient to drive out all of the hydrocarbons from the raw material being conveyed through the retort pipe. A plurality of temperature sensors 22 are provided at spaced distances along the length of the retort chamber for sensing the temperature of the retort chamber at spaced distances along the length thereof. The gaseous flames from the burners 21 are adjusted along the length of the chamber in response to the temperature sensed by the sensors 22. The interior of the retort chamber 17 surrounding the retort pipe is lined with refractory materials such that the heat generated in the plenum chamber will be absorbed by the refractories which will then be the primary source of heat for the retort chamber pipe. The burners 21 are adjusted individually from a condition of being completely turned off to a condition of generating maximum heat, selectively and individually, so as to provide sufficient heat to the material in the retort pipe at each location therealong according to the amount of heat necessary at that position within the retort pipe needed at a particular time. The particular temperature required for treating a particular raw material depends upon the end result which is desired. For example, the temperature applied to a solid material containing hydrocarbons would depend upon the amount of hydrocarbons desired to be removed. With regard to automobile tires, the byproducts would be carbon black, oil, and methane. Depending upon the desired BTU content desired for the carbon black, the temperature must be adjusted in such a way to remove a certain portion of the hydrocarbons while leaving a certain portion of the hydrocarbons in the carbon black. The more hydrocarbons contained in the carbon black, the higher the BTU value of the carbon black byproduct. Depending upon the end use for the carbon black, and the potential economic value of each of the three byproducts, the temperature will be selected to produce each of the three end products of the process accordingly.
There is also reason for desiring a different temperature at the inlet portion of the retort chamber than at the outlet portion of the retort chamber. For example, when treating oilfield sludge which contains approximately 1/3 water, 1/3 oil, and 1/3 soil, it is necessary to remove the water in the early stages of the process before the oil can be cracked and removed from the soil. The water has to be heated to 212° F. to vaporize, and takes seven times the amount of energy to vaporize than oil. When feeding oilfield sludge through the retort chamber, the initial feed of sludge will need a higher temperature to reduce the water before the oil will start cracking. If the water remains in the sludge, it will automatically drop the bed temperature. Therefore, increasing the bed temperature at the initial burners 21 at the inlet end of the retort chamber will insure total vaporization of the water such that the remaining burners 21 at the middle and output ends of the retort chamber can be utilized for cracking the oil.
The particular settings for the temperature at any portion of the retort chamber will be in accordance with a number of variables, such as the particular raw material being introduced into the process, the desired output materials including the BTU value of such materials and the economic value of each of the materials, the start-up versus steady state condition of the retort chamber, the necessity to drive off water or other selected volatiles in the initial stage of the retort process, and the flow rate of the materials through the retort chamber.
As will be described in more detail, fins are provided along the bottom of the retort pipe such that the temperature at the lower portion of the retort pipe is higher than the temperature at the upper portion of the retort pipe. The raw materials being conveyed through the retort chamber are contained in the lower portion of the retort pipe and therefore require a higher temperature applied thereto as opposed to the gaseous byproducts which are contained in the upper portion of the retort pipe.
The burners 21 are capable of operation from three distinct fuels, such as natural gas, methane and oil, which may be individually selected depending upon the availability and cost of each of the materials. For example, when treating shredded tire material, the process may be started by utilizing natural gas. However, the byproducts methane and oil from the treated automobile tire scrap material can be recycled to operate the burners once the process has begun. Therefore, the system becomes an essentially closed system utilizing its own byproducts to feed the burners and to create heat which will in turn generate more byproducts. Furthermore, the excess oil and methane from the process may be stored for resale.
As the water and hydrocarbons from the process are vaporized in the retort chamber, they are pulled away from the raw material through a manifold means 23 of a blower 25 (e.g., a typical induction draft fan). After the vapors leave the retort pipe, they are forced into a tube and shell heat exchanger 27, where condensing occurs. Water is conveyed to the heat exchanger 27 from a water supply 29. The liquid (oil and water) from the heat exchanger 27 is conveyed to a storage tank 31 and is separated. The separated water is conveyed to a water discharge 33. The separated oil is conveyed to a covered fuel storage means 35, which may be conveyed back to the heater means 21 for re-burning, or which may be stored for later disposal and/or sale.
After the hydrocarbons have been removed from the raw material to be treated, the remaining solid material is removed from the output end of the retort chamber means 17 onto an outlet conveyor means 37, which may also be a transfer auger, so as to remove the reclaimed solid material for resale and/or disposal.
A starter fuel such as natural gas 41 is utilized to initially burn in the burners 21 to begin the process until sufficient byproducts are generated in the retort chamber to be recycled to the burners, after which the starter fuel would be discontinued. The gaseous products from the heat exchanger 27 may be flared or burned-off through a gas burn-off stack 43 or may be recovered in a gas storage tank 45. The recovered gas in storage tank 45 can be fed back to the heater means 19 to be burned in burners 21.
As shown in FIG. 3, the entire apparatus, as described, can be completely mounted on a flatbed truck 46 so as to be movable from location to location. The only additional materials to be supplied at a particular location would be storage tanks for the reclaimed materials, and equipment for loading the raw material 11 into the hopper 13.
Referring now to FIGS. 4 through 7, wherein details of the mechanism are more clearly illustrated, there is shown a truck bed 46 upon which the entire apparatus is assembled such that it may be easily brought upon a site wherein the raw materials to be treated are located. The retort chamber means 17 rest upon the truck bed 46 and may be securely fastened thereto by conventional means. The interior of the retort chamber means 17 are lined with refractory material 47. The flames from the burners 21 heat the air in the plenum chamber 49, which in turn heats the refractory material 47 to radiantly heat the retort pipe 51 which is constructed of stainless steel or other suitable heat conducting material. Fins 53 are provided along the lower portion of retort pipe 51 for assuring a higher temperature in the lower portion of the retort pipe 51 than in the upper portion thereof. A retort auger conveyor 55 is journaled in bearings 57 and 59 at the inlet and outlet portions, respectively, of the retort pipe 51. The retort auger conveyor 55 is rotated by means of a drive shaft 61 which is rotated by conventional power means 63. The retort auger conveyor 55 is located adjacent the lower portion of the retort pipe 51 so as to leave a space 65 between the retort auger conveyor 55 and the upper portion of the retort pipe 51 for easy passage and removal of gases generated during the process. Furthermore, the space 65 allows for thermal expansion of the metallic parts, which will occur during the heating process.
Referring now to FIGS. 3, 4 and 6, details of the inlet portion of the retort chamber means 17 are shown. The retort pipe 51 has a circumferential flange member 67 affixed thereto, which is slidably mounted in a circumferential seal 69. The seal 69 is affixed to the retort chamber means 17 such that the circumferential flange member 67 can axially slide along the seal 69 allowing for thermal expansion of the retort auger conveyor 55, the retort pipe 51, and other metallic parts being heated. The inlet conveyor means 15, feed hopper 13, and associated inlet feed equipment are fixedly attached to the outer end wall 71 of the inlet portion of the retort pipe 51. A frame member 73 is affixed to the outer end wall 71, the inlet conveyor means 15 and other inlet supported equipment, and is mounted on a base 74 having wheel members 75 which ride upon tracks 77 mounted on the truck bed 46. In this manner, as the retort chamber means 17 heats the retort pipe 51, retort auger conveyor 55 and associated equipment, the thermal expansion of the metallic parts will cause elongation in the axial direction. As the metallic parts expand, the retort pipe 51 will axially move in the direction of the inlet portion such that circumferential flange member 67 will slide along seal 69. The inlet conveyor means 15, feed hopper 13, and associated inlet equipment which are fixedly attached to the movable frame member 73 will slide along the tracks 77 mounted on the truck bed.
As can be seen from the foregoing description, a retort system has been described which can have all of the essential components thereof mounted upon a truck bed to be brought upon a location having contaminated or waste products and wherein the waste products can be converted to end products which can be recycled or disposed of without creating any damaging effects to the ecology. The solid, liquid and gaseous byproducts of the process can be removed in storage containers. Excess gas can be flared, on site, if such gases do not produce products harmful to the atmosphere. Furthermore, oil and burnable gas which may be byproducts of the process can be recycled to the apparatus to create an essentially closed system which does not need auxiliary fuel except in the start-up period. The burners in the heater means can be individually controlled by heat sensors and can be selectively adjusted depending upon conditions desired. The system can be adapted to produce byproducts in a most desirable state depending upon the economic value of each of the byproducts and the intended end use of each of the byproducts.
Although the present invention has been fully described in connection with the preferred embodiment thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications are apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, unless they depart therefrom.
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Apparatus for retorting organic matter including a conveyor for advancing organic matter through a chamber in the absence of oxygen, temperature sensors for sensing the temperature in the chamber at a plurality of locations along the length of the chamber, a plurality of burners located along the length of the chamber, controls for individually adjusting the heat generated by the plurality of burners in response to the temperature sensed at the locations, means for selectively directing the heat to the plurality of locations along the length of the chamber so as to convert the organic matter into a plurality of byproducts and transporting at least one of said byproducts to said burners for burning therein.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/711,702 filed Sep. 30, 2004 and titled “Bicycle Shift Device Having a Linearly Sliding Shift Lever Operated by a Pivoting Interface Member.”
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a bicycle shift control device which operates a shifting mechanism via a shift control cable, and specifically concerns a device in which a take-up body that takes up the shift control cable is caused to rotate in the take-up direction by means of a first shift lever which freely returns to a home position, and is caused to rotate in the pay-out direction by means of a second shift lever which freely returns to a separate home position.
A bicycle shift control device of the type noted above for operating a shifting mechanism via a shift control cable is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,138. The shift control device includes a control body for mounting to a bicycle in close proximity to a handlebar for controlling a pulling and releasing of the shift control cable. A first lever is mounted to the control body for movement which causes the control body to effect pulling of the shift control cable, and a second lever is mounted to the control body for movement which causes the control body to effect releasing of the shift control cable. One lever is pivotally coupled to the control body, and the other lever is coupled for linear movement relative to the control body. The lever structured for linear movement is coupled to a transmission mechanism for operating the control body in such a way that very little linear movement is needed to operate the control body. The transmission mechanism includes a plurality of ratchet teeth disposed in a common plane, wherein the path of movement of the linear operating body is parallel to the plane of the ratchet teeth.
Since the linearly moving lever moves in a direction perpendicular to the handlebar, for optimum operation the rider must position his or her thumb directly in front of the linearly operating lever and press the lever in the direction perpendicular to the handlebar. However, during competitive riding the rider usually does not want to worry about having to precisely position the thumb to operate the shifting device. Thus, it is desirable to have a shift control device of the kind noted above wherein the rider does not have to precisely position the thumb in front of the linearly operating lever for optimum operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to various features of a bicycle shift control device. In one embodiment, a bicycle shift control device comprises a control body supported by a mounting member, wherein the mounting member defines a handlebar mounting axis (HB); a movable operating body; a transmission that converts movement of the operating body into rotation of the control body; and an interface member movably mounted relative to the operating body. The interface member pivots around a pivot axis (P) for moving the operating body, wherein the pivot axis (P) is inclined relative to the handlebar mounting axis (HB). The interface member comprises a lever including an operating force receiving member and an operating force applying member extending from the operating force receiving member. The operating force receiving member extends from the pivot axis (P), and free ends of the operating force receiving member and the operating force applying member are spaced apart from each other.
Additional inventive features will become apparent from the description below, and such features alone or in combination with the above features may form the basis of further inventions as recited in the claims and their equivalents.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top view of a particular embodiment of a shift control device according to the present invention attached to a handlebar;
FIG. 2 is a front view of the shift control device;
FIG. 3 is an exploded view of the shift control device;
FIG. 4 is a cross sectional view of the shift control device, taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 2 , in an inoperative state;
FIG. 5 is a cross sectional view of the shift control device showing the linearly operating body in an operating position;
FIG. 6 is a detailed bottom view of the linearly operating body in a home position;
FIG. 7 is a detailed bottom view of the linearly operating body in an operating position; and
FIGS. 8-11 are top views of relevant components of alternative embodiments of the shift control device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-7 are various views of a particular embodiment of a shift control device 105 according to the present invention. As shown in those Figures, shift control device 105 is constructed for pulling and releasing a shift control cable 104 , and it includes a mounting bracket 103 with an annular mounting sleeve 103 A defining a handlebar mounting axis (HB), wherein mounting sleeve 103 A fits around a handlebar 101 to fasten bracket 103 to handlebar 101 in a known manner. An arm-shaped linearly sliding first operating body 220 ( FIGS. 4-7 ) of shift control device 105 is slidingly mounted to an intermediate bracket 227 attached to mounting bracket 103 through a screw 228 . Sliding operating body 220 is located below handlebar 101 and terminates at an end 201 forming an abutment. An interface member in the form of an operating tab 202 with an operating force receiving surface 203 , an operating force applying surface 204 and parallel spaced mounting ears 206 and 208 is pivotably coupled to corresponding parallel spaced mounting ears 210 and 212 on intermediate bracket 227 through a pivot shaft 216 and a C-clip 217 , wherein pivot shaft 216 extends through openings 221 , 222 , 224 and 226 in mounting ears 206 , 208 , 210 and 212 , respectively so that operating tab 202 pivots around a pivot axis (P). A decorative cap 232 ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ) having the same general structure as operating tab 202 also may be pivotably mounted to mounting ears 210 and 212 on intermediate bracket 227 or may be otherwise placed over operating tab 202 in order to vary the shape or inclination of the surface that is operated by the thumb.
A pivoting second operating body 130 of the shift control device 105 also extends below the handlebar 101 . A finger contacting part 132 of operating body 130 , in the form of a button, is disposed beneath and to the right of operating tab 202 . As a result, operation of both operating bodies is possible with the thumb of the hand gripping the handlebar 101 .
As is shown in FIG. 3 , shift control device 105 includes a pawl support plate 106 with a supporting shaft 108 and a pivot pin 152 , all of which are rigidly fastened to bracket 103 by means of an attachment bolt 107 , a washer 107 a and a nut 109 . A control body in the form of a take-up body 170 is mounted around supporting shaft 108 for rotation around a rotational axis (X). A first ratchet mechanism 150 , used as a first transmission, transmits the displacement of sliding operating body 220 to the take-up body 170 to cause the rotation of the take-up body 170 in one direction, and a second ratchet mechanism 160 , used as a second transmission, transmits the displacement of pivoting operating body 130 to the take-up body 170 to cause the rotation of the take-up body 170 in the other direction. In this embodiment, displacement of pivoting operating body 130 causes the take-up body 170 to pull on cable 104 , and displacement of sliding operating body 220 causes the. take-up body 170 to release cable 104 .
The take-up body 170 is equipped with a drum part 169 which is constructed so that the shift control cable 104 from a shifting mechanism (not shown) on the front or rear of the bicycle is taken up along a wire groove 174 . By rotating in the forward direction or reverse direction with respect to the supporting shaft 108 , the take-up body 170 takes up or pays out the shift control cable 104 . Take-up body 170 is coupled to a drive plate 171 for integral rotation therewith. As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , drive plate 171 includes a plurality of drive teeth 173 and a plurality of position retaining teeth 172 , all of which are disposed in a common plane (T), as illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
Sliding operating body 220 includes a pawl pushing roller 250 rotatably mounted between roller support ears 254 and 256 disposed at a pawl operating end 258 of sliding operating body 220 through a pivot shaft 260 and a C-clip 270 , wherein pivot shaft 260 extends through openings 264 and 266 in mounting ears 254 and 256 , respectively. Sliding operating body 220 is slidingly mounted to intermediate bracket 227 between a release plate 274 , slide shims 276 and 278 , and a release plate bushing 280 , all of which are mounted to intermediate bracket 227 through bolts 282 (only one such bolt is shown in FIG. 3 ) that extend through openings 284 , 286 , 288 and 290 in release plate 274 , slide shims 276 and 278 and release plate bushing 280 , respectively, and through two pairs of opposed openings 292 (only two such openings are shown in FIG. 3 ) in intermediate bracket 227 . Sliding operating body 220 also includes an elongated opening 294 for accommodating bolts 282 so that bolts 282 do not interfere with the sliding operation of sliding operating body 220 .
Release plate 274 includes a spring coupling abutment 298 . One end of a return spring 300 is attached to spring coupling abutment 298 , and the other end of return spring 300 is attached to mounting ear 256 in sliding operating body 220 through an opening 304 . Return spring 300 biases sliding operating body 220 toward a home position (HP 1 ) shown in FIGS. 4 and 6 .
The first ratchet mechanism 150 comprises a first pawl 151 that is rotatably attached to pivot pin 152 extending from pawl support plate 106 , the plurality of position retaining teeth 172 which are formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive plate 171 , and a spring 153 which drives the first pawl 151 clockwise (in FIGS. 6 and 7 ) in the direction of engagement with position retaining teeth 172 . First pawl 151 includes pawl tips 151 A and 151 B for engaging position retaining teeth 172 and a pawl operating part 151 C for engaging pawl pushing roller 250 on sliding operating member 220 . The operation of first ratchet mechanism 150 is the same as in the shift control device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,138, incorporated herein by reference, so a detailed description of its operation shall be omitted. The path of motion of sliding operating body 220 is substantially parallel to the ratchet teeth plane (T).
The pivoting operating body 130 is equipped with a second arm part 131 , the second finger contact part 132 which is formed on the tip of the second arm part 131 in order to allow finger operation, and a pawl supporting part 133 . A spring 111 is connected between washer 107 A and pawl supporting part 133 for biasing pivoting operating body 130 , and hence finger contacting part 132 , to a second home position HP 2 shown by solid lines in FIG. 1 . The path of motion of pivoting operating body 130 , from second home position HP 2 to a second shift position shown by broken lines in FIG. 1 , is substantially parallel to the ratchet teeth plane (T).
The second ratchet mechanism 160 comprises a second pawl 161 that is rotatably attached to a pivot pin 162 extending from pawl supporting part 133 , the plurality of drive teeth 173 formed on the outer circumferential surface of the drive plate 171 , and a spring 163 which biases the second pawl 161 clockwise (in FIGS. 6 and 7 ) in the direction of engagement with drive teeth 173 . When pivoting operating body 130 is in the home position (HP 2 ) shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , a tip 161 A of pawl 161 rests on a ledge 272 D of intermediate bracket 227 , thus uncoupling pawl 161 from drive plate 172 . The operation of second ratchet mechanism 160 also is the same as the shift control device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,921,138, so a detailed description of its operation shall be omitted.
Because sliding operating body 220 operates pawl 151 by pressing pawl pressing roller 250 against pawl operating part 151 C when sliding operating body 220 moves from the first home position HP 1 shown in FIG. 6 to a first shift position shown in FIG. 7 , very little movement (e.g., 9 millimeters) is required to operate pawl 151 . Operating force receiving surface 203 of operating tab 202 is inclined relative to a horizontal axis (H) which, in this embodiment, is parallel to ratchet teeth plane (T). Thus, operating tab 202 will pivot counterclockwise as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 even if the rider's thumb applies a vertically downward force. As a result of the small movement required to operate pawl 151 and the inclined nature of operating tab 202 , operating tab 202 may operate sliding operating body 220 without requiring the rider to press perpendicular to the handlebar and without precision placement of the rider's thumb. Indeed, even a downward sliding motion of the thumb could operate sliding operating body 220 across the front face of shift control device 105 .
While the above is a description of various embodiments of the present invention, further modifications may be employed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. For example, operating body 220 may cause take-up body 170 to rotate in the cable pay out direction, and operating body 130 may cause take-up body 170 to rotate in the cable take-up direction. If desired, operating body 220 may be constructed for pivoting displacement, and operating body 130 may be constructed for sliding displacement with the operating tab 202 described above. Both operating bodies 220 and 130 may be sliding operating bodies, each with their own operating tab. While the path of movement of sliding operating body 220 in the above embodiment is substantially parallel to the plane of the ratchet teeth (T), the path may vary, for example, by plus or minus thirty degrees.
While operating tab 202 pivoted around a pivot axis (P) that was substantially parallel to the handlebar axis (HB) in the above embodiments, the pivot axis (P) could be inclined relative to the handlebar axis (HB) by any degree to accommodate different riding styles. The configuration of operating tab 202 also could be changed accordingly. For example, FIG. 8 is a top view of relevant components of an alternative embodiment shift control device 400 wherein an interface member in the form of an operating member 404 with an operating force receiving surface 405 and an operating force applying surface 406 is connected to the right side of intermediate bracket 227 through a pivot shaft 408 so that operating member 404 pivots around a pivot axis (P) that is substantially perpendicular to handlebar axis (HB) and is substantially parallel to rotational axis (X). Also, operating member 404 moves in a direction toward a plane (PL) that contains the handlebar mounting axis (HB) and is parallel with the rotational axis (X) when sliding operating body 220 moves from the home position toward the shift position. In this case, the cyclist may operate sliding operating body 220 by a leftward and/or forward sliding motion of the thumb or finger, thereby pressing operating member 404 toward handlebar axis (HB).
FIG. 9 is a top view of relevant components of another alternative embodiment shift control device 420 wherein an interface member in the form of a fan-shaped operating member 424 with an operating force receiving surface 425 and an operating force applying surface 426 is connected to the left side of intermediate bracket 227 through a pivot shaft 428 so that operating member 424 pivots around a pivot axis (P) that is substantially perpendicular to handlebar axis (HB) and is substantially parallel to rotational axis (X). Operating member 424 also moves in a direction toward plane (PL) when sliding operating body 220 moves from the home position toward the shift position. In this case, the cyclist may operate sliding operating body 220 by a rightward and/or forward sliding motion of the thumb or finger, thereby pressing operating member 424 toward handlebar axis (HB).
FIG. 10 is a top view of relevant components of another alternative embodiment shift control device 430 wherein an interface member in the form of a lever-shaped operating member 434 with an operating force receiving surface 435 and an operating force applying surface 436 is connected to the right side of intermediate bracket 227 through a pivot shaft 438 so that operating member 434 pivots around a pivot axis (P) that is substantially perpendicular to handlebar axis (HB) and is substantially parallel to rotational axis (X). Operating member 434 also moves in a direction toward plane (PL) when sliding operating body 220 moves from the home position toward the shift position. In this embodiment, operating member 434 is an L-shaped member having an operating force receiving member 437 extending from pivot shaft 438 and an operating force applying member 439 extending from pivot shaft 438 substantially perpendicular to operating force receiving member 437 such that pivot shaft 438 is located at the junction of operating force receiving member 437 and operating force applying member 439 , and operating force applying surface 436 is disposed in front of handlebar axis (HB). Thus, the cyclist may operate sliding operating body 220 by a rearward and/or lateral sliding motion of the thumb or finger, thereby pressing operating force receiving member 437 toward handlebar axis (HB).
FIG. 11 is a top view of relevant components of another alternative embodiment shift control device 440 wherein an interface member in the form of a lever-shaped operating member 444 with an operating force receiving surface 445 and an operating force applying surface 446 is connected to the right side of intermediate bracket 227 through a pivot shaft 448 so that operating member 444 pivots around a pivot axis (P) that is substantially perpendicular to handlebar axis (HB) and is substantially parallel to rotational axis (X). Operating member 444 also moves in a direction toward plane (PL) when sliding operating body 220 moves from the home position toward the shift position. In this embodiment as well, operating member 444 is an L-shaped member having an operating force receiving member 447 extending from pivot shaft 448 and an operating force applying member 449 extending from pivot shaft 448 substantially perpendicular to operating force receiving member 447 such that pivot shaft 448 is located at the junction of operating force receiving member 447 and operating force applying member 449 , and operating force applying surface 446 is disposed behind handlebar axis (HB). Thus, the cyclist may operate sliding operating body 220 by a forward and/or lateral sliding motion of the thumb or finger, thereby pressing operating force receiving member 447 toward handlebar axis (HB).
The size, shape, location or orientation of the various components may be changed as desired. Components that are shown directly connected or contacting each other may have intermediate structures disposed between them. The functions of one element may be performed by two, and vice versa. The structures and functions of one embodiment may be adopted in another embodiment. It is not necessary for all advantages to be present in a particular embodiment at the same time. Every feature that is unique from the prior art, alone or in combination with other features, also should be considered a separate description of further inventions by the applicant, including the structural and/or functional concepts embodied by such feature(s). Thus, the scope of the invention should not be limited by the specific structures disclosed or the apparent initial focus or emphasis on a particular structure or feature.
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A bicycle shift control device comprises a control body supported by a mounting member, wherein the mounting member defines a handlebar mounting axis (HB); a movable operating body; a transmission that converts movement of the operating body into rotation of the control body; and an interface member movably mounted relative to the operating body. The interface member pivots around a pivot axis (P) for moving the operating body, wherein the pivot axis (P) is inclined relative to the handlebar mounting axis (HB). The interface member comprises a lever including an operating force receiving member and an operating force applying member extending from the operating force receiving member. The operating force receiving member extends from the pivot axis (P), and free ends of the operating force receiving member and the operating force applying member are spaced apart from each other.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a mass transport device, particularly a rotation pack bed, and a method for removing volatile components from a high viscosity liquid.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Triarylphosphite P(OAr) 3 is an additive commonly used in the plastic processing as an antioxidant, wherein Ar represents an aryl group. A conventional method for preparing this antioxidant comprises a chemical reaction step and a step of removing by-products. The two steps are separately described herein below:
[0003] Chemical Reaction Step:
[0004] To a batch agitation tank an ArOH liquid is added, and PCl 3 is slowly added into the tank while stirring. The chemical reactions carried out in the tank are shown in the following:
ArOH+PCl 3 ⇄ArOPCl 2 +HCl (1)
ArOH+ArOPCl 2 ⇄(ArO) 2 PCl+HCl (2)
ArOH+(ArO) 2 PCl⇄(ArO) 3 P+HCl (3)
[0005] The by-product HCl in the formulas (1), (2) and (3) is a volatile gas. The HCl gas makes a large amount of foams in the viscous reaction liquid, creating an overflow from the tank, so that the batch agitation tank is not allowed to accept feeds continuously and rapidly. As a result, the retention time of a batch of 4 tons requires more than 10-hours processing.
[0006] Step of Removing By-Product:
[0007] The by-product HCl generated during the chemical reaction step must be removed from the reaction system, thereby breaking the equilibrium of the chemical reaction and increasing the yield of the anti-oxidant P(OAr) 3 . A conventional method of removing HCl comprises blowing an inert gas at normal pressure into the product mixture to an acid value of 3 mgKOH/g, then forming a vacuum and blowing an inert gas to the mixture again to a market acceptable acid value of 0.1 mgKOH/g. It takes more than 12 hours for removing HCl from the product mixture to the acid value of 0.1 mg KOH/g.
[0008] Herzog and Hoppe (U.S. Pat. No. 3,823,207) in 1974 has disclosed a method for preparing a triarylphosphite anti-oxidant, wherein a conventional batch process using an agitation tank is changed into a continuous process of an overflow-type reaction tank formed by a shallow dish added with a partition plate. The ratio of area to volume of the reaction region formed by the overflow partition plate is larger than that of a conventional agitation tank. A larger area to volume ratio can be formed when a reaction fluid passes through an overflow partition plate. This is beneficial to the contact of reactants and the removal of HCl gas. Furthermore, the reaction liquid is added with a high-boiling solvent, which is inert to PCl 3 , in order to reduce the viscosity of the reaction liquid. The abovementioned improvement measures are used to increase the feeding rate of the raw materials. Even though the reaction retention time is shorter than that of the conventional batch process, the added solvent needs to be separated by a distillation process, thereby greatly increasing the energy consumption.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] A primary objective of the present invention is to provide a method for removing volatile components from a high viscosity liquid by using a rotation pack bed.
[0010] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a method for preparing a product by using a rotation pack bed to conduct a reaction of a high viscous liquid and another fluid, while removing a volatile by-product at the same time.
[0011] In the present invention, a high viscosity liquid is fed into a rotation pack bed at a position with a distance far enough from a rotation axis, creating a centrifugal force exerted on the high viscosity liquid, which overwhelms a drag thereof, so that it can flow radially through the rotation pack bed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0012] [0012]FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a multi-liquid-type rotation pack bed reaction system according to the present invention.
LEGENDS
[0013] [0013] 1 . driving motor
[0014] [0014] 2 . transmission shaft
[0015] [0015] 3 . pack bed
[0016] [0016] 4 . rotation drum
[0017] [0017] 5 . first liquid inlet
[0018] [0018] 6 . second liquid inlet
[0019] [0019] 7 . distribution dish
[0020] [0020] 8 . gas outlet
[0021] [0021] 9 . liquid outlet
[0022] [0022] 10 . gas inlet
[0023] [0023] 11 . sealing device
[0024] [0024] 12 . mechanical shaft seal
[0025] [0025] 13 . internal circulation pump
[0026] [0026] 14 . internal circulation pipeline
[0027] [0027] 15 . recycling ratio control valve
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0028] An apparatus for performing mass transfer by counter currently contacting two fluids with different specific gravities was known by the persons skilled in the art, e.g. U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,283,255; 4,382,045; 4,382,900; and 4,400,275. China Patent Publication No. CN1116146A (1996) discloses a method for preparing ultra-fine particles by using said mass-transfer apparatus, wherein liquid streams are fed to an axis of a rotation pack bed through a distributor from the inner pipe and annular space of two concentric tubes, and contact and react with each other in the rotation pack bed by the centrifugal effect. U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,513 (2000) provides a process for preparing hypohalous acid by using a rotation pack bed, which comprises counter currently contacting a liquid reactant with a chlorine gas through a rotation pack bed rotating at a high speed; and separating the gas from the liquid. The process comprises adsorption, reaction and desorption. The rotation pack bed can increase the yield of the process to 90% compared to a yield of 80% of the conventional process, while using a gas flow 50% lower than that used by the conventional process. The viscosities of the liquid feeds in the abovementioned China Patent Publication No. CN1116146A and U.S. Pat. No. 6,048,513 are all very small (about 1 cp at 25° C.). Therefore, the liquid feeds still receive a sufficient rotation centrifugal field when fed at a location near the axis of the rotation pack bed, and flows radially through said pack bed.
[0029] In the abovementioned method for preparing the P(OAr) 3 antioxidant described in the Background of the Invention, the inventors of this application deem that overcoming the mass transfer limit of HCl in the viscous reaction fluid is a key factor in accelerating the production process, increasing the yield of the P(OAr) 3 antioxidant, and reducing the acid value of the P(OAr) 3 antioxidant. Therefore, the present inventors think of using a rotation pack bed to promote the reactants mixing and mass transfer rate of HCl in the viscous reaction liquid. However, if the highly viscous ArOH liquid is fed to the axis position of the rotation pack bed as in the conventional process, said highly viscous ArOH liquid will stay there due to its high viscosity and can not radially flow through the rotation pack bed. In order to solve this problem, the present inventors develop a novel rotation pack bed, wherein an inlet for said high viscosity liquid is installed at a location far enough from the axis in order to generate a sufficient centrifugal force to promote said high viscosity liquid flowing through said rotation pack bed.
[0030] The present inventors also provide a method for removing volatile components from a high viscosity liquid, e.g. removing an unreacted polyisocyanate monomer from a highly viscous polyurethane, and removing HCl from a high viscosity tris nonylphenol phosphite anti-oxidant.
[0031] A method for removing volatile components from a high viscosity liquid by using a rotation pack bed embodied according to the present invention comprising the following steps:
[0032] a) introducing a high viscosity liquid into a rotation pack bed rotating around an axis, said rotation pack bed being located in a housing and comprising a central channel region around said axis and an annular pack region surrounding said central channel region, said annular pack region being packed with a packing, and said annular pack region and said central channel region being in fluid communication only through a boundary thereof, and said annular pack region and said housing being in fluid communication only through an outer circumference of said annular pack region, wherein said high viscosity liquid is introduced to a location in said annular pack region so that said high viscosity liquid receives a sufficient centrifugal force at said location and can radially flow through said packing from said location in a direction away from said axis;
[0033] b) introducing a high pressure gas at a location near the outer circumference of said annular pack region, and/or connecting said central channel region to a suction source so that, when said highly viscous fluid radially flows through said packing, a volatile component in said high viscosity liquid together with said high pressure gas or said volatile component per se flow out of said rotation pack bed and said housing in a gas phase from said central channel region; and
[0034] c) collecting a purified liquid, which flows out from the outer circumference of said annular pack region, from a bottom of said housing.
[0035] Said high viscosity liquid in step a) of the method of the present invention preferably has a viscosity less than 3000 cps at room temperature.
[0036] Preferably, said high viscosity liquid in step a) comprises tris nonylphenol phosphite, and hydrogen chloride contained in said tris nonylphenol phosphite, wherein said volatile component is said hydrogen chloride, and said purified liquid is a tris nonylphenol phosphite having a reduced amount of hydrogen chloride.
[0037] Preferably, said high viscosity liquid in step a) comprises polyurethane and an unreacted polyisocyanate monomer contained in said polyurethane, wherein said volatile component is said polyisocyanate monomer, and said purified liquid is a polyurethane having a reduced amount of polyisocyanate monomer.
[0038] Preferably, in step b), a high pressure nitrogen gas is introduced into said housing as said high pressure gas.
[0039] Preferably, the method of the present invention further comprises recycling a portion of the purified liquid in step c) to step a) and into said annular pack region.
[0040] Preferably, in step b), a high pressure gas is introduced into said housing, which contacts and reacts with the high viscosity liquid when said high viscosity liquid is radially flowing through said packing material, wherein a product of the chemical reaction together with unreacted high pressure gas flows out said rotation pack bed and said housing in a gas phase from said central channel region, and another product of the chemical reaction is collected at the bottom of said housing together with unreacted high viscosity liquid.
[0041] Preferably, step a) further comprises introducing a liquid reactant from said central channel region to said rotation pack bed, said liquid reactant flowing through said packing in a radial direction away from said axis by a centrifugal force, and said liquid reactant and said high viscosity liquid generating a chemical reaction, wherein a product of the chemical reaction flows out of said rotation pack bed and said housing in a gas phase, and another product of the chemical reaction, unreacted high viscosity liquid and unreacted liquid reactant are collected at the bottom of said housing. More preferably, in step b), an inert gas is introduced into said housing as the high pressure gas. Said product of the chemical reaction together with said high pressure inert gas flows out of said rotation pack bed and said housing in a gas phase through said central channel region; and said another product of the chemical reaction and the unreacted high viscosity liquid and the unreacted liquid reactant are collected at the bottom of said housing. For example, said high viscosity liquid comprises nonylphenol, said liquid reactant comprises PCl 3 , said high pressure inert gas is nitrogen, one product of the chemical reaction is HCl which flows out of said rotation pack bed from said central channel region in a gas phase together with the nitrogen, and another product of the chemical reaction is tris nonylphenol phosphite which, together with unreacted nonylphenol and PCl 3 , is collected at the bottom of said housing.
[0042] As shown in FIG. 1, a multi-liquid type rotation pack bed reaction system suitable for use in the present invention comprises: a driving motor 1 , a transmission shaft 2 , a pack bed 3 containing a network packing, and a rotation drum 4 . Two liquid feeds are separately sprayed into the pack bed from the first inlet 5 and the second inlet 6 . The first liquid feed introduced into the first inlet 5 enters the distribution dish 7 , and is divided into tiny liquid drops which, together with the second liquid feed from the second inlet 6 , enter the pack bed 3 by the driving of the centrifugal force, wherein the two liquid feeds are fully mixed and undergo a reaction. A gaseous by-product resulting from the reaction is discharged from the gas outlet 8 , wherein said outlet 8 is installed with a branch pipe connected to an evacuation device (not shown in the drawing) to set up a vacuum environment for the reaction system. The liquid product is collected at the enclosure 16 of the main body, and is discharged from the liquid outlet 9 .
[0043] When the liquid feeds enters the rotation pack bed 3 from the first inlet 5 and the second inlet 6 , an inert gas (e.g. nitrogen, CO 2 , argon or other gas that does not participate the reaction) is introduced into the rotation pack bed 3 from the gas inlet 10 , which counter currently flows through the reaction mixture, and carries the gas by-product away from the reaction mixture to the gas outlet 8 .
[0044] In order to prevent the inert gas from gas inlet 10 by-passing to the gas outlet 8 , a sealing device 11 , which adopts a maze-type seal, is installed, the gap of the seal teeth is adjustable. A mechanical shaft seal 12 is installed on said transmission shaft 2 to prevent a leakage caused by the pressure difference between the internal pressure of the system and the outside pressure. In order to reduce the amounts of the unreacted reactants in the product mixture flowing out of the system, an internal circulation pump 13 , an internal circulation pipeline 14 , and recycling ratio control valves 15 are installed.
[0045] The contents, objectives and features of the present invention are further elaborated by way of the following examples which are for explaining the present invention instead of limiting the scope thereof.
EXAMPLES 1-3
[0046] Batchwise Removal of HCl from TNPP (Tris Nonylphenol Phosphite)
[0047] The specifications of the pack bed used in these examples were: inside diameter 76 mm, outside diameter 160 mm, and thickness 33 mm. The rotation speed of the pack bed was fixed at 1300 rpm, and nitrogen was used as a carrying agent. The inlet position of TNPP was at a location 35 mm from the axis of the pack bed. 5 kg of TNPP (having an acid value of 0.18 mgKOH/g, and a viscosity of 1000 cps) was taken. The temperature of TNPP feed and the gas/liquid ratio of nitrogen to TNPP were altered as shown in Table 1. The results were also shown in Table 1. The test results indicated that the acid value of TNPP, after 15 minutes of processing (one cycle) by the rotation pack bed, was reduced to 0.06˜0.08 mgKOH/g. After a consecutive treatment to 45 minutes (three cycles in total), the acid value of TNPP dropped to 0.04˜0.06 mgKOH/g.
TABLE 1 Example 1 2 3 Acid value of feed mg KOH/g 0.18 0.18 0.18 Acid value of discharge mg KOH/g 0.08 0.06 0.07 after 15 min. Acid value of discharge mg KOH/g 0.06 0.05 0.04 after 45 min. Temperature of feed ° C. 130 170 150 Flow rate of inlet liquid mL/min 200 200 200 Flow rate of inlet gas L/min 15 15 20 Gas/liquid ratio — 75 75 100 Rotation speed rpm 1300 1300 1300
EXAMPLE 4
[0048] Continuous Removal of HCl from TNPP
[0049] The specifications of the pack bed used in this example were: inside diameter 120 mm, outside diameter 600 mm, and thickness 100 mm. The rotation speed of the pack bed was fixed at 1200 rpm. The inlet of the TNPP feed was at a location 50 mm from the axis of the pack bed. The nitrogen temperature was 88° C., and the flow rate of nitrogen was 1250 l/min. The viscosity of TNPP was 1000 cps, the temperature of TNPP was 114° C., and the flow rate of TNPP was 25 l/min. Prior to the processing by the pack bed, the acid value of TNPP was 0.3 mgKOH/g; and the acid value decreased to 0.16 mgKOH/g after being processed.
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A high viscosity liquid is fed into a rotation pack bed at a position with a distance far enough from a rotation axis, creating a centrifugal force exerted on the high viscosity liquid overwhelming a drag thereof, so that it can flow radially through the rotation pack bed. A high pressure gas is introduced into the rotation pack bed peripherally and/or a suction force source is connected to a position near the rotation axis, so that a volatile component contained in the high viscosity fluid is entrained in the gas counter currently flowing through the rotation pack bed and withdrawn from the position near the rotation axis, or the volatile component exits from the position near the rotation axis in gas phase, and thus the volatile component is removed from the high viscosity liquid. A second fluid can also be fed into the rotation pack bed to react with the high viscosity liquid, so that a reaction product is formed, and a volatile side product is removed at the same time.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/606,679, filed on Sep. 2, 2004.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention generally relates to compositions and methods for treating topical infections and more particularly to compositions including an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae and to methods of using and forming the composition.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Topical infections, such as bacterial, viral, or fungal infections often inhibit wound healing. Such infections can lead to additional health problems such as sepsis or the like and are therefore often treated with antimicrobial agents.
[0004] One particular viral infection, infection by Herpes simplex virus (HSV), can affect the oral or perioral region, eyes, nongenital and genital skin or mucous membrane. Symptoms of HSV infections can appear suddenly and include appearance of multiple, small, grouped blisters bordered by an inflammatory, erythematous base. Recurrent HSV infections of the lips and perioral area are estimated to occur in about 20 to 40 percent of the population worldwide
[0005] HSV is a DNA virus; like all viruses, it needs the host cell to multiply. The scientific name of the virus is Human herpesvirus, Genus Simplexvirus , Subfamily Herpesviridae, Family Alphaherpesvirinae, host Homo sapiens.
[0006] Whatever the primary site of an HSV infection, the ability of HSV to enter, undergo latency, and survive in neural ganglia shields the virus from elimination by immune responses and ensures that a person infected with the virus will endure recurring symptomatic events during his/her life. When left untreated, the symptoms generally subside in 1 to 2 weeks.
[0007] Recurrent HSV infection is usually preceded by pain, burning, tingling, and itching. Precipitating factors for HSV recurrence may include exposure to sunlight, fever, trauma to the area of primary infection, trigeminal nerve manipulation (in the case of oral infection), menstruation, and emotional stress. Recurrences may occur as frequently as once per month or as infrequently as twice per year. Patients usually develop lesions at similar sites with each recurrence, although recurrences can occur at more distant sites.
[0008] Antiviral medications given orally like the prescription antiviral acyclovir have been used to treat HSV. Such treatments are generally undesirable because the active ingredient must travel a circuitous rout to the infected area and must travel through the digestive tract, which may cause degredation of the active ingredient.
[0009] Topical medications for HSV also exist. Such medications include ointments containing non-rescription ingredients such as menthol (anti-itch), camphor (analgesic), phenol (anesthetic), allantoin (anti-inflammatory), docosanol (behenyl alcohol), or prescription medications such as penciclovir and acyclovir creams. While such medications may be effective at alleviating some symptoms of HSV, such medications, such as docosanol have been found to be no more effective than a placebo and others cause irritation and/or pain near the infected area. Accordingly, improved compositions and methods for treating HSV and other infections are desired.
[0010] Peperina is an aromatic plant that grows wild in the valleys of the province of Cordoba, in Argentina. It has been used for its medicinal properties for centuries. The botanical name of Peperina is Minthostachys mollis but other names, such as Minthostachys verticillata, ystropogon mollis Kth., have been used to describe the same substance.
[0011] Peperina is a member of the “mint-like” aromatic herbs (of the genus Minthostachys and the Family Lamiaceae), which are limited to mountain zones of South America, with about 12 species distributed at various altitudes from Venezuela to Argentina. Pollen morphology has indicated that the genus is most closely linked to Pycnanthemum and Bystropogon of the Canary Islands. Common names in other regions of South America for this and other species of the same genus include muña, tipo and poleo.
[0012] It has been shown that the essential oil of Peperina has antiviral activity in vitro against herpes simplex type 1 (HSV-1). The oil also has activity against bacteria and fungi and the pseudorabies virus. However, it is believed that direct application of Peperina to the skin or a mucosal area will irritate the area, which may cause pain and further damage to the area, and would require frequent application of the oil to have an efficacious effect for the treatment of the infection. Accordingly, compositions including herbs from the family Lamiaceae, and in particular, Peperina essential oil, which do not irritate the infected area and which are configured to reside proximate the infected area for an extended period of time are desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention provides a composition including an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae for the treatment of topical infections. While the ways in which the invention addresses the various drawbacks of known compositions and methods of treating infections will be described in more detail below, in general, the present invention provides a composition including a relatively long-lasting herbal antimicrobial agent and a carrier configured to maintain the composition in contact with an infected area for a prolonged period of time.
[0014] In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a composition includes a carrier including an agent to facilitate extended contact between the composition and an infected area and an effective amount of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil). In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment the composition includes about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent Peperina essential oil and about 5 to about 10 weight percent of a thickening agent such as siliconized bee wax or honey.
[0015] In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, a composition includes a carrier including an ingredient to facilitate tissue repair and an effective amount of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil). In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment, the composition includes about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent Peperina essential oil and about 2 to about 4 percent of an essential fatty acid such as linolenic or linoleic acid.
[0016] In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, a composition includes a carrier including an emollient and/or moisturizing agent to mitigate irritation of the infected area and an effective amount of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil). In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment, the composition includes about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent Peperina essential oil and about 10 to about 20 weight percent of a moisturizing agent such as lanolin.
[0017] In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the invention, a composition includes a carrier including an antimicrobial agent and an effective amount of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil). In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment, the composition includes about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent Peperina essential oil and about 0.01 to about 0.2 weight percent of a antimicrobial agent such as bee propolis extract.
[0018] In accordance with yet another embodiment of the invention, a composition is formed by heating the solid ingredients until they are softened enough to mix.
[0019] In accordance with yet a further embodiment of the invention, a method of using a composition includes applying a composition including of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil) to an infected area on an animal. In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment, the composition includes about 1-10 mg of Peperina essential oil per dose depending on the area of the lesion. In accordance with another aspect of this embodiment, the composition includes a thickening agent. In accordance with yet another aspect, the composition includes a moisturizing agent. In accordance with a further aspect of this exemplary embodiment, the composition includes a repairing agent.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0020] The present invention generally relates to compositions and methods of managing one or more conditions in a patient having a topical infection. Although the composition and methods described herein may be used to treat a variety of topical infections, specific embodiments are described below in connection with the treatment of a Herpes simplex virus (HSV). Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the compositions of the present invention are not limited to the treatment of HSV and that the compositions may be used for the treatment of bacterial, fungal, and similar infections.
[0021] In the case of HSV, the composition is topically applied to a patient who exhibits herpetic skin or labial or mucous membrane or ocular lesions. The composition, which includes a therapeutically effective amount of an extract from an herb from the family Lamiaceae (e.g., Peperina essential oil) in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, is applied on or proximate the lesions until the appearance of the lesions diminishes or vanishes. As set forth in more detail below, the composition may be include one or more additional pharmaceutical compositions to facilitate managing and healing of the infection.
[0022] As used herein, the term “Peperina essential oil” includes essential oils obtained from the genus Myntostachis , from dried or fresh aerial plant material harvested from the wild, or cultivated and obtained by steam distillation, by extraction with supercritical carbon dioxide, or any method used to extract the volatile components of the plant. Compositions of Peperina essential oil, like that of other plants, may vary greatly and depend on the growth conditions, time of collection of the plant material, etc. For example, Peperina essential oil collected in the province of Cordoba, Argentina, contains about 8.9-58.3% of pulegone, about 24.1-73.3 of menthone, and includes other components such as limonene, isomenthone, piperitone, trans-ocimene and terpinene-4-ol; but the sum of menthone plus pulegone is generally constant and around 80%. Composition of essential oils obtained from plant material collected from other provinces (with different ecological conditions) varied even further, and in some cases thymol, carvacrol and/or carvone were present.
[0023] An amount of herb extract (e.g., Peperina essential oil) necessary to bring about prevention and/or therapeutic treatment of an infection may vary according to application, the source of the oil, the method employed to extract the essential oil, the amount and type of any additional ingredients used, particularly those that appear to exhibit synergistic effects, the skin type of the user, and, where present, the severity and extent of skin damage. Generally, the Peperina essential oil composition is topically applied in effective amounts to skin or mucosa areas which are affected, or have been affected, by the virus. In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the invention, the composition contains from about 0.1 to about 10 weight percent, preferably from about 0.1 to about 1 weight percent Peperina essential oil, and more preferably from about 0.2 to about 1 weight percent.
[0024] The Peperina essential oil is applied in admixture with an acceptable carrier (e.g., a lotion, cream, ointment, serum, liquid drop, sunscreen, or the like). Sunscreen, balms, and lotions may be particularly desirable carriers since sunscreens mitigate exposure to UVA and UVB rays that may bring about herpes virus recurrence, creams are often used to treat sunburn or burns produced by therapeutical radiation used to treat cancer, and balms are often used after laser treatment and application of peels. In general, the carrier is configured to facilitate topical application and provide additional therapeutic effects such as moisturizing the affected skin areas.
[0025] The carrier of the present invention is configured to facilitate topical application, and optionally form a film or layer on a surface (e.g., skin) to which it is applied so as to localize the active ingredient and maintain the active ingredient in contact with the infected area for an extended period of time. Exemplary carriers suitable for the present invention include one or more of the following: emollients such as natural oils and waxes, silicone oils, hyaluronic acid, glyceride derivatives, fatty acids or fatty acid esters or alcohols or alcohol ethers, lanolin and derivatives, polyhydric alcohols or esters, wax esters, sterols, phospholipids and the like, emulsifiers (nonionic, cationic or anionic)--some of the emollients inherently possess emulsifying properties. These general ingredients can be formulated into, for example, a cream, a lotion, a gel, a lip balm, a gel, or into solid sticks by utilization of different proportions of the ingredients and/or by inclusion of thickening agents such as gums or other forms of hydrophilic colloids.
[0026] In accordance with various exemplary embodiments of the invention, the carrier includes a thickening agent to facilitate maintaining the composition in contact with an infected area for an extended period of time. Exemplary thickening include siliconized bee wax, honey, and other waxy ingredients used in the industry for this purpose. In accordance with various aspects of this embodiment of the invention, the composition includes about 5 to about 10 weight percent of a thickening agent.
[0027] In accordance with additional embodiments of the invention, the carrier includes emollients and/or moisturizers such as lanolin, glycol ester (e.g., Syncrowax ERL-C), castor oil, jojoba oil, safflower oil, evening promrose oil. In accordance with one particular aspect of this embodiment, a composition includes about 10 to about 20 weight percent lanolin, about 5 to about 10 weight percent glycol ester, about 30 to about 60 weight percent castor oil, about 20 to about 40 weight percent jojoba oil, about 2 to about 4 weight percent safflower oil, and about 2 to about 4 weight percent evening of primrose oil.
[0028] The carrier may also include occlusive agents such as Syncrowax HCL-C and/or triehenin, which are present in an amount of about 0 to about 30 weight percent of the composition. By way of particular example, a carrier in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention includes about 5 to about 20 weight percent Syncrowax HGL-C and about 5 to about 10 weight percent of a skin conditioner such as tribehenin.
[0029] Carriers in accordance with various additional exemplary embodiments of the invention include at least one other active ingredient in addition to the Peperina essential oil. Such additional active ingredients are compatible with essential oils.
[0030] The additional active ingredient may be antiviral, antibacterial and/or antifungal ingredients, and/or anti-inflammatories, analgesics, antioxidants, vitamins, etc. Specific exemplary active ingredients include honey, bee propolis extract, tocotrienols, vitamin E, ascorbic acid, superoxide dismutase, catalase, astaxanthin, lycopene, resveratrol, and allantoin.
[0031] While the amount of the additional active ingredient may vary from application to application, in accordance with various illustrative examples of the present invention, the additional active ingredient is present in an amount of about 0.01 to about 1.2 weight percent of the composition.
[0032] The following non-limiting example illustrates an exemplary composition in accordance with one embodiment of the invention. This example is merely illustrative, and it is not intended that the invention be limited to this example. Compositions in accordance with the present invention may include the ingredients listed below as well as additional and/or alternative inert materials, active ingredients, preservatives, and other constituents typically found in compositions for treating similar conditions. In the cases where exemplary inert, additional active materials, and/or preservatives are listed, these ingredients are merely exemplary, and it is understood that other similar ingredients may be substituted for the materials listed in.the examples below.
[0033] The exemplary composition listed below may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, the compositions can be used to treat an HSV infection. As noted above, such composition may alternatively be used to treat other forms of infections.
EXAMPLE 1
[0034]
Exemplary
Exemplary
Composition
Range (weight
(weight
Ingredient
Function
percent)
percent)
Syncrowax HGL-C
occlusive
5-20
8.7 4036
siliconized bee wax
binder/thickener
5-10
3.5
lanolin
emollient
10-20
7.0
Syncrowax HR-C
skin conditioner/
5-10
3.5
(tribehenin)
occlusive
Syncrowax ERL-C
emollient
5-10
2.6
(C18-36 acid glycol
ester)
castor oil
emollient
30-60
52
jojoba oil
emollient
20-40
18.3
safflower oil
emollient
2-4
1.7
evening primrose oil
emollient
2-4
1.9
honey
thickener
0.01-1
0.1
bee propolis
antimicrobial
0.1-2
0.1
Peperina essential oil
antimicrobial
0.1-2
0.7
[0035] The composition of Example 1 is formed by admixing 350 gram Syncrowax HGL-C (C18-36 acid triglyceride), 140 gm. siliconized bee wax, 280 gm. lanolin, 140 gm. Syncrowax HR-C (tribehenin), 105 gm. Syncrowax ERL-C (C18-36 acid glycol ester), 2107 gm. castor oil, 737 gm. jojoba oil, 70 gm. safflower oil 78 gm. evening primrose oil, 1.4 gm. honey, 1 gm. bee propolis 60% extract in propylene glycol, and 27 gm. Peperina essential oil.
[0036] Two humans applied the composition of Example 1 (in the form of a lip balm) to an infected area three times a day, starting at the beginning of a herpes labialis flare and reported that the duration of the flare was shorter than usual and that the pain and itch caused by the lesions had been alleviated.
[0037] In accordance with an additional embodiment of the invention, the composition as described above is used in connection with a tea-like bag with Peperina leaves, to be taken as an infusion. The tea-like bag may also be used topically to prevent and treat ocular herpes, or a suitable solution or gel could be used for this purpose.
[0038] Having described the invention with reference to particular compositions, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that it is not intended that the invention be limited by such illustrative embodiments, and that modifications can be made without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims. It is intended that all modifications and variations be included within the scope of the invention. The claims are meant to cover the claimed components and steps in any sequence, unless the context specifically indicates the contrary.
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Compositions and methods for the prevention and treatment of topical infections using essential oil or extract from Minthostachys mollis (Peperina) or other herbs of the family Lamiaceae, or any combination of its individual chemical components and an acceptable carrier are disclosed.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the production of yarn. In another aspect the invention relates to a method and apparatus for restraining a yarn wad.
Synthetic fibers are commonly produced by extruding molten polymer through a spinneret. In order to produce yarns which have properties approximating those of wool or other natural materials, it is common practice to subject the extrudate from the spinneret to a texturing process. This can be accomplished by a variety of procedures known in the art, such as stuffer-box crimping, false twisting, and fluid jet texturing. One particularly effective procedure involves passing the yarn to be textured and a high velocity fluid to a first passage, subsequently passing the yarn and the fluid to an enlarged passage wherein the yarn forms a yarn wad. The yarn wad is passed to a restraining zone in which the yarn wad is restrained and cooled. In the restraining zone individual stacked members, such as balls are used to exert a force on the yarn wad. The fluid escapes from the yarn through the voids between the stacked members and a textured yarn is removed from the restraining zone. Although this procedure produces a high quality textured yarn, a particularly troublesome problem involves loss of the stacked members from the restraining zone. Frequently, stacked members become entrained in the yarn wad and are carried away from the restraining zone. Also sudden disruptions in the texturing process cause the stacked members to be thrown from the restraining zone. In addition, operators occasionally knock stacked members from the restraining zone during string up and maintenance of the equipment. Further, recovering the stacked members from the floor and/or replacing them with new ones involves considerable expense, particularly where a number of such processing lines are used.
Although it would appear such a problem could be easily solved, this has not been the case. In order for the stacked members to function properly, they must be free to act upon the yarn wad, and in addition, the restraining zone containing the stacked members must be designed to allow the operator to easily string up and maintain the equipment. It has been very difficult to satisfy both of these conditions simultaneously. However, the present invention achieves such a result.
It is an object of the invention to restrain yarn.
Another object of the invention is to restrain and cool yarn textured using a fluid jet texturing process.
Another object of the invention is to eliminate the loss of stacked members from a restraining zone.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus useful for restraining yarn.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus useful to cool and restrain yarn textured with a fluid jet wherein the apparatus contains individual stacked members which are not removed from the apparatus by the operation thereof.
Other aspects, objects, and advantages of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon studying the drawings, specification, and the appended claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention a textured yarn in the form of a yarn wad is passed to a cooling and restraining zone and the surfaces of a plurality of balls are pressed directly against the surface of the yarn wad in the cooling and restraining zone and simultaneously the movement of the balls in the direction of the yarn wad is restricted so that the balls are prevented from entering the yarn wad and the yarn wad is restrained due to the action of the balls upon the yarn wad.
Further according to the invention, an apparatus comprises a first cylinder having first and second annular members and an inner wall; a second cylinder having first and second ends and inner and outer walls, the second cylinder being positioned inside the first cylinder with the ends of the second cylinder adjacent to and coaxially aligned with the annular portions of the annular members, the second cylinder having a plurality of troughs communicating the inner and outer surfaces thereof; and a plurality of balls of sufficient size to be retained between the inner wall of the first cylinder and the inner wall of the second cylinder but of sufficient size to permit the surfaces of a portion of the balls to extend beyond the inner surface of the second cylinder.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus of this invention and a fluid jet which is employed to texture the yarn.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional plan view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 through lines 2--2.
FIG. 3 illustrates an apparatus useful in the invention shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 illustrates another apparatus useful in the invention in lieu of the apparatus shown in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring now to the drawings and to FIG. 1 in particular, there is shown a crimping or texturing apparatus generally designated by reference numeral 10. This apparatus comprises an elongated sleeve 11 which has a hollow needle 12 positioned in the inlet section thereof. An elongated plug 14 is disposed in the outlet section of sleeve 11. Plug 14 has a central capillary opening 14b therethrough. The inlet of opening 14b is tapered to provide a seat 14b adjacent the tip of needle 12. The outlet of central opening 14b is 14c. A conduit 15 communicates with sleeve 11 to introduce a fluid, such as steam or air, at an elevated temperature in the annular space adjacent needle 12. The above-described apparatus is generally known as a fluid jet for texturing yarn and is suitable for use in the present invention.
Further according to the invention, an apparatus 17 for restraining a yarn wad comprises a first cylinder 18 having a first annular member 18a and a second annular member 18b surrounding a second cylinder 20. In this embodiment second cylinder 20, shown more clearly in FIG. 3, comprises a plurality of rods 22 and a first ring 24 and a second ring 26. Ring 24 is adjacent to and coaxially aligned with annular member 18a and ring 26 is adjacent to and coaxially aligned with annular member 18b. Vent 28 allows fluids to be removed from cylinder 18.
A plurality of balls 30 are positioned between first cylinder 18 and second cylinder 20. The plurality of passages or troughs 32 in cylinder 20, seen more clearly in FIG. 3, restricts the balls 30 to the general confines of ball space 42, defined as the space between the inner wall of cylinder 18, the annular member 18a, 18b and the inner wall of cylinder 20. Removal plug 34 or other suitable means permits access to the inside of cylinder 18 for the placing of balls 30 therein. Although balls 30 of FIG. 1 are the same size, it is within the scope of the invention to use balls two or more different sizes provided the smallest ball is too large to pass through openings 32.
FIG. 1 also shows quench tube 36 as known in the art positioned downstream of cylinder 18. Air or similar fluid is passed upstream through quench tube 36 and normally exits to the atmosphere at slots 60 and at end 61 of tube 36 immediate cylinder 18. Withdrawing means 38 is positioned downstream quench tube 36.
FIG. 2 essentially shows the relative position of cylinder 18, cylinder 20 and elongated plug 14 with outlet 14c of central opening 14b.
In the operation of the apparatus of FIG. 1, one or more filaments 40a are inserted through needle 12 into the central passage of plug 14. The filaments can be delivered to the fluid jet 10 by any suitable means, not shown. In the normal start up operation, filaments 40a are threaded through the fluid jet 10, the restraining and cooling apparatus 17. Fluid which is generally a hot fluid such as steam is introduced through conduit 15 which flows upwardly through plug 14 into apparatus 17. In the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 1, apparatus 17 functions both as a restraining zone and a cooling zone. The fluid so introduced surrounds needle 12 which heats needle 12 which in turn heats filaments 40a as said filaments pass through needle 12. The fluid produces a jetting action in region 14a and passes along with the yarn 40a through passage 14b both of which exit at 14c. The sudden increase in the size of the opening immediate 14c causes a zone 14f of substantial turbulence and the yarn 40b in the turbulent zone passes downstream to form an elongated, generally cylindrical wad 40c within cylinder 20 of apparatus 17. The yarn wad 40c is restrained by the action of balls 30 thereon. In this particular embodiment the rods 22 of cylinder 20 prevent the balls 30 from entering into yarn wad 40c since passages 32 are too small for balls 30 to pass therethrough. FIG. 2 shows the relationship between the diameter of a ball and the size of passage 32.
It is pointed out that in order for apparatus 17 to function properly in restraining yarn wad 40c, passage 32 must be large enough to allow a substantial portion of the surface of balls 30 to press against yarn wad 40c. However, it is likewise pointed out that passage 32 must be small enough to restrain the balls within the ball space 42.
Yarn wad 40c then proceeds into quench tube 36 in which compressed air is flowing countercurrent to the direction of the yarn wad which causes yarn wad 40d to break up adjacent slots 60 to form textured yarn 40e which is pulled away by withdrawal means 38. Textured yarn 40e is subsequently processed as desired.
In another embodiment of the invention a cylinder 50, such as that shown in FIG. 4, is positioned inside apparatus 17 replacing cylinder 20. Passages 52 are similar to passages 32 of cylinder 20 except that these passages or troughs can be milled to conform the converging sides 54 thereof to correspond to the surface of balls 30, thus allowing deeper penetration of a ball of a given diameter into the yarn wad as compared to cylinder 20 made of rods 22. It is desirable for the balls to have the greatest penetration possible without actually passing completely through passage 52 or passage 32 of cylinder 20 in order for the balls to have the greatest freedom to act upon and restrain the yarn wad. Cylinder 50 has a primary diameter 55 extending almost completely the length of the cylinder and a relief diameter 56 positioned at the outlet end of the cylinder. The relief diameter normally extends a distance sufficient to prevent the yarn from hanging up on the slotted portion of the cylinder but not so far as to enlarge the slotted portion so that balls are permitted to pass therethrough.
The relief diameter concept is applied to the embodiment of cylinder 50 shown in FIG. 3 by enlarging ring 26 so that it circumscribes rods 22 and the inner surface of ring 26 is attached to the outer surface of said rods. Such a modification to the cylinder shown in FIG. 3 is recommended if the yarn wad tends to hang up on ring 26. If the relief diameter concept is not used in constructing cylinder 20, it is at least recommended that cylinder 20 be constructed such that the surface of rods 22 forming the inside surface of cylinder 20 be positioned adjacent the inside surface of annular members 24 and 26 in order to provide a smooth continuous surface over which the yarn wad 40c must pass. Since the action of the balls tends to push the yarn wad away from the surface of cylinder 20, use of the relief diameter concept is not always necessary in constructing cylinder 20 or cylinder 50 of FIG. 4, but it is preferred.
In a specific example carried out in accordance with the invention, second cylinder 20 was constructed similar to that shown as cylinder 50 in FIG. 4. The cylinder was constructed from an aluminum tube 51/8 inches (13.02 cm) long which fitted over tube 14 a distance of 1 9/16 inches (3.97 cm). Six slots 33/4 inches (9.52 cm) long were milled in the outer surface of the cylinder starting 1/8 inch (0.318 cm) from the outlet end. The cylinder had a primary (inside) diameter of 5/8 inch (1.59 cm), an inside relief diameter 7/8 inch (2.22 cm), and an outside diameter of 1 inch (2.54 cm). The six slots were milled to an opening at the inner surface of the cylinder of 0.210 inch (0.53 cm) to control penetration of the 0.250 inch (0.635 cm) diameter steel balls. The opening of the slots on the outer surface of the cylinder was 0.250 inch (0.635 cm). The cylinder so constructed was placed on a texturing jet inside a cylinder 18 containing the 1/4 inch steel balls.
Three ends of a drawn continuous filament polypropylene carpet yarn, having a total denier of 1800 and 126 filaments, were passed to the above-described texturing jet. The yarn was formed into a yarn wad which was restrained due to the action of the balls upon the yarn wad. The 1/4 inch steel balls were effective in restraining the yarn wad and at the same time the steel balls were prevented from becoming entrained in the yarn wad or removed from the apparatus. The textured yarn produced was satisfactory for manufacturing carpets.
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Yarn in the form of a yarn wad is passed to a cooling and restraining zone wherein the surfaces of a plurality of balls are pressed directly against the surface of the yarn wad and simultaneously the movement of the balls relative to the yarn wad is restricted so that the balls are prevented from entering the yarn wad and the yarn wad is restrained due to the action of the balls upon the yarn wad. In addition, apparatus is provided useful in the method of the invention.
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SUMMARY
The invention relates to a radiant energy tracking device and particularly to a device utilizing the radiant energy from a source such as the sun to provide a controlled energy output for maintaining a movable portion of the device in alignment with the source.
More particularly the apparatus is concerned with the conversion of radiant energy to mechanical energy for the purpose of keeping the movable portion of the apparatus in a desired position in relation to the source of radiant energy. It is a feature of the present invention that motive power for operating the device is derived from the radiant energy alone without utilizing any other source of external power.
The present invention is related to that disclosed in applicant's prior U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,651 containing background material which may be found of interest in understanding the instant device and the subject matter of said prior U.S. Patent is hereby incorporated by reference.
The disclosed invention is also illustrated in applicant's co-pending design application Ser. No. 22,694, filed Mar. 22, 1979 for Solar Water Heater, now U.S. Pat. No. D258,141.
DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of tracking apparatus according to the present invention in combination with a solar energy utilization device;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the apparatus as seen along line II--II of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic representation, partly in section, of a second tracking apparatus according to the invention;
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of a modified cylinder and piston arrangement usable with either tracking apparatus; and
FIGS. 5a and 5b respectively are graphic illustrations of tracking apparatus according to FIG. 1 in boresight and non-boresight relationship to a radiation source; and
FIG. 5c is a graphic illustration of a tracking apparatus according to FIG. 3 in non-boresight relationship to a radiation source.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A tracker according to the present invention is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 in combination with a radiant energy utilization device. The entire apparatus is indicated generally by the numeral 10.
The tracker comprises two sensing elements in the form of tubular fluid reservoirs 12, 14 having filler plugs 12', 14' respectively at one end and conduit means 18 and 16 respectively at the other end providing for flow of fluid between the respective reservoirs and a fluid motor 23, better shown in FIG. 2 and 3. The reservoirs 12, 14 each has associated therewith a baffle means 22, 20 respectively to shade a portion of the reservoir from radiation.
The fluid reservoirs 12, 14 preferably contain a low boiling point working fluid such as Dichlorodifluoromethane (e.g. Freon 12) or ammonia with an ullage provided in each reservoir. A certain amount of oil may be mixed with the working fluid to enhance the sealing of the motor parts and to prevent the deterioration of sealing materials.
A form of fluid motor 23 is shown in connection with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 wherein curved shading baffles 22', 20' are placed outside of reservoirs 12, 14.
The motor 23 comprises a closed cylinder 24 (see FIG. 3) having two integral end pieces, 25, 27 through which pass two hollow piston rods 28,30. These rods are attached at one end to a piston 26 in cylinder 24 and fastened at their opposite ends to a fixed frame member 50 and are connected to communicate with respective ones of the conduit means 16, 18.
The hollow rods 28, 30 have orifices at 28', 30' respectively to complete the communication of fluid between the reservoirs and the respective sides of piston 26. The piston 26 and rods 28 and 30 are slidably fitted in their openings and may be fitted with conventional seals as indicated on piston 26 at 26'. A modified fluid motor 23' is shown in FIG. 4 characterized by hollow piston rods 128, 130 of unequal diameter.
The fluid reservoirs 12, 14 are positioned on either side of a movable frame member 40 which is pivotally mounted at points 42, 44 on a fixed frame 50. Flexible lines 16, 18 connect the reservoirs to the fluid motor which is attached to a longitudinal member 51 on the fixed frame 50. The motor is attached to the frame member by angle mountings attached to the outer ends of piston rods 28, 30. This allows the cylinder 24 to move relative to the rods and piston 26 when pressure changes occur on opposing sides of piston 26. Alternatively the cylinder could be attached to the frame and motion derived from one or both piston rods.
Attached to one side of cylinder 24 is a flexible belt or chain 61 which passes around pulleys 60, 62, 64 and 66. The periphery of pulley 66 is in contact with a sector 68 concentric with the pivotal axis of the movable frame.
The operation of the tracker, depends fully upon one simple and straightforward law of physics: For a saturated gas there exists only one unique vapor pressure for any given temperature. What this means to us is that if a reservoir is partially filled with liquid (such as Freon) the liquid will evaporate until it forms a vapor pressure above the liquid that is commensurate for the temperature that the system (system being liquid and gas) is at.
For example, the Freon that is used in the present system has a vapor pressure of 131 pounds per square inch at 100° F. If the Freon temperature is raised to 110° F. the pressure then goes up to 151 pounds per square inch. If two sealed tubes (e.g. reservoirs 12, 14) are filled with liquid Freon and one reservoir is at a temperature of 100° F. and the other at 110° F. a pressure differential of 10 psi will occur between the two. If we now connect a piece of tubing that goes from one reservoir to one side of an actuator and from the other reservoir to the other side, the actuator piston will be displaced toward the low pressure end. If a means is now devised to permit the motion of the actuator piston to null out the cause of the temperature differential one has the basis for the solar tracker. In this case, the motion of the actuator alters the position of the sunshades that changes the amount of radiant energy going to the individual reservoirs.
When radiationis directed from a distant point (see FIGS. 5a through 5c) towards the apparatus 10, other than at a preferred angular alignment with the reservoirs, the baffles associated with the reservoirs will act to prevent full radiation from being received by one of the reservoirs and allowing maximum radiation to be received by the other. This in turn, causes the working fluid within the heated reservoir to achieve a higher pressure than the cooler reservoir by virtue of the thermodynamic properties of the fluid. This results in unequal pressure within the respective fluid sub systems on either side of piston 26 and the cylinder 24 will move to effect movement of the frame 40 until the pressure again reaches equilibrium.
Obviously other fluid actuators may be used to effect movement of frame 40 or heat exchanger. Thus, a rotary or curvalinear actuator might be used in place of the linear motor shown. Frame 50 is pivotally mounted on a base frame 52 at pivot point 54 to facilitate the periodic angular positioning of frame 50 with respect to base 52. For this purpose a strut 56 is pivoted to base 52 at 57 and to a slide 58 threadedly mounted on an adjustment screw 59 so that slide 58 is free to move along frame member 51 and screw 59 when screw 59 is rotated by a crank 53.
The utilization device is shown as a fluid heater comprising a tank 70 mounted on movable frame 40 with its longitudinal axis coincident with the line of centers of pivots 42, 44. A fluid is caused to pass into and out of tank 70 by means of convection or other forces and conduits 72, 74 are provided for flow of the fluid to a utilization device, for example a swimming pool or heat exchanger.
A curved focusing reflector 76 is arranged on movable frame 40 such that radiant energy impinging on reflector 76 will be focused on a line coincident with or parallel to the pivotal axis of the movable frame.
The fluid system is completely flooded with a mixture of oil and dichlorodifluoromethane (Freon) except for the necessary gas ullage at the top portion of each reservoir. By flooding the actuator cylinder and all interconnecting lines any unwanted condensation of the Freon is avoided by virtue of the fact that a homogenous mixture exists throughout the system. The amount of fluid that the system is charged with must be such that at one extreme end of actuator travel there is some liquid remaining in the reservoir that is supplying liquid to the actuator cylinder. It is also important that the other reservoir, which is simultaneously receiving liquid from the actuator, does not become totally full with liquid. If this were to occur then the apparatus would stop working in that a hydraulic lock would exist. A sufficient gas ullage must be maintained at all times for the unit to function.
It has been found to be extremely helpful to make the fluid connection to the actuator through a tubular shaft that has a small hole drilled into it in a radial direction immediately adjacent to the piston face. The benefit of the hollow shafts is that one can secure the outer extremities of the shaft and extract the force and motion output from the actuator from a central location. This has proven to be convenient when trying to locate the actuator within a confined space. The benefit of the radial hole next to the piston is that this will allow almost a total purging of air from the actuator, during initial installation by simply cycling the actuator to the extremes of travel in each direction. This purging occurs regardless of the orientation of the actuator. On the other hand if the interconnect lines are attached to the cylinder or to the end caps it would be slightly more difficult to completely purge any entrapped air. A further benefit of the radially drilled hole in the rod is that by making the hole sufficiently small it will act as a restriction to the flow of oil. Such a restriction does not adversely affect the performance of the device, but it does assure against any unwanted motion caused by wind gusts against the apparatus. Also, the presence of an orificial restriction assures that the unit will not respond so rapidly that it will oscillate about its desired position. An additional benefit of the presence of the oil in the system is that it greatly inhibits fluid leakage past the shaft seals.
Once the sun goes down both reservoirs tend to cool off at about the same rate and to eventually achieve a uniform temperature equal to that of the surrounding environment. Once that condition is achieved the movable portion of the device simply continues facing West--the position that the sun last left it--until the sun appears in the East in the morning. At that time the reservoir on the sunrise side will become warm and thereby increase the vapor pressure of the Freon above that in the sunset evaporator thereby causing a slow rotation towards the East. At present this takes about one to one and one half hours. This is no real problem in that the sun is not hot enough on the collector to be of any real value until it is quite high in the sky.
It would, however, be nice to provide a means whereby the movable portion would slowly rotate to its Easterly direction throughout the night and be ready to receive the first rays of the morning sun. Several techniques could be used and may be worth mentioning.
If the two actuator rods are of unequal diameter, then the effective area n each side of the actuator will be different. This difference will cause a net force bias to occur when the pressure is equal on each side of the piston because force is the product of pressure times area. It is important to note that during the nighttime dormant period both of the reservoir tubes and the actuator will obtain an equal and uniform temperature for eight hours or more. During this time the above-mentioned force bias can effectively be used to slowly rotate the movable portion back to its starting position wherein it is ready to collect the first rays of the early morning sun. The difference in force bias is not sufficient to noticeably affect daytime operation because the rotation of the earth continually changes the attitude of the apparatus with respect to the source of radiation, the sun in this case, with resulting changes in temperatures sufficient to overcome any effects of the built-in force bias.
Another method for rotating the movable frame eastward during the night is to provide a means for inhibiting the heat loss from the sunrise evaporator so that it retains its sensible heat for a longer period of time than the sunset evaporator. The inhibiting means can be a special paint, or possibly another tube inserted within the reservoir tube, or whatever.
One could also use an electrical heating element on or within the sunrise reservoir to cause the eastward motion.
The possibility also exists for inserting within one of the reservoirs a substance that will store heat for a period of time (several minutes or several hours). This substance will delay the cooling off of the liquid in that reservoir and will therefore cause its vapor pressure to remain somewhat higher than that in the other evaporator. This will create a temporary pressure differential that can be used to cause movement toward the sunrise position. If the substance is one that undergoes a change of phase as from a solid to a liquid and back within the temperature range that the reservoirs will normally be operating in, then this technique may be quite viable. For instance Potassium melts at 144° F. and Sodium at 207° F. Alloys of Bismuth, Lead, and Tin can be combined in different percentages to yield a wide variety of melting points from 149° F. to 324° F. or thereabouts. The useful energy storing mechanism in each case would be the latent heat of fusion. It may take only a few ounces of any of these materials installed either in, or immediately around, one reservoir to create a sufficient temperature differential to drive the movable frame all the way to the Easterly most position.
A force bias created by means of a spring or mass would also be effective in rotating the movable portion toward the East during the night.
It has also been found that by leaving a small amount of air in the sunset reservoir it tends to compress as the device follows the sun to the Westmost position. Then after the sun sets, the compressed air exerts an unbalanced force against the fluid actuator thereby causing return motion.
It is also possible to dilute the Freon slightly in one reservoir with some other substance and thereby cause it to have a slightly lower vapor pressure than the reservoir containing pure Freon when they are both at the same temperature. This method will allow selective reduction of the vapor pressure in one reservoir such that when both reservoirs become uniformly cool after sunset a differential pressure would still exist and thereby cause movement toward the East.
The center of gravity of the movable portion is best placed somewhat below the line of pivots for a smooth motion.
It is, of course, obvious that the above described device can be used for a multitude of applications wherein it is desired to track a heat source (not necessarily the sun).
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Apparatus for maintaining a radiation sensitive portion thereof in alignment with a distant source of radiation during relative movement between the situs of the apparatus and the source, wherein movement from alignment causes a differential in energy output in spaced apart elements of the radiation sensitive portion which is transformed into mechanical energy to return the portion to alignment.
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable
MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] This invention relates to the field of road signs. More specifically, the invention comprises a road sign stand having a specially designed base portion which allows it to break in a controlled fashion when struck by a vehicle.
[0006] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0007] Roadside signs have been in common use for many decades. The use of portable signs to alert drivers as to construction zones and other hazards have become increasingly common While these signs serve a useful purpose, they also present a hazard if struck Accordingly, many prior art designs are configured to break away if struck by a moving vehicle.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention comprises a modular sign stand. It consists primarily of a base portion attached to a breakaway column. The base portion is intended to be driven into the ground. The breakaway column supports an attached sign The breakaway column is pierced by one or more breakaway holes at a position just above the ground. When the sign stand is struck by a moving vehicle, the one or more breakaway holes cause the breakaway column to fracture in a predictable fashion near its attachment to the base Several embodiments are disclosed, including one forming the breakaway column and the base as one integral unit
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] [0009]FIG. 1 is an isometric view, showing the proposed invention.
[0010] [0010]FIG. 2 is an isometric view, showing a typical sign.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 3 is an isometric view, showing the proposed invention installed.
[0012] [0012]FIG. 4 is an isometric exploded view, showing how the base attaches to the breakaway column.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 5 is an isometric detail view, showing the lower portions of the invention as installed.
[0014] [0014]FIG. 6 is an isometric detail view, showing the lower portions of the proposed invention after fracturing.
REFERENCE NUMERALS IN THE DRAWINGS
[0015] [0015] 10 sign stand 12 base 14 breakaway column 16 horizontal stay 18 vertical stay 20 stay pivot 22 stay anchor 24 point 26 breakaway hole 28 bolt 30 fin 32 sign 34 stay pocket 36 ground 38 bolt hole 40 nut 42 impact force 44 fracture
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 shows sign stand 10 in its assembled state. Base 12 is configured to be inserted into the ground. Its lowest extremity is provided with point 24 Fin 30 extends out from the side of base 12 . When installed, the top of fin 30 is typically at or just below ground level. For installation purposes, a user can step on fin 30 and press base 12 into the ground. Where harder soil is encountered, the user can strike the upper portion of fin 30 with a hammer in order to drive base 12 into the ground.
[0017] Breakaway column 14 is attached to base 12 by bolts 28 . The use of bolts 28 is not particularly important to the invention. Many other types of fastening could be used—such as rivets, adhesives, or mechanical interlocking features. Breakaway column is tall and slender, extending from ground level as high as six feet or more. Features allowing the attachment of a sign are provided near its upper extreme. These are vertical stay 18 and horizontal stay 16 . Vertical stay 18 is typically attached to breakaway column 14 in a fixed position—as shown (via stay anchor 22 ). However, horizontal stay 16 is pivotally attached at stay pivot 20 . This feature allows horizontal stay 16 to be rotated 90 degrees so that it aligns with breakaway column 14 for convenient storage when the device is not in use. Many prior art methods can be used to attach the stays to breakaway column 14 , including bolts, rivets, adhesives, etc
[0018] [0018]FIG. 2 shows a typical sign 32 . In this case, sign 32 is made of fabric mesh. It is attached to sign stand 10 by placing the tips of horizontal stay 16 and vertical stay 18 within the four stay pockets 34 on the rear side of sign 32 . The stays are made of flexible material so that the tips can be bent and placed within stay pockets 34 . If sign 32 is then appropriately sized, the stays will maintain tension on the fabric mesh, much like the structure of a kite.
[0019] [0019]FIG. 3 shows sign stand 10 installed in ground 36 with sign 32 attached. The reader will observe that the upper extreme of base 12 is roughly even with ground 36 . Breakaway column 14 extends upward from base 12 to mount sign 32 The reader will observe that the lower portion of breakaway column 14 is pierced by two breakaway holes 26 (one through each wall of breakaway column 14 's L-shaped cross section). These features allow sign stand 10 to break in a predictable fashion, as will be explained shortly.
[0020] [0020]FIG. 4 shows details of how base 12 attaches to breakaway column 14 . Bolt holes 38 are provided in both base 12 and breakaway column 14 Four bolts 28 and nuts 40 are used to lock the assembly together. The actual method of attachment is unimportant, so long as the lower extreme of breakaway column 14 is securely fastened to base 12 .
[0021] [0021]FIG. 5 shows the assembly installed in ground 36 . If, at this point, a vehicle strikes sign stand 10 , a substantial impact force is applied to breakaway column 14 (indicated as impact force 42 ). This force places a substantial bending moment on breakaway column 14 . Base 12 tends to resist this bending moment, since it is anchored in the ground Fin 30 also tends to secure base 12 by providing additional surface area for soil contact. Thus, the portion of breakaway column 14 which is attached to base 12 tends to remain fixed, whereas the upper portion tends to flex upon impact. The result is a concentration of stress around the two breakaway holes 26 , since these features produce a considerably weakened cross section.
[0022] [0022]FIG. 6 shows the result Breakaway column 14 has fractured (fracture 44 ) through the two breakaway holes 26 This type of fracture occurs in a very controlled and predictable fashion. The placement of the two breakaway holes 26 force the fracture to occur just above ground level. The result is that breakaway column 14 bends over and passes safely under the vehicle striking the sign No portion of breakaway column 14 passes over the vehicle (which would cause a hazard to the vehicle's occupants.
[0023] Material selection for the device is important. For best results (i.e., safest results), the material selected for breakaway column 14 should fracture without completely separating the two resulting sections. This action guarantees that the portion of breakaway stand 14 lying above fracture 44 will not become separated from the lower portion. Fracture 44 therefore acts like a hinge—it allows the column to fall over but will not allow it to tear free If the column tore free, it could rotate upward and possibly strike the vehicle occupants.
[0024] Composite materials are particularly suitable for breakaway column 14 . They are stiff and light, yet are sufficiently brittle to fracture predictably when breakaway holes 26 are introduced. In addition, the existence of reinforcing fibers in the composite materials prevent the separation of the two fractured components after impact. Many fibers will span fracture 44 , holding the two pieces together.
[0025] Glass fiber reinforced plastics are effective in this application Fiber orientation will, of course, affect the fracture properties. Both a mat/roving fiber orientation and a unidirectional orientation (with the fibers aligned along the long axis of breakaway column 14 ) will work Sample materials include glass reinforced ______, glass reinforced ABS, glass reinforced Nylon, ______. Those skilled in the art will realize that many reinforcing fibers could be used other than glass. Glass is, however, generally very cost-effective. As high strength is not critical for this application, it is therefore a good choice.
[0026] Base 12 is ideally made of a tough material which can withstand extended use (including hammering). Steel, aluminum, or other metals are ideal for this component An individual base 12 can be attached to a replacement breakaway column 14 if the original column is fractured. An individual base 12 can be used for many years Of course, those skilled in the art will know that breakaway column 14 and base 12 could be made as a single integral unit. Fin 30 then becomes simply another molded feature. However, because of the fact that fin 30 is subject to hammering, it is necessary to reinforce it with a tougher material—such as metal. A metal portion is ideally formed over the composite comprising fin 30 . Those skilled in the art will realize that because the desired material properties for the breakaway column and the base are in opposition (one must be tough whereas the other is ideally somewhat brittle), it is advantageous to form them separately.
[0027] Although the preceding description contains significant detail, it should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention but rather as providing illustrations of the preferred embodiment of the invention. Thus, the scope of the invention should be fixed by the following claims, rather than by the examples given.
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A modular sign stand. The preferred embodiment consists primarily of a base portion attached to a breakaway column The base portion is intended to be driven into the ground. The breakaway column supports an attached sign The breakaway column is pierced by one or more breakaway holes at a position just above the ground. When the sign stand is struck by a moving vehicle, the one or more breakaway holes cause the breakaway column to fracture in a predictable fashion near its attachment to the base. Several embodiments are disclosed, including one forming the breakaway column and the base as one integral unit
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
This is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Ser. No. 08/607,593, filed Feb. 27, 1996, now abandoned and Ser. No. 08/717,285, filed Sep. 20, 1996 (now U.S. Pat. No. 5,833,705), which is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/497,331, filed Jun. 30, 1995 (issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,582,619 on Dec. 10, 1996), the entirety of which are incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is an implantable vaso-occlusive device. It is typically a vaso-occlusive coil comprising a primary helically wound coil which may then be wound into a secondary shape. Central to the invention is the use of a stretch-resisting member extending through the lumen formed, which stretch-resisting member is fixedly attached, directly or indirectly, to the coil in at least two locations. The stretch-resisting member in this variation desirably is heat-treated in situ when the coil is in the secondary shape. This heat treatment allows the stretch-resisting member to conform to the shape of the coil in its secondary configuration. Desirably, the member does not appreciably affect the inherent secondary shape of the coil. The stretch-resisting member is preferably somewhat loose within the interior of the lumen so to prevent the coil from collapsing, binding, and therefore stiffening during passage of turns through the human body. The coil should bend easily. In some variations of the invention, the stretch-resisting member may be formed into coil tips at the ends of the coil using simple equipment such as soldering irons or the like. The tips are typically of the same diameter as is the coil body itself. This stretch-resisting member is for the primary purpose of preventing stretching of the coil during movement of that coil, e.g., by retrieval or repositioning after deployment. The device may have a self-forming secondary shape made from a pre-formed primary linear helically wound coil, although it need not have the secondary form. Desirably, the coil is extremely flexible and is controllaby released using a severable or mechanical joint such as an electrolytically detachable joint. External fibers may be attached to the device and affixed to the pre-formed linear member to increase thrombogenicity. The extremely flexible variation of the invention may be hydraulically delivered through the lumen of a catheter and is so flexible that it may be retrievably delivered therethrough a flow-directed catheter. The vaso-occlusive member may be also be covered with a fibrous braid. The device is typically introduced into the body through a catheter. The device is passed axially through the catheter sheath and assumes its secondary form upon exiting the catheter.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Vaso-occlusion devices are surgical implements or implants that are placed within the vasculature of the human body, typically via a catheter, either to block the flow of blood through a vessel making up that portion of the vasculature via the formation of an embolus or to form such an embolus within an aneurysm stemming from the vessel. One widely used vaso-occlusive device is a helical wire coil having windings which may be dimensioned to engage the walls of the vessels. Other less stiff, helically coiled devices have been described, as well as those involving woven braids. Virtually all such vaso-occlusive implants are delivered by wire-guided catheters which devices are pushed through the catheter. Because of the need for a pusher and concerns for recovery of such vaso-occlusive devices should they be malplaced in the body, it is unlikely that prior to this invention has there been a vaso-occlusive device of a form similar to this delivered through a flow directed catheter.
As an instance of an early vaso-occlusive device, U.S. Pat. No. 4,994,069, to Ritchart et al., describes a vaso-occlusive coil that assumes a linear helical configuration when stretched and a folded, convoluted configuration when relaxed. The stretched condition is used in placing the coil at the desired site (by its passage through the catheter) and the coil assumes a relaxed configuration--which is better suited to occlude the vessel--once the device is so placed. Ritchart et al. describes a variety of shapes. The secondary shapes of the disclosed coils include "flower" shapes and double vortices. A random secondary shape is described, as well.
Vaso-occlusive coils having attached fibrous elements in a variety of secondary shapes are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,194, to Chee et al. Chee et al. describes a helically wound device having a secondary shape in which the fibrous elements extend in a sinusoidal fashion down the length of the coil. These coils, as with Ritchart et al., are produced in such a way that they will pass through the lumen of a catheter in a generally straight configuration and, when released from the catheter, form a relaxed or folded shape in the lumen or cavity chosen within the human body. The fibrous elements shown in Chee et al. enhance the ability of the coil to fill space within the vasculature and to facilitate formation of embolus and subsequent allied tissue.
There are a variety of ways of discharging shaped coils and linear coils into the human vasculature. In addition to those patents which apparently describe only the physical pushing of a coil out into the vasculature (e.g., Ritchart et al.), there are a number of other ways to release the coil at a specifically chosen time and site. U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,295 and its parent, U.S. Pat. No. 5,122,136, both to Guglielmi et al., describe an electrolytically detachable embolic device.
A variety of mechanically detachable devices are also known. For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,437, to Sepetka, shows a method of unscrewing a helically wound coil from a pusher having interlocking surfaces. U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,071, to Palermo, shows an embolic coil assembly using interlocking clasps mounted both on the pusher and on the embolic coil. U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,916, to Engelson, shows a detachable pusher-vaso-occlusive coil assembly having an interlocking ball and keyway-type coupling. U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,195, to Twyford et al., shows a pusher-vaso-occlusive coil assembly having an affixed, proximally extending wire carrying a ball on its proximal end and a pusher having a similar end. The two ends are interlocked and disengage when expelled from the distal tip of the catheter. U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,415, to Palermo, also shows a method for discharging numerous coils from a singlc pusher by use of a guidewire which has a section capable of interconnecting with the interior of the helically wound coil. U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,397, to Palermo et al., shows a pusher having a throat at its distal end and a pusher through its axis. The pusher sheath will hold onto the end of an embolic coil and will then be released upon pushing the axially placed pusher wire against the member found on the proximal end of the vaso-occlusive coil. coil.
Vaso-occlusive coils having little or no inherent secondary shape have also been described. For instance, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/978,320, filed Nov. 18, 1992, entitled "Ultrasoft Embolization Coils with Fluid-Like Properties" by Berenstein et al., is found a coil having little or no shape after introduction into the vascular space.
None of these devices are helical coils which contain a stretch-resisting member contained therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is a vaso-occlusive device comprising a helically wound coil which is formed by winding a wire into a first or primary helix to form an outer helical member having first and second ends. A stretch resistant member extending through the lumen thus-formed is fixedly attached, directly or indirectly, to the coil in at least two locations. The stretch-resisting member is preferably loose within the coil to prevent binding of the coil during passage of the coil through turns in the vasculature.
The primary helix or "primary form" may be wound into a secondary form and heat-treated to preserve that form, desirably prior to the step of including the stretch-resisting member into the coil. The coil, with its included stretch-resisting member, will be again heat-treated to shape that the stretch-resisting member into the coil's secondary form. The secondary form may be one which, when ejected from a delivery catheter, forms a specific shape. Such a shape might, e.g., fill a vascular cavity such as an aneurysm, or perhaps, a fistula or AVM. The stiffness of the various parts of the coil may be tailored to enhance the utility of the device for specific applications. Extremely flexible coils are highly desirable. Fibrous materials may be woven into the member or tied or wrapped onto it to enhance the thrombogenicity.
Once the secondary form of the coil has been achieved, the stretchresisting member is then inserted into the lumen, and secured to the coil. The assembly is then gently heat-treated to allow the stretch-resisting member to assume the secondary form of the coil.
The device is used simply by temporarily straightening the device, as necessary, and introducing it into a suitable catheter, the catheter already having been situated so that its distal opening is at the selected site in the body. The device is then pushed through the catheter and, upon its ejection from the distal end of the catheter into the vascular cavity, assumes its relaxed or secondary shape.
The device is typically used in the human vasculature to form emboli but may be used at any site in the human body where an occlusion such as one produced by the inventive device is needed.
Also forming an important aspect of this invention is the combination of this inventive vaso-occlusive device with a flow-directed catheter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF TILE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A shows a side view, partial cutaway of a vaso-occlusive coil made according to the invention having a generally linear fibrous stretch-resisting member.
FIG. 1B shows a side view, partial cutaway of a vaso-occlusive coil made according to the invention having a generally linear wire stretch-resisting member.
FIG. 1C shows a side view, partial cutaway of a vaso-occlusive coil made according to the invention having a generally helical stretch-resisting member.
FIGS. 2A, 2B, and 2C show side view, partial cutaways of typical ends of the inventive vaso-occlusive coils.
FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 3C show side view cutaways of electrolytically severable joints in combination with a vaso-occlusive coil made according to the invention.
FIGS. 4A and 4B show a side view, partial cutaway of a typical mechanically detachable joint in combination with a vaso-occlusive coil made according to the invention.
FIG. 5 shows a "C" shaped secondary configuration for the inventive vaso-occlusive device.
FIG. 6 shows a clover-leaf secondary shape for the inventive vaso-occlusive device.
FIG. 7 shows a double-looped secondary shape for the inventive vaso-occlusive device.
FIG. 8 shows attachment of external fibrous material to the inventive vaso-occlusive device.
FIG. 9 shows attachment of external braided fibrous material to the inventive vaso-occlusive device.
FIG. 10 shows the vaso-occlusive device of the invention in which a polymer is introduced into the lumen of a coil after it has been shaped to return to its secondary form.
FIG. 11 shows the combination of the vaso-occlusive device of this invention in assembly with a flow-directed catheter.
FIGS. 12A-12D show a procedure for introducing a vaso-occlusive coil such as found in the other FIGS. into an aneurysm.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C show side-view partial cross-sections (or cutaways) of highly desirable variations of the inventive coil (100, 200, 210).
The variations shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B are made up of a helically wound outer coil (102, 202) having a first end (104, 204) and a second end (106, 206). We refer to this form as the as the "primary" winding or shape or form. TIhese variations include a stretch-resisting member (108, 208, 214) which is shown to be fixedly attached both to the first end (104, 204) and to the second end (106, 206). In certain circumstances, it may be desirable to attach the stretchresisting member (108, 208) only to one of the two ends, to at least one site between the to ends, or to neither of the two ends. Clearly, for attaining stretch resistance, the stretch-resisting member must be attached to at least two points on the coil.
The stretch-resisting member (108) of the variation shown in FIG. 1A is fibrous and desirably polymeric. The stretch-resisting member (108) may be thermoplastic or thermosetting and comprise a bundle of threads or a single filament melted onto, glued, or otherwise fixedly attached to the vaso-occlusive coil (100).
In this variation of the invention, the stretch-resisting member is preferably a polymer (natural or synthetic) which may be heat-set in the secondary form in situ. The use of heat-treated or heat-formed polymeric filaments (monofilaments or threads) should not affect the secondary shape of the coil and provides stretch resistance while allowing the selected form of the device to perform its occlusive function without interference from the safety component. In some instances, it may also be desirable to include one or more metallic strands in the stretch-resisting member (108) to provide stiffness or electrical conductance for specific applications.
The stretch-resisting member (208) of the variation shown in FIG. 1B is a simple wire or "ribbon" which is soldered, brazed, glued, or otherwise fixedly attached to the first end (204), second end (206), or to the coil at one or more locations intermediate to those the ends.
The variation shown in FIG. 1C includes a stretch-resisting member (214) which is comprised of a helically wound coil which is soldered, brazed, glued, or otherwise fixedly attached to the first end (204) or second end (206) or in one or more intermediate locations. The stretch-resisting member (214) in this configuration provides a greater measure of lateral flexibility than the wire variation (208 in FIG. 1B). It may be wound in either the same direction as is the outer coil (202) or in the alternate direction. A modest drawback to this variation is that it will stretch more than the FIG. 1B variation when axially stressed.
The materials used in constructing the vaso-occlusive coil (102, 202) and the stretch-resisting member (108, 208, 214) may be any of a wide variety of materials; preferably, a radio-opaque material such as a metal or a polymer is used. Suitable metals and alloys for the wire making up the primary coil (102, 202) and the stretch-resisting member (108, 208, 214) include the Platinum Group metals, especially platinum, rhodium, palladium, rhenium, as well as tungsten, gold, silver, tantalum, and alloys of these metals. These metals have significant radio-opacity and in their alloys may be tailored to accomplish an appropriate blend of flexibility and stiffness. They are also largely biologically inert. Highly preferred is a platinum/tungsten alloy, e.g., 8% tungsten and the remainder platinum.
In some variations of the invention, the ribbon or coil stretch-resisting members (208, 214) may be of any of a wide variety of stainless steels if some sacrifice of radio-opacity and flexibility may be tolerated. Very desirable materials of construction, from a mechanical point of view, are materials which maintain their shape despite being subjected to high stress. Certain "super-elastic alloys" include various nickel/titanium alloys (48-58 atomic % nickel and optionally containing modest amounts of iron); copper/zinc alloys (38-42 weight % zinc); copper/zinc alloys containing 1-10 weight % of beryllium, silicon, tin, aluminum, or gallium; or nickel/aluminum alloys (36-38 atomic % aluminum). Particularly preferred are the alloys described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,174,851; 3,351,463; and 3,753,700. Especially preferred is the titanium/nickel alloy known as "nitinol". These are very sturdy alloys which will tolerate significant flexing without deformation even when used as very small diameter wire.
If a super-elastic alloy such as nitinol is used in the device, the diameter of the coil wire may be significantly smaller than that used when the relatively more ductile platinum or platinum/tungsten alloy is used as the material of construction.
The coils may be made of radiolucent fibers or polymers (or metallic threads coated with radiolucent or radio-opaque fibers) such as Dacron (polyester), polyglycolic acid, polylactic acid, fluoropolymers (polytetrafluoro-ethylene), Nylon (polyamide), or even cotton or silk. Should a polymer be used as the major component of the vaso-occlusive coil member, it is desirably filled with some amount of a radio-opaque material such as powdered tantalum, powdered tungsten, bismuth oxide, barium sulfate, and the like.
The coil material is first wound into a primary coil (102, 202). The primary coil is typically linear after it has been wound. Generally speaking, when the coil (102, 202) is a metallic coil and that coil is a platinum alloy or a superelastic alloy such as nitinol, the diameter of the wire used in the production of the coil (102, 202) will be in the range of 0.00025 and 0.006 inches. The wire is wound into a primary coil (102, 202) having a primary diameter of between 0.003 and 0.025 inches. For most neurovascular indications, the preferable primary coil (102,202) diameter is 0.008 to 0.018 inches. We have generally found that the coil wire may be of sufficient diameter to provide a hoop strength to the resulting device sufficient to hold the device in place within the chosen body site, lumen or cavity, without substantially distending the wall of the site and without moving from the site as a result of the repetitive fluid pulsing found in the vascular system. However, this inventive concept allows the user to utilize extremely flexible coil assemblies having very high packing efficiencies. For instance, coil wires having wire diameters of 0.00015" and less are suitable for such highly flexible devices. Typically the coil diameter will be 0.015" and less. They will "droop" more than about 20°, preferably 35° to 90° when about 1 centimeter of the primary form of the coil having a free end is held horizontally.
The axial length of the primary coil will usually fall in the range of 0.5 to 100 cm, more usually 2.0 to 40 cm. Depending upon usage, the coil may well have 10-75 turns per centimeter, preferably 10-40 turns per centimeter. All of the dimensions here are provided only as guidelines and are not critical to the invention. However, only dimensions suitable for use in occluding sites within the human body are included in the scope of this invention.
Once the primary coil (102, 202) is wound, the stretch-resisting member (108, 208) is inserted into the lumen of the primary coil (102, 202) and secured to the coil as desired. Ends (104, 204, 106, 206) are preferably of the same diameter as is the primary coil (102, 202).
Alternatively, the primary coil is shaped into its secondary form, and heat treated so that the coil will return to the secondary form when relaxed. The stretch-resistant member is then inserted into the lumen of the coil and secured as desired. The stretch-resisting member does not substantially affect the shape of the coil when the coil returns to the secondary form. Preferably, the stretch-resistant member is attached to a hook inside the lumen and heat treatment used to fuse at least parts of the polymer to the coil. The coil is then allowed to relax to form its secondary form and any stretch-resistant filaments extending from the coil are heat sealed to the coil. It is required that there be some amount of slack in the polymer to allow the coil to pass through the catheter as described herein and to allow the coil to return to its secondary form. The secondary coil may be heated treated. Preferably, heat treatment occurs at a temperature from at least about the T g of the polymer to a temperature below the melting point of polymer.
Suitable polymeric materials for the polymeric stretch-resisting member (108) can be either thermosetting or thermoplastic. For this variation of the invention, however, the polymer should be one for which a filament may be heat-treated to accept a form corresponding to the secondary form. Thermoplastics are preferred because they allow simplification of the procedure for constructing the device (100) since they may be melted and formed into the end or ends (104, 106). Simple devices such as soldering irons may be used to form the ends. Thermosetting plastics would typically be held in place by an adhesive. Suitable polymers include most biocompatible materials which may be made into fibers but include thermoplastics, e.g., polyesters such as polyethyleneterephthalate (PET) especially Dacron; polyamides including the Nylons; polyolefins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, their mixtures, alloys, block and random copolymers; polyglycolic acid; polylactic acid; fluoropolymers (polytetrafluoro-ethylene), or even silk or collagen. The stretch-resistant polymer may be made from materials used as dissolvable sutures, for instance polylactic acid or polyglycolic acid, to encourage cell growth in the aneurysm after their introduction. Preferred because of the long history of safe and effective usage in the human body are fibrous PET (sold as Dacron) and polypropylene. Highly preferred is polypropylene, for instance, in the form of 10-0 and 9-0 polypropylene suture material. We have found that the diameter of the polymer is typically between about 0.0001 inches and about 0.01 inches.
FIG. 2A shows a side-view partial cross-section of one end of inventive coil (100). FIG. 2A also shows the helically wound outer coil (102) having an end (106) which is formed from a formerly molten fiber which also makes up the stretch-resisting member (114). An end of this type may be considered to have modestly higher vaso-occluding properties than a metallic end. Other functional equivalents to this structure include ends (106) formed of glues such as epoxies and their equivalents, and which are mechanical in nature.
FIG. 2B shows an external knot (112) which fixes the length of the coil member (102) and keeps it from stretching; FIG. 2C shows a reformed mass of formerly molten polymer or of glue which is of a diameter larger than the inner diameter of coil (102) and prevents the coil from stretching. The knot (112) and block (114) are not shown to be attached to the coil (102) but may be.
The variations shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, 1C and 2A, 2B, and 2C are designed to be deployed by use of a pusher and a catheter in the manner discussed in Ritchart et al, discussed above. Other methods (and concomitant fixtures or joints to accomplish those methods) may also be used.
For instance, the end of the device may be adapted to accept an electrolytically severable joint of the type discussed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,354,295 and its parent, 5,122,136, both patents to Guglielmi and Sepetka, described above. FIGS. 3A and 3B depict, in partial cross section, such variations. The vaso-occlusive coil (130, 230) is attached to a fill member or bushing (132, 232). The fill member or bushing (132, 232) preferably comprises a thermoplastic formed into place or an epoxy or the like and adheres, in turn, both to the stretch resistant member (134, 234) and the core wire (136, 236). The stretch-resisting member (134, 234) is thusly indirectly attached to the vaso-occlusive coil (130, 230) via the fill member or bushing (132, 232). The core wire (136, 236) in this variation has an enlarged member which is embedded in the fill member (132, 232). The core wire (136, 236) is insulated, typically with a combination of polytetrafluoroethylene and PARYLENE (polyparaxyxylene), except for a small sacrificial joint (138, 238) which is intended to be the site of the electrolysis as the joint (138, 238) is eroded or severed and the coil deployed into the body site. The details of this variation (sans stretch-resistant member (136, 236)) are discussed in Gia et al, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/367,061, filed Dec. 30, 1994, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
FIG. 3C shows an especially preferred variation of the inventive device. The assembly (131) employs a stretch-resisting member (133) which is connected indirectly to the coil (135). Specifically the stretch-resisting member (133) is a thermoplastic fiber or fibers which are melted to form a coil tip (137) at one end of the coil (135) and is looped about a hook (139) at (or in the vicinity of) the other end ofthe coil (135). An anchor coil (141) is coaxially situated between the vaso-occlusive coil (135) and the pusher wire (136). The hook (139) forms the final turn or half-turn ofthe anchor coil (141). The stretch-resisting member (133) is thusly indirectly attached to the vaso-occlusive coil (135) via the anchor coil (141). The anchor coil (141) and the vaso-occlusive coil (135) are preferably welded together.
FIG. 3C also shows the vaso-occlusive coil (135) in its maximum stretched condition. The stretch-resisting member (133) is shown resisting further axial stretching ofthe assembly. When the vaso-occlusive coil (135) is not stretched, the stretch-resisting member (133) would obviously be loose, i.e., normally longer than the lumen, in the lumen of the assembly (131). If the stretch-resisting member (133) is not allowed to have such a loose axial fit, the adjacent turns of the coil (135) would "bottom" against each other during passage through turns in the vasculature and cause the assembly (131) to become stiff.
FIG. 4A shows still another variation of a joint for releasing the inventive coil into a site within the human body. In this instance, the joint is mechanically deployed. The primary coil (140) incorporates interlocking clasps, one (142) located on an end of the coil (140) and one (144) located on the end of a pusher (146). The stretch-resisting member (148) is attached to the interlocking clasp (142) via a filler block (154). Again, the filler block (154) comprises a material (e.g., a thermoplastic or adhesive material) which may be placed in the coil and will adhere to the stretch-resistant member (148). The coil assembly (150), made up of the primary coil (140), interlocking clasp (142), and stretch-resisting member (148) is deployed by retracting catheter body (or sheath) (152). FIG. 4B shows a variation of the device depicted in FIG. 4A which does not employ special filler block material (154) for adhering to the stretch-resistant member.
Other mechanically deployable joints suitable for use with the inventive coil are described in:
U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,437, to Sepetka, (shows a method of unscrewing a helically wound coil from a pusher having interlocking surfaces).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,250,071, to Palermo, (shows an embolic coil assembly using interlocking clasps mounted both on the pusher and on the embolic coil)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,261,916, to Engelson, (shows a detachable pusher/vaso-occlusive coil assembly having an interlocking ball and keyway-type coupling)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,195, to Twyford et al. (shows a pusher-vaso-occlusive coil assembly having an affixed, proximally extending wire carrying a ball on its proximal end and a pusher having a similar end, which two ends are interlocked and disengage when expelled from the distal tip of the catheter)
U.S. Pat. No. 5,312,415, to Palermo (also shows a method for discharging numerous coils from a single pusher by use of a guidewire which has a section capable of interconnecting with the interior of the helically wound coil).
U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,397, to Palermo et al. (shows a pusher having a throat at its distal end and a pusher through its axis. The pusher sheath will hold onto the end of an embolic coil and will then be released upon pushing the axially placed pusher wire against the member found on the proximal end of the vaso-occlusive coil).
The entirety of which are incorporated by reference.
As was noted above, the devices of this invention may have the simple linear shape shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or may have shapes which are not so simple. FIGS. 5, 6, and 7 show what are termed "secondary" shapes in that they are formed from the primary coil by the simple act of winding the primary coil on a form of a desired shape and then heat treating the so-formed shape. FIG. 5 shows a "C" shaped coil assembly (160) having a stretch-resistant member (1 62). FIG. 6 shows a clover-leaf shaped coil assembly (164) also having a stretch-resistant member (162). FIG. 7 shows a double-loop coil assembly (166). These are indicative of the various secondary shapes suitable for this invention.
Additionally, these inventive devices may also be used in conjunction with various external fiber adjuncts. FIG. 8 shows a partial side-view of a linear variation of the inventive device (170) having filamentary material (172) looping through the coil (174). This method of attachment is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,226,911 and 5,304,194, to Chee et al, the entirety of which are incorporated by reference. A further description of a desirable fiber attachment is shown in U.S. patent application No. 08/265,188, to Mirigian et al, filed Jun. 24, 1994.
FIG. 9 shows a partial cutaway of a device (180) having a braided covering (182) of a filamentary material and a stretch-resisting member (184). This method of enveloping a coil is described in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 5,382,259, to Phelps et al, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference.
The fibrous woven or braided tubular materials may be made from a biocompatible materials such as Dacron (polyester), polyglycolic acid, polylactic acid, fluoropolymers (polytetrafluoroethylene), Nylon (polyamide), or silk. The strands forming the braid should be reasonably heavy, e.g., having tensile strength of greater than about 0.15 pounds. The materials mentioned, to the extent that they are thermoplastics, may be melted or fused to the coils. Alternatively, they may be glued or otherwise fastened to the coils. Preferred materials include Dacron.
FIG. 10 shows a variation in which the stretch-resistant member is a heat-set polymer introduced into the interior lumen after the coil has been shaped to return to its secondary shape. The coil (191) is wound to a primary shape and is then shaped into a secondary form. The coil is treated, for instance by heat-treatment, so that it will maintain that secondary form. One end of the coil has an interior lumen (192) and a hook (199) within the lumen (192). The coil is then positioned so that the stretch-resistant thread (193) is introduced through the lumen (192) of the coil (191) and extended to catch the hook portion (199) in the lumen (192) of the coil (191). The end ofthe coil with the hook is then heated so that several turns of the exterior coil contact and are melted to the stretch-resistant polymer (193). The coil (191) is then allowed to form its secondary shape. Any filaments of stretch-resistant polymer which extend from the coil (191) are heat-sealed (197). Some amount of slack in the filament is required. The stretch-resistant polymer through the lumen must be flexible enough so that they do not change the secondary shape of the coil. The entire coil (191) is then heat-treated at a temperature below the melting point of the polymer. Preferably, the temperature is above the polymer's T g range.
FIG. 11 shows a highly preferred assembly incorporating a number of desirable aspects of the invention. Specifically, the very flexible variation of the inventive vaso-occlusive device noted above, e.g., wherein the vaso-occlusive device is capable of "drooping" 20° or more and having a polymeric stretch-resisting member included therein, is especially suitable for inclusion in a flow-directed catheter and particularly when used with an electrolytically severable joint. FIG. 10 shows the flow-directed catheter (200) containing a very flexible vaso-occlusive coil (202) as described above and utilizing a similarly flexible strain-resistant member (204). The flow directed catheter (200) may have a distal radio-opaque marker (206) if so desired.
Proximally of the vaso-occlusive coil (202) is a connective wire (208) which is insulated at all points proximal of the electrolytic joint (210).
The flow directed catheter (200) may be of any known design such as is found, e.g., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,336,205, to Zenzen et al, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference. "Flow-directed catheters" are directed to the treatment site in the human body through the vasculature by the motive power of natural blood flow. The more distal segments of flow-directed catheters are often of materials having significant elastomeric properties but with high burst strengths, e.g., polyurethane, polyvinylchloride, silicones, etc. They are often quite "rubbery" in feel. Consequently, flow directed catheters are not usually especially suitable for use with guidewires and the like.
In use of this variation of the vaso-occlusive device, however, since the vaso-occlusive device is so compliant and able to be delivered using hydraulic pressure alone (as with saline), they may be used with flow-directed catheters. Further, since the vaso-occlusive device (202) contains a stretch-resisting member (204), the vaso-occlusive device (202) may be withdrawn into the catheter (200) using the connective wire (208).
The connective wire (208) used therein should be very flexible so not to interfere with the movement of the catheter (200). It is conductive and insulated proximally of the electrolytic joint (210). Introduction of an electric current into the connective wire (208) will cause the electrolytic joint (210) to erode and the vaso-occlusive device (202) to become detached. Complete description of the operation of such a device is found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,122,136 and 5,354,295, both to Guglielmi and Sepetka.
FIGS. 12A-12D depict a common deployment method for introduction of the inventive vaso-occlusive devices described here. It may be observed that these procedures are not significantly different than those described in the Ritchart et al. patent mentioned above. Specifically, FIG. 12A shows the distal tip of a delivery catheter (310) which is within the opening (312) of an aneurysm (314) found in an artery (316). The distal or end section of the vaso-occlusive device (318) is shown within the catheter (310). In FIG. 12B, the distal end portion of the vaso-occlusive device (318) has exited the distal end of the catheter (310) and has wound into a secondary shape within the aneurysm (314). FIG. 12C shows the completion of the formation of the secondary shape within the aneurysm (314). FIG. 12D shows the separation of the vaso-occlusive device (318) from the pusher, placement within the aneurysm (314), and the withdrawal of the catheter from the mouth of the aneurysm.
Once the inventive coil is in place in an aneurysm or other site, there may be an occasion during which the coil must be moved or even withdrawn. For instance, in FIG. 12D, the coil might extend through the mouth (312) of the aneurysm into the artery. Occlusion would not be desirable in the artery. A device such as the endovascular snare shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,387,219, to Rappe, may then be used to grasp the exposed coil and move it or retrieve it from the body. The stretch-resisting member of this invention prevents the coil from stretching into a single strand of wire and multiplying in length.
Modification of the above-described variations of carrying out the invention that would be apparent to those of skill in the fields of medical device design generally, and vaso-occlusive devices specifically, are intended to be within the scope of the following claims.
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This is an implantable vaso-occlusive device. It is typically a vaso-occlusive coil comprising a primary helically wound coil which may then be wound into a secondary shape. Central to the invention is the use of a stretch-resisting member extending through the lumen formed, which stretch-resisting member is fixedly attached, directly or indirectly, to the coil in at least two locations. The stretch-resisting member is preferably somewhat loose within the interior of the lumen so to prevent the coil from collapsing, binding, and therefore stiffening during passage of turns through the human body. The coil should bend easily. In some variations of the invention, the stretch-resisting member may be formed into coil tips at the ends of the coil using simple equipment such as soldering irons or the like. The tips are typically of the same diameter as is the coil body itself. This stretch-resisting member is for the primary purpose of preventing stretching of the coil during movement of that coil, e.g., by retrieval or repositioning after deployment. The device may have a self-forming secondary shape made from a pre-formed primary linear helically wound coil, although it need not have the secondary form. Desirably, the coil is extremely flexible and is controllaby released using a severable or mechanical joint such as an electrolytically detachable joint. External fibers may be attached to the device and affixed to the pre-formed linear member to increase thrombogenicity. The extremely flexible variation of the invention may be hydraulically delivered through the lumen of a catheter and is so flexible that it may be retrievably delivered therethrough a flow-directed catheter. The vaso-occlusive member may be also be covered with a fibrous braid. The device is typically introduced into the body through a catheter. The device is passed axially through the catheter sheath and assumes its secondary form upon exiting the catheter.
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[0001] This application claims priority to a U.S. Provisional Application entitled “Plasma Lamp,” having Ser. No. 60/222,028 and filed on Jul. 31, 2000, and a U.S. which is hereby incorporated by reference as though fully set forth herein.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The field of the present invention relates to devices and methods for generating light, and more particularly to electrodeless plasma lamps.
[0004] 2. Background
[0005] Electrodeless plasma lamps provide point-like, bright, white light sources. Because they do not use electrodes, electrodeless plasma lamps often have longer useful lifetimes than other lamps. Electrodeless plasma lamps in the prior art have certain common features. For example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,954,755 to Lynch et al., 4,975,625 to Lynch et al., 4,978,891 to Ury et al., 5,021,704 to Walter et al., 5,448,135 to Simpson, 5,594,303 to Simpson, 5,841,242 to Simpson et al., 5,910,710 to Simpson, and 6,031,333 to Simpson, each of which is incorporated herein by reference, the plasma lamps direct microwave energy into an air cavity, with the air cavity enclosing a bulb containing a mixture of substances that can ignite, form a plasma, and emit light.
[0006] The plasma lamps described in these patents are intended to provide brighter light sources with longer life and more stable spectrum than electrode lamps. However, for many applications, light sources that are brighter, smaller, less expensive, more reliable, and have long useful lifetimes are desired, but such light sources until now have been unavailable. Such applications include, for example, streetlights and emergency response vehicles. A need exists therefore, for a very bright, durable light source at low cost.
[0007] In the prior art, the air-filled cavity of the electrodeless plasma lamp is typically constructed in part by a metal mesh. Metal mesh is used because it contains the microwave energy within the cavity while at the same time permitting the maximum amount of visible light to escape. The microwave energy is typically generated by a magnetron or solid state electronics and is guided into the cavity through one or more waveguides. Once in the air-filled cavity, microwave energy of select frequencies resonates, where the actual frequencies that resonate depend upon the shape and size of the cavity. Although there is tolerance in the frequencies that may be used to power the lamps, in practice, the power sources are limited to microwave frequencies in the range of 1-10 GHz.
[0008] Because of the need to establish a resonance condition in the airfilled cavity, the cavity generally may not be smaller than one-half the wavelength of the microwave energy used to power the lamp. The air-filled cavity and thereby, the plasma lamp itself has a lower limit on its size. However, for many applications, such as for high-resolution monitors, bright lamps, and projection TVs, these sizes remain prohibitively large. A need exists therefore for a plasma lamp that is not constrained to the minimum cavity sizes illustrated by the prior art.
[0009] In the prior art, the bulbs are typically positioned at a point in the cavity where the electric field created by the microwave energy is at a maximum. The support structure for the bulb is preferably of a size and composition that does not interfere with the resonating microwaves, as any interference with the microwaves reduces the efficiency of the lamp. The bulbs, therefore, are typically made from quartz. Quartz bulbs, however, are prone to failure because the plasma temperature can be several thousand degrees centigrade, which can bring the quartz wall temperature to near 1000° C. Furthermore, quartz bulbs are unstable in terms of mechanical stability and optical and electrical properties over long periods. A need exists, therefore, for a light source that overcomes the above-described issues, but that is also stable in its spectral characteristics over long periods.
[0010] In prior art plasma lamps, the bulb typically contains a noble gas combined with a light emitter, a second element or compound which typically comprises sulfur, selenium, a compound containing sulfur or selenium, or any one of a number of metal halides. Exposing the contents of the bulb to microwave energy of high intensity causes the noble gas to become a plasma. The free electrons within the plasma excite the light emitter within the bulb. When the light emitter returns to a lower electron state, radiation is emitted. The spectrum of light emitted depends upon the characteristics of the light emitter within the bulb. Typically, the light emitter is chosen to cause emission of visible light.
[0011] Plasma lamps of the type described above frequently require high intensity microwaves to initially ignite the noble gas into plasma. However, over half of the energy used to generate and maintain the plasma is typically lost as heat, making heat dissipation a problem. Hot spots can form on the bulb causing spotting on the bulb and thereby reducing the efficiency of the lamp. Methods have been proposed to reduce the hot spots by rotating the lamp to better distribute the plasma within the lamp and by blowing constant streams of air at the lamp. These solutions, however, add structure to the lamp, thereby increasing its size and cost. Therefore, a need exists for a plasma lamp that requires less energy to ignite and maintain the plasma, and includes a minimum amount of additional structure for efficient dissipation of heat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] This invention generally provides, in one aspect, devices and methods of producing bright, spectrally stable light.
[0013] In accordance with one embodiment as described herein, a device for producing light comprises an electromagnetic energy source, a waveguide having a body formed of a dielectric material, and a bulb. Preferably, the waveguide is connected to the energy source for receiving electromagnetic energy from the energy source. The waveguide builds and contains the electromagnetic energy. The bulb, which is coupled to the waveguide, receives electromagnetic energy from the waveguide. The received electromagnetic energy ignites a gas-fill that forms a plasma and emits light, preferably in the visible spectral range.
[0014] In one preferred embodiment, the bulb is shaped to reflect light outwards through its window. The electromagnetic energy source is preferably a microwave energy source that is efficiently coupled to and preferably thermally isolated from the waveguide. Furthermore, the outer surface of the waveguide, preferably with the exception of the bulb cavity, is coated with a material to contain the microwave energy within the waveguide. The dielectric forming the waveguide preferably has a high dielectric constant, a high dielectric strength, and a low loss tangent. This permits high power densities within the waveguide. A heat sink preferably is attached to the outer surfaces of the waveguide to dissipate heat.
[0015] In accordance with a first alternative embodiment, the lamp is operated in resonant cavity mode. In this mode, the microwave energy directed into the waveguide has a frequency such that it resonates within the waveguide. The microwave feed and the bulb are preferably positioned at locations with respect to the waveguide that correspond to electric field maxima of the resonant frequency.
[0016] In accordance with a second alternative embodiment, the lamp is operated in a dielectric oscillator mode. In this mode, an energy feedback mechanism or probe is coupled to the dielectric waveguide at a point that in one embodiment corresponds to an energy maximum. The probe senses the electric field amplitude and phase within the waveguide at the point of coupling. Using the probe signal to provide feedback, the lamp may be continuously operated in resonant cavity mode, even if the resonant frequency changes as the plasma forms in the bulb and/or if the dielectric waveguide undergoes thermal expansion due to the heat generated. The probe provides feedback to the microwave source and the microwave source adjusts its output frequency to dynamically maintain a resonance state.
[0017] Further embodiments, variations and enhancements, including combinations of the above-described embodiments, or features thereof, are also described herein or depicted in the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0018] [0018]FIG. 1 illustrates a sectional view of a plasma lamp according to a preferred embodiment.
[0019] [0019]FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate sectional views of alternative embodiments of a plasma lamp.
[0020] [0020]FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of a plasma lamp wherein the bulb is thermally isolated from the dielectric waveguide.
[0021] FIGS. 4 A-D illustrate different resonant modes within a rectangular prism-shaped waveguide.
[0022] FIGS. 5 A-C illustrate different resonant modes within using a cylindrical prism-shaped cylindrical waveguide.
[0023] [0023]FIG. 6 illustrates an embodiment of the apparatus using a feedback mechanism to provide feedback to the microwave source to maintain a resonant mode of operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0024] Turning now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of a dielectric waveguide integrated plasma lamp 101 (DWIPL). The DWIPL 101 preferably comprises a source 115 of electromagnetic radiation, preferably microwave radiation, a waveguide 103 having a body formed of a dielectric material, and a feed 117 coupling the radiation source 115 to the waveguide 103 . As used herein, the term “waveguide” generally refers to any device having a characteristic and purpose of at least partially confining electromagnetic energy. The DWIPL 101 further includes a bulb 107 , that is preferably disposed on an opposing side of the waveguide 103 , and contains a gas-fill, preferably comprising a noble gas and a light emitter, which when receiving electromagnetic energy at a specific frequency and intensity forms a plasma and emits light.
[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the microwave radiation source 115 feeds the waveguide 103 microwave energy via the feed 117 . The waveguide contains and guides the microwave energy to a cavity 105 preferably located on an opposing side of the waveguide 103 from the feed 117 . Disposed within the cavity 105 is the bulb 107 containing the gas-fill. Microwave energy is preferably directed into the enclosed cavity 105 , and in turn the bulb 107 . This microwave energy generally frees electrons from their normal state and thereby transforms the noble gas into a plasma. The free electrons of the noble gas excite the light emitter. The de-excitation of the light emitter results in the emission of light. As will become apparent, the different embodiments of DWIPLs disclosed herein offer distinct advantages over the plasma lamps in the prior art, such as an ability to produce brighter and spectrally more stable light, greater energy efficiency, smaller overall lamp sizes, and longer useful life spans.
[0026] The microwave source 115 in FIG. I is shown schematically as solid state electronics, however, other devices commonly known in the art that can operate in the 0.5-30 GHz range may also be used as a microwave source, including but not limited to klystrons and magnetrons. The preferred range for the microwave source is from about 500 MHz to about 10 GHz.
[0027] Depending upon the heat sensitivity of the microwave source 115 , the microwave source 115 may be thermally isolated from the bulb 107 , which during operation preferably reaches temperatures between about 700° C. and about 1000° C. Thermal isolation of the bulb 107 from the source 115 provides a benefit of avoiding degradation of the source 115 . Additional thermal isolation of the microwave source 115 may be accomplished by any one of a number of methods commonly known in the art, including but not limited to using an insulating material or vacuum gap occupying an optional space 116 between the source 115 and waveguide 103 . If the latter option is chosen, appropriate microwave feeds are used to couple the microwave source 115 to the waveguide 103 .
[0028] In FIG. 1, the feed 117 that transports microwaves from the source 115 to the waveguide 103 preferably comprises a coaxial probe. However, any one of several different types of microwave feeds commonly known in the art may be used, such as microstrip lines or fin line structures.
[0029] Due to mechanical and other considerations such as heat, vibration, aging, or shock, when feeding microwave signals into a dielectric material, contact between the feed 117 and the waveguide 103 is preferably maintained using a positive contact mechanism 121 . The contact mechanism 121 provides constant pressure between the feed 117 and the waveguide 103 to minimize the probability that microwave energy will be reflected back through the feed 117 and not transmitted into the waveguide 103 . In providing constant pressure, the contact mechanism 121 compensates for small dimensional changes in the microwave feed 117 and the waveguide 103 that may occur due to thermal heating or mechanical shock. The contact mechanism may be a spring loaded device, such as is illustrated in FIG. 1, a bellows type device, or any other device commonly known in the art that can sustain a constant pressure for continuously and steadily transferring microwave energy.
[0030] When coupling the feed 117 to the waveguide 103 , intimate contact is preferably made by depositing a metallic material 123 directly on the waveguide 103 at its point of contact with the feed 117 . The metallic material 123 eliminates gaps that may disturb the coupling and is preferably comprised of gold, silver, or platinum, although other conductive materials may also be used. The metallic material 123 may be deposited using any one of several methods commonly known in the art, such as depositing the metallic material 123 as a liquid and then firing it in an oven to provide a solid contact.
[0031] In FIG. 1, the waveguide 103 is preferably the shape of a rectangular prism, however, the waveguide 103 may also have a cylindrical prism shape, a sphere-like shape, or any other shape, including a complex, irregular shape the resonant frequencies of which are preferably determined through electromagnetic simulation tools, that can efficiently guide microwave energy from the feed 117 to the bulb 107 . The actual dimensions of the waveguide may vary depending upon the frequency of the microwave energy used and the dielectric constant of the body of waveguide 103 .
[0032] In one preferred embodiment, the waveguide body is approximately 12,500 mm 3 with a dielectric constant of approximately 9 and operating frequency of approximately 2.4 GHz. Waveguide bodies on this scale are significantly smaller than the waveguides in the plasma lamps of the prior art. As such, the waveguides in the preferred embodiments represent a significant advance over the prior art because the smaller size allows the waveguide to be used I many applications, where waveguide size had previously prohibited such use or made such use wholly impractical. For larger dielectric constants, even smaller sizes for the waveguides may be achieved. Besides the obvious advantages created by a reduction in size, size reduction translates into a higher power density, lower loss, and thereby, an ease in igniting the lamp.
[0033] Regardless of its shape and size, the waveguide 103 preferably has a body comprising a dielectric material which, for example, preferably exhibits the following properties: (1) a dielectric constant preferably greater than approximately 2; (2) a loss tangent preferably less than approximately 0.01; (3) a thermal shock resistance quantified by a failure temperature of preferably greater than approximately 200° C.; (4) a DC breakdown threshold of preferably greater than approximately 200 kilovolts/inch; (5) a coefficient of thermal expansion of preferably less than approximately 10 −5 /° C.; (6) a zero or slightly negative temperature coefficient of the dielectric constant; (7) stoichemetric stability over a preferred range of temperature, preferably from about −80° C. to about 1000° C., and (8) a thermal conductivity of preferably approximately 2 W/mK (watts per milliKelvin).
[0034] Certain ceramics, including alumina, zirconia, titanates, and variants or combinations of these materials, and silicone oil may satisfy many of the above preferences, and may be used because of their electrical and thermo-mechanical properties. In any event, it should be noted that the embodiments presented herein are not limited to a waveguide exhibiting all or even most of the foregoing properties.
[0035] In the various embodiments of the waveguide disclosed herein, such as in the example outlined above, the waveguide preferably provides a substantial thermal mass, which aids efficient distribution and dissipation of heat and provides thermal isolation between the lamp and the microwave source.
[0036] Alternative embodiments of DWIPLS 200 , 220 are depicted in FIGS. 2 A-B. In FIG. 2A, a bulb 207 and bulb cavity 205 are provided on one side of a waveguide 203 , preferably on a side opposite a feed 209 , and more preferably in the same plane as the feed 209 , where the electric field of the microwave energy is at a maximum. Where more than one maximum of the electric field is provided in the waveguide 203 , the bulb 207 and bulb cavity 205 may be positioned at one maximum and the feed 209 at another maximum. By placing the feed 209 and bulb 207 at a maximum for the electric field, a maximum amount of energy is respectively transferred and intercepted. The bulb cavity 205 is a concave form in the body of the waveguide 203 .
[0037] As shown in FIG. 2B, the body of the waveguide 223 optionally protrudes outwards in a convex form, from the main part of the body of the waveguide 203 to form the bulb cavity 225 . As in FIG. 2A, in FIG. 2B, the bulb 227 is preferably positioned opposite to the feed 221 . However, where more than one electric field maximum is provided in the waveguide 203 , the bulb 207 , 227 may be positioned in a plane other than the plane of the feed 209 , 221 .
[0038] Returning to FIG. 1, the outer surfaces of the waveguide 103 , with the exception of those surfaces forming the bulb cavity 105 , are preferably coated with a thin metallic coating 119 to reflect the microwaves. The overall reflectivity of the coating 119 determines the level of energy contained within the waveguide 103 . The more energy that can be stored within the waveguide 103 , the greater the overall efficiency of the lamp 101 . The coating 119 also preferably suppresses evanescent radiation leakage. In general, the coating 119 preferably significantly eliminates any stray microwave field.
[0039] Microwave leakage from the bulb cavity 105 may be significantly attenuated by having a cavity 105 that is preferably significantly smaller than the microwave wavelengths used to operate the lamp 101 . For example, the length of the diagonal for the window is preferably considerably less than half of the microwave wavelength (in free space) used.
[0040] The bulb 107 is disposed within the bulb cavity 105 , and preferably comprises an outer wall 109 and a window 111 . In one preferred embodiment, the cavity wall of the body of the waveguide 103 acts as the outer wall of the bulb 107 . The components of the bulb 107 preferably include one or more dielectric materials, such as ceramics and sapphires. In one embodiment, the ceramics in the bulb are the same as the material used in waveguide 103 . Dielectric materials are preferred for the bulb 107 because the bulb 107 is preferably surrounded by the dielectric body of the waveguide 103 and the dielectric materials help ensure efficient coupling of the microwave energy with the gas-fill in the bulb 107 .
[0041] The outer wall 109 is preferably coupled to the window 111 using a seal 113 , thereby defining a bulb envelope 127 which contains the gas-fill comprising the plasma-forming gas and light emitter. The plasma-forming gas is preferably a noble gas, which enables the formation of a plasma. The light emitter is preferably a vapor formed of any one of a number of elements or compounds currently known in the art, such as sulfur, selenium, a compound containing sulfur or selenium, or any one of a number of metal halides, such as indium bromide (InBr 3 ).
[0042] To assist in confining the gas-fill within the bulb 107 , the seal 113 preferably comprises a hermetic seal. The outer wall 109 preferably comprises alumina because of its white color, temperature stability, low porosity, and thermal expansion coefficient. However, other materials that generally provide one or more of these properties may be used. The outer wall 109 is also preferably contoured to reflect a maximum amount of light out of the cavity 105 through the window 111 . For instance, the outer wall 109 may have a parabolic contour to reflect light generated in the bulb 107 out through the window 111 . However, other outer wall contours or configurations that facilitate directing light out through the window 111 may be used.
[0043] The window 111 preferably comprises sapphire for light transmittance and because its thermal expansion coefficient matches well with alumina. Other materials that have a similar light transmittance and thermal expansion coefficient may be used for the window 111 . In an alternative embodiment, the window 111 may comprise a lens to collect the emitted light.
[0044] As referenced above, during operation, the bulb 107 may reach temperatures of up to about 1000° C. Under such conditions, the waveguide 103 in one embodiment acts as a heat sink for the bulb 107 . By reducing the heat load and heat-induced stress upon the various components of the DWIPL 101 , the useful life span of the DWIPL 101 is generally increased beyond the life span of typical electrodeless lamps. Effective heat dissipation may be obtained by preferably placing heat-sinking fins 125 around the outer surfaces of the waveguide 103 , as depicted in FIG. 1. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2B, with the cavity 225 extending away from the main part of the body of the waveguide 223 , the DWIPL 220 may be used advantageously to remove heat more efficiently by placing fins 222 in closer proximity to the bulb 227 .
[0045] In another embodiment, the body of the waveguide 103 comprises a dielectric, such as a titanate, which is generally not stable at high temperatures. In this embodiment, the waveguide 103 is preferably shielded from the heat generated in the bulb 107 by placing a thermal barrier between the body of the waveguide 103 and the bulb 107 . In one alternative embodiment, the outer wall 109 acts as a thermal barrier by comprising a material with low thermal conductivity such as NZP. Other suitable material for a thermal barrier may also be used.
[0046] [0046]FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an alternative embodiment of a DWIPL 300 wherein a vacuum gap acts as a thermal barrier. As shown in FIG. 3A, the bulb 313 of the DWIPL 300 is disposed within a bulb cavity 315 and is separated from the waveguide 311 by a gap 317 , the thickness of which preferably varies depending upon the microwave propagation characteristics and material strength of the material used for the body of the waveguide 311 and the bulb 313 . The gap 317 is preferably a vacuum, minimizing heat transfer between the bulb 313 and the waveguide 311 .
[0047] [0047]FIG. 3B illustrates a magnified view of the bulb 313 , bulb cavity 315 , and vacuum gap 317 for the DWIPL 300 . The boundaries of the vacuum gap 317 are formed by the waveguide 311 , a bulb support 319 , and the bulb 313 . The bulb support 319 may be sealed to the waveguide 311 , the support 319 extending over the edges of the bulb cavity 315 and comprising a material such as alumina that preferably has high thermal conductivity to help dissipate heat from the bulb 313 .
[0048] Embedded in the support 319 is an access seal 321 for establishing a vacuum within the gap 317 when the bulb 313 is in place. The bulb 313 is preferably supported by and hermetically sealed to the bulb support 319 . Once a vacuum is established in the gap 317 , heat transfers between the bulb 313 and the waveguide 311 are preferably substantially reduced.
[0049] Embodiments of the DWIPLs thus far described preferably operate at a microwave frequency in the range of 0.5-10 GHz. The operating frequency preferably excites one or more resonant modes supported by the size and shape of the waveguide, thereby establishing one or more electric field maxima within the waveguide. When used as a resonant cavity, at least one dimension of the waveguide is preferably an integer number of half-wavelengths long.
[0050] FIGS. 4 A-C illustrate three alternative embodiments of DWIPLs 410 , 420 , 430 operating in different resonant modes. FIG. 4A illustrates a DWIPL 410 operating in a first resonant mode 411 where one axis of a rectangular prism-shaped waveguide 417 has a length that is one-half the wavelength of the microwave energy used. FIG. 4B illustrates a DWIPL 420 operating in a resonant mode 421 where one axis of a rectangular prism-shaped waveguide 427 has a length that is equal to one wavelength of the microwave energy used. FIG. 4C illustrates a DWIPL 430 operating in a resonant mode 431 where one axis of a rectangular prism-shaped waveguide 437 has a length that is 1½ wavelengths of the microwave energy used.
[0051] In each of the DWIPLs and corresponding modes depicted in FIGS. 4 A-C, and for DWIPLs operating at any higher modes, the bulb cavity 415 , 425 , 435 and the feed(s) 413 , 423 , 433 , 434 are preferably positioned with respect to the waveguide 417 , 427 , 437 at locations where the electric fields are at an operational maximum. However, the bulb cavity and the feed do not necessarily have to lie in the same plane.
[0052] [0052]FIG. 4C illustrates an additional embodiment of a DWIPL 430 wherein two feeds 433 , 434 are used to supply energy to the waveguide 437 . The two feeds 433 , 434 may be coupled to a single microwave source or multiple sources (not shown).
[0053] [0053]FIG. 4D illustrates another embodiment wherein a single energy feed 443 supplies energy into the waveguide 447 having multiple bulb cavities 415 , 416 , each positioned with respect to the waveguide 447 at locations where the electric field is at a maximum.
[0054] FIGS. 5 A-C illustrate DWIPLs 510 , 520 , 530 having cylindrical prism-shaped waveguides 517 , 527 , 537 . In the embodiments depicted in FIGS. 5 A-C, the height of the cylinder is preferably less than its diameter, the diameter preferably being close to an integer multiple of the lowest order half-wavelength of energy that can resonate within the waveguide 517 , 527 , 537 . Placing such a dimensional restriction on the cylinder results in the lowest resonant mode being independent of the height of the cylinder. The diameter of the cylinder thereby dictates the fundamental mode of the energy within the waveguide 517 , 527 , 537 . The height of the cylinder can therefore be optimized for other requirements such as size and heat dissipation. In FIG. 5A, the feed 513 is preferably positioned directly opposite the bulb cavity 515 and the zeroeth order Bessel mode 511 is preferably excited.
[0055] Other modes may also be excited within a cylindrical prism-shaped waveguide. For example, FIG. 5B illustrates a DWIPL 520 operating in a resonant mode where the cylinder 527 has a diameter that is preferably close to one wavelength of the microwave energy used.
[0056] As another example, FIG. 5C illustrates a DWIPL 520 operating in a resonant mode where the cylinder 537 has a diameter that is preferably close to ½ wavelengths of the microwave energy used. FIG. 5C additionally illustrates an embodiment of a DWIPL 530 whereby two feeds 533 , 534 are used to supply energy to the cylinder-shaped waveguide 537 . As with other embodiments of the DWIPL, in a DWIPL having a cylinder-shaped waveguide, the bulb cavity 515 , 525 , 535 and the feed(s) 513 , 523 , 533 , 534 are preferably positioned with respect to the waveguide 517 , 527 , 537 at locations where the electric field is at a maximum.
[0057] Using a dielectric waveguide has several distinct advantages. First, as discussed above, the waveguide may be used to help dissipate the heat generated in the bulb. Second, higher power densities may be achieved within a dielectric waveguide than are possible in the plasma lamps with air cavities that are currently used in the art. The energy density of a dielectric waveguide is greater, depending on the dielectric constant of the material used for the waveguide, than the energy density of an air cavity plasma lamp.
[0058] Referring back to the DWIPL 101 of FIG. 1, high resonant energy within the waveguide 103 , corresponding to a high value for Q (where Q is the ratio of the operating frequency to the frequency width of the resonance) for the waveguide results in a high evanescent leakage of microwave energy into the bulb cavity 105 . High leakage in the bulb cavity 105 leads to the quasi-static breakdown of the noble gas within the envelope 127 , thus generating the first free electrons. The oscillating energy of the free electrons scales as ¦λ 2 , where λ is the circulating intensity of the microwave energy and λ is the wavelength of that energy. Therefore, the higher the microwave energy, the greater is the oscillating energy of the free electrons. By making the oscillating energy greater than the ionization potential of the gas, electron-neutral collisions result in efficient build-up of plasma density.
[0059] Once the plasma is formed in the DWIPL and the incoming power is absorbed, the waveguide's Q value drops due to the conductivity and absorption properties of the plasma. The drop in the Q value is generally due to a change in the impedance of the waveguide. After plasma formation, the presence of the plasma in the cavity makes the bulb cavity absorptive to the resonant energy, thus changing the overall impedance of the waveguide. This change in impedance is effectively a reduction in the overall reflectivity of the waveguide. Therefore, by matching the reflectivity of the feed close to the reduced reflectivity of the waveguide, a sufficiently high Q value may be obtained even after the plasma formation to sustain the plasma. Consequently, a relatively low net reflection back into the energy source may be realized.
[0060] Much of the energy absorbed by the plasma eventually appears as heat, such that the temperature of the lamp may approach 1000° C. When the waveguide is also used as a heat sink, as previously described, the dimensions of the waveguide may change due to its coefficient of thermal expansion. Under such circumstances, when the waveguide expands, the microwave frequency that resonates within the waveguide changes and resonance is lost. In order for resonance to be maintained, the waveguide preferably has at least one dimension equal to an integer multiple of the half wavelength microwave frequency being generated by the microwave source.
[0061] One preferred embodiment of a DWIPL that compensates for this change in dimensions employs a waveguide comprising a dielectric material having a temperature coefficient for the refractive index that is approximately equal and opposite in sign to its temperature coefficient for thermal expansion. Using such a material, a change in dimensions due to thermal heating offsets the change in refractive index, minimizing the potential that the resonant mode of the cavity would be interrupted. Such materials include Titanates. A second embodiment that compensates for dimensional changes due to heat comprises physically tapering the walls of the waveguide in a predetermined manner.
[0062] In another preferred embodiment, schematically shown in FIG. 6, a DWIPL 610 may be operated in a dielectric resonant oscillator mode. In this mode, first and second microwave feeds 613 , 615 are coupled between the dielectric waveguide 611 , which may be of any shape previously discussed, and the microwave energy source 617 . The energy source 617 is preferably broadband with a high gain and high power output and capable of driving plasma to emission.
[0063] The first feed 613 may generally operate as described above in other embodiments. The second feed 615 may probe the waveguide 611 to sample the field (including the amplitude and phase information contained therein) present and provide its sample as feedback to an input of the energy source 617 or amplifier. In probing the waveguide 611 , the second feed 615 also preferably acts to filter out stray frequencies, leaving only the resonant frequency within the waveguide 611 .
[0064] In this embodiment, the first feed 613 , second feed, 615 and bulb cavity 619 are each preferably positioned with respect to the waveguide 611 at locations where the electric field is at a maximum. Using the second feed 615 , the energy source 617 amplifies the resonant energy within the waveguide 611 . The source 617 thereby adjusts the frequency of its output to maintain one or more resonant modes in the waveguide 611 . The complete configuration thus forms a resonant oscillator. In this manner, automatic compensation may be realized for frequency shifts due to plasma formation and thermal changes in dimension and the dielectric constant.
[0065] The dielectric resonant oscillator mode also enables the DWIPL 610 to have an immediate re-strike capability after being turned off. As previously discussed, the resonant frequency of the waveguide 611 may change due to thermal expansion or changes in the dielectric constant caused by heat generated during operation. When the DWIPL 610 is shutdown, heat is slowly dissipated, causing instantaneous changes in the resonant frequency of the waveguide 611 .
[0066] However, as indicated above, in the resonant oscillator mode the energy source 617 automatically compensates for changes in the resonant frequency of the waveguide 611 . Therefore, regardless of the startup characteristics of the waveguide 611 , and providing that the energy source 617 has the requisite bandwidth, the energy source 617 will automatically compensate to achieve resonance within the waveguide 611 . The energy source immediately provides power to the DWIPL at the optimum plasma-forming frequency.
[0067] While embodiments and advantages of this invention have been shown and described, it would be apparent to those skilled in the art that many more modifications are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims.
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A dielectric waveguide integrated plasma lamp is disclosed for powering a small and bright bulb with a diameter of a few millimeters. The lamp is contained within a high dielectric constant material which guides the microwaves to the bulb, provides heat isolation to the drive circuit, contains the microwaves, provides structural stability and ease of manufacturing and allows efficient energy coupling to the bulb when used as a dielectric resonant oscillator.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an apparatus and methods for the three-dimensional screen printing of images onto pallet-supported articles, such as clothing or other fabric material.
2. The Prior Art
The printing of images onto articles, e.g. T-shirts and the like, is commonly accomplished using screen printing machines. Generally, these machines are provided with pallet support means for transporting a series of printing pallets to and from various printing stations located along the length of the machine. The articles also may be carried on a conveyor belt. A screen printing apparatus of this general configuration is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,795,189, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference. In operation, each article to receive a print image is placed on a pallet so that the surface to be printed upon is exposed to the printing mechanism. The pallets are then indexed along a continuous path to one or more individual print stations where an image is transferred to the article positioned beneath the printing head. Alternatively, the articles may remain on a stationary print table and the screen may be carried from article to article.
It is often desirable to print more than one layer of ink, or other print media, upon a single article. To prevent smearing, the previous layer usually must be allowed to dry before the next layer is applied. When a viscous printing medium is used, such as those used in producing a three-dimensional printing effect, the thick print layer takes much longer to dry, thus slowing production. Another problem associated with three-dimensional screen printing is that a thick print image produces a very uneven surface on the article. If a further printing step is required, this unevenness prevents the next print screen from contacting the article in a smooth and continuous fashion, resulting in a poor print image. Because of this difficulty, three-dimensional images are sometimes produced by hand, resulting in a slow, labor-intensive, and consequently expensive method of production.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a printing screen, associated pallet, and method which facilitates the printing of three-dimensional images on an article.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient method for printing images composed of multiple layers of ink on articles which facilitates the operation of screen printing machines at high speeds.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an efficient and economical method of producing wearable art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides for the screen printing of three-dimensional images in a relatively rapid and efficient manner.
The present invention provides a printing device for use with a pallet supported article comprising a printing screen having at least one perforation and having a thickness such that a quantity of printing medium pressed into said perforation while said screen is in contact with said article will form a three-dimensional printed image upon said article.
In another aspect of the present invention, the under surface of the printing screen is provided with a plurality of recessed or dimple means which are positioned to align with previously printed images so as to protect said images from coming into contact with said screen during a subsequent printing step. In a further embodiment, the underside of the printing screen is adapted to press against the article to be printed upon so as to deflect any mass of printing medium protruding from said article toward the pallet supporting said article.
In accordance with still a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for printing images on a pallet-supported article comprising a printing screen in combination with a printing pallet adapted with a resilient substrate mounted on its upper surface capable of accommodating the mass of ink deflected by the printing screen without deforming said ink.
The present invention also includes a method for three-dimensional printing of one or more layers of printing medium using the above-described printing screen and pallet assembly.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiments.
The present invention will now be further described by reference to the following drawings which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a screen and pallet combination for printing images on articles according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 taken along line 2--2 of FIG. 1 depicting the screen in the raised position.
FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 with the exception that the printing screen is shown in its lowered print position with a squeegee in the operative position.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the apparatus of FIG. 1 mounted to the head frame assembly of a screen printing machine.
FIG. 5 is a section view along line 5--5 of FIG. 4 of a second embodiment of a printing screen of the present invention which includes baffle means.
FIG. 6 is a section view of a further embodiment of a printing screen of the present invention comprising dimple means.
FIG. 7 is a top view of a printing screen of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a section view of the printing screen taken along line 9--9 of FIG. 7.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the drawings, reference numeral 10 refers to the combination of screen frame assembly 11 and pallet 20.
Referring to FIG. 1, screen frame assembly 11 includes a frame having two end members 13 and 14, and two side members 15 and 16 joining the end members to form a generally rectangular structure which supports a printing screen 12. Frame assembly 11 may be assembled from side members and from end members of varying lengths and widths, to accommodate the size and shape of the particular printing screen to be used.
As can be seen from the drawing, screen 12 is provided with perforated portions 17 formed in selected shapes and sizes to create a pattern for printing an image on article 30. Perforated portions 17 permit printing material, such as highviscosity ink 19, to flow through the screen and contact article 30 when the screen frame assembly 11 and pallet 20 are in juxtaposition, as shown in FIG. 3.
Pallet 20 is of a size and shape suitable to accommodate the article 30 to be printed upon. Although FIG. 1 illustrates a pallet 20 suited to hold a T-shirt, it is understood that the pallet 20 may comprise any configuration which facilitates printing upon the selected article.
Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, screen 12 has a selected thickness which enables perforations 17 to mold ink 19 into ink protrusions 31 which project a predetermined distance above the surface of article 30. The screen generally has a thickness of about 1/8 to 3/8 inch, preferably from 3/16 to 1/4 inch.
Connecting perforations 17, screen 12 is provided with nonperforated upper surface 18a and non-perforated lower surface 18b. Surfaces 18a and 18b are generally planar and parallel to each other to allow even contact with the pallet-supported article 30. The lower surface 18b serves to deflect protrusions 31 previously printed on article 30 toward the printing pallet.
As can be seen in the drawings, pallet 20 has an upper surface 21 and a lower surface 22. The upper surface of pallet 20 is provided with a resilient substrate 23 composed of a material that is soft, flexible, impact absorbing, smooth, flat and planar. It is desirable that the substrate material be sufficiently pliable so as to prevent deformation of protrusions 31 that it may contact. Examples of suitable substrate materials include, but is not limited to such materials as foam rubber, naturally occurring sponge, synthetic sponge, or soft polyurethane foam. Typically, the substrate material is up to one inch thick. When choosing a substrate, one must keep in mind that the substrate must be capable of retaining its resiliency even after repeated printing cycles and sustained contact with the various agents and inks used in the printing process.
In operation, article 30 mounted on pallet 20, and having printed thereon a first three dimensional image, is positioned below print screen 12 as shown in FIG. 2. As would be understood by one skilled in the art, it is essential that the first image be dried using any number of drying techniques including U.V., air or any combination thereof.
FIGS. 2 and 3 depict the positioning of the screen and pallet during the second printing step wherein some, or possibly all, of the previously created print images align with the nonperforated surface 18b. As can be seen in the drawings, surface 18b of screen 12 makes contact with the top portion of print image 31, forcing said previously printed images downwardly, thereby causing substrate 23 to deform, such that the first set of image forming protrusions 31 retain their original shape and size, while another set of image forming protrusions are being created elsewhere on article 30, by ink 19 flowing into and through perforations 17.
The thickness of substrate 23 will depend on the type of material utilized. However, it has been found that the use of a foam rubber material requires a substrate having a thickness of approximately 3 to 4 times as thick as the height of the print image to be protected from deformation. In any event, the thickness and material used for substrate 23 should be such that it is capable of absorbing all of the compressive forces acting upon the print images which come into contact with the lower surface of the printing screen, without compressing or otherwise distorting the image forming protrusions. The preferred substrate thickness is about one inch.
Substrate 23 may be attached to the upper surface 21 of pallet 20 by any suitable means including preferably a contact type adhesive. The lower surface 22 of the pallet 20 is adapted with suitable mounting means for mounting the pallet onto a conveyor apparatus for indexing to various print stations. FIG. 4 illustrates the use of the screen and pallet combination in an apparatus 35 including head frame assembly 40 which includes the carriage-supported squeegee blade 42. Each head frame assembly represents a work station where at least one printing step occurs. Even though only one assembly 40 is shown, it should be understood that several may be arranged at various spaced apart locations along the longitudinal direction of apparatus 35.
Apparatus 35 is provided with an endless belt 43 for transporting a series of pallets 20, each pallet having mounted thereon article 30 to receive a print image. When article 30 positions below head frame assembly 40, conveyor belt 43 momentarily stops and a printing cycle, including a print stroke, begins. The above described apparatus allows for the efficient and precise printing of three-dimensional print images having a variety of colors and shapes. The speed of the printing operation is limited only by the drying time of the previously printed image.
FIG. 5 depicts a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the three-dimensional printing screen 12 according to the present invention. As will be explained in greater detail below, this embodiment is utilized in those situations where it is desirable to protect a previously printed three dimensional image from physical contact with the lower surface 18b of screen 12. Normally this will occur when the previously printed image has not been given adequate time to dry between printing steps. In this embodiment, screen 12 is provided with baffle means 90 located on the lower surface 18b and which corresponds and surrounds the previously printed image. Baffle 90 may be formed on surface 18b when the screen 12 is initially manufactured, such as by injection molding or casting, or may be detachable, e.g. through the use of tongue 92 and mating groove 94. Hence, the baffle can be used as a permanent part of the screen 12, or it can be a detachable appendage to be added to, or to be removed from, the screen 12. Accordingly, a printing screen provided with baffle means 90 would be used for a second, or subsequent, printing step in a multiple step printing procedure where sufficient drying time has not been allowed between the various printing operations. The baffle means 90 keeps the image 31 from contacting the lower surface 18b of the screen, so that if the ink comprising image 31 is wet, or is so soft as to be deformable, then there will be no distortion of the incompletely hardened image 31 by contact with the surface 18b.
As can best be seen in FIG. 5, during the printing cycle baffle means 90 contact the article 30 and cause deformation of the resilient substrate 23, thereby protecting the previously printed three-dimensional image by deflecting said images away from the surface 18b of the screen. The use of the baffled screen embodiment of the print invention alleviates the need to completely dry the ink between printing steps.
FIG. 6 shows a further embodiment of the present invention wherein an image protector means is located on the lower surface 18b of screen 12. In this embodiment, it is unnecessary to use a pallet having a resilient substrate mounted on its upper surface. Image protector means 96 comprise hollow, concave sections or dimples which are positioned on the underside of screen 12. Dimples 96 are adapted to coincide with, and to protect, a previously printed three-dimensional ink image 31 from contact with the lower surface 18b of the screen 12 during a subsequent printing step in a multi-step, multi-image printing process. The concave sections need not necessarily be of the same shape or size. However, each dimple will desirably be of a slightly larger size and of a similar shape as the previously printed image around which it is to fit. Consequently, each screen is necessarily thicker than the previous screen, to be able to accommodate the previously printed image inside its dimples.
In many instances it is desirable to create a three-dimensional printed image having a perimetric configuration. In order to produce a printed perimetric configuration, the center of the image will desirably be devoid of any ink while the surrounding perimeter will contain a continuous amount of ink of the desired thickness. To accomplish this, it is necessary for the center portion of the screen to be physically connected via bridges to the body of the print screen. However, the bridges result in a print image having spaced sections where the bridges are located, resulting in an unsightly stencil-like appearance.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a printing screen is capable of producing a three-dimensional perimetric image having a continuous outer section. Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, perforated portion 17 is made up of a solid central segment 100 that extends from the upper surface 18a of screen 12 to the lower surface 18b thereof. Adjacent to and surrounding the central segment 100 are four hollow sections 102a, 102b, 102c, and 102d. It is through these hollow sections that the viscous printing medium 19 can flow as it is squeezed from the upper surface 18a down through the screen onto article 30 during the print stroke. Connecting the central segment 100 with the nonperforated portions of the screen 12 are bridges 104a, 104b, 104c, and 104d.
As better shown in FIG. 8, all of the bridges, such as bridges 104a and 104c, specifically illustrated, begin at the upper surface 18a and extend downward by about one-fourth to one-half, desirably about one-third, of the depth shown for the central segment 100. The ink 19 is able to flow downwardly initially through the hollow sections 102 onto the surface of article 30, and then can flow perimetrically beneath the connecting bridges 104 up to the height shown in FIG. 8. The height of the three-dimensional image above the surface of article 30 is equal to the difference between the total thickness of the central segment 100 and the depth of the bridge 104. The height of the image shown in FIG. 8 is readily determined, because central segment 100 extends fully from upper surface 18a to lower surface 18b of the screen 12.
While FIG. 7 shows that there are four hollow sections, this number is merely illustrative and either a lesser or greater number of bridges may be used.
The various elements described above may be constructed of any suitable material, keeping in mind that the material must be capable of having the various shaped perforations cut into it and stiff enough to deflect ink protrusions into the resilient substrate of the pallet. It has been found that such as Plexiglas or Lexan, is an excellent screen material because it is easily molded and perforated without losing its structural integrity, lightweight and corrosion resistent, and has little or no affinity to the ink, so that it releases without clinging to the screen material. It is also transparent, so that the entire operation can be observed.
It will be appreciated that the methods described herein may be automated.
Numerous modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art, after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings; it is not intended that the invention be limited to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to which fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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Apparatus and methods for the three-dimensional screen printing of images onto pallet-supported articles allow more than one layer of ink to be printed upon an article to form a three-dimensional design. A pallet having a compressible substrate is described; the substrate compresses to receive previously printed image masses during subsequent printing steps. A screen having baffles may cooperate with the substrate. A screen comprising dimples in its article-contacting surface is provided, whereby previously printed images may be protected from screen contact during a printing operation. Multiple printing steps may be performed without intermediate drying steps.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This specification claims priority of Canadian patent application no. 2732156 filed 17 Feb. 2011 by applicant, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD
[0002] This specification presents a vehicular machine which can be used to apply a soil conditioner such as lime to difficult access areas such as forests. It is characterized by the presence of elongated tubes. It can be used to increase the growth rate of trees for instance.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Spreaders are widely used in agriculture to provide soil conditioners or the like onto fields. This is known to improve the growth rate of crops and/or the yield of the eventual harvest and usually represents a highly worthwhile investment.
[0004] However some industries carry out some form of culture in terrain which represent accessibility challenges unknown to fields. Good examples of this are the industries of maple sugaring and wood harvesting which rely on the growth of trees, where although some paths are present at given areas where machinery can be driven, much of the culture surface is only accessible by foot.
[0005] The expected benefits of applying soil conditioners to such difficult access cultures has even increased in recent years, and it is now believed that applying a soil conditioner such as lime can even help in overcoming some drawbacks caused by atmospheric pollution/acid rains.
[0006] There was thus a need for a system which would be adapted for spreading a soil conditioner over vast areas in difficult access areas.
SUMMARY
[0007] In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a spreader which has a movable container and at least one elongated tube. The spreader can thus be moved along a path in the forest, and once the spreader is positioned at a given area, the tube can be deployed by hand-carrying it between the trees and handled to blow the soil conditioner evenly onto the forest ground.
[0008] It was found that the aerodynamic characteristics of the system to transfer the lime into the air flow in the tube are key in designing a satisfactory spreader which can have a tube sufficiently long to access far areas, sufficiently narrow to remain convenient to handle, and yet provide a satisfactory flow rate of lime in the air stream.
[0009] More particularly, in accordance with one aspect, it was found that satisfactory efficiency can be achieved using a device known as an “eductor” to transfer the powdery soil conditioner into the air flow.
[0010] In accordance with one aspect, there is provided a lime spreader comprising a wheeled frame having a container to carry the lime, the container having an outlet at a bottom thereof; an eductor having a lime inlet connected to the outlet of the container, an air inlet, and an outlet; a blower connected to the air inlet of the eductor, and an elongated flexible tube connected to the outlet of the eductor; wherein during operation, the blower drives the eductor to blow mixed air and lime through and out the tube as lime enters the eductor; wherein the wheeled frame can be moved along a path in a maple grove and the elongated tube can be deployed laterally from the path over an application distance, between the trees.
[0011] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a spreader comprising a wheeled frame having a container to carry the lime, the container having an outlet at a bottom thereof; an eductor having a lime inlet connected to the outlet of the container, an air inlet, and an outlet; a blower connected to the air inlet of the eductor, and an elongated flexible tube connected to the outlet of the eductor.
[0012] In accordance with another aspect, there is provided a lime spreader comprising a wheeled frame having a container to carry the lime, the container having an outlet at a bottom thereof; an eductor having a lime inlet connected to the outlet of the container, an air inlet, and an outlet; means to convey the lime in the container to the container outlet; an elongated flexible tube connected to the outlet of the eductor; means to activate the eductor to blow lime entering the eductor from the container outlet through and out the tube.
[0013] Many further features and combinations thereof concerning the present improvements will appear to those skilled in the art following a reading of the instant disclosure.
[0014] It will be noted here that the lime spreader can useful to spread other materials than lime in a forest or otherwise difficult-access environment. One alternate environment can be a blueberry culture field, for instance.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0015] In the figures,
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic oblique view of an example of a lime spreader;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic top plan view of the lime spreader; and
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic lengthwise cross-sectional view of an eductor of the lime spreader in its environment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] FIGS. 1 and 2 show an example of a lime spreader 10 . The lime spreader 10 can generally be seen to have a container 12 mounted on a wheeled frame 14 . In this example, the lime spreader 10 is configured to be towed by a vehicle such as a tractor (not shown). Alternately, the lime spreader can be motorized, for instance. The container 12 can be seen to be relatively large, to allow handling significant amounts of lime, typically in the order of tons. The container 12 can have a converging bottom 16 to guide the contents toward a point of entry into an air stream. In this example, the converging bottom 16 consists of an elongated V-shaped lower section 22 and the point of entry into the air stream includes two outlets 18 , 20 ( FIG. 2 ) positioned at the rear end 24 of the lime spreader 10 , and leading to the stream of air generated by a blower system 32 which carries the lime through and out the elongated tubes 34 , 36 . In this particular embodiment, the blower system 32 includes two distinct blowers 33 , 35 , one for each tube.
[0020] Lime is a particular material in the sense that it is typically provided in the form of a powder which tends to pack up in certain circumstances such as when the lowermost lime is compressed under the weight of the lime above. Such occurrences inside the container 12 can prevent significant quantities of lime to reach the outlet 18 and/or otherwise disrupt the lime spreader 10 intended operation. To ensure continuous sound operation of the spreader, it can be highly useful to have some form of means which can help convey the lime toward the bottom of the container by breaking up packed portions of lime back into powder. In the present example, vibration is used to this end. Henceforth, in this example, the lime spreader 10 includes two vibration devices 26 a , 26 b , one on each side of the container 12 . Satisfactory efficiency was achieved with the vibration devices 26 a , 26 b being positioned at the front half 28 of the lime spreader 10 , away from the outlet 18 . In this particular embodiment, the vibration devices 26 a , 26 b are electric motors having an off-centered weight mounted to the shaft. In an alternate embodiment, the breaking up of the packed portions can be done using jets of air for example.
[0021] The lime spreader 10 of this example includes a conveyance system 30 to convey the lime toward the stream of air. In this particular example, endless screw conveyors 38 , 40 are used, each one being received in a corresponding U-shaped channel 42 , 44 ending with the corresponding one of two container outlets 18 , 20 . The vibration devices 26 a , 26 b can be considered to form part of the conveyance system 30 . Corresponding tube racks 46 , 48 can be used at the rear of the container 12 to stow the tubes 34 , 36 when the spreader is not in operation. In an alternate embodiment, the lime spreader 10 can have a single container outlet and a single tube, for instance.
[0022] In this particular example, the spreader being adapted to be pulled by a tractor, several sources of energy are available from the tractor such as electricity, direct torque from the tractor PTO, and hydraulic power. In this particular case, it was decided to have the blower system 32 driven by the PTO via a torque shaft 52 , the vibrator devices 26 a , 26 b driven by electricity, and the endless screw conveyors 38 , 40 driven by a hydraulic system 50 which includes a radiator 54 , among valves, hoses, and other typical components. In alternate embodiments, the spreader can be adapted to be carried in the box of a pick up truck, for instance, in which case it can be adapted to be powered by a generator or the like, for instance.
[0023] Referring back to FIG. 1 , in this example, the lime spreader is provided with a receiver 56 and a remote controller 58 . The receiver 56 is configured to drive the operation of the systems of the lime spreader 10 according to commands received from the remote controller 58 . During operation, the lime spreader 10 can be carried along a forest path to a given forest area and then stopped. The tube(s) can be uncoiled and the tube outlets can be carried laterally away from the forest path, between trees. The remote controller 58 can be used to operate the lime spreader 10 to start/stop blowing lime by an operator handling the tube outlets to avoid needing another operator which would have had to stay with the wheeled frame/container to operate the commands, for instance.
[0024] In the example described above and illustrated in FIG. 1 , tubes 34 , 36 having a diameter of below 3 inches were preferred for handling purposes, and a range of above 150 feet in length were preferred for range. However, one very important factor in maintaining the spreader operation economically viable is to blow a sufficient application rate of the soil conditioner (which can be referred to as a given amount of soil conditioner pounds per minute of operation for instance). Up to a handling limit, the greater the application rate is, the more efficient the spreader will be. For instance, if the application rate is too slow, the operator handling the tube end will find it very long to cover the entire surface with a sufficient quantity, or “thickness” of the soil conditioner. The application rate should thus be aimed to be just about at the limit of what a trained operator can handle in terms moving the tube end between the trees and applying a satisfactorily even amount of soil conditioner over the entire area.
[0025] The application rate depends principally of the cross-sectional area of the tube(s), the speed at which the mixed air and lime powder are carried through the tube, and the concentration of lime in the tube, i.e. the lime to air ratio.
[0026] The cross-sectional area of the tube is directly linked to the tube diameter and shape. Apart from application rate considerations, handling and cost considerations exist which tend to favour posing a limit to the cross-sectional area of the tube. For instance, a larger tube requires more room to store and is heavier and more difficult to carry than a smaller one.
[0027] The speed at which the mixed air and lime powder can be carried through the tube is a function of the tube cross-sectional area, the capacity of the blower system, the amount of drag (or “head-loss”) in the system. The capacity of blowers are typically rated in terms of cfm, that is cubic feet of air per minute at a given pressure. For a blower having a given capacity of cfm, the speed will be greater in a tube having a smaller cross-sectional area. The cross-sectional area of the tube and the roughness of the tube interior also affects air pressure in the tube and the head loss. Tubes having low-roughness interiors are preferred. Henceforth, it is important to have a blower which provides enough cfm's. However, as will be discussed below, there is a limit to increasing the capacity of the blower.
[0028] The concentration of lime in the blown air is highly dependent on the aerodynamic efficiency of the components which are used to mix the lime into the air stream. In this case, this is satisfactorily achieved using an eductor at the container outlet, the details of which will be provided below. With a system having a greater aerodynamic efficiency, it will be possible to have the lime fed into a given air stream/tube system at a higher rate, up to a certain limit which is linked to the size and the aerodynamic design of the eductor.
[0029] Turning to FIG. 3 , an example of an eductor 60 is shown. The eductor 60 can be seen to generally include a chamber 62 which can be referred to as a mixing chamber as it is the portion of the eductor 60 where the lime mixes with the airflow. The mixing chamber has an opening 64 , which can conveniently be positioned upwardly to receive lime moved through the container outlet 18 by the combined action of the conveyor 38 , gravity, and aspiration. Relative to the air flow 66 , the chamber 62 can be said to have an inlet side 68 and an outlet side 70 . Preferably, a nozzle 72 is used to create a concentrated, high velocity stream of air 74 , or jet, at the inlet side 68 . The high velocity stream of air 74 , given the viscosity of air, transfers some of its kinetic energy to the surrounding air and thereby accelerates it in an effect which is known as an “ejector effect”. The ejector effect causes aspiration of lime through the lime inlet.
[0030] Even further aerodynamic efficiency can be achieved by using an eductor 60 having a converging-diverging outlet section 76 at the outlet side 70 of the chamber 62 . With this particular design, the example lime spreader 10 described above and illustrated achieved highly satisfactory results in terms of rate of lime blowing. It will be noted here that in the illustrated embodiment, one distinct eductor is used for each tube 34 , 36 .
[0031] It will be noted here that even highly efficient eductors have a limit to the amount of soil conditioner which can be mixed into the air stream. To reach their limit, they have to be driven with blowers having a satisfactory capacity, to increase the application rate further, it will likely be required to increase the eductor size, and correspondingly increase the tube cross-sectional area.
[0032] A wide range of eductor sizes can be purchased from the company CON-V-AIR inc., and more particularly its Leap Engineered Products division having a place of business in St-Hubert, Québec, Canada. This company offers tables which can be used to select an eductor cross-sectional area for a desired rate of blowing, and a blower adapted to the selected, taking into account other aerodynamic characteristics of the system, or vice versa.
[0033] In this particular example of a 4T spreader with two tubes, the tubes were selected to have a circular cross-section with a diameter of 2 inches and a length of 200 feet. A corresponding 2-inch diameter eductor rated at 34 pounds/minute was selected, together with an appropriate blower having a capacity of 140 cfm at 12 lbs pressure, for each tube. For indicative purposes, the blowers were OMEGA™ rotary blowers manufactured by KAESER. On the field, using both tubes, and taking into account periods of moving and refilling the container and refilling an average application rate of roughly 1 ton per hour was reached. With this design, it was felt that the operators felt they could handle a greater amount of pounds/minute, which can be achieved with tubes/eductors having a higher diameter for instance and appropriate blowers.
[0034] The examples described above and illustrated are intended to be exemplary only. The scope is indicated by the appended claims.
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The spreader has a movable container and at least one elongated tube, and can thus be moved along a path in the forest, and the tube successively deployed to blow the soil conditioner between the trees, away from the path. Satisfactory efficiency can be achieved using an eductor device to transfer the powdery soil conditioner into the air flow in the tube.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
Under 35 U.S.C. 119, this application claims priority to, and the benefit of, U.S. Provisional Patent Application entitled, “Definition of a Signaling Channel for Vectoring of DSL Systems,” having Ser. No. 61/039,714, filed on Mar. 26, 2008, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Systems and specifically to back channel signaling in the DSL system.
2. Related Art
High-bandwidth systems, including DSL systems, use baseband modulation, single-carrier modulation as well as multi-carrier modulation schemes. Both DSL and other high-bandwidth systems such as wireless use modulation schemes such as Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM), Carrier-less Amplitude and Phase Modulation (CAP), and Discrete Multi-tone (DMT) for wired media and Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) for wireless communication. One advantage of such schemes is that they are suited for high-bandwidth applications of 2 Mbps or higher upstream (subscriber to provider) and 8 Mbps or higher downstream (provider to subscriber). Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) utilizes quadrature carrier phase shift keying to encode 2 bits of information on a carrier frequency by employing waves in the same carrier frequency shifted by increments of 90°, which can be thought of as sine and cosine waves of the same frequency. Since the sine and cosine waves are orthogonal, data can be encoded in the amplitudes of the sine and cosine waves. Therefore, 2 bits can be sent over a single frequency using the quadrature keying.
CAP is similar to QAM. For transmission in each direction, CAP systems use two carriers of identical frequency above the 4 kHz voice band, one shifted 90° relative to the other. CAP also uses a constellation to encode bits at the transmitter and to decode bits at the receiver. A constellation encoder maps a bit pattern of a known length to a sinusoid wave of a specified magnitude and phase. Conceptually, a sinusoidal wave can be viewed to be in one-to-one correspondence with a complex number where the phase of the sinusoidal is the argument (angle) of the complex number, and the magnitude of the sinusoidal wave is the amplitude or modulus of the complex number, which in turn can be represented as a point on a real-imaginary plane. Points on the real-imaginary plane can have bit patterns associated with them, and this is referred to as a constellation and is known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
DMT modulation, sometimes called OFDM, builds on some of the ideas of QAM but, unlike QAM, it uses more than one constellation encoder where each encoder receives a set of bits that are encoded and outputs sinusoid waves of varying magnitudes and phases. However, different frequencies are used for each constellation encoder. The outputs from these different encoders are summed together and sent over a single channel for each direction of transmission. For example, common Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) DMT systems divide the spectrum from 0 kHz to 1104 kHz into 256 narrow channels called bins (sometimes referred to as tones, DMT tones, or sub-carriers). These bins are 4.3125 kHz wide. The waveforms in each bin are completely separable from one another, i.e., orthogonal to each other. In order to maintain “orthogonality,” the frequencies of the sinusoids used in each bin should be multiples of a common frequency known as the fundamental frequency and in addition the symbol period τ, must be a multiple of the period of the fundamental frequency or a multiple thereof. In a DMT system, the number of bins is 256 for ADSL/ADSL2, 512 for ADSL2+ and 4096 for Very High Speed Digital Subscriber Line 2 (VDSL2). Each bin can carry a certain number of bits; this number can vary due to factors such as attenuation on the line, noise and crosstalk in the cable, and the transmit signal power spectral density (PSD). The aggregate bit pattern which comprises the bit patterns mapped to constellations in each of the bins during a symbol period is often referred to as a DMT symbol. For the purposes here, time domain references are often referred to in terms of DMT symbol periods also referred to as symbol periods.
FIG. 1 illustrates DSL communications layering in communications between central office (CO) 172 and customer premises equipment (CPE) 174 . The communications has a downstream component from CO 172 to CPE 174 and an upstream from CPE 174 to CO 172 component.
Within CO 172 is layer 142 , the Transport Protocol Specific-Transmission Convergence (TPS-TC) layer. At this layer support for application specific transports such as ATM or Ethernet are implemented. The function of the TPS-TC is to convert the payload data with appropriate framing into a bit rate for transport to the Physical Media Specific-Transmission Convergence (PMS-TC) layer. The gamma interface delineates the TPS-TC from the layer 2 applications above.
The next layer is layer 144 , the PMS-TC layer. This layer manages framing, transmission, and error control over the line. In particular, this layer comprises the forward error correction (FEC) codes such as the Reed-Solomon (RS) Codes and interleaving. The interface between the TPS-TC and the PMS-TC layer is referred to as the alpha interface in the CO unit 172 and the beta interface in the CPE unit 174 . It is very common that the transmit portion of the PMS-TC layer 144 comprises scrambler 102 , RS encoder 104 and interleaver 106 to implement a RS code with interleaving (RS-ILV). DSL standards mandate the use of RS as the FEC.
The next layer is layer 146 , the physical media dependent (PMD) layer. In the transmit portion, the PMD layer encodes, modulates and transmits data across physical links on the network. It also defines the network's physical signaling characteristics. In particular, constellation encoding and trellis codes map data into DMT symbols which are converted into time domain signals through the use of an IFFT where the time domain signal can be transmitted across subscriber line 160 . The trellis code can also supply additional error correction. The interface between the PMD layer and the PMS-TC layer is referred to as the delta interface.
After processing by the PMD layer, the data is transmitted across subscriber line 160 , where it is received by CPE 174 using its PMD layer 156 . In a receiving capacity PMD layer 156 decodes, demodulates and recovers the data received across physical links on the network. Furthermore, PMS-TC layer 154 in a receiving capacity decodes data encoded by PMS-TC 144 and extracts data from the framing scheme. In particular it can comprise de-interleaver 108 , RS decoder 110 , and descrambler 112 to extract data encoded by PMS-TC 144 . Finally, TPS-TC layer 152 is the transport protocol specific transmission conversion layer, configured for interfacing to specific transport protocols such as ATM or Ethernet.
In the upstream direction, CPE 174 transmits to CO 172 . In the transmission, TPS-TC layer 152 functions in a similar fashion for CPE 174 as described for TPS-TC 142 in CO 172 . Similarly PMS-TC 154 functions in a similar fashion as described for PMS-TC 144 and may additionally comprise scrambler 122 analogous to scrambler 102 in the downstream portion of TPC-TC 142 , RS encoder 124 analogous to RS encoder 104 in the downstream portion of TPC-TC 142 , and interleaver 126 analogous to interleaver 126 in the downstream portion of TPC-TC 142 . PMD layer 156 functions in a similar fashion as described for PMD layer 146 in the downstream portion. The encoded and modulated signal is then transmitted from CPE 174 to CO 172 through subscriber line 160 .
CO 172 in PMD layer 146 , upon receiving the upstream encoded and modulated signal, performs the analogous decoding, demodulating and receiving of data across DSL to the downstream portion of PMD layer 156 . The upstream portion of PMS-TC 144 functions similarly to the downstream portion of PMS-TC 156 and can comprise de-interleaver 128 , RS decoder 130 and descrambler 132 analogous to de-interleaver 108 , RS decoder 110 , and descrambler 134 , respectively. Finally, TPS-TC 142 functions in the upstream portion function similarly to TPS-TC 152 in the downstream portion.
More specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed description of the transmission side of the PMS-TC layer (i.e., the downstream portion of PMS-TC 144 or the upstream portion of PMS-TC 154 ) as disclosed by present xDSL standards. Data from the TPS-TC layer transmitted to the PMS-TC layer can use one of two latency paths and one of two bearer channels. Input 202 represents data on the first bearer channel designated for latency path # 0 . Input 204 represents data on the second and optional bearer channel designated for latency path # 0 . Input 206 represents data on the first bearer channel optionally designated for latency path # 1 when not designated in latency path # 0 . Input 208 represents data on the second bearer channel optionally designated for latency path # 1 . In addition, overhead data can be received by the PMS-TC layer including Embedded Operations Channel (EOC) 210 , Indicator Bits (IB) Channel 212 and Network Timing Reference (NTR) 214 , which can be combined by overhead multiplexer (MUX) 218 . In addition, MUX 216 combines inputs 202 and 204 , and MUX 220 as part of optional latency path # 1 combines input 206 and 208 . MUX 222 combines the output of MUX 216 with a sync byte and overhead data from MUX 218 . Similarly MUX 224 combines the output of MUX 220 with an overhead sync byte and overhead data from MUX 218 . Along each latency path, scrambler 226 and corresponding scrambler 228 scramble the data received from MUX 222 and MUX 224 , respectively. FEC 230 and FEC 232 apply an FEC to the scrambled data from scramblers 226 and 228 , respectively. Typically, the FEC used is a RS code and in the example of FIG. 1 , FEC 230 and/or 232 can be RS encoder 104 . Interleaver 106 of FIG. 1 comprises interleaver 234 and interleaver 236 which performs the interleaving of the encoded data received from FEC 230 and FEC 232 , respectively. It should be noted that the FEC and interleaver parameters can generally be configured differently for each latency path. Finally, MUX 238 combines the encoded interleaved data for both latency paths to produce output 240 which is ready for processing by the PMD layer.
FIG. 3A illustrates a more detailed description of the transmission side of the PMD layer. Data is received as serial data by the PMD layer from the PMS-TC layer. This serial data is converted from a serial bit stream to parallel form by serial-to-parallel converter 302 for mapping into M parallel sub-channels, each sub-channel representing a specific sub-carrier. Each parallel sub-channel represents one of the bins or sub-carriers used, so for ADSL, serial-to-parallel converter 302 would produce 256 parallel sub-channels and for VDSL, serial-to-parallel converter 302 would produce 4096 parallel sub-channels. The various parallel bit sequences are passed to symbol mapper 304 . Symbol mapper 304 maps each bit sequence into a constellation point within each sub-carrier (i.e., a DMT sub-symbol). For example, if the bit sequence relative to a specific sub-carrier comprises 3 bits, depending on the value of the three bits it is mapped to one of the eight points indicated by constellation 554 in FIG. 5 . If the bit sequence comprises 5 bits, the bit sequence is mapped to one of the 32 points indicated by constellation 558 . Furthermore, to increase robustness, the bit sequence can be transformed by a trellis encoder prior to the mapping onto a constellation point. The collection of the DMT sub-symbols mapped by symbol mapper 304 comprises the DMT symbol. Each subsystem is a complex number represented by a constellation point where the corresponding constellation represents points on the complex plane. As such inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) 306 becomes a modulator taking the collection of DMT sub-symbols as complex-valued numbers and provides M complex output samples which are converted to 2×M output real samples by taking the complex conjugates of the M samples. The parallel outputs of IFFT 306 are applied to parallel-to-serial converter 308 to provide a serial output signal. Essentially, the serial output signal is a digital time domain signal which undergoes additional time domain processing by time domain module 310 to produce a signal suitable for transmission of a subscriber line. Time domain module 310 can comprise components such as a cyclic prefix block, an up-sampler, and interpolator and a digital-to-analog converter to produce a continuous time domain signal.
FIG. 3B illustrates a more detailed description of the reception side of the PMD layer. An analog signal is received over the subscriber line where time domain module 332 provides a variety of time domain signal processing and can comprise components such as an analog gain module, an analog-to-digital converter and a digital gain adjustment module. The resultant digital time domain signal is converted to parallel sub-channels using serial-to-parallel converter 334 . The parallel sub-channels are converted to frequency domain using FFT 336 . Frequency equalizer 338 which has been previously trained during the initialization can apply selected gain to each frequency. The resultant frequency data corresponds to constellation points in a constellation associated with the sub-carrier corresponding to the sub-channel which is then unmapped by de-mapper 340 which can comprise a trellis code decoder back into digital data. The de-mapped digital data is then reassembled into a serial stream of bits by parallel-to-serial-converter 342 where the data is then handled by the PMS-TC layer.
While FIG. 3A shows an overview of the coding and modulation process taking place in the PMD layer, FIG. 4 shows the inclusion of a sync symbol. A sync symbol, which is not to be confused with the sync byte introduced in the PMS-TC layer which is used for overhead framing, is used to define the boundary of a DMT superframe. Typically, a sync symbol is followed by a predetermined number of data symbols. Together they define the DMT superframe. Typically, the superframe comprises a sync symbol and 256 data symbols. Characteristically, a sync symbol comprises 2-bits per available bin and is set to a well defined sequence of all ones or all zeros. A quadrant scrambler may then rotate the sync symbol as mapped onto the appropriate constellation. On the contrary, when user data is mapped on a DMT symbol, each bin has a certain number of bits which can be carried, the numbers vary due to factors such as line attenuation, noise and crosstalk in the cable, and the transmit signal PSD. In order for a bin to be useable, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) must be large enough to load 2 bits; alternatively, one bit of information may be loaded across multiple bins with lower SNR (referred as one bit constellations).
More specifically, in FIG. 4 between mapper 304 and IFFT 306 is MUX 404 which includes a sync symbol produced by sync symbol module 402 after a predetermined number of user data symbols have been processed. The sync symbol module 402 generates the sync symbol based on a well defined sequence of 2-bit symbols of all ones or all zeros and with the application of a quadrature scrambler.
During an initialization phase, SNR measurements are taken for each bin, which are used in that initialization phase to determine the number of bits that can be transmitted reliably over each bin. The process of determination is referred to as bit loading. To determine a bit loading profile, factors such as the transmit PSD, the ratio of useful receive signal power to total noise power, which includes background noise and other external noise sources such as crosstalk. FIG. 5 shows an example of a bit loading profile. For illustration purposes only 23 bins are shown in this example; bins 502 , 504 , 516 , and 528 carry no data. Other bins carry varying amounts of data. Each combination of bits across all bins comprise a DMT symbol. Additionally, associated with each bin is a constellation for mapping bits onto the subcarrier. For example, bin 520 is only capable of carrying 2-bits, so mapper 304 maps 2-bits of data to a constellation point on constellation 552 . Likewise, bin 522 is capable of carrying 5-bits, so mapper 304 maps a given 5-bits of data to a constellation point on constellation 558 . In the same fashion bin 524 which can carry 3-bits is associated with constellation 554 , and bin 526 which can carry 4-bits is associated with constellation 556 . Each DSL standard defines the association of the number of bits with a particular constellation.
As mentioned previously crosstalk is a ubiquitous source of noise in a DSL system. FIG. 6 illustrates the various types of crosstalk typically experienced in a DSL system. For simplicity, CO 610 comprises two transceivers communicating over two subscriber lines to two CPEs. Transceiver 602 is in communications with CPE 604 and transceiver 606 is in communications with CPE 608 . For the sake of example, the crosstalk from CO 606 and CPE 608 to either CO 602 or CPE 604 is described. However, it should be understood that interference may also be between the transmitter and receiver on the same subscriber line in both the upstream and downstream paths, which is the near-end echo of the transmit signal. The term “far-end” refers to when the source of interference is away from the receiving side and the term “near-end” refers to when the source of interference is close to the receiving side. For example, interference shown by arrow 612 illustrates noise generated by transceiver 606 coupled into the downstream communications and received by CPE 604 . The term “victim” is applied to the line or the circuit being examined for crosstalk, and the term “disturber” is applied to the source of the crosstalk. Since the noise is generated away from the receiving side, this is referred to as downstream far-end crosstalk (FEXT). Likewise, interference shown by arrow 614 illustrates upstream near-end crosstalk (NEXT). Interference shown by arrow 616 illustrates upstream FEXT, and interference shown by arrow 618 illustrates downstream NEXT. In particular, downstream FEXT is a ubiquitous source of noise in VDSL. Accordingly, various needs exist in the industry to address the aforementioned deficiencies and inadequacies, such as mitigating downstream FEXT.
SUMMARY OF INVENTION
A system and method for providing dedicated back channel communications for error samples in a DSL system comprises initially reserving a set of reserved bins for back channel communications. Once the bins are reserved for back channel communications, error samples can be encoded and mapped onto this set of reserved tones. During a given DMT superframe, the encoded and mapped error samples are transmitted along side of user data on non-reserved tones from the CPE to the CO. An orthogonal pilot sequence transmits samples transmitted during the sync frame associated with a downstream DMT superframe. Error samples are measured from the transmitted orthogonal pilot sequences and transmitted back to the CO in the next upstream DMT superframe.
The selection of the reserved bins is related to the bits per bin allocation or bit loading process. For robustness, the allocation of bits per bin for the reserved bins uses a higher SNR margin over bins that are used to carry conventional user data. An alternative approach to selection of the number of bits per bin for the reserved bins is to take the existing bit loading profile and assign fewer bits than the number of bits specified in the bit loading profile. An optimal method of selection of the set of bins to reserve is to select the bins with the highest SNR.
In addition to providing the error samples, the back channel can be used to acknowledge commands received from the CPE and can also include error detection information such as a cyclic redundancy code (CRC). The commands can specify the bin group for which error measurements are desired as well as the resolution of these error measurements. Furthermore, the system and methods described above can be embodied in a DSL modem comprising a processor, a line driver, and memory comprising instructions to perform the methods described above.
A CO can also be equipped as a system with a method for measuring downstream errors. This method comprises transmitting orthogonal pilot sequences to one or more CPEs during synchronized sync symbols, where the pilot sequences transmitted by any two CPEs are orthogonal. Following the transmission of the DMT superframe containing each sync symbol, error samples are returned in the following upstream DMT superframe in the form of a message block which might include an acknowledgement to the error sampling command issued by the CO. The message block is received over a dedicated back channel as described above.
Other systems, methods, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be or become apparent to one with ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following drawings and detailed description. It is intended that all such additional systems, methods, features, and advantages be included within this description, be within the scope of the present disclosure, and be protected by the accompanying claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
Many aspects of the disclosure can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
FIG. 1 illustrates DSL communications layering in communications between a CO and a CPE;
FIG. 2 illustrates a more detailed description of the transmission side of the PMS-TC layer as disclosed by present xDSL standards;
FIG. 3A illustrates a more detailed description of the transmission side of the PMD layer;
FIG. 3B illustrates a more detailed description of the reception side of the PMD layer;
FIG. 4 illustrates a more detailed description of the transmission side of the PMD layer with the inclusion of a sync symbol;
FIG. 5 shows an example of a bit loading profile;
FIG. 6 illustrates the various types of crosstalk typically experienced in a DSL system;
FIG. 7 illustrates a DSL system in accordance with one embodiment;
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a vectorized PMD layer;
FIG. 9 illustrates a timing diagram showing vectoring enabled CPEs synchronized and aligned;
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of one of the vectoring enabled CPEs;
FIG. 11 is a diagram indicative of a representative normalized error sample calculation for a given bin;
FIG. 12A illustrates a DMT superframe;
FIG. 12B illustrates a back channel message block split across a DMT superframe boundary;
FIG. 13 illustrates a data frame structure which supports the back channel message block;
FIG. 14A shows bins dedicated to the back channel;
FIG. 14B illustrates an example of bins dedicated to the back channel where additional margin is used;
FIG. 15 illustrates an implementation of the PMD layer in a CPE in accordance with an embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 16 illustrates an implementation of the PMD layer in a CO transceiver in accordance with an embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
A detailed description of embodiments of the present invention is presented below. While the disclosure will be described in connection with these drawings, there is no intent to limit it to the embodiment or embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents included within the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the appended claims.
FIG. 7 illustrates a DSL system in accordance with one embodiment. CO 730 comprises a plurality of transceivers represented by transceivers 740 a , 740 b , and 740 c . Each line card can comprise one or more transceivers. The transceivers are connected to CPEs 710 a , 710 b , and 710 c , respectively, through separate subscriber lines. In the diagram, each subscriber line is broken down into its upstream and downstream paths. The downstream paths for transceivers 740 a , 740 b , and 740 c are indicated by arrows 702 a , 702 b , and 702 c , respectively. Similarly, the upstream paths for transceivers 740 a , 740 b , and 740 c are indicated by arrows 704 a , 704 b , and 704 c , respectively. In this figure, only three of the M vectoring enabled CPEs are shown as CPEs 710 a , 710 b and 710 c.
As signals are transmitted downstream from the CO 730 onto the DSL loops, a certain amount of energy effectively leaks from one downstream CO transmitter into an adjacent CPE receiver, thereby creating the undesired FEXT signal into adjacent receivers. To combat FEXT, the transceivers coupled to vectoring enabled CPEs have transmitters that can share information and coordinate transmission in the form of multiple input multiple output (MIMO) pre-coding signals indicated by vectorized PMD layer 770 .
FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of vectorized PMD layer 770 . For each transceiver, the PMD layer resembles that shown in FIG. 3 with MIMO pre-coder 802 inserted between the mapper in each transceiver and the IFFT. The detailed PMD layers for transceivers 740 a , 740 b and 740 c are indicated as PMD layers 810 a , 810 b and 810 c , respectively.
The purpose of the MIMO pre-coder is to compensate at the transmitter for the undesired FEXT addition to the subscriber lines. Pre-coding (or pre-cancellation) is performed by means of a matrix operation (shown as channel matrix 804 ) that takes as input the transmit data samples (i.e., mapper outputs on the CO side) and outputs pre-compensated data sample for input to the IFFT on the CO side. The pre-compensation is such that the FEXT at each of the far-end receivers in the vectored group is cancelled. In order for pre-coding to work, the data symbols of all users should be synchronized and aligned at the transmitter output, so that the pre-coding matrix presents a complete independence between all subcarriers of the vectored DMT system. With proper synchronization and alignment of DMT symbols, the pre-coder operation can be seen as a matrix multiplication per each subcarrier across all the users in the vectored group. In all generality, the per subcarrier pre-coder coefficient converges to the inverse of the FEXT coupling channel matrix that exists among the vectored users. The derivation of the pre-coder coefficients can be performed after a FEXT coupling channel analysis phase, during which known signal sequences are being transmitted by each transmitter with a well determined pattern. Further detail in deriving optimal pre-coding matrices can be found in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/845,040 filed on Aug. 25, 2007, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
One key feature that enables vectoring is alignment and synchronization of the transmitted DMT symbols. FIG. 9 illustrates a timing diagram showing transceivers connected to vectoring enabled CPEs synchronized and aligned. As can be seen, vectoring enabled CPEs represented by timing diagrams associated with CPE 710 a , 710 b , and 710 c receive synchronized sync symbols as indicated by the symbol periods referenced as 902 . Consequently, the received DMT symbols as well as the DMT super frames are synchronized in vectoring enabled CPEs. This alignment is controlled by the CO, is required for synchronous operation and ensures orthogonality among the M vectoring enabled users.
Returning to FIG. 7 , another key element among the features needed for vector enabled CPEs is the ability to measure and report error samples in support of vectoring. Each vectoring enabled CPE comprises error measurement and transmission module 720 . Error measurement and transmission module 720 is responsible for measuring the error samples in the sync symbols seen at the CPE and propagating the error measurement back to CO 730 and the vector processing entity. In this way the FEXT coupling channel can be identified, and the proper pre-coder coefficients can be derived. While this can be performed during initialization, due to the slow varying nature of a DSL channel, it is desirable to continue updating the FEXT pre-coders during data mode in order to track the channel variation. Hence, it is desirable for the vectoring enabled CPEs to comprise an error measurement and transmission module to periodically feed the CO with their error samples.
To facilitate the measurement of error samples, CO 730 can transmit commands to each CPE. The commands can instruct the CPE on which bin or group of bins to make error measurements, how many measurements to make, and the resolution of the corresponding error samples to be reported. In order to minimize the overhead, at initialization the set of all eligible bins (known as the MEDLEY set) can be divided into specific bin groups and assigned a unique numeric identifier. These bin groups do not have to be mutually exclusive. These bin groups can also contain only one bin. The CO can request measurements for a specific bin group by using the unique identifier in a command to the CPE. Furthermore, the bin groups could comprise M TG bins and be in the natural numeric order, that is bin group 1 would comprise bins 1 . . . M TG and bin group 2 would comprise bins M TG +1 . . . 2M TG . Although the preceding example shows contiguous blocks of bins. There may be bins either not in the MEDLEY set or not capable of transmission, which can be excluded from each bin group, so the allocation to each bin group can be adjusted to exclude these bins while maintaining M TG bins in the bin group. So as a further example, bin group I could comprise bins 1 . . . B BAD −1, B BAD +1 . . . M TG +1 where bin B BAD is incapable of carrying any traffic.
It should be noted that the number of error samples to request and corresponding resolution will depend on the phase of adaptation, i.e., learning, tracking, and joining phases. For example, in a learning phase, as part of the training protocol, specific signals are defined to encode the error samples onto special operations channel (SOC) bins for robust transfer until the channel training is complete and any data transmission is configured reliably. However, during the tracking phase and joining phase (i.e., when new lines join), the error samples are transported through the back channel. Therefore, in order to facilitate the transport of error samples in data mode, a back channel is used as indicated by paths 706 a , 706 b , and 706 c , and described below.
FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an embodiment of one of the vectoring enabled CPEs depicted in FIG. 7 . In accordance with certain embodiments, the steps for normalized error measurements and back channel signaling described in this disclosure may be incorporated in software within a CPE such as a DSL modem. One of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that DSL modems comprise other components, which have been omitted for purposes of brevity. Generally, DSL modem 710 a - c may include processor 1010 , memory component 1040 (which may include volatile and/or nonvolatile memory components), and data storage component 1020 that are communicatively coupled via a local interface 1030 such as a data bus. In addition, the DSL modem 710 a - c comprises an input/output interface 1070 which can be coupled to an end user device such as a PC, router, wireless access point, etc. and can be an Ethernet interface. DSL modem 710 a - c further comprises line interface 1080 which can be coupled to the DSL loop to communicate with a CO. Line interface 1080 can comprise elements such as a line driver, analog front end and DSL transceiver.
The local interface 1030 may have additional elements, which are omitted for simplicity, such as controllers, buffers (caches), drivers, repeaters, and receivers to enable communications. Further, the local interface may include address, control, and/or data connections to enable appropriate communications among the aforementioned components. Processor 1010 may be a device for executing software, particularly software stored in memory component 1040 . Processor 1010 can be any custom made or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), an auxiliary processor among several processors associated with DSL modem 410 a - b , a semiconductor based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chip set), a macroprocessor, or generally any device for executing software instructions.
Memory component 1040 can include any one or combination of volatile memory elements (e.g., random access memory (RAM, such as DRAM, SRAM, SDRAM, etc.)) and/or nonvolatile memory elements (e.g., ROM, hard drive, tape, CDROM, etc.). Moreover, memory component 1040 may incorporate electronic, magnetic, optical, and/or other types of storage media. One should note that some embodiments of memory component 1040 can have a distributed architecture (where various components are situated remotely from one another), but can be accessed by processor 1010 .
The software in memory component 1040 may include one or more separate programs, each of which includes an ordered listing of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. In the example shown in FIG. 10 , the software in the memory component 1040 may include an operating system 1050 . Furthermore, the software residing in memory 1040 may include application specific software 1060 , which may further include module 720 for normalized error measurements and for back channel signaling. It should be noted, however, that these modules can be implemented in software, hardware or a combination of software and hardware. The operating system 1050 may be configured to control the execution of other computer programs and provides scheduling, input-output control, file and data management, memory management, and communication control and related services.
A system component and/or module embodied as software may also be constructed as a source program, executable program (object code), script, or any other entity comprising a set of instructions to be performed. When constructed as a source program, the program is translated via a compiler, assembler, interpreter, or the like, which may or may not be included within the memory component 1040 , so as to operate properly in connection with the operating system 1050 . When the DSL modem 710 a - c is in operation, the processor 1010 may be configured to execute software stored within the memory component 1040 , communicate data to and from the memory component 1040 , and generally control operations of the DSL modem 710 a - c pursuant to the software. Software in memory may be read by the processor 1010 , buffered within the processor 1010 , and then executed.
To implement the vectoring described above, the CPE supports the reception and processing of the orthogonal pilot sequences and reports the normalized error sample relative to the specific sync symbol back to the CO where the CO can process the information to construct the channel matrix representing the FEXT in the cable.
During the tracking phase, to monitor and measure the error, orthogonal pilot sequences are transmitted through the sync symbol to vectoring enabled CPEs. An orthogonal pilot sequence comprises a sequence of a predetermined length such that any two sequences are orthogonal (i.e., their scalar products are zero). To each vector enabled CPE, the CO transmits one of these pilot sequences. The use of orthogonal pilot sequences facilitates the processing for determination of the crosstalk couplings among the subscriber lines connected to vectoring enabled CPEs. Specifically, the crosstalk couplings from a first disturber to a victim are typically computed by correlating the measured error reported by the victim CPE with the orthogonal transmit sequence transmitted by the first disturber CO over the entire duration of the orthogonal sequence. The crosstalk from other disturbers into the victim does not influence the computation of the crosstalk coupling for the crosstalk from the first disturber into the victim if the transmitted signals on the other disturbers are orthogonal to the transmitted signal of the first disturber.
FIG. 11 is a diagram indicative of a representative normalized error sample calculation for a given bin. For each bin in an orthogonal pilot sequence, a value of one or zero is encoded to (1, 1) or (−1, −1) in the constellation, shown as and 1108 , respectively. However, because of quadrant scrambling the resultant encoded constellation point could also be (1, −1) or (−1, 1), shown as 1106 and 1110 , respectively. Since the orthogonal pilot sequences are unique for each line and are synchronized to the sequence transmitted from the CO-side, the CPE can regenerate locally an ideal reference for making correct symbol decisions.
When sample 1102 is received, it is aligned to one of these constellation points, in this particular example constellation point 1104 . The constellation points and received sample 1102 can be viewed as complex numbers on the complex plane. Because the pilot sequence may be known by the CPE, the particular constellation point may be predicted by the CPE. However, the CPE may not know the pilot sequence or may not be able to predict the constellation point due to the quadrature scrambling. In this case, real axis 1120 and imaginary axis 1122 act as decision boundaries in order to align received sample 1102 to one of the constellation points. Vector 1112 on the complex plane is the difference between the constellation point and the received sample. Vector 1112 can also be viewed as a complex number with real part 1114 and imaginary part 1116 . This is often also referred to as an in-phase component and a quadrature component, respectively. If b bits is the desired resolution for a real number in the error reporting then 2b bits are needed to convey the normalized error sample (b bits for the real part and b bits for the imaginary part). For every bin of a vectored user on which error reporting is required, 2b bits, which are computed on every sync symbol at the rate of the DMT superframe, can therefore be sent back to the CO through the back channel.
To be most productive the transport of the error samples from each CPE to the CO should be timely and robust. One possible method for passing error samples is to use the dedicated EOC channel 210 as shown in FIG. 2 . However, because the EOC is responsible for other functions, only a certain bandwidth would be available for the transport of error samples. A disadvantage of this approach is that this may require an adjustment to the rate of transmission of the error samples, which may affect the update rate of the pre-coding system. Another disadvantage is that the transmission of the error samples may not be associated with the superframe or sync symbol from which the error measurement was made, so additional overhead would be needed to associate the error sample properly with the sync symbol on which the error measurement was made. Associating the error sample with the appropriate sync symbols is essential to the accurate estimation of the pre-coder coefficients. Hence, the creation of a dedicated back channel can ensure adequate bandwidth for the transport of the error samples; as a result it would relieve the complexity in associating each error sample with a sync symbol.
FIG. 12A illustrates a DMT superframe. The superframe comprises sync frame 1202 which has a duration of 0.25 milliseconds followed by 256 data frames exemplified in the figure by data frames 1204 , 1206 , 1212 , 1214 , 1222 and 1224 . Each data frame has a duration of 0.25 milliseconds so the entire superframe has a duration of 64.25 milliseconds. Sync frame 1202 comprises the sync symbol as described above. Also shown in the figure is sync frame 1230 of the subsequent DMT superframe.
During the transmission from CPE to CO (and from CO to CPE for command messages) of the data frames within the DMT superframe is back channel message block 1220 which takes 64 milliseconds to complete the transmission. Back channel message block 1220 can be embedded into some or all of the 256 upstream data frames. Back channel message block 1220 can comprise an acknowledgement to any commands from the CO relating to error measurements such as described above. It can also comprise the measured error samples. Finally, depending on the way the back channel is implemented it can optionally comprise some error detection such as a CRC. For protection against impulse noise, a simple FEC with interleaving can also be applied.
Alternatively, it may not be desirable to begin a back channel message block at the beginning of a DMT upstream superframe. For example, to reduce the amount of buffering needed, it may be important to transmit the back channel message block before reception of the next downstream sync symbol is received. Hence, it is not desirable to wait for the start of the next upstream DMT superframe. In this case, the back channel message block can be split across the upstream DMT superframe boundary.
FIG. 12B illustrates a back channel message block split across a upstream DMT superframe boundary. While back channel message block 1280 still comprises up to 256 data frames it does not necessarily start right after a sync symbol. In this particular example, the back channel message block begins with DMT frame 1252 which is the n-th data frame in the DMT superframe. Back channel message block 1280 ends with DMT frame 1266 which is the data frame n−1 in the subsequent data frame. It should be noted that no data can be transmitted during sync frame 1260 . A subsequent back channel message block would then begin with DMT frame 1272 . For convenience, the first data frame of a given back channel message block uses shall be referred to as the back channel start frame.
FIG. 13 illustrates a data frame structure which supports the back channel message block. Each data frame such as data frame 1302 is subdivided into back channel part 1304 and data part 1306 . Back channel part 1304 carries L BC bits and data part 1306 carries L 0 bits. Data frame 1302 is shown starting with the mapping of the L BC bits first followed by the data part 1306 carrying L 0 bits, but other mapping orders are possible. As a result the message block can hold 256 L BC bits over a superframe period.
The carrying capacity of the back channel depends on the number of bits per data frame allocated, for example to maintain a minimum bit rate of 256 kb/s. This translates to 16,384 bits for each DMT superframe or 64 bits per data frame. If 8 bits are used to represent real numbers, 16 bits will be needed to represent each normalized error sample due to the need to represent the real and imaginary components of the normalized error sample. At a minimum bit rate of 256 kb/s, the back channel message block has the capability of carrying up to 1024 normalized error samples.
One method for allocating the L BC bits per data frame is to assign dedicated bins for the back channel. Returning to the bit loading profile example used in FIG. 5 , suppose that 12 bits are to be dedicated for the back channel. Using the example of FIG. 1 , FIG. 14A shows bins 506 , 508 , 510 and 524 dedicated to the back channel, each channel contributing 2, 2, 5 and 3 bits, respectively, to the 12 bits. By using this approach, the back channel can be implemented in the PMD layer. By using the PMD layer, the back channel may bypass the FEC supplied by PMS-TC layer. While some degree of error correction is provided by the trellis code, it is recommended that error detection (or error correction) be added to the message block. For example, as suggested above, a CRC could be added to back channel message block 1220 .
In order to avoid the overhead needed to identify which sync symbol a given error sample is associated with, the back channel message block in which the back channel information is transmitted should be associated with a corresponding downstream DMT superframe and in particular downstream sync symbol associated with the downstream DMT superframe. This should account for any time delay due to the calculation of the error sample and any round trip delays. For example, if a downstream sync symbol is transmitted at time t 0 , the returning error samples would be expected in the back channel start frame received at time t 0 +t e where t e is a predetermined or derived time period offset. Other ways of ensuring correspondence of a particular downstream sync symbol with the back channel start frame can also be used. For example, if it is known that the error samples for a given downstream sync symbol are contained in the back channel message block beginning with data frame n in the upstream DMT superframe being received when the given downstream sync symbol is being transmitted, then a correspondence can be made between the back channel message block beginning with data frame n and the given downstream sync symbol. With the correspondence, the identity of a given error sample can be determined without unduly adding overhead to the communications.
To further enhance robustness, the bins selected as dedicated to the back channel should have large margin. Typically, based on the SNR the numbers of bits a given bin can carry is determined to meet a bit error ratio threshold. In particular DSL standards require that the bit error ratio for any given bin should not exceed 10 −7 . Statistically, the bit error ratio is related to the number of bits allocated and the SNR. One approach to making the back channel more robust is to increase the margin on the selected bins. For example, if the margin on the selected bins is increased by a predetermined amount, the number of bits allocated is reduced, but so is the bit error ratio. In a numeric example, suppose bin 510 has an SNR of 32 dB which allows it to support 5 bits with a 6 dB margin (thus the SNR of 32 dB is treated as 26 dB and the value of 26 dB is used to determine the maximum bit-loading that still provides a bit-error-ratio of at most 10 −7 ). However, instead, during the bit loading process when determining the number of bits for bin 510 a margin of 12 dB is incorporated into the SNR, i.e., the bit loading process treats the SNR as 20 dB. In such a case, the bit loading process is likely to allocate only 3 bits for bin 510 .
Another method is to take the existing bit loading profile and map the bits per bin values found in the profile to a “robust” bits per bin value. This mapping could be done by a formula or by a table. For example, if bin 534 normally could support 6 bits according to the existing bit loading profile, only 4 bits will be used. If bin 524 normally could support 3 bits only two bits will be used.
Regardless of the selection method, additional robustness can be added by using fewer bits per bin for the dedicated back channel bins than the bits per bin that can be supported by those bins. FIG. 14B illustrates an example where bins 534 , 536 , and 538 are dedicated to the back channel, each providing 4 bits each even though they are capable of supporting 6 bits.
Optimally, the selection of bins for the back channel should be made to have the smallest impact over the amount of data that can still be carried. For example, in some bit loading algorithms, it takes 10 dB of SNR for a bin to be viable for carrying one bit of information, but each additional 3 dB of SNR allows the bin to carry roughly an additional bit. For example, 13 dB of SNR allows for 2-bits, 16 dB of SNR allows for 3-bits, 19 dB of SNR allows for 4-bits, etc. Clearly, not all bin reservation schemes are equivalent. As a demonstration, suppose 6 bits are to be transported on dedicated bins with an additional 6 dB of margin. Based on the exemplary bit loading formula just described, 3 bins having 19 dB of SNR could support the 6 bits needed with the additional margin of 6 dB per bin, i.e., each bin would carry 2 bits of dedicated back channel data. However, it would take 12 bits of bandwidth away from regular data. On the other hand, selecting 2 bins having 22 dB of SNR would also support the 6 bits needed, where each bin would carry 3 bits of dedicated back channel data, but cost only 10 bits of regular data bandwidth. Therefore, an ideal reservation of bins would reserve the desired number of bins for the dedicated back channel while minimizing the loss of bandwidth available for regular data.
One algorithm for selecting an optimal set of reserved bins is to first select bins with the highest SNR and dedicate these bins to the back channel; then proceeding with the bins with the next highest SNR and dedicating those bins to the back channel until the number of bits required for the back channel has been reached or unless a predetermined threshold has been reached. If the predetermined threshold is reached, the number of bits lost to the back channel from the regular data channel is too high and further allocation to the back channel would result in an unacceptable loss of capacity.
A protocol or negotiation can be put into place to accommodate the possibility that the CPE cannot accommodate the bit rate requested by the CO for the back channel. For example, the CO may request that a certain bin group be monitored for its error at a given resolution of 2b bits per complex error sample, which may be translated to k bits per DMT frame needed to be dedicated for the back channel. However, based on the communication capacity of the CPE computed from the bit loading profile, it is determined that by supporting k bits per DMT frame would exceed the allowed drop in true upstream data carrying capability. Then the CPE can respond that it can only carry k′ bits per DMT frame or simply respond stating it can only support a corresponding resolution of 2b′ bits per complex error sample. A lower resolution error sample can still be of use to the CO for determining pre-coder coefficients, but may require more error samples for convergence to the desired set of pre-coder coefficients, leading to longer convergence time.
FIG. 15 illustrates an implementation of the PMD layer in a CPE in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The receiver portion of the PMD layer supports making error measurements and has similar components as that described in the receiver portion shown in FIG. 3B , but further comprises demultiplexer 1502 which extracts the sync symbol and supplies it to error sampling module 1504 , but passes the other 256 DMT frames in a DMT superframe to de-mapper 340 . The transmitter portion of the PMD layer supports the transmission over a back channel using dedicated bins and has similar components as that described in FIG. 4 , but further comprises back channel module 1506 . Back channel module 1506 directs serial-to-parallel converter 302 to not map any data to the bins used in the back channel. Back channel module 1506 supplies data to be transmitted over the back channel to the mapper by placing portions of the data on the channels associated with the dedicated bins. Finally, optionally, back channel module 1506 indicates to mapper 304 the number of bits for the dedicated bins. It may do this either by separately supplying the information to mapper 304 or by altering the bit loading profile supplied to mapper 304 . Similarly, back channel module 1506 can prevent serial-to-parallel converter 302 from assigning data to the dedicated bins by either directly supplying the bins to serial-to-parallel converter 302 or by altering the bit loading profile supplied to serial-to-parallel converter 302 .
Error measurement and transmission module 720 comprise both error sampling module 1504 and back channel module 1506 . When a sync symbol is received by the CPE, error sampling module 1504 measures the error and may optionally store it for transmission back to the CO. Back channel module 1506 takes the error measurement and transmits it back to the CO as described above. One advantage of using dedicated bins to support the back channel is that the entire error measurement and transmission procedure is performed by the CPE PMD layer without the need for the error transmission to be performed at a higher level. As a result, the higher communications layers need not be aware of the error sampling or transmission activity.
FIG. 16 illustrates an implementation of the PMD layer in a CO transceiver in accordance with an embodiment of the invention. The receiver portion of the PMD layer supports receiving back channel information and has similar components as that described in the receiver portion shown in FIG. 3B , but further comprises back channel receiver 1602 . Back channel receiver 1602 optionally indicates to de-mapper 340 , the number of bits per bin used in the dedicated bins for the back channel. This may be simply relaying that information to de-mapper 340 or altering the bit loading profile seen by de-mapper 340 . Additionally, back channel receiver 1602 optionally informs parallel-to-serial converter 342 which bins are dedicated to the back channel and should not be used in reconstructing the serial data bit stream. Again, the information may simply be supplied to parallel-to-serial converter 342 or an altered bit loading profile with the dedicated bins assigned zero bits could be supplied to parallel-to-serial converter 342 . In addition, the back channel receiver 1602 receives the data modulated on the dedicated bins from de-mapper 340 as demodulated and decoded data. Back channel receiver 1602 then assembles the back channel message block as the DMT superframe is received.
Once received, the back channel message block is transmitted to vector processing entity 1604 , which uses the back channel message to calculate or update the channel matrix used in module 804 . Channel matrix 804 is fed into pre-coder 802 as described above for FIG. 8 . Alternatively, vector processing entity 1604 can update pre-coder 802 directly using the back channel message. In this implementation, the receiving of the back channel data including the error measurements, the calculation of the channel matrix and the adjustment of pre-coder 802 could be implemented without the need for data to leave the PMD layer. This prevents the need of the higher communications layer to be aware of the FEXT reduction taking place.
It should be emphasized that the above-described embodiments are merely examples of possible implementations. Many variations and modifications may be made to the above-described embodiments without departing from the principles of the present disclosure. All such modifications and variations are intended to be included herein within the scope of this disclosure and protected by the following claims.
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The measurement of far-end crosstalk (FEXT) in a Digital Subscriber Line communications is instrumental in the ability of using a multiple input multiple output (MIMO) pre-coder to cancel FEXT. A reliable robust back channel for transmission of error is instrumental to provide error samples for the proper operation of a MIMO pre-coder. Bins can be dedicated to insure bandwidth from the customer premises equipment (CPE) to the central office (CO). By increasing the margin used in the bins, robustness can be added to this back channel between the CPE and CO.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a yarn finish composition, a process for treating yarn therewith and yarn so treated. More particularly, the present invention relates to an oil-in-water finish composition for application to polyester, preferably polyethylene terephthalate, yarn as a spin finish and/or overfinish. When used as a spin finish, the composition is essentially non-fuming. The general term yarn is used herein to include a variety of filamentary forms, for example filaments, fiber, thread, yarn in the form of cord, or other similar forms. Preferred use is in the construction of pneumatic tires or other reinforced rubber goods.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The prior art is replete with oil-in-water finish compositions or emulsions proposed for use with synthetic yarn during or subsequent to its formation. Many of the prior art finish emulsions flash off or fume during high temperature processing such as steam jet texturing or steam jet drawing. Others fail to have emulsion stability for a satisfactory period of time, as evidenced by creaming of the emulsion, i.e., separation of the oil and water. Application of a separated emulsion to yarn, especially via a kiss roll, causes uneven application of the emulsion oils which results in nonuniform yarn.
These problems are overcome by the stable finish composition of the present invention which has a nonfuming propensity both during production of the yarn and in subsequent processing. The finish components on the yarn are resistant to heat treatment at temperatures as high as 250° C. See for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,687,721 to Dardoufas, hereby incorporated by reference.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an oil-in-water yarn finish composition, a process for treating yarn therewith and yarn so treated. The present invention also provides a method for improving the emulsion stability of an oil-in-water yarn finish composition.
It is preferred that the composition be an emulsion of water and about 15 to 40, most preferably 30, percent by weight of a nonaqueous portion which comprises:
(a) about 0.25 to 10, more preferably 1 to 5, weight percent of an emulsion stabilizer selected from the group consisting of a salt of dialkl sulfosuccinate neat wherein each alkyl group comprises 8 to 18 carbon atoms, more preferably 8 to 13 carbon atoms, and most preferably 8 carbon atoms; a salt of dialkyl sulfosuccinate in solution or mixture wherein each alkyl group comprises 9 to 18 carbon atoms, more preferably 9 to 13 carbon atoms, most preferably 9 carbon atoms; and a mixture of a salt of dioctyl sulfosuccinate and a salt of an aromatic carboxylic acid; and
(b) the balance comprising:
about 55 to 60, most preferably 57, weight percent of a lubricant comprising transesterified high lauric oil and high oleic oil;
about 15 to 28, more preferably 18 to 25, weight percent of polyoxyalkylene castor oil;
about 4 to 15, more preferably 5.5 to 12.5, weight percent selected from the group consisting of triglycerol monooleate, triglycerol dioleate and mixtures thereof;
about 7 to 12, more preferably 8 to 10, weight percent selected from the group consisting of decaglycerol tetraoleate, decaglycerol pentaoleate and mixtures thereof; and
about 1 to 5, most preferably 3, weight percent of a suitable antioxidant, preferably 4,4' butylidene-bis(6-tert-butyl-m-cresol), known commercially under the trademark SANTOWHITE® Powder and available from Monsanto Company, St. Louis, Mo.
With respect to the lubricant, by a "high" lauric oil is meant one which contains at least about 40 percent lauric groups, and by a "high" oleic oil is meant one which includes at least about 60 percent oleic groups. Transesterification of the high lauric oil and the high oleic oil may be accomplished by any known manner. The method of manufacture is well known in the industry, such as is disclosed in "Bailey's Industrial Oil and Fat Products" Third Edition, pages 958-964 (1964), hereby incorporated by reference. By a transesterified high lauric oil and high oleic oil is intended both the product of a transesterification of the high lauric oil and the high oleic oil and also the same or a similar product produced by means other than transesterification. A lubricant may include from about 10 to about 90 percent high lauric oil and from about 10 to about 90 percent high oleic oil. Examples of high oleic oils would include glycerol trioleate, olive oil, peanut oil, selectively hydrogenated soybean oil and combinations thereof. Examples of high lauric oils would include coconut oil, palm kernel oil and combinations thereof. The lubricant preferably comprises transesterified coconut oil and glycerol trioleate, the product comprising approximately 50 percent glycerol trioleate and approximately 50 percent coconut oil.
The polyoxyalkylene castor oil is preferably polyoxyethylene castor oil wherein there preferably are 16 to 33, more preferably 25 to 30, most preferably 25 or 26, moles of ethylene oxide per mole of castor oil. The alkylene oxide used, however, could be propylene oxide or the butylene oxides as well as ethylene oxide.
For the emulsion stabilizer, the preferred salt of dialkyl sulfosuccinate neat is sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate. The preferred mixture of a salt of dioctyl sulfosuccinate and a salt of an aromatic carboxylic acid is a mixture of sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and sodium benzoate; the aromatic carboxylic acid could also be, for example, naphthalic acid. The preferred salt of dialkyl sulfosuccinate in solution or mixture is a solution of sodium dinonyl sulfosuccinate, propanol and water. Although the examples to follow are limited to inclusion of the sodium salts of dialkyl esters of sulfosuccinic acid or the sodium salt of an aromatic carboxylic acid, the salts useful in this invention are the ammonium and alkali metal salts, particularly sodium and potassium, with the sodium salts being most preferred.
In the most preferred composition, the emulsion stabilizer is a solution of sodium dinonyl sulfosuccinate, and the balance of the nonaqueous portion of the composition comprises: 57 weight percent transesterified coconut oil and glycerol trioleate; 25 weight percent polyoxyethylene castor oil having 25 or 26 moles of ethylene oxide per mole of castor oil; 5.5 weight percent of a mixture of triglycerol monooleate and triglycerol dioleate; 9.5 weight percent of decaglycerol tetraoleate; and 3 weight percent of 4,4'-butylidene-bis(6-tert-butyl-m-cresol).
The finish composition is readily prepared in one of two ways. The lubricant, emulsifiers and antioxidant, i.e., the balance of the nonaqueous portion, may be mixed together and the blend cleared with a small amount of water. The emulsion stabilizer can then be added to the resultant composition, and the remaining water is added subsequent thereto. Alternatively, the emulsion stabilizer can be added with the balance of the nonaqueous portion, preferably last, prior to the addition of any water (other than the small amount which may be present in the emulsion stabilizer). In either case, the lubricant and emulsifiers may suitably be heated to dissolve the antioxidant, but this is not necessary. The preferred method of preparing the composition of the present invention is as follows: the lubricant is heated to from about 98° to 122° C. (210° to 250° F.), and the antioxidant (SANTOWHITE® Powder) is added slowly under agitation; the emulsifiers are then added as the blend cools to about 48.9° C. (120° F.), and a low amount of water is added (if necessary) to obtain a crystal clear blend at room temperature. Typically, the amount of water necessary to clear the blend is from about 5.0 to about 12.5, preferably about 10, weight percent. The emulsion stabilizer is preferably added at room temperature to the blend. To prepare the aqueous emulsion for use, it is preferred that the blend, including the emulsion stabilizer, and the necessary amount of water be added to one another at room temperature. The water is agitated, and the necessary amount of blend is quickly added. The agitation should be such that aeration does not occur. The mass should be stirred for at least 15 minutes to ensure adequate dispersion of the blend. Biocides or other additives may be added immediately after the blend is introduced. Dyes used as tinting agents for identification purposes should be added to the water and stirred until complete dispersion or dissolution of the dye is obtained prior to the introduction of the blend. The pH of the emulsion can be adjusted to the required degree dependent upon the pH of subsequent treatment systems, e.g., a subsequent latex dip system, to be used. If an adhesion promoter is utilized in the emulsion, it is preferred that it be added subsequent to the biocide. A less preferred way of preparing the aqueous emulsion for use is to warm the blend to 37.8° C. (100° F.), thoroughly mix the blend, heat the necessary amount of water to 48.9° C. (120° F.), and continue in the manner described above.
The improvement in a process for the production of synthetic polymer yarn comprises treating the yarn with a sufficient amount of the oil-in-water yarn finish composition described above to achieve a total oil on yarn of 0.1 to 2.0 weight percent. The finish composition may be used as a spin finish during spinning of the yarn and/or as an overfinish subsequent to drawing. The spinning and drawing processes may be either coupled or uncoupled, preferably the former. When used as a spin finish, the treating amount of finish composition is sufficient to achieve a total oil on yarn of 0.05 to 0.8 weight percent. When used as an overfinish, the treating amount of finish composition is sufficient to achieve a total oil on yarn of 0.05 to 1.2 weight percent.
The method for improving the emulsion stability of an oil-in-water yarn finish composition, the nonaqueous portion of which comprises the balance of the nonaqueous portion of the above-described finish composition, is to add 0.25 to 10 percent, based on the weight of the final nonaqueous portion of the composition, of an emulsion stabilizer as previously described.
Emulsion stability is determined by measuring the percent light transmittance of a particular oil-in-water finish composition as compared to water (100 percent light transmittance)-the smaller the oil particle size, the greaer the light transmittance, which results in better emulsion stability. The instrument utilized is the Beckman DK-2A (Beckman Instruments), a UV-visible spectrophotometer read at 735 nanometers.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The yarns of this invention can be processed by any spin-draw process or spinning and separately drawing process available to the art and the patent and technical literature, using any suitable polyamide or polyester. The preferred polyesters are the linear terephthalate polyesters, i.e., polyesters of a glycol containing from 2 to 20 carbon atoms and a dicarboxylic acid component containing at least about 75 percent terephthalate acid. The remainder, if any, of the dicarboxylic acid component may be any suitable dicarboxylic acid such as sebacic acid, adipic acid, isophthalic acid, sulfonyl-4,4'-dibenzoic acid, or 2,8-di-benzofuran-dicarboxylic acid. The glycols may contain more than two carbon atoms in the chain, e.g., diethylene glycol, butylene glycol, decamethylene glycol, and bis-1,4-(hydroxymethyl)cyclohexane. Examples of linear terephthalate polyesters which may be employed include poly(ethylene terephthalate), poly(butylene terephthalate), poly(ethylene terephthalate/5-chloroisophthalate) (85/15), poly(ethylene terephthalate/5[sodium sulfo]isophthalate) (97/3), poly(cyclohexane-1,4-dimethylene terephthalate), and poly(cyclohexane-1,4-dimethylene terephthalate/hexahydroterephthalate) (75/25).
Uneven application of yarn overfinish during production of polyethylene terephthalate multifilament yarn led to an investigation of the emulsion stability of the oil in water emulsion forming the base of the overfinish. The percent light transmittance for a variety of oil in water emulsions wherein the oil portion was added to the water at room temperature was measured. Results are presented in Table 1. Note that Sample 1 is the control. The percent light transmittance was measured approximately 24 hours after the emulsion was made. Samples 4, 10, 12, 13, 14 and 15 are considered part of the present invention. With the exception of the Sample 1 control, all other samples are deemed comparative.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________LIGHT TRANSMITTANCE DATA SampleComponents 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15__________________________________________________________________________Control.sup.1 100 95 95 97 95 95 95 95 95 95 97 95 95 95 95MONAWET MB-45.sup.2 -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --MONAWET MM-80.sup.3 -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --Doss.sup.4 -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --AEROSOL OT-70-PG.sup.5 -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --AEROSOL OTS.sup.6 -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --Solution.sup.7 -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --MONAWET MO-70E.sup.8 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- -- --MONAWET MO-84R2W.sup.9 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- -- --MONAWET MO-85P.sup.10 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- -- -- --MONAWET MO-65-150.sup.11 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 3 -- -- -- --Dnss.sup.12 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- -- --NEKAL WS-25.sup.13 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 -- --MONAWET MT-70.sup.14 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5 --MONAWET MT-80H2W.sup.15 -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- 5Water 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234 234% Light Transmitted 8.0 0 0 28.0 6.0 4.0 0 0 0 56.0 0 52.0 18.0 34.0 38.0Footnotes follow Table 1.__________________________________________________________________________ Footnotes to Table 1. .sup.1 Consisting of 57 percent coconut oil transesterified with glycerol trioleate, 25 percent POE(25) castor oil, 5.5 percent mixture of triglycerol monooleate and triglycerol dioleate, 9.5 percent decaglycerol tetraoleate, and 3 percent 4,4' butylidenebis(6-tert-butyl-m-cresol). .sup.2 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 45 percent sodium diisobutyl sulfosuccinate and 55 percent water. .sup.3 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 80 percent sodium dihexyl sulfosuccinate, 5 percent isopropanol, and 15 percent water. .sup.4 Dioctyl sulfosuccinate, sodium salt. .sup.5 American Cyanamid's trade name for solution consisting of 70 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, 16 percent propylene glycol, and 1 percent water. .sup.6 American Cyanamid's trade name for solution consisting of 70 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and 30 percent petroleum distillate .sup.7 Consisting of 75 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, 10 percent isopropanol, and 15 percent water. .sup.8 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 70 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, 11 percent ethanol and 19 percent water. .sup.9 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 84 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and 16 percent propylene glycol. .sup.10 MONA Industries' trade name for 85 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and 15 percent sodium benzoate in powdered form. .sup.11 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 65 percent sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate and 35 percent aromatic solvent. .sup.12 Dinonyl sulfosuccinate, sodium salt. .sup.13 GAF's trade name for solution consisting of 75 percent sodium dinonyl sulfosuccinate, 10 percent isopropanol, and 15 percent water. .sup.14 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 70 percent sodium ditridecyl sulfosuccinate, 18 percent hexylene glycol and 12 percent water. .sup.15 MONA Industries' trade name for solution consisting of 80 percent sodium ditridecyl sulfosuccinate and 20 percent hexylene glycol.
EXAMPLE 1
A melt of polyethylene terephthalate was supplied at a rate of 70 pounds (31.8 kg) per hour per end and at a temperature of about 290° C. to the apparatus shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,251,481 to Hamlyn, hereby incorporated by reference. The molten polymer was fed by extruder 11 to spin pump 12 which fed spin block 13 containing a conventional spin pot as shown in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,072,457 to Cooksey et al., hereby incorporated by reference. A split spinnerette designed for the simultaneous extrusion of two multifilament ends of 192 filaments each was utilized.
The two ends 14 and 15 of multifilament, continuous filament yarn passed downwardly from the spinnerette into a substantially stationary column of air contained in a heated sleeve 16, about 15 inches (38.1 cms) in height, the temperature of the sleeve itself being maintained at about 400° C. Yarn leaving heated sleeve 16 was passed directly into the top of the quench chamber of quenching apparatus 17. Quenching apparatus 17 was as shown in FIG. 1C of U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,910 to Pendlebury et al., hereby incorporated by reference. Quenching air at about 18.3° C. (65° F.) and 60 percent relative humidity was supplied to cross flow quench the filaments as they descended through the quench chamber. The ends 14 and 15 of yarn were lubricated by finish applicator 18 and then separated and converged by guides 19. The spin finish comprised 40 parts mineral oil having a viscosity of 38-40 SUS and a boiling range between 266° and 327° C.; 15 parts refined coconut oil; 15 parts isohexadecyl stearate; 5 parts polyoxyethylene (20) tallow amine; 13 parts polyoxyethylene (4) lauryl ether; 10 parts sodium salt of aklylarylsulfonate; and 2 parts NEKAL WS-25 (see Table 1, footnote 13). A sufficient amount (approximately 0.45 percent wet pickup) of the finish composition was applied to the yarn to achieve about 0.2 percent, based on the weight of the yarn, on the yarn. See U.S. Pat. No. 3,672,977 to Dardoufas, hereby incorporated by reference. The ends were then transported via interfloor tube and aspirator 20 to the spin draw panel 21 where they were fed to wrap around a pretension roll 23 and accompanying separator roll 23a and then to feed roll 24 and accompanying separator roll 24a. Both sets of rolls were at a temperature of less than 50° C. From feed roll 24, the ends were then passed through conventional steam impinging draw point localizing jet 25, supplying steam at a temperature of 450° C. and at a pressure of 80 psig (552 kPa), and then to a pair of draw rolls 26 and 26a, one of which was maintained at about 130° C. The draw ratio was about 6.0 to 1. The ends passed from draw roll 26 to a pair of relax rolls 27 and 27a, the relax rolls 27 and 27a being heated to about 140° C. The yarn ends then passed through a conventional air operated interlacing jet 28 and were subsequently wound up.
To this drawn yarn was applied an overfinish made according to the preferred method previously outlined and utilizing the Sample 13 components (Table 1). A biocide (6-acetoxy-2,4-dimethyl-m-dioxane) was added to these components followed by the addition of an adhesion promoter, gamma-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The biocide was added in an amount sufficient to form 0.1 percent of the final emulsion. The ratio of the silane to the other components was 5.25 parts to 94.75 parts. The overfinish was applied in an amount sufficient to achieve a total oil on yarn of about 1.0 to 1.2 percent and about 0.1 percent of silane on the yarn. Application of the overfinish (via contact with a roll rotating in a trough of overfinish) was even and smooth.
The yarn was subsequently twisted to make a 3-ply cord in known manner, and the cords were treated with a conventional, non-ammoniated resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex dip comprising vinyl pyrridine latex, resorcinol, formaldehyde, sodium hydroxide and water. Subsequent thereto, the cords were dried [e.g., in a first oven at 148° C. (300° F.) for 80 seconds, followed by a second oven at 241° C. (465° F.) for 60 seconds, at +1% stretch] and introduced to a rubber compound. This green rubber was cured in a mold, and strips thereof tested in accordance with the strip adhesion test defined in U.S. Pat. No. 3,940,544 to Marshall et al., hereby incorporated by reference, and modified to make strips having 40 ends per inch (15.7 ends per cm) rather than 20 ends per inch (7.8 ends per cm). There were no adverse affects on adhesion.
EXAMPLE 2
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated utilizing the overfinish composition as the spin finish to achieve a final oil on yarn of about 0.79 percent. There was no application of an overfinish. There were no adverse affects on adhesion.
EXAMPLE 3
The procedure of Example 1 was repeated with the following changes. The overfinish did not include an adhesion promoter, i.e., the gamma-glycidoxypropyl-trimethoxysilane was omitted. After the yarn was twisted into 3-ply cord, the cord was treated with a conventional, blocked diisocyanate dip comprising Hylene MP [E. I. duPont de Nemours, Incorporated's trade name for bisphenol adduct of methylene bis(4-phenyl isocyanate)], Epon 812 (Shell Chemical Company's trade name glycerin epichlorohydrin resin), Aerosol OT (American Cyanamid's trade name for sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate), gum tragacanth and water. The cords were dried in a first oven at 148° C. (300° F.) for 80 seconds, followed by a second oven at 227° C. (440° F.) for 40 seconds at +1% stretch. The resorcinol-formaldehyde-latex dip was ammoniated, and subsequent to treatment therewith, the cords were dried in a first oven at 148° C. (300° F.) for 80 seconds, followed by a second oven at 216° C. (420° F.) for 60 seconds, at -1% stretch. The yarn processed well and had acceptable product qualities, e.g. adhesion.
EXAMPLE 4
The procedure of Example 3 is repeated utilizing the overfinish composition as the spin finish to achieve a final oil of yarn of about 0.8 percent. There is no application of an overfinish. The yarn processes well and has acceptable product quantities.
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An oil-in-water yarn finish composition, a process for treating yarn therewith and yarn so treated are all disclosed. The finish composition may be applied as a spin finish and/or overfinish to the yarn, preferably the latter. The nonaqueous portion of the composition comprises transesterified high oleic oil and high lauric oil; polyoxyalkylene castor oil; triglycerol monooleate and/or triglycerol dioleate; decaglycerol tetraoleate and/or decaglycerol pentaoleate; 4,4' butylidene-bis(6-tert-butyl-m-cresol); and an emulsion stabilizer selected from the group consisting of a salt of dialkyl sulfosuccinate neat wherein each alkyl group comprises 8 to 18 carbon atoms, a salt of dialkyl sulfosuccinate in solution or mixture wherein each alkyl group comprises 9 to 18 carbon atoms, and a mixture of a salt of dioctyl sulfosuccinate and a salt of an aromatic carboxylic acid.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a system and method used in the protection of borders, and in particular the borders of a country or state, against intruders of various kinds.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
In a modern society, a country must protect itself against persons passing its borders outside the official or legal points of entry. The persons in question may have various motifs for wanting to hide their entry into a country. This may be illegal immigration, smuggling, terrorism, etc. In order to protect the borders, various measures may be taken. This may be physical hindrances, such as fences, various detectors for observing the border line, such as cameras, radars, infrared line detectors, seismic detectors, or manual control by border patrols. The detectors are normally connected to a border station, which is also headquarter for border patrols. Thus, the border station will receive information as alarms from the detectors as well as observations reported by border patrols. This information should be used to devise countermeasures against possible intruders, either by sending out border patrols to apprehend offenders or by relocating resources, that is fencing and detectors, in order to make the border as tight as possible. However, the scattered information received in the border station is not easy to exploit. The information supplied by border patrols passing at regular intervals may not be representative for the real situation at the border. In addition, a detector may tell that an object has passed the border, but not how severe the intrusion is, i.e. detectors may be tripped by squirrels as well as terrorists. Thus, there is a need for a structured approach for disseminating information gathered in a border station.
In many ways, the situation depicted above corresponds to the threats posed against computer networks by virus and malicious hackers. However, the technique used in firewalls and protection software does not readily lend itself for protecting physical assets or the borders of a country.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a solution to the problems mentioned above, and in particular to provide a method and system for determining the threat against a border. The invention may be used for optimal resource allocation to produce a good protection of said border, or the best protection possible with the available resources.
In particular, it is an object to provide a method for determining a threat against a border from objects crossing or trying to cross said border. Said method includes at least the steps of segmenting the border into border elements of uniform terrain features, infrastructure and weather conditions, collecting data of incidents occurring along a given border element, determining a threat potential for said border element, determining a protection factor for the border element, and determining a threat against the border element from the threat potential and protection factor.
The method may be used for warning about an increased threat to a border, wherein the threat is compared with a threat value threshold. If the threat exceeds the threat value threshold, an alarm is issued.
The method may also be used for allocating protective measures along a border.
Another object of the invention is to provide a system for determining a threat against a border from objects crossing or trying to cross said border. Said system includes at least a plurality of detectors detecting incidents occurring at the border, a border management unit with interfaces to the detectors, a statistics unit adapted to extract the number of incidents in a border element and per threat potential category, a threat calculations unit for generating overview diagrams of threat data and trends in border situation development, wherein said border management unit includes a display unit for presenting said diagrams and trends.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will now be described in detail in reference to the appended drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a border zone explaining the various parameters used in the present invention,
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of threat curves,
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a detail of FIG. 2 ,
FIG. 4 is a schematic block diagram of a system according to the present invention,
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram illustrating a use of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The invention is based on a method of calculating the border threat as described below:
To establish a methodical approach, the border has to be broken down into Elements (lengths of border) small enough to have uniform terrain features, infrastructure and weather conditions, as illustrated in FIG. 1 . This is necessary to be able to establish the correct threat for each part of the border. For doing the correct splitting into elements, the following tools are needed or helpful:
Good resolution topographical/vector maps of border area Best possible aerial pictures/satellite pictures of border area Preferably, also local pictures and experience from site survey along the border
The threat itself is the result of two factors: The Threat Potential (TP) and the Protection Factor (PF). The TP will always have a value higher than 0 due to such factors as differences in economy, social conditions or country location (transit to other countries). It is important to note that the threat can be low even though the TP is high, due to a high PF.
The Threat Potential is a parameter expressing:
The presence of potential border violators The type of violators including their determination to enter (e.g. work-seeking persons, smugglers, terrorists)
The Protection Factor is a parameter expressing the existing protection of the border:
The difficulty of the terrain (e.g. mountains, deserts, roads, paths, woods) Weather (time of year, temperature, precipitation) The distance to villages, cities from the border (both sides) The infrastructure (roads, canals) The presence of Border Guards (deterrence) The presence of technical systems (deterrence) Less important factors dependent on local conditions
The Protection Factor is a “resistance” to the Threat Potential, deciding the current of violators across the border at every point. This current must be seen as the real threat, giving:
T=TP/PF, or, since the total threat is the sum of the threat within the small elements:
T = ∑ 1 n t x
where tx is the threat within a given element and n is the number of elements that the border is split into. Each tx is calculated as tx=tpx/pfx where tpx is the threat potential in the element area and pfx is the Protection Factor for the element.
In this way, the problem is reduced to finding the values of the different factors within each small border element where the conditions can be seen as constant over the length of the element.
In FIG. 1 the border is segmented in a number of border elements 1-n. Each border element is the object of a threat potential tp 1 -tp n . tp x and tp x+1 shows the threats posed against the border elements t x and t x+1 , respectively. Various measures are used to meet the treat potential, with the resulting protection factors p 1 -p n . The differences between the treat potentials and the protection factors form the treats t 1 -t n , which are numerical values indicating the influx of objects across the border.
Each parameter, how it is defined and determined numerically, will now be described in further detail.
Threat Potential (TP)
The TP must be calculated to be able to find the level of the potential, which in turn will give the threat T when a fixed Protection Factor is used. The TP consists of different objects such as work-seekers, organized criminals, terrorists, trespassers. Obviously, the impact of an object from one of these categories crossing the border will be very different. In the calculation of the threat T, each category must be treated separately, or for simplicity, the resulting TP level must be different. The last approach has been applied in the development of the method by using a consequence factor (c) to modify the TP value. The factor must be high for possible terrorists and correspondingly low for more innocent trespassers (people stepping over the border for a photo or for excitement). The protection measures against these threats will also have to be different, resulting in different technical solutions during the design.
The value of the TP will therefore depend on a lot of factors such as:
Type of object: Terrorist, activist, employee, work-seeker, other Class of object: Foreign or domestic, terrorist or criminal, insider and/or outsider of the organization Objective of each type of object: Theft, sabotage, mass destruction (maximum casualties), socio-political statement, other Number of objects expected for each category:
Individual suicide bomber, grouping or “cells” of operatives/terrorists, gangs, other
Target selected by objects: Critical infrastructure, governmental buildings, national monuments, other Type of planning activities required to accomplish the objective: Long-term “casing,” photography, monitoring police and security patrol patterns, other Most likely or “worst case” time an object could attack:
When facility/location is fully staffed, at rush hour, at night, other
Range of object tactics: Stealth, force, deceit, combination, other Capabilities of object: Knowledge, motivation, skills, weapons and tools
These factors should ideally be taken into account when deciding the “consequence factor” described below.
The TP for a given category can be expressed as:
tp c =f·c·WF TP , and the total TP for a border element will be:
T P = ∑ 1 m t p c ,
where m is the number of TP categories for the given element.
f=observed or estimated frequency of the given category in persons/day, or estimated frequency based on generally available information
c=consequence factor for TP category (Whole number between 1 and 100 representing “damage units”/person)
WFTP=Weighting Factor for TP category (Whole number between 1 and 10, local factor for compensating the TP value for effects from Border Guard work pattern or similar known influences)
TP=threat potential in “damage units”/day
Protection Factor
This factor represents the “resistance” against the TP, deciding how many border violators that are able to actually cross the border and perform their damage (e.g. to people, to society, to economy).
The PF will be dependent on terrain, local infrastructure and technical protection system. A technical system may have patrols and other human elements as part of the system. In addition, the local weather may be both an increasing and a reducing factor. Bad weather may stop objects from trying to cross border in difficult areas, but it is well known that professional criminals uses bad weather to cover illegal crossings at some locations.
For calculating the threat per element, PF needs to be calculated per element, taking into account the abovementioned factors. A reasonable range providing necessary resolution for the PF is 1 to 1 000 where 1 represents a fully open border in simple terrain with supporting infrastructure. 1 000 represents a practically closed border with very difficult terrain, no infrastructure and heavy technical protection systems. The factor due to terrain+infrastructure and due to technical systems is equally important for the PF, so each of these may have values up to 500.
PF must be calculated by using the method of splitting the border into small elements that can be handled separately due to the need for reasonable constant conditions:
pf x =pf terrain +pf tech within a selected element with constant conditions.
Table 0-1 below shows typical factors used for terrain and infrastructure that may be used as guidelines when defining elements. Improved values must be obtained through experience.
TABLE 0-1
Typical PF for different terrains
Terrain/infrastructure
Factor
Comments
High cliff
480
High cliff + nearby roads
400
*
Mountainous terrain
300
Mountainous + nearby
250
*
roads
Desert area
300-350
Dependent on size
and conditions
River
100-350
Depends on size
and water flow.
Lake
150-200
Forest
250-300
Dependent on type
Forest + nearby roads
200-250
*
Moor/swamp
150-200
Dependent of type
Moor/swamp + nearby
100-150
roads
Open fields
10-50
Open fields + nearby
1-20
roads
Rural area
20-50
Dependent of type
Urban area
1-2
This factor shall
never be less than
1.
* Reduce by 50 if nearby roads at both sides
For typical values for different types of technical protection systems, see Table 0-1 below.
TABLE 0-1
Typical values of PF for technical systems
Technical system
Factor
Comments
Massive barrier
400-500
High steel or
concrete barriers with
sensors and digging
obstructions
Active fences
300-400
Dependent on height
and sensors
GSR and cameras
250-350
Dependent on
location and use of
towers
Camera chains along
200-300
Dependent on
border
camera distance and
agility
PIR sensor chains +
170-270
camera chains
Long distance cameras
150-250
Dependent on
locations, agility and
automation
PIR sensor chains +
50-100
Dependant on sensor
long distance cameras
type and distance.
Line sensors (cables
150-250
Dependent on types
and/or electronic
and combinations
barriers)
Heavy patrolled border
100-200
Dependant on
pattern, frequency
and terrain
Light patrolled border
50-100
Dependant on pattern
and terrain
Decoys (camera,
50-100
radar)
Old fences & beamed
1-10
Dependent on status
roads
No technical system
0
Using this method for each border element will enable calculation of the threat contribution from each element and the total threat for the border by using the formulas above.
Presentation of Results
The threat calculation may be done using a computer system adapted to automatically collect all information from detectors as well as reports from border patrols.
The result may be presented graphically as an aid to an operator/analyst at the border station enabling him/her to allocate or reallocate resources in a reliable way. In addition, the output from the computer system may be used to sound an alarm when there are substantial changes in the traffic pattern at the border.
Three main outputs of the method are Threat Potential curves, Protection Factor curves and Threat curves. An example showing the calculated curves is shown in FIG. 2 .
The TP contributions from the different objects are shown with hatching in each bar. In this way, different countermeasures can be taken against each object category of the TP within each element. The result of the countermeasures can be seen on the corresponding Threat curves after calculating the PFs for the elements. The Threat diagram will show the influence of the protection countermeasures on the threat, element for element.
These diagrams are used in the design process of the technical system for protection of the border. The diagrams may be used to optimize the protection measures along the border. Ideally, the columns should be identical in height. The data may also be used in a dynamic process for securing the borders as explained below. One of the columns in FIG. 2 is shown I greater detail in FIG. 3 . The height of the columns is a measure of how well this particular element of the border is protected. The size of each individual part of the column will tell the boarder guards where the effort should be concentrated if the situation must be improved.
These columns must be considered as snapshots of the situation since the threat will change as soon as changes of the protection system are done. Due to this fact, modular construction of border protection systems is required, and updates of the systems must be done frequently.
For an existing Border Protection system with a management system where all incidents are treated and reported, the method can be implemented and operate as part of the daily border protection. The system will then be a tool for the Border Guards for detecting and handling problem areas along the border as soon as they appear; e.g. using BG patrols or reinforcing the technical system.
A block diagram for a system that can handle the statistical data, calculate and present the resulting Threat potential, Threat, Protection Factor and eventually trend overviews (diagrams) to the operators is shown in FIG. 4 .
The system includes a border management unit 45 with interfaces to various detectors 41 - 44 . This unit also includes a user interface allowing the border guards to manually enter information gained during patrols along the border as well as a display unit 410 for presenting threat curves and alarms. The border management unit 45 is connected to a database 46 storing all incidents. A statistics unit 47 is adapted to fetch data from the database 46 .
The Statistics unit 47 extracts the number of incidents per border element and per threat potential category (for each update) that shall be used by the following Threat calculations unit 48 for generating overview diagrams of threat data and trends in the border situation development. Historical data are saved to be able to select the time period of interest, in history database 49 . The results are returned to border management unit 45 for display or alarm.
The frequency of updates of the situation depends on the observed activity on a given border, and may vary from once a few hours to once a day. It is not expected that more frequent updates will give any improvement since data is dependent partly on operator handled data (reports from incidents), including field activity to check and/or apprehend objects.
The system will be able to give alarms when threat rises above given thresholds to warn dedicated operators (analysts) of potential problems due to change in behavior. Short term variations or season variations can be handled by the BG by redefining patrol activities or modifying the technical solution (e.g. add or move sensors/barriers).
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating the steps taken in a system for surveying and maintenance of the protection of a border. In an initial step 100 , the signals from the various sensors are received. Incidents reported by the sensors are stored and used to calculate the instant threat situation with the method described above, step 101 . The newly calculated threat situation is compared with historical data (the previous calculation) in step 102 . If this comparison indicates that the situation is stable, the process returns to step 100 for reading new signals from the sensors, step 103 . However, if significant changes have occurred in the threat situation, an alarm is triggered, step 104 . Then, various protective measures must be taken in step 105 , as explained above. The new threat situation is determined in step 106 until an optimal border protection is achieved in step 107 , i.e. the loop 105 , 106 , 107 will run until the border protection situation is satisfactory. At that stage, the process returns to step 100 and starts over again.
While the invention has been described in the context of a border protection system covering the borders of a country, it may as well be used for the protection of any large entity of great importance and which may be threatened from outside. Examples of large entities that may be analyzed and protected are power plants, airports, dams, defence industrial sites and sites with chemical/hazardous/nuclear waste protected by “local” border systems. The threats in question may include air and land borne vehicles, or sea and underwater vessels in addition to persons or groups of persons. The invention may also be used in other settings, to protect non-physical borders, e.g. for determining the threat situation in a large computer network. Then, recorded incidents of attempted break-ins must be compared with protective measures such as firewalls and potential risk elements such as inexperienced or inexact users. The invention may also be used by e.g. insurance companies to determine a threat situation, mapping recorded incidents against risk factors and protective measures.
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A method for determining a threat against a border from objects crossing or trying to cross said border. Said method includes at least the steps of segmenting the border into border elements of uniform terrain features, infrastructure and weather conditions, collecting data of incidents occurring along a given border element, determining a threat potential for said border element, determining a protection factor for the border element, and determining a threat against the border element from the threat potential and protection factor. The method may be used for warning about an increased threat to a border, wherein the threat is compared with a threat value threshold. If the threat exceeds the threat value threshold, an alarm is issued. The method may also be used for allocating protective measures along a border.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119 to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0014392 filed on Feb. 8, 2013, 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 thienopyrimidinone derivatives as antagonists that act on metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1 to show pharmacological activity against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. The present invention also relates to methods for preparing the compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds as active ingredients.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] Glutamate is an important excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. Synaptic stimulation of glutamate is transmitted through the activities of two receptor types: ionotropic glutamate receptors and metabotropic glutamate receptors. The former receptors are ligand-gated cation channels, and the latter receptors are G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Metabotropic glutamate receptors are divided into three groups on the basis of their structural similarity, pharmacology, and signaling mechanisms. The three groups are further subdivided into a total of eight subtypes according to their splicing variants. The group I receptors are divided into mGluR1 and mGluR5. The subtypes mGluR1 and mGluR5 activate phospholipase C (PLC) via a Gq/11 protein, resulting in release of calcium via phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis. The group II receptors (mGluR2 and mGluR3) and the group III receptors (mGluR4, mGluR5, mGluR6, and mGluR7) are negatively coupled to adenyl cyclase (AC) via a Gi/o protein, inhibiting cAMP formation.
[0006] Approximately 70 million Americans suffer from pain. The annual medical expenses for pain treatment and related social costs in the United States are estimated to be 100 billion dollars. Neuropathic pain has numerous etiologies and causes complex and chronic pain conditions. A total of about 18 million Americans, including about 4 million Americans suffering from diabetic pain, are afflicted with neuropathic pain. Various neurological diseases including pain, psychiatric diseases and neuritic diseases are associated with glutamate release. mGluR1, a glutamate receptor, is present on the primary afferent nerve terminals and is abundantly distributed in the pain process-related nervous tissues of the CNS. Thus, mGluR1 is reported to be closely associated with the treatment of pain [Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. 1989, 29, 365; Trends Neurosci. 2011, 24, 550; Expert Opin. Ther. Targets 2002, 6, 349; Neuron 1992, 9, 259].
[0007] Various experiment results have revealed that mGluR1 antagonism relieves neuropathic pain. It was reported that the injection of selective mGluR1 antibodies relieves allodynia and hyperalgesia in animal models, and the administration of selective mGluR1 antagonists after administration of Group I mGluR agonists to induce spontaneous pain relieves the pain [Prog. Neurobiol. 1999, 59, 55; Neuro-Report 1996, 7, 2743; J. Neurosci. 2001, 21. 3771].
[0008] Many efforts have been made to date to develop mGluR1 antagonists. However, there is still a need for mGluR1 antagonists that are selective for mGluR1, have good pharmacokinetic profiles, have good absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME) properties, and are effective against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is an object of the present invention to provide novel compounds as mGluR1 modulators that are effective against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
[0010] Specifically, it is an object of the present invention to provide thienopyrimidinone derivatives having novel structures and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide methods for preparing thienopyrimidinone derivatives from 4-aryl-3-amino-2-alkoxycarbonylthiophenes, which are prepared from arylmethylcyanides through three steps.
[0012] It is another object of the present invention to provide pharmaceutical compositions acting on mGluR1, each of the compositions including at least one of the thienopyrimidinone derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof as an active ingredient.
[0013] It is still another object of the present invention to provide drugs for the prevention and treatment of pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, each of the drugs including at least one of the thienopyrimidinone derivatives and pharmaceutically acceptable salts as an active ingredient.
[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a thienopyrimidinone derivative effective as a compound that acts on mGluR1 to show efficacy against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, wherein the thienopyrimidinone derivative is represented by Formula 1:
[0000]
[0015] wherein R1 represents an aryl group, R2 represents an alkyl or aryl group, and R3 represents a hydrogen atom, a hydroxyl group, an alkyl group, or an alkylamine group.
[0016] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for preparing the thienopyrimidinone derivative.
[0017] According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pharmaceutical composition including the thienopyrimidinone derivative.
[0018] The thienopyrimidinone derivative of Formula 1 or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof according to the present invention exhibits excellent activity as compounds acting on mGluR1, thus being useful as a therapeutic or prophylactic agent for metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0019] These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
[0020] FIGS. 1 to 6 show the structures of compounds according to embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Aspects and embodiments of the present invention will now be described in more detail.
[0022] In one aspect, the present invention provides a thienopyrimidinone derivative represented by Formula 1:
[0000]
[0023] wherein R1 is phenyl which is unsubstituted or substituted with one to five substituents selected from halogen, substituted or unsubstituted stannyl, phenyl, alkylphenyl, alkoxyphenyl, benzodioxolyl, and naphthalenyl groups, R2 is selected from substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 7 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, pyranyl, hydropyranyl, naphthalenyl, hydronaphthalenyl, substituted or unsubstituted piperidinyl, acetyloxy, allyl, and vinyl, and R3 is selected from hydrogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted amino, and hydroxy; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
[0024] In the case where R3 is a hydroxyl group, tautomeric isomerism (tautomerism) may occur. In this case, the thienopyrimidinone derivative of Formula 1 may also exist in a tautomeric form represented by Formula 2:
[0000]
[0025] wherein R1 and R2 are as defined in Formula 1, and R3′ is oxygen.
[0026] It is therefore to be understood that the tautomeric form of Formula 2 is within the scope of the present invention.
[0027] In one embodiment, R1 is selected from substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted naphthalenyl, and substituted or unsubstituted benzodioxolyl.
[0028] The substituted phenyl may be phenyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, substituted or unsubstituted stannyl, and phenyl.
[0029] The substituted stannyl may be alkylstannyl substituted with one to three C 1 -C 7 alkyl groups.
[0030] The substituted naphthalenyl may be naphthalenyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, unsubstituted stannyl, C 1 -C 7 alkylstannyl, C 1 -C 7 dialkylstannyl, C 1 -C 7 trialkylstannyl, and phenyl.
[0031] The substituted benzodioxolyl may be benzodioxolyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, unsubstituted stannyl, C 1 -C 7 alkylstannyl, C 1 -C 7 dialkylstannyl, C 1 -C 7 trialkylstannyl, and phenyl.
[0032] In a further embodiment, (i) R2 may be selected from substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted benzonitrile, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 7 alkyl, allyl, vinyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted pyranyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydropyranyl, substituted or unsubstituted naphthalenyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydronaphthalenyl, substituted or unsubstituted furanyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydrofuranyl, substituted or unsubstituted piperidinyl, and substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 10 heterocycloalkyl; or (ii) R2 may have a C 1 -C 7 alkyl group through which a group selected from substituted or unsubstituted phenyl, substituted or unsubstituted benzonitrile, substituted or unsubstituted C 1 -C 7 alkyl, allyl, vinyl, substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, substituted or unsubstituted pyranyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydropyranyl, substituted or unsubstituted naphthalenyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydronaphthalenyl, substituted or unsubstituted furanyl, substituted or unsubstituted hydrofuranyl, substituted or unsubstituted piperidinyl, and substituted or unsubstituted C 3 -C 10 heterocycloalkyl is linked to the corresponding nitrogen atom of the thienopyrimidinone ring.
[0033] The substituted phenyl may be phenyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0034] The substituted benzonitrile may be benzonitrile in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0035] The substituted C 1 -C 7 alkyl may be C 1 -C 7 alkyl in which one to three hydrogen atoms of the alkyl are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, allyl, C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, furanyl, and hydrofuranyl.
[0036] The substituted C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl may be C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl substituted with substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, allyl, and C 1 -C 7 alkyl.
[0037] The substituted pyranyl may be pyranyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0038] The hydropyranyl may be dihydropyranyl or tetrahydropyranyl, and the substituted hydropyranyl may be hydropyranyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0039] The substituted naphthalenyl may be naphthalenyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0040] The hydronaphthalenyl may be selected from dihydronaphthalenyl, tetrahydronaphthalenyl, hexahydronaphthalenyl, and heptahydronaphthalenyl, and the substituted hydronaphthalenyl may be hydronaphthalenyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0041] The substituted furanyl may be furanyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0042] The hydrofuranyl may be dihydrofuranyl or tetrahydrofuranyl, and the substituted hydrofuranyl may be hydrofuranyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0043] The substituted piperidinyl may be (i) piperidinyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl, or (ii) piperidinyl in which a substituent selected from C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, vinyl, and allyl is bonded to the nitrogen atom of the piperidine ring.
[0044] The C 3 -C 10 heterocycloalkyl may be heterocycloalkyl in which one or two heteroatoms selected from N, O and S, and three to ten carbon atoms are bonded together to form a ring; and the substituted C 3 -C 10 heterocycloalkyl may be heterocycloalkyl in which some or all of the hydrogen atoms are replaced by substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, and allyl.
[0045] In one embodiment, the substituted phenyl in R1 is phenyl substituted with one to five substituents selected from halogen, substituted or unsubstituted stannyl, phenyl, alkylphenyl, alkoxyphenyl, benzodioxolyl, and naphthalenyl; the substituted stannyl in R1 is stannyl substituted with one to three C 1 -C 7 alkyl groups; the alkylphenyl in R1 is phenyl substituted with C 1 -C 7 alkyl; the alkoxyphenyl in R1 is phenyl substituted with C 1 -C 7 alkoxy; and the substituted phenyl in R2 is phenyl substituted with one to five substituents selected from halogen, C 1 -C 7 alkyl, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkyl, C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, halogenated C 1 -C 7 alkoxy, hydroxy, nitro, vinyl, allyl, and benzonitrile.
[0046] In a further embodiment, the substituted C 1 -C 7 alkyl in R2 is C 1 -C 7 alkyl substituted with at least one substituent selected from C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl, furanyl, and hydrofuranyl; the hydrofuranyl is dihydrofuranyl or tetrahydrofuranyl; the substituted C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl in R2 is C 3 -C 10 cycloalkyl substituted with C 1 -C 7 alkyl; the hydropyranyl in R2 is dihydropyranyl or tetrahydropyranyl; the hydronaphthalenyl in R2 is selected from dihydronaphthalenyl, tetrahydronaphthalenyl, hexahydronaphthalenyl, and heptahydronaphthalenyl; and the substituted piperidinyl in R2 is piperidinyl substituted with at least one C 1 -C 7 alkyl group.
[0047] The phenyl substituted with benzonitrile is phenyl substituted with a substituent having any one of the structures of Formulae 3 to 5:
[0000]
[0048] wherein each asterisk (*) indicates a position where phenyl is bonded.
[0049] The substituted amino in R3 is amino substituted with one or two C 1 -C 7 alkyl groups.
[0050] In another embodiment, R1 is selected from phenyl, 2-fluorophenyl, 3-fluorophenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, 2-chlorophenyl, 3-chlorophenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 2-bromophenyl, 3-bromophenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 2-iodophenyl, 3-iodophenyl, 4-iodophenyl, 2-trimethylstannylphenyl, 3-trimethylstannylphenyl, 4-trimethylstannylphenyl, 2-methylphenyl, 3-methylphenyl, 4-methylphenyl, 2-methoxyphenyl, 3-methoxyphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl, 4-benzodioxolyl, 5-benzodioxolyl, 1-naphthalenyl, and 2-naphthalenyl.
[0051] In another embodiment, R2 is selected from phenyl, 2-fluorophenyl, 3-fluorophenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, 2-chlorophenyl, 3-chlorophenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 2-bromophenyl, 3-bromophenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 2-iodophenyl, 3-iodophenyl, 4-iodophenyl, 2-methoxyphenyl, 3-methoxyphenyl, 4-methoxyphenyl, 3,4-dimethoxyphenyl, 3,5-dimethoxyphenyl, 2-hydroxyphenyl, 3-hydroxyphenyl, 4-hydroxyphenyl, 2-methylphenyl, 3-methylphenyl, 4-methylphenyl, 2,5-dimethylphenyl, 2,6-dimethylphenyl, 3,4-dimethylphenyl, benzonitrile, 2-trifluoromethylphenyl, 3-trifluoromethylphenyl, 4-trifluoromethylphenyl, 2-trifluoromethoxyphenyl, 3-trifluoromethoxyphenyl, 4-trifluoromethoxyphenyl, 2-nitrophenyl, 3-nitrophenyl, 4-nitrophenyl, 2-vinylphenyl, 3-vinylphenyl, 4-vinylphenyl, butyl, allyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cyclooctyl, cyclopropylmethyl, cyclohexylmethyl, 4-methylcyclohexyl, tetrahydropyran-4-yl, 1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl, tetrahydrofuran-2-ylmethyl, 1-methylpiperidin-4-yl, isobutyl, neopentyl, 2-methylcyclohexyl, 3-methylcyclohexyl, 4-ethylcyclohexyl, and acetyloxy.
[0052] In another embodiment, R3 is selected from hydrogen, methyl, and dimethylamino.
[0053] In another embodiment, the thienopyrimidinone derivative is any one of the following compounds:
3,7-diphenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2-fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2-chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-bromophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-bromophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3,5-dimethoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-p-tolylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-ethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2,6-dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2,5-dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile; 4-(4-oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile; 7-phenyl-3-(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(4-trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-nitrophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(3-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]-pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(4-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-fluorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-chlorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-(3-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(7-(2-fluorophenyl)-4-oxothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(3-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(3-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(4-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(4-fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(3-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(3-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3,7-bis(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(4-chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-bromophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-bromophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-iodophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(2-(trimethylstannyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(p-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(p-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(2-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(3-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(3-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3,7-bis(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(naphthalen-1-yl)-3,4-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(naphthalen-1-yl)-3,4-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-(naphthalen-2-yl)-3,4-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-7-(naphthalen-2-yl)-3,4-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-2,4(1H,3H)-dione; 3-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-(dimethylamino)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-butyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-allyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclobutyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclopentyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclohexyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclooctyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(cyclopropylmethyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(cyclohexylmethyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-((1R,4R)-4-methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (R)-7-phenyl-3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (S)-7-phenyl-3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (S)-7-phenyl-3-((tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (R)-7-phenyl-3-((tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(1-methylpiperidin-4-yl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-isobutyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-neopentyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2-methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(3-methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-ethylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (1R,4R)-4-(4-oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)cyclohexyl acetate; 3-butyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-allyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclobutyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclopentyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclohexyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclooctyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(cyclopropylmethyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(cyclohexanemethyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-((1R,4R)-4-methylcyclohexyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cycloheptyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cycloheptyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(2,3-dihydro-1H-inden-2-yl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-isopropylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-phenyl-3-(4-propylcyclohexyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-(4-(tert-butyl)cyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; (1r,4r)-4-(7-(2-fluorophenyl)-4-oxothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)cyclohexyl acetate; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-isobutylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 7-(2-fluorophenyl)-3-neopentylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; 3-cyclooctyl-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one; and 3-cycloheptyl-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one.
[0171] In another aspect, the present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for treating a brain disease, including at least one of the thienopyrimidinone derivatives according to the embodiments of the present invention or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an active ingredient.
[0172] In one embodiment, the brain disease is selected from pain, a psychiatric disease, urinary incontinence, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease.
[0173] In a further embodiment, the pain is neuropathic pain or migraine, and the psychiatric disease is anxiety disorder or schizophrenia.
[0174] The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may be formulated into a dosage form suitable for oral or parenteral administration by compounding the thienopyrimidinone compound of Formula 1 or 2 or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof with one or more suitable additives selected from carriers, auxiliaries and diluents. The formulation may be carried out by a suitable technique known in the art. For oral administration, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may be in the form of tablets, capsules, solutions, syrups, etc. For parenteral administration, the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention may be in the form of intraperitoneal, subcutaneous, intramuscular, transdermal injectables, etc.
[0175] The daily effective dose of the pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention as an mGluR1 modulator is in the range of 0.01 to 1000 mg/day for an adult patient depending on the age, body weight, sex, mode of administration, general health, and severity of disease. The daily dose of the pharmaceutical composition may be administered in a single dose or in divided doses at regular time intervals according to the judgment of the physician or pharmacist.
[0176] In another aspect, the present invention provides a method for preparing the thienopyrimidinone derivative of Formula 1 or 2.
[0177] Specifically, the method of the present invention includes (a) formylating an aryl acetonitrile 2 to afford an aryl hydroxyacrylonitrile 3, (b) methylating the compound 3 to afford an aryl methoxyacrylonitrile 4, (c) forming a thiophene ring from the aryl methoxyacrylonitrile to synthesize a thiophene derivative 5, and (d) synthesizing the thienopyrimidinone derivative 1 from the thiophene derivative, as depicted in Reaction Scheme 1:
[0000]
[0178] In one embodiment, in step (d), (i) the thienopyrimidinone derivative 1 is directly synthesized from the thiophene derivative, (ii) the thiophene derivative is amidated to synthesize a compound 6 and a pyrimidinone ring is formed to synthesize the thienopyrimidinone derivative 1, or (iii) the thiophene derivative is reacted with an isocyanate to synthesize a thienopyrimidinedione derivative 7 and an amine is introduced to prepare the thienopyrimidinone derivative 1.
[0179] Specifically, the aryl acetonitrile 2 is formylated to afford the aryl hydroxyacrylonitrile 3. The formylation may be carried out using a base. Examples of suitable bases include NaH and NaN(SiMe 3 ) 2 . The formyl group may be introduced using an alkyl formate. Examples of suitable alkyl formates include ethyl formate and methyl formate. General organic solvents may be used in the formylation, and specific examples thereof include tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane. The formylation is preferably carried out at a temperature of −20° C. to 80° C. for 1 to 24 hours.
[0180] The aryl hydroxyacrylonitrile 3 is methylated to afford the aryl methoxyacrylonitrile 4. The methylation may be carried out using a base. Examples of suitable bases include NaH and NaN(SiMe 3 ) 2 . The methyl group may be introduced using various methylation reagents, such as methyl iodide and dimethyl sulfate. General organic solvents may be used in the methylation, and specific examples thereof include tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane. The methylation is preferably carried out at a temperature of 0° C. to 100° C. for 1 to 24 hours.
[0181] The thiophene derivative 5 including a thiophene ring is synthesized from the aryl methoxyacrylonitrile 4. The thiophene derivative 5 may be synthesized using various bases, such as NaOMe, MaOEt and KOtOBu. Specifically, the aryl methoxyacrylonitrile 4 is reacted with an alkyl thioglycolate, such as methyl thioglycolate, at 50 to 150° C. with stirring for 12 to 36 hours. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture is extracted with an organic solvent and purified by column chromatography to obtain the thiophene compound 5. General organic solvents may be used in the reaction, and specific examples thereof include methanol, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, dioxane, N,N-dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, and dichloromethane.
[0182] The target compound 1 can be prepared from the thiophene compound 5 by the following three methods. According to the first method, the compound 5 is mixed with a triethyl orthocarboxylate, such as triethyl orthoformate or triethyl orthoacetate, an amine, and acetic acid, and the mixture is heated with stirring to obtain the thienopyrimidinone compound 1. The reaction is desirably carried out at about 1 to about 5 atm and a temperature of 50 to 200° C. for 12 to 36 hours.
[0183] According to the second method, the compound 5 is amidated to synthesize the compound 6 and a pyrimidinone ring is formed to synthesize the thienopyrimidinone derivative 1. The amide compound 6 is prepared by reacting the thiophene compound 5 with an amine in the presence of a Lewis acid, such as trimethylaluminum. Starting from −20 to 15° C., the reaction temperature is raised with stirring. The compound 6 is then mixed with a triethyl orthocarboxylate, such as triethyl orthoformate or triethyl orthoacetate, and acetic acid. The mixture is heated with stirring to afford the thienopyrimidinone compound 1. According to the third method, the thiophene compound 5 is reacted with an isocyanate to prepare the thienopyrimidinedione 7, which is then aminated by a suitable method known in the art to synthesize the thienopyrimidinone compound 1 having R3 including the amine.
[0184] Specifically, the thienopyrimidinone compound 7 is chlorinated with N,N-diethylaniline and phosphoryl chloride (phosphorus oxychloride) by a method known in the art to obtain an intermediate. The intermediate is reacted with an amine in the presence of a base to obtain the thienopyrimidinone compound 1 as the target compound. The amine is included in the thienopyrimidinone compound 1.
[0185] In yet another aspect, the present invention provides a method for treating or preventing a brain disease. Specifically, the method includes administering to a mammal in need of such treatment at least one of the target compounds according to the embodiments of the present invention or the pharmaceutical composition including at least one of the target compounds.
[0186] That is, the present invention provides the medical use of the thienopyrimidinone compound of Formula 1 or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof or the pharmaceutical composition for the prevention and treatment of diseases.
[0187] Specifically, the present invention includes the medical use of the thienopyrimidinone compound as an mGluR1 modulator for the prevention and treatment of pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease.
[0188] The pharmaceutically acceptable salt of the thienopyrimidinone derivative of Formula 1 or 2 according to the present invention may be formed by any suitable method known in the art. For example, suitable pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts may also be formed through the addition of a non-toxic inorganic acid or organic acid. Examples of suitable non-toxic inorganic acids include hydrochloric acid, hydrobromic acid, sulfonic acid, amidosulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, and nitric acid. Examples of suitable non-toxic organic acids include acetic acid, propionic acid, succinic acid, glycolic acid, stearic acid, lactic acid, tartaric acid, citric acid, para-toluenesulfonic acid, and methanesulfonic acid.
[0189] A more detailed explanation of the substituents used to define the thienopyrimidinone derivative of Formula 1 or 2 according to the present invention will be provided below.
[0190] The term “aryl” is intended to include phenyl, substituted phenyl, naphthyl, and benzodioxazole groups. The term “alkyl” is intended to include straight, branched and cyclic carbon chains having 1 to 12 carbon atoms. Preferred alkyl groups are, for example, methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, isopropyl, allyl, n-butyl, isobutyl, tert-butyl, neopentyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cycloheptyl, cyclooctyl, cyclopropylmethyl, cyclohexylmethyl, methylcyclohexyl, ethylcyclohexyl, propylcyclohexyl, isopropylcyclohexyl, tert-butylcyclohexyl, tetrahydronaphthyl, heteroalkyl (e.g., tetrahydrofurfuryl and N-methylpiperidinyl), hydroxycyclohexyl, oxocyclohexyl, and tetrahydropyranyl groups. The term “alkoxy” refers to an alkyl group attached to oxygen wherein the alkyl is as defined above.
[0191] The present invention will be explained in more detail with reference to the following examples, including formulation examples and experimental example. However, these examples are not to be construed as limiting or restricting the scope and spirit of the invention. It is to be understood that based on the teachings of the present invention including the following examples, those skilled in the art can readily practice other embodiments of the present invention whose specific experimental data are not available.
[0192] Although there are differences in the structures and physical properties of the substituents depending on the kind of the substituents, the reaction principles and conditions of the Examples Section can also be applied to compounds including substituents that are not described in the Examples Section. Therefore, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can easily prepare the compounds including substituents based on the disclosure of the Examples Section and the common knowledge in the art.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
3-Hydroxy-2-phenylacrylonitrile
[0193] Phenylacetonitrile (10 g, 85.4 mmol) and methyl formate (67 ml) were dissolved in TIIF (250 ml) in a reaction vessel, and then NaH (2.6 g, 106.7 mmol) was added thereto at 0° C. The solution was stirred at room temperature for 12 hr. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was washed with distilled water and acidified with 1 N HCl to adjust the pH to 5 or less. Thereafter, the resulting solution was extracted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was dried over anhydrous Na 2 SO 4 , followed by filtration. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 12.3 g (84.7 mmol, quant.) of the title compound.
[0194] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.44-7.32 (m, 5H)
Example 2
3-Methoxy-2-phenylacrylonitrile
[0195] 3-Hydroxy-2-phenylacrylonitrile (12.3 g, 84.7 mmol) was dissolved in dry THF (100 ml) in a reaction vessel, and then NaH (4.1 g, 169.4 mmol) was slowly added thereto. The mixture was stirred at room temperature for 2 hr. Thereafter, dimethyl sulfate (13.7 ml, 144.0 mmol) was added, followed by stirring at 40° C. for 12 hr. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was washed with distilled water and concentrated under reduced pressure. The concentrate was diluted with EtOAc and extracted with EtOAc together with distilled water. The organic layer was dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 and filtered. The filtrate was concentrated under reduced pressure to give 17.9 g (112.5 mmol, quant.) of the title compound.
[0196] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.40-7.28 (m, 5H), 4.00 (s, 3H)
Example 3
Methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate
[0197] 3-Methoxy-2-phenylacrylonitrile (17.9 g, 112.5 mmol) was dissolved in NaOMe (5 M in MeOH, 31.5 ml, 157.5 mmol), and then methyl thioglycolate (16 ml, 180.0 mmol) was added thereto. The mixture was heated with stirring at 65° C. for 24 hr. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC), the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and filtered through Celite. The filtrate was washed with distilled water and extracted with dichloromethane. The organic layer was dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 and filtered. The filtrate was distilled under reduced pressure, and the concentrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography (EtOAc:Hex=1:5) to give 5.1 g (21.9 mmol, 26% yield in three steps) of the title compound.
[0198] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.49-7.39 (m, 5H), 7.25 (s, 1H), 5.64 (br, 2H), 3.88 (s, 3H)
Example 4
3-Amino-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxamide
[0199] p-Anisidine (29 mg, 0.24 mmol) was dissolved in toluene (2 ml) in a reaction vessel, and trimethylaluminum (2 M in TIIF, 0.12 ml) was added thereto at 0° C. After stirring for 10 min, to the mixture was added methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol). The resulting mixture was heated to reflux at 120° C. for 16 hr. The completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC. The reaction mixture was allowed to cool to room temperature, extracted with EtOAc, dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 , and concentrated under reduced pressure. The concentrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography (hexane:EtOAc=5:1) to give (57 mg, 0.18 mmol, 84% yield) of the title compound.
[0200] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.47-7.37 (m, 7H), 7.16 (s, 1H), 7.07 (brs, 1H), 6.93-6.89 (m, 2H), 5.86 (brs, 2H), 3.81 (s, 3H)
Compound 1: 3,7-Diphenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0201] Methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), aniline (76 mg, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were placed in a pressure bottle. The mixture was heated with stirring at 160° C. for 18 hr. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and solidified with diethyl ether and EtOAc to give 42 mg (0.14 mmol, 33% yield) of the title compound as a final product.
[0202] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.53 (s, 1H), 8.51 (s, 1H), 8.01 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 7.63-7.55 (m, 5H), 7.52 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.42 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 1H)
Compound 2: 3-(2-Fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0203] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 2-fluoroaniline (88.6 mg, 0.8 mmol), and acetic acid (0.12 ml) were used to give 36 mg (0.11 mmol, 26% yield) of the title compound.
[0204] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.12 (s, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.84 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 2H), 7.53-7.30 (m, 7H)
Compound 3: 3-(3-Fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0205] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.47 ml), 3-fluoroaniline (44.3 mg, 0.4 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 8.1 mg (0.025 mmol, 12% yield) of the title compound.
[0206] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.85-7.82 (m, 2H), 7.60-7.38 (m, 5H), 7.42-7.21 (m, 2H)
Compound 4: 3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0207] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (76 mg, 0.33 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), 4-fluoroaniline (0.058 mg, 0.61 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 68.5 mg (0.021 mmol, 64% yield) of the title compound.
[0208] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.92 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.83 (m, 2H), 7.54-7.40 (m, 5H), 7.31-7.24 (m, 2H)
Compound 5: 3-(2-Chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0209] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 2-chlorophenyl (102.1 mg, 0.8 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 19.2 mg (0.057 mmol, 13.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0210] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.04 (s, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.87-7.83 (m, 2H), 7.64-7.62 (m, 1H), 7.53-7.41 (m, 6H)
Compound 6: 3-(3-Chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0211] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.47 ml), 3-chlorophenyl (50.9 mg, 0.21 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 16 mg (0.047 mmol, 22.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0212] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.89 (s, 1H), 7.85-7.81 (m, 2H), 7.54-7.45 (m, 5H), 7.42-7.30 (m, 2H)
Compound 7: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0213] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (60 mg, 0.26 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.5 ml), 4-chloroaniline (61 mg, 0.48 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 31.6 mg (0.093 mmol, 36% yield) of the title compound.
[0214] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.86 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 2H), 7.58-7.50 (m, 4H), 7.46-7.40 (m, 3H)
Compound 8: 3-(3-Bromophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0215] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 3-bromoaniline (280 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 40 mg (0.10 mmol, 12% yield) of the title compound.
[0216] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 1H), 7.88-7.86 (m, 2H), 7.70-7.68 (m, 2H), 7.56-7.42 (m, 5H)
Compound 9: 3-(4-Bromophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0217] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-bromoaniline (280 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 13 mg (0.034 mmol, 4% yield) of the title compound.
[0218] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.18 (s, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.87-7.85 (m, 2H), 7.74-7.70 (m, 2H), 7.55-7.51 (m, 2H), 7.46-7.42 (m, 1H), 7.38-7.35 (m, 2H)
Compound 10: 3-(2-Methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0219] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), o-anisidine (201 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 204 mg (0.61 mmol, 71% yield) of the title compound.
[0220] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.09 (s, 1H), 7.91-7.88 (m, 3H), 7.54-7.38 (m, 5H), 7.14 (t, J=8.2 Hz, 2H), 3.85 (s, 3H)
Compound 11: 3-(3-Methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0221] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (70 mg, 0.30 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.57 ml), m-anisidine (0.063 ml, 0.56 mmol), and acetic acid (0.07 ml) were used to give 83 mg (0.25 mmol, 83% yield) of the title compound.
[0222] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.93-7.81 (m, 3H), 7.55-7.41 (m, 4H), 7.12-7.04 (m, 3H), 3.88 (s, 3H)
Compound 12: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0223] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (58 mg, 0.25 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.5 ml), p-anisidine (58 mg, 0.47 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 26 mg (0.078 mmol, 31% yield) of the title compound.
[0224] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.20 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.85 (m, 3H), 7.54-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.45-7.36 (m, 3H), 7.06 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 2H), 3.89 (s, 3H)
Compound 13: 3-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0225] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (52 mg, 0.22 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.45 ml), 3,4-dimethoxyaniline (62.8 mg, 0.41 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 48 mg (0.13 mmol, 59% yield) of the title compound.
[0226] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.86 (m, 3H), 7.54-7.40 (m, 3H), 7.03-6.94 (m, 3H), 3.97 (s, 3H), 3.93 (s, 3H)
Compound 14: 3-(3,5-Dimethoxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0227] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (72.3 mg, 0.31 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.62 ml), 3,5-dimethoxyaniline (88.8 mg, 0.58 mmol), and acetic acid (0.07 ml) were used to give 75.7 mg (0.21 mmol, 68% yield) of the title compound.
[0228] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.24 (s, 1H), 7.91-7.86 (m, 3H), 7.55-7.41 (m, 3H), 6.61 (s, 3H), 3.85 (s, 6H)
Compound 15: 3-(4-Hydroxyphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0229] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (500 mg, 2.14 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (5 ml), 4-aminophenol (444 mg, 4.07 mmol), and acetic acid (0.5 ml) were used to give 283 mg (0.88 mmol, 41% yield) of the title compound.
[0230] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO) δ 9.89 (brs, 1H), 8.47 (s, 1H), 8.44 (s, 1H), 7.98 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 7.52-7.32 (m, 5H), 6.94-6.89 (m, 2H)]
Compound 16: 7-Phenyl-3-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0231] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), o-toluidine (175 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 62 mg (0.19 mmol, 23% yield) of the title compound.
[0232] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.11 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 1H), 7.91-7.89 (m, 2H), 7.55-7.39 (m, 6H), 7.30 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 1H), 2.26 (s, 3H)
Compound 17: 7-Phenyl-3-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0233] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), m-toluidine (175 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 40 mg (0.13 mmol, 15% yield) of the title compound.
[0234] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.91 (s, 1H), 7.88 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.54-7.25 (m, 7H), 2.48 (s, 3H)
Compound 18: 7-Phenyl-3-p-tolylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0235] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.34 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.65 ml), p-toluidine (67.5 mg, 0.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 73.8 mg (0.23 mmol, 68% yield) of the title compound.
[0236] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.91-7.88 (m, 3H), 7.55-7.34 (m, 7H), 2.48 (s, 3H)
Compound 19: 3-(4-Ethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0237] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.42 ml), 4-ethylaniline (0.05 ml, 0.39 mmol), and acetic acid (0.05 ml) were used to give 59.5 mg (0.18 mmol, 60% yield) of the title compound.
[0238] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.23 (s, 1H), 7.92-7.87 (m, 3H), 7.55-7.37 (m, 7H), 2.78 (q, J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 1.34 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 3H)
Compound 20: 3-(2,6-Dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0239] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (43 mg, 0.18 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.34 ml), 2,6-dimethylaniline (0.04 ml, 0.33 mmol), and acetic acid (0.042 ml) were used to give 34.8 mg (0.10 mmol, 56% yield) of the title compound.
[0240] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.00 (s, 1H), 7.96 (s, 1H), 7.94-7.90 (m, 2H), 7.58-7.19 (m, 6H), 2.20 (s, 6H)
Compound 21: 3-(2,5-Dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0241] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (45.6 mg, 0.20 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.40 ml), 2,5-dimethylaniline (44.8 mg, 0.37 mmol), and acetic acid (0.05 ml) were used to give 28.8 mg (0.087 mmol, 44% yield) of the title compound.
[0242] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.11 (s, 1H), 7.95-7.87 (m, 3H), 7.57-7.26 (m, 5H), 7.12 (s, 1H), 2.34 (s, 3H), 2.21 (s, 3H)
Compound 22: 3-(3,4-Dimethylphenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0243] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (70 mg, 0.30 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.57 ml), 3,4-dimethylaniline (67.8 mg, 0.56 mmol), and acetic acid (0.07 ml) were used to give 49.2 mg (0.15 mmol, 50% yield) of the title compound.
[0244] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.92-7.88 (m, 3H), 7.56-7.18 (m, 6H), 2.38 (s, 6H)
Compound 23: 3-(4-Oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile
[0245] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 3-aminobenzonitrile (96 mg, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 20 mg (0.061 mmol, 14% yield) of the title compound.
[0246] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.58 (s, 1H), 8.54 (s, 1H), 8.19 (t, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 8.05 (d, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 8.00 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 3H), 7.82 (t, J=8.0 Hz, 1H), 7.52 (t, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.43 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 1H)
Compound 24: 4-(4-Oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile
[0247] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-aminobenzonitrile (96 mg, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 38 mg (0.12 mmol, 27% yield) of the title compound.
[0248] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.56 (s, 1H), 8.53 (s, 1H), 8.11 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.99 (d, J=8.0 Hz, 2H), 7.85 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.52 (t, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.45-7.41 (m, 1H)
Compound 25: 7-Phenyl-3-(3-trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0249] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 3-trifluoromethylaniline (263 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 12 mg (0.032 mmol, 4% yield) of the title compound.
[0250] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.95 (s, 1H), 7.87 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 2H), 7.83-7.69 (m, 4H), 7.53 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 2H), 7.45 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 1H)
Compound 26: 7-Phenyl-3-(4-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0251] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.40 ml), p-trifluoromethaneaniline (0.05 ml, 0.39 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 12.2 mg (0.033 mmol, 16% yield) of the title compound.
[0252] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.97 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.86 (m, 4H), 7.65 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.54 (t, J=7.8 Hz, 2H), 7.48-7.30 (m, 1H)
Compound 27: 7-Phenyl-3-(4-trifluoro methoxy)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0253] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-trifluoromethoxyaniline (289 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 70 mg (0.18 mmol, 21% yield) of the title compound.
[0254] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.27 (s, 1H), 7.92 (s, 1H), 7.87-7.85 (m, 2H), 7.54-7.50 (m, 4H), 7.46-7.42 (m, 3H)
Compound 28: 3-(4-Nitrophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0255] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (200 mg, 0.86 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-nitroaniline (225 mg, 1.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.2 ml) were used to give 31 mg (0.089 mmol, 10% yield) of the title compound.
[0256] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.46 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 1H), 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.97 (s, 1H), 7.86 (d, J=7.6 Hz, 2H), 7.72 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.54 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 2H), 7.47-7.45 (m, 1H)
Compound 29: 7-Phenyl-3-(3-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]-pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0257] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.47 ml), 4-vinylaniline (47.5 mg, 0.39 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 8 mg (0.024 mmol, 11.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0258] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.9 (s, 1H), 7.86-7.83 (m, 2H), 7.61-7.48 (m, 5H), 7.44-7.38 (m, 1H), 7.36-7.31 (m, 1H), 6.76 (dd, J=23.6, 14.4 Hz, 1H), 5.82 (d, J=23.6 Hz, 1H), 5.37 (d, J=14.4 Hz, 1H)
Compound 30: 7-Phenyl-3-(4-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0259] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-aminostyrene (97 mg, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 10 mg (0.030 mmol, 7% yield) of the title compound.
[0260] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.53 (s, 1H), 8.52 (s, 1H), 8.01 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.69 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.58-7.40 (m, 5H), 6.89-6.82 (m, 1H), 5.98 (d, J=17.6 Hz, 1H), 5.40 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 1H)
Compound 31: 3-(4-Fluorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0261] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (88 mg, 0.35 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.77 ml), 4-fluoroaniline (63 ml, 0.46 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 32 mg (0.095 mmol, 27% yield) of the title compound.
[0262] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.2 (s, 1H), 8.07 (d, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.6 (td, J=7.6, 1.7 Hz, 1H), 7.49-7.40 (m, 3H), 7.35-7.23 (m, 4H)
Compound 32: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0263] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2.0 ml), 4-chloroaniline (94.43 mg, 0.74 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 38 mg (0.11 mmol, 27% yield) of the title compound.
[0264] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.15 (s, 1H), 8.03 (s, 1H), 7.85-7.84 (m, 1H), 7.58 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 2H), 7.44 (d, J=11.4 Hz, 2H), 7.40-7.26 (m, 3H)
Compound 33: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0265] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2.0 ml), p-anisidine (91.17 mg, 0.74 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 22 mg (0.062 mmol, 16% yield) of the title compound.
[0266] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.20 (s, 1H), 8.05 (s, 1H), 8.04-7.89 (m, 1H), 7.40-7.28 (m, 5H), 7.10-7.07 (m, 2H), 3.91 (s, 3H)
Compound 34: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0267] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (500 mg, 1.99 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (5 ml), 4-aminophenol (412 mg, 3.78 mmol), and acetic acid (0.5 ml) were used to give 328 mg (0.97 mmol, 49% yield) of the title compound.
[0268] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO) δ 9.90 (s, 1H), 8.40 (s, 1H), 7.81 (td, J=7.7 Hz, J=1.5 Hz, 1H), 7.52-7.44 (m, 1H), 7.38-7.30 (m, 4H), 6.93-6.90 (m, 1H)
Compound 35: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0269] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.72 ml), 3-aminophenol (64.6 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 41.5 mg (0.12 mmol, 38.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0270] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO) δ 9.96 (s, 1H), 8.42 (s, 2H), 7.83-7.78 (m, 1H), 7.51-7.45 (m, 1H), 7.39-7.31 (m, 3H), 6.95-6.91 (m, 3H)
Compound 36: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0271] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.79 ml), m-toluidine (63.8 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 70 mg (0.21 mmol, 65.0% yield) of the title compound.
[0272] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.45-8.43 (m, 2H), 7.85-7.80 (m, 1H), 7.53-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.33 (m, 5H), 2.41 (s, 3H)
Compound 37: 3-(3-Chlorophenyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0273] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.79 ml), 3-chloroaniline (75.5 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 84 mg (0.24 mmol, 73.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0274] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.49 (s, 1H), 8.45 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.78 (m, 2H), 7.64-7.52 (m, 3H), 7.50-7.48 (m, 1H), 7.42-7.34 (m, 2H)
Compound 38: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-(3-vinylphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0275] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.79 ml), 3-vinylaniline (70.6 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 64 mg (0.18 mmol, 57.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0276] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.49 (s, 1H), 8.44 (s, 1H), 8.44-7.80 (m, 1H), 7.72 (s, 1H), 7.64 (d, J=7.6 Hz), 7.59-7.34 (m, 3H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 2H), 6.83 (dd, J=17.6, 10.8 Hz, 1H), 5.97 (d, J=17.6 Hz, 1H), 5.39 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 1H)
Compound 39: 3-(7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-4-oxothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)benzonitrile
[0277] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.79 ml), 3-aminobenzonitrile (70 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 20 mg (0.06 mmol, 18.0% yield) of the title compound.
[0278] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.13 (s, 1H), 8.06-8.05 (m, 1H), 7.85-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.73-7.70 (m, 2H), 7.42-7.38 (m, 1H), 7.31-7.27 (m, 1H), 7.25-7.23 (m, 1H)
Compound 40: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(3-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0279] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.2 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.45 ml), 4-chloroaniline (47.2 mg, 0.37 mmol), and acetic acid (0.05 ml) were used to give 52.1 mg (0.15 mmol, 73.0% yield) of the title compound.
[0280] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.65 (s, 1H), 8.56 (s, 1H), 7.96-7.88 (m, 2H), 7.69-7.63 (m, 4H), 7.59-7.53 (m, 1H), 7.29-7.24 (m, 1H)
Compound 41: 7-(3-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0281] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (56.2 mg, 0.22 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.42 ml), p-anisidine (50.5 mg, 0.41 mmol), and acetic acid (0.05 ml) were used to give 30.3 mg (0.086 mmol, 39% yield) of the title compound.
[0282] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.95 (s, 1H), 7.68-7.10 (m, 8H), 3.84 (s, 3H)
Compound 42: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(4-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0283] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.32 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-chloroaniline (74.45 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 46 mg (0.13 mmol, 40% yield) of the title compound.
[0284] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.52 (s, 1H), 8.45 (s, 1H), 8.08-8.03 (m, 2H), 7.66-7.61 (m, 4H), 7.61-7.32 (m, 2H)
Compound 43: 7-(4-Fluorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0285] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.32 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), p-anisidine (72.9 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 57 mg (0.16 mmol, 51% yield) of the title compound.
[0286] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.5 (s, 1H), 8.48 (s, 1H), 8.08-8.04 (m, 2H), 7.48 (d, J=8.70, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=8.70, 9.00 Hz, 2H), 7.13 (d, J=2.1 Hz, 2H), 3.84 (s, 3H)
Compound 44: 7-(2-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0287] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-chlorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.373 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-chloroaniline (88.5 mg, 0.70 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 31.3 mg (0.084 mmol, 23% yield) of the title compound.
[0288] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.15 (s, 1H), 7.97 (s, 1H), 7.58-7.44 (m, 4H), 7.44-7.40 (m, 4H)
Compound 45: 7-(2-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0289] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-chlorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.373 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), p-anisidine (85.56 mg, 0.70 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 48.7 mg (0.13 mmol, 35% yield) of the title compound.
[0290] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.96 (s, 1H), 7.65-7.54 (m, 2H), 7.45-7.36 (m, 4H), 7.11-7.07 (m, 2H), 3.91 (s, 3H)
Compound 46: 7-(3-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0291] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), 4-chloroaniline (71.2 mg, 0.56 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 78.3 mg (0.21 mmol, 70.8% yield) of the title compound.
[0292] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.94 (s, 1H), 7.89-7.88 (m, 1H), 7.75-7.72 (m, 1H), 7.56-7.54 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.39 (m, 4H)
Compound 47: 7-(3-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0293] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3-chlorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), p-anisidine (68.5 mg, 0.56 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 84 mg (0.23 mmol, 76% yield) of the title compound.
[0294] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.92 (s, 1H), 7.90-7.89 (m, 1H), 7.76-7.36 (m, 1H), 7.44-7.33 (m, 4H), 7.08-7.04 (m, 2H), 3.88 (s, 3H)
Compound 48: 3,7-Bis(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0295] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-chlorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.373 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), 4-chloroaniline (88.5 mg, 0.70 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 15 mg (0.04 mmol, 11% yield) of the title compound.
[0296] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.15 (s, 1H), 7.90 (s, 1H), 7.81-7.79 (m, 2H), 7.54 (d, J=6.3 Hz, 2H), 7.46 (d, J=6.3 Hz, 2H), 7.39 (d, J=6.9 Hz, 2H)
Compound 49: 7-(4-Chlorophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0297] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-chlorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.373 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), p-anisidine (85.56 mg, 0.70 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 97 mg (0.26 mmol, 70% yield) of the title compound.
[0298] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.87-7.83 (m, 2H), 7.52-7.48 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.36 (m, 2H), 7.12-7.07 (m, 2H), 3.92 (s, 3H)
Compound 50: 7-(2-Bromophenyl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0299] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-bromophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (150 mg, 0.48 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.64 ml), 4-chloroaniline (75 mg, 0.59 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 148.2 mg (0.35 mmol, 73% yield) of the title compound.
[0300] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.93 (s, 1H), 7.45 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 1H), 7.24-7.04 (m, 7H)
Compound 51: 7-(2-Bromophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0301] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-bromophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (1.4 g, 4.48 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (12 ml), p-anisidine (930 mg, 8.52 mmol), and acetic acid (1.2 ml) were used to give 422 mg (1.02 mmol, 23% yield) of the title compound.
[0302] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.37 (s, 1H), 7.33 (s, 1H), 7.79 (d, J=5.8 Hz, 1H), 7.53-7.46 (m, 4H), 7.42-7.38 (m, 1H), 7.13-7.09 (m, 3H), 3.84 (s, 3H)
Compound 52: 7-(2-Iodophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0303] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-iodophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (700 mg, 1.95 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (3 ml), p-anisidine (231 mg, 2.12 mmol), and acetic acid (0.3 ml) were used to give 460 mg (1.00 mmol, 51% yield) of the title compound.
[0304] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.37 (s, 1H), 8.28 (s, 1H), 8.02 (dd, J=8.0, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 7.54-7.46 (m, 3H), 7.42 (dd, J=7.6, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.21 (td, J=7.6, 1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.13-7.093 (m, 2H)
Compound 53: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(2-(trimethylstannyl)phenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0305] 7-(2-Iodophenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one (300 mg, 0.65 mmol), hexamethylditin (427 mg, 1.30 mmol), Pd(PPh 3 ) 4 (150 mg, 0.13 mmol), and Ag 2 O (302 mg, 1.30 mmol) were dissolved in dry toluene (4 ml) in a reaction vessel. The oxygen content of the mixture was maximized using argon gas and an aspirator. Thereafter, the mixture was stirred at 100° C. for 16 hr. After completion of the reaction, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and purified by silica gel column chromatography (EtOAc:Hex=1:3) to give 200 mg (0.40 mmol, 62% yield) of the title compound.
[0306] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.38 (s, 1H), 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.61-7.59 (m, 1H), 7.48-7.38 (m, 5H), 7.13-7.11 (m, 2H), 3.85 (s, 3H), 0.00 (quint, J=27.6 Hz, 9H)
Compound 54: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0307] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(o-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.32 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.7 ml), 4-chloroaniline (76.8 mg, 0.6 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 33.5 mg (0.09 mmol, 28.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0308] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.09 (s, 1H), 7.73 (s, 1H), 7.54-7.52 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.38 (m, 2H), 7.35-7.31 (m, 4H), 2.28 (s, 3H)
Compound 55: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0309] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(o-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.4 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.88 ml), p-anisidine (92.6 mg, 0.75 mmol), and acetic acid (0.13 ml) were used to give 83.2 mg (0.24 mmol, 60% yield) of the title compound.
[0310] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.11 (s, 1H), 7.70 (s, 1H), 7.36-7.30 (m, 6H), 7.04 (d, J=2 Hz, 2H), 3.87 (s, 3H), 2.28 (s, 3H)
Compound 56: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0311] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(m-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.32 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.7 ml), 4-chloroaniline (76.8 mg, 0.6 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 85.1 mg (0.23 mmol, 72.1% yield) of the title compound.
[0312] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.15 (s, 1H), 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.63-7.61 (m, 2H), 7.55-7.51 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.35 (m, 3H), 2.44 (s, 3H)
Compound 57: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(m-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0313] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(m-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.32 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.7 ml), p-anisidine (74.1 mg, 0.6 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 36.5 mg (0.11 mmol, 32.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0314] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.86 (s, 1H), 7.63-7.62 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.33 (m, 3H), 7.22-7.20 (m, 1H), 7.06-7.03 (m, 2H), 3.87 (s, 3H), 2.44 (s, 3H)
Compound 58: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(p-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0315] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(p-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-chloroaniline (94.4 mg, 0.74 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 48 mg (0.14 mmol, 35% yield) of the title compound.
[0316] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.90 (s, 1H), 7.78 (d, J=8.1 Hz, 2H), 7.59-7.56 (m, 2H), 7.46-7.42 (m, 2H), 7.35-7.30 (m, 2H), 2.46 (s, 3H)
Compound 59: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(p-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0317] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(p-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), p-anisidine (91.63 mg, 0.74 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 98.3 mg (0.28 mmol, 70% yield) of the title compound.
[0318] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.88 (s, 1H), 7.78-7.75 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.33 (m, 4H), 7.11-7.08 (m, 2H), 3.92 (s, 3H), 2.45 (s, 3H)
Compound 60: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(2-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0319] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (50 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.41 ml), 4-chloroaniline (45.05 mg, 0.35 mmol), and acetic acid (0.05 ml) were used to give 49.4 mg (0.13 mmol, 70.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0320] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.12 (s, 1H), 8.01 (s, 1H), 7.65-7.62 (m, 1H), 7.55-7.51 (m, 2H), 7.43-7.37 (m, 3H), 7.12-7.04 (m, 2H), 3.85 (s, 1H)
Compound 61: 7-(2-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0321] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (40 mg, 0.15 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.33 ml), p-anisidine (34.8 mg, 0.28 mmol), and acetic acid (0.04 ml) were used to give 31 mg (0.09 mmol, 56.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0322] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.14 (s, 1H), 7.99 (s, 1H), 7.65 (dd, J=7.6, 1.6 Hz, 1H) 7.41-7.33 (m, 3H), 7.11-7.03 (m, 4H), 3.87 (s, 3H), 3.85 (s, 3H)
Compound 62: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(3-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0323] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), 4-chloroaniline (72.1 mg, 0.57 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 13.2 mg (0.04 mmol, 11.9% yield) of the title compound.
[0324] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.16 (s, 1H), 7.92 (s, 1H), 7.54 (dd, J=6.8, 2 Hz, 2H), 7.43-7.39 (m, 3H), 6.96-6.94 (m, 1H), 3.88 (s, 3H)
Compound 63: 7-(3-Methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0325] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), p-anisidine (70.2 mg, 0.57 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 56 mg (0.15 mmol, 51.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0326] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.89 (s, 1H), 7.44-7.40 (m, 3H), 7.36-7.34 (m, 2H), 7.06-7.04 (m, 2H), 6.98-6.93 (m, 1H), 3.88 (s, 6H)
Compound 64: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0327] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), 4-chloroaniline (71.2 mg, 0.56 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 96.2 mg (0.26 mmol, 86.9% yield) of the title compound.
[0328] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.15 (s, 1H), 7.82 (s, 1H), 7.77 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.54 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.39 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.02 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 3.86 (s, 3H)
Compound 65: 3,7-Bis(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0329] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(4-methoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.3 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.66 ml), p-anisidine (70.2 mg, 0.57 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 95.7 mg (0.26 mmol, 87.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0330] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.47 (s, 1H), 8.39 (s, 1H), 7.97 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.5 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.13 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.07 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 3.85 (s, 3H), 3.83 (s, 3H)
Compound 66: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0331] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (30 mg, 0.13 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.31 ml), 4-chloroaniline (29.7 mg, 0.23 mmol), and acetic acid (0.04 ml) were used to give 14.5 mg (0.04 mmol, 28% yield) of the title compound.
[0332] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.16 (s, 1H), 7.85 (s, 1H), 7.55-7.53 (m, 2H), 7.47 (d, J=8 Hz, 4H), 7.00 (d, J=8 Hz, 2H), 3.95 (d, J=8 Hz, 6H)
Compound 67: 7-(3,4-Dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0333] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.27 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.6 ml), 4-chloroaniline (62.5 mg, 0.51 mmol), and acetic acid (0.09 ml) were used to give 14.5 mg (0.04 mmol, 28% yield) of the title compound.
[0334] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.82 (s, 1H), 7.43-7.39 (m, 2H), 7.35 (dd, J=6.8, 2 Hz, 2H), 7.05 (dd, J=6.8, 2 Hz, 2H), 6.99 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H), 3.97 (d, J=9.6 Hz, 6H), 3.88 (s, 3H)
Compound 68: 7-(Benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-3-(4-chlorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0335] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (60 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.48 ml), 4-chloroaniline (51.0 mg, 0.4 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 47.3 mg (0.17 mmol, 79.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0336] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.14 (s, 1H), 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.55-7.52 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.35 (m, 3H), 7.03 (d, J=10.4 Hz, 1H), 6.93 (d, J=10.8 Hz, 1H), 6.02 (s, 2H)
Compound 69: 7-(Benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-3-(4-methoxyphenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0337] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (60 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.46 ml), p-anisidine (49.6 mg, 0.4 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 52.4 mg (0.14 mmol, 65.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0338] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.47 (s, 1H), 8.42 (s, 1H), 7.60-7.56 (m, 2H), 7.30 (dd, J=146.6, 8.86 Hz, 4H), 7.05 (d, J=8.08 Hz, 1H), 6.09 (s, 2H), 3.84 (s, 3H)
Compound 70: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(naphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0339] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(naphthalen-1-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (43.8 mg, 0.15 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.32 ml), 4-chloroaniline (44.3 mg, 0.4 mmol), and acetic acid (0.04 ml) were used to give 27 mg (0.07 mmol, 46.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0340] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.05 (s, 1H), 7.95-7.91 (m, 3H), 7.74 (d, J=12 Hz, 1H), 7.61-7.38 (m, 8H)
Compound 71: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(naphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0341] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(naphthalen-1-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (60 mg, 0.21 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.46 ml), p-anisidine (48.5 mg, 0.39 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 42.8 mg (0.12 mmol, 58.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0342] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.01 (s, 1H), 7.96-7.92 (m, 2H), 7.89 (s, 1H), 7.76 (d, J=8 Hz, 1H) 7.62-7.37 (m, 4H), 7.35-7.33 (m, 2H), 7.07-7.02 (m, 2H), 3.87 (s, 3H)
Compound 72: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-(naphthalen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0343] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(naphthalen-2-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (43.8 mg, 0.15 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.32 ml), 4-chloroaniline (36.7 mg, 0.28 mmol), and acetic acid (0.04 ml) were used to give 100 mg (0.26 mmol, 92% yield) of the title compound.
[0344] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.37 (s, 1H), 8.13 (s, 1H), 7.96-7.85 (m, 5H), 7.52-7.48 (m, 4H), 7.38-7.35 (m, 2H)
Compound 73: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-7-(naphthalen-2-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0345] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(naphthalen-2-yl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.28 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.62 ml), p-anisidine (64.7 mg, 0.53 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 36.5 mg (0.1 mmol, 33.9% yield) of the title compound.
[0346] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.40 (s, 1H), 8.23 (s, 1H), 8.01 (s, 1H), 7.95-7.87 (m, 4H), 7.53-7.51 (m, 3H), 7.37 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 7.01 (d, J=8.8 Hz, 2H), 3.89 (s, 3H)
Compound 74: 3-(4-Methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0347] 3-Amino-N-(4-methoxyphenyl)-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxamide (57 mg, 0.18 mmol), triethyl orthoacetate (1 ml), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were placed in a pressure bottle. The mixture was heated with stiffing at 160° C. for 18 hr. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and solidified with diethyl ether and EtOAc to give 13 mg (0.037 mmol, 21% yield) of the title compound.
[0348] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, DMSO) δ 8.43 (s, 1H), 8.01 (d, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 7.52-7.37 (m, 5H), 7.11 (d, J=8.7 Hz, 2H) 3.84 (s, 3H), 2.19 (s, 3H)
Compound 75: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-2,4(1H,3H)-dione
[0349] Methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (400 mg, 1.71 mmol), triethylamine (0.04 ml, 0.43 mmol), and 4-chlorophenyl isocyanate (0.39 ml, 3.16 mmol) were dissolved in 1,4-dioxane (10 ml) in a reaction vessel. The mixture was heated with stirring at 90° C. for 3 days. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and filtered. The filtered solid was dissolved in a 10% sodium hydroxide/methanol (3 ml/12 ml) solution and refluxed with stirring at 100° C. overnight. After completion of the reaction, the reaction solution was cooled to room temperature, acidified with 3 N hydrochloric acid, and filtered to give 548 mg (1.54 mmol, 90% yield) of the title compound as a solid.
[0350] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.74 (s, 1H), 7.65 (s, 1H), 7.45-7.61 (m, 7H), 7.27-7.30 (m, 2H)
[0000]
Compound 76: 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-2-(dimethylamino)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0351] 3-(4-Chlorophenyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-2,4(1H,3H)-dione (100 mg, 0.3 mmol), N,N-diethylaniline (0.014 ml, 0.09 mmol), and phosphoryl chloride (0.34 ml, 3.6 mmol) were placed in a reaction vessel. The mixture was heated with stirring at 130° C. overnight. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and separated with NaHCO 3 and dichloromethane. The extracted organic layer was washed with brine, dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 , and filtered. The filtrate was distilled under reduced pressure. The concentrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography (EtOAc:Hex=1:5) to give 2-chloro-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-phenyl-2,3-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(1H)-one (22.7 mg, 0.06 mmol, 20% yield).
[0352] The thus synthesized compound 2-chloro-3-(4-chlorophenyl)-7-phenyl-2,3-dihydrothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(1H)-one (22.7 mg, 0.06 mmol) was mixed with a solution of N,N-dimethylamine (3 ml) and diisopropylethylamine (0.01 ml, 0.06 mmol) in THF. The mixture was heated with stirring at 65° C. overnight. After the completion of the reaction was confirmed by TLC, the reaction mixture was cooled to room temperature and separated with water and dichloromethane. The extracted organic layer was washed with brine, dried over anhydrous MgSO 4 , and filtered. The filtrate was distilled under reduced pressure. The concentrate was purified by silica gel column chromatography (EtOAc:Hex=1:5) to give 14.1 mg (0.037 mmol, 62% yield) of the title compound.
[0353] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.00-7.97 (m, 2H), 7.84 (s, 1H), 7.52-7.30 (m, 8H), 2.69 (s, 6H)
Compound 77: 3-Butyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0354] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), n-butylamine (0.097 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 92 mg (0.32 mmol, 75.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0355] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.10 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.56 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.07 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 1.84-1.76 (m, 2H), 1.42 (sextet, J=7.5 Hz, 2H), 0.97 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 3H)
Compound 78: 3-Allyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0356] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), allylamine hydrochloride (92.6 mg, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 66.4 mg (0.25 mmol, 57.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0357] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.11 (s, 1H), 7.84-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.50-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.36 (m, 1H), 6.08-5.95 (m, 1H), 5.34-5.24 (m, 2H), 4.72-4.67 (m, 2H)
Compound 79: 3-Cyclobutyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0358] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclobutylamine (0.084 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 83.9 mg (0.30 mmol, 69.1% yield) of the title compound.
[0359] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.27 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 5.17-5.09 (m, 1H), 2.63-2.56 (m, 2H), 2.44-2.32 (m, 2H), 1.99-1.91 (m, 2H)
Compound 80: 3-Cyclopentyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0360] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclopentylamine (0.080 ml, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 108.3 mg (0.37 mmol, 85% yield) of the title compound.
[0361] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.21 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 5.30-5.23 (m, 1H), 2.31-2.22 (m, 2H), 1.99-1.75 (m, 6H), 1.57-1.54 (m, 2H)
Compound 81: 3-Cyclohexyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0362] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclohexylamine (0.113 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 109.7 mg (0.35 mmol, 82.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0363] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.20 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.91-4.84 (m, 1H), 2.05 (d, J=12.0 Hz, 2H), 1.95 (d, J=13.2 Hz, 2H), 1.81-1.78 (m, 1H), 1.68-1.48 (m, 4H), 1.32-1.21 (m, 1H)
Compound 82: 3-Cyclooctyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0364] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclooctylamine (0.113 ml, 0.81 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 82.9 mg (0.24 mmol, 57% yield) of the title compound.
[0365] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 5.17-5.10 (m, 1H), 2.04-1.94 (m, 4H), 1.87-1.83 (m, 2H), 1.74-1.60 (m, 8H)
Compound 83: 3-(Cyclopropylmethyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0366] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclopropanemethylamine (0.086 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 76 mg (0.27 mmol, 62.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0367] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 3.93 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.37-1.25 (m, 1H), 0.71-0.59 (m, 2H), 0.50-0.39 (m, 2H)
Compound 84: 3-(Cyclohexylmethyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0368] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclohexanemethylamine (0.129 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 102.3 mg (0.32 mmol, 73.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0369] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.04 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 3.77 (d, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 1.95-1.84 (m, 1H), 1.74-1.67 (m, 5H), 1.29-1.12 (m, 3H), 1.07-0.98 (m, 2H)
Compound 85: 3-((1R,4R)-4-methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0370] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (76 mg, 0.33 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), trans-4-methylcyclohexylamine (0.1 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 53.9 mg (0.17 mmol, 50.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0371] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.20 (s, 1H), 7.84-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.90-4.82 (m, 1H), 2.05-2.01 (m, 2H), 1.92-1.88 (m, 2H), 1.75-1.64 (m, 2H), 1.55-1.44 (m, 1H), 1.31-1.21 (m, 2H), 0.98 (d, J=6.5 Hz, 3H)
Compound 86: 7-Phenyl-3-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0372] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 4-aminotetrahydropyrane (0.102 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 76.7 mg (0.25 mmol, 57.1% yield) of the title compound.
[0373] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.85 (s, 1H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 2H), 7.50-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.37 (m, 1H), 5.21-5.13 (m, 1H), 4.18-4.14 (m, 2H), 3.63 (td, J=11.4, 2.7 Hz, 2H), 2.08-1.96 (m, 4H)
Compound 87: (R)-7-phenyl-3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0374] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), (R)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-amine (0.141 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 73.3 mg (0.20 mmol, 47.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0375] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.86 (s, 1H), 7.81-7.77 (m, 3H), 7.46-7.41 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.33 (m, 1H), 7.24-7.20 (m, 2H), 7.17-7.13 (m, 1H), 6.99-6.97 (m, 1H), 6.29 (t, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 3.01-2.84 (m, 2H), 2.37-2.28 (m, 1H), 2.13-2.05 (m, 1H), 1.98-1.85 (m, 2H)
Compound 88: (S)-7-phenyl-3-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro naphthalen-1-yl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0376] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), (S)-1,2,3,4-tetrahydronaphthalen-1-amine (0.141 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 82.1 mg (0.23 mmol, 53.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0377] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 7.87 (s, 1H), 7.81-7.77 (m, 3H), 7.46-7.41 (m, 2H), 7.37-7.33 (m, 1H), 7.26-7.20 (m, 2H), 7.17-7.13 (m, 1H), 6.98-6.97 (m, 1H), 6.29 (t, J=6.0 Hz, 1H), 3.01-2.84 (m, 2H), 2.36-2.28 (m, 1H), 2.13-2.04 (m, 1H), 1.97-1.85 (m, 2H)
Compound 89: (S)-7-phenyl-3-((tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0378] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), (S)-(tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methanamine (0.102 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 90.1 mg (0.29 mmol, 67.1% yield) of the title compound.
[0379] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.25 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.42 (dd, J=10.3, 2.8 Hz, 1H), 4.27-4.21 (m, 1H), 3.96-3.73 (m, 3H), 2.17-2.07 (m, 1H), 1.97-1.83 (m, 2H), 1.67-1.58 (m, 1H)
Compound 90: (R)-7-phenyl-3-((tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0380] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), (R)-(tetrahydrofuran-2-yl)methanamine (0.102 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 97.3 mg (0.31 mmol, 72.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0381] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.25 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.42 (dd, J=10.4, 2.8 Hz, 1H), 4.27-4.21 (m, 1H), 3.96-3.73 (m, 3H), 2.17-2.07 (m, 1H), 1.97-1.82 (m, 2H), 1.67-1.58 (m, 1H)
Compound 91: 3-(1-Methylpiperidin-4-yl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0382] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 1-methylpiperidin-4-amine (0.124 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 47.3 mg (0.15 mmol, 33.8% yield) of the title compound.
[0383] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.24 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.78 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 4.98-4.90 (m, 1H), 3.03 (d, J=12.2 Hz, 2H), 2.36 (s, 3H), 2.27-2.20 (m, 2H), 2.03-1.98 (m, 4H)
Compound 92: 3-Isobutyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0384] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), isobutylamine (0.099 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 69.7 mg (0.25 mmol, 57% yield) of the title compound.
[0385] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.06 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.50-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.36 (m, 1H), 3.87 (d, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 2.31-2.17 (m, 1H), 1.00 (d, J=6.7 Hz, 6H)
Compound 93: 3-Neopentyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0386] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), neopentylamine (0.117 ml, 0.99 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 45.8 mg (0.15 mmol, 35.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0387] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.09 (s, 1H), 7.83-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.50-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 3.94 (s, 2H), 1.04 (s, 9H)
Compound 94: 3-(2-Methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0388] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 2-methylcyclohexanamine (0.120 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 65.9 mg (0.20 mmol, 47.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0389] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.14 (m, 1H), 7.83-7.81 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.36 (m, 1H), 5.00 (dt, J=13.2, 3.8 Hz, 0.4H), 4.67 (brs, 0.6H), 2.49-1.23 (m, 9H), 0.88 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 1H), 0.83 (d, J=6.4 Hz, 2H)
Compound 95: 3-(3-Methylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0390] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 3-methylcyclohexanamine (0.120 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 98.4 mg (0.30 mmol, 70.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0391] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.23 (s, 0.3H), 8.20 (s, 0.7H), 7.83-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.46 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.35 (m, 1H), 5.19-5.11 (m, 0.3H), 4.95-4.87 (m, 0.7H), 2.28-1.50 (m, 8H), 1.34-1.16 (m, 1H), 1.02-0.92 (m, 3H)
Compound 96: 3-(4-Ethylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0392] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), 4-ethylcyclohexanamine (0.133 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 6.8 mg (0.02 mmol, 4.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0393] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 0.6H), 8.19 (s, 0.4H), 7.82-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.48-7.44 (m, 2H), 7.39-7.35 (m, 1H), 4.90-4.79 (m, 1H), 2.07-1.62 (m, 8H), 1.51-1.43 (m, 1H), 1.33-1.16 (m, 2H), 0.95-0.90 (m, 3H)
Compound 97: (1R,4R)-4-(4-oxo-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)cyclohexyl acetate
[0394] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), (1r,4r)-4-aminocyclohexyl acetate hydrochloride (174 mg, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 73.4 mg (0.20 mmol, 46.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0395] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.16 (s, 1H), 7.84-7.79 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.40-7.37 (m, 1H), 4.95-4.89 (m, 1H), 4.84-4.76 (m, 1H), 2.21-2.07 (m, 7H), 1.91-1.62 (m, 4H)
Compound 98: 3-Butyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0396] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), n-butylamine (0.076 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 113.2 mg (0.37 mmol, 93.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0397] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.09 (s, 1H), 7.96 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.35 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.18 (m, 2H), 4.07 (t, J=7.3 Hz, 2H), 1.84-1.77 (m, 2H), 1.51-1.37 (m, 2H), 0.98 (t, J=7.4 Hz, 3H)
Compound 99: 3-Allyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0398] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), allylamine (86 mg, 0.92 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 11.7 mg (0.04 mmol, 10.2% yield) of the title compound.
[0399] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.09 (s, 1H), 7.97 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.35 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 6.06-5.97 (m, 1H), 5.34-5.26 (m, 2H), 4.71-4.69 (m, 2H)
Compound 100: 3-Cyclobutyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0400] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclobutylamine (0.065 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 110.2 mg (0.37 mmol, 91.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0401] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.26 (s, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.35 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.18 (m, 2H), 5.17-5.08 (m, 1H), 2.64-2.56 (m, 2H), 2.43-2.32 (m, 2H), 1.99-1.91 (m, 2H)
Compound 101: 3-Cyclopentyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0402] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclopentylamine (0.09 ml, 0.92 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 75 mg (0.24 mmol, 59.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0403] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.20 (s, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 5.30-5.22 (m, 1H), 2.30-2.22 (m, 2H), 1.98-1.75 (m, 6H)
Compound 102: 3-Cyclohexyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0404] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclohexylamine (0.128 ml, 0.92 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 76 mg (0.23 mmol, 57.9% yield) of the title compound.
[0405] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.19 (s, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 4.91-4.84 (m, 1H), 2.06-2.03 (m, 2H), 1.96-1.93 (m, 2H), 1.80 (d, J=13.5 Hz, 1H), 1.67-1.48 (m, 4H), 1.32-1.19 (m, 1H)
Compound 103: 3-Cyclooctyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0406] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclooctylamine (0.128 ml, 0.92 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 90.4 mg (0.25 mmol, 63.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0407] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.95 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.41-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 5.17-5.10 (m, 1H), 2.05-1.60 (m, 14H)
Compound 104: 3-(Cyclopropylmethyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0408] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclopropanemethylamine (0.066 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 57.1 mg (0.17 mmol, 43% yield) of the title compound.
[0409] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.17 (s, 1H), 7.94 (d, J=1.4 Hz, 1H), 7.82 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.38-7.32 (m, 1H), 7.26-7.16 (m, 2H), 3.91 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.34-1.22 (m, 1H), 0.69-0.57 (m, 2H), 0.48-0.37 (m, 2H)
Compound 105: 3-(Cyclohexanemethyl)-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0410] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), cyclohexanemethylamine (0.099 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 102.1 mg (0.31 mmol, 78.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0411] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.04 (s, 1H), 7.96 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.84 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 3.88 (d, J=7.2 Hz, 2H), 1.95-1.84 (m, 1H), 1.74-1.64 (m, 6H), 1.28-0.98 (m, 6H)
Compound 106: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-((1R,4R)-4-methylcyclohexyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0412] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1.0 ml), trans-4-methylcyclohexylamine (0.1 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 87.1 mg (0.25 mmol, 63.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0413] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.18 (s, 1H), 7.94 (d, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.83 (td, J=7.6, 1.8 Hz, 1H), 7.39-7.33 (m, 1H), 7.27-7.16 (m, 2H), 4.89-4.81 (m, 1H), 2.05-2.01 (m, 2H), 1.91-1.87 (m, 2H), 1.73-1.63 (m, 2H), 1.55-1.43 (m, 1H), 1.30-1.20 (m, 2H), 0.97 (d, J=6.5 Hz, 3H)
Compound 107: 3-Cycloheptyl-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0414] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (80 mg, 0.34 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.65 ml), cycloheptylamine (0.08 ml, 0.63 mmol), and acetic acid (0.08 ml) were used to give 103 mg (0.32 mmol, 93% yield) of the title compound.
[0415] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.86-7.83 (m, 3H), 7.51-7.36 (m, 2H), 7.38-7.25 (m, 1H), 5.06-4.97 (m, 1H), 2.11-1.65 (m, 12H)
Compound 108: 3-Cycloheptyl-7-(2-fluorophenyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0416] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (70 mg, 0.28 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (2 ml), cycloheptylamine (0.066 ml, 0.52 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 45 mg (0.13 mmol, 47% yield) of the title compound.
[0417] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 1H), 7.98 (s, 1H), 7.84-7.98 (m, 1H), 7.38-7.41 (m, 1H), 7.19-7.31 (m, 2H), 5.03 (m, 1H), 1.66-2.13 (m, 12H)
Compound 109: 3-(2,3-Dihydro-1H-inden-2-yl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0418] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (55.8 mg, 0.24 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (0.53 ml), 2-aminoindene (59.25 mg, 0.45 mmol), and acetic acid (0.06 ml) were used to give 48 mg (0.14 mmol, 58% yield) of the title compound.
[0419] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.02 (s, 1H), 7.80 (s, 1H), 7.75-7.72 (m, 2H), 7.43 (t, J=10 Hz, 2H), 7.37-7.22 (m, 5H), 5.90-5.82 (m, 1H) 3.67 (d, J=10.4 Hz, 1H), 3.60 (d, J=10.4 Hz, 1H), 3.18 (dd, J=22.8, 4.4 Hz, 2H)
Compound 110: 3-(4-Isopropylcyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0420] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-isopropylcyclohexylamine (0.148 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 88.5 mg (0.25 mmol, 58.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0421] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 0.5H), 8.18 (s, 0.5H), 7.81-7.77 (m, 3H), 7.47-7.43 (m, 2H), 7.38-7.34 (m, 1H), 4.88-4.79 (m, 1H), 2.08-1.12 (m, 10H) 0.93 (d, J=6.6 Hz, 3H), 0.89 (d, J=6.8 Hz, 3H)
Compound 111: 7-Phenyl-3-(4-propylcyclohexyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0422] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-propylcyclohexylamine (0.148 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 105.7 mg (0.30 mmol, 69.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0423] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.22 (s, 0.5H), 8.18 (s, 0.5H), 7.80-7.78 (m, 3H), 7.49-7.43 (m, 2H), 7.38-7.34 (m, 1H), 4.88-4.78 (m, 1H), 2.05-1.60 (m, 7H) 1.43-1.14 (m, 6H), 0.94-0.87 (m, 3H)
Compound 112: 3-(4-(Tert-butyl)cyclohexyl)-7-phenylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0424] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-phenylthiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.43 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), 4-t-butylcyclohexylamine (0.161 ml, 0.90 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 103.1 mg (0.28 mmol, 65.4% yield) of the title compound.
[0425] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.51 (s, 0.5H), 8.20 (s, 0.5H), 7.82-7.80 (m, 3H), 7.50-7.45 (m, 2H), 7.41-7.36 (m, 1H), 5.05-5.01 (m, 0.5H), 4.88-4.80 (m, 0.5H), 2.22-1.94 (m, 4H) 1.80-1.60 (m, 2H), 1.41-1.10 (m, 3H), 0.90 (d, J=10 Hz, 9H)
Compound 113: (1r,4r)-4-(7-(2-fluorophenyl)-4-oxothieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-3(4H)-yl)cyclohexyl acetate
[0426] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), (1r,4r)-4-aminocyclohexyl acetate hydrochloride (147 mg, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 83.6 mg (0.22 mmol, 56.7% yield) of the title compound.
[0427] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.14 (s, 1H), 7.95 (brd, J=1.3 Hz, 1H), 7.81 (td, J=1.7, 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.39-7.33 (m, 1H), 7.27-7.16 (m, 2H), 4.94-4.86 (m, 1H), 4.82-4.74 (m, 1H), 2.20-2.06 (m, 7H) 1.86-1.76 (m, 2H), 1.71-1.61 (m, 2H)
Compound 114: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-isobutylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0428] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), isobutylamine (0.076 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 101 mg (0.33 mmol, 83.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0429] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.05 (s, 1H), 7.96 (brd, J=1.6 Hz, 1H), 7.85 (td, J=1.8, 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.28-7.17 (m, 2H), 3.87 (d, J=7.4 Hz, 2H), 2.30-2.16 (m, 1H), 0.99 (d, J=6.7 Hz, 6H)
Compound 115: 7-(2-Fluorophenyl)-3-neopentylthieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0430] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(2-fluorophenyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), neopentylamine (0.090 ml, 0.76 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 96.5 mg (0.31 mmol, 76.3% yield) of the title compound.
[0431] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.08 (s, 1H), 7.97 (brd, J=1.7 Hz, 1H), 7.86 (td, J=1.8, 7.6 Hz, 1H), 7.40-7.34 (m, 1H), 7.29-7.18 (m, 2H), 3.94 (s, 2H), 1.04 (s, 9H)
Compound 116: 3-Cyclooctyl-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0432] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(o-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), cyclooctylamine (0.107 ml, 0.77 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 85.4 mg (0.24 mmol, 60.6% yield) of the title compound.
[0433] 1 H NMR (300 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.11 (s, 1H), 7.63 (brd, J=0.8 Hz, 1H), 7.30-7.23 (m, 4H), 5.16-5.07 (m, 1H), 2.24 (s, 3H), 2.04-1.59 (m, 14H)
Compound 117: 3-Cycloheptyl-7-(o-tolyl)thieno[3,2-d]pyrimidin-4(3H)-one
[0434] In the same manner as the synthesis of Compound 1, methyl 3-amino-4-(o-tolyl)thiophene-2-carboxylate (100 mg, 0.40 mmol), triethyl orthoformate (1 ml), cycloheptylamine (0.098 ml, 0.77 mmol), and acetic acid (0.1 ml) were used to give 44 mg (0.13 mmol, 32.5% yield) of the title compound.
[0435] 1 H NMR (400 MHz, CDCl 3 ) δ 8.12 (s, 1H), 7.63 (s, 1H), 7.34-7.24 (m, 4H), 5.01-4.96 (m, 1H), 2.24 (s, 3H), 2.11-2.06 (m, 2H), 1.90-1.59 (m, 10H)
Formulation Examples
[0436] The novel compounds of Formula 1 according to the present invention can be formulated into various dosage forms depending on the intended purpose. Some methods for preparing dosage forms containing the compounds of Formula 1 as active ingredients are exemplified below, but the present invention is not limited thereto.
Formulation Example 1
Tablets (Direct Compression)
[0437] 5.0 mg of each of the active ingredients was sieved, mixed with 14.1 mg of lactose, 0.8 mg of Crospovidone USNF and 0.1 mg of magnesium stearate, and compressed into tablets.
Formulation Example 2
Tablets (Wet Granulation)
[0438] 5.0 mg of each of the active ingredients was sieved and mixed with 16.0 mg of lactose and 4.0 mg of starch. To the mixture was added an appropriate amount of a solution of 0.3 mg of Polysolvate 80 in pure water, followed by atomization. After drying, the atomized mixture was sieved and mixed with 2.7 mg of colloidal silicon dioxide and 2.0 mg of magnesium stearate. The finely divided powder was compressed into tablets.
Formulation Example 3
Powders and Capsules
[0439] 5.0 mg of each of the active ingredients was sieved and mixed with 14.8 g of lactose, 10.0 mg of polyvinyl pyrrolidone and 0.2 mg of magnesium stearate. The mixture was filled in a hard No. 5 gelatin capsule using a suitable device.
Formulation Example 4
Injectable Preparations
[0440] 100 mg of each of the active ingredients, 180 mg of mannitol, 26 mg of Na 2 HPO 4 .12H 2 O and 2974 mg of distilled water were mixed to prepare an injectable preparation.
[0441] The IC 50 values (nM) of the novel compounds of Formula 1 according to the present invention against mGluR1 were measured by the method described in the following experimental example.
Experimental Example 1
mGluR1 Activity Screening Method Using FDSS6000
[0442] Cells of Chem3 Cell Line (HTS145C:Millipore) in which mGluR1 was stably expressed were adjusted to a density of 2×10 6 /ml. 50 μl of the cells were plated in each well of a 96-well plate, and stabilized at 5% CO 2 and 37° C. for 1 hr. The cells were allowed to react with an HBSS buffer containing a Ca 2+ fluorescent dye (FLIPR Calcium 5 assay kit: Molecular Devices) under the conditions of 5% CO 2 and 37° C. for 30 min. As a result of the reaction, the cells were labeled with the fluorescent dye. Separately from the 96-well plate containing the fluorescently labeled cells, another 96-well plate was prepared that contained L-Glutamate (final concentration=30 μM) activating mGluR1 and a blocking drug to be screened. Most cell-based HTS systems have liquid application systems necessary for drug injection but no liquid inhalation systems. For this reason, 25 μl of each of the blocking drug and L-Glutamate was prepared at a 6-fold higher concentration in an HBSS buffer and diluted 6-fold in the final volume (150 μl) of the cell plate before measurement. Specifically, after drug pretreatment for 75 sec following recording the reference value at 20 sec, a change in intracellular calcium concentration caused by L-glutamate administration was measured using FDSS6000. The inhibitory effect of the test substance was expressed as a percent (%) relative to the area of the 480 nm/520 nm ratio in a control group untreated with the test substance. 10 μM PCTC20001 was always used as the control drug.
[0443] For detailed imaging of calcium, the cells were selectively exposed to an excitation wavelength (480 nm) from four xenon light sources mounted in FDSS6000 through a computer-controlled filter wheel. Data were recorded at 1.23-sec intervals. Emitter fluorescence light entering through a 520 nm long-pass filter was allowed to pass through a cooled CCD camera mounted in the system. An average 480 nm/520 nm ratio was obtained in each well of the 96-well plate using a digital fluorescence analyzer. All imaging data were collected and analyzed with the help of a dedicated program for FDSS6000 (Hamamatsu Photonics).
[0444] Measurement of IC 50 Values Against mGluR1
[0445] The IC 50 values (nM) of the novel compounds of Formula 1 according to the present invention against mGluR1 are shown in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Test compound
IC 50 (nM)
Compound 2
407
Compound 6
58
Compound 7
66
Compound 18
112
Compound 29
74
Compound 32
30
Compound 58
80
Compound 59
661
Compound 68
447
Compound 69
1,987
Compound 74
564
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Disclosed are thienopyrimidinone derivatives as antagonists that act on metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 1. The thienopyrimidinone derivatives show pharmacological activity against metabotropic glutamate receptor-related diseases, including pain, such as neuropathic pain and migraine, psychiatric diseases, such as anxiety disorder and schizophrenia, urinary incontinence, and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Also disclosed are methods for preparing the thienopyrimidinone derivatives, and pharmaceutical compositions containing the thienopyrimidinone derivatives as active ingredients.
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BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling appliance.
Related Art
[0002] A cooling appliance is usually provided with detection means to detect whether a corresponding door is in an open state, and performs a corresponding operation based on information of the detection means, for example, enable a corresponding lighting unit/fan, and/or a door-opening alarm unit. For example, after the door-opening alarm unit receives a door-opening signal, and a door is open for longer than a particular period of time, the cooling appliance generates an alarm, to prompt a user to close the door.
[0003] For example, the JP invention Publication No. 2008-101803 discloses detection means capable of detecting a door-opening status of two adjacent doors. Specifically, the detection means includes a magnetic element located on a first door and a magnetic sensitive sensor located on a second door, and when the first door and the second door are closed, the magnetic element and the magnetic sensitive sensor are disposed facing each other. When either of the first door and the second door is open or both the first door and the second door are open, the magnetic element and the magnetic sensitive sensor no longer face each other, and the magnetic sensitive sensor produces a door-opening signal and sends the door-opening signal to a control unit of the cooling appliance.
[0004] In the cooling appliance, a wire should be arranged for the magnetic sensitive sensor, for example, a wire should be arranged between the magnetic sensitive sensor and the control unit and/or a power module, that is, in the prior art, a wire connected to the magnetic sensitive sensor needs to be arranged in the door. This increases wiring difficulty of the cooling appliance, and further increases difficulty in detecting an open-close state of a door.
SUMMARY
[0005] An objective of the present invention is to provide a cooling appliance that facilitates improvement, so as to resolve at least one of the foregoing technical problems.
[0006] Therefore, the present invention provides a cooling appliance. The cooling appliance includes a cabinet, a first door and a second door that are connected to the cabinet, and door-opening detection means; the door-opening detection means includes: a magnetic element disposed on the first door and a magnetic sensitive element disposed on the cabinet; the second door is provided thereon with a first magnetic conductive element capable of being magnetized by the magnetic element, and the magnetic sensitive element is capable of producing a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element; and when the first door and/or the second door are/is open, the magnetic sensitive element produces the door-opening signal.
[0007] By adding the first magnetic conductive element between the magnetic sensitive element and the magnetic element, the magnetic sensitive element, for which a wire usually needs to be arranged, can be disposed on the cabinet, so that there is no need to arrange wires on the door for the magnetic sensitive element. This significantly reduces wiring difficulty and costs of a refrigerator. For a door that is connected to the cabinet by means of a guide rail, this advantage is particularly obvious.
[0008] It should be noted that, apart from the first door and the second door, the cooling appliance may further include another door in addition to the first door and the second door.
[0009] In a possible embodiment, the first door and the second door may be arranged side by side along a left-right direction, and in another possible embodiment, the first door and the second door may also be arranged side by side along an up-down direction. In another possible embodiment, the first door and the second door may not be adjacent to each other, for example, another door may further be arranged between the first door and the second door.
[0010] In a possible embodiment, the first magnetic conductive element is directly magnetized by the magnetic element, for example, one end of the first magnetic conductive element approaches the magnetic element and is magnetized. In an alternative possible embodiment, the first magnetic conductive element may also be “indirectly” magnetized by a second magnetic conductive element that conducts a magnetic field of the magnetic element.
[0011] The magnetic sensitive element may be, for example, a Hall element, a magnetoresistor, or a magnetic reed switch. As a possible embodiment of “the magnetic sensitive element is capable of producing a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element”, the magnetic sensitive element may produce the door-opening signal when the magnetic sensitive element does not detect the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element or the magnetic field detected by the magnetic sensitive element is less than a preset value. The door-opening signal may include, for example, an electric signal (such as a pulse signal or opening/closing of a switch).
[0012] Optionally, the magnetic element may be located on one side, facing the second door, of the first door. This helps the magnetic element magnetize the first magnetic conductive element.
[0013] Optionally, when the first door and the second door are closed, one end of the first magnetic conductive element along a length direction approaches the magnetic element, and the other end departs from the magnetic element and approaches the magnetic sensitive element. When this requirement is satisfied, the first magnetic conductive element may extend along any direction on the second door. On one hand, this can ensure a sufficient distance between the magnetic element and the magnetic sensitive element, to prevent the magnetic field of the magnetic element from interfering with the magnetic sensitive element. On the other hand, the first magnetic conductive element can be reliably magnetized by the magnetic element, and it helps the magnetic sensitive element detect the magnetic field of the magnetized first magnetic conductive element.
[0014] For example, when the first door and the second door are arranged along the up-down direction, the first magnetic conductive element may extend along an up-down direction of the cabinet or extend along a left-right direction of the cabinet.
[0015] When the first magnetic conductive element extends along the up-down direction of the cabinet, a length extending direction of the first magnetic conductive element may be parallel to the arrangement direction of the first door and the second door, or may form an angle with the arrangement direction of the first door and the second door.
[0016] Optionally, the second door has a first end facing the first door and a second end away from the first door, and the first magnetic conductive element extends from the first end of the second door to the second end of the second door.
[0017] Optionally, when the second door is closed, the magnetic sensitive element is opposite to one end, away from the magnetic element, of the first magnetic conductive element.
[0018] In a possible embodiment, the first door and the second door may be arranged along the up-down direction of the cabinet, the magnetic element is mounted at a lower end of the first door, and the first magnetic conductive element extends from an upper end of the second door to a lower end of the second door. When the second door is closed, the magnetic sensitive element is opposite to a lower end of the first magnetic conductive element. Therefore, when the first door and the second door are closed, an upper end of the first magnetic conductive element approaches the magnetic element, and is magnetized to produce a magnetic field, and the lower end of the first magnetic conductive element approaches the magnetic sensitive element, which helps the magnetic sensitive element detect the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element/detect sufficient magnetic field intensity.
[0019] Optionally, when the second door is closed, the magnetic sensitive element can be covered by the second door.
[0020] Optionally, when the second door is closed, the first magnetic conductive element is opposite to the magnetic sensitive element along a front-rear direction of the cabinet. In this case, the magnetic sensitive element is close enough to the first magnetic conductive element, so that the magnetic sensitive element can accurately sense the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element.
[0021] Optionally, the first door and the second door close a same storage chamber. As long as either of the first door and the second door is open or both the first door and the second door are open, the magnetic sensitive element produces a door-opening signal, so that the door-opening detection means can detect whether the storage chamber closed by the first door and the second door is open.
[0022] Optionally, the magnetic sensitive element may be located on a side wall, away from the first door, of the storage chamber. This helps increase a distance between the magnetic sensitive element and the magnetic element, which is conducive to preventing the magnetic sensitive element from being directly affected by the magnetic field of the magnetic element.
[0023] Optionally, the cooling appliance may further include a third door located between the first door and the second door, and the door-opening detection means further includes a second magnetic conductive element disposed on the third door; the second magnetic conductive element is capable of being magnetized by the magnetic element and conducting a magnetic field of the magnetic element to the first magnetic conductive element, so as to magnetize the first magnetic conductive element. For any number of doors arranged sequentially along one direction in the cooling appliance, a second magnetic conductive element may be disposed on each of the doors, so that the magnetic element and the magnetic sensitive element are separately disposed at two ends of a magnetic unit, to implement detecting open-close states of multiple doors by using one suite of the magnetic element and magnetic sensitive element.
[0024] Optionally, the second magnetic conductive element extends along a direction from the first door to the second door.
[0025] Optionally, one end of the second magnetic conductive element along a length direction is close to one of the first door and the second door, and the other end is close to the other one of the first door and the second door.
[0026] Optionally, when the second door and the third door are both closed, the first magnetic conductive element and the second magnetic conductive element at least partially overlap along an arrangement direction of the second door and the third door. Such arrangement achieves the following objective: when the second door and the third door are both closed, along a front-rear direction of the cabinet, the first magnetic conductive element and the second magnetic conductive element are basically located at a same location, which is conducive to conduction of the magnetic field. In a possible embodiment, when the second door and the third door are both closed, along the front-rear direction of the cabinet, the first magnetic conductive element and the second magnetic conductive element are exactly at a same location, that is, completely overlap along the arrangement direction of the second door and the third door.
[0027] Optionally, there are multiple third doors, and the multiple third doors are arranged along the direction from the first door to the second door.
[0028] Optionally, the magnetic element may include a magnet. The first magnetic conductive element and the second magnetic conductive element may include silicon steel sheets.
[0029] Optionally, the first magnetic conductive element may be disposed in a housing of the second door, and the second magnetic conductive element may be disposed in a housing of the third door. In this way, the first magnetic conductive element and the second magnetic conductive element can be reliably fixed in the doors without affecting the appearance of the cooling appliance.
[0030] Optionally, the first door and the second door may be separately connected to the cabinet by using a guide rail. Even if the first door and the second door perform translational movement relative to the cabinet, where wiring is inapplicable or wiring difficulty is increased, door-opening states of the first door and the second door can still be detected.
[0031] Optionally, the cooling appliance may further include a control unit and execution units, where a signal-based connection is established between the control unit and the execution units; the control unit receives the door-opening signal of the magnetic sensitive element, and controls actions of the execution units according to the induced signal. The magnetic sensitive element may send the door-opening signal to either of the execution units or to both of the execution units at the same time, and the control unit controls the actions of the execution units.
[0032] Optionally, the execution unit may include alarm means and/or lighting means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0033] The disclosure will become more fully understood from the detailed description given herein below for illustration only, and thus are not limitative of the disclosure, and wherein:
[0034] FIG. 1 is a view along a side-view direction of a cooling appliance in a first embodiment of the present invention, where a first door and a second door are both in an open state;
[0035] FIG. 2 is a partial sectional view along the side-view direction of the cooling appliance in the first embodiment of the present invention, where the first door and the second door are both in a closed state; and
[0036] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view along a side-view direction of a cooling appliance in a second embodiment of the present invention, where a first door, a second door, and a third door are all in a closed state.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0037] To make the foregoing objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, specific embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
First Embodiment
[0038] This embodiment of the present invention provides a cooling appliance. With reference to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2 , the cooling appliance includes a cabinet 10 , multiple doors that are connected to the cabinet 10 and used to close a storage chamber 10 a, and door-opening detection means 30 . Two adjacent doors are considered as a group, and one group of doors corresponds to one piece of door-opening detection means 30 . Two doors in a same group of doors are referred to as a first door 21 and a second door 22 respectively, as shown in the figures. Besides, there may be one storage chamber 10 a or multiple storage chambers 10 a, and multiple doors may close a same storage chamber 10 a or close different storage chambers 10 a. The storage chamber 10 a may be a refrigerating chamber or a freezing chamber, and the solution of this embodiment is particularly suitable for the freezing chamber.
[0039] The door-opening detection means 30 includes: a magnetic element 31 disposed on the first door 21 and a magnetic sensitive element 32 disposed on the cabinet 10 ; the second door 22 is provided thereon with a first magnetic conductive element 33 capable of being magnetized by the magnetic element 31 , and the magnetic sensitive element 32 produces a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element 33 ; when the first door 21 and/or the second door 22 are/is open, the magnetic sensitive element 32 produces the door-opening signal.
[0040] The cooling appliance further includes a control unit and execution units (not shown in the figures), where a signal-based connection is established between the control unit and execution units; the control unit receives the door-opening signal of the magnetic sensitive element, and controls actions of the execution units according to the induced signal.
[0041] The magnetic sensitive element 32 may have a signal-based connection to the control unit in a wired manner or a wireless manner, and can send the induced door-opening signal to the control unit, and then the control unit sends instructions to the execution units, so that the execution units perform corresponding actions. The execution unit includes alarm means and/or lighting means. When the magnetic sensitive element 32 does not send a door-opening signal, the alarm means does not generate an alarm, or the lighting means does not emit light; when the magnetic sensitive element 32 sends a door-opening signal, the control unit sends an alarm instruction to the alarm means, so that the alarm means generates an alarm (it is generally required herein that, the alarm means sends an alarm instruction only when a door-opening time reaches a given period), or the control unit sends a lighting instruction to the lighting means, so that the lighting means emits light.
[0042] Specifically, a location relationship among the magnetic element 31 , the magnetic sensitive element 32 , and the first magnetic conductive element 33 should satisfy the following requirements:
[0043] First, the magnetic sensitive element 32 and the magnetic element 31 should be spaced by a sufficient distance, so that the magnetic field of the magnetic element 32 does not interfere with the magnetic sensitive element 32 .
[0044] Secondly, when the first door 21 and the second door 22 are both closed, the magnetic element 31 and the first magnetic conductive element 33 should be close enough, so that the first magnetic conductive element 33 can be magnetized by the magnetic element 31 .
[0045] Thirdly, when the second door 22 is closed, the magnetic sensitive element 32 and the first magnetic conductive element 33 should be close enough, so that the magnetic sensitive element 32 can detect the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element 33 , and when the detected magnetic field is higher than a set value of the magnetic sensitive element 32 , the magnetic sensitive element does not send a signal; and when the detected magnetic field is lower than the set value of the magnetic sensitive element 32 or no magnetic field is detected, the magnetic sensitive element 32 sends a door-opening signal.
[0046] The magnetic element 31 is a medium capable of producing a magnetic field, for example, a magnet. The magnetic sensitive element 32 may be a magnetic switch, a magnetic sensitive sensor, or the like. The first magnetic conductive element 33 needs to be a medium capable of being magnetized easily with little remanence, and optimally, a medium capable of being magnetized easily without any remanence, for example, a silicon steel sheet. In this way, when the distance between the first magnetic conductive element 33 and the magnetic element 31 reaches a particular value, the first magnetic conductive element 33 is not magnetized, and therefore, no magnetic field is produced.
[0047] The first magnetic conductive element 33 in this embodiment is a silicon steel sheet. When the first door 21 and the second door 22 are both closed, the first magnetic conductive element 33 is magnetized, and the magnetic sensitive element 32 can detect a sufficiently strong magnetic field, and therefore does not send a door-opening signal; when either of the first door 21 and the second door 22 is open, the first magnetic conductive element 33 and the magnetic element 31 are staggered, and in this case, the first magnetic conductive element 33 cannot be magnetized and has no remanence, that is, the first magnetic conductive element 33 cannot produce a magnetic field, and magnetic field intensity detected by the magnetic sensitive element 32 is zero; therefore, the magnetic sensitive element 32 sends a door-opening signal. When the first door 21 and the second door 22 are both open, even if the first magnetic conductive element 33 can be magnetized by the magnetic element 31 in this case, the magnetic sensitive element 32 can still send a door-opening signal because an increase in the distance between the first magnetic conductive element 33 and the magnetic sensitive element 32 makes the magnetic field intensity detected by the magnetic sensitive element 32 decrease and be lower than the set value.
[0048] In this embodiment, the first magnetic conductive element 33 has a first end 33 a and a second end 33 b along a length direction; when the first door 21 and the second door 22 are both closed, the first end 33 a of the first magnetic conductive element 33 approaches the magnetic element 31 , and the second end 33 b approaches the magnetic sensitive element 32 . In this way, the location relationship among the magnetic element 31 , the magnetic sensitive element 32 , and the first magnetic conductive element 33 satisfies the foregoing three requirements. On the premise of not affecting normal operation of the cooling appliance, the magnetic element 31 , the magnetic sensitive element 32 , and the first magnetic conductive element 33 may be disposed on outer surfaces of or inside the corresponding doors, or on an outer surface of or inside the cabinet.
[0049] Specifically, the first end 33 a of the first magnetic conductive element 33 is located at an end, close to the first door 21 , of the second door 22 , and the second end 33 b is located at an end, away from the first door 21 , of the second door 22 . In other words, the length of the first magnetic conductive element 33 is the same as the length (or width), along an arrangement direction of the two doors, of the second door 2 .
[0050] The magnetic element 31 is disposed on a side, facing the second door 22 , of the first door 21 , that is, a side, facing the first magnetic conductive element 33 , of the first door 21 , so as to transfer the magnetic field to the first magnetic conductive element 33 and magnetize the first magnetic conductive element 33 . The magnetic element 33 is located in a housing of the first door 21 , to ensure a beautiful appearance.
[0051] The magnetic sensitive element 32 is disposed on the cabinet 10 , and may be disposed on a side surface or a front surface of the cabinet 10 , as long as the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element 33 can be detected. In this embodiment, it is set that when the second door 22 is closed, the magnetic sensitive element 32 is covered by the second door 22 . For example, it may be set that when the second door 22 is closed, the first magnetic conductive element 33 is opposite to the magnetic sensitive element 32 along a front-rear direction (direction X in FIG. 2 ) of the cabinet 10 , that is, the first magnetic conductive element 33 and the magnetic sensitive element 32 have an overlapping part along the front-rear direction of the cabinet 10 . The magnetic sensitive element 32 is embedded in the housing of the cabinet 10 , and an end, facing the second door 22 , of the magnetic sensitive element 32 is exposed. In this way, the magnetic sensitive element 32 can accurately detect the magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element 33 , thereby accurately sending a signal.
[0052] The first magnetic conductive element 33 is disposed in a housing of the second door 22 , to ensure a beautiful appearance. Specifically, a side, along a thickness direction of the second door 22 , of the first magnetic conductive element 33 is inserted in a thermal insulating layer of the second door 22 , and the other side leans against an inner wall, facing a side of the storage chamber 10 a, of the housing of the second door 22 .
[0053] In this embodiment, the first door 21 and the second door 22 close the same storage chamber 10 a. In this way, no matter which door is open, the door-opening detection means 30 can accurately detect that the storage chamber 10 a is open.
[0054] The magnetic sensitive element 32 is located on a side wall, away from the first door, of the storage chamber 10 a. For example, when the first door 21 and the second door 22 are arranged along an up-down direction of the cabinet 10 (direction Y in the figure), the magnetic element 31 is mounted at a lower end of the first door 21 , and the first magnetic conductive element 33 extends from an upper end of the second door 22 to a lower end of the second door 22 , and the magnetic sensitive element 32 is located on a bottom wall of the storage chamber 10 a. When the second door 22 is closed, the magnetic sensitive element 32 is opposite to a lower end of the first magnetic conductive element 33 . In another embodiment, the first magnetic conductive element may extend along any direction in a plane of the second door, for example: the first magnetic conductive element may extend along a horizontal direction of the second door, where one end of the first magnetic conductive element approaches the magnetic element, and the other end of the first magnetic conductive element approaches the magnetic sensitive element.
[0055] It should be noted that, an opening manner of the doors in the cooling appliance is not limited, for example, the doors may be hinged doors rotatable relative to the cabinet , or may be drawer-type push-pull doors, or sliding doors. In this embodiment, the first door 21 and the second door 22 are both drawer-type push-pull doors, which are separately connected to the cabinet 10 by using a guide rail 24 , and can move away from or towards the cabinet along the direction X. In addition, the first door and the second door may also be arranged along a horizontal direction.
Second Embodiment
[0056] This embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that: referring to FIG. 3 , at least one third door 23 is further arranged between the first door 21 and the second door 22 , the door-opening detection means 30 further includes a second magnetic conductive element 333 disposed on the third door 23 ; the second magnetic conductive element 333 on the third door 23 is capable of being magnetized by the magnetic element 31 , and conducting a magnetic field of the magnetic element 31 to the first magnetic conductive element 33 of the second door 22 , so as to magnetize the first magnetic conductive element 33 of the second door 22 .
[0057] In this embodiment, the second magnetic conductive element 333 on the third door 23 extends along a direction from the first door 21 to the second door 22 .
[0058] One end of the second magnetic conductive element 333 along a length direction is close to one of the first door 21 and the second door 22 , and the other end is close to the other one of the first door 21 and the second door 22 .
[0059] The second magnetic conductive element 333 in this embodiment is also a silicon steel sheet.
[0060] In another embodiment, there may be multiple third doors, and the multiple third doors are arranged along a direction from the first door to the second door. However, it should be understood that, as the number of doors increases, the magnetic field of the magnetic element is required to have higher intensity, so that the magnetic field can smoothly reach the second door from the magnetic element through the third doors sequentially. Although the present invention is disclosed above, the present invention is not limited thereto. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be subject to the scope defined by the claims.
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A cooling appliance includes a cabinet, first and second doors connected to the cabinet and a door-opening detection device having a magnetic element disposed on the first door and a magnetic sensitive element disposed on the cabinet. A first magnetic conductive element on the second door can be magnetized by the magnetic element. The magnetic sensitive element can produce a door-opening signal based on a magnetic field of the first magnetic conductive element. The magnetic sensitive element produces the door-opening signal when at least one of the doors is open. In this way it can be detected, by using one suite of door-opening detection devices, if any door among multiple doors is in an open state. The structure is simple, and the number of components can be reduced. Moreover, wires are reduced, which lowers manufacturing costs and difficulty.
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CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This is a continuation application of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 12/855,721, filed Aug. 13, 2010, which will issue on Feb. 28, 2012 as U.S. Pat. No. 8,124,736 entitled, “Alpha 1-Antitrypsin Compositions” to which priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 is claimed, which is a divisional application of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 10/334,303, filed Dec. 31, 2002, which issued on Aug. 17, 2010 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,006, to which priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 is claimed, and International Application No. PCT/US03/40560, filed Dec. 19, 2003 claims the benefit of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 10/334,303, filed Dec. 31, 2002, which issued on Aug. 17, 2010 as U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,006, entitled, “Method For Purification Of Alpha-1-Antitrypsin,” all prior applications of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND
[0002] The invention relates to protein separation and purification methods. More specifically, the invention relates to the separation of alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT, also known as alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor, API, and A 1 -PI) from complex protein mixtures such as blood plasma fractions, and to methods for further purification of the separated AAT so as to provide a composition suitable for pharmaceutical use.
[0003] Alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) is a glycopeptide inhibitor of proteases, and is found in human serum and other fluids. Protease inhibition by AAT is an essential component of the regulation of tissue proteolysis, and AAT deficiency is implicated in the pathology of several diseases. Individuals who inherit an alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, for example, have increased risk of suffering from severe early-onset emphysema, the result of unregulated destruction of lung tissue by human leukocyte elastase. The administration of exogenous human AAT has been shown to inhibit elastase and is associated with improved survival and reduction in the rate of decline of lung function in AAT-deficient patients (Crystal et al., Am. J Respir. Crit. Care Med. 158:49-59 (1998); see R. Mahadeva and D. Lomas, Thorax 53:501-505 (1998) for a review.)
[0004] Because of its therapeutic utility, commercial AAT production has been the subject of considerable research. Much progress has been made in the production of recombinant AAT in E. coli (R. Bischoff et al., Biochemistry 30:3464-3472 (1991)), yeast (K. Kwon et al., J. Biotechnology 42:191-195 (1995); Bollen et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,567), and plants (J. Huang et al., Biotechnol. Prog. 17:126-33 (2001)), and by secretion in the milk of transgenic mammals (G. Wright et al., Biotechnology, 9:830-834 (1991); A. L. Archibald, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 87:5178-5182 (1990)). However, isolation of AAT from human plasma is presently the most efficient practical method of obtaining AAT in quantity, and human plasma is the only FDA-approved source.
[0005] A number of processes for isolating and purifying AAT from human plasma fractions have been described, involving combinations of precipitation, adsorption, extraction, and chromatographic steps. In order to minimize the risk of pathogen transfer, pooled human plasma intended for production of human AAT for therapeutic use is screened for the hepatitis B surface antigen, and for antibodies to the human immunodeficiency virus. As an additional precaution against transmission of infectious agents, the purified product is ordinarily pasteurized by heating to 60° C. for 10 hours (Mitra et al., Am. J. Med. 84(sup. 6A):87-90 (1988)) and sterile filtered.
[0006] Most published processes for AAT isolation begin with one or more fractions of human plasma known as the Cohn fraction IV precipitates, e.g. Cohn fraction IV 1 or fraction IV 1-4 , which are obtained from plasma as a paste after a series of ethanol precipitations and pH adjustments (E. J. Cohn et al., J. Amer. Chem. Soc., 68:459-475 (1946)).
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,842 describes a method for isolation of AAT from Cohn fraction IV 1 wherein an acridine or quinoline derivative is added to the paste in a buffer at pH 6, the precipitate is discarded, and the pH adjusted to 7.0. Additional acridine or quinoline is added, and the precipitate is collected. This precipitate is dissolved in a pH 5.0 buffer, sodium chloride is added, and the resulting precipitate discarded. The solution, containing the AAT, is further processed by methanol precipitation. Alternatively, ammonium sulfate precipitations at pH 8 and at pH 5 are conducted with plasma, with the pH 5 supernatant being farther processed as above with quinoline or acridine additives.
[0008] Glaser et al., Preparative Biochemistry, 5:333-348 (1975), disclosed a method for isolating AAT from Cohn fraction IV 1 paste. The paste is stirred in a phosphate buffer at pH 8.5 in order to reactivate the AAT, which is largely deactivated by the pH of 5.2 employed in the Cohn fractionation. After dialysis and centrifugation, the supernatant is subjected to two rounds of anion exchange chromatography at pH 6.0 to 7.6 and at pH 8.6, followed by further chromatographic processing at pH 7.6 and at pH 8.0, to produce AAT in about a 30% overall yield.
[0009] M. H. Coan et al., in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,379,087 and 4,439,358 (see also M. H. Coan et al., Vox Sang., 48:333-342 (1985); M. H. Coan, Amer. J. Med., 84(sup 6A):32-36 (1988); and R. H. Hein et al., Eur. Respir. J., 3(sup 9):16s-20s (1990)), disclosed a procedure wherein Cohn fraction IV 1 paste is dissolved in a pH 6.5 to 8.5 buffer, polyethylene glycol is added, and the pH is lowered to the range of 4.6 to 5.7 to precipitate unwanted proteins. After centrifugation, AAT is isolated from the supernatant by anion exchange chromatography. Further processing provides a 45% yield of AAT with a purity of about 60%. Methods employing polyethylene glycol as a precipitant are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,003, U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,254, and Japanese patent JP 08099999, described below; and also by Hao et al., Proc. Intl. Workshop on Technology for Protein Separation and Improvement of Blood Plasma Fractionation, Sep. 7-9, 1977, Reston, Va.
[0010] Dubin et al., Preparative Biochemistry. 20:63-70 (1990), disclosed a two step chromatographic purification, in which AAT was first eluted from Blue SEPHAROSE® and then purified by gel filtration chromatography.
[0011] Schultze and Heimburger, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,293,236, disclosed purification of AAT using cation exchange chromatography with a citrate buffer, in combination with ammonium sulfate fractionation of human plasma.
[0012] Lebing and Chen, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,610,285, disclosed a purification process which employs an initial anion exchange chromatography, followed by cation exchange chromatography at low pH and low ionic strength, to purify human AAT from plasma and plasma fractions. The cation chromatography takes advantage of the fact that active AAT does not bind to the ion exchange column under these conditions while contaminating proteins, including denatured AAT and albumin, are retained.
[0013] Jordan et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,749,783, described the isolation of AAT from human plasma using affinity chromatography with monoclonal antibodies. See also Podiarene et al., Vopr. Med. Khim. 35:96-99 (1989).
[0014] Shearer et al., in European patent application EP 0 224 811 and in the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,656,254, disclosed an improved method for extracting AAT from Cohn fraction IV paste, in which the improvement consisted of treating the paste with a larger volume of buffer, at a higher pH, than had been customary in the prior art. The combination of higher volume and higher pH increased the amount of AAT extracted from the paste. Unwanted proteins were precipitated by addition of polyethylene glycol, followed by centrifugation. An alternative procedure is disclosed, which is essentially the procedure of Coan et al., wherein after addition of polyethylene glycol, the pH is adjusted to the range of 4.6 to 5.7, and the acidified mixture held for from one to sixty minutes to further precipitate unwanted proteins. The AAT is precipitated by addition of additional polyethylene glycol, and further purified by anion exchange chromatography.
[0015] Arrighi et al., in European application EP 0717049, disclosed a process wherein fraction IV 1 paste is stirred in a pH 8.2 buffer at 40° C. for one hour, followed by precipitation of unwanted proteins with ammonium sulfate. The AAT is isolated from the supernatant by hydrophobic interaction chromatography at pH 7.
[0016] Kress et al., in Preparative Biochemistry 3:541-552 (1973), dialyzed the precipitate from an 80% ammonium sulfate treatment of human plasma, then chromatographed it on DEAE-cellulose. The product was dialyzed again and gel filtered on SEPHADEX™ G-100. AAT-containing fractions were then chromatographed on DE-52 cellulose to give AAT.
[0017] Japanese patent 59-128335 discloses the precipitation of unwanted proteins from a plasma fraction by addition of polyethylene glycol at a pH between 5 and 7, followed by anion exchange chromatography.
[0018] Bollen et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,629,567, disclose the isolation of AAT from a culture of yeast carrying recombinant plasmids expressing AAT. The process begins with polyethylene glycol precipitation at pH 6.5 to remove contaminating proteins, followed by anion exchange chromatography at pH 6.5 and subsequent chromatographic steps.
[0019] Dove and Mitra, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,684,723, disclose a variant of the method of Coan et al. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,087 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,358) in which AAT is purified by a process comprising the steps of (a) holding a solution containing AAT at a pH of 6.5 to 8.5 for up to 24 hours, (b) adding polyethylene glycol and an inorganic salt, so as to obtain a two-phase mixture, and (c) isolating the aqueous salt phase, which contains purified AAT.
[0020] Taniguchi et al., in PCT application WO 95/35306, disclose a similar process, involving precipitation with polyethylene glycol in the presence of zinc chloride, followed by anion-exchange chromatography and chromatography on a metal chelate resin.
[0021] Van Wietnendaele et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 4,857,317, also disclose a process for isolating AAT from the crude extract of an engineered yeast culture, which comprises addition of polyethylene glycol at pH 6.1, centrifugation to remove precipitated proteins, addition of calcium chloride, storage for 24 hours at pH 7.0, and centrifugation to further remove contaminants. AAT is then isolated from the supernatant by subsequent chromatographic steps.
[0022] Coan, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,003, discloses a method for isolating AAT from various Cohn plasma fractions which comprises the removal of ethanol and salts from an AAT-containing fraction, followed by anion-exchange chromatography on DEAE cellulose or a similar material under conditions such that the AAT is retained on the column while undesired proteins are eluted. Coan also describes “pasteurization” at about 60° C. or more for about 10 hours, which is stated to be sufficient to render hepatitis viruses non-infective.
[0023] Coan discloses addition of carbohydrate as a stabilization agent, either alone or with sodium citrate, in order to stabilize the AAT at the pasteurization temperature. Suitable carbohydrates are said to be mono-, di-, and trisaccharides, and sugar alcohols such as sorbitol and mannitol. AAT is prone to both polymerization and to the adoption of inactive conformations upon heating; the presence of stabilizers reduces but does not eliminate thermal inactivation (D. Lomas et al., Eur. Resp. J. 10:672-675 (1997)). Size-exclusion HPLC analysis has shown that 10% of monomeric AAT is polymerized or aggregated when pasteurization is carried out according to the Coan process (M. H. Coan et al., Vox Sang., 48:333-342 (1985)).
[0024] T. Burnouf et al., Vox Sang., 52:291-297 (1987), disclosed substantially the same procedure for isolating AAT from Kistler-Nitschmann supernatant A. DEAE chromatography of Cohn Fractions II+III and size exclusion chromatography produced an AAT which was 80-90% pure (by SDS-PAGE) with a 36-fold increase in purity. Recovery was 65-70%.
[0025] Thierry, in European patent application EP 0282363, also discloses a method of obtaining AAT from a Kistler-Nitschmann plasma fraction. Briefly, plasma is precipitated with 10% ethanol at pH 7.4, and the supernatant precipitated again with 19% ethanol at pH 5.85. The supernatant from the second precipitation is applied to a DEAE anion-exchange column, and eluted at pH 5.2 to provide AAT of about 90% purity.
[0026] Strancar et al., in PCT patent application WO 95/24428, disclose a very similar method, employing a particular class of functionalized anion-exchange media. Desalted Cohn fraction IV 1 is applied to the column, and contaminating proteins are eluted with low salt buffer at a pH “close to the pKa of acetic acid.” (The pKa of acetic acid is 4.74.) AAT is then eluted with 50 to 300 mM NaCl at pH 7.4 to 9.2.
[0027] Japanese patent JP 08099999 discloses a method of obtaining AAT from Cohn fraction IV or IV 1 , which involves reduction of salt concentration to below about 0.02 M, adjusting the pH to 4.5 to 5.5, and contacting the solution with a cation exchanger to adsorb contaminating proteins.
[0028] M. E. Svoboda and J. J. van Wyk, in Meth. Enzymology, 109:798-816 (1985), disclose acid extraction of Cohn fraction IV paste with phosphoric, formic, and acetic acids.
[0029] Glaser et al., in Anal. Biochem., 124:364-371 (1982) and also in European Patent Application EP 0 067 293, disclose several variations on a method for isolating AAT from Cohn fraction IV 1 precipitate which comprises the steps of (a) dissolving the paste in a pH 8.5 buffer, (b) filtering, (c) adding a dithiol such as DTT, and (d) precipitation of denatured proteins with ammonium sulfate. Glaser states that the destabilized (DTT-reduced) proteins may be precipitated by “suitable techniques such as salting, heating, change in pH, addition of solvents and the like.”
[0030] Glaser et al. describe one variation in which treatment with DTT is carried out in the presence of 2.5% AEROSIL® fumed silica, prior to precipitation with 50% saturated ammonium sulfate. Recovery of AAT was as good as it was in the absence of the silica, and the purification factor was improved by about 70%. In both references, the authors relegate the silica to a secondary role, that of an additive that improves the results of the ammonium sulfate precipitation. The effectiveness of silica alone, without ammonium sulfate precipitation, is not recognized or described. If the concentration of the protein solution appreciably exceeds about 50 mg protein/ml, AAT is reportedly lost by occlusion in the precipitate.
[0031] Ralston and Drohan, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,093,804, disclose a method involving the removal of lipoproteins from an initial protein suspension via a “lipid removal agent,” followed by removal of “inactive AAT” via elution from an anion-exchange medium with a citrate buffer. The lipid removal agent is stated to be MICRO CEL® E, a synthetic hydrous calcium silicate. In the presence of a non-citrate buffer, the anion-exchange medium binds active AAT while allowing “inactive AAT” to pass through. A citrate buffer is specified for subsequent elution of the AAT from the anion exchange medium, and also for later elution from a cation-exchange medium. Ralston and Drohan do not describe the use of a disulfide-reducing agent. The process is stated to provide AAT with a product purity of >90%; and manufacturing scale yields of >70%.
[0032] W. Stephan, in Vox Sanguinis 20:442-457 (1971), describes the use of fumed silica to adsorb lipoproteins from human blood serum solutions. The effect of silica adsorption on the concentrations of several plasma proteins, including AAT, was evaluated, and there was no significant loss of AAT.
[0033] Mattes et al., in Vox Sanguinis 81:29-36 (2001), and in PCT application WO 98/56821 and published US patent application 2002/0082214, disclose a method for isolating AAT from Cohn fraction IV which involves ethanol precipitation, anion exchange chromatography, and adsorption chromatography on hydroxyapatite. The latter step is reported to remove inactive AAT, providing a product with very high specific activity.
[0034] While AAT is an effective treatment for emphysema due to alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency, treatment is very costly (currently about $25,000 per year), due to the limited supply and a complex manufacturing process. There remains a need for more efficient and cost-effective methods for isolating human AAT from plasma and other complex protein mixtures containing AAT. In particular, ammonium sulfate precipitation followed by dialysis is a time-consuming process, that generates substantial amounts of waste water, and there is a need for scalable processes that do not require extensive dialysis while providing high yields of high activity, high purity AAT. Thermal pasteurization of AAT effectively reduces viral contamination, but it leads to the formation of inactive AAT aggregates and polymers. Thus, there is also a need for highly pure AAT with reduced viral contamination but without significant amounts of inactive AAT aggregates and polymers. The present invention addresses these needs.
BRIEF SUMMARY
[0035] The invention provides a method for purifying AAT from crude AAT-containing protein precipitates, which consists essentially of the following steps: (a) suspending the AAT-containing protein mixture in a buffer under conditions that permit the AAT to be dissolved; (b) contacting the resulting suspension with a disulfide-reducing agent to produce a reduced suspension; (c) contacting the reduced suspension with an insoluble protein-adsorbing material; and (d) removing insoluble materials from the suspension. This process provides an enriched AAT preparation, directly suitable for chromatographic processing, with reduced costs and in less time than prior art processes. Additional purification steps may be performed at the discretion of the practitioner, as described further below.
[0036] More specifically, the process comprises the steps of (a) suspending a crude AAT-containing protein precipitate in a buffer under conditions that permit the AAT to be dissolved; (b) contacting the resulting suspension with a disulfide-reducing agent, under conditions that permit reduction of intra-protein disulfide bonds by the reducing agent, to produce a reduced suspension; (c) contacting the reduced suspension with an insoluble protein-adsorbing material, without the addition of a substantial amount of additional salts and (d) removing insoluble materials from the suspension, so as to obtain a clarified protein solution.
[0037] By “substantial amount of additional salts” is meant an amount of soluble salt or salts that will cause otherwise-soluble proteins to begin precipitating from the solution in significant amounts. Those salts ordinarily used to cause any degree of protein precipitation, in the amounts ordinarily used for such purposes, are specifically included.
[0038] The method of the invention eliminates the salting-out step which was taught by Glaser in EP 0 067 293, which in turn avoids the time and cost associated with the need to desalt the filtrate by extensive dialysis. Furthermore, the ammonium sulfate precipitation employed by Glaser limited the concentration of the protein solutions that could be processed. If the protein concentration appreciably exceeds about 50 mg/ml in Glaser's method, AAT is reportedly lost by occlusion in the AEROSIL®/protein precipitate. In the absence of ammonium sulfate, higher concentrations of protein should be usable without precipitation and occlusion of AAT, with associated savings in reagents and processing time, and greater throughput per batch. The process of the present invention involves two steps where protein concentration exceeds 100 mg/ml in the absence of ammonium sulfate, and no precipitation of AAT has been seen.
[0039] The combination of a disulfide-reducing agent and an insoluble protein-adsorbing material according to the invention is particularly effective at removing albumin and transferrin, which are the major protein impurities in serum-derived crude AAT preparations such as Cohn fraction IV precipitates. After removal of the protein-adsorbing material by filtration, both albumin and transferrin levels are below the detection limits of nephelometry when conducted as described herein. Further processing as described herein provides AAT with an average purity of 98% by SDS-PAGE (reduced), and high specific activity, averaging 1.06 mg functional AAT/mg. Compositions with purity greater than 99% by SDS-PAGE, and having specific activities up to 1.12 mg functional AAT/mg protein, can be obtained by the methods disclosed herein.
[0040] The crude AAT-containing protein precipitate may be derived from various sources, including but not limited to human serum, serum from a transgenic mammal that expresses human AAT, or milk from a transgenic mammal that secretes human AAT in its milk. The source is preferably serum. If the source is serum, the precipitate is preferably a Cohn fraction IV precipitate, more preferably Cohn fraction IV 1 , and most preferably Cohn fraction IV 1-4 . There are variations, known to those of skill in the art, in the method for preparing Cohn fractions, and any of them may be employed in the present invention.
[0041] The suspension buffer may be any aqueous buffer in which AAT is soluble, and is used in a volume sufficient to dissolve most or all of the AAT present in the precipitate. The preferred volume for suspension of Cohn fraction IV 1-4 is between 6 and 10 liters per kg of precipitate paste. Examples of buffers include, but are not limited to, citrate, phosphate, and Tris buffers. The preferred buffer is Tris, preferably 100 mM Tris with 20 mM NaCl. The preferred pH is between 8.80 and 8.95.
[0042] The disulfide-reducing agent may be any dithiol commonly used to reduce disulfide bonds in proteins, including but not limited to dithiothreitol (DTT), dithioerythritol (DTE), 1,2-ethanedithiol, 1,2-propanedithiol, 1,3-propanedithiol, and the like; or a phosphine such as tributylphosphine or trimethylphosphine. The disulfide-reducing agent is preferably a dithiol, and most preferably dithiothreitol.
[0043] The insoluble protein-adsorbing material may be any of various known adsorbents for hydrophobic proteins, such as fumed silica; silica hydrogels, xerogels, and aerogels; calcium, aluminum and magnesium silicates; certain clays or minerals; and mixtures thereof. Such materials are commonly used for the clarification of food oils and beverages, and are well-known to those of skill in the art. Preferably the protein-adsorbing material is a silica adsorbent, more preferably a fumed silica such as that sold under the trade name AEROSIL®.
[0044] The invention also provides a novel combination of purification and virus reduction and inactivation steps, which produces a high-safety and high-purity AAT suitable for pharmaceutical use. Specifically, while the use of dithiothreitol and fumed silica in AAT purification processes has been described previously, the combination of the two in the absence of high temperatures or a precipitating agent such as ammonium sulfate has not been described previously. Surprisingly, it has been found that the omission of a precipitating agent from a dithiothreitol-AEROSIL® treatment step provides a highly effective purification stage. Furthermore, while the uses of dithiothreitol, AEROSIL®, anion exchange chromatography, hydrophobic interaction chromatography, pasteurization, and nanofiltration have each been previously described in the literature, these particular steps are now combined for the first time in a purification process suitable for industrial manufacture of pharmaceutical grade AAT.
[0045] The present invention provides a preparation of AAT characterized by the following properties:
[0046] (a) the alpha-1-antitrypsin contains less than 6%, preferably less than 2%, and most preferably less than 1% contaminating proteins by SDS-PAGE, and contains
[0047] (b) less than 0.1% Albumin;
[0048] (c) less than 0.8%, and preferably less than or equal to 0.2% α 1 -acid glycoprotein;
[0049] (d) less than 0.1% α 2 -macroglobulin;
[0050] (e) less than 0.1% apolipoprotein Al;
[0051] (f) less than 0.5%, and preferably less than or equal to 0.1% antithrombin III;
[0052] (g) less than 0.1% ceruloplasmin;
[0053] (h) less than 0.5%, and preferably less than 0.1% haptoglobin;
[0054] (i) less than 0.2%, and preferably less than 0.1% IgA;
[0055] (j) less than 0.1% IgG;
[0056] (k) less than 0.1%. transferrin;
[0057] (l) the specific activity of the alpha-1-antitrypsin is at least 0.99 mg functional AAT/mg, when using as an extinction coefficient E 1 cm, 280 nm 1% =5.3;
[0058] (m) less than 8%, and preferably less than 5%, of the product is of a higher molecular weight than monomeric AAT;
[0059] (n) the apparent ratio of active to antigenic AAT is greater than 1.08, preferably greater than 1.16, and most preferably greater than 1:23, when measured by endpoint nephelometry;
[0060] (o) enveloped viruses are reduced by at least 11 log 10 units, and non-enveloped viruses by at least 6 log 10 units, when measured in spiking studies using human and model viruses representing a wide range of physico-chemical properties; and
[0061] (p) the product is stable for at least 2 years when stored lyophilized at up to 25° C.
[0062] The apparent ratio of active to antigenic AAT in the product of the present invention is greater than unity because the purity and/or activity of the product of the present invention is greater than that of the reference standard, which is a prior art composition. Antigenic levels, as determined by endpoint nephelometry, are measured against the current protein standard (product No. OQIM15, supplied by Dade-Behring, Deerfield, Ill.), which is calibrated directly against the internationally-recognized Certified Reference Material 470 (Reference Preparation for Proteins in Human Serum; see J T. Whither et al., Clin. Chem. 40:934-938 (1994)), using reagents and AAT antibody (Dade-Behring product No. OSAZ15), as supplied for the Dade-Behring Nephelometer 100.
[0063] All publications and patent applications specifically referenced herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The term “AAT” refers to human AAT generally, whether heterogeneous or homogeneous, and whether isolated from human serum or from a recombinant organism. The term is intended to embrace pharmacologically effective naturally-occurring variants (see for example, Brantly et al., Am. J. Med. 84(sup.6A):13-31 (1988)), as well as pharmacologically effective non-natural forms of human AAT, including but not limited to those having non-human glycosylation patterns, N-terminal methionine, or altered amino acids. Those of skill in the art will appreciate that methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, and such equivalents are anticipated to be within the scope of the invention. The preferred embodiments described below are provided by way of example only, and the scope of the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments described.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0064] FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing an overall AAT purification process that incorporates the present invention.
[0065] FIG. 2 is an SDS-PAGE gel showing the proteins present in the products produced by the process of the invention at various stages. Lane 1, molecular weight markers; Lane 2, Plasma (Cryo-Poor); Lane 3, Fraction IV 1-4 Extract; Lane 4, DTT/AEROSIL®-Treated Extract Filtrate; Lane 5, IEC Eluate; Lane 6, HIC Effluent; Lane 7, final container.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0066] The particular embodiment of the invention exemplified below employs a particular Cohn fraction IV paste as a starting material, but the use of similar plasma fractions is contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention. Alternative starting materials include but are not limited to other AAT-containing Cohn fractions (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,003), a precipitate from Kistler-Nitschmann supernatants A or A+I (P. Kistler, H. S. Nitschmann, Vox Sang., 7:414-424 (1962)), and ammonium sulfate precipitates from plasma as described by Schultze et al. in U.S. Pat. No. 3,301,842. The use of protein precipitates derived from cultures of AAT-producing recombinant cells or organisms, or precipitates derived from the milk or serum of transgenic mammals, is also contemplated to be within the scope of the present invention.
[0067] There are many methods known in the art for selectively precipitating proteins from solution, such as by the addition of salts, alcohols, and polyethylene glycol, often in combination with cooling and various pH adjustments. It is anticipated that the present invention will be applicable to most AAT-containing protein precipitates containing recoverable AAT activity, regardless of how they are initially prepared. The term “crude AAT-containing protein precipitate” is used herein to refer to any AAT-containing protein precipitate prepared by one or more of these known methods, whether from serum, milk, cell culture, or other original source.
[0068] In a preferred embodiment, described below, the crude AAT-containing protein precipitate is suspended in a Tris buffer, and treated with dithiothreitol (DTT, a preferred disulfide-reducing agent) and fumed silica (a preferred protein-adsorbing material) in order to remove contaminating proteins and lipids. Where the precipitate is Cohn fraction IV, the two major protein contaminants thus removed are albumin and transferrin. DTT and other dithiols, as well as phosphines, are known in the art to reduce intrachain and inter-chain disulfide bonds. Cleavage of structurally important disulfide bonds causes partial unfolding and destabilization of those contaminating proteins that have disulfide bonds. AAT itself is not destabilized by DTT treatment because it has no intrachain disulfide bonds.
[0069] Fumed silica is known to bind preferentially to hydrophobic proteins. It is theorized that in the method of the invention, the destabilized contaminating proteins bind to a protein-adsorbing material such as fumed silica because the partial unfolding caused by disulfide bond cleavage exposes the proteins' inner core of hydrophobic residues. The scope of the invention is not limited, however, to any particular theory of operation.
[0070] In a preferred embodiment, described below, the protein-adsorbing material, together with the adsorbed contaminating proteins, lipids, and other insoluble material, is removed from the suspension by filtration so as to obtain a clarified AAT-containing protein solution. Filtration is preferably carried out with the assistance of a filtering aid such as CELITE™ diatomaceous earth, and preferably the suspension is recirculated through the filter until a clarity of <10 nephelometer turbidity units (NTU)/ml is achieved. The filtrate is further processed by chromatographic techniques to afford highly pure and highly active AAT. Other methods of separation known in the art, for example centrifugation, could also be employed in place of filtration. The practitioner will select the method appropriate to the scale of operations and the nature of the protein-adsorbing material.
[0071] After removal of insoluble materials, the AAT-containing solution may be further processed by any of the methods known in the art for protein purification, particularly the methods already known to be suitable for purification of AAT. In a preferred embodiment described below, the filtrate is first subjected to ion exchange chromatography (“IEC”) with salt gradient elution. The chromatography column contains an anion exchange resin which consists of a porous resin support matrix to which positively charged groups are covalently attached. These positively charged groups reversibly bind anions, including proteins with anionic groups such as AAT.
[0072] AAT, and other proteins which have a net negative charge at the pH of the eluting buffer, bind to the IEC column. Contaminating proteins having little or no negative charge pass through the anion exchange resin column without binding and exit with the column effluent. Those contaminating proteins that do bind to the column are then separated from the AAT by gradient elution. The salt concentration is gradually increased as the column is eluted in order to release sequentially the various proteins that are bound to the resin.
[0073] In a preferred embodiment, described below, the AAT-containing eluate from the IEC column is subjected to hydrophobic interaction chromatography (“HIC”). This type of chromatography employs a support matrix to which moieties are covalently attached. In an aqueous environment, these hydrophobic moieties bind reversibly to hydrophobic molecules, such as the contaminating proteins remaining in the IEC eluate. AAT is relatively non-hydrophobic, therefore the majority of the AAT flows through the column during the elution of the column with buffer, while the more hydrophobic contaminating proteins remain bound to the column. The column effluent thus contains the purified AAT. In practice, AAT has been found to have a slight affinity for certain HIC column media, and in such cases further elution with several volumes of wash buffer may be desirable in order to recover substantially all of the AAT in the originally-applied sample.
[0074] After such additional purification steps as are required to reach the desired level of purity and activity, the AAT solution is then concentrated and sterilized. In a preferred embodiment, described below, the AAT is at a pharmaceutically acceptable level of purity and activity after the hydrophobic interaction chromatography, and no additional steps are necessary. In a preferred embodiment, described below, concentration is accomplished by ultrafiltration followed by dialysis filtration (diafiltration). In these techniques, solvent and dissolved salts and small molecules are passed through a filtering membrane, leaving behind a more concentrated protein solution. Remaining salts and small molecules in the protein solution are then exchanged with a different buffer by continuous addition of several volumes of the new buffer to the product, while maintaining a constant product volume by continuously passing solution through the same membrane.
[0075] The AAT is then provided with a pharmaceutically acceptable buffer, and lyophilized by methods known in the art, preferably by methods known to be suitable for preparing AAT therapeutic formulations.
[0076] Proteins isolated from mammalian sources may contain pathogenic viral contaminants, and it is desirable to reduce or eliminate such contamination in pharmaceutical compositions. Methods of viral reduction are known to those of skill in the relevant arts. The methods contemplated to be applicable to the present invention include, but are not limited to, pasteurization, irradiation, solvent/detergent treatment, disinfection, filtration, and treatment with supercritical fluids. Solvent/detergent treatment can be carried out, for example, by contacting a protein solution with a polyoxyethylene sorbitan ester and tributyl phosphate (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,805; see also WO 95/35306 for application of the method to an AAT composition.) Disinfection of a protein solution can be carried out by exposing the solution to a soluble pathogen inactivating agent, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,106,773, 6,369,048 and 6,436,344, or by contact with an insoluble pathogen inactivating matrix, for example as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,096,216 and references therein. Filtration may be through 15-70 nm ultrafilters (e.g., VIRA/GARD™ filters, A/G Technology Corp.; PLANOVA™ filters, Asahi Kasei Corp.; VIRESOLVE™ filters, Millipore Corp.; DV and OMEGA™ filters, Pall Corp.) Irradiation may be with ultraviolet or gamma radiation; see for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,187,572 and references therein. Inactivation of viruses by treatment with supercritical fluids is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,168. Pasteurization of a protein solution may be accomplished by heating within the limits dictated by the thermal stability of the protein to be treated. In the case of AAT, pasteurization is usually accomplished by heating to about 60-70° C. In a preferred embodiment, described below, viral reduction of the AAT concentrate is carried out by pasteurization and ultrafiltration. Stabilizing additives may be added to protect the AAT from thermal degradation during the pasteurization step, as disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. No. 4,876,241. Sucrose and potassium acetate are preferably added as stabilizers, and the stabilized AAT solution is then pasteurized at about 60° C. to reduce viral contamination. The amount of sucrose is preferably at least 40%, more preferably at least 50%, and most preferably about 60% by weight. Use of less than 40% sucrose has been found to result in undesirable levels of aggregation of the AAT. The amount of potassium acetate is preferably at least 4%, more preferably at least 5%, and most preferably about 6% by weight.
[0077] After viral reduction, the AAT solution may optionally be diluted and ultrafiltered, then re-concentrated and sterilized, e.g. by filtration. The sterilized AAT-containing concentrate may then be lyophilized to form a therapeutic product. A suitable composition for preparing a lyophilized AAT powder is shown in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Composition of AAT solution for lyophilization
Concentration
Component
Function
1.0 g/vial
AAT a
Active Ingredient
50 mg/mL b
Sodium Phosphate c
Buffer, Tonicity
20 mM
Sodium Chloride USP
Tonicity
40 mM
Mannitol USP
Stabilizing Agent
3%
Sodium Hydroxide
To adjust pH
as needed
Hydrochloric Acid ACS
To adjust pH
as needed
Water for Injection USP d
Diluent/Vehicle
20 ml/vial
a The final product is ≧96% AAT as determined by SDS-PAGE and ≧93% monomer by HPLC.
b Functional AAT activity per ml.
c Added as Monobasic Sodium Phosphate Monohydrate or Dibasic Sodium Phosphate.
d Added as Sterile Water for Injection USP.
[0078] The final formulation will depend on the viral inactivation step(s) selected and the intended mode of administration. Depending on whether the AAT is to be administered by injection, as an aerosol, or topically, the AAT may be stored as a lyophilized powder, a liquid, or a suspension. The composition shown in Table 1 is suitable for injection, and may be lyophilized and stored in glass vials for later reconstitution with sterile water. The composition of a suitable dry powder formulation for inhalation is shown in Table 2. Such a formulation is suitable for inhalation administration as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,780,014, either with a metered dose inhaler, or with a pulmonary delivery device such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,668.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Composition of AAT Formulation for Aerosol Administration
Nominal Content
Component
Function
(per unit dose)
AAT
Active Ingredient
7.440 mg*
Sodium Citrate
Buffer
0.059 mg
Citric Acid
Buffer
0.001 mg
*corresponds to 6 mg functional AAT, and a delivered dose of approximately 3.6 mg functional AAT.
[0079] Assays for determining the quantity and quality of AAT are known in the art and may be employed for evaluating the efficiency of the method. An example of an immunoassay involving a monoclonal antibody specific for AAT, used for measuring or detecting AAT in biological fluids, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,114,863. An example of the use of rate nephelometry is disclosed in L. Gaidulis et al., Clin. Chem. 29:1838 (1983). AAT functional activity may be assayed by measuring its elastase inhibitory capacity using a chromogenic substrate for elastase, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,697,003. AAT may also be assayed by measuring its trypsin inhibitory capacity in a similar manner. In a preferred embodiment, AAT is assayed by endpoint nephelometry, as described elsewhere in this specification.
[0080] The quantity of proteins may be determined by methods known in the art, for example the Bradford assay, or by absorbance at 280 nm using as an extinction coefficient E 1 cm, 280 nm 1% =5.3 (R. Pannell, D. Johnson, and J. Travis, Biochemistry 13:5439-5445 (1974)). SDS-PAGE with staining and densitometry may be used to assess purity of the sample and detect the presence of contaminating proteins. A reducing agent such as dithiothreitol is preferably used with SDS-PAGE to cleave any disulfide-linked polymers, thereby facilitating the comparison of total AAT to total non-AAT protein. Size-exclusion HPLC may also be used to assess purity of the sample and detect the presence of both contaminating proteins and aggregate or polymeric forms of AAT. Analysis of four lots prepared by the method of the invention showed AAT protein purity by SDS-PAGE (reduced) of at least 98%, an AAT monomer content of at least 95%, and specific activity averaging 1.06 mg functional AAT/mg protein (Table 3).
[0000]
TABLE 3
Purity of AAT
% AAT Purity
Specific Activity
by SDS-PAGE
% Monomeric AAT
(mg functional
Lot
(reduced)
by HPLC
AAT/mg)
A
98
95
1.10
B
99
95
1.09
C
98
95
1.05
D
98
96
1.04
[0081] Preferred conditions for the methods of the invention are as follows:
[0082] 1. Preparation of Cohn Fraction IV I-4
[0083] Human plasma is cooled to −2 to 2° C. and adjusted to a pH of 6.9 to 7.5. Cold ethanol is added to a concentration of 6 to 10%, and the temperature is lowered to −4 to 0° C. The precipitate that forms (“Fraction I”) is removed by centrifugation or filtration.
[0084] The filtrate or supernatant from the above procedure is adjusted to pH 6.7 to 7.1, and cold ethanol is added to a concentration of 18 to 22%. The temperature is lowered to −7 to −3° C., and the mixture is again subjected to centrifugation or filtration. The precipitate that forms (“Fraction II+III”) is set aside for other purposes.
[0085] The filtrate or supernatant from the above procedure is adjusted to pH 4.9 to 5.3 and the ethanol concentration is adjusted to 16 to 20%. The temperature is adjusted to −7 to −3° C. After the suspension settles, it is adjusted to pH 5.7 to 6.1 and the ethanol concentration is adjusted to 40 to 44%. The precipitate that forms (“Fraction IV 1-4 ”) is removed by centrifugation or filtration, and stored until needed in the form of a paste. Fraction IV 1-4 contains AAT as well as contaminating proteins and lipids.
[0086] 2. Purification with DTT and Silica
[0087] The Fraction IV 1-4 paste is suspended in a suspension buffer (e.g., 100 mM Tris, 20 mM NaCl, pH between about 7.5 and about 9.5, preferably between about 8 and about 9) and stirred for a minimum of one hour at low temperature. The amount of buffer used ranges from 6 to 10 kg of buffer per kg of the plasma-containing fraction.
[0088] The Tris buffer suspension is then treated with dithiothreitol (DTT) and fumed silica. DTT is added to the Tris buffer suspension at a concentration in the range of about 10-50 mM. The solution is stirred for at least 30 minutes, preferably 2-4 hours, at low temperature, and preferably at a pH of about 8-9. Fumed silica is added at a concentration of approximately 100-300 g fumed silica per kg Fraction IV precipitate. The suspension is stirred for at least 30 minutes, preferably 1-4 hours, at low temperature, at a pH of about 8-9. A filter aid such as CELITE™ (diatomaceous earth) is added at the rate of five parts filter aid one part silica, by weight, and the mixture is stirred for approximately 15 minutes. The soluble AAT product is separated from the precipitated fumed silica and contaminating proteins using a filter press, yielding the AAT final filtrate. Preferably, the suspension is recirculated through the filter press until the desired level of clarity is obtained. The AAT final filtrate is then treated further as follows.
[0089] 3. Ion Exchange Chromatography
[0090] The AAT final filtrate is applied directly onto a chromatography column containing an anion exchange resin equilibrated with an IEC equilibration buffer. Contaminants are removed from the column by washing the column with an IEC wash buffer, and AAT is subsequently eluted using an IEC elution buffer.
[0091] 4. Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC)
[0092] The eluate from the IEC column is prepared for HIC by adding ammonium sulfate to a final concentration of about 1 M. The solution is then filtered and applied to a hydrophobic interaction chromatography column which is equilibrated in a HIC wash buffer. Initial elution with a wash buffer provides an AAT-containing effluent, and elution with additional wash buffer removes any AAT retained on the column. The combined effluent and washes are concentrated by ultrafiltration, and diafiltered into a phosphate buffer. The final AAT concentration is preferably no greater than 7% protein.
[0093] 5. Pasteurization
[0094] The AAT concentrate is stabilized for pasteurization by the addition of sucrose and potassium acetate, and pasteurized at about 60° C. for 10-11 hours. The pasteurized solution is held at 2-8° C. pending further processing.
[0095] 6. Nanofiltration
[0096] The pasteurized AAT solution is diluted with a final formulation buffer. The diluted, pasteurized AAT solution is then filtered through two new YM-100 (Amicon) spiral-wound ultrafiltration cartridges. This nanofiltration step serves as a second primary viral reduction step. Viruses are retained by the membrane, which has a nominal 100,000 Dalton molecular weight cut-off, while AAT, which has an approximate molecular weight of 50 kD, passes through. The AAT is collected in the permeate of the second filter and in filter post-washes. The final filtrate is collected in a bulk receiver and held at 2-8° C.
[0097] 7. Sterile Filtration and Lyophilization
[0098] The AAT-containing final filtrate is concentrated and diafiltered into final formulation buffer at a temperature of no more than 15° C. to form a final bulk solution. This solution is clarified and sterilized by passage through a series of sterile, bacterial-retentive filters. The sterile bulk solution is filled into sterilized glass final containers. The filled containers are freeze-dried and then sealed under vacuum.
[0099] The product is ≧96% pure AAT as determined by both SDS-PAGE and immunological assays such as ELISA or nephelometry, and is ≧93% monomer by size exclusion HPLC. The recovery based on the functionally active AAT content of the Cohn fraction IV paste is 70%.
EXAMPLES
[0100] Fraction IV 1-4 Precipitate (667 kg) was isolated via the Cohn plasma fractionation process from 9026 liters of human plasma. The material was divided into nine batches of approximately 75 kg each. Each batch was suspended in Tris Buffer, using 6 to 10 parts buffer (w/w) relative to the presscake. The suspensions were stirred for at least 15 minutes, the temperature was adjusted to 2°-8° C., and the pH of each suspension was adjusted to 8.80-8.95 with 1 N sodium hydroxide or 1 N hydrochloric acid as necessary. The suspensions were stirred for 15 to 105 minutes (average 45 min), and monitored for protein (Bradford assay) and potency. Specific activity of each batch ranged from 0.027 to 0.045, and averaged 0.037 mg functional AAT per mg protein. Approximately 12% of the total protein was albumin, and approximately 22% was transferrin.
[0101] Dithiothreitol (DTT) was added to a final concentration of 0.01 to 0.05 M DTT (average 0.03 M) based upon the amount of Tris Buffer in each batch. After a pre-mix period of at least 15 minutes, the temperature was adjusted to 2°-8° C. and the pH re-adjusted to 8.80-8.95, and the solutions were stirred for 2 to 8 hours (average 3 hours). If necessary, the pH was again adjusted to 8.80-8.95.
[0102] AEROSIL® 380 (fumed silica, Degussa AG, Frankfurt-Main) was added at the rate of 13.4 to 18.6 g per liter plasma input (average 16.7 g). The suspensions were stirred for 1 to 4 hours (average 1 hour) at 2-8° C.
[0103] CELITE™ 545 was added to each suspension at the rate of 5 parts CELITE™ to 1 part AEROSIL®, and the suspensions were stirred at 2-8° C. Each suspension was then recirculated through a plate and frame filter press, holding 25×25 inch CUNO™ A2605-10CP filter pads (cellulose pads with inorganic filter aids; nominal cutoff 1 micron). When the turbidity was ≦10 NTU by nephelometry (minimum of 15 min.), re-circulation was discontinued and the filtrate was collected. The filter press was post-washed with TRIS extraction buffer at 2-8° C. The postwashes were combined with the initial filtrate solutions, and total protein in solution was determined by the Bradford protein assay. The filtrates were held at 2-8° C. for no longer than 19 hours. Based on AAT activity, the filtrates contained a total of 1557 g of ATT, corresponding to a 59% yield of the activity present in the original suspension of Fraction IV paste, and a purification factor of 1.5. (In view of the activity present after subsequent processing, these values appear to be low, possibly due to the presence of unidentified factors interfering with the AAT assay.) Specific activity for each of the nine batches ranged from 0.042 to 0.064, and averaged 0.056 mg functional AAT per mg protein. Albumin and transferrin were below detection limits (total protein contained less than 0.5% albumin and less than 2.5% transferrin.)
[0104] A 92-liter, 30 cm high ion exchange chromatography (IEC) column loaded with TMAE FRACTOGEL™ (synthetic polymeric resin media, EM Industries, Hawthorne, N.Y.) was equilibrated with IEC equilibration buffer (50 mM Tris, pH 8.3-9.3, 20-25° C.). Following equilibration, conductivity of the effluent was verified to be ≦1.25 mS/cm. Each filtrate from the previous step was warmed to 20-25° C. and filtered through a CUNO ZETA PLUS™ 90SP cartridge (45115-12-90SP, depth filter cartridge, nominal MW cutoff of 0.1 micron) before loading onto the column with control of flow rate (≦3.0 cm/minute) and column pressure ≦20 psi). Total protein loaded onto the IEC column was limited to no more than 70% of the resin capacity. The column was then washed with five column volumes of IEC wash buffer (50 mM Tris, 25-70 mM NaCl gradient, pH 7.1-7.7) at 20-25° C., with control of flow rate (≦3.0 cm/minute) and column pressure (≦20 psi). The effluent was monitored by Bradford protein determination, assay of AAT activity, and UV absorbance at 280 nm.
[0105] AAT was eluted with approximately three column volumes of IEC elution buffer (50 mM Tris, 75-120 mM NaCl gradient, pH 7.1-7.7) at 20-25° C., with control of flow rate (≦3.0 cm/minute) and column pressure ≦20 psi). The effluent was monitored by Bradford protein determination, assay of AAT activity, and UV absorbance at 280 nm. The entire peak that eluted after application of the elution buffer was collected for further processing.
[0106] The above procedure was repeated nine times in order to process all nine batches of filtrate. Ammonium sulfate was added to the IEC eluates to a final concentration of 0.9 to 1.1 M. The resulting solutions were either used immediately, or stored at 15-25° C. for no more than seven days. Based on AAT activity, the IEC eluates contained a total of 2241 g of ATT, corresponding to an 84% yield of the activity present in the original suspension of Fraction IV paste, and a purification factor of 16.2. Specific activity for each of the nine batches ranged from 0.416 to 0.975, and averaged 0.592 mg functional AAT per mg protein.
[0107] A CUNO™ filter (ZETA PLUS™ 90SP cartridge 45115-12-90SP, nominal MW cutoff of 0.1 micron) was prepared with a hot WFI flush followed by a cold WFI rinse (WFI=Water for Injection). Water was gently blown out of the filter with compressed air. Three IEC eluates, containing ammonium sulfate, were pooled and filtered through the prepared CUNO™ filter and subsequently combined to provide the “filtered IEC solution”. The filter was post-washed with approximately 20 liters HIC wash buffer (50 mM Tris, 1 M ammonium sulfate, pH 7.1-7.7). The post-wash and the filtrate were combined and weighed. The process was repeated three times to process the nine batches of IEC eluate.
[0108] A hydrophobic interaction column (HIC) was packed with PHENYL SEPHAROSE™ Fast Flow HS resin (Pharmacia, Piscataway, N.J.) to a volume of 49 liters (32 cm bed height), and equilibrated with HIC wash buffer (50 mM Tris, 1 M ammonium sulfate, pH 7.1-7.7). This and all column loading and subsequent elutions were carried out with control of flow rate ≦4 cm/minute), column pressure ≦20 psi), and solution temperatures (20-25° C.).
[0109] Each of the three batches of filtered IEC solution was loaded onto an HIC column. Total protein load onto the column was limited to ≦39 g protein per liter of resin. Optical density (OD 280 ) of the effluent was monitored, and collection was initiated when the OD 280 rose 0.04 units higher than the baseline value. The column was washed with HIC wash buffer to elute additional AAT from the column, while non-AAT contaminants remained bound to the column. Approximately ten column volumes of HIC wash buffer was applied to the column, and effluent was collected until the A 280 dropped to <0.05 units above baseline. The AAT effluent and column wash were combined and weighed. Samples were taken for Bradford protein determination, OD Protein determination, potency, and LAL (Limulus amebocyte lysate) testing. The HIC effluents were held at 15-25° C. for no more than 72 hours. Based on AAT activity, the three batches of HIC effluent contained a total of 2090 g of ATT, corresponding to a 79% yield of the activity present in the original suspension of Fraction IV paste, and a purification factor of 25.6. Specific activity for each of the three batches ranged from 0.908 to 0.986, and averaged 0.937 mg functional AAT per mg protein.
[0110] A tangential flow ultrafiltration (UF) unit containing a polyether sulfone membrane (surface area: 50 ft 2 ) with a molecular weight cut off range of 5,000-30,000 was integrity tested to ensure a bubble point of less than 1250 ml/minute. Diafiltration buffer (40 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.2-7.6; 10 kg minimum) was recirculated through the unit for a minimum of five minutes. The recirculated buffer solution was sampled to verify proper pH (7.2-7.6) and LAL (<0.25 EU/ml). A repeat of the prewash steps was performed if pH and LAL requirements were not met. The UF unit was held for no more than 12 hours at 2-8° C. prior to HIC Effluent application.
[0111] The HIC effluent from the previous process step was mixed, and the temperature was adjusted to 15-25° C., prior to application to the ultrafiltration unit. Inlet pressure was maintained at ≦40 psi, and outlet pressure and sample weight were monitored during the concentration process. Concentration was performed until the weight of the concentrate was approximately 10 kg.
[0112] Following concentration, the HIC effluent concentrate was diafiltered, exchanging the Tris-buffered ammonium sulfate solution with a sodium phosphate buffer. Diafiltration buffer (40 mM sodium phosphate, pH 7.2-7.6) was applied at a volume ten times the weight of the HIC effluent concentrate. Inlet pressure was maintained at <40 psi, and outlet pressure was monitored. After all of the diafiltration buffer had been added, the sodium concentration of the permeate was determined. Diafiltration was considered complete if the sodium concentration of the permeate was within 10% of that of the diafiltration buffer. Additional diafiltration buffer (5× the weight of the concentrate) was added, and diafiltration extended, if necessary, until the sodium concentration of the permeate was within 10% of that of the diafiltration buffer.
[0113] Following diafiltration, the ultrafiltration was continued until the concentrate had a mass of approximately 6 kg. Product was then gently blown out of the UF system (≦25 psi). The ultrafiltration unit was postwashed twice with 1.5 kg diafiltration buffer. The UF postwashes were added to the diafiltered concentrate. The total weight of concentrate was determined and the protein concentration determined (OD at 280 nm).
[0114] Based on the OD protein observed, the AAT protein concentration was determined, and adjusted if necessary to the range 2.9-6.8%. Analysis for LAL, SDS-PAGE, Bradford protein, potency, and bioburden were performed. SDS-PAGE showed ≧98% AAT. Based on AAT activity, the concentrates contained a total of 2096 g of AAT, a 79% yield of the activity present in the Cohn paste suspension, and a purification factor of 26.6. Specific activity for each of the three batches ranged from 0.886 to 1.04, and averaged 0.974 mg functional AAT per mg protein.
[0115] The AAT concentrate (2.9-6.8% protein) was adjusted to 20-25° C., and sucrose (1.75 kg per kg AAT concentrate) and potassium acetate (0.175 kg per kg AAT concentrate) were added. The final concentration of sucrose was 59.8%±6% (w/w), and the final concentration of potassium acetate was 5.98%±0.6% (w/w). After mixing, the stabilized concentrate was transferred into one-liter sealed serum bottles. The bottles were stored at 2-8° C. for no more than 10 weeks (and at 15-25° C. for no more than 48 hours) before being heat-treated (pasteurized). Pasteurization at 60±1° C. was performed for 10-11 hours. The pasteurized AAT solution was held at 2-8° C. for no more than 10 weeks, and at 15-25° C. for no more than 72 hours, prior to further processing.
[0116] Pasteurized AAT solution was pooled under HEPA-filtered air into two batches, and diluted with diafiltration buffer (20 mM sodium phosphate, 45 mM NaCl, 3% mannitol, pH 6.6-7.4) at a ratio of 5:1 buffer:AAT solution (w/w). The diluted solutions were sampled for LAL, protein, and potency. Based on AAT activity, the pasteurized and diluted solutions contained a total of 1941 g of AAT, a 73% yield of the activity present in the Cohn paste suspension, and a purification factor of 26.6. Specific activities for the two pasteurized batches were 0.954 and 0.993, an average of 0.973 mg functional AAT per mg protein. The percent monomer of the AAT solutions was measured by size-exclusion HPLC before and after pasteurization. The monomer fractions of the AAT concentrates (pre-pasteurization) were 97.1% to 98.5%, averaging 97.7%. The monomer fractions of the two pasteurized and diluted solutions were 95.9% and 97.5%, an average of 96.7%. Only 1.0% of the monomeric form of AAT was polymerized or aggregated during the pasteurization step.
[0117] Two YM100 filter cartridges (Millipore, Bedford, Mass.) were installed in series into a YM100 UF system, with the first cartridge operated in a tangential flow mode and the second cartridge dead-ended. The UF system was recirculated with a minimum of 5 kg diafiltration buffer. Following recirculation, the diafiltration buffer was tested to verify pH (6.8-7.2) and LAL (<0.25 EU/ml). The diafiltration buffer, and all subsequent processing until lyophilization, was at 2-8° C.
[0118] Each of the pooled AAT solutions was passed through the YM100 cartridges at 2-8° C. at an inlet pressure of ≦45 psi. The load did not exceed 1339 grams protein, and the weight of the YM100 filtrate plus postwashes did not exceed 337 kg. The YM100 filtrates were then ultrafiltered and diafiltered, at an inlet pressure of ≦50 psi, against diafiltration buffer (1.60-1.90 mg/ml sodium, 10 times the YM100 concentrate weight), using an ultrafilter containing a 10,000 M.W. membrane (≧25 ft 2 surface area) that was dedicated to the post-pasteurization process.
[0119] The diafiltered solutions were sampled inline and tested for sodium. If the sodium level of the permeate was within ±10% of the diafiltration buffer sodium concentration, diafiltration was considered complete. If the sodium level was not within ±10% of the diafiltration buffer sodium concentration, diafiltration was repeated with additional diafiltration buffer (5 times the YM100 filtrate weight).
[0120] A final concentration was performed until approximately 6 kg of solution was obtained. Two postwashes were performed using 1.5 kg diafiltration buffer each time. Postwashes were combined with the concentrate for determination of total volume of diafiltered YM100 filtrate. Diafiltered YM100 filtrates were held for no more than 12 days at 2-8° C. before further processing. Based on AAT activity, the diafiltrate contained a total of 1960 g of AAT, a 74% yield of the activity present in the Cohn paste suspension, with a purification factor of 27.5. Specific activities for the two batches were 0.984 and 1.03, an average of 1.01 mg functional AAT per mg protein.
[0121] After addition of diafiltration buffer to obtain a final formulation target of 50 mg functional AAT/ml, the YM100 filtrate solution pH was adjusted as necessary to pH 6.8-7.2. Clarification was carried out with a 0.2 micron Pall SLK-7002-NRP Filter (Pall Corp., East Hills, N.Y.). Once clarified, the non-sterile bulk AAT solutions were combined, weighed and sampled for LAL, protein, potency, and bioburden (≦100 CFU/ml). The non-sterile bulk AAT was held for no longer than 73.5 hours at 2-8° C. pending sterile filtration. Based on AAT activity, the non-sterile bulk AAT solution contained a total of 1822 g of AAT, a 69% yield of the activity present in the Cohn paste suspension, with a purification factor of 26.8. The specific activity was 0.981 mg functional AAT per mg protein.
[0122] In preparation for sterile filtration, a sterile bulk assembly consisting of a 60 L bulk receiver, a Pall 0.2 micron KA1NFP2 sterilizing filter and two (2) Millipore 0.2 Micron AERVENT™ 50 vent filters (hydrophobic polytetrofluoroethylene filters) was prepared. The assembly was autoclaved and used within 7 days of autoclaving. The non-sterile bulk solution was sterile-filtered with control of temperature (2-8° C.), pressure (≦20 psi), filtration time (≦120 minutes), and load including postwash (≦0.26 kg non-sterile bulk per cm 2 filter area). The sterile filtrate ultimately obtained from 667 kg of Cohn fraction IV paste contained 1.78 kg of functional AAT, corresponding to an overall yield of 67% based on the activity of the initial Cohn fraction IV 1-4 suspension, and a purification factor of 29.8. The specific activity was 1.09 mg functional AAT per mg protein. The product was >99% AAT by SDS-PAGE, and >95% monomer by size-exclusion HPLC.
[0123] AAT sterile bulk was aseptically filled into 50 ml Type I glass vials using a fill volume targeted to achieve approximately 1000 mg functional AAT activity per vial (i.e. 20.8 g±0.2 g solution per vial), and the vial contents were frozen and lyophilized.
[0000]
TABLE 4
Fr.
Post-
IEC
HIC
DF HIC
Diluted,
Non-
Final
IV 1, 4 ,
Aerosil
Filtrate
Eluate
Effluent
Conc.
Pasteur.
YM100
Sterile
Container
No. of
9
9
9
9
3
3
2
2
1
1
Batches
Yield (g AAT;
2658
1833*
1557*
2241
2090
2096
1941
1960
1822
1780
total for all
batches)
Overall Yield
100%
69%
59%
84%
79%
79%
73%
74%
69%
67%
from Extract
Purification
1.0
1.4
1.5
16.2
25.6
26.6
26.6
27.5
26.8
29.8
Factor
Specific
0.037 †
0.053 †
0.056 †
0.592 †
0.937 ‡
0.974 ‡
0.973 ‡
1.01 ‡
0.981 ‡
1.09 ‡
Activity**
(mg/mg)
*The AAT assay for these fractions is believed to be low, due to unidentified interfering factors.
**Specific activities are averages over the number of batches shown.
† The Bradford Protein assay was used for these fractions because they are too impure to determine protein concentration by OD 280 . The protein standard used in the Bradford assay was purified AAT, calibrated using an extinction coefficient for AAT of 5.3, see R. Pannell, D. Johnson, and J. Travis, Biochemistry 13: 5439-5445 (1974).
‡ Protein concentration by OD 280 using an extinction coefficient for AAT of 5.3.
[0124] Functional AAT yields, and characteristics of the AAT fractions obtained, at each of the above steps are set out in Table 4.
[0125] Modifications of the above-described modes for carrying out the invention will be obvious to those of skill in the fields of protein purification, analytical chemistry, medicine, and related fields, and such substitutions and modifications are contemplated to be within the scope of the invention. The detailed embodiments described above are provided by way of example only, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims.
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A streamlined method for purifying alpha-1-antitrypsin (AAT) from an AAT-containing protein mixture, such as a Cohn fraction IV precipitate, is provided. In the method of the invention, contaminating proteins are destabilized by cleavage of disulfide bonds with a reducing reagent, such as a dithiol, which does not affect AAT. The destabilized proteins are then preferentially adsorbed on a solid protein-adsorbing material, without the addition of a salt as a precipitant. Separation of the solid adsorbent from the solution leaves a purified AAT solution that is directly suitable for chromatographic purification, without the need for extensive desalting as in prior art processes. A process incorporating this method, which provides pharmaceutical grade AAT in high yield on a commercial scale, is also described.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to an apparatus for inserting successive weft yarn lengths in a shuttleless weaving machine, comprising two or more blowing nozzles arranged to one side of the weaving machine opposite to the end of the weaving shed, which nozzles each cooperate with a weft yarn supply and have been movably arranged such that they may successively be positioned in an operative inserting position with respect to the weaving shed.
Applying more than one weft blowing nozzles which alternatively insert weft yarn lengths, originating from different weft yarn supplies, into the weaving shed is known. The aim thereof is either inserting weft yarns of different nature (e.g. colour) according to a predetermined pattern, or preventing that small differences between supplies of the same weft yarn type become visible in the cloth. In the last case the weft yarn supplies are as it were "mixed" thereby.
In the apparatus as used up till now for this purpose the separate blowing nozzles have been mounted such that they have to be moved into and out of their operative inserting position by translation movements. Particularly with the continuously increasing numbers of revolutions of modern pneumatic weaving machines such translation movements constitute a great disadvantage since relatively large masses have to be accelerated and retarded in very short periods during the successive weaving cycles.
This is true particularly in relation to a weft inserting apparatus which is to be mounted on the reed baulk and therefore, moreover, participates in the reed movements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This disadvantage is removed according to the invention in that the blowing nozzles are mounted together pivotable around a fixed point, with the outlet apertures closely adjacent to each other.
In this mounting method of the individual blowing nozzles quick displacements of these nozzles between the inoperative and the operative insert positions thereof may be achieved without difficulties.
Pivoting the assembly of blowing nozzles further may be done with the aid of a simple control mechanism. Thereby it is also possible to mount the assembly of the blowing nozzles on the quickly reciprocating reed baulk while this does not result in a complicated technical construction for the control of the blowing nozzles, as would be the case with a translation movement of the blowing nozzles.
Preferably a known type of blowing nozzle is utilized, comprising a body provided with inlet apertures for the thread and for the transport fluid respectively and a mixing tube, joined thereto, guiding the thread and the transport fluid enclosing this thread.
According to a further feature of the invention the pivot point is situated between the bodies of the blowing nozzles, while the control element for the pivotal movement engages with the joined mixing tubes, namely in a position situated between the nozzle bodies and the outflow ends of the mixing tubes.
In a particular embodiment, in which more than two blowing nozzles are united into a single block, the blowing nozzle block is mounted pivotably around two mutually perpendicular axes. The blowing nozzle block is thereby universally movable around the pivot point.
It is to be noted that from the published Dutch patent application No. 7100266 (=U.S. Pat. No. 3,853,151=British Pat. No. 1,382,612) a colour variation mechanism for a pneumatic weaving machine is known, in which a guide block with four channels, each cooperating with a weft yarn supply, is mounted pivotably around an axis relative to a weft blowing nozzle, such that the guide channels may be moved selectively into an operative position relative to the inlet end of the weft blowing nozzle.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an elevation of part of a reed baulk having pivotably mounted thereon an assembly of two blowing nozzles, and
FIG. 2 shows schematically a perspective view of a block comprising four blowing nozzles, which block is pivotably mounted around two mutually perpendicular axes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In the embodiment according to FIG. 1 two blowing nozzles 1 are used, which are of a type known per se, comprising a nozzle body 2 and an elongated mixing tube 3 joined thereto. Said blowing nozzles are connected to a swing piece 4, which is pivotably mounted around an axis 5 on an auxiliary member 6. Through this auxiliary member 6 the assembly of blowing nozzles is secured on the reed bulk 7 by means of screws 6a. A guard 6b carried by the member 6 surrounds but is spaced from the mixing tubes 3.
As shown in the drawing the nozzle bodies 2, as seen from the free end of the mixing tube 3, have a somewhat diverging position with respect to each other. Said position facilitates supplying at 8 the weft yarn from the separate weft yarn supplies cooperating with each of the blowing nozzles, said supplies being not further shown.
In FIG. 1 the nozzle assembly is in a position in which the mixing tube 3 of the upper blowing nozzle 1 is in the operative position relative to the weft transport channel formed by the assembly of the contoured reed-lamellae 9. (Therein the reed 9 is shown in a plane which is rotated through 90° with respect to the remainder of the structure).
The nozzle assembly may be pivoted from the position as shown in FIG. 1 around the axis 5 in the direction of the arrow p to a position in which the mixing tube 3 of the lower blowing nozzle arrives in its operative position with respect to the reed 9. The end pieces of the mixing tubes 3 diverge somewhat, as seen in the insert direction, so that the outflow ends of both mixing tubes have in their operative position identical positions with respect to the reed.
For carrying out the pivotal movement around the axis 5 an actuating element 10 is used. This actuating element comprises a block 10a enclosing both mixing tubes 3 at a position between the nozzle bodies 2 and the outflow ends of the mixing tubes, which block is pivotably connected through a strap 11 extending, as shown in the drawing, through a space provided between the member 6 and the laterally projecting end of the reed baulk 7, to a lever 13 which is pivotable around a shaft 12 and in turn is pivotably connected to a control rod 14. The shaft 12 is mounted in a bracket 12a secured to an arm 12b fixed to the bottom of the reed baulk 7. The reed 9, which is mounted in the conventional manner on top of the reed baulk 7, is indicated diagrammatically in FIG. 1 and is shown in detail in FIG. 2. A conventional reed baulk structure, pivoted at the bottom to allow the reed to be reciprocated, is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,212,330. The control rod 14 may be actuated in a suitable manner e.g. through a control block.
FIG. 2 shows that the number of blowing nozzles may be extended to more than two without this leading to increasing the distance through which the nozzle assembly has to be pivoted in order to permit placing each of the blowing nozzles in an operative position with respect to the reed 9. In the embodiment of FIG. 2 four blowing nozzles 1 are united to form a block, each blowing nozzle being fed by a corresponding weft yarn supply, not further shown in the drawing. The nozzle block is pivotably mounted around a shaft 5a corresponding to the pivot shaft 5 in the embodiment according to FIG. 1. The pivot shaft 5a is journalled in a strap 15 which in turn is mounted on a shaft 16 extending perpendicular to the pivot shaft 5a and journalled in the support member 17 which e.g. is part of or is mounted on the reed baulk. In this manner the nozzle block is universally pivotable around the point of intersection of both axes 5a and 16. For carrying out the pivotal movement there are different possibilities. For carrying out the pivotal movement around the shaft 5a a similar actuation mechanism as shown in FIG. 1, including a block 10a, a strap 11, a lever 13 and a control rod 14, could be used, while a pivotal movement around the shaft 16 could be realized through a lever 16a fixed to the shaft 16, which could be controlled through a second control cam.
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Apparatus for inserting successive weft yarn lengths originating from different yarn supplies, e.g. different colors, in a shuttleless weaving machine, wherein two blowing nozzles are mounted pivotably together as an assembly around a fixed point, e.g. on the reed baulk. Thereby the nozzles can be quickly brought into operative position which is important with present high speed weaving machines.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Division of application Ser. No. 10/017,116, filed Dec. 14, 2001 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,099.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to shaped charge tools for cutting pipe and tubing. More particularly, the invention is directed to methods and apparatus for improving the performance and cutting reliability of shaped charge tubing cutters.
2. Description of Related Art
The capacity to quickly, reliably and cleanly sever a joint of tubing or casing deeply within a wellbore is an essential maintenance and salvage operation in the petroleum drilling and exploration industry. Generally, the industry relies upon mechanical, chemical or pyrotechnic devices for such cutting. Among the available options, explosive shaped charge (SC) cutters are often the simplest, fastest and least expensive tools for cutting pipe in a well. The devices are typically conveyed into a well for detonation on a wireline or length of coiled tubing.
Although simple, fast and inexpensive, SC cutters are reputedly not the most reliable means for cutting tubing downhole. State-of-the-art SC cutters are typically tested and rated for cutting capacity at surface ambient conditions. In field use, however, downhole well conditions may exceed 10,000 psi and 400° F. The impact of such elevated pressur and temperature has upon SC performance, generally, is not well understood. High pressure/temperature test environments for SC tubing cutters is not a norm of th industry. Industrial standards for SC cutter performance provide only for cutting capacity at standard atmospheric conditions.
Physical testing under simulated well conditions has revealed two primary influence factors affecting the cutting capacity of SC cutters:
(1) The spacial clearance between the cutter perimeter and the inside wall of the tubing; and, (2) Hydrostatic well pressure.
Asymmetric alignment of the SC cutter within the flow bore of the tubular subject of a cut may reduce the SC cutting capacity up to 35% under atmospheric conditions. At 15,000 psi, SC cutting capacity is reduced an additional 20–25%.
The graph of FIG. 1 illustrates the performance of a typical, 1 11/16″ state-of-the-art SC tubing/casing cutter operating upon an L-80 grade, 4.7 lb./ft., 2⅜″ production tube. The abscissa axis of this graph plots the dimension of radial separation between the SC perimeter and the proximate tubing wall surface. When the SC cutter is aligned substantially coaxial with the tube, the clearance will be a uniform 0.15 in. around the SC perimeter as indicated by the dashed line coordinate that intersects the abscissa at the 0.15 in. value. The ordinate axis of the graph represents the wall penetration depth of an SC cutting jet. The dashed line coordinate from the ordinate axis represents the wall thickness of the tested tubing. The locus of curve “A” plots the SC performance at atmospheric pressure. The locus of curve “B” plots the SC performance at 15,000 psi.
To be noted from FIG. 1 is that even when the SC cutter is centrally aligned within the tube flow bore, the SC penetration capacity is marginal for completely severing the tube thickness at atmospheric pressure (curve A). When the pressure of the operational environment is raised to 15,000 psi, (curve B) the SC wall penetration capacity is substantially reduced. Similarly, when the SC is eccentrically misaligned with the tube axis wh reby one portion of the SC perimeter is in contact with the tube wall and the diametrically opposite portion of the SC perimeter has a 0.30 in. clearance, at atmospheric pressure the SC cutting capacity is reduced by 35%. Under 15,000 psi pressure, the cutting capacity is reduced by another 25% for a total of 60%.
Although SC cutter manufacturers offer centralizers for their tools and recommend their use, in field practice most cutters are operated without the use of a centralizer. However, such prior art centralizers are constructed of plastic or other low abrasion resistive material. Hence, such prior art centralizers are frequently damaged while running into a well by abrasion or by various restriction elements within the tubing bore. Consequently, a partial cut is the common result. As the data of FIG. 1 indicates, the penetration capacity of most cutters is marginal under optimum conditions and substantially lacking under severe conditions.
Another finding from test experiences is that SC cutters frequently lose penetrating capability when the cutter is mounted rigidly against the top sub of the tubing assembly or against the bottom of the SC cutter housing. The loss of cutting capacity is most severe when the SC is tightly coupled only on one side of the SC cutter. It would appear that the cutting jet generated by such a SC is asymmetrically formed due to such confinement. Such disruption of the normal jet formation also increases an undesirable flared distortion of the severed tubing wall at the separation plane and an undesirable deformation to the end face of the top sub.
In principle, the explosive assemblies of SC tubing cutters comprise a pair of truncated cones. The cones are formed as compressed powdered explosive material and joined along a common axis of revolution at a common apex truncation plane. The respective conical surfaces are faced or clad by a dense liner material; usually metallic. An aperture along the common conical axis accommodates a detonation booster.
In theory, ignition of the detonation booster initiates the SC explosive along the cone axis. Explosive detonation propagates a rapidly moving pressure wave radially from the axis through the two explosive material cones. Traveling radially from the con axis, the pressure wave first ncounters the charge lin r at the truncat d apex plane and progresses toward the conical base. As the two liners erupt from the conical surface into th proximate window space, heavy molecular material from the respective charge liners collide with substantially equal impulse along the common juncture plane. Since there is an included angle between the liners, the resulting vector of this collision is a substantially planar jet force issuing radially from the cone axis.
In sequence, the explosive material decomposes more rapidly than the liner material. Hence, the explosive material is transformed into a high pressure gaseous mass confined behind the liner barrier. I have discovered that if a portion of that gas escapes into the jet cavity between the conical liners in advance of the liner material merger, the intensity and direction of the cutting jet is compromised.
It is an object of the present invention, therefore, to provide the industry with tubing cutters having a substantially known downhole, high pressure cutting capacity.
Also an object of the present invention is to disclose a test method for quickly and inexpensively determining the cutting capacity of a cutter assembly under downhole conditions.
A further object of the invention is a cutter assembly design that reliably confines the decomposing SC explosive behind the SC liner to prevent distortion of the cutting jet development.
Another object of the invention is a reliable centralizer assembly.
Also an object of the invention is a new detonator booster design that ignites the SC booster substantially along the cone axis of the charges and at the common plane of apex truncation.
A further object of the invention is provision of an SC tube cutter explosive liner having deeper and more effective cutting capacity.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
These and other objects of the invention as will become apparent from the following d tailed description are provided by an SC assembly wherein the explosive unit of the assembly is substantially isolated between the end wall of the assembly top sub and the inside end-face of the housing by respective spaces of about 0.100″ or more. A plurality of metallic dowel pins protruding from the end face of the top sub engage the adjacent face of the SC thrust plate. Preferably, the thrust plate is brass or other non-ferrous material whereas the spacer pins may be steel. At the housing end, the SC end plate may be ferrous but separated from the housing end wall by a non-conductive elastomer washer that resiliently biases the SC explosive against the top sub dowel pins.
The invention housing is a generally cylindrical element of hardened, high-strength steel having structural weakness or failure lines formed about the housing perimeter above and below the cutting jet window. Internally of the housing, a cutting jet window is defined about the inside perimeter of the housing by concentric channeling. An outer channel having substantially radial walls spans an inner channel, also having substantially radial walls. The axial span between the outer radial window walls is coordinated to the axial span between the conical base perimeters of the SC explosive unit liners whereby the edge thickness of the liner base is intersected by the radially projected plane of the outer window wall.
Externally, the SC housing is formed to an axially projecting salient for secure attachment of a centralizer having spring steel centralizing blades whereby the blades have significant abrasion resistance and are free to flex without exceeding material yield limits.
The SC explosive unit is lined with a pressure formed powdered metal mixture comprising about 80≧% tungsten with the remainder comprising a mixture of about 80% copper and about 20% lead powders. The liner cladding is formed to an approximate 0.050″ thickness.
A cylindrical aperture is formed along the explosive unit axis to receive a detonation booster comprising a substantially cylindrical brass casement having an elongated, small diameter axial primer channel into a large diameter main cavity. High explosive powder in the primer chann l is packed to a density of about 1.1 to about 1.2 g/cc whereas the main cavity explosive is packed to about 1.5 to about 1.6 g/cc. Axially opposite of the prim r channel entry into the main cavity, the main cavity is volume defined by a brass plug insert. The detonation booster casement is positioned along the axial aperture to locate the juncture plane of the apex truncations across the approximate center of the booster main cavity. The booster casement wall thickness along the length of the primer channel is sized to prevent detonation of the SC explosive by the primer decomposition.
Also within the scope of the present invention is a highly simplified test procedure for testing cutter performance within a pressure vessel and for determination of an associated relationship between the cutting performance of a tool at atmospheric pressure and the cutting capacity of the same tool at some designated downhole pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The advantages and further aspects of the invention will be readily appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters designate like or similar elements throughout the several figures of the drawing and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a graph of cutting performance data observed from tests of prior art SC cutters.
FIG. 2 is a cross-section of one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of the present invention centralizer.
FIG. 4 is a detailed section of cutter perimeter and jet window
FIG. 5 is a cross-section of an additional embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is an end view of the assembly top sub.
FIG. 7 is an axial cross-section of the present invention detonation booster.
FIG. 8 is a sectioned plan view of the FIG. 9 test apparatus.
FIG. 9 is a sectioned view of the present test apparatus.
FIG. 10 is a sectioned view of a simplified alternative test apparatus.
FIG. 11 is a plan view of the FIG. 10 test apparatus.
FIG. 12 is a graph of SC performance under various conditions.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring initially to the invention embodiment of FIG. 2 , the cutter assembly 10 comprises a top sub 12 having a threaded internal socket 14 for secure assembly with an appropriate wire line or tubing suspension. In general, the cutter assembly has a substantially circular cross-section. Consequentially, the outer configuration of the cutter assembly is substantially cylindrical. The opposite end of the top sub includes a substantially flat end face 15 having dowel sockets 17 for receipt of spacer pins 19 . The end face perimeter is delineated by a housing assembly thread 16 and an O-ring seal 18 . The axial center of the top sub is bored between the assembly socket 14 and the end face 15 to provide a detonator socket 30 .
Occasionally, when operating tubing cutters, the detonator socket 30 becomes plugged with debris from the detonator, its holder and debris from the well. Resultantly, pressure is trapped within the top sub which presents a personnel hazard when disassembling the tool upon recovery from the well. Responsively, the present invention provides a pair of supplementary vents 31 as illustrated by FIG. 6 alongside the detonator socket 30 as pressure bleed-off vents.
Referring again to FIG. 2 , the present invention cutter housing 20 is secured to the top sub 12 by an internally threaded sleeve 22 . An O-ring 18 seals the interface from fluid invasion of the interior housing volume. A jet window section 24 of the housing interior may be axially delineated above and below by exterior “break-up grooves” 26 and 28 . The break-up grooves are lines of weakness in the housing 20 cross-section and may be formed within the housing interior as well as exterior as illustrated. The jet window 24 is that inside wall portion of the housing 20 that bounds the jet cavity 25 around the SC between the liner faces 58 .
Below the lower break-up groove 28 is an end-closure 32 having a conical outer end face 34 around a central end boss 36 . A hardened steel centralizer 38 is secured to the end boss by an assembly bolt 39 , A spacer 37 may be placed between the centralizer and the face of the end boss 36 as required by the specific task.
Preferably, the shaped charge housing 20 is a frangible steel material of approximately 55–60 Rockwell “C” hardness. Prior art common steel cutter housings usually break up adequately so that debris will fall harmlessly to the bottom of the well when fired at low hydrostatic pressures. However, when fired at elevated pressures, the prior art material may fail to fragment satisfactorily, thus plugging the tubing bore in which it is fired. More seriously, the threaded sleeve section of a mild steel cutter housing may simply flare to a larger diameter when the SC is discharged. If the diameter increase is excessive, the top sub of the cutter housing cannot be retrieved through some restrictions that are commonly installed in the tubing string above the cut, thereby resulting in an expensive and time consuming fishing operation to recover the tool remainder. By utilizing a hard, frangible steel material for the housing fabrication, fragmentation of the housing 20 is encouraged and flaring is minimized or eliminated.
The flaring consequence of a cutter discharge may also visit the end face of the top sub 12 . The detonation forces may radially curl or flare the intersecting corner between the end face 15 and the top sub OD surface. Such added radial dimension to the top sub may also prevent recovery of the tool following the tubing cut thereby requiring a fishing operation. As shown by the FIG. 5 embodiment of the invention, a relatively narrow shear shoulder 50 is formed in the top sub body to seat the end face of the cutter housing sleeve 20 . The shear shoulder base is sized to accommodate the normal static loads on the housing sleeve but to separate under the shear loads imposed by detonation.
Prior art tool centralizers are often damaged when running into a well by being forced past certain tubing restrictions without accommodation for sufficient flexure within the yield limits of the centralizer material. The present invention centralizer 38 shown in plan by FIG. 3 comprises 3 or more, in this case 4, centralizing arms 52 radiating from a central body 54 . Preferably, the centralizer 38 is fabricated from thin, spring-steel stock. Returning to FIG. 2 , the centralizer is firmly secured to a projecting end of the cutter housing 20 by a machine screw 39 , for example. This projecting end mount permits the centralizer arms 52 to pass through the restrictions before engaging the cutter housing 20 . The conical surface relief of the housing end face 34 coupled with the projection from the outer perimeter of the end-closure 32 provided by the end boss 36 and the thickness of the spacer 37 allows the centralizer arms sufficient free deflection space to pass the tubing restrictions without exceeding deformation stress by forcing the arms to pass between the outer perimeter edges and internal tubing restrictions.
The shaped charge assembly 40 is preferably spaced between the top sub end face 15 and the inside bottom face 33 of the end closure 32 by spacers. An air space of at least 0.100″ between the top sub end face 15 and the adjacent face of the cutter assembly thrust disc 44 is preferred. Similarly, it is preferred to have an air space of at least 0.100″ between the inside bottom face 33 and the adjacent cutter assembly end plate 46 . The FIG. 2 invention embodiment provides a plurality of steel (for example) positioning pins 42 inserted into dowel sockets 17 . The pins 42 project from the end face 15 for a stand-off compression engagement of the brass (for example) thrust disc 44 top face. An elastomer compression washer 47 spaces the adjacent faces 33 and 46 . The material composition of these components is addressed to a non-sparking environment. Other materials may be used that are functionally relevant to the invention operation.
State-of-the-art tubing cutters have been provided with a steel compression spring bias against the shaped charge assembly. However, such arrangements represent substantial safety compromises when bearing upon a steel or ferrous metal thrust disc 44 and/or end plate 45 or 46 due to the difficulty in maintaining the cutter housing interior free of loose particles of explosive. Loose explosive particles can be ignited by impact or friction in handling, bumping or dropping the assembly. Ignition that is capable of propagating an explosion may occur at contact points between a steel thrust disc 44 or ferrous metal end plates 45 or 46 and a steel housing 20 . To minimize such ignition opportunities, the thrust disc 44 and end plates 45 and/or 46 , for the present invention, are preferably fabricated of non-sparking brass. Assuming the thrust disc 44 is brass, the positioning pins 19 may consequently be formed from steel or other ferrous material. If the compression washer 47 is an elastomeric or other non-ferrous material, the end plate 46 may be a ferrous material. Conversely, if the resilient bias on the assembly is provided by a ferrous spring such as a bellville washer type not shown, the end plate 46 material should be non-ferrous.
As a further alignment control means, the outside perimeter diameter of the brass thrust disc 44 may be only slightly less than the inside diameter of the housing 20 to assure centralized alignment of the explosive assembly within the housing 20 . The end plates 45 and/or 46 , on the other hand, which may be formed of a ferrous material, should have an outside perimeter diameter less than the inside diameter of the steel housing to avoid a steel-to-steel contact.
The shaped explosive charge 56 that is characteristic of shaped charge tubing cutters comprises a precisely measured quantity of powdered form explosive material such as RDX or HMX that is formed into a truncated cone against the conical faces respective to a pair of end plates 45 or 46 . An axial bore space 59 through the thrust disc 44 , end plates 45 and 46 and explosive material 56 is provided to accommodate a detonation booster 57 . The taper face explosive cones of the present invention are clad with a high density, pressed, powdered metal liner 58 comprising about 80≧% tungsten and an approximate 80/20% mixture of copper and lead powders. A representative liner thickness may be about 0.050″. As understood by those skilled in the art, shaped charge penetration capability increases with (a) an increase in liner density and (b) a pressed powder liner material. A pair of such conical units is assembled in peak-to-peak opposition along a common apex truncation plane P J .
With respect to FIG. 4 , the axial span 60 of the charge between the liner base perimeters 68 adjacent the inside wall of the housing 20 is closely correlated to the axial span 62 of the jet window 24 between the opening walls 64 . See FIG. 4 . Preferably, the window wall 64 will be aligned about midway of liner 58 thickness at the perimeter base 68 . Cutting jet formation may be disrupted due to explosive forces spilling prematurely past the liner base 68 into the jet cavity 25 . As a consequence, jet penetration may be reduced to fractional levels or to none at all. This disfunction is reduced by providing a jet window span 62 about 0.050″ greater than the liner span 60 to align the outer jet window wall 64 within the thickness of the liner base perimeter 68 . Apparently, the proximity of the liner base perimeter 68 to the inside wall of the housing 20 shields explosive forces from entering the jet cavity 25 .
If the span 60 of the liner base perimeter 68 significantly exceeds the span 62 between the window walls 64 , however, collapsing liner elements 58 may strike the window wall 64 corner thereby wiping off the rear portion of the jet. As a consequence, jet penetration is reduced. Referring to FIG. 4 , an efficient compromise of these critical parameters could place the outer window walls 64 as coinciding with the SC liner bases 68 at about mid-thickness.
The second “step” of the jet window 24 is delineated within the outer walls 64 and between the inner walls 66 . This second step has been found to deflect reflected shock waves that disrupt jet formation and reduce jet penetration.
Following the traditional operating sequence and returning the descriptive reference to FIG. 2 , the SC detonator 51 is ignited by an electrical discharge carried by conduits 55 from the surface. Ignition of the detonator 51 triggers the ignition of the booster 57 . The booster 57 explosive decomposes with a greater shock pulse than the detonator 51 explosive but requires the moderately explosive shock provided by detonator 51 for initiation. Ignition of the booster 57 detonates the shaped charge explosive 56 resulting in enormously high explosion pressures (2 to 4×10 6 psi) on the powdered metal liner 58 . The resulting high pressures collapse the liner inwardly thereby merging the liner elements along the common geometric plane P J thereby resulting in a high speed jet of liner material which is propelled radially outward at velocities in excess of 15,000 ft/sec. The high velocity of the jet cuts through the housing 20 and continues outwardly to cut through the wall of the tubing or casing surrounding the SC.
It is a generally accepted axiom of the art that to extract maximum cutting effectiveness, the cutter charges 56 must be initiated on the geometric plane of juncture P J between the two conical forms. Initiation at this point releases balanced forces within the charge and generates a coherent jet radially outward along the juncture plane substantially normal to the cutter axis.
With respect to FIGS. 2 and 7 , the present invention detonation booster 57 is configured to shield the explosive charges 56 from a detonation energy level except within an immediate proximity of the charge juncture plane P J . The booster casement body is preferably turned from an intermediate to high density material that is relatively strong such as brass. The primer section 70 (see FIG. 7 ) includes an annular wall 71 with a thickness of about 0.080″ to about 0.100″ or sufficiently thick to prevent cross-initiation by such low energy levels as 2 and above. The primer section wall surrounds an axial bore 72 having an inside diameter of about 0.045″ to about 0.080″ that is large enough to sustain a high order initiation and set off explosive in the main cavity 75 but at the same time, is small enough to contain a quantity of explosive (about 10 to about 20 grains/ft. of RDX) that is inadequate to initiate the explosive charges 56 prior to the main cavity detonation. A representative primer explosive density may be about 1.1 to about 1.2 g/cc.
Typically, the main cavity 75 is about 0.156″ long ( FIG. 7 ). The inside diameter of the main cavity may be maximized for confining a maximum quantity of RDX explosive at the juncture plane P J ( FIG. 2 ). The main cavity explosive is packed more densely than in the primer train. For example, the main cavity explosive may be packed to about 1.5 to about 1.6 g/cc. The casement wall around the main cavity is about 0.010 in. thick or as thin as practicable ( FIG. 7 ).
The main cavity bore of the booster casement is closed by a pressed plug 78 having sufficient mass (density/weight/length) to terminate the explosive initiation and to direct the explosive energy laterally.
When fired in the usual fashion, the booster primer section 70 (FIG. 7 ) detonates along the small diameter bore 72 to initiate the larger main detonation cavity 75 . Explosive energy from the main cavity 75 ignites the SC explosive 56 on the juncture plane. The primer section construction prevents cross-firing of the SC charge because of the low explosive weight in the primer bore 72 combined with a thick, energy absorbing wall 71 . Premature ignition of the explosive in the main detonation cavity 75 is arrested by a high density and strong energy absorbing plug 78 . This plug 78 prevents cross-firing of the charge on the opposite side of the charge juncture plane from the detonator. When the detonation front impacts the plug 78 , initiating energy is prevented from progressing downward. Moreover, detonation pressure is increased due to impact with the solid boundary of the plug. That elevated pressure is reflected laterally to the SC explosive thereby significantly enhancing initiation efficiency at the desired initiation aperture.
The current state-of-the-art quality control test for well tubing cutters is to place a cutter into piece of “standard” field tubing such as 2⅜″ OD, 4.7 lb/ft., J-55 pipe or 2⅞″ OD, 6.5 lb/ft, J-55 pipe and fire the cutter. The cutter is usually centralized, in water and at atmospheric conditions for firing. If the tubing is severed, the test is considered successful.
As explained previously, however, cutter performance is influenced by two major factors: a) clearance between the cutter and the wall of the tubing (up to 35% penetration reduction) and b) hydrostatic pressure in the well (up to 25% reduction at pressure levels of 15,000 psi and greater). Consequently, the present invention has devised a simple but effective test procedure to monitor the actual penetration value of a cutter configuration under simulated extreme conditions.
To this end, the cutter 10 is inserted centrally within a test assembly such as that illustrated by FIGS. 8 and 9 and fired. The test assembly may comprise a representative section of tubing 80 having 4, for example, steel “coupons” 82 secured as by welding, for example, within longitudinal slots in the sample tube wall. The coupons 82 are preferably, of the same alloy as the tubing 80 . The radial depth of the coupons, dimension “W” in FIG. 9 , is preferably greater than the deepest possible penetration of the cutting jet. The assembly may be immersed in a desired fluid atmosphere and enclosed by a pressure vessel. The pressure vessel is charged to the anticipated operating pressure such as a bottomhole well depth pressure and fired.
After firing, penetration of the coupons 82 and tubing wall 80 is measured at different points radially (along dimension W) around the test assembly, checking for radial integrity in the coupons as well as in the pipe. At the same time, the character of the cut is noted. The penetration values are then compared with minimum penetration requirements established by taking into account the factors defined previously.
A simplified and less expensive alternative to the foregoing test procedure is represented by FIGS. 10 and 11 which utilizes the same coupons 82 secured (as by welding, for example) to a base plate 84 as radial elements about a circle. The SC, independent of a housing 20 enclosure, is positioned within the interior circle at a substantially concentric stand-off (dimension S.O.) from the interior edge of the coupons 82 and discharged.
The graph of FIG. 12 illustrates an actual application of the two procedures described above. The tubing 80 object of the test was an L-80 alloy having a mid-range strength and standard wall thickness as specified by the API for perforator testing. Radial penetration dimension is represented linearly along the ordinate axis. Environmental pressure on the test shot is represented in units of 1000lbs/in 2 (ksi) along the abscissa. The solid line “T” represents the tube wall thickness dimension of 0.190″. The test included two basic sets of environmental conditions: a) at ambient temperature and pressure and b) at the rated downhole temperature and pressure. The shot point designated on the graph as QC 1 results from a FIG. 10 test apparatus. The graph point QC 1 , reports the average coupon penetration by the 1 11/16″ shaped charge test subject without the housing 20 and with no (zero) clearance between the SC perimeter and the coupon 82 edge. The shot point designated as QC 2 also results from a FIG. 10 test method and reports the average coupon penetration by a 1 11/16″ shaped charge test subject in assembly with a stand-off dimension S.O. corresponding to the average radial distance between the perimeter of the SC thrust disc 44 perimeter and the inside wall of a tubing 80 . The shot points designated as IT 1 and IT 2 on the FIG. 12 graph report the SC penetration of coupons 82 set in the manner illustrated by FIGS. 8 and 9 . Shot point IT 1 was made under atmospheric P/T conditions whereas shot IT 2 was made under 15 kps pressure.
From an analysis of the FIG. 12 graph, it is readily seen that a 1 11/16″ cutter requires a 0.380″ penetration of L-80 steel at atmospheric conditions to reliably cut the same 0.190″ tubing wall thickness at 15,000 psi.
Other data points on the FIG. 12 graph represent shots made under the charted conditions by prior art assemblies. Notably, the shots designated by a “diamond” ♦ resulted in a severed tubing. However, the tubing separation was not entirely due to SC jet. A portion of the cut was due to spalling.
Although our invention has been described in terms of specified embodiments which are set forth in detail, it should be understood that this is by illustration only and that the invention is not necessarily limited thereto. Alternative embodiments and operating techniques will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in view of the present disclosure. Accordingly, modifications of the invention are contemplated which may be made without departing from the spirit of the claimed invention
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A shaped charge tubing cutter includes a minimal contact suspension to isolate the cutter explosive from the housing and sub structure. A charge detonation booster main-cavity is located on the juncture of the charge truncation planes. Explosive in the booster main-cavity is detonated by a shielded primer path. Explosive density in the primer path is less than the main-cavity density. A dense, powdered metal SC liner and an abruptly stepped jet window in the tubing cutter housing improve performance. The axial span of the jet window is preferably aligned with the axial span between the liner bases. A testing apparatus and procedure inexpensively verifies downhole performance.
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[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 12/877,450 filed Sep. 8, 2010, claiming priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/579,676 filed Oct. 15, 2009, claiming priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/105,612, filed Oct. 15, 2008, entitled “Stains, Coatings and Sealers.” The subject application claims priority to U.S. application Ser. No. 12/877,450, U.S. application Ser. No. 12/579,676 and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/105,612 and incorporates all by reference herein, in their entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to penetrating oil-based stains, coatings and sealants, which upon application cure, and provide the surface with protection against the effects of UV, moisture, color fading and release no volatile organic compounds or substantially no volatile organic compounds (VOC's) during or after application. Additionally, certain of the compositions protect a treated surface from attack by a variety of microorganisms including, but not limited to algae, fungi, and bacteria.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Currently available stains and coatings are generally oil-based or water-based systems. Although the water-based systems offer advantages of generally no VOC's (“volatile organic compounds”), their ability to penetrate a wood surface and provide a pleasing finish have been limited. Oil-based stains and coatings generally provide better penetration, water repellency, and durability, but suffer from the release of VOC's, typically the solvent, upon application. The release of VOC's are problematic because of odor and for environmental and safety reasons. For example, their use in an exterior location creates environmental problems. Their use in an interior location requires proper and sufficient ventilation to avoid both odor build-up and explosive, toxic and otherwise unsafe conditions. The continued release of VOC's for days after an indoor application can provide a continuing odor problem after continued ventilation becomes impractical and less important for safety reasons. In addition, the currently available water-based or oil-based stains and coatings do not include a completely non-toxic inorganic agent to provide the desired long-term UV protection necessary to maintain the stain or coating's original color and protect the treated surface from UV derived degradation. Currently available sealants utilizing low VOC solvents are based on solvents containing substantial amounts of antioxidants to protect the solvents. Sealants and/or stains utilizing solvents containing antioxidants fail to cure and provide the necessary surface protection. Finally, the currently available sealants, stains and coatings fail to provide a treated surface with the additional protection against a broad range of microbial attack encountered in many environments.
[0004] What is needed is a stain or coating providing the desirable appearance of an oil-based stain that can be used to treat interior or exterior wood surfaces without generating unhealthy and undesirable volatiles and that will maintain the treated surface's color even when exposed to UV light. The UV protection for the applied stain or coating should be attainable by the addition of one or more non-volatile and non-toxic inorganic materials. In addition, the stain or coating should also have a long shelf-live and protect a treated surface treated from attack by microorganisms such as bacteria, fungi and algae and be capable of properly curing within a reasonable time upon application and exposure to air. Additionally needed is a concrete sealer that can be used to treat interior or exterior concrete surfaces, similarly, without generating unhealthy and undesirable volatiles and be capable of providing a natural concrete appearance. The concrete sealer should be capable of curing within a reasonable time upon application and exposure to air. Upon curing the applied sealer should be capable of protecting the surface from the adsorption of water and any dissolved materials that can weaken and damage concrete and further be capable of protecting the treated concrete surface from damage from the normal freeze-thaw cycle. The present disclosure addresses these needs.
SUMMARY
[0005] The present disclosure relates to low and/or no VOC, penetrating stain, coating and sealing compositions for staining, coating, and/or sealing and otherwise protecting porous surfaces such as wood, concrete, cement, brick and the like which are capable of fully curing upon application and exposure to air. In particular, this disclosure relates to stable dispersions of oil-based stains and sealers having low or no VOC's and which are substantially free of antioxidants. The stains and sealers of this disclosure are particularly useful as environmentally compliant coatings, penetrating stains and water sealants that can protect a treated surface from the effects of UV light, microorganisms, moisture, and the like.
[0006] Aspects of the present invention provide the superior performance of an oil-based stain or coating and can be utilized for interior and exterior application without generating toxic and/or flammable vapors. When used to coat wooden surfaces, a natural wood color can be obtained without out sacrificing water repellency, durability, or a natural wood appearance. When used to seal concrete surfaces, a natural concrete surface can be obtained or pigments can be included to provide alternative colorations. As used herein, “oil-based” does not require the solvent to have been produced from a petroleum product, but only requires the solvent to be non-aqueous and compatible with a variety of common petroleum solvents and have some similar solvent properties. This definition is consistent with current usage in the coatings industry.
[0007] Penetrating finishes, are designed to protect a substrate, and optionally change a substrate's color, yet retain the natural textural appearance of the substrate. Penetrating pigmented stains, non-pigmented wood preservatives, and water sealants are typical examples of penetrating finishes. One key attribute of penetrating finishes is that they are designed so as not to form an appreciable surface film or coating on the wood/substrate. They are typically solutions or dispersions of very finely ground components, such as for example, pigments. Such finishes can be formulated to be durable, well suited for textured, exposed surfaces such as siding, decks, steps and the like, can contain water repellants, and are easily applied.
[0008] With the advent of environmental laws and regulations controlling the maximum amounts of VOC permitted in paints, coatings, stains, sealants and the like, numerous attempts have been made in the prior art to formulate coatings and stains which comply with the VOC requirements. In addition, interior and exterior stained surfaces exposed to UV light fade over a period of time making re-application of the stain necessary. Attempts to resolve the environmental issues by developing water-based stains has provided stains having low VOC's at the expense of a natural wood appearance and has not adequately addressed the fading issue caused by exposure to UV light. Similarly, attempts to develop non-aqueous sealants having low VOC's have sacrificed both appearance and performance.
[0009] Certain aspects of the present invention relate to stable, substantially clear and colorless oil-based sealants containing UV stabilizers to prevent fading of treated surfaces. Other aspects additionally contain one or more pigments to provide color to the resulting stain. The solvents utilized in all coatings have no VOC's or substantially no VOC's and flash points (elevated flash points) substantially above typical ambient interior and exterior temperatures.
[0010] Substantially no VOC's refers to a level of volatile emissions from a composition that, although not zero, is sufficiently low as to be negligible. Non-volatile solvents having no VOC's typically exhibit a vapor pressure of less than about 2 mmhg at 20° C., whereas substantially non-volatile solvents having substantially no VOC's typically exhibit a vapor pressure at 20° C. of less than about 5 mmhg. For the purposes of this disclosure, a solvent or a composition having no VOC's is also considered to have substantially no VOC's. In other words, having no VOC's is a subset of having substantially no VOC's. Solvents having elevated flash points typically exhibit flash points (TCC) of at least about 50° C.
[0011] Coatings and stains having elevated flash points and no VOC's or substantially no VOC's are generally safe to use in closed indoor locations and outside and can generally be used for interior applications with little or no ventilation. Other aspects of the present invention relate to stable, oil-based stains or coatings containing dispersions of pigments and UV stabilizers dissolved and/or dispersed in solvents having no VOC's. Formulations having no VOC's are formulated with solvents having a vapor pressure of less than about 2 mmhg at 20° C.; formulations having substantially no VOC's are formulated with solvents having a vapor pressure of less than about 5 mmhg at 20° C.; and formulations having elevated flash points are formulated with solvents having flash points (TCC) of at least about 50° C. or above. Still other aspects of the present invention relate to concrete or masonry sealers, having substantially no VOC's, which upon application can provide a natural or altered concrete or masonry appearance.
[0012] Solvents and other components of the present compositions of this disclosure should be free or substantially free of antioxidants typically added to minimize oxidation during storage and shipping of the solvent. The presence of antioxidants, at the levels utilized to protect commercial grades of solvents from oxidation, can interfere with the drier induced polymerization/crosslinking of the applied sealant or stain necessary to effect curing of the sealant or stain. Failure of the sealant or stain to properly cure causes the applied sealant/stain to remain fluid. In this fluid, uncured state the applied sealant/stain can, depending on the porosity of the surface being treated become tacky and/or wick back into a contacted porous material such as a dresser scarf, clothing and the like, resulting in staining/discoloration of the porous material. A composition is substantially free of antioxidants if the formulation will cure to form a non-fluid material within about 24 to 48 hours.
[0013] For example, commercially available methyl soyate typically contains hydroquinone or a hydroquinone derivative in sufficient amounts to interfere with the drier causing the surface treated with the sealant/strain to remain fluid, causing a treated surface to remain tacky or wet. Commercially sources of limonene typically contain an anti-oxidant, the presence of which upon inclusion into a formulation interferes with the performance of a drier. As a result the treated surface can remain wet and tacky. Sealants/stains formulated with methyl soyate or limonene containing this or a similar antioxidant at the levels typically found in the commercially available solvent fail to adequately cure and remain fluid in treated porous surfaces. Because the amount of antioxidant that can be tolerated in the sealant/stain depends on the specific antioxidant and its antioxidant properties, no maximum level can be stated that is applicable to all antioxidants.
[0014] The dispersions of this disclosure have excellent abrasion resistance, shelf stability, resistance to microbial degradation, penetration into porous surfaces and UV light stability. These dispersions are particularly suited for use, either alone or with additional ingredients such as pigments, waxes and the like, as surface coatings, penetrating stains and sealants. The coatings, stains, and sealants of the present disclosure can be applied by all common application methods used for stains, sealants, and coatings.
[0015] A first aspect of the present disclosure involves a non-aqueous sealant that includes substantially non-volatile solvent having an elevated flash point, a UV protectant, at least one resin, at least one drier, and a biocide. Components of the sealant are sufficiently free of antioxidants to allow the resulting composition to cure normally upon application and exposure to air. For preferred compositions, such curing generally occurs within about 24 to 48 hours of application. Particularly useful solvents include methyl soyate and limonene. Particularly preferred compositions typically cure within about 24 hours of application at normal temperatures and conditions. A non-aqueous sealant or stain does not have to be anhydrous, but typically contains no more than very minor levels of water in a homogeneous liquid phase. Although UV protectants and biocides are not required, sealers suitable for application to concrete surfaces can include one or both.
[0016] A further aspect of the present disclosure involves a non-aqueous stain that includes a substantially non-volatile solvent having an elevated flash point, a UV protectant, at least one resin, a pigment, at least one drier, and a biocide. Components of the sealant are sufficiently free of antioxidants to allow the resulting composition to cure upon application and exposure to air. Particularly preferred and useful solvents include methyl soyate and limonene.
[0017] A still further aspect of the present disclosure involves an article treated with a non-aqueous composition containing a substantially non-volatile solvent having an elevated flash point, a UV protectant, at least one resin, at least one drier, and a biocide and an optional pigment. Components of the sealant are sufficiently free of antioxidants to allow the resulting composition to cure upon application and exposure to air. Particularly useful solvents include methyl soyate and limonene. Examples of articles which can be treated with the formulations of the present disclosure include, but are not limited to outdoor furniture, decks, buildings (interior and exterior), portions of buildings, and the like and the articles can be constructed from porous materials which include, but are not limited to wood, wood products, concrete, and the like.
[0018] A still further aspect of the present disclosure involves a surface treated with a non-aqueous composition containing a substantially non-volatile solvent having an elevated flash point, at least one resin, at least one drier, and a cross-linker. Components of the sealant are sufficiently free of antioxidants to allow the resulting composition to cure upon application and exposure to air, and can optionally contain a UV protectant, a biocide, one or more pigments or colorants, and other additives. Limonene is a particularly useful solvent for use in the concrete sealer.
DESCRIPTION
[0019] The compositions of this disclosure are surface coatings, penetrating stains and sealants which can comprise stable dispersions of insoluble components such as small particle size pigments and/or UV stabilizers in a non-aqueous media providing no VOC's or low VOC's. The sealant compositions according to this disclosure generally contain a UV protectant, a solvent, one or more driers, resins, and one or more biocides to prevent the growth of molds, algae, and the like on a treated surface. Sealant compositions can similarly contain dissolved components and be formulated with or without pigments, UV stabilizers, and one or more biocides. The stain compositions additionally contain one or more pigments to provide coloration. Because the compositions of this present disclosure are oil-based, the various components utilized, must either have sufficient solubility or be capable of being dispersed in the non-aqueous system in the amounts necessary to provide the desired effect as described below.
[0020] The non-aqueous media or solvent system utilized for dispersing and/or dissolving the other components generally include one or more nonvolatile or substantially non-volatile solvents which are individually or collectively adapted to penetrate into a treated porous surface derived from wood, a wood derived product such as for example engineered wood or particle board, synthetic surfaces, concrete, cement, brick and the like. Some particularly suitable solvents include, but are not limited to the C 1 -C 3 esters of C 12 -C 18 carboxylic acids derived from soybean oil, linseed oil, safflower oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, fish oil, tall oil, and the like. Based on work completed at this time, soyate based solvents and limonene have proven particularly suitable. Particularly preferred solvents include methyl soyate and d-limonene. Limonene has proven particularly suitable as a low VOC solvent for the inclusion in a concrete or masonry sealer. The preferred compositions developed, at this time, have generally contained from about 10 to about 80 weight percent of a non-aqueous solvent, more preferably from about 30 to about 70 weight percent of the non-aqueous solvent. Compositions based on these solvents, illustrated by the formulations provided below, have provided composition having no VOC's and/or substantially no VOC's and have exhibited elevated flashpoints.
[0021] Components of the coating and stain compositions should generally be free of any substantial amounts of antioxidants, such as for example, hydroquinone or hydroquinone derivatives. Hydroquinone and/or its derivatives are commonly components of commercial methyl soyate and its presence in the coating or stain compositions of the present disclosure can interfere with the coating or stain's full incorporation into the treated porous surface through what is believed to be an oxidation process (the curing process). Commercially available limonene typically contains an antioxidant, such as for example, butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) or butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT).
[0022] Preferred UV protectants are derived from non-volatile inorganic compounds. Suitable UV protectants include nanoparticle oxide formulations of titanium, zinc, cerium, cerium, and mixtures thereof. A particularly preferred UV protectant is a nanoparticle version of titanium dioxide. A suitable form is sold under the trade name Hombitec® RM and available from the Sächtleben Chemie GmbH, Postfach 17 04 54, D47184 Duisburg, Germany 4902066220. Hombitec is a registered trademark of Sächtleben Chemie GmbH CORPORATION FED REP GERMANY. Preferred compositions contain the UV protectant metal oxides in amounts ranging from about 0.1 to about 3 weight percent. The utilization of nanoparticle forms of the metal oxides provides long term UV protection without affecting the color, hue, and general appearance of the treated surface. Of course, greater quantities can be utilized, but generally provide little additional advantage.
[0023] Suitable driers include generally well-know non-volatile materials such as metal carboxylates. Particularly suitable metal carboxylates include, but are not limited to manganese octoate, cobalt octoate, zirconium octoate, calcium octoate and mixtures thereof. For preferred compositions, the total amount of driers utilized generally ranges from about 0.1 to about 4 weight percent, and more preferably from about 0.5 to about 2 weight percent.
[0024] Resins can be added to the compositions to aid in dispersing the solids present and to provide a more hardened surface upon application and curing. Some resins derived from linseed oil, tung oil and the like slowly oxidize upon exposure to air to harden and improve a treated surface's durability and appearance. Resins that have proven particularly useful as components of the compositions of this disclosure include soy oil and linseed oil modified urethane resins, alkyl derivatives of linseed oil, polymethyl methacrylate resins, and the like. One class of preferred soy oil and/or linseed oil modified resins include soy or linseed uralkyd resins. Such uralkyd resins can be prepared from the reaction of a partially saponified fatty acid/polyglyceride ester (sufficient saponification to form a diol), followed by the reaction with a diisocyanate. For stain and wood sealant compositions developed at this time, suitable ranges for one or a combination of resins are from about 1 to about 30 weight percent, more preferably from about 2 to about 20 weight percent. For sealant compositions developed for concrete, suitable ranges for one or a combination of resins are from about 4 to about 60 weight percent, more preferably from about 10 to about 50 weight percent.
[0025] Although preferred formulations are substantially free of antioxidants, formulations particularly susceptible to in container oxidation during storage can contain low levels of antioxidants. For this purpose, a preferred anti-oxidant is Doverphos® 4, a trisnonylphenylphosphite, available from ICC Industries has performed well as an anti-oxidant, when used at low levels. For compositions developed at this time, preferred ranged for an anti-oxidant are from about 0.1 to about 2 weight percent, more preferably about 0.5 weight percent. Doverphos is a registered trademark of the Dover Chemical Corporation, 3676 Davis Road N.W., P.O. Box 40 Dover, Ohio 44622.
[0026] The preferred compositions of this present disclosure also contain one or more biocides to prevent the growth of molds, algae, and the like that commonly grow on wood and other surfaces. Based on testing completed at this time, a preferred fungicide is Troysan POLYPHASE® (IPBC), (3-iodo-2-propynyl butyl carbamate) available from the Troy Corporation. POLYPHASE is a registered trademark of the Troy Corporation, 72 Eagle Rock Avenue, East Hanover, N.J. 07936. Based on testing completed at this time, a preferred algicide is IRGAROL® algicide available from Ciba Specialty Chemical Corporation. IRGAROL is a registered trademark of Ciba Specialty Chemical Corporation, 540 White Plains Road, Tarrytown, N.Y. 10591. For preferred compositions developed at this time, the combination of fungicide and mildewcide range from about 0.1 to about 5 weight percent of the coating composition.
[0027] The compositions described above can be utilized to provide a clear sealant for protecting a variety of porous surfaces. In addition to these clear coatings, compositions can further contain a variety of inorganic and organic pigments to provide a desirable color to the treated surface. Preferred pigments are non-volatile and non-toxic. Pigments typically make up from about 0.1 to about 3 wt. % of the coating compositions of the present disclosure. Inorganic pigments such as the different grades of transparent iron oxide are particularly preferred. For formulations developed at this time, the transparent iron oxides have provided various shades of yellow, red and black. Other color variations can be attained by combinations of these colors or by the utilization of other pigments. Preferably, the particle size of the pigments is less than about 75 nm. The pigments can be organic or inorganic derived, however, inorganic derived are generally preferred. If pigments having the desired particle size are not commercially available, the larger size pigment can ground to the desired size in another oil-based component of the stain or coating and dispersed with the other component. The grinding of pigment in castor oil has proven particularly effective when necessary. The necessary particle size is determined by the porosity of the surface being treated and the coloration desired. Larger particle size pigments can generally be tolerated for compositions used to treat surfaces having larger size pores.
[0028] Derivatives of castor oil have also proven effective as cross-linking agents. For example, formulations of dehydrated castor oil of the type produced by Vertellus Performance materials, Inc. and marked under the trade name “CASTUNG” have proven particularly effective. CASTUNG is a registered trademark of Vertellus Performance Materials, 2110 High Point Road, Greensboro, N.C. 27403. Other cross-linking agents capable of reacting with the resin upon application can also be utilized.
Preparation of Preferred Formulations
EXAMPLE 1
[0029] The components provided in Table I, below, were combined and vigorously agitated for one hour at ambient temperature in a 40 horsepower mixer at a sufficient mixing speed to thoroughly mix and disperse all ingredients and provide a coating composition having an elevated flash point and substantially no VOC's upon application. Depending on the particle size of the available pigments needed, additional grinding in the castor oil can provide pigments having the desired particle size.
[0000] TABLE I Component Quantity (pounds) Weight % D-limonene 246.2 59.7 Castoroil 69.3 16.8 Urotuf F-34 17.1 4.1 Nuplex Alkyd Resin—OPC #6502-100 45.4 11.0 Polyphase 60B 1.8 0.4 Paraloid Resin—Diamol BR-115 17.1 4.1 (diluted with d-limonene) Cobalt Octoate 0.8 0.2 Manganese Octoate 2.0 0.5 Zirconium Octoate 4.0 1.0 Calcium Octoate 0.8 0.2 Titanium Dioxide 4.0 1.0 Zinc Oxide 4.0 1.0
The sealant composition was applied to a porous concrete surface and allowed to air cure for 24 hours to provide a treated concrete article protected from moisture, biocidal attack and from UV damage. The articles original color was maintained through an extended time of periodic exposure to sunlight as is typically experienced by an article placed outdoors.
EXAMPLE 2
[0030] A similar amount of methyl soyate free of any antioxidants was substituted for the D-limonene in the formula provided in Table 1 and twelve (12) pounds of a transparent iron oxide dispersion (in the form of a 40% iron oxide pigment dispersion concentrate) was added to the mixture to provide a stain composition having an elevated flash point and no VOC's upon application to a porous surface. The stain was applied to an article having a porous wooden surface and allowed to air cure for 24 hours to provide a treated stained article protected from moisture, biocidal attack and from UV damage. The articles stained color was maintained through an extended time of periodic exposure to weather and sunlight.
Application of Coating and Stain Compositions to a Porous Surface
EXAMPLE 3
[0031] Depending on the nature of the surface to be coated, its location, and the surfaces surroundings, a variety of application methods can be utilized to apply the coatings and stains of the present disclosure. For example, brushing, rolling, flooding, spraying, dabbing with a wet adsorbent article and the like can be utilized to apply the coatings and stains of the present disclosure. Because the coatings and stains of this disclosure have VOC's ranging from substantially no VOC's to no VOC's, the compositions can be sprayed in closed interior locations, provided the spray itself does not come in contact with an ignition source or a surface not to be coated. For coating smaller surface areas, regardless of their location, brushing, rolling and dabbing are generally preferred. Surfaces to be coated or stained should be sufficiently free of moisture to allow substantial penetration of the coating or stain into the porous surface. The level of dryness necessary will depend on the nature of the surface being coated. A wood surface should generally be drier than a porous concrete surface for adequate penetration of the coating or stain. Although preferred temperatures for applying the coatings and stains of this disclosure range from about 50° F. to about 90° F., application can be made over a broad range of temperatures ranging from below 32° F. to more than 90° F. For application methods that result in excess coating or stain on the treated surface, the excess coating or stain can be wiped off with an absorbent material after the desire penetration of coating or stain has been achieved. The removal of excess unabsorbed coating or stain can prevent streaking, in the case of stains, and provide a more satisfying surface appearance.
EXAMPLE 4
[0032] The components provided in Table II, below, were combined and vigorously agitated for one hour at ambient temperature in a 40 horsepower mixer at a sufficient mixing speed to thoroughly mix and disperse all ingredients and provide a “wet look” sealant composition having an elevated flash point and substantially no VOC's upon application. Upon curing the sealed concrete had a gloss natural concrete finish that prevented the adsorption of water and dissolved materials. The sealed concrete was protected against damage caused by normal freeze-thaw cycles.
[0000] TABLE II Component Quantity (pounds) Weight % D-limonene 42.8 42.8 Dehydrated Castor Oil 10 10 (Castung ® 103 G-H CASTOROIL) Urotuf F-34 45 45 Manganese Octoate 0.5 0.5 Zirconium Octoate 1.0 1.0 Calcium Octoate 0.2 0.2 Ultra Marine Blue 0.2 0.2
The composition provided above can additionally contain a UV protectant, a biocide, and additional additives, depending on the specific application.
EXAMPLE 5
[0033] The components provided in Table III, below, were combined and vigorously agitated for one hour at ambient temperature in a 40 horsepower mixer at a sufficient mixing speed to thoroughly mix and disperse all ingredients and provide a “satin look” sealant composition having an elevated flash point and substantially no VOC's upon application. Upon curing the sealed concrete had a reduced gloss natural concrete finish that prevented the adsorption of water and dissolved materials. The sealed concrete was protected against damage caused by normal freeze-thaw cycles.
[0000] TABLE III Component Quantity (pounds) Weight % D-limonene 64.2 64.2 Dehydrated Castor Oil 10 10 (Castung ® 103 G-H CASTOROIL) Urotuf F-34 24.5 24.5 Manganese Octoate (12% rare earth) 0.3 0.3 Zirconium Octoate .6 0.6 Calcium Octoate .2 0.2 Ultra Marine Blue .2 0.2
The composition provided above can additionally contain a UV protectant, a biocide, and additional additives, depending on the specific application.
[0034] A variety of articles can be treated with the sealants, stains, and coatings described herein. Articles suitable for treatment with the formulations described herein can be constructed of wood and wood derived materials which include, but are not limited to wood, engineered wood, and wood products such as particle board, and the like. Such articles constructed of wood derived materials include, but are not limited to, indoor and outdoor furniture, decks, woodwork, cabinetry, buildings, equipment, and the like. Similarly, articles constructed of masonry, concrete, stucco, and/or brick materials can be similarly treated. Such articles include, but are not limited to driveways, patios, buildings, sidewalks, and the like.
[0035] While applicant's invention has been described in detail above with reference to specific embodiments, it will be understood that modifications and alterations in embodiments disclosed may be made by those practiced in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. All such modifications and alterations are intended to be covered.
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A composition for treating wood, concrete, masonry and related materials to effect sealing the article against water, preventing microbial attack, protecting against UV degradation, and optionally imparting a color for aesthetic purposes and an article treated with the composition. The composition includes a solvent having an elevated flash point, no VOC's or substantially no VOC's, and the composition can be used inside with little or no additional ventilation. The compositions contain no antioxidants, or low and controlled levels of antioxidants to allow the applied composition to properly oxidize and cure upon exposure to air. The compositions can be applied by all conventional methods known for applying sealants and stains.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to lubrication equipment and particularly to such equipment for use by those lubricating heavy equipment either at a plant site or in the field.
Portable lubrication equipment for the most part is embodied within hand-held devices including a lubricant reservoir, means for pressurizing the lubricant therein and a grease conduit with a coupling at its distal end for sealed engagement with a grease fitting. Such devices are referred to generally as grease guns. Another type of grease gun relies upon pressurization of lubricant container remote from the hand-held grease gun. The container is wheel-supported and pressurized by air rendering same dependent on a close by pressure source. With regard to grease guns having a self-contained supply of lubricant, the lubricant capacity is usually limited to 20 or less ounces of grease which while suitable for some lubrication jobs is not practical when lubricating several large pieces of industrial equipment. It is not uncommon for a workman to spend considerable time in reloading of the grease gun one or more times during a work shift. Another drawback to such grease guns is the fact that those used for industrial purposes require two-handed operation. As many lubrication points on large pieces of equipment can only be reached with the use of a ladder, the risk of injury by a fall during servicing of a fitting is greatly increased. With respect to lubrication systems having an air-pressurized, wheel-supported cylinder the same are not in any way practical for use within an industrial facility by reason of their restricted mobility.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention is embodied in a lubrication system conveniently transported on the user's back and having an extended supply of lubricant.
A backboard constitutes a base on which system components are mounted which components include grease cylinders removably mounted on the base. Each of said cylinders is in discharge communication with a pump housing wherein motor-driven means pressurizes the lubricant for passage through a hose to a grease gun. A motor driving through speed reduction means is in circuit with a power source mounted on said base with control switch means actuated by a grease gun trigger. Accordingly, motor operation as controlled by said switch results in selective pressurization of the grease with no strenuous physical effort on the worker's part.
Important objects of the present invention include: the provision of a lubrication system transportable on the user's back and having an extended supply of lubricant much greater than known lubrication grease guns; the provision of a lubrication system wherein large capacity grease cylinders initially pressurize the lubricant for flow into a pump housing whereat powered pressurizing means serves to further pressurize the lubricant; the provision of a lubrication system wherein an electrical motor driving through a suitable gear reduction system powers grease pressurization means with motor control provided by a switch located within the grease gun; the provision of a lubrication system wherein a grease cylinder is readily disengageable from the pump housing and from the base component of the system for purposes of recharging the cylinders with a lubricant; the provision of a lubrication system using an auger for pressurization of grease.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the present system in place on the back of a workman,
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the righthand side of FIG. 1,
FIG. 3 is a view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 1 showing pump housing details,
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a pump housing incorporating a modified form of grease pressurizing means, and
FIG. 5 is a lefthand elevational view of FIG. 4.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With continuing reference to the accompanying drawing wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly identified in the following description, the reference numeral 1 indicates a rigid base on which a resilient layer or pad 2 is affixed, the latter constituting padding to space the base from a user's back. Base 1 may be of plywood or light-weight metal with padding 2 of resilient urethane foam provided with a durable cover suitably secured to said base. A pair of shoulder straps 3 are secured at their upper and lower limits within upper and lower pairs of openings 1A-1B in said base and are adjustable in the conventional manner.
Pairs of brackets are indicated at 4 which are secured to base 1 and, being of angular nature, support grease cylinders at 5. Cooperating with said brackets to retain the cylinders are metal straps 6 each provided with a buckle 7.
With continuing attention to the grease cylinders, each cylinder includes a cap 8 in threaded engagement with the cylinder lower end. A rod shown typically at 10 extends the length of the cylinder and terminates outwardly thereof in a handle 11. Internal cylinder structure is similar to existing manually pressurized grease cylinders wherein a spring-biased piston pressurizes grease for discharge into a second chamber whereat further pressurization occurs. Such cylinders also include a control rod for retracting the piston in abutment with the cap during a grease reloading operation.
In the present grease cylinder a piston at 12 is acted upon by a spring 13 for urging cylinder contents outwardly via conduit means 14. Piston control rod 10 serves to retract piston 12 compressing spring 13 against cap 8 during cap removal and replacement subsequent to recharging of the cylinder with grease. A crosspiece 10A at the rod inner end abuts the piston during retraction while forward extension of the rod, after cap replacement, is permitted by reason of the sliding fit between the rod and piston. Further, rod 10 is threaded at its lower end for stowed attachment to cap 8.
A pump housing, indicated at 15, is mounted on base 1 and defines a transverse bore 16 and a communicating upright bore 17. O-rings at 18 seal the inserted ends of conduit means 14 within the pump housing with collars 20 additionally affecting a seal. A second transverse bore at 21 in the pump housing receives grease pressurizing means in the form of an auger 22 which extends outwardly therefrom within an auger tube 23. A butterfly shut-off valve 19 permits closure of bore 17. A motor at 24 includes a gear reduction drive within its motor case and is suitably secured to said pump housing. The drive output shaft (unseen) is coupled with the auger shaft to drive same causing auger flights to compress lubricant forced into transverse bore 21 by the action of piston 12.
Removably coupled to the outer end of auger tube 23 is a hose coupling 26 which may include an internally threaded member 26A in threaded engagement with said tubes. A collar portion of said coupling secures one end of a grease hose 27 which terminates oppositely in communication with a grease gun 28. Hose 27 is attached to the grease gun via a suitable coupling 30 to provide a pressurized flow of grease through a passageway 28A and through an extension tube 32 attached to said gun. A coupling 33 on said extension tube embodies internal structure enabling sealed engagement with a grease fitting on the equipment being lubricated. Obviously extension tube 32 as well as coupling 33 may be interchangeable with similar components to best suit the task at hand. A grease gun holder at 34 provides for convenient storage of the gun on base 1 in an accessible manner.
Indicated at 36 is a case for a rechargeable power pack 37 serviced by a recharging unit 38 to enable the power pack to be recharged in between work shifts from any 120-volt service outlet. Motor 24 may be of a 12 volt rating in circuit via a lead 49 with the power pack while the remaining side of the circuit includes a lead 41 terminating at a normally open switch 42 located within grease gun 28. Switch 42, upon actuation by a finger of the operator, closes the above-described circuit to the negative side of the power pack via a conductor 43. To reduce the possibility of entanglement, the lead 41 and conductor 43 are routed along the grease hose 27 by means of clips at 44.
In FIGS. 4 and 5 a modified form of lubricant pressurization means is disclosed wherein a piston 45 reciprocates within a bore 21' of a pump housing 15'. A motor 46 is mounted to the pump housing by means of a bracket 47. An output shaft 48 of a gear reduction drive powered by said motor drives an eccentric 50 to which is pivotally mounted an outer end of a pitman 51 driving piston 45. During each return stroke of piston 45 a quantity of lubricant enters bore 21' from communicating bore 17' and thereafter pressurized for passage through a tube 23' and a grease hose. A valve 19' blocks flow within bore 17'.
In operation of the present system fully charged cylinders are strapped into bracket-supported engagement with base 1 with their conduit means 14 slidably inserted with bore 16 of pump housing 15. Piston control rods 10 are then repositioned upwardly to permit piston 12 to be biased upwardly by spring 13 to discharge their combined flows into pump housing 15 for pressurization by auger 22 or piston 45 in the modified form. Upon seating engagement of grease coupling 33 with a machine grease fitting, the operator closes normally open switch 42 to energize motor 24 whereupon the lubricant within hose 27 is pressurized to propel lubricant past the fitting to the machine bearing. As grease is substantially non-compressible, cessation of motor operation will terminate discharge of grease from grease gun coupling 33. If so desired a grease coupling having an internal valve arrangement may be utilized to positively seal coupling 33 upon disengagement from a fitting. Such a coupling is shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,788,427.
While I have shown but one embodiment of the invention it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A lubrication system including a base with shoulder straps. A motor pressurizes grease received from cylinders having spring urged pistons. The pressurized grease is discharged by a grease gun at the end of a grease hose with a grease gun mounted switch controlling motor operation. The grease cylinders are removably mounted on the base by brackets and straps.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Beneficial uses of microorganisms are well known in the art and have been documented at great length. Many patents have issued which claim new microbial processes pertaining to the production of antibiotics, enzymes, ethanol, and a multitude of other useful products. Microorganisms are also used to clean up toxic wastes and oil spills, mill pests, recover minerals, and provide nutrients to plants. It has been known for many years that some organisms produce compounds which are toxic to other organisms. The production of the antimicrobial compound penicillin by penicillium mold is one such example.
Microorganisms are particularly attractive candidates for use in making and delivering organic compounds because they can be extremely efficient and safe. The modern tools of genetic engineering have greatly enhanced the ability to exploit the efficiency and relative safety of microbes. Even in the absence of genetic manipulation, however, microbes can perform highly specific tasks which make them indispensable in certain applications. Thus, there is a constant ongoing search in many areas of research for new microbes with specific advantageous properties. The subject invention concerns the discovery of one such microbe.
The tree species Melaleuca quinquenervia (Cam.) Blake (Melaleuca) is an exotic pest species which is native to Australia and was introduced into Florida in the early 1900's as an ornamental tree and possibly as a commercial source of wood. Several of Melaleuca's innate characteristics have facilitated its spread throughout South Florida. Melaleuca grows more densely in Florida than in Australia and "crowds out" native plants. Prolific seed production, fire adaptation and release from natural competition, insect feeding and disease further abet its competitive ability. The Melaleuca may become a large tree exceeding 50 feet in height. The tree may have a single trunk or have multiple stems arising from the base of the tree. The bark covering the trunk is white to cream-colored and is very thick and soft, and easily peels in multiple layers from the tree. The tree is easily recognized when flowering, being covered with clusters of white flowers born on the ends of the twigs. Melaleuca flowers throughout the year in Florida, with heavier blooms reported during the wet season with lighter blooms occurring throughout the winter. Individual trees have been reported to bloom as many as five times a year and an individual branch may have three or more blooms each year. Seed capsules which are formed on the flower spike, are from 0.1 to 0.2 inches long and are short and cylindrical. Each capsule, which contains over 200 seeds, may remain attached to the branch for an extended period of time.
A large, mature melaleuca tree has a high reproductive potential as the branches contain millions of seeds stored in the capsules. By flowering three to five times yearly, large numbers of seedlings are produced. These seedlings can, in turn, produce seeds within two to three years, and a mature tree can store over 20 million seeds. Encroachment into ecosystems formerly devoid of Melaleuca is irreversible, permanently replacing natural plant communities and the animals that live in them. Melaleuca was planted from seeds obtained from Australia in the early 1900's at two coastal locations. The present distribution of melaleuca is predominantly centered around the areas of original introduction. Its spread was enhanced through its use as wind breaks and fence rows, and its popularity as a fast growing ornamental. Canals have most likely facilitated the spread of the buoyant seeds in to the interior of conservation areas where relatively undisturbed inland wetlands have been invaded. Sites conducive to Melaleuca development are usually poorly-drained areas which have high water table levels or are flooded periodically each year. These sites comprise much of the ecologically-sensitive wetland areas of South Florida, including the Everglades National Park, the Big Cypress Preserve, and the Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge.
Melaleuca is highly resistant to stress, including herbicides and fire. Not only is this species physically resistant to fire, but the seed capsules are stimulated to open by the extreme heat and drying produced by fire. The trees grow rapidly, even when completely submerged in flood waters for periods of six months or longer, and they resume vigorous growth after the water recedes.
Melaleuca has been identified as a potential threat to South Florida's water supply. Future spread of melaleuca throughout the Everglades has the potential to impact regional surface water supplies by replacing open grassy paries with forest.
A task force assigned to study the melaleuca problem has concluded:
"It is the consensus opinion of the [task force] that the uncontrolled expansion of melaleuca constitutes one of the most serious ecological threats to the biological integrity of South Florida's natural systems."
Control of this encroachment is a formidable task, even when chemical herbicides are applied either to individual trees or to groups of trees by aerial spraying. Eradication frequently requires two or three applications of herbicides which increases herbicidal contamination of wetlands. Thus, chemical weed control programs are seriously inadequate for the control of Melaleuca.
Also, the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture is currently a major concern in the U.S. For example, pesticides are being blamed for an epidemic of cancer in children and young adults in the San Joaquin Valley (Weisskopf, M. [1988] The Washington Post Weekly Edition 5(47):10-11, Washington, D.C.). New technologies in detection methods are enabling researchers to find pesticides in the environment that were previously thought to be totally degraded. Perhaps the major public concern of the 1980's is protection of groundwater. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 100,000 of the nation's 1.3 million wells are contaminated with pesticides (Fleming, M. H. [1987] Amer. J. Alterative Agriculture 2:124-130). This has alarmed the general public since 50% of all Americans depend on groundwater wells for their fresh water supplies. Because herbicides are so widely used in agriculture, and because they are often applied directly to the soil, the potential for movement into groundwater by leaching is perhaps greater than any other pesticide. Other inadequacies of chemical controls include lack of residual control, injury to non-target organisms, undesirable residues in harvested products, and carryover in subsequent crops. Among the chemical herbicides now being used in efforts to control Melaleuca are Arsenal (isopropylamine salt of 2-[4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-91-methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl]-3-pyridinecarboxylic acid), Bonvel 720 (diethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxy-acetic acid+dimethylamine salt of 3,6-dichloro-0-anisic acid), Garlon 3A (triethylamine salt of 3,5,6,-tricloro-2-pyridinyloxyacetic acid), Rodeo (isopropylamineamine salt of N-(phosphonomethyl)glycine), Spike (N-[5-(1,1-dimethylethyl)-1,3,4,-thiadiazol-Z-yl]-N,N'dimethylurea), and Velpar (3-cyclohexyl-6-dimethylamino) 1-methyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4(1H,3H)-dione). Certainly, the use of chemical herbicides must be avoided or reduced to the extent possible in the environmentally sensitive wetlands of South Florida.
Therefore, the use of bioherbicides is becoming an increasingly important alternative to chemical herbicides. This importance is exemplified by several patents which have been issued for bioherbicides and their use. Some of these patents, by way of illustration, are as follows: U.S. Pat. No. 3,849,104 (control of northern jointvetch with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides Penz. aeschynomene); U.S. Pat. No. 3,999,973 (control of prickly sida [teaweed] and other weeds with Colletotrichum malvarum); U.S. Pat. No. 4,162,912 (control of milkweed vine with Araujia mosaic virus); U.S. Pat. No. 4,626,271 (Cyanobacterin Herbicide); and U.S. Pat. No. 4,915,726 (Biological Control of Dodder).
Melaleuca quinquenervia has not been reported to have any natural enemies in Florida capable of inducing mortality. Fungi of the genus Botryosphaeria, including B. ribis, have been shown to grow on other species of plants (Ramos, L. J., S. P. Lara, R. T. McMillan, Jr., K. R. Narayanan [1991] Plant Dis. 75:315-318; Venkatasubbaiah, P., T. B. Sutton, W. S. Chilton [1991] Phytopath. 81:243-247; Webb, R. S. [1983] Plant Dis. 67:108-109). However, the fungus is not shown to cause sufficient damage to induce mortality in any of the specifies shown to be infected with the fungus.
Mellein and 4-hydroxymellein are isocoumarin compounds which have previously been described (Moore, J. H., N. D. Davis, and U. L. Diener [1972] "Mellein and 4-hydroxymellein production by Aspergillus ochraceus wilhem,' Microbiology 23(6):1067-1072; Cole, R. J., J. H. Moore, N. D. Davis J. W. Kirksey, and U. L. Diener [1971] "4-hydroxymellein: A new metabolite of Aspergillus ochraceus J. Agr. Food Chem., 19(5):909). Phytotoxic properties have not previously been reported for these compounds. Nor has there been any report that these compounds are produced by Botryosphaeria ribis.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The subject injection pertains to a novel means for producing the phytotoxins mellein and 4-hydroxymellein as well as a highly efficient means for delivering these compounds to a target pest plant. The isocoumarin compounds mellein and 4-hydroxymellein are produced by the fungus Botryosphaeria ribis. In addition to the discovery that the isocoumarin compounds are produced by B. ribis the subject invention pertains to the means of delivering these phytotoxins to a target pest plant. Specifically, the fungus can be applied directly to a target plant, and preferably, to a wound on the plant. Growth of the fungus results in the direct administration of the phytotoxins to the target plant.
In a preferred embodiment, the subject invention concerns the discovery of a novel method for control of the exotic pest tree Melaleuca quinquenervia. Specifically, the subject invention pertains to a highly effective means for delivering a phytotoxin to melaleuca trees. This method has been shown to have surprising ability to provide specific control of Melaleuca trees. In this preferred embodiment of the invention, the phytotoxin of the subject invention is delivered to the Melaleuca tree by applying an effective amount of the fungus Botryosphaeria ribis directly to the tree. This fungus produces sufficient quantities of a phytotoxic compound to inhibit the growth or actually induce mortality of Melaleuca trees. The growth of the fungus can also mechanically disrupt nutrient transport in the vascular system of the tree.
Advantageously, the fungus may be applied to a wound in the target tree to facilitate the introduction of phytotoxin into the vascular system of the tree. These wounds may either be natural wounds or mechanically made wounds. Alternative means of introducing the fungus include, but are not limited to, transmission vectors such as parasitic or symbiotic insects.
The phytotoxic composition delivered by the methods of the subject invention comprises mellein, 4-hydroxymellein, or a combination of the two. The methods of the subject invention cause stem cankering, foliar wilt, and death of the target Melaleuca tree. These symptoms and the ultimate control of Melaleuca can be enhanced by the mechanical disruption of the tree's vascular fluid flow caused by the growth of the fungus.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
According to the subject invention, the isocoumarin phytotoxins mellein and 4-hydroxymellein are produced by the fungus Botryosphaeria ribis. This fungus can be grown directly on target plants so as to effectively deliver these phytotoxins to the plant. The phytotoxins produced according to the subject invention having the following structures: ##STR1##
Botryosphaeria ribis is unusual in its production of the trans-isomer of 4-hydroxymellein.
The subject invention provides an effective species-specific means for controlling pest trees of the species Melaleuca quinquenervia. Specifically, a phytotoxin, or mixture of phytotoxins is delivered to the vascular tissue of these trees. In a preferred embodiment of the subject invention, the spores or hyphae of the fungus Botryosphaeria ribis can be applied directly to the Melaleuca trees. This fungus produces phytotoxins which control the Melaleuca. These phytotoxins enter the vascular tissue of the Melaleuca and cause foliar wilt and mortality. This effect can be enhanced by mechanical disruption of the plant's vascular system caused by the growth of the B. ribis.
One of the reasons frequently mentioned for the success of M. quinquenervia as an invasive pest plant species was the apparent lack of mortality-inducing natural enemies. Melaleuca quinquenervia has not been reported previously in the literature to be colonized by microorganisms which lead to tree death.
The use of this fungus to administer the species-specific phytotoxin which incites stem cankering and, ultimately, mortality of infected M. quinquenervia trees is a highly advantageous means of reducing host populations. Among advantages are (1) avoidance of pesticidal contamination of waterways and wetlands, where M. quinquenervia grows most frequently; and (2) contribution to inoculum buildup and natural spread of the fungus from dead and moribund trees.
The phytotoxic composition of the subject invention can be delivered to the pest tree by allowing B. ribis to grow directly on the tree. Advantageously, the phytotoxic composition is most effectively introduced into the tree by applying the fungus to a wound on the tree. Alternative means of introducing the fungus are by transmission vectors, which can include parasitic or symbiotic insects.
A subculture of the Botryosphaeria ribis has been deposited in the permanent collection of the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 12301 Parklawn Drive, Rockville, Md. 20852 U.S.A. The culture was assigned the following accession number by the repository:
______________________________________Culture Accession number Deposit date______________________________________Botryosphaeria ribis ATCC 74057 May 6, 1991______________________________________
The subject culture has been deposited under conditions that assure that access to the culture will be available during the pendency of this patent application to one determined by the Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks to be entitled thereto under 37 CFR 1.14 and 35 USC 122. The deposit is available as required by foreign patent laws in countries wherein counterparts of the subject application, or its progeny, are filed. However, it should be understood that the availability of the deposit does not constitute a license to practice the subject invention in derogation of patent rights granted by governmental action.
Further, the subject culture deposit will be stored and made available to the public in accord with the provisions of the Budapest Treaty for the Deposit of Microorganisms, i.e., it will be stored with all the care necessary to keep them viable and uncontaminated for a period of at least five years after the most recent request for the furnishing of a sample of the deposit, and in any case, for a period of at least 30 (thirty) years after the date of deposit or for the enforceable life of any patent which may issue disclosing the culture. The depositor acknowledges the duty to replace the deposit should the depository be unable to furnish a sample when requested, due to the condition of the deposit. All restriction on the availability to the public of the subject culture deposit will be irrevocably removed upon the granting of a patent disclosing it.
Botryosphaeria ribis can be grown on solid or in liquid media. Solid media that can be used include water agar, potato dextrose agar, V-8 agar, and string bean agar (strained extract of macerated string beans solidified in agar). Spores are produced on solid V-8 medium exposed to fluorescent light. Specifically, solid media can be, for example, (1) water agar, (2) potato dextrose agar (Difco), (3)lima bean agar (Difco), (4) corn meal agar (Difco, (5) potato-carrot agar (Tuite 19), and (6) Desmodium agar (blend 10 g Desmodium plant parts or plant extracts in 1000 ml water and solidify with 20 g agar).
For large scale production in fermentation tanks, liquid media is used, for example:
______________________________________Formula I - Modified Richard's Solution - V-8*______________________________________Sucrose 50.00 gmPotassium nitrate 10.00 gmPotassium phosphate, monobasic 5.00 gmMagnesium sulfate.7H.sub.2 O 2.50 gmFerric chloride 0.02 gmV-8 juice 15.00 mlDistilled water to make 1000.00 ml______________________________________ *Trademark, The Campbell Soup Company for mixed vegetable juices.
Formula II--Modified Richard's Solution--Distillers Solubles--Same as Formula I but substitute 15 gm Distillers solubles for V-8 juice.
Formula III--Modified Richard's Solution--Brewers yeast--Same as Formula I above but substitute 15 gm brewers yeast for V-8 juice.
Formula IV--Modified Richard'Solution--Torula Yeast--Same as Formula I above but substitute 16 gm torula yeast for V-8 juice.
Formula V--Oatmeal solution--4%+2% sugar--40 gm oatmeal, 20 sucrose, 1000 ml distilled water.
The preparation of spores is commenced in preseed liter flasks containing about 300 ml of liquid medium which have been inoculated with spores. The medium is incubated for 1-3 days with agitation at a temperature of about 26° C. to about 30° C.
The preseed is then transferred aseptically to 20 liter seed tanks with additional sterile medium as described above. The tanks are provided with sterile air and agitation. The cycle is continued at a temperature of about 26° C. to about 30° C. for 1 to 3 days.
Larger fermentors (250 liter) are aseptically inoculated with the seed tanks (entire contents), described above. Additional sterile medium, as used above, is added the pH adjusted to about 6.0. The fermentor is supplied with sterile air and agitation, and is maintained at a temperature of about 26° C. to about 30° C. for from 1 to 3 days. The fermentor is then harvested by filtering the contents to remove insoluble solids and mycelia growth. The filtered beer is then centrifuged, the supernatant is discarded, and the remaining spore concentrate is collected, placed in plastic bags, and stored in ice. The concentrate so stored maintains an 80% germination for up to 21 days.
The spore concentrate is mixed with an agriculturally acceptable diluent or carrier for application to the Melaleuca tree or a situs. By the term "situs" is meant those areas infested with the undesired tree or potential infestation sites.
The preferred carrier is water, and the spore concentrate is dispersed to make a concentration of from about 2×10 4 to 2×10 7 spores/ml. The formulation can be sprayed on the undesired tree or situs by conventional spraying equipment.
The effectiveness of the novel B. ribis may also be enhanced by mixing it with chemical herbicides such as 2,4-D, atrazine, linuron, paraquat, alachlor, metolachlor, glyphosate, dichlobenil, EPTC, and arsenicals.
Table 1 provides a list of other groups of herbicides which could be used in conjunction with the novel fungus of the subject invention.
TABLE 1______________________________________Herbicide group Example______________________________________Carbamate dichlobenilThiocarbamate EPTCSubstituted urea linuronTriazine atrazineAsymmetrical triazine metribuzinSubstituted uracil terbacilChloroacetamide metolachlorAcid amide pronamideBipyridinium paraquatSulfonyl urea chlorsulfuronImidazoinone imazaquinDinitroaniline trifluralinDiphenyl ethers oxyfluorfenDifenoxycarboxylic acid fluazifopBenzoic acid amibenPhenoxy 2,4-DUnclassed glyphosate______________________________________
Though spores are the preferred form the fungi, the fungi can also be used in their vegetative form. For example, fragmented mycelia can be formulated and applied to purple nutsedge in much the same manner as described above for the spore form.
Use of the fungus Botryosphaeria ribis Grossenbacher & Duggar to introduce phytotoxins offers a safe, economical, effective, residual, and non-polluting method of reducing the population of M. quinquenervia.
Following are examples which illustrate procedures, including the best mode, for practicing the invention. These examples should not be construed as limiting. All percentages are by weight and all solvent mixture proportions are by volume unless otherwise noted.
EXAMPLE 1
Introduction of Phytotoxin Via Mechanical Wound
The introduction of a phytotoxic composition to the vascular system of Melaleuca (or other target plant) can be effectively achieved by placement of hyphae and/or spores of the fungus B. ribis into a wound in the bark of the Melaleuca. The wound may be, for example, a small mechanical wound, i.e., hole <5 mm diameter, in the stems of young Melaleuca or a large wound on an older Melaleuca. This locus of fungal inoculum rapidly spreads under the bark and colonizes xylem and phloem tissue. With inoculated seedlings, cankers develop circumferentially as well as distally toward the foliage-bearing areas of stems or branches. Canker formation interferes with water flow which can enhance the effect of the phytotoxin and eventually results in wilting, defoliation, and tree death. Within five to ten days after inoculation, seedlings are either moribund or dead.
Although sprouts occasionally develop below the point of inoculation, the fungus enters the new vascular tissue and incites cankers similar to those produced on main stems by the original inoculation. Moreover, death of the tree does not retard expansion of the fungus, whose spores can transfer to nearby trees.
When creating a mechanical wound for introduction of the fungus of the subject invention, any method can be used which penetrates the outer bark and exposes vascular tissue. It is the vascular tissue which is most susceptible to the action of the phytotoxin as well as mechanical disruption caused by the growth of the fungus. Thus a wound could be made using a knife, shears, machete, ax, or other appropriate tool, depending upon the size of the tree. Also, a composition comprising the fungus and/or phytotoxins of the subject invention may be injected into the tree using injection techniques which are well known to those skilled in this art. The fungus or phytotoxic composition may also be introduced into a naturally occurring wound on the Melaleuca tree.
EXAMPLE 2
Alternative Methods of Inoculation
In addition to introduction of a phytotoxic composition by means of applying fungi into a wound mechanically created in the pest plant species, insect vectors can be used to inoculate the plant with fungus. In this embodiment, an insect which naturally inhabits Melaleuca (or other target plant), and preferably a species of insect which prefers this plant species, can be exposed to hyphae and/or spores of the fungus which then become attached to the body of the insect. These insects which carry the fungal spores are then released into the area in need of Melaleuca control. The insects which carry the fungus introduce the fungus to the tree.
Most preferably, these insects, either as parasites or symbiotic species, bore into the tree or otherwise introduce the fungus below the protective layer of bark. The fungus, once introduced, establishes a colony on the plant species whereby the production of a phytotoxic composition by the fungus disrupts plant growth and leads to mortality of the tree.
EXAMPLE 3
Isolation and Identification of the Phytotoxins, Mellein and 4-Hydroxymellein
Mellein and 4-hydroxymellein can be isolated from culture filtrate of B. ribis using a variety of extraction procedures which are well known to those skilled in this art. For example, B. ribis cultures can be filtered through weighed 33 cm Whatman no. 2 filter papers that are dried at 70° C. for 12 hours. Mycelial mats can be washed with demineralized water, and weights determined after drying for 12 hours at 70° C. and cooling in a desiccator for one hour. Filtrates can be adjusted to their original volume with demineralized water and their pH values measured with a Corning model 12 pH meter. Filtrates can be adjusted to pH 4 and mellein and 4-hydroxymellein extracted from 25 ml of each filtrate with two 25 ml portions of chloroform in a 500 ml separatory funnel. Solid substrate can be extracted by blending with 200 ml of chloroform for 1 minute in a Waring blender. The slurry can then be filtered and the residue washed with another 100 ml of chloroform. The chloroform can be evaporated to dryness on a boiling water bath, and the residue of each flask is redissolved in 0.5 ml of chloroform. Analogous extraction procedures using ethyl acetate can also be utilized.
Identity of the extracted phytotoxin can be confirmed by TLC co-chromatography with authentic mellein and 4 -hydroxymellein or by spectral analysis.
A person skilled in the art could obtain mellein and 4-hydroxymellein by growing large quantities of B. ribis and isolating the phytotoxins therefrom. The phytotoxic composition obtained in this manner could then be applied directly to melaleuca or other plants. The phytotoxins could be applied, for example, as a spray or wash administered directly to the outside of the plant or to a wound on the plant. Also, the phytotoxins could be injected into the vascular system of the plant using techniques which are well known to those skilled in the art. To apply the phytotoxin by any of these means, the phytotoxins could first be combined with appropriate agricultural carriers or other phytotoxins which are well known to those skilled in this art.
EXAMPLE 4
Herbicidal Activity of Mellein and 4-Hydroxymellein
Extracts of B. ribis which contain mellein and 4-hydroxymellein have been shown to be active against melaleuca and sorghum. The results are presented in Table 2.
TABLE 2______________________________________Effect of B. ribis cell-free culture filtrate (cf) on root growth Root Growth (mm) cf cf Distilled WaterSeedling (as such) (5 fold conc.) Control______________________________________Melaleuca 24 hr 0.0 0.0 3.0 48 hr 1.0 0.0 4.0 72 hr 1.5 0.0 6.5 96 hr 1.7 0.0 7.8Sorghum 24 hr 4.5 0.0 22.0 48 hr 7.5 0.0 42.0 72 hr 8.4 0.0 48.0 96 hr 8.6 0.0 63.0______________________________________
The culture filtrate from B. ribis has also shown phytotoxicity on weed leaves. Specifically, the filtrate has shown phytotoxicity against sicklepod, prickly sida, and johnsongrass.
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 purview of this application and the scope of the appended claims.
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The subject invention relates to a novel means of producing mellein and 4-hydroxymellein. The subject invention further concerns a novel means for introducing phytotoxin, disrupting nutrient flow, and inducing selective mortality for population control of a pest plant species.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a pollution abatement process, and more particularly to a process for reducing the level of pollutants from the exhaust of a diesel engine.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Diesel exhaust is composed of a mixture of many different toxic chemicals. Diesel engines rely on heat, generated during the compression cycle, for ignition rather than an electrical spark as in gasoline engines. Because of this needed compression, diesel engines are heavier and bulkier than gasoline engines. They operate with less highly refined fuel and consume less fuel per horsepower per hour. The toxic chemicals of most concern in diesel exhaust are the oxides of nitrogen (NO x , e.g., nitric oxide, nitrogen dioxide), carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, aldehydes, primarily formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein, and various hydrocarbon particles, as well as unburnt hydrocarbons.
[0003] In this regard, diesel engine exhaust contains both hydrocarbons that are vapors or gases at ambient temperatures and hydrocarbons that have low vapor pressures at such temperatures and, as a result, condense onto the carbonaceous particulates created in the combustion process (the so-called “Soluble Organic Fraction” or “SOF”). Diesel exhaust also contains high levels of sulfur in the form of sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ). When SO 2 oxidizes, it is converted to SO 3 , which then readily combines with water present in the exhaust to form sulfuric acid. Any sulfuric acid condensation will increase the measured particulate matter load of the exhaust gas and such condensation occurs more readily when hydrocarbons, especially the particulates, are present in the exhaust.
[0004] There are several different methods currently implemented for reducing diesel exhaust gas emissions, including the modification of engine design and operating parameters; the design of “cleaner” burning fuels; the use of catalytic converters and diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) for the reduction of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, NO x , and particulate matter; the use of exhaust gas recycling (EGR); the use of selective catalytic reduction (SCR); and the use of particulate filters.
[0005] Nonetheless, in the effort to reduce diesel exhaust emissions, there is a dilemma when trying to reduce particle and NO x emissions simultaneously, because there is a correlation between the formation of NO x on one hand and of the remaining pollutants on the other. For instance, it is possible to reduce NO x emissions by internal measures, such as EGR, which in turn lower the temperature in the cylinder of the engine. However, lower operating temperatures result in increased emissions of particles, unburnt hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. In addition, efficiency and effectiveness of the diesel engine is impaired, and therefore fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions increase. If, however, the combustion in the engine is optimized with regard to efficiency and performance, then formation of particulate matter and NO x will increase.
[0006] As such, there remains a need for improved methods for reducing and removing toxic emissions from the exhaust gas of diesel engines.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] Considerable progress has been made in recent years in reducing toxic exhaust emissions from diesel engines. Diesel oxidation catalysts for example are finding increasing use in reducing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and the soluble organic fraction of particulate matter in such emissions. Recent innovations in surfactant stabilizing additives now enable ethanol to be blended with diesel fuel in clear, stable solutions. On combustion, ethanol/diesel fuels generate less toxic emissions than the base diesel, but surprisingly when used in conjunction with diesel oxidation catalysts, particulate matter especially is dramatically reduced. The effectiveness of a diesel oxidation catalyst attached to a diesel engine exhaust is unexpectedly enhanced by the presence of ethanol in the diesel fuel.
[0008] As such, in one aspect of the invention, methods of reducing particulate matter content of diesel engine exhaust are provided. In general, the methods of the invention comprise operating a diesel engine utilizing as the fuel an ethanol/diesel fuel blend; and contacting the exhaust resulting from the combustion of the ethanol/diesel fuel blend with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for an amount of time sufficient to reduce the particulate matter content by at least 25%, preferably by at least 30%, and more preferably by at least 40%, as compared to the particulate matter content of diesel engine exhaust resulting from the combustion of diesel fuel alone.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] Whilst the addition of ethanol as an oxygenate to improve the combustion of shorter chain gasolines is gathering momentum as methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE) is being phased out due to environmental considerations, only recently has it become feasible to blend ethanol with diesel fuels. Ethanol, being polar, resists dissolution in long chain hydrocarbon fuels such as diesel. However, as described in further detail below, clear blends of ethanol and diesel are now made available by stabilizing the two at the molecular level with surfactants such as the blends of non-ionic species including alkoxylated fatty acids and/or alkanolamides, as described in PCT Publications WO 98/17745 and WO 02/088280, both of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entireties. Such fuel blends benefit from the contribution of ethanol in reducing smoke, the soot content of particulate matter and other toxic emissions from diesel combustion, e.g., nitrogen oxides and carbon monoxide.
[0010] However, the combined effect of ethanol-containing diesel and DOC on the particulate matter content of the products of combustion or the impact of ethanol on enhancing the ability of the DOC to reduce particulate matter (PM), i.e., two separate “first test situations”—(a) ethanol+DOC together (tailpipe) and (b) impact of ethanol on improving the performance of the DOC (tailpipe compared with engine out), have not been reported to date.
[0000] Methods of the Invention
[0011] In accordance with the present invention, it was unexpectedly found that the use of ethanol/diesel fuel blends in combination with diesel oxidation catalysts (DOC) synergistically reduce particulate matter (PM) in diesel engine exhaust. More particularly, it was unexpectedly found that the effectiveness of a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) in reducing particulate matter was unexpectedly enhanced in the presence of ethanol. In a preferred embodiment, the methods of the invention reduce particulate matter while still reducing NO x emissions.
[0012] As such, in one aspect of the invention, methods of reducing particulate matter content of diesel engine exhaust are provided. In general, the methods of the invention comprise operating a diesel engine utilizing as the fuel an ethanol/diesel fuel blend; and contacting the exhaust resulting from the combustion of the ethanol/diesel fuel blend with a diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) for an amount of time sufficient to reduce the particulate matter content by at least 25%, preferably by at least 30%, and more preferably by at least 40%, as compared to the particulate matter content of diesel engine exhaust resulting from the combustion of diesel fuel alone.
[0013] More particularly, when using base diesel fuels, a typical DOC will reduce PM in diesel engine exhaust by less than 25%. However, it has been found that in the presence of 7% by volume ethanol in the diesel fuel, a DOC can reduce PM to a greater extent than would be expected based on the use of a DOC alone and the use of an oxygenate fuel composition alone. In this regard, a synergy of action can unexpectedly be seen in the reduction of PM when a DOC is used in combination with ethanol/fuel mixtures. Moreover, the overall content of NO x , as well of other pollutants, is still reduced.
[0014] Appraisal of other oxygenates has been shown to exhibit less of an effect than observed with ethanol in the methods of the present invention, which ostensibly has a greater impact on DOC performance than evidenced in the prior art. SAE 1999-01-3595, Potentiality of Oxygenated Synthetic Fuel and Reformulated Fuel on Emissions from a Modern DI Diesel Engine. By way of reference, previous research on fuel oxygenates, for example on a 10% blend of Diglyme (diethylene glycol dimethyl ether—C6H1403) with diesel, achieved a soot reduction of 11% compared with the base diesel. SAE 1999-01-1137, Effects of DGM and Oxidation Catalyst on Diesel Exhaust Emissions. Diglyme has a slightly higher oxygen content (35.8%) than ethanol (34.8%). As used herein, “soot” refers to the dry portion of particulate matter (PM), and changes in soot levels correlate to changes in PM.
[0000] Ethanol/Fuel Mixture
[0015] The use of fuel grade ethanol blended with diesel imparts desirable combustion characteristics to the overall fuel blend; such as improved fuel stability, lower smoke and particulate matter, lower CO and NO x emissions, improved antiknock characteristics, and/or improved anti-freeze characteristics. However, use of ethanol in combination with a diesel fuel has previously posed problems, wherein the ethanol/diesel fuel mixture tends to separate into two distinct phases, especially when water is present, which renders the resultant mixture unsuitable for use as a combustible fuel. However, the recent development of improved fuel additives has permitted ethanol, including hydrous ethanol, to be blended satisfactorily with conventional diesel fuel without forming two phases.
[0016] Thus, in one aspect of the invention, a fuel blend comprising a diesel fuel, an ethanol oxygenator, and a fuel additive is provided. The fuel blends may optionally include other chemical additives such as cetane improvers, organic solvents, antifreeze agents, and the like. Further, the fuel blends may, or may not comprise water. Preferred fuel blends include those described in WO 98/17745 and WO 02/088280, both of which are herein incorporated by reference in their entireties.
[0017] The presence of the fuel additive ensures that the fuel blend will form a consistent stable homogenous composition and creates a monolayer simultaneously; a result of which leads to a better, more complete burn which reduces pollution and increases miles per gallon. Without being limited by theory, an ethanol/diesel fuel blend, is able to combust more precisely with a cooler charge to thereby reduce the iron-formates present from the aldehyde peracids and peroxide reactions normally attributable to engine degradation.
[0018] The fuel blends of the invention form a stable, clear and homogeneous composition, even in the presence of water. Therefore, according to a further feature of the invention, an ethanol/diesel fuel blend is provided, which optionally includes an amount of water, and wherein the fuel blend is a substantially stable, substantially clear and substantially homogeneous composition.
[0019] Determination of whether the fuel blend is substantially stable, substantially clear and substantially homogeneous is within the level of ordinary skill in the art. However, a measure of when a fuel blend is substantially stable, substantially clear and substantially homogeneous involves a determination of whether the fuel blend is at or near its cloud point. In this regard, conductivity of the fuel blend may serve as an indication of cloud point. For example, water has a conductivity of 100 mS cm −1 , and an alcohol, e.g., ethanol, has a conductivity of 20 to 30 mS cm −1 . Fuels, such as gasoline or diesel, being non-polar, have a conductivity of substantially zero. In contrast, a non-homogenous mixture of a fuel, such as gasoline or diesel, optionally including an alcohol, such as ethanol, will have a relatively high conductivity reading, and as homogeneity is approached, the conductivity will reduce and will reach a minimum when the composition is a clear homogenous solution.
[0020] The conductivity may be measured at varying temperatures, with substantially ambient temperatures being preferred and particularly at 25.1° C. Conductivity values given hereinafter generally relate to such values when measured at 25.1° C. Furthermore, since it is known that conductivity may vary with temperature, any conductivity values taken at differing temperatures should be calibrated as if measured at 25.1° C.
[0021] 1. Diesel Fuel
[0022] The amount of diesel fuel blended to form the ethanol/diesel fuel blend of the invention may be from about 60% v/v to about 95% v/v, based on the total volume of the fuel consumption. The diesel useful in the ethanol/diesel fuel blends of the invention may comprise petroleum diesel, biodiesel, middle distillate fuels, or any combinations thereof, in any ratio of from 99:1 to 1:99 v/v.
[0023] The petroleum diesel fuel of the fuel blend of the invention may generally be obtained from the distillation of petroleum, and its efficiency can be measured by the cetane number. Suitable diesel fuels for use in accordance with the invention generally have a cetane number of from 35 to 60, preferably from 40 to 50.
[0024] The diesel fuels will preferably have a 90% point distillation temperature in the range of about 295° C. to about 390° C., and in one embodiment about 330° C. to about 350° C. The viscosity for these fuels typically ranges from about 1 to about 24 centistokes at 40° C. The diesel fuels may be classified as any of Grade Nos. 1-D, 2-D or 4-D, as specified in ASTM D975 (or equivalent Canadian or European standards, e.g., EN590-1999). In one embodiment, the diesel fuel is an ultra low sulfur diesel fuel (ULSD) having a maximum of 50 ppm sulfur and a 95% distillation temperature of less than about 345° C. In another embodiment, the diesel fuel has a sulfur content of up to about 0.05% by weight as determined by the test method specified in ASTM D2622-87 (or equivalent Canadian or European standards, e.g., EN590-1999). In yet another embodiment, the diesel fuel is a chlorine-free or low-chlorine diesel fuel characterized by a chlorine content of no more than about 10 ppm.
[0025] Preferably, when the fuel of the invention is a blend of biodiesel and a petroleum diesel, it may comprise up to 50% v/v biodiesel, for example from 1 to 50% v/v, preferably from 5 to 30% v/v, more preferably from 10 to 20% v/v.
[0026] 2. Ethanol
[0027] The amount of ethanol oxygenator may vary depending, inter alia, upon the nature of the fuel, but may be in an amount of from about 1 to about 25% v/v, preferably about 1 to about 10% v/v, and more preferably about 7% v/v.
[0028] The ethanol may be produced from fossil fuel feedstocks or by fermentation of sugars derived from grains or other biomass materials. Therefore, ethanol suitable for use in accordance with the fuel blends of the invention may be fuel grade ethanol derived from yeast or bacterial fermentation of starch-based sugars. Such starch-based sugars may be extracted from corn, sugarcane, tapioca and sugar beet.
[0029] Alternatively, fuel grade ethanol may be produced via known dilute and/or concentrated acid and/or enzymatic hydrolysis of a particular biomass material, for example, from waste industrial sources including, cellulosic portions of municipal solid waste, waste paper, paper sludge, saw dust. Biomass may also be collected from agricultural residues including, for example, rice husks and paper-mill sludge.
[0030] A suitable fuel grade ethanol for use in accordance with the invention may contain none or only contaminant levels of water. Alternatively, a suitable fuel grade ethanol for use in accordance with the invention may contain higher amounts of water, for example, up to about 5% w/w (hydrous ethanol).
[0031] 3. Fuel Additive
[0032] The concentration of the additive in the fuel composition may vary depending, inter alia, upon the nature of the fuel, however, the concentration can be very low, typically of the order of from 0.5:1000 to 50:1000 v/v, preferably from 1:1000 to 50:1000 v/v, preferably 1:100 to 5:100 v/v.
[0033] The fuel additive of the invention may be any fuel additive which results in a substantially stable, substantially clear and substantially homogenous ethanol/diesel fuel blend. The preferred fuel additive of the invention is a non-ionic surfactant and preferably a blend of surfactants. It is a preferred feature of this invention that the surfactants be selected by their nature and concentration that, in use, the additive (as well as any water or other non-fuel liquid present) be solubilized within the fuel. For this purpose it is convenient to have regard to the hydrophilic-lipophilic balance (HLB) of the surfactant, the value being calculated according to the expression.
H L B = mol . wt of hydrophilic chain × 20 total mol . wt .
[0034] The values will depend on the length of the hydrophilic chain, typically an ethoxylate chain. The length of the chain will increase the extent of solubilization because of a greater ability to solubilize. The invention has the ability to unify the HLB requirements of any liquid fuel, which in turn allows for one dose to be used in any fuel from C5 carbon chains up.
[0035] Thus, according to a preferred aspect of the invention a fuel additive is provided comprising an oleic alkanolamide and an alkoxylated oleic. The ratio of the oleic acid alkoxylate to the oleic alkanolamide may vary, but preferably may be from about 99:1 to about 1:99 v/v, more preferably from about 3:1 to about 1:1 v/v, and still more preferably about 1:1 v/v.
[0036] The oleic alkanolamide of the fuel additive may preferably be an ethanolamide, and more preferably a diethanolamide. Especially preferred are the diethanolamides and particularly the super diethanolamides.
[0037] The oleic acid ethoxylate may be derived form a variety of feedstocks, readily available worldwide. However, in a preferred embodiment of the invention the oleic acid ethoxylate may be produced by ethoxylation or esterification of acids derived from animal fats, e.g., beef tallow or vegetable oils, such as soya, etc. Thus, the oleic acid precursor may be predominantly, e.g., from about 65-70% v/v, oleic acid, but may also contain linoleic acid, e.g., about 10-12% v/v, and may also include small amounts of stearic, palmitic and/or myristic acids.
[0038] The alkoxylate of the fuel additive may preferably be an ethoxylate, a propyloxylate, or a mixture thereof. The degree of ethoxylation is chosen to optimize performance in the blend with the oleic diethanolamide, and may be from about 0.5 to 20, more preferably from about 0.5 to about 10, and still more preferably from about 1 to about 3. A suitable product within this range would be, for example, that derived from the addition of 1 molecule of ethylene oxide to 1 mole of oleic acid.
[0039] In a particularly preferred embodiment, the fuel additive of the invention is characterized in that alcohols, and especially ethoxylated alcohols, are substantially absent from the fuel additive.
[0040] In another embodiment, the fuel additive of the invention may optionally comprise a nitrogen compound. The nitrogen compound preferably may be selected from the group consisting of ammonia, hydrazine, alkyl hydrazine, dialkyl hydrazine, urea, ethanolamine, monoalkyl ethanolamine, and dialkyl ethanolamine, wherein alkyl is independently selected from methyl, ethyl, n-propyl or isopropyl. Urea is particularly preferred. The nitrogen compound may be an anhydrous compound or a hydrous compound, e.g., an aqueous solution, and may be up to about 5% w/w aqueous solution.
[0041] 4. Optional Fuel Blend Components
[0042] In one embodiment, the fuel blend may be prepared as a substantially anhydrous composition, save for trace water contamination. By the term trace water contamination we generally mean 0.1% w/w water or less. However, the fuel blends of the invention may optionally include up to about 5% v/v water, based on the total volume of the fuel blend.
[0043] The fuel blend of the invention may also optionally comprise a cetane booster in amount of from about 0.1% v/v to about 10% v/v. When a cetane booster is included in the fuel blend of the invention, it may be added as part of the fuel additive of the invention or it may be added separately.
[0044] A suitable cetane booster may be selected from: 2-ethylhexyl nitrate, tertiary butyl peroxide, diethylene glycol methyl ether, cyclohexanol, and mixtures thereof. The amount of cetane booster present in the mixture will generally be a function of the cetane value of the particular diesel fuel and the amount of ethanol present in the particular fuel blend. Generally, the lower the diesel fuel cetane value, the higher the amount of the cetane booster. Similarly, because ethanol typically acts as a cetane depressant, the higher the concentration of ethanol in the solution, the more cetane booster may be necessary in the blend.
[0045] Furthermore, the fuel additive or the fuel composition of the invention may also optionally include a demulsifier in an amount of less than about 5% v/v, and preferably less than about 1% v/v.
[0000] The Diesel Oxidation Catalyst
[0046] The diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) useful in the methods of the present invention can be any DOC known in art. Generally, DOCs comprise a platinum group metal dispersed on a refractory metal oxide. By way of example, a DOC of the invention may comprise a monolithic catalyst element with through-flow passages of ceramic or metal, coated with an activity-promoting dispersion coating of a fine-particle metal oxide, such as aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, silicon oxide, zeolite or mixtures thereof as support for additional catalytically active components. The catalytically active components may be present in the form of platinum, palladium, rhodium and/or iridium doped with vanadium or in contact with an oxidic vanadium compound.
[0047] Alternatively, the DOC may comprise a catalytic material comprising a mixture of high surface area ceria, a zeolite and, optionally, a high surface area alumina. The catalytic material optionally may carry a low loading of platinum catalytic metal dispersed thereon, or palladium catalytic metal dispersed thereon. Alternatively, or in addition, the zeolite may be doped with a catalytic moiety, e.g., ion-exchanged or impregnated, with an ion or with a neutral metal-containing species selected from one or more of: hydrogen, platinum, rhodium, palladium, ruthenium, osmium, iridium, copper, iron, nickel, chromium and vanadium, preferably, one or both of platinum and iron.
[0048] Preferred zeolite materials for use in the DOCs of the invention include, for example, Beta zeolite or a zeolite selected from: Y-zeolite, pentasil (e.g., ZSM-5), Mordenite, and mixtures thereof.
[0000] Diesel Engine
[0049] The diesel engines that may be operated in accordance with the invention include all compression-ignition engines for both mobile (including marine) and stationary power plants. These include diesel engines of the two-stroke per cycle and four-stroke per cycle types. The diesel engines include heavy duty diesel engines. Included are on and off-highway engines, including new engines as well as in-use engines. The diesel engines that can be used include those used in automobiles, trucks, buses, locomotives, and the like. These include urban buses, as well as all classes of trucks.
EXAMPLES
[0050] The invention will now be illustrated, but in no way limited, with reference to the accompanying examples.
Example 1
Preparation of Ethanol/Diesel Blends
[0051] Exemplary ethanol/diesel fuel blends of the invention are made by mixing a fuel additive with an ethanol/diesel mixture. More particularly, a fuel additive composition is made up by blending constituents, the diethanolamide of oleic acid and ethoxylated oleic acid in the ratio of: 1:1. One percent of this fuel additive composition is then added to 7.7% ethanol/92.3% diesel blends, including, e.g., certification diesel, US No. 1 diesel, 10% aromatic diesel containing 0.1% cetane improver resulting in stable, optically clear and stable micro-emulsion fuel blends.
Example 2
Combination of DOC and Ethanol/Diesel Fuel Blends
[0052] The unexpected improvement in the reduction of PM from diesel exhaust according to the method of the present invention may be demonstrated as follows. The US EPA Engine Dynamometer Schedule for Heavy-Duty Diesel Engines described in CFR Title 40 part 86, Appendix I may be used as the base testing sequence. The regulated emissions are determined over a cold cycle followed by four hot start transient test cycles, each cycle separated by the required 20 minute soak period. During the three hot start phases of the test, the emission characterization measurements from the 13 mode testing are obtained.
[0053] Exemplary ethanol/diesel fuel blends are comprised of Canadian No. 1 and No. 2 Diesels base fuels, and blends of each with 7.0% ethanol and 1% stabilizing additive. The diesel oxidation catalyst is comprised of a model AZ29 catalyst, and is verified under the US EPA Voluntary Diesel Retrofit program. The catalyst has a loading of Platinum on a molecular sieve containing washcoat.
[0054] The emission collection apparatus utilizes a constant volume sampling system which allows measurement of the true mass of the gaseous and particulate matter emissions from the engine during operation. The design of this sampling and analytical system follows the protocol of the CFR Title 40 Part 86.1310-90. The continuous sampling and analysis systems for CO, CO 2 , NO x and THC conform to the specifications of CFR Title 40 Part 86.1310-90 and part 86.1339-90(3). Particulate matter emission rates are obtained using methods described in CFR Title 40 Part 86.1339-90.
[0055] The engine may be a 2000 model year Navistar DT466 S/N, details as follows:
Bore (mm) 116.5 Stroke (mm) 118.9 Cycles 4-stroke Cylinders In-line 6 Displacement (litres) 7.6 Curb-Idle Speed (rpm) 700 Rated Test Speed (rpm) 2200 Maximum Torque (ft-lb) 620 @ 1400 rpm Maximum Power (hp) 237 @ 2300 rpm
[0056] As can be seen in the table below, when using base Diesels #1 and #2, the DOC reduces PM by 8.5% and 24.3% respectively. However, in the presence of 7% by volume ethanol in the two diesels, the DOC reduces PM by 39.4% and 46.0% respectively. In this regard, a synergy of action can be seen in the reduction of PM. For instance, the reduction in PM that results from use of a DOC with standard Diesel #1 is about 0.006 g/hp-hr, and the reduction in PM that results from use of the Ethanol/Diesel #1 without a DOC is about 0.002 g/hp-hr. Based on such results, and taken additively, an overall reduction in PM of approximately 0.008 g/hp-hr, or an 11.27% reduction in PM, would be expected. However, the combined use of a DOC with an Ethanol/Diesel #1 mixture is seen to synergistically reduce PM by about 0.028 g/hp-hr, or a 39.43% reduction in PM. Moreover, the overall content of NO x , as well of other pollutants, is still reduced.
Summary of average hot start emission rates for criteria pollutants and CO 2 . Emission CO CO 2 NO NO x THC PM Change % Change Fuel Used Control [g/hp-hr] [g/hp-hr] [g/hp-hr] [g/hp-hr] [g/hp-hr] [g/hp-hr] in PM in PM Diesel #1 Engine Out 1.08 548 4.30 4.61 0.22 0.071 Baseline N/A Diesel #1 DOC 0.20 550 4.37 4.59 0.05 0.065 0.006 8.45% Ethanol- Engine Out 1.01 570 4.09 4.49 0.66 0.069 0.002 2.82% Diesel #1 Ethanol- DOC 0.21 562 4.34 4.35 0.21 0.043 0.028 39.43% Diesel #1 Diesel #2 Engine Out 1.17 558 4.26 4.60 0.21 0.074 Baseline N/A Diesel #2 DOC 0.16 567 4.59 4.80 0.03 0.056 0.018 24.32% Ethanol- Engine Out 1.23 560 4.12 4.55 0.56 0.075 −0.001 — Diesel #2 Ethanol- DOC 0.25 573 4.46 4.58 0.16 0.040 0.034 45.95% Diesel #2
[0057] All standards, publications, and patent applications cited herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual standard, publication, or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference.
[0058] Although certain embodiments have been described in detail above, those having ordinary skill in the art will clearly understand that many modifications are possible in the embodiments without departing from the teachings thereof. All such modifications are intended to be encompassed within the claims of the invention.
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Considerable progress has been made in recent years in reducing toxic exhaust emissions from diesel engines. Diesel oxidation catalysts for example are finding increasing use in reducing carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and the soluble organic fraction of particulate matter in such emissions. Recent innovations in surfactant stabilizing additives now enable ethanol to be blended with diesel fuel in clear, stable solutions. On combustion, ethanol/diesel fuels generate less toxic emissions than the base diesel, but surprisingly when used in conjunction with diesel oxidation catalysts, particulate matter especially is dramatically reduced. The effectiveness of a diesel oxidation catalyst attached to a diesel engine exhaust is unexpectedly enhanced by the presence of ethanol in the diesel fuel.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a U.S. National Stage Application of International Application No. PCT/EP2013/051235 filed Jan. 23, 2013, which designates the United States of America, and claims priority to DE Application No. 20 2012 000 842.0 filed Jan. 26, 2012 and DE Application No. 20 2012 003 120.1 filed Feb. 16, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates to a rotor for a rotating electric machine, in particular for an electric motor or a generator. In addition, a method for manufacturing such a rotor is disclosed.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Electric motors are increasingly installed in modern motor vehicles. Said electric motors are used in this context, in particular, as drive motors which are fully integrated in the drive train or, for example, as starter generators or axle-mounted motors in hybrid applications. In this context, partially externally excited synchronous machines are used which have a rotor composed of a laminated core provided with an exciter winding. In such rotors, grooves are formed between the wound pole teeth.
[0004] During operation, high centrifugal forces, which can pull the exciter winding out of the grooves, occur both in the case of internal rotors as well as in the case of external rotors. The centrifugal forces are dependent on the rotational speed and on the weight of the groove-internal components. In particular in the case of revving up machines the winding is therefore additionally secured after assembly. For this purpose, various bonding agents are known which are used as impregnating resins or casting compounds.
[0005] In addition, groove stoppers or groove wedges can be used in order to prevent the winding dropping out of the groove. Such groove wedges are known, for example, from document DE 28 17 951 A1. In the case of rotors which are configured for electric motors with a high rotational speed (10,000 revolutions per minute and more) it would be appropriate to secure the groove-internal components, in particular the exciter winding, even more effectively against centrifugal forces which occur during operation.
SUMMARY
[0006] One embodiment provides a rotor for a rotating electric machine, which comprises a number of pole teeth which support an exciter winding; grooves are formed between each of the pole teeth; and groove wedges are provided in the grooves, wherein the groove wedges have a concave shape with a bulge which is directed toward the interior of the rotor.
[0007] In a further embodiment, the groove wedges have a constant curvature radius.
[0008] In a further embodiment, the groove wedges are clamped tight in a dimensionally stable fashion on their longitudinal sides in the pole teeth.
[0009] In a further embodiment, the groove wedges have a seal on their longitudinal side.
[0010] In a further embodiment, a sealing plug is provided between at least one end of the groove wedges and adjoining rotor components.
[0011] In a further embodiment, the sealing plug has flexible lamellas.
[0012] In a further embodiment, the exciter winding is surrounded by a casting compound or an impregnating compound.
[0013] Another embodiment provides an electric motor having a rotor as disclosed above.
[0014] Another embodiment provides a motor vehicle having an electric motor having a rotor as disclosed above.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Example embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to the drawings, in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cross section through an electric motor according to one embodiment;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a perspective view of the electric motor according to figure 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the use of a sealing cushion during the casting of the rotor;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a schematic view of a perspective view and of a cross section through the rotor;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a cross section through the groove wedge, and
[0021] FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a longitudinal section through the rotor.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0022] Embodiments of the disclosure a rotor for a rotating electric machine whose exciter winding is fixed with respect to centrifugal forces in such a way that the rotor can also be used for high rotational speeds.
[0023] According to one embodiment, a rotor is specified for a rotating electric machine, which rotor has a number of pole teeth which support an exciter winding. Grooves are formed between each of the pole teeth, and groove wedges are provided in the grooves. The groove wedges have a concave shape with a bulge which is directed toward the interior of the rotor.
[0024] Such a rotor is also suitable for high rotational speeds of 10,000 revolutions per minute and more. A groove wedge which is shaped in such a way secures the groove-internal components particularly well since the centrifugal forces can be conducted away better with a concavely curved groove wedge.
[0025] In one embodiment, the groove wedges have a constant curvature radius. They therefore form an arc in cross section.
[0026] In one embodiment, the groove wedges are clamped tight in a dimensionally stable fashion in the pole teeth. For this purpose, recesses are provided as securing means in the pole teeth, which recesses can be shaped in accordance with the shape of the groove wedges and hold the edge sections of the groove wedges. Recesses which are shaped in this way follow the shape of the groove wedges and support the effect of the concave groove wedge shape.
[0027] In order to provide the seal during the casting, the boundary face between the groove wedges and the pole teeth can have a seal, for example in the form of a silicone or adhesive bead. Such a sealing bead can be applied either to the groove wedges or into the recesses in the pole teeth before or during the assembly of the groove wedges. Said sealing bead seals the groove wedges over their entire longitudinal sides.
[0028] A seal in the form of a sealing plug can also be provided between at least one end of the groove wedges and adjoining rotor components. In this context, the sealing plug can have flexible lamellas.
[0029] In one embodiment, the exciter winding is surrounded with a casting compound. For this purpose, after the assembly of the rotor, after the windings have been applied and groove wedges have been mounted the electrically insulating casting compound, for example a casting resin or epoxy resin such as araldite or a plastic, is introduced into the cavities inside the grooves of the rotor and cures. In one embodiment, the cavities inside the grooves are filled essentially completely with a casting compound.
[0030] In such rotors, the groove-internal components, in particular the exciter winding, are particularly well secured against centrifugal forces which occur during operation.
[0031] Alternatively, the exciter winding can also be surrounded with an impregnating compound, for example an impregnating resin. During impregnation, the rotor is dipped into the impregnating compound and subsequently dried. In this context, all the groove components are bonded together and the rest of the impregnating compound drips off. The rotor grooves are typically not completely filled in this context.
[0032] According to one embodiment, an electric motor having the rotor described is specified. The electric motor can be embodied, in particular, as an externally excited synchronous machine. It can be embodied either as an internal rotor or as an external rotor.
[0033] Since the groove-internal components are effectively secured against centrifugal forces which occur, the electric motor can be configured for rotational speeds of 10,000 revolutions per minute and more.
[0034] Such electric motors are suitable for use in a motor vehicle. They can be used either as drive motors which are fully integrated in the drive train or, for example, as starter generators, wheel hub motors or axle-mounted motors. According to one aspect of the invention, a motor vehicle is therefore specified having a drive which has the described electric motor. The motor vehicle can be embodied here as an electric vehicle or hybrid vehicle.
[0035] Other embodiments provide a method for manufacturing the rotor is specified, wherein the method comprises the following method steps:
providing a rotor laminated core with exciter windings and groove wedges which cover the grooves; fitting sealing cushions onto the outer sides of the groove wedges, wherein the sealing cushions cover the outer sides of the groove wedges completely; introducing the rotor into a casting tool; casting the rotor; and taking the rotor out of the casting tool and removing the sealing cushions.
[0041] The use of the sealing cushions makes it possible to effectively prevent the casting compound from escaping from the interface between the pole teeth and the groove wedge. The casting compound is therefore also prevented from reaching the surface of the groove wedges. For a particularly good sealing effect, sealing cushions composed of an elastic material, for example a temperature-resistant silicone, can be used, which sealing cushions are compressed when they are placed into the casting tool.
[0042] Advantageous refinements of the rotor presented above are also to be considered advantageous refinements of the electric motor or of the motor vehicle insofar as they can also be transferred to the electric motor or to the motor vehicle.
[0043] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a cross section through an electric motor 1 having a rotor 2 which is embodied as a laminated core, and a stator 3 which surrounds the rotor 2 .
[0044] The rotor 2 has a number of pole teeth 4 which are separated from one another by grooves 7 . The pole teeth 4 support exciter windings 5 which are electrically insulated with respect to the pole teeth 4 , for example by means of a groove insulating paper 6 . It is also possible to use some other type of insulation, for example encapsulation by injection molding with a plastic.
[0045] The groove 7 is also closed off from the outside by a groove wedge 8 . The groove wedge 8 is embodied from a non-magnetizable material.
[0046] The groove wedge 8 has in this embodiment a material which essentially has the alloy composition Fe Rem Cr a Ni b Mn c C d Si e P f S g N h , wherein a, b, c, d, e, f, g and h are given in percent by weight and 18≦a≦19; 12≦b≦13; 0≦c≦1.4; 0≦d≦0.055; 0≦e≦0.6; 0≦f≦0.04; 0≦g≦0.008 and 0≦h≦0.1.
[0047] Compared to known “Nirosta” steels this material has a particularly high proportion of chromium and nickel. As has become apparent, materials made of this steel continue to be non-magnetizable even after shaping, punching or cutting. Eddy current losses in the groove wedge 8 are therefore avoided.
[0048] The groove wedge 8 has a concave shape with a bulge 11 toward the interior of the rotor 2 . The curvature radius of the groove wedge 8 is constant over its entire cross section. With its edge regions the groove wedge 8 is held and secured in recesses 10 in the pole teeth 4 .
[0049] The concave shape of the groove wedge 8 conducts away centrifugal forces which occur during operation. The groove wedge 8 therefore secures the groove-internal components, in particular the exciter windings 5 , additionally in the groove 7 even in the case of high rotational speeds of the electric motor 1 .
[0050] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the rotor 2 . In this view, the groove wedges 8 which extend between the pole teeth 4 can be seen. The groove wedges 8 extend axially, that is to say in the direction of the arrow 14 parallel to the rotational axis of the rotor 2 , over the entire length of the groove 7 . In the case of an oblique groove which is frequently used to reduce the cogging torque of electric motors, the groove wedges follow the oblique profile of the groove 7 correspondingly.
[0051] The groove wedges 8 are assembled after the exciter windings 5 have been applied. They can be assembled either axially or radially. In this context, both unbent pieces of sheet metal—for example unwound from the coil and shaped during assembly—as well as parts which are already shaped before assembly are used. After assembly of the groove wedges 8 , the remaining cavities of the grooves 7 are filled with a casting compound (not shown).
[0052] FIG. 3 illustrates the sealing of the rotor 2 during casting. Revving up rotors are frequently cast with a casting compound in order to stabilize the groove-internal components. Since rotor parts are to be as far as possible cast evenly without air occlusions, the rotor 2 which is already assembled is cast in a vacuum.
[0053] In the region of the groove wedges 8 , a sealing cushion 15 is provided in order to prevent the casting compound from escaping, said sealing cushion 15 simulating with its shape the contour of the groove wedge 8 on the rotor side and a round shape on the casting tool side. The sealing cushion 15 can be shaped and dimensioned in such a way that it forms the seal in all directions: On its surface 16 with respect to the concave groove wedge 8 , on its surface 17 with respect to the casting tool (not shown), at its side faces 18 with respect to the pole teeth 4 . In particular, the sealing cushion 15 can have undercuts 9 with which it latches or wedges into the recess 10 .
[0054] Due to the geometry and the flexibility of the sealing cushion 15 , both straight and oblique grooves 7 can be sealed in this way.
[0055] The casting tool is generally an open and closed tool composed of two sealing faces which are round on the inside and which form a hollow cylinder after the closing of the tool. The rotor 2 is accommodated inside the hollow cylinder.
[0056] In the embodiment shown, the sealing cushions 15 are not flush with the outside of the rotor 2 but rather protrude slightly. When the tool is closed, the sealing cushions 15 which are made of flexible materials seal off the region of the groove wedge 8 radially. As a result of the pressing when the tool is closed, the sealing cushion 15 extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the rotor 2 . This also results in a sealing effect in the axial direction in the region of the cover of the winding head 21 . The sealing regions (radial and axial) are also illustrated in figure 4 .
[0057] The sealing cushion 15 can also be used during impregnation in order to prevent impregnating resin from escaping from the grooves 7 .
[0058] FIG. 4 shows the regions Dr which are to be sealed radially and the region D a which is to be sealed axially, where the three rotor components rotor laminated core, groove wedge 8 and cover of the winding heads 21 meet. The sealing of these regions prevents casting compound or impregnating resin from escaping. The sealing cushions 15 are removed after the casting and can be used in further casting cycles.
[0059] An alternative possibility for preventing casting compound from escaping, which can also be used in addition to the sealing cushion 15 , will now be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6 .
[0060] In the radial sealing region Dr a seal 19 can be provided in the recess 10 . This seal 19 can be embodied as a liquid seal or as a sealing rail and can either be introduced into the recess 10 or else applied as a sealing bead to the side faces 20 of the groove wedge 8 . For example silicone can be used for this.
[0061] The region D a which is to be sealed axially can additionally be sealed off by a sealing plug 23 which is shown in section in figure 6 . The sealing plug 23 is manufactured from a non-magnetizable material, for example from silicone or some other material, and can already be plugged on or integrally injection-molded onto the edge region 22 of the groove wedge 8 during the manufacture thereof. Alternatively, it can also be connected to the groove wedge 8 during the assembly of the rotor 2 , either by pre-assembling both parts and subsequently joining them or by mounting the groove wedge 8 and subsequently fitting the sealing plug 23 .
[0062] In the embodiment shown, the sealing plug 23 has compressible lamellas 24 . The lamellas 24 compensate the assembly tolerances and fabrication tolerances of all components in the sealing region D a .
[0063] During the assembly it is possible to adopt the following: Firstly, the groove wedges 8 are mounted with the sealing plug 23 , and afterward the covers of the winding heads 21 are fitted on. In this context, the lamellas 24 of the sealing plugs 23 are pressed and therefore position themselves against the sealing contour. As a result, the region which is to be sealed is closed off. Even if the lamellas 24 are not positioned precisely against the cover of the winding head 21 , at least one labyrinth seal is formed here. If the casting compound or the impregnating resin penetrates the first lamellas 24 during the casting or impregnation, it is therefore largely held back by the labyrinth geometry.
[0064] Although at least one exemplary embodiment has been shown in the preceding description, various changes and modifications can be made. The specified embodiments are merely examples and are not provided for limiting the scope of validity or the possibility of application or the configuration in any way. Instead, the preceding description provides the person skilled in the art with a plan for implementing at least an exemplary embodiment, wherein numerous changes in the function and the arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment can be made without departing from the scope of protection of the appended claims and their legal equivalents.
[0065] In addition, a method for manufacturing a rotor 2 which is described in the above description may include the following method steps:
providing a rotor laminated core with exciter windings 5 and groove wedges 8 which cover the grooves 7 ; fitting sealing cushions 15 onto the outer sides 27 of the groove wedges 8 , wherein the sealing cushions 15 cover the outer sides 27 of the groove wedges 8 completely; introducing the rotor 2 into a casting tool; casting the rotor 2 ; and taking the rotor 2 out of the casting tool and removing the sealing cushions 15 .
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS
[0071] 1 Electric motor
[0072] 2 Rotor
[0073] 3 Stator
[0074] 4 Pole tooth
[0075] 5 Exciter winding
[0076] 6 Groove insulating paper
[0077] 7 Groove
[0078] 8 Groove wedge
[0079] 9 Undercut
[0080] 10 Recess
[0081] 11 Bulge
[0082] 14 Arrow
[0083] 15 Sealing cushion
[0084] 16 Surface
[0085] 17 Surface
[0086] 18 Side face
[0087] 19 Seal
[0088] 20 Side face
[0089] 21 Cover of the winding head
[0090] 22 Edge region
[0091] 23 Sealing plug
[0092] 24 Lamellas
[0093] 25 Longitudinal side
[0094] 26 End
[0095] 27 Outer side
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A rotor for a rotating electric machine includes a plurality of pole teeth supporting an excitation winding, grooves respectively formed between the pole teeth, and wedges provided in the grooves, each wedge having a concave shape with a bulge oriented towards the inside of the rotor.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to dispensing systems for such things as vending machines, and in particular, to increasing the capacity and selection of a vending machine with compartments accessible by a sliding door.
B. Problems in the Art
A variety of vending machine dispensing systems exist. For example, canned soft drink machines generally use a gravity feed system. A customer pushes a button and one can of the selected brand and/or flavor is released from a row of the same brand and/or flavor and dropped to an access opening. The customer generally does not actually see the different available choices but relies on an indicator (such as a picture, trademark, or logo) at or near each of the buttons.
Other machines, for example candy vending machines, utilize a glass front so the customer can see the choices. Drive mechanisms then operate to move a particular choice to a drop off location accessible by the customer.
In both of the above systems, security against a customer attempting to reach and take more than the single selected item is accomplished by having the access area away from or segregated from the remaining inventory in the machine.
Another type of vending system utilizes a plurality of trays or what will be called buckets that, like a ferris wheel, move in a path so that they sequentially can rotate to a window or door. Many of these machines utilize a window, and in fact combine a window with a door, to allow a customer to not only see the various selections available, but also to verify that the customer's particular selection is moved to the door. The customer usually operates a control to move the buckets past the door until the bucket with the desired item is aligned with the door. Once appropriate money is given to the machine, the door can then be opened and the customer can access the selected product. The individual buckets are segregated from each other to disallow access to other buckets when the door is opened. The door is also configured to limit access to a single bucket.
As with previously discussed vending systems, it is generally advantageous for the customer to be able to actually see the product choices being offered. This is even more indicated if the vending machine offers a wide variety of types of products, as opposed to a soda vending machine, for example, which offers the same sized containers and the interior contents of which are not viewable by the customer anyway. Primary examples of why actual visual inspection of an item is desired are such things as sandwiches, fruit, and the like. It is generally desirable from both the customer's and vendor's standpoint that the actual available products be viewable. Furthermore, if a wide variety of products is desired, it is impractical to constantly change signs and/or symbols on the front of the machine when reloading product and it may not even be possible to effectively identify each available product to the customer. Furthermore, in bucket-type machines, once an item is removed from a bucket, it will remain empty until the vending machine operator reloads the bucket. Therefore, a visual verification of the contents, or lack thereof, of a bucket is important so that the customer does not select an empty bucket.
Another very important consideration with vending machines is maximization of use of the machine. For example, with a soda dispensing machine, a substantial amount of the interior of the housing of the machine can be filled with product. This reduces the labor involved in returning to and reloading the machine and it can also increase the number of selections for an individual machine. While soda dispensing machines are fairly maximized as far as product utilization, such things as candy dispensing machines are limited to an extent by the equipment required for dispensing the products. Motors and the like take up room in the machine and therefor dictate to some extent the number and size of rows and columns that can be fit into the machine.
A similar but also different problem exists with bucket-type machines. Not only does the structure of the bucket mechanism dictate to some extent how many buckets can be put into the machine, the fact that each bucket contains a single selection also effects how many selections are available. Because bucket machines are used for a variety of different types of products, the sizes of the products sometimes vary somewhat significantly. Therefore, a generic bucket or tray is usually used which can be much bigger than some of the products which are vended. This results in less than a maximization of space. Moreover, security reasons, primarily the ability to stop access to other buckets than the one selected, dictate that the door accessing the bucket be as small as possible, thereby also sometimes limiting the size of the buckets themselves.
Some multiple selection vending machines, referred to as carousel machines, utilize rotating horizontally positioned carousels that have radial moveable dividers to accommodate different sized products in each carousel. Each carousel, each rotating at its own vertical level, would therefore have its own door. Either the size of the door for each carousel must be variable for different sized objects, or a standard sized door would limit the amount of adjustment of size of each segment of the carousel. Attempts have even been made to vertically split a horizontal carousel tray into two levels. Additional doors would either have to be utilized or the travel of each door controlled to open one half the distance. In any event, there would be multiple doors if the carousel machine has more than one carousel.
A proposed solution at maximizing the number of selections in bucket type machines involves the use of a single outer window/door to view the products in the various buckets. Each bucket can be subdivided into what will be called sub-buckets by utilizing dividers. In the particular machine being discussed, however, behind the outer window/door are positioned a plurality of sub-doors; one blocking access to each sub-bucket. Once the customer decides on a particular item in a particular sub-bucket, the whole bucket is rotated to line up with the outer window/door, the outer window/door is raised, and then the plurality of secondary doors, each correlated to each sub-bucket, is presented to the customer. The correct money is deposited and a button or control is then pushed for the desired sub-bucket and a motor, one for each sub-door, opens the selected sub-door for the particularly selected sub-bucket.
It can therefore be seen that the need to maximize space in rotating buckets or rotating carousel type machines has been acknowledged in the art. To date, however, attempts to maximize space have either been primarily related to horizontal carousels with adjustable shelves, each shelf requiring its separate door, or using a main door and then separately motorized sub-doors for a sub-divided bucket.
In either case, the plurality of doors involves multiplication of moving parts and thus adds cost and complexity. Some of these attempts require interchangeability of different sized doors or even control of amount of opening of the doors. This would take time to do depending on which items exist in the machine and which items will be subsequently re-stocked into the machine once vended.
There is therefore a real need in the art for an improvement in vending machine systems as to maximizing the amount of products and the selection of products for vending systems particularly those which need or allow the customer to visually review each and every selection in the machine. It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method to solve or improve over the problems and deficiencies in the art.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention are:
1. Flexibility with respect to the number of items that can be placed in the vending machine as well as the number of different selections that are available.
2. Flexibility with respect to whether one item or multiple items are available and selectable from a single bucket.
3. Utilization of one large access door that enables access to an entire bucket unless intentionally limited.
4. Allowing wider buckets for a single machine because of the ability to subdivide individual buckets.
5. Maintenance of security as against a customer gaining access to other buckets or non-selected portions of the same bucket.
6. Economical advantage in that it does not require additional drive motors or doors.
7. Durability over repeated operation.
8. Cost effectiveness.
9. Reliability in operation and selection.
10. Increased capacity for the machine.
These and other options, features, and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention comprises an apparatus and method for maximizing the amount and selection of vendable items from a vending machine, particularly a bucket or similar type of vending machine. The method includes subdividing at least one support tray, such as a bucket, for vendable items into two portions; rotating that support tray to an access opening; raising a single access door which ordinarily would allow access to all parts of the support tray; but blocking access to a non-selected section of the divided support tray.
The apparatus of the invention comprises one or more shields placed outside the access opening which is normally covered by the door. A releasable connection exists between the door and shield so that normally the shield will follow the door when the door is raised and block off the entrance opening across its width so that access to the support tray is precluded. However, by specific instruction, if the customer selects a particular section of the support tray, the shield corresponding to that section will not follow the door so that access to the section is allowed. A shield or shields corresponding to any other sections of the support tray, however, would continue to follow the door and block those sections off.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is perspective view of a vending machine of the bucket-type connected as a satellite unit to one or more other vending machines, at least one having a controller and coin/bill mechanism and/or bill changer that hooks up to the satellite bucket-type machine.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view isolating the bucket-type vending machine and showing the front facing wall of the machine opened revealing the back side of the customer access opening and access window/door and left and right shields associated with the access door according to the preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged isolated front elevational view of the bucket-type machine showing the access door being raised, the left shield in the down position below the access opening, and the right shield in the up position raised over a portion of the access opening.
FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3 except showing the access door raised and both shields in the down position so that the customer can access all parts of the exposed bucket.
FIG. 5 is an enlarged isolated rear perspective view of the access door and shields according to the preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5.
FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
A. Overview
To assist in a further understanding of the invention, a specific preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described in detail. This description is illustrative and does not, nor is it intended to, specifically limit the invention.
The drawings will be frequently referred to in this description. Reference numerals will be used to designate certain parts and locations in the drawings. The same reference numerals will indicate the same parts and locations throughout the drawings unless otherwise indicated.
B. Environment Of The Preferred Embodiment
By referring to FIG. 1, a combination of vending machines is depicted. Machine 2 will be referred to as the master unit because it includes the master control device 4 and a bill/coin validator 6 (such as are well known in the art). Machine 8 will be called a slave or satellite because it is connected (by means well known within the art, such as electrical cable) to master unit 2. Machine 10, is also a slave to master unit 2 and contains a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
Each of the working elements of machines 2, 8, and 10, is controlled by master control 4. A customer would approach the combination of machines 2, 8, and 10, and could select an item or items from any or all three. By putting in the appropriate amount of money or equivalent, and having the same validated by validator 6, the customer simply correlates the vending location indicator (usually alpha/numeric) on master control 4 with the actual physical location of a desired vendable item in any of the machines 2, 8, or 10 and then enters the correct numbers. Master control 4 then instructs the appropriate motors and/or drives and/or doors to be actuated to allow the dispension of and/or access to the desired selection(s). More than one selection is possible.
Machine 10 is a bucket-type vending machine such as is well known in the art. A single access door 12 on the front of machine 10 serves as a window for the customer to visually inspect the contents contained in individual buckets 14 by operating a control (here, for example, shopper button 11) that would rotate buckets past door 12 (which is transparent). Door 12 also is openable (once unlocked by a signal from master control 4) by vertically sliding door 12 to uncover access opening 16 (see FIG. 2) in housing 18 of machine 10. It is important to understand that the raising of access door 12 uncovers enough of access opening 16 to allow the customer access to a single entire bucket 14 that would be positioned behind opening 16 in a vend position. It does not open enough to allow access to any other bucket. Door 12 can have a 1/8" tempered glass external pane and a 1/8" acrylic plastic internal pane (to reduce weight compared to having both be glass panes). The panes are sealed with a butyl rubber sealant.
As can be understood, conventional bucket-type vending machines have one vendable item per bucket. A customer selects a particular bucket holding a desired vendable item by using button 11 to move the selected bucket to a vend position in front of access door 12. The customer then deposits the appropriate amount of money in validator 6 of host machine 2. If validated, the customer then presses an appropriate button (or number and/or letter combination) indicating selection of machine 10. Master control 4 in machine 2 releases access door 12 from a locked normal position covering all of access opening 16. Opening 16 can be a plastic extrusion of rigid polyvinyl chloride (PVC). The customer then lifts access door 12 and retrieves the vendable item from the selected, now exposed bucket. Generally return springs or other mechanisms assist the customer in lifting access door 12. Once the selected item is removed, the door 12 generally returns by gravity back to the normal position where it is automatically locked in place. In some situations a timer waits for a pre-determined period ("times out") and then locks door 12 down. This is the normal environment and operation for bucket-type vending machines.
C. Parts Of The Preferred Embodiment
FIG. 2 illustrates machine 10, including a preferred embodiment of the invention, in more detail. Housing 18 includes a hinged front wall or door 20 that is openable to gain access to buckets 14 for filling buckets 14 or for maintenance on machine 10. Front wall 20 is normally lockable with a key for security purposes. The specifics of the mechanism by which buckets 14 rotate past access opening 16 are well known in the art and will not be discussed in detail here. Buckets 14 are basically attached to a conveyor system which somewhat in the same fashion as a ferris wheel is controllable to rotate buckets 14 around the interior of machine 10 so that they sequentially can pass access opening 16 for visual inspection by the customer. Buckets 14 are always maintained in a horizontal position. FIG. 2 also shows that access door 12 is mounted within a frame 22 in front wall 20 which allows slidable vertical movement from the normal position completely covering all of access opening 16 (as shown in FIG. 2) upwardly to a position uncovering the lower portion of access opening 16 (see FIGS. 3 and 4).
FIG. 2 also shows that in the preferred embodiment, left and right shields 24 and 26 are in a normal position basically underneath access opening 16. Shields 24 and 26 are basically each slightly over one half the width of door 12 and in the preferred embodiment, are generally coplanar with each other but offset slightly from the plane of access door 12. Door 12 is generally double-pane glass, but can be of other materials. Shields 24 and 26 can be of plastic (e.g. 0.090 inch thick polycarbonate).
Each shield 24 and 26 is retained in a vertically slidable fashion to door 20 as follows (see also FIGS. 5-7). A panel 27 (e.g. painted 16 ga. (0.060') CRS weld assembly) is secured to a plate 41 on the inside of front wall 20 by members such as bolts, screws, etc., or by other methods. Separate plate 41 is used so that the whole split door (shield) mechanism can be moved laterally relative to the buckets alter the split location of the bucket. A U-shaped retaining bar 28, part of panel 27, extending laterally from the remainder of panel 27, and defining a slot 29, serves as a guide for shields 24 and 26 (see FIG. 5). Parallel, spaced apart slots 30 and 34 in each shield 24 and 26, correspond to pins 36 and 40 which are fixed to and extend from panel 27 and door 20. Slots 30 and 34 are offset vertically in height to deter any cinching or binding that might occur if they were uniform in position across shields 24 and 26. The tops and bottoms of slots 30 and 34 therefore limit the movement of shields 24 and 26. Slots 38 of shields 24 and 26 receive the arm of a solenoid fixed to a plate 41 (see FIG. 6), and will be described in more detail later. In FIG. 2, shields 24 and 26 are in their normal or down position as determined by the placement of pins 36 and 40 on plate 41. Pins 36 and 40 when at the top of slots 30 and 34 limit further downward travel of shields 24 and 26. As will be discussed later, access door 12 has a flange 50 which cooperates with a mating flange 60 at the top of each shield 24 and 26.
FIG. 3 shows shield 26 in its up position, the limit of which is defined by the travel of door 12 and of pins 36 and 40 (steel, SAEll13) in the bottom of slots 30 and 34. Stop bushings could also be placed in the top of each slot to define the limit of movement of pins 36 and 40. In the up position, shield 26 covers and blocks the vertical height of one portion of exposed bucket 14 and blocks the horizontal width of the exposed bucket 14 to the extent of the width of shield 26.
FIG. 3 also illustrates shield 24 in the down position. Thus, if a divider 42 (e.g. 0.090 inch thick high impact polystyrene plastic (HIPS)) (see FIG. 2 also), is placed in a bucket 14, segregating the bucket into two portions, the width of shields 24 and 26 is such that as shown in FIG. 3, if a vendable item on one side of bucket 14 is selected (here the left side), the shield corresponding to that side (left shield 24) will be undisturbed from its normal or down position when door 12 is raised; but the opposite shield (right shield 26) would follow door 12 and block off the non-selected side of bucket 14. As is easily understood, either shield 24 or 26 could be left in the normal down position, with the opposite shield being raised to block off the non-selected side.
FIG. 4 shows, however, that there may be instances in which both sides of tray or bucket 14 (the portions of bucket 14 on either side of divider 42) are to be validly accessed. In that instance, both shields 24 and 26 would be left in the normal down position when door 12 is raised. An example would be if a customer selects vendable items (e.g. an apple on one side and a sandwich on the other) from both sections of a bucket 14. Alternatively, divider 42 can be removed allowing the vending of one large item per bucket (e.g. a platter of food).
FIGS. 5-7 depict in more specific detail the structure of door 12 and shields 24 and/or 26, and how they interact according to the preferred embodiment of the invention. Lifting bar or window handle 52 (plastic - transparent rigid PVC) connected to the lower or trailing edge of door 12, can be one piece. Anchor bolts 51 (for example two of them) can be used along lifting bar 52 to insure it cannot be removed from door 12 by prying force. Bolts 51 pass through both panes of door 12 and a spacer 49. Lifting bar 52 allows the customer to lift door 12 from the outside the machine 10. Flange 50 is attached by bolts/nuts 53 and includes a formed lip or hook 54 including a distal end 56 having the shape of a "U" when taken in cross-section. The two pieces 52 and 50 allow the "hook point" (front to back) between ends 56 and 62 of flanges 50 and 60 respectively to be adjusted. Ends 56 and 62 are generally separated vertically 1/8" and the horizontal width of each is approximately 1/4".
Shields 24 and 26 have flange 60 at their upper or leading edge that includes a distal end or hook 62 having spaced apart (serrated) portions which are the shape of an inverted "U" in cross-section. The serrated edge of flange 60 is used as the hook because the shields 24 and 26 are molded. Such an edge does not require side pulling cams in the mold which reduces complexity and cost. As shown in FIG. 6, when door 12 is in the normal down, closed position, distal ends of flange 50 and flange 60 (both painted 16 ga. (0.060") stainless steel)) are oriented such that a slight vertical gap (1/8" maximum--indicated at 80) exists between ends 56 and 62. This allows either shield 24 or 26 or both to be pulled horizontally away so that ends 56 and 62 would not interlock if door 12 is raised (see shield as shown in dashed lines in FIG. 6). If door 12 is raised vertically, and shield 24 and/or 26 is/are pulled away to the position of dashed lines in FIG. 6, door 12 and whichever shields (if any) are not pulled away will interlock causing the shield or shields not pulled away to move upwardly in a locked fashion with door 12 (see shield 24 lifted in FIG. 5). However, if either or both shield 24 and 26 is pulled laterally forward so that flange 60 separates from flange 50, access door 12 can be vertically raised and no interlocking and consequential coordinated upward movement of shield 24 and/or 26 would be made. Shields 24 and/or 26 would thus remain in the down or normal position. FIG. 5 shows shield 24 interlocked with door 12 and raised, and shield 26 non-interlocked and left in the down position.
Thus, shields 24 and 26 will move up and down with door 12 unless releasable actuators associated with either shield 24 and 26 are operated. In the preferred embodiment, the actuators are solenoids 66 which exist as shown in FIG. 5 and have solenoid arms 68 (or pins 38) which pass through slots 32 of shields 24 and 26 and locked to shields 24 and 26 by a roll pin 67 fixed through a transverse aperture towards the outer end of solenoid arm 68. In an inactivated state, arm 68 of solenoid 66 is extended to allow interlocking of flanges 50 and 60. However, activation of either solenoid 66 causes the respective arm 68 to be pulled further inside solenoid 66 which moves shield 24 or shield 26 laterally away from flange 50 (approximately 3/8inch) so that no interlocking is achieved between flanges 50 and 60 when door 12 is raised. Arm 68 is associated with the middle slot 32 of each shield 24 and 26 and therefore arm 68 rides in slot 32 when shields 24 and 26 are moved vertically. When arm 68 pulls either shield 24 and 26 away from flange 50, the respective shield(s) 24 and/or 26 would remain in its/their down or lowered position(s).
FIGS. 5 and 6 also illustrate the following. Ramps 82 (e.g. acetal plastic) are positioned towards the bottom of plate 27 (and can be attached to plate 27 by bolts, screws, or other means), vertically aligned with slots 38, and serve to help position shields 24 and 26 in their normal positions and as a fulcrum when either shield is pulled forwardly to separate flanges 50 and 60.
FIGS. 5-7 illustrate a spring loaded plunger 70, one for each shield 24 and 26, that urge shields 24 and 26 to the normal position shown in solid lines in FIG. 6 where flanges 50 and 60 are capable of interlocking. Spring 72 (FIG. 7) can be selected to provide a desired biasing force (e.g. 0.411" diameter, 0.030" wire, 1/14" long, 2.8#/1 inch, music wire, closed ends). Plunger arm 74 (e.g. acetal plastic) is slidable within bracket 76 which is fixed to plate 41 of wall 20. An adjust plate 78 is mounted to bracket 76 by bolts 73. The distance between plate 78 and plate 41 can be adjusted (because of slots 75 in bracket 76) to adjust the force of spring 72. This biasing of plunger 70 is overcomeable by operation of solenoid 66.
Each solenoid 66 (e.g. 24 VDC continuous duty (pull) box frame solenoid with custom plunger 68) is fixed to plate 41 by mounting (by bolts 84) of a plate 86 to plate 41 by means well within the skill of those skilled in the art. The coil 88 and housing 90 can be adjusted positionally and easily removed.
FIG. 5 shows an electronically controlled lock 92 having an arm 94 that is pivoted by operation of solenoid 96 (24 VDC continuous duty (pull) box frame solenoid, Dormeyer Industries B-22 Series). Arm 94 is pivoted away (see FIG. 5) to release door 12 for vertical movement. FIG. 6 shows arm 94 in its normal, non-pivoted position over the top edge of door 12, preventing its vertical movement. FIG. 5 also shows electrical micro-switch 98 (e.g. 10A-1/4 HP 125 VAC/250 VAC, 1/2A 125 VDC, 1/4A 250 VDC, 3A 125 VAC, 7 gram operating force (maximum), custom actuator), which senses whether door 12 is in the down, closed position or is opened, even slightly. If not down and locked microswitch 98 alerts the machine 10 and/or controller 4, and disables the motor of machine 10 from moving buckets 14.
FIGS. 5 and 6 also show the spring-assists 100 connected to the top of door 12 to help open it when authorized by controller 4. Door 12 returns to the down position by gravity once the customer releases it. FIG. 5 shows that spring assists 100 include spring housings 112 mounted by bolts, welding, or other methods to door stop 113 having a lower flange 114 that serves as a vertical movement limiter for door 12. Springs 116 are constant tension springs that have lower ends mounted by bolts 134 to a cap plate 118 that is also bolted to the top of door 12. Side end 120 of cap plate 118 extends beyond the width of door 12 and operates with arm 94 of solenoid 96 to lock window 12 in the down position. Slots 122 can be formed in door stop 113 to allow vertical adjustability of door stop 113 to adjust the amount of vertical movement of door 12.
It is to be understood that bolts 51 attaching flange 50 to door 12 can be nylon bolts with nylon nuts, the nuts arranged on the interior side of door 12 to prevent tampering and removal.
By referring to FIG. 6, it can be seen that bolt/nut combinations 134, holding springs to the top of door 12, can do so with screws that are internal studs between the panes of glass of door 24. Other methods of attachment are possible.
D. Operation
The preferred embodiment can operate as follows. A customer would approach machine 10, visually review the choices and rotate a desired bucket to the vend position. The customer would then go to master unit 2, insert the correct money and select machine 10. Master control 4 would issue a signal to solenoid lock 92 that locks access door 12 in its down or normal position, to release access door 12 for vertical movement. Depending upon whether only a single vendable item is in bucket 14, or whether bucket 14 is divided into sections, when door 12 is raised, one of the following will occur:
1. Left shield 24 will be left in the down or normal position and right shield 26 will interlock with door 12 and be raised. This will uncover the left side of a segregated bucket 14 so that the user can withdraw only the vendable item on that side of bucket 14.
2. Right shield 26 will be left in the down or normal position and left shield 24 will raise with door 12.
3. Both left and right shields 24 and 26 will remain in the normal down position and the entire bucket 14 will be accessible to the user, whether divided or not by a divider wall.
4. A fourth option would be that if somehow a customer unlocked door 12, or by mistake door 12 was allowed to be vertically raised, both shields 24 and 26 would interlock with door 12. Even if door 12 was raised, a person would not be able to gain access to any bucket 14.
Once the item is removed by the customer, door 12 will return by gravity to a closed position. microswitch 98 will sense that the door 12 is in the down position then reinstigate the lock caused by solenoid 96. If for any reason door 12 does not return to its down and closed position, microswitch 98 will inform machine 10 accordingly and the mechanism to rotate buckets 14 will be disabled thereby precluding access to any other bucket.
The relationship of flanges 50 and 60 is such that the interlocking precludes a customer from unlocking either shield 24 and/or 26 if they interlock and raise with door 12.
It is to be understood that the invention is useable with the master/slave combination of machines described above, but of course an also be used with a stand alone vending machine.
E. Options, Alternatives And Features
It will be appreciated that the present invention can take many forms and embodiments. The true essence and spirit of this invention are defined in the appended claims and it is not intended that the embodiment of the invention presented herein should limit the scope thereof. Variations obvious to one skilled in the art will be included within the invention defined by the claims.
For example, the system of the main door and shields can be applied to any situation where a single door is utilized to gain access to a variety of different items. It is not limited to bucket machines.
Shields 24 and 26 are preferable opaque, to prevent view of any vendable item in a non-selected side. They can be translucent or even clear. They are preferably made of strong, tamper-proof materials.
Furthermore, the invention is not limited to two independently operated shields. The invention could function with simply one shield or it is possible that each bucket could be subdivided into more than two sections and then a corresponding number of shields could be utilized with the attended structure to operate them as explained above with regard to shields 24 and 26. Also, buckets 14 are shown divided 50/50. They could be divided for example 60/40, or some other percentage. Shields 24 and 26 would then have to be of proportional width and appropriately correlated to the same equal sides of bucket 14.
Still further, the exact apparatus by which any of the functions are accomplished could vary. For example, substitute for solenoids could be used. Such as electric motors, or other types of actuators. The exact structure of the shields could also vary including the manner in which they are slideably retained to machine 10. The precise shape and even the way in which interlocking between door 12 and any shields occur could vary.
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An apparatus and method for maximizing the amount and selection of vendable items from a bucket-type vending machine includes a main access door over an access opening to buckets of the machine. One or more shields are positioned below the access opening but can be selectibly interlocked with the door so that when the access door uncovers the access opening, any of the shields can be raised to cover any or all of the access opening. This arrangement allows each bucket to be subdivided into separate buckets. The selectable shields therefore can close off from access any of the sections of the bucket which are not selected by a customer thereby allowing use of one main access door to facilitate the increased amount and number of selections available from each bucket of the bucket-type vending machine.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of German Patent Application DE 10 2006 057 709.4 filed Dec. 7, 2006, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention pertains to a device for determining a respiration rate and pertains to a method for determining a respiration rate as well as to a monitor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The respiration rate is an important indicator of the well-being and the health status of a human being. An illness or state of stress is often reflected by changes in the respiration rate. The monitoring of the respiration rate therefore regularly makes an important contribution to the monitoring of the state of stress and the health status of the person being monitored.
[0004] Various respiration rate monitors for use in hospitals as well as outside hospitals are currently known in medicine for monitoring the respiration rate. One example of such a monitor or such a device for monitoring respiration is known from DE 40 11 065 A1.
[0005] However, especially for the non-invasive monitoring of respiration, the prior-art devices do not meet the requirements imposed concerning clinical handling, reliability, accuracy and reproducibility of the measurement results. This is due especially to the fact that the devices currently available for monitoring respiration and for measuring the respiration rate are either complicated technically and in terms of design and are felt to be disturbing by the user or the person being monitored, and this is especially true of devices for use outside hospitals and for use by mobile, i.e., not bedridden patients, or these devices have a high sensitivity to artifacts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The object of the present invention is therefore to make possible the reliable measurement of the respiration rate of a person. Another object of the present invention is to ensure that the person in question is compromised during the measurement of the respiration rate to the lowest extent possible.
[0007] A device for determining the respiration rate is thus provided according to the present invention, wherein at least two different sensors are used for determining the respiration rate, and these sensors determine the respiration rate in at least two different ways.
[0008] Thus, monitoring or measurement of the respiration rate can also be ensured according to the present invention when a sensor or a measurement method cannot provide sufficiently accurate or reliable data on the respiration rate because of artifacts and/or external circumstances. There is such a case with conventional devices or, e.g., when a motion-dependent sensor responds to motions of the rib cage, which were not caused by the respiration. However, the data may also be inaccurate in case of shallow breathing, which is not recognized as breathing by the motion-dependent sensor. There may be a comparable situation when a noise-dependent sensor also counts alleged breaths in an unacceptable manner because of ambient noise. This may happen when the user of the device is jogging or when the user of the device is running.
[0009] When a sensor does not permit counting of the respiration rate—or the determination of the respiration rate in general—over a certain period of time because of an artifact as described above or another artifact, the respiration rate can nevertheless be advantageously determined according to the present invention by resorting to at least one other sensor. Thus, unlike in the state of the art, it is possible according to the present invention to nevertheless obtain a measurement result for the respiration rate in case of failure of one sensor.
[0010] Another advantage of the device according to the present invention is that by using more than one sensor, the reliability of the measurement as a whole can be checked. Thus, an alarm or even the outputting of no value for a respiration rate whatsoever may be provided when, e.g., a sensor determines an erroneous value, which conflicts with values of one or more other sensors. The user of the device according to the present invention (a user can be defined according to the present invention either as the user of the device or the care provider of the user or a physician) therefore knows that he or she must not rely on the measurement of the respiration rate at such a point in time because at least one sensor is producing an erroneous result.
[0011] Provisions may also be made according to the present invention for discarding the non-agreeing value and thus for not taking that value into account for the determination of the respiration rate when the values of the respiration rate determined by, e.g., two or more sensors agree or essentially agree and the value from another sensor does not agree. The respiration rate is thus stated as a value ascertained on the basis of different observations, which leads to increased reliability in the determination of the respiration rate.
[0012] These sensors may be designed according to the present invention as:
[0013] Sensors that measure the expansion of a chest belt on the basis of changes in resistance, as described in EP 0 178 097 B1, wherein the respiratory excursion of the chest can be measured and/or the respiratory movement of the abdominal cavity can be measured by means of an abdominal belt;
[0014] Sensors that measure the change in the impedance of a coil due to the changed thoracic and/or abdominal diameter. The chest belt has a suitable coil. A preamplifier (oscillating circuit) may be provided to increase the robustness of the signal;
[0015] Sensors that determine the impedance of the thoracic cavity by a voltage drop of an alternating current sent through the thoracic cavity with the use of electrodes, for which electrocardiogram (ECG) electrodes possibly already present may also be used;
[0016] Sensors that are used for ECG leads to determine the beats of the frequency of movement of the thoracic cavity, which beats are generated by the respiration-related change in the position of the cardiac axis, as is described in CA 0 2506 394 A1. The mechanical movement of the thorax during the respiratory movement rather than the gas exchange that has taken place is essentially used for this;
[0017] Sensors that measure the change in pressure in the thorax during respiration based on the transmission of respiration to the vascular system by means of plethysmography. The respiration rate can be recognized as a slow vibration based on the expansion of the vessels. This method is especially suitable for vessels located close to the heart;
[0018] Sensors that measure the breath sounds. A microphone sensor can pick up the breath sound in the vicinity of the inlets to the airways, as is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,143,078;
[0019] Sensors that measure the bone conduction (acceleration) on the body, e.g., at the ear or on the neck, as described in CA 2 505 008 A1;
[0020] Sensors that measure the respiratory movement by means of acceleration pick-ups on the chest, neck or ear;
[0021] Sensors that determine a periodic cooling as a breath signal by means of a heated resistor temperature sensor in the vicinity of the inlets to the airways (anemometry);
[0022] Sensors that determine a periodic temperature change as a respiration signal by means of a non-heated resistor temperature sensor in the vicinity of the inlets to the airways;
[0023] Sensors that measure the gas exchange that has taken place with CO 2 as the metabolite as CO 2 sensors in the vicinity of the inlets to the airways (optionally by means of a suction system);
[0024] Sensors that measure the reduced O 2 content as a sign of a metabolism taking place as O 2 sensors in the vicinity of the inlets to the airways (optionally by means of a suction system); or
[0025] Sensors that measure a humidity parameter (e.g., a change in dew point) in the vicinity of the inlets to the airway).
[0026] Depending on the goal of monitoring the respiration rate (the device according to the present invention—just as the method according to the present invention—can be used to determine and monitor the respiration rate in patients as well as in healthy subjects, e.g., athletes, or for bio-feedback) and the required mobility, different combinations of sensors and the corresponding combinations of measurement methods may be meaningful. They are therefore also covered by the present invention.
[0027] Thus, different sensors, whose advantages and drawbacks complement each other, can be preferably used together in the device according to the present invention. The advantage associated herewith is that, e.g., in case of a disturbance in the measurement of the respiration rate by a sound-sensitive sensor due to ambient noise, measurement of the respiration rate can still be possible by a motion sensor.
[0028] Furthermore, it is possible to select sensors whose measuring sites make possible, e.g., a common access (e.g., at the ear only or on the upper body only, etc.). The latter represents a facilitation and simplification for the user in putting on, using and removing the device and hence an advantage according to the present invention.
[0029] Two, three or more different methods can be used according to the present invention to determine and/or measure the respiration rate and a corresponding number of sensors can be used. Thus, the present invention is not limited to certain combinations or a certain number of sensors and ways of measurement. The present invention is also not limited to the above-mentioned sensors. The respiration rate measurement may rather also be carried out in any other way of determining the respiration rate known to the person skilled in the art and also with sensors not mentioned here.
[0030] Besides additional sensors of another design, the device according to the present invention may also have more than only one sensor of a particular design. This may be advantageous, e.g., when a sensor of this particular design is prone to failure. The device according to the present invention has increased reliability of operation in this case even in case of failure of one sensor.
[0031] The respiration rate of the user of the device is thus determined according to the present invention such that the different respiration rates measured by different sensors are taken into account. The taking into account of more than only one respiration rate makes possible, especially based on the different methods used for the measurement, the more accurate determination of the actual respiration rate, because the effect of erroneously measured respiration rates by means of individual sensors is effectively mitigated. Sliding or dynamic averages of all measured or determined respiration rates, but also other statistical averaging methods, such as the gaussian distribution, the minimization of the sum of the mean squared errors, discarding of the aberrations, and the sliding averaging for past quality values are covered by the present invention. This statistical correction or averaging may take place via the sensors at one point in time. However, it may also take place over the time curve of individual signals and/or all measured signals.
[0032] “Determination of the respiration rate” covers according to the present invention not only a measuring operation. Measurement along with further processing, filtering, comparison, etc., of signals, which will lead to a usable respiration rate value only thereafter, are also covered by the present invention.
[0033] As was already noted above, the present invention pertains both to the determination and/or monitoring of the respiration rate of a patient in the conventional sense of an ill person and in healthy subjects for monitoring a training schedule during sports activities or the like. The present invention is not, of course, limited to use in humans. The respiration rate of animals can also be monitored by means of the present invention. The present invention may, furthermore, be associated with the determination or measurement of other parameters. Thus, an Electrocardiogram (ECG) lead may be performed, the tidal volume can be determined, the heart rate may be determined, etc., at the same time. Sensors that are already provided for the determination of the respiration rate are advantageously used herefor.
[0034] Thus, in a preferred embodiment, the device according to the present invention has at least one means for setting or determining at least one quality value for at least one respiration rate determined by means of one of the sensors. Provisions are therefore made in this embodiment according to the present invention for determining an indicator of the reliability of the signal or respiration rate in question for a respiration rate determined by a sensor. This indicator of the reliability or loadability of the signal or of the respiration rate determined is called the “quality value” according to the present invention. This quality value can be obtained, e.g., by balancing of the respiration rate determined with quality ranges or stored standard data or the like, which were defined in advance, or by any other plausibility check. However, the quality value can also be determined as a function of or in proportion to other, likewise determined signals of the same user. The quality value of a signal or of the respiration rate determined herefrom thus indicates whether the respiration rate determined by the sensor corresponds to the actual respiration rate with sufficient reliability or whether it comes close to this at least with a manageable uncertainty. This quality value is used for quality control and can be advantageously used in different ways.
[0035] The quality value may be determined in another special way that appears suitable to the person skilled in the art. In case of a plethysmograph, a quality value of the respiration rate measured by plethysmography can be derived, e.g., on the basis of the wave shape, the amplitude and the frequency spectrum and the signal-to-noise ratio.
[0036] Furthermore, it is recognizable to the person skilled in the art that the quality value does not have to be determined in the same manner for each respiration rate determined by means of a sensor. Different procedures may be provided here.
[0037] In another, likewise preferred embodiment, the device according to the present invention has a means for determining the respiration rate by taking into account at least two respiration rates determined by means of at least two different sensors. Moreover, the quality values of the respiration rates determined with one or more sensors are taken into account by means of this means in this embodiment.
[0038] Thus, a respiration rate of the user is determined in this embodiment such that the different respiration rates measured by different sensors and the quality values thereof (or at least one such quality value) are taken into account. The taking into account of the quality values for every “individual” respiration rate of every sensor leads to an advantageous increase in the qualitative information value of the “overall” respiration rate determined over the sensors taken into account. The quality value can be taken into account according to various mathematical procedures known to the person skilled in the art such that the respiration rate of a sensor, to which a lower or poorer quality value was assigned, has a lower or weaker input to the overall respiration rate than do respiration rates of other sensors with higher or better quality values.
[0039] The quality value can be stated as a factor between (including) 0 and (including) 1, and in case of a factor of 0, it causes that the corresponding respiration rate value is not taken into account in the determination of the user's “overall” respiration rate at all. By contrast, the corresponding respiration rate is included in the further determination to the full extent in case of a factor of 1. The corresponding respiration rates are likewise included in the determination proportionally or they are likewise not taken into account in case of factors between 0 and 1. An example will be explained in detail below.
[0040] Quality values from measurements with different sensors can also be taken into account further with different weights. This makes allowance for the circumstance that a sensor can consistently always yield more reliable results than another sensor and a respiration rate determined with it shall therefore also always be included in the calculation or determination of the respiration rate more strongly.
[0041] In another preferred embodiment, the device according to the present invention has a means for displaying at least one such quality value. The quality or reliability of the respiration rate considered with a certain quality value is advantageously easy to see in this embodiment, and the user or the attending physician can themselves infer the reliability of the correctness of the value of the measured respiration rate. As a consequence of this, the user can also check the mode of operation of the sensors and especially the arrangement thereof on or in relation to the body. Thus, a sound-sensitive sensor can yield an incorrect count simply because it has slipped such that it chafes, for example, the shirt collar and misinterprets the noises generated hereby.
[0042] In another preferred embodiment, the device also has at least one evaluating sensor, which shall display mainly information on the quality or reliability of the correctness of the value of the respiration rate measured by means of this sensor.
[0043] Thus, a quality value of, e.g., a respiration rate determined by means of an expansion sensor of a chest belt can be obtained, among other things, by balancing of signals of a motion sensor. The signals sent by the motion sensor can indicate, e.g., that the respiration rate measured by means of the expansion sensor is distorted because of increased physical activity (such as during sports activity). An appropriately poorer quality value is correspondingly assigned to such a sensor.
[0044] By using at least one such evaluating sensor, it is, furthermore, advantageously possible, e.g., to infer the necessity to trigger an alarm. Thus, a fit of coughing of the user or the user's physical activity may change the measured respiration rate such that a falsely high respiration rate is displayed in the normal case or an alarm would have to be triggered. The simultaneous determination of the physical activity or the detection of a fit of coughing by one or more additional sensors used for this purpose, such as a motion sensor, can be used to determine the quality value and thus used to correctly assess the value and reliability of a respiration rate measured during the fit of coughing. Such an evaluating sensor can measure according to the present invention, e.g., as a motion sensor, the acceleration to recognize and possibly suppress artifacts caused by motion of the user and thus make it possible to infer the user's physical activity.
[0045] The present invention is accomplished, furthermore, by a method. Since the advantages that can be achieved herewith correspond to those described above in full measure, reference is made here to the advantages discussed above to avoid repetitions.
[0046] The present invention will be explained in more detail below on the basis of the drawings attached. 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 the preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0047] In the drawings:
[0048] FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a monitor according to the present invention;
[0049] FIG. 2 is a detail view of the monitor according to FIG. 1 ; and
[0050] FIG. 3 is a communication unit of the monitor according to FIGS. 1 and 2 .
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0051] Referring to the drawings in particular, FIG. 1 shows a monitor 1 , which communicates with the ear and the shoulders as well as an area below the nose of a user T. The monitor 1 is similar to a mobile radio headset. The monitor 1 comprises an energy supply of its own (not shown), a control unit, a communication unit, as well as the sensors provided as an example in this embodiment for determining the respiration rate of the user T.
[0052] In this exemplary embodiment of the monitor 1 according to FIG. 1 , the monitor has two cable-bound electrodes 5 , which are arranged at the two shoulders/collarbones of the user T. The monitor 1 may comprise, furthermore, an ECG amplifier for the electrodes 5 . The monitor 1 has, furthermore, an acceleration pick-up 7 , which is designed as a three-dimensional motion pick-up in this embodiment. Furthermore, a thermal conductivity sensor 9 is provided on a strap 11 between the mouth and the nose of the user T. An infrared receiver 13 is provided in the ear of the user T for measuring the eardrum temperature. Furthermore, a sensor 15 is provided, which is suitable for use as a transflectory sensor for two-channel (radio® and infrared (IR)) photoplethysmography in this embodiment. The sensors 5 , 7 and 9 detect information on the user T, from which the respiration rate can be determined. The sensor 15 is also capable of transmitting information on the respiration rate. However, provisions may be made for reasons of saving energy for the sensor 15 not being operated continuously but only during an on-time of, e.g., less than 10% of the time. Thus, it preferably supplies only a few pulse cycles over every x minutes. The power consumption can thus be reduced to the extent that a sufficiently long battery life can be reached even with cosmetically inconspicuous batteries, which are accommodated in the monitor and are therefore worn at the ear. Batteries of this type may be of the zinc-air round cell type (IEC PR48, hearing aid size 13). Comparable batteries may also be used herefor.
[0053] In case of this isolated, short-term use of the photoplethysmography sensor 15 , this is sufficient for making possible a stable calculation of the oxygen saturation with only a small amount of artifacts. Should the respiration rate measured by means of the sensors 5 , 7 and 9 not be expressive enough, especially in view of the particular quality values of the respiration rate, the sensor 15 may also remain turned on continuously over several minutes (e.g., during an on-time of one msec at 200 Hz) and thus make a contribution to the determination of the respiration rate at the expense of increased power consumption.
[0054] Sensor 5 amplifies the electric potentials of the two ECG electrodes, which are preferably positioned at the shoulders or in the collarbone regions. The signal obtained from these electrodes is filtered, for which a high-pass filter of 0.05 Hz and a low-pass filter of 10 Hz can be used. The signal received contains, on the one hand, the heart rate (pulse) in the range of approximately 1 Hz to 3 Hz (as a cycle frequency, the signal contains far greater frequency components) with an amplitude of approximately 0.2 mVSS (before amplification). The signal contains, in addition, the respiration rates with approximately 0.1 Hz to 0.5 Hz at an amplitude of 0.04 mV. Both signal components can be recognized by separating the signal contents by means of a fast Fourier transformation method, autocorrelation or an adaptive variable-frequency filter. The assumption that the two frequencies cannot change at any desired rate applies to each possible separation method. If the two frequencies are identified, it is also possible to calculate an amplitude distance from the adjacent or other frequencies being considered. A signal-to-noise ratio S/N is formed from the ratio of the useful signal amplitude (voltage U) to the other amplitudes as follows:
[0000] S/N respiration =10 log( U respiration /U adjacent frequency ) and
[0000] S/N heart =10 log( U heart /U adjacent frequency ).
The mean value from S/N respiration and S/N heart for S/N is the quality value for sensor 5 .
[0055] Sensor 7 is a microstructured acceleration pick-up in this embodiment according to FIG. 1 , whose mass deflection is measured capacitively. The sensor contains three such arrays in order to make possible an independent three-dimensional measurement. Sensor 7 is positioned directly in the auditory canal and can follow the motion of the bone or the tissue surrounding it. The acceleration pick-up 7 can be uncoupled from the housing for this. According to another technical solution herefor, the entire monitor 1 is designed as a monitor with such a small weight that uncoupling is not necessary to follow the higher frequencies (up to 10 Hz).
[0056] The analysis and the formation of the quality value of the acceleration pick-up 7 is performed analogously to the methods described in connection with sensor 5 . However, this sensor or acceleration pick-up 7 also provides information from which the activity of the user can be inferred. This is especially advantageous in case of users who are moving about freely, in order to obtain information on the physical exercise of these users in terms of work and motion. The extent of the user's physical activity can also be used to shift the upper limit value for triggering an alarm and represent increased tolerance.
[0057] The thermal conductivity sensor 9 is designed in this embodiment according to FIG. 1 as a very small temperature-dependent platinum resistor (PT 100 ). This thermal conductivity sensor 9 is located at the tip of a strap 11 , which protrudes into the area of the upper edge of the mouth. The thermal conductivity sensor 9 should be ideally located 3 cm in front of the upper lip. The resistor can be heated with a low measuring current and adjusted to a temperature of approximately 10 K above the ambient temperature. To avoid any risk to the user because of the temperature of the thermal conductivity sensor 9 , this sensor has a very low heat capacity. This is also advantageous for the desired, short response time. The heat dissipation is increased during the breath because of the tidal volume flow, which partially also sweeps over the thermal conductivity sensor 9 . The temperature and the resistance value thereupon decrease. The current that is necessary to maintain the thermal conductivity sensor 9 at the temperature to be stabilized measurably increases, by contrast, corresponding to the increased heat dissipation. The heat dissipation of the thermal conductivity sensor 9 is approximately 10 mW without an appreciable velocity of flow. If a signal, which contains a sufficient signal distance from noise signals, is generated with this excess temperature, the excess temperature can be reduced, which results in a reduction in power consumption, until the S/N ratio becomes too poor. The excess temperature can also be increased comparably in case of other signals of a lower quality if no other sensors, which are likewise used, are able to provide a sufficient quality.
[0058] The strap 11 may be designed such that it can be folded up in order to prevent the user from being hindered during certain activities or in certain environmental states. The thermal conductivity sensor 9 of the strap 11 may be designed such that it is turned off automatically when the strap 11 is moved into an “inoperative position” to prevent the user T from being hindered or exposed to risks as well as to prevent erroneous respiration rate measurements.
[0059] The sensor 13 is designed as a receiver for infrared radiation in this embodiment. It has a receiver surface and a means for measuring the temperature difference of this surface against the housing by means of thermocouples (chains). An emission factor and the housing temperature are needed for determining the temperature of the radiating surface (the eardrum in this case). The emission factor may be assumed to be constant. The housing temperature is determined by means of conventional temperature sensors. The housing may have a good thermal coupling with the external components of the monitor 1 and a comparatively poor coupling with the auditory meatus. As a result, the greatest possible temperature difference is obtained between the radiating surface and the receiving surface, as a result of which a higher radiation capacity is obtained.
[0060] The control unit of the monitor 1 calculates the individual quality values Q 1 , Q 2 , Q 3 and Q 4 and integrates the value for the respiration rate F ECG (from ECG sensor 5 ), F accel (from microstructured acceleration pick-up sensor 7 ), F temp (from thermal conductivity sensor 9 ) and F plesmo (from photoplethysmography sensor 15 ) corresponding to the quality values in a weighted form as follows in an example:
[0000] F breathing =( Q 1* F ECG +Q 2 *F accel 1+ Q 3* F temp +Q 4* F plesmo )/( Q 1+ Q 2+ Q 3+ Q 4).
[0000] If the individual respiration rates F ECG , F accel , F temp and F plesmo differ greatly from each other (e.g., by more than 20%), the frequency to which the highest quality value has been assigned will be processed further in a special embodiment of the above integration of the individual respiration rates into F respiration .
[0061] FIG. 2 is a detail of the monitor 1 from FIG. 1 and shows a frontal section through the auditory meatus.
[0062] FIG. 3 shows a communication unit of the monitor according to FIGS. 1 and 2 . This communication unit includes a display means for displaying quality values and/or respiration rates. It may have radio connection to the monitor. However, it may also be connected by cable.
[0063] Thus, the present invention provides, for the first time ever, a device and a corresponding method for determining and/or monitoring the respiration rate based on measurement with more than one sensor. Moreover, it provides a monitor for determining and/or monitoring the respiration rate.
[0064] While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described in detail to illustrate the application of the principles of the invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied otherwise without departing from such principles.
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A device ( 1 ) and a corresponding method are provided for determining and/or monitoring the respiration rate based on measurement with more than one sensor ( 5, 7, 9, 13, 15 ). The device may be part of a monitor for determining and/or monitoring the respiration rate. The second and/or additional sensors are different form the first sensor and have a different manor of operation from the first sensor.
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