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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] This invention relates to a semiconductor having protruding contacts comprising, a first semiconductor substrate having at least one interconnect located substantially within the first substrate, and a second semiconductor substrate having at least one protruding contact point that substantially contacts at least one interconnect.
[0003] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0004] Prior to the present invention, as set forth in general terms above and more specifically below, it is known in the semiconductor art, that two semiconductor substrates can be joined together at low temperatures by using well-known plasma-enhanced bonding processes. These low-temperature substrate joining techniques can be used to package MEMS (microelectromechanical systems) or NEMS (nanoelectromachanical systems) devices hermetically as well as 3-D wafer stacking. With respect to these low-temperature substrate joining techniques, the surface of the substrates to be joined need to be flat and very smooth (<20 A rms surface roughness over 2 μm×2 μm). Consequently, the surfaces are usually planarized with chemical mechanical polishing (CMP).
[0005] It is well known that the CMP planarization process creates some unique challenges for wafer-to-wafer interconnect applications since it is difficult to planarize the interconnect plug (or contact points) and the surrounding area evenly. The interconnect between two substrates may fail if dishing on the plugs occurs during the CMP process. Also, plasma-enhanced bonding may fail if the plugs surfaces are higher than the surrounding area, which prevents the two substrates from contacting at the atomic level.
[0006] It is also known, in the semiconductor art, that compliant intermediate layers (such as BCB (benzocyclobutene)) are often used to adhere two substrates together as well as to form an interconnect at the same time. This approach works fine for many 3-D interconnect applications, but does not work when both 3-D interconnect and hermetic packaging are required since BCB is not hermetic.
[0007] It is further known, in the semiconductor art, that Au bump or solder ball techniques can be used to flip-chip bond one substrate to another. However, none of these techniques provide both a good electrical interconnect between the substrates and hermetic packaging at the wafer level as the bumps or balls tend to cause a standoff between the circuits or substrates. The interconnect density is also limited with this approach.
[0008] Finally, it is known, in the interconnect art, to bond the interconnect to the pad of the circuit device. Typical techniques involve heat, eutectic bonding, electrical bonding, and/or mechanical bonding. However, many of these techniques do not provide an adequate bond for a variety of reasons.
[0009] It is apparent from the above that there exists a need in the semiconductor art for a semiconductor construction technique that works with both 3-D interconnect and hermetic packaging, but which at the same time allows the two substrates to be efficiently bonded so that they contact each other at the atomic level. It is a purpose of this invention to fulfill this and other needs in the art in a manner more apparent to the skilled artisan once given the following disclosure.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Generally speaking, an embodiment of this invention fulfills these needs by providing a semiconductor having protruding contacts comprising, a first semiconductor substrate having at least one interconnect located substantially within the first substrate, and a second semiconductor substrate having at least one protruding contact point that substantially contacts at least one interconnect.
[0011] In certain preferred embodiments, the first semiconductor substrate includes a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) circuit on a top surface and through-silicon interconnect plugs. Also, the first semiconductor substrate may include an optical MEMS or NEMS device. Also, the surface of the interconnect that contacts the protruding contact point of the second substrate may be thinned and chemically mechanically polished.
[0012] In another further preferred embodiment, the second semiconductor substrate may include CMOS or other high density (nanotechnology devices) circuitry and at least one protruding contact point. Also, the contact point is formed by layering various metal and dielectric films, including a compressive dielectric film, wherein etching is employed to cause the compressive dielectric film to bow up slightly and create a protruding contact point.
[0013] The preferred semiconductor, according to various embodiments of the present invention, offers the following advantages: ease of assembly; excellent electrical contact characteristics; and good durability. In fact, in many of the preferred embodiments, these factors of ease of assembly and excellent electrical contact characteristics are optimized to an extent that is considerably higher than heretofore achieved in prior, known semiconductor devices.
[0014] The above and other features of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are best understood by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters represent like parts throughout the several views and in which:
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] FIGS. 1 a and 1 b are a schematic illustrations of a semiconductor substrate having a through-silicon interconnect with FIG. 1 b illustrating a detailed view of the end of the through-silicon interconnect, according to one embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of a second semiconductor substrate with CMOS circuitry and contact points, to be bonded to the first substrate, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration of a patterned sacrificial film prior to forming a contact pad, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a deposited compressive film that will form a contact pad, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0019] FIGS. 5 a and 5 b are schematic illustrations of a planarized contact pad prior to release, wherein FIG. 5 a is the cross sectional view and FIG. 5 b is the top-down view, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0020] FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are schematic illustrations of a patterned photoresist that will define the contact pads during a subsequent etching process, wherein FIG. 6 a is the cross sectional view and FIG. 6 b is the top-down view, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0021] FIGS. 7 a and 7 b are schematic illustrations of a released contact pad after removal of the sacrificial layer wherein FIG. 7 a is the cross sectional view and FIG. 7 b is the top-down view, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0022] FIGS. 8 a and 8 b are schematic illustrations of the final interconnect assembly formed by plasma bonding substrates one and two together, wherein FIG. 8 b illustrates a detailed view of a contact point between substrates one and two, according to the ongoing embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of face-to-face bonding with an optical MEMS device, according to another embodiment of the present invention; and
[0024] FIG. 10 is a schematic illustration of face-to-back wafer bonding with high density circuitry, according to still another embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] With reference first to FIG. 1 , there is illustrated one preferred embodiment for use of the concepts of this invention. FIG. 1 illustrates a first semiconductor substrate 2 . Substrate 2 includes, in part, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) 6 , and through silicon interconnect plugs 8 . Preferably, substrate 2 may be conventionally thinned and chemically mechanically polished (CMP) on the backside to prepare the plugs 8 for bonding. Also, through silicon interconnect plugs can be constructed of any suitable material such as tungsten, copper, gold or the like. Finally, each substrate 2 and 20 ( FIG. 2 ) may not contain through silicon interconnect plugs 8 and the two substrates can be bonded together face-to-face.
[0026] With respect to FIG. 1 b , a detailed view of the dished surface 10 of the through silicon interconnect plug 8 is illustrated. The dished surface 10 typically results from the CMP process. It is to understood that the dished surface 10 that opposes the protruding contact point 26 ( FIG. 2 ) does not have to be recessed, it can be recessed, flat or a released compressively stressed protruding contact, as well.
[0027] With respect to FIG. 2 , a second semiconductor substrate 20 is illustrated. Substrate 20 includes, in part, substrate backside 22 , CMOS 24 , and contact points 26 . The details of how contact points 26 are fabricated will be discussed in relation to FIGS. 3-8 .
[0028] With respect to FIG. 3 , patterned semiconductor substrate 20 is illustrated. Substrate 20 includes, in part, CMOS 24 , and sacrificial, film 32 . As shown in FIG. 3 , CMOS 24 and sacrificial film 32 are conventionally patterned to form a contact pad. Also, sacrificial film 32 , preferably, is a silicon film. It is to be understood that the sacrificial layer can be any material that can be selectively etched and removed relative to other layers or materials in the device.
[0029] With respect to FIG. 4 , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated with compressive and contact films deposited. Wafer 20 includes, in part, CMOS 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , and metallic contact film 44 . As shown in FIG. 4 , compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic contact film 44 are conventionally deposited on top of sacrificial layer 32 and CMOS 24 . Also, compressive dielectric film 42 , preferably, is constructed of Si 3 N 4 . It is to be understood that the compressive film 42 can also be other materials as long as it is compressively stressed in the final device. Finally, metallic contact film 44 , preferably, is constructed of any suitable metallic material such as a noble metal (for example, gold) various solder materials, or typical multi-metal layer contact structures such as Cu/Au and Cu/Ni/Au. Finally, it is to be understood that the metal layer 44 could, with the proper materials set, theoretically be the compressive layer, as well.
[0030] With respect to FIGS. 5 a and 5 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated. After contact layers have been deposited on semiconductor wafer 20 ( FIG. 4 ), it is planarized according to a conventional CMP process, such as the Damascene process. As can be seen in FIG. 5 a , at this point wafer 20 includes, in part, CMOS 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , and metallic contact film 44 . As can be seen in FIG. 5 b , only CMOS 24 and metallic film 44 are exposed after the planarization process.
[0031] With respect to FIGS. 6 a and 6 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated with patterned photoresist prior to etching to define the contacts. After semiconductor wafer 20 ( FIG. 5 ) has been planarized, it is patterned and etched, according to conventional techniques. Semiconductor wafer 20 at this point includes, in part, CMOS 24 , sacrificial film 32 , compressive dielectric film 42 , metallic contact film 44 , patterning film 62 , and contact point 64 . Preferably, patterning film 62 is constructed of any suitable material such as any suitable polymeric material for patterning via photo-imaging, embossing, imprinting or other common techniques. As can be seen in FIG. 6 a , patterning film 62 is conventionally deposited on metallic film 44 . Compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic film 44 are then conventionally patterned and etched to form contact point 64 . During this patterning and etching process, sacrificial film 32 is also exposed, as shown in FIG. 6 b . It is to be understood that the contact points can be patterned in other shapes, in addition to rectangular.
[0032] With respect to FIGS. 7 a and 7 b , semiconductor wafer 20 is illustrated after removal of sacrificial layer 32 . After semiconductor wafer 20 ( FIG. 6 ) has been patterned and etched ( FIG. 6 ), it is again etched, according to conventional techniques, such as XeF 2 or SF 6 plasma etching. Semiconductor wafer 20 at this point includes, in part, substrate CMOS 24 , compressive dielectric film 42 , metallic contact film 44 , and released contact pad 72 . As can be seen in FIG. 7 a , released contact pad 72 is formed after sacrificial film 32 is etched away underneath compressive dielectric film 42 and metallic contact film 44 . Once the contact points are released, compressive dielectric film 42 causes released contact pad 72 to bow up slightly and protrude from the planarized surface. The patterning film 62 ( FIG. 6 ) is then conventionally stripped. FIG. 7 b shows a top-down view of semiconductor wafer 20 with CMOS 24 and released contact pad 72 exposed.
[0033] With respect to FIGS. 8 a and 8 b , completed semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 is illustrated. After semiconductor wafer 20 ( FIG. 7 ) has been completed, it is then contacted with semiconductor substrate 2 ( FIG. 2 ) in order to form semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 . Semiconductor interconnect assembly 80 includes, in part, CMOS 6 , through silicon interconnect plugs 8 , CMOS 24 , and contact points 26 . As can be seen in FIG. 8 a , semiconductor substrate 2 and semiconductor wafer 20 are conventionally plasma treated (such as in N 2 , O 2 or Ar plasma) and bonded together. It is to be understood that interconnect assembly 80 maybe located on the top side, the back side or multiple sides of each substrate 2 ( FIG. 1 ) and 20 ( FIG. 2 ).
[0034] With respect to FIG. 8 b , contact pad 72 of semiconductor wafer 20 protrudes upwards towards dished surface 10 of plug 8 on semiconductor substrate 2 . In this manner, an excellent interconnect is insured even when the surfaces of the through silicon interconnect plugs 8 are slightly dished.
[0035] With respect to FIG. 9 , semiconductor 90 is illustrated. Semiconductor 90 includes, in part, glass substrate 92 , CMOS 93 , interconnects 94 , an optical MEMS or NEMS devices 95 , CMOS 96 and released contact pads 97 . As illustrated in FIG. 9 , a face-to-face bonding of the glass substrate and the MEMS device is achieved through a conventional plasma enhanced bonding process. In this manner, released contact pads 97 protrude upward towards interconnect 94 in order to form an excellent interconnect between the two devices in a similar manner as discussed above with respect to FIGS. 1-8 .
[0036] Finally, with respect to FIG. 10 , semiconductor 100 is illustrated. Semiconductor 100 includes, in part, substrate backside or lid 102 , through silicon interconnect plugs 104 , substrate backside 106 , high density circuitry devices 108 , and released contact pads 110 . High density circuitry devices 108 can be, preferably, nanotechnology devices. As illustrated in FIG. 10 , lid 102 will not only provide a cap over substrate 106 and high density circuitry devices 108 , but also increase the number of input-output counts.
[0037] While the present invention has been illustrated with respect to particular semiconductor devices, it is to be understood that the present invention can also be utilized in other devices such as, but not limited to, non-CMOS devices (JetMOS, sensors, etc), NEMS devices, photonics devices, various medical devices, FLEX circuits, PCBs (Printed Circuit Boards), any type of protruding contacts to flat contacts, any type of protruding contacts to protruding contacts, and various multi-layer (2 or more) substrate stacks without deviating from the scope of the present invention.
[0038] Also, the present invention can be embodied in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction-execution system, apparatus or device such as a computer/processor based system, processor-containing system or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction-execution system, apparatus or device, and execute the instructions contained therein. In the context of this disclosure, a “computer-readable medium” can be any means that can store, communicate, propagate or transport a program for use by or in connection with the instruction-execution system, apparatus or device. The computer-readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include, but are not limited to, a portable magnetic computer diskette such as floppy diskettes or hard drives, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory, or a portable compact disc. It is to be understood that the computer-readable medium could even be paper or another suitable medium upon which the program is printed, as the program can be electronically captured, via, for instance, optical scanning of the paper or other medium, then compiled, interpreted or otherwise processed in a single manner, if necessary, and then stored in a computer memory.
[0039] Those skilled in the art will understand that various embodiment of the present invention can be implemented in hardware, software, firmware or combinations thereof. Separate embodiments of the present invention can be implemented using a combination of hardware and software or firmware that is stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction-execution system. If implemented solely in hardware, as in an alternative embodiment, the present invention can be separately implemented with any or a combination of technologies which are well known in the art (for example, discrete-logic circuits, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), programmable-gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and/or other later developed technologies. In preferred embodiments, the present invention can be implemented in a combination of software and data executed and stored under the control of a computing device.
[0040] It will be well understood by one having ordinary skill in the art, after having become familiar with the teachings of the present invention, that software applications may be written in a number of programming languages now known or later developed.
[0041] Once given the above disclosure, many other features, modifications or improvements will become apparent to the skilled artisan. Such features, modifications or improvements are, therefore, considered to be a part of this invention, the scope of which is to be determined by the following claims.
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This invention relates to a semiconductor having protruding contacts comprising, a first semiconductor substrate having at least one interconnect located substantially within the first substrate, and a second semiconductor substrate having at least one protruding contact point that substantially contacts at least one interconnect.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to sewing machines and, more particularly, to an improved actuator for use in sewing machines utilizing stitch pattern signal responsive actuators for positioning the needle and/or the work feeding mechanism between successive stitches of a predetermined pattern.
In recent years, so called "electronic" sewing machines have gained in popularity and have met with commercial success in both industrial and domestic applications. These electronic sewing machines typically include a memory unit for storing in digital form information to control both the needle positioning mechanism and the work feeding mechanism to automatically produce a desired pattern. Signals generated from the stored information are applied to signal responsive actuators for selectively positioning the needle and the work feeding mechanism. These actuators may be of either the analog or the digital type. An analog actuator is responsive to an analog signal for positioning its associated mechanism at a point along a continuum between two extreme positions. The present invention is concerned with digital actuators wherein the actuator responds to digital input signals to position its associated mechanism at a selected one of a plurality of incrementally displaced discrete points between two extreme positions.
Digital actuators, per se, are well known. For example, both linear motors and stepping motors have been utilized in the prior art as actuators to position the needle bar and/or the work feeding mechanism in a sewing machine in response to stitch pattern signals stored in and retrieved from a memory unit. However, both of these types of actuators require some form of signal conversion from the digitally stored information to a signal usable as an input to the actuator itself. Thus, the linear motor requires a digital to analog converter to convert a digital input signal to an analog voltage level and the stepping motor actuator requires signal processing to provide appropriate signals for positioning the stepping motor. Such signal conversion requires circuitry which adds to the cost of the sewing machine.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an actuator directly responsive to digital input signals.
Typically, the prior art actuators are directly coupled, through some intermediate linkage, to the controlled mechanism. This requires that the actuator have sufficient power to move both the intermediate linkage and the controlled mechanism.
It is therefore another object of this invention to provide an arrangement whereby the actuator mechanism may be of reduced size and have reduced power requirements.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the principles of this invention, the foregoing and additional objects are attained by providing in a sewing machine having memory means for storing selectively retrievable stitch pattern digital information to form a selected stitch pattern and at least one stitch forming instrumentality driven by the sewing machine main drive motor and variable in position over a predetermined range of positions between successive stitches to produce the selected stitch pattern, actuator means for imparting movement to the stitch forming instrumentality in accordance with the stitch pattern information, the actuator means comprising a control linkage coupled to the stitch forming instrumentality, a selectively movable position element, adder means responsive to the pattern information for moving the position element, means driven by the main drive motor for moving the control linkage in accordance with the position of the position element, and brake means alternately operative for preventing movement of the position element during operation of the moving means and for allowing movement of the position element during operation of the adder means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
The foregoing will be more readily apparent upon reading the following description in conjunction with the drawing, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a sewing machine showing an electromechanical actuator mechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention and arranged to influence the lateral position of the sewing machine needle;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are side sectional views taken along the line 2--2 of FIG. 1 showing the brake means at two different times during an operating cycle of the sewing machine;
FIGS. 3A, 3B and 3C are top plan schematic views of the actuator mechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention showing the relative positions of the elements of the actuator mechanism at different times during the sewing machine operating cycle;
FIGS. 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D are time charts useful in explaining the operation of the illustrative arrangement constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention; and
FIG. 5 is a block schematic diagram of an illustrative control system for the sewing machine shown in FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring now to the drawing, wherein like reference numerals in different figures denote like parts, as shown in FIG. 1, the sewing machine includes an arm shaft 11 driven by the main sewing machine drive motor 13 through a timing belt 15. A needle 17 carried for endwise reciprocation by a needle bar 19 is mounted for lateral jogging movement in a gate 21 pivoted at 23. Any conventional connection (not shown) may be used between the arm shaft 11 and the needle bar 19 for imparting needle reciprocation. A drive link 25 pivoted at 27 to the gate 21 serves to impart lateral jogging movement to the needle 17. The drive link 25 is connected at its end 29 to an actuator mechanism, designated generally by the reference numeral 31, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention. A printed circuit board 33 illustratively has mounted thereon memory units for storing stitch pattern information and control circuitry for operating the actuator mechanism 31 in accordance with the stored information. The circuitry on the board 33 will not be described in any greater detail than is necessary for an understanding of the principles of this invention and such explanation will be given in conjunction with a description of the block diagram of FIG. 5. Further shown in FIG. 1 is a position sensor assembly having a first portion 37 mounted for rotation with the arm shaft 11 and a second portion 39 fixed to the sewing machine frame, which position sensor is of conventional construction to provide a single pulse for each rotation of the arm shaft 11.
Although not shown in the drawing, the sewing machine includes a work feeding mechanism having a feed regulating guide block whose angular position determines the direction and magnitude of work feed between successive needle penetrations, the inclination of the guide block being controlled by an actuator mechanism which may be of the same type as the actuator mechanism 31 shown and described herein.
The actuator mechanism 31 includes a support plate 51 which is affixed to the sewing machine frame in a conventional manner. Mounted on the support plate 51 are four linear solenoids 53, 55, 57 and 59. The output of the actuator mechanism 31, as determined by the selective energization of the solenoids 53, 55, 57 and 59, controls the position of a drive lever 61 in a manner to be described hereinafter. The drive lever 61 is coupled to move a cam bar 63. To accomplish such movement, the cam bar 63 is provided with a slot (not shown) into which a pin 65 affixed to the drive lever 61 is inserted. The cam bar 63 is held for sliding movement along its longitudinal axis on the support plate 51 by a restraint block 67 and a restraint plate 69.
The cam bar 63 has a cutout opening 71 into which the periphery of a cam 73 extends. The cam 73 is a peripheral extension of a sleeve member 75 which is axially free on the arm shaft 11 but is keyed to rotate with the arm shaft 11. A yoke 77 spans the sleeve member 75. The yoke 77 encircles the arm shaft 11 and is free to move axially along the arm shaft 11 but does not rotate. The drive link 25 is coupled at its end 29 to the yoke 77.
The actuator mechanism 31 according to this invention also includes a cam bar brake arrangement driven by a brake cam member 79 mounted for rotation on the arm shaft 11. The brake arrangement has a cam follower 81 mounted in cantilevered fashion from block 83 mounted on the support plate 51. A spring member 85 urges the cam follower 81 against the brake cam 79. Affixed to the underside of the cam follower 81 is a brake pad 87, constructed of a material having a high coefficient of friction. The brake cam 79 has an inner surface 89 closer to its center than its outer surface 91. As shown in FIG. 2A, when the brake cam 79 is in an angular orientation wherein the cam follower 81 is against the outer cam surface 91, the brake pad 87 is not in contact with the cam bar 63. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the brake cam 79 assumes the range of angular orientations wherein the cam follower 81 is not in contact with the outer cam surface 91, the brake pad 87 is forced against the cam bar 63 by the spring member 85, thereby preventing movement of the cam bar 63.
Referring to FIGS. 3A-C and 4A-D, the sequential operation of the actuator mechanism 31 constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention will now be explained. The cam 73 is a wedge-shaped cam having a maximum width region 73a and a minimum width region 73b. When the sewing machine needle moves from its upmost position towards its downmost position, the cam 73 within the opening 71 of the cam bar 63 goes to its maximum width region 73a and remains there for approximately one quarter of a full revolution of the arm shaft 11. At this time the brake is on, as indicated schematically by the representations 87', 87" of the brake pad 87 being in contact with the cam bar 63 in FIG. 3C. The solenoids 53, 55, 57 and 59 are not energized at this time so that the cam bar 63 is held by the brake mechanism to the position it assumed during the most recent prior solenoid energization. Thus, with the maximum width region 73a of the cam 73 within the opening 71 of the cam bar 63, the sleeve member 75 is caused to move longitudinally along the arm shaft 11 in accordance with the position of the cam bar 63. This causes the yoke 77 to move correspondingly and hence laterally position the needle bar 19.
As the arm shaft 11 continues to rotate, the brake mechanism eventually releases the cam bar 63 and the width of the cam 73 within the cam bar opening 71 decreases. Although the solenoids 53-59 are not energized and the brake mechanism is off, the friction forces and inertia of the yoke 77 and the drive link 25 maintain the position of the yoke 77 so that when the needle 17 reaches its downmost position, penetrating the work piece, it is in its desired lateral position. As the needle starts to move up, the solenoids 53-59 are selectively energized to set the next lateral position of the needle. After the surface of the cam 73 within the cam bar opening 71 passes its minimum width region 73b, FIG. 3B, the brake mechanism is again engaged to hold the cam bar 63. As the cam 73 moves within the cam bar opening 71 it causes the sleeve member 75 and hence the yoke 77 to move as hereinabove discussed.
FIGS. 4A-D depict the relative movement of the pertinent elements of the sewing machine shown in FIG. 1 as a function of degrees of rotation of the arm shaft 11. In particular, FIG. 4A shows the relative vertical position of the needle 17, defined as being in its upmost position at 0 and 360 degrees of the arm shaft 11. FIG. 4B shows the width of the cam 73 within the cam bar opening 71. FIG. 4C shows the brake arrangement timing and FIG. 4D indicates the period when the solenoids 53-59 may be energized. The vertical line labeled "A" indicates the timing shown in FIG. 3A; the vertical line denoted "B" shows the same for FIG. 3B; and the vertical line denoted "C" shows the same for FIG. 3C.
Referring now to FIG. 5 an illustrative control system will now be described. The sewing machine arm shaft 11 is connected to drive a timing pulse generator 35 which may preferably be of the type shown and described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,939,372. The pulse generator 35 provides a single timing pulse for each rotation of the arm shaft 11 and applies this pulse to a binary counter 101. Illustratively, the binary counter 101 is a five bit binary counter arranged to count to 31 and reset to zero on the following pulse. Thus, a pattern having 32 needle penetrations may be repeated indefinitely without special provision for setting the counter to zero. The output of the counter 101 is presented as the input address to a static read only memory 103 in which is stored the bight and feed information for the desired stitch pattern. The bight information output from the memory 103 is presented to a bight data latch 105 and the feed information from the memory 103 is presented to a feed data latch 107. A timing control circuit 109, responsive to the timing pulses from the pulse generator 35, applies gating signals at the appropriate times to AND gates 111 and 113 to control the selective energization of the bight actuator solenoids 53-59 and the feed actuator solenoids 115 in accordance with the stored information.
The adder portion of the actuator mechanism 31 comprises the four solenoids 53-59 and the drive lever 61 which is doubly pivoted at the points 119 and 121. The solenoids 53-59 are mounted in such a manner that only the solenoids 53 and 57 are secured to the support plate 51 and the solenoids 55 and 59 are individually attached to the rods of the solenoids 53 and 57, respectively. When mounted in this manner, the solenoids 53 and 57 drive the solenoids 55 and 59, respectively, and the solenoids 55 and 59 drive the lever 61. These latter solenoids, 55 and 59, are secured to the drive lever 61 and are spaced so that the lever 61 will pivot about either of the two pivot points 119 and 121. If the solenoids 53 and 55 move the lever 61, it will pivot about the point 121 whereas if the solenoids 57 and 59 move the lever 61, it will pivot about the point 119. If one or more of the solenoids 53 and 55 and one or more of the solenoids 57 and 59 drive the lever 61, its pivoting will be a compound pivoting about both the points 119 and 121.
Referring now to FIGS. 3A-3C, with the disclosed arrangement, the solenoids 53 and 55 have their rods biased toward the right by spring members 123 and 125, respectively. The solenoid 57 has its rod biased toward the left by the spring member 127 and the solenoid 59 has its rod biased toward the right by an internal spring member, not shown. The movements of the respective solenoids 53-59 when energized and the pivot lengths of the drive lever 61 are chosen to be so related that a direct binary input without any intermediate conversion can be utilized for positioning cam bar 63. Illustratively, the distance between the points 65 and 121 of the drive lever 61 is one and a half times as great as the distance between the points 121 and 119. Therefore, the actuation of the solenoids 53 and/or 55 will result in a lateral movement at the point 65 of one and a half times the lateral movement at the point 119. Similarly, the actuation of the solenoids 57 and/or 59 will cause lateral displacement at the point 65 of two and a half times the displacement at the point 121.
The relative displacements of the solenoids 53-59 are determined by the desired incremental movements of the drive link 25. Certain specifications may be established to provide an optimum system. For example, it would be advantageous to specify that with none of the solenoids 53-59 energized, the needle 17 would assume a center position. Also, it might be desirable to provide an equal number of equally spaced needle positions on either side of the center position. With these criteria established, and knowing the incremental distance between positions, and the relative pivot lengths of the drive lever 61, the relative "throws" of the solenoids 53-59 may be obtained by a simple mathematical computation. For example, choosing the solenoid 53 to have a throw of 1 unit and choosing the solenoid 55 to have a throw of 2 units (for binary purposes), and with the relative pivot lengths of the drive lever 61 as discussed above, and with seven equally spaced positions on either side of the central position so that with none of the solenoids 53-59 and all of the solenoids 53-59 energized at this central position, it may be determined that the solenoid 57 has a throw of 4.2 units and the solenoid 59 has a throw of 2.4 units. The magnitude of each of the units will depend upon the actual displacement desired.
Accordingly, there has been described an improved actuator for use in a sewing machine utilizing stitch pattern signal responsive actuators for positioning the needle and/or the work feeding mechanism between successive stitches of a predetermined pattern. The disclosed actuator possesses a number of distinct advantages. For example, the actual power for positioning the controlled mechanism is derived from the sewing machine main motor rather than from the actuator itself. Additionally, with no power to the actuator, the needle is in its central position, corresponding to straight stitching, which is performed most of the time, thereby providing an energy efficient arrangement. Further, the disclosed actuator responds directly to digital input signals without requiring any intermediate signal conversion. It is understood that the above-described arrangement is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of this invention. Numerous other arrangements may be devised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention, as defined by the appended claims.
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A sewing machine is disclosed wherein positioning of the needle is controlled by an actuator mechanism responsive to digital stitch pattern signals applied thereto. The actuator mechanism includes four solenoids selectively energized by the digital stitch pattern signals. The four solenoids are chosen to have particular binary-related axial displacements and are mounted in such a manner that a doubly pivoted lever driven by the solenoids provides a displacement at one end thereof which is additive of the selected solenoid energization. This one end of the lever shifts a bar that has an opening into which the periphery of a first cam extends. This first cam is axially free on the arm shaft of the sewing machine but is keyed to rotate with it. A yoke spans the cam and is restrained from rotating, but is moved axially by the cam. The yoke is operatively connected to laterally position the needle bar. A bar restraining brake is actuated by a second cam on the arm shaft and is timed to release when the solenoids are shifting the lever. The brake restrains the bar when the first cam is driving the yoke so as to position the needle bar, thereby utilizing the power of the sewing machine main motor.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application Ser. No. 664,298, filed Mar. 5, 1976 and entitled "METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR HANDLING SUPERIMPOSED STACKED RECEPTACLES" now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to an improved method and apparatus for the handling of superimposed stacked receptacles, and more specifically to such a method and apparatus for handling of nested superimposed columns of stacked receptacles or containers wherein means are provided for controlling and positioning the carrying bails of the containers at the lower end of the stack so as to permit vertical separation and removal of the lowermost container of the vertical column or stack.
In the packaging of certain commodities, such as, for example, ice cream or the like, carrying containers or receptacles are provided for the convenient packaging of the product, as well as for convenient carrying or handling of the product by the consumer. Containers of this type are normally fabricated from polyethylene, composition board, or the like. These empty containers are normally shaped so as to have a frustoconical configuration to permit nesting of the empty containers, with the consequent conservation of storage volume for the empty containers.
Traditionally, these frustoconical containers have a base, an upper rim, and an outwardly projecting stacking shoulder which is formed along the periphery of the container body and at a location spaced from the upper rim. A generally semi-circular carrying bail is secured to the walls of the container at generally diametrically opposed points between the stacking shoulder and the upper rim. When free-hanging, the carrying bail will normally rest against the outer periphery of the body at a downwardly extending or declining angle. When in stacked or nested disposition, these carrying bails frequently interfere with the vertical separation of the bottom or lowermost container of the stack, the carrying bail of the penultimate container frequently becoming entangled with the upper rim of the lowermost container in the stack. The apparatus of the present invention provides means for controllably positioning the carrying bail of the penultimate container in a stacked column of containers so as to permit order controlled and orderly vertical separation of the lowermost container of the stack.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Briefly, the apparatus of the present invention includes means for retaining a stacked column of superimposed or nested frustoconical containers, with means for controllably delivering individual containers from the stack to a receiving surface. Once on the receiving surface, the container is moved to a loading zone where it is filled with product. The filling means includes apparatus designed for interrupted feeding or dropping of product.
The container handling means includes a generally "U" shaped yoke having a pair of laterally spaced legs which are arranged to straddle or otherwise receive a container therebetween. Means are provided for reciprocatorily moving the yoke along a generally horizontal path between forward and retracted dispositions. When in the forward disposition, the upper surface of at least one of the legs of the yoke engage the carrying bail of the penultimate container of the stack, and pivot the engaged bail upwardly to a generally horizontal and non-interferring disposition, thereby permitting orderly vertical separation of the lowermost container from the vertical stack. Column support means are provided for intermittently supporting the lowermost container of the stack, and the same column support means, or alternately, the support means for the "U" shaped yoke may be utilized for controllably lowering the elevation of the column by controlled incremental amounts. The magnitude of the drop is substantially equal to the normal vertical spacing between adjacent containers in the stack, thereby re-positioning the column vertically to provide for engagement of the legs of the yoke with the carrying bail and the then penultimate container of the stack.
Therefore, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method and apparatus for the handling of superimposed stacked receptacles, particularly those receptacles having a frustoconical configuration and being provided with a stacking shoulder and a carrying bail adjacent the upper rim portion thereof.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for the handling and delivering of individual frustoconical containers from a stacked column of such containers, wherein means are provided for controllably holding and retaining a stacked column of such containers in a form whereby the carrying bail is held out-of-contact with the body of the container, whereby the lowermost container of the stacked column may be controllably removed.
It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide an improved apparatus for the handling of frustoconical containers arranged in stacked disposition, the apparatus providing for means to controllably release the lowermost container from the stacked column during each operational cycle, the release occurring while the column is being supported by the carrying bail of the penultimate container of the stacked column, and with the lowermost container thereby being delivered to a container receiving surface for ultimate transfer of the released container to a product loading station.
Other and further objects of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon a study of the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical container handling apparatus, and illustrating a portion of a product filling conveyor in conjunction therewith, with FIG. 1 further illustrating an arrangement for loading additional stacks or columns of containers for introduction into the apparatus during operation;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view, on a slightly enlarged scale, and illustrating the details of certain of the container handling components, with this view being taken showing the stack being supported by the container handling yoke, with the stack about to become supported by a support cup adjacent the undersurface of the lowermost container in the stack;
FIG. 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line and in the direction of the arrows 3--3 of FIG. 2, and illustrating a top view of the container handling yoke;
FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 2, and illustrating the disposition of the apparatus at a point in time when the yoke has been retracted so as to permit the stack to drop down onto the support cup;
FIG. 5 is a view similar to FIG. 2 and illustrating a still further arrangement in the sequence wherein the yoke is advanced to a forward disposition, thereby forcing or pivotally grazing the carrying bail of the penultimate container in the stack, thus avoiding interference of the bail with the adjacent container;
FIG. 6 is a view of a further sequence in the operational cycle, wherein the lowermost container has been drawn downwardly and separated from the stack by the stack supporting cup, and wherein the balance of the stack or column is being supported by the yoke;
FIG. 7 is a view of a still further point in the sequence of operation, wherein the lowermost container has been delivered to a container receiving surface such as in the conveyor flight as illustrated;
FIG. 8 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement of stacked containers having a somewhat modified form or configuration from the containers illustrated in FIGS. 1-7 inclusive;
FIG. 9 is a plot of the sequential operation of the apparatus, with the plot illustrating one complete cycle of machine motion;
FIG. 10 is a side elevational view, on a slightly enlarged scale from FIG. 1, and illustrating the details of a modified embodiment of the container handling components of the present invention, and illustrating an arrangement wherein the column support function is achieved by the container handling yoke; and
FIGS. 11A, 11B, 11C, and 11D are side elevational views illustrating the operational sequence occurring during a cycle of the modified embodiment illustrated in FIG. 10.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Attention is initially directed to FIG. 1 of the drawings wherein the container handling apparatus generally designated 10 includes base frame elements 11, upright support posts 12 and container stack or column supporting members 13 and 14. A container conveyor is also illustrated, with conveyor flight 16 being provided for transporting the individual containers from the column or stack shown generally at 18 to the product filling station shown generally at 19. Drive sprocket 20 is utilized for providing motion to propel the conveyor, and specifically flight 16 as desired. In the illustration or embodiment illustrated, product is introduced from station 19 by means of the product injector element 21, having a discharge nozzle as illustrated at 23. As is apparent in the illustration of FIG. 1, stack or column 18 is designed to be replaced by reserve stack 24 upon exhaustion or substantial exhaustion of the individual containers making up stack or column 18.
Container articulating devices are provided in the apparatus, particularly in connection with those portions or components of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. Generally speaking, the stack is supported alternately by support cup 26 and bail yoke 27, as will be more fully explained hereinafter. Support cup 26 performs additional functions as well, including the function of controlling the downward motion of the stack or column 18, and the ultimate withdrawal or removal of the lowermost container from the stack, all of which will be more fully explained and detailed hereinafter.
In the disposition illustrated in FIG. 1, lowermost container such as container 30 is shown as it is about to enter the cavity or opening formed in flight 16 (see, for example, FIG. 7) of the conveyor mechanism. As is apparent from the view of FIG. 1, support for the remaining containers of stack 18 is obtained from yoke member 27, with yoke 27 further controlling or maintaining the carrier bails in non-interferring relationship with the lowermost container, in this instance, container 30.
The disposition of the stack 18 as illustrated in FIG. 1 is retained until container 30 is disposed within the bore formed in flight 16 (see FIG. 7), the retraction or lowering of support cup 26 continuing so as to permit flight 16 to index one position, thereby advancing the flight so as to permit raising of support cup 26 into contact with the then lowermost container member of stack 18. Cylinder 32 is then actuated by means of a valve in control 33, so as to retract rod 34, thereby permitting the entire stack 18 to rest upon support cup 26. In the next sequence, cylinder 36 is actuated by control 33 so as to effect a slight retraction of rod 37, thereby lowering cup 26 so as to permit re-advancing of rod 34 and consequently yoke 27 to intercept stack 18 at a point whereby the penultimate container in stack 18 will be engaged by yoke 27.
Attention is now directed to FIG. 3 of the drawings wherein this sequence is being illustrated. Specifically, in FIG. 2, support cup 26 is advancing upwardly to engage lower surface 39 of the lowermost container in the stack, in this instance, container 40. Continued advancing of support cup 26 occurs until the arrangement is reached as is illustrated in FIG. 4, with container 40 resting firmly on the support cup 26. Yoke 27 is shown retracted, thus permitting the entire stack to rest solely on cup 26. This situation exists until the next sequence occurs, which is the advance of rod 34 from cylinder 32, thus causing yoke 27 to engage the penultimate container in the stack 18. As is illustrated in FIG. 5, carrier bail 41 of penultimate container 42 is elevated in a clockwise direction from the at-rest disposition illustrated in the bail 40A of container 40. Also, it will be apparent from FIG. 5 that the forward tine member 43 of yoke 27 has an upper surface as at 44 which in fact engages the undersurface of bail 41 in the disposition illustrated in FIG. 5. If desired, shorter tine elements as at 45 and 46 may be employed to elevate or move carrier bails 45A and 46A respectively, with this movement being undertaken to assure a non-interferring disposition of bail 41 with container 40. As is apparent in the drawings, it is the outer or mid portion of the carrier bails which tends to interfere with the stacking shoulder 40B of the container 40. As is apparent, each of the containers is identical, one to another, and is provided with a frustoconical body as illustrated at 40C, along with an outwardly extending upper rim as at 40D, all of which is illustrated in detail in FIG. 5. The bail members are, of course, generally semi-circular and are coupled to the periphery of the individual containers generally diametrically thereof.
Attention is now directed to FIG. 6 of the drawings wherein the next sequence of motion is illustrated, FIG. 6 illustrating that portion of the sequence wherein the container 40 is being drawn downwardly and separated from the other members of the stack 18 by support cup 26. Support cup 26 is coupled to a vacuum source through tubing 50, as indicated, with the vacuum source evacuating the concave interior of cup 26 so as to attach firmly to the surface of the base of container 40. Limited vertical motion of cup 26 is obtainable by means of double-acting cylinder 51, with cylinder 51 being coupled to a pressure source through line 52, and to a pressure reduction or vacuum source through line 53. Upon reaching the disposition illustrated in FIG. 4, motion continues as is illustrated in FIG. 7.
In the illustration of FIG. 7, container 40 is held within flight 16 as is illustrated. Continued downward motion of cup 26 is achieved by virtue of the long stroke cylinder 36, as is shown in FIG. 1. This arrangement permits retraction of cup 26 to a point beneath the surface of flight 16, thereby rendering it possible for indexing or advancing of flight 16 to accommodate the next sequence of motion. Also, cup 26 is, as illustrated in FIG. 7, released from the lower surface of container 40 as is, of course, desirable.
Turning now to the plot illustrated in FIG. 9, the phantom sinusoidal curve illustrates the motion of a conventional container feeder cam in a typical cyclical operation. In the solid line as illustrated, the point A is reached and represents the starting time for the sequence of operation, and illustrates the rise of cup 26 from the retracted disposition illustrated in FIG. 7 toward the extended disposition illustrated in FIG. 4. Point B on the plot indicates the arrival at the disposition illustrated in FIG. 4, with the time lapse from point B to point C representing the time during which cup 26 is being evacuated so as to become firmly attached to the base of the lowermost container in stack 18. At point C, cup 26 commences retraction as is apparent in the illustration of FIGS. 5 and 6, with retraction being commenced only after completion of advance of rod 34 so as to permit yoke 27 to engage the bail of the penultimate container in the stack. Downward retraction which commences at point C then continues until point D is reached, with this being represented by the disposition illustrated in FIG. 7. In order to accommodate various arrangements, it will be appreciated that the stack drop distance which is illustrated in FIG. 9 may be varied, as can the vertical distance between the top of travel of cup 26 to the lower level of travel of cup 26 which is represented at the abscissa of FIG. 9. The timing is also variable in order to accommodate various designs and container structures.
With attention now being directed to FIG. 8, it will be noted that the apparatus is adaptable for use in connection with modified container designs, such as a container having the configuration of container 59, which is frustoconical in shape and is provided with stacking shoulders 60. Yoke 27 is capable of articulation so as to engage bails such as bails 61 and 62 so as to pivot them into a non-interferring disposition.
It will be appreciated that the structure of the present invention is adapted for use with a variety of products to be packaged, and is also adapted for use in conjunction with a variety of filler devices. In order to render the operation more fully continuous, reserve stack 24 is set into place on stacking bed 24A, with cylinder 24B being utilized to elevate stack 24 about pivot arm 24C until stack 24 may be dropped directly onto the top of a substantially exhausted stack.
The precise configuration of support posts 14 is, of course, not critical to the overall operation, it being noticed, of course, that posts 14 should be arranged so as to avoid interference with motion of the carrier bails, while continuing to provide vertical support and resistance to vertical shift of the stack 18 while yoke 27 becomes engaged with the carrier bails of the individual containers forming the stack.
DESCRIPTION OF AN ALTERNATE EMBODIMENT
Attention is now directed to FIGS. 10 and 11A, 11B, 11C and 11D of the drawings wherein an alternate embodiment is illustrated, and wherein the column support is achieved by controlled vertical motion of cylinder 32. It will be appreciated that those numerical designations common between FIGS. 2 and 10 will refer, of course, to identical components, and that certain additional components are present in order to achieve the function of the alternate embodiment.
In this connection, cylinder 32 is securely mounted or retained within suspending cradle 70, with cradle 70 being, in turn, secured at mounting point 71 to the ram 72 of rigidly mounted double-acting cylinder 73. The vertical motion of the ram 72, as designated by double arrow 75, illustrates the manner in which the cylinder 32 may be dropped controllably so as to lower the column 18 pursuant to the cycle schedule illustrated in FIGS. 11A-11D inclusive.
Specifically, the "U" shaped yoke 27 is shown in its retracted position in FIG. 11A, and is advanced to its position shown in FIG. 11B so as to engage the bails, in the same fashion as has been previously explained in FIGS. 1-9 inclusive. In order to permit removal of the lowermost container, "U" shaped yoke 27 is raised vertically, so as to permit removal of the lowermost container from the column. Upon removal of the lowermost container from the column, cylinder 73 is permitted to advance ram 72 so as to lower yoke 27, and thereby drop the column 18 to a lower vertical disposition. Support cup 26 may, of course, be utilized as required for the individual operation. In certain loading arrangements and configurations, support cup 26 may be utilized to support the column and adjustably control the disposition of the column. For example, as is illustrated in FIGS. 11A through 11D inclusive, the vertical disposition of support cup 26 may be used to both control the vertical disposition of the column and achieve release or removal of the lowermost container. In certain instances, of course, the support cup 26 could be in the form of a vacuum cup, as previously indicated, or a separate support plate or member.
As has been indicated, cylinder 73 is a double-acting cylinder and may be provided with fluid to control the vertical motion of the ram 72. In certain instances, it may be desirable to advisable to permit the lowering of ram 72 to occur by gravity, thereby requiring only a valve or choke in the line so as to permit gravity advance of ram 72. Obviously, ram 72 could be advanced by the application of pressurized fluid to cylinder 73 as is conventional.
In order to maintain horizontal alignment, it may be necessary in certain instances to provide a follower, guide channel or the like for the rear portion of cylinder 32. In certain other instances, however, the ram may be coupled to the yoke or cradle 70 in such a way that vertical and horizontal alignment are both maintained.
It has been indicated that the support cup 26 is utilized to achieve separation of adjacent containers in the stack, and particularly to achieve separation of the lowermost container. As an alternate, it will be appreciated that means may be provided to grip other segments or surfaces of the container, including the upper lip, the bail, or like surfaces or abutments.
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Apparatus for separating and delivering individual frustoconical containers from a stacked column of nested frustoconical containers, each container having an upper rim and an outwardly projecting stacking shoulder spaced from the rim, along with a carrying bail secured generally diametrically of the container body. A yoke element is provided for engaging the carrying bail of the penultimate container in the stack, so as to permit vertical separation of the lowermost container of the column from the remainder of the stack.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The embodiments disclosed herein relate to an improved liquid ring device for converting thermal energy in the nature of a working fluid into practical mechanical work. More particularly, the improved liquid ring device as described herein incorporates more than one thermodynamic action with the working fluid, including a cooling zone in which the working fluid is cooled.
BACKGROUND
The liquid ring device is known in the prior art, with the concept existing in the patent art at least as early as U.S. Pat. No. 1,094,919 to Nash in 1914. In the Nash '919 device, a combustible gas is introduced into the device, compressed and ignited, with the expansion being used to provide mechanical energy.
In some situations in the prior art, the liquid ring device is used to compress gases at the expenditure of mechanical energy, while, in another type of operation, it is used as an expander to extract thermal energy from a working fluid as practical mechanical work. One application is the recuperation of the energy carried out by the exhaust gases from an internal combustion engine or a gas turbine.
Many other applications are envisioned, in which different working fluids are used. These include, but are certainly not limited to, recuperation processes involving furnace gases, foundry gases, residual industrial steam or geothermal gases, such as from a volcano. In yet other applications, the liquid ring device can be used as a prime mover or stand alone heat engine in conjunction with a hot gas generator of a suitable type. In general, the device is able to operate effectively, once the mode of operation and the energy source has been selected.
It is, however, not known in the prior art to perform more than one thermodynamic transformation in a single liquid ring device.
SUMMARY
This and other unmet advantages are provided by the device and method described and shown in more detail below and as claimed in the appended claims.
This and other advantages are achieved by a liquid ring heat engine (LRHE) that extracts energy from a working fluid. The LRHE has a cylindrical case; a rotor, arranged for rotation on a shaft that is eccentrically mounted inside the cylindrical case; a space, internal to the cylindrical case, for receiving an amount of liquid that effects a piston ring around the rotor as the rotor rotates on the shaft relative to the cylindrical case, as well as an inlet and an outlet for the working fluid. The rotor defines, on a face thereof, a first zone where the working fluid is expanded and a second zone where the working fluid is compressed. To achieve this, a plurality of vanes are arranged in spaced-apart relationship, on at least one of the rotor faces.
In one embodiment, the plurality of vanes are arranged symmetrically on only one face of the rotor, and, in this embodiment, each of the first and second zones is located on the face of the rotor on which the vanes are arranged.
In this embodiment, the rotor further defines a third zone, positioned in a rotational sense between the first and second zones; with a means for cooling the working fluid operatively arranged in the third zone.
In another embodiment, the plurality of vanes are arranged symmetrically on each of the two faces of the rotor, with the first and second zones located on the respective first and second faces of the rotor.
In this second embodiment, the LRHE further comprises an intermediate outlet for the working fluid, a means for cooling, located external to the cylindrical case, and an intermediate inlet for the working fluid. The intermediate outlet, the cooling means and the intermediate inlet define a conduit such that the working fluid exits the first zone, passes through the cooler and enters the second zone.
In the first embodiment, the inlet and outlet are each arranged radially with respect to the shaft.
In the second embodiment, the inlet and the intermediate outlet are arranged radially with respect to the shaft, but the intermediate inlet and the outlet are arranged axially with respect to the shaft.
In the second embodiment, the LRHE also comprises a flange, inside the cylindrical case, that coacts with the rotor to effectively divide the internal space of the cylindrical case into an expander portion and a compressor portion.
In at least the first embodiment, the LRHE further comprises a sealing surface, in fixed angular position relative to the rotor, operating with the vanes and rotor face to trap the working fluid inside the rotor during the expansion thereof in the first zone. The LRHE can also comprise a sealing surface, in fixed angular position relative to the rotor, that operates with the vanes and rotor face to trap the working fluid inside the rotor during the compression thereof in the first zone.
The advantages are also achieved by a method of extracting energy from a compressible working fluid. In the method, the working fluid is injected into a LRHE comprising a rotor that defines at least a first and a second zone. The injected working fluid is expanded against a liquid in the first zone and recompressed in the second zone, after which the recompressed working fluid is discharged from the LRHE.
In many of the embodiments of the method, the working fluid is rapidly cooled between the expanding step and the re-compressing step. In some of these methods, the step of rapidly cooling the expanded working fluid occurs in a third zone of the rotor positioned, in a rotational sense, between the first and second zones. In other of these methods, the step of rapidly cooling the expanded working fluid occurs by several substeps, including removing the expanded working fluid from the first zone, passing the removed working fluid through means for cooling that is external to the LRHE and reinjecting the cooled working fluid into the second zone of the LRHE
In an improvement to known LRHE technology for extracting energy from a working fluid, the improvement is found in arranging a first zone in which the working fluid is expanded and a second zone where the working fluid is compressed in the same LRHE case
In many of these improved LRHEs, the improvement also has a third zone, positioned in the case between the first and second zones, where the working fluid is cooled.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A better understanding of the disclosed embodiments will be obtained from a reading of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings wherein identical reference characters refer to identical parts and in which:
FIG. 1 is a sectional view looking down a major axis of a first embodiment of a liquid ring heat engine;
FIG. 2 is a side sectional view, taken along a major axis, of a second embodiment of a liquid ring heat engine; and
FIG. 3 is a pressure-volume diagram depicting the operation of the liquid ring heat engines according to both FIGS. 1 and 2 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The embodiments of the inventive concept are based on the liquid ring compressor/expander concept, which is known in the prior art. As will be seen, the disclosed embodiments provide some different elements and require different operation. The “conventional” liquid ring machine of the prior art has only two ports. In the first port, the gaseous working fluid enters through a gas inlet. Once the working fluid either has energy extracted or added, depending upon the selected mode of operation, the working fluid leaves the device through a gas outlet. There are several possible implementations, but in all of the known implementations, an angular region (in the sense of rotation) is located between the respective inlet and outlet. This angular region allows time and space for the working fluid to be expanded or compressed, according to the machine function.
FIG. 1 depicts a schematic sectional view looking down the major axis of symmetry of a first embodiment 10 of a liquid ring heat engine. A rotor or impeller 20 is located inside a cylindrical case 30 . Rotor 20 will typically be provided with a plurality of spaced-apart vanes 22 , which are preferably symmetrically arranged, on a working face 24 of the rotor. A shaft 40 sustains the rotor 20 , to which the shaft is coupled. The shaft 40 is eccentrically located with respect to an axis of symmetry of the case 30 . Depending upon the application, case 30 may also be arranged to allow for it to rotate about its own axis of symmetry, for augmented system efficiency. The power output is taken from rotor 20 , which may also turn the case 30 with equal or different speeds by suitable means. As depicted and described, the embodiment 10 operates by counterclockwise rotation. A frame (not shown) can provide a rigid and fixed means to receive the shaft 40 . The mechanical arrangement, the shape of the vanes and related dimensions have been developed in, and can be found in, the prior art.
Beyond the strictly structural elements, an amount of a liquid is placed in the case 30 , where it resides in an internal space 32 of the case. As is known from the prior art, the liquid effects a piston ring around rotor 20 , due to centrifugal force from the spin of the rotor and especially of the vanes 22 . While a rather small spin is enough to shape the liquid into the piston ring configuration, optimal functioning relative to the working pressure and geometry requires a typical tip speed at or above 10 m/s for the vanes 22 . When case 30 is also being driven or is arranged for free rotation, even higher tip speeds may be desired.
Inside the shaft 40 , a first conduit 42 supplies the energized or fresh working fluid to the working face 24 . A second conduit 44 removes the expended working fluid from the working face 24 . The respective conduits 42 , 44 are separated from each other by a septum 46 which represents a top dead center (“TDC”) position for rotor 20 .
A third conduit 48 in shaft 40 supplies cooling liquid under pressure to a cooling means, depicted here as a cooler 50 having multiple nozzles. In practice, the cooler 50 will have an array of cooling sprays 52 as a result of the multiple nozzle arrangement, but only one is depicted in FIG. 1 , to not complicate the drawing.
It will be typical and common to use the same liquid for cooling as is used in the internal space 32 to effect the piston ring, but there may be reasons in some application to not rigidly do this. However, use of the same liquid provides quite obvious advantage by eliminating a need for separation.
Turning now to the operation of the embodiment 10 , the energetic working fluid enters the embodiment along the shaft 40 in first conduit 42 and passes through an inlet port 54 in the shaft onto a space in the rotor 20 that is defined by a pair of adjacent vanes 22 , rotor face 24 and the piston ring provided by the fluid. In principle, the pressure inside the portion of the rotor 20 in communication with inlet port 54 is constant and equals the pressure existing in second conduit 44 .
In terms of rotational direction, which is counterclockwise in FIG. 1 , a first sealing surface 60 is located beyond the port 54 . This first sealing surface 60 , which is angularly fixed in place and does not rotate with the rotor 20 , operates with the vanes 22 , rotor face 24 and liquid piston ring to trap the working fluid inside the rotor 20 . This geometry allows the working fluid to expand to a lower pressure and higher volume. As a practical point, the final expansion pressure should be as low as possible below the atmospheric pressure, perhaps limited only by cavitations.
As noted in FIG. 1 , the depicted first sealing surface 60 extends rotationally to approximately the bottom dead center (BDC″) of the rotor 20 , with the angular distance between the beginning of the inlet port 54 to the end of the first sealing surface 60 generally defining a first zone of operation in which the working fluid is expanded.
Past the first sealing surface 60 , using the rotational sense, a cooling zone is encountered by the trapped and now-expanded working fluid. In principle, the pressure inside this portion of the rotor 20 in communication with the cooling zone is constant and close to the final expansion pressure. The cooler 50 is arranged to spray cooling liquid into the cooling zone, removing heat from the working fluid. In the cooling zone, the pressure of the working fluid is reduced while the volume remains substantially constant. This process continues until the rotor 20 moves the trapped portion of working fluid past the cooling zone.
At the end of the cooling zone, a second sealing surface 62 is angularly fixed in place and serves to continue to trap the working fluid, along with the rotor face 24 , the vanes 22 and the liquid piston ring. This new zone, which continues angularly through the point where the working fluid is exhausted from the embodiment 10 , is a compression zone. The working fluid is compressed to, or at least close to, atmospheric pressure. Once past the second sealing surface 62 , the working fluid can pass through outlet port 56 in the wall of shaft 40 . From there, the expended working fluid passes into second conduit 44 .
FIG. 2 represents another embodiment 210 of a liquid ring heat engine. Rather than dividing a face of the rotor into a first zone where expansion occurs and a second zone where re-compression occurs, as well as an intermediate cooling zone, the rotor 220 has a first face 224 where the expansion occurs and a second face 226 where the re-compression occurs, with an intermediate cooling step that occurs external to the case 230 in which the rotor is contained. Each face 224 , 226 is appropriately arrayed with vanes 222 , 228 . The vanes 222 , 228 are symmetrically arranged on the respective faces, but the number of vanes may vary on each face of the rotor 220 .
As before, the rotor 220 is contained in the interior 232 of case 230 . Since the sectional depiction cuts through rotor 220 looking from a point representing top dead center, the eccentric placement of the rotor in the case is not seen, but this is an inherent feature of the liquid ring heat engine, as is the liquid which provides the liquid piston ring. An internal flange 234 that runs circumferentially inside case 230 effectively divides the case interior 232 into an expansion portion 236 and a re-compression portion 238 . In many embodiments, it will be very desirable to provide a series of small passages 235 through flange 234 , to allow equilibration of the piston liquid in each of the portions 236 , 238 .
The energetic working fluid passes along shaft 240 in conduit 242 . Inlet port 248 allows the working fluid to radially enter the expansion portion 236 , where the working fluid expands in a volume defined by a pair of vanes 222 , the rotor face 224 , a rotor top surface 225 and the liquid piston. After moving around the expansion portion 236 , the expanded working fluid leaves the expansion portion in a radial direction through an intermediate outlet 272 , through a conduit 274 and into a cooling means 250 , where the working fluid is cooled.
Leaving the cooling means 250 , conduit 276 injects the working fluid into intermediate inlet 278 , which is depicted in FIG. 2 as an axial insertion into recompression portion 238 . In the re-compression portion 238 , the working fluid is recompressed in a volume defined by a pair of vanes 228 , the rotor face 226 , a rotor bottom surface 227 and the liquid piston. After moving around the re-compression portion 238 , the working fluid leaves axially through outlet 256 , through a conduit 244 .
FIG. 3 illustrates, in an idealized thermodynamic pressure versus volume representation, how the working fluid is handled in the embodiments described herein.
For exemplary purposes only, the working fluid passes through a very well known ideal Otto cycle, represented by segments 302 , 304 , 306 and 308 , to increase the pressure and volume of the working fluid from that represented by point 0 to that represented by point 4 . This Otto cycle is used as a “support cycle”. Because the heat engine is conceived as a device for converting thermal energy from a high enthalpy gas, the operation of the heat engine is independent from the specific nature of the support cycle and of the type of gases used. Starting, then, at the thermodynamic state represented at point 4 , which represents the end of the expansion stroke of the support cycle, the hot gases are discharged by the exhaust port of the support cycle engine and injected into the heat engine through appropriately-sized ducts.
Once in the heat engine, such as embodiment 10 , the hot gases undergo the expansion represented by segment 310 in the first zone described relative to FIG. 1 , the working fluid arriving at the condition indicated by point 5 . In the cooling zone that angularly follows in the FIG. 1 embodiment 10 , the rapid cooling of the working fluid by means of water spray injection or other suitable cooling process decreases the pressure while not affecting volume, taking the working fluid to point 6 along segment 312 . Finally, as the working fluid enters the compression zone that is associated with sealing surface 62 , the working fluid is recompressed along segment 314 , arriving back at point 1 . From here, the discharge of the working fluid occurs along segment 302 , but in the opposite direction of the first step in the process.
The same process can be understood as occurring in relation to the FIG. 2 embodiment. Again starting in the heat engine at point 4 , the expansion step 310 in the case's expansion portion 236 is followed by the cooling step 312 in the external cooler 250 and the compression step 314 occurs in the case, but on the opposing side of the rotor, in re-compression portion 238 .
Having shown and described a preferred embodiment of the invention, those skilled in the art will realize that many variations and modifications may be made to affect the described invention and still be within the scope of the claimed invention. Thus, many of the elements indicated above may be altered or replaced by different elements which will provide the same result and fall within the spirit of the claimed invention. It is the intention, therefore, to limit the invention only as indicated by the scope of the claims.
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A method and at least two devices demonstrate improvements to energy extraction from a compressible working fluid in a liquid ring heat engine, which has a rotor mounted in a case. A space in the case is occupied by a liquid that establishes a liquid ring piston for the rotor. The rotor defines at least a first and a second operating zone. In the first zone, the working fluid is expanded against the liquid and, in the second zone, the working fluid is re-compressed. Between the two zones, the working fluid is cooled. In one device, the cooling step occurs on the rotor in a third zone. In another device, the cooling occurs outside of the case.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a rhythm pattern variation device which is capable of easily providing a variety of rhythm patterns without the necessity of increasing the capacity the memory used.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In conventional types of rhythm pattern generators, repetition of a rhythm pattern or patterns of one or more bars is stored in a read-only memory. In the case of adding variations to such rhythm pattern, the content of the read-only memory will become enormous and the circuit construction of the rhythm pattern generator will inevitably become complicated. The fundamental structure of such a conventional rhythm pattern generator is shown in FIG. 1. An address counter 2 is actuated by a rhythm clock from a rhythm clock generator 1 and, in accordance with address signals from the address counter 2, rhythm patterns stored in a read-only memory 3 are selectively provided on lines 1a to 1n. The outputs on the respective lines enable gates (1)4 1 to (n)4 n to generate tones from tone sources 5 1 to 5 n . The generated tones are mixed by a mixer 6 for input to a sound system. As is seen from the above, the rhythm thus obtained is limited only to the rhythm patterns stored in the read-only memory 3, so that its memory capacity remarkedly increases with diversification of rhythm pattern.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention has for its object to provide a rhythm pattern variation device which is capable of easily providing a variety of rhythm patterns without increasing the capacity of the memory used.
The above objective is achieved by providing a rhythm pattern variation device which has an address counter for generating a memory read-out address signal in accordance with a rhythm clock, a memory for outputting a prestored rhythm pattern in accordance with the address signal, means for selectively branching the outputted rhythm pattern to two lines, a variation circuit for producing a rhythm pattern for a desired time lag from the rhythm pattern on one of the two lines, and means for combining the rhythm pattern on the other line and the delayed one from the variation circuit into a composite rhythm.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the basic structure of a conventional rhythm generator;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of an embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a specific operative example of a select gate 15 used in the FIG. 2 embodiment of this invention.
FIGS. 4A to 4F are operation waveforms of respective parts in the FIG. 2 embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating the construction of another embodiment of this invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing a specific operative example of a low-frequency clock generator 30 employed in the FIG. 10 embodiment of this invention.
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a specific operative example of a gate used in the FIG. 5 embodiment; and
FIG. 8 is schematic diagram illustrating a specific operative example of a select gate employed in the FIG. 5 embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings, this invention will hereinafter be described in detail.
FIG. 2 is a basic block diagram showing the construction of an embodiment of this invention. An address counter 12 is actuated by a rhythm clock generator 11 to provide address signals. In accordance with these address signals, rhythm patterns stored in a read-only memory 13 are outputted on lines 1a to 1n. When a gate 14 is closed, that is, when a switch SW1 is in the ON state, the rhythm pattern provided on the line 1a is applied over line 2 to a tone source 1 via a gate 17. Namely, only a main rhythm pattern is provided.
When the gate 14 is open, that is, when the switch SW 1 is in the OFF state, the rhythm pattern is branched to lines 2 and 3. The output on the line 3 is further branched to lines 4 and 5. The pulse on the line 5 is applied to a select gate 15. A specific operative example of the select gate is shown in FIG. 3. In FIG. 3, the input to the select gate 15 from the line 5 is outputted by a switch SW2 on any one of lines S 1 , S 2 , . . . S n , and applied to a shift register 16. On the other hand, the pulse on the line 4 is delayed by a delay circuit 18, and applied as a read-in pulse to the shift register 16. Further, the rhythm clock from the rhythm clock generator 11 is branched to be applied as a shift clock. As the output from the shift register 16, a rhythm pattern of a desired time lag is provided on a line 10 for input to a tone source II. At the same time, the output from the shift register 16 is applied to the OR gate 17 via a line 8 together with the rhythm pattern from the line 2, and combined with the latter to provide a composite rhythm pattern, which is fed to the tone source I.
FIG. 3 illustrates a specific operative example of the select gate 15 employed in the FIG. 2 embodiment, as mentioned above. In FIG. 3, lines 20 are each connected to a power source +V through a resistor 22 so that a voltage is applied to the line when the select switch (SW2) is opened. The lines 20 are each connected through an inverter 23 to one input of an AND gate 24, to the other input of which is connected the line 5 branched from the gate 14. Output lines S 1 , S 2 , . . . S n of the AND gates 24 are connected to the shift register 16. Let it be assumed that the output line S n-1 is selected by the select switch 21. The rhythm pattern on the line S n-1 is read in the shift register 16 by the read pulse applied from the line 4. Next, the rhythm pattern thus read in the shift register 16 is shifted by the rise of the shift clock from the line 7, for example, for two pulses, to provide an output on the line 10.
FIGS. 4A to 4F show a series of operation waveform diagrams of the embodiment of this invention illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 4A shows the rhythm clock generated from the rhythm clock generator 11, which clock is the same as the shift clock of FIG. 4D which is applied to the shift register 16 via the line 7. FIG. 4B shows the output read out from the read-only memory by the address signal derived from the address counter 12, illustrating the rhythm pattern appearing on the line 2 and on the line 3 when the gate 14 is in the ON state. FIG. 4C shows the read pulse that the rhythm pattern on the line 3 is delayed by the delay circuit 18 and then applied to the shift register 16 through the line 4. By the read pulse, the rhythm pattern on a selected one of the output lines S 1 to S n by the select switch (SW2) 21 in the select gate 15 is read in the shift register 16. The rhythm pattern thus read in the shift register 16 is shifted by the shift clock of FIG. 4D for two pulses to provide that output on the line 10 from the shift register 16 which is shown in FIG. 4E. The output on the line 8 branched from the abovesaid output is combined by the OR gate 17 with the output on the line 2 to provide the output rhythm pattern of FIG. 4F on the line 9 when the gate 14 is in the ON state. Further variations can be obtained by applying the output on the line 10 to the tone source II different from the tone source I.
FIG. 5 illustrates in block form the construction of another embodiment of this invention. In FIG. 5, the parts corresponding to those in FIG, 2 are identified by the same reference numerals. The address counter 12 is actuated by the rhythm clock generator 11 and, in accordance with an address signal from the address counter 12, the rhythm patterns stored in the read-only memory 13 are selectively outputted therefrom on the line 1a to 1n. When the gate 14 is closed, the rhythm pattern provided on the line 1a is fed to the tone source I via the gate 17, providing only the main rhythm pattern. The gate 14 is controlled by a line 18 of a low-frequency clock generator 30.
Next, when the gate 14 is opened, the rhythm pattern is branched to the lines 2 and 3. The output on the line 3 is further branched to the lines 4 and 5. The pulse on the line 5 is fed to the select gate 15 which is controlled by a line 19 of the low-frequency clock generator 30, providing an output on any one of the lines S 1 , S 2 , . . . S n . On the other hand, the pulse on the line 4 is delayed by a delay circuit 21, and applied as a read pulse to the shift register 16. Further, the rhythm clock outputted from the rhythm clock generator 11 is branched, and applied as a shift clock to the shift register 16. As the output from the shift register 16, a rhythm pattern of a desired time lag is applied to the tone source II via the line 10. At the same time, the abovesaid rhythm pattern is applied via the line 8 to the OR gate 17, and combined with the rhythm pattern from the line 2 to provide a composite rhythm pattern, which is fed via the line 9 to the tone source I.
FIG. 6 illustrated a specific operative example of the low-frequency clock generator 30 employed in the embodiment of this invention depicted in FIG. 5. A square wave generated from an oscillator 31 is frequency divided by a frequency divider 32 to provide outputs on the lines 18 and 19. The lines 18 and 19 are respectively connected to the gate 14 and the select gate 15 to control them.
FIG. 7 shows a specific operative example of the gate 14 used in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5. The switch output is applied through an inverter to an AND gate 35 together with the output of the low-frequency clock generator 30 on the line 18. The output from the AND gate 35 is applied to an AND gate 36 together with the output branched from the line 1a to provide an output on the line 3. When the switch is in the OFF state, the output from the AND gate 35 is "0", so that the gate 36 is closed, providing no output on the line 3. When the switch is in the ON state, the AND gate 35 is enabled by the frequency divided output 18 from the low-frequency clock generator 30 for a certain period of time, permitting the rhythm pattern from the read-only memory 13 to be outputted on the line 3 for input to the select gate 15.
FIG. 8 illustrates a specific operative example of the select gate 15 employed in FIG. 5. The frequency divided output from the low-frequency clock generator 30 on the line 19 is decoded by a multiplexer (a line decoder) 41 to enable any one of AND gates 42, through which the rhythm pattern from the read-only memory 13 is applied to the shift register 16. The rhythm pattern is read by the read pulse from the line 4 in the shift register 16. Next, by the rise of the shift clock from the line 7, the rhythm pattern read in the shift register 16 is shifted for a desired number of pulses to provide an output of a certain time lag. In this instance, since the output from the low-frequency clock generator 30 is not synchronized with each bar, the select gate 15 enables the gates as if at random to provide rhythms differing with bars. This state of random rhythms is not musically inharmonic. For example, only the tone of cymbals on one of the output lines of the read-only memory produces rhythms which differ with bars, but the tones of other percussion instruments on the read-only memory output lines are produced in a constant rhythm.
The output on the line 8 branched from the output of the shift register 16 is combined with the main pulse on the line 2, and applied to the tone source I. Further variations can be obtained by applying the output from the shift register 16 to the other tone source II via the line 10.
As has been described in the foregoing, according to this invention, a rhythm pattern read out of a memory is selectively branched to two lines and the rhythm pattern on one of the two lines is applied to a variation circuit to provide a rhythm pattern of a desired time lag, which is combined with the rhythm pattern on the other line. With this method, it is possible to easily obtain variations of a rhythm pattern without increasing the capacity of the memory used.
It will be apparent that many modifications and variations may be effected without departing from the scope of novel concepts of this invention.
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A rhythm pattern variation device which has an address counter for generating a memory read-out address signal in accordance with a rhythm clock, a memory for outputting a prestored rhythm pattern in accordance with the address signal, means for selectively branching the outputted rhythm pattern to two lines, a variation circuit for producing a rhythm pattern of a desired time lag from the rhythm pattern on one of the two line, and means for combining the rhythm pattern on the other line and the delayed rhythm pattern from the variation circuit into a composition rhythm.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a heated roller of the type in which the heated roller has a cylindrical roller body that rotates around its axis and has an outer cylindrical surface that serves as the roller working surface. The roller has a first inside cavity arrangement as well as a second cavity arrangement in the form of several elongated axis-parallel channels, separate from one another, that are evenly distributed over the circumference of the roller body and which are sealed at their ends.
Axis-parallel channels have long been known in connection with heating of rollers, e.g. from DE-GM (utility model) 90 14 117, where they don't form a closed system, however, but rather have a heat carrier fluid flowing through them which is heated and pumped in circulation outside the roller.
In German Patent 40 33 986 A1, no heating elements are arranged in a central bore of the roller body, and rod-shaped electrical heating elements are arranged in the peripheral channels, which are partially filled with a convection fluid capable of boiling.
Elongated axis-parallel channels can be produced in the roller body using known means, with relatively little effort, and leave the roller body essentially unimpaired in its stability. The term "elongated channels" in this contexts means that the cross-sectional area of the channel is not important and that the length of the channels is a multiple, e.g. 20 to 150 times, of the cross-sectional dimension. In practice, these are so-called peripheral bores made in the roller body close to its outside circumference. These bores contain the heating elements, the connections of which must be brought out at the ends. This requires complicated seals, because of the high pressures in the bores. Because of the closeness of the heating elements to the roller circumference, the temperature distribution in the circumference direction of the roller circumference is frequently uneven.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention is directed to the problem of structuring a roller of this general type in such a way that the effort and expense involved in its production are reduced and its properties in operation are improved.
The apparatus of the invention provides for a heated roller having a first inner cavity and a second cavity arrangement, located radially exteriorly of the first inner cavity, and taking the form of several elongated axis-parallel channels distributed beneath and evenly along the outer working surface of the roller. An electrical radiant heating system is located in the first cavity, and extends along the length of the roller.
In the invention, the elongated channels are individually and partially filled with water, and then sealed to be pressure-tight. The air is evacuated from the channels after they have been charged with water, since otherwise air plugs would form in the channels, preventing condensation of the steam. If a temperature reduction occurs at a location of a bore during operation, the steam located there, in the free space of the cavity not filled by the water, will condense at that location, thereby causing condensation heating which immediately brings the location in question back to the temperature prevailing in the surroundings. Therefore automatic temperature equalization over the surface of the roller body takes place.
Because of the arrangement of the radiant heating system in the first inside cavity, heat distribution at the roller circumference (i.e., the outer cylindrical working surface of the roller body) becomes more uniform. The sealing expense and effort for bringing the electrical connections out at the channels is also eliminated, since these no longer contain any heating elements.
According to one embodiment of the invention, the channels are sealed at their ends by plugs that have been inserted into the channels. Alternatively, the channels can be sealed towards the outside of at least one end of the roller body by a common sealing ring.
Since the sealing rings and the plugs must be leak-proof and able to withstand high pressures, if necessary, they are preferably welded along their join zones, i.e. along the two lengthwise edges of the sealing rings and at the circumference of the plugs, respectively.
In the preferred exemplary embodiment of the invention, the cylindrical roller body has roller journals attached to it. These can be structured in such a way that they cover the join zones, so that even if a weld seam bursts, the damage location is covered and an explosion-like discharge of parts, under the high steam pressure, is avoided.
The roller journal can include an end surface which is perpendicular to the axis of the roller and which comes to rest against the face of the roller body, as well as a cylindrical centering projection for engaging into the end of the cylindrical roller body.
The radiant heating system in the first center cavity coaxial to the axis can rotate with the roller body and can be supplied with energy via at least one rotary connection, in the manner as has been described in the article by Wagner "Die elektrische Walzenheizung" [Electrical Roller Heating] in "Die elektrische Ausrustung" [Electrical Equipment] (Vogel-Verlag Wurzburg) No. 2 dated Apr. 20, 1966.
In an alternate embodiment, the radiant heating system is arranged not to rotate, which eliminates the need for a rotary connection, and is mounted in the coaxial center cavity which rotates around it.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The drawing shows exemplary embodiments of the invention in schematic form. In particular:
FIG. 1 is a lengthwise cross-sectional view taken through the axis of a heated roller constructed according to the principles of the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a partial cross-section taken along the line II--II in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 shows a partial lengthwise cross-sectional view taken through an end region of a roller;
FIG. 4 shows a view taken along line IV--IV in FIG. 3;
FIGS. 5 and 6 show corresponding views of a alternative embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The roller, designated as a whole as 100, includes a thick-walled cylindrical roller body 10 made of steel, with a working roller outer cylindrical surface 1 and an axis 2. The body is bounded by a roller journal 3 at each of its ends, projecting to the outside, with a reduced circumference, on which bearings 4 to mount roller 100 in a machine stand or the like are arranged. Roller body 10 contains an individual cylindrical inside cavity 5 as the first cavity arrangement H 1 , coaxial to axis 2, in which an electrical heating system, designated as a whole as 20, in the form of a radiant heating system, is arranged. In the embodiment shown, it does not rotate relative to roller body 10 but instead rotates with it. The radiant heating system 20 is made up of several (e.g. six or eight) axis-parallel electrical resistance heater rods 21, uniformly distributed over an arc of the circumference, which are supported in their reciprocal arrangement by holder disks 22 arranged at axial intervals. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the rods pass through an end disk 6 of roller 100 at the left end, where a slip ring arrangement 14 is provided on the outside, through which the current for heating heater rods 21 can be brought in. If the radiant heating system is arranged inside the roller body so as not to rotate, in accordance with another possible embodiment (not shown), and roller body 10 rotates around the radiant heating system, slip ring arrangement 14 is not necessary, and fixed connections for the heat energy can be provided. Radiant heating system 20 forms a module in and of itself, which can be pulled out to the left after end disk 6 has been removed, e.g. in the event individual heater rods 21 are defective and must be replaced. At the right end in FIG. 1, cavity 5 is closed off by a cover disk 7 which is screwed onto the face of roller journal 3 at that end. Radiant heating system 20 can be housed in the roller body without any significant design adaptation of roller body 10 and without any reduction in cross-section (inside cavity 5 is present in any case, due to the method of production), and can easily be pulled out and replaced as a whole, in case of damage. Furthermore, in comparison with oil heating, the hazards of handling very hot oil are not present in this approach.
Radiant heating system 20 heats the circumference surface of cavity 5 by radiation. The heat is transported radially to the outside by conduction and transferred to the web to be processed at outer cylindrical surface 1 of roller 100 (i.e., along the outer circumference of the roller). The aim is the most uniform possible temperature distribution at outer cylindrical surface 1, primarily in the lengthwise direction of roller 100, but also in the circumferential direction.
The uniformity of the temperature distribution can be disrupted if either heater rods 21 function unevenly or if the web absorbs different amounts of heat at different locations, for example due to non-uniform distribution of moisture.
In order to counteract any non-uniform temperature distribution, a second cavity arrangement H 2 is provided radially outside of cavity 5, in the form of axis-parallel bores 30 uniformly distributed over the circumference, arranged on an arc, and having the same diameter. In the illustrated embodiment, they are located radially inside of outer cylindrical surface 1 by approximately the amount of their diameter. and also leave a corresponding clearance from one another in the circumference direction. Bores 30 are each sealed at their ends and form separate channels, i.e. pressure-sealed chambers.
Bores 30 form sealed systems, partially filled with water, in which the pressure increases in accordance with the temperature prevailing at the location of the bores. In operation, if roller 100 is rotating at significant speed, water 8 comes to rest against the outer delimitations of bores 30, under the effect of centrifugal force, and forms an cylindrical inside surface 9. As soon as a lower temperature occurs at a location of the inside delimitation of bore 30 which is free of water, the steam will condense there and bring the temperature at the location in question back up. Water 8 in partially filled bores 30 therefore acts as an automatic temperature equalizer.
The temperature of water 8 can be detected by a thermosensor 11, which is located radially outside of inside surface 9 of water 8, and therefore in the water, when the roller is running, the signal of which is passed to one of the slip rings of slip ring arrangement 14 via a plug connection 12.
The function of bores 30 therefore is only to form a pressure-sealed space partially filled with water, and to act as a temperature equalizer. There are no heating elements in bores 30; these are located only in inside cavity arrangement H 1 , in the form of the radiant heating system.
The drawing shows a modification with broken lines. It includes a cylindrical widening 5' of central cavity 5, present in the working area of roller circumference 1, coaxial to axis 2, which reduces the wall thickness of roller body 10 in this region, so that the heat applied to the inside circumference of roller body 10 now has to be transported by conduction over a smaller radial distance.
FIG. 3 to 6 illustrate several embodiments of the implementation of the seal at the ends of lengthwise bores 30. Here, roller journals 3 are attached to the actual cylindrical roller body 10 as separate parts.
FIG. 3 shows that lengthwise bores 30, which form the channels in cylindrical roller body 10, proceed from face 1' of roller body 10, which is perpendicular to axis 2 in each instance. Lengthwise bores 30 are all sealed with welded-in plugs 25. (The join zone, i.e. the ringshaped weld seam, is shown at 26.) Separate roller journal 3 is set against face 1' of roller body 10 with an end surface 3' which is perpendicular to the axis, and is attached there by axis-parallel screws 34, distributed over the circumference; only the location of one screw is shown in FIG. 3. Roller journal 3 has a centering collar 35 which projects axially, and makes contact with an inside circumference part 36 of roller body 10 with its outside circumference surface 35'.
Roller journal 3 therefore covers the join zones in the form of weld seams 26 towards the outside, relative to the very high pressure which prevails in lengthwise bores 30 at working temperatures, so that if one of the weld seams fails, no parts will be ejected towards the outside.
In the embodiment according to FIG. 5 and 6, a stepped inside shoulder with a cylindrical outside wall part 37, and a shoulder-like wall part 38 which projects to the inside, perpendicular to axis 2, are machined into face 1' of roller body 10. Lengthwise bores 30 are made in shoulder-like wall part 38, which therefore extends over the entire cross-section of lengthwise bores 30. After lengthwise bores 30 have been completed, a sealing ring 40 is welded in, which is approximately rectangular in a cross-section that passes through the axis, fills the inside shoulder and seals lengthwise bores 30 at the end in question. Sealing ring 40 is welded to the outer edge of cylinder surface 37 and/or the inside edge of wall part 38 at its two edges, by weld seams 43, 44.
The join zone formed by weld seams 43, 44 is covered in the same manner as in the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 3 and 4, by end surface 3' which is perpendicular to axis 2, and outside circumference 35' of centering collar 35. 39 is a pressure relief bore which proceeds from the peak between end surface 3' and outside circumference 35' of centering collar 35, in the manner shown in the drawing.
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A roller which can be heated, has a cylindrical roller body which turns about its axis and has a first hollow arrangement and a second hollow arrangement in the form of several channels closed on their ends which run parallel to the axis and which are separated from one another and are of uniform volume. In the first arrangement, an electric radiant heating device is arranged on the roller along its longitudinal direction at least over the working area of the roller. The longitudinal channels of the second hollow arrangement are partly filled with a liquid heated to vaporizing by the heating device.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is related to copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. IRI05428 being assigned to the same assignee as the present invention.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention pertains to teleconferencing arrangements and more particularly to conference call bridges in a voice over internet protocol environment.
[0003] Special telephony functions are provided by telephone operating companies or by teleconference facilitator companies. These companies provide the special service of teleconference facilitating by interconnecting three or more conference users in one common telephone call. As a result, each of the users is able to talk and to hear each of the other users. The number of total teleconference users may be quite high. In the internet protocol environment, bandwidths are typically very large compared to basic voice telephony. Voice data becomes almost incidental to the large packets of data carried on the internet. Therefore, voice over internet protocol (VOIP) enables the internet system to carry telephone traffic which typically requires far less data to be exchanged via the internet than does data packages of information.
[0004] Telephone operating companies or teleconference facilitator companies typically implement a teleconference arrangement by a conference bridge. This conference bridge includes a bank of varied codecs, converters, mixers and vocoders. Each particular user has a codec in his teleconference terminal and must be connected with a similar codec at the conference bridge arrangement in the teleconference facilitator's equipment. The conference users may have different and varied codecs, therefore the conference bridge must be capable of serving many different kinds of codec interfaces.
[0005] In typical conference calling arrangements, “long winded” speakers may monopolize the conference call. In other situations one of the conference callers may be speaking from a noisy environment. In such situations that speaker will monopolize the conference since the conference bridge will perceive that speaker as never going silent (stop talking) due to the high level of noise.
[0006] Also, quick detection of silence avoids the real time problems and computing power required to detect silence in conventional conference arrangements.
[0007] What is needed is a token passing arrangement for avoiding a monopolizing speaker or a noisy environment in a conference call bridge in a voice over internet protocol environment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0008] [0008]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a conference call bridge arrangement using voice over internet protocol in accordance with the present invention.
[0009] [0009]FIGS. 2 and 3 are a flow chart of a call origination and set up in accordance with the present invention.
[0010] [0010]FIG. 4 is a flow chart of the token passing arrangement in accordance with the present invention.
[0011] [0011]FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the conference bridge in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0012] In providing the present invention, session internet protocol (SIP) is used. SIP provides terminal capability negotiations and invitation to multicast conferences. Further, SIP provides the necessary protocol mechanisms so that the user terminals and any proxy servers can provide the following services: user location, user capabilities, terminal capability negotiation, and invitations to multicast conference.
[0013] [0013]FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of a conference bridge arrangement according to the present invention. User terminals 10 , 11 , 12 and 13 are shown with data transfer interconnections 20 , 21 , 22 and 23 respectively connecting user terminals 10 - 13 to the controller 32 of conference bridge 30 . Conference bridge 30 may be a voice packet switched bridge. These data transfer interconnections 20 - 23 are termed bearer traffic (voice data) interconnections. Similarly, each of the user terminals 10 - 13 are interconnected to the conference bridge 30 via signaling or control interconnections 44 , 54 , 64 and 74 respectively.
[0014] In conventional bridge arrangements, all signaling would be controlled by the conference bridge 30 via the signaling leads 44 , 54 , 64 and 74 . As can be seen from FIG. 1, each of the user terminals (teleconference terminals) 10 - 13 has a different set of codecs 80 - 83 associated with the user terminal. The conventional conference bridge would be required to convert the data flow from each of the codecs 80 - 83 ; mix the information and separately vocode four different codecs before retransmitting the information for the conference call back to each of the user terminals 10 - 13 . Such arrangement requires great processing power within the conference bridge. In an implementation of such a conference bridge, multiple signal processors (DSP) would be required at conference bridge 30 to perform these various functions.
[0015] In the present invention, each use of terminal is also interconnected via a session initiation protocol (SIP) connection to each of the other user terminals in the conference. That is, for example, user terminal 10 is interconnected to user terminal 11 via interconnection 41 ; to user terminal 12 via interconnection 42 , which is shown in a dashed line in part to indicate that there is no connection to bridge 30 or controller 32 , and to user terminal 13 via interconnection 43 .
[0016] Similarly, user terminal 11 is interconnected to user terminal 12 via interconnection 52 ; and to user terminal 13 via interconnection 53 , which is shown in a dashed line in part to indicate that there is no connection to bridge 30 or controller 32 . User terminal 12 is connected to user terminal 13 via interconnection 63 .
[0017] A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes each user terminal 10 - 14 negotiating with the other user terminals directly via session initiation protocol and the internet to determine what compatible codec the terminals have with one another.
[0018] As an example, user terminal 10 originates the conference call and includes two codecs 80 and 82 while user terminal 11 includes three codecs 81 , 82 and 83 . As a result, user terminals 10 and 11 will negotiate the use of a codec by each of the terminals via internet interconnection 41 . User terminals 10 and 11 may have many or only one codec in common. This particular common codec is codec 82 and will be selected between terminals 10 and 11 .
[0019] User terminal 10 then will negotiate with user terminal 12 via internet interconnection 42 . User terminal 12 includes only one codec 82 . Therefore, the compatible codec of the user terminals 10 and 12 will be selected so that communication may be established between user terminals 10 and 12 . This compatible codec is codec 82 . If a different codec other than 82 was common between user terminals 10 and 12 this would mean that user terminal 10 must renegotiate use of the codec with user terminal 11 so as to establish a new common codec.
[0020] Similarly, user terminal 10 will negotiate selection of a codec via interconnection 43 with user terminal 13 . In this example, user terminal 13 has a successful negotiation with user terminal 13 to codec 82 . User terminal will not have to renegotiate the selection of a codec with the other user terminals 11 and 12 . Again in this example, selection of an appropriate compatible codec could mean renegotiating the codec interconnections between user terminal 10 and user terminals 11 and 12 . In this embodiment, user terminals 10 through 13 negotiate codecs to a “least common denominator” (LCD) codec. That is, a codec which will support communications between any of the user terminals 10 - 13 . In this example, codec 82 met the criteria for LCD codec selection.
[0021] In another embodiment, the conference bridge may be asked to convert, mix and revocode certain data packets transmitted among the conference callers. Those data packets would be limited to those for users which have different codecs than the other users in the conference call. Therefore, this embodiment would support an arrangement in which each user terminal could speak in its native bearer format (codec translation) with the other conference callers. All packets would not have to be converted, mixed and revocoded; only the packets with those special user terminals having non-homogeneous bearer formats would be required to be thusly processed. This conversion and mixing may be done by one or more of the user terminals instead of the conference bridge.
[0022] The control of setting up the appropriate codecs for interfacing and negotiating to either a least common denominator codec or to codecs which are variable may be extended to add additional parties to the conference call. When each of the callers in the conference call has been suitably negotiated for a corresponding codec, the data flow is then established through the conventional conference bridge 30 to each of the data ports of the user terminals 10 - 13 .
[0023] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a call origination 100 conference call arrangement of FIG. 1 is shown. Party A (user terminal 10 ) is to enter into a conference call, block 101 . Party A originates a call via internet interconnection 41 to party B (user terminal 11 ), block 103 . Next, block 105 determines a common bearer format (codec) between parties A and B. A call is then originated to user terminal 12 via internet interconnection 42 , block 107 .
[0024] Next, block 109 negotiates a bearer format between party A and party C (user terminal 12 ), block 109 . An attempt is made to negotiate the same bearer format (codec) as was negotiated between parties A and C. Block 110 determines whether there are any other user terminals (parties) to be interconnected to the conference call. If there are other parties to be coupled, then block 110 transfers control to block 107 for repeating the processes of blocks 107 and 109 with a new party to be coupled to the conference call. If no other user terminals (parties) are to be coupled to the conference call, then block 110 transfers control to block 111 via the NO path.
[0025] Next, block 111 determines whether the user terminal support multiple interoperable bearer formats. If each of the user terminals supports multiple bearer formats, control is transferred from block 111 to block 121 via the YES path. Block 121 indicates to each of the user terminals that each of the user terminals will transmit and receive in their own native bearer format.
[0026] If each of the user terminals will not support multiple bearer formats, block 111 transfers control to block 113 via the NO path. Block 113 determines whether the bearer formats which were negotiated are homogeneous. If the formats are homogeneous, block 113 transfers control to block 123 via the YES path. This indicates that there is a LCD codec for use by each of the parties. If the negotiated formats are not homogeneous, block 113 transfers control to block 115 via the NO path.
[0027] Block 115 determines whether any common bearer format exists among each of the parties or users. If no common format exists, there is a failure and the conference call bridge may not be set up to all members, block 115 transfers control to block 117 via the NO path. The conference call bridge may continue to set up for a subset of the initial parties or cancel the setup completely, block 117 . If a common bearer format exists, block 115 transfers control to block 119 via the YES path. Block 119 modifies A, B, C, etc. bearer formats to obtain a common bearer format between the parties in the conference call. Then block 119 transfers control to block 123 .
[0028] Block 123 originates call to conference bridge 30 with all the parties or users being addressed. The conference bridge establishes the data path communications via conference bridge 30 and controller 32 , block 125 . The bridge for conference calling is then established, block 127 .
[0029] In response to the call origination process 100 , conference bridge executes, block 125 , the following setup procedure, block 141 .
[0030] For example, the conference bridge 30 receives the origination request from party A with a list of targets to connect to the conference call of parties B and C, block 143 . Block 145 originates the data hook up to parties B and C.
[0031] Conference bridge 30 sends a message to parties A, B and C (user terminals 10 , 11 and 12 ) via internet interconnections 44 , 54 and 64 to use the conference bridge as an end point for the voice packet data transmissions, block 147 . The conference bridge is then an established block 149 and procedure 140 is ended. The user terminals update their states to reflect that the conference bridge Is now the bearer endpoint, instead of the user terminals. The conference bridge is established and procedure 100 is also ended, block 127 .
[0032] Turning now to FIG. 4, a flow chart of a “token” or control passing arrangement is shown. Once the conference bridge is established, control of speech is passed among the users via their user terminals. The real time protocol (RTP) is a protocol used for carrying the bearer traffic, and is associated with the session initiation protocol (SIP). SIP negotiates the kind of bearer/payloads to be transported in the RTP packets. There is a particular indicator in the header of the RTP voice packet which designates the voice packet as a packet with silence. This indicator is readily ascertainable without examining each bit of the voice sample in the packet.
[0033] While in a conference bridge arrangement block 201 , the controller of the conference bridge detects if there is speech on any “leg” or input of the conference bridge, block 203 . That is, the conference bridge detects the first user terminal to provide a speech or voice input. If no speech input is detected, block 203 transfers control again to make the detection by transferring control to itself via the NO path. Silence is the lack of speech. Silence may be detected by an indicator in the header of the voice packet or by sampling the data of the packet itself. When speech is detected, block 203 will transfer control to block 205 via the YES path.
[0034] Block 205 will disable the other inputs (“legs”) of the conference bridge from providing any input to the conference bridge. That is, the first speaker will seize control of the conference and other speakers will be disabled from having their voice transferred to each of the users in the conference call. Only one speaker will speak at a given time.
[0035] The next block 207 initiates a “babble” timer. A babble timer is a timer set to prevent one speaker on the conference call from tying up and monopolizing the conference forever from (“babbling”) or if a noisy background causes the user terminal to never generate the silence packets, thereby monopolizing the conference bridge. The intent of the babble timer is to force the passage of control or token passing of the right to speak to another caller in the conference call at a predetermined time. The term “babble” is to prevent one speaker from babbling on forever, to prevent the noisy environment from never allowing silence packets to be generated.
[0036] The next block 209 takes the input voice packet and replicates it for transmission to each of the legs or inputs of the conference call. That is, each caller in the conference call, including the speaker, receives back the voice packets input from the speaking party including the speaking party.
[0037] Next, a determination is made as to whether the “babble” timer has expired, block 211 . This indicates that one speaker has monopolized the conference call and it is time to pass the control or token to another speaker in the conference call who may be initiating speech (trying to speak). If the babble timer has expired, block 211 transfers control to block 213 via the YES path. Block 213 enunciates a cut off tone or message to the present speaker so that the speaker will be aware that he is temporarily losing control of the token or control of the conference call. This means that the speaker is being forced to relinquish his ability to speak to the others in the conference call in an uninterrupted fashion.
[0038] Block 215 disables the present speaker's input leg temporarily. This is so that the other input legs may be examined for speech and a determination of passing control or the token to another speaker may be made. Block 215 then transfers control to block 203 which detects bearer speech on an input leg, except for the disabled past speaker's input. If speech is not detected after a predetermined number of times of checking by block 203 , the past speaker's input will be re-enabled and he will again be able to seize the token or control of the conference call. The reader is reminded that speech is quite slow compared to today's real time processing capabilities and that the checks made by the conferencing bridge method 200 are done in fractions of a second so that the speaker who is disabled temporarily may not even know that he has been temporarily disabled from speaking. If block 203 detects speech of another speaker, the steps of blocks 205 , 207 , 209 , 211 and 217 are then performed.
[0039] If the babble timer has not expired, block 211 transfers control to block 217 via the NO path. Block 217 detects silence. Silence in a real time protocol SIP configuration is indicated by a particular setting in the header of each packet of speech information. Also, silence may be detected by examining the actual input stream which would be coded to indicate silence. The latter solution requires considerable real time processing power. If silence is detected, block 217 transfers control to block 203 via the NO path which indicates that the past speaker has relinquished the token and the conference bridge is waiting to detect a new speaker by block 203 . When this happens, each of the above mentioned steps is again repeated. If silence is not detected, block 217 transfers control to block 209 which replicates the input packet to all the output legs (user terminals) of the conference call. This means that the present speaker has not relinquished control and the timer has not indicated to him to release control and he is continuing to talk with his voice packets of information being distributed to each of the conference callers including himself.
[0040] In the token or control passing arrangement 200 , token control is simplified by examining the header of the real time protocol to determine a data packet of silence in the preferred embodiment. This greatly simplifies the processing capability required for the conference call and such conferencing circuitry may be employed in a user terminal or even in a mobile handset. In an alternate embodiment, each data packet may be examined for the voice coded silence (as well as moise detection to determine “babble” or a noisy environment). This embodiment requires considerably more real time processing power.
[0041] [0041]FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of the conference bridge 30 . Hardware 310 includes a processor 311 interconnected with memory 312 and internet protocol based interface 313 . Memory 312 is also interconnected with IP based interface 313 . IP based interface 313 provides the bearer traffic and control signaling inputs and outputs mentioned above.
[0042] The software 320 of the conference bridge includes SIP user agent server 321 which is interconnected to packet replicator 322 . Packet replicator 322 is interconnected with the token passing control logic 323 which is shown in FIG. 4. The SIP user agent server software 321 is depicted in FIGS. 1 - 3 discussed above. Packet replicator 322 is believed well known in the art and will not be discussed further. Token passing control logic 323 was previously described in FIG. 4. These various functions interact as discussed above to provide the conference bridge arrangement of the present invention.
[0043] New wire line cable and DSL infrastructure is being positioned to support voice along with data. In addition, third generation mobile networks are currently being developed. Much of the new infrastructures use internet protocol technology which enables voice over internet protocol services to be supplied. The present invention leverages off of session initiation protocol applicable to such voice over internet protocol capabilities to provide a conference bridge in accordance with the above description. The present invention simplifies the way in which conference calling can work in a voice over internet protocol environment. The present conference bridge arrangement allows negotiation of codecs directly between each of the participants in a conference call. This negotiation occurs over the internet which allows each user to be found regardless of whether he is at his typical location or is in a mobile location. This eliminates the need for complex conversions and vocoding to occur at the central conference bridge. The conference bridge is greatly simplified to be a basically packet replicator and distributor. This greatly simplifies the requirements for conference bridges located within telephone operating companies or conference facilitator providers.
[0044] The conference bridge is removed from handling the set up of the conference call and handles just the transmission of bearer traffic between the conference call participants. Conventional conference arrangements require the conference bridge to include virtually every conceivable codec for information interchange among varied users. In addition, the conference bridge needs to include much processing power in the form of digital signal processors to implement conversion, mixing and revocoding functions required. The present invention eliminates all such functional requirements in the conference bridge by having the user terminals themselves negotiate a compatible codec (bearer format) with the other user terminals in the conference call. Suitably equipped user terminals including remote terminals may perform the conference bridge function directly.
[0045] The token control arrangement leverages off of the real time protocol (RTP) to quickly detect silence for passing the token to another caller in the conference. In addition, the token passing arrangement allows for cutting off the speaker who is monopolizing the conference call. The control for such token passing arrangements may reside even in the user terminal of one of the conference callers.
[0046] Although the preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated, and that form described in detail, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the present invention or from the scope of the appended claims:
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A user terminal ( 10 ) using an internet protocol using session initiation protocol to interconnect a number of user terminals ( 11 - 13 ) in a conference call. A conference bridge ( 30 ) or user terminal ( 10 ) detects speech of one of the user terminals ( 203 ). A “babble ” timer is started ( 207 ). The speaker is allowed to continuously speak until silence is detected ( 217 ) or until the “babble” timer timers out ( 211 ).
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This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/301,544, filed Jun. 27, 2001.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to processes for making functionalized Polyhedral Oligomeric Silsesquioxanes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This disclosure describes methods that enable the selective functionalization and assembly of the silicon-oxygen frameworks in polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) cage molecules. It is desired to selectively manipulate the frameworks of POSS compounds because they are useful as chemical species that can be further converted or incorporated into a wide variety of chemical feed-stocks useful for the preparation of catalyst supports (Weidner et al., “Organooligosilsesquioxanes” U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,492; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/147,435; Vogt, L. H., Brown, J. F., Inorg. Chem ., 1963, 2, 189-92), monomers, polymers, and as solubilized forms of silica that can be used to replace fumed and precipitated silicas or in biological applications, and for surface modification. When incorporated into a polymeric material POSS can impart new and improved thermal, mechanical and physical properties to common polymeric materials. (See Schmid, G.; Pugin, R.; Malm, J-O.; Bovin, J-O. “Silsesquioxanes as Ligands for Gold Clusters,” Eur. J. Inorg. Chem . 1998, pp813-817. Developed a process for the cornercapping of trisilanols with silane reagents MeO)3Si(CH2)3SH using p-toluenesulfonic acid. This is a process that was necessary to enable corner capping with this functionality. Note that Marsmann et al. have reported the synthesis of a similar thiol-functionalized POSS by co-hydrolysis of trtichloro(n-propyl)silane with the (3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane in a 7:1 ratio. See B. J. Hendan, H. C. Marsmann, J. Organomet. Chem . 1994, 483, pp33 and U.Dittmar, B. J. Hendan, U. Floerke, H. C. Marsmann, J. Organomet. Chem . 1995, 485, p185.)
Prior art has shown that a variety of POSS-silanol frameworks can be functionalized via silation using a variety of silyl and metal-based agents. ((a) Feher et al., “Silsesquioxanes as Models for Silica Surfaces”, J. Am. Chem. Soc . 1989, 111, 1741-48. (b) Weidner et al., “Organooligosilsesquioxanes” U.S. Pat. No. 5,047,492. (c) Brown, J. F., Vogt, L. H., “The Polycondensation of Cyclohexylsilanetriol” J. Am. Chem. Soc . 1965, 87, 4313-24.) While synthetically useful, this prior functionalization method is imperfect in that it requires the use of dry solvents and the presence of proton accepting bases (e.g. amines) to produce the desired product in high yield. In addition the prior method is cumbersome and costly in that additional precautions must be taken when handling chlorosilanes and related metal halides. Furthermore the prior art was effective only for certain functionalities and in particular did not allow the use of amino, epoxy, and hydrido functionalized silane coupling agents. Later art reported a limited usage of alkoxy silane coupling agents in reaction with POSS-Silanols in the presence of acid to produce the desired fully condensed functionalized POSS systems [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# . (See Schmid, G.; Pugin, R.; Maim, J-O.; Bovin, J-O. “Silsesquioxanes as Ligands for Gold Clusters,” Eur. J. Inorg. Chem . 1998, pp813-817; See B. J. Hendan, H. C. Marsmann, J. Organomet. Chem . 1994, 483, pp33 and U.Dittmar, B. J. Hendan, U. Floerke, H. C. Marsmann, J. Organomet. Chem . 1995, 485, p185.) This advancement was however found to be of modest utility in that it does not afford the desired [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# products in high yield and free from resinous byproduct contaminates.
Therefore an improvement of the prior art was necessary to enable the economical and commercial-scale functionalization of POSS-silanols from low-cost and safe (non halogenated) coupling agents bearing the a widest possible range of functionalities and leaving groups. In the course of development of an improved functionalization method, a discovery was made that enabled the efficient (one-step) assembly of polyfunctional POSS systems from these same coupling agents. The latter discovery directly resulted in many new and previously only theorized POSS compositions.
It should also be noted that indirectly related prior art has reported that bases such as NaOH, KOH, etc. can be used to both catalyze the polymerization of fully condensed POSS [(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# into lightly networked polysilsequioxane resins [RSiO 1.5 ] ∞ or to convert selected polysilsesquioxane resins [RSiO 1.5 ] ∞ into fully condensed POSS structures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# . ((a) Hybrid Plastics U.S. Pat. Pending Ser. No. 60/147,435. (b) Vogt, L. H., Brown, J. F., Inorg. Chem ., 1963, 2, 189-92) This prior art does not afford the selective assembly of POSS nanostructures from highly functionalized silane coupling agents (e.g. YSiX 3 ) nor does it afford the functionalization of POSS Silanols with functionalized silane coupling agents. Furthermore the prior art does not provide methods of producing POSS systems suitable for functionalization and subsequent polymerization or grafting reactions. This oversight in the prior art is reflective of the fact that the invention of POSS-based reagents, monomers and polymer technology post-dates this prior art by approximately three decades. Hence POSS compositions and processes relevant to the types of systems desired for POSS monomer/polymer technology were not envisioned in the prior art. Additionally the prior art does not demonstrate the action of bases on silane, silicate, or silsesquioxane feedstocks suitable for producing low-cost and high purity POSS systems. In contrast to the prior art (Brown et al., and Marsmann et al.) the processes taught here and the compositions claimed specifically enable the development of lower cost, high purity POSS systems bearing functionalities useful as derivitizable chemical reagents and feedstocks.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention teaches three processes that enable the economical and commercial scale functionalization of POSS Monomers and POSS Reagents from readily available and low-cost feedstocks. The first process preferentially uses base to promote the silylation of POSS-Silanols of the formula [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(HO)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# with silane coupling agents of the type XSiR 2 Y, X 2 SiRY, X 3 SiY, XSiRY 2 , XSiY 3 , X 2 SiY 2 , to form POSS species with functionalized incompletely condensed nanostructures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(YSiR 2 O)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# or functionalized completely condensed nanostructures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# , where Y is phosphino, alkylhalide, amido, amine, epoxide, mercapto, acrylic, methacrylic, styrenic, vinyl, olefinic, nitrile, cyanate, silylhydride, anhydride, ester, or groups attached to alkyl or aryl groups and where the base promotes the loss of X where X is alkoxide, halide, hydroxide, or hydride. The first process can alternately be conducted with acids. The second process utilizes base to alkylate POSS-Silanols with functionalized alkyl halides of the type XRY and organic acid chlorides of the type XC(O)RY to form functionalized incompletely condensed and functionalized completely condensed systems comprising POSS silylethers, and POSS silylesters of formula [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(YRO)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(YRC(O))SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# or functionalized completely condensed nanostructures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YROSi 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# , [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YRC(O)SiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# . The third process utilizes base to react with silane coupling agents of the type X 3 SiY, to form polyfunctional, fully condensed POSS species of formula [(YSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Definition of Formula Representations for POSS Nanostructures:
For the purposes of explaining this invention's processes and chemical compositions the following definition for representations of nanostructural-cage formulas is made:
Polysilsesquioxanes are materials represented by the formula [RSiO 1.5 ] ∞ where ∞=degree of polymerization within the material and R=organic substituent (H, cyclic or linear aliphatic or aromatic groups that may additionally contain reactive functionalities such as alcohols, esters, amines, ketones, olefins, ethers or halides). Polysilsesquioxanes may be either homoleptic or heteroleptic. Homoleptic systems contain only one type of R group while heteroleptic systems contain more than one type of R group.
POSS nanostructure compositions are represented by the formula:
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# for homoleptic compositions
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R′SiO 1.5 ) m ] Σ# for heteroleptic compositions
[(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R′XSiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# for functionalized heteroleptic compositions
[(XSiO 1.5 )] Σ# for homoleptic silicate compositions
In all of the above R is the same as defined above and X includes but is not limited to OH, Cl, Br, I, alkoxide (OR), acetate (OOCR), peroxide (OOR), amine (NR 2 ) isocyanate (NCO), and R. The symbols m and n refer to the stoichiometry of the composition. The symbol Σ indicates that the composition forms a nanostructure and the symbol # refers to the number of silicon atoms contained within the nanostructure. The value for # is usually the sum of m+n. It should be noted that Σ# is not to be confused as a multiplier for determining stoichiometry, as it merely describes the overall nanostructural characteristics of the POSS system (aka cage size).
Example of Polysilsesquioxane Resins [RSiO 1.5 ] ∞
Examples of Homoleptic POSS Systems [(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ#
Example of a Heteroleptic POSS System [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R′SiO 1.5 ) m ] Σ#
Example of a Functionalized Homoleptic POSS System [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (RXSiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ#
Example of a Functionalized Heteroleptic POSS System [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R′SiO 1.5 ) m (RXSiO 1.0 ) p ] Σ#
Example of a Polyhedral Oligomeric Silicate System [(XSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ#
General Process Variables Applicable to all Processes:
As is typical with chemical processes there are a number of variables that can be used to control the purity, selectivity, rate and mechanism of any process. Variables influencing the process for the conversion of POSS Silanols and silane coupling agents into functionalized POSS structures include but are not be limited to the following: chemical class of base, chemical class of acid, size and type of silicon-oxygen ring contained in each POSS nanostructure, effect of the organic substituents located on the reagents and POSS, process temperature, process solvent, stoichiometry of base (or acid) and the presence of a catalyst. Each of these variables is briefly discussed below.
Co-Reagent Promoters
Specific chemical agents can be utilized to promote or enhance the effectiveness of the bases (or acids) utilized in the processes. Specifically, nucleophilic base mixtures that work in combined fashion to firstly solubilize the silsesquioxane and secondly promote formation of the POSS nanostructure. Examples of such systems may include but are not limited to KOR where OR is an alkoxide, RMgX which include all common Grignard reagents, alkaline or alkaline earth halides such as LiI, or any of a variety of molten or fused salt media. In a similar fashion co-bases such as [Me 3 Sn][OH] and [Me 4 Sb][OH] have been shown to promote chemical transformations of POSS systems yet have not been utilized as a co-reagent in the formation of POSS cages. Alternatively, electrophilic promoters such as zinc compounds, (i.e. ZnI 2 , ZnBr 2 , ZnCl 2 , ZnF 2 , etc.) aluminum compounds, (i.e. Al 2 H 6 , LiAlH 4 , AlI 3 , AlBr 3 , AlCl 3 , AlF 3 , etc.) boron compounds including (i.e. RB(OH) 2 , BI 3 , BBr 3 , BCl 3 , BF 3 , etc.) which are known to play important roles in the solubiization and ring-opening polymerization of cyclic silicones and in the ring-opening of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes.
Chemical Bases and Acids
The purpose of the base or acid is to cleave the silicon-oxygen (Si—O) or oxygen-hydrogen (O—H) bonds in the various POSS and silane structures. The exact type of base or acid, its hydration sphere, concentration, and solvent interactions all play important counterion roles in the effectiveness. Proper understanding and control of conditions enable the selective cleavage and/or assembly of silsesquioxane, silicate, POSS, and POSS Silanol systems in the desired manner.
There are a wide range of bases that can be used in the processes and these include but are not limited to: hydroxide [OH] − , organic alkoxides [RO] − , carboxylates [RCOO] − , amides [RNH] − , carboxamides [RC(O)NR] − , carbanions [R] − carbonate [CO 3 ] −2 , sulfate [SO 4 ] −2 , phosphate [PO 4 ] −3 , biphosphate [HPO 4 ] −2 , phosphourus ylides [R 4 P] − , nitrate [NO 3 ] − , borate [B(OH) 4 ] − , cyanate [OCN] − , fluoride [F] − , hypochlorite [OCl] − , silicate [SiO 4 ] −4 , stannate [SnO 4 ] −4 basic metal oxides (e.g. Al 2 O 3 , CaO, ZnO etc.), amines R 3 N and amine oxides R 3 NO, and organometallics (e.g. RLi, R 2 Zn, R 2 Mg, RMgX etc.). Furthermore, the processes taught here are not limited to the above-mentioned bases; rather any reagent can be employed which produces a pH spanning the range from 7.1 to 14.
There are a wide range of acids that can be used in the processes and these include but are not limited to: sulfonic acids, mineral acids, super acids and water.
Alternatively mixtures of bases or acids may also be utilized to carryout the process. One advantage of such an approach is that each of the mixture components can serve different functions. For example, in a mixed base system one base can be used to cleave silicon-oxygen bands or silicon-X bands while a second base is used to assemble the POSS structure. Thus synergies can exist amongst several types of bases and these can be utilized to the advantage and refinement of these processes.
Silicon-oxygen Ring Size, Ring Type and Cage Sizes
The processes discussed in this disclosure are not limited to the formation of specific sizes of POSS cages (i.e., Σ# in [(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# ). Similarly the processes should not be limited to specific types of silanes or POSS-Silanols. They can be carried out to manufacture POSS cages containing four to eighteen or more silicon atoms in the silicon-oxygen framework. It has been noted that the silicon-oxygen ring size contained within such POSS systems does however affect the rate at which cage silicon-oxygen ring opening can occur. For example rings containing three silicon atoms and three oxygen atoms open faster than the larger rings containing 4 silicon atoms and 4 oxygen atoms. The relative rate for the opening of POSS silicon-oxygen rings appears to be faster for six membered rings with three silicon atoms than for eight membered rings with four silicon atoms which are in turn faster than ten member rings with five silicon atoms and twelve member rings with six silicon atoms. Selective ring opening processes therefore can be controlled through the use of the appropriate base and knowledge of this information allows the user of these processes to control selective formation of POSS molecules.
Effect of the Organic Substituent, Process Solvents and Process Temperatures
The processes described in this disclosure are not limited to POSS systems bearing specific organic groups (defined as R) attached to the silicon atom of the silicon-oxygen ring systems. They are amenable to organosilanes and POSS-Silanols bearing a wide variety of organic groups. (R=as previously defined) and functionalities (X=as previously defined). The organic substituent R does have a large effect on the solubility of both the final product and the starting POSS material. Therefore, it is envisioned that the different solubilities of the starting organosilane and POSS-Silanol and of the POSS products can be used to facilitate the separation and purification of the final reaction products. We currently find no limitation of the process with respect to the type of solvent used and the processes have been carried out in common solvents including but not limited to alcohols, ketones, ethers, dimethylsulfoxide, CCl 4 , CHCl 3 , CH 2 Cl 2 , fluorinated solvents, aromatics (halogenated and nonhalogenated), aliphatic (halogenated and nonhalogenated). Variations of the taught processes can be carried out in supercritical fluids including but not limited to CO 2 , H 2 O, and propane. The variables of solvent type, POSS concentration, and process temperature should be utilized in the standard way to match the specific cage opening process to the equipment available. Preferred solvents for the processes are tetrahydrofuran, methylisobutyl ketone, methanol, ethanol, hexane, acetic acid, and toluene. In many cases the solvent is an integral component of the process, which to enables the base to act on the specific organosilane or POSS-Silanol system, hence solvent effects greatly influence the degree of ionization of the base used in these processes.
Process I: Formation of Functionalized POSS from POSS-Silanols and Organosilanes.
The corner capping reaction of POSS-Silanols with silane coupling agents is the primary method for delivering a variety of Y-type functionalities to form fully condensed POSS Monomers and POSS Reagents. While prior art by Brown et al. and later by Feher taught that cornercapping of POSS-Silanols could be accomplished with trichlorosilanes bearing nonreactive groups and under acidic conditions, neither taught that the conercapping could be accomplished with reactive functionalities suitable for subsequent reactive grafting or polymerization. Furthermore, the prior art methods were not amenable to cornercapping under basic conditions.
In contrast, the present invention teaches a method for cornercapping POSS-Silanols under basic conditions, which is a simpler and more desirable process for the economic manufacture of functionalized POSS-Monomers and POSS-Reagents. This method can be carried out at room temperature using either low or high concentrations of POSS Silanols (0.05 and 1.0 Molar). Higher concentrations are preferred as the reaction completes in less time and more cost effectively at higher concentrations. A variety of bases, such as lithium, sodium and potassium hydroxide, can be employed and are all effective. The preferred bases include ammonium hydroxides such as tetramethyl ammonium, tetraethyl ammonium, tetrabutyl ammonium, benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxides. The choice of the base to be employed per each cornercapping reaction can be varied and is generally selected relative to solubility and stability of reagents and products relative to each other and for ease of product isolation. In general, the cornercapping reactions proceed using a solvent that facilitates isolation of products and with a 1-20 mole % concentration of base (e.g. LiOH·H 2 O) or a 0.5-30 mole % concentration of ammonium base with the 0.5 to 3.0 mole % range being preferred to effect optimal reaction speed and product purity. High yields and product purity result from these base-assisted cornercapping reactions in part because of the stability of POSS-Silanols to base (e.g. LiOH) for several hours in the absence of corner capping reagent. However, extended exposure (approx. 17 hrs) of POSS-Silanols to base can promote the elimination of water from the POSS-silanols and the formation of structurally related POSS-Silanols [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(HO)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# or fully condensed cage species [(RSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# .
Scheme 1 below illustrates the reaction of cornercapping POSS-Silanols to form fully condensed Functionalized POSS-Monomers and POSS-Reagents.
The silation reaction of POSS-Silanols with silane coupling agents is the primary method for delivering a variety of Y-type functionalities to incompletely condensed POSS Monomers and Reagents. Examples of this reaction are illustrated below in Scheme 2.
The above-described methods to carryout corner capping reactions and silations provide an avenue to functiontionalized POSS systems that cannot otherwise be easily or economically prepared in commercial volumes. For example, under the prior art using acidic conditions and heating of the reaction medium, special care must be taken during the corner capping or silation reaction using acrylic functionalized silanes to avoid polymerization of the desired acrylate-functionalized POSS-monomer. Acrylic POSS-monomers are easily polymerized via byproducts from the corner capping reaction such as HCl, or by external factors such as heat, light, or atmospheric oxygen. The importance of these external factors on yield and product purity is greatly reduced via the methods of the present invention. Additionally, cornercapping and silations with amino functionalized silanes were not possible under prior art unless additional protection/deprotection steps were taken to preserve the amino functionality from protonation under the acidic conditions. Under the base-assisted conditions disclosed herein, cornercapping and silation of POSS-Silanols with amino silanes are readily accomplished at room temperature in one simple step.
The cornercapping and silation of POSS-Silanols can be accomplished with metals other than silicon (e.g. Si, Ti, Zr) and a variety of reactive functionalites useful for subsequent grafting or polymerization reactions can be incorporated. The cornercapping and silation process is unique in that it selectively enables the functionalization of one and only one corner of the silsesquioxane cage. The ability to selectively control the placement of functionality on a nanostructure is an unprecedented capability.
In the cornercapping and silation process a POSS-Silanol is dissolved or suspended in a technical grade solvent such as THF, hexane, acetone, alcohol or methylisobutyl ketone, and a stoichiometric amount of organosilane is subsequently added to the mixture, followed by addition of an aqueous or alcoholic solution of base. Sufficient base should be added to the reaction mixture so as to produce a basic solution (pH 7.1-14). The reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 3 hours followed by crashing into methanol. During this time the desired functionalized POSS products are separated through filtration of a precipitate or are removed from the reaction solvent by extraction, crystallation, or solvent evaporation.
Hydroxide [OH] − bases are highly effective at concentrations of 1-10% molar equivalents (the preferred range is 2-5 molar % equivalents) per mole of POSS-Silanol for the cornercapping and silation of POSS-Silanols. In particular, hydroxide bases (e.g. sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethyl ammonium hyrdoxide etc) are highly effective for the process. Milder bases such as acetate and carbonate are less effective unless used in combination with a stronger base. It is also recognized that the use of other co-reagents may be used to promote the formation of POSS species from this process.
Specific examples of reactive silane functionalities that can be incorporated onto POSS-Silanols include but are not limited to the following:
R-Y Hydride Acrylic, Methacrylic, Styrenic Aliphatic and Aromatic Epoxy Alpha Olefin, Vinyl, and Strained Olefins Aliphatic and Aromatic Amine Aliphatic and Aromatic Esters Aliphatic and Aromatic Alcohols Mercapto Aliphatic and Aromatic Imides Aliphatic and Aromatic Halides Cyanate Esters Phosphines and Phosphates Aliphatic and Aromatic Ethers Aliphatic and Aromatic Isocyantes Aliphatic and Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Process II: Formation of Functionalized POSS from POSS-Silanols and Functional Hydrocarbons.
The alkylation reaction of POSS-Silanols with functionalized organo reagents is an alternative method for delivering a variety of reactive functionalities to incompletely condensed POSS-Silanols to form POSS-monomers and POSS-reagents desirable for subsequent polymerization or derivatization chemistry. Process II is similar to Process I in that it affords the selective functionalization of only one corner (or side) of the POSS nanostructure. The reaction schemes for the alkylation of POSS-Silanols to form incompletely condensed Functionalized POSS-Monomers and POSS-Reagents is illustrated below in Scheme 3.
Process II. Alkylation of POSS-Silanols to Form Incompletely Condensed Functionalized POSS-Monomers and POSS-Reagents.
In the alkylation process, a POSS-Silanol is dissolved or suspended in a technical grade solvent such as THF, hexane, acetone, alcohol or methylisobutyl ketone, and a stoichiometric amount of functionalized chloro alkyl reagent is subsequently added to the mixture, followed by the addition of an aqueous or alcoholic solution of base (e.g. triethylamine, etc.). Sufficient base should be added to the reaction mixture so as to produce a basic solution (pH 7.1-14). The reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 3 hours followed by quenching into a 1N acid hexane solution. During this time the desired functionalized POSS products are recovered in nearly quantitative yield from the hexane layer by solvent extraction, crystallation, or solvent evaporation.
It should be noted that in many cases the resulting functionalized POSS alkyl product is moisture sensitive and has adequate stability for use in solutions and in the solid state. This sensitivity results from the propensity of the silicon-oxygen-carbon bond to hydrolyze and form a silanol (POSS-Silanol) and alcohol. Nevertheless, adequate stability has been observed for several species so as to enable utility as reagents.
Similar to Process I, hydroxide [OH] − bases are highly effective at concentrations of 1-10 equivalents (the preferred range is 2-5 equivalents) per mole of POSS-Silanol. In particular, hydroxide bases (e.g. sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethyl ammonium hyrdoxide etc) are highly effective in the alkylation of POSS-Silanols. Milder bases such as acetate and carbonate are less effective unless used in combination with a stronger base. It is also recognized that the use of other co-reagents may be used to promote the formation of POSS species from this process.
Specific examples of functionalized chloroalkyl reagents that can be incorporated onto POSS-Silanols include but are not limited to the following:
R-Y Olefinic Chloroalkyls Olefinic Chloroesters Methacryl Chloride Halogated Chloroesters Epichlorohydrine
Process III: Formation of Polyfunctionalized POSS from Organosilanes.
Process III is similar to Process I and II in that it utilizes base to form functionalized POSS-monomers and POSS-reagents. Process III is unique, however, in that it affords the selective formation of polyfunctionalized POSS nanostructures that are useful as crosslinkers in polymerizations, as dendrimer cores, and a reagents for subsequent chemical derivatization purposes.
The prior art methods of preparing polyfunctionalized POSS molecules from organosilanes involve the acid catalyzed condensation of alkyltrichlorosilanes (YSiCl 3 ) or the silation of spherosilicate species. These processes are inefficient in that they suffer from low yield, produce mixtures of partially functionalized POSS cage species that are often contaminated with polymeric and oligomeric reaction by products. In some cases the undesired by products are produced in as much as 75% yield.
Scheme 4 above illustrates the process of molecular assembly of functionalized silanes into polyfunctionalized POSS-Monomers and POSS-Reagents (Process III).
The molecular assembly process is carried out by first dissolving or suspending a functionalized silane coupling agent in a technical grade solvent such as THF, hexane, acetone, alcohol or methylisobutyl ketone, followed by the addition of an aqueous or alcoholic solution of base. Sufficient base should be added to the reaction mixture so as to produce a basic solution (pH 7.1-14). The reaction mixture is stirred at room temperature for 3 hours followed by crashing into methanol. During this time the desired Functionalized POSS products are separated through filtration of a precipitate or are removed from the reaction solvent by extraction, crystallization, or solvent evaporation.
It should be noted that in many cases the resulting polyfunctionalized POSS product [(YRSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# . is composed of a mixture of different sized cages. The distribution of cage sizes typically spans from #=8-14. This distribution can be controlled to a large extent through variation of temperature and concentration.
Again, hydroxide [OH] − bases are highly effective at concentrations of 1-10 equivalents (the preferred range is 2-5 equivalents) per mole of POSS-Silanol. In particular, hydroxide bases (e.g. sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide, lithium hydroxide, benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide, tetramethyl ammonium hyrdoxide etc) are highly effective in the molecular assembly of Polyfunctional POSS-monomers and POSS-reagents. Milder bases such as acetate and carbonate are less effective unless used in combination with a stronger base. It is also recognized that the use of other co-reagents may be used to promote the formation of POSS species from this process.
Specific examples of functional groups (Y) with a linker group R to an organosilane reagent that can be incorporated onto Polyfunctional POSS-monomers and POSS-reagents using organosilane reagents include but are not limited to the following:
R-Y
Hydride
Acrylic, Methacrylic, Styrenic
Aliphatic and Aromatic Epoxy
Alpha Olefin, Vinyl, and Strained Olefins
Aliphatic and Aromatic Amine
Aliphatic and Aromatic Esters
Aliphatic and Aromatic Alcohols
Mercapto
Aliphatic and Aromatic Imides
Aliphatic and Aromatic Halides
Cyanate Esters
Phosphines and Phosphates
Aliphatic and Aromatic Ethers
Aliphatic and Aromatic Isocyantes
EXAMPLES
The following are examples for the cornercapping silation, alkylation of POSS-Silanols using base or acids. Additional examples are given per the assembly and compositions of polyfunctional POSS systems.
Synthesis of [(EtSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminopropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(EtSiO 1.5 ) 4 (R(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (1.18 g, 2.0 mmole) was dissolved in ethanol (10 mL) followed by addition of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (354.9 mg, 1.98 mmole) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (3 drops of a 25% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours, solvent evaporated, and product washed with acetonitrile and dried in an oven to yield 840 mg, 62% of the product as a white solid.
Synthesis of [(iOctylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminopropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iOctylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iOctyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (25 g, 21.5 mmole) was dissolved in ethanol (105 mL) followed by addition of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (3.79 g, 21.1 mmole) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (22 drops (264 mg) of a 25% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 36 hours. The mixture was the concentrated and 30 M1of methanol was added as a wash. Following decantation the solvent evaporated and product washed recovered to yield 26 g, 97% of the product as a clear oil.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminopropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (1000 g, 1.26 mole) was dissolved in ethanol (6.32 L) followed by addition of aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (226.54 g, 1.26 mole) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (15.2 g, 25.75 mmoles of a 25% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 36 hours. The solvent was evaporated and product washed with acetonitrile, recovered, and dried to yield 1038 g, 94% of the product as a clear white solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (aminopropyaminoethylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (67.27 g, 85 mmole) was dissolved in ethanol (6.32 L) followed by addition of aminopropylaminoethyltrimethoxysilane (19.24 g, 85 mmole) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (1.0 g, 1.73 mmoles of a 25% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 36 hours. The solvent was evaporated and product washed with acetonitrile, recovered, and dried to yield 62 g, 80% of the product as a waxy white solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (3,3,3-trifluoropropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (86.9 g, 0.11 mole) was dissolved in ethanol (550 mL) followed by addition of 3,3,3-trifluoropropyltrimethoxysilane (24 g, 0.11 mole) and benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (1.37 g, 3.3 mmoles of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours. The reaction was quenched into dilute HCl and the solvent was evaporated and product washed with methanol, and dried to yield 90.5 g, 90% of the product as a white solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (MeOSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (1.58 g, 2.0 mmole) was dissolved in hexane (10 mL) followed by addition of tetramethoxysilane (334.84 mg, 2.2 mmole) and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (1 drop, of a 1M methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours. The reaction was then quenched by addition of dilute HCl, then solvent was evaporated and product washed with methanol, and product recovered, and dried to yield 1.46 g, 86% of the product as a clear waxy solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (methacrylpropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (15.8 g, 20 mmole) was dissolved in methanol (100 mL) followed by addition of methacrylpropyltrimethoxysilane (4.97 g, 20 mmole) and tetrabutylammonium hydroxide (20 drops (240 mg) of a 1M methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours. The reaction was then quenched by addition of dilute HCl, the product recovered by filtration, rinsed with additional methanol, and dried to yield 13.9 g, 71% of the product as a clear waxy white solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (styrylethylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (0.79 g) was dissolved in ethanol (10 mL) followed by addition of styrylethyltrimethoxysilane (266.64 mg) and benzyltrimethylammonium hydroxide (1 drop of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours. The reaction was then quenched by addition of dilute HCl, the solvent was removed and the product recovered by filtration, rinsed with additional methanol, and dried to yield 572 mg, 61% of the product as a white free flowing solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (mercaptoSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (118.5 g, 0.15 mole) was dissolved in ethanol (750 mL) followed by addition of 3-mercaptotrimethoxysilane (29.45 g, 0.15 mole) and benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide (1.87 g, 4.48 mmoles) of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 24 hours. The reaction was quenched with dilute HCl, the solvent was evaporated and the residue was washed with methanol and filtered and dried to yield 105 g, 78% of a white solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (glycidalSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (900 g, 1.137 mole) was dissolved in ethanol (5680 mL) followed by addition of 2-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (268.7 g, 1.137 mole) and benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide (14.2 g, 34 mmoles) of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 24 hours. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was washed with methanol and filtered and dried to yield 795 g, 75% of a white sticky/waxy solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (3,4-epoxycyclohexylethylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (1000 g, 1.264 mole) was dissolved in ethanol (6320 mL) followed by addition of epoxycyclohexylethyltrimethoxysilane (311.3 g, 264 mole) and benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide (15.8 g, 37,8 mmoles) of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 36 hours. The solvent was evaporated and the residue was washed with methanol and filtered and dried to yield 974.3 g, 82% of a white sticky/waxy solid.
Synthesis of [(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 7 (3,4-dihydroxycyclohexylethylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(iButylSiO 1.5 ) 4 (iButyl(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (15.8 g, 20 mmole) was dissolved in ethanol (100 mL) followed by addition of epoxycyclohexylethyltrimethoxysilane (4.93 g, 20 mmole) and benzyltrimethyl ammonium hydroxide (20 drops (250 mg) of a 40% methanol solution). The clear solution was stirred at 20° C. for 12 hours. Then 50 ml of tetrahydrofuran was added followed by 75 drops of 10 molar HCl and 2.5 mL of water. After stirring for 3 hours the solvent was evaporated and the residue was washed with acetonitrile and dried to yield 15.93 g, 83% of the product as a fine white crystalline solid.
Synthesis of [(PhSiO 1.5 ) 7 (methacrylpropylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(PhSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Ph(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (930 mg, 1.0 mmole) was dissolved in THF (10 mL) followed by adding the silane (248.4 mg, 1.0 mmole) and methanesulfonic acid (3 drops). The clear solution was heated at 60° C. for 48 hours and quenched by water. Hexane (3 mL) was added to the quenched mixture and the top layer was separated and concentrated. A mixture solvent (MeOH/CH3CN=10/1) was added to the concentrated material to form a slurry. The slurry was filtered and dried to give the product as white solid (135 mg, 12.5%). 1H NMR (CDC13, 500 MHz) ∂ (ppm): 1.00 (m, 2H, Si—CH2), 1.98 (br s, 5H, —CH3 and C—CH2-C), 4.20 (m, 2H, O—CH2), 5.57 (s, 1H, C=CHa), 6.14 (s, 1H, C=CHb), 7.43-7.83 (m, 35H, —Ph); 13C NMR (CDC13, 125 MHz) ∂ (ppm): 8.23, 18.28, 22.19, 66.33, 125.25, 127.25, 127.90, 130.12, 130.25, 130.77, 130.81, 134.12, 134.17, 136.36, 167.35; 29Si NMR (CDC13, 90.6 MHz) d (ppm): −78.41 (3), −78.07 (4), −65.06 (1).
Synthesis of [(PhSiO 1.5 ) 7 (HSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(PhSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Ph(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (9.30 g, 10.0 mmoles) was dissolved in THF (50 mL). trimethoxysilane (1.34 g, 11.0 mmoles) was then added to the solution followed by adding MeSO3H (5 drops). The solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 8 hours and the reaction quenched by H2O. The top organic layer was collected and the solvent evaporated. The residue solid was washed in MeOH, the slurry filtered, the solid pad rinsed with MeOH, and dried to give the product as white solid, 8.17 g, 85.5%. 1H NMR (CDCL3, 500 MHz) ∂ (ppm) 4.51 (s, 1H), 7.33-7.50 (m, 21H), 7.71-7.79 (m, 14H).
Synthesis of [(PhSiO 1.5 ) 7 (vinylSiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ8 :
[(PhSiO 1.5 ) 4 (Ph(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 3 ] Σ7 (931 mg, 1.0 mmole) was dissolved in THF (5 mL) followed by addition of vinyltrimethoxysilane (148.2 mg, 1.0 mmole) and methanesulfonic acid (9 drops). The solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 24 hours and heated at 50° C. for additional 5 days. The reaction was cooled and the solvent was evaporated, the residue solid washed in MeOH, the slurry filtered, the solid pad rinsed with MeOH, and dried to give the product as white solid, 500.0 mg, 50.9%. 1H NMR (CDCL3, 500 MHz) ∂ (ppm) 6.16 (dd, J=21.7, 12.2 Hz, 1H), 6.24 (d, J=12.2 Hz, 1H), 6.25 (d, J=21.7 Hz, 1H), 7.41-7.56 (m, 21H), 7.83-7.90 (m, 14H).
Synthesis of [(iBuSiO 1.5 ) 8 (norbornenylethyl)(Me) 2 SiO 1.0 ) 1 ] Σ9 :
[(iBuSiO 1.5 ) 6 (iBu(OH)SiO 1.0 ) 2 ] Σ8 (2.0 g, 2.24 mmole) was dissolved in THF (20 mL) followed by addition of norbornenylethyldimethylchloro silane (1.03 g , 4.8 mmole) and triethylamine (678 mg). The solution was stirred at ambient temperature for 15 hours. The reaction was filtered and the filtrate was evaporated, the residue solid washed in hexane, and dried to give the product as pale yellow oil, 2.77 g, 99%. 1H NMR (CDCL3, 500 MHz) ∂ (ppm) 6.09-5.89 (4H, mm), 2.79-2.73 (4H, mm), 1.91-1.81 (14H, mm), 0.98-0.94 (56H, mm), 0.61-0.53 (20H, mm), 0.13-0.08 (12H, mm).
Synthesis of [(3-methacryloxypropylSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σn :
3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (1241.75 g, 5.0 mole) was dissolved in THF (5000 mL) followed by addition of water (135 g, 7.5 mole) and tetramethylammonium hydroxide (20 ml, 55.7 mmoles, from a 25 wt % aqueous solution). The solution was stirred and reacted for 24 hours at ambient temperature and was then quenched with dilute HCl and the solvent removed. The clear brown product was filtered, and dried to 896 g in quantitative yield.
Synthesis of [(epoxycyclohexylethylSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σn :
2-(3,4-Epoxycyclohexyl)ethyltrimethoxysilane (123.19 g, 0.5 mole) was dissolved in THF (500 mL) followed by addition of water (13.5 g, 0.75 mole) and tetraethylammonium hydroxide (5.89 g, 0.01 mole, from a 25 wt % methanol solution). The solution was stirred and refluxed for 12 hours and the solvent removed. The clear brown product was dried to give 86 g in 97% yield.
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Efficient processes have been developed for the cost effective functionalization of polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane-silanols (POSS-Silanols) and for the manufacture of polyfunctional polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes. The processes utilize the action of bases or acids on silane coupling agents. The preferred process utilizes base to promote the silylation of POSS-Silanols of the formula [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(HO)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# with silane coupling agents to form POSS species with functionalized incompletely condensed nanostructures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (R(YSiR 2 O)SiO 1.0 ) m ] Σ# or functionalized completely condensed nanostructures [(RSiO 1.5 ) n (YSiO 1.5 ) 1 ] Σ# . The process can alternately be conducted with acids. A second process utilizes base to alkylate POSS-Silanols with functionalized alkyl halides. A third related process utilizes base to react with silane coupling agents to form polyfunctional, fully condensed POSS species of formula [(YSiO 1.5 ) n ] Σ# . This process can also alternately be conducted under acidic conditions. Each of the processes result in new POSS compositions that can undergo additional desirable chemical reactions or which are directly suitable for polymerization or grafting into polymeric materials. POSS frameworks containing silanol and other reactive functionalities suitable for polymerizations have previously been described as valuable co-monomers in polymerizations and as feed-stocks for the preparation of a diverse number of chemical agents that are useful in polymeric materials in biological applications, and for the modification of surfaces.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to aliphatic bridged-cyclic compounds with 2-amino-imidazoline, 2-amino-oxazoline or 2-amino-thiazoline substituents. More particularly, the invention relates to such compounds which are selective in blocking the α 2 adrenoreceptor. These compounds find use in the treatment of conditions which are responsive to regulation of α 2 -receptor responses, such activities include, for example, treatment of depression, palliation of non insulin-dependent diabetes, alleviation of male impotence, lowering of intraocular pressure (which is useful in treating e.g. glaucoma) and stimulation of weight loss.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Adrenergic agents, and particularly agents affective on α 2 adrenergic receptors are known in the art. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,091,528 describes 6- or 7-(2-imino-2-imidazoline)-1,2-benzoxazine as a adrenergic agents. Published European patent application 0 251 453 describes certain cyclohexyl substituted amino-dihydro-oxazoles, -thiazoles and -imidazoles as α 2 agents. U.S. Pat. No. 3,598,833 describes 2-cycloalkylamino oxazolines having local anesthetic, sedative, vasoconstrictor, mucous membrane de-swelling, blood pressure depressant and gastric fluid secretory inhibition effects. Further United States and foreign patents and scientific publications which pertain to substituted amino-oxazoline, imidazolines and thiazolines are as follows:
[0003] U.S. Pat. No. 4,587,257 [2-trisubstituted phenylimino) imidazoline compounds capable of controlling ocular bleeding];
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,219 [2-(substituted-phenylamino)-thiazolines and imidazolines having anticholinergic activity];
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 3,453,284 [2-substituted anilino)-2-oxazolines;
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 3,432,600 [partially reduced 2-(naphthylamino) oxazolines and 2-(indanylamino) oxazolines;
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,798 [compositions comprising arylaminooxazolines and an anticholinergic agent];
[0008] U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,092 [amino-oxazolines useful as central nervous system depressants];
[0009] U.S. Pat. No. 2,876,232 [2-(9-fluorenylamino)-oxazolines), and German Patent nos. 1,191,381 and 1,195,323 and European Patent Application no 87304019.0;
[0010] U.S. Pat. No. 4,515,800 [2-(trisubstituted phenylimino) imidazoline compounds, also known as 2-(trisubstituted-anilino)-1,3-diazacyclopentene-(2) compounds, for treatment of glaucoma];
[0011] U.S. Pat. No. 5,066,664 [2-(hydroxy-2-alkylphenylamino)-oxazolines and thiazolines as anti glaucoma and vasoconstrictive agents].
[0012] Chapleo et al. [Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 1989, 32 1627-30] describe heteroaromatic analogs of clonidine as partial agonists of α 2 adrenoceptors.
[0013] Poos, et al. [Journal of Organic Chemistry, 1961, 26, 4898-904.] reported the syntheses of isomeric forms of 2-amino-3-phenylnorbornanes, and that the endo-phenyl-exo-amino compounds demonstrated a biphasic effect on blood pressure. U.S. Pat. No. 3,514,486 to Hartzler discloses making 3-isopropyl-2-norbornanamine and reports that they have useful antihypertensive activity.
[0014] Additionally, commonly assigned co-pending applications Ser. Nos. 08/186,406 and 08/185,653 disclose alpha-substituted derivatives of aromatic 2-amino-imidazoles and methods of using the same as α 2A selective agonists.
[0015] The background of the division of adrenoceptors into differing categories can be briefly described as follows. Historically, adrenoceptors were first divided into α and β subtypes by Ahlquist in 1948. This division was based on pharmacological characteristics. Later, β-adrenoceptors were subdivided into β 1 and β 2 subtypes, again based on a pharmacological definition by comparison of the relative potencies of 12 agonists. The α-adrenoceptors were also subdivided into α 1 and α 2 subtypes, initially based on a presumed localization of α 1 receptors postsynaptically and α 2 presynaptically. Now, however, this physiologic division is no longer used and it is generally accepted that the most useful way to subdivide the a-adrenoceptors is based on pharmacology, using affinities for the a-antagonists yohimbine and prazosin. At α 1 receptors, prazosin is more potent than yohimbine, whereas at α 2 receptors, yohimbine is more potent than prazosin. More recently the α 1 and α 2 receptors have been further subdivided into subtypes such as α 1A , α 1B , α 1C , α 2A , α 2B and α 2C .
[0016] The term agonist refers to a class of compounds which bind with some affinity to and activate a particular type of receptor. Activation refers to what could be considered analogous to flipping on a switch, i.e. the receptor is induced to initiate some kind of action like a physiologic response or a chain of biochemical events. The term antagonist (or receptor blocker) refers to a class of compounds which bind to a receptor with some affinity, but are unable to activate the receptor to provide an effect. The antagonist can be compared to a key which is able to slide into a lock, but is unable to turn in the lock to open it.
[0017] Some examples of alpha 2 (α 2 ) adrenergic receptor blocking compounds known in the art are:
[0018] Idazoxan is classified as a selective a 2 antagonist, and has been studied in combination with tyrosine as an antidepressant and in combination with D 2 dopamine receptor antagonists as an antipsychotic agent. 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-6hydroxy-1-((N-methyl-amino)-methyl-N-phenylethyl)naphthalene hydrochloride (A-75169) lowers intraocular pressure in mammals.
[0019] The receptor affinity of candidate compounds can be determined by radioligand binding competition studies. Radioligand binding competition studies assess the affinity of a compound by measuring its ability to displace a radioligand of known affinity.
[0020] As described above, an agonist is defined as a compound that binds to and activates a receptor response. An antagonist binds to, but does not activate a response by, the receptor. The measure of activation caused by a bound molecule is said to be its efficacy. Functional experiments are designed to determine whether, after binding, a test compound elicits a biochemical effect, or rather binds without causing the receptor to respond. An antagonist, if of sufficient binding affinity, can be used to block the binding of endogenous molecules in the body which activate a receptor, and thereby prevent its activation. Antagonists can find therapeutic use by blocking the binding of an oversupply of an endogenous receptor activator or the over expression of a receptor effect. Owing to the intricacy of the interactions between a given binding molecule and the conformation and function of the receptor itself, partial agonists and partial antagonists are also known in receptor pharmacology.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] The present invention concerns novel compounds of the formula I,
[0022] in which: ring A is any of the five alternative multi-cyclic rings shown, X is nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur and R is hydrogen, straight or branched chain alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or straight or branched chain alkenyl of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloaliphatic ring of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, phenyl optionally mono- or di-substituted with hydroxy, halogen, alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms or alkoxy of 1 to 2 carbon atoms, or methylenedioxyphenyl. In the drawing of chemical structures as shown above, the intersection of two or more lines indicates a carbon atom, a single line indicates a single bond, and a double line a double bond, and a dotted line adjacent a single line indicates either a single or double bond. The chemical nomenclature for the rings shown above from left to right in descending order is norbornane (or bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane); bornane (or 1,7,7-trimethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane); 7-oxa-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane; bicyclo[2.2.2]octane and adamantane (or tricyclo[3.3.1.13,7]decane). The wavy lines across a bond indicate that the bond attaches to either the R or 2-amino-heterocyclic moieties. Any stereoisomers and diastereomers which are available by bonding the substituents R and the 2-amino-heteroazole moieties to the available valences of the above-indicated carbons on the rings are contemplated by the invention, as well as the pharmaceutically acceptable salts.
[0023] Another aspect of the invention concerns the method of use of these compounds in blocking or antagonizing α2 receptor function.
[0024] Other aspects of the invention relate to pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds of the invention in admixture with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable, non-toxic carriers, and to methods pertaining to their use.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] Definitions
[0026] As used herein:
[0027] The terms “ester” and “amide” refer to and cover any compound falling within the definition of those terms as classically used in organic chemistry.
[0028] The term “alkyl” refers to and includes normal and branched chain alkyl groups as well as cycloalkyl groups. The term “lower alkyl”, unless specifically stated otherwise, includes normal alkyl of 1 to 6 carbons, branched-chain alkyl of 3 to 6 carbons and cyclo-groups having 3 to 6 carbon atoms. Similarly, the terms “alkenyl” and “alkynyl” include normal and branched chain as well as cyclo-alkenyl and alkynyl groups, respectively, having 2 to 6 carbons when the chains are normal, and 3 to 6 carbons when the chains are branched or cyclic.
[0029] The terms endo and exo are used in describing a substituent in spatial relation to its connection to a bridged ring and refer to the position of the substituent as either “inside” or “outside” the ring. For the bicycloheptane compounds, endo refers to a substituent attached to the ring by a bond that points down and below the general plane of the six membered ring, and exo refers to a substituent attached to the ring by a bond that points out from and above the general plane of the six membered ring.
[0030] The terms cis and trans are also used in describing the relative stereochemistry of the substituents of the present invention. Since the carbon atoms at positions 2 and 3 in the norbornane and bicyclo[2.2.2]octane rings are rigidly fixed by the bicyclic ring structure there is no bond rotation or alternative conformation of the ring system. Thus, the bond between carbon atoms 2 and 3 can be likened to a double bond in that respect, and so relative stereochemistry can be described with cis indicating that the substituents are located on the same side of the bond, and trans indicating that the substituents are located in positions opposite one another across the bond.
[0031] Pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds of formula I are also within the scope of the present invention. Pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts of the compounds of the invention are those formed from acids which provide pharmaceutically acceptable anions, such as the hydrochloride, hydrobromide, hydroiodide, sulfate, bisulfate, phosphate or acid phosphate, acetate, maleate, fumarate, oxalate, lactate, tartrate, citrate, gluconate, saccharate, or toluenesulfonate salts. A pharmaceutically acceptable salt may be any salt which retains the activity of the parent compound and does not impart any deleterious or untoward effect on the subject to which it is administered and by the context in which it is administered.
[0032] Organic amine salts may be made with amines, particularly ammonium salts such as mono-, di- and trialkyl amines or ethanol amines. Salts may also be formed with caffeine, tromethamine, and similar molecules. Where there is a nitrogen sufficiently basic as to be capable of forming acid addition salts such may be formed with any inorganic or organic acids or alkylating agent such as methyl iodide. Any of a number of simple organic acids such as mono-, di-, or tri-acid may also be used. A pharmaceutically acceptable salt may be prepared for any compound of the invention having a functionality capable of forming such a salt, e.g., an acid salt of an amine functionality.
[0033] Utility and Dosage Forms
[0034] The compounds of formula I and pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof have been found to possess valuable pharmacologic properties in the central nervous system and, in particular, have been shown to block (antagonize) α 2 receptors in standard laboratory tests. Accordingly, these compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable compositions containing them are useful in reduction or maintenance of the intraocular pressure in at least one eye of a mammal and in regulation of other physiologic phenomena related to α 2 receptors. Such physiologic activities include for example: alleviation, prevention or inhibition of depression in mammals; reduction in the severity of diabetes; alleviation of male impotence; and stimulation of weight loss.
[0035] In applying the compounds of the invention to treatment of diseases or disorders of the eye which are associated with an abnormally high intraocular pressure, administration may be achieved by any pharmaceutically acceptable mode of administration which provides adequate local concentrations to provide the desired response. These include direct administration to the eye via drops and controlled release inserts or implants, as well as systemic administration as described below.
[0036] Drops and solutions applied directly to the eye are typically sterilized aqueous solutions containing 0.001% to 10%, most preferably 0.005% to 1% of the active ingredient, along with suitable buffer, stabilizer, and preservative. The total concentration of solutes should be such that, if possible, the resultant solution is isotonic with the lachrymal fluid and has a pH in the range of 6-8. Typical sterilizing agents are thimerosal, chlorobutanol, phenyl mercuric nitrate and benzalkonium chloride. Typical buffers are, for example, citrate, phosphate, borate or tromethamine; suitable stabilizers include glycerin and polysorbate 80. The aqueous solutions are formulated by simply dissolving the solutes in a suitable quantity of water, adjusting the pH with suitable acid or base to a pH of about 6.8 to 8, making a final volume adjustment with additional water and sterilizing the resultant solution.
[0037] The dosage level of the resulting composition will, of course, depend on the concentration of the drops, the condition of the subject and the individual magnitude of response to treatment. However, a typical ocular composition could be administered at the rate of about 2 to 10 drops per day per eye of a 0.1% solution of active ingredient.
[0038] The compounds of the present invention, when administered for conditions which are regulated by the central nervous system (CNS), can be by any of the accepted modes of administration for agents which relieve depression or affect the CNS including oral, parenteral, rectal, and otherwise systemic routes of administration. Any pharmaceutically acceptable mode of administration can be used, including solid, semi-solid, or liquid dosage forms, such as for example, tablets, suppositories, pills, capsules, powders, liquids suspensions, or the like, preferably in unit dosage form suitable to single administration of precise dosages, or in sustained or controlled release forms for the prolonged administration of the compound at a predetermined rate. The compositions will typically include a conventional pharmaceutical carrier or excipient and an active compound of formula I or the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and, in addition, may include other medicinal agents, pharmaceutical agents, carriers, adjuvants, etc.
[0039] The amount of active compound administered will course be dependent of the subject being treated, the severity of the affliction, the manner of administration and the judgment of the prescribing physician. However, an effective dosage is in the range of 0.01-1 mg/kg/day, preferably 0.1-0.5 mg/kg/day. For an average human of about 70 kg, this would amount to 0.7-70 mg/day.
[0040] For solid compositions, conventional non-toxic carriers include, for example mannitol, lactose, starch, magnesium stearate, sodium saccharin, talcum, cellulose, glucose, sucrose, magnesium carbonate, and the like may be used. The active compound as defined above may be formulated as suppositories using, for example, polyalkylene glycols, for example, propylene glycol as a carrier. Liquid pharmaceutically administerable compositions can, for example, be prepared by dissolving, dispersing, etc. an active compound as defined above and optional pharmaceutical adjuvants in a carrier, such as, for example, water, saline, aqueous dextrose, glycerol, ethanol, and the like to thereby form a solution or suspension. If desired, the pharmaceutical composition to be administered may also contain minor amounts of non toxic auxiliary pH buffering agents and the like, for example, sodium acetate, sorbitan monolaurate, triethanolamine oleate, etc. Actual methods of preparing such dosage forms are known, or will be apparent. to those skilled in this art; for example, see Remington's Pharmaceutical Sciences, Mack Publishing Company, Easton, Pa., 15th Edition, 1975. The composition or formulation to be administered will, in any event, contain a quantity of the active compound in an amount effective to alleviate the symptoms of the subject being treated.
[0041] Dosage forms or composition containing active ingredient of formula I or its salts in the range of 0.25 to 95% with the balance made up from non-toxic carrier may be prepared.
[0042] For oral administration, a pharmaceutically acceptable non-toxic composition is formed by the incorporation of any of the normally employed excipients, and may contain 1% -95% active ingredient, preferably 5%-50%.
[0043] Parenteral administration is generally characterized by injection, whether subcutaneously, intramuscularly, or intravenously. Injectables can be prepared in conventional forms, either as liquid solutions or suspension, solid forms suitable for solution or suspension in liquid prior to injection, or as emulsions. Suitable excipients include, for example, water, saline, aqueous dextrose, glycerol, ethanol or the like. In addition, if desired, the pharmaceutical compositions may also contain minor amounts of non-toxic substances such as wetting or emulsifying agents, auxiliary pH buffering agents and the like, for example, sodium acetate, sorbitan monolaurate, triethanolamine oleate, etc.
[0044] The percentage of active compound contained in such parenteral compositions is highly dependent on the specific nature thereof, as well as the activity of the compound and the needs of the subject. However, percentages of active ingredient of 0.1% to 10% in solution are employable, and will be higher if the composition is a solid which will be subsequently diluted to the above percentages. Preferably the composition will comprise 0.2-2% of the active agent in solution.
[0045] Preferred Embodiments
[0046] Among the family of compounds of the present invention, a preferred group includes compounds of formula I wherein X is oxygen, i.e. compounds where the oxazoline ring constitutes the heterocycle.
[0047] A second preferred group of compounds of the invention are those that incorporate the bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane group in their structure as the ring A group.
[0048] Within either of the two preceding preferred groups, a still more preferred embodiment is of compounds which have a hydrogen atom or an aromatic group at the position represented by R.
[0049] Methods of Preparation
[0050] As illustrated by Scheme I below, treatment of an alkynyl acid with diazomethane in ether afforded the corresponding ester. The ester and cyclopentadiene were warmed at 175° C. for 40 hours to form the cycloadduct. This adduct was unstable to SiO 2 chromatography and was best purified using a Kugelrohr distillation.
[0051] The double bonds in the cycloadduct were immediately saturated by treatment with H 2 and Pd/C at one atmosphere. Conversion of the ester into an amine was accomplished by conversion to the carboxylic acid followed by a Curtius reaction. Thus, the acid was activated by treatment with isobutylchloroformate. The acyl azide was formed by treatment with sodium azide. Elimination of nitrogen and formation of a benzyl carbamate occurred when the azide was warmed in toluene in the presence of benzyl alcohol. The amine was liberated upon treatment with H 2 and Pd/C at one atmosphere. Oxazoline synthesis was accomplished under standard conditions: treatment first with chloroethylisocyanate and then aqueous NaHCO 3 solution.
[0052] endo, exo Relative stereochemistry
[0053] Preparation of b-nitrostyrene was accomplished according to the Organic Syntheses method. Treatment of a methanol solution of benzaldehyde with nitromethane (100 mol.-%) in the presence of sodium hydroxide (105 mol.-%) afforded the nitro alcohol. Dehydration of the alcohol was effected by treatment with aqueous hydrochloric acid (5M).
[0054] The nitrostyrene of 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde was obtained by treating piperonal (3,4-methylenedioxybenzaldehyde) in a similar fashion to that reported for b-nitrostyrene. The acetal proved stable to the aqueous acid required for dehydration.
[0055] Construction of the bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane skeleton was carried out in two steps. The Diels-Alder reaction was conducted by warming the nitrostyrene with cyclopentadiene (110 mol.-%) neat (b-nitrostyrene is a low melting material) or in 1,2-dichloroethane (1M in nitroolefin). The Diels-Alder reaction proceeds in approximately a 3:1 endo nitro: exo nitro ratio. Both the ratio and relative stereochemistry was demonstrated through X-ray analysis. Reduction of both the nitro group and the olefin was carried under an atmosphere of hydrogen in the presence of 10 weight-% palladium on charcoal (10%). Separation of isomers was conveniently carried out at this stage using flash chromatography.
[0056] Oxazoline synthesis was conducted under standard conditions. The amine was first converted to the chloroethylurea by treatment with chloroethylisocyanate. Warming the chloroethylurea in the presence of sodium bicarbonate afforded the oxazolines. This effort is summarized in Scheme II. Thiazolines and imidazolines were also prepared under standard conditions. Treatment of amines with chloroethylisothiocyanate affords thiazolines directly while treatment with imidazoline-2-sulfonic acid affords the corresponding imidazolines in a single step.
[0057] Reagents and Conditions: i. CH3NO2, KOH, MeOH; ii. HCl; iii. cyclopentadiene, neat or 1M in dichloroethane; iv. H2, 10 Pd on C; v. chloroethylisocyanate; vi. NaHCO3 [X=O]; vii. chloroethylisothiocyanate [X=S]; viii. imidazoline-2-sulfonic acid [X=NH].
[0058] Synthesis of oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane derivatives of the present invention can also be prepared by Diels Alder reactions following means well known in the art. Grieco, Zelle, Lis and Finn in Journal of the American Chemical Society. 105 1403-4 (1985) report means of making suitably derivatized oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptane and oxabicyclo[2.2.1]heptene compounds which can be elaborated into compounds of the present invention. This can be accomplished by the synthetic steps which follow the Diels Alder cycloaddition in Scheme 1 using the 2-carbomethoxy-bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene intermediate of the reference, or if the nitro functionality of other of the Grieco et al. compounds are employed, according to the steps iv, v, vi (or vii or viii) in Scheme 2. Another journal article by Jarvest and Readshaw disclose advantageous conditions for Diels-Alder cyclization of derivatized furans and cyanoacrylate to yield 2-cyano-5-substituted-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptanes. These articles are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
[0059] The invention is further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples which are illustrative of a specific mode of practicing the invention and are not intended as limiting the scope of the appended claims.
EXAMPLE 1
2-Hydroxy-1-nitrohexane
[0060] Pentanal (49.6 ml, 464 mmol) was stirred in a solution of nitromethane (276 ml, 5108 mmol). To the reaction methanolic KOH (3N) was added dropwise to pH 8. The reaction was stirred at room temperature overnight. The solution contained trace amounts of insoluble dark brown material. The solution was washed with H 2 O and extracted into dichloromethane; concentration of the solvent gave clean product (II) in 96% yield, (56.58 g).
EXAMPLE 2
1-Nitrohex-1-ene
[0061] The nitroalcohol (1) (2.0 g, 13.6 mmol) was dissolved in dichloromethane and treated at 0° C. for 30 minutes by dropwise addition with methanesulfonyl chloride (1.6 g, 13.6 mmol). Triethylamine (2.75 g, 27.2 mmol) was then added dropwise and stirred for an additional hour at 0° C. The product was washed with 1M H 3 PO 4 and then with saturated NaHCO 3 and extracted with dichloromethane. Concentration of the solvent gave the olefin in 80% yield (3.03 g).
EXAMPLE 3
Trans-2-nitro-3-butyl bicyclo[2.2.1]heptane
[0062] The nitroolefin (2) (3.00 g, 19.3 mmol) was dissolved in 20 ml of dichloromethane and then freshly cracked cyclopentadiene (6.49, 96.6 mmol) was added and bubbled with argon for 15 minutes. This was added to a sealable tube and, once sealed was placed in an oil bath at 90° C. overnight. The reaction went to completion. Excess cyclopentadiene was removed by Kugelrohr distillation. The resultant product was obtained in 60% yield (3.53 g).
EXAMPLE 4
Trans 2-(3-butyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)amine
[0063] The cycloadduct (3) (2.53 g, 13.0 mmol) was dissolved in methanol (25 ml) and bubbled with Ar. To this was added 10% palladium on carbon (500 mg). This vessel containing this mixture was put on a Parr apparatus for hydrogenation at 50 psi overnight. The reduced material was filtered through celite and the solvent was concentrated. The residue was dissolved in 1M H 3 PO 4 and washed with dichloromethane. The aqueous layer was basified with 25% NaOH to a pH of ca. 13. This was extracted with dichloromethane three times. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give the product in 86% yield (1.86 g).
EXAMPLE 5A
Trans 2-(3-butyl bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)amino-oxazoline
[0064] The amine (4) (200 mg, 1.20 mmol) was dissolved in THF (5 ml). To this was added chloroethylisocyanate (0.122 ml, 1.40 mmol) dropwise and stirred at room temperature for two hours. The reaction mixture was poured into 1M H 3 PO 4 and ice (1:1) to quench the reaction. This was then extracted with dichloromethane and concentrated to give the urea. The urea was treated with methanol (6 ml), water (6 ml) and NaHCO 3 (202 mg, 2.4 mmol). This mixture was refluxed at 80° C. for 2 hours. The reaction was quenched with saturated NaHCO 3 and extracted with dichloromethane. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give desired product (270 mg). Column chromatography with 5% MeOH saturated with NH 3 in dichloromethane gave the desired product in 60% yield (155 mg).
[0065] [0065] 1 H NMR(CDCl3): 0.70-1.70(M,16H), 1.9(d, 1H), 2.5(5, 1H), 3.4(S1H) 3.75(t,2H), 4.1(5,1H), 4.25(t,2H).
[0066] Elemental analysis:theoretical—C, 71.14%; H, 10.23%; N, 11.86%; found—C, 70.8%; H, 10.20%; N, 11.60%.
[0067] 5B.
Trans 2-(3-butyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)aminothiazoline
[0068] The amine (4) (200 mg, 1.20 mmol) in THF (5 ml) was treated with chloroethylisothiocyanate dropwise at 0° C. for 3 hours. The reaction mixture was poured into 1M H 3 PO 4 . The aqueous layer was extracted with dichloromethane and then basified with 25% NaOH to pH 13. The aqueous layer was then extracted with dichloromethane three times. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give the product in 11.6% yield (35 mg).
[0069] [0069] 1 H NMR (CDCl3): 0.85 (t, 3H), 1.1-1.7(M, 13H), 1.95 (d,1H), 2.5 (S, 1H) 3.3 (t,2H), 3.5 (S,1H), 4.0 (t, 2H).
[0070] [0070] 13 C NMR C (CD 3 OD): d 14.0, 21.0, 23.0, 30.0, 30.5, 35.0, 35.2, 35.3, 40.5, 41.5, 51.5, 64.0.
[0071] Elemental analysis: theoretical—C, 66.63%; H, 9.59%; N, 11.10%; found—C, 66.40%; H, 9.52%; N, 11.0%.
[0072] 5C.
Trans 2-(3-butyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)aminoimidazoline
[0073] An acetonitrile (2.4 ml) suspension of the amine (4) (200 mg, 1.20 mmol) with triethylamine (0.184 ml, 1.32 mmol) and then with imidazoline-2-sulfonic acid (198 mg, 1.32 mmol). The solution was refluxed for 2 hours. Aqueous workup with 1 M H 3 PO 4 and then basifying aqueous layer to pH 13 and extraction with dichloromethane gave the desired product. The HCl salt was prepared from HCl/ether in methanol which gave a yield of 20% (60 mg).
[0074] [0074] 1 H NMR (CDCl3): 0.70-1.70 (M, 16H), 2.0 (d, 1H), 2.6 (S,1H), 3.4(S,1H) 3.65(S,4H).
[0075] [0075] 13 C NMR (CHCl 3 ): d 22.9, 27.8, 27.89, 28.05, 31.83, 32.29, 33.41, 37.34, 39.89, 42.53, 42.89, 44.06, 44.54, 57.9, 61.6, 95.6, 161.02.
EXAMPLE 6A
exo-[2.2.1]bicycloheptyl-2-amino-oxazoline
[0076] A THF solution containing the exo-norbornylamine was cooled to 0° C. under a nitrogen atmosphere and was treated with chloroethylisocyanate. The magentically mixed solution was allowed to warm to r.t. over 1 h and then stirred an additional 1 h at r.t. After extraction from 1 M H 3 PO 4 (20 mL; 3×15 mL CH 2 Cl 2 extraction) and drying over Na 2 SO 4 , the white solid recovered after concentration was warmed at reflux in aqueous MeOH containing NaHCO 3 . After extraction from 0.5N NaOH, drying (Na2SO4) concentration and chromatography (eluent: 5% NH 3 -saturated MeOH in CH 2 Cl 2 ; 230-400 mesh SiO 2 ; eluate collected in 10 mL fractions). Fractions 10-20 afforded 350 mg of the agent (65%). Recrystallization was accomplished using pure hexane.
[0077] mp 115-117° C.
[0078] [0078] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): 0.87 (t over m, 5H), 1.1-1.85 (m, 5H), 2.4 (s,1H), 3.78 (t, 2H), 3.85 (s, 1H), 4.25 (t, 2H).
EXAMPLE 6B
endo-[2.2.1]bicycloheptyl-2-amino-oxazoline
[0079] The amine from Aldrich (as HCl salt was dissolved in 25% NaOH and extracted 3 times with CH 2 Cl 2 , dried over Na 2 SO 4 and concentrated to a waxy foam, dried under cauum, and treated with choloethylisocyanate as with the exo amine above in 6A.
[0080] mp 122-124° C.
[0081] [0081] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): 1.08-1.26 (m, 5H), 1.32-1.85 (m, 5H), 2.28 (br. d,1H), 3.45 (s, 1H), 3.79 (t, 2H), 4.24 (t, 2H).
EXAMPLE 7
2-Carbomethoxy-3-ethyl[2.2.1]bicyclo Δ2,3, Δ5,6 heptadiene
[0082] Methyl pent-2-yn-oate (5.3 g, 126.16 mmol) was dissolved in toluene (30 ml) and placed in a sealable tube. To this was added freshly cracked cyclopentadiene. The tube was sealed and placed in a oil bath at 168° C. for 42 hours. The excess cyclopentadiene was removed by Kugelrohr distillation. The product was isolated in 70.3% yield (5.26 g).
EXAMPLE 8
Cis 2-carbomethoxy-3-ethyl[2.2.1]bicycloheptane
[0083] The cycloadduct (6) (5.26 g, 29.5 mmol) was dissolved in MeOH (60 ml) and bubbled with Ar, and to the solution was added 10% palladium on carbon (500 mg). The reaction vessel containing this mixture was put on a Parr apparatus for hydrogenation at 50 psi overnight. The reduced material was filtered through celite and solvent concentrated. The residue was dissolved in 1M H 3 PO 4 and washed with dichloromethane. The aqueous layer was basified with 25% NaOH to ca. pH 13. This was extracted with dichloromethane three times. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give product in 81% yield (4.7 g).
EXAMPLE 9
Cis 2(3-ethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)amine
[0084] The ester (3) (2.0 g, 10.2 mmol) was dissolved in a MeOH/THF (30 ml/20 ml) solution. This was treated with 2N LiOH (10.2 ml, 20.4 mmol) in H 2 O at 100° C. and refluxed. The reaction was concentrated to a paste and dissolved in 40 ml H 2 O and washed twice with dichloromethane. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give the corresponding acid. This acid was dissolved in acetone (20 ml), and triethylamine (3.06 ml, 22.1 mmol) was added dropwise. Next ethylchloroformate was added dropwise (2 ml, 20.9 mmol) at 0° C. The reaction was stirred for 1 hour. NaN 3 (676 mg, 10.4 mmol) was added in portions at 0° C. for an additional hour. The reaction was partitioned between ice water and dichloromethane. The organic layers were combined and concentrated to give the acyl azide. This was then treated with benzyl alcohol (995 mg, 9.2 mmol) in toluene and refluxed at 110° C. for 30 minutes. The reaction was washed with H 2 O and extracted in dichloromethane. Concentration of solvent gave the benzyl carbamate. The carbamate was reduced in the same manner as before with 10% palladium on carbon. The product was obtained in an overall yield of 45% (550 mg).
[0085] NMR H 1 (CDCl 3 ): 0.8(t, 3H), 1.0-1.6(m, 9H), 1.8 (s,1H), 2.2 (s,1H), 4.7(s,1H), 5.3(s,2H).
EXAMPLE 10A
[0086] Cis 2-(3-ethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)amino-oxazoline
[0087] The bicyclic amine (8) was treated as in the procedure outlined for the preparation of the trans compound (5A) above.
[0088] [0088] 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 ): 0.8(t, 3H), 1.00-2.00(m, 9H), 2.1(s,1H), 2.5(s,1H), 3.9(s,1H), 3.8(t, 2H), 4.2(t, 2H).
[0089] [0089] 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ): d 14.5, 20.8, 25.5, 28.2, 38.2, 40.3, 44.7, 54.42, 55.05, 64.3, 69.2.
[0090] Analysis calculated for C 12 H 20 N 2 O: C, 69.09; H, 9.68; N, 13.55; Found: C, 68.6; H, 9.24; N, 13.45.
EXAMPLE 10B
Cis 2-(3-ethyl bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)aminothiazoline
[0091] can be prepared by substituting the bicyclic amine (8) for (4) in the preparation of 5B above.
EXAMPLE 10C
[0092] Cis 2-(3-ethyl-bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl)aminoimidazoline
[0093] Likewise, 9C can be prepared by substituting the bicyclic amine (8) for (4) in the preparation of 5C above.
EXAMPLE 11
2-N-Bornylamino-oxazoline
[0094] To a THF solution of the amine (250 mg, 1.63 mmol) at 0° C. was added chloroethylisocyanate (189 mg, 1.79 mmol) dropwise. The reaction was allowed to warm to r.t. and after stirring for one hr., all starting material was consumed. The reaction mixture was poured into 1M H3PO4 and extracted three times with methylene chloride. After drying, the solution was concentrated and the resulting solid was warmed in aqueous methanolic NaHCO3. The reaction was extracted from 0.5N NaOH and dried (Na2SO4), concentrated and chromatographed over 250-400 mesh silica using 5% ammonia saturated methanol in CH 2 Cl 2 as eluent. Yield: 206 mg (60%).
[0095] [0095] 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) 161.7, 67.6, 57.8, 52.9, 49.2, 48.0, 44.8, 38.4, 28.3, 27.6, 19.9, 18.7, 13.7.
[0096] [0096] 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) 4.24 (2H, m); 3.80 (3H, m); 2.38 (1H, m); 1.87-1.1 (6H, env, m); 0.93 (3H, s); 0.87 (3H, s); 0.86 (3H, s).
EXAMPLE 12
Bicyclo[2.2.2]octane aminooxazoline Adamantylaminooxazoline
[0097] In a similar manner to Example 10, commercially available bicyclo[2.2.2]octane amine and adamantylamine can be used to prepare the 2-bicyclo[2.2.2]octane-aminooxazoline and adamantylaminooxazoline compounds, respectively.
EXAMPLE 13
Receptor Binding Assays
[0098] 13 A.
[0099] Tissue preparation: Membrane suspensions were prepared from human cerebral cortex (HCC) obtained from the UCI Organ and Tissue Bank and rat kidney cortex (RKC). Briefly, tissues (1 g) were homogenized in 25 ml of iced-cold 5 mM tris, pH 7.4 with a Polytron homogenizer for 30 secs at setting #7, and centrifuged for 10-12 minutes at 300×g at 4° C. The supernatant was filtered through 2 layers of gauze and diluted 1:2 with 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer, pH 7.4, then centrifuged at 49,000×g for 20 minutes. The pellet fraction was washed 3 times (resuspended in Tris-HCl buffer and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 49,000×g). The pellet was then stored at −80° C. until the binding assay.
[0100] Cell preparation: HT-29 and chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing the human α 2A (CHO-C10) receptor and CHO cells (CHO-RNG) expressing the rat α 2B adrenoceptor were grown to near confluency in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum using standard cell culture methods. Cells were harvested by scraping and placed into cold buffer of the following composition: 50 mM Tris-HCl, 5 mM EDTA, pH 7.4). Cells were then homogenized with a Polytron homogenizer for 2×10 secs at setting #7, and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 49,000×g. The pellet fraction was washed (resuspended in Tris-HCl, pH 8 buffer and centrifuged for 15-20 minutes at 49,000×g) 2 times and stored at −100° C. until binding assay.
[0101] Binding studies: The radioligands [ 3 H]rauwolscine (specific activity 80 Ci/mmol) and [ 3 H]prazosin (specific activity 76 Ci/mmol) were obtained from New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass. Frozen membrane pellet was resuspended in 25 mM glycine/glycine, pH 7.4 and incubated with radioligand under the following conditions: CHO-C10, CHO-RNG, HT-29-[ 3 H]rauwolscine, 22° C., 30 minutes; RKC-[ 3 H]rauwolscine, 0° C., 120 minutes; and, HCC-[ 3 H]prazosin, 22° C., 30 minutes in a final volume of 500 μl. At the end of the incubation period, the samples were filtered through glass fiber filters (Whatman GF/B) in a 96 well cell harvester and rapidly washed four times with 4 ml of ice-cold 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The filters were then oven dried and transferred to scintillation vials containing 5 ml of Beckman's Ready Protein® scintillation cocktail for counting. Specific binding defined by 10 μM phentolamine for competition studies were as follows: 0.3 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-C10 99%; 0.4 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-RNG 99%; 0.7 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-HT-29 90%; 1 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-RKC 92%, and 0.3 nM [ 3 H]prazosin-HCC 87%. Protein concentrations were determined with a protein assay kit from Bio Rad. Binding isotherms, equilibrium dissociation and affinity constants were analyzed and determined by the non-linear least squares curve fitting programs AccuFit Competition/Saturation by Beckman.
[0102] Binding studies: The radioligands [ 3 H]rauwolscine (specific activity 80 Ci/mmol), [ 3 H]prazosin (specific activity 76 Ci/mmol) and [ 3 H]brimonidine (UK-14,304; specific activity 63 Ci/mmol) were obtained from New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass. Frozen membrane pellet was resuspended in either 50 mM tris, 2 mM EGTA, 1 mM MgCl 2 , pH 7.5 (RbKC, RbICB-[ 3 H]brimonidine); 50 mM tris, 0.5 mM EDTA, 5 mM NaCl, pH 7.7 (RbICB-[ 3 H]rauwolscine); 25 mM glycine/glycine, pH 7.4 (RtKC, CHO-C10, CHO-RNG, HT-29, HCC) or 50 mM tris, 0.1 mM MnCl 2 , pH 7.7 (RtCC). Membrane protein homogenate (75-200 μg) was incubated with radioligand under the following conditions: RbKC and RbICB-[ 3 H]rauwolscine, 22° C., 45 minutes; RtCC and RbICB-[ 3 H]brimondine, 22° C., 90 minutes; CHO-C10, CHO-RNG and HT-29-[ 3 H]rauwolscine, 22° C., 30 minutes; HCC-[ 3 H]prazosin, 22° C., 30 minutes; and, in a final volume of 250 or 500 μl. At the end of the incubation period, the samples were filtered through glass fiber filters (Whatman GF/B) in a 24 or 96 well cell harvester and rapidly washed four times with 4 mls of iced-cold 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The filters were then oven dried and transferred to scintillation vials containing 10 mls of Beckman's Ready Protein® scintillation cocktail for counting. Specific binding defined by 10 μM phentolamine for competition studies were as follows: 2.4 nM [ 3 H]brimonidine-RbICB 62%; 2.4 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-RbICB 75%; 2 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-RbKC 88%; 0.3 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-C10 99%; 0.4 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-RNG 99%, 0.3 nM [ 3 H]prazosin 87%; and 1 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-RtCC 90%. Protein concentrations were determined with a protein assay kit from Bio Rad. Binding isotherms, equilibrium dissociation and affinity constants were analyzed and determined by the non-linear least squares curve fitting programs EBDA (BioSoft) or AccuFit Competition/Saturation by Beckman.
[0103] 13 B.
[0104] Cell preparation: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells expressing the human α 2A (CHO-C10) and the rat α 2B (CHO-RNG) adrenoceptors were grown to near confluency in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum using standard cell culture methods. Cells were harvested by scraping and placed into cold buffer of the following composition: 50 mM Tris-HCl, 5 mM EDTA, pH 7.4). Cells were then homogenized with a Polytron homogenizer for 2×10 secs at setting #7, and centrifuged for 20 minutes at 49,000×g. The pellet fraction was washed (resuspended in Tris-HCl, pH 8 buffer and centrifuged for 15-20 minutes at 49,000×g) 2 times and stored at −100° C. until binding assay.
[0105] 13C.
[0106] Binding Studies: Determination of K i
[0107] The radioligands [ 3 H]rauwolscine (specific activity 80 Ci/mmol) and [ 3 H]prazosin (specific activity 76 Ci/mmol) were obtained from New England Nuclear, Boston, Mass. Frozen membrane pellet was resuspended in 25 mM glycine/glycine, pH 7.4 and incubated with radioligand under the following conditions: CHO-C10, CHO-RNG-[ 3 H]rauwolscine, 22° C., 30 minutes; and, HCC-[3H]prazosin, 22° C., 30 minutes in a final volume of 500 ul. At the end of the incubation period, the samples were filtered through glass fiber filters (Whatman GF/B) in a 96 well cell harvester and rapidly washed four times with 4 mls of iced-cold 50 mM Tris-HCl buffer. The filters were then oven dried and transferred to scintillation vials containing 5 ml of Beckman's Ready Protein® scintillation cocktail for counting. Specific binding defined by 10 μM phentolamine for competition studies were as follows: 0.3 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-C10 99%; 0.4 nM [ 3 H]rauwolscine-CHO-RNG 99%, and 0.3 nM [ 3 H]prazosin-HCC 87%. Protein concentrations were determined with a protein assay kit from Bio Rad. Binding isotherms, equilibrium dissociation and affinity constants were analyzed and determined by the non-linear least squares curve fitting programs AccuFit Competition/Saturation by Beckman.
[0108] Determination of α 2 Activation: Measuring Efficacy (EC 50 )
[0109] Vas Deferens: The prostatic ends of the vas deferens (2-3 cm) were removed from albino rabbits and mounted between platinum electrodes in 9 ml organ baths containing Krebs-Hensleit solution of the following composition (mM): NaCl 119, KCl 4.7, MgSO 4 1.5, KH 2 PO 4 1.2. CaCl 2 2.5, NaHCO 3 25 and glucose 11. This solution was maintained at 35° C. and bubbled with 95% O 2 and 5% CO 2 . The tissue was equilibrated at 0.5 g tension for 30 minutes. The vas deferens strips were then field stimulated at 0.1 Hz, 2 msec, 90 mA using a square wave stimulator (World Precision Instruments A310 Accupulser/A385 Stimulus Isolater), or a Grass S48 stimulator at 0.1 Hz, 2 msec, 70 volts. After 30 minutes of electrical stimulation, cumulative concentration-response curves in 0.25 log units were obtained with a 4 minute contact time for each concentration. Each tissue was used to evaluate only one drug. Tissue contractions produced by the field stimulation were measured isometrically using Grass FT-.03 force-displacement transducers and recorded on a Grass Model 7D physiograph. The reduction in electrically-evoked peak height by the drugs was measured and expressed as a percentage of the pre-drug peak height. The IC 50 was determined as the concentration which produced a 50% reduction in peak height.
TABLE I K i (nM) Structure α 2A (CHO-C10) α 2B (CHO-RNG) EC 50 (nM) tested α 1 (HT-29)* (RKC) † α 2 (vas def.) 11,131 1,751 4,174 >56,200 1,864 3.1 7.8 29,000 6.730 14.3 72 >56,200 10,977 6,571 6,103 not tested as no binding was observed 73 1.9 27 3,700 1,860 1.1 4.6 >56,000 >100,000 150* 317 † 1,100 24,760 59 616 not tested >100,000 67,247 57,075 not tested as no binding observed >10,000 43* 58 † not tested >100,000 23,320 20,950 not tested 8,600 25 256 903 8,851 9.8 28.1 46,000 1,600 0.6 8.3 1.0 5,824 29* 59 † not tested 42,000 58* 167 † not tested 17,240 288* 5,100 † not tested >10,000 4.2 11.5 >10,000 >10,000 368 1,935 16,000 32,487 119 770 >10,000 >10,000 102 358 >5,000 34,950 352 1,838 >10,000
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A compound of formula I
in which: ring A is one of the five alternative multi-cyclic rings as shown wherein a dotted line adjacent to a bond indicates that a single bond or a double bond may be present at that position; X is nitrogen, oxygen or sulfur; R is hydrogen, lower straight or branched chain alkyl of 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or lower straight or branched chain alkenyl of 2 to 6 carbon atoms, a cycloaliphatic ring of 3 to 6 carbon atoms, phenyl optionally mono- or di-substituted with hydroxy, halogen, alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms or alkoxy of 1 to 2 carbon atoms, or methylenedioxyphenyl; or a stereoisomer, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
These compounds have α 2 receptor blocking activity and hence find use in the treatment or palliation of elevated intraocular pressure, non insulin-dependent diabetes, male impotence and obesity.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an unfurlable rescue ladder for emergency rescue.
BACKGROUND
An exemplary prior art unfurlable rescue ladder is sold by Guardian Fall Protection Inc. of Kent, Wash., marketed as the “rapid deployment rescue ladder.” It is used for rescuing fallen workers, such as in the construction industry. The ladder is light in weight, typically formed entirely or at least primarily of a fabric material, and is easily rolled up or folded for compact stowage in a weather resistant carrying container. The ladder is unfurled for use by another worker seeking to assist the fallen worker. If the fallen worker is not able to climb up the ladder, the worker who deployed the ladder can use it to climb down to assist the fallen worker.
Similar light weight, unfurlable ladders are used for mountain/rock climbing. An example is the “8-Step Ladder Aider” marketed by Metolius Mountain Products, Inc. of Bend, Oreg. The ladder aider, or simply “aider,” is typically anchored to an “ascender,” a device that is fitted securely around a rope the climber climbs. The rope has been previously positioned and anchored so as to hang down from the top of the climbing objective, and so it is called a “top rope.” The ascender is adapted to slide on the rope in one direction only, being prevented by friction from sliding in the reverse direction, and is oriented for climbing so that its sliding direction is upward. The climber wears a harness that is attached via a lanyard to the ascender. As the climber climbs the rope, the climber drags the ascender up the rope, the aider along with it. As the ascender captures the climber's progress by resisting downward sliding, the climber may step on the rungs of the aider and use it as a climbing assist.
A device known as a “progress capture pulley” is also sometimes used in mountain/rock climbing, and is often used in construction, for hauling equipment. A rope is passed over a sheave and a cam allows the rope to feed through the pulley in one direction but not the other.
SUMMARY
An unfurlable rescue ladder is disclosed herein. The ladder includes a hanger element, a ladder portion, a connecting element, a rope, and a progress capture element.
The hanger element has a connecting aperture therethrough that is either “closed” or “closeable;” the connecting element has a connecting aperture therethrough that is either “closed” or “closeable;” the progress capture element has a connecting aperture therethrough, and a separate rope-passing aperture therethrough for passing the rope through the progress capture element, the connecting and rope-passing apertures being either “closed” or “closeable.”
Either a plurality of rung elements are attached to each other in sequence so as to form of a chain of rung elements with a first end of the chain depending from the hanger element, or a plurality of rung elements are attached to and between rail elements in sequence with respective first ends of the rail elements depending from the hanger element.
The hanger element is connected to the first connecting member and the first connecting member is connected to the progress capture mechanism. More specifically, to the hanger element is connected to the first connecting member such that a portion of that portion of the hanger element that surrounds the connecting aperture through the hanger element passes through the connecting aperture through the first connecting element, and a portion of that portion of the first connecting element that surrounds the connecting aperture through the first connecting element passes through the connecting aperture through the hanger element, and the first connecting member is connected to the progress capture element such that a portion of that portion of the connecting element that surrounds the connecting aperture through the connecting element passes through the connecting aperture through the progress capture element, and a portion of that portion of the progress capture element that surrounds the connecting aperture through the progress capture element passes through the connecting aperture through the first connecting element.
It is to be understood that this summary is provided as a means of generally determining what follows in the drawings and detailed description and is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Objects, features and advantages of the invention will be readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric drawing of a first configuration of a ladder portion of an unfurlable rescue ladder according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an isometric drawing of a second configuration of a ladder portion of an unfurlable rescue ladder according to the present invention.
FIG. 3 is an isometric drawing of a third configuration of a ladder portion of an unfurlable rescue ladder according to the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an isometric drawing of a connecting assembly for use with the ladder portions of FIGS. 1-3 according to the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an isometric drawing of a preferred alternative connecting assembly for use with the ladder portions of FIGS. 1-3 according to the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an elevation view of a user of an unfurlable rescue ladder according to the present invention attached to a lanyard.
FIG. 7 is an elevation view of a connecting arrangement for connecting the lanyard of FIG. 6 to the connecting assembly of FIG. 5 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIGS. 1-3 show various configurations of a ladder portion 12 of an unfurlable rescue ladder 10 according to the present invention. Each of the configurations includes a hanger 14 and a plurality of substantially identical rung elements 16 .
The ladder 10 is provided with sufficient strength to satisfy a load requirement of 310 pounds, and the hanger and rung elements are formed primarily of a flexible material so that the ladder can be rolled up, or folded, for compact storage, and unfurled when needed. Preferably the material of which the hanger and rung elements are at least primarily formed is a lightweight and weatherproof fabric material such as nylon webbing, though they may include relatively rigid materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, or carbon fiber reinforced polymer to provide rigidity where needed, such as on the rungs where a user of the ladder would step.
FIG. 1 shows a first configuration 12 a of the ladder portion 12 having a hanger 14 a and rung elements 16 a , along with side rails 18 . Like the hanger and rung elements, the side rails 18 are formed primarily of a flexible material provided with sufficient strength to satisfy the load requirement; and preferably the material of which the side rails 18 are primarily formed is a lightweight and weatherproof fabric material such as nylon webbing, though they may include relatively rigid materials such as aluminum, fiberglass, or carbon fiber reinforced polymer to provide rigidity or heft where needed, such as at the bottom end of the side rails.
The rung elements 16 a are attached to and between the rails 18 in sequence at opposite ends “E-rung” of the rung elements, with opposed ends “E-rail” of the rail elements 18 attached to the hanger 14 a . Attachment of the rails to the hanger, and the rung elements to the rails, may be by any satisfactory means. Where the hanger, side rails and rung elements are all formed of fabric material, they are preferably joined together by stitches, though other joining means could be used so long as the ladder 10 satisfies the load requirement. For example, if it would be possible to satisfy the load requirement, the elements of fabric material may be joined together by use of an adhesive.
FIG. 2 shows a second configuration 12 b of the ladder portion 12 incorporating the hanger 14 a of the first configuration 12 a with modified rung elements 16 b that eliminate the need for side rails.
The rung elements 16 b are attached to each other in sequence so as to form of a chain of rung elements, with a rung element 16 b -top that defines the top-most rung element of the chain depending from the hanger 14 a . Attachment of the rung elements 16 b to each other, and attachment of the rung element 16 b -top to the hanger, may be by any satisfactory means. Where the hanger and rung elements are all formed of fabric material, they are preferably joined together by stitches, though other joining means could be used so long as the ladder 10 satisfies the load requirement. For example, if it would be possible to satisfy the load requirement, the elements of fabric material may be joined together by use of an adhesive.
FIG. 3 shows a third configuration 12 e of the ladder portion 12 incorporating the rung elements 16 b of the second configuration 12 b with the ends E-rung of the top rung element 16 b -top ( FIG. 2 ) either being joined together or eliminated to define a modified hanger 14 c . Where the rung elements are formed of fabric material, the ends of the top rung element are preferably joined together by stitches, though other joining means could be used so long as the ladder 10 satisfies the load requirement. For example, if it would be possible to satisfy the load requirement, the elements of fabric material may be joined together by use of an adhesive.
FIG. 4 shows a ladder connecting assembly 20 for anchoring the ladder portion 12 and providing for a novel “progress capture” function of the rescue ladder 10 .
For use with the ladder connecting assembly 20 , the hanger 14 preferably provides a through-aperture 15 . The aperture 15 may be provided by any satisfactory means, such as being inherently provided by the through-aperture defined by the hanger 14 c of FIG. 3 . Where the hanger is formed of fabric material, the aperture 15 may be formed more specifically by attaching an additional length of fabric material 21 to the hanger 14 , such as by stitches, though other joining means could be used so long as the ladder 10 satisfies the load requirement. For example, if it would be possible to satisfy the load requirement, the fabric material used for forming the aperture 15 may be joined to the hanger 14 by use of an adhesive.
The aperture 15 is preferably centrally located on the hanger 14 , on the bilateral ladder axis indicated in FIG. 3 as “L 1 .”
The aperture 15 is “closed,” meaning for purposes herein that it is contiguously surrounded by structure such that a ring encircling any portion of the structure and passing through the aperture cannot be removed from the aperture without either manipulating or damaging the structure or manipulating or damaging the ring. At the other extreme, an aperture is “open” if the ring can be removed from the aperture without contact between the structure and the ring. Between these extremes, an aperture is “closeable” if the structure defining the aperture can be selectably manipulated to provide for repetitively opening (obtaining the “open” configuration) or closing (obtaining the “closed” configuration) the aperture as desired.
An example of a “closed” aperture is that defined through a ring, an example of an “open” aperture is that defined through a hook, and an example of a “closeable” aperture is that defined through a carabiner. In cases where an aperture is “closeable,” it will be understood that “the structure surrounding the aperture” refers to the structure surrounding the aperture when the aperture is closed.
Potentially, a ring could fall out of an “open” aperture. This is also possible, though less likely, if the structure surrounding the aperture is merely “closeable” rather than being “closed,” the latter providing a maximally secure means of attachment and is preferred if it is not necessary to allow a user to change the configuration of the aperture.
The ladder connecting assembly 20 includes a ladder attachment connector 22 such as the D-ring shown in FIG. 4 . The ladder attachment connector 22 has two separate through-apertures A 1 and A 2 . Like the aperture 15 , the apertures A 1 and A 2 are preferably “closed” for maximum security of attachment. Alternatively, however, they could be merely “closeable.”
D-rings are specific structures that are well known in the climbing arts. They may be defined generally for purposes herein as having a bilateral axis of symmetry “AS” (see FIG. 4 ), where the aperture A 1 defines an arc of a circle extending at least 180 degrees, more preferably at least 270 degrees, and most preferably 360 degrees, which is centered about the axis AS, and where the aperture A 2 has an area that is substantially smaller than the area of the aperture A 1 by at least 10%, and has a substantially different shape due to at least the majority of its perimeter being defined by rectilinear rather than curvilinear lines, such as the edge 29 .
To connect the connector 22 to the ladder portion 12 , a portion of that portion of the connector 22 that surrounds the aperture A 2 of the connector 22 is passed through the aperture 15 of the hanger 14 ; and a portion of that portion of the hanger 14 that surrounds the aperture 15 is passed through the aperture A 2 .
The ladder connecting assembly 20 further includes a progress capture mechanism 38 , which may be either an ascender or a progress capture pulley as known and commercially provided in the climbing arts. As is standard, the progress capture mechanism 38 has two separate through-apertures A 3 and A 4 . The apertures A 3 and A 4 are typically “closed” in commercial embodiments, but either or both of these apertures could be “closeable” instead.
The aperture A 3 is for passing a rope 42 through the progress capture mechanism 38 . For use with the progress capture mechanism, the term “rope” is defined to mean any rope or equivalent article of manufacture commercially provided in the climbing arts for climbing purposes.
Ideally, the progress capture mechanism 38 allows the rope 42 to pass freely through the aperture A 4 in one direction, and prevents passage of the rope through the aperture A 4 in the opposite direction. As a practical minimum requirement, the progress capture mechanism should allow for passing the rope in the favored direction with at least ten times less force than would be needed to overcome the resistance the progress capture mechanism provides to passing the rope in the opposite direction.
A connector 40 is used to connect the ladder portion 12 to the progress capture mechanism 38 . For this purpose, the connector 40 has a through-aperture A 5 which, like the apertures A 1 and A 2 of the connector 22 , may be either “closed” or “closeable.” The connector 40 may be a carabiner.
To connect the connector 40 to the ladder portion 12 , a portion of that portion of the hanger 14 that surrounds the aperture 15 of the ladder portion 12 is passed through the aperture A 5 of the connector 40 ; and a portion of that portion of the connector 40 that surrounds the aperture A 5 is passed through the aperture 15 .
Similarly, to connect the connector 40 to the progress capture mechanism 38 , a portion of that portion of the progress capture mechanism that surrounds the aperture A 4 of the progress capture mechanism is passed through the aperture A 5 of the connector 40 ; and a portion of that portion of the structure that surrounds the aperture A 5 is passed through the aperture A 4 .
Where the ladder portion 12 is formed of fabric material, the ladder connector 22 may be provided as shown in FIG. 5 . In such case, it may be advantageous to likewise form the ladder connector 22 of fabric material. The ladder connector 22 in this embodiment may an extension or integral part(s) of the same fabric material used in the ladder portion 12 , or it may include one or more additional lengths of fabric material joined to the hanger 14 and/or to each other. Where the ladder connector 22 includes one or more additional lengths of fabric material, the one or more additional lengths of fabric material are preferably joined to the hanger 14 and/or to each other by stitches, though other joining means could be used so long as the ladder 10 satisfies the load requirement. For example, if it would be possible to satisfy the load requirement, the one or more additional lengths of fabric material may be joined to the hanger 14 and/or to each other by use of an adhesive.
FIG. 5 provides an example where the hanger 14 of the ladder portion 12 as in any of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1-3 may be modified to incorporate the ladder connector 22 , with stitches provided such as are indicated to form the aforementioned through-aperture A 1 .
Since the connector 22 is either part of or attached to the hanger 14 , there is no need for the through-aperture A 2 provided in the D-ring embodiment of the ladder connector 22 shown in FIG. 4 . It will be readily appreciated that numerous alternative configurations of the fabric embodiment of the ladder connector 22 are possible.
Turning now to FIG. 6 , a typical safety line is shown for supporting a worker 24 who has fallen from a building 26 . The worker falls only a short distance as a result of being tied to the building by a lanyard 28 . The lanyard is designed to controllably lengthen as the worker falls to absorb shock.
The lanyard 28 is connected at one end 28 a to a harness 30 worn by the worker at a D-ring connector 32 via a first carabiner 34 a . The connector 32 has a through-aperture A 6 which corresponds to, and which may have the same attributes as, the aperture A 1 of the connector 22 . The other end 28 b of the lanyard is connected to the building 26 at an anchor point 36 via a second carabiner 34 b.
The carabiner 34 b has a through-aperture (not visible in FIG. 6 ) that is “closeable,” and the anchor point 36 has a through-aperture A 10 . To connect the lanyard 28 to the anchor point 36 , a portion of that portion of the connector 34 b that surrounds the through aperture of the connector 34 b is passed through the aperture A 10 through the anchor point 36 ; and a portion of that portion of the anchor point 36 that surrounds the aperture A 10 is passed through the through-aperture of the connector 34 b.
In general for purposes herein, an anchor point need not have a through-aperture. For example, an anchor point could be a railing, or post, to which the end 28 b is tied, or around which the end 28 b is wrapped, using any standard means.
After a worker has fallen from the building 10 as shown in FIG. 6 , another person in the building (not shown) may deploy the ladder 10 , by connecting it to the building and unfurling it so that it can be accessed by the fallen worker. The connection to the building may be made through the connector 22 by use of an additional connector 46 that will be discussed immediately below in connection with FIG. 7 .
However, before the worker fell he/she made the connection shown in FIG. 6 between the end 28 a of the lanyard and the connector 32 by installing the first carabiner 34 a himself/herself, typically with the harness 30 already donned. Now with reference to FIG. 7 showing the ladder unfurled and provided to the fallen worker, the worker is likewise able to connect to the rope 42 at the same attachment connector 32 by use of a “closeable” connector 44 connected to a looped end 42 a of the rope. This allows for the person who deployed the ladder, or a person who is otherwise available to provide assistance, to use the rope 42 and progress capture mechanism 38 to capture the worker's progress as he or she climbs the ladder, by pulling on an end 42 b of the rope such as where indicated and in the direction indicated by the arrow at “P,” to take up the slack in the rope as the worker ascends.
The looped end 42 a has a through-aperture A, ( FIG. 4 ) that is “closed,” but the end 42 a could be fitted with additional hardware that provides an aperture that is “closeable.” The connector 44 shown in FIG. 7 has a through-aperture A 8 that cannot be seen in the Figure but is just like the aperture A 5 of the connector 40 (see FIG. 4 ), which is in this case preferably “closeable” so the worker is able to open the aperture to make the connection to the rope 42 and close the aperture thereafter to ensure a safe connection.
To connect the connector 32 to the rope 42 , a portion of that portion of the end 42 a of the rope 42 that surrounds the aperture A 7 ( FIG. 4 ) of the end 42 a is passed through the aperture A 8 of the connector 44 ; and a portion of that portion of the connector 44 that surrounds the aperture A 8 is passed through the aperture A 8 .
To connect the ladder 10 to the building, the connector 22 may be connected to the anchor point 36 , or to some other attachment point in the building, by use of an additional connector 46 . The connector 46 has a through-aperture A 9 which is like the aperture A 8 of the connector 44 , very preferably being “closeable” so the person deploying the ladder is able to open the aperture to make the connection to the rope anchor point and close the aperture thereafter to ensure a safe connection.
To connect the ladder to the connector 46 , a portion of that portion of the connector 22 that surrounds the aperture A 1 of the connector 22 is passed through the aperture A 9 through the connector 46 ; and a portion of that portion of the connector 46 that surrounds the aperture A 9 is passed through the aperture A 1 .
To connect the connector 46 to the anchor point 36 , a portion of that portion of the connector 46 that surrounds the aperture A 9 of the connector 46 is passed through the aperture A 10 through the anchor point 36 ; and a portion of that portion of the anchor point 36 that surrounds the aperture A 10 is passed through the aperture A 9 .
It should be understood that it is not necessary for the ladder 10 to be connected to the same anchor point as the lanyard 28 that supports the person who has fallen.
Preferably the progress capture mechanism 38 is closely coupled to the mid-point of the hanger 14 of the ladder, so that an angle φ defined between the rope and the vertical at elevations beneath the progress capture mechanism is minimized, so that the linear translation of the end 42 a of the rope 42 as the worker climbs the ladder is primarily in the vertical direction, along the ladder axis L 1 ( FIG. 3 ). Preferably no more than 20% of this translation is in a direction perpendicular to the vertical.
Preferably, the progress capture mechanism 38 is more specifically a progress capture pulley, so that the angle θ defined between the rope and the horizontal at elevations above the progress capture mechanism 38 obtained as the assisting person pulls on the rope can be significantly less than 90 degrees, e.g., between zero and 45 degrees.
It is to be understood that, while a specific unfurlable rescue ladder has been shown and described as preferred, other configurations could be utilized, in addition to those already mentioned, without departing from the principles of the invention.
The terms and expressions which have been employed in the foregoing specification are used therein as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions to exclude equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof, it being recognized that the scope of the invention is defined and limited only by the claims which follow.
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An unfurlable rescue ladder. The ladder includes a progress capture element allowing someone who deploys the ladder for rescuing a person who has fallen to also assist the person to climb the ladder.
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CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present application is a continuation-in-part application of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/431,982, filed on Nov. 1, 1999, for A Golf Club Head With A Face Composed Of A Forged Material.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
Not Applicable
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for processing a striking plate for a golf club head. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for chemical etching a forged metal striking plate for a golf club head to achieve proper thickness uniformly.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a golf club head strikes a golf ball, large impacts are produced that load the club head face and the golf ball. Most of the energy is transferred from the head to the golf ball, however, some energy is lost as a result of the collision. The golf ball is typically composed of polymer cover materials (such as ionomers) surrounding a rubber-like core. These softer polymer materials having damping (loss) properties that are strain and strain rate dependent which are on the order of 10-100 times larger than the damping properties of a metallic club face. Thus, during impact most of the energy is lost as a result of the high stresses and deformations of the golf ball (0.001 to 0.20 inches), as opposed to the small deformations of the metallic club face (0.025 to 0.050 inches). A more efficient energy transfer from the club head to the golf ball could lead to greater flight distances of the golf ball.
The generally accepted approach has been to increase the stiffness of the club head face to reduce metal or club head deformations. However, this leads to greater deformations in the golf ball, and thus increases in the energy transfer problem.
Some have recognized the problem and disclosed possible solutions. An example is Lu, U.S. Pat. No. 5,499,814, for a Hollow Club Head With Deflecting Insert Face Plate, discloses a reinforcing element composed of a plastic or aluminum alloy that allows for minor deflecting of the face plate which has a thickness ranging from 0.01 to 0.30 inches for a variety of materials including stainless steel, titanium, KEVLAR®, and the like. Yet another Campau invention, U.S. Pat. No. 3,989,248, for a Golf Club Having Insert Capable Of Elastic Flexing, discloses a wood club composed of wood with a metal insert.
Although not intended for flexing of the face plate, Viste, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,624 discloses a golf club head having a face plate composed of a forged stainless steel material and having a thickness of 3 mm. Anderson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,344,140, for a Golf Club Head And Method Of Forming Same, also discloses use of a forged material for the face plate. The face plate of Anderson may be composed of several forged materials including steel, copper and titanium. The forged plate has a uniform thickness of between 0.090 and 0.130 inches.
Another invention directed toward forged materials in a club head is Su et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,776,011 for a Golf Club Head. Su discloses a club head composed of three pieces with each piece composed of a forged material. The main objective of Su is to produce a club head with greater loft angle accuracy and reduce structural weaknesses.
The typical forging process for metal golf club faces involves heating the metal bar at a temperature in excess of 1000° C. for longer than twenty minutes, pressing and then repeating the process. The forged face is then milled or ground to obtain the proper face thickness. Thus, all current golf club forged face plates undergo a post-forging milling or grinding step to achieve a proper thickness, and proper bulge and roll. However, this milling and grinding of forged face plate cannot achieve a uniform reduction in thickness.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for chemically etching a forged face member for golf club head to achieve a relatively thin striking plate in a uniform manner. The thin striking plate allows for greater compliance of the striking plate with a golf ball during impact. A more compliant striking plate provides for lower energy loss and a higher coefficient of restitution.
One aspect of the present invention is a method for chemically etching a finished forged striking plate for a golf club head. The method includes forging a face member with a striking plate to a final configuration having predetermined thickness. Next, the forged face member with the striking plate is chemically etched in an acidic bath to uniformly remove 0.002 inch to 0.015 inch from the forged face member with the striking plate. Preferably, 0.003 inch each surface of the forged face member with the striking plate.
The forging process may include heating a metal bar to a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes, and then pressing the heated metal bar into an L-shape metal bar. Next, the L-shape metal bar is again heated to a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes, and then pressed into an intermediate shape face member. Next, the intermediate shape face member is coated with a glazing compound. Next, the coated intermediate shape face member is heated to a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes, and then pressed into a final face member configuration.
The method may also include additional heating and pressing at even lower temperatures and at a lowered pressure to finalize the bulge and roll of a striking plate of the final face member configuration. The preferred metal is titanium, and most preferably alpha-beta-titanium. The multiple heating and pressing provides a thin face with greater durability.
Having briefly described the present invention, the above and further objects, features and advantages thereof will be recognized by those skilled in the pertinent art from the following detailed description of the invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a golf club produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a front view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of golf club head of FIG. 1 .
FIG. 2A is a top plan view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a top plan isolated view of the face member of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention with the crown in phantom lines.
FIG. 4 is a side plan view of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 4A is a side plan view of an alternative embodiment of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a front view of the golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention illustrating the variations in thickness of the striking plate.
FIG. 7 is an isolated top view of the striking plate illustrating the variable face thickness.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the method of the present invention.
FIG. 8A is a flow chart of the forging process of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the components of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an isolated view of the face member of FIG. 9 .
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of the crown and the connected sole and face member.
FIG. 12 is a side view of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention immediately prior to impact with a golf ball.
FIG. 13 is a side view of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention during impact with a golf ball.
FIG. 14 is a side view of a golf club head produced according to the method of the present invention immediately after impact with a golf ball.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed at a method for uniformly chemically etching a forged face member for a golf club head. The face member has a relatively thin striking plate thereby allowing for greater compliance of the striking plate during impact with a golf ball. The compliant striking plate allows for a high coefficient of restitution thereby allowing for greater distance of a golf ball hit with the golf club head of the present invention. The coefficient of restitution (also referred to herein as “COR”) is determined by the following equation: e = v 2 - v 1 U 1 - U 2
wherein U 1 is the club head velocity prior to impact; U 2 is the golf ball velocity prior to impact which is zero; ν 1 is the club head velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; ν 2 is the golf ball velocity just after separation of the golf ball from the face of the club head; and e is the coefficient of restitution between the golf ball and the club face. The values of e are limited between zero and 1.0 for systems with no energy addition. The coefficient of restitution, e, for a material such as a soft clay or putty would be near zero, while for a perfectly elastic material, where no energy is lost as a result of deformation, the value of e would be 1.0. The present invention provides a club head having a striking plate or face with a coefficient of restitution approaching 0.93, as measured under conventional test conditions.
As shown in FIGS. 1-5, a golf club is generally designated 40 . Such a golf club is described in greater detail in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/431,982, filed on Nov. 1, 1999, for A Golf Club Head With A Face Composed Of A Forged Material, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The golf club 40 has a golf club head 42 with a body 44 and a hollow interior, not shown. Engaging the club head 42 is a shaft 48 that has a grip 50 , not shown, at a butt end 52 and is inserted into a hosel 54 at a tip end 56 . An O-ring 58 may encircle the shaft 48 at an aperture 59 to the hosel 54 .
The body 44 of the club head 42 is generally composed of four sections, the hosel 54 , a face member 60 , a crown 62 and a sole 64 . The club head 42 may also be partitioned into a heel section 66 nearest the shaft 48 , a toe section 68 opposite the heel section 66 , and a rear section 70 opposite the face member 60 .
The face member 60 is generally composed of a single piece of forged metal, and is preferably composed of a forged titanium material. The face member 60 generally includes a striking plate (also referred to herein as a face plate) 72 and a face extension 74 extending laterally inward from the perimeter of the striking plate 72 . The striking plate 72 has a plurality of scorelines 75 thereon. A more detailed explanation of the scorelines 75 is set forth in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/431,521, filed on Nov. 1, 1999, entitled Contoured Scorelines For The Face Of A Golf Club, and incorporated by reference in its entirety. The face extension 74 generally includes an upper lateral extension 76 , a lower lateral extension 78 , a heel wall 80 and a toe wall 82 .
The upper lateral extension 76 extends inward, toward the hollow interior 46 , a predetermined distance to engage the crown 62 . In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined distance ranges from 0.2 inch to 1.0 inch, as measured from the perimeter 73 of the face plate 72 to the edge of the upper lateral extension 76 . Unlike the prior art which has the crown engage the face plate perpendicularly, the present invention has the face member 60 engage the crown 62 along a substantially horizontal plane. Such engagement enhances the flexibility of the striking plate 72 allowing for a greater coefficient of restitution. The crown 62 and the upper lateral extension 76 are secured to each other through welding or the like along the engagement line 81 . As illustrated in FIG. 2A, in an alternative embodiment, the upper lateral extension 76 engages the crown 62 at a greater distance inward thereby resulting in a weld that is more rearward from the stresses of the striking plate 72 than that of the embodiment of FIG. 2 .
The uniqueness of the present invention is further demonstrated by a hosel section 84 of the upper lateral extension 76 that encompasses the aperture 59 leading to the interior hosel 54 . The hosel section 84 has a width w 1 that is greater than a width w 2 of the entirety of the upper lateral extension 76 . The hosel section 84 gradually transitions into the heel wall 80 . The heel wall 80 is substantially perpendicular to the striking plate 72 , and the heel wall 80 covers the interior hosel 54 before engaging a ribbon 90 and a bottom section 91 of the sole 64 . The heel wall 80 is secured to the sole 64 , both the ribbon 90 and the bottom section 91 , through welding or the like.
At the other end of the face member 60 is the toe wall 82 which arcs from the striking plate 72 in a convex manner. The toe wall 82 is secured to the sole 64 , both the ribbon 90 and the bottom section 91 , through welding or the like.
The lower lateral extension 78 extends inward, toward the hollow interior 46 , a predetermined distance to engage the sole 64 . In a preferred embodiment, the predetermined distance ranges from 0.2 inches to 1.0 inches, as measured from the perimeter 73 of the striking plate 72 to the end of the lower lateral extension 78 . Unlike the prior art which has the sole plate engage the face plate perpendicularly, the present invention has the face member 60 engage the sole 64 along a substantially horizontal plane. This engagement moves the weld heat affected zone rearward from a strength critical crown/face plate radius region. Such engagement enhances the flexibility of the striking plate 72 allowing for a greater coefficient of restitution. The sole 64 and the lower lateral extension 78 are secured to each other through welding or the like, along the engagement line 81 . The uniqueness of the present invention is further demonstrated by a bore section 86 of the lower lateral extension 78 that encompasses a bore 114 in the sole 64 leading to the interior hosel 54 . The bore section 86 has a width w 3 that is greater than a width w 4 of the entirety of the lower lateral extension 78 . The bore section 86 gradually transitions into the heel wall 80 .
The crown 62 is generally convex toward the sole 64 , and engages the ribbon 90 of sole 64 outside of the engagement with the face member 60 . The crown 62 may have a chevron decal 88 , or some other form of indicia scribed therein that may assist in alignment of the club head 42 with a golf ball. The crown 62 preferably has a thickness in the range of 0.025 to 0.060 inch, and more preferably in the range of 0.035 to 0.043 inch, and most preferably has a thickness of 0.039 inch. The crown 62 is preferably composed of a hot formed or “coined” material such as a sheet titanium. However, those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other materials or forming processes may be utilized for the crown 62 without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The sole 64 is generally composed of the bottom section 91 and the ribbon 90 that is substantially perpendicular to the bottom section 91 . The bottom section 91 is generally convex toward the crown 62 . The bottom section has a medial ridge 92 with a first lateral extension 94 toward the toe section 68 and a second lateral extension 96 toward the heel section 66 . The medial ridge 92 and the first lateral extension 94 define a first convex depression 98 , and the medial ridge 92 and the second lateral extension 96 define a second convex depression 100 . A more detailed explanation of the sole 64 is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6.007,433, filed on Apr. 2, 1998, for a Sole Configuration For Golf Club Head, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. The sole 64 preferably has a thickness in the range of 0.025 to 0.060 inch, and more preferably 0.047 to 0.055 inch, and most preferably has a thickness of 0.051 inch. The sole 64 is preferably composed of a hot formed or “coined” metal material such as a sheet titanium material. However, those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that other materials and forming processes may be utilized for the sole 64 without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate the variation in the thickness of the striking plate 72 . The face plate or striking plate 72 is partitioned into elliptical regions, each having a different thickness. A central elliptical region 102 preferably has the greatest thickness that ranges from 0.110 inch to 0.090 inch, preferably from 0.103 inch to 0.093 inch, and is most preferably 0.095 inch. A first concentric region 104 preferably has the next greatest thickness that ranges from 0.097 inch to 0.082 inch, preferably from 0.090 inch to 0.082 inch, and is most preferably 0.086 inch. A second concentric region 106 preferably has the next greatest thickness that ranges from 0.094 inches to 0.070 inch, preferably from 0.078 inch to 0.070 inch, and is most preferably 0.074 inch. A third concentric region 108 preferably has the next greatest thickness that ranges from 0.090 inch to 0.07 inch. A periphery region 110 preferably has the next greatest thickness that ranges from 0.069 inch to 0.061 inch. The periphery region includes toe periphery region 110 a and heel periphery region 110 b . The variation in the thickness of the striking plate 72 allows for the greatest thickness to be distributed in the center 111 of the striking plate 72 thereby enhancing the flexibility of the striking plate 72 which corresponds to a greater coefficient of restitution.
Additionally, the striking plate 72 of the present invention has a smaller aspect ratio than face plates of the prior art. The aspect ratio as used herein is defined as the width, “w”, of the face divided by the height, “h”, of the face, as shown in FIG. 1 A. In one embodiment, the width w is 78 millimeters and the height h is 48 millimeters giving an aspect ratio of 1.635. In conventional golf club heads, the aspect ratio is usually much greater than 1. For example, the original GREAT BIG BERTHA® driver had an aspect ratio of 1.9. The face of the present invention has an aspect ratio that is no greater than 1.7. The aspect ratio of the present invention preferably ranges from 1.0 to 1.7. One embodiment has an aspect ratio of 1.3. The face of the present invention is more circular than faces of the prior art. The face area of the striking plate 72 of the present invention ranges 4.00 square inches to 7.50 square inches, more preferably from 4.95 square inches to 5.1 square inches, and most preferably from 4.99 square inches to 5.06 square inches.
The club head 42 of the present invention also has a greater volume than a club head of the prior art while maintaining a weight that is substantially equivalent to that of the prior art. The volume of the club head 42 of the present invention ranges from 175 cubic centimeters to 400 cubic centimeters, and more preferably ranges from 300 cubic centimeters to 310 cubic centimeters. The weight of the club head 42 of the present invention ranges from 165 grams to 300 grams, preferably ranges from 175 grams to 225 grams, and most preferably from 188 grams to 195 grams. The depth of the club head from the striking plate 72 to the rear section of the crown 62 preferably ranges from 3.606 inches to 3.741 inches. The height, “H”, of the club head 42 , as measured while in striking position, preferably ranges from 2.22 inches to 2.27 inches, and is most preferably 2.24 inches. The width, “W”, of the club head 42 from the toe section 68 to the heel section 66 preferably ranges from 4.5 inches to 4.6 inches.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of the method of the present invention, generally designated 190 . At block 192 , a metal bar is forged into a final face member configuration. The final face member configuration preferably has a striking plate with variable face thickness as described above. The final face member configuration has a thickness that ranges from 0.050 inch to 0.250 inch. Preferably, the striking plate 72 has a thickness that is slightly greater than that described in reference to FIG. 6 . At block 194 , the final face member configuration is dipped into a bath of acid for chemical etching to uniformly remove from 0.002 inch to 0.015 inch from the final face member configuration. Preferably, 0.003 inch is uniformly removed from each surface of the final face member configuration. Thus, an interior surface of what will be the striking plate 72 has 0.003 inch chemically etched and an exterior surface has 0.003 inch chemically etched for a total removal of 0.006 inch from the final face member configuration. The acid bath is preferably hydrofluoric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid or a mixture thereof. The final face member configuration is placed within the acid bath for a predetermined time depending on the strength of the acid in order to remove the necessary thickness of material.
At step 196 , a hot set operation is begun to ensure that the striking plate 72 of the final face member configuration has a proper bulge and roll. At step 196 , the final face member configuration is heated in a furnace at a temperature less than 600° C. for less than 20 minutes. Preferably, the final face member configuration is heated in a furnace at a temperature of 250° C. to 520° C. for 15 to 20 minutes, and most preferably to a temperature of 300° C. At step 198 , the heated final face member configuration is immediately placed in a low pressure press for ensuring the proper bulge and roll of the striking plate 72 . After step 198 , the face member 60 has finished the forging process, and is ready for assembly with the other components of the golf club head 42 .
FIG. 8A is more detailed explanation of the forging process 192 . The forging process 192 commences at block 202 with a metal bar being provided for forging into a face member 60 . The metal bar preferably has a diameter of 1.8 centimeters and is preferably 10 centimeters in length. The metal bar is preferably composed of titanium, and most preferably alpha-beta titanium. At step 204 , the metal bar is heated in a furnace at a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes. Preferably, the metal bar is heated in a rotary furnace at a temperature between 900° C. and 970° C., most preferably 920° C., for between 10 and 17 minutes, preferably 15 minutes. At step 206 , the heated metal bar is pressed immediately after removal from the furnace into an L-shape bar. The L-shape bar, has a smaller portion that is pressed at substantially a right angle to a larger portion of the metal bar. The pressing is performed in a conventional press at conventional pressures.
At step 208 , the L-shape metal bar is again heated in a furnace at a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes. Preferably, the L-shape metal bar is heated in a rotary furnace at a temperature between 900° C. and 970° C., most preferably 920° C., for between 10 and 17 minutes, preferably 15 minutes. At step 210 , the heated metal bar is pressed immediately after removal from the furnace into an intermediate shape face member.
At step 212 , the intermediate shape face member is placed in a tumbler for tumbling to improve the surface condition of the intermediate shape face member. At step 214 , the tumbled, intermediate shape face member is placed in an acidic bath for a light chemical etching to remove dirt and other particles on the surface. The acidic bath is preferably composed of a nitric acid, a hydrochloric acid, or a mixture of both. At step 216 , the etched, intermediate shape face member is coated with a conventional glazing compound to provide lubrication during the final full pressure pressing to form the final configuration.
At step 218 , the coated, intermediate shape face member is heated in a furnace at a temperature less than 1000° C. for less than 20 minutes. Preferably, the coated, intermediate shape face member is heated in a rotary furnace at a temperature between 900° C. and 970° C., most preferably 920° C., for between 10 and 17 minutes, preferably 15 minutes. At step 220 , the heated, intermediate shape face member bar is pressed immediately after removal from the furnace into a final face member configuration. The final face member configuration preferably has a variable face thickness as set forth in FIGS. 6 and 7. Further, the final face member configuration has the face extension with the upper lateral extension 76 , the lower lateral extension 78 , the heel wall 80 and the toe wall 82 .
FIGS. 9-11 illustrate a preferred assembly of the different components of the golf club head 42 . Essentially there are four main components, the face member 60 , the crown 62 , the sole 64 and the interior hosel 54 . Sub-components include two weight members 122 and 123 and a decal 88 . The face member 60 is formed in the forging process 200 to create the striking plate 72 and face extension 74 with the upper lateral extension 76 , the lower lateral extension 78 , the heel wall 80 and the toe wall 82 . The aperture 59 is drilled in the hosel section 84 of the upper lateral extension 76 , after forging, and the drilling continues downward to the bore section 86 where the bore 114 is created in the bore section 86 .
Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the interior hosel 54 is welded to the hosel section 84 and the bore section 86 in alignment with the aperture 59 and the bore 114 . In a preferred embodiment, a sold cylinder is welded to the hosel section 84 and the bore section 86 in alignment with the aperture 59 and the bore 114 , and then the solid cylinder is reamed to create the hollow interior 118 of the interior hosel 54 , as defined by the hosel wall 120 . In an alternative embodiment, the interior hosel may be pre-reamed prior to welding to the face member 60 . Those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize that methods similar to welding may be employed for attachment of the hosel 54 to the face member 60 without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Next, the sole 64 is welded to the face member 60 (with attached hosel 54 ) as shown in FIG. 11 . The weight members 122 and 123 are attached on the bottom section 91 of the sole 64 , and then the crown 62 is welded to the face member 60 and the ribbon section 90 .
As shown in FIGS. 12-14, the compliance of the striking plate 72 allows for a greater coefficient of restitution, in the range of 0.83 to 0.93 under test conditions such as the USGA test conditions specified pursuant to Rule 4-1e, Appendix II of the Rules of Golf for 1998-1999. At FIG. 12, the striking plate 72 is immediately prior to striking a golf ball 140 . At FIG. 13, the striking plate 72 is engaging the golf ball, and deformation of the golf ball 140 and striking plate 72 is illustrated. At FIG. 14, the golf ball 140 has just been launched from the striking plate 72 . Thus, unlike a spring, the present invention increases compliance of the striking plate to reduce energy losses to the golf ball at impact, while not adding energy to the system.
From the foregoing it is believed that those skilled in the pertinent art will recognize the meritorious advancement of this invention and will readily understand that while the present invention has been described in association with a preferred embodiment thereof, and other embodiments illustrated in the accompanying drawings, numerous changes, modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention which is intended to be unlimited by the foregoing except as may appear in the following appended claims. Therefore, the embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined in the following appended claims.
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A method for chemically etching a forged striking plate for a golf club to uniformly remove 0.002 inch to 0.015 inch of material therefrom. The forged striking plate is placed in an acidic bath to uniformly remove material from all surfaces of the striking plate. The forging process, conducted prior to etching, involves multiple heating and pressing of a metal bar to obtain a final face member configuration. The heating of the metal bar is performed at temperatures below 1000° C. for less than twenty minutes. The final face member configuration has a striking plate with regions of variable thickness. The metal bar is preferably composed of a forged titanium material.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an improvement in a brake for stopping rotation of cutting blades of bush cutting machines.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A brake for a bush cutting machine is disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. SHO-51-53248 entitled “Rotary Cutter Stopping Device for Bush Cutting Machine”, or in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. SHO-51-99039 entitled “Safety Device for Bush Cutting Machine”.
[0003] The rotary cutter stopping device of SHO-51-53248 has a pair of brake shoes provided on an outer periphery of a driven shaft, cam plates mounted to press the respective brake shoes. When grip of a brake lever is released, the cam plates are rotated by springs, pressing the brake shoes against the outer periphery of the driven shaft, thereby stopping the rotary cutter. The above rotary cutter stopping device, however, requires an operator's constant operation of the brake lever, which is troublesome, when stopping the rotary cutter. Further, the device requires such components as a brake lever and wires, increasing the number of components and thereby increasing the production cost.
[0004] The safety device of SHO-51-99039 has brake linings provided proximately to an outer periphery of a clutch drum. When grip of a brake lever is released, the brake linings come into contact with the clutch drum, and a motor is stopped in response to a signal from a movable contact, thereby stopping the rotary cutter. This safety device, however, requires an operator's constant operation of the lever, which is troublesome, when stopping the motor and the rotary cutter, deteriorating its operability. Further, the device has a rod connected to a linkage, extended through a clutch housing, a construction which requires the consideration of dust- and water-proofing of the through hole. Further, the device requires such efforts as checking and adjustment of the tensioning of the linkage connected to the lever, which efforts are troublesome.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a bush cutting machine with improved drive operability and improved dustproof and waterproof properties, which can be produced at a relatively low cost.
[0006] According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a bush cutting machine which comprises: a motor; a centrifugal clutch designed to establish drive connection when a number of rotations of an output shaft of the motor exceeds a predetermined value; a blade driving shaft for transmitting a torque; a cutting blade mounted to a distal end of the blade driving shaft; the centrifugal clutch comprising a clutch drum provided on the blade driving shaft, a centrifugally pivotal member provided on the output shaft of the motor and housed in the clutch drum, and a clutch case connected to a motor housing for enclosing the pivotal member and the clutch drum; and an automatic braking mechanism housed in the clutch case and comprising a brake drum formed integrally within the clutch case, at least two centrifugal braking members pivotally mounted to the clutch drum in such a manner as to expand by a centrifugal force proportionate to the number of rotations of the clutch drum, and resilient members for biasing the braking members to the brake drum, whereby the braking members are brought into abutting engagement with the brake drum with decrease in the number of rotations of the clutch drum.
[0007] With the automatic braking mechanism thus installed in the clutch case, it becomes possible to make the braking members abut against the braking drum in accordance with the reduced number of rotations of the clutch drum. When the number of rotations decreases, the braking members press against the braking drum, whereby the clutch drum instantaneously stops rotating and the blade driving shaft and the cutting blade also stop. Thus, the operator does not need to manually control a brake lever to stop the blade driving shaft, leading to improved operability. Further, with the automatic braking mechanism installed in the clutch case, it is no longer necessary to provide in the clutch case a through hole for a wire or a rod for braking. This further leads to the advantage that dustproof and waterproof properties are improved. Furthermore, with the automatic braking mechanism installed in the clutch case, the need for mounting such components as a brake lever or a wire is eliminated, resulting in reduced production cost.
[0008] Desirably, the braking members are disposed around the brake drum in equidistantly spaced relation to each other, and the resilient members are provided to extend between adjacent two of the braking members. As a result, the weight of the braking members and the weight of the resilient members can be evenly distributed, thereby preventing unbalanced rotation. The braking members are synchronized to improve the braking properties.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] A preferred embodiment of the present inventing will be described in detail below, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0010] [0010]FIG. 1 is a side view showing use of a bush cutting machine according to the present invention;
[0011] [0011]FIG. 2 is a detailed view of portion 2 of FIG. 1;
[0012] [0012]FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3 - 3 in FIG. 2;
[0013] [0013]FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken at portion 4 of FIG. 2; and
[0014] [0014]FIGS. 5A and 5B are functional diagrams of the bush cutting machine according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0015] Referring initially to FIG. 1, when cutting bush, a bush cutting machine 10 according to the present invention is hung from a shoulder of an operator M via a hanging belt or shoulder strap 11 with a controller 12 gripped. Reference numeral 13 denotes a cutting blade for cutting bush.
[0016] As shown in FIG. 2, the bush cutting machine 10 has a motor 21 , a centrifugal clutch 23 designed to establish drive connection when the number of rotations of a crankshaft 22 , serving an output shaft of the motor 21 , exceeds a predetermined value, a blade driving shaft 24 for transmitting a rotational force or torque to the cutting blade 13 shown in FIG. 1, and an automatic braking mechanism 25 .
[0017] The centrifugal clutch 23 has a clutch drum 31 provided on the blade driving shaft 24 , a centrifugally pivotal member 32 (See FIG. 4) provided on the crankshaft 22 of the motor 21 and housed in the clutch drum 31 , and a clutch case 34 connected to a motor housing 33 , enclosing the pivotal member 32 and the clutch drum 31 .
[0018] The automatic braking mechanism 25 has a brake drum 35 formed integrally within the clutch case 34 , centrifugal braking members 36 pivotally mounted to the clutch drum 31 such that they expand by a centrifugal force proportionate to the number of rotations of the clutch drum 31 , and resilient members 37 (See FIG. 3) biasing the braking members 36 to the brake drum 35 . The braking mechanism 25 is installed in the clutch case 34 . Reference numeral 38 denotes a stopper.
[0019] The motor 21 has a cylinder 41 , a piston 42 , a crankshaft 22 , and an ignition plug 43 . Reference numeral 44 denotes a fuel tank, 45 an oil tank, and 46 a starter.
[0020] The clutch drum 31 has a tubular transmitting portion 47 , a disc-shaped connecting portion 48 formed integrally with one end of the transmitting portion 47 , and a connecting shaft 49 (See FIG. 4) mounted to the connecting portion 48 .
[0021] As shown in FIG. 3, the two braking members 36 , 36 are disposed around the brake drum 35 with a distance or interval L left therebetween, while the resilient members 37 , 37 are extended between the adjacent braking members 36 , 36 .
[0022] Serration 49 a is formed centrally of the connecting shaft 49 . Serration 24 a is formed on the blade driving shaft 24 . The serration 49 a is in meshing engagement with the serration 24 a.
[0023] Each braking member 36 has an arc-shaped body 51 . One end 52 of the body 51 is formed with a bearing 53 and a first hooking aperture 54 . The other end 55 is formed with a second hooking aperture 56 . An engaging portion 57 is formed in the middle, curved to the brake drum 35 . A friction member 58 is attached to the engaging portion 57 . Spindles 59 are attached to the connecting portion 48 of the clutch drum 31 . The bearing 53 is mounted to the spindle 59 . Reference numeral 61 denotes a retaining ring.
[0024] As shown in FIG. 4, the clutch case 34 includes a bearing support 62 provided on the inner surface of the brake drum 35 , supporting the connecting shaft 49 via bearings 63 , 63 .
[0025] The member 32 of the centrifugal clutch 23 swings when the number of rotations of the crankshaft 22 exceeds a predetermined value, abutting at one end 64 against the transmitting portion 47 , thereby contacting the clutch drum 31 .
[0026] Now, an operation of the above-mentioned bush cutting machine will be described with reference to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B.
[0027] In FIG. 5A, the automatic braking mechanism 25 of the bush cutting machine presses the braking drum 35 with the braking members 36 , 36 as shown by arrows {circle over (1)}, {circle over (1)}. This is the state wherein the motor stops. For the cutting operation, the motor is started, increasing the number of its rotations.
[0028] Turning to FIG. 5B, with increase in the number of rotations of the motor, the number of rotations of the clutch drum 31 of the centrifugal clutch 23 increases. Then, the braking members 36 , 36 skid over the braking drum 35 with the other ends 55 , 55 swung by a centrifugal force about the spindles 59 , 59 supporting the bearings 53 , 53 , in directions shown by arrows {circle over (2)}, {circle over (2)} against the forces of the resilient members 37 , 37 , thus causing the friction members to move away from brake drum 35 . As a result, the number of rotations is further increased, allowing the blade driving shaft 24 to rotate as shown by arrow {circle over (3)}. At this time, the swung braking members 36 , 36 abut against stoppers 38 , 38 , stably maintaining the maximally expanded state.
[0029] Conversely, when the number of rotations of the motor is reduced, the other ends 55 , 55 are returned to their original positions, as shown in FIG. 5A, by forces F, F of the resilient members 37 , 37 , and the friction members 58 , 58 of the braking members 36 , 36 are pressed against the brake drum 35 as shown by arrows {circle over (1)}, {circle over (1)}, thereby causing the clutch drum 31 and hence the blade driving shaft 24 to instantaneously stop rotating.
[0030] Since the automatic braking mechanism 25 in which, in correspondence with the reduced number of rotations of the clutch drum 31 of the centrifugal clutch 23 , the braking members 36 , 36 abut against the brake drum 35 , is thus installed in the clutch case 34 , manual braking control for stopping rotation of the blade driving shaft 24 is no longer required, thereby improving the driving operability of the machine.
[0031] Further, with the automatic braking mechanism 25 installed in the clutch case 34 , it is no longer necessary to provide a through hole in the clutch case 34 for allowing passage of such components as a wire and a rod, thus improving dustproof and waterproof properties of the machine.
[0032] Still further, with the automatic braking mechanism 25 installed in the clutch case 34 , it is no longer necessary to provide such components as a control lever and a wire for a braking operation, thereby reducing the number of components and hence the production cost.
[0033] In addition, since the two braking members 36 , 36 are disposed around the brake drum 35 in an equidistantly spaced relation to each other and the resilient members 37 , 37 are provided to extend between the adjacent braking members 36 , 36 , it becomes possible to evenly distribute the weight of the components around the rotational center, thereby preventing unbalanced rotation.
[0034] Moreover, since the two braking members 36 , 36 are provided around the brake drum 35 in an equally spaced relation to each other and the resilient members 37 , 37 are provided to extend between the adjacent braking members 36 , 36 , it becomes possible to render the resulting machine compact and to achieve synchronization of the braking members 36 , 36 . This leads to reliable braking.
[0035] In the embodiment discussed above in relation to FIG. 2, the brake drum 35 is formed in the clutch case 34 . Alternatively, the brake drum may be formed at any other fixed portion.
[0036] Although two braking members are provided around the brake drum 35 , the number of such members may be greater.
[0037] The present disclosure relates to the subject matter of Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-381407, filed Dec. 15, 2000, the disclosure of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
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A bush cutting machine including an automatic braking mechanism having a brake drum formed integrally with a clutch case which houses a centrifugal clutch. When the number of rotations of a clutch drum decreases, at least two braking members press against the brake drum, whereby the clutch drum stops rotating, and a cutting blade also stops rotating automatically.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a fog light assembly and, more particularly, to a fog light assembly which has (A) a plate having an upper margin attached to a front bump of a car and a lower margin formed with a track on the rear side of the plate, (B) a pair of fog lights sliding on and along the track, between a working position where the fog lights are beside the plate and an idle position where the fog lights are hidden behind the plate and (C) a driving bolt for moving the fog lights by threading.
Generally, high-end cars are equipped with built-in fog lights. As such fog lights are built in such cars, over-all esthetic prospects were taken into account during the styling of such cars. Low-end cars are not equipped with built-in fog lights. However, fog lights are preferable for safe driving in fog. But, such fog lights look odd on such cars as over-all esthetic prospects were not taken into account during the styling of such cars. Therefore, the present invention is intended to solve the above-mentioned problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a fog-light assembly which is mounted on a front bumper of a car without breaking the integral design of the car.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a fog-light assembly consisting of a pair of fog lights concealed when in an idle position.
It is yet another object to the present invention to provide a fog-light assembly having means for exposing a pair of fog lights beside a plate when in a working position and for hiding the pair of fog lights behind the plate when in an idle position.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide a fog-light assembly having means for controlling the motion of a pair of fog-lights.
For a better understanding of the present invention and objects thereof, a study of the detailed description of the embodiments described hereinafter should be made in relation to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front plane view of a fog-light assembly mounted on a bumper of a car in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of a fog-light assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a back plane view of a fog-light assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a back plane view of a fog-light assembly in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view of a circuit controlling the motion of two retractable fog lights in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Referring to the drawings and, more particularly to FIG. 1, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a fog-light assembly 2 is mounted on a bumper of a car. The fog-light assembly 2 has a plate 4. Two slots 6 extend in an upper margin of the plate 4. Two threaded bolts are inserted through the slots 6 and secured in two threaded holes which are formed when the car is fabricated. Originally, the threaded holes in the bumper are for mounting a number plate for the car. However, the threaded holes in the bumper are employed for mounting the fog-light assembly 2 in accordance with the present invention.
Referring to FIG. 2, on the front side of the plate 4, an upper flange extends below and parallel to a common axis of the slots 6 and a lower flange extends along the lower edge. The number plate is mounted between the upper and lower flanges. Two slots 8 extend in the plate 4 on a level below the upper flange, corresponding to two slots extending in the number plate on the same level. Two threaded bolts are inserted through the slots 8 and the slots in the number plate and secured in two nuts with threading, for mounting the number plate on the plate 4.
On the rear side of the plate 4, a limb 10 has a first edge extending along the lower edge of the plate 4 at the right angle and a second edge along which a limb 12 extends at the right angle. Thus, the plate 4 and limbs 10 and 12 consist in a track.
Referring to FIG. 3, a housing 14 is attached on the rear side of the plate 4. A motor 16 is mounted in the housing 14 with its mandrel extending parallel to the track. Co-axially attached to the mandrel of the motor 16 is a gear 18 engaging with a gear 20. A shank 22 co-axially bearing the gear 20 is mounted on two bearings 24 mounted in the housing 14. Two terminal sections of the shank 22 extend through two holes 26 in two lateral walls of the housing 14. Each of two sealing rings 28 is mounted about a corresponding terminal section of the shank 22 so that each ring 28 is against a corresponding lateral wall of the housing 14 for sealing a corresponding hole 26.
A right-hand threading 30 co-axially extends from the first terminal section of the shank 22 and a left-hand threading 32 co-axially extends from the second terminal section of the shank 22.
A casing 34 is mounted on the track for containing a fog light The casing 34 has a first lateral wall 36 and a second lateral wall. The first lateral wall 36 faces a corresponding lateral wall of the housing 14. An extension from the upper portion of the first lateral wall 36 is formed into a nut with a right-hand threading 38 engaging with the right-hand threading 30. Thus, the fog light mounted in the casing 34 is moved away from the housing 14 when the shank 22 is rotated in a first direction by means of the motor 16 and is moved toward the housing 14 when the shank 22 is rotated in a second direction by means of the motor 16. The first lateral wall 36 has two recesses respectively facing the plate 4 and the limb 12, each for receiving a ball made of steel or the like. The balls contact plate 4 and the limb 12 in order to restrain the casing 34 from contacting the plate 4 and the limb 12. Thus, the friction between the track and the casing 34 is reduced. Consequentially, the casing 34 can move relatively smoothly along the track.
A casing 40 is symmetrical to the casing 34. The casing 40 is also mounted on the track for containing a fog light. The casing 40 has a first lateral wall 42 and a second lateral wall. The first lateral wall 42 faces a corresponding lateral wall of the housing 14. An extension from the upper portion of the first lateral wall 42 is formed into a nut with a left-hand threading 44 engaging with the left-hand threading 32. Thus, the fog light mounted in the casing 40 is moved away from the housing 14 when the shank 14 is rotated in the first direction by means of the motor 16 and is moved toward the housing 14 when the shank 22 is rotated in the second direction by means of the motor 16. The first lateral wall 42 defines two recesses respectively facing the plate 4 and the limb 12, each for receiving a ball made of steel or the like. The balls contact the plate 4 and the limb 12 in order to restrain the casing 40 from contacting the plate 4 and the limb 12. Thus, the friction between the track and the casing 40 is reduced. Consequentially, the casing 40 can move relatively smoothly along the track.
Based on the description given above, it is known that the fog lights respectively mounted in the casings 34 and 40 are switched from an idle position completely behind the plate 4 as shown in FIG. 3 to a working position completely beside the plate 4 as shown in FIG. 4 when the shank 22 is rotated in the first direction by means of the motor 16. The fog lights are moved from a working position completely beside the plate 4 as shown in FIG. 4 to an idle position completely behind the plate 4 as shown in FIG. 3 when the shank 22 is rotated in the second direction by means of the motor 16.
It is preferable that the motor 16 is automatically stopped when the fog lights reach the working position and when the fog lights reach the idle position. Electrical arrangements for such a purpose will be given.
In the housing 14, a micro switch 46 is mounted beside the first lateral wall defining a hole at its lower portion. A collar 48 is securely received in the hole in the first lateral wall of the housing 14. A pin 50 is inserted through a spring 52 and the collar 48. The spring 52 is compressed between a head of the pin 50 and the collar 48. A plastic protective element 54 encloses the spring 52 and a portion of the pin 50. As clearly seen in FIG. 3, the first lateral wall 36 presses the pin 50 in order to actuate the micro switch 46 for turning off the motor 16 when the fog lights are moved to the idle position.
In the housing 14, a micro switch 56 is mounted beside the first lateral wall defining a hole at its lower portion. A collar 58 is securely received in the hole in the first lateral wall of the housing 14. A pin 60 is inserted through a spring 62 and the collar 58. The spring 62 is compressed between a head of the pin 60 and the collar 58. A plastic protective element 64 encloses the spring 62 and a portion of the pin 60. A rod 66 penetrates the first lateral wall 36, the lateral walls of the housing 14 and the first lateral wall 42. The first end of the rod 66 is attached to the first lateral wall 36. As clearly seen in FIG. 4, the second free end of the rod 66 presses the pin 60 in order to actuate the micro switch 56 for turning off the motor 16 when the fog lights are moved to the working position.
Referring to FIG. 5, a circuit connecting a battery, fog lights, micro switches, motor and a switch in the cab of the car is shown. However, it is obvious that those skilled in the art can readily incorporate other circuits by reading this specification.
While the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading this specification. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover all such variations as shall fall within the scope of the appended claims.
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A fog-light assembly having (A) a plate having an upper margin attached to a front bumper of a car and a lower margin formed with a track on the rear side of the plate, (B) a pair of fog lights sliding on and along the track, between a working position where the fog lights are beside the plate and an idle position where the fog lights are hidden behind the plate and (C) a driving bolt for moving the fog lights by threading.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] This invention relates generally to a fitting for window coverings, in particular, a winder assembly for controlling the extension and retraction of a screen of a blind system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A winder assembly refers to a user-operated blind component (or fitting) that is rotatable for, for example, extending and retracting a window covering such as a window blind. Such fittings typically have a drive mechanism that is rotatable about a spindle, and engages a cord (for example, a beaded cord or chain). Operation of the cord causes the drive mechanism to rotate about the spindle. For example, the cord may be pulled in one direction to rotate the fitting in a blind extending direction, and the cord may be pulled in an opposite direction to rotate the fitting in a blind retracting direction.
[0003] A cover is generally provided to prevent disengagement of the drive mechanism from the spindle, or the disengagement of the cord from the drive mechanism. In some winder assemblies, the cover is a separate component to the spindle, which may be engaged with the spindle in two or more positions. In one position, relative rotation between the spindle and cover may be prevented (e.g. a fixed or locked position), whereas in another position, the cover may be able to rotate to some degree relative to the spindle (e.g. a swivel position). The swivel position allows the angle of the cover to be changed relative to the rest of the winder assembly, and is favoured by users who wish to operate the cord while standing away from the window.
[0004] One problem with prior art winder assemblies of this type is that the spindle and the cover may accidentally disengage at undesired times—for example, when the spindle and cover are engaged in a fixed position, operation of the cord may occasionally disengage the cover from the spindle. The cover may remain disengaged for some time, which increases the possibility of the cord also becoming disengaged from the drive mechanism. In some cases, the cover may in due course re-engage with the spindle, but at an undesired position (e.g. the swivel position).
[0005] It is therefore desired to address the above issue, or to at least provide a useful alternative to existing winder fittings.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] Accordingly, in a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided winder assembly for a window covering comprising:
[0007] (a) a spindle comprising:
(i) a head; (ii) a shaft extending from the head; and (iii) a location lug extending from the head in the direction of the shaft;
[0011] (b) a drive mechanism operable to control the extension and retraction of the window covering by rotation of the drive mechanism about the spindle; and
[0012] (c) a cover comprising:
(i) an opening through which the shaft of the spindle passes, the cover releasably engaging the head of the spindle; and (ii) at least one location aperture receiving the location lug to define at least one position of the spindle relative to the cover,
[0015] wherein the location lug has a pair of divergent walls extending outwardly from the head, and wherein the location aperture has a pair of divergent walls, at least one of that pair being engagable with at least one of the of the pair of divergent walls of the location lug.
[0016] The location aperture may be a fixed position aperture, wherein the pair of divergent walls of the location aperture engage the pair of divergent walls of the location lug.
[0017] In other embodiments, the location aperture may be a swivel position aperture, wherein the location lug is movable within the location aperture to define a path of rotational movement between the spindle and the cover.
[0018] Some embodiments of the present invention may comprise both a swivel position aperture and a fixed position aperture, allowing a user to select whether to allow rotation of the cover relative to the spindle.
[0019] The divergent walls may be straight side walls of the location lug, which are inclined or angled to diverge as they extend away from the head of the spindle. Alternatively, they may provide a curved or stepped divergence.
[0020] The location apertures may be radial extensions of the opening. Alternatively, they may be discrete apertures which are separated from the opening by a part of the cover.
[0021] The location lug may extend radially outward from the shaft of the spindle, such that it widens as it extends further from the shaft.
[0022] In a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a spindle for a winder assembly comprising:
[0023] (i) a head;
[0024] (ii) a shaft extending from the head; and
[0025] (iii) a location lug extending from the head in the direction of the shaft,
[0026] wherein the location lug has a pair of divergent walls extending outwardly from the head.
[0027] In a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cover for a winder assembly comprising:
[0028] (i) an opening to receive a shaft of a spindle of the assembly; and
[0029] (ii) at least one location aperture to receive the location lug on the spindle to define at least one position of the spindle relative to the cover,
[0030] wherein the location aperture has a pair of divergent walls.
[0031] A detailed description of one or more embodiments of the invention is provided below, along with accompanying figures that illustrate by way of example the principles of the invention. While the invention is described in connection with such embodiments, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to any embodiment. On the contrary, the scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims and the invention encompasses numerous alternatives, modifications and equivalents.
[0032] For the purpose of example, numerous specific details are set forth in the following description in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. The present invention may be practiced according to the claims without some or all of these specific details. For the purpose of clarity, technical material that is known in the technical fields related to the invention has not been described in detail so that the present invention is not unnecessarily obscured.
[0033] For the purposes of providing a clear description of the present invention, terms such as “front” and “rear” are used in the below descriptions. This terminology will be understood to be for illustrative purposes only, and does not limit the scope of the present invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0034] Various embodiments/aspects of the invention will now be described with reference to the following drawings in which,
[0035] FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a winder assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the winder assembly of FIG. 1 , assembled.
[0037] FIG. 3 is a front view of a spindle and cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0038] FIG. 4 is a transverse section view A-A of the spindle and cover in FIG. 3 ;
[0039] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the area marked ‘B’ in FIG. 4 ;
[0040] FIG. 6 is a front view of a cover according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0041] FIG. 7 is a an enlarged section view C-C of the cover of FIG. 6 ;
[0042] FIG. 8 is an enlarged section view D-D of the cover of FIG. 6 ;
[0043] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the spindle and cover of FIG. 3 , with the spindle in a fixed position;
[0044] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the spindle and cover of FIG. 3 , with the spindle in a swivel position; and
[0045] FIG. 11 is a transverse longitudinal section view of the winder assembly of FIG. 1 , assembled with the spindle in the fixed position.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] A winder assembly 100 , as shown in FIG. 1 , is suitable for use to raise or lower a roller blind. The winder assembly 100 includes a spindle 102 having a head 104 and a shaft 106 . A lug 108 extends from a rearward face of the head 104 in the direction of the shaft 106 , generally parallel to the axis of the shaft 106 . A cover 130 is mounted on the spindle 102 to releasably engage the head 104 of the spindle 102 , with the shaft 106 of the spindle 102 passing through an opening 132 in the cover 130 , so that the two parts snap together with the cover 130 releasably engaging the head 104 of the spindle 102 . The winder assembly 100 further includes a drive mechanism, comprising an inner core 140 and an outer drive element 150 , as well as a pair of clutch members 120 . The winder assembly 100 is held in its assembled state by screw 160 and end cap 170 , as shown in FIG. 2 , although other fastening methods may be used in different embodiments of the invention.
[0047] In use, the winder assembly will typically be mounted to a supporting structure of some form—for example, a supporting frame or mounting bracket, with the spindle being fixed to that supporting structure. The outer drive element 150 has a plurality of fins around its outer surface, which are able to engage within a tube (not shown). A screen blind may be rolled around the tube. To raise or lower the blind, a cord (for example, a bead cord) is engaged with the inner core 140 , by teeth 142 around one end of the inner core 140 . This means that pulling of the cord rotates the drive mechanism about the spindle 102 , and is operable to raise or lower the blind. The clutch members 120 resist unwanted rotation of the outer drive element 150 about the spindle 102 .
[0048] In order to better show relevant features of the present invention, FIGS. 3 to 10 show the spindle 102 and cover 130 , independently of the other components of the winder assembly 100 . The cover 130 , as best seen in FIG. 6 , comprises an opening 132 through its centre, to receive the shaft 106 of the spindle 102 . It also comprises two additional location apertures (swivel position aperture 134 , and fixed position aperture 136 ) for engaging with the lug 108 on the spindle 102 , in two positions—a swivel position, and a fixed position. The location apertures are, in this embodiment, extended portions of the opening 132 , but in other embodiments they may be separated from the opening by a part of the body of the cover 130 .
[0049] FIGS. 4 , 5 and 9 shows the spindle 102 and cover 130 engaged in the fixed position. In this position, the lug 108 engages within the fixed position aperture 136 . When in the fixed position, the spindle 102 and cover 130 are engaged such that they will not rotate relative to each other.
[0050] On the other hand, in the swivel position as shown in FIG. 10 , the lug 108 is located within the swivel aperture 134 of the cover 130 . It will be appreciated that, to assemble the depicted winder assembly 100 in the swivel position, the orientation of the spindle 102 will be changed from the orientation shown in FIG. 1 , so that the lug 108 is at the bottom of the head 104 , underneath the shaft 106 . Since the swivel aperture 134 is of the same depth as the lug 108 , but is much wider than the lug 108 , it allows rotation of the cover 130 relative to the spindle 102 —the lug 108 is moveable from one end of the swivel aperture 134 to the other through rotation of the cover 130 . This embodiment of the invention allows rotation of the cover 130 through almost 180 degrees in the swivel position, although other embodiments may allow a larger or smaller freedom of rotation.
[0051] The shape of the lug 108 facilitates an improved engagement between the lug 108 and the location apertures 134 , 136 . As best seen in the detailed view of FIG. 5 , the side walls of the lug 108 diverge as they extend outwardly from the head 104 of the spindle 102 . In this embodiment, the side walls of the lug 108 are simply straight walls which are angled with respect to the rearward face of the head 104 .
[0052] FIG. 5 also clearly shows how the side walls of the fixed position aperture 136 also diverge. In this embodiment, the side walls of the fixed position aperture are also straight side walls, at an angle to the main plane of the cover 130 , to match the angle of the side walls of the lug 108 .
[0053] If a twisting, rotational or other force is applied to disengage the cover 130 from the head 104 of the spindle 102 the corresponding angled side walls of the lug 108 and the fixed position aperture 136 will simply be driven into tighter engagement, due to the respective angled side walls. This will resist the disengagement force. Consequently, a winder assembly 100 in accordance with the present invention will be more difficult to accidentally disengage from the fixed position.
[0054] The dimensions of the fixed position aperture 136 will substantially match the dimensions of the lug 108 . However, typically some clearance will be provided, to allow the winder assembly 100 to be more easily assembled. In most cases, therefore, when a force is applied to disengage the cover 130 from the spindle 102 as described above, only one of the divergent side walls of the lug 108 will engage with a corresponding side wall of the fixed position aperture 136 .
[0055] However, there may be some embodiments where the lug 108 is tightly engaged or snap fit in the fixed position aperture 136 —for instance, if the lug 108 is formed of a resilient material. In these embodiments, with a tight fit between the lug 108 and fixed position aperture 136 , both side walls of the lug 108 may engage with the respective side walls of the fixed position aperture 136 at the same time.
[0056] The side walls of the swivel position aperture 134 are, in this embodiment, also angled to match the divergence of the side walls of the lug 108 . Accordingly, when the cover 130 is at either end of its freedom of rotation, the lug 108 will engage with one of the side walls of the swivel position aperture 134 . It will accordingly resist disengagement in a similar manner to that described above in relation to the fixed position aperture 136 , with the lug 108 engaging one of the side walls at either end of the swivel position aperture 134 , depending on the direction of twist or rotation applied by the force.
[0057] As can be seen from the figures, the lug 108 of this embodiment of the present invention also widens as it extends radially outward from the shaft 106 of the spindle 102 . The side walls of the location apertures 134 , 136 match this radial widening.
[0058] It will be appreciated that the precise shape of the lug 108 may vary in different embodiments of the present invention. In particular, the side walls of the lug 108 may be curved (concave or convex) or stepped, rather than straight, and still provide improved resistance to disengagement of the spindle 102 from the cover 130 . The profile of the side walls of the location apertures 134 , 136 would typically correspond to the profile of the side walls of the lug 108 .
[0059] The components of the winder assembly 100 , including the spindle 102 and cover 130 , may be formed from plastic, metal, or other material, and may be diecast or machined, depending on manufacturer or consumer preferences.
[0060] It will also be appreciated that the precise shape of the cover 130 , and especially its outer shape, may vary in different embodiments of the invention. The shape of the cover 130 depicted in the Figures is an example given for illustrative purposes only.
[0061] The word ‘comprising’ and forms of the word ‘comprising’ as used in this description and in the claims does not limit the invention claimed to exclude any variants or additions.
[0062] Modifications and improvements to the invention will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Such modifications and improvements are intended to be within the scope of this invention.
[0063] In this specification where a document, act or item of knowledge is referred to or discussed, this reference or discussion is not an admission that the document, act or item of knowledge or any combination thereof was at the priority date, publicly available, known to the public, part of the common general knowledge; or known to be relevant to an attempt to solve any problem with which this specification is concerned.
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A winder assembly for controlling the extension or retraction of a window covering, for example a roller blind. The winder assembly includes a spindle having a head, a shaft extending from the head, and a location lug also extending from the head, in the direction of the shaft. The winder assembly further includes a drive mechanism operable to control the extension and retraction of the window covering by rotation of the drive mechanism about the spindle, and a spindle cover. The spindle cover itself includes an opening through which the shaft of the spindle passes, the cover releasably engaging the head of the spindle, and at least one location aperture receiving the location lug to define at least one position of the spindle relative to the cover.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 10/686,206, filed Oct. 14, 2003 entitled ‘Toy Storage Cover For Portable Play Yards, Cribs And Containers’, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference thereto as if being set forth in its entirety. application Ser. No. 10/686,206 is a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/695,694, filed Oct. 25, 2000, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,687,927, entitled “Toy Storage Cover For Portable Play Yards, Cribs, And Containers”, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference there to as if being set forth in its entirely.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention pertains to storage systems and, more particularly, to a fabric device for converting a portable play yard into a storage system for a child's toys.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Various types of storage systems and devices have been developed for organizing and storing children's toys. U.S. Pat. No. 5,360,264 issued to Crane discloses a child's play table having a reversible top providing a smooth surface on one side and a modular building block system on the other. Attached beneath the reversible surface are one or more toy storage compartments or drawers.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,527,688 issued to Jones et al., describes a storage case for toy vehicles, simulating the appearance of an automobile steering wheel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,200,197, issued to Meyer et al. illustrates a toy storage apparatus having a decorative face designed to appear as an animated creature and having a large internal cavity.
[0005] A foot pedal opens the creature's mouth for the introduction or removal of the child's toys. U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,455 issued to Silvey discloses a toy chest of animal form mounted on casters. The chest includes a mechanism that when operated by the child to open the chest will produce sounds and animated movements of features of the chest. These features are designed to encourage the child to clean up his or her room.
[0006] While other variations exist, the above-described designs for toy storage devices are typical of those encountered in the prior art. It is an objective of the present invention to provide for an alternative use for a child's play yard when no longer needed to confine a small child. It is a further objective to provide for storage of both large and small toys and similar objects while making maximum use of the external surfaces of the play yard. It is a still further objective of the invention to provide the above-described capabilities in an inexpensive and durable storage system that can be easily removed from the play yard, washed, and easily reinstalled. It is yet a further objective to provide a means to secure the storage system to the play yard to prevent shifting once toys are stored in the system.
[0007] While some of the objectives of the present invention are disclosed in the prior art, none of the inventions found include all of the requirements identified.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention addresses all of the deficiencies of prior art toy storage covers for play yards, cribs or containers and satisfies all of the objectives described above.
[0009] A toy storage cover for a portable play yard providing the desired features may be constructed from the following components. A portable play yard that has a rigid frame, four protruding feet, a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall and a floor enclosed by the walls is provided. The toy storage cover includes four outer panels. The outer front panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The outer back panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The outer first side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge. The outer second side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge.
[0010] The outer front panel is joined at its first side edge to the front side edge of the outer first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the front side edge of the outer second side panel. The outer back panel is joined at its first side edge to the back side edge of the outer first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the back side edge of the outer second side panel.
[0011] An interior pocket is provided. The interior pocket comprises four inner panels and a floor panel. The inner front panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The inner back panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The inner first side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge. The inner second side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge.
[0012] The inner front panel is joined at its first side edge to the front side edge of the inner first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the front side edge of the inner second side panel. The inner back panel is joined at its first side edge to the back side edge of the inner first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the back side edge of the inner second side panel. The floor panel has an upper surface, a lower surface, a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge and a second side edge.
[0013] The floor panel is attached at its front edge to the bottom edge of the inner front panel, at its back edge to the bottom edge of the inner back panel, at its first side edge to the bottom edge of the inner first side panel and at its second side edge to the bottom edge of the inner second side panel. The inner front panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer front panel. The inner back panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer back panel. The inner first side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer first side panel. The inner second side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer second side panel.
[0014] The outer front, back, first side and second side panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the play yard walls when attached together. The inner front, back, first side, second side and floor panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls when attached together. When the play yard is located between the inner and outer panels the interior pocket will be supported by the play yard.
[0015] In a variant of the invention, a retaining means is provided. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front, back, first side and second side panels and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the play yard.
[0016] In another variant, the retaining means is a mattress pad that has a rigid backing.
[0017] In still another variant, means are provided for securing the toy storage cover to the play yard.
[0018] In yet another variant of the invention, the means for securing the toy storage cover to the play yard comprises means for fastening at least one of the outer panels to one of the inner panels through openings in the play yard walls.
[0019] In a further variant, the means for securing the toy storage cover to the play yard comprises straps extending from the bottom edges of the outer panels that can be tied around the protruding feet of the play yard.
[0020] In still a further variant of the invention, first, second, third and fourth foot retaining pockets are provided. The foot retaining pockets are sized, shaped and located to fit slidably over one of the feet.
[0021] The first foot retaining pocket is located at an intersection of the first side edge of the outer front panel and the front side edge of the outer first side panel on the interior surfaces of the panels adjacent their bottom edges. The second foot retaining pocket is located at an intersection of the second side edge of the outer front panel and the front side edge of the outer second side panel on the interior surfaces of the panels adjacent their bottom edges. The third foot retaining pocket is located at an intersection of the first side edge of the outer back panel and the back side edge of the outer first side panel on the interior surfaces of the panels adjacent their bottom edges. The fourth foot retaining pocket is located at an intersection of the second side edge of the outer back panel and the back side edge of the outer second side panel on the interior surfaces of the panels adjacent their bottom edges.
[0022] When the feet of the play yard are positioned within the foot retaining pockets, the outer panels will be held down despite shifting loads placed in the interior pocket.
[0023] In another variant, the toy storage cover for a portable play yard includes a series of exterior pockets attached to the outer panels.
[0024] In still another variant, the outer and inner panels are formed of material through which a user can see.
[0025] In a further variant of the invention, at least one of the exterior pockets attached to the outer panels further comprises at least one smaller interior pocket or smaller exterior pocket.
[0026] In yet a further variant, a toy storage cover for a portable play yard, includes a portable play yard. The play yard has a rigid frame with three protruding feet, a first side wall, a second side wall, a third side wall and a floor enclosed by the walls. The toy storage cover has three outer panels. Each of the outer first side, second side and third side panels has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge.
[0027] The outer first side panel is joined at its first side edge to the second side edge of the outer third side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the first side edge of the outer second side panel. The outer second side panel is joined at its second side edge to the first side edge of the outer third side panel.
[0028] An interior pocket including three inner panels is provided. Each of the inner first side, second side and third side panels has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The inner first side panel is joined at its first side edge to the second side edge of the inner third side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the first side edge of the inner second side panel. The inner second side panel is joined at its second side edge to the first side edge of the inner third side panel.
[0029] A floor panel is provided. The floor panel has an upper surface, a lower surface, a first edge, a second edge, and a third edge. The floor panel is attached at its first edge to the bottom edge of the inner first side panel, at its second edge to the bottom edge of the inner second side panel, at its third edge to the bottom edge of the inner third side panel. The inner first side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer first side panel. The inner second side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer second side panel. The inner third side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer third side panel.
[0030] The outer first side, second side and third side panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the play yard walls when attached together. The inner first side, second side and third side panels and floor panel are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls when attached together. When the play yard is located between the inner and outer panels the interior pocket will be supported by the play yard.
[0031] In still a further variant of the invention, the toy storage cover for a portable play yard further comprises a retaining means. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner first side, second side and third side panels and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the play yard.
[0032] In another variant, the retaining means is a mattress pad that has a rigid backing.
[0033] In a further variant of the invention, a toy storage cover for a portable play yard includes a portable play yard. The play yard includes a rigid frame that has protruding feet, a surrounding side wall and a floor enclosed by the wall.
[0034] The toy storage cover includes an outer surrounding side panel and an interior pocket. The outer surrounding side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge. The interior pocket includes an inner surrounding side panel and a floor panel. The inner surrounding side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge. The floor panel has an upper surface, a lower surface and a surrounding edge. The floor panel is attached at its surrounding edge to the bottom edge of the inner surrounding side panel.
[0035] The inner surrounding side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer surrounding side panel. The outer surrounding side panel is sized and shaped to fit slidably over the surrounding side wall of the play yard. The inner surrounding side panel and floor panel are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls. When the play yard is located between the inner and outer surrounding side panels the interior pocket will be supported by the play yard.
[0036] In still a further variant, the toy storage cover for a portable play yard further comprises a retaining means. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally within the inner surrounding side panel and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the play yard.
[0037] In yet a further variant, the retaining means is a mattress pad that has a rigid backing.
[0038] In another variant of the invention, a toy storage cover for an open topped container includes a container comprising a floor, a rigid surrounding side wall extending upwardly from the floor. The toy storage cover includes an outer surrounding side panel and an interior pocket. The outer surrounding side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge.
[0039] The interior pocket includes an inner surrounding side panel and a floor panel. The inner surrounding side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge and a bottom edge. The floor panel has an upper surface, a lower surface and a surrounding edge. The floor panel is attached at its surrounding edge to the bottom edge of the inner surrounding side panel. The inner surrounding side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer surrounding side panel.
[0040] The outer surrounding side panel is sized and shaped to fit slidably over the rigid surrounding side wall of the container. The inner surrounding side panel and floor panel are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the container. When the container is located between the inner and outer surrounding side panels the interior pocket will be supported by the container.
[0041] In still another variant, the toy storage cover for an open topped container further comprises a retaining means. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally within the inner surrounding side panel and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the container.
[0042] In a further variant of the invention, the retaining means is a mattress pad that has a rigid backing.
[0043] In yet another variant, a toy storage cover for a crib includes a crib. The crib includes a rigid frame and has four protruding feet, a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall and a floor enclosed by the walls. The toy storage cover includes four outer panels, an outer front panel, an outer back panel, an outer first side panel and an outer second side panel. The outer panels are attached to each other at their side edges.
[0044] The toy storage cover includes an interior pocket that includes four inner panels, an inner front panel, an inner back panel, an inner first side panel and an inner second side panel and a floor panel. The four inner panels are attached to each other at their side edges and to the floor panel at their bottom edges. The inner panels are attached at their top edges to the top edges of the outer panels. The outer front, back, first side and second side panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the crib walls when attached together. The inner front, back, first side, second side and floor panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the crib walls when attached together. When the crib is located between the inner and outer panels the interior pocket will be supported by the crib.
[0045] In still another variant of the invention, the toy storage cover for a crib further comprises a retaining means. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front, back, first side and second side panels and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the crib.
[0046] In a further variant, the retaining means is a mattress pad has a rigid backing.
[0047] In another variant of the invention, a toy storage cover for a collapsible open topped container includes a container. The container includes a front wall, a back wall, a first side wall, a second side wall and a floor enclosed by the walls. Each of the walls has a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, an inner surface and an outer surface. The floor has a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge, a second side edge, a top surface and a bottom surface.
[0048] The front wall is hingedly attached at its bottom edge to the front edge of the floor and the back wall is hingedly attached at its bottom edge to the back edge of the floor. The first side wall is hingedly attached at its bottom edge to the first side edge of the floor and the second side wall is hingedly attached at its bottom edge to the second side edge of the floor.
[0049] Means are provided for removably attaching the front wall at its first side edge to the first side wall at its second side edge. Means are provided for removably attaching the front wall at its second side edge to the second side wall at its first side edge. Means are provided for removably attaching the back wall at its second side edge to the first side wall at its first side edge. Means are provided for removably attaching the back wall at its first side edge to the second side wall at its second side edge.
[0050] The toy storage cover includes four outer panels. The outer front panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The outer back panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The outer first side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge. The outer second side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge.
[0051] The outer front panel is joined at its first side edge to the front side edge of the outer first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the front side edge of the outer second side panel. The outer back panel is joined at its first side edge to the back side edge of the outer first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the back side edge of the outer second side panel.
[0052] An interior pocket is provided. The interior pocket includes four inner panels and a floor panel. The inner front panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The inner back panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a first side edge, and a second side edge. The inner first side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge. The inner second side panel has an exterior surface, an interior surface, a top edge, a bottom edge, a front side edge, and a back side edge.
[0053] The inner front panel is joined at its first side edge to the front side edge of the inner first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the front side edge of the inner second side panel. The inner back panel is joined at its first side edge to the back side edge of the inner first side panel and is joined at its second side edge to the back side edge of the inner second side panel.
[0054] The floor panel has an upper surface, a lower surface, a front edge, a back edge, a first side edge and a second side edge. The floor panel is attached at its front edge to the bottom edge of the inner front panel, at its back edge to the bottom edge of the inner back panel, at its first side edge to the bottom edge of the inner first side panel and at its second side edge to the bottom edge of the inner second side panel. The inner front panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer front panel. The inner back panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer back panel. The inner first side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer first side panel. The inner second side panel is attached at its top edge to the top edge of the outer second side panel.
[0055] The outer front, back, first side and second side panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the container walls when attached together. The inner front, back, first side, second side and floor panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the container walls when attached together. When the container is located between the inner and outer panels the interior pocket will be supported by the container.
[0056] In still another variant, the toy storage cover includes at least one attachment strap. The attachment strap has a first end and a second end and is fixedly attached at its first end to the lower surface of the floor panel of the interior pocket. The strap extends outwardly past one of the inner panels. The second end of the attachment strap includes means for removably attaching the second end to either the exterior surface or the interior surface of one of the outer panels.
[0057] The container includes at least one slot. The slot is sized, shaped and located adjacent the bottom edge of one of the walls of the collapsible container so as to permit the second end of the attachment strap to pass through it. When the second end of the attachment strap is passed through the slot and removably attached to either the exterior surface or the interior surface of at least one of the outer panels, the interior pocket of the toy storage cover will be removably secured to the collapsible container.
[0058] In yet another variant, the means for removably attaching the front and back walls of the container to the first and second side walls of the container includes hooking and loop elements secured to either the inner surface or the outer surface of the walls adjacent their side edges.
[0059] In a further variant of the invention, the means for removably attaching the second end of the attachment strap to either the exterior surface or the interior surface of one of the outer panels includes hooking and loop elements secured to the second end and either the exterior surface or the interior surface of at least one of the outer panels.
[0060] In still a further variant, a retaining means is provided. The retaining means is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front, back, first side and second side panels and over the floor panel, thereby securing the interior pocket downwardly within the container.
[0061] In yet a further variant, the retaining means is a mattress pad that has a rigid backing.
[0062] In another variant of the invention, the toy storage cover for a collapsible open topped container includes means for securing the toy storage cover to the container.
[0063] In a final variant, the means for securing the toy storage cover to the container comprises means for fastening at least one of the outer panels to one of the inner panels through openings in the container walls.
[0064] An appreciation of the other aims and objectives of the present invention and an understanding of it may be achieved by referring to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of a preferred embodiment.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0065] Understanding of the present invention will be facilitated by consideration of the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals refer to like parts:
[0066] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the invention disposed upon a portable play yard;
[0067] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the play yard;
[0068] FIG. 3 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 1 embodiment;
[0069] FIG. 3 a is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 1 embodiment as seen from below illustrating the placement of the foot pockets;
[0070] FIG. 4 is perspective view of the mattress pad retaining means for the FIG. 1 ;
[0071] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating attachment of the outer panels to the inner panels through openings in the play yard walls;
[0072] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating attachment of the cover to the play yard by means of straps tied around the feet of the play yard;
[0073] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating attachment of the cover to the play yard by means of pockets for enclosing the protruding feet of the play yard;
[0074] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating a plurality of pockets affixed to the outer panels;
[0075] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating see-through inner and outer panels;
[0076] FIG. 10 is a detail perspective view of a portion of the FIG. 1 embodiment illustrating smaller pockets attached to the inside and outside of larger pockets;
[0077] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention disposed upon a portable play yard having three sides;
[0078] FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the three-sided play yard;
[0079] FIG. 13 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 11 embodiment;
[0080] FIG. 14 is perspective view of the mattress pad retaining means for the FIG. 11 embodiment;
[0081] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a third embodiment of the invention disposed upon a portable play yard having a curved surrounding outer wall;
[0082] FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the play yard having a curved surrounding outer wall;
[0083] FIG. 17 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 15 embodiment;
[0084] FIG. 18 is perspective view of the mattress pad retaining means for the FIG. 15 embodiment;
[0085] FIG. 19 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of the invention disposed upon an open topped container having a surrounding outer wall;
[0086] FIG. 20 is a perspective view of the open topped container;
[0087] FIG. 21 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 19 embodiment;
[0088] FIG. 22 is perspective view of the retaining means for the FIG. 19 embodiment;
[0089] FIG. 23 is a perspective view of a fifth embodiment of the invention disposed upon a crib;
[0090] FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the crib;
[0091] FIG. 25 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 23 embodiment;
[0092] FIG. 26 is perspective view of the retaining means for the FIG. 23 embodiment;
[0093] FIG. 27 is a perspective view of a sixth embodiment of the invention disposed upon a collapsible open topped container;
[0094] FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the collapsible container;
[0095] FIG. 29 is a plan view layout of the outer, inner and floor panels of the FIG. 27 embodiment;
[0096] FIG. 30 is a plan view of an attachment strap affixed to the lower surface of the floor panel of the FIG. 27 embodiment;
[0097] FIG. 30 a is a partial cut-away perspective view of an attachment strap affixed to the lower surface of the floor panel of the FIG. 27 embodiment;
[0098] FIG. 31 is perspective view of the retaining means for the FIG. 27 embodiment; and
[0099] FIG. 32 is a perspective view of the FIG. 27 embodiment illustrating attachment of the outer panels to the inner panels through openings in the container walls.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0100] It is to be understood that the figures and descriptions of the present invention have been simplified to illustrate elements that are relevant for a clear understanding of the present invention, while eliminating, for the purpose of clarity, many other elements found in toy storage covers. Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that other elements and/or steps are desirable and/or required in implementing the present invention. However, because such elements and steps are well known in the art, and because they do not facilitate a better understanding of the present invention, a discussion of such elements and steps is not provided herein. The disclosure herein is directed to all such variations and modifications to such elements and methods known to those skilled in the art.
[0101] FIGS. 1-10 illustrate a toy storage cover for a portable play yard 10 providing the desired features that may be constructed from the following components. A portable play yard 14 , as illustrated in FIG. 2 , that has a rigid frame 18 , four protruding feet 22 , a front wall 26 , a back wall 30 , a first side wall 34 , a second side wall 38 and a floor 42 enclosed by the walls 26 , 30 , 34 , 38 is provided. As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 3 , the toy storage cover 10 includes four outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 . The outer front panel 46 has an exterior surface 62 , an interior surface 66 , a top edge 70 , a bottom edge 74 , a first side edge 78 , and a second side edge 82 . The outer back panel 50 has an exterior surface 86 , an interior surface 90 , a top edge 94 , a bottom edge 98 , a first side edge 102 , and a second side edge 106 . The outer first side panel 54 has an exterior surface 110 , an interior surface 114 , a top edge 118 , a bottom edge 122 , a front side edge 126 , and a back side edge 130 . The outer second side panel 58 has an exterior surface 134 , an interior surface 138 , a top edge 142 , a bottom edge 146 , a front side edge 150 , and a back side edge 154 .
[0102] The outer front panel 46 is joined at its first side edge 78 to the front side edge 126 of the outer first side panel 54 and is joined at its second side edge 82 to the front side edge 150 of the outer second side panel 58 . The outer back panel 50 is joined at its first side edge 102 to the back side edge 130 of the outer first side panel 54 and is joined at its second side edge 106 to the back side edge 154 of the outer second side panel 58 .
[0103] An interior pocket 158 is provided. The interior pocket 158 comprises four inner panels 162 , 166 , 170 , 174 and a floor panel 178 . The inner front panel 162 has an exterior surface 182 , an interior surface 186 , a top edge 190 , a bottom edge 194 , a first side edge 198 , and a second side edge 202 . The inner back panel 166 has an exterior surface 206 , an interior surface 210 , a top edge 214 , a bottom edge 218 , a first side edge 222 , and a second side edge 226 . The inner first side panel 170 has an exterior surface 230 , an interior surface 234 , a top edge 238 , a bottom edge 242 , a front side edge 246 , and a back side edge 250 . The inner second side panel 174 has an exterior surface 254 , an interior surface 258 , a top edge 262 , a bottom edge 266 , a front side edge 270 , and a back side edge 274 .
[0104] The inner front panel 162 is joined at its first side edge 198 to the front side edge 246 of the inner first side panel 170 and is joined at its second side edge 202 to the front side edge 270 of the inner second side panel 174 . The inner back panel 166 is joined at its first side edge 222 to the back side edge 250 of the inner first side panel 170 and is joined at its second side edge 226 to the back side edge 274 of the inner second side panel 174 . The floor panel 178 has an upper surface 278 , a lower surface 282 , a front edge 286 , a back edge 290 , a first side edge 294 and a second side edge 298 .
[0105] The floor panel 178 is attached at its front edge 286 to the bottom edge 194 of the inner front panel 162 , at its back edge 290 to the bottom edge 218 of the inner back panel 166 , at its first side edge 294 to the bottom edge 242 of the inner first side panel 170 and at its second side edge 298 to the bottom edge 266 of the inner second side panel 174 . The inner front panel 162 is attached at its top edge 190 to the top edge 70 of the outer front panel 46 . The inner back panel 166 is attached at its top edge 214 to the top edge 94 of the outer back panel 50 . The inner first side panel 170 is attached at its top edge 238 to the top edge 118 of the outer first side panel 54 . The inner second side panel 174 is attached at its top edge 262 to the top edge 142 of the outer second side panel 58 .
[0106] The outer front 46 , back 50 , first side 54 and second side 58 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the play yard walls 26 , 30 , 34 , 38 when attached together. The inner front 162 , back 166 , first side 170 , second side 174 and floor panels 178 are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls 26 , 30 , 34 , 38 when attached together. When the play yard 10 is located between the inner 162 , 166 , 170 , 174 and outer 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 panels the interior pocket 158 will be supported by the play yard 14 .
[0107] In a variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 4 , a retaining means 302 is provided. The retaining means 302 is formed of rigid material and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front 162 , back 166 , first side 170 and second side 174 panels and over the floor panel 178 , thereby securing the interior pocket 158 downwardly within the play yard 14 .
[0108] In another variant, the retaining means 302 is a mattress pad 306 that has a rigid backing 310 .
[0109] In still another variant, as illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 7 , means 314 are provided for securing the toy storage cover 10 to the play yard 14 .
[0110] In yet another variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 5 , the means 314 for securing the toy storage cover 10 to the play yard 14 comprises means 318 for fastening at least one of the outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 to one of the inner panels 162 , 166 , 170 , 174 through openings 322 in the play yard walls 26 , 30 , 34 , 38 .
[0111] In a further variant, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the means 314 for securing the toy storage cover 10 to the play yard 14 comprises straps 326 extending from the bottom edges 74 , 98 , 122 , 146 of the outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 that can be tied around the protruding feet 22 of the play yard 14 .
[0112] In still a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 7 , first 330 , second 334 , third 338 and fourth 342 foot retaining pockets are provided. The foot retaining pockets 330 , 334 , 338 , 342 are sized, shaped and located to fit slidably over one of the feet 22 .
[0113] As illustrated in FIG. 3 a , the first foot retaining pocket 330 is located at an intersection 346 of the first side edge 78 of the outer front panel 46 and the front side edge 126 of the outer first side panel 54 on the interior surfaces 66 , 114 of the panels 46 , 54 adjacent their bottom edges 74 , 122 . The second foot retaining pocket 334 is located at an intersection 350 of the second side edge 82 of the outer front panel 46 and the front side edge 150 of the outer second side panel 58 on the interior surfaces 66 , 138 of the panels 46 , 58 adjacent their bottom edges 74 , 146 . The third foot retaining pocket 338 is located at an intersection 354 of the first side edge 102 of the outer back panel 50 and the back side edge 130 of the outer first side panel 54 on the interior surfaces 90 , 114 of the panels 50 , 54 adjacent their bottom edges 98 , 122 . The fourth foot retaining pocket 342 is located at an intersection 358 of the second side edge 106 of the outer back panel 50 and the back side edge 154 of the outer second side panel 58 on the interior surfaces 90 , 138 of the panels 50 , 58 adjacent their bottom edges 98 , 146 .
[0114] When the feet 22 of the play yard 14 are positioned within the foot retaining pockets 330 , 334 , 338 , 342 , the outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 will be held down despite shifting loads placed in the interior pocket 158 .
[0115] In another variant, as illustrated in FIG. 8 , the toy storage cover 10 for a portable play yard 14 includes a series of exterior pockets 362 attached to the outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 .
[0116] In still another variant, as illustrated in FIG. 9 , the outer 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 and inner 162 , 166 , 170 , 174 panels are formed of material 366 through which a user 370 can see.
[0117] In a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 10 , at least one of the exterior pockets 362 attached to the outer panels 46 , 50 , 54 , 58 further comprises at least one smaller interior pocket 374 or smaller exterior pocket 378 .
[0118] In yet a further variant, as illustrated in FIGS. 11-14 , a toy storage cover 382 for a portable play yard, includes a portable play yard 386 . The play yard 386 , as illustrated in FIG. 12 , has a rigid frame 390 with three protruding feet 394 , a first side wall 398 , a second side wall 402 , a third side wall 406 and a floor 410 enclosed by the walls 398 , 402 , 406 . The toy storage cover 382 has three outer panels 414 , 418 , 422 . As illustrated in FIGS. 11 and 13 , each of the outer first side 414 , second side 418 and third side 422 panels has an exterior surface 426 , an interior surface 428 , a top edge 432 , a bottom edge 436 , a first side edge 440 , and a second side edge 444 .
[0119] The outer first side panel 414 is joined at its first side edge 440 to the second side edge 444 of the outer third side panel 422 and is joined at its second side edge 444 to the first side edge 440 of the outer second side panel 418 . The outer second side panel 418 is joined at its second side edge 444 to the first side edge 440 of the outer third side panel 422 .
[0120] An interior pocket 448 including three inner panels 452 , 456 , 460 is provided. Each of the inner first side, second side and third side panels 452 , 456 , 460 has an exterior surface 464 , an interior surface 468 , a top edge 472 , a bottom edge 476 , a first side edge 480 , and a second side edge 484 . The inner first side panel 452 is joined at its first side edge 480 to the second side edge 484 of the inner third side panel 460 and is joined at its second side edge 484 to the first side edge 480 of the inner second side panel 456 . The inner second side panel 456 is joined at its second side edge 484 to the first side edge 480 of the inner third side panel 460 .
[0121] A floor panel 488 is provided. The floor panel 488 has an upper surface 492 , a lower surface 496 , a first edge 500 , a second edge 504 , and a third edge 508 . The floor panel 488 is attached at its first edge 500 to the bottom edge 476 of the inner first side panel 452 , at its second edge 504 to the bottom edge 476 of the inner second side panel 456 , at its third edge 508 to the bottom edge 476 of the inner third side panel 460 . The inner first side panel 452 is attached at its top edge 472 to the top edge 432 of the outer first side panel 414 . The inner second side panel 456 is attached at its top edge 472 to the top edge 432 of the outer second side panel 418 . The inner third side panel 460 is attached at its top edge 472 to the top edge 432 of the outer third side panel 422 .
[0122] The outer first side 414 , second side 418 and third side 422 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the play yard walls 398 , 402 , 406 when attached together. The inner first side 452 , second side 456 and third side 460 panels and floor panel 488 are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls 398 , 402 , 406 when attached together. When the play yard 386 is located between the inner 452 , 456 , 460 and outer 414 , 418 , 422 panels the interior pocket 448 will be supported by the play yard 386 .
[0123] In still a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 14 , the toy storage cover 382 for a portable play yard 386 further comprises a retaining means 512 . The retaining means 512 is formed of rigid material 516 and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner first side 452 , second side 456 and third side 460 panels and over the floor panel 488 , thereby securing the interior pocket 448 downwardly within the play yard 386 .
[0124] In another variant, the retaining means 512 is a mattress pad 520 that has a rigid backing 524 .
[0125] In a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 15 , a toy storage cover for a portable play yard 528 includes a portable play yard 532 . The play yard 532 , as illustrated in FIG. 16 , includes a rigid frame 536 that has protruding feet 540 , a surrounding side wall 544 and a floor 548 enclosed by the wall 544 .
[0126] As illustrated in FIGS. 15 and 17 , the toy storage cover 528 includes an outer surrounding side panel 550 and an interior pocket 552 . The outer surrounding side panel 550 has an exterior surface 556 , an interior surface 560 , a top edge 564 and a bottom edge 568 . The interior pocket 552 includes an inner surrounding side panel 572 and a floor panel 576 . The inner surrounding side panel 572 has an exterior surface 576 , an interior surface 580 , a top edge 584 and a bottom edge 588 . The floor panel 592 has an upper surface 596 , a lower surface 600 and a surrounding edge 604 . The floor panel 592 is attached at its surrounding edge 604 to the bottom edge 588 of the inner surrounding side panel 572 .
[0127] The inner surrounding side panel 572 is attached at its top edge 584 to the top edge 564 of the outer surrounding side panel 548 . The outer surrounding side panel 548 is sized and shaped to fit slidably over the surrounding side wall 544 of the play yard 532 . The inner surrounding side panel 572 and floor panel 576 are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the play yard walls 544 . When the play yard 532 is located between the inner 572 and outer 548 surrounding side panels the interior pocket 552 will be supported by the play yard 532 .
[0128] In still a further variant, as illustrated in FIG. 18 , the toy storage cover for a portable play yard 528 further comprises a retaining means 608 . The retaining means 608 is formed of rigid material 612 and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally within the inner surrounding side panel 572 and over the floor panel 576 , thereby securing the interior pocket 552 downwardly within the play yard 532 .
[0129] In yet a further variant, the retaining means 608 is a mattress pad 616 that has a rigid backing 620 .
[0130] In another variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 21 , a toy storage cover for an open topped container 624 includes a container 630 , as illustrated in FIG. 20 , comprising a floor 634 , a rigid surrounding side wall 638 extending upwardly from the floor 634 . The toy storage cover 624 , as illustrated in FIGS. 19 and 21 , includes an outer surrounding side panel 642 and an interior pocket 646 . The outer surrounding side panel 642 has an exterior surface 650 , an interior surface 654 , a top edge 658 and a bottom edge 662 .
[0131] The interior pocket 646 includes an inner surrounding side panel 666 and a floor panel 670 . The inner surrounding side panel 666 has an exterior surface 674 , an interior surface 678 , a top edge 682 and a bottom edge 686 . The floor panel 670 has an upper surface 690 , a lower surface 694 and a surrounding edge 698 . The floor panel 670 is attached at its surrounding edge 698 to the bottom edge 686 of the inner surrounding side panel 666 . The inner surrounding side panel 666 is attached at its top edge 682 to the top edge 658 of the outer surrounding side panel 642 .
[0132] The outer surrounding side panel 642 is sized and shaped to fit slidably over the rigid surrounding side wall 638 of the container 630 . The inner surrounding side panel 666 and floor panel 670 are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the container 630 . When the container 630 is located between the inner 666 and outer 642 surrounding side panels the interior pocket 646 will be supported by the container 630 .
[0133] In still another variant, as illustrated in FIG. 22 , the toy storage cover for an open topped container 624 further comprises a retaining means 702 . The retaining means 702 is formed of rigid material 706 and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally within the inner surrounding side panel 666 and over the floor panel 670 , thereby securing the interior pocket 646 downwardly within the container 630 .
[0134] In a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 22 , the retaining means 702 is a mattress pad 710 that has a rigid backing 714 .
[0135] In yet another variant, as illustrated in FIGS. 23 and 25 , a toy storage cover for a crib 718 includes a crib 722 . The crib 722 , as illustrated in FIG. 24 , includes a rigid frame 726 and has four protruding feet 730 , a front wall 734 , a back wall 738 , a first side wall 742 , a second side wall 746 and a floor 750 enclosed by the walls 734 , 738 , 742 , 746 . The toy storage cover 718 , as illustrated in FIGS. 23 and 25 , includes four outer panels 754 , 758 , 762 , 766 , an outer front panel 754 , an outer back panel 758 , an outer first side panel 762 and an outer second side panel 766 . The outer panels 754 , 758 , 762 , 766 are attached to each other at their side edges 770 .
[0136] The toy storage cover 718 includes an interior pocket 774 that includes four inner panels 778 , 782 , 786 , 790 , an inner front panel 778 , an inner back panel 782 , an inner first side panel 786 , and an inner second side panel 790 and a floor panel 794 . The four inner panels 778 , 782 , 786 , 790 are attached to each other at their side edges 772 and to the floor panel 794 at their bottom edges 798 . The inner panels 778 , 782 , 786 , 790 are attached at their top edges 802 to the top edges 806 of the outer panels 754 , 758 , 762 , 766 . The outer front 754 , back 758 , first side 762 and second side 766 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the crib walls 734 , 738 , 742 , 746 when attached together. The inner front 778 , back 782 , first side 786 , second side 790 and floor 794 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the crib walls 734 , 738 , 742 , 746 when attached together. When the crib 718 is located between the inner 778 , 782 , 786 , 790 and outer 754 , 758 , 762 , 766 panels the interior pocket 774 will be supported by the crib 718 .
[0137] In still another variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 26 , the toy storage cover for a crib 718 further comprises a retaining means 810 . The retaining means 810 is formed of rigid material 814 and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front 778 , back 782 , first side 786 and second side 790 panels and over the floor panel 794 , thereby securing the interior pocket 774 downwardly within the crib 718 .
[0138] In a further variant, the retaining means 810 is a mattress pad 818 has a rigid backing 822 .
[0139] In another variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 27 and 29 , a toy storage cover for a collapsible open topped container 826 includes a container 830 . The container 830 , as illustrated in FIG. 28 , includes a front wall 834 , a back wall 838 , a first side wall 842 , a second side wall 846 and a floor 850 enclosed by the walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 . Each of the walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 has a top edge 854 , a bottom edge 858 , a first side edge 862 , a second side edge 866 , an inner surface 870 and an outer surface 874 . The floor 850 has a front edge 878 , a back edge (not shown), a first side edge (not shown), a second side edge 890 , a top surface (not shown) and a bottom surface (not shown).
[0140] The front wall 834 is hingedly attached at its bottom edge 858 to the front edge 878 of the floor 850 and the back wall 838 is hingedly attached at its bottom edge 858 to the back edge of the floor 850 . The first side wall 842 is hingedly attached at its bottom edge 858 to the first side edge of the floor 850 and the second side wall 846 is hingedly attached at its bottom edge 858 to the second side edge 890 of the floor 850 .
[0141] Means 902 are provided for removably attaching the front wall 834 at its first side edge 862 to the first side wall 842 at its second side edge 866 . Means 902 are provided for removably attaching the front wall 834 at its second side edge 866 to the second side wall 846 at its first side edge 862 . Means 902 are provided for removably attaching the back wall 838 at its second side edge 866 to the first side wall 842 at its first side edge 862 . Means 902 are provided for removably attaching the back wall 838 at its first side edge 862 to the second side wall 846 at its second side edge 866 .
[0142] The toy storage cover 826 , as illustrated in FIGS. 27 and 29 , includes four outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 . The outer front panel 906 has an exterior surface 922 , an interior surface 926 , a top edge 930 , a bottom edge 934 , a first side edge 938 , and a second side edge 942 . The outer back panel 910 has an exterior surface 946 , an interior surface 950 , a top edge 954 , a bottom edge 958 , a first side edge 962 , and a second side edge 966 . The outer first side panel 914 has an exterior surface 970 , an interior surface 974 , a top edge 978 , a bottom edge 982 , a front side edge 986 , and a back side edge 990 . The outer second side panel 918 has an exterior surface 994 , an interior surface 998 , a top edge 1002 , a bottom edge 1006 , a front side edge 1010 , and a back side edge 1014 .
[0143] The outer front panel 906 is joined at its first side edge 938 to the front side edge 986 of the outer first side panel 914 and is joined at its second side edge 942 to the front side edge 1010 of the outer second side panel 918 . The outer back panel 910 is joined at its first side edge 962 to the back side edge 990 of the outer first side panel 914 and is joined at its second side edge 966 to the back side edge 1014 of the outer second side panel 918 .
[0144] An interior pocket 1018 is provided. The interior pocket 1018 includes four inner panels 1022 , 1026 , 1030 , 1034 and a floor panel 1038 . The inner front panel 1022 has an exterior surface 1042 , an interior surface 1046 , a top edge 1050 , a bottom edge 1054 , a first side edge 1058 , and a second side edge 1062 . The inner back panel 1026 has an exterior surface 1066 , an interior surface 1070 , a top edge 1074 , a bottom edge 1078 , a first side edge 1082 , and a second side edge 1086 . The inner first side panel 1030 has an exterior surface 1090 , an interior surface 1094 , a top edge 1098 , a bottom edge 1102 , a front side edge 1106 , and a back side edge 1110 . The inner second side panel 1034 has an exterior surface 1114 , an interior surface 1118 , a top edge 1122 , a bottom edge 1126 , a front side edge 1130 , and a back side edge 1134 .
[0145] The inner front panel 1022 is joined at its first side edge 1058 to the front side edge 1106 of the inner first side panel 1030 and is joined at its second side edge 1062 to the front side edge 1130 of the inner second side panel 1034 . The inner back panel 1026 is joined at its first side edge 1082 to the back side edge 1110 of the inner first side panel 1030 and is joined at its second side edge 1086 to the back side edge 1134 of the inner second side panel 1034 .
[0146] The floor panel 1038 has an upper surface 1138 , a lower surface 1142 , a front edge 1146 , a back edge 1150 , a first side edge 1154 and a second side edge 1158 . The floor panel 1038 is attached at its front edge 1146 to the bottom edge 1054 of the inner front panel 1022 , at its back edge 1150 to the bottom edge 1078 of the inner back panel 1026 , at its first side edge 1154 to the bottom edge 1102 of the inner first side panel 1030 and at its second side edge 1158 to the bottom edge 1126 of the inner second side panel 1034 . The inner front panel 1022 is attached at its top edge 1050 to the top edge 930 of the outer front panel 906 . The inner back panel 1026 is attached at its top edge 1074 to the top edge 954 of the outer back panel 910 . The inner first side panel 1030 is attached at its top edge 1098 to the top edge 978 of the outer first side panel 914 . The inner second side panel 1034 is attached at its top edge 1122 to the top edge 1002 of the outer second side panel 918 .
[0147] The outer front 906 , back 910 , first side 914 and second side 918 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably over the container walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 when attached together. The inner front 1022 , back 1026 , first side 1030 , second side 1034 and floor 1038 panels are sized and shaped to fit slidably within the container walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 when attached together. When the container 830 is located between the inner 1022 , 1026 , 1030 , 1034 and outer 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 panels the interior pocket 1018 will be supported by the container 830 .
[0148] In still another variant, as illustrated in FIGS. 30 and 30 a , the toy storage cover 826 includes at least one attachment strap 1162 . The attachment strap 1162 has a first end 1166 and a second end 1170 and is fixedly attached at its first end 1166 to the lower surface 1142 of the floor panel 1038 of the interior pocket 1018 . The strap 1162 extends outwardly past one of the inner panels 1022 , 1026 , 1030 , 1034 . The second end 1170 of the attachment strap 1162 includes means 1174 for removably attaching the second end 1170 to either the exterior surface 922 , 946 , 970 , 994 or the interior surface 926 , 950 , 974 , 998 of one of the outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 .
[0149] The container 830 , as illustrated in FIG. 28 , includes at least one slot 1178 . The slot 1178 is sized, shaped and located adjacent the bottom edge 858 of one of the walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 of the collapsible container 830 so as to permit the second end 1170 of the attachment strap 1162 to pass through it. When the second end 1170 of the attachment strap 1162 is passed through the slot 1178 and removably attached to either the exterior surface 922 , 946 , 970 , 994 or the interior surface 926 , 950 , 974 , 998 of at least one of the outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 , the interior pocket 1018 of the toy storage cover 826 will be removably secured to the collapsible container 830 .
[0150] In yet another variant, as illustrated in FIG. 28 , the means 902 for removably attaching the front 834 and back 838 walls of the container 830 to the first 842 and second 846 side walls of the container 830 includes hooking and loop elements 1182 secured to either the inner surface 870 or the outer surface 874 of the walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 adjacent their side edges 862 , 866 .
[0151] In a further variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 30 , the means 1174 for removably attaching the second end 1170 of the attachment strap 1162 to either the exterior surface 922 , 946 , 970 , 994 or the interior surface 926 , 950 , 974 , 998 of one of the outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 includes hooking and loop elements 1182 secured to the second end 1170 and either the exterior surface 922 , 946 , 970 , 994 or the interior surface 926 , 950 , 974 , 998 of at least one of the outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 .
[0152] In still a further variant, as illustrated in FIG. 31 , a retaining means 1186 is provided. The retaining means 1186 is formed of rigid material 1190 and is sized and shaped to fit frictionally between the inner front 1022 , back 1026 , first side 1030 and second side 1034 panels and over the floor panel 1038 , thereby securing the interior pocket 1018 downwardly within the container 830 .
[0153] In yet a further variant, the retaining means 1186 is a mattress pad 1194 that has a rigid backing 1198 .
[0154] In another variant of the invention, as illustrated in FIG. 32 , the toy storage cover for a collapsible open topped container 826 includes means 1202 for securing the toy storage cover 826 to the container 830 .
[0155] In a final variant, as illustrated in FIG. 32 , the means 1202 for securing the toy storage cover 826 to the container 830 comprises means 1206 for fastening at least one of the outer panels 906 , 910 , 914 , 918 to one of the inner panels 1022 , 1026 , 1030 , 1034 through openings 1210 in the container walls 834 , 838 , 842 , 846 .
[0156] Those of ordinary skill in the art may recognize that many modifications and variations of the present invention may be implemented without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers the modifications and variations of this invention provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A toy storage cover for a portable play yard includes four outer panels shaped to surround the outer walls of the play yard attached at their top edges to four inner panels shaped to line the play yard. A floor panel joins the inner panels and is secured to the floor of the play yard by a mattress pad shaped to fit within the inner panels above the floor of the play yard. A series of pockets are attached to the outer panels of the cover. The pockets have smaller pockets within them or on their outer surfaces. Tie-down straps, fitted foot pockets or attachments through the play yard walls are used to secure the cover to the play yard. The toy storage cover may be adapted to play yards of various designs, cribs or other open topped containers.
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CONTRACTUAL ORIGIN OF THE INVENTION
The U.S. Government has rights in this invention pursuant to the employer-employee relationship of the Government to some of the inventors as U.S. Department of Energy employees at the Pittsburgh Energy Technology Center, and pursuant to 42 U.S.C. 5908 in respect to the inventor-employees of the Bayer Corporation.
This application is a continuation-in-part, of application Ser. No. 08/599,005 filed Feb. 9, 1996, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for producing the catalyst and, more particularly, to iron-oxide based catalysts and a method for producing iron-oxide based catalysts for use in cracking, isomerization and transalkylation processes by reacting iron oxides doped with a lattice compatible metal with halogen compounds.
2. Background of the Invention
Many industrial processes involve acid-catalyzed reactions, such as cracking, hydrocracking, depolymerization, isomerization, alkylation, transalkylation, etc. The catalysts used in these processes are solids (e.g. zeolites, silica-alumina), liquids (ex. phosphoric acid, methane sulfonic acid, triflouromethane sulfonic acid, sludges of aluminum chloride, etc.) or gases (e.g. hydrofluoric acid).
Some metal chlorides or mixtures of metal chlorides have been used as acid catalysts. These metal chlorides include AlCl 3 , ZnCl 2 , FeCl 3 or mixtures of metal chlorides such as AlCl 3 -CuCl 2 (in which CuCl 2 acts as a promoter).
Several shortcomings exist with the use of these inorganic halides in industrial settings, including: 1. their inherent highly corrosive characteristics, 2. the need to control rigorously the water content of the sludge containing the catalyst, 3. the difficulty to disperse the catalyst in the reaction mixture, resulting in the need to use large amounts of catalyst and, 4. the environmental hazards associated with the recovery and/or disposal of the used catalyst.
For example, the typical acid catalysts of zinc chloride and ferric chloride contain 52 weight percent and 65.5 weight percent of chlorine, respectively.
A need exists to develop methods to synthesize new acid catalysts that do not have the shortcomings of typical metal chloride catalysts. The process should minimize the use of halogen material. Finally, the resulting product should provide for its easy reclamation from reaction mixtures and, be stable.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a metal-based acid catalyst and a method for producing a metal-based acid catalyst that overcomes many of the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for activating a metal-based catalyst precursor, prior to actual use. A feature of the invention is the production of a catalyst having active sites on the surface or shell of the catalyst. An advantage of the method is the elimination of the large amounts of halide, and concomitant materials handling problems associated therewith, that is necessary in typical procedures to maintain catalytic activity.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a method for activating metal-lattice substrates with lattice compatible metals and organic chlorides. A feature of the invention is the incorporation of chloride ions onto the substrates. An advantage of the invention is the elimination of corrosive problems associated with metal chlorides that are typically used in industrially situated, acid-catalyzed reactions.
Briefly, these and other objects and advantages of the present invention are provided via a method for producing acid catalysts comprising synthesizing an iron oxide doped with metal ions lattice-compatible with Fe 3+ or/and Fe 2+ , exposing the doped iron oxide to a halogen compound and heating the iron oxide-halogen compound mixture. A lattice compatible ion is in this case, an ion that can replace Fe 2+ or Fe 3+ in the iron oxide lattice (similar ionic radius, same ionic charge).
The invention also provides for an acid catalyst in form of particles comprising a crystalline iron oxide, a metal dopant to said iron oxide, said dopant being compatible with iron oxide and a halogen chemically bound on the surface of the catalyst particle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Modified metal oxides containing small amounts of lattice-compatible metals as precursors for subsequent activation to shell-acid catalysts have been developed. The activation step consists of the treatment of the oxides, such as magnetites doped with small amounts of other lattice compatible metals, with halogen compounds at temperatures usually over 200° C. Preferably, the activation step includes heating to a temperature in the range of between about 225° C. and about 410° C., and, more preferably, to a temperature of about 225° C. Following the activation step, a catalytically active surface with a complex structure is formed containing Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ ions, other lattice compatible metal ions, halogen and oxygen ions. After the desired reaction is carried out, the catalyst is removed and subsequently reused. In the case of magnetic iron-oxide precursors, separation of catalyst material from the reaction mixture is possible by taking advantage of their magnetic properties.
When large surface area precursors are used, these catalysts are used in small quantities, and possibly even as disposable catalysts. In as much as all the active, halogen-containing sites are present only on a thin shell to the catalyst substrate, the overall quantity of halogen is very small. For example, in the case of one active catalyst fabricated via the method taught herein wherein a magnetite contains 0.5 weight percent of Zn, the chlorine content of the catalyst was 8.9 percent, with a surface area of 18 m 2 /g. This compares to the 52 weight percent of chlorine and 65.5 weight percent of chlorine noted previously for the typical acid catalysts zinc chloride and ferric chloride, respectively.
Iron oxides with spinel structure may be used in the preparation of the catalyst, including, but not limited to, iron oxides such as gamma-Fe 2 O 3 , Fe 3 O 4 , or berthollide iron oxides of composition (FeO) 1-x (Fe 2 O 3 ), where 0<x<1. Where Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ lattice positions are present, as in magnetite structures, several substitution metal ions having similar ionic radius with iron may be utilized. Substitution metal ions include but are not limited to metal ions of Zn, Cu, Mg, Ni, Co, Al, Ga, Mo, Cr, V, and Ti+Fe. For example, Zn 2++ , Cu 2+ , Mg 2+ , Ni 2+ , Co 2+ can be used to replace Fe 2+ in lattice positions. Similarly, Al 3+ , 1/2 Ti 4+ +Fe 2+ !, Ga 3+ , Cr 3+ , and V 3+ may be used to replace Fe 3+ in lattice positions during preparation. Upon heating, we found that these substitute ions diffuse to the surface of the particle and partially displace the original Fe 3+ and Fe 2+ ions at the surface of the iron-oxide particle. This surface diffusion results in a larger concentration of the added metal ions on the surface than in the bulk. Subsequent reaction of the iron ions and the substituted metal ions with halogen creates a surface having catalytic properties.
Heating of particles of magnetite doped with Zn 2+ and Al 3+ in the presence of an organic halide causes, the dopants to diffuse to the surface of the particle and at least partially replace Fe 2+ and/or Fe 3+ respectively, resulting in an increased concentration of the Zn and/or the Al on the surface. The resulting material proves to be an active and stable acid catalyst which maintains its catalytic activity after storage in air for weeks, even in humid conditions. The long shelf life of the catalyst of the invention is shown, for example in Example 4.
Heating of doped iron oxides, prior or concomitant with surface activation with a sulfur or sulfur containing compounds, can be used for the formation of active systems other than active acid catalysts, including Fe--S--Ni and Fe--S--Co combinations used as hydrotreating catalysts. Preferably, the activation step includes heating in the range of between about 200° C. and about 350° C., and, more preferably, to a temperature of about 200° C.
Several precursors containing magnetite with and without small amounts of Zn 2+ and/or Al 3+ were prepared. Catalyst precursors used in the following examples are disclosed in Table 1, infra. Generally, the magnetites used as catalyst precursors have crystal structures accommodating Fe 2+ and Fe 3+ .
TABLE 1______________________________________Catalyst Precursors Surface Area Elemental Analysis, wt %# Magnetite m.sup.2 /g Fe Zn Al______________________________________1. Isometric 39.3 66.9 0 02. Needles, Zn 37 0.5 03. Isometric, Zn 43.6 67.0 0.40 04. Isometric, Al 37.9 67.1 0 0.45. Isometric, Al, Zn 50.6 66.4 0.45 0.48______________________________________ *Magnetite supplied by Bayer Corporation, Pittsburgh, PA.
As mentioned supra, while the examples provided below demonstrate chlorine-containing catalysts, other halogen containing compounds, those containing bromine and iodine for example, may be used.
Catalyst Preparation With Oxygen Present--Method A
In a first method, one part by weight of doped iron oxide (containing small amounts of other metals or metals substituted in the lattice) was heated in a closed container with 0.05-0.5 percent by weight organic halide for a given duration of time at a given temperature. Usually, the duration of heating is 0.5 to 5 hours and the temperature is selected from a range of between approximately 225° C. and 410° C. After this heating step, the container is opened and its contents dried in vacuum at temperatures of 80-300° C. for one hour. A more preferable iron oxide-to-organic chloride weight ratio range is 1:0.05 to 1:0.1.
Suitable organic halides for catalyst activation included organic halides such as methylene halides, carbon tetrahalide, trihalomethanes, where the halogen may be chlorine, bromine or iodine. Generally, any derivative of lower fraction alkyls is suitable (i.e., methane, ethane, propane or butane) as long as the compounds, upon thermal decomposition, do not liberate carbon which could otherwise reduce the surface area of the iron-based particle during catalyst activation.
Catalyst Preparation With Oxygen Absent--Method B
In a second method, doped iron oxide is heated under inert gas (for example, nitrogen, argon or helium) at 225° C. to 410° C. for 0.25 to 5 hours. The resulting material has an increased concentration of lattice compatible metals (other than iron) on the surface and is then activated as described above in method A to form the acid catalyst.
To avoid sintering of particles (which reduces surface area), the heating of the oxide-substituted metal-halogen mixture is preferably at a relatively slow rate. To maintain high surface areas, i.e., small particle sizes, low heating rates of between 1° C./minute and 3° C./minute are used, and relatively low final temperatures (225-250° C.) are utilized.
High surface areas may be maintained by passivation of the oxide particle surface with phosphoric acid. This is illustrated in Examples 9 and 11 below whereby nonpassivated magnetite lost 61 percent of its surface area upon activation (in Example 9). In contrast, the same magnetite, first passivated (in Example 11), lost only 25 percent of its initial surface area.
Low heating rates to reach the final temperatures, noted supra, facilitate both the dopant diffusion outwardly toward the surface of the particle, and the formation of the catalytic surface.
Catalyst production may be carried out at pressures on the order of 1-5 atmospheres, concomitant with the pressure created when the organic halide decomposes.
The activity of the resulting catalysts, as measured by degree of conversion, was determined by a micro-test, as described in Farcasiu, et al. Energy & Fuels 1994, 8, 920-924, and incorporated herein by reference. The test compound utilized was 4-(1-naphthylmethyl)bibenzyl, which is compound I, illustrated infra. The hydrogen donor utilized was 9,10 dihydrophenanthrene. The catalyst was present in 10-40 percent by weight of the test compound. The main catalytic reaction, under test conditions is the selective cracking of bond a (see formula compound 1) ##STR1##
To assess the catalytic activity of the invented class of catalysts, the catalyst was combined with Compound I to form a reaction mixture. In all examples, infra, the magnetite used as the precursor is identified with the numbers given in Table 1, supra.
EXAMPLE 1
187 mg of needle-Zn magnetite (#2 in table 1) and 18 mg methylene chloride were heated for 30 minutes at 390° C. in a closed glass tube. The product was dried in vacuum at room temperature for one hour to remove any trace of methylene chloride. The catalyst was stored in a glass vial, at room temperature.
EXAMPLE 2
25 mg of Compound I and approximately 100 mg of 9,10 dihydrophenanthrene were heated for 1 hour at 390° C. No reaction was observed.
EXAMPLE 3
25 mg of Compound I, approximately 100 mg of 9,10 dihydrophenanthrene and 2.5 mg fresh catalyst as prepared pursuant to Example 1, were heated for one hour at 390° C. The conversion of Compound I (see reference above) was 20.7 percent (average of two micro-tests) in the presence of 10 weight catalyst; the selectivity for the cracking of bond "a" was more than 90 percent.
EXAMPLE 4
The stability of the catalysts prepared under Method A was tested after storage at room temperature in a closed container. The conversion of I as a function of time since preparation is given in Table 2, infra.
TABLE 2______________________________________Conversion of Compound I versus days after preparation Days after Preparataion 0 13 23 37 41______________________________________Conversion *I, % 20.7 21.9 25.8 25.0 25.1______________________________________ *10% weight catalyst (based on Compound I)
EXAMPLE 5
To check the water-stability of a catalyst, prepared using Method A, the catalyst was first stored in air for 41 days. Results of that air storage are illustrated in Table 2. Another catalyst, stored in air for 41 days was tested after a 30 minute exposure to a water-vapor-saturated atmosphere at room temperature. And, a third catalyst, again initially stored in air for 41 days, was tested after overnight exposure to a water-vapor-saturated atmosphere at room temperature. The conversions of compound I for each of the three above scenarios was 25.1 percent, 22.5 percent and 8 percent respectively, whereby the catalyst was 10 percent by weight, based on Compound I.
EXAMPLE 6
The Zn, Al magnetite (#5, Table 1) was activated with methylene chloride at 225° C. The weight ratio methylene chloride to magnetite was 1:8. Catalysts B, C and D were obtained. The X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) method of analysis was used to determine the surface composition of these catalysts as compared with the initial bulk composition. The results are given in Table 3. The conversion of Compound I is given for 40 percent weight of the catalyst, based on Compound I.
TABLE 3______________________________________Surface Composition of CH.sub.2 Cl.sub.2 -activated Catalysts Atomic Ratio on the Surface Conversion ICatalyst Fe Zn Al Cl %______________________________________Magnetite #5 100 0.63 1.6 0 0B 100 11.2 8.9 10.1 57C 100 8.8 10.1 10.1 19D 100 1.1 4.7 3.9 12______________________________________
EXAMPLE 7
Methylene chloride activated magnetite #1 (5 hours at 225° C., in the presence of oxygen, method A) was tested for catalytic activity. The conversion of Compound I in the presence of 40 weight percent of the activated material was 0 percent.
EXAMPLE 8
Magnetite #3 and phosphoric acid surface-passivated magnetite #3 were activated with methylene chloride at 225° C. for 5 hours. The catalysts gave conversions of 18.8 percent and 34.6 percent respectively (concentration of catalyst was 40 percent based on the weight of Compound I present).
EXAMPLE 9
In a sealed glass tube, 100 mg magnetite #5 and 24 mg methylene chloride were heated at 1.7° C./min to 225° C. and then maintained at 225° for three hours. The fresh catalyst gave a conversion of 39.4 percent when using in 40 percent concentration (based on Compound 1). Surface area of the catalyst is 18.5 m 2 /g.
EXAMPLE 10
In a sealed glass tube, 100 mg magnetite #2 and 24 mg methylene chloride were heated at 1.7° C./min to 225° C. and then maintained at 225° for three hours. The fresh catalyst gave a conversion of 74.5 percent when used in 40 weight percent concentration based on the amount of Compound I present. The catalytic activity of the two-day old catalyst was 69.5 percent. Surface area of the catalyst was 31 m 2 /g.
EXAMPLE 11
Catalytic activities and surface areas of a methylene chloride activated magnetite #5 (catalyst E in table 4) and of a corresponding magnetite which was first phosphoric acid passivated #5 (catalyst F) were measured and compared. The results are illustrated in Table 4, infra:
TABLE 4______________________________________Activity and Surface Area for Activated v. Non-activated Magnetite Surface Area (S.A.) Conversion * of ISubstrate m.sup.2 /g %______________________________________Magnetite #5 50.6 0Catalyst E 26.6 18.8Catalyst F 37.9 46.2______________________________________ * 40 weight % of catalyst based on Compound I present
EXAMPLE 12
A methylene chloride activated magnetite #2 (of table 1) was tested for catalytic activity at 10 weight percent catalyst concentration (based on Compound I present), one hour reaction time and at various temperatures. The results are depicted in Table 5, infra:
TABLE 5______________________________________Conversion rates using 10 weight percent catalyst ° C. %______________________________________ 390 14.3 400 32.2 410 50.4______________________________________
EXAMPLE 13
Two samples of needle Zn magnetite (#2 in Table 1) were separately subjected to different methods of treatment. First, needle Zn magnetite was heated at 225° C. for 5 hours, and the heat treated material was recovered as Material A. Second, needle Zn magnetite was activated with methylene chloride at 225° C. for 5 hours, and the activated material was recovered as Material B. The weight ratio of methylene chloride to magnetite was 1:8.
Material A and Material B were obtained for analysis. X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was used to analyze the surface composition of Material A and Material B, as compared to the initial bulk composition of the needle Zn magnetite prior to treatment (Magnetite #2). The results are provided in Table 6 below. The conversion of Compound I is given for 10 percent weight of the untreated needle Zn magnetite (#2, Table 1) and for 10 percent weight of Material B. To confirm that Material A does not act as a catalyst, 40 percent weight Material A was used in the catalytic testing, based on Compound I.
TABLE 6______________________________________Surface Composition of Materials according to Example 13 Atomic Ratio on the SurfaceMaterial Fe Zn Cl P % Conversion of Compound______________________________________ IMagnetite #2 100 1.6 3 11 0Material A 100 2.5 0 7 0Material B 100 5.7 11 14 45______________________________________
Example 13 demonstrates that activation by exposure to the halogenated compound (methylene chloride) is essential for providing material having acidic catalytic activity. Simply heating the metal doped iron oxide (Material A) does not produce a catalyst having an acidic function on its surface for promoting acid catalyzed reactions. In addition, it is known that neither iron oxide nor a mixed iron zinc oxide can have acidic activity.
While the invention has been described with reference to details of the illustrated embodiment, these details are not intended to limit the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A method for preparing an acid catalyst having a long shelf-life is provided comprising doping crystalline iron oxides with lattice-compatible metals and heating the now-doped oxide with halogen compounds at elevated temperatures. The invention also provides for a catalyst comprising an iron oxide particle having a predetermined lattice structure, one or more metal dopants for said iron oxide, said dopants having an ionic radius compatible with said lattice structure; and a halogen bound with the iron and the metal dopants on the surface of the particle.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 572,543 filed Apr. 28, 1975 now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to turbomachinery systems in general and in particular to turbomachinery systems in which two or more sources of working fluid are required to be used simultaneously. These working fluids may be provided at different temperatures, pressures and velocities and thus require handling within the system each in a different manner.
In the prior art devices of this type, a separate piece of rotating machinery was provided for each fluid source. If the machinery to utilize the fluid were a turbine there would be provided multiple turbines, one for each fluid source to be used. Thus, as the number of fluid sources increased the complexity and cost of the system was increased and the reliability substantially decreased.
The present invention overcomes these disadvantages by providing a single turbine which is adapted to accept multiple streams of varying fluids simultaneously. Thus a single piece of rotating machinery can accommodate a variety of fluid sources.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention provides a fluid turbine for utilizing multiple fluid streams in which separate inlet nozzles or vanes are provided for handling each fluid. Thus each fluid may be directed to that portion of the turbine which will provide the optimum utilization of the fluid energy. The invention may be utilized in radial inflow turbines or axial inflow turbines and may provide for separation of the fluid streams or merging of the streams in their expansion through the turbine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a radial flow dual stream turbine of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view of an alternate dual stream turbine of the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3--3 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line 4--4 of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view illustrating a rotating shroud for a dual stream radial turbine;
FIG. 6 is a partial sectional view of a dual stream axial turbine of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a partial sectional view of an alternate dual flow axial turbine having a rotating shroud;
FIG. 8 is a view of a dual source scroll for a radial turbine;
FIG. 9 is a view of a dual source housing for an axial turbine; and
FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line Y--Y of FIG. 9.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a radial inflow turbine, shown generally at 10, comprising a hub section 12 and a blade section 14. The turbine member is supported for rotation about an axis "X"-"X". On the blade portion of the turbine 10 there are provided two inlet sections shown at 16 and 18. Radially outboard of the blade sections of the turbine there is provided a dual stream toroidal plenum shown generally at 20. This toroidal plenum is divided into two separate chambers shown at 22 and 24, and each is connected to a separate fluid source (not shown). The chamber 22 is provided with a series of nozzles spaced about the inside diameter of the chamber, one of which is shown at 26. These nozzles are for directing fluid under pressure from the chamber 22 to the blade section 16 of the turbine 10. The other chamber 24 within the plenum 20, is connected to a separate source of pressurized fluid and is provided with a series of nozzles 28 for directing the fluid from chamber 24 to the blade section 18 of the turbine 10. Thus each blade section of the turbine is provided with separate fluid source and nozzle assembly.
Referring now to FIG. 2, there is shown a similar embodiment having a turbine 10 with blade sections 16 and 18. The toroidal plenum 30 is divided into two chambers 32 and 34 as before. Chamber 32 is connected to the blade section 16 by means of nozzles 36. However, the fluid from chamber 34 is directed to blade section 18 of the turbine by means of a series of stationary vanes 38.
In FIG. 3 there is shown a partial section taken through the nozzle assembly 26 showing the distribution of the nozzles around the periphery of the turbine. In FIG. 4 the stationary vanes 38, discussed in connection with FIG. 2 above, are shown in partial section.
Referring now to FIG. 5, there is shown another embodiment of the invention which provides a radial inflow turbine similar to that discussed in connection with FIGS. 1 and 2 above. The turbine 40 is provided with a hub member 42 and blade sections 44 and 46. Blade section 44 receives fluid directed through vanes 50 while blade section 46 receives fluid from another source by means of vanes 48. In this embodiment, however, where it is desirable to maintain the fluid flow in the two blade sections separate, there is provided a rotating shroud member 52 which rotates with the turbine. Thus, the fluid streams from the two sources are maintained separate as they are expanded through the turbine.
Referring now to FIGS. 6 and 7, there are shown two embodiments of the invention as it is applied to axial flow turbines rather than radial inflow turbines. Thus in FIG. 6 the turbine 54 is provided with hub member 56 and a single blade section 58. Fluid from a first source is directed to the blade 58 by means of channel 60 while fluid from the second source is directed to another portion of the same blade by means of channel 62. The channels 60 and 62 are separated by a stationary shroud member 64. In FIG. 7 the turbine 68 with its hub member 70 is provided with a dual section axial blade whose sections are shown at 72 and 74. The blade section 74 receives fluid through channel 76 while the blade section 72 receives the fluid transmitted by channel 78. The two blade sections are separated by a rotating shroud member 80 and the two channels 76 and 78 are separated by means of a rotating labyrinth seal shown at 82.
Referring now to FIG. 8, there is shown another embodiment of the invention in which a toroidal chamber 84 surrounding a radial turbine is provided with two inlets 86 and 88 for accepting fluids from separate sources. In this embodiment the turbine blades of a radial inflow type will be uniform across their span but the fluids will be directed to different radial segments of the turbine. Thus the fluid entering opening 86 is inducted into the torus along bulkhead 90 and is directed to that portion of the turbine included within angle B. Within angle B the fluid is directed to the individual turbine blades by means of vanes 94. In similar manner the fluid entering opening 88 is directed along bulkhead 92 and impinges upon the turbine through the angle A between the two bulkheads. Thus the fluid from each source is directed to a different section of the turbine according to its particular parameters. While this embodiment is illustrated as showing two segments and two inlets, the embodiment may be practiced using any number of inlets depending on the number of fluid sources.
Referring now to FIGS. 9 and 10, there is shown another embodiment of the invention in which the axial turbine blades are uniform about the hub but the inlet to the turbine is divided into a plurality of segments each supplied from a separate fluid source. As best seen in FIG. 10, there is provided an axial flow turbine at 95 having blade members 96 spaced about its periphery. The turbine is mounted on a shaft member 97 for rotation about axes Z--Z. There are provided two turbine inlets shown at 98 and 100. Fluid from the first inlet 98 is directed by means of vanes 102 into one segment of the blades 96. Fluid from another source enters through turbine inlet 100 and impinges by means of vanes 104 on the other segment of the turbine 95. The two segments are separated by separator members 106 to divide the turbine inlet into two distinct segments providing an axial flow machine in which fluids from two different sources may be directed to separate sections of the turbine for optimum use of the energy contained in the fluid.
Radial turbines of this invention are understood to be either of the radial inflow type or the radial outflow type, each of which may employ the customary blade shapes that are associated with this type design, e.g., full length blades that terminate in an exducer as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 or fractional blades or a combination of these. Cantilever blading is understood to fall in this catagory. For radial outflow turbines the nozzles will be arranged inside the blading. A variation of the nozzles shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 may be the so-called vaneless nozzles where vanes shown at 38 in FIG. 4 and 48 and 50 in FIG. 5 for example are eliminated. Either or all of the multi-stream nozzles may be equipped with vanes or be vaneless.
Thus it can be seen that there is provided herein means for utilizing a single turbine rotating element, whether of the axial or radial flow type which will accept multiple fluid streams from separate fluid sources. The fluid flow may be controlled and directed to that portion of the turbine which will most effectively use that fluid. Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in light of the above teaching. It is therefore to be understood that within the scope of the appended claims the invention may be practiced otherwise and as is specifically described.
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A turbine is disclosed which is adapted to receive and utilize fluid from multiple sources simultaneously. The fluid from each source is utilized optimumly by providing a section of the turbine adapted for the characteristics of each fluid source.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/743,456, filed Mar. 10, 2006, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates to a method and a device for cleaning griddles using disposable scrubbing pads.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Restaurants commonly have one or more griddle surfaces that provide a flat, hot cooking surface for cooking food items. Often restaurants include both a flat griddle to cook foods such as eggs and pancakes and a grooved griddle to cook meats where a charbroiled appearance is desirable. In addition to the aesthetic appeal associated with food cooked over a grooved griddle, the grooved griddle is preferable over a flat griddle when draining fat out of meat products while cooking the meat is desirable. When cooking meat products on a grooved griddle the meat product rests over raised ridges on the griddle. As the meat product cooks, the fat drains from the meat and collects on the lower surfaces of the griddle that are positioned between the raised ridges on the griddle. Though traditional open flame grills also enable fat to drain from meat products while the meat is cooking, grooved griddles are sometime preferred over traditional open flame grills because they are typically more energy efficient and the temperature of the cooking surface can be more easily controlled.
[0004] Cleaning tools have been developed to remove the buildup of grease and food particles on griddles and open flame grills. Exemplary tools are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,094 to Rigakos; U.S. Pat. No. 6,871,377 to Veltrop et al; U.S. Pat. No. 6,443,646 to MacDonald; U.S. Pat. No. 6,351,887 to Hurst; U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,578 to Frantz et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,216,306 to Esterson et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 6,039,372 to Noe et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,373,600 to Stojanovski et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,406 to Rood; U.S. Pat. No. 4,668,302 to Kolodziej et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,516,870 to Nakozato; U.S. Pat. No. 4,146,943 to Werthermer et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,983 to Thielen; U.S. Pat. No. 4,056,863 to Gunjian; and U.S. Pat. No. D470,985 to Zemel. Known tools are not particularly well suited for cleaning grooved griddles of various geometric configurations.
[0005] Grooved griddles are difficult to clean with tools designed to clean flat griddles or grills. Typically, such tools have problems cleaning the area between the raised portions of the griddle. Known tools for cleaning grooved griddles are less than effective because griddles are not uniform in size or geometric configuration. In addition, known tools often require the user to be positioned too close to the hot griddle surface. Moreover, the useful life and versatility of the entire tool is typically limited by the cleaning element of the tool. Accordingly, there is a need for improved cleaning devices that enable a user to clean a grooved griddle more efficiently and effectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] The invention provides a cleaning element configured to attach to an end of a griddle cleaning tool. The cleaning elements according to the invention are configured to efficiently and effectively clean an uneven grooved griddle surface.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIG. 1 is a perspective assembly view of a griddle cleaning tool including a pad according to an embodiment of the invention positioned over a grooved griddle;
[0008] FIG. 2 is an end view of the pad shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0009] FIG. 3 a is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the pad shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0010] FIG. 3 b is a side elevation view of a portion of a grooved griddle surface;
[0011] FIG. 3 c is side elevation view of a portion of a grooved griddle surface;
[0012] FIG. 4 a is an end view of the pad shown in FIG. 3 a;
[0013] FIG. 4 b is side elevation view of the pad shown in FIG. 3 a on the grooved griddle surface shown in FIG. 3 b;
[0014] FIG. 4 c is side elevation view of the pad shown in FIG. 3 a on the grooved griddle surface shown in FIG. 3 b;
[0015] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of another alternative embodiment of the pad shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0016] FIG. 6 is an end view of the pad shown in FIG. 5 ;
[0017] FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a griddle cleaning tool shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0018] FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a griddle cleaning tool shown in FIG. 1 ;
[0019] FIG. 9 is a perspective assembly view of the pad shown in FIG. 8 ;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of a portion of the griddle cleaning tool in FIG. 8 ;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a bottom perspective view of a portion of the griddle cleaning tool in FIG. 8 ; and
[0022] FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the portion of the griddle cleaning tool in FIG. 10 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] Referring to FIG. 1 , a griddle cleaning tool 10 is shown. The tool includes a handle 12 and a foot 14 . The bottom surface 16 of the foot 14 includes a plurality of hooks 18 , which are configured to engage and secure the pad 20 on the bottom surface 16 of the foot 14 . In the embodiment shown the foot 14 and the handle 12 is one piece. In some embodiments the handle and the foot are separate pieces. See Application Ser. No. 60/743,455 docket number 61852US002 having the same filing date as this application in the name of 3M Innovative Properties Company, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0024] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 a - c , the pad 20 shown in FIG. 1 is generally rectangular in shape and includes a stepped cross sectional profile. The pad 20 includes peaks 22 separated by valleys 24 . The peaks 22 and valleys 24 of pad 20 include flat top surfaces 26 and 28 and are spaced apart by a distance D 1 . Preferred distance D 1 is constant across the pad 20 and matches the griddle groove spacing GGS of whatever griddle model that the pad 20 is designed to clean. Preferably, the spacing D 1 is within +/−20% of the groove spacing GGS. Since not all griddles have the same griddle spacing GGS, the pad 20 can be manufactured in several sizes with various peak and valley spacing to accommodate particular differences in griddle spacing. When the pad 20 is in use, the peaks 22 of the pad 20 contacts the low portions 30 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the griddle 34 and the valleys 24 of the pad 20 engage the high portions 32 (shown in FIG. 1 ) of the griddle 34 .
[0025] Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 a - c , the top surface (commonly referred to as the back surface) 36 ( 58 and 68 in FIGS. 3 b and 3 c respectively) of the pad 20 is configured to be secured to the bottom surface 16 of the foot 14 via the plurality of hooks 18 . Once the pad 20 is secured to the foot 14 , the griddle can be cleaned by moving the handle 12 back and forth across the griddle 34 until the pad 20 breaks loose the food, grease, and carbonized material from the griddle 34 surface.
[0026] It should be understood that the hooks 18 of the foot 14 need not be in the shape shown in the figures, but that the hooks 18 can be in any geometric configuration capable of engaging and securing the pad 20 to the foot 14 . In addition, in alternative embodiments the foot 14 may have no hooks 18 . Instead, the pad may include an adhesive strip or other engagement mechanisms that secure the pad 20 to the foot or it may include clamps for securing the edge of the pad 20 to the foot 14 .
[0027] In some embodiments the pad 20 comprises a non-woven substrate suited for scouring heated surfaces. In some embodiments the non-woven substrate also includes solid cleaners disposed therein or thereon that at least partially remove or soften the food soils. In many embodiments, non-woven substrates include non-woven webs of fibers.
[0028] In some embodiments the pad 20 can be used in conjunction with a liquid or a solid chemical cleaner. For example, the pad 20 can be used with 3M's commercially available Scotch-Brite Quick Clean Griddle Liquid, which is griddle cleaning liquid intended for use on food contact surfaces and is useful in loosening and lifting carbonized grease and food soil from hot griddle surfaces. In other embodiments, the pad 20 can be impregnated or otherwise attached to a chemical cleaner.
[0029] In one embodiment the pad 20 includes features disclosed in PCT Publication Number WO 2007/101866 (3M Innovative Properties Company). The entire PCT filing is incorporated by reference herein and portions of the application are included below.
[0030] The following disclosure is believed to be applicable generally to solid cleaners and the use of such solid cleaners on heated surfaces. Specifically, the disclosure is based around a solid cleaner that melts on a heated food preparation surface such as, for example, a grill surface, a griddle surface, or an oven surface. The heated surface can be formed of any material including, for example, metal, ceramic, glass, and/or plastic. These examples, and the examples discussed below, provide an appreciation of the applicability of the disclosed cleaning systems, but should not be interpreted in a limiting sense.
[0031] A solid cleaner for heated surfaces is disclosed that includes one or more D solidifying agents and one or more cleaning agents. The solid cleaner is solid at room temperature (e.g., 24 degrees Celsius) and a liquid at an elevated temperature. The elevated temperature can be any useful temperature at which the solid cleaner begins to melt (e.g., melting point.) The solid cleaner can have any useful melting point. In some embodiments, the solid cleaner has a melting point in a range from 35 to 150 degrees Celsius or from 35 to 100 degrees Celsius, or from 45 to 90 degrees Celsius, as desired. Solid cleaners that melt on heated surfaces provide one or more of the following advantages over liquid cleaners: increased dwell time; decreased cleaner evaporation; and/or the ability to be used on vertical heated surfaces. In many embodiments, the solid cleaners have an accelerated cleaning action at elevated temperatures (e.g., above 100 degrees Celsius). In many embodiments, the solid cleaner is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food contact.
[0032] The solid cleaner can be any defined size or shape. In some embodiments, the solid cleaner has a cube shape, a cuboid shape, a pyramid shape, a cylinder shape, a cone shape, a sphere shape, or portions thereof. In some embodiments, the solid cleaner has a weight from 1 gram to 10 kilograms, or from 1 to 1000 grams, or from 5 to 500 grams, or from 10 to 200 grams. In other embodiments, the solid cleaner is a powder, pellet, flake, tablet, bar, and the like. The solid cleaner can be combined, or used in conjunction with other cleaning articles such as, for example a non-woven scouring pad, as described below, an abrasive coated woven web substrate griddle screen such as, for example SCOTCH-BRITE™ griddle screen number 200 , or a pumice block, as desired.
[0033] The solid cleaner includes one or more solidifying agents that can assist in forming the solid cleaner. The term “solid” can be defined as a material having a definite volume and configuration independent of its container. Any useful solidifying agent can be used to form the solid cleaner. Any useful amount of solidifying agent can be used to assist in solidifying the solid cleaner. In many embodiments, the solidifying agent is inert or does not assist in the cleaning action of the solid cleaner. In many embodiments, the solidifying agent is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food contact. In certain embodiments, the solid cleaner does not need to be rinsed off of the cleaned surface, implying that it is a “no-rinse” cleaner and GRAS for food contact.
[0034] In many embodiments, the solidifying agent includes one or more waxes. The wax can be a natural wax or synthetic wax. In some embodiments where the solid cleaner includes wax, the solid cleaner is substantially insoluble in water up to at least 35 degrees Celsius. In some embodiments, the solidifying agent includes a natural wax such as, for example, a beeswax, a candelilla wax, a carnauba wax, a rice bran wax, a lemon peel wax, a soy wax, an orange peel wax, or mixtures thereof. In other embodiments, the solidifying agent includes a synthetic wax such as, for example, Baker-Hugnes (Petrolite) makes Bareco High Melt Microcrystalline waxes (melting point 82 to 93 degrees Celsius), Bareco Flexible Microcrystalline waxes (melting point 65 to 82 degrees Celsius), Starwax™, Victory™, Ultraflex™ and Be Square™ waxes, among others. EMS-Griltech (Switzerland) also makes synthetic low melting polymers such as copolyamide, and copolyesters. Synthetic waxes can also include PEG waxes that are solids such as PEG 1000 NF/FCC, fatty alcohols such as cetyl alcohol, and fatty esters such as propylene glycol monostearate, glycerol monolaurate, and sorbitan esters.
[0035] In some embodiments, the solidifying agent includes an emulsifying wax. The emulsifying wax can replace a portion of the one or more waxes, as desired. Emulsifying wax can include, for example, a blend of fatty acids (stearic, palmitic, oleic, capric, caprylic, myristic, and lauric), fatty alcohols (stearyl, cetyl) and/or fatty esters (polysorbates or TWEEN), and the like. In some embodiments, the emulsifying wax is a fatty alcohol such as, for example, stearic alcohol, cetyl alcohol, or mixtures thereof. One example of an emulsifying wax is Emulsifying Wax NF (cas# 67762-27-0; 9005-67-8) and is a blend of cetearyl alcohol, polysorbate 60 , PEG-150 stearate & steareth-20. If present, the emulsifying wax to other wax weight ratio can be from 1:1 to 1:5, or from 3:1 to 1:3, or from 2:1 to 1:2 as desired.
[0036] Wax can be included in the solid cleaner in any useful amount. In many embodiments, a solidifying amount of wax is included in the solid cleaner. In some embodiments, wax is present in the solid cleaner in a range from 10 to 80 wt %, or from 25 to 75 wt %, or from 30 to 50 wt %.
[0037] In some embodiments, the solidifying agent includes a one or more solid polyols. The term “polyol” refers to any organic molecule comprising at least two free hydroxyl groups. Polyols include polyoxyethylene derivatives such as, for example, glycol (diols), triols and monoalcohols, ester, or ethers thereof. Examples of polyols include solids glycols such as, for example, polyethylene glycols (PEG) under the tradename Carbowax series available from Dow Chemical, Midland Mich., polypropylene glycols (PPG) available from Dow Chemical, Midland, Mich., sorbitol and sugars, and solid polyesters such as, for example, poly(ε-caprolactone) under the tradename TONE series from Dow Chemical, Midland Mich., glycerol esters such as, for example, fatty acid mono ester. Fatty acid monoesters include but are not limited to propylene glycol monostearate, glycerol monolaurate, and glycerol monostearate. These esters are GRAS or approved as direct food additives.
[0038] Polyol can be included in the solid cleaner in any useful amount. In many embodiments, a solidifying amount of polyol is included in the solid cleaner. In some embodiments, polyol is present in the solid cleaner in a range from 10 to 80 wt %, or from 25 to 75 wt %, or from 30 to 50 wt %.
[0039] The solid cleaner includes one or more cleaning agents that can assist in the cleaning action of the solid cleaner. The cleaning agent can be any useful cleaning agent. The cleaning agent can be present in the solid cleaner in any useful amount. In many embodiments, the cleaning agents are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food contact.
[0040] Cleaning agents include, for example, surfactants, and pH modifiers. In many embodiments, a cleaning amount of cleaning agent is included in the solid cleaner. In many embodiments, the cleaning agent is capable of removing at least a portion of the soil or residue on the heating surface without mechanical scrubbing action. In illustrative embodiments, the cleaning agent is present in the solid cleaner in range from 1 to 90 wt %, or from 1 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 30 wt %.
[0041] In some embodiments, the cleaning agent includes one or more pH modifiers. These pH modifiers include alkaline compounds such as, inorganic alkaline compounds including for example, hydroxides, silicates, phosphates, and carbonates; and organic alkaline compounds including for example, amines. In other embodiments, the pH modifier is an acidic compound such as, for example, citric acid and the like.
[0042] In some embodiments, the cleaning agent is a carbonate salt such as, for example, calcium carbonate, potassium carbonate, or sodium carbonate. In some embodiments, the carbonate salt includes potassium carbonate and sodium carbonate that is dissolved in water, forming carbonate ions. In other embodiments, the carbonate salt includes a bicarbonate salt such as, for example, sodium bicarbonate. In further embodiments, the cleaning agent includes a silicate salt such as, for example, sodium metasilicate.
[0043] The pH modifiers can be included in the solid cleaner in any useful amount. In many embodiments, the pH modifier is present in the solid cleaner in range from 0.1 to 80 wt %, or from 1 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 30 wt %. In many embodiments, the solid cleaner has a pH in a range from 7 to 13.
[0044] In some embodiments, the cleaning agent includes one or more surfactants. These surfactants include, for example, natural surfactants, anionic surfactants, nonionic surfactants, and amphoteric surfactants. Natural surfactants include, but are not limited to, coconut-based soap solutions. Anionic surfactants include, but are not limited to, dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid and its salts, alkyl ether sulfates and salts thereof, olefin sulfonates, phosphate esters, soaps, sulfosuccinates, and alkylaryl sulfonates. Amphoteric surfactants include, but are not limited to, imidazoline derivatives, betaines, and amine oxides. These surfactants can be included in the solid cleaner in any useful amount. In many embodiments, the surfactant is present in the solid cleaner in range from 5 to 80 wt %, or from 5 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 30 wt %. In many embodiments, the surfactant is food grade surfactant, approved for use as a direct food additive. Often, food grade surfactants are used so that the cleaning surface does not need to be rinsed.
[0045] In some embodiments, the cleaning agent includes carbonate salts such as, for example, sodium and/or potassium carbonate with an amount of surfactant less than 5 wt %, or less than 3 wt %, or less than 1 wt % based on the solid cleaner weight. In some embodiments, the cleaning agent includes carbonate salts such as, for example, sodium and/or potassium carbonate with an amount of a natural surfactant less than 5 wt %, or less than 3 wt %, or less than 1 wt % based on the solid cleaner weight.
[0046] The solid cleaner may optionally include one or more carriers. The carrier can be any amount of useful carrier that can provide solubility for any pH modifier and/or provide good food soil pick up and/or have sufficiently low viscosity upon heating and/or allows the solid cleaner to retain its shape at room temperature. In many embodiments, the carrier is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food contact. Carriers include, for example, water, glycerin, triethylene glycol, and diethylene glycol. In some embodiments, the carrier is present in the solid cleaner in range from 0 to 80 wt %, or from 1 to 60 wt %, or from 25 to 50 wt %.
[0047] In some embodiments, the carrier includes glycerin or glycerol. In certain embodiments, glycerin or glycerol can also act as a solubilizer of soils to be cleaned from the heated surfaces. When present, glycerin can make up from 1 to 80 wt %, or from 1 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 40 wt %, or from 10 to 30 wt %. In some embodiments, the carrier includes water. When present, water can make up from 1 to 80 wt %, or from 1 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 40 wt %, or from 10 to 30 wt %. In further embodiments, the carrier includes water and glycerin. When present, water and glycerin can make up from 1 to 80 wt %, or from 1 to 50 wt %, or from 5 to 40 wt %, or from 10 to 30 wt %.
[0048] Thickeners can be optionally included in the solid cleaner, as desired. In many embodiments, thickeners can replace a portion of the solidifying agent, as desired. Thickeners can include, for example, xanthan gum, guar gum, polyols, alginic acid, sodium alginate, propylene glycol, methyl cellulose, polymer gels, clay, gelatin/clay mixtures, gelatin/oxide nanocomposite gels, smectite clay, montmorillonite clay, fillers e.g. CaCO 3 and mixtures of therein. If present, thickeners can make up from 0.1 to 25 wt %, or from 0.5 to 10 wt %.
[0049] Abrasive material can be optionally included in the solid cleaner, as desired. In many embodiments, the abrasive materials incorporated into the solid cleaning composition can assist in the mechanical scrubbing action and can be used alone or in addition to an abrasive pad described herein. Abrasive materials include, for example, inorganic abrasive particles, organic based particles, sol gel particles or combinations thereof. Further examples of suitable abrasive particles are described in WO 97/49326.
[0050] Additives can be optionally included in the solid cleaner, as desired. Additives can include, for example, builders, corrosion inhibitors (e.g., sodium benzoate), sequestering agents (EDTA), dyes, preservatives, and fragrances. In many embodiments, the additives are generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for food contact or approved for use as a direct food additive.
[0051] In some embodiments, a non-woven substrate can be combined with the solid cleaners disclosed herein. Non-woven substrates are suited for scouring heated surfaces and can assist in physical removal of food soils at least partially removed or softened by the solid cleaners disclosed herein. In many embodiments, non-woven substrates include non-woven webs of fibers.
[0052] In general, non-woven webs of fibers may be made of an air-laid, carded, stitch-bonded, thermobonded and/or resin-bonded construction of fibers, all as known by those skilled in the art. Fibers suitable for use in non-woven substrate materials include natural and synthetic fibers, and mixtures thereof. Synthetic fibers are preferred including those made of polyester (e.g., polyethylene terephthalate), nylon (e.g.; hexamethylene adipamide, polycaprolactam), polypropylene, acrylic (formed from a polymer of acrylonitrile), rayon, cellulose acetate, and so forth. Suitable natural fibers include those of cotton, wool, jute, and hemp. The fiber material can be a homogenous fiber or a composite fiber, such as bicomponent fiber (e.g., a co-spun sheath-core fiber). Non-woven substrate materials may also include different fibers in different portions. In some thermobonded non-woven substrate embodiments, the substrate includes melt bondable fibers where the fibers are bonded to one another by melted portions of the fibers.
[0053] In some embodiments, the non-woven substrate material is an open, low density, three-dimensional, non-woven web of fibers, the fibers bonded to one another at points of mutual contact, referred to in the following as a “lofty, nonwoven web material”. In some embodiments, the fibers are thermo-bonded and/or resin-bonded (i.e. with a hardened resin, e.g. a prebond resin) to one another at points of mutual contact. In other embodiments, the fibers are resin-bonded to one another at points of mutual contact. Because the fibers of the web are bonded together at points of mutual contact, e.g. where they intersect and contact one another, a three-dimensional web structure of fibers is formed. The many interstices between adjacent fibers remain substantially unfilled, for example by resin, and thus an open web structure of low density having a network of many relatively large intercommunicated voids is provided. The term “open, low density” non-woven web of fibers is understood to refer to a non-woven web of fibers that exhibits a void volume (i.e. percentage of total volume of voids to total volume occupied by the non-woven web structure) of at least 75%, or at least 80%, or at least 85%, or in the range of from 85% to at least 95%. Such a lofty, non-woven web material is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,958,593, which is incorporated by reference herein.
[0054] Another example of a lofty, non-woven web material is described by U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,958,593, and 4,227,350, which are incorporated by reference herein. These patents disclose a lofty, non-woven web formed from a continuous extrusion of nylon coil material having a diameter in a range from 100 micrometers to 3 mm. Inorganic and/or organic abrasive materials can be optionally included on these non-woven webs.
[0055] In some resin-bonded, lofty non-woven web material embodiments, the resin includes a coatable resinous adhesive such as a thermosetting water based phenolic resin, for example. Polyurethane resins may also be employed as well as other resins. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the selection and amount of resin actually applied can depend on any of a variety of factors including, for example, fiber weight, fiber density, fiber type as well as the contemplated end use. Suitable synthetic fibers for production of such a web include those capable of withstanding the temperatures at which selected resins or adhesive binders are cured without deterioration.
[0056] In some lofty, non-woven web material embodiments, suitable fibers are between 20 and 110 mm, or between 40 and 65 mm, in length and have a fineness or linear density ranging from 1.5 to 500 denier, or from 1.5 to 100 denier. Fibers of mixed denier can also be used, as desired. In one embodiment, the non-woven substrate includes polyester or nylon fibers having linear densities within the range from 5 to 65 denier.
[0057] Lofty, non-woven web materials may be readily formed, e.g. air laid, for example, on a “Rando Webber” machine (commercially available from Rando Machine Company, New York) or may be formed by other conventional processes such as by carding or by continuous extrusion. Useful lofty, non-woven substrate materials have a fiber weight per unit area of at least 25 g/m 2 , or at least 50 g/m 2 , or between 50 and 1000 g/m 2 , or between 75 and 500 g/m 2 . Lesser amounts of fiber within the lofty, non-woven substrate materials will provide webs, which may be suitable in some applications.
[0058] The foregoing fiber weights will provide a useful non-woven substrate having a thickness from 5 to 200 mm, or between 6 to 75 mm, or between 10 and 30 mm. For phenolic prebond resins applied to a lofty, non-woven substrate having a fiber weight within the above ranges, the prebond resin is applied to the web or substrate in a relatively light coating, providing a dry add-on weight within the broad range from 50 to 500 g/m 2 .
[0059] The foregoing lofty, non-woven substrate materials are effective for most scouring applications. For more intensive scouring applications, the lofty, non-woven substrate materials may be provided with abrasive particles dispersed and adhered there within. The abrasive particles can be adhered to the surfaces of the fibers in the lofty, non-woven substrate material. In many embodiments, the abrasive particles may include inorganic abrasive particles, organic based particles, sol gel particles or combinations thereof, all as known in the art. Examples of suitable abrasive particles as well as methods and binders for adhering abrasive particles onto the surfaces of the fibers are for example described in WO 97/49326.
[0060] In some embodiments, abrasive particles are adhered to the fibers of the non-woven substrate by a hardened organic resin binder such as, for example, a heat cured product of a thermosetting coatable resinous adhesive applied to the fibers of the non-woven substrate as a “binder precursor”. As used herein, “binder precursor” refers to a coatable resinous adhesive material applied to the fibers of the non-woven substrate to secure abrasive particles thereto. “Binder” refers to the layer of hardened resin over the fibers of the nonwoven web formed by hardening the binder precursor. In some embodiments, the organic resins suitable for use as a binder precursor in the non-woven substrate are formed from an organic binder precursor in a flowable state. During the manufacture of the non-woven substrate, the binder precursor can be converted to a hardened binder or make coat. In some embodiments, the binder is in a solid, non-flowable state. In some embodiments, the binder is formed from a thermoplastic material. In other embodiments, the binder is formed from a material that is capable of being cross-linked. In some embodiments, a mixture of a thermoplastic binder and a cross-linked binder is also useful.
[0061] During the process to make the web or substrate, the binder precursor can be mixed with the foregoing abrasive particles to form an adhesive/abrasive slurry that may be applied to the fibers of the non-woven by any of a variety of known methods such as roll coating, knife coating, spray coating, and the like. The thus applied binder precursor is then exposed to the appropriate conditions to solidify the binder. For cross-linkable binder precursors, the binder precursor can be exposed to the appropriate energy source to initiate polymerization or curing and to form the hardened binder.
[0062] In some embodiments, the organic binder precursor is an organic material that is capable of being cross-linked. The binder precursors can be either a condensation curable resin or an addition polymerizable resin, among others. The addition polymerizable resins can be ethylenically unsaturated monomers and/or oligomers. Examples of useable cross-linkable materials include phenolic resins, bis-maleimide binders, vinyl ether resins, aminoplast resins having pendant alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl groups, urethane resins, epoxy resins, acrylate resins, arylated isocyanurate resins, urea-formaldehyde resins, melamine formaldehyde resins, phenyl formaldehyde, styrene butadiene resins, isocyanurate resins, acrylated urethane resins, acrylated epoxy resins, or mixtures thereof. The binder precursor suitable for use is a coatable, hardenable adhesive binder and may comprise one or more thermoplastic or, thermosetting resinous adhesives. Resinous adhesives suitable for use in the present invention include phenolic resins, aminoplast resins having pendant alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl groups, urethane resins, epoxy resins, ethylenically unsaturated resins, acrylated isocyanurate resins, urea-formaldehyde resins, isocyanurate resins, acrylated urethane resins, acrylated epoxy resins, bismaleimide resins, fluorine-modified epoxy resins, and combinations thereof. Examples of these resins can be found in WO 97/49326. Catalysts and/or curing agents may be added to the binder precursor to initiate and/or accelerate the polymerization process. In many embodiments the substrate can withstand temperatures up to at least 200 degrees Celsius, (e.g., food preparation operating temperature.)
[0063] Commercially available non-woven substrate or web materials are available under the trade designation “Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Scour Pad No. 96,” “Scotch-Brite™ Heavy Duty Griddle Cleaner No. 82 (non-woven glass cloth),” “Scotch-Brite™ All Purpose Scour Pad No. 9488R,” “Scotch-Brite™ Heavy Duty Scour Pad No. 86,” all available from 3M Co. In other embodiments, the substrate is a Scotch-Brite™ Griddle Screen No. 68, a Scotch-Brite™ Griddle Screen No. 200, steel-wool, pumice block, foamed glass bricks, and the like.
EXAMPLES
[0064] All chemicals were used as commercially available.
[0000]
Table of Abbreviations
Abbreviation
Description
Quick Clean
Scotch-Brite ™ Quick Clean Griddle Liquid, No. 700, 3M Co.,
St. Paul, MN
FAME
Fatty Acid Mono Ester (Lauricidin ™), Med-Chem.
Laboratories, Galena, IL
PEG
Poly(ethylene glycol) (1000 Da, 4600 Da, or 8000 Da), Aldrich,
Milwaukee, WI.
Potassium Carbonate
Ashta Chemicals, Ashtabula, OH.
K 2 CO 3 (anhydrous)
Sodium Carbonate
J. T. Baker, Phillipsburg, NJ.
Na 2 CO 3 (monohydrate)
Stock Solution #1
10 g Potassium Carbonate/4 g Sodium Carbonate/20 g DI Water
Stock Solution #2
12 g Potassium Carbonate/6 g Sodium Carbonate/20 g DI Water
Stock Solution #3
10 g Potassium Carbonate/4 g Sodium Carbonate/15 g DI Water
Stock Solution #4
10 g Potassium Carbonate/4 g Sodium Carbonate/14 g DI Water
Glycerin
Merck KGaA, Darmstadt Germany
TONE Polyol 210
Melting Point Range: 35° to 45° C., Dow/Union Carbide,
Midland, MI
TONE Polyol 230
Melting Point Range: 40° to 50° C., Dow/Union Carbide,
Midland, MI
TONE Polyol 240
Melting Point Range: 45° to 55° C., Dow/Union Carbide,
Midland, MI
TONE Polyol 260
Melting Point Range: 50° to 60° C., Dow/Union Carbide,
Midland, MI
#46 Pad
Scotch-Brite ™ Griddle Polishing Pad No. 46, 3M Co.,
St. Paul, MN
#9488R Pad
Scotch-Brite ™ All Purpose Scouring Pad No. 9488R, 3M Co.,
St. Paul, MN
SPAN 40
Sorbitan Monopalmitate Surfactant, Aldrich, Milwaukee, WI
SPAN 65
Sorbitan Tristearate Surfactant, Imperial Chemical Industries
(ICI), London, UK
Brij 35
Dodecylpoly(ethylene glycol) ether surfactant, Uniquema (ICI),
London, UK
Pluracare L44 NF
Block copolymer of poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(propylene
glycol), BASF, Lundwigshafen, DE
BioSoft D-40
Sodium Dodecylbenzene Sulphonate Surfactant, Stepan
Company, Northfield, IL
EDTA
Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetate - Sequesterant Eastman Kodak
Co., Kingsport, TN
Xanthan Gum
R. T. Vanderbilt Company, Inc. Norwalk, CT.
Candelilla wax
Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., West Babylon, CT.
Sodium Metasilicate
J. T. Baker, Phillipsburg, NJ.
Sodium Bicarbonate
Mallinckrodt BaKER, Inc., Paris, KY
Melamine
Particle 40/100 mesh. Maxi-Blast, Inc., South Bend, IN.
formaldehyde particles
Pumice 0
Charles B. Chrystal Co., Inc. New York, NY
Pumice FF
Charles B. Chrystal Co., Inc. New York, NY
Emulsifying wax NF
Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., West Babylon, CT.
Cetyl Alcohol
TCI Mark
Stearyl Alcohol
Alfol 18 - Sasol North America Inc., Weslake, Louisiana.
Test Methods for Cleaning the Griddle
Burnt Oil Test Method
[0000]
1. Turn all three burners on the flat griddle (Star Mftg. Model 536-76A. Smithville Tenn.) to 450° F. (232° C.).
2. Measure about 40 mL of commercially available soybean oil (e.g., Crisco) and pour on the griddle.
3. Spread out oil with a 3M Green Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Scour Pad No. 96 until even over entire surface of griddle.
4. Let griddle heat oil for 45 minutes. Oil should be dark brown and of fairly uniform color across the entire griddle.
5. Decrease the temperature of the griddle to 300-350° F. (150-175° C.).
6. Measure the temperature of the griddle with the IR thermometer (Dickson, Chicago, Ill.) and record it. It should be between 300-350° F. (150-175° C.).
7. Apply test cleaning composition on desired amount of griddle. 100 grams of test cleaning composition for the entire griddle.
8. Apply test cleaner over griddle surface with Scotch-Brite™ Griddle Polishing Pad No. 46 on pad holder and record the amount of time for the entire product to melt.
9. Turn off burner under section of griddle you are testing.
10. Immediately begin scrubbing using #46 pad and record amount of time necessary for acceptable level of cleanliness.
11. Scrape griddle surface with squeegee to move melted wax into grease trap.
12. Repeat cleaning over other surfaces of griddle with other test cleaners.
13. Using a wet paper towel on the pad holder, rinse surface and edges of griddle.
14. Apply a small amount of oil to surface of griddle and spread with Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Scour Pad No. 96 to season the surface.
15. Wipe up any excess oil with a paper towel
Ground Beef Test Method
[0000]
1. Turn all three burners to 325° F. (160° C.).
2. Weigh 2.5 lbs (1.1 Kg) of ground beef for the entire griddle
3. Cook the beef until dark brown, moving the ground beef around the griddle to make it evenly distributed.
4. Remove the beef from the griddle with the flat cooking utensil taking off as much beef as possible.
5. Leave the food soil cooking for an extra 60 minutes
6. Measure the temperature of the griddle and record it. It should be between 300-350° F. (150-175° C.).
7. Apply test cleaner over desired amount of griddle. 100 g to 120 g of cleaning composition for the entire griddle.
8. Spread test cleaner over griddle surface with an appropriate pad (either 3M #46 Griddle Polishing Pad or 3M #9488R All Purpose Pad) on pad holder and record the amount of time for the entire product to melt.
9. Turn off burner under section of griddle you are testing.
10. Immediately begin scrubbing using the No. 46 pad and record amount of time necessary for acceptable level of cleanliness.
11. Scrape griddle surface with squeegee.
12. Repeat cleaning over the entire surfaces of griddle with other test cleaners.
13. Using a wet paper towel on the pad holder, rinse surface and edges of griddle.
14. Wash out drip tray of any remaining food soil.
15. Apply a small amount of oil to surface of griddle and spread with Scotch-Brite™ General Purpose Scour Pad No. 96 to season to surface.
16. Wipe up any excess oil with a paper towel.
[0096] Preparation of the Cleaning Compositions
[0097] Stock solutions were made by dissolving the salts indicated below in de-ionized water at low heat. The solution was stirred until no more solid salts were present.
[0098] The stock solutions and glycerin (Procter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio) were added to a beaker and placed on a hot plate/stirrer. The solution was heated to about 80° C. while gently mixing. The solidifying agent (wax or polyol) was added to the stock solution/glycerin mix and heated while stirring until the solidifying agent was completely melted. The formulation was taken off the heat once it was well mixed and homogenous.
[0099] Tablets and impregnated pads were made by either pouring into the molds to form tablets or pads. Tablets were made by allowing the melted formulations to cool down to room temperature in an aluminum mold of 2″×2″×1″ (5 cm×5 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H). Tablets of 60 g each were made with this mold. Impregnated pads (#46) were also made by pouring the melted formulation on a mold of 4″×5″×1″ (10 cm×13 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H) at about 80° C., allowing it to cool down to about 60° C. and then placing the pad onto the mold and applying a little pressure to force the pad into the solidified cleaner. The pads were allowed to cool to room temperature.
[0100] Formulations were also made of the following waxes:
Rice bran wax (Koster Keunen, Inc., Watertown, Conn., USA) Lemon peel Wax (Koster Keunen, Inc., Watertown, Conn., USA) Soy wax flakes (Koster Keunen, Inc., Watertown, Conn., USA) Deodorized orange peel wax (Koster Keunen, Inc., Watertown, Conn., USA) Beeswax (Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., West Babylon, N.J., USA) Candelilla wax (Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., West Babylon, N.J., USA) Carnauba wax (Strahl & Pitsch, Inc., West Babylon, N.J., USA)
[0108] Formulation 1
[0109] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 22 g of glycerin and 44 g of beeswax.
[0110] Formulation 2
[0111] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 22 g of glycerin and 44 g of carnauba wax.
[0112] Formulation 3
[0113] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 22 g of glycerin and 44 g of candelilla wax.
[0114] Formulation 4
[0115] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 33 g of glycerin and 33 g of beeswax.
[0116] Formulation 5
[0117] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 33 g of glycerin and 33 g of carnauba wax.
[0118] Formulation 6
[0119] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of carnauba wax.
Formulation 7
[0120] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #1 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of candelilla wax.
[0121] Formulation 8
[0122] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of candelilla wax.
[0123] Formulation 9
[0124] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of candelilla wax impregnated into a pad.
[0125] Formulation 10
[0126] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of beeswax impregnated into a pad.
[0127] Formulation 11
[0128] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of carnauba wax impregnated into a pad.
[0129] Formulation 12
[0130] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of lemon peel wax.
[0131] Formulation 13
[0132] A solid cleaner was made by combining 24 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of carnauba wax and 10 g of sodium bicarbonate.
[0133] Formulation 14
[0134] A solid cleaner was made by combining 24 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of carnauba wax and 10 g of sodium metasilicate.
[0135] Formulation 15
[0136] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of rice wax.
[0137] Formulation 16
[0138] A solid cleaner was made by combining 34 g of stock solution #2 with 40 g of glycerin and 26 g of orange peel wax.
Results
[0139] Experimental samples were compared against Scotch-Brite™ Quick Clean Griddle Liquid No. 700 (Quick Clean or 700) (3M Company, St. Paul, Minn.) and rated for melting time (in seconds), and cleaning performance. A visual rating was given for cleaning performance. The rating scale went from 1 to 5, with 5 being no food residue left on the heated surface. The temperature of the griddle was recorded with an IR thermometer.
[0140] A comparison of the performance of the different experimental formulations against Quick Clean is shown in the table below.
[0000]
Griddle Cleaner Evaluation
Griddle
Melting
Temperature
Time
Cleaning
Example
Formulation
Soil
(° F.)
(sec)
Performance
1
1
Oil
—
—
3
2
2
Oil
—
—
3
3
3
Oil
—
—
3
4
4
Oil
330 (165° C.)
38
3
5
5
Oil
325 (160° C.)
45
3
6
6
Oil
300 (150° C.)
42
3
7
Quick Clean
Oil
330 (165° C.)
N/A
5
8
7
Oil
330 (165° C.)
40
3
9
8
Oil
325 (160° C.)
42
5
10
9
Oil
330 (165° C.)
—
5
11
9
Oil
325 (160° C.)
110
5
12
10
Oil
335 (168° C.)
40
5
13
11
Oil
325 (160° C.)
30
3
14
8
Beef
350 (175° C.)
85
5
15
8
Beef
350 (175° C.)
120
5
16
8
Beef
360 (182° C.)
19
5
17
8
Beef
360 (182° C.)
67
5
18
Quick Clean
Beef
340 (171° C.)
N/A
5
19
11
Oil
350 (175° C.)
45
5
20
12
Oil
340 (171° C.)
54
5
21
15
Oil
330 (165° C.)
38
5
22
16
Oil
325 (160° C.)
32
3
Further Prepared and Tested Samples:
[0141] The following formulations were made up using Quick Clean, FAME, PEG 1000, 4600 and 8000 as well as Stock Solutions #1 and #3 (defined in the Table of Abbreviations above).
[0000]
Compositions in % wt
PEG
Stock Solution
Example #
FAME
1000
4600
8000
#1
#3
Quick Clean (1)
—
—
—
—
—
—
23
16
—
50
—
—
34
24
16
—
—
50
—
34
25
36
30
—
—
—
34
26
36
—
—
—
—
34
27
36
—
30
60
—
34
28
50
16
—
—
—
34
29
50
—
16
—
34
—
30
50
—
16
—
—
34
31
50
—
—
16
—
34
[0142] The following formulations were made up using Glycerin, TONE Polyols (210, 230, 240 and 260), Stock Solution #3 (defined in the Table of Abbreviations above). In addition, Example #42 and #43 were loaded into a Scotch-Brite™ Griddle Polishing Pad No. 46.
[0000]
Composition in % wt
Stock
Example
Difunctional TONE Polyol
solution
Loaded
#
Glycerin
210
230
240
260
#1
#3
Pad
32
13
69
—
—
—
—
18
NO
33
13
—
69
—
—
—
18
NO
34
13
—
—
69
—
—
18
NO
35
13
—
—
—
69
—
18
NO
36
13
69
—
—
—
—
18
YES
37
13
—
—
—
69
—
18
YES
[0143] The following formulations were made up using Glycerin, TONE Polyols (210 and 260), SPAN 40, SPAN 65, Quick Clean and Stock Solutions #3 and #4 (defined in the Table of Abbreviations above).
[0000]
Composition in % wt
Difunctional TONE
Surfactant
Polyol
SPAN
SPAN
Quick
Stock Solution
Example #
Glycerin
210
260
40
65
Clean
#3
#4
38
13
—
61
10
—
—
16
—
39
13
—
61
—
10
—
16
—
40
—
—
77
—
—
23
—
—
41
13
41
33
—
—
—
13
—
42
13
67
—
—
—
—
—
20
43
13
—
68
—
—
—
—
19
[0144] The following formulations were made up using Glycerin, TONE Polyols (210 and 260), SPAN 40, Brij 35, Pluracare L44 NF, BioSoft D-40, PEG 1000, and Stock Solution #3 (defined in the Table of Abbreviations above).
[0000]
Composition in % wt
Difunctional
Surfactants/Detergents
Stock
TONE Polyol
Span
Brij
Pluracare
BioSoft
PEG
Sol.
Example #
Glycerin
210
260
40
35
L44 NF
D-40
1000
#3
44
14
68
—
—
0.05
—
—
—
18
45
14
68
—
—
—
—
0.2
—
18
46
13
69
—
—
—
0.05
—
—
17
47
14
58
—
—
—
—
—
10
16
48
11
—
66
—
—
—
—
8
14
49
14
67
—
1
—
—
—
—
18
50
14
—
67
1
—
—
—
—
18
[0145] The following formulations were made up using Quick Clean, Glycerin, TONE Polyols (210 and 260), SPAN 40, EDTA, and Stock Solution #2 (defined in the Table of Abbreviations above).
[0000]
Composition in % wt
Difunctional
Stock
Example
TONE Polyol
Surfactant
Sequester
Sol.
#
Glycerin
210
260
SPAN 40
EDTA
#3
51
14
—
66
—
3
17
52
14
67
—
0.05
3
17
53
13
71
—
0.05
1
15
[0146] The following griddle cleaner formulations were made using Stock Solution #2, Glycerin, Candelilla Wax, and Xanthan Gum. The stock solution and glycerin were added to a beaker and placed on a hot plate/stirrer. The solution was heated to about 100° C. while gently mixing. The wax was added to the stock solution/glycerin mix and left in the heat while stirring until the wax was completely melted. Xanthan gum was added to the formulations at 100° C. after the wax was melted. The formulation was taken off the heat once it was well mixed and homogeneous.
[0147] Tablets and impregnated pads were made by either pouring into the molds to form tablets or pads. Tablets were made by allowing the melted formulation to cool down to room temperature in an aluminum mold of 2″×2″×1″ (5 cm×5 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H). Tablets of 50 g each were made with this mold. Impregnated pads (#46) were also made by pouring the melted formulation on a mold of 4″×5.5″×1″ (10 cm×14 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H) at about 80° C., allowing it to cool down to about 60° C. and then placing the pad and applying a little pressure. Pads of 100 g each were allowed to cool to room temperature.
[0000]
Stock
Candelilla
Xanthan
Solution
Glycerin
Wax
Gum
Example #
#2 (g)
(g)
(g)
(g)
54
42.7
41.0
16.3
0.0
55
42.2
40.4
16.1
1.2
56
40.2
38.5
15.4
5.9
57
39.3
37.6
15.0
8.1
58
50.0
29.4
19.1
1.5
59
47.2
27.8
18.1
6.9
Formulation 9
34.0
40.0
26.0
0.0
[0148] Performance of these examples were compared to the control sample Formulation 9 (solid cleaner with no xanthan gum). Formulations were rated for cleaning performance. A visual rating was given for each of these qualitative attributes listed above. The rating scale went from 1 to 5, with 5 being best.
[0000]
Stock
Solution #2
Glycerin
Candelilla
Xanthan
ratio
Melting time
Cleaning
Example #
(g)
(g)
Wax (g)
Gum (g)
Gly/Wax
(sec)
performance
54
42.7
41.0
16.3
0.0
2.5
45
5
55
42.2
40.4
16.1
1.2
2.5
50
5
56
40.2
38.5
15.4
5.9
2.5
40
5
57
39.3
37.6
15.0
8.1
2.5
40
1
58
50.0
29.4
19.1
1.5
1.5
38
4
59
47.2
27.8
18.1
6.9
1.5
36
1
Formulation
34.0
40.0
26.0
0.0
1.5
45
5
9
[0149] Results appear to indicate that formulations containing xanthan gum up to 6% were solid even when the amount of candelilla wax was significantly reduced from 26 g to 15-16 g. Examples 55 and 56 appear to show performance comparable to that of the control sample Formulation 9 (formulation with no thickener and higher wax content).
[0150] A variety of abrasive materials were added to Formulation 9 to form the Examples listed in the table below. The examples including abrasive materials were loaded onto the non-abrasive #9488R pad, while the Formulation 9 and the quick clean example was loaded onto an abrasive #46 pad. Tablets and impregnated pads were made by either pouring into the molds to form tablets or pads. Tablets were made by allowing the melted formulation to cool down to room temperature in an aluminum mold of 2″×2″×1″ (5 cm×5 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H). Tablets of 50 g each were made with this mold. Impregnated pads were also made by pouring the melted formulation on a mold of 4″×5.5″×1″ (10 cm×14 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H) at about 80° C., allowing it to cool down to about 60° C. and then placing the pad and applying a little pressure. Pads of 100 g each were allowed to cool to room temperature.
[0151] Performance of these examples were compared to the control sample Formulation 9 (solid cleaner with no abrasive) and to Quick Clean. Formulations were rated for cleaning performance. A visual rating was given for each of these qualitative attributes listed above. The rating scale went from 1 to 5, with 5 being best.
[0000]
Grams of
Cleaning
Abrasive/
perfor-
Example #
Abrasive
100 g of Wax
Soil
mance
60
Sodium Bicarbonate
10
Oil
1
61
Sodium Bicarbonate
20
Oil
5
62
Sodium Metasilicate
10
Oil
1
63
Sodium Metasilicate
20
Oil
1
64
Pumice 0
10
Oil
3
65
Pumice 0
20
Oil
4
66
Pumice 0
30
Oil
1
67
Pumice 0
50
Oil
1
68
Pumice FF
10
Oil
3
69
Pumice FF
20
Oil
4
70
Pumice 0
10
Beef
5
71
Pumice FF
10
Beef
5
72
Melamine Resin
10
Oil
5
73
Melamine Resin
20
Oil
5
74
Melamine Resin
30
Oil
5
Formulation 9
—
—
Oil
5
Quick Clean
—
—
Oil
5
Formulation 9
—
—
Beef
5
Quick Clean
—
—
Beef
5
[0152] These results appear to indicate that the performance of abrasive containing formulations was the same or better than the Quick Clean and control sample Formulation 9.
[0153] Emulsifying Wax NF was added to Formulation 9 to form the Examples listed in the table below. Tablets and impregnated pads were made by either pouring into the molds to form tablets or pads. Tablets were made by allowing the melted formulation to cool down to room temperature in an aluminum mold of 2″×2″×1″ (5 cm×5 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H). Tablets of 50 g each were made with this mold. Impregnated pads (#46) were also made by pouring the melted formulation on a mold of 4″×5.5″×1″ (10 cm×14 cm×2.5 cm) (W×L×H) at about 80° C., allowing it to cool down to about 60° C. and then placing the pad and applying a little pressure. Pads of 100 g each were allowed to cool to room temperature.
[0154] Performance of these examples were compared to the control sample Formulation 9 (solid cleaner with no emulsifying wax). Formulations were rated for cleaning performance. A visual rating was given for each of these qualitative attributes listed above. The rating scale went from 1 to 5, with 5 being best.
[0000]
Stock
Solution #2
Glycerin
Candelilla
Emulsifying
ratio
Melting
Cleaning
Example #
(g)
(g)
Wax (g)
Wax NF (g)
Cand/Emul
time (sec)
performance
75
34
40
13
13
1:1
25
5
76
34
40
9
17
1:2
30
5
77
34
40
17
9
2:1
30
5
78
34
40
20
6
3:1
35
5
Formulation
34
40
26
0
0
45
5
9
79
34
30
13
13
1:1
30
5
80
34
25
13
13
1:1
25
5
81
34
20
13
13
1:1
25
5
[0155] These results appear to indicate that formulations that contain Emulsifying Wax NF melt faster than the control sample formulation 9. In addition, formulations that contain Emulsifying Wax NF were reported to have less “drag” when applied to the heated surface than the control sample formulation 9.
[0156] The following formulations were made up using stock solution #2, glycerin, wax and an emulsifying wax (cetyl and/or stearyl alcohol).
[0000]
Stock
Solution #2
Glycerin
Candelilla
Carnauba
Cetyl
Stearyl
Melting
Cleaning
Example #
(g)
(g)
Wax (g)
Wax (g)
Alcohol (g)
Alcohol (g)
time (sec)
performance
82
34
40
13
0
0
13
38
5
83
34
40
13
0
13
0
35
5
84
34
40
13
0
6.5
6.5
38
5
85
34
40
0
13
0
13
48
5
86
34
30
0
13
0
13
33
5
[0157] All references and publications cited herein are expressly incorporated herein by reference in their entirety into this disclosure. Illustrative embodiments of this disclosure are discussed and reference has been made to possible variations within the scope of this disclosure. These and other variations and modifications in the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of this disclosure, and it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the illustrative embodiments set forth herein. Accordingly, the disclosure is to be limited only by the claims provided below.
[0158] Referring to FIGS. 3 a - c and 4 a - c , alternative embodiments of the pad 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are shown. The pad 40 includes a stepped cross sectional profile that is different than the cross sectional profile of pad 20 . The pad 40 includes valleys 42 separated by peaks 44 , however, the pad 40 includes angled edge surfaces 46 and 48 that slope away from the flat surface 50 of the peaks 44 down towards the flat surface 52 of the valleys 42 . Pad 40 may be preferred over the stepped profile of pad 20 for some griddle surface configurations. For example, in contrast to the griddle 34 shown in FIG. 1 , which has straight vertical edge surfaces 54 and 56 (shown in FIG. 1 ), as shown in FIG. 3 b other griddle configurations include sloped surfaces 60 and 62 that connect the high portions 64 of the griddle surface to the low portions 66 of the griddle surface. In addition, other griddle configurations may include curved top surfaces 70 and curved bottom surfaces 72 that are connected by curved side surfaces 74 and 76 . For such griddle configurations, the pad 40 may be preferred.
[0159] Still referring to FIGS. 3 a - c and 4 a - c , the stepped profile of pad 40 may also be preferred in situations where the pad 40 is expected to be used on griddle surfaces having unknown or variable grooved spacing GGS. The flat surface 50 of the pad 40 can be configured such that it will fit between grooves even on griddles having grooves that are relatively close together. In one embodiment the width W 1 of the flat surface 50 is set to fit in the grooves of griddles having the smallest griddle spacing GGS, and the distance D 2 from the center of one valley to the next is set to accommodate the raised portion of griddles having the largest griddle spacing GGS. In such embodiments the distance between the center of two adjacent valleys D 2 may be greater than twice the width W 1 of the flat surface 50 .
[0160] The pad 40 in the depicted embodiment is geometrically configured such that a single model can work well to clean a number of different commercially available griddles having different surface configurations. While in use the pad 40 can be moved back and forth along the griddle grooves in the X-direction while biased against the right side 78 of the peaks 80 in the positive Y-direction (shown in FIG. 4 b ) to clean the first portion 82 of the griddle surface. Next, the pad 40 can be moved back and forth along the grooves in the X-direction while biased against the left side 84 of the peaks 80 in the negative Y-direction (shown in FIG. 4 c ) to clean the second portion 86 of the griddle surface.
[0161] Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6 , another embodiment of the pad according to the invention is shown. The pad 90 includes a plurality of separate pad sections 92 , 94 , and 96 that are held together by metal wire loops 98 and 100 . The metal wires loops 98 and 100 extend through a center portion 102 of each of the separate pad sections 92 , 94 , and 96 , thereby holding the center portions 102 of each pad section 92 , 94 and 96 together. The upper end portions 104 and lower end portions 106 of each pad section 92 , 94 , and 96 are free to deflect a small distance in the X-direction relative to each other. The capability of the cleaning end 106 or 104 to deflect can enable the pad 90 to be more compatible with griddles having different groove spacing GGS and different surface profiles. As pressure is applied to the pad 90 the pad deforms such that the pad 90 matches the surface profile of whatever griddle surface configuration it is position over. It should be appreciated that many other suitable materials may be used in place of metal loop 98 and 100 to hold the pad sections 92 , 94 , and 96 together. For example, in an alternative embodiment nylon straps may be used in place of the metal wires 98 and 100 . It should also be appreciated that any number of strap configurations can be used to band the pad together. In other words, the device that holds the pads 92 , 94 , and 96 together need not be looped. For example, in other embodiments the pads 92 , 94 , and 96 may be stapled together, heat staked together, ultrasonically bonded, or glued together. In should also be appreciated that though only three pad sections 92 , 94 , and 96 are shown, any number of pad sections may be used to form the complete pad 90 .
[0162] Referring to FIG. 7 , another embodiment of the pad according to the invention is shown. The pad 110 includes preformed creases 112 , 114 116 and 118 that enable the pad 110 to better fit the step profile bottom surface of the shoe 120 . The bottom of the shoe 120 can include any type of step profile desired. In the depicted embodiment the bottom surface 122 of the shoe 120 includes a plurality of hooks 124 that engage and secure the pad 110 thereto. It should be appreciated that though in the depicted embodiment the bottom surface 122 includes hooks 124 all across the bottom surface 122 , in alternative embodiments means other than hooks 124 may be used in attaching the pad 110 to the shoe 120 or possibly only particular areas of the bottom surface 122 may include hooks 124 . The creases 112 , 114 , 116 and 118 can be imparted onto the pad 110 by melting the pad along the creases to create a natural fold line in the pad 110 . Other means of creating the creases include scoring the pads along the fold lines.
[0163] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , another embodiment of the pad is shown. The pad 130 includes a number of pad members 132 - 148 that are stacked adjacent to each other and held together by a binding member 150 . The binding member 150 engages and secures the upper portions 152 of each pad 132 - 148 together to create a cleaning block. Relative to the upper portions 152 , the lower portions 154 of the pad members 132 - 148 are free to deflect. This deflection provides advantages in that the pad 130 can be used to clean a large variety of griddles having different surface geometries. When the pad 130 is pressed onto the griddle surface it conforms to fit the particular surface configuration of the griddle. In the embodiment shown each pad has a generally rectangular shape, but the block can be of any other shape as well. The upper portions 152 can be held together solely by the binding member 150 , or they can be glued or mechanically fastened together. For example, the metal wires 98 and 100 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 can be used to hold the top portions 152 of the pads 132 - 148 together.
[0164] Referring to FIGS. 8 and 9 , a method of assembling the pad 130 is shown. The method includes arranging pad members 132 - 148 adjacent each other and connecting the top portions of the pad members 132 - 148 together, then fitting the binding member 150 over the top portions 152 and around the pad members 132 - 148 . The binding member 150 includes an opening 154 that exposes portions of the upper edges 156 . The exposed portions of the upper edges engage the hooks 160 that extend from the foot portion 164 of the cleaning tool 162 . In the depicted embodiment the binding member 150 is a molded plastic part that is shaped like an open box frame with the center of the bottom of the box removed. In an alternative embodiment the binding member 150 could be constructed of a different material such as cardboard. In addition, many other ways to attach the pad 130 to the handle 162 are possible.
[0165] Referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 the binding member 150 is shown in greater detail. The binding member includes four side surfaces 170 , 172 , 174 , 176 and top surface 178 . The top surface includes at least one opening 180 to allow the handles to engage the pad members (see FIG. 9 ). An alternative embodiment of the binding member 150 is shown in FIG. 12 . The binding member 182 includes a top surface 184 that has four openings 186 , 188 , 190 , and 192 instead of a single opening. In this embodiment the handle engages the pad members (see FIG. 9 ) through the four openings 186 , 188 , 190 , and 192 . The web portions 194 , 196 and 198 provide additional support for the pad members (see FIG. 9 ).
[0166] The above specification provides a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. It should be understood that features from the depicted embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments not specifically depicted. Moreover, since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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A heated surface cleaning pad that can be attached to a bottom portion of a hand tool configured to be used to scrub a heated food preparation surface. According to an embodiment, the cleaning pad is configured to clean a hot griddle surface that has a number of parallel raised ridges. According to another embodiment, the cleaning pad includes a non-woven construction that is impregnated with abrasive particles and/or a liquid cleaner or a dissolvable solid cleaner. In addition, a method of cleaning a hot food preparation surface is provided. According to one embodiment, the method includes the steps of attaching a scrubbing pad to a cleaning tool, contacting the openings in the cleaning surface of the scrubbing pad with the raised ridges of a griddle surface, and scrubbing the griddle surface with the pad until the surface is clean. Moreover, a method of constructing a cleaning pad for cleaning a hot griddle surface is also provided. According to one embodiment, the method includes binding pad elements together such that a cleaning end of the cleaning pad is comprised of end portions of adjacently arranged scrubbing elements.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/096,423, filed on Mar. 12, 2002, which application is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method, system, and program for maintaining data in a distributed computing environment for processing transaction requests.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] In a common transaction model for Internet electronic commerce (e-commerce), a consumer retrieves Internet web pages (e.g., Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) pages, Extensible Markup Language (XML) pages, etc.) from a retailer's web site to select a product and then purchase the product online, typically using a credit card number. The consumer will retrieve one page, such as the product search and selection page, and select a product within the page displayed within a graphical user interface (GUI), such as an HTML browser, and then submit the page back to the retailer web site. The retailer web site will then transmit pages to the consumer's browser including fields where the consumer enters billing and credit card information, which is then submitted back to the retailer's web site to process the transaction. The retailer Web site will typically confirm completion of the transaction to the consumer's browser upon determining that there is sufficient inventory to fulfill the purchase and verifying the provided credit card number.
[0006] One of the noticeable effects of the above e-commerce transaction model is the transmission or network delays that occur when the data is transmitted back-and-forth between the consumer browser and the retailer web site. Such delays increase as the distance between the retailer web site and consumer also increases. The consumer oftentimes experiences this delay by having to wait for a submitted page including user entered information to be received by the retailer web site and having to wait to receive the next page that is part of the transaction.
[0007] For these reasons, there is a need in the art for improved techniques for enabling remote transactions over a network, such as commercial transactions.
SUMMARY OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0008] Provided are a method, system, and program for maintaining data in a distributed computing environment. Data is stored at a primary storage site. A data structure is processed indicating an association of data sets in the stored data, secondary storage sites, and update frequencies. In response to processing the data structure, a determination is made of one of a plurality of secondary storage sites and a determination is made of at least one data set to transmit to the determined secondary storage site at an update frequency. The determined data set is transmitted to the determined secondary storage site according to the update frequency.
[0009] In further implementations, the data structure includes entries, wherein each entry indicates at least one data set to be transmitted to at least one secondary site at one update frequency.
[0010] Still further, the data sets in the primary storage site transmitted to at least one of the secondary storage sites comprises product information used in an electronic commerce web site. Client requests for product information from the primary storage site are received and the client request for product information is redirected to one of the secondary storage sites. Product information is returned from the secondary storage site to which the client request is redirected to a client originating the client request.
[0011] Further provided are a method, system, and program for processing a transaction. Transaction data is transmitted from one primary storage site to a plurality of secondary storage sites. A transaction request is received at one secondary storage site and processed to include transaction data from the secondary storage site that was transmitted from the primary storage site. The processed transaction request including transaction data is transmitted from the secondary storage site to the primary storage site to approve the transaction. The transaction request at the primary storage site is approved if the transaction data included in the received transaction request is consistent with the transaction data maintained at the primary storage site.
[0012] In further implementations, the transaction request received at the secondary storage site comprises a request to access resources. A determination is made from the transaction data at the secondary storage site that was transmitted from the primary storage site as to whether the requested resource is available. A message indicating that the requested resource is not available is returned if the transaction data at the secondary storage site indicates that the requested resource is not available.
[0013] Yet further, the transaction request received at the secondary storage site comprises a request to purchase a product. Determination is made from the transaction data at the secondary storage site that was transmitted from the primary storage site of pricing information for the requested product. A response to return to a client originating the transaction request indicating the pricing information for the requested product is generated at the secondary storage site. The generated response is transmitted to the client.
[0014] The described implementations provide techniques for propagating data from a primary site to secondary storage sites so that transaction requests can be directed to the secondary storage site to handle. With the described implementations, the transaction requests are processed at the secondary storage site with data transmitted from the primary storage site. The processed transaction request is then submitted to the primary site to approve the transaction to ensure that the transaction data at the secondary storage site is consistent with that at the primary storage site. In this way, many of the transaction processing operations are performed at the secondary sites, which may be closer in geographical proximity to the clients initiating the transaction requests.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] Referring now to the drawings in which like reference numbers represents corresponding parts throughout:
[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates a distributed computing environment in which aspects of the invention are implemented;
[0017] FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate additional distributed computing environments in which further aspects of the invention are implemented;
[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates a data structure for providing information on how to propagate data sets to secondary servers in accordance with implementations of the invention;
[0019] FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate logic to schedule data mirroring operations in accordance with implementations of the invention;
[0020] FIG. 6 illustrates logic to process data requests in accordance with implementations of the invention; and
[0021] FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate logic to process a transaction request in accordance with implementations of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0022] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and which illustrate several embodiments of the present invention. It is understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural and operational changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.
[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates a distributed computing environment in which aspects of the invention are implemented. A primary server 2 maintains a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) server 4 to respond to HTTP requests from clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n in geographical location A ( 8 ) and clients 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n in geographical location B ( 12 ) over a network 14 . The primary server 2 further includes transaction code 5 to process transaction requests as described below. The clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n may include HTTP clients, such as Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) browsers (not shown) to transmit HTTP requests for information to the HTTP server 4 . The network 14 may comprise any type of network known in the art, such as a Wide Area Network, the Internet, an Intranet, a Local Area Network (LAN), etc. The geographical locations A ( 8 ) and B ( 12 ) may be separated by a significant geographical distance from geographical location C ( 16 ), which includes the primary server 2 . For instance, the location C ( 14 ) may be separated by a distance of thousands of miles from locations A ( 8 ) and B ( 12 ), or on separate continents, different states, etc.
[0024] The primary server 2 is capable of accessing data from primary storage 18 , which includes database data 20 , such as database tables, and content 22 , such as textual information, multimedia content (e.g., audio files, movie files, images, etc.). The primary server 2 includes a data copy program 24 capable of propagating data from the primary storage 18 to secondary servers 30 a and 30 b at locations A ( 8 ) and B ( 12 ) to store in secondary storages 32 a and 32 b , respectively. The secondary servers 30 a and 30 b further include data copy programs 34 a and 34 b , respectively, to receive data from the primary server data copy program 24 and store received data in the secondary storages 32 a and 32 b . In certain implementations, the data copy program 24 , 30 a , and 30 b may comprise the International Business Machines Corporation (IBM) Extended Remote Copy (XRC) or Peer-to-Peer Remote Copy (PPRC) products that ensure that updates to a primary location are applied to a secondary location in real time. Alternatively, the data copy programs 24 a , 30 a , and 30 b may comprise any program capable of replicating data and data updates at a primary location to mirror sites. Although two secondary sites at locations A ( 8 ) and B ( 12 ) are shown, additional sites, including additional secondary servers and storages, may be incorporated into the distributed computing environment of the described implementations.
[0025] The secondary servers 30 a and 30 b further include HTTP servers 36 a and 36 b , respectively, to respond to HTTP requests from the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n . The secondary servers also include transaction code 37 a and 37 b to process client requests in the manner described below. The secondary storages 32 a and 32 b include location specific database data 38 a and 38 b and location specific content 40 a and 40 b . The location specific data 38 a , 38 b , 40 a , and 40 b are subsets of the data 20 and 22 maintained in the primary storage 20 and 22 . For instance, the primary storage 18 includes database data 20 and content 22 for all geographical locations. The data routing map 42 provides information on how data in the primary storage database data 20 and content 22 maps to the location sites A ( 8 ) and B ( 12 ). The data copy program 24 would access the data routing map 42 to determine which secondary server site to send data so that location A specific data is sent to secondary server 30 a and location B specific data is sent to secondary server 30 b.
[0026] In certain implementations, the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n would submit HTTP requests for data in the primary storage 18 to the primary server 2 over network 14 . The HTTP server 4 may then redirect requests from the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n to the secondary server 30 a and 30 b at the location that is the situs of the originating client, i.e., requests from clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n would be redirected to the secondary server 30 a at location A ( 8 ) and requests from clients 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n would be redirected to secondary server 30 b at location B ( 12 ). In certain implementations, because the secondary storages 32 a and 32 b maintain location specific data, the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b can service requests from the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n from location specific data.
[0027] In certain of the implementations, a portion of the data in the secondary storages 32 a and 32 b may be common data maintained at all remote locations A and B, and other of the data at the remote sites may be specific to the particular location. For instance, in implementations where the primary server comprises a retailer e-commerce web site, the database 20 may maintain customer account information, such as address and payment information, and inventory information. The content 22 may maintain information on products and services provided by the retailer. The retailer would further maintain the secondary sites at the locations A and B to service client requests from the secondary storages systems within their geographic proximity. In this way, network related delays resulting from the processing of commercial communications between the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n and the server processing the transaction are minimized because the distance of the network transaction is reduced. The content 40 a and 40 b may include the same data on the retailer products and services, and thus not differ between geographical sites. However, the location specific database data 38 a and 38 b may include information on only those clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n within the geographical location of the secondary server 30 a and 30 b , such that location A database data 38 a would include customer information for clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n , and not clients 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n , and database data 38 b would include customer information for clients 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n and not clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n.
[0028] In the implementation shown in FIG. 1 , the clients 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n and 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n , secondary servers 30 a and 30 b , and primary server 2 communicate over a common network 14 , such as the Internet or any other network known in the art. FIGS. 2 a and 2 b illustrate an additional implementation where, as shown in FIG. 2 a , the primary server 102 and secondary servers 130 a and 130 b communicate over a private network 114 , which may comprise any network limited to authorized members of the organization, i.e., employees etc. The private network 114 , may comprise a Wide Area Network (WAN), Storage Area Network (SAN), Intranet, Local Area Network (LAN), Virtual Private Network (VPN), etc. Separately, as shown in FIG. 2 b , the clients 106 a , 106 b . . . 106 n and 110 a , 110 b . . . 110 n , primary server 102 , and secondary servers 130 a and 130 b may communicate over a separate network 116 , such as the Internet. In this way, the primary server 102 propagates data to the secondary servers 130 a and 130 b through a private network separate from the network the clients 106 a , 106 b . . . 106 n and 110 a , 110 b . . . 110 n use to access the data.
[0029] Still further alternative distributed computing environments are possible. For instance, in certain implementations, a separate network may exist between the clients 106 a , 106 b . . . 106 n and 110 a , 110 b . . . 110 n and the secondary servers 130 a and 103 b in a particular geographical location, such as a Storage Area Network (SAN), Local Area Network (LAN), etc. Yet further, the clients may communicate with the secondary server within their geographical location through a common subnet of the Internet, such that each geographical location comprises a separate subnet. Any other network architecture or arrangement known in the art may also be used to connect the clients, primary server and secondary servers.
[0030] As discussed, when propagating data to the remote secondary servers 30 a and 30 b , the primary server 2 , and data copy program 24 therein may use a data routing map 42 , or any other data structure, to determine how to route data to the secondary sites. FIG. 3 illustrates an example in one implementation of the information the data routing map 42 would maintain for each data set to be mirrored at a remote secondary site. The data routing map 42 maintains an entry 200 for each data set to be separately mirrored to one or more of the remote secondary servers 30 a and 30 b . Each entry 200 includes a data set information 202 indicating the data sets to be mirrored. The data set information 202 may indicate specific files, a directory, a database table, records in a database, etc. In certain instances, the data set information 202 may indicate a query, such that all data in the database data 20 and/or content 22 satisfying the query is part of the data set to mirror. For instance, the query may indicate a particular location, such that all database records having the location value, i.e., all customers within a particular geographic region, form a data set to mirror to a particular server 30 a , 30 b.
[0031] Each entry 200 further indicates an update frequency 204 that specifies how frequently data from a particular data set 202 is mirrored to the remote site. For instance, critical data, such as payment and address information, inventory information, etc., may be immediately mirrored to the remote sites, such that any updates to such critical data are immediately copied to the remote site in real time. In this way, the secondary storages 32 a and 32 b maintain the most recent updates for such critical data. In certain implementations, the data copy program 24 may transfer updates to critical data immediately to the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b when such updates are applied to the primary storage 18 , such that the update does not complete until the secondary server 30 a and 30 b acknowledges receiving the update. However, less critical data may be updated at less frequent intervals, such as once a day, etc. For instance, the retailer product advertising and pricing information may be mirrored only once a day as such data does not frequently change. The target server information 206 indicates the one or more secondary servers 30 a , 30 b to receive the data sets. For instance, data that is common among the geographical locations, such as certain advertising and pricing information, may be propagated to all secondary servers 30 a and 30 b , whereas geographical specific data may be propagated to the one or more servers within that specific region.
[0032] FIG. 4 illustrates logic implemented in the data copy program 24 at the primary server 2 to propagate updated data to the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b . At block 250 , the data copy program 24 begins the process to schedule data mirroring operations. For each entry 200 ( FIG. 3 ) in the data routing map 42 that does not require real-time updates, the data copy program 24 schedules (at block 252 ) a mirroring operation to occur at an interval equivalent to the specified update frequency 204 for the entry 200 . The scheduled mirroring operation would indicate the data set entries 200 to include in the mirroring operation and the target secondary site(s). At block 260 , the data copy program 24 processes a scheduled mirroring operation. A loop is performed at blocks 262 through 268 for each data set entry 200 specified for the scheduled mirroring operation. The data specified in the data set 202 for the entry 200 , which may comprise database data 20 , content 22 or data satisfying a query defined for the mirroring operation, is accessed (at bock 264 ) from primary storage 18 and sent (at block 266 ) to each secondary server 30 a , 30 b specified in the target server information 206 .
[0033] At block 270 , in response to receiving an update to data that is a member of a data set 202 specified in an entry 200 as having an high update frequency 204 , such as “real-time”, control proceeds to block 272 to determine the one or more secondary servers 30 a and 30 b specified in the target server information 206 . The updates are then sent (at block 274 ) to the determined secondary server(s) to apply to the attached secondary storage 32 a , 32 b.
[0034] With the logic of FIG. 4 , updated data to the primary storage 18 is propagated to the secondary storages according to an update frequency specified for the data. This allows updates to more critical data to be updated immediately at the secondary storage, whereas less critical data that does not change frequently may be updated with less frequency. Further, the data copy programs 34 a and 34 b at the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b , respectively, would send any updates to the data at the secondary storage 32 a , 32 b to the primary server 2 . This allows the clients to update data at the secondary server to which they were redirected.
[0035] In the logic of FIG. 4 , the update frequency indicated a time interval at which to propagate non-critical data to the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b . In alternative implementations, the update frequency may comprise one or more threshold triggers other than a time interval. For instance, the update frequency may indicate a threshold percentage of non-critical data that has been modified, e.g., 10%, such that after modification of such threshold percentage of the non-critical data, the updated non-critical data is propagated to the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b . Still further, the update frequency criteria may also indicate a threshold count of the number of updates to non-critical data, such that upon reaching the threshold count value, the modified non-critical data is propagated to the secondary servers 30 a and 30 b . Alternative update frequency criteria may be applied in lieu of the time interval frequency described with respect to FIG. 4 or in addition to FIG. 4 , such that the non-critical data is propagated to secondary sites upon the occurrence of one or more triggering events, e.g., expiration of a specified time interval, updating a threshold percentage of non-critical data, performing a threshold number of updates to non-critical data, etc. Different criteria may be maintained for different groups of the non-critical data, i.e., different data sets 202 indicated in different entries 200 ( FIG. 3 ).
[0036] FIG. 5 illustrates logic implemented in the data copy program 24 to propagate non-critical data when the update frequency 204 indicates a time interval, threshold percentage of updated non-critical data, and/or a threshold absolute number of updates to non-critical data. In the logic of FIG. 5 , each of these checks are described as being considered together. However, in additional implementations, only one of these checks may be performed to determine when to propagate non-critical data, or any combination of the different checks may be used. Control begins at block 280 after propagating updates to non-critical data to the target server(s) 206 . In response, a timer is cleared (at block 282 ) that is used to determine when a time interval specified in the update frequency 204 ( FIG. 3 ) has expired, an update percentage count is cleared (at block 284 ) indicating the percentage of non-critical data that has been updated, and an update count is cleared (at block 286 ) indicating the number of updates to non-critical data that have been performed. Upon the occurrence of any one of the above thresholds being satisfied at blocks 288 , 290 or 292 , the updated non-critical data is then propagated (at block 294 ) to the one or more target servers 30 a and 30 b indicated in the target server field 206 .
[0037] FIG. 6 illustrates logic implemented in the primary 2 and secondary 30 a , 30 b servers to handle data requests from clients. Control begins at block 300 with the primary HTTP server 4 receiving a request for data from a client 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n , 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n and determining (at block 302 ) a redirect secondary server 30 a , 30 b , and redirecting the requesting client to that redirect secondary server. The HTTP server 4 may use any criteria known in the art for selecting a secondary server 30 a , 30 b as the redirect server. In certain implementations, the HTTP server 4 may select the secondary server 30 a , 30 b that is within the defined location of the client, e.g., client 6 a , 6 bn . . . 6 n requests are redirected to secondary server 30 a . Additionally, the HTTP server 4 may perform load balancing to redirect the request to the secondary server with the lowest current load, thereby minimizing server load delays. Still further, the HTTP server 4 may apply a combination of factors, or any other redirection selection factors known in the art.
[0038] At block 310 in FIG. 6 , one secondary server 30 a , 30 b receives the redirected client request. FIG. 1 shows how client requests 50 a and 50 b are redirected at path 52 a and 52 b to one secondary server 30 a and 30 b , respectively. After redirection, the client may communicate directly with the secondary server 30 a and 30 b , as shown on paths 54 a and 54 b . If (at block 312 ) the requested data is not within the secondary storage 32 a , 32 b , then the secondary server 30 a , 30 b requests (at block 314 ) the requested data from the primary server 2 and stores the returned data in the secondary storage 32 a , 32 b . From block 314 or the yes branch of block 312 , the requested data is returned (at block 316 ) to the client initiating the request.
[0039] FIG. 7 illustrates logic implemented in the transaction code 37 a and 37 b in the secondary servers 30 a , 30 b to process a redirected transaction request from a client 6 a , 6 n . . . 6 n , 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n . Control begins at block 320 upon the HTTP server 36 a , 36 b in one secondary server 30 a , 30 b receiving a redirected transaction request from the client, such as a request to purchase or procure goods or services. If (at block 322 ) the location database data 38 a , 38 b indicates that the requesting client is not registered, then the transaction code 37 a , 37 b transmits (at block 324 ) a registration page to the client 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n , 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n requesting the client to register. Upon receiving the returned client registration information, the transaction code 37 a , 37 b updates (at block 326 ) the location database data 38 a , 38 b with the new client registration information and then sends the new client registration information to the primary server 2 . The primary server 2 would then propagate the received client registration information to the other secondary servers so all remote sites maintain consistent information. The location database data 38 a , 38 b may include different database tables, such as a customer registration table including information on a registered customer, such as address, billing, and credit card information, tables including information on product pricing and inventory. As discussed, the information in the location database data 38 a , 38 b may be specific to the location, such as all customers within the defined location.
[0040] If (at block 322 ) the requesting client is registered, then the transaction code 37 a , 37 b generates (at block 328 ) a transaction object and assigns a unique identifier (ID) to the transaction. The transaction object may comprise a record in a database table providing information on a client transaction prior to finalization or some data structure maintaining information on a client initiated transaction. Additionally, in workflow processing environments, such as the IBM MQSeries** workflow environment, the transaction may comprise a piece of workflow that is processed at different nodes in a workflow management scheme. At block 330 , the transaction code 37 a , 37 b receives selection of items for the transaction from the client, e.g., selected goods and services. If (at block 332 ) the location database data 38 a , 38 b indicates that the selected items are not available, i.e., not in current inventory or unable to be provided, then the transaction code 37 a , 37 b returns (at block 334 ) a message to the requesting client that the requested items are unavailable. At this time, the requesting client may be provided the option to backorder the items. If (at block 332 ) the requested items are available, then indication of the items are added (at block 336 ) to the transaction, i.e., transaction object or database record. **MQSeries and IBM are trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation.
[0041] The transaction code 37 a , 37 b then accesses (at block 338 ) client customer information and accesses (at block 340 ) pricing information for the selected product from the location database data 38 a , 38 b or content 40 a , 40 b and then generates (at block 342 ) a transaction approval page for the client including the unique transaction ID, customer information, selected transaction items, cost of selected items, and a request for selection of a payment method. The transaction approval page is returned to the client 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n , 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n . In alternative implementations, different types of information may be included in the pages transmitted to the application to accomplish the transaction.
[0042] FIG. 8 illustrates logic implemented in the secondary and primary server transaction code 5 , 37 a , 37 b to process a client approval of a transaction. Control begins at block 350 with the secondary server transaction code 37 a , 37 b receiving acceptance from a transaction approval form sent to a requesting client. The transaction code 37 a , 37 b then begins (at block 352 ) a process to approve the transaction by verifying data from the location database data 38 a , 38 b and obtain approval from the credit card issuer for the transaction. As mentioned, the processing may be implemented by a workflow model. If (at block 354 ) the transaction is not approved, then a disapproved message is returned to the client, perhaps stating the reason for the disapproval, e.g., failure of credit card authorization. If the transaction is approved, then the secondary server transaction code 37 a , 37 b sends (at block 358 ) the transaction information to the primary server 2 to finally approve of the transaction.
[0043] At block 360 , the primary server transaction code 5 receives the request to approve the transaction and transaction information from the secondary server 30 a , 30 b . In response, the primary server transaction code 5 processes (at block 362 ) the primary database data 20 to verify the availability of the items included in the transaction and the customer information. In certain implementations, the payment or credit card approval may be performed at the primary server and not the secondary server as shown in FIG. 8 . If (at block 364 ) all transaction information is consistent with the information maintained in the primary database data 20 , then the primary server transaction code 5 initiates (at block 366 ) a process to carry out the transaction, such as starting a workflow to execute the transaction, gather the transacted items, ship the items, and bill the customer's credit card. The primary server transaction code 5 returns (at block 368 ) approval to the secondary server 30 a , 30 b submitting the approval request. In response to the received approval, the secondary server transaction code 37 a , 37 b returns (at block 380 ) a page or message to the requesting client that the transaction was approved.
[0044] If (at block 364 ) the primary server transaction code 5 determined that some of the received transaction information is not consistent with the data in the primary storage 18 , then the transaction code 5 would generate and transmit (at block 380 ) a message to the secondary server 30 a , 30 b that the data was not verified and include the data from the primary site that is inconsistent with the data gathered from the secondary storage 32 a , 32 b . In response to receiving the message, the secondary server transaction code 37 a , 37 b would update (at block 382 ) the location database data 38 a , 38 b and/or content 40 a , 40 b with the data received from the primary server 2 . The transaction code 37 a , 37 b would then generate and transmit (at block 384 ) a revised transaction approval page to the client 6 a , 6 b . . . 6 n , 10 a , 10 b . . . 10 n including previous transaction data updated with new information from the primary storage 18 that was inconsistent with the data previously included in the transaction, for instance any price change information or customer billing or contact information, product information, etc. Control would then return to block 350 to await the client's acceptance of the revised transaction.
[0045] With the described implementations, most of the parts of a transaction and most data verification and gathering occurs at a remote secondary server from data mirrored for that location in the secondary storage. Ths architecture improves response times to client requests by reducing the transmission distance of the requests because the client is redirected to communicate with a more geographically proximate server and by redistributing the load from the primary server to remote secondary servers. Moreover, in certain implementations, data is propagated to the secondary servers in a manner that provides the secondary sites with data in a timely manner and conserves network bandwidth. This is accomplished by propagating updates to critical data, such as customer information, payment information, inventory information, etc., at a high frequency, such as real time, and propagating updates to data that changes less frequently at greater intervals.
[0046] Still further, with the described implementations, data and transaction consistency is maintained because final approval of the transaction is obtained from a primary storage site, which includes the most recent version of data and ensures that a transaction processed at a secondary site is not based on stale or inconsistent data.
Additional Implementation Details
[0047] The described data mirroring and transaction techniques may be implemented as a method, apparatus or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof. The term “article of manufacture” as used herein refers to code or logic implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.) or a computer readable medium (e.g., magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, optical disks, etc.), volatile and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, firmware, programmable logic, etc.). Code in the computer readable medium is accessed and executed by a processor. The code in which preferred embodiments are implemented may further be accessible through a transmission media or from a file server over a network. In such cases, the article of manufacture in which the code is implemented may comprise a transmission media, such as a network transmission line, wireless transmission media, signals propagating through space, radio waves, infrared signals, etc. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the present invention, and that the article of manufacture may comprise any information bearing medium known in the art.
[0048] The messages and information returned to the clients in response to transaction related requests may comprise pages, such as HTML or XML pages transmitted using the HTTP protocol or comprise e-mail messages or instant messaging messages.
[0049] In the described implementations one instance of a primary server and primary storage is shown. In further implementations, the primary site may comprise multiple primary servers and primary storages. In certain implementations, two secondary storage sites are shown each including one secondary server and secondary storage. In further implementations, there may be more than two secondary storage sites at different geographical locations and each site may include multiple secondary servers and/or secondary storages.
[0050] The preferred logic of FIGS. 4-8 described specific operations occurring in a particular order. Further, the steps may be performed in parallel as well as sequentially. In alternative embodiments, certain of the logic operations may be performed in a different order, modified or removed and still implement preferred embodiments of the present invention. Morever, steps may be added to the above described logic and still conform to the preferred embodiments. Yet further, steps may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.
[0051] In the described implementations, the transaction initiated by the client comprised a transaction to purchase goods or services from a commercial retailer e-commerce web site. In alternative implementations, the transactions processed in the manner described above may comprise any type of transaction requesting resources or interactions that a client would transmit across a network. Thus, the described implementations are not limited to commercial e-commerce type operations and may encompass any network transaction known in the art that is serviced from a server.
[0052] In certain implementations, the distributed systems communicated across the networks using the HTTP protocol for transmitting documents between computers within a network. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that any communication protocol may be used to transmit information in accordance with implementations of the invention.
[0053] In certain implementations, the secondary servers transmitted pages of data to the clients in the HTML or XML file format. However, any document or data format known in the art may be used to transmit information between the systems.
[0054] The foregoing description of the described implementations 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. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the manufacture and use of the composition of the invention. Since many embodiments of the invention can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the invention resides in the claims hereinafter appended.
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Provider are a method, system, and program for maintaining data in a distributed computing environment. Data is stored at a primary storage site. A data structure is processed indicating an association of data sets in the stored data, secondary storage sites, and update frequencies. In response to processing the data structure, a determination is made of one of a plurality of secondary storage sites and a determination is made of at least one data set to transmit to the determined secondary storage site at an update frequency. The determined data set is transmitted to the determined secondary storage site according to the update frequency.
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FIELD
[0001] The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally related to an apparatus which allows for the controlled addition of antifoam to the foam present in the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor in a reliable manner. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally related to also directed to a method of using such apparatus which allows for the controlled addition of antifoam to the foam present in the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor in a reliable manner. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally relate to antifoam systems, methods and apparatus, and more particularly, to an antifoam device operably connected to a single use biobag.
BACKGROUND
[0002] A bioreactor is a device or apparatus in the form of a closed chamber or vessel in which living organisms such as mammalian cells, bacteria or yeast synthesize substances useful to the pharmaceutical and biotech industries under controlled conditions favorable to that specific organism. Traditionally bioreactors were closed, rigid stainless steel vessels in which the organisms were grown. A relatively recent development has been the appearance of systems specifically designed to use disposable, single-use flexible liners or bags to provide the sterile envelope for the cells which is supported by a rigid external support structure. Single-use when used in the context of a single-use bioreactor is generally acknowledged to mean a flexible container, liner or bag incorporating all of the functional aspects required of a traditional bioreactor which can be filled with the materials required for the growth of mammalian cells, bacteria or yeast and is designed with the intention that it be disposed of at the completion of a single production run. Disposable in this instance means that the device is designed to be low cost and to incorporate materials which can be easily disposed of using commonly available waste processing infrastructure and not require special disposal requirements. The advantages of disposable single-use systems are: the elimination of the complicated production plant infrastructure piping and systems required to clean and sterilize a rigid vessel in place, the elimination of the system downtime required for the cleaning process, elimination of the materials, time and effort required to validate the sterility of the cleaned vessel, elimination the handling requirements for the caustic chemicals used in the cleaning process and the elimination of wastes that are generated as part of the traditional cleaning process. The disposable, single use liner or bag is delivered to the customer as a closed, sterilized container which can be easily disposed of when the production run has been completed. The turnaround time for a single-use bioreactor system is greatly reduced since it basically consists of the a quick sanitization of the used bag, removal of the used bag from the support structure/vessel and the installation of the new bag to be used for the next production run into the support structure/vessel. U.S. Pat. No. 7,629,167 issued Dec. 8, 2009 describes many such bioreactors.
[0003] One of the main disadvantages of single use, disposable bioreactors is that the plastic films used to create the flexible liners or bags are not high strength materials. The plastic films need to be thin so that they are flexible enough to be easily handled during installation into the external rigid support structure. Using thin plastic films also allow the single use bioreactor to be able to be folded into a smaller size package for shipment to customers. When microorganisms are grown inside a bioreactor their metabolism generates heat which must be removed from the bioreactor to prevent it from building up to levels that can inhibit growth of the microorganisms or even result in the death of the microorganisms. The heat produced by the microorganisms inside the bioreactor must pass through the flexible bioreactor container wall in order for it to be removed from the system. Plastic materials are not good conductors of heat so the thinner the plastic film that comprises the walls of the disposable, single-use flexible bioreactor bags can be, the better the rate of heat transfer that can be achieved. For these reasons the thin plastic films used to make the flexible bioreactor bag results in a bag or container that cannot withstand high pressures. Pressures of just a few pounds per square inch can create leaks in the envelope of these bags and this compromises the integrity of the bag and renders such a compromised bag susceptible to contamination by harmful organisms in the environment external to the bag.
[0004] Growing mammalian cells, bacteria or yeast in a bioreactor also often results in the production of an unwanted foam layer which floats at the top of the liquid in the bioreactor. This foam layer is the result of several factors. Microorganisms commonly used in the production of useful pharmaceutical or biological substances are aerobic, that is they require air to survive. In a standard stirred vessel bioreactor the required pressurized air is introduced at the bottom of the vessel in the form of small air bubbles and the vessel contains one or more impellers which are used to mix or stir the air bubbles into the liquid and to break the bubbles into smaller bubbles if possible. Even though they are being agitated or mixed by the action of the impeller(s) the buoyancy of these bubbles causes them to eventually rise to the top of the liquid surface. The liquid growth media used to grow living organisms in a bioreactor contains a wide array of substances and materials which are used as basic nutrients and growth factors by each specific type of organism that might be grown in a bioreactor. Many of these materials required by the organisms to survive also promote the formation more stable bubbles and thus a more stable foam layer at the surface of the liquid than would be the case for bubbles formed in pure water. Living organisms in a bioreactor also generate waste products as part of their metabolism and some of the waste materials also contribute to the formation of stable bubbles and foam. A constant flow of pressurized air is required to be introduced into the bottom of the bioreactor and this produces the constant creation of more bubbles and foam to be added to the existing foam layer. Bubbles making up the foam layer at the top surface of the liquid will have some lifetime during which they will persist, but eventually they will burst. If the foam layer has been made more stable as described in the preceding text, then the thickness of the foam layer will increase until the rate of bubble formation and the rate of bubbles bursting reaches equilibrium. The thickness of this foam layer in the absence of any antifoam compound may become unacceptably thick. To reduce this foam layer at the top of a bioreactor to a reasonable thickness various commercially available antifoam compounds have been developed. The effectiveness of these antifoam compounds is not constant over time requiring that several applications of the antifoam compound be applied to the foam during a single production run. The rate of foam production and the effectiveness of the antifoam in reducing the form layer produced varies widely depending on the particular materials and conditions required to cultivate each different type of microorganism in a bioreactor.
[0005] There is a space at the top of the single-use bioreactor bag called a headspace which is intended to be used to as a space for some amount of this foam to exist in. The intent is for this headspace to be large enough to contain a reasonable foam layer thickness and also to be large enough to include an additional clear space above the top of the foam layer. At the top of the bioreactor bag above where the top of the foam layer is expected to end is a ported opening in the bag wall to which a tube external to the bag is connected which provides a closed pathway to an exhaust filter through which the exhaust air flow can exit the bag. The exhaust filter allows waste gasses to flow out of the bag but prevents potentially harmful organisms in the environment external to the bag from entering the inside of the bag where they could contaminate the desired population of organisms. The exhaust tubing and the exhaust filter during normal operating conditions will allow the constant flow of exhaust gasses through this pathway without creating an undesirable level of back pressure. If the foam layer at the top of the liquid in the headspace of the bag becomes thicker than the headspace can accommodate then some of the foam can be drawn into the exhaust tube and/or exhaust filter by the flow of the exiting exhaust gas. This foam can decrease the effective size of the flow path though the exhaust tubing or can be deposited on the exhaust filter porous filter material reducing its effective surface area both of which will restrict the exhaust gas flow rate out of the bioreactor bag. A restriction in the exhaust gas flow rate from the bioreactor bag will increase the back pressure in this exhaust path and thus increase the pressure within the bioreactor bag itself. Since single-use bioreactor bags are made of thin flexible sheets of plastic film they are inherently low pressure systems. A high enough back pressure in the exhaust gas pathway can increase the pressure within the bioreactor bag to levels which may compromise the integrity of the bioreactor bag.
[0006] In an effort to control the level of foam at the top surface of the liquid in a bioreactor different antifoam addition strategies have been developed. For a few cultures of microorganisms in which the materials required for growth do not promote stable foam or where required air flow rates are low a single application of a small amount of antifoam at the start of the production run may be sufficient to control foam levels. Other microorganisms may require materials in the growth media or air flow rates which require antifoam to be applied several times during a production run, possibly on some predefined schedule. Most microorganisms require materials in the growth media or air flow at rates that lead to excessive foam generation and thus call for more elaborate strategies of foam control. One of the simplest strategies of antifoam addition depends on human operators to observe foam levels during a production run and add antifoam when they determine that it is needed. This strategy is inherently subjective and may lead to the addition of too much antifoam which would need to be removed by downstream purification processes or the addition of too little antifoam which risks blocking the exhaust gas path. Depending on the requirements of the downstream purification process, after the conclusion of a production run any residual antifoam present in a culture may need to be removed from the process fluid stream during downstream processing. The antifoam itself may have minor detrimental effects on the growth rate of the microorganism during the production run. These factors cause any antifoam addition strategy to be based on adding the absolute minimum of antifoam required to reliably control the foam level.
[0007] In theory an automated system for antifoam addition would only add antifoam as needed. The basic functional blocks of such an active control system would be a sensor, a system controller, and an actuator. The overall foam control system would be connected such that there is a feedback pathway for foam level information from the foam sensor to be input to the system controller and output pathway for a control signal to be sent from the system controller to the actuator. The foam sensor measures some physical aspect of the foam and sends that information to the system controller. The system controller can take that sensor information and determine if it needs to act on that information. If the system controller determines that action is required it can send a control signal to the actuator that causes the actuator to perform some action that initiates the addition of antifoam which in turn affects the foam level in a manner that is desirable.
[0008] An antifoam control system for a single use bioreactor can be described in more detail as follows. An active control system for bioreactor foam control requires a sensor that can measure some physical aspect of foam such that it can determine if foam is present in the headspace of the bioreactor and ideally correlate this physical measurement to the amount of foam present. For example the foam sensor can be based on some physical electrical measurement such as the resistance or conductance at some location in the bioreactor headspace. Another example of a foam sensor is based on some optical property measured at some location in the bioreactor headspace that performs the same function.
[0009] An active control system for bioreactor foam control requires a system controller that can take the measurement signal from the foam sensor and determine if it needs to act on that information. An example of a system controller for foam control could be a digital controller such as a microcontroller or a microprocessor. Another example of a system controller for foam control could be an analog controller based on an analog comparator. Another example of a system controller for foam control could be a human who takes the information from the sensor and determines if action should be taken to reduce the foam level
[0010] An active control system for bioreactor foam control requires an actuator that can be controlled by the system controller to perform some action that affects the level of foam present in the bioreactor headspace as desired. An example of an actuator used in a foam control system could be a valve that allows chemical antifoam to be added to the bioreactor headspace which would reduce foam. Another example of an actuator used in a foam control system could be a pump that allows chemical antifoam to be pumped into the bioreactor headspace to reduce foam. Another example of an actuator used in a foam control system could be a mechanical agitator such as an impeller located in the bioreactor headspace which mechanically breaks up the foam. Another example of an actuator used in a foam control system could be a human who manually adds chemical antifoam to the bioreactor headspace or performs some action that reduces the level of foam as desired.
[0011] Such active foam control systems are presently available for foam control in bioreactors but are not widely used. The reliability of foam control systems at the present time is not high enough to make automated systems widely accepted. Problems inherent in such active controls systems are incorrect information from the foam sensor, inappropriate action taken by the system controller and ineffective effects by the actuator on the foam level.
[0012] Incorrect information from the foam sensor can take the form of no detection of the existing foam level (false negative), information that does not correlate to the foam level or, an incorrect indication that foam is present (false positive). These errors in detecting foam by foam sensors can arise from the difficulties inherent in detecting foam due to differences in the measurable properties of foam in different bioreactor process conditions. For example different bioreactor process conditions can generate foam with different electrical properties and different optical properties. Condensation of moist air in the headspace of a bioreactor into droplets on the foam sensor detecting element may be falsely interpreted by the sensor as being foam. Errors in detecting foam by foam sensors can also be due to problems related to that specific instance of foam sensor, i.e. that particular foam sensor has failed. The reliability of foam sensors at the present time is not high enough to make automated foam control systems widely accepted.
[0013] Since the system controller is the core of a foam control feedback system inappropriate action taken by the system controller can be due to not tailoring the system controller's control strategy to differences in bioreactor process conditions. This inappropriate action can be caused by incorrect inputs to the system controller or by incorrect levels of output by the controller to the actuator. An example would be when different bioreactor process conditions generate foam with different physical properties which affect the accuracy of the foam level reading from the foam sensor. Another example would be that different bioreactor process conditions can generate foam with different physical properties which affect the effectiveness of the system foam control method in reducing the level of that particular foam. Errors in system controller response to foam can also be due to problems related to that specific instance of system controller, i.e. that particular system controller has failed.
[0014] There is thus a great need to improve foam control.
SUMMARY
[0015] The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally related to an apparatus which allows for controlled addition of antifoam to foam present in the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor in an efficient reliable manner.
[0016] The basic configuration of the apparatus consists of one or more pads or wicks made of porous or fibrous materials which are located inside the headspace of a single-use bioreactor bag in close proximity to the exhaust gas exit port(s). The porous or fibrous wicks or rings are operably connected to an external rigid or flexible reservoir attached to the bag through a port fitment welded into the bioreactor bag wall.
[0017] The port fitment is connected to tubing which creates an enclosed pathway between the external reservoir and the wicks or rings located internally to the bioreactor bag. Antifoam is introduced into the external reservoir by the user such as via a sterile syringe fitting or by tube welding on a small container of antifoam. The antifoam in the reservoir then flows through the enclosed pathway and is absorbed or wicked into the porous or fibrous material of the wicks or rings such as by a capillary transfer mechanism. Surface tension of the antifoam would ensure that the antifoam remained suspended in the porous or fibrous material of the wicks or rings until foam from the bioreactor rose to the level where it made contact with the antifoam soaked wicks or rings.
[0018] Once the foam in the bioreactor rises to a level where it makes contact with the wicks or rings a small amount of antifoam is transferred to the bioreactor foam mass. This automatic application of antifoam to the bioreactor foam reduces the level of the bioreactor foam in the bioreactor bag headspace. A capillary transfer mechanism automatically replaces the antifoam in the wicks or rings that had been applied to the foam mass in the bioreactor bag. This is a self-regulating antifoam control system that requires no outside intervention to repeatedly cycle and operate as needed after the initial filling of the reservoir. This apparatus thus passively regulates the amount of antifoam applied to the bioreactor foam and applies the antifoam only as needed.
[0019] The passive system as described above would not exclude the possibility of making an antifoam application on demand as desired by the user. A force could be applied to the external reservoir in such a manner that it created an increased pressure inside the antifoam reservoir which would cause antifoam to be expelled from the wicks or rings where it would make contact with the foam layer in the bioreactor headspace.
[0020] This apparatus is passive in that it does not require a sensor to detect foam, nor an active control system to act on information from a foam sensor to apply a controlled amount of antifoam to the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor. This passive system also does not require a power source to operate which is in contrast to an active system. Thus this passive system does not suffer the reliability problems associated with existing active control systems for bioreactor foam control. Aspects of the disclosed embodiments also generally relate to a much needed integral control that is presently lacking in bioreactor systems.
[0021] One aspect of the exemplary embodiments is also directed to a passive automatic antifoam delivery system for use with single-use bioreactors comprising:
[0022] a medical grade porous or fibrous non-reactive object secured proximally to the exhaust port of the bioreactor (such as a cylindrical wick or a ring);
[0023] wherein said porous or fibrous material absorbs/wicks antifoam from the bioreactor reservoir and
[0024] retains said antifoam therein until foam from the bioreactor rises to the level wherein it makes contact with the antifoam absorbed/wicked porous or fibrous object which releases small quantities of antifoam sufficient to reduce foam bellow the exhaust port.
[0025] Another aspect of the exemplary embodiments is directed to a medical grade cylindrical wick or a ring of porous or fibrous material; wherein said porous or fibrous material is absorbed/wicked with antifoam and retains it therein until exposed to a mass of foam which causes the release of small quantities of antifoam sufficient to neutralize the foam from the mass.
[0026] Another aspect of the exemplary embodiments is directed to the use of a medical grade cylindrical wick or a ring of porous or fibrous material to neutralize foam in a bioreactor reservoir comprising:
[0027] securing said porous or fibrous material around or adjacent to the exhaust port in the top of a single-use bioreactor bag;
[0028] absorbing/wicking antifoam onto the porous or fibrous material;
[0029] retaining antifoam absorbed/wicked porous or fibrous material therein until exposed to a mass of foam which causes the release of small quantities of antifoam sufficient to neutralize the foam from the mass.
[0030] Medical grade porous or fibrous material as used herein refers to a biocompatible material not having toxic or negative effects on the growth of organisms commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry or on the useful products produced by such organisms. Such material could be formed from open cell porous foams, fibrous mesh or pads or sintered bead foams made from a wide range of materials such as polymeric plastic materials like polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, polyolefins, polyamides, polyurethane, acrylics, styrenics, etc. or from metals or metal alloys such as titanium or stainless steel or from ceramics such as silicon nitride, and zirconium dioxide.
[0031] Anti-foaming agents are hydrophobic agents such as polydimethylsiloxane with silica (such as XIAMETER® products including Antifoam 2210 or Compound A AFE-1520 Antifoam Emulsion, AFE-1510 Antifoam Emulsion, AFE-0010 Antifoam Emulsion FG, ACP-1920 Powdered Antifoam, and AFE-0100 AF Emulsion FG (Dow Corning), M-10 (Calgene), Breox FMT 30 (Block copolymer of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of approximately 3,000, available from BP Chemicals Ltd.); Darastil 8231 (Block copolymer of polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol having a molecular weight of approximately 2,000, available from Grace Dearborn Ltd.), Sigma-Aldrich Antifoams 204 (A6426 and A8311 containing a mixture of organic non-silicone polypropylene based polyether dispersions), A6582 (100% silicone based polymer that has a molecular weight range of 3,200 to 16,500 Da consist of particles ranging in size from 10 to 40 microns, and can be removed by filtration.), A6457, A6707, A8082 (completely organic, fatty acid ester type antifoam) and A8582 (Sigma Aldrich) (from about 0.001 wt. % to about 0.005 wt. %), J673A (Struktol an alkoxylated fatty acid ester on a vegetable base), P2000 (Fluka Polypropylene glycol) or SB2121 (Struktol). Other commonly used antifoam agents are insoluble oils, polydimethylsiloxanes and other silicones, certain alcohols, stearates and glycols. Oil based defoamers have an oil carrier. The oil might be mineral oil, vegetable oil, white oil or any other oil that is insoluble in the foaming medium, except silicone oil. An oil based defoamer also contains a wax and/or hydrophobic silica to boost the performance. Typical waxes are ethylene bis stearamide (EBS), paraffin waxes, ester waxes and fatty alcohol waxes. These products might also have surfactants to improve emulsification and spreading in the foaming medium. Water based defoamers are different types of oils and waxes dispersed in a water base. The oils are often white oils or vegetable oils and the waxes are long chain fatty alcohol, fatty acid soaps or esters. These are normally best as deaerators, which means they are best at releasing entrained air. Silicone-based defoamers are polymers with silicon backbones. These might be delivered as an oil or a water based emulsion. The silicone compound consists of an hydrophobic silica dispersed in a silicone oil. Emulsifiers are added to ensure that the silicone spreads fast and well in the foaming medium. The silicone compound might also contain silicone glycols and other modified silicone fluids. EO/PO based defoamers contain polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol copolymers. They are delivered as oils, water solutions, or water based emulsions. EO/PO copolymers normally have good dispersing properties and are often well suited when deposit problems are an issue. Alkyl polyacrylates are suitable for use as defoamers in non-aqueous systems where air release is more important than the breakdown of surface foam. These defoamers are often delivered in a solvent carrier like petroleum distillates.
[0032] The terms “disposable” and “single use” as used are the customary and ordinary use of these terms such as found in the book is “Single-Use Technology in Biopharmaceutical Manufacture”, Regine Eibl and Dieter Eibl, A John Wiley & Sons Inc.
[0033] These and other aspects and advantages of the exemplary embodiments will become apparent from the following detailed description considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It is to be understood, however, that the drawings are designed solely for purposes of illustration and not as a definition of the limits of the invention, for which reference should be made to the appended claims. Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description that follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. Moreover, the aspects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] The accompanying drawings illustrate presently preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and together with the general description given above and the detailed description given below, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. As shown throughout the drawings, like reference numerals designate like or corresponding parts.
[0035] FIG. 1 refers to one embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
[0036] FIG. 2 refers to another embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
[0037] FIG. 3 refers to another embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
[0038] FIG. 4 refers to another embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
[0039] FIG. 5 refers to another embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
[0040] FIG. 6 refers to another embodiment in which the exhaust gas exit tube is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0041] The present disclosure is generally directed towards the use of antifoam devices and methods so as to improve the use of bioreactor bags. As will be understood, the various diagrams, flow charts and scenarios described herein are only examples, and there are many other scenarios to which the present disclosure will apply.
[0042] Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , two embodiments of the passive antifoam system are illustrated. In these Figures the exhaust gas exit tube ( 1 ) is shown connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) which is heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). The tube can be made of one of many materials commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry such as platinum cured silicone or C-Flex. The tube can be flexible, semi-rigid or rigid. There can be one or more exhaust gas exit tubes attached to a bioreactor bag. The other end of each exhaust tube can be connected to a condenser (not shown), an exhaust filter (not shown) or to another bag (not shown). Inside the bioreactor bag headspace located in proximity to the exhaust gas port fitment is shown the porous or fibrous material pad or wick ( 3 ) which retains the antifoam. The porous or fibrous material pad or wick ( 3 ) can be formed into many different shapes such as the shape of a disc or ring. The antifoam reservoir in these Figures is depicted as a tubular or cylindrical shaped container ( 2 ) which is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). An aseptic connector ( 5 ) is shown at the top of the antifoam reservoir through which the user can fill the reservoir with antifoam. This aseptic connector ( 5 ) could be replaced by a simple plug (not shown) if tube welding a sterile bag of antifoam is to be the method of adding antifoam to the reservoir.
[0043] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 illustrate other embodiments of the passive antifoam system. In these Figures, the exhaust gas exit tube ( 1 ) is shown connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) which is heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). The tube can be made of one of many materials commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry such as platinum cured silicone or C-Flex. The tube can be flexible, semi-rigid or rigid. There can be one or more exhaust gas exit tubes attached to a bioreactor bag. The other end of the exhaust tube can be connected to a condenser (not shown), an exhaust filter (not shown) or to another bag (not shown). Inside the bioreactor bag headspace located in proximity to the exhaust gas port fitment are one or more porous or fibrous material pads or wicks ( 3 ) which retain the antifoam. The porous or fibrous material pads or wicks ( 3 ) can be formed into many different shapes such as the shape of a cylinder or tube. The antifoam reservoirs in these Figures are depicted as a tubular or cylindrical shaped container ( 2 ) which is connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). An aseptic connector ( 5 ) is shown at the top of one of the antifoam reservoirs through which the user can fill the reservoir with antifoam. The aseptic connector ( 5 ) could be replaced by a simple tube plug ( 8 ) if tube welding a sterile bag of antifoam is to be the method of adding antifoam to the reservoir.
[0044] FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 illustrate other embodiments of the passive antifoam system. In these Figures, the exhaust gas exit tube ( 1 ) is shown connected to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) which is heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). The tube can be made of one of many materials commonly used in the pharmaceutical industry such as platinum cured silicone or C-Flex. The tube can be flexible, semi-rigid or rigid. There can be one or more exhaust gas exit tubes attached to a bioreactor bag. The other end of each exhaust tube can be connected to a condenser (not shown), an exhaust filter (not shown) or to another bag (not shown). Inside the bioreactor bag headspace located in proximity to the exhaust gas port fitment are one or more porous or fibrous material pads or wicks ( 3 ) which retain the antifoam. The porous or fibrous material pads or wicks ( 3 ) can be formed into many different shapes such as the shape of a disc or ring. The antifoam reservoir in this figure shown to be of a bag shaped container ( 2 ) which is connected through a section of tubing ( 7 ) to a section of the bioreactor bag wall ( 4 ) via a port fitment ( 6 ) heat welded to the bag film ( 4 ). An aseptic connector ( 5 ) is shown at the top of a section of tubing ( 7 ) through which the user can fill the reservoir with antifoam. The aseptic connector ( 5 ) could be replaced by a simple tube plug (not shown) if tube welding a sterile bag of antifoam is to be the method of adding antifoam to the reservoir.
[0045] Thus, while there have been shown, described and pointed out, fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to the exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of devices and methods illustrated, and in their operation, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Moreover, it is expressly intended that all combinations of those elements and/or method steps, which perform substantially the same function in substantially the same way to achieve the same results, are within the scope of the invention. Moreover, it should be recognized that structures and/or elements and/or method steps shown and/or described in connection with any disclosed form or embodiment of the invention may be incorporated in any other disclosed or described or suggested form or embodiment as a general matter of design choice. It is the intention, therefore, to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the claims appended hereto.
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The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally relate to an apparatus which allows for the controlled addition of antifoam to the foam present in the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor in a reliable manner. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments also generally relate to a method of using such apparatus which allows for the controlled addition of antifoam to the foam present in the headspace of a disposable single-use bioreactor in a reliable manner. The aspects of the disclosed embodiments generally relate to antifoam systems, methods and apparatus, and more particularly, to an antifoam device operably connected to a single use biobag.
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The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/942,576, filed Nov. 19, 2007, entitled, “Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition System for Energy Extracting Vessel Navigation,” the contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally in the field of supervisory control and data acquisition systems. More specifically, the present invention is embodied in a remote control system particularly for operation and navigation of a mobile structure that optimally recovers energy from an offshore marine environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
While many systems exist today for recovery of wind energy and water current or wave energy, most systems are stationary, mounted on or anchored to the sea floor. Many other hydrokinetic turbine energy systems exist today that affix to sailing vessels overcoming the limitations of fixed stationary structures. Nonetheless, all wind and hydrokinetic systems have the fundamental limitation of total possible recoverable energy at any given time being directly proportional to the cube of the velocity of the motive fluids. This inherent limitation renders most of these systems economically infeasible when considering the manufacturing and operational costs of the system and the typical ambient wind and water current vectors rarely summing to a magnitude greater than twenty knots. While sailing vessel designs exist such as catamarans, which reputedly can exceed true wind speed, the function of immersing a hydrokinetic turbine as an appendage of such a vessel immediately incurs drag upon the vessel ultimately to reduce the speed of the motive fluid through the turbine to unprofitable energy recovery rates. U.S. Pat. No. 7,298,056 for a Turbine-Integrated Hydrofoil addresses an implementation of a drag-reducing appendage as means to an economically viable solution. The specification of this reference application suggests remote controlled operation but does not expressly depict intentional unmanned operation of such a mobile structure for economic benefit into an environment of such high energy as to otherwise present conditions hazardous to human crews. The aforementioned reference patent application also does not delineate the various parts of the communication system in detail, thus does not enable in full, clear, concise, and exact terms, one skilled in the art to reduce such a remote control system to practice.
Therefore, there exists a need for a novel Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition system that remotely controls the operation and particularly the navigation of a mobile structure that can cost-effectively extract energy in an optimal manner from an environment that inherently presents untenable risk to human life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a novel Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) remote control system for a mobile structure that recovers naturally occurring energy from severe weather patterns. The present specification embodies an offshore energy recovery system wherein an algorithm optimizes efficiency in the system by accounting for data from weather observations, and from sensors on the mobile structure, while relating these data points to performance models for the mobile structure itself The present specification exemplifies the use of the algorithm in navigating a sailing vessel optimized to reduce drag while responding to wind and water velocity vectors by adjusting points of sail, rudder rotation, openness of turbine gates, and ballast draft, through control outputs from the microprocessor system on-board the sailing vessel. The SCADA system includes computer servers that gather data through diverse means such as Global Position Satellite (GPS) systems, weather satellite systems of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and United States Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) communicated through various geographic and weather data resources including but not limited to the Geographic Information System (GIS) of NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) along with all other weather information sources available from its National Hurricane Center (NHC) and Tropical Prediction Center (TPC). The SCADA computer servers run Human Machine Interface (HMI) secure software applications which communicate to microprocessor systems running client software with a Graphical User Interface (GUI) to allow remote humans to optionally interact and choose mission critical navigation plans.
In addition, the present invention is not limited to implementation of the exemplary referenced Turbine-Integrated Hydrofoil system of U.S. Pat. No. 7,298,056. The present invention applies to remote control of any system that exploits energy from weather patterns that avail formidable amounts of naturally occurring energy. Any mobile structure that extracts energy from electrical storms, windstorms, offshore tropical storms or hurricanes, or any aerodynamic or hydrokinetic electromechanical mobile system for renewable energy recovery under remote control especially benefits from the present invention. Otherwise whereby without the present invention that enables a mobile system to automatically track environmental conditions hazardous to humans anywhere in the universe, such risks of danger renders manned operation undesirable and thus the cost benefits and ease of implementation of such energy exploitation systems unrealizable.
Finally, because the system embodied within the present invention comprises an algorithm that optimizes energy extraction using yield functions derived from weather and geospatial data and vessel performance models, the same system using just the path cost algorithm without weighing energy extraction yield factors into the cost of travel, may guide navigation of vessels for logistics-only purposes past such weather patterns.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 illustrates a top-level view of all components in an exemplary system in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of the control, communications, and computer systems running server and client software applications in an exemplary system.
FIG. 3 illustrates electromechanical circuits for actuating control of various mechanisms affecting position and velocity of the mobile structure in an exemplary system.
FIG. 4 illustrates a representation of the graphical user interface on a client computer system in one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The present invention pertains to a remote control system and algorithm for supervisory control and data acquisition enabling navigation and automatic operation of a mobile energy recovery system. The following description contains specific information pertaining to various embodiments and implementations of the invention. One skilled in the art will recognize that one may practice the present invention in a manner different from that specifically depicted in the present specification. Furthermore, the present specification need not represent some of the specific details of the present invention in order to not obscure the invention. A person of ordinary skill in the art would have knowledge of such specific details not described in the present specification. Obviously, others may omit or only partially implement some features of the present invention and remain well within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The following drawings and their accompanying detailed description apply as merely exemplary and not restrictive embodiments of the invention. To maintain brevity, the present specification has not exhaustively described all other embodiments of the invention that use the principles of the present invention and has not exhaustively illustrated all other embodiments in the present drawings.
FIG. 1 illustrates a top-level diagram of all components of an exemplary practical embodiment of the present invention. Block 100 represents an offshore mobile energy recovery structure in the process of energy extraction in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Exemplary embodiments of mobile structure 100 include sailing or propelled vessels or barges or any mobile buoyant energy recovery system known by one of ordinary skill in the art. A non-exhaustive list of mobile structures 100 for energy recovery includes: the Turbine-Integrated Hydrofoil of U.S. Pat. No. 7,298,056; any wave energy conversion system with propulsion means allowing relocation; one or plural wind turbines on floating platforms with propulsion means allowing relocation; or one or plural lightening rods on floating platforms with propulsion means allowing relocation for extracting energy from electrical storms; or any mobile system that extracts energy from pneumatic and/or hydrokinetic sources with aerodynamic and/or hydrodynamic drive means. The aforementioned list of mobile structures 100 represents purely exemplary embodiments by no means restrictive of mobile structure 100 embodiments within the scope and spirit of the present invention. FIG. 1 further depicts mobile structure 100 in the process of energy extraction circumnavigating what appears to be a vortical weather pattern 101 . As one may infer from the counterclockwise vortex streamlines, the weather pattern 101 manifests in the northern hemisphere as implied by the Coriolis effect. Note that this representation of a weather pattern 101 is strictly exemplary and that a weather pattern 101 consistent with a description of a cyclone in the southern hemisphere; a typhoon in south east Asia; a williwaw non-vortical gap flow or barrier jet wind storm offshore from the Alaskan coast or similar weather pattern elsewhere; any tropical storm; or any hurricane, remains well within the scope of a weather pattern 101 for the purposes of the present invention. The exemplary embodiment further comprises a central service facility 102 for the purpose of service logging, maintenance, and bulk energy storage for later distribution, and especially where the remote control of the mobile structure 100 occurs. One may note that energy storage comprises compressed hydrogen, metal hydride storage, or charged batteries or capacitors, as long as the mobile structure 104 and the central service facility 102 employ energy storage systems with compatible upload interfaces. The graphical representation of the central service facility 102 in FIG. 1 evokes the notion of a large vessel such as a tanker ship, but a port facility equally qualifies as a central service facility 102 within the scope of the present invention. The depiction of mobile structure 103 en route to the weather pattern 101 and mobile structure 104 returning to the central service facility 102 emphasizes that complete round-trip operation of one or plural mobile structures 100 , 103 , 104 , whether engaged in energy recovery as in mobile structure 100 or returning a payload as in mobile structure 104 , essentially comprises tasks performed by the remote control system of the present invention.
Essential to the operation of the complete SCADA system is the communication of data from various sources. FIG. 1 further illustrates three types of satellites, Global Position Satellites (GPS) 106 , weather satellites 105 , and telecommunications satellites 107 , comprising the SCADA remote control system in this exemplary embodiment. In practically all embodiments, the SCADA system tracks the position and velocity of the mobile structure 100 through a GPS 106 system. The central service facility 102 , if itself indeed mobile, likely also tracks its own location using a GPS 106 system. This specification will further expound upon the use of the GPS 106 system as a SCADA control algorithm input in subsequent paragraphs describing FIG. 4 . This specification will hereinafter use the generic term weather satellite 105 when referring to any of the weather tracking satellites availing weather data to various government and private entities. A non-exhaustive list of weather satellites 105 able to serve this function includes: the NASA QuikSCAT; the NOAA Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellites including Radarsat-1, and Envisat satellites; any of the satellites serving the NOAA Satellite Services Division (SSD) National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) including Meteosat-7, Eumetsat, MTSAT-1R, Global Earth Observation Systems, GOES-EAST (GOES-12), GOES-WEST (GOES-11), GOES-9, GOES-10, GOES-13, or POES satellites. The aforementioned list of weather satellites 105 represents purely exemplary embodiments by no means restrictive of weather satellites 105 embodiments within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Telecommunications satellites 107 represent how data communicates between the central service facility 102 and one or plural of many possible entities including those accessible through the Internet from where all weather data in this exemplary embodiment disseminates, such as from the National Weather Service 108 Geographic Information System (GIS) computer servers. Besides weather satellite 105 data, the NWS 108 GIS and many other such entities including those accessible through the Internet disseminate weather data from other sources such as: oceanic weather buoys; coastal meteorology stations, Coastal Marine Automated Network Stations (C-MAN); NOAA Aircraft Operations Center; NOAA National Hurricane Center (NHC) Aircraft Reconnaissance “Hurricane Hunters”; United States Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron; USAF GPS Dropwindsondes; and RIDGE radar. The aforementioned non-exhaustive list of alternate sources of weather information disseminated from the NWS 108 or similar weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the Internet represents exemplary but not restrictive sources of weather data alternate to weather satellite 105 sources. The physical location of dissemination of data such as within an NWS 108 GIS computer server or similar weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the Internet appears terrestrial-based; in other words, the hardware resides on land 109 . Obviously, if the central service facility 102 existed at a port on shore, a more cost-effective and potentially higher bandwidth data communications link such as fiber optic cable thus supplants the telecommunications satellites 107 in communication with the NWS 108 GIS or other similar weather data disseminating computer servers. Telecommunications satellites 107 perform another function in an exemplary system such as communicating between the central service facility 102 and the mobile structure 100 . However, the preferred embodiment employs a more cost-effective wireless communications system communicating between the mobile structure 100 and the central service facility 102 upon which this present specification will subsequently expound.
FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary system wherein the mobile structure 100 further comprises a control and communications microprocessor system 200 along with the central service facility 102 further comprising a microprocessor system running secure server 204 software applications and workstations 209 running secure client software applications communicating with the server 204 via a Local Area, Network (LAN) 207 . In some embodiments, all the secure server and client software applications running within the central service facility 102 may execute on a single large computing system, but given today's state of the art computing technology, a multi-processor server-client LAN 207 topology offers the greatest advantage in terms of flexible architecture, cost-effective computing power, reliability, scalability, and durability. In some embodiments, the control and communications microprocessor system 200 located within the mobile structure 100 comprises a type of microprocessor computing system 200 known as a Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). Traditionally evolving from industrial process control applications, a PLC 200 comprises ruggedized hardware robust to physical environments demanding resistance to mechanical shock and vibration, temperature extremes, and specifically, customization for control and communication purposes fitting SCADA system applications. Regardless of whether the microprocessor system 200 comprises custom hardware or an off-the-shelf product from a renowned PLC vendor, the microprocessor system 200 needs to execute certain functions as depicted in FIG. 2 in practically all embodiments. The microprocessor system 200 will require input, output, and input/output (I/O) functions 201 for communicating with sensors and control circuits. A wide variety of sensor and control circuits communicating with the microprocessor system 200 through I/O 201 necessary for inputting and outputting variables to the preferred SCADA control algorithm exist within most practical embodiments of the mobile structure 100 . A non-exhaustive list of sensor and control circuits 201 includes: accelerometers and gyroscopes for analysis of vessel 100 stability also known as attitude, or heeling and listing, along with heading, or to borrow aviation terms, pitch, roll and yaw, respectively, and rendering virtual contours of immediate local oceanic surface and possibly advanced features such as dead reckoning; ballast draft readings and adjustments; a wind vane and anemometer or if combined into a single unit an aerovane for analysis of apparent wind vectors' direction and magnitude respectively; fuel gauges for both propulsion motor fuel reserves and output fuel from energy recovery functions and thus mobile structure 100 weight and energy efficiency; electrolyzer electrode temperature gauges; energy extracting electric generator armature voltage readings and field current adjustments; energy extracting turbine gate opening readings and adjustments affecting mobile structure 100 drag; a compass for mobile structure 100 direction; a GPS receiver 202 for tracking position, velocity, and using way points to compare wind sensor data comprising local apparent wind vectors, minus mobile structure 100 velocity to determine local true wind vector, then comparing that empirical data to data from weather satellites 105 and other sources measuring and/or estimating true wind velocity; rudder rotation readings and adjustments; propeller rotational speed readings and adjustments; sail trim and/or boom rotation readings and adjustments; radar and/or sonar systems for physical object detection, identification, and avoidance; and one or plural video camera data streams allowing actual views of the surrounding environment of the mobile structure 100 , and physical object visual pattern matching. The aforementioned list of microprocessor I/O functions 201 represents purely exemplary embodiments by no means restrictive of I/O function 201 embodiments within the scope and spirit of the present invention. In terms of SCADA software data structure development, any or all of the aforementioned I/O functions 201 constitute one or plural SCADA object tag definitions, for various software layers to communicate from the mobile structure 100 microprocessor system 200 ; to the central service facility 102 servers 204 ; to the central service facility 102 workstations 209 . Weather satellite 105 data or alternate sources of weather information disseminated from the NWS 108 or similar weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the Internet will also constitute SCADA object tag definitions. This specification will further expound upon the use of the SCADA object tags within the preferred SCADA control algorithm in subsequent paragraphs describing FIG. 4 .
The remaining functions associated with the microprocessor system 200 in FIG. 2 include the antenna 202 representing the receiver for the GPS system. The other antenna 203 represents the means by which the microprocessor system 200 of the mobile structure 100 receives and transmits over a wireless physical medium to the central service facility 102 server 204 . As previously mentioned, one system of communication 203 embodies satellite 107 telecommunications. In the preferred embodiments, as long as the mobile structure 100 remains within line-of-sight with the central service facility 102 , as one presumes on the open sea, a point-to-point Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) system permitting high bandwidth data including video camera data streams provides the communications function in the preferred embodiment. Another wireless physical medium in the form of point-to-point Ultra High Frequency (UHF) radio exists. While of lower bandwidth, UHF offers wider range and does not require line-of-sight as does CDMA, and thus an embodiment of the present invention may incorporate UHF as a redundant back-up in case of loss-of-signal for the CDMA. For SCADA systems without video data streams, UHF may actually serve the primary communication channel function. These wireless telecommunications systems represent exemplary embodiments without restriction to other possible wireless telecommunications systems embodied within the scope and spirit of the present invention.
The central service facility 102 houses the server 204 for the primary purpose of aggregating weather data from any one or plural weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the internet such as the NWS 108 . Some embodiments achieve robust data reliability through implementing redundant or multiple servers 204 . The telecommunications system represented in FIG. 2 includes the link 205 to the mobile structure 100 and the link 206 to the NWS 108 or similar weather data disseminating entities including the Internet itself. On the central service facility 102 , link 205 and link 206 complete the channel with the mobile structure 100 and weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the internet such as the NWS 108 , respectively, using physical mediums and protocols as previously discussed. The LAN 207 in exemplary embodiments conforms to such network standards as IEEE 802.3, 802.3u, 802.11a,b, or g or any standard suiting the needs of the server-client software applications in the present invention, and the Network Interface Cards (NIC's) 208 , hardware generally integrated into the workstations 209 , likewise conform to the aforementioned exemplary network standards. All embodiments very likely operate under the most common protocol implemented today, Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) for passing of packets of data associated with SCADA object tags between the server 204 , the workstations 209 , and the PLC 200 . In an embodiment wherein the central service facility 102 resides on land 109 , the LAN 207 accesses a Wide Area Network (WAN) 211 for weather satellite 105 data or alternate sources of weather information disseminated from the NWS 108 or similar weather data disseminating entities including those accessible through the Internet through a router 210 instead of through a telecommunications satellite 107 as in an offshore central service facility 102 . Either the server 204 or the router 210 may execute firewall security software during network communications. Other forms of secure communication between the server 204 , the workstations 209 , and the PLC 200 may include Internet Protocol Security (IPSec) with packet encryption and decryption occurring during transmission and reception within TCP/IP for all the aforementioned computer systems. These network standards and protocols examples represent several of many possible network standards and protocols configurations within the scope of the present invention and one must view these network standards and protocols configurations as exemplary, not restrictive.
FIG. 3 illustrates the control-actuating electromechanical circuits in an embodiment of the mobile structure 100 . Exemplary controls on the mobile structure 100 , 103 , 104 include rudder rotation, propeller rotation in propelled embodiments, and sail trim or boom rotation in sailing embodiments. Actuation of all mechanical members begins with motor 300 activation by driving a current 317 through the motor's 300 winding 316 . As shown in FIG. 3 , the rotor 302 of the motor 300 affixed to a small gear 303 couples to a larger gear 306 affixed to an intermediate gear shaft 307 affixed to another small gear 308 coupled to another larger gear 309 affixed to the final drive shaft 310 in a direct drive system or to a worm 310 A in a worm drive system. A system comprising such gear ratios as depicted in FIG. 3 serves the purpose of reducing torque on the motor 300 that generally exhibits a high rotational velocity, low torque characteristic in lightweight, economical motor 300 embodiments. For actuating a propeller, the preferred embodiment obviously installs a motor 300 capable of greater torque and variable speed. In the worm drive embodiment, the worm 310 A and worm gear 311 interface further reduces the torque on the rotor 302 compared to that on the final drive shaft 312 . An embodiment comprising a worm drive also affords the advantage of the braking effect such that the direction of transmission always goes from the rotor 302 to the shaft 312 and not vice versa given an appropriate coefficient of friction between the worm 310 A and the worm gear 311 . Other embodiments rely upon the detent torque of a stepper motor 300 for braking. In other embodiments, such as servo motors 300 or variable reluctance motors 300 may not afford adequate detent torque and thus a solenoid 301 inserts a spring-activated 315 plunger tip 304 between the teeth of the first small gear 303 to lock-in detent and sustain torque against stops 305 when the solenoid 301 coil 314 has no current 313 flowing. Such an embodiment proceeds in actuating a control mechanism first by driving current 313 in the direction shown per the right hand rule causing the solenoid 301 coil 314 to unlock the gear 303 , then driving current 317 in the motor winding 316 , to initiate rotation 318 translated through rotation 319 to rotation 320 or 320 A to rotate a rudder or rotate a sail boom. Once actuation completes, the solenoid 301 coil 314 no longer conducts current, returning the solenoid 301 plunger tip 304 to the locked position. All such control algorithm steps thus have their own unique SCADA object tag definitions. As PLC's 200 have traditionally evolved from industrial process applications including SCADA systems control software, portability of Computer Numeric Controlled (CNC) G-code for servo-motors 300 , and servo mechanisms such as mechanical lead screw, or ball screw systems analogous to worm drive systems enable preferred embodiments of control actuators in the present invention. One must note that partial implementations or minor deviations known by one of ordinary skill in the art of any of the exemplary embodiments of the aforementioned control actuator electromechanical circuits do not represent a departure from the scope or spirit of the present invention.
FIG. 4 illustrates the visual representations that appear on the Graphical User Interface (GUI) 400 of one or plural client workstations 209 at the central service facility 102 , and illustrates how a human can affect the behavior of exemplary SCADA algorithms. The foregoing exemplary SCADA algorithms run on one or plural server 204 processing systems including a GIS that performs all the data collection, processing, storage, analyses and navigation vector determinations accessible through the GUI 400 on one or plural client workstations 209 . Three different workstations 209 A, B, or C displaying information pertaining to one or plural mobile structures 100 , or one workstation displaying three different GUI's 400 at different times, at one time displaying the GUI 400 of workstation 209 A, at another time the GUI 400 of workstation 209 B, and at another time the GUI 400 of workstation 209 C operate at the central service facility 102 . Using typical computer pointing and data entry hardware, a human operating the workstation 209 may interact with the GUI 400 to invoke any of the GUI's 400 on any of the workstations 209 A, B, or C as shown in FIG. 4 . The GUI 400 of workstation 209 A displays position, heading, velocity, and points of sail for the mobile structure 100 in the process of energy extraction in a sailing vessel embodiment. Vessel icon 401 graphically shows direction of the mobile structure 100 relative to true north given by the compass icon 405 . GPS field 402 numerically provides vessel instantaneous location, velocity, and heading. Sail icon 403 and rudder icon 404 along with surface true wind data 406 begotten from various aforementioned weather data. Sources 108 , or empirically derived from GPS 202 and aerovane sensor 201 data as previously described permits observation and control of the points of sail of the mobile structure 100 in a sailing vessel embodiment. Obviously, in a propelled embodiment, a propeller icon serves analogous functions as the sail icon 403 .
Pointing and data entry hardware on the workstation 209 A allows a human operator to point and select the aforementioned icons and data fields to alter visual representations and alter instantaneous control of the mobile structure 100 . For instance, if a human operator points and selects vessel icon 401 , sail icon 403 , or rudder icon 404 , the operator may view a alphanumerical field indicating points of sail using nautical terms such as “Beam Reach” to describe that point of sail shown on the display of workstation 209 A. At this point, the GUI 400 can numerically give displacement angles of the boom and the rudder with an option to the human operator to manually change these values, override auto-navigation, and actuate rotation of the boom or rudder on the mobile structure 100 as previously described. Herein the GUI 400 , the preferred SCADA algorithm invokes performance models for the mobile structure 100 to estimate or forecast energy efficiency thereof, using a Velocity Prediction Program (VPP) performing Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) calculations on the sailing vessel along with its energy extracting appendage. The GUI 400 at this point also suggests for instance, a “Broad Reach” point of sail given prevailing wind and optimal least-cost or highest yield path analysis inputs. Selecting the vessel icon 401 also permits the human operator to monitor, adjust, and receive performance predictions based on turbine gate openness and fuel tank fullness affecting the overall drag on the mobile structure 100 , given the VPP performing CFD calculations on the modeled energy extracting turbine appendage. Note for a preferred SCADA algorithm of the present invention, the sailing vessel VPP will output data tabulating generated power, instead of velocity for typical prior art VPP's, for the given true wind speed, turbine gate openness, fuel tank fullness, and heading, along with the accompanying points of sail and control settings. Obviously, an exemplary SCADA algorithm performs an analogous propeller performance VPP and least-cost path analysis for a propelled mobile structure 103 , 104 during these GUI 400 operations. Selecting the GPS field 402 allows the human operator to change viewing options such as converting units of parameters such as position, changing the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) kilometer units to miles or to degrees, minutes, seconds of longitude and latitude; velocity, knots to kilometers per hour or miles per hour; or time, from Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to local time. Selecting the GPS field 402 for a propelled embodiment of mobile structure 103 , 104 allows for manually changing propeller rotational speed. Selecting the compass icon 405 or the true wind data 406 allows the viewing orientation angle of the vessel icon 401 to move relative to the compass icon 405 or true wind data 406 , respectively.
The GUI 400 of workstation 209 B in FIG. 4 illustrates a virtual reality representation 407 , along with the attitude of the vessel, listing and heel angle, or to borrow aviation terms, roll and pitch, respectively, for the mobile structure 100 in the process of energy extraction. The virtual reality rendering 407 indicates a downward or plunging heel angle or pitch, and a port listing or roll. Had the vessel assumed an upward or breaching heel angle, the rendering 407 would display the deck instead of the hull as indicated in the rendering 407 . If the mobile structure 100 sensors include a video camera data stream, actual oceanic surface in the vicinity the vessel will display in this GUI 400 frame. The view parallel 408 to the direction of travel further displays the port listing coordinated with the rendering 407 , along with the angle of listing 409 . A starboard listing or roll would result in an angle 409 in the opposite direction. The view perpendicular 410 to the direction of travel further displays the plunging or downward heel or pitch, coordinated with the rendering 407 and displaying the heel angle 411 . Likewise, a breaching or upward pitch would result in the heel angle 411 displayed in opposite direction. Selecting the virtual reality 407 icon allows for changing the camera angle. Selecting the listing angle 409 icon or the heel angle 411 icon allows the human operator to manually set the threshold for a broach warning and associated control.
The GUI 400 of workstation 209 C in FIG. 4 illustrates a weather map with path analysis lines 417 , 418 , 419 for the mobile structure 100 operating in the weather pattern 101 . Browsing the GUI 400 of workstation 209 C initiates a least-cost and highest yield path analysis whereby a weather semivariogram accounting for spatial structure including land mass 109 or seamounts 109 , global trends and anisotropy, air temperature, water temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and wave data forms a basis for mapping predictive costs, or yields in the case of energy extraction. From the predictive map, the preferred SCADA algorithm assigns weights that average over suggested routes 417 , 418 , 419 based on path length in a weighted cost or yield raster. In the GUI 400 of workstation 209 C, each concentric closed surface 413 , 414 , 415 represents areas of increasing wind and surge current energy inward to the eye 416 for a given weather pattern 101 . While a global trend may indicate a greater degree of symmetry and counterclockwise, in this example northern hemispheric, vortex trend as in the FIG. 1 representation of the weather pattern 101 , anisotropy caused by land 109 mass or seamount 109 and other stochastic modeled factors such as air temperature, water temperature, wind direction, wind speed, and wave data result in a probabilistic field that the semivariogram 413 , 414 , 415 represents. From this probability field, weather prediction analysis can predict a path 412 for the storm that further affects the least-cost or highest yield analysis. Note that in the GUI 400 of workstation 209 C, the concentric closed surfaces 413 , 414 , 415 can selectively represent semivariogram values or else predictive energy regions, also known as a cost raster for non-energy extracting vessel logistics or a yield raster when referring to energy extraction. The preferred embodiment also includes an advanced physical object 109 detection, identification and avoidance system that remotely utilizes the integrated sensors including but not limited to on-board radar and sonar systems to perform sweeping remotely sensed anomalies returns. A preferred SCADA algorithm then compares the signatures of these electromagnetic energy returns against known libraries of predefined physical objects 109 based on size, shape, rate of movement and other characteristics to identify possible type of physical object 109 feature detected. Optionally, an exemplary algorithm further correlates the signatures against a video camera data stream for further classification and confirmation of the physical object 109 . A preferred SCADA algorithm then invariably correlates the identified physical object 109 spatially against the vessel's 100 , 102 , 103 , 104 current location, path and velocity in order to assess the need for altering the vessel's 100 , 102 , 103 , 104 course to initiate avoidance and altered path routing and associated cost accounting. A preferred SCADA algorithm then indexes the identified physical object 109 in the algorithmic path controls to include avoidance or least cost path towards the physical object 109 depending on predetermined logic and/or human operator interaction. A preferred SCADA algorithm of the present invention thereby further accounts for VPP modeling of the mobile structure 100 when assigning weights that average over a path 417 , 418 , 419 based on direction and length in a weighted anisotropic energy yield raster. Depending on the cost or yield goal, the highest yield algorithm may select a path 417 or 418 , yielding the highest energy in the shortest time with least risk to structural harm to the mobile structure 100 , while the least-cost algorithm yields the shortest logistical trajectory with least risk to structural harm to an offshore embodiment of the central service facility 102 , a non-energy extracting vessel. Selecting the path lines 417 , 418 , 419 allows the human operator to optionally choose mission critical navigation parameters such as cost and yield weights and cost or yield goals.
For all the aforementioned GUI 400 icons and data fields, a SCADA object tag definition exists for accessing the aforementioned data structures and evoking the aforementioned control. Object tags allow for structured programming techniques facilitating manageability and sustainability of a substantially large code base traversing multiple software application layer interfaces from the workstations 209 , to the server 204 and from the server 204 to the PLC's 200 , and from the server 204 to the one or plural of many possible entities including those accessible through the Internet from where all weather data in this exemplary embodiment disseminates, such as from the National Weather Service 108 . Functional differences within the GUI 400 for workstations 209 A, B, or C clearly do not present a substantial departure from the scope and spirit of the present invention.
From the preceding description of the present invention, this specification manifests various techniques for use in implementing the concepts of the present invention without departing from its scope. Furthermore, while this specification describes the present invention with specific reference to certain embodiments, a person of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that one could make changes in form and detail without departing from the scope and the spirit of the invention. This specification presented embodiments in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. All parties must understand that this specification does not limited the present invention to the previously described particular embodiments, but asserts the present invention's capability of many rearrangements, modifications, omissions, and substitutions without departing from its scope.
Thus, a supervisory control and data acquisition system for energy extracting vessel navigation has been described.
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A Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system guides navigation of a vessel enabled to extract energy from wind and/or water currents primarily in offshore marine environments. An exemplary SCADA system could embody server and client software applications running on microprocessor systems at a remote control central service logging and energy distribution facility, and the vessel itself. The remote control service facility runs Human Machine Interface (HMI) software in the form of a Graphical User Interface (GUI) allowing choices to maximize system performance. The central server accesses information to control vessel position based on transmitted Global Position Satellite (GPS) data from the vessel, and weather information from the Geographic Information System (GIS) provided by multiple spatial temporal data sources. A server-side optimization algorithm fed the parameters delivered from vessel aerodynamic/hydrodynamic performance simulation software models, the vessel onboard sensor data, and integrated real-time weather and environmental data determines an optimal navigation through weather systems and presents choices to the HMI.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)
[0001] This Application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/568,945, filed Dec. 9, 2011, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] This disclosure is related to the field of release coatings which provide anti-adherence characteristics to rolled liners without introduction of problematic amounts of haze in later lamination.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Release coatings are generally used to prevent things from sticking together. This simple statement and function encompasses a broad base of technology and a large global industry involving both silicone and non-silicone materials. A very common release coating in the industry utilizes thermal curing based generally on the following reaction:
[0000]
[0006] In the above reaction, a high molecular weight silanol prepolymer (such as α,ω)-dihydroxysilanol of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) structure which has a molecular weight of about 5 kg/mol) reacts with a lower molecular weight silane (such as one with a molecular weight of about 2 kg/mol). The high functionality of the silane provides for the crosslinking of the silanol and the resultant curing of the coating through the formation of an infinite 3D polymeric network. The reaction proceeds slowly at room temperature, but dramatically accelerates in the presence of a catalyst and under elevated temperatures. The reaction is dehydrogenative condensation which is accompanied by evolution of dihydrogen.
[0007] Silicone release coated films are commonly used as liners in order to protect adhesive layers that are applied to other films or materials (called substrates in this disclosure). In a common embodiment, the liner will comprise a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film which is then coated with a silicone release agent to form a liner. This liner will be manufactured for later use where the silicone release agent is coated with an adhesive, which adhesive is applied to a substrate and laminated to attach the adhesive to the substrate. Alternatively, a substrate may be coated with an adhesive, which is dried or cured, and then a silicone coated release liner is laminated to the adhesive. In either case, the liner often remains in place for a period of time after lamination to protect the adhesive. During the period where the liner is attached, it is commonly necessary that the combined material (substrate and liner) be generally optically clear and show little optical distortion. This is especially true if it is to be used for later films which are to be used in applications which require very high optical clarity such as touchscreens.
[0008] In the manufacturing of such a liner, the liner is generally manufactured in long sheets which are then rolled up to provide for easier shipping and storage. Specifically, a long roll of the film is provided which is unrolled, coated with the release agent during the unrolling, and rerolled to form a liner roll. The problem is that after the liner is rolled, if it sits for a period of time, the adjacent layers will often stick together between successive rolls. The adhesion (sticking together of the silicone release coating to the backside of the adjacent film) can be caused from a number of features, but is generally believed to occur more often when both the film and the release agent surfaces are very smooth and generally occurs more in larger rolls where there is more tension on the wound film. While the specific mechanism of attachment is not totally understood, it is believed that when very smooth surfaces are placed in contact, they tend to adhere due to sufficient surface contact allowing Van Der Waals forces to have macroscopic effect. This is similar to the effect generated by placing a small amount of water between two panes of glass.
[0009] Films with reduced smoothness generally don't stick together and therefore one methodology to eliminate the sticking problem is simply to make one or both of the surfaces rough. While this can work in some embodiments, it often makes the resulting film appear hazy. If the film does not need to be optically clear, this is generally not a problem. However, for applications where the film needs to be optically clear it is not an acceptable solution.
[0010] The adhesion is problematic because it can result in a number of undesirable alterations to the liner structure. In the first instance, the release layer may adhere to the opposing side (back) of the film layer with greater force than the primary side (front) of the film layer. It, thus, can be removed from the front side during unrolling which can result in the liner having defects present during the adhesive lamination where the release layer has been removed. This can result in the liner not being correctly removable from the adhesive and can result in an undesirable final product.
[0011] A more major concern is that the adhesion can be such that the film is torn during unrolling and prior to the adhesive addition, rendering part of the liner roll unusable. In an extreme situation, the adhesion could become so bad that the roll cannot be unrolled at all, destroying the entire liner roll.
[0012] Adhesion is particularly a problem for smooth, clear polymer films, especially smooth, clear polymer films such as PET that are coated with a silicon release coating. These films and coatings are often designed to be very smooth to provide for low haze and the adhesion strength is enhanced through an increase in surface area and, thus, surface smoothness of the polymer film sheets. Accordingly, PET films coated with silicone release coatings when rolled for purposes of storage and transportation tend to have an increased affinity to bond to themselves as their quality (transparency) improves.
[0013] Generally, the commonly used anti-blocking agents (which are chemical layers) are unsatisfactory for use in these liners. Such anti-blocking agents are commonly applied to the initial film roll (prior to the film being coated with the release layer), but the act of applying the release layer generally results in them being removed or covered. Thus, the anti-blocking agent is often useless to prevent adhesion within the liner roll. Alternatively, chemicals can be mixed into the release layer, but these can produce adverse reactions. Further, the chemicals applied for anti-blocking can be incompatible with the release layer and therefore cannot be used in the liner roll as they can result in damage to the release layer, an increase in haze (a loss of clarity and a reduction of specular reflectance) or other undesirable properties.
SUMMARY
[0014] Because of these and other problems in the art described herein is a modified silicone release coating suitable for use with clear, polymer films that shows reduced adherence when the resultant liner is wound up into large rolls and the smooth soft surfaces are placed into contact with each other. The adherence is reduced by providing a release layer which has a sub micro-rough top surface that inhibits the adhesion of the release layer to the backside of the film. This sub micro-rough surface is produced through the inclusion of a relatively small number of relatively large particles. These serve to produce a surface which is still extremely smooth over the vast majority of its area, while simultaneously having what amounts to large protrusions in that area.
[0015] Described herein, among other things, is a release liner comprising: a film; a silicone release coating layer distributed across said film in a first thickness; and a plurality of silica particles distributed across and embedded in said silicone release coating layer; wherein said silica particles have a diameter greater than said first thickness.
[0016] In an embodiment of the liner the diameter of said silica particles is at least 5 times said first thickness.
[0017] In an embodiment of the liner the film is polyethylene terephthalate.
[0018] In embodiments of the liner the first thickness is between about 50 nm and about 200 nm, between about 70 nm and about 100 nm or about 100 nm.
[0019] In an embodiment of the liner the diameter of said particles is about 500 nm.
[0020] In an embodiment of the liner the liner has a haze value of 2 or less, 1.5 or less, 1 or less, or 0.5 of less.
[0021] In an embodiment of the liner the particles comprise about 1.5% or less, or about 0.5 to about 1.5%, by weight, of said silicone release coating layer after the silicone release liner has cured. This includes a liner having a haze of 2 or less where the particles comprise about 0.68% by weight and a liner having a haze of about 0.5 where the particles comprise about 1.34% by weight.
[0022] There is also described herein a method of forming a silicone release coating comprising: forming a premixture comprising silica particles having a diameter and a solvent; mixing said premixture, additional solvent, a silanol, a silane, and a catalyst to form a release coating mixture; and thermally curing said mixture to form a silicone release coating having a thickness; wherein said thickness of said silicone release coating is less than said diameter of said silica particles.
[0023] There is also described herein a low haze release liner comprising: a film; a silicone release coating layer distributed across said film in a thickness of about 100 nm or less; and a plurality of silica particles distributed across and embedded in said silicone release coating layer; wherein said silica particles have a diameter at least 5 times said thickness of said silicone release coating; and wherein said liner has a haze of 2 or less.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 provides a cross sectional view of a liner formed from a film and release layer including small particles. FIG. 1 is an exaggerated view and is not to scale.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0025] Shown in FIG. 1 is an embodiment of a liner ( 100 ) which comprises a film ( 101 ), a release layer ( 103 ) and a filler formed of a series of small particles ( 105 ) which are embedded in the release layer ( 103 ). The film ( 101 ) will generally comprise a very smooth PET film but that is by no means required and other films can be used. The film ( 101 ) will generally be smooth enough to be considered optically clear. The release layer ( 103 ) will generally comprise a silicone release layer formed from silicone and various solvents and other materials known to those of ordinary skill but may comprise other chemical release agents formed into a release layer ( 103 ) as known to those of ordinary skill. Again, the release layer ( 103 ) will preferably be optically clear.
[0026] In combination the liner ( 100 ) will generally comprise very smooth exterior surfaces and will generally be optically clear. In standard haze measurements, this would be a haze of below 2, below 1.5, below 1.0, or below 0.5 depending on embodiment and as measured by ASTM D1003. Generally this would correspond to films where less than 2% of transmitted light deviates more than 2.5 degrees from the incident beam by forward scattering.
[0027] The filler ( 105 ) will generally comprise a collection of small particles which are embedded in and distributed across the layer ( 103 ). In an embodiment where the release layer ( 103 ) comprises a silicone release agent, the filler ( 105 ) may comprise silica particles. It is generally preferred that the filler small particles ( 105 ) be comprised of microspheres or other relatively rigid particles that are composed of materials having a similar refractive index to the release layer ( 103 ). In an embodiment, the small particles comprises silica microspheres such as, but not limited to, those available under the trademark of Tospearl™ and sold by Momentive Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
[0028] The small particles ( 105 ) will generally be blended into the release layer ( 103 ) such as, but not limited to, through the use of a high speed prop mixer prior to the release layer ( 103 ) being coated onto the film ( 101 ) and dried or cured. The small particles ( 105 ) may be provided for mixing in the form of a non-amalgamated dry powder, may be placed in a liquid suspension (e.g. a premix) in order to facilitate them being added to the release layer ( 103 ), or may otherwise be provided as part of an alternative premix in order to enhance even distribution throughout the release layer mixture prior to the release mixture being distributed on the film ( 101 ).
[0029] In the event that a liquid suspension is used to suspend the filler ( 105 ) prior to it being added to the release layer ( 103 ), it is generally preferred that the suspension liquid be a solvent or other material which is already in use in, or compatible with, the release layer ( 103 ) or be a material which can be readily removed (such as by evaporation) from the release layer ( 103 ) prior to the release layer ( 103 ) being coated on the film ( 101 ). In this way, no additional or undesirable chemicals are added to the release layer ( 103 ) through the introduction of the suspension and the chemical properties of the release layer ( 103 ) are not altered. One such embodiment is shown below in Example 1.
[0030] The small particles ( 105 ) will generally be provided in a size which corresponds to the resultant thickness of the release layer ( 103 ). Specifically, as should be apparent from FIG. 1 , the particles ( 105 ) will be mixed into the release layer ( 103 ) and therefore may be coated with the release layer material and may have some of the release layer ( 103 ) overlapping them. In order to provide that the surface of the release layer ( 103 ) is sub micro-rough, it is desirable that the small particles ( 105 ) have a diameter (D) greater than the thickness (T) of the release layer ( 103 ) that is applied to the film ( 101 ), and generally significantly greater. Thus, the size of small particles ( 105 ) chosen will generally depend on the nature and thickness of the release layer ( 103 ).
[0031] In an embodiment, where a silicone release agent and silica microspheres are used, the release layer ( 103 ) will be coated on the film in a roll-to-roll coating method such as rotogravure (or simply “gravure” based on common art usage) printing process as is understood by those of ordinary skill in the art. The release layer ( 103 ) will generally have a relatively uniform thickness, however, it is recognized that variation can exist across the surface and therefore all thicknesses provided here are subject to some internal variations. Further, as the release layer ( 103 ) includes the particles ( 105 ) (which are indicated to be “thicker” than the release layer ( 103 ) in this discussion), it should be recognized that the thickness of the release layer ( 103 ) as that term used herein, refers to the thickness of the layer apart from the layer at the point where there is a particle ( 105 ) embedded in the layer. This is indicated by thickness (T) in FIG. 1 .
[0032] It should also be recognized that the particles ( 105 ) generally do not extend from the release layer ( 103 ) in the direction of the film ( 101 ). That is, the surface of the release layer ( 103 ) adjacent the film ( 101 ) is generally smooth. As the layer ( 103 ) and particles are generally applied as a liquid mixture to the solid film, it should be apparent that the particles ( 105 ) will generally rest on or close to the film ( 101 ) and the release layer ( 103 ) will flow about the particles creating the general structure of FIG. 1 .
[0033] It should be recognized that multiple thicknesses (T) of the release layer ( 103 ) and size of particles ( 105 ) can be used. Depending on the embodiment, the release layer ( 103 ) will generally range in thickness (T) from about 50 to about 200 nanometers (nm), more preferably from about 50 to about 150 nm, and more preferably about 50 to about 100 nm. The mean size (diameter) of the microspheres ( 105 ) will preferably range from about 200 to about 1000 nm, more preferably from about 500 to about 700 nm, and more preferably about 500 nm.
[0034] In the depicted embodiment, a silicone release layer ( 103 ) is applied in a thickness (T) of about 100 nm. In this case, silica microspheres which generally have a mean diameter (D) of about 500 nm are used as the small particles ( 105 ). This allows for the microspheres ( 105 ) to clearly stick up above the silicon release layer ( 103 ) even if they are not suspended on the release layer ( 103 ) but are in surface (direct) contact with the film ( 101 ). In an embodiment, this about 5 to 1 ratio of mean particle ( 105 ) diameter (D) to layer ( 103 ) thickness (T) is maintained across different thicknesses (T) of the release layer ( 103 ) and thus smaller particles ( 105 ) are used if the release layer ( 103 ) can be reliably made thinner and larger particles can be used in thicker release layers. However, in an embodiment, it can be difficult to reliably obtain and use particles much smaller than the about 500 nm diameter (D) size and particles of about 500 nm size can be used with layers of a thickness of about 70 nm and about 50 nm which results in a much larger ratio of mean particle ( 105 ) diameter (D) to layer ( 103 ) thickness (T). Layers thinner than 50 nm are currently extremely difficult to manufacture and, thus, it is expected that particles of the same size ratios will work with thinner layers ( 103 ), however, still further increased ratios are also expected to still be useable.
[0035] It should be recognized that generally a smaller microsphere ( 105 ) is preferred, so long as it still has sufficient diameter (D) to extend above the surface of the release agent layer ( 103 ) once the layer has been cured. Thus, in an embodiment, a 100 nm release layer ( 103 ) can include any particle ( 105 ) having a mean diameter of greater than 100 nm. However, there are often practical limitations on the sizes of particles ( 105 ) which can be used and the difference needs to be enough to create a sub micro-rough surface. Small particles ( 105 ) below the 500 nm size may have to be used which are stored in suspension in order to avoid agglomeration and many of the suspension liquids that are commonly used with silica particles are incompatible with silicone release agents. Thus, generally 500 nm small particles ( 105 ) will often be used for a relatively large number of different release layer ( 103 ) thicknesses (T) to avoid potential practical problems of mixing in smaller particles. Alternatively, smaller particles may require alternative mixing techniques in order to eliminate any suspension liquid in which the particles were stored prior to mixing.
[0036] It should also be recognized that the distance (H) (the height of the “peaks” of the particles ( 105 ) in the layer ( 103 )) are not necessarily equal to the diameter (D) of the particles although they will generally be very close. Specifically, as is visible in FIG. 1 , in some cases the particles ( 105 ) can have a thin coating of the material of the layer ( 103 ) on their outer surface which means they may not rest directly on the film ( 101 ), and/or they may have a thin layer of the layer ( 103 ) material on their upper surface. Either or both of these effects can slightly increase the peak height (H) compared to the film ( 101 ) and if such phenomena are sufficiently large (e.g. if the layer ( 103 ) is sufficiently viscous), smaller particles ( 105 ) can be used to provide the same peak height (H) as larger particles may provide in other layers ( 103 ). In an embodiment, this peak height (H) is also an about 5, or more, to 1 ratio to the thickness (T) of the release layer ( 103 ).
[0037] One concern in the use of small particle ( 105 ) additions to the release layer ( 103 ) to prevent adhesion relates to the potential introduction of haze when the release layer ( 103 ) is applied to an adhesive and laminated to a substrate (or the adhesive is applied to the release layer ( 103 )). In many applications, it is necessary that after the liner ( 100 ) has been laminated to a substrate, light be able to pass through the combined material without significant distortion. This distortion is generally called haze as is discussed above.
[0038] In order to reduce the amount of haze, it is firstly generally preferred, as discussed above, that the small particles ( 105 ) be selected so as to have a refractive index similar to the refractive index of the release layer ( 103 ). In this way, it is generally less likely that the particles will introduce haze due to internal reflection or other scattering of incident light between release layer ( 103 ) and small particles ( 105 ). Thus silicone-based release layers will commonly be used with silica particles. Hydrocarbon or wax based release agents would preferably use polyolefin nanoparticles to achieve the same effect. However, different materials can still be used in conjunction with each other depending on haze requirements and depending on the refractive indices of the individual materials used.
[0039] The haze is also generally reduced by keeping the amount of particles ( 105 ) at a relatively low percentage of total weight, and in keeping the release layer ( 103 ) relatively thin to both reduce haze from its thickness, and to reduce the total number of small particles ( 105 ) present in the liner ( 100 ). Thus, it may be desirable to use fewer larger particles (or fewer particles of different chemical makeup) compared to a greater number of smaller or (chemically similar) particles. In an embodiment of a film having a haze of 2 or less, the particles are provided in a weight ratio of about 0.01 to about 1%, more preferably about 0.25 to about 0.75%, and even more preferably about 0.65% to 0.68% to the weight of the dried/cured release coating. For films which are very smooth, with a haze of 1 or less, a greater percentage from about 0.01% to about 1.5%, is preferred. More preferably a range of about 0.5% to about 1.5% and more preferably from about 1% to about 1.5% is used. The amount used will always be an amount effective to reduce or prevent adhesion of the rolled films and, thus, while these ranges provide useful guidelines, other percentages may be used depending on specific materials and the ordinary skill of those in the art.
[0040] The smaller percentage of larger particles can be particularly beneficial to reduce potential haze as in any given section of the liner ( 100 ), there may only be a single particle ( 105 ) (or even none) present. Thus, the introduction of haze by this particle is not only quite slight, but effects very little of the layer ( 100 ) area. Specifically, the amount of effect caused by a single particle, while it may be locally significant, may be insignificant on the macro scale of a resultant liner film piece. In effect, the liner ( 100 ) becomes like the surface of a smooth pond with a number of very large rocks in it. While the rock may be visible if one looks directly at it, if one looks over the water, the rock may not be visible at all as it is outside the field of view. Similarly, if one is to look at the pond in a macro-scale view (e.g. from great elevation), the rocks will often be lost in the pond surface as they are relatively so small (and so scattered). This same effect can be used to provide for optical clarity to the resultant liner ( 100 ) because the distortion caused by any particular particle, while relatively large at the particle, is small in the macro scale as the particle itself is quite small compared to the amount of film liner being observed, and the distortion is locally isolated.
[0041] Using a release coating formulation comprising silica microspheres ( 105 ) having a mean diameter of about 500 nm where the ratio by weight of silicon microspheres to silicone release layer ( 103 ) was about 0.68%, it was also found that a general reduction in the amount of release layer ( 103 ) applied resulted in both a thinner release layer ( 103 ), and a general reduction in haze regardless of the type of film used. Further, the anti-adhesion capability was generally also improved or unaffected (remained the same and did not worsen). Thus, use of less release layer ( 103 ) material (and thus fewer particles ( 105 )) is generally preferred so long as the release layer ( 103 ) is sufficiently thick to allow for release of the adhesive it is to be used with after lamination.
[0042] It has been found that for silica microspheres ( 105 ) used as a release particles, generally haze increases as the amount (ppm) of silica particles ( 105 ) used increases. Thus, there appears to be an inverse relationship between increased surface roughness and the optical performance of the liner ( 100 ). This allows for selection by a skilled practitioner of an amount of silica microspheres ( 105 ) and silicone release layer ( 103 ) thickness (T) that provides the desired release agent properties, anti-adhesion properties, and resultant low haze characteristics. Specifically, if optical clarity is not required, a greater percentage of particles may be used, while if a much higher standard of optical clarity is required (i.e. lower haze) and some sticking is acceptable, a much smaller percentage may be used.
[0043] While the above contemplates that a variety of different percentages may be used, the following example illustrates a specific liner ( 100 ) including particles ( 105 ) which can maintain a very high optical clarity (a haze of less than 2), while showing substantial improvement in separation.
EXAMPLE 1
[0044] A silicone release liner including distributed and embedded microsphere particles was manufactured. The first step was forming a particle premix in a high speed mixer. The premix of microsphere particles was made by blending silicone resin and solvent in the ratios of Table 1. This provided for suspension of the particles in a liquid solvent to improve particle distribution in the silicone release layer mixture.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Premix Component
Weight Measurement
Solvent (Toluene)
18
Silicone Resin (SS4191A)
1
Particles (Tospearl ™ 105)
1
[0045] The premix was then blended into a release coating mixture using techniques known by one of ordinary skill in the art in the amounts (by weight) shown in Table 2 below. This resulted in a ratio of microsphere particles to resultant release layer of about 0.68% by weight. All the materials referred to by reference number, name, or trademark are products of Momentive Specialty Chemicals, Inc.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Release Liner Component
Weight Measurement
Solvent (Toluene)
55
Solvent (Heptane)
95
Silicone Resin - Silanol
34.5
(SS4191A)
Crosslinker - Silane (SS4191B)
0.56
Catalyst (Tin-based) (SS4192C)
1.38
Amine Stabilizer (SS4259C)
1.38
Particle Premix
0.9384
[0046] Once the release coating formulation was made, it was applied using roll to roll coating methods to a PET substrate film in thicknesses of about 80 to about 100 nm. Roll to roll coating of the substrate film was accomplished by the gravure roll coating method. The silicone release coating was dried and cured in a hot air oven for a recommended time as specified by the material supplier. Resultant films were determined to have improved slip and did not stick when tested as discussed below.
[0047] This release coating formulation proved suitable for liners where a resultant haze of less than 2 was desired. For a film with a very low haze, such as a haze of 0.5 or less, a higher level of particles was necessary. Specifically in the formulation of Table 2 a weight of 1.8492 of particle premix was used to get a 1.34% particle ratio. Slip between the coating and the smooth uncoated backside of a film with very low haze (about 0.5) continued to improve as the particle level was increased up to 1.34% (by weight) microsphere particles. At this particle level the coated film (layer) haze increased to about 0.9 (from about 0.5) which is still considered very low haze (very clear) but was a substantial increase in the haze level over the underlying film substrate prior to coating.
[0048] The “slip” discussed above between the silicon coated release film and the backside of a film (the uncoated side) is determined by placing a very clean piece of film (one that has not been allowed to collect dust), on a smooth flat surface such as plate glass with the uncoated side up. Then a test film having a silicone release coating with microspheres is placed onto the first film so that the silicone coating contacts the first film. The air is pressed out from between the films using, for example, a thumb as one would squeegee water off a surface. Then, while holding the edge of the first film still (or taping it down), an attempt is made to slide the silicone release coated film (test film) across the uncoated backside of the first film by pulling on the edge of the test film. Films with insufficient particles will stick and not allow the top silicone coated film to slide along the first film surface. Sliding the release coated film on the uncoated film is a measure of friction forces. If the surfaces stick, the force to make the films slide is very high, but if the films do not stick, very little force is required to slide the silicone release coated film across the first uncoated film. Thus, films with relatively low (easy) slip (by hand) would generally not be expected to stick when rolled into larger rolls.
[0049] While the inventions have been disclosed in conjunction with a description of certain embodiments, including those that are currently believed to be the preferred embodiments, the detailed description is intended to be illustrative and should not be understood to limit the scope of the present disclosure. As would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art, embodiments other than those described in detail herein are encompassed by the present invention. Modifications and variations of the described embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of any invention herein disclosed.
[0050] It will further be understood that any of the ranges, values, or characteristics given for any single component of the present disclosure can be used interchangeably with any ranges, values or characteristics given for any of the other components of the disclosure, where compatible, to form an embodiment having defined values for each of the components, as given herein throughout. Further, ranges provided for a genus or a category can also be applied to species within the genus or members of the category unless otherwise noted.
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A modified silicone release coating suitable for use with clear, polymer films that shows reduced adherence when the resultant liner is wound up into large rolls and the smooth soft surfaces are placed into contact with each other. The adherence is reduced by providing a release layer which has a sub micro-rough top surface produced through the inclusion of a relatively small number of relatively large particles.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
The present disclosure relates to subject matter contained in priority Korean Application No. 10-2008-0082512, filed on Aug. 22, 2008, which is herein expressly incorporated by reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for preparing graphene ribbons, and particularly, to a method for fabrication of graphene in the form of a ribbon.
2. Background of the Invention
Graphene, a single layer trigonal carbon honeycomb with a thickness of about 4 Å (refer to FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B)), has enormous industrial potential due to its outstanding physical properties compared to, among others, in particular single-wall carbon nanotubes. Graphene is the basic unit of C 60 , multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW CNTs), and graphite.
The two-dimensional, single layer graphene material is obtainable when the weak van der Waals forces between graphene planes are disrupted. Micromechanical cleavage is the most assured method for fabricating graphene, but the yield is too low. The yield of pure graphene by a chemical route, which has been proposed as a mass production method, is also as low as around 0.5%. Graphene formed on a metal substrate by chemical vapour deposition (CVD) methods produce mostly multiple-layer graphene materials.
On the other hand, there have been efforts to prepare short carbon nanotubes by cutting multi-walled carbon nanotubes (known as a non-crystalline turbostratic structure, refer to FIG. 2 ) by a mechanical method, such as ball milling, or a chemical method (refer to L. Chen et al., [Materials Letter 60 (2006) 241-244], N. Pierard et al., [Chemical Physics Letters 335 (2001) 1-8], Z. Konya et al., [Carbon 42 (2004) 2001-2008], and Z. Gu et al., [Nano Letter 2 (2002) 1009]). However, graphene could not be obtained by such efforts.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a route for mass production of graphene ribbons, thus opening up industrial applications utilizing large scale amounts, i.e., tons per year, of this innovative carbon material.
To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the present invention, as embodied and broadly described herein, there is provided a method for preparing graphene ribbons, comprising crumbling the graphitic materials composed of long graphene helices (several micrometers in length) (refer to FIG. 3 ) into short graphene ribbons (up to about 50 nm in length) by applying energy (refer to FIG. 4 (A)-(D)). The graphene ribbon based materials are stacked in AA′ (refer to FIGS. 3 and 5 ) or turbostratic (refer to FIG. 2 ) arrangements, in which the interlayer bond force is weaker than that of an AB structure (refer to FIGS. 1 (A) and 1 (B)). This development provides a route for large-scale production route to graphene ribbons, thus opening up large-scale industrial applications, i.e., tons per year, of this innovative carbon.
The foregoing and other objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 (A) is a schematic diagram of graphite with an AB stacked structure, and FIG. 1 (B) is a planar view of AB graphite showing the feature of the AB stacking of graphene layers;
FIG. 2 is a planar view of turbostratic graphite showing the feature of the disordered turbostratic stacking of graphene layers;
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a tubular graphitic material comprising AA′ stacked graphene helices;
FIG. 4 (A)-(D) are schematic diagrams showing processes for preparing graphene ribbons according to an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a planar view of AA′ graphite showing the feature of the AA′ stacking of graphene layers;
FIG. 6 (A) is a planar view showing the crystal structure of AA′ graphite, and FIG. 6 (B) is a schematic diagram showing a space group of the AA′ crystal;
FIG. 7 is a planar view of AA graphite showing the feature of the AA stacking of graphene layers;
FIG. 8 shows XRD patterns for samples with milling. Characteristic (002), (100), (004), and (110) peaks for AA′ graphite were gradually broadened with milling The arrowed peaks could be assigned to metal impurities originated from the steel balls; and
FIG. 9 (A)-(C) shows transmission electron microscope (TEM) images for pristine materials (A) and the samples milled for 1 hour (B) and 2 hours (C). The tubular AA′ stacked graphitic material (A) was totally destroyed after Spex® milling (C) for two hours to produce the graphitic ribbons with a thickness of up to about 5 nm (B).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Description will now be given in detail of the present invention, with reference to the accompanying drawings.
A method for preparing graphene ribbons according to the present invention comprises (1) preparing graphite composed of helically stacked graphene ribbons, (2) cutting the graphitic material into a short form by applying energy to the graphitic material and (3) either simultaneously or immediately afterward, decomposing an interlayer bond force thereby splitting the graphitic material into short graphene ribbon.
Hereinafter, the respective steps will be explained in more detail with reference to the attached drawings.
Preparation of the Graphitic Material
Graphitic material 1 ( FIG. 3 ) according to the present invention has a structure of graphene ribbons 2 ( FIG. 3 ) that have been helically grown along a long axis (see also FIG. 4 (A)). Here, the graphitic material has a structure of at least two long-ribbons stacked together.
Referring to FIG. 3 , the graphitic material 1 is composed of helically grown long-ribbon shaped graphene formed by dislocation 3 . The graphitic material 1 has a high aspect ratio of greater than 10, a diameter of a few nm to several hundred nm (e.g., 2 to 300 nm) and a length of several μm. The graphene ribbons 2 constituting the graphitic material have a width of several tens of nm (generally, less than about ¼ of the diameters of the raw material, or ½ of the diameters of the graphitic material when it does not have a complete tubular shape), and have a length corresponding to that of the graphitic material.
The graphitic material may have a tubular or a fibrous shape. However, the present invention is not limited to those shapes.
The stacking type of graphene ribbons in the graphitic material may either be a turbostratic (refer to FIG. 2 ) or an AA′ structure. The turbostratic structure indicates the disordered stacking of graphene (i.e., there is no regularity in stacking between graphene layers). And, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 , the AA′ stacked structure is a structure in which alternating graphene layers are translated by a half hexagon (1.23 Å).
The AA′ stacked structure is comparable with AB stacked structure (AB stacked graphite) known as the only crystalline graphite, and an AA stacked structure (AA stacked graphite) that can not energetically exist in nature but can be formed by intercalation with Li between graphene layers.
AB stacked graphite is described by a space group of a hexagonal (#194), in which a=b=2.46 Å, c=6.70 Å, α=β=90°, and γ=120°. AB graphite has an interplanar spacing of 3.35 Å, i.e., ½ of c.
AA stacked graphite is described by a space group of a simple hexagonal (#191), in which a=b=2.46 Å, c=3.55 Å, α=β=90°, and γ=120° (refer to FIG. 2 ). AA stacked graphite has an interplanar spacing of 3.55 Å.
The structure of AA′ stacked graphite of the present invention could not be described with any of the 230 crystal space groups. Thus, the crystal structure of AA′ graphite was assigned to a simple hexagonal space group. Four atoms, consisting of two atoms on each of the A and A′ layers, are contained within the primitive unit cell of AA′ graphite. The former two atoms at (⅓, ⅔, ½), (⅔, ⅓, ½) are linked to the 2(d) site (⅓, ⅔, ½) of the space group whereas the latter two atoms at (⅙, ⅚, 0), (⅚, ⅙, 0) cannot be defined in the space group. Two kinds of both the (100) and the (110) planes appear, and these distinctive planes were designated as (100)* and (110)*, respectively. Due to a lack of experimental data concerning the atomic positions within the space group, the X-ray diffraction (XRD) pattern of AA′ graphite was derived from that of AA graphite and it can be also derived from other space groups, particularly orthorhombic or monoclinic space group. The (001), (100), (102), (002), (014), (110), (112), (006), (200) and (022) peaks appear in the pattern of AA graphite. The (h0l), (0kl) and (hkl) reflections are absent in AA′ graphite, due to the insertion of additional atoms from the A′ graphene layers into the eclipsed AA form. As a result the available reflections for AA′ graphite are due to the (002), (100), (004), (110), (006) and (200) planes, where the intensity of the (110) plane, that is (110)*, should be stronger due to the periodic overlap of graphene layers, as shown in FIG. 6A ((006) (2θ=84.4°) and (200) (2θ=92.6°) peaks are normally not observed because their intensities are too weak). One outstanding feature of the pattern of AA′ graphite is the disappearance of the (101) peak (2 θ=44.6°), the (102) peak (2 θ=50.4°) and the (112) peak (2 θ=83.4°); the intensities of these peaks are relatively strong within the pattern of AB graphite. Thus, the absence of the (101), (102) and (112) peaks within the XRD patterns of graphitic materials is a criterion for AA′ graphite.
The graphitic material comprising graphene ribbons of the present invention is generally obtainable with CVD (chemical vapour deposition) processes, using hydrocarbon gases such as C 2 H 2 , C 2 H 4 , or CH 4 as a source of carbon under a vacuum state (below 760 Torr). Deposition temperatures are normally lower than 1000° C. Particularly, plasma assisted CVD processes can synthesize the graphitic material even at a low temperature of about 500 to about 700° C.
Preparation of Graphene Ribbons
The graphitic material comprising graphene ribbons ( FIG. 4(A) ) prepared in the first stage is decomposed into shorter graphene ribbons by applying energy to the graphitic material (refer to FIG. 4 (A)-(D)). For instance, mechanical cutting of the graphitic material having a large aspect ratio into a length less than a predetermined length (about several hundred nm) can decompose the graphitic material into graphene ribbons ( FIG. 4(B) ) because the binding energy between graphene layers (Van der Waals bond) is weak. This is the same principle by which straw bundles are decomposed into straws when the straw bundles are cut into a short length.
Methods for cutting the graphitic material may include a mechanical method (ball milling), a chemical method, and an electrical method (ionic milling utilizing plasma). As the mechanical method of the present invention, a two-roller milling method, a ball milling method, an ultra high pressure spraying method, or other methods may be used.
Mechanical ball milling is a typical method for fabricating graphene ribbons from a tubular graphitic material comprising AA′ stacked graphene ribbons (similar to conventional multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MW CNTS)). The milling time needed to decompose the material into graphene ribbons depends on the amount of milling energy used. For example, efficient milling equipment, such as a Spex® milling apparatus, may completely decompose the graphitic material into short graphene ribbons within several hours. However, the graphitic material may not be completely decomposed by a longer milling time, even up to 100 hours, if a small milling energy is used.
When tubular graphite is used as the starting material, a process for crumbling the graphitic tube by inducing a stress (stress crumbling) can be further included. The stress crumbling process is performed by penetrating water into the tubular graphitic material and then freezing it, thereby creating a tensile stress in the tube due to a volume expansion. The tensile stress in turn breaks down the material into graphene ribbons (or powder). Here, an additional treatment for the tubular material to alter its hydrophobic characteristic to hydrophilic characteristic may be required.
Preferably, a sonication process after the crumbling process (by the ball milling or the stress crumbling) can be added to completely scatter the crumbled graphene ribbons in a liquid phase (refer to FIG. 4 (C)).
Preferred Embodiment 1
Graphene ribbons were prepared by using a graphitic nanomaterial in which graphene helices are stacked in an AA′ manner (similar to MW CNTs). Here, the graphite nano material has an average outer diameter of 20 nm (outer diameter distribution: 2 to 50 nm), an average inner diameter of 3 to 5 nm (inner diameter distribution: 1 to 10 nm), and a length of 2 to 3 μm. The sample was passed through a two-roller mill 50 times. This process shortened it into short materials of up to about 200 nm in length. Then, the processed sample was made to undergo a hydrophilic treatment, and then was immersed in water to allow water to penetrate the tube. Then, the short, water containing tubules were maintained at a temperature −10° C. for one hour, and then were melted. After sonication (in alcohol) for 10 minutes, graphene ribbons were obtained having a width of about 5 nm and a length of about 200 nm (thickness of about 4 Å).
Preferred Embodiment 2
The same tube-type of graphitic nano material as that of the preferred embodiment 1 was passed through a two-roller mill 100 times, thereby decreasing the length to about 100 nm or less. Then, the sample was made to undergo a sonication process to be dried, whereby graphene ribbons having a width of up to about 5 nm and a length of up to about 100 nm were obtained.
Preferred Embodiment 3
The same graphite nano material as that of the preferred embodiment 1 was milled for two hours in a Spex® ball milling apparatus. Analysis of the milled sample by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed no tubular materials. X-ray analysis showed that the characteristic peaks of (002), (100), (004), and (110) of the AA′ stacked crystal gradually disappeared as the milling time increased (refer to FIG. 8 ). This means that the tube-type of AA′ graphene stacked body has been decomposed into graphene ribbons (C) via stacked graphene ribbons (B) with the milling time as shown in FIG. 9 (A)-(C). After one hour of milling time, graphitic ribbons coexisted with bi- or single-layer graphene (B). With a further one hour of milling time, the graphitic ribbons were converted to graphene nanoribbons, which are approximately 10 nm in length (C). Stacked graphene fringes are partially observed. Their average interplanar distance was measured to be about 3.55 Å (C). This supports the analysis that the graphene nanoribbons are stacked in a disordered arrangement, i.e., commonly named turbostratic stacking.
Preferred Embodiment 4
Graphene ribbons were prepared by using carbon nano fiber composed of helical graphene (average diameter of 500 nm and length of about 10 μm). The sample underwent a milling process for two hours. As shown in the SEM and X-ray analysis results of the sample, the same results as those of the preferred embodiment 2 were obtained. This shows that carbon nano fiber can be also decomposed into graphene by a milling process like the multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
Preferred Embodiment 5
The same tubular graphitic nanomaterial as that of the preferred embodiment 1 was prepared. To decompose the sample into graphene ribbons by an electric (plasma) energy, the sample was irradiated by a 200 W argon plasma for 10 minutes. The plasma was generated in a pressure of 50 mTorr. Analysis by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) revealed decomposed graphene ribbons with a width of 2-6 nm and a length of 5-50 nm-(thickness: 0.4-1 nm).
The foregoing embodiments and advantages are merely exemplary and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure. The present teachings can be readily applied to other types of apparatuses. This description is intended to be illustrative, and not to limit the scope of the claims. Many alternatives, modifications, and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The features, structures, methods, and other characteristics of the exemplary embodiments described herein may be combined in various ways to obtain additional and/or alternative exemplary embodiments.
As the present features may be embodied in several forms without departing from the characteristics thereof, it should also be understood that the above-described embodiments are not limited by any of the details of the foregoing description, unless otherwise specified, but rather should be construed broadly within its scope as defined in the appended claims, and therefore all changes and modifications that fall within the metes and bounds of the claims, or equivalents of such metes and bounds are therefore intended to be embraced by the appended claims.
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Disclosed is a method for fabricating graphene ribbons, comprising: preparing a graphitic material comprising stacked graphene helices; and cutting the graphitic material in a short form by applying energy to the graphitic material; and simultaneously or afterward, decomposing the graphitic material into short graphene ribbons. This method provides a mass production route to graphene ribbons.
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OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention lies within the field of the methods of manufacturing shoes in which a material is injected to obtain the finished shoe, the mould used and the shoe thus obtained.
[0002] Said invention is a method of injection in which a material is injected which serves as the connection between the upper and the sole of the shoe, the mould used for this purpose and the shoe thus obtained in such a manner that the breathable membranes incorporated in said shoe are not damaged.
ANTECEDENTS OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Methods, moulds and shoes obtained by means of injecting a material, which serves as a connection between the upper and the sole of the shoe are of prior art.
[0004] Said methods, moulds and shoes inject the material onto the sealed upper and sole, i.e. the material is injected onto a fully closed cavity bounded by parts of the aforementioned mould, upper and sole.
[0005] Current trends make it necessary for the shoe to include elements, which improve comfort, such as breathable elements. This necessitates perforating the soles and other elements of the shoe, or at least ensuring that they exhibit a greater or lesser degree of porosity.
[0006] Therefore the methods, moulds and shoes obtained by means of the inventions of prior art suffer from the disadvantage that they do not include the breathable elements which the current trends in the market require, since said elements, due to their porosity and therefore their non-tight nature, allow the passage of the injected material through them, which means that their orifices or pores are closed and their breathability is unused.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0007] In the light of the above, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing shoes which comprises the following steps:
placing the sole on the mould plunger, which in turn comprises a breathable, impermeable membrane which is visible through windows in the sole, placing the means of breathing and damping in the upper part of the sole and in the space bounded by a lip, placing the upper between the rings of the mould closing the rings of the mould in order to fix the upper, moving the plunger towards the rings so that the breathing and damping means are pressed against the external lower face of the upper, injecting material in the space between the upper, the breathing and damping means, the sole and the rings, opening the rings of the mould to release the upper, removing the shoe thus formed.
The present invention also relates to a mould for manufacturing shoes which comprises:
rings for fixing the upper, which are the two halves of a ring split into the areas of the tip and heel of the shoe, plunger with the tread of the sole it is to receive, with a relative movement of translation along the inner surface of the rings.
[0018] This invention also relates to a shoe formed by the method described, which comprises:
an upper, which in turn comprises a breathable, impermeable membrane which is visible through windows in the sole, breathing and damping means located between the outer lower face of the upper and the inner face of the sole, and in the space bounded by the lip of the sole, injected material serving as the connection between the upper, the sole and the breathing and damping means.
The options and variants are covered by the corresponding dependent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0022] This specification is supplemented by a set of figures illustrating the preferred embodiment, which is by no means exhaustive, of the invention.
[0023] FIG. 1A shows a transverse section of the mould and the shoe before the mould is closed.
[0024] FIG. 1B shows a transverse section of the mould and the shoe with the mould closed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0025] The invention is described in detail below, so that when “lower” and “upper” are mentioned, this refers to locations where the shoe is placed in its position of use, i.e. the sole ( 1 ) supported on the ground; when “inner” and “outer” are mentioned, this is equally from the perspective of the user of the shoe, i.e. “inner” is towards the inside of the shoe and is therefore concealed from the user, and “outer” is towards the outside or outside the shoe.
[0026] The method for manufacturing shoes according to a preferred embodiment comprises the following steps:
placing the sole ( 1 ) on the plunger ( 2 ) of the mould, placing the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) in the upper part of the sole ( 1 ) and in the space bounded by a lip ( 6 ), placing the upper ( 7 ) between the rings ( 8 ) of the mould, closing of the rings ( 8 ) of the mould for fixing the upper ( 7 ), moving the plunger ( 2 ) towards the rings ( 8 ) so that the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) are pressed against the outer lower face of the upper ( 7 ), injection of material in the space ( 9 ) between the upper ( 7 ), the breathing and breathing means ( 5 ), the sole ( 1 ) and the rings ( 8 ), opening of the rings ( 8 ) of the mould to release the upper ( 7 ), removal of the shoe thus formed.
[0035] In an embodiment of the invention the breathing and breathing means ( 5 ), before the mould is closed, have the thickness sufficient for its upper surface to make contact with the upper ( 7 ). Thus when the plunger ( 2 ) moves to close the mould, said breathing and damping means ( 5 ) are pressed against the upper ( 7 ), creating a barrier against the injected plastic.
[0036] In another embodiment not shown the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) would not have the aforementioned thickness, i.e. before the mould is closed they would come into contact with the upper ( 7 ) because at the upper level of material injected during closing of the mould it would never project from the upper surface of the breathing and damping means ( 5 ), and the injected plastic would never project above them.
[0037] The aforementioned elements, corresponding to parts of the mould, are those of prior art, more specifically in methods known as injection to the upper ( 7 ).
[0038] Therefore the plunger ( 2 ) is a moving part of the mould in which the sole ( 1 ) is placed.
[0039] The rings ( 8 ) of the mould which secure the upper ( 7 ) of the shoe are named as such and are known in this form in the state of the art, although strictly speaking they are two half-rings ( 8 ) which are formed by splitting a ring which runs around the entire periphery of the upper ( 7 ). Normally, and in this preferred embodiment, the splitting is effected in the region of the tip and in the region of the heel of the shoe.
[0040] The aforementioned sole ( 1 ) comprises in turn a breathable, permeable membrane ( 3 ) which is visible through windows ( 4 ) in the sole ( 1 ), as shown in the Spanish patent of one of the applicants under application number 200600272.
[0041] The breathing and damping means ( 5 ) may consist of a block of breathable, compressible, spongy material, or may consist of a compressible material with orifices not shown in the figures, which favour breathing.
[0042] In the latter case said orifices of the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) coincide with the orifices of the sole ( 1 ), thereby creating a direct channel from the inside of the sole ( 1 ) to the outside of the shoe to allow discharge of sweat via said channel.
[0043] The damping characteristic of these means implies that the same have a recuperation memory to ensure that said characteristic is repeated for each footprint.
[0044] Both the breathable and impermeable membrane ( 3 ) and the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) may be placed on a shoe in one more regions, for example, some in the heel and others in the central region, and they may also be duplicated, tripled etc. in the same shoe, for example there may be two in the front section of the shoe, another around the tip and then another toward the central section of the shoe.
[0045] During walking the compression of the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) act as an impeller pump for perspiration, which as has just been mentioned, will pass directly to the outside of the shoe for its expulsion.
[0046] Thanks to the characteristics of the components of the shoe, specifically the membrane ( 3 ) and breathing and damping means ( 5 ), the perspiration can pass from the inside to the outside of the shoe, but conversely the water cannot enter from the outside to the inside of the shoe, which would invalidate the comfort of the user due to perspiration.
[0047] The sole ( 1 ) has a lip ( 6 ) or partition wall on its upper surface so that this lip ( 6 ) performs the following functions:
on the one hand it serves as a barrier against the injected plastic to protect the breathing and damping means ( 5 ) of the shoe and the pressure of said plastic; on the other hand it serves as a positioner of said breathing and damping means ( 5 ) on the sole ( 1 ) at the time placing both, the sole ( 1 ) and means( 5 ), inside the mould; and finally it serves as a fixer of the position of said breathing and damping means ( 5 ), thus preventing the pressure of the injected plastic from moving them.
[0051] Said sole is also provided with an optional tab ( 10 ) on its outermost peripheral edge which favours the closing of the sole ( 1 ) with the mould and which is cut once the shoe is formed, i.e. it terminates the injection of the material.
[0052] By means of the method mentioned, and using the mould also mentioned here, a shoe is obtained which includes a sole ( 1 ), with a breathable and impermeable membrane ( 3 ), the upper ( 7 ), breathing and damping means ( 5 ) and a material connecting all the aforementioned elements.
[0053] It should be emphasised that the shoe thus obtained is fully completed and no subsequent operation is required to obtain a fully finished shoe ready for use.
[0054] Similarly, the invention described is applicable to all styles or classes of shoes: safety, casual or dress, girl's or boy's shoes, mountaineering, orthopaedic, sports, anatomical, ski or pre-ski shoes, etc.
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The present invention consists in an injection method in which a material is injected which serves as the connection between the upper and the sole of the shoe, the mould used for this purpose and the shoe thus obtained in such a manner that the membranes of the breathable type incorporated in said shoe are not damaged.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention generally relates to stenographic transcribers and computer-aided transcription (CAT) systems of the type used by court reporters. More particularly, the present invention is an improved CAT system which provides a method and means for facilitating the marking of reference characters on a stenographic transcript by persons other than the stenographic reporter.
For many years, stenography has been widely used for making a written transcript of the verbally-conducted proceedings in court rooms, depositions, and business meetings. Basically, a stenographic writing machine, which is similar to a typewriter, is used for making a phonetic record of the spoken communications heard by the stenographic machine operator during the proceedings. These stenographic reporters, such as court reporters, are trained and certified to capture a verbatim record of all testimony at such proceedings. The stenographic writer is usually equipped with a continuous paper tape printing device, which prints the phonetic representation, i.e., "strokes," of what was recorded during the proceedings. The stenographic reporter is then responsible for transcription of the paper tape record from its phonetic form into a human-readable printed transcript in the appropriate language.
The advent of microcomputers and inexpensive personal computers (PC's) has greatly expanded the capability of stenographic machines and, accordingly, has significantly enhanced the productivity of stenographic reporters. In addition to performing the functions of capturing and printing a phonetic record of the proceedings, modern stenographic machines are equipped with electronic storage capabilities, such as tape drives, disk drives, and random-access-memory (RAM). In some cases, the stenographic writer may also include direct electronic communications capability, such as serial or parallel communication ports.
After the proceedings are over, the stenographic reporter who is equipped with computer-aided transcription software running on a dedicated or personal computer, can transfer the phonetic information to the computer by tape, disk, or direct electronic communication. By using a personalized dictionary of phonetic translations, the stenographic reporter can then translate the phonetic information into a textual record in document form. The textual record is then input into a word processor program for editing. Printed transcripts, which are the end product of the stenographic reporter's work, are then made available upon request at a price to individuals. The basic functions of the typical CAT system, namely, the inputting, printing, and storing of phonetic strokes entered by a stenographic reporter, the translation of the phonetic strokes into textual form, and the editing and printing of the transcripts, are readily understood by those skilled in the art of CAT systems.
Stenographic reporters frequently desire to mark the paper tape produced by the stenographic writer to indicate a portion of the testimony for later reference. In the past, this procedure has been accomplished by merely marking the paper tape with a pen or pencil, or by slightly tearing the paper at its margin. In the alternative, several prior art devices have been made available for marking the paper tape. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,363,557 issued to Fowler et al. describes a paper tape marking device for a shorthand machine, wherein the activating keys for the marking device are located in close proximity to the shorthand machine keyboard such that the machine operator may activate the device with minimal interruption of the recording process. Another prior art device has addressed the problem of identifying for future reference a portion of an electronic data record as it is being recorded by the stenographic machine. U.S. Pat. No. 4,439,798 issued to Chvojcsek describes a referencing device for a shorthand machine, wherein a magnetically-influenced reed switch provides an electrical output signal for encoding a referencing bit into a recording medium at an identifiable memory address.
However, the prior art apparently does not address the corresponding problem encountered by other parties at the proceedings such as attorneys and paralegal professionals--that of marking the transcript for purposes of their own reference. For example, an attorney may wish to highlight particular issues raised during a deposition, or an executive may need to note special topics discussed during a business meeting which must be addressed at a later date, or a paralegal may desire to keep track how each piece of evidence is handled during a trial. In order for these parties, other than the stenographic reporter, to reference a particular portion of the transcript, they must utilize handwritten notes taken during the proceedings. Then their handwritten notes must be correlated with the final printed transcript provided by the stenographic reporter. Countless hours are spent pouring over printed transcripts searching for the particular topics or issues of interest.
A need, therefore, exists for a method and means for facilitating the referencing of stenographic transcripts by persons present at the proceedings other than the stenographic reporter.
OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide the capability to anyone present at the proceedings to individually mark the electronic stenographic record in a computer-aided transcription system.
A more particular object of the present invention is to provide a CAT system wherein any number of persons may mark the electronically-stored stenographic record with unique codes, such that the stenographic reporter can produce personalized transcripts having only the individualized markings attributable to that person.
A further object of the present invention is to provide such an individualized electronic marking capability for CAT systems which can be implemented with minimal changes to existing CAT equipment.
In accordance with the present invention, a computer-aided transcription system is provided which has the capability to allow individualized electronic marking of the stenographic record by system users other than the stenographic reporter. Briefly stated, the CAT system of the present invention includes: a stenographic writer for providing stenographic signals under the control of a stenographic operator; a plurality of multiple-key electronic keypads, one for each user; a keypad control processor for monitoring all of the keypads and providing reference signals whenever any keys are pressed; a memory for storing the stenographic signals and the reference signals; a program for translating the stenographic signals into textual codes and for translating the reference signals into reference codes; and a program for printing the individualized transcripts for the system users from the textual codes and the reference codes, wherein each of the transcripts has a plurality of reference characters strategically placed at a location within the transcripts corresponding to the occurrence of only one particular individual user's responses. In this manner, the user may then visually scan the transcript for their unique referencing characters placed in the margins, thus saving a significant amount of time and effort.
In a first embodiment of the invention, a personal computer running a CAT real-time transcription program is present at the proceedings. A stenographic reporter would enter the verbatim phonetic information into a real-time stenographic writer connected to the personal computer by a serial communications link. The personal computer translates the stenographic strokes into textual codes in real time. Simultaneously, a keypad controller monitors up to 16 keypads, each having 16 keys, to detect which of the keys has been pressed by the other users of the system. The keypad controller outputs certain reference codes into the PC's keyboard buffer and then interrupts the real-time translation program. The CAT translation program examines the keyboard buffer information for the reference codes, and stores the reference codes along with the specific stroke number in a separate file.
Hence, the phonetic stroke information entered from the stenographic writer is combined with the reference codes which indicate which keypad and key were pressed. This combined information is subsequently stored on the personal computer's hard disk or floppy disk. Once the combined file has been produced, the system operator edits the transcript in a word processing program, and prints the transcript using a CAT printer utility software which is capable of interpreting the reference codes and selecting only those reference codes chosen by the system operator. Thus, the printed transcript includes reference characters in the margins for use by that particular user to identify a portion of the proceedings corresponding to when he or she responded to the keypad, and further to identify which key was pressed. Moreover, privacy is maintained within the system, since each individual transcript includes only that particular user's reference characters.
In a second embodiment of the present invention, only the stenographic writer, keypad controller, and plurality of keypads would have to be present at the proceedings. In this embodiment, once a key on an individual's keypad is pressed, the keypad controller outputs a reference signal directly to the stenographic writer via its serial port. The stenographic writer converts the signal to a reference code, and stores the reference code on a floppy disk along with the phonetic information input by the stenographic reporter. Once the proceedings are over, the system operator then removes the floppy disk from the stenographic writer, and inserts it into the floppy drive of a personal computer which may be at a different location. A disk reader utility program is then used to separate the reference codes from the stenographic information, and the CAT translation, editing, and printing operations are performed as described above.
The present invention is particularly adapted for use in court or deposition proceedings, wherein each attorney has the capability of individually marking his own transcript with one of sixteen different reference characters. For example, a particular attorney would create a list of possible topics or issues of interest, number them, and then press the corresponding keypad number during the proceedings. It is important to note that complete privacy is maintained by the system, since the CAT printer utility program selects only those reference codes corresponding to one keypad, i.e., the user of keypad number 4 will not be provided with a transcript having reference characters inserted by the user of keypad number 3.
Numerous other advantages and features of the invention will become readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention, from the claims, and from the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the same.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The features of the present invention which are believed to be novel are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, together with further objects and advantages thereof, may best be understood with reference to the following description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a pictorial representation illustrating one embodiment of the computer-aided transcription system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of one embodiment of the CAT system of the present invention, wherein real-time translation equipment is utilized;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of another embodiment of the CAT system of the present invention, wherein a floppy disk is transferred from the stenographic writer to the personal computer;
FIG. 4 is an electrical block diagram of one embodiment of the keypad and keypad controller circuitry used with the CAT system of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an electrical block diagram of one embodiment of the scan controller circuitry used with the CAT system of FIG. 3;
FIG. 6 represents a flowchart illustrating the specific sequence of operations performed by the scan controller in accordance with the practice of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a software state diagram of the real-time translator program of FIG. 2, illustrating the transitions between software subroutines which occur in response to different input signals;
FIG. 8 is a pictorial representation of the reference code file stored in the memory of FIG. 2;
FIG. 9 is a software state diagram of the printer utility program for the CAT system of the present invention;
FIGS. 10a and 10b are sample pages from a printed transcript illustrating the location and form of the reference characters;
FIG. 11 is a software state diagram for the computer program stored in the PROM of the stenographic writer of FIG. 3; and
FIG. 12 is a software state diagram of the disk reader utility program for the CAT system illustrated in FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
While the invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms there is shown in the drawings and will be described herein in detail, a preferred embodiment of the invention. It should be understood, however, that the present disclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the spirit and scope of the invention and/or claims of the embodiment illustrated.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings, FIG. 1 shows a pictorial representation of the computer-aided transcription (CAT) system 10 according to the present invention. Basically, the system comprises a stenographic writer 12, a portable computer 14, a printer 16, a plurality of keypads 18, and a keypad controller 20. Although all elements of system 10 are shown in FIG. 1, it is not necessary that all elements be present at the specific proceedings. For example, the stenographic writer 12 may be coupled directly to the keypad controller 20 while the personal computer 14 and the printer 16 remain at a different location, depending upon the particular configuration of the system. In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the stenographic record produced by the stenographic writer 12 is translated by the personal computer 14 in real-time. If desired, the stenographic reporter can print out a "dirty copy" of the transcript using printer 16 immediately upon the completion of the deposition or court proceedings. As will be seen below, numerous other modifications of system 10 are also possible.
The stenographic writer 12, also known as a shorthand machine, is an electromechanical device having keys 22 positioned for use by the stenographic reporter. Each key represents a specific stenographic symbol, which, individually or in combination, represents phonetic sounds equivalent to portions of spoken vocabulary. The stenographic writer 12 typically has a built-in mechanical printer for producing a paper tape 24. Modern stenographic writers also include an internal central processing unit (CPU), random access memory (RAM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), electronic communications capability (serial, parallel, modem, or other type of ports), permanent storage capability (e.g., hard disk drive, floppy disk drive, nonvolatile memory, etc.), and may even include a visual display 26. An example of a stenographic writer which could be used in the real-time translation embodiment of the present invention would be the "Smart Writer" available from Stenograph Corporation, Skokie, Illinois. According to the present invention, the stenographic writer 12 is coupled via cable 28 from its serial port to either the personal computer 14 or the keypad controller 20, depending upon the system configuration.
Numerous types of personal computers can be used for the personal computer 14 of system 10. Preferably, any brand of personal computer can be used that is 100% compatible with the IBM-PC family of computers, having at least 640K of RAM, 20MB of hard disk storage, one 31/2 inch floppy disk drive, one parallel port, and one serial port. If real-time transcription is desired, it may be preferable to utilize a laptop model as shown in FIG. 1. The laptop computer typically has a keyboard 30, a flip-up LCD display 32, and a 31/2 inch floppy disk drive 34. The PC 14 is coupled to the keypad controller 20 via an eight-or ten-conductor cable 36 as will be described below.
A printer 16 may be connected to the PC via cable 38 through either a serial or parallel port. In the preferred embodiment, the PC's parallel port is used. As will be explained in detail below, the PC performs the functions of translating the stenographic information into textual information, editing the text, receiving the reference code information, and printing the combined information to obtain a hard copy transcript 40 having reference characters thereon.
A number of keypads 18, one for each system user (other than the stenographic reporter), are positioned at a convenient location which is readily accessible to the user. Each keypad 18 has a plurality of keys 42. In the preferred embodiment, up to sixteen keypads each having sixteen keys are used. The keys are similar in appearance and operation to those found on an IBM-PC keyboard. Each keypad 18 is attached to a unique input port connector on the keypad controller 20 by an eight-conductor wire 44. Portions of the circuitry of the keypad controller 20 could alternatively be contained completely within each of the keypads 18, such that the keypads could be connected directly to the PC 14.
Moreover, it should be noted that the transmission of information from the keypads 18 to the keypad controller 20 may alternatively be accomplished using radio frequency waves, infrared light, or other wireless communications techniques. Such wireless communications might be required in a courtroom setting, as opposed to a deposition setting. In a courtroom, each attorney would have his own wireless keypad, which would transmit the reference code information to a centralized keypad controller in much the same way one changes the channel on a television using the remote control keypad. Using any of these alternatives, the keypads perform the function of substantially simultaneously inputting the user's responses to the spoken words during the proceedings. Such responses can be obtained from any number of users of the system, each being independent of each other, and further being independent of the control of the stenographic reporter.
The keypad controller 20 serves the function of constantly monitoring all of the keys 42 on the plurality of keypads 18, and outputting reference signals to the personal computer 14 or the stenographic writer 12. Keypad controller 20 works in conjunction with a scan controller program such that the keys 42 of the individual keypads 18 are scanned as individual points of a matrix. Depending upon the number of keypads and/or the number of keys per keypad, the scan controller can be adapted to scan virtually any size matrix. As will be shown below, up to sixteen keypads, each having up to sixteen keys, can be scanned using the circuitry illustrated and described below in FIG. 4.
FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment 50 of the CAT system utilizing real-time translation equipment. In this embodiment, the stenographic writer 12 is directly coupled to the PC 14 via their serial communications ports, and the keypad controller 20 is coupled to the PC via the PC's parallel communications port. Hence, to retrofit the present invention into existing CAT equipment, no hardware modifications need to be performed to either the PC 14 or the stenographic writer 12.
As the stenographic reporter inputs phonetic stroke information into steno keyboard 22, the program running on CPU 52 (See FIG. 11) instructs the stenographic writer's serial port 54 to output stenographic signals to the serial port 56 of the PC. This process can be accomplished using the industry standard RS232 serial communications protocol at speeds up to 19.2 k baud. The stenographic stroke information may also be stored in memory within the stenographic writer 12, such as on floppy disk 58. The PC, running a real-time translation program 60, reads the sequence of phonetic strokes from the serial port 56 and translates these stenographic strokes into textual form, and stores it in a text file in memory 62. If an IBM-PC is used running either PC-DOS or MS-DOS operating systems, the textual form would utilize the industry standard ASCII strokes. If desired, the stenographic codes themselves may also be stored in memory 62. Further operation of the real-time translator program 60 will be described below in conjunction with FIG. 7.
As mentioned above, a number of keypads 18, each having a plurality of keys, are connected to keypad controller 20. In turn, the keypad controller, in this embodiment, is coupled to the parallel port 64 of the PC via cable 36. The particular connections will be explained in detail below. The scan controller program 66, running as a resident program on the PC, interfaces with the hardware in the keypad controller 20 to perform the scanning of the keypad matrix. This results in the inputting of a number of reference signals, each corresponding to the particular keys that were pressed by the users. The scan controller program 66 converts these reference signals into reference codes, and stores the reference codes in the keyboard buffer 68 of the PC. The technique of storing information in the keyboard buffer from the parallel port is commonly used in the PC industry. The scan controller program 66 is executed as a terminate and state resident program on the PC timer interrupt chain. This gives the program the appearance of running continuously, allowing the CPU 70 of the PC to execute other programs normally. Upon the occurrence of an interrupt, the real-time translator program 60 reads the keyboard buffer 68 and stores the reference codes and current stenographic stroke number in a reference code file in memory 62.
After the proceedings are over, the CAT system operator utilizes the text editor program 72 to edit the text file, which is similar to word processing. The printer utility program 74 combines the edited text file and the reference code file, selects only those reference codes provided by the identified user, and outputs the combined file to the parallel printer port 76. Note that a single parallel port 76 can also perform the function of parallel port 64, since they are both under control of the CPU 70, and since printing is not normally performed during the proceedings. The printer utility program 74 will be explained below in conjunction with FIG. 9.
Finally, the printer 16 outputs the printed transcript 40 having the reference characters strategically placed at locations within the textual record which correspond to the time when the users pressed the keypad keys. A sample printed transcript is shown below in FIGS. 10a and 10b.
An alternate embodiment of the invention is shown in FIG. 3, wherein CAT system 80 does not perform real-time translation. Instead, the stenographic reporter stores the stenographic information on a floppy disk, and transfers the floppy disk to the PC for CAT translation at a later time. Consequently, the scan controller program, previously residing in the PC, now resides in the keypad and scan controller 82 as shown. The keypad and scan controller 82 includes its own microcomputer for scanning the keypad matrix and for outputting the reference signals to the stenographic writer 84 via serial line 86. This can readily be accomplished using the RS232 serial protocol. The hardware circuitry for the keypad and scan controller 82 will be discussed in detail in accordance with FIGS. 4 and 5, and its software program will be explained in conjunction with FIG. 6.
The stenographic writer 84 of FIG. 3 includes a programmable read only memory (PROM) 88 for containing the program which performs the inputting and converting of the reference signals from the keypad & scan controller 82. A state diagram of the software for the stenographic writer 84 will be discussed in accordance with FIG. 11. Briefly, however, the CPU 52 monitors the steno keyboard 22 for stenographic information signals, and monitors the serial port 54 for reference signals. Upon the occurrence of either of these events, the signals are converted into stenographic and reference codes, respectively, and stored on a floppy disk 58.
Upon completion of the proceedings, the floppy disk from the stenographic writer 84 can be read by disk drive 90 of the PC, and its contents input via a disk reader utility program 92. Although the operation of the disk reader utility program will be discussed in more detail in accordance with FIG. 12, it is sufficient to say that the disk reader utility 92 separates the stenographic stroke information from the reference code information and stores this information in two separate files in memory 94. Memory 94 would typically be the permanent disk storage within the PC.
Once the disk reader utility has separated and stored the files, the CAT system operator utilizes a CAT translator program 96 to translate the stenographic stroke information into textual form. The textual form represents the vocabulary spoken during the proceedings, and also includes hidden stroke information used by the CAT software to correlate the translated text to the keystrokes from which it was generated. This translation process is commonly understood in the CAT industry. The translated text file is then edited by text editor 72 as before. The printer utility 74 utilizes both the reference code information and the edited text file to produce a final printed transcript 40.
FIG. 4 represents a block diagram of the electrical circuitry for the keypads 18 and the keypad controller 20 in accordance with the CAT system embodiment 50 of FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 4, the keypad controller circuitry performs the function of scanning the keypad matrix 100 under control of the scan controller program residing the PC, which is coupled to the keypad controller 20 at connector 102.
The keypad matrix 100 is illustrated as an N×8 array having rows numbered 0 through N-1 and having columns numbered 0 through 7. The number of keypads 18 which can be scanned in the matrix is determined by the capability of the keypad controller 20, which is, in turn, dependent upon the size of the shift register 104 used to perform the scanning. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that any number of keypads and any number of keys may be scanned. If, for example, 16 keypads are desired, each having 16 keys, the keypad controller 20 would be configured to scan 256 matrix points. As shown in FIG. 4, each keypad is arranged in a 4×4 matrix block, which is common in the industry. Two of the 4×4 matrix keypads can be scanned using four row lines and eight column lines. Accordingly, 16 of the 4×4 keypads can be scanned using 32 rows and 8 columns. In this embodiment, a group of five Signetics 74C164 8-bit serial-in parallel-out shift registers are used to scan the 32 rows. A Signetics 74C251 8-input multiplexer and an 8-input OR gate may be used to monitor the column status.
The scan controller program 66, running as a resident program on the PC 14, controls the keypad controller 20 through a cable 36 connected to connector 102 and the parallel port of the PC. With reference to the lines of connector 102, a RESET line is used to clear the shift register 104, such that all of its outputs are low. The scan controller uses the SET line to input a 1 bit into the shift register, and uses the CLOCK line to advance the shift register 104 one step for each clock pulse. As each row of the keypad matrix 100 is scanned, the column lines are monitored by a gate 106 to see if any key is pressed in that row. As each row is sequentially scanned, the status of gate 106 is checked. If one or more keys were pressed on that particular row, the STATUS output of the gate 106 would indicate that at least one in the row had been pressed. The scan controller uses the three ADDRESS lines to control an eight-to-multiplexer 108, which monitors the column lines. The state of any particular column line is then output by the multiplexer as the DATA line. This scanning procedure will be described in detail in accordance with the flowchart of FIG. 6.
Depending upon the particular hardware implementation of the system, a power converter 110 may be used to power the keypad controller 20. If a dedicated V+ line of connector 102 is used for the power supply line, then the power converter would simply filter this voltage and apply it to the keypad controller circuitry. If, however, a dedicated line is not available, then power converter 110 would derive voltage from the other input lines of connector 102 by using a diode and capacitor charging network. Note also that a number of data buffers 112 may be used on the input and output lines of connector 102 as required.
As can now be seen, the scan controller program 66 serves to control the shift register 104 and the multiplexer 108 to scan the keypad matrix 100. In the CAT system embodiment of FIG. 2, the scan controller function is performed by the PC 14 using the parallel port 64 connected via an eight or ten wire cable to keypad controller connector 102. If, however, the PC 14 is not available at the proceedings, then the scan controller may be combined with the keypad controller as shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 illustrates one embodiment of the keypad and scan controller 82 of FIG. 3, wherein connector 118 can mate with connector 102 of the keypad controller illustrated in FIG. 4. This arrangement would allow the keypad and scan controller 82 to perform the scanning of a 32×8 matrix of 16 keypads. In that case, microcomputer 120 would control the shift register 104 and the multiplexer 108. However, if only four keypads are required in the particular CAT system, then the keypad controller circuitry of FIG. 4 may be omitted, and two 8-line input/output ports of microcomputer 120 may be directly coupled to control keypad matrix 100. In this instance, Port 0 of the microcomputer 120 would perform the row scanning and Port 1 would perform the column scanning, all without the use of a shift register.
In any case, the microcomputer 120 continuously scans the keypad matrix 100 and obtains information as to which key was pressed at what particular instant of time. The microcomputer then outputs this information at Port 2 as reference signals on a serial data bus 86 utilizing an RS232 driver 122. Such an RS232 driver is available from Intersil as ICL232. Either an 8749 or an 8051 microprocessor, both available from Intel Corporation, of San Jose, Calif., can be used as microcomputer 120, depending upon the RAM requirements to support the number of keypads.
As noted before, data buffers 112 may be used as required on each of the input/output lines. The SET line may or may not be required, depending upon the shift register configuration. A power supply 124 would typically provide regulated voltage for the keypad and scan controller 82. Note that in the embodiment where only four keypads are scanned directly from the microcomputer 120, then the data buffers 112 would have to be appropriately configured such that eight output lines from one port serve as row drivers, and eight input lines from another port serve as column receivers.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a flowchart for the scan controller is shown. Although this flowchart specifically illustrates the sequence of operations performed by PC-based scan controller 66 of CAT system 50, it may also be used to represent the general sequence of operations performed by microcomputer 120 in the keypad and scan controller 82. Any significant differences between the scan controller embodiments will be noted.
Beginning with start step S10, the row counter variable ROW is initialized to zero in step S12. Furthermore, a matrix of variables named ARRAY is also initialized to zero. The array size is 8 by 32. In the example, 16 4-by-4 keypad 18 matrixes are mapped onto the 8-by-32 array, representing 16 keypads 18 in the present embodiment. A RESET signal is output from the scan controller to clear the shift register 104, such that all its outputs are low.
In step S14, the row counter is tested to see if all of the rows have been scanned. In the example of a 32×8 matrix, if the row counter is less than 32, control proceeds to step S16, wherein a CLOCK pulse is output to the shift register. Assuming the SET line is high, the first clock pulse will cause the first row of keypad matrix 100 to go high. If any of the keys in that row are pressed, then one of the eight column lines will go high. This would cause the STATUS line to go high. Accordingly, step S16 also inputs the STATUS line.
In step S18, the STATUS line is evaluated to determine whether or not any key has been pressed. If no key was pressed, then step S20 increments the row counter and returns control to step S14 to test the next row. If a key was pressed in that row, then step S22 initializes the column counter COL, and control proceeds to test the column counter in step S24. If all eight columns have not yet been tested, then the scan controller outputs an address to multiplexer 108 via the ADDRESS lines in step S26 such that it can monitor the level of the particular column being addressed. After an appropriate settling time, the DATA line output from multiplexer 108 is input into the scan controller. In step S28, the scan controller inputs the data bit representative of the column addressed, and stores the bit at matrix variable location ROW, COL in the ARRAY. In step S30, the column counter is incremented. Control then returns to step S24 to again test the column counter. Once all eight columns have been read, then control returns to step S14 wherein the next row is selected.
After all 32 rows have been scanned, then control proceeds to step S32 wherein the scan controller generates reference codes from the data in the ARRAY. These reference codes are output in step S34, and processing ends at step S36. The reference code format will be explained in accordance with FIG. 8. The reference codes may either be output to buffer memory 68 in the CAT system 50 of FIG. 2, or may be output to the stenographic writer 84 of the CAT system 80 of FIG. 3 via the RS232 driver 122.
FIG. 7 represents a state diagram of the real-time translator program 60 of FIG. 2. The program is initialized in step T10, such that all variables are set to a known initial value and specifically the stroke count is set to zero.
It then transfers control to step T12 to wait for the next event. If stroke information has been transmitted from the stenographic writer 12 over the RS232 link, then step T14 instructs the program to obtain the stroke information from serial port 56 and stores it into memory 62 in step T16. As shown in FIG. 2, block 62. Hence, the real-time translator program 60 translates the stenographic signals received from the serial port into stenographic codes which are stored in memory. The translator's program 60 also perform the stroke translation and text display functions. Real-Time translation also displays the text.
The stenographic code, or stroke information, is typically composed of at least three bytes (24 bits) of information, although the specific representation of the stenographic code format may vary. Twenty-three bits may be used to represent the 23 keys of the stenographic keyboard 22, and the 24th bit would be a flag bit which would indicate that the stroke is of a special nature, such as an end-of-job indicator.
Continuing with FIG. 7, if reference code information is present in the keyboard buffer 68, then step T18 transfers control to step T20 where the current stroke number is stored in memory 62 as part of the reference code format. As shown in FIG. 8, the reference codes in the preferred embodiment are stored as follows: a single byte containing the keypad number (e.g., a value of 1 to 16) and the particular key which has been pressed (e.g., a value of 1 to 16) in the upper and lower nibbles, respectively. For example, in FIG. 8, the reference codes indicate that after steno stroke number 185, the user of keypad B pressed his fifth key, corresponding to key number E. Each of these four-bit nibbles are stored in ASCII representation with a carriage return/line feed character following the byte. However, the specific representation of the reference code format chosen for this implementation is just one of many possible ways to record the keypad information.
FIG. 9 is a state diagram of the printer utility program 74, which illustrates how the CAT system of the invention utilizes both the reference code information and the edited text information to create the printed transcript 40.
FIG. 9 depicts the CAT print utility function. Most CAT systems provide an ability to output a transcript according to a pre-defined, regional format. Each Court Reporter is required to produce a finished transcript upon request by the Court or attorneys. Such transcripts must conform to the regional format, and are signed by the Reporter as being complete and correct.
FIG. 9 is a flowchart of such a formatting program, with specific modifications to accommodate the present invention. At the system user's discretion, the print utility is initiated; whereupon a transcript to be printed is selected U12 from those available in memory 62 (which is usually a permanent storage magnetic disk media). The user is then prompted to select the reference codes to be included on the pages of the transcript to be printed U14. The user specifies one or more of the keypad 18 reference codes (`A` to `P` for a 16 keypad system) to be printed.
Having selected a transcript U12 and reference code(s) U14 to be printed, the Print Utility reads lines U16 from the transcript file U18 until an entire page of printed output is constructed in RAM in exactly the ASCII character image to be printed. Each line of the transcript which was read has associated with it the stenographic stroke number of the first word on each line. In step U20, the reference code file U22 is searched for the occurrence of any reference codes in the set selected by the user in step U14. Of these, the associated stroke numbers (as shown in FIG. 8) are compared to each line's beginning stroke number. When a reference code's stroke number is found to be greater than or equal to a line's beginning stroke number and less than the next line's stroke number, then the code will be printed on that line.
Reference codes are placed on appropriate lines either 2 columns to the right of the transcript graphic box or 4 columns to the right of the right margin of the transcript text, whichever is greater (as shown in FIGS. 10a and 10b). The format of the reference code on the printed page is shown in FIG. 10a and 10b, and is composed of one upper case alphabetic character representing a keypad 18 in the range `A`-`P` followed by one or two numeric characters representing a key 42 in the range `1`-`16` with no intervening space. In the event that more than one of the selected reference codes occur on the same line, said reference codes will be printed on subsequent lines until all reference codes associated with said line have been printed.
When an entire page of output has been formatted, the page is output U24 on the printer 16. If the page is not full, then control passes to U26 which checks for the presence of additional lines in the input file U18. If true, then control passes to U16, and processing continues as described above. However, if U26 is not true, then the pending page is output using the routine U24, and the program terminates U28.
FIGS. 10a and 10b illustrate a specific example of a printed transcript having the reference characters printed in the margins in the "XNN" format discussed above. Both FIGS. 10a and 10b are identical with respect to the printed textual material. However, FIG. 10a includes reference characters in the margins which correspond to the responses of the user of the third keypad C. Hence, the third user would only be provided with a transcript having a C as its first character of the reference characters. The second character represents the key number which was pressed on keypad C. Similarly, FIG. 10b represents the same information for the user of the first keypad A. By placing the reference characters in the margin as shown, each individual user can readily locate any specific portion of the transcript.
FIG. 11 is a state diagram of the stenographic writer program stored in PROM 88 of FIG. 3. The steno writer is initialized so that all values are in a known state. The next state that the software goes into is waiting for an event. Waiting for an event is marked as V12. One of the events is that a reset button has been pressed on the steno writer that is listed as V14. This causes a reset and initialization of the CPU at its original known state so all values are initialized to a known state and then it returns to waiting for a next event. Another event is V18 which is a steno key was pressed. This causes the following action as described in V20 in the drawing, it stores a stroke code and stroke number on disk and then returns to wait for an event. The next event that can happen is listed as V22 a reference code has been received via the serial port. This causes the stroke and the numbered reference code to be stored on disk V20. Then it returns to waiting for the next event. Lastly, we have V26, the power off button has been pressed and the action that is taken at that time is listed as V28, the buffers are saved on disk and then the unit powers itself down.
FIG. 12 is a state diagram of the disk reader utility program 92 residing in the PC in the CAT system embodiment of FIG. 3.
The purpose of the DISK READER UTILITY 92 is to read the disks produced by a stenographic writer 12. FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the processing performed by the DISK READER UTILITY 92. After a user selects the type of stenographic writer used to produce the disk 58 in step W12, the user is prompted to select one of the jobs on the stenographic writer disk 58 in step W14. The DISK READER UTILITY 92 then attempts to read a stroke in step W16 from the selected job from step W14. A decision W18 branches to step W28 (described below) if a stroke could not be read; otherwise a branch to decision W20 is made if successful. W20 branches to W22 to store the reference code in memory 62 (also see FIG. 8) and transfers control to W26 (described below) if the stroke is a reference stroke. Otherwise, W20 branches to W24 to test if the stroke indicated end-of-job, which causes control to pass to W28 to close all open files and terminate the program if true. Otherwise control is passed to W26, which stores the stroke in a steno file in memory 62. Control then transfers to W16 (described above).
The foregoing specification describes only the preferred embodiment of the invention as shown. Other embodiments besides the ones described may be articulated as well. The terms and expressions therefore serve only to describe the invention by example only and not to limit the invention. It is expected that others will perceive differences which while differing from the foregoing, do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention herein described and claimed.
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A system for providing a textual record of spoken words. The textual record having reference markings selectively provided by a plurality of system users. Keystrokes are inputed under the control of a first user which are representative of spoken words, thereby providing a plurality of stroke signals. Substantially simultaneous input of responses to the spoken words from at least a second user independant of the control of the first user, thereby providing a plurality of reference signals corresponding to the stroke signals.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to the drilling and stimulating of subterranean rock formations for the recovery of hydrocarbon and natural gas resources. In particular, the present invention relates to a method of fracture treating a wellbore while the drilling operation is underway.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Subterranean reservoir rock formations that contain hydrocarbons and gases are often, if not usually, horizontal in profile. It was therefore of immense economic value and a great benefit to society when modern drilling techniques were developed that could create horizontal wellbores from a vertical well over a distance to gain access to a larger portion of hydrocarbon and natural gas resources in a reservoir.
[0003] A problem to overcome, however, was that such horizontal reservoirs (for instance, shale formations), are generally quite tight and compressed in nature, meaning that they often don't contain natural fractures of sufficient porosity and permeability within the formation through which hydrocarbons and gas can readily flow into the well at economic rates. Engineers, however, were able to develop methodologies whereby rock formations can be “perfed” (perforated) and “fracked” (fractured) to create pathways in the rock formations through which hydrocarbons and gas can much more readily flow to the well.
[0004] While such fracking has led to a great increase in the amount of hydrocarbons and gas that can be readily recovered from a formation, engineers found that it was important to be able to isolate one fracture from another so that the same part of the well was not being repeatedly fractured. Repeated fracturing can cause rock chips and fine rock particles to enter cracks and pore space, thereby reducing the porosity and permeability of the fracked area into the well. The same is true for vertical or deviated wells.
[0005] In the known methodology, drilling, and perfing and fracking rock formations involves separate operations. In particular, the well is drilled first, and then the drilling rig is moved off location before a fracturing “spread” is moved on to the location to perf and frac the wellbore for the subsequent recovery of hydrocarbon or natural gas resources. The timing between the drilling of the well and the fracture treatment of the same well can vary from immediately thereafter to as much as 18 months depending on the availability of frac equipment which is in high demand. There are therefore several inefficiencies in the known methods of resource recovery.
[0006] It is useful to more fully discuss the conventional drilling and fracking methodology in order to assist in distinguishing the method of the present invention.
[0007] Conventional Drilling
[0008] A drill bit(s) is mounted on the end of a drill pipe, and a mixture of water and additives (“mud”) is pumped into the hole to cool the bit and flush the cuttings to the surface as the drill bit(s) grinds away at the rock. This mud generally cakes on the walls of the wellbore, which assists in keeping the well intact. The hole is generally drilled to just under the deepest fresh water reservoir near the surface, where the drill pipe is then first removed. Surface casing is then inserted into the drilled hole to a point below the water reservoir in order to isolate the fresh water zone. Cement is subsequently pumped down the casing, exits through an opening called a shoe at the bottom of the casing and wellbore, and is then forced up between the outside of the casing and the hole, effectively sealing off the wellbore from the fresh water. This cementing process prevents contamination of the freshwater aquifers. The drill pipe is then lowered back down the hole to drill through the plug and cement and continue the vertical section of the well. At a certain depth above the point where a horizontal well is desired (the “kick-off point” or “KOP”), the well will slowly begin to be drilled on a curve to the point where a horizontal section can be drilled. The KOP is often located approximately 220 metres above the planned horizontal leg. Up to this point, the process is the same as drilling a vertical well.
[0009] Once the KOP is reached, the pipe and bit are pulled out of the hole and a down hole drilling motor with measurement drilling instruments is lowered back into the hole to begin the angle building process. In general, it takes approximately 350 m of drilling to make the curve from the KOP to where the wellbore becomes horizontal (assuming an 8° angle building process, for instance). Then, drilling begins on the “lateral”, the well's horizontal section.
[0010] When the targeted horizontal drilling distance is reached on the lateral, the drill bit and pipe are removed from the wellbore. Production casing is then inserted into the full length of the wellbore. Cement is again pumped down the casing and out through the hole in the casing shoe, forcing the cement up between the outside of the casing and the wall of the hole, thus filling the “annulus”, or open space. At this point, the drilling rig is no longer needed so this equipment is moved off-site and a well head is installed. The fracturing or service crew then moves its equipment on-site to prepare the well for production and the recovery of hydrocarbon and gas resources.
[0011] Conventional Perfing and Frocking of the Wellbore
[0012] The first step in the known method is to perf the casing. In this respect, a perforating gun is lowered by wire line into the casing to the targeted section of the horizontal leg (i.e. in general, to the end of the lateral so that the process can work back along the horizontal leg from the “toe” to the “heel” of the wellbore). An electrical current is sent down the wire line to the perf gun, which sets off a charge that shoots small evenly-spaced holes through the casing and cement and out a short distance into the rock formation (often shale). This causes fractures in the rock formation, but is generally not sufficient in itself to create proper fairways through which hydrocarbons or gas can readily flow into the wellbore due to the tight or compressed nature of the rock formation (as previously stated, compressed reservoirs do not generally contain natural fractures and therefore hydrocarbons or gas cannot be produced economically without additional manipulation). As a result, a further step is needed to increase the porosity and permeability of the rock by providing more significant pathways through which the hydrocarbons or gas can flow more readily. To do this, the perf gun is removed from the hole, and the well then needs to be “fracked” to create proper fairways.
[0013] Fracking (or fracing) is the process of propagating the fracture in the rock layer caused by the perforation in the formation from the perf gun. In this respect, it is hydraulic fracturing that is usually undertaken, which is the process whereby a slurry of, for example, mainly water, and some sand and additives are pumped into the wellbore and down the casing under extremely high pressure to break the rock and propagate the fractures (sufficient enough to exceed the fracture gradient of the rock). In particular, as this mixture is forced out through the vertical perforations caused by the perf gun and into the surrounding rock, the pressure causes the rock to fracture. Such fracturing creates a fairway, often a tree-like dendritic fairway, that connects the reservoir to the well and allows the released hydrocarbons or gas to flow much more readily to the wellbore. Once the injection has stopped, often a solid proppant (e.g. silica sand, resin-coated sand, man-made ceramics) is added to the fluid and injected to keep the fractures open. The propped fractures are permeable enough to allow the flow of hydrocarbons or gas to the well.
[0014] In order for the next section of the horizontal leg to be perforated and fracked (i.e. multi-stage fracking from the “toe” all along to the “heel” of the horizontal leg), a temporary plug is placed at the nearest end of the first-stage frac to close off and isolate the already perforated and fracked section of the wellbore. The process of perfing, fracking, and plugging is then repeated numerous times until the entire horizontal distance of the wellbore is covered. Once such a process has been completed, the plugs are drilled out, allowing the hydrocarbons or gas to flow up the wellbore to a permanent wellhead for storage and distribution. Unfortunately, in this known method, a well operator is unable to determine whether any particular fracture treatment has been successful in increasing the porosity and permeability of the rock formation at a given location of the wellbore, whether the treatment is having a net positive or negative effect on overall flow of hydrocarbons or gas into the well, and whether a modification to the fracturing fluid/slurry, for example, would have produced better results.
[0015] Persons skilled in the art would be aware of other similar or related completion methodologies that have the same limitations. For instance, engineers may employ an open hole completion where no casing is cemented in place across the horizontal production leg. Pre-holed or slotted liners/casing may be employed across the production zone. Swellable/inflatable elastomer packers may be used, for instance, to provide zonal isolation and segregation, and zonal flow control of hydrocarbons or gas. Perfing may be accomplished by perforating tools or by a multiple sliding sleeve assembly, etc. Regardless, the methodologies operate in essentially the same manner—the operation proceeds from the “toe” of the well back to the “heel”, and the well operator is unable to determine whether any particular fracture treatment has been successful in increasing the porosity and permeability of the rock formation at any given location of the wellbore, whether the treatment is having a net positive or negative effect on overall flow of hydrocarbons or gas into the well, and whether a modification to the fracturing fluid/slurry, for example, would have produced better results.
[0016] A method that would allow for the creation of fracture treatments into a wellbore while the drilling operation is under way would overcome several problems and inefficiencies associated with the known hydrocarbon and gas recovery process in the oil and gas industries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0017] The method of the present invention involves placing fracture treatments into a wellbore while the drilling operation is still under way (drilling ahead). The fracture treatment is bounded in the open hole on one side by the current end of the hole and on the other side by a temporary pack off isolation fluid that has been introduced to the well by way of either pumping down the existing drill string or by pumping down a separate frac string. In particular, the drill string or frac string remains in the wellbore, and the annulus between same and the wellbore is packed off with the temporary isolation fluid/material. The objective is to place the frac in the reservoir and flow it back very quickly after placement, thus increasing the chances of flowing back harmful formation damaging materials and increasing the relative productivity of the newly placed fracture treatment (compared to conventionally placed fracs).
[0018] Drilling then continues (with hydrocarbon and gas resources being recoverable even at this early stage) and fractures can be placed as closely to one another as practical. This is only limited by the effectiveness of the isolation fluid/material given the pressure created at the fracture site (called fracture initiation pressure) in the context of the subterranean formation at issue—the better the isolation fluid/material works, the shorter the required distance between fracture intervals. In this manner, multi-stage fractures can be placed in a wellbore as the well is drilled ahead, each one contributing cumulatively as the wellbore length is increased.
[0019] The net effect of the method of the present invention is that the well operator is able to determine in real time if a fracture treatment has been successful, including whether the fracture treatment composition is sufficient/should be changed, and whether this is having a net positive or negative effect on overall flow of the hydrocarbons or gas into the well. Based on the composition of the inflow up the well, the operator may determine, for instance, that the frac treatment has been effective or may determine that a different fracturing fluid/slurry should be employed for subsequent frac treatments based on the rock formation encountered. This is to be distinguished from conventional fracking techniques where there is no real time feedback, no way to know whether a proper fracturing fluid/slurry was used at a particular stage/site, and no way for an operator to know what must be done to improve performance.
[0020] Finally, this “Frac Ahead” process allows the operator to place multiple fractures (much like the dendritic pattern observed in leaf patterns) in multi lateral wellbores, thereby increasing swept reservoir volume to a previously unattainable level.
[0021] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of of drilling and completing a wellbore in a subterranean formation for the recovery of hydrocarbon or natural gas resources comprising the steps of:
[0022] (i) drilling an intermediate wellbore in a subterranean formation by means of a drill string;
[0023] (ii) inserting a frac string into the wellbore and pumping into the wellbore through an opening in the frac string an isolation fluid that is sufficient to withstand fracture initiation pressure;
[0024] (iii) pumping into the wellbore through an opening in the frac string a frac fluid at a pressure sufficient to create fractures in the subterranean formation in the vicinity of the end of the frac string;
[0025] (iv) removing the frac string from the wellbore;
[0026] (v) inserting the drill string into the wellbore and through the isolation fluid to flow any residual frac fluid and the isolation fluid back out of the wellbore; and
[0027] (vi) extending the wellbore by means of the drill string,
whereby hydrocarbon or natural gas resources may flow from the fractures into the wellbore for the recovery thereof while drilling proceeds, and whereby steps (ii) to (vi) may be repeated throughout the entire length of the wellbore to create multi-fractured zones in the wellbore that cumulatively add to the recovery of hydrocarbon or natural gas resources.
[0030] Other aspects and features of the present invention will become apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art upon review of the following description of exemplary embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the attached figures, wherein:
[0032] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the drilling of an intermediate hole;
[0033] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an open wellbore before intermediate casing is inserted;
[0034] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the insertion of intermediate casing into the wellbore;
[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the cementing of the intermediate casing in the wellbore;
[0036] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the intermediate casing cemented in the wellbore;
[0037] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the drilling out of the shoe in the intermediate casing;
[0038] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the drilling of a first section beyond the intermediate casing;
[0039] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the open first section of the wellbore;
[0040] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the insertion of a frac string into the first section of the wellbore;
[0041] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the pumping of isolation fluid from the frac string into the first section of the wellbore;
[0042] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing the pumping of frac fluid from the frac string into the first section of the wellbore;
[0043] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing fractures created in the subterranean formation from the frac treatment to the first section of the wellbore;
[0044] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the removal of the frac string from the wellbore;
[0045] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing the insertion of the drill string through the isolation fluid in the first section of the wellbore;
[0046] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing the flow of hydrocarbons or gas from the fractures into the first section of the wellbore;
[0047] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing the drill string extending to the end of the first section of the wellbore;
[0048] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the drilling ahead of a section of the wellbore;
[0049] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing the open second section of the wellbore before the frac string is inserted;
[0050] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the insertion of a frac string into the second section of the wellbore;
[0051] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing the pumping of isolation fluid from the frac string into the second section of the wellbore;
[0052] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing the pumping of frac fluid from the frac string into the second section of the wellbore to create fractures in the subterranean formation;
[0053] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the removal of the frac string from the wellbore;
[0054] FIG. 23 is a diagram showing the insertion of the drill string through the isolation fluid in the second section of the wellbore;
[0055] FIG. 24 is a diagram showing the drilling ahead of a third section of the wellbore;
[0056] FIG. 25 is a diagram showing the open third section of the wellbore before the frac string is inserted;
[0057] FIG. 26 is a diagram showing the insertion of a frac string into the third section of the wellbore;
[0058] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing the pumping of isolation fluid from the frac string into the third section of the wellbore;
[0059] FIG. 28 is a diagram showing the pumping of frac fluid from the frac string into the third section of the wellbore to create fractures in the subterranean formation;
[0060] FIG. 29 is a diagram showing the removal of the frac string from the wellbore;
[0061] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing the insertion of the drill string through the isolation fluid in the third section of the wellbore;
[0062] FIG. 31 is a diagram showing the drilling ahead of a fourth section of the wellbore while hydrocarbons or gas are flowing into the wellbore;
[0063] FIG. 32 is a diagram showing the flowing of hydrocarbons or gas from fractures in the first, second, and third sections into the wellbore;
[0064] FIG. 33 is a plan view of hypothetical fractures in a single leg horizontal wellbore;
[0065] FIG. 34 is a plan view of hypothetical fractures in a single leg horizontal wellbore with an overlay showing the swept reservoir area;
[0066] FIG. 35 is a plan view of a hypothetical dendritic wellbore configuration in a subterranean formation;
[0067] FIG. 36 is a plan view showing production/flow of hydrocarbons or gas from fractures into the dendritic wellbores;
[0068] FIG. 37 is a plan view of a hypothetical dual horizontal wellbore configuration;
[0069] FIG. 38 is a plan view of a hypothetical dual horizontal wellbore configuration with an overlay showing the swept reservoir area; and
[0070] FIG. 39 is a plan view showing production/flow of hydrocarbons or gas from fractures into the dual horizontal wellbore.
[0071] The same reference numerals are used in different figures to denote similar elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0072] The method of the present invention is generally used in horizontal wells but can also be used on vertical or deviated wells.
[0073] In an exemplary embodiment, with reference to FIG. 1 , an intermediate wellbore 2 is drilled in a subterranean formation 4 using a conventional drill string 6 with a conventional drill bit 8 attached to the end thereof. The drill string 6 is then withdrawn from the intermediate wellbore 2 (see FIG. 2 ) and an intermediate casing 10 is run into the wellbore 2 (see FIG. 3 ). The space between the outside of casing 10 and the wellbore 2 is called the annulus 12 . With reference to FIG. 4 , suitable cement 14 is pumped into the casing 10 under high pressure where it exits the end of the casing 10 (known as the shoe 16 ) and fills in the annulus 12 . In this respect, casing 10 is generally cemented into place, such that the cement 14 generally fills the space both inside at least an end section (shoe joint) of casing 10 as well as the annulus 12 . FIG. 5 shows the casing 10 wherein the cement 14 is hardened in place such that the shoe 16 is closed off. A person skilled in the art to which the invention relates will understand, however, that the use of the casing 10 in the manner described above is optional as methods according to the present invention can also be applied to “mono-bore” wellbore configurations.
[0074] With reference to FIG. 6 , the drill string 6 is then run into the casing 10 and drills out the shoe 16 of the intermediate casing 10 . With reference to FIG. 7 , the drill string 6 then continues drilling a first section of the wellbore 2 (indicated generally at 18 ) extending from and beyond the intermediate wellbore 2 . The drill string 6 is then withdrawn (see FIG. 8 ) and a frac string 20 is run into the first section 18 (see FIG. 9 ).
[0075] With reference to FIG. 10 , an isolation fluid 22 is introduced into the first section 18 through openings in the frac string 20 to fill all or part of the first section 18 . The isolation fluid 22 is one which can withstand the pressure created at the fracture (called fracture initiation pressure) and that therefore does not allow significant movement of a fracturing fluid to another part of the well. The isolation fluid 22 can be a suitable gel, for example.
[0076] With reference to FIG. 11 , a fracturing fluid 24 is then pumped into the first section 18 through an opening 26 in the frac string 20 at a pressure sufficient to create fractures 28 (i.e. sufficient enough to exceed the fracture gradient of the rock) in the subterranean formation 4 in the vicinity of the end of the frac string 20 and the end of the first section 18 . The fracturing fluid 24 is often a slurry of, for example, mainly water, and some sand and additives, but can include any suitable fluid including but not limited to water, salt water, hydrocarbon, acid, methanol, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, foam, emulsions, etc. Such fracturing fluids are well known to persons skilled in the art. FIG. 12 shows a different perspective view of the fractures 28 (tree-like dendritic fairways) propogating throughout the formation 4 in the vicinity of the end of the frac string 20 .
[0077] With reference to FIG. 13 , the frac string 20 is then withdrawn and the drill string 6 is run to the end of the first section 18 through the isolation fluid 22 (see FIG. 14 ). The isolation fluid 22 is then “cleaned up” by rotating the bit 8 through and flowing it back out of the well through the annulus between the drill string 6 and the open hole and between the drill string and the intermediate casing 10 , along with drilled material being circulated to the surface (not shown) and production (hydrocarbons or gas 30 ) from the newly formed fractures 28 (see FIGS. 15 and 16 ). The drill string 6 is then moved ahead to the end of the first section 18 , and a second section (indicated generally at 32 ) is drilled to extend the wellbore 2 (see FIG. 17 ). In so doing, an operator can then perform multi-stage fracking while the wellbore is being drilled/extended by repeating the isolation and fracturing steps described above. It is important to note that at this time, hydrocarbons or gas 30 are flowing into the well, and are therefore recoverable at this stage, even while drilling proceeds. As a result, the well operator is able to determine in real time if the recent fracture treatment has been successful at this early stage, including determining the sufficiency of the fracture treatment composition, and whether the fracture treatment is having a net positive or negative effect on flow of the hydrocarbons or gas 30 . Based on the composition of the inflow up the well, an operator may determine, for instance, that a given frac treatment has been effective or may determine that a different fracturing fluid/slurry should be employed for subsequent frac treatments based on the rock formation encountered. This is to be distinguished from conventional fracking techniques where there is no real time feedback, no way to know whether the fracturing fluid/slurry used was effective, and no way for an operator to know what must be done to improve performance.
[0078] The repeated isolation and multi-stage fracturing steps are shown in FIGS. 18 to 32 . In particular, with reference to FIG. 18 , the drill string 6 is withdrawn from the wellbore (see FIG. 18 ) and a frac string 20 is run into the second section 32 (see FIG. 19 ). With reference to FIG. 20 , an isolation fluid 22 is introduced into the second section 32 through openings in the frac string 20 to fill all or part of the second section 32 . With reference to FIG. 21 , a fracturing fluid 24 is then pumped into the second section 32 through an opening in the frac string 20 at a pressure sufficient to create fractures 28 in the subterranean formation 4 in the vicinity of the end of the frac string 20 and near the end of the second section 32 . With reference to FIG. 22 , the frac string 20 is then withdrawn and, with reference to FIG. 23 , the drill string 6 is run to the end of the second section 32 through the isolation fluid 22 (not shown). The isolation fluid 22 is “cleaned up” by rotating the bit 8 through and flowing it back out of the well through the annulus between the drill string 6 and the open hole and between the drill string and the intermediate casing 10 , along with drilled material being circulated to the surface (not shown) and production (hydrocarbons or gas 30 ) from the newly formed fractures 28 . In particular, with reference to FIG. 24 (which shows the drilling/extension of a third section 34 of the wellbore 2 ), because hydrocarbons or gas 30 are now flowing into the well from fractures 28 from both the first section 18 and the second section 32 , as noted above, the well operator is able to determine in real time if the second fracture treatment has been successful at this early stage, including whether the fracture treatment composition should be changed, and whether such treatment is having a net positive or negative effect on overall flow of the hydrocarbons or gas 30 into the well. Based on the composition of the inflow up the well, the operator may determine, for instance, that the given frac treatment has been effective or may determine that a different fracturing fluid/slurry should be employed for subsequent frac treatments based on the rock formation encountered. Once again, this is to be distinguished from conventional fracking techniques where there is no real time feedback, no way to know whether a proper fracturing slurry was used at a particular stage/site, and no way for an operator to know what must be done to improve performance.
[0079] The repeated process then continues at FIG. 25 . The drill string 6 is withdrawn and a frac string 20 is run into the third section 34 (see FIG. 26 ). With reference to FIG. 27 , an isolation fluid 22 is introduced into the third section 34 through openings in the frac string 20 to fill all or part of the third section 34 . With reference to FIG. 28 , a fracturing fluid 24 is then pumped into the third section 34 through an opening in the frac string 20 at a pressure sufficient to create fractures 28 in the subterranean formation 4 in the vicinity of the end of the frac string 20 and near the end of the third section 34 . With reference to FIG. 29 , the frac string 20 is then withdrawn and, with reference to FIG. 30 , the drill string 6 is run to the end of the third section 34 through the isolation fluid 22 (not shown). The isolation fluid 22 is “cleaned up” by rotating the bit 8 through and flowing it back out of the well through the annulus between the drill string 6 and the open hole and between the drill string and the intermediate casing 10 , along with drilled material being circulated to the surface (not shown) and production (hydrocarbons or gas 30 ) from the newly formed fractures 28 . In particular, with reference to FIG. 31 (which shows the drilling/extension of a fourth section 36 of the wellbore 2 ), because hydrocarbons or gas 30 are now flowing into the well from fractures 28 from both the first section 18 , the second section 32 , and the third section 34 (see FIG. 32 ), the well operator can determine in real time if the third fracture treatment has been successful at this early stage, including whether the fracture treatment composition should be changed, and whether such change is having a net positive or negative effect on overall flow of hydrocarbons or gas 30 into the well. Based on the composition of the inflow up the well, the operator may determine, for instance, that the given frac treatment has been effective or may determine that a different fracturing fluid/slurry should be employed for subsequent frac treatments based on the rock formation encountered. Once again, this is to be distinguished from conventional fracking techniques where there is no real time feedback, no way to know whether a proper fracturing slurry was used at a particular stage/site, and no way for an operator to know what must be done to improve performance. A person skilled in the art would understand that such a process could continue further throughout the entire desired length of the wellbore.
[0080] In another exemplary embodiment (not shown), the process may proceed as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5 , however, at this stage a hybrid drill/frac string with a drill BHA on the end (not shown) is then run into the casing 10 , the shoe 16 is drilled out, and a first section 18 extending from and beyond the intermediate wellbore 2 is drilled (as in FIG. 7 ). The drill BHA part would then be disconnected from the hybrid drill/frac string and withdrawn back up to the surface through the string using a wireline or similar arrangement. An isolation fluid 22 is then introduced into the first section 18 through the hybrid drill/frac string to fill all or part of the first section 18 . The isolation fluid 22 is one which can, as stated previously, withstand the pressure created at the fracture (called fracture initiation pressure) and that therefore does not allow significant movement of a fracturing fluid to another part of the well. The isolation fluid 22 can be a suitable gel for example. A fracturing fluid 24 is then introduced through the hybrid drill/frac string into the first section 18 at a pressure sufficient to fracture the subterranean formation 4 in the vicinity of the end of the string, in a manner similar to that shown in FIG. 11 . The fracturing fluid can, once again, be a slurry of, for example, mainly water, and some sand and additives, but can include any suitable fluid including but not limited to water, salt water, hydrocarbon, acid, methanol, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, foam, emulsions, etc. The isolation fluid is cleaned up by flowing it back out of well through the hybrid drill/frac string annulus. The hybrid drill/frac string is then moved ahead and a second section beyond the first section is drilled to extend the wellbore. The isolation and fracturing steps described above can then be repeated.
[0081] FIG. 33 shows a plan view of a single leg horizontal wellbore 2 with fractures 28 propogated in a subterranean formation 4 in accordance with the methods of the present invention. FIG. 34 shows the plan view of FIG. 33 with a grid overlay showing that a horizontal wellbore 1000 m in length, with fractures extending 200 m both above and below the wellbore, will catch hydrocarbons or gas from a reservoir area of approximately 40,000 m 2 .
[0082] FIG. 35 shows that vertical or deviated wellbores 38 can be created from a horizontal wellbore 2 in accordance with the methods of the present invention in order to create a further dendritic fracture pattern in the subterranean formation. Such a wellbore and fracture pattern can be used to increase the production of hydrocarbons or gas 30 from a well site, as shown in FIG. 36 . In particular, by having, for instance, a dual wellbore configuration, as shown in FIG. 37 that is 1000 m in length, with each such wellbore having fractures that extend 200 m both above and below each wellbore, the reservoir drainage area increases significantly to approximately 80,000 m 2 (see FIG. 38 ). FIG. 39 shows how each fracture in a dual wellbore contributes to the overall production of the well.
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A method of drilling and stimulating subterranean formations is provided that allows a well operator to determine in real time if a fracture treatment has been successful, and whether the fracture treatment composition is sufficient for subsequent fracking. The method involves placing fracture treatments into a wellbore while the drilling operation is still under way. The fracture treatment is bounded in the open hole on one side by the current end of the hole and on the other side by a temporary pack off isolation fluid that has been introduced to the well by way of pumping down the existing drill string or by pumping down a separate frac string. The objective is to place the frac in the reservoir and flow it back very quickly after placement, thus increasing the chances of flowing back harmful formation damaging materials and increasing the relative productivity of the newly placed fracture treatment.
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This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 60/797,721, filed May 4, 2006.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a rotary throttle assembly including a rotatable throttle handle and a linkage mechanism contained in a casing for operating a power unit such as an engine or motor in two power settings.
The invention further relates to methods of operating portable wet concrete vibrators.
BACKGROUND AND PRIOR ART
If wet concrete is placed into a form for walls, columns, etc., and the wet concrete is left to harden as placed, the resulting concrete will be left with holes from air pockets or “air voids”. To insure that the concrete is consolidated without “air voids”, a vibrator, which sends out shock waves to push lighter trapped air up and out of the wet concrete, is used.
The vibrator generally consists of three parts: the head, flexible shaft, and power unit. The head typically consists of a tube which is sealed in the front with ball bearing and an eccentric inside driven by a flexible shaft. The flexible shaft and the attached vibrator head are driven by the power unit, which is typically an electric motor or gasoline engine. To vibrate the wet concrete, the head and shaft of the vibrator are lowered into the concrete mixture. The speed of rotation required for good consolidation is typically from 10,000 rpm to 12,000 rpm.
In the case of gasoline engine driven vibrators, the throttle setting determines the speed. Most throttles for operating engine driven vibrators are of the linkage-type, and include a pivoting lever which controls the engine through a cable. In known linkage-type throttles, the pivoting lever pulls the cable, which in turn linearly opens the throttle. To close the throttle, the pivoting lever loosens the cable, which in turn linearly closes the throttle. Typically, the lever, the pivot, and the cable are exposed.
During the consolidating (vibrating) operation, the wet concrete can splatter, and consequently, the operator's hands, which are usually both on the flexible shaft to hold and guide the vibrator (see FIG. 6 ), are covered with wet concrete. When the operator controls the throttle, the wet concrete on the operator's hands then gets deposited on the linkage-type throttle. If the wet concrete on the linkage-type throttle is not washed off at the end of the day, it will solidify and the resulting hardened concrete can inhibit the operation of the throttle and in particular, the hardened concrete can prevent the throttle lever from moving to the desired power setting (for example, 10,000 rpm-12,000 rpm required for good consolidation of concrete). This results in poorly consolidated concrete.
Furthermore, the linkage-type throttle allows the operator full control of the throttle and does not prevent the operator from operating at below the minimum speed of rotation (10,000 rpm) required for good consolidation. Thus, the operator may operate at below the desired power setting either unintentionally, or for personal reasons such as to lower the noise level.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention provides a rotatable throttle assembly in which most of the moving parts are enclosed.
The invention enables an engine to be operated hands-free in two desired power settings.
The invention provides a method of operating wet concrete vibrator by rotating a rotary throttle assembly.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows the rotary throttle in a first position.
FIG. 3 shows the rotary throttle of FIG. 2 rotated clockwise to a position in which the driven disk is at a top dead center position.
FIG. 4 shows the rotary throttle of FIG. 3 further rotated clockwise to a second position.
FIG. 5 shows the rotary throttle assembly connected to a portable motor.
FIG. 6 shows an operator carrying a portable assembly for vibrating wet concrete with the rotary throttle of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Reference is now made to FIGS. 1-4 which show a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 1 shows the parts of a rotary throttle (R) according to the invention. Handle ( 1 ) which is rotatable about an axis, is connected to a flexible shaft ( 2 ). Any rotation of the handle ( 1 ) is transmitted through the flexible shaft ( 2 ) to a drive shaft ( 3 ), which in turn rotates a driving disk ( 4 ). The driving disk ( 4 ) has cam faces which engage a driven pin ( 8 ) secured to a driven disk ( 5 ). A spring ( 6 ) is secured to the driven disk ( 5 ) at one end by a screw ( 13 ), and it is secured to a wall ( 15 ) of a casing ( 10 ) of the rotary throttle assembly at the other end. In a preferred embodiment, the spring is secured to the driven disk ( 5 ) opposite the driven pin ( 8 ). A throttle linkage ( 7 ), which is connected to the throttle of an engine (E) at one end as shown in FIG. 5 , is also secured to the driven disk ( 5 ) by a screw ( 14 ) at the other end. In a preferred embodiment, the throttle linkage is secured to the driven disk ( 5 ) at approximately 90 degrees from the spring or the driven pin ( 8 ). A stop pin ( 9 ) is secured to the casing ( 10 ).
The operation of the rotary throttle assembly will now be described with reference to FIGS. 2-4 . For illustrative purposes, the driven plate ( 5 ) is shown in FIGS. 2-4 as a transparent plate to show the configuration and relationship of the relevant parts
In a first position shown in FIG. 2 , the spring ( 6 ) exerts a tangential force in the counterclockwise direction on the driven pin ( 8 ), which in turn drives the driving disk ( 4 ) counterclockwise. However, the stop pin ( 9 ) on the casing ( 10 ) abuts the driving disk ( 4 ) and prevents the driving disk from rotating counterclockwise, which results in a first static position with a corresponding throttle linkage position, which may correspond to the “idle” or low power setting.
During operation, the operator may rotate the handle slightly clockwise which in turn rotates the drive shaft ( 3 ), the driving disk ( 4 ), the driven pin ( 8 ), the driven disk ( 5 ), and the throttle linkage clockwise. For this example, any clockwise movement of the throttle linkage translates to increasing power and higher rpm.
The operator may continue to rotate the handle slightly clockwise, and as soon as the handle is let go, the spring will rotate the driven disk ( 5 ) and the throttle linkage back to the first, idle position. This may be particularly useful after a cold start when the temperature is low to slightly rev the engine and warm up the engine.
As the operator continues to rotate the handle clockwise, the driving disk ( 4 ) will reach a “top dead center” position in which the spring ( 6 ) is stretched the furthest as shown in FIG. 3 . In this position, a slight rotation of the driven disk ( 5 ) on which the spring is secured will cause the spring to contract and rotate in the sane direction.
If the operator continues to rotate the handle clockwise past the “top dead center” position, the spring ( 6 ) will exert a tangential force in the clockwise direction and move the driven pin ( 8 ) and the driving plate ( 4 ) clockwise until the driving plate abuts the stop pin ( 9 ), which prevents the assembly from rotating clockwise any further, resulting in the position shown in FIG. 4 . In a preferred embodiment, this moves the throttle lever ( 7 ) to a desired operating position, which in the example of concrete vibrator, is the position in which the vibrator is vibrating at 10,000 to 12,000 rpm.
To return the throttle to the idle position, the operator simply operates the rotary throttle as described above in reverse (counterclockwise). Namely, the operator rotates the throttle handle ( 1 ) counterclockwise, which rotates the driving disk ( 4 ) in the same direction to engage the driven pin ( 8 ). This in turn rotates the driven disk ( 5 ) until the driven disk ( 5 ) reaches the top dead center position. Once the driven disk ( 5 ) rotates past the top dead center position in the counterclockwise direction, the spring ( 6 ) will contract and moves the lever ( 7 ) back to the idle position.
As shown in FIG. 5 , the rotary throttle assembly may be enclosed by a casing ( 10 ). The casing ( 10 ) houses the drive shaft ( 3 ), the driving disk ( 4 ), the driven pin ( 8 ), the driven disk ( 5 ), the spring ( 6 ), the stop pin ( 9 ), and has an opening ( 11 ) through which the throttle linkage ( 7 ) extends and connects to the engine (E). The flexible shaft ( 2 ) is preferably enclosed inside a handle bar ( 12 ), which at one end connects to the casing ( 10 ), and at the other end connects to the handle ( 1 ).
In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the engine (E) is a portable engine mounted to a backpack (B). The throttle assembly is positioned behind the back of the operator during operation, and is essentially shielded from any splattering wet concrete by the operator. Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 6 , the only part of the rotary throttle assembly handled by the user during operation is the throttle handle ( 1 ). However, the throttle handle ( 1 ) can be readily cleaned and even if wet concrete is deposited thereon and left to set, would not affect the operation of the rotary throttle assembly. Other than the throttle handle ( 1 ), the rotary throttle assembly has essentially no disposed parts on which wet concrete can be deposited.
The foregoing describes a preferred embodiment in which the controlled engine is an internal combustion engine. However, an alternative power drive system is contemplated, such as an electric motor.
Furthermore, although the invention is disclosed with reference to particular embodiments thereof, it will become apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications and variations can be made which will fall within the scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the attached claims. For example, although the operation of the rotary throttle assembly has been described with respect to a concrete vibrator, one skilled in the art will be able to utilize the rotary throttle assembly in many other applications where it is desirable to operate an engine in two power settings or in applications where it is important to ensure that an engine operates at a certain power.
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A rotary throttle assembly is disclosed for operating a power unit such as an engine or a motor in either a first power setting or a second power setting. The rotary throttle assembly may be used in a concrete vibrator to operate the vibrator in either an idle power setting or a desired power setting. The throttle assembly includes a rotatable throttle handle, a linkage mechanism contained in a casing, and means for urging the throttle assembly selectively to adopt a first position or a second position.
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This is a division of application Ser. No. 170,557, filed Mar. 21, 1988.
FIELD OF APPLICATION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the art of organic chemistry, namely to novel compounds - ethyl-3-(2-ethyl-2,2-dimethylhydrazinium)-propionate salts possessing an antiarrhythmic effect which can be useful in medicine as active ingredients of pharmaceutical preparations.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Known in the art are 3-(2,2,2-trisubstituted hydrazinium)-propionates possessing both hypotensive and antiarrhythmic activity (U.S. Pat. No. 4,633,014).
The closest prior art compound in respect of its chemical structure is 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium)-propionate (quaterine) possessing an antiarrhythmic effect (U.S. Pat. No. 4,451,485).
However, 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium)-propionate similarly to 3-(2,2,2-trisubstituted hydrazinium)-propionates is effective on models of toxic arrhythmiae, whereas under the conditions of cardiological clinics toxic arrhythmiae are encountered rather rarely, while actually originating arrhythmiae are the result of a combined effect of stresses, ischemia, reoxygenation, cardiosclerosis. In experiments on models of toxic arrhythmiae, 3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium)-propionate decreases the frequency of occurrence of arrhythmiae and heart fibrillation, but the effect is observed as a result of a 10-days' administration which, when applied to a human being, corresponds to a considerably longer period of time. Furthermore, the antiarrhythmic effect of this compound was manifested only in the form of a preventive effect in the case of acute ischemia. Its effect in the case of reoxygenation arrhythmiae, as well as post-infarction cardiosclerosis, has not been studied.
This preparation has found no application in medicine as an antiarrhythmic agent.
The compounds according to the present invention, viz. ethyl-3-(2-ethyl-2,2-dimethylhydrazinium)-propionate salts are novel and hitherto unknown in the literature.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide novel compounds displaying activity in respect of ischemic arrhythmiae and arrhythmiae caused by post-infarction cardiosclerosis.
This object is accomplished by providing, according to the present invention, novel compounds, viz. ethyl-3-(2-ethyl-2,2-dimethylhydrazinium)-propionate salts of the general formula: ##STR2## wherein X is Cl, I, Br.
The compounds according to the present invention are colourless crystalline substances well soluble in water, alcohols, chloroform, and insoluble in non-polar solvents. The m.p. is 73° to 112° C. The structure of the compounds according to the present invention has been proven by the data of elemental analysis and PMR spectrography.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The compounds according to the present invention possess an antiarrhythmic activity which has been studied in experiments on animals.
The antiarrhythmic effect of the compounds according to the present invention has been studied in succession on two models. The former model utilized rats of the Vistar line under Nembutal narcosis (50 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) under conditions of open thorax and artificial pulmonary ventilation wherein an electrocardiogram was recorded and the electric threshold of the heart fibrillation was determined by the method described hereinbelow and then an acute myocardial ischemia was simulated by ligation of the left coronary artery. 4-6 minutes after the creation of ischemia the electrical threshold of the heart fibrillation was measured again. Later on, within the period of 7-10 min of ischemia a progressive cardiac rhythm disturbance ranging from extrasystoles to ventricular tachycardia and fibrillation. The duration of these arrhythmiae was measured in seconds. Then the coronary occlusion was removed and in this manner the phenomenon of reperfusion (reoxygenation) of the myocardium was reproduced. In response thereto, so-called reperfusion arrhythmiae occurred the duration of which was also measured in seconds. In these experiments, the effect of the compounds according to the present invention on the ischemic depression of the heart fibrillation threshold, as well as on the severity of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae was evaluated.
The second model utilized rats of the Vistar line wherein an experimental myocardial infarction was created according to Sellier, i.e. by way of ligation of the left coronary artery and, 1.5 months thereafter, at a pronounced post-infarction cardiosclerosis and presence of a dense connective-tissue cicatrix of a more than 100 mg mass, the electrical threshold of the heart fibrillation and its ectopic activity were determined. For the determination of the electrical threshold of the heart fibrillation, thoracotomy was performed and, by means of a stimulator energized from the R wave of the electrocardiogram the heart was irritated by untimely single pulses of 10 ms duration through a coaxial electrode intramurally introduced into the right ventricle. By way of scanning, the R-T range with three-threshold pulses the beginning of the relative refractory period was found, i.e. the moment at which a single response occurred in reaction to the irritation. The time from the wave R to this point was considered as the effective refractory period. The value of the threshold of fibrillation of ventricles was assessed as a minimum current force in mA at which fibrillation took place. In these experiments, the current force that caused fibrillation was recorded simultaneously with the electrocardiogram and the arterial pressure in the carotid artery.
In the determination of the ectopic activity of the heart, its response to irritation of the vagus nerve was assessed. In so doing, the right vagus nerve in the neck was isolated and its peripheral end was irritated using platinum electrodes (duration--2 ms, delay--5 ms, frequency--20 Hz) by means of an electrostimulator. After the determination of the threshold current force equal to 0.3-0.4 mA, the response to irritation was successively evaluated with the interval of 5 min the irritation value being equal to 1, 2, 3 and 4 threshold values. In these experiments, the electrocardiogram was taken and arterial pressure in the carotid artery was recorded by means of an electric pressure gauge.
For a comparative assessment of the arrhythmic activity of the compounds according to the present invention on all models of arrhythmiae, the antiarrhythmic effect of a close chemical analog--quaterine and a known antiarrhythmic preparation--lidocain was studied.
The compound according to the present invention, viz. ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate iodide was administered per os in the sole dose of 25 mg/kg two hours before the experiment. Quaterine was administered in a similar manner, but in the dose of 100 mg/kg; lidocain was administered in the dose of 5 mg/kg which is usually employed in clinics for arresting arrhythmia, 5 min before the coronary occlusion or before the acute experiment.
The test results are shown in Tables 1-3 hereinbelow.
The data shown in Tables 1 to 3 demonstrate the results of the first stage of the studies. In this stage the effect of the above-mentioned compound according to the present invention, quaterine and lidocain on the ischemic depression of the fibrillation threshold and pronouncedness of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae was studied.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________Effect of the compound according to the present invention,viz. ethyl-3-(2,2-dinethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionateiodide on the fibrillation threshold of ventricles and heartrhythm disturbances in ischemia and reperfusion Ischemia Initial Electrical electri- threshold Fib- cal thres- of ventri- rilla- ReperfusionGroups of Initial hold of cular fib- Ventricu- Ventricu- tion. Ventricu- Ventricu- Fibril-animals heart ventricu- rillation lar extra- lar tachy- Total Total du- lar extra- lar tachy- lation. ration of(15 ani- beat lar fib- on the systole, cardia, dura- ration of systole. cardia. Total ration ofmals in rate, rillation, 4-6th total du- total du- tion, arrhyth- Total du- total du dura- miae, seach) beat/min mA minute ration, s ration, s s miae, s ration, s ration, tion miae, s1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12__________________________________________________________________________Control 403 ± 6 6.0 ± 0.3 1.0 ± 0.1 176 354 (3)* 405 935 174 574 347 1095Compounds 400 ± 6.7 7.0 ± 0.5 2.5 ± 0.2 175 (2)* 189 (6)* 5 369 67 349 149 565of thisinventionStatistical P > 0.5 P > 0.5 P < 0.01certaintyof differ-ences bet-ween thecontroland testgroups__________________________________________________________________________ Note. In brackets with the sign* indicated is the number of animals in th group wih the specified rhythm disturbances.
TABLE 2__________________________________________________________________________Effect of quaterine on the threshod of fibriation of theheart ventricles and heart rhythm disturbances in ischemiaand reperfusion (m ± m and M) Ischemia Initial Electrical electri- threshold Fib- cal thres- of ventri- rilla- ReperfusionGroups of Initial hold of cular fib- Ventricu- Ventricu- tion. Ventricu- Ventricu- Fibril-animals heart ventricu- rillation lar extra- lar tachy- Total Total du- lar extra- lar tachy- lation. ration of(15 ani- beat lar fib- on the systole, cardia, dura- ration of systole. cardia. Total ration ofmals in rate, rillation, 4-6th total du- total du- tion, arrhyth- Total du- total du dura- miae, seach) beat/min mA minute ration, s ration, s s miae, s ration, s ration, tion miae, s1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12__________________________________________________________________________Control 310 ± 12 7.0 ± 0.6 1.2 ± 0.1 168 303 350 820 221 458 430 1109Quaterine 340 ± 15 4.8 ± 0.8 1.5 ± 0.1 206 370 411 987 230 425 438 1103Statistical >0.5 <0.05 >0.5certaintyof differ-ences bet-ween thecontrol andtest groupsP.sub.1-2__________________________________________________________________________
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________Effect of lidocain on the threshold of fibrilation of theheart ventricles and heart rhythm disturbances in ischemiaand reperfusion Ischemia Initial Electrical electri- threshold Fib- cal thres- of ventri- rilla- ReperfusionGroups of Initial hold of cular fib- Ventricu- Ventricu- tion. Ventricu- Ventricu- Fibril-animals heart ventricu- rillation lar extra- lar tachy- Total Total du- lar extra- lar tachy- lation. ration of(15 ani- beat lar fib- on the systole, cardia, dura- ration of systole. cardia. Total ration ofmals in rate, rillation, 4-6th total du- total du- tion, arrhyth- Total du- total du dura- miae, seach) beat/min mA minute ration, s ration, s s miae, s ration, s ration, tion miae, s1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12__________________________________________________________________________Control 403 ± 6 6.0 ± 0.1 1.0 ± 0.1 176 354 405 935 174 574 347 1095Lidocain 395 ± 8.3 7.1 ± 0.5 1.3 ± 0.3 175 300 375 850 153 498 351 902Statistical P > 0.5 P > 0.5 P > 0.5certaintyof differ-ences bet-ween thecontrol andtest groups__________________________________________________________________________
The data shown in Table 1 make it possible to assess the antiarrhythmic effect of the above-mentioned compound according to the present invention. As it is seen from this Table, an acute myocardial ischemia caused by coronary occlusion results in a many-time fall of the fibrillation threshold in the control animals already within 4-6 min the threshold current force necessary to cause fibrillation is 1 mA, not 6 mA as in the initial state. On the 6-10th minutes of ischemia a growing rhythm disorder is developing--from extrasystoles and ventricular tachycardia to fibrillation. The total duration of these arrhythmiae for the control animals, as it is seen from Table 1, is slightly shorter than 1,000 s, the fibrillation taking 405 s. In other words, an acute cardiac ischemia in these experiments, likewise in experiments carried out by other researchers, results, at the beginning, in a many-time drop of the fibrillation threshold, i.e. in a higher "preparedness" of the heart to arrhythmiae, and then--in the development of arrhythmiae and fibrillation per se. It also follows from the data of Table 1 that after the elimination of the coronary occlusion--during the period of reperfusion--the heart rhythm disturbances do not disappear and, in some cases, can even be aggravated and, as a result, the total duration of arrhythmiae over 5 min of reperfusion becomes the same as in the case of ischemia, i.e. exceeds 1,000 s.
Therefore, we have had the opportunity for observing severe ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae and to evaluate them quantitatively. As it is further seen from the data of Table 1, a preliminary administration of the compound according to the present invention in the above-specified dose substantially prevents the heart disturbances discussed hereinabove and usually originating in the case of ischemia and myocardial reperfusion. This preparation substantially prevents the ischemic depression of the fibrillation threshold: while in the control the threshold decreased under the effect of ischemia by six times, in the animals administered with the compound according to the present invention this drops was by 2.5 times less. Under the influence of the compound according to the present invention, the phenomena of fibrillation of the heart were substantially completely prevented and the total duration of arrhythmiae in the case of ischemia was reduced by three times. A similar effect was demonstrated by the compound according to the present invention in the case of reperfusion arrhythmia. It should be noted that the compound according to the present invention reduced the occurrence of the heart fibrillation by more than two times and nearly twice reduces the total duration of arrhythmiae in the case of reperfusion.
The data shown in Table 2 illustrate the effect of the second studied preparation--quaterine which has the structure most close to that of the compound according to the present invention. As it is seen from Table 2, an acute myocardial ischemia and the subsequent reperfusion in these experiments have resulted in the control animals in the same disturbances of the heart rhythm that were obtained in the previous study in the control animals and described hereinabove (Table 1). This demonstrates the stability of the employed model and experiment conditions. At the same time, the data of Table 2 show that a preliminary administration, prior to coronary occlusion, of quaterine in a dose equivalent to the dose of the compound according to the present invention produced substantially no effect on the origination and character of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae.
Shown in Table 3 are the data illustrating the effect of a preliminary administration of a known antiarrhythmic preparation--lidocain--on the threshold of fibrillation, pronouncedness of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae under conditions of an acute experiment. It follows from the data of this Table that this known preparation of the antiarrhythmic effect shows substantially no preventive influence on said arrhythmiae. This is in correspondence with the known showing data that lidocain is effective only for arresting arrhythmiae, but it has no preventive effect. Therefore, the studies for evaluation of the antiarrhythmic effect of the compound according to the present invention, quaterine and lidocain on a model of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae show that the compound according to the present invention displays a pronounced antiarrhythmic effect, both in the case of ischemic and reperfusion arrhythmiae. Quaterine and lidocain do not possess a similar effect.
Also studied was the effect produced by the preparations according to the present invention on the disturbance of the heart electrical stability and its ectopic activity in the case of a post-infarction cardiosclerosis, i.e. under conditions where these preparations were administered not for prevention, but for elimination of disorders of the electrical stability of the heart. Such experimental therapy was conducted under conditions of the absence of stress and of an acute ischemia. The results of the tests are shown in Tables 4 through 6 hereinbelow.
The data shown in Table 4 illustrate the antiarrhythmic effect of the compound according to the present invention in the case of post-infarction cardiosclerosis; they were obtained on animals employed in experiments 1.5 months after the induction of the left ventricle infarction. The determination of the electrical threshold of the heart fibrillation and its ectropic activity were carried out using the above-described method. As it is shown in Table 4, post-infarction cardiosclerosis, providing no substantial influence on the negative chronotropic effect of the vagus nerve, results in a considerable reduction of the fibrillation threshold, i.e. in an increased "preparedness" of the heart to arrhythmiae; it also results in the appearance of rhythm disorders in the form of extrasystole under conditions of stimulation of the vagus nerve: the fibrillation threshold in the case of cardiosclerosis becomes reduced by 2.8 times as compared with the control, the total number of extrasystoles appearing against the background of stimulation of vagus nerve is 401, whereas in the intact animals no rhythm disturbances are observed under the same conditions. As it is also seen from Table 4, the compound according to the present invention to a considerable extent removes the above-mentioned disturbances in the electrical stability of the heart. It is seen that under the effect of the preparation of this invention the threshold of the heart fibrillation is increased to a value which does not differ with statistical certainty from the control value, while the total number of extrasystoles is decreased by 5 times. Therefore, the compound according to the present invention provides an essential antiarrhythmic effect in the case of post-infarctional cardiosclerosis.
The data shown in Table 5 demonstrate the results of studies for evaluation of the antiarrhythmic effect of quaterine in the case of post-infarctional cardiosclerosis. They point to similarity of values of the characteristics obtained in this study for the control animals and the animals with cardiosclerosis to the values of the characteristics obtained in corresponding groups of the animals employed in the previous study wherein the effect of the compound according to the present invention was evaluated. This proves the stability of the model of the post-infarctional cardiosclerosis and conditions of the experiment in these studies. At the same time, as it also follows from the data of Table 5, quaterine administered in the dose equivalent to the dose of the compound according to the present invention provides no protective therapeutic effect in the case of a disturbed electrical stability of the heart in post-infarctional cardiosclerosis, i.e. it has shown no antiarrhythmic effect.
The data of Table 6 reflect the results of the experiments, wherein the effect of the antiarrhythmic preparation--lidocain--on disturbances of the electrical stability of the heart was evaluated in the case of post-infarctional cardiosclerosis. It is seen that lidocain did not remove the disturbances of electrical stability, of the heart, i.e. its "preparedness" to arrhythmiae which, as it has been already mentioned hereinbefore, corresponds to the general idea of the effect produced by this preparation.
Therefore, the compound according to the present invention when administered perorally in a single non-toxic dose displays a clearly pronounced antiarrhythmic effect in ischemic arrhythmiae, reperfusion arrhythmiae; it also eliminates the disturbances of the electrical stability of the heart, i.e. its "preparedness" to arrhythmiae in post-infarctional cardiosclerosis. Quaterine and lidocain, upon the same mode of administration in an equivalent dosage, do not possess a preventive antiarrhythmic effect in the case of ischemia and reperfusion; neither they remove the disturbances of the heart electrical stability in the case of post-infarctional cardiosclerosis. On the basis of the tests thus performed, it has been found out that the compounds according to the present invention possess a clearly pronounced antiarrhythmic effect at a single-time oral administration in the case of ischemic and reoxygenational arrhythmiae and can be useful in clinics for prevention and elimination of already shaped disturbances of the electrical stability of the heart, i.e. its "preparedness" to arrhythmiae, in post-infarctional cardiosclerosis.
The compounds according to the present invention are low-toxic ones. Upon an intraperitoneal administration to white mice the LD 50 of ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate iodide is 145 mg/kg, the LD 50 of ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate bromide is 120 mg/kg, and LD 50 of ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate chloride is 120 mg/kg.
TABLE 4__________________________________________________________________________Effect of the compound according to the present invention onthe threshold of ventricular fibrillation and ectopic heartactivity in post-infarctional cardiosclerosis (M ± m and M) Value of reduction of the Total num-No. of beat rate under the effect Threshold ber of ex-the Threshold volt- stimulation of vagus nerve, of ventri- trasys-group Initial heart age upon stimu- beat/min cular toles inof ani- beat rate, lation of vagus 1 thres- 2 thres- 3 thres- 4 thres- rillation, vagus bra-mals Groups of animals beat/min nerve, V hold holds holds holds mA dycardia1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10__________________________________________________________________________1 Control (10 animals) 398 ± 12 0.23 ± 0.002 56 ± 4 158 ± 16 176 ± 16 200 ± 16 5.8 ± 0.4 --2 Compound of the present 412 ± 9 0.40 ± 0.100 54 ± 5 129 ± 22 147 ± 21 161 ± 17 5.8 ± C.4 -- invention (8 animals)3 Cardiosclerosis 383 ± 8 0.28 ± 0.05 47 ± 6.7 144 ± 20 174 ± 22 209 ± 21 2.1 ± 0.2 401 (9 animals)4 Cardioslerosis + the 352 ± 8 0.25 ± 0.03 40 ± 8 99 ± 25 116 ± 24 124 ± 27 4.3 ± 0.5 81 compound of the present invention (9 animals)__________________________________________________________________________ Statistical certainty of differences between groups No 1 and No 2 P.sub.1-2 > 0.05 > 0.05 No 1 and No 3 P.sub.1-3 > 0.05 < 0.001 No 3 and No 4 P.sub.3-4 < 0.05 < 0.001 No 1 and No 4 P.sub.1-4 > 0.05 > 0.05
TABLE 5__________________________________________________________________________Effect of quaterine on the threshold of ventricularfibrillation and ectopic hear activity in post-infarctional cardiosclerosis Value of reduction of the Total num-No. of beat rate under the effect Threshold ber of ex-the Initial Threshold volt- stimulation of vagus nerve, of ventri- trasys-group heart age upon stimu- beat/min cular toles inof ani- beat rate, lation of vagus 1 thres- 2 thres- 3 thres- 4 thres- rillation vagus bra-mals Groups of animals beat/min nerve, V hold holds holds holds mA dycardia1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10__________________________________________________________________________1 Control (10 animals) 400 ± 14 0.26 ± 0.002 52 ± 5 141 ± 14 173 ± 15 198 ± 19 6.4 ± 0.5 --2 Quaterine (9 animals) 409 ± 11 0.30 ± 0.004 56 ± 4 150 ± 17 166 ± 16 205 ± 21 6.1 ± 0.6 --3 Cardiosclerosis (9 animals) 395 ± 10 0.32 ± 0.03 45 ± 5 147 ± 16 170 ± 20 210 ± 18 2.3 ± 0.2 4874 Cardiosclerosis + quaterine 390 ± 12 0.25 ± 0.003 48 ± 6 152 ± 19 181 ± 21 200 ± 23 2.5 ± 0.4 343 (9 animals)__________________________________________________________________________ Statistical certainty of differences between groups No 1 and No 2 P.sub.1-2 > 0.05 > 0.05 No 1 and No 3 P.sub.1-3 > 0.05 < 0.001 No 3 and No 4 P.sub.3-4 > 0.05 > 0.05 No 1 and No 4 P.sub.1-4 > 0.05 < 0.001
TABLE 6__________________________________________________________________________Effect of lidocain on the threshold of ventricularfibrillation and ectopic activity of the heart inpost-infarctional cardiosclerosis Value of reduction of the Total num-No. of beat rate under the effect Threshold ber of ex-the Initial Threshold volt- stimulation of vagus nerve, of ventri- trasys-group heart age upon stimu- beat/min cular toles inof ani- beat rate, lation of vagus 1 thres- 2 thres- 3 thres- 4 thres- rillation, vagus bra-mals Groups of animals beat/min nerve, V hold holds holds holds mA dycardia1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10__________________________________________________________________________1 Control (10 animals) 398 ± 12 0.23 ± 0.002 56 ±]5 158 ± 16 176 ± 16 200 ± 16 5.8 ± 0.4 --2 Lidocain (8 animals) 400 ± 8 0.20 ± 0.05 54 ± 5 142 ± 12 160 ± 13 160 ± 15 6.2 ± 0.5 --3 Cardiosclerosis (9 animals) 383 ± 15 0.28 ± 0.05 47 ± 6 144 ± 20 174 ± 22 209 ± 21 2.1 ± 0.2 4014 Cardiosclerosis + lidocain 370 ± 20 0.25 ± 0.04 49 ± 6 156 ± 18 179 ± 20 200 ± 23 2.6 ± 0.4 367 (9 animals)__________________________________________________________________________ Statistical certainty of differences between groups No 1 and No 2 P.sub.1-2 > 0.05 > 0.05 No 1 and No 3 P.sub.1-3 > 0.05 < 0.001 No 3 and No 4 P.sub.3-4 > 0.05 > 0.05 No 1 and No 4 P.sub.1-4 > 0.05 < 0.001
The compounds according to the present invention, viz. ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate salts are prepared by alkylation of a known compound - ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethylhydrazinium)-propionate by means of ethylhalides in absolute ethanol in an inert atmosphere at the solvent boiling temperature for 10 hours, or by way of changing the halo-anion from ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate iodide by passing an aqueous solution of the latter through an anion-exchange resin in its chloride or bromide form respectively.
For a better understanding of the present invention, some specific examples illustrating the method for preparing the compounds of this invention are given hereinbelow.
EXAMPLE 1
To a solution of 87 g (0.54 mol) of ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethylhydrazino)-propionate in 400 ml of absolute ethanol 94 g (0.6 mol) of ethyl iodide are added. The resulting mixture is heated on a water bath in the atmosphere of nitrogen for 10 hours. The solvent is evaporated under a reduced pressure. After treatment with acetone a precipitate is formed which is filtered-off and washed with acetone. Crystallization is effected from a mixture ethanol-acetone. The yield of the desired product - ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate iodide is 142 g (83.2%), melting point is 110°-112° C.
Found, %: C 34.50, H 6.85, N 9.05. C 9 H 21 H 2 O 2 J. Calculated, %: C 34.19, H 6.69, N 8.86.
The PMR spectrum (in CDCl 3 ): δ1.28 (t, 3H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 1.45 (t, 3H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 2.67 (t, 2H, CH 2 COOC 2 H 5 ); 3.24 (dt, 2H, CH 2 NH); 3.57 (s, 6H, N + (CH 3 ) 2 ); 3.81 (q, 2H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 4.14 (q, 2H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 6.64 ppm (t, 1H, NH).
EXAMPLE 2
The process is conducted in a manner similar to that described in the foregoing Example 1. The desired product is crystallized from a mixture ethanol--acetone. The yield of the desired product - ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate bromide is 90.5%, the melting point is 108.5° C.
Found, %: C 40.35, H 7.25, N 10.70. C 9 H 21 N 2 O 2 Br. Calculated, %: C 40.16, H 7.05, N 10.41.
The PMR spectrum (in CDCl 3 ): δ1.26 (t, 3H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 1.43 (t, 3H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 2.66 (t, 2H, CH 2 COOC 2 H 5 ); 3.22 (dt, 2H, CH 2 NH); 3.52 (s, 6H, N + (CH 3 ) 2 ; 3.79 (q, 2H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 4.13 (q, 2H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 7.19 ppm (t, 1H, NH).
EXAMPLE 3
A solution of 19.5 g (62 mmol) of ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate iodide in 100 ml of water is passed through a strongly basic ion-exchange resin IRA-400 (in the form of chloride-ion). Elution is effected with water. The combined aqueous solution is evaporated under a reduced pressure. The residue is crystallized from acetone.
The yield of the desired product is 11.8 g (89.9%) - ethyl-3-(2,2-dimethyl-2-ethylhydrazinium)-propionate chloride. M.p. 73°-74° C.
Found, %: C 45.36, H 10.05, N 13.32, C 9 H 21 N 2 O 2 Cl. Calculated, %: C 45.17, H 9.95, N 13.17.
The PMR spectrum (in CDCl 3 ): δ1.26 (t. 3H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 1.43 (t, 3H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 2.62 (t, 2H, CH 2 COOC 2 H 5 ); 3.18 (t, 2H, CH 2 NH); 3.53 (s, 6H, N + (CH 3 ) 2 ): 3.82 (q, 2H, N + CH 2 CH 3 ); 4.14 (q, 2H, OCH 2 CH 3 ); 7.4 ppm (s, 1H, NH).
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The present invention relates to the art of organic chemistry. The novel compounds - ethyl-3-(2-ethyl-2,2-dimethylhydrazinium)-propionate salts have the general formula: ##STR1## wherein X is Cl, Br, I. The compounds of the present invention possess an antiarrhythmic effect.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] Not Applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not Applicable.
REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX
[0003] Not Applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] 1. Field of the Invention
[0005] The present invention relates to stowage systems and methods for carrying vehicles in a container, and particularly to collapsible assemblies.
[0006] 2. Description of Related Art
[0007] Several systems have been developed to transport vehicles in containers. Many systems are expensive and inefficient because they require auxiliary power units for electric, pneumatic, hydraulic, or forklift vehicle-handling apparatus.
[0008] The prior systems are cumbersome and take up a great deal of space even when disassembled. Moreover, the prior art systems are very complex and expensive and can require several people for setup and takedown.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In one aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame including a front end and a rear end, the frame further including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame. Each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion to which is mounted a respective front and rear horizontal crossbar by way of first means for mounting the crossbars horizontally between the post members. A ramp means having a rear end portion and a front end portion is removably mountable on the crossbars. Each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member. The means for mounting the respective front and rear crossbar to respective post members includes means for mounting the second end portions of the crossbar members to respective post members.
[0010] The means for mounting the second end portions of the crossbar members includes means for rotatably mounting the crossbar members to respective front and rear post members and for slideably mounting the crossbar members to respective front and rear post members. The first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length.
[0011] The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, the frame defining an interior space when the assembly is in said open position. The means for connecting the first end portions of respective crossbar members includes hinge means for folding the crossbar members inwardly into the interior space when the assembly is moved from the open position to the closed position. The means for mounting the second end portions of respective crossbar members includes means for selectively adjusting the vertical position of the crossbar members for selectively controlling the angle and height of the ramp means secured to the crossbars.
[0012] In other aspects of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, the frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame. Each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion. There are front and rear horizontal crossbars, and first means for mounting the front crossbar horizontally between the post members at the front end of the frame and second means for mounting the rear crossbar horizontally between the post members at the rear end of the frame. A ramp means is included having a rear end portion and a front end portion removably mountable on the crossbars. Each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member and the first and second means for mounting respective front and rear cross to respective front and rear post members incilding means for mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members to respective front and rear post members. The means for mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members includes means for rotatably and slideably mounting the first and second crossbar members to the respective front and rear post members.
[0013] The first and second crossbar members are of substantially equal length. The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, the frame defining an interior space when the assembly is in the open position and a closed position for storing the assembly, the crossbar being folded inwardly about the hinge means in the closed position. There is also securing means for securing folded crossbars to the frame to inhibit movement of the folded crossbars when the assembly is in the closed position. Also included is securing means for removably affixing the ramp means to said assembly and for attaching the front end portion of the ramp means to the front crossbar. The means for mounting the second end portions of the respective crossbar members includes means for selectively locating each crossbar independently to the respective post member at a plurality of selectable heights above the floor of a container for selectively controlling the angle and height of the ramp means secured to the crossbars.
[0014] In a further aspect of the present invention there is provided a collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a substantially rectangular container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, an end wall and a door comprising a frame having a front end and a rear end, the frame including two pairs of spaced vertical post members, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end of the frame and each post member has an upper end portion and a lower end portion. A front and rear horizontal crossbar is included and there is first means for mounting the front crossbar horizontally between the post members at the front end of the frame and second means for mounting the rear crossbar horizontally between the post members at the rear end of the frame. The ramp means has a rear end portion and a front end portion and securing means is connected between one end portion of the ramp means and one crossbar for securing one end portion of the ramp means to one crossbar. The assembly has an open position for carrying a vehicle on the ramp means and a closed position for storing the assembly, and each crossbar includes a first and second crossbar member having first and second end portions and hinge means for connecting the first end portion of the first crossbar member to the first end portion of the second crossbar member. The crossbars are foldable about the hinge means when the assembly is in the closed position. Also included is first and second means for mounting the respective front and rear cross to the respective front and rear post members for rotatably and slideably mounting the second end portions of the first and second crossbar members to the respective front and rear post members. There is also means for securing the frame to a floor of a container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING
[0015] The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention are set forth with particularity in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as to its organization and method of operation, 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:
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 is a side-elevation view of the collapsible assembly in accord with the present invention shown carrying a vehicle ramp;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2 is a partial elevation of the rear securing apparatus for a ramp and the height adjustment apparatus used in FIG. 1;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the front securing apparatus for a ramp;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 is a rear elevation view of the rear crossbar showing the location of the vehicle ramps;
[0020] [0020]FIG. 5 is a front elevation of the front crossbar;
[0021] [0021]FIG. 6 is a top view of the crossbars of FIGS. 4 and 5 shown partially closed and connected to the upper frame members;
[0022] [0022]FIG. 7 is a top view of the assembly shown in collapsed form;
[0023] [0023]FIG. 8 is a side view of the assembly in a closed position;
[0024] [0024]FIG. 9 is a detail of the center-hinged portion of a crossbar in the closed position of FIG. 7;
[0025] [0025]FIG. 10 is a detail of the top of the hinged portion of a crossbar in the open position;
[0026] [0026]FIG. 11 is a top view of the hinged portion of a crossbar with a partially closed position in broken line and a fully closed position in solid line.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 12 is a side view of the hinged portion of a crossbar in the open posi tion; and
[0028] [0028]FIG. 13 is a side view of an assembly in accord with the present invention mounted in a cargo container and carrying a vehicle.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0029] With respect now to the drawings, the collapsible assembly set up for use for carrying a vehicle is illustrated at numeral 10 in FIG. 1. The assembly 10 is comprised of a frame having two spaced L-shaped lower frame members 11 and two spaced upper frame members 12 . Two spaced telescoping front post members 16 and two spaced telescoping rear post members 17 are rigidly connected between the end portions of the lower and upper members 11 and 12 respectively. Three pairs of spaced strut members 13 , 14 , and 15 provide additional rigidity and strength Cor assembly 10 .
[0030] An upper flange 18 and lower flange 19 provide a securing member for the respective rear and front hinge apparatus via members 20 , 21 and 22 , 23 respectively, as will be explained hereinbelow. Front 24 and rear 25 securing apparatus for a pair of spaced ramps 27 and height adjustment means 26 will also be described hereinbelow.
[0031] In FIG. 2, a partial detail of one end of a crossbar 25 or 26 is illustrated. Crossbar member 30 is welded to a sleeve or collar member 34 that is slidable and rotatable. Sleeve member 34 is movable upwardly above stop 35 to allow a pin 33 ′ to be inserted through aligned holes 33 and 34 ′ to adjust the height of member 30 above stop 35 which is affixed to the lower portion of post 17 .
[0032] Pin 28 is used to secure a ramp 27 (shown only pictorially) to crossbar 26 . Pin 28 is shaped to pit into hole 31 and rest on top of ramp lip 29 . Gusset 32 provides for additional strength.
[0033] [0033]FIG. 3 illustrates how the lower end of a ramp 27 is secured to front crossbar members 30 and 47 . Lock pin 38 is carried by bracket 36 and is biased via spring 37 . Pin 38 fits through a hole 45 in front crossbar 25 . Support plate 40 is welded to hinge 41 to which is also welded support plate 39 . Pin 38 fits through hole 42 in support plate 39 . Apparatus 24 allows for adjustments of the mounting angle between ramp 27 and front crossbar 25 as the height of the rear crossbar 26 is changed without removing a ramp 27 from the crossbars 25 , 26 .
[0034] In FIG. 4, rear crossbar 26 is shown from the rear mounted between rear posts 17 . Crossbar 26 includes two members 30 and 47 and hinge apparatus 46 that provides an articulated linkage means between the members 30 , 47 . Ramps 27 are shown only pictorially to illustrate their relative position.
[0035] [0035]FIG. 5 provides a front view of front crossbar 25 mounted between front posts 16 .
[0036] Preferably, crossbars 25 and 26 are identical. In addition, front posts 16 are identical. In addition, front posts 16 are preferably identical with rear posts 17 with the exception that the lower portion of each front post 16 is shorter than the lower portion of rear post 17 .
[0037] In FIG. 6 a top view of the assembly 10 is shown partially collapsed. Each crossbar 25 , 26 folds via hinge apparatus 46 thus drawing the upper frame members 12 and lower frame members 11 closely together inwardly in a parallel manner with crossbars 25 , 26 essentially folded in half and positioned between the lower and upper members 11 and 12 .
[0038] [0038]FIG. 7 illustrates a top view of the assembly 10 that has been collapsed to a width of approximately 5 ″ for storage purposes.
[0039] [0039]FIGS. 8 and 9 illustrate a side view of the assembly 10 that has been collapsed for storage purposes. The hinge apparatus 46 is secured to a respective flange 18 , 19 by positioning a locking pin 38 through respective locking lock plate 20 and 22 (FIG. 9).
[0040] FIGS. 9 - 12 illustrate the hinge apparatus used in the present invention. Each crossbar 25 , 26 has each end portion welded to a respective sleeve 34 . Medially of each crossbar 25 and 26 the two members 30 and 47 , which are of substantially equal length are connected via a hinge apparatus 46 . Hinge 54 provides for 180° movement of member 30 while member 47 is simultaneously rotated 90° to collapse the assembly 10 to the position shown in FIGS. 7 and 8.
[0041] Hinge apparatus 46 includes a U-shaped channel member 57 into which fits an interior end portion 56 of crossbar member 30 when the crossbar 25 or 26 has been fully opened in order to use assembly 10 . The placement of end portion 56 into channel 57 provides strength for the crossbar 25 or 26 . Lock plate 62 is welded onto end portion 56 . Lock pin 58 is inserted through opening 64 in plate 62 to secure end 56 in place. See also FIG. 12.
[0042] [0042]FIG. 11 illustrates the movement of member 30 from the broken line position (shown in FIG. 6) to the completely closed position in solid line as indicated by arrow 65 where the member 30 is folded for securing as illustrated in FIG. 9.
[0043] [0043]FIG. 13 illustrates the use of an assembly 10 for carrying vehicle inside a cargo container. Container 66 has roof 69 , rear wall 68 and floor 67 . Vehicle 70 is driven onto ramps 27 using a temporarily used loading ramp (not shown) connected to the ramps 27 via loading ramp attachment 43 (FIG. 3). The space underneath ramps 27 and crossbars 25 , 26 allows for the storage of vehicle 71 (or other goods). The number of assemblies 10 used depends on the length of container 66 .
[0044] In the preferred embodiment, assembly 10 is 69 inches high and 7 feet 10½ inches long and 88½ inches wide (as measured between the centerlines of the front or rear posts). The maximum height of the rear crossbar 26 is 63 inches from the floor and the lowest position is 55 inches. The maximum height of front crossbar 25 is 32½ inches in normal use. Interior space 72 is defined by posts 16 , 17 and frame members 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 and 15 and is large enough to accommodate a vehicle and other apparatus that may be carried in container 66 . Front crossbar 25 is raised to upper hole 48 in order to provide for the loading of the lower vehicle 71 .
[0045] In summary, the assembly 10 is stored as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. The assembly 10 is opened by releasing lock pins 58 from the respective lock plates 20 and 22 . The assembly 10 can then be pulled outwardly open to the position shown in FIG. 6 and then fully opened where pins 58 are inserted in the lock plate 62 (FIGS. 10, 12). Crossbars 25 and 26 can then be positioned at the desired height via pins 34 ′. Ramps 27 are then placed on the crossbars 25 , 26 at the locations indicated in FIGS. 4 and 5.
[0046] When installed in a cargo container 66 the assembly 10 can be secured in place by way of a means including a spaced series of bolts or driven nails through pre-drilled holes 11 ′ in lower frame members 11 into the wood flooring of such container, as understood in the art.
[0047] Takedown of the assembly 10 is the reverse process. Pins 58 are removed from lock plates 62 and the crossbars 25 , 26 are then pulled and folded inwardly to collapse the assembly to the position illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8.
[0048] While the invention has been described with respect to certain specific embodiments, it will be appreciated that many modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is intended, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications and changes as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
[0049] What is claimed as new and what it is desired to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:
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A collapsible assembly for loading and transporting vehicles in a cargo container having a roof, a floor, two elongate side walls, and front and rear walls, includes two pairs of spaced vertical posts, one pair being at the front end of the frame and another pair being at the rear end. Front and rear horizontally mounted crossbars support two ramps for carrying a vehicle when the assembly is in its open position. Each crossbar has two members of equal length rotatably and slideably attached to the posts and connected together by a hinge that allows each crossbar to be folded in half interiorly of the frame thus pulling the posts together in a collapsed closed position for storage purposes.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to transmitters used in industrial process control systems. In particular, the present invention relates to a process variable transmitter suitable for high humidity or wet environmental operational conditions.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Transmitters sense process variables in a variety of applications such as oil and gas refineries, chemical storage tank farms, or chemical processing plants. A process variable (PV) is a sensed parameter of a process or sensed property of a product, including absolute pressure, differential pressure, temperature, flow, material level, etc. One common transmitter application uses a transmitter to sense a PV representative of a process and transmits the sensed PV to a controller over cabling. For a two wire transmitter, the cabling is a twisted two wire cable set. The transmitter and controller are electrically cabled in series forming a current loop. The transmitter receives no external power and derives all its operating power from the current loop. Typically, the transmitter regulates the magnitude of current in the current loop, as a function of the sensed PV. In one standard protocol, the current ranges between 4 and 20 mA. Three and four wire transmitters use other cabling as appropriate.
Transmitters commonly have a cylindrically shaped housing with a bulkhead separating the housing into two compartments, with each compartment capped by a threaded cover. A cylinder as used in this specification is defined a solid bounded by a given curved surface and two parallel planes. An electronics compartment houses electronics for sensing and compensating the PV, and a terminal compartment houses terminals to connect the compensated PV to the cabling. The bulkhead has an electronics feedthrough between the compartments. The terminal compartment includes an externally threaded access channel through which the cabling enters the transmitter housing to connect to the transmitter. Many transmitter housings have two threaded access channels in the terminal compartment for connecting to external hollow electrical conduit. The hollow conduit forms a passageway between the controller and the transmitter which protects the cabling inside. The cabling typically contains two conductors for a two wire transmitter. The location of the access channels varies on transmitter housings, ranging from the top to the bottom of the housing. For temperature transmitters, the top is that side of the transmitter housing opposite the mounting boss. For pressure and other types of transmitters, the top is that side of the transmitter housing opposite the process sensor location.
Although transmitters are commonly used in various rugged industrial applications, problems have arisen when a transmitter is installed in a humid or high moisture operating environment. With the exception of hermetically sealed transmitters, moisture accumulation in the terminal compartment is a common problem encountered by transmitter designs. Hermetically sealed transmitters are costly and difficult to configure or repair as the hermetic seal is typically welded shut. In non-hermetically sealed transmitter, moisture condenses within the housing, sometimes filling the housing if not drained periodically. This moisture accumulation causes electrical shorting between terminals in the terminal compartment, cross talk or growth of organic or dendritic metallic matter which degrade the transmitter's performance. A dendritic growth is caused by a metallic filament formed from metal ions transported by a liquid on an insulating surface, the filament growing under the influence of a DC voltage bias. If the filament bridges across conductors, it can create low impedance leakage paths. A related problem to the condensate accumulation is intrusion of moisture into the transmitter. An unsealed or even an improperly hermetically sealed transmitter accumulates moisture inside if subjected to directed moisture such as pressure washing or driving rain. The detrimental effects of accumulated moisture are the same as condensate accumulation. In PRIOR ART FIG. 1, a transmitter shown generally at 50, has a terminal compartment 52 from which it is difficult to drain accumulated moisture. A pair of access channel openings 54 are located at a top 56 of transmitter 50 such that any moisture entering through the access channels 54 falls to the bottom of terminal compartment 52 and is trapped. Even if transmitter 50 is rotated and mounted 90° in orientation, terminal compartment 52 remains partially filled to a waterline 58 as access channels 54 do not fully drain trapped moisture. Wall structure 60 within the transmitter housing juts out from the inner surfaces of compartment 52 so that even when transmitter 50 is mounted sideways, moisture must accumulate to the level of waterline 58 before draining.
Moisture can also degrade the effectiveness of a radio frequency interference (RFI) filter or feedthroughs in a transmitter. To minimize the effects of an electrically noisy process environment, PV electronics are commonly shielded in a Faraday cage formed in the transmitter by the electronics compartment, an access cover and RFI filters on electrical signal connections. If any one element of Faraday cage is compromised, the desired isolation is rendered ineffective and degrades transmitter performance. RFI filters typically include a mechanical case having a threaded exterior for screwing the RFI filter into the bulkhead. Moisture becomes a problem for the RFI filter when moisture accumulates across the conductor and the RFI filter case. A low impedance leakage path may be created between the case of the RFI filter and the conductor, thereby compromising the electrical isolation of the conductor. Another problem for the RFI filter arises in keeping the bulkhead watertight. The RFI filter screws into the bulkhead with conductors exposed on each side of the bulkhead, creating a seal. However, the sealing insertion force or torque required to screw in the threaded RFI filters undesirably stresses the RFI filters. A stressed RFI filter may sometimes degrade the transmitter performance by not providing the desired electrical isolation, and if detected during assembly can require substantial rework in the manufacturing process.
Therefore, a transmitter is desired which promotes the draining of accumulated moisture from within the transmitter. Another characteristic desired of the transmitter is a reliable feedthrough circuit that is assembled in a manner that does not stress the components during assembly.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A transmitter transmitting a sensed process variable over a conductor includes a cylindrical housing having a terminal compartment and an electronics compartment separated by a bulkhead. The terminal compartment used for conductor connection is subject to moisture accumulation. An access channel fully intersects an internal surface of the terminal compartment such that the access channel drains moisture from the terminal compartment across a range of mounting orientations. The transmitter includes a circuit in the electronics compartment for compensating a terminal variable and providing the compensated process variable via a feedthrough terminal in the bulkhead, which in one embodiment, includes an encapsulated radio frequency interference filter, to process terminals in terminal compartment for coupling to a conductor that is connected to an external controller.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a view of a terminal compartment of a prior art transmitter;
FIG. 2 is an end view of a transmitter of the present invention, showing a terminal compartment;
FIG. 3 is a exploded sectional perspective view of the transmitter of the present invention;
FIGS. 4A and 4B are cutaway views of an upright and a side mounting orientation of the present invention, showing moisture draining potential and cabling interface in the terminal compartment;
FIG. 4C is a detailed view of the transmitter of FIG. 4B, showing another embodiment having enhanced draining potential;
FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the transmitter shown in FIG. 4A; and
FIG. 6 is a sectional cutaway of the transmitter of the present invention showing a feedthrough circuit in place.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In FIGS. 2 and 3, a transmitter 100 includes a housing 102. Housing 102 has two compartments separated by a bulkhead 106; an electronics compartment 108 and a terminal compartment 110. Housing 102 has a top 112, a base 114, a threaded terminal end 116 and a threaded electronics end 118. Base 114 of housing 102 has a suitable mounting boss area 126 machined into housing 102. Housing 102 is cylindrical in shape with the central axis of the cylinder shape running from the center points of round electronics end 118 and round terminal end 116. The terminal compartment 110 is formed by capping terminal end 116 with a cover 128. The electronics compartment 108 is formed by capping electronics end 118 with a cover 130. Terminal compartment 110 and electronics compartment 108 share bulkhead 106 that forms the back of each compartment 108,110. The surface of bulkhead 106 in terminal compartment has a retaining wall 120 formed on it; retaining wall 120 integrally attaches to the internal surface of the terminal compartment 110. The surface of bulkhead 106 in electronics compartment 108 has a feedthrough mounting boss 124 disposed on it. A feedthrough circuit opening 141 is formed through bulkhead 106 to facilitate communication of electrical signals between compartments 108,110. Housing 102 is preferably formed by a die or impression casting method and then machined to bring mounting bosses 126,124 and component areas 108, 110 into a desired tolerance and smooth finish. Covers 128,130 preferably includes a male thread set 129A,131A and a matching female thread set 129B, 131B contained in an inner rim of compartments 108, 110. The particular thread interface of covers 128,130 provides a stronger barrier to flame pathways than another thread interface. In the unlikely event of an explosion with in transmitter, the overpressure forces the threads 129A-B,131A-B into each other rather than being forced apart. In FIGS. 4A-B, terminal compartment 110 includes a terminal block assembly 132 for connecting a cable 134 containing a pair of conductors 134A-B to a controller (not shown). Integral retaining wall 120 divides terminal compartment 110 into a component mounting area 138 and a watershed area 140. A pair of access channels 136,137 enter housing 102 through the wall of terminal compartment 110 at base 114 of transmitter 100. At the time of installation, conduit 158 is threaded into one of access channels 136,137 through an NPT connector 160 or the like and conductors 134A-B are individually connected to terminals 132A-B on terminal block assembly 132. Watershed area 140, which is the area below retaining wall 120, includes the internal openings of access channels 136,137 and a cable guide 156.
In FIG. 3, electronics compartment 108 includes a process variable (PV) electronics 104 of a suitable design. Electronics 104 receive a sensed temperature signal from a temperature sensor (not shown). Electronics 104 compensate the sensed temperature signal for known repeatable errors and output a current signal representative of the sensed temperature to terminal block 132. Electronics 104 and conductors 134A-B, attached to terminal block 132 are electrically connected through bulkhead 106 by a feedthrough circuit assembly 142 which includes eight RFI filters 144 and a mounting plate 166. All electrical signals connected to electronics 104 pass through signal pins on RFI filters 144. Electronics compartment 108 is protected from the environment by access cover 130. The feedthrough circuit assembly 142 and the feedthrough circuit opening 141 are filled or potted with an encapsulant 154 that seals the bulkhead 106 and electronics compartment 110. Transmitter 100 can be configured to provide an output representative of other sensed process variables such as absolute temperature, differential temperature, differential pressure, absolute or gauge pressure, flow, pH or others, when used with appropriate electronics 104.
In FIGS. 4A-B, a pair of standard mounting arrangements are shown with transmitter 100 being mounted to a bracket 162 which attaches to mounting boss 126. Bracket 162 is attached to a post 164 or the like. In either mounting orientation, one of the access channels 136,137 is connected to conduit 158 and acts as a drain. In an upright mounting orientation, as shown in FIG. 4A, either access channel 136 or 137 functions equally well as the drain. As transmitter 100 is mounted in a clockwise (or counterclockwise) direction from upright, the lower one of access channels 136,137 is the drain. FIGS. 4A-B both show a lowest point 149, which is the point to which moisture drains within transmitter 100 before exiting compartment 110. Lowest point 149 changes location as transmitter 100 is mounted in various mounting orientations.
The draining structure of compartment 110 includes retaining wail 120, watershed area 140 and access channels 136,137. All internal surfaces of the compartment 110 are smoothed to provide a continuous cast surface to concentrate moisture into watershed area 140. All joining surfaces within compartment 110 are filleted for the same purpose. Smooth surfaces and filleted joints limit the available area for droplets to attach, and with the force of gravity, urge formed droplets towards watershed area 140.
The intersections of access channels 136,137 with the inner surface of terminal compartment 110 are flush with the inner surfaces of compartment 110. No other structure inside compartment 110, such as that shown at 60 in PRIOR ART FIG. 1, obstructs moisture from draining out channels 136,137. Preferably, those sections of channels 136,137 which extend outside housing 102 are declined downward to facilitate enhanced drainage. In FIG. 4A, transmitter 100 fully drains moisture within a 120 degree mounting range (i.e. 60 degrees offset in either direction from upright), as indicated by dashed line 147. In the same drawing, transmitter 100 allows a small amount of moisture to accumulate in compartment 110, but not enough to contact electronics or terminals, when mounted over a full 180 degrees.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4C, which enlarges the area in FIG. 4B around the intersection of access channels 136,137 with the inner surface of compartment 110. Specifically, the corners in the space indicated at 145 in FIG. 4C have been leveled and flared out, and the resulting surface smoothed to allow drainage over a full 180 degrees of mounting orientations (i.e. 90 degrees offset in either direction from upright). The upper section of the internal intersection of access channels 136,137 with the internal wall of compartment 110 has been flared to lower the level of waterline 143 (shown in FIG. 4B) to the level of waterline 151. Terminal block 132 and conductors 132A-G are permanently above water line 151 and cannot be wetted by accumulated moisture. All electrical connections between terminal block 132 and conductors 134A-B are made above the access channels 136,137, keeping the electrical connections dry. Flared areas 136A and 137A (not shown) are formed during casting or machined thereafter, but are formed in the existing wall structure without adding material to housing 102. Flared areas 136A,137A may be narrow channels formed in the internal wall of compartment 110 and extending from access channels 136,137 to lowest point 149, or widened drainage flowages as shown in FIG. 4C. In all cases, flared areas 136A,137A are blended into the internal surface of watershed area 140 to reduce sharp edges and facilitate moisture drainage.
Cable guide 156 deflects inserted twisted pair conductors 134A-B towards terminal block assembly 132. The redirection of cabling 134 facilitates the distribution of conductors 134A-B and prevents the conductors from entangling. Access channels 136,137 are preferably located opposing each other, on the base 114 of terminal compartment 110 to allow one cable guide 156 to direct cabling for both channels 136,137. Cable guide 156 is cast or mounted on the inner surface of compartment 110 between access channels 136,137 and is beveled to allow moisture flow off cable guide 156 into access channels 136,137. Conductors 134A-B are splayed out to separate connections on terminal block 132. Conductors 134A-B are typically the same length, and each conductor will have excess length in all but the longest connection path to terminal block 132. A terminal block bezel 131 is made of a non-conductive plastic and has a horseshoe curved shape to allow conductors to be centrally distributed. The excess lengths of conductors 134A-B are stored within compartment 110. Removing non-essential structure in watershed area 140 and the shape of terminal block assembly 132 allows more room in compartment 110 to store excess lengths of conductors, thereby obviating shorting caused by pinched conductors when the cover is installed.
In FIGS. 3 and 6, an interface circuit card 152 mounts into component mounting area 138 in compartment 108, and then plastic bezel 131 is placed over card 152 with screw terminals 132 protruding through bezel 131. Bezel 131 insulates and spaces terminals 132 and also protects electrical components on interface circuit card 152. The case of each of the eight RFI filters 144 is soldered into a conductive mounting plate 166, so as to make a completed feedthrough circuit assembly 142. Assembly 142 is inserted through opening 141 in bulkhead 106 and mounted with metal screws to an integral mounting boss 124. Mounting plate 166 also positions RFI filters 144 for encapsulation. The screws which mount assembly 142 to bulkhead 106 electrically ground the case of filters 144 to housing 102. Interface circuit card 152 provides mechanical mounts for screw terminals 132 and electrically connects signal pins on filters 144, some of which represent the compensated process variable, to the screw terminals.
An encapsulant 154 is introduced around circuit assembly 142, on the terminal compartment 110 side of bulkhead 106, so as to completely seal one compartment from the other. Encapsulant 154 is preferably an epoxy potting compound, but may also be made of any curable potting compound. Component mounting area 138 is filled with enough encapsulant 154 to rise to the level of the height of retaining wall 120. Once filled, there are no recesses or hollows within component mounting area 138 where moisture can collect and which contribute to electrical leakage. Any moisture which may form within area 138 is urged, with the force of gravity, toward watershed area 140 and out access channels 136,137. Aside from the enhanced draining feature encapsulant provides, encapsulant 154 provides a substantially infinite impedance between the case and the signal pins of the RFI filters, thereby substantially limiting leakage current between signals and electrical ground. The present invention permanently installs RFI filters 144 without a potentially damaging torque action, while augmenting the environmental isolation between compartments and the electrical isolation between signals and ground. Once encapsulant 154 cures, signal pins of filters 144 on the terminal compartment side are connected to signal connection points on electronics 104.
RFI filters 144 are typically composed electrically of the π, L or C filter types for suppression of high frequency noise. A commercially available RFI filter 144 configuration typically consists of a ceramic capacitor shaped as a hollow cylinder. A conductive material on both the inside and the outside surfaces of the cylinder forms the capacitor. The external surface of the cylinder is grounded to the case. The inside surface of the cylinder is electrically connected to a conductor (i.e. the signal pin), which vans the length of the filter. Other forms of RFI filters 144 may include an inductor/capacitor combinations, a current shunt, a series inductive barrier or other types of electrical noise filtering electronics.
The present invention provides a transmitter design that resists electrical faults due to accumulated moisture by draining away moisture as it accumulates over a broad range of mounting orientations. The transmitter of the present invention drains moisture over a wide range of mounting configurations without additional external hardware or special conduit drains. The placement of the oppositely located access channels 136,137 at the base 114 also orients cabling 134 entering the transmitter 100, facilitating connection of conductors to terminals. Encapsulation 154 provides improved electrical and environmental isolation, while permanently positioning RFI filters 144 and obviating torsional stress during installation. Furthermore, filling component mounting area 138 with encapsulant to a level coincident with the height of retaining wall 120 ensures that moisture is channeled into watershed area 140 and ultimately exits the access channels.
The manner and content of the present invention disclosed herein is described with reference to a preferred embodiment. Workers skilled in the art will recognize that changes may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A transmitter transmitting a sensed process variable over a conductor includes a cylindrical housing having a terminal compartment and an electronics compartment separated by a bulkhead. The terminal compartment used for conductor connection is subject to moisture accumulation. An access channel fully intersects an internal surface of terminal compartment such that the access channel drains moisture from the terminal compartment across a range of mounting orientations. The transmitter includes a circuit in the electronics compartment for compensating a process variable and providing the compensated process variable via a feedthrough circuit assembly in the bulkhead, which in one embodiment, includes an encapsulated radio frequency interference filter, to terminals in the terminal compartment for coupling to a conductor that is connected to an external controller.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation application of Non-Provisional application Ser. No. 13/017,855, filed Jan. 31, 2011, the entire contents of which is herein incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The invention relates to protective covers for hot appliances or devices. More specifically, the present invention is for a cover designed for a hot appliance constructed with heat resistant material having an interior lining of insulation. Preferably, the cover is placed on a hot appliance to prevent users or passersby from coming in contact with conductive and convective heat from the appliance and from coming in direct contact with a hot appliance. In this manner, the cover protects individuals from the hot part(s) of the appliance and any steam that may be emanating from the appliance. Optionally, the cover may include temperature sensitive fabric on its exterior that changes color based upon the device's temperature. The use of this fabric serves as an additional safety feature of the cover and visually alerts individuals of the temperature of the appliance and the cover.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Household appliances traditionally do not have heat protective covers. A cover may be available for covering an appliance that is decorative in nature, or is applied to prevent the collection of dust on an appliance. However, these types of decorative covers are not for use when the appliance is hot. The decorative covers are only for use after the appliance has completely cooled and is not longer emanating heat. These types of covers are commonly made with materials such as cotton or polyester. The types of materials used in prior art covers do not have any heat protection or heat resistant qualities nor do they offer any protection from exposure to steam. These types of materials are not resistant to heat and are flammable at high temperatures. These covers cannot be used on an appliance that is still heated from use. They cannot be used on an appliance that produces steam. This is true for toaster covers, hot plate covers, etc.
[0004] Currently, there does not exist on the market protective covers for irons and similar appliances or devices where the cover may be used and applied to the appliance when it is at an elevated temperature. Nor does there exist on the market protective covers for irons and similar appliances or devices where the cover may be used and applied to the appliance when it is releasing steam. Certain appliances or devices may be left in the open, increasing the chance of exposure to the heated appliance, which can cause burns on human skin. The current practice in homes or industry (i.e., restaurant kitchens) is to verbally warn people in the immediate vicinity that the appliance is still hot or to otherwise caution individuals that an appliance is hot and a danger. Of course, more common to those situations is to assume individuals will notice that the appliance has been recently used because he/she was in the room during the use of the appliance. The individual may assume the appliance has been recently used if he/she feels heat emanating from the appliance. However, there is always a possibility that someone is in a rush and in his/her haste, bumps into or otherwise comes in contact with the hot appliance. In these situations, the individual has a greater risk of burning himself/herself on the hot appliance. Also, in the event the individual is merely working near or close to the hot appliance, the individual could inadvertently bump the hot appliance, thereby burning his/her skin. Alternatively, the cord of the appliance could become entangled with someone or something, and be pulled from where it is stored. For example, the cord of an iron could become entangled by a child, and the iron could fall on the child and burn the child. In another situation, an iron or hot plate may fall and burn the surface on which it lies or start a fire.
[0005] In the view of the foregoing, a need exists for a cover that can be placed over a hot appliance to protect individuals from burning themselves on the appliance while it is still hot or releasing steam.
[0006] There exists a need for a cover that visually alerts individuals that an appliance is hot with, for example, the use of a temperature sensitive material that changes color on the cover's exterior, or the use of a temperature sensor connected to a light or other visual display on the protective cover's exterior.
[0007] There also exists a need for a cover that transmits some of the heat emanating from the appliance that can be sensed by an individual and which alerts the nearby individual that the appliance beneath the cover is heated or hot and minimizing dangers of being burned.
[0008] There exists a need for a cover that fits securely onto a hot appliance and that will not fall off inadvertently. In the event an appliance such as an iron or hot plate falls, the cover would remain secure to the iron or hot plate and would not become dislodged from the appliance.
[0009] There exists a need for a cover that is easily placed securely onto a hot appliance where the individual or user does not burn his/her fingers during the process of placing the protective cover on the hot appliance.
[0010] There exists a need for a cover that allows for air flow through the cover in a manner that allows cool air to reach the hot surface of the device or appliance so that it can cool down. The transmission of the heat serves the function of enabling the hot appliance to cool, prevents condensation from forming on the appliance, and also acts to alert an individual that the appliance is hot because some of the heat is transferred to the exterior surface of the cover and can be detected by an individual.
[0011] The present invention overcomes a number of limitations of current devices currently known and/or available. Other objects, features, and characteristics of the invention, as well as methods of operation and functions of the related elements of the structure, and the combination of parts and economies of manufacture, will become more apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, all of which form part of this specification.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The present invention embodies a secure protective cover for a hot device or appliance. The cover is preferably made with heat resistant material and an interior lining of insulation placed between layers of the heat resistant material. The cover is placed on the hot part of an appliance to prevent users or passersby from coming in direct contact with a hot appliance, thereby protecting them from the hot part(s) of the appliance. The heat resistant material is used as the inner most layer of the cover that comes in direct contact with the hot appliance. The heat resistant material is also on the outermost layer of the cover. Between the layers of the heat resistant materials is an interior space for an insulating layer. The insulating layer functions to prevent all of the heat of the hot appliance from passing through to the outer surface of the cover. However, the insulating layer allows some heat to pass through the cover so that the exterior of the cover may become warm at most (not hot). In this way, the cover allows the hot appliance to cool because there exists a stream of air flow to allow heat to escape gradually. This air flow, conversely, allows cool air to reach the hot interior—the hot surface of the appliance. The cool air thereby assists in the cooling of the hot appliance gradually. The cover, which is constructed with heat resistant material, can be designed from one piece of fabric. In this embodiment, the heat resistant material may fold over so as to create an interior space in which to insert heat resistant insulation. In another embodiment of the invention, the cover may be formed with separate pieces of heat resistant fabric that are sewn together.
[0013] The cover is made with heat resistant fabric, insulation, and has stitching joining the different layers of material using heat resistant thread, however, in other non-limiting embodiments, glue, staples, or other similar types of fasteners may be utilized for connecting the different layers of material. The heat resistant material may be used as an inner layer and an outer layer. An insulating material or materials may be placed between the inner layer and outer layer, forming a third or middle layer. This layer is also referred to at times as the interior lining. These layers typically would be stitched together using heat resistant thread. Of course, there can be any number of layers utilized with the invention—both heat resistant layers and insulating layers. The layers, their construction and number will vary on manufacturing specifications, the size of the appliance, and other factors that need to be considered for constructing the protective cover for a hot appliance.
[0014] A perimeter encasement for securing the cover to an appliance is utilized with the present invention. This encasement is formed with the heat resistant fabric for containing an elastic material (hereinafter referred to as “elastic”), such as an elastic band although, in other non-limiting examples, a drawstring, a coiled spring, or other similar types of materials may be utilized. The encasement is constructed from heat resistant material and extends the length of the perimeter of the cover. The encasement may be formed by one piece of fabric folded over and stitched down one side parallel to the fold. The stitching may be completed with, for example, heat resistant thread. The encasement may also be constructed using two pieces of heat resistant fabric that are the same width and length, having a longer length and narrow width. The length should be constructed so as to extend at a minimum the perimeter of the cover. The width, at a minimum, should be a size sufficient to hold the elastic of any suitable width. The width may depend upon the size of the elastic, both in thickness and the width of the elastic itself. The width of the encasement would be formed to have additional space on either side of the elastic. In this manner, the elastic rests inside the encasement without touching the folded or the stitched edges. Additionally, the elastic extends throughout the encasement and would typically extend to match the perimeter of the cover. Various modifications to the encasement and to the elastic may be made to accommodate a variety of appliances, their size, type, and structure. The encasement with the elastic is attached to the cover. Typically, the encasement is attached to the perimeter of the cover by stitching or sewing one side of the length of the encasement to the perimeter of the cover.
[0015] The function of the encasement with the elastic is to secure the cover on the appliance itself, but preferably to secure the cover on the hot part of the appliance. For example, the sole plate of an iron is the hot part of the iron when the appliance is turned on. The cover can be designed to fit snugly and securely on the sole plate only. Variations in the design and structure of the cover may be made without affecting the overall purpose of the invention. For example, some variations may be implemented in the structure and design of the cover to create a more decorative cover.
[0016] The cover may be created in a shape that is suitable to cover the hot part of the appliance. For example, an iron cover is in the shape of the sole plate that becomes hot. The cover will include, in one example, an elastic band placed at perimeter of the heat resistant fabric. The elastic band would be completely encased by the heat resistant fabric and sewn into a fixed position at the perimeter of the cover by stitching using heat resistant thread. The elastic band placed at the perimeter of the cover functions to expand over the circumference of the sole plate and retract causing the cover to be securely held in position over the sole plate. This method of affixing eliminates the need for additional ties, snaps or other methods for affixing the cover to the heated appliance.
[0017] The cover may have additional pieces of fabric extending beyond the elastic perimeter of the secure cover. These additional pieces of fabric, sometimes referred to as flares herein, provide the user with a tool by which to attach the secure cover to the hot appliance without having the user's fingers or hands approach too close to the hot metal of the appliance. The flare may be a piece of the heat resistant material that extends along the outer perimeter of the encasement. The flare may be two or more pieces of heat resistant material attached to the outer perimeter of the encasement at different locations. The user may use the flares to stretch the cover and the encasement with elastic over the hot appliance. The flares may be affixed to the outer length of the encasement in a manner that extends away from the interior of the cover. Thus, when the user attaches the cover to the hot appliance, his/her hands are able to hold the cover and place the cover over the hot appliance while maintaining a safe distance from the hot part of the appliance to prevent accidental burning of the skin while applying the cover. Additionally, the flares may have a more complex structure that further protects the user from the hot part of the appliance. The flares may have an additional form that creates a pocket for the user's hand or finger(s). Where the flare forms a pocket, the user inserts his or her hand or fingers fully into the pocket. The user's hand or fingers are further protected by the use of the pocket—flare design.
[0018] The interior lining of the cover provides an insulating feature of the cover to protect the individual from the direct heat emanating from the hot appliance. The lining would also be able to minimize the heat transmitted through the cover. The heat resistant fabric also transmits some heat through the material. Accordingly, the cover with its various layers is able to minimize the heat transmitted through the layers—insulation layer, protective heat-resistant fabric layer—thereby allowing the individual to become and remain aware of the fact that the appliance is hot. The insulation may be of a permeable nature such as a sponge material, silicon or similar insulating materials. The insulation may also have openings in it to allow air and heat to pass through the insulation layer. The insulation layer may be designed in a manner that does not fill the interior completely thereby creating air pockets. For example, the insulation may be formed with a third layer of heat resistant fabric. In one embodiment, the insulation could be a series of smaller pieces of insulation that are inserted into or attached to the third layer of material that rests in the interior section of the cover. The insulation layer could be formed in a manner so as not to fully extend the full surface area of the cover itself. Thus, the insulation layer would cover the majority of the surface area of the cover to protect the user from the direct heat of the hot appliance.
[0019] The cover may, optionally, include a piece of color changing material on its exterior surface that functions as a visual signal to an individual of the temperature of the appliance. The color changing material changes color with temperature. Thus, the use of the color changing material on the exterior of the cover serves to visually alert the user and/or passersby that the appliance under the cover is at a certain temperature (i.e., hot or cold). The use of the color changing material could be used as a fourth layer that forms the exterior of the cover. The color changing material may be applied to the exterior layer (i.e., the heat resistant fabric) in a manner that would optimally or efficiently detect any heat or temperature change in the appliance. The color changing material may attach to the exterior as one stripe across the exterior surface of the cover using the heat resistant thread to sew the material to the exterior layer. The color changing material could be cut into a design or shape that is decorative. The decorative shape may be sewn onto the exterior layer. The color changing material may be optionally added to the cover in order for the cover to have a visual change in appearance when the temperature of the cover changes due to the temperature of the appliance on which the cover is placed. The use of this material adds another safety feature to the cover.
[0020] The cover allows air flow through the fabric. In this manner, the hot appliance is able to cool gradually because the cover allows heat to permeate through it and escape while simultaneously allowing cooler air through the material to cool the hot appliance. The cover may be perforated to (a) allow heat to escape and (b) to allow cool air to reach the hot metal of the appliance, and (c) to provide for air flow wherein the hot metal decreases in temperature gradually while remaining covered to prevent direct contact of skin with the hot metal thereby eliminating and preventing an individual from burning himself or herself on the hot metal. The insulation placed in the interior of the heat resistant material may have openings in the insulation to allow air to permeate so that the hot appliance may cool and no condensation builds up within the cover. The secure protective cover can be stitched together with heat resistant thread. However, other methods known in the arts for attaching the materials may be used. The secure cover will have a shape similar to the shape of the hot portion of the appliance. In this way, the secure cover fits closely or snugly onto a hot appliance.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] A further understanding of the invention can be obtained by reference to a preferred embodiment set forth in the illustrations of the accompanying drawings. Although the illustrated embodiment is merely exemplary of devices for carrying out the invention, both the organization and apparatus of the invention, in general, together with further objectives and advantages thereof, may be more easily understood by reference to the drawings and the following description. The drawings are not intended to limit the scope of this invention, which is set forth with particularity in the claims as appended or as subsequently amended, but merely to clarify and exemplify the invention.
[0022] For a more complete understanding of the invention, reference is now made to the following drawings in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 is a side view of the preferred embodiment of the invention depicted in the form of a secure protective cover for an iron, shown with the secure cover of the invention placed on the iron's sole plate;
[0024] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of the secure protective cover, shown with each of its layers depicted separately;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of an encasement for use with the preferred embodiment of the secure protective cover, shown with an elastic cord that forms the perimeter of the secure protective cover;
[0026] FIG. 4 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the invention depicted in the form of a secure protective cover for an iron, shown with the secure protective cover placed on the iron and with the cover having optional hand grips;
[0027] FIG. 5 is a bottom view of the secure protective cover shown in FIG. 4 , shown with each of its layers depicted separately;
[0028] FIG. 6 is a side view of an alternative embodiment of the cover with a hand grip at one end of the cover;
[0029] FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of an alternative embodiment for an encasement for use with the any of the embodiments of the secure protective cover, shown with an elastic cord that forms the perimeter of the secure protective cover and further shown with a hand grip;
[0030] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the secure protective cover of the invention, shown having a strip of temperature sensitive material;
[0031] FIG. 9 is a bottom view of an alternative embodiment of the secure protective cover of the invention, shown with a strip of temperature sensitive material that is connected to a visual display;
[0032] FIG. 10 is an alternate embodiment of the present invention that is a secure protective cover for a toaster appliance;
[0033] FIG. 11 is another embodiment of the present invention that shows a secure protective cover for a curling iron; and
[0034] FIG. 12 is another embodiment of the present invention that shows a secure protective cover for a table top grill having a visual display with electronics to detect and display the temperature of the appliance
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0035] As required, a detailed illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed herein. The present invention may be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention. However, techniques, systems, and operating structures in accordance with the present invention may be embodied in a wide variety of forms and modes, some of which may be quite different from those in the disclosed embodiment. Consequently, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are merely representative, yet in that regard, they are deemed to afford the best embodiment for purposes of disclosure and to provide a basis for the claims herein, which define the scope of the present invention. It must be noted that, as used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a”, “an”, and “the” include plural referents unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The following presents a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the invention (in addition to some alternative embodiments).
[0036] Referring first to FIG. 1 , depicted is a side view of iron 101 with a secure cover 160 placed on sole plate 140 according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. As shown, iron 101 includes cover 160 attached to and covering sole plate 140 . Cover 160 is preferably constructed with heat resistant fabric layer assembly 201 containing a middle layer of insulation between at least two layers of heat resistant fabric. These layers of heat resistant fabric and insulation form the portion of the cover 160 that covers the sole plate 140 of iron 101 . Also shown in FIG. 1 , encasement 301 attaches to fabric layer assembly 201 along the perimeter 170 . Also shown in FIG. 1 , encasement 301 preferably contains elastic material such as, for example, an elastic band, a drawstring, a coiled spring, or other similar types of selectively expandable material that may shrink back and provide for the cover 160 to be securely attached to, in one example, to the sole plate 140 of the iron 101 (as shown), or in other non-limiting examples, in other shapes to attach cover 160 to any other appliance or device.
[0037] Turning to FIG. 2 , depicted is a bottom view of the preferred embodiment of secure protective cover 160 , shown with each of its layers depicted separately at 210 , 220 , and 230 . The bottom surface of the cover 160 is preferably formed from a series of layers of fabric 210 and 230 with an insulating layer 220 between them. These layers of fabric 210 , 230 , and the layer of insulation 220 , may all be the same size, or in other examples, the layer of insulation 220 may be of a different size or shape from the layers of fabric and may vary in density and thickness. The layers 210 , 230 and 220 are preferably stitched together using heat resistant thread. It should be appreciated that the any or all layers of fabric 210 , 230 , and insulation 220 may selectively include perforations or holes to increase the flow of air through each of these layers 210 , 220 , and 230 .
[0038] The preferred materials for the secure protective cover consist of heat resistant fabric made by any number of manufacturers, and may be made with materials that can withstand scorching at temperatures around 400 degree Fahrenheit, such as, for example, Tencate freestyle, DuPont fabrics, Nomex blend materials, or other similar types of materials. Nomex and Kevlar are two types of aramids, which are a class of heat-resistant synthetic fibers. Such fibers are generally used in aerospace and military applications, for ballistic rated body armor fabric, in protective garments, bicycle tires, and as electrical insulators. Aramids are fibers, so they can be made into various forms including threads and fabrics, depending on the desired application. These heat resistant fabrics can be stitched with Kevlar thread.
[0039] Other heat-resistant materials, which are not created with aramids, include products from ADL Insulflex Inc. and Kuraray Co., Ltd. such as the pyroblanket, silicaflex blankets, and Vectran™ products that are heat resistant. Both use other materials such as ceramic, stainless steel thread and/or glass fiber to create heat resistant cloth products. A combination of materials may be used in order to reach a preferred fabric with heat, fire and flame resistant qualities that are optimal for special situations or circumstances.
[0040] The benefit of using these types of fabrics is that they act as a protective layer to an individual that may come in contact with the fabric when it is covering a hot appliance, thereby preventing the individual from coming into direct contact with the hot appliance and preventing any potential for burns or damage to the individual. These types of fabrics also allow some heat to pass through the fabric. In this manner, the individual becomes aware that the appliance underneath and/or covered by the fabric is hot and dangerous to direct contact.
[0041] The secure cover of the present invention includes an insulation layer 220 , which may include silicone, rubber or other synthetic insulating materials. Foams are another class of insulating materials that may also be used with the present invention. Other non-limiting examples of materials that may be used as insulation include cork, butyl-rubber, neoprene, polyethylene, polyester polyether, or other similar materials.
[0042] The secure protective cover 160 of the present invention may also comprise thread that is fire resistant, although this is an optional embodiment of the present invention. Because the main concern is for the materials that come in direct contact with the heated metal of the appliance to have the heat resistant and/or fire resistant qualities, the thread that is used to construct the present invention may be heat resistant. However, this is not required in order for the present invention to function appropriately and serve its purpose. In other non-limiting embodiments, staples, tacks, or similar types of attachment materials may be utilized.
[0043] Next, FIG. 3 shows a partial perspective view of an encasement 301 for use with the preferred embodiment of the secure protective cover. In one non-limiting example, elastic cord 350 is shown within encasement 301 , however, other materials such as drawstring, coiled spring, or similar may be utilized without departing from the scope of the invention. Encasement 301 with elastic cord 350 extends the perimeter of the secure protective cover 160 . Encasement 301 with elastic cord 350 attaches to the perimeter of the bottom of the fabric layer assembly 201 . Encasement 301 may be constructed from one piece of heat resistant material that is folded or rolled lengthwise, with its ends sewn together to form border 320 . Alternatively, encasement 301 may be constructed from two pieces of heat resistant fabric that are sewn together along the length of the encasement 301 . In this manner, a hollow interior 330 of the encasement is formed. Elastic cord or material 350 is inserted into the hollow interior 330 and preferably runs throughout the length of encasement 301 .
[0044] Optionally, encasement 301 may be sewn or otherwise attached to the fabric layer assembly 201 of the cover along its perimeter, as shown in FIG. 1 at 170 . Alternative means and methods of attaching encasement 301 to fabric layer assembly 201 of cover 160 may also be used as may be known in the art and/or available. The completed cover 160 may now be placed on iron 101 or some other device or appliance for which the cover is designed to fit. As depicted, once cover 160 is applied, fabric layer assembly 201 of cover 160 covers sole plate 140 of iron 101 while encasement 301 fits securely around the front tip, shell and heel of the iron 101 such that cover 160 is secured upon iron 101 . Accordingly, cover 160 is securely in place while iron 101 is not in use, as depicted in FIG. 1 , such that it will not fall off and can only be removed by applying force to encasement 301 and extending it from the base of iron 101 .
[0045] FIG. 4 is a side view of secure protective cover 450 attached to iron 401 according to an alternative embodiment of the invention. As shown, iron 401 includes cover 450 , which is substantially similar to the cover 160 shown and described in FIGS. 1-3 , and includes heat resistant fabric layers containing a middle layer of insulation between at least two layers of heat resistant fabric. These layers of heat resistant fabric and insulation form the base assembly 501 of the cover 450 that covers the sole plate 410 of the iron 401 . This base assembly 501 is described in detail at FIG. 5 . Encasement 701 attaches to base assembly 501 along the perimeter 620 . Encasement 701 preferably contains elastic material or some other similar material that provides for the cover 450 to attach securely to, in one example, sole plate 410 of the iron 401 as shown, and may be provided in various shapes to cover any appliance or device that the cover is intended to be used.
[0046] Cover 450 includes optional hand grips 760 and/or “hook-shaped” hand grip 640 . While both the hand grip 760 that is shown as a flare around the perimeter of the cover and the hand grip 640 at the base of iron 401 are shown in FIG. 4 , these hand grips 760 and 640 may be added either individually or together to the cover 450 (i.e., cover 450 may have hand grip 760 but not hand grip 640 , or cover 450 may have hand grip 640 but not hand grip 760 ). In another non-limiting embodiment, the flare 760 may be selectively shortened around the perimeter of the iron 401 to be provided at specific locations around the encasement 701 based on user or manufacturer preference.
[0047] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the secure protective cover 450 shown in FIG. 4 , with each of its layers depicted separately at 510 , 520 , and 530 . As shown in FIG. 5 , the bottom portion of cover 450 includes layers of heat resistant fabric as a top and bottom layer shown at 530 and 510 , respectively. Between the top layer 530 and the bottom layer 510 is an insulation layer 520 . The top layer 530 and the bottom layer 510 may optionally have an additional rectangular piece of heat resistant material 550 and 560 attached to one end or side thereof. For iron 401 ( FIG. 4 ), the additional rectangular pieces of material 550 and 560 are added to the flat end of the cover 450 that is matched with the bottom or heel of the iron, and may be folded over on itself to form a hand grip as shown at 640 in FIG. 6 . Alternatively, these pieces are sewn together to form base 640 of cover 450 depicted in FIG. 4 . In another non-limiting embodiment, perforations or holes may be provided in any or all layers 510 , 520 , and 530 in order to increase the flow of air through any of these layers 510 , 520 , and 530 in order to allow the heat from iron 401 to dissipate quicker.
[0048] FIG. 6 is a side view of the protective layers of cover 450 shown in FIG. 5 . As shown, secure protective cover 450 includes handgrip attached to the broader end (shown at 640 ) which is formed from the additional rectangular pieces of material (i.e., shown at 550 and 560 in FIG. 5 ) added to layers 530 and 510 . The additional rectangular pieces are an extension off the bottom of the cover 450 . The additional rectangular pieces can be folded into even halves and sewn at the short sides (the width), thereby forming an enclosure for a person's fingers. This is an alternate perspective view of the bottom of the cover 450 that forms the perimeter of the secure protective cover. FIG. 6 shows a side view of enclosure 640 into which a person may insert their fingers to grab the cover 450 in order to place the cover onto a hot appliance without putting their fingers in direct contact with the hot appliance. The thickness of the base assembly 501 of the cover is indicated at 630 and includes the insulation layer between at least two layers of heat resistant material. The perimeter 620 may be attached to encasement 301 depicted in FIG. 3 or encasement 701 depicted in FIG. 7 .
[0049] Turning next to FIG. 7 , shown is an encasement 701 with an alternate flare 760 , which contains additional material on the side opposite the length of encasement 701 that attaches to the cover's base assembly 501 ( FIG. 6 ) according to an alternate embodiment of the invention. Elastic cord 750 is shown within encasement 701 . Encasement 701 with elastic cord 750 extends the perimeter 620 ( FIG. 6 ) of the secure protective cover 450 ( FIG. 4 ) by allowing the cover 450 to be expanded along the perimeter of the encasement and fit over the perimeter of the sole plate of iron 401 ( FIG. 4 ). Encasement 701 with elastic cord 750 attaches to the perimeter 620 ( FIG. 6 ) of the base assembly 501 ( FIG. 6 ) of the cover 450 . Encasement 701 may be constructed from one piece of heat resistant material that is folded or rolled lengthwise, with its ends sewn together as shown at 710 . Alternatively, encasement 701 may be constructed from two pieces of heat resistant fabric that are sewn together along the length of the encasement 701 . In this manner, a hollow interior 740 of the encasement is formed. Elastic cord or material 750 is inserted into the hollow interior 740 and preferably runs throughout the length of encasement 701 .
[0050] The encasement 701 attaches to the perimeter 620 of base assembly 501 . The additional material included on this embodiment of encasement 701 is flare 760 attached to encasement 701 via stitching shown at 710 or other attachment technique(s) that are well known in the field. The width 770 of flare 760 may vary but should always be sufficiently wide to provide a grip for the person using the cover 450 . The purpose of flare 760 is to protect the user's persons from directly contacting the hot appliance. In FIG. 4 , the flare 760 is sufficiently large enough having width 770 to enable the user to grip the cover by flare 760 to pull the cover onto the hot sole plate of an iron without having to place her fingers close to the hot sole plate. In another non-limiting embodiment, the flare 760 may be selectively shortened and be provided at specific locations around the encasement 701 based on a user or manufacturer preference.
[0051] FIG. 7 shows the encasement 701 that can be sewn or otherwise attached to the base assembly 501 of the cover 450 at its perimeter 620 . Alternative methods of attaching the encasement 701 to the base assembly 501 of the cover 450 may also be used as is known in the art. The completed cover 450 may now be placed on the iron 401 . The base assembly 501 of the cover covers the sole plate of the iron while the encasement 701 fits securely around the front tip, shell, and heel of the iron. The cover 450 may include the additional flare 760 and hand grip 640 . The protective cover 450 is securely in place while the iron is not in use as depicted in FIG. 4 . It will not fall off, and can only be removed upon gripping the encasement 701 by its flare 760 with a person's fingers and extending it off the base of the iron 401 .
[0052] FIG. 8 is an alternate embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, shown is a bottom view 801 of an alternative embodiment of the secure protective cover of the invention having a strip of temperature sensitive material. The cover 450 in this embodiment is constructed with heat resistant material 810 and includes a strip of temperature-sensitive material 820 added across the bottom. The temperature-sensitive material 820 may be stitched to the bottom or attached in another manner as is well known in the field. This temperature-sensitive material 820 is able to change color based upon the temperature of the material. When the cover is placed over a hot appliance, the color of the temperature-sensitive material will change to a different color to indicate the heat that is emanating through the fabric. When the temperature of the appliance is no longer hot, the temperature-sensitive material 820 will again change color to indicate that the material 820 is not hot.
[0053] An alternative embodiment of the present invention can include a visual display 950 as shown in FIG. 9 . The visual display 950 can be connected to the temperature sensitive fabric 820 . Alternatively, the visual display 950 can have an electronic sensor for detecting temperature or heat. The visual display may be electronic and may display an indication that the iron cover is hot through either a word or words, a display of the temperature of the cover or the underlying sole of the iron or other appliance. The display may have a signal indicator such as a light that displays when the appliance or cover is hot. The light of the display may have a red color when the cover or underlying appliance is hot, and/or a green or other color to indicate when the cover or underlying appliance is not hot. The protective cover may further include an electronic device connected to the sensor that provides an audio alert when the temperature exceeds a certain temperature.
[0054] Additional covers that embody the present invention can be designed for other appliances as shown in FIG. 10 . FIG. 10 indicates a cover 1001 with a visual display 1050 for placing on a toaster 1080 . FIG. 11 shows a curling iron 1180 with a cover 1101 having a band of temperature sensitive fabric at 1150 . FIG. 12 shows a tabletop grill 1280 with handle 1290 , and cover 1201 sized to fit over the tabletop grill 1280 and having a visual display 1250 for showing the temperature of the appliance. Covers embodying any of the examples of the present invention may also be created for use with toaster ovens, waffle irons, griddles, hot plates, and the like.
[0055] While the present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiment and alternative embodiments, which embodiments have been set forth in considerable detail for the purposes of making a complete disclosure of the invention, such embodiments are merely exemplary and are not intended to be limiting or represent an exhaustive enumeration of all aspects of the invention. The scope of the invention, therefore, shall be defined solely by the following claims. Further, it will be apparent to those of skill in the art that numerous changes may be made in such details without departing from the spirit and the principles of the invention. It should be appreciated that the present invention is capable of being embodied in other forms without departing from its essential characteristics.
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A secure cover for a hot appliance made with heat resistant material having an insulation layer between heat resistant layers that can be stitched with heat resistant thread. The cover prevents users from burning themselves and can be in a shape that covers the hot part of the appliance. The cover has an encasement enclosing a band. The encasement runs along the cover's perimeter and secures the cover on the appliance. The cover may include flares that are used to attach the secure cover to the hot appliance without having the user's fingers approach too close to the hot metal of the appliance. The cover transmits heat, allowing the individual to be aware of the fact that the appliance is hot. The cover may include temperature sensitive fabric, a light indicator or other visual display with a written indication that the appliance is hot.
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RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of U.S. Application No. 61/590,860 filed Jan. 26, 2012.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to the field of tools for detection on a molecular level. Specifically, it relates to a novel tool for highly specific detection of analytes with multiple epitopes. It further relates to kits comprising the necessary components for performing such a method.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Different forms of proximity ligation assays (PLA) provide tools for detection of analytes with increased sensitivity and specificity compared to many other methods such as ELISA. PLA is a proteome analysis technology where target molecules must be recognized by multiple antibodies, carrying short DNA strands. Upon binding to their targets these DNA strands can be joined by ligation. The method allows amplified detection of the DNA reporter molecules, offering high specificity and sensitivity 12 .
WO2007/107743 describes a method named “3PLA”, wherein three proximity probes comprising one part specifically binding to an analyte and one part comprising a nucleic acid domain are used to detect analytes.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention aims to provide a detection method with increased specificity and decreased background noise.
Increased requirement in epitope recognition will result in more specific detection of analytes. This will also, due to decreased level of noise, result in improvement of sensitivity. To overcome the limitation of assay specificity in the methods of the prior art, a new generation of analyte detection method is designed in which an analyte will be detected using four or more recognition events in a homogenous assay format or on a solid support.
It is shown in the examples below that the limit of detection (LOD) is about 150-fold lower for the method according to the invention as compared to a conventional PLA protocol. It also has a dynamic range that extends by two further orders of magnitude as compared to PLA. The assay with its high sensitivity and specificity for biomarkers is promising as a tool in diagnostic and prognostic tests. Potential applications include early diagnosis, monitoring under active surveillance, selection of therapy in localized disease, and monitoring of responses to treatment.
The main aspects of the invention are described in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are set forth in the dependent claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The Detailed Description will be more fully understood in view of the drawings in which:
FIGS. 1A-1D shows a schematic outline of the method according to the invention. Target molecules are captured by antibodies immobilized on the walls of a reaction vessel, FIG. 1A , the four PLA probes are added, FIG. 1B , and the probes are allowed to bind different epitopes on the target. Oligonucleotides attached to the antibodies hybridize to each other, FIG. 1C , and guide hybridization of a separate oligonucleotide, FIG. 1D . This oligonucleotide is joined by enzymatic DNA ligation to oligonucleotides attached to two of the antibodies, templated by oligonucleotides on the two other antibodies. Finally, the newly formed DNA template is amplified and quantified by qPCR.
FIGS. 2A-2C show detection of prostasomes using the method according to the invention and PLA. FIG. 2A ) Comparison of the method according to the invention (circles) and solid-phase PLA (squares) for measuring purified prostasomes. For the method according to the invention the SD of 0.021 and for solid-phase PLA the SD of 0.056 for negative controls were used to calculate the LOD. FIG. 2B ) the method according to the invention was used to detect serial dilutions of purified prostasomes, spiked in buffer (squares) or in 10% human plasma (circles). FIG. 2C ) The mechanism of the method according to the invention was investigated by omitting each of the four antibodies used in the probe mix in separate reactions, while still adding the corresponding oligonucleotide. The omission of any antibody resulted in reduction of the detection signals to background levels. The Y-axes show the CT average, while the X-axes indicate the concentration of prostasomes. Error bars indicate standard deviations from the mean for triplicate reactions.
FIGS. 3A-3C show levels of prostasomes in plasma samples from patients and controls as measured with the method according to the invention. FIG. 3A ) The analysis of samples from prostate cancer patients (n=20) revealed significantly higher concentrations of prostasomes than those observed in samples from age-matched controls (n=20; p<0.001). FIG. 3B ) The higher concentrations of prostasomes in samples from patients were confirmed in a blind-test validation experiment examining the subgroup of 13 patients and 11 age-matched control samples (p<0.001). The results are shown as boxplots in which the dashed lines extend between the minimum and maximum values, boxes extend between the lower and higher quartiles, and the horizontal black bars indicate the medians for the patients and controls, respectively. FIG. 3C ) Plasma samples from five prostate cancer patients were pooled, and the level of prostasomes in the supernatant after ultracentrifugation (open bar) was compared with the level in pooled plasma that had not been centrifuged (gray bar). Error bars indicate standard deviations from the mean for triplicate reactions.
FIG. 4 : Plasma levels of prostasomes in samples from prostate cancer patients grouped according to histological Gleason scores. The patients were classified in three groups. Each patient group was analyzed in a separate batch together with the control group. The levels of prostasomes in plasma samples from patients with Gleason score 6-7 and 8-9 were both significantly higher than those with a Gleason score of 5 and of controls with p-values of 0.001. The levels of prostasomes in samples from patients with Gleason score 5 were similar to those in samples from controls (p=1).
FIG. 5A shows boxplots showing differences in levels of prostasomes and PSA, respectively, in patient groups with different Gleason scores. The p-values were calculated using a two-sample Wilcoxon rank sum test. FIG. 5B ) shows scatter plots illustrating the correlation between plasma prostasome and PSA levels for patients divided in three groups with Gleason score of 5 (n=19), scores of 6-7 (n=20) and scores of 8-9 (n=20). Rho-values (ρ) are Spearman's rank correlation coefficients, measuring the statistical dependence of PSA and prostasome levels upon Gleason scores.
FIG. 6 shows detection of tetramer strepavidin using a homogenous version of the method according to the invention. The four proximity probes were coupled to biotin and were used to detect streptavidin Diamonds and squares demonstrating 2 different probe concentrations
FIG. 7 shows detection of A-beta oligomers using the method according to the invention versus conventional PLA. A single monoclonal antibody conjugated to four different DNA oligonucleotides that were used for specific detection of A-beta oligomers.
FIG. 8 shows the method according to the invention demonstrated increased specificity. To demonstrate the increased specificity, human VEGF was captured using an anti-human-VEGF antibody immobilized on a solid support and after washes the antigen was detected with probes containing oligonucleotides conjugated to either anti-VEGF antibodies or conjugated to an irrelevant antibody (anti-PDGF).
FIG. 9 shows a general illustration of the invention according to claim 2 , showing first to fourth proximity probes (1-4), a cassette oligonucleotide (5), an analyte-binding moiety bound to a solid support (6), first to fourth overlapping regions (OL1-OL4)
DEFINITIONS
All words and terms used in the present application shall be interpreted to have the meaning usually given to them by the person skilled in the art, unless otherwise indicated. For the sake of clarity, some terms are further explained below.
Proximity Ligation Assay, abbreviated PLA, is the method as described in references 1 and 2.
3PLA is the method as described in WO2007/107743.
RCA is an abbreviation for Rolling Circle Amplification.
Proximity probe is a probe composed of an analyte-binding domain being an affinity binder, and a nucleic acid domain, preferably a single stranded DNA (“ssDNA”).
The term “Affinity binder” shall be construed as any molecular entity capable of selectively binding to an analyte of interest. Affinity binders may be polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies, fragments thereof such as F(ab) 2 , Fab, Fab′, Fv, Fc, and Fd fragments, which may be incorporated into single domain antibodies, single-chain antibodies, maxibodies, minibodies, intrabodies, diabodies, triabodies, tetrabodies, v-NAR and bis-scFv 3 . Affinity binders also include synthetic binding molecules such as molecularly imprinted polymers, affibodies or any other affinity binder that can be conjugated to DNA oligonucleotides.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
The present invention aims to provide a detection method with increased specificity and decreased background noise.
In the method according to the invention affinity binders are equipped with oligonucleotides to form probes. The binders can be conjugated to the ssDNA by different means. One strategy is when the binders are equipped with biotin. In this case the DNA molecules are coupled to streptavidin molecules that have very high affinity to biotin. The binders can also be coupled covalently to the ssDNA molecules using different chemistries. Although polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies are the most common affinity binders but all other affinity binders can be used in the method according to the invention.
Once the proximity probes are prepared, they will be incubated with the target molecule for a given time depending on the kinetics of the binders. To prevent any unspecific interaction of the proximity arms in the absence of the target molecule, two of the proximity arms may be hybridized to blocking oligonucleotides. When the proximity arms are in close proximity to each other the blocking oligonucleotides are, if present, replaced with two other ssDNA arms coupled to two other affinity binders that will subsequently hybridize to a cassette oligonucleotide that in the presence of a ligase will be connected to the two outer proximity arms to form a new amplifiable DNA molecule.
In one embodiment of the invention, the method according to the invention is carried out on a solid support such as magnetic microparticles, inside plastic tubes etc. Here, the target molecule will first be captured using a fifth affinity binder immobilized on the solid support and thereafter the proximity probes will be added and the method according to the invention will be carried out as described above. In the solid-phase embodiment, a wash step can be introduced between each step to remove undesirable components, which might increase the efficiency of the assay.
The method according to the invention can be used for sensitive and specific detection of single proteins that have enough epitopes to be recognized with four different binders in a homogenous manner or five binders in a heterogonous format. The method can also be used for detection and analysis of interaction of two or more target molecules, for instance proteins, DNA and RNA or other polymers. It can also be used for detection and analyses of pathogens—such as bacteria, viruses and parasites—detection of cells, for instance tumor cells in circulation, and it can also be used for detection of aggregated proteins such as A-beta oligomers, alfa-synuclein, amyloidosis etc. In addition, the method according to the invention has been shown to be a powerful tool for specific detection of organelles such as exosomes.
A schematic outline of the solid-phase embodiment of the invention is illustrated in FIG. 1 ; a) The target molecules, for instance, prostasomes, are captured by immobilized antibodies, followed by the addition of (b) four oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies against four different epitopes or four different proteins present on the target molecules. (c) Blocking oligonucleotides are replaced with the PLA probe arms that are in close proximity, allowing the hybridization of a cassette oligonucleotide to the accessory PLA probe arms allowing the enzymatic ligation (d) of the cassette oligonucleotide to the adjacent oligonucleotides. The ligation of the blocking oligonucleotides to unbound probes, block the nonspecific ligations between those oligonucleotides. The newly formed ligation products are amplified using two primers designed to recognize two different proximity probes.
By using the extremely sensitive and specific method according to the invention we demonstrate here (Example 1) for the first time that prostasomes can be detected at elevated levels in blood plasma from prostate cancer patients.
The test according to the invention, which depends on simultaneous recognition of targets by four different antibodies recognizing five different epitopes, exhibits improved sensitivity and specificity for prostasomes compared to solid-phase PLA where three recognition events are involved. This improvement may be explained in part by the lower risk of target-independent proximity of all the binders and thus nonspecific background, but the method according to the invention also provides particular advantages for detection of multiprotein complexes as diagnostic targets. To our knowledge, this is the first assay that depends on simultaneous binding to as much as five different epitopes for detection. The present invention expands the scope for biomarker diagnostics by providing the possibility to measure in body fluids such as blood plasma previously inaccessible classes of markers, such as complexes of interacting proteins, aggregates and multiprotein particles, e.g. microvesicles. The available technologies for sensitive protein detection typically use pairs of affinity reagents in a sandwich configuration. This is true for the popular sandwich ELISA and for more recent highly sensitive techniques such as the bio-barcode assays and homogeneous PLA.
The specificity of the method according to the invention is illustrated by the lack of signals in the supernatant of ultracentrifuged blood plasma samples from prostate cancer patients, and by the failure to detect prostasomes in plasma from prepubertal boys. This was in agreement with previous investigations, demonstrating the androgen dependence of prostasome production and secretion 4 5 (42, 49). In contrast to measurements of PSA, the prostasome test could distinguish prostate cancers with low and high Gleason scores.
The assay with its high sensitivity and specificity for prostasomes in blood samples is promising as a diagnostic and prognostic test for prostate cancer. Potential applications include early diagnosis, monitoring under active surveillance, selection of therapy in localized disease, and monitoring of responses to treatment.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Prostasome Detection
The method according to the invention was used to detect prostasomes in blood plasma from prostate cancer patients and controls. It was successfully established that prostasomes are present in blood plasma, and we observed increased levels in samples from prostate cancer patients.
A wide variety of cell types are able to release microvesicles of endocytic origin to the extracellular compartment. The first cellular system to be explored in this regard was the prostate acinar cells. Ronquist et al. showed more than 30 years ago that human prostatic fluid and seminal plasma contain membrane-surrounded, nanometer-sized microvesicles Subsequent studies revealed that these extracellular organelles, now denoted prostasomes, had their intracellular correspondence to similar organelles inside another larger organelle, a so-called storage vesicle, equivalent to multivesicular bodies or late endosomes. Accordingly, the release of prostasomes to the extracellular compartment is the result of a fusion between the membrane surrounding the storage vesicle and the plasma membrane of the secretory cell of the prostate gland (exocytosis). The prostasomal membrane displays extraordinary properties with an unusually high content of the phospholipid sphingomyelin and a high cholesterol/phospholipid ratio rendering the membrane highly ordered and solid, as reflected by resistance to detergents.
Prostasomes contain several protein molecules. Proteins present on the surface of prostasomes include aminopeptidase N (CD13) and tissue factor (CD142) a cell membrane-associated glycoprotein that serves as a receptor and essential cofactor for factors VII and VIIa of the coagulation cascade.
Prostasomes seem to act as intercellular messengers between prostate secretory cells and sperm cells, transferring molecules propitious for fertilization by influencing e.g. sperm motility, and exerting antibacterial, complement inhibitory, antioxidant and immunosuppressive activities.
Also neoplastic prostate cells have the capacity to synthesize and export prostasomes, even poorly differentiated prostate cancer metastases, but the altered tissue architecture in malignancy facilitates the release of prostasomes to the interstitial space.
Materials and Methods
Plasma Samples from Patients and Controls
Blood plasma was obtained from two groups of prostate cancer patients and compared to age-matched controls. A first group included samples from 20 patients (52-69 years old) having PSA levels between 94 μg/l to 2706 μg/l and 20 age-matched controls with PSA levels below 2.5 μg/l. In a second group, we investigated samples from 59 patients (53-73 years old) having PSA levels between 1.1 μg/l to 39.1 μg/l. These were compared to 20 age-matched controls (53-75 years old) with benign results from transrectal ultrasound guided biopsy and PSA levels between 1.7 to 14.8 μg/l. Thirteen patients (PSA values, 4.3-22.2 μg/l) and 11 controls (PSA values, 2.7-14.8 μg/l) were recruited from the second group to constitute a subgroup for a blinded validation experiment, see Results. All analyses of the first group were approved by the ethical committee of Uppsala University. The samples of the second group were collected under a protocol approved by the Internal Review Board of the University of Münster in accordance with practices and ethical standards of the Committee on Ethical Issues of the university and the Declaration of Helsinki, including informed consent by the patients.
Reagents
Antibodies
Monoclonal antibodies mAb78 and mAb8H10, directed against seminal prostasomes, were produced in mice by intrasplenic immunization and the antibodies were biotinylated as described 678 . Anti-CD13 monoclonal antibody was from AbD Serotec (Kidlington, UK). Biotinylated, polyclonal anti-human coagulation factor III/tissue factor antibodies were purchased from R&D Systems (cat. # BAF2339).
Prostasome Preparation
Fresh semen samples were obtained from normospermic men according to the WHO laboratory manual, during evaluation for in vitro fertilization. Semen samples were centrifuged for 20 min at 1,000 g at 21° C. to pellet spermatozoa and any other cells from the seminal plasma.
Seminal prostasomes were prepared from pooled seminal plasmas by procedures including differential centrifugation, preparative ultracentrifugation, and separation by gel chromatography as previously described 8 . All preparatory procedures were carried out at 0-4° C. if not otherwise stated.
Preparation of Probes
Sequences for all oligonucleotides are shown in Table 1. All oligonucleotide-streptavidin conjugates used to prepare PLA probes for the method according to the invention and solid-phase PLA tests were combined with free streptavidin and briefly heated to obtain streptavidin tetramers containing reduced number of oligonucleotides as described 9 . 100 nM oligonucleotide-streptavidin conjugates were incubated with 100 nM biotinylated antibodies in phosphate-buffered saline (1×PBS) for 1 h at 21° C. The conjugated probes were diluted in buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl pH 7.5, 10 mM MgCl2, 0.025% Tween 20 (Sigma-Aldrich), 1 mM D-biotin (Invitrogen), 1% BSA and 100 mM NaCl), incubated for 20 min at 21° C., and stored at 4° C. for up to two months. The oligonucleotides SLC1 and SLC2 were conjugated to mAb78 and mAb8H10, respectively, and the oligonucleotides Acc1 and Acc2 were conjugated to polyclonal anti-human coagulation factor III/tissue factor, respectively.
The pair of antibodies used to prepare PLA probes for PLA according to a previously published protocol 10 were mAb78 and mAb8H10, and the four PLA probes in the method according to the invention used mAb78, mAb8H10 and two aliquots of polyclonal anti-tissue factor antibodies. In the method according to the invention the oligonucleotides attached to two of the PLA probes were designed to hybridize to hairpin-loop structured blocking oligonucleotides to prevent hybridization to the other PLA probes in the absence of target binding. Once bound in proximity these hybrids are replaced by hybrids between oligonucleotides on different antibodies. After washes a short bridging oligonucleotide is added to join the oligonucleotides on two PLA probes via two enzymatic ligation reactions. Oligonucleotides on PLA probes having failed to bind in proximity become ligated to the blocking oligonucleotides, thus preventing nonspecific generation of amplifiable DNA strands.
Detection of Prostasomes by PLA and the Method According to the Invention
Prostasomes were detected by PLA essentially as described 10 or as adapted for the method according to the invention. Briefly, capture antibodies were immobilized in reaction tubes (AJ Roboscreen GmbH, Germany) using 50 μl of 1 ng/μl anti-CD13 in coating buffer (0.05 M sodium bicarbonate, 0.05 M sodium carbonate, 0.015 M sodium azide, pH 9.6) at 4° C. over night. Excess antibodies were removed by three washes in 1×TBS and 0.01% (v/v) Tween 20.
Fifty μl purified prostasomes or blood plasma samples from patients or controls, diluted tenfold in buffer, were added to the tubes and incubated for 2h at 37° C., followed by three washes as described above. Next, 50 μl of 500 pM PLA probe mixtures were added, and the tubes were incubated at 37° C. for 2 h and unreacted probes were removed as above. Thereafter, 50 μl ligation/amplification mix was added, containing 1x PCR buffer (Invitrogen), 2.5 mM MgCl2 (Invitrogen), 0.2 μM of each Biofwd and Biorev primer, 0.4 μM TAQMAN® probe, 0.08 mM ATP, 0.2 mM of each deoxynucleoside triphosphate (containing dUTP), 1.5 unit Platinum Taq DNA polymerase (Invitrogen), 0.5 Weiss units of T4 DNA ligase (Fermentas), 0.1 unit uracil-DNA glycosylase (Fermentas) and 40 nM cassette oligonucleotide for the method according to the invention and 200 nM connector oligonucleotide for PLA. The reactions were incubated for 5 min at 21° C. and qPCR was then performed in an MX-3000™ or MX 3005™ real time PCR instrument (Stratagene), with an initial incubation for 2 min at 95° C., followed by 45 cycles of 95° C. for 15 s and 60° C. for 1 min. The results were presented as threshold cycle (CT) values. For clinical samples the CT values were converted into mass quantities by using data from a prostasome standard curve run in same experiment and prostasomes were expressed as ng/ml blood plasma.
Data Analysis
The qPCR data were analyzed with MXPRO™ real time PCR software (Stratagene), and the recorded CT values were exported and further analyzed using the R statistics software package. Logistic regression models were calculated using the drc package in R. The statistical significance of the difference in levels of prostasomes between patient and control groups as determined by the method according to the invention was calculated using a two-sample Wilcoxon rank sum test in R.
Lower limits of detection (LOD) were determined as the concentrations that resulted in a signal two standard deviations (SD) above the mean background levels.
Results
Detection of Prostasomes Using the Method According to the Invention and PLA
To measure prostasomes in blood plasma as potential markers for prostate cancer we established an assay where detection depends on simultaneous recognition of five different protein epitopes on the surface of the prostasomes using four different mono- and polyclonal antibodies. Prostasomes were first captured by a monoclonal antibody against CD13, immobilized on the surfaces of reaction tubes. Next, four oligonucleotide-conjugated antibodies (two monoclonals and one polyclonal (×2)) directed against different epitopes on the surface of the prostasomes were added. Two aliquots of a polyclonal antibody directed against tissue factor had been modified with two different oligonucleotides, and two prostasome-specific monoclonal antibodies called mAb78 and mAb8H10 each carried its own oligonucleotide. After washes, all four oligonucleotides contributed to the creation of an amplifiable DNA strand via two enzymatic ligation reactions. Finally, the amount of target dependent ligation products was measured by qPCR ( FIG. 1 ).
Prostasomes were detected with a LOD of 0.032 ng/ml. Using a more conventional PLA protocol involving one capture antibody but only two PLA probes the LOD was 4.83 ng/ml ( FIG. 2A ). Thus, the method according to the invention exhibited around 150-fold lower LOD and it had a dynamic range that extended by two further orders of magnitude compared to PLA. Similar sensitivities and dynamic ranges were observed whether prostasomes were detected by the method according to the invention in either 10% human blood plasma or in buffer ( FIG. 2B ).
To ascertain that the detection reaction in fact depends on binding by all four PLA probes we replaced one probe at a time with the corresponding concentration of the free oligonucleotide, normally attached to that particular antibody. FIG. 2C shows that omission of any of the antibodies resulted in background level signals, confirming that the assay measures complexes capable of being recognized by all antibodies.
Detection of prostasomes in plasma samples from prostate cancer patients
We investigated levels of prostasomes in blood plasma samples from patients with prostate cancer and controls using the method according to the invention. Significantly increased levels of prostasomes were observed in blood plasma from 20 prostate cancer patients (median, 7.7 ng/ml; range 1.1-34.9; 95% confidence interval (CI)) compared to 20 age-matched controls (median 1.1; range<1.1-12.4; 95% CI); p<0.001; FIG. 3A ). In a separate, blinded validation experiment prostasome levels again were elevated in another constellation (the subgroup) of 13 patients (median, 2.9 ng/ml; range 1.3-4.6 ng/ml; 95% CI) compared to 11 age-matched controls (median, 0.5 ng/ml; range 0.5-1.8 ng/ml; 95% CI; p<0.001; FIG. 3B ). No prostasomes were detected in blood plasma samples from 12 prepubertal boys at ages where the prostate gland is known not to produce and secrete prostasomes 11 (data not shown).
In order to further establish that the method according to the invention indeed detects prostasomes rather than individual proteins, a pooled plasma sample from five prostate cancer patients with plasma PSA values between 10 and 120 μg/l was ultracentrifuged at 200,000×g for 2 h to ascertain that the prostasomes were quantitatively pelleted. Prostasomes were not detected in supernatant of plasma samples subjected to ultracentrifugation, while they were readily detected by the method according to the invention in the sample not subjected to ultracentrifugation ( FIG. 3C ).
Finally, we investigated the relation between blood plasma prostasome levels before therapy and histological evidence of aggressiveness of prostate cancer in a cohort of 59 patients whose tumors were histologically classified after radical prostatectomy as having Gleason scores from 5 to 9. A higher Gleason score means that the tumor deviates more from normal prostate glandular tissue by being less well differentiated. The patients were divided in three groups with a low Gleason score of 5 (n=19), medium scores of 6-7 (n=20), and high scores of 8-9 (n=20). Blood plasma levels of prostasomes were measured by the method according to the invention for each of the groups and compared to levels for the same group of control individuals. Prostate cancer patients with a Gleason score of 5 had prostasome levels similar to those of controls (median, 1.0 ng/ml; range 0.9-2.3 ng/ml for patient samples vs. median 1.0 ng/ml; range 0.9-4.5 ng/ml for control samples; P=1), while the levels in patient groups with Gleason scores of 6-7 or 8-9 (medians, 2.2 and 2.9 ng/ml; range 0.5-17.3 and 0.3-7.2 ng/ml, respectively) were both significantly elevated compared to their respective controls (medians, 0.9 and 1.2 ng/ml; range 0.5-3.5 and 1.2-3.0; p<0.001 for both groups; FIG. 4 ). The medians for prostasome levels in patient samples were between 2.5- and 7-fold higher than the medians for background prostasome level in control samples.
The PSA test did not distinguish patients with Gleason scores of 6-7 from those with score of 5 (p=0.56), but they could only distinguish the patients with Gleason scores of 6-7 from those with Gleason scores of 8-9 (p<0.008; FIG. 5A ). The prostasome and PSA levels did not correlate in any of the three patient groups ( FIG. 5B ).
Example 2
Detection of tetramer strepavidin using a homogenous version of the method according to the invention. Streptavidin tetramers (5 μl) at variant concentrations were incubated with probe mix containing four different biotinylated oligonucleotides for one hour. 40 μl ligation/PCR mix (containing: 1×PCR buffer, 2.5 mM MgCl 2 , 0.2 μM of each forward and reverse primers, 0.4 μM TaqMan probe, 0.08 mM ATP, 100 nM cassette oligonucleotide, 0.2 mM dNTPs, 1.5 units Platinum Taq polymerase, 0.5 units T4 DNA ligase) was added and real-time PCR was performed. Diamonds and squares demonstrating 200 and 500 pM probe concentration, respectively. X-axis indicates streptavidin concentration while Y-axis indicates Ct average ( FIG. 6 ).
Example 3
Detection of A-beta oligomers using the method according to the invention versus conventional PLA. Five μl Probe mix, containing four different oligonucleotides conjugated to a single monoclonal antibody, were incubated with soluble aggregated Aβ oligomers for one hour. After incubation, 40 μl PCR/ligation mix was added and real-time PCR was performed. Squares indicate detection of Aβ oligomers using the method according to the invention and diamonds indicate detection of Aβ oligomers using conventional PLA. X-axis indicates concentration of Aβ oligomers while Y-axis indicates Ct average ( FIG. 7 ).
Example 4
Increased specificity for the method according to the invention. To demonstrate the increased specificity, human VEGF was captured using an anti-human-VEGF antibody immobilized on a solid support and after washes the antigen was detected with probes containing oligonucleotides conjugated to either anti-VEGF antibodies or conjugated to an irrelevant antibody (anti-PDGF). While conventional PLA showed a signal-to-noise ratio of up to 4 Ct the signal-to-noise ratio obtained for the method according to the invention were close to background ( FIG. 8 ).
The present invention is not limited to the above-described preferred embodiments. Various alternatives, modifications and equivalents may be used. Therefore, the above embodiments should not be taken as limiting the scope of the invention, which is defined by the appending claims.
TABLE 1 Sequences of oligonucleotides used in Example 1 Modifica- Name Sequence tion Company SLC1 CGCATCGCCCTTGGACTACGACTGACGAACCGCTTTGCCTGACTGATCGCTAAATCGTG 5′- Soluiink (SEQ ID: 1) strepavidin SLC2 TCGTGTCTAAAGTCCGTTACCTTGATTCCCCTAACCCTCTTGAAAAATTCGGCATCGGTGA 5′- Soluiink (SEQ ID: 2) phosphate, 3′- strepavidin Acc 1 TAGCTAAGGCTTAGATTATTATTCTTCTTCTTCAGTGCAGGATCACGATTTAGATATTTTT 5′ Soluiink (SEQ ID: 3) strepavidin Acc 2 ATATTTTCTTTAGACACGAGTAGCATACCTTCCCCTTCTCTACTACTCCTTCACCTCCTCCACT 3′- Soluiink (SEQ ID: 4) strepavidin Block1 CTG CATGACGCTAGCTGACATTTTTTGTCAGCTAGCGTCATGCAGCACGAAAA (SEQ ID: 5′- Integrated 5) phosphate DNA Technology Block 2 TTTCACGATACGTAGACTTCGGATTCAGTTTTTTACTGAATCCGAAGTCTACGTA (SEQ ID: Integrated 6) DNA Technology Bv free CGCATCGCCCTTGGACTACGACTGACGAACCGCTTTGCCTGACTGATCGCTAAATCGTG (SEQ 5′-biotin Integrated 3′ ID: 7) DNA Technology Bv free TCGTGTCTAAAGTCCGTTACCTTGATTCCCCTAACCCTCTTGAAAAATTCGGCATCGGTGA 5′- Integrated 5′ (SEQ ID: 8) posphate, DNA 3′-biotin Technology Bvacc 1 TAGCTAAGG CTTAGATTATTATTCTTCTTCTTCAGTGCAGGATCACGATTTAGATATTTTT 5′-biotin Soluiink (SEQ ID: 9) Bvacc 2 ATATTTTCTTTAGACACGAGTAGCATACCTTCCCCTTCTCTACTACTCCTTCACCTCCTCCACT 3′-biotin Soluiink (SEQ ID: 10) biofwd CATCGCCCTTGGACTACGA (SEQ ID: 11) Integrated DNA Technology biorev GGGAATCAAGGTAACGGACTTTAG (SEQ ID: 12) Integrated DNA Technology biosplint TACTTAGACACGACACGATTTAGTTT (SEQ ID: 13) Biomer 4PLA ATCCTGCACTTATATTGGTATGCTAC (SEQ ID: 14) 5′- Integrated Cassette phosphate DNA Technology TaqMan ® TGACGAACCGCTTTGCCTGACTGA (SEQ ID: 15) 5′-FAM, Applied MGB 3′- Biosystems probe MGBNFQ
References
1 Fredriksson S, Gullberg M, Jarvius J, et al. Protein detection using proximity-dependent DNA ligation assays. Nat Biotechnol 2002; 20:473-7 2 Gullberg M, Gustafsdottir S M, Schallmeiner E, et al. Cytokine detection by antibody-based proximity ligation. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2004; 101:8420-4 3 Hollinger and Hudson, 2005, Nature Biotechnology, 23, 9, 1126-1136 4 Renneberg H, Wennemuth G, Konrad L, Aumuller G. Immunohistochemistry of a prostate membrane specific protein during development and maturation of the human prostate. J Anat 1997; 190 (Pt 3):343-9. 5 Ronquist G, Stegmayr B. Prostatic origin of fucosyl transferase in human seminal plasma—a study on healthy controls and on men with infertility or with prostatic cancer. Urol Res 1984; 12:243-7 6 Nilsson B O, Jin M, Einarsson B, Persson B E, Ronquist G. Monoclonal antibodies against human prostasomes. Prostate 1998; 35:178-84 7 Nilsson B O, Svalander P C, Larsson A Immunization of mice and rabbits by intrasplenic deposition of nanogram quantities of protein attached to Sepharose beads or nitrocellulose paper strips. J Immunol Methods 1987; 99:67-75. 8 Carlsson L, Nilsson O, Larsson A, Stridsberg M, Sahlen G, Ronquist G. Characteristics of human prostasomes isolated from three different sources. Prostate 2003; 54:322-30. 9 Darmanis S, Yuan Nong R, Hammond M, et al. Sensitive plasma protein analysis by microparticle-based proximity ligation assays. Mol Cell Proteomics 2009. 10 Ericsson O, Jarvius J, Schallmeiner E, et al. A dual-tag microarray platform for high-performance nucleic acid and protein analyses. Nucleic Acids Res 2008; 36:e45. 11 Renneberg H, Wennemuth G, Konrad L, Aumuller G Immunohistochemistry of a prostate membrane specific protein during development and maturation of the human prostate. J Anat 1997; 190 (Pt 3):343-9
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A method for detecting analyte in a sample comprises:
(a) contacting said sample with at least one set comprising a cassette oligonucleotide and first, second, third and fourth proximity probes, which probes each comprise an analyte-binding domain and a nucleic acid domain and can simultaneously bind to the analyte, the nucleic acid domains of said first and third proximity probes being complementary in a first overlap region and the nucleic acid domains of said second and fourth proximity probes being complementary in a second overlap region; and said cassette oligonucleotide being complementary to the nucleic acid domain of said third proximity probe in a third overlap region and to the nucleic acid domains of said fourth proximity probe in a fourth overlap region; (b) allowing the overlap regions of said proximity probes and said cassette oligonucleotide to hybridise; and (c) detecting said hybridisation.
A kit is for performing the method.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to the field of filters, and more particularly to digital filters that can produce an output at a variable rate.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Asynchronous digital filters are used in many applications, including navigation, process control and machine calibration. Asynchronous filters provide a filtered output of an input signal at a variable rate, hence the asynchronous appellation (i.e., filter output is available on demand). In contrast, synchronous filters provide a filtered output at a constant rate. In the area of position control, for example, the input signal to the filter may be a sensor sample that is a measurement of velocity, position, rotational rate or angle of a spinning vehicle or body. The filter output gives an indication of the orientation or trajectory of the vehicle or body. The orientation or the trajectory of a body is often described by a fixed number of variables defined as the state of the system being observed.
Typically, an asynchronous filter receives at least one sensor sample during its time period and produces a filtered output for use by a secondary process or system. The secondary process or system may be a control system that uses the state of the system, as indicated by the filter output, to either change the state of the system or to compensate for perturbations in the state. For example, the control system of a missile or a robot arm will correct for inaccuracies between the desired trajectory and the actual trajectory as indicated by the filter output. In other applications, the filter may give an indication of other system states and the control system may perform other functions.
Filtering is necessary because measurement of physical phenomena (e.g., position, velocity, acceleration and pressure) usually results in a signal that is corrupted by noise and other sources of deviations from the actual measurement desired. The secondary process typically cannot meaningfully use noisy sensor samples. However, if the statistical properties of the noise are known, a filter can be designed to produce a more accurate estimate of the system states based on the noise-corrupted state measurements. In addition to filtering the measured signal, certain corrections and transformations of the state estimates, such as coordinate transformations, may also be made by the filter.
The variable rate feature of asynchronous filters is highly desirable because in many applications the rate at which the secondary system desires the filter output may not be constant. Furthermore, the window during which the secondary process may accept information from the filter may be restricted. As the process changes, the secondary system, which may need to make determinations about the state of the system or adjustments more often, may require more frequent and accurate updates from the filter. If a filter generates outputs at a fixed rate, the secondary system may make determinations or adjustments that are based on older and less accurate information. Consequently, a variable rate or asynchronous filter is highly desirable because it provides a filter output based on more recent sensor samples and provides a filter output that can be used by the secondary system at the time the secondary system needs the filter output, thus reducing data age. To further reduce the effects of data age, prediction may be used to extend the filtered signal into the future. Providing a filter output at or close to the time that the secondary system needs the filter output shortens the prediction time, thereby reducing the errors.
Asynchronous digital Kalman filters are one type of asynchronous digital filter. More details on asynchronous Kalman filters can be found in Applied Optimal Estimation by Arthur Gelb, MIT Press, Cambridge, Mass., 1974. Kalman filters have many desirable properties including optimality, recursive solutions, and ease of digital implementation. Unfortunately, asynchronous Kalman filters are typically very complicated and, consequently, computationally intensive and slow. The intensive computational requirements of an asynchronous Kalman filter will limit the maximum sampling frequency. As a result, the asynchronous filter may be unable to produce an output at a rate necessary for the secondary process.
Synchronous Kalman filters are simpler to design and less computationally intensive, hence they are faster. More details on synchronous Kalman filters can be found in Adaptive Filtering: Prediction and Control by Graham C. Goodwin and Kwai Sang Sin, Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, N.J. Unfortunately, a single synchronous Kalman filter is not well suited to applications that require filtered output at a variable rate. Consequently, there is a need for synchronous filters, whether of a Kalman or another type, to produce filtered output at a variable rate. The invention meets this need.
In some lithography systems, radiation from a source exposes specific areas of a wafer, that is coated with a resist sensitive to the radiation, as the wafer travels relative to the source. In this manner, a desired pattern is exposed in the resist on the wafer. The exactness of the movement of the wafer beneath the radiation source is therefore critical. It is desirable to have a control system that obtains exact state updates of the wafer as it travels relative to the radiation source. As information about the path traversed by the wafer is sampled, the signal including the measurement samples includes noise and other sources of deviations. Since statistical properties of some noise and deviations are known, filters are used to produce a more accurate estimate of the actual position based on the noisy measurement sample. In essence, the filter acts to “remove” such characterized noises and deviations. The invention provides an approximately asynchronous filter for more accurately correcting the errors associated with the motion of various components in lithography systems. Such an asynchronous filter is essential in a system where the corrections are made by a subsystem that can only accept data during a small window of time, and this window does not occur at a fixed rate. The filter, in addition to signal processing, may also use prediction to compensate for delays, and may also perform deterministic corrections and transformations on the sensor data and/or the state estimates.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A system and methods that provide a simple effective technique for generating variable rate filtered output while using synchronous filters having the same fixed filter update time are described. The system employs multiple filters having outputs are staggered in time. The amount by which each filter is staggered in time is set so that the output of one of the multiple filters is available whenever a secondary process requires state information.
In another embodiment, the synchronous filters are programmable so as to change the filter update time. This configuration is possible when it is known that the frequency at which the secondary process requires data from the filter (the input frequency) is smaller than the filter update frequency and the filter update frequency is an integer multiple of the input frequency. By using programmable filters, the number of filters required to accommodate the data requirements of the secondary process can be minimized.
Whether a system employs multiple non-programmable filters staggered in time or programmable filters, the invention achieves a variable rate filtered output while using synchronous filters. Thus, computationally intensive and complicated variable rate filters can be avoided, while at the same time minimizing processor requirements.
In another aspect of the invention, a method of generating a variable rate filtered output is employed in a lithography system to control the movements of various components therein. In one embodiment, the filtered outputs are used to estimate the position of the wafer stage. With the variable rate feature, the lithography system, in which the correction subsystem can only accept stage state information within restricted windows in time and the rate at which these windows occur is not constant, can dynamically correct for the position errors in the stage during the wafer exposure process.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a lithography system according to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 shows a detailed diagram of a filter and a predictor in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 3 is a timing diagram of the operation of a synchronous filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a timing diagram of the operation of a synchronous filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is a timing diagram of the operation of a synchronous filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a filter architecture according to an alternate embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is a timing diagram of the operation of a filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 8 is a timing diagram of the operation of a filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 ;
FIG. 9 is a timing diagram of the operation of a filter architecture according to the embodiment of FIG. 6 ; and
FIG. 10 is a timing diagram of the operation of a filter architecture having multiple programmable filters.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 shows a system block diagram of an electron beam lithography system (System) 200 according to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention. System 200 includes a moving stage 220 that carries a resist-coated wafer 222 for exposure by an electron optical column 214 . System 200 also includes a sensor 204 that measures the position of the wafer stage 220 . The sensor 204 is coupled to a filter 206 . The filter 206 is connected to a predictor 208 that in turn is connected to a controller 212 . The controller 212 is connected to the electron optical column 214 . The filter 206 and the predictor 208 are shown as separate units in FIG. 1 ; however, they may also be implemented together as a single unit. A controller (not shown) uses the output of the sensor 204 to control the position of the stage 220 .
The filter 206 in the preferred embodiment of the invention is a Kalman filter; however, other filters may be used, such as a lattice filter or a finite impulse response (FIR) filter. In the preferred embodiment, the Kalman filter is implemented using a dedicated digital signal processor (DSP) chip. Although the filter is described as using a dedicated DSP chip, those skilled in the art understand that the invention may be implemented using hardware exclusively or a mixture of software and hardware. Also, the filter, in addition to signal conditioning, may carry out other computations such as coordinate transformation and/or deterministic correction of the state measurements and/or state estimates.
The electron optical column 214 includes an electron source, apertures, and magnetic or electrostatic lenses and deflectors. These elements produce an electron beam at a specified location on the wafer with a well-defined shape and focused in the plane of the wafer. The electron optical column's deflectors control the location of the electron beam at the wafer. The electron optical column also includes a blanking unit that effectively turns the electron beam on or off at the wafer, so that exposure of the wafer by the beam can be controlled. Using the blanker and the deflectors, a pattern can be exposed in the resist coating the wafer surface. After developing the exposed resist, further semiconductor processing operations can be performed on the selectively exposed wafer surface. The electron optical deflectors can only deflect the electron beam over a small fraction of the wafer surface. In order to cover the rest of the surface, the wafer stage must move the wafer in coordination with the electron beam deflectors. The controller 212 controls the deflectors. The invention is preferably directed to a type of electron beam lithography system where the stage moves while the pattern is being written. In order to accurately place the deflected beam on the wafer 222 , the controller 212 must have up-to-date information about the wafer stage 220 location. Prior to the start of the wafer exposure procedure, the wafer 222 is rigidly attached to the wafer stage assembly 220 by means of mechanical clamps or an electrostatic chuck. An alignment procedure is then employed to locate previously patterned features on the wafer relative to the wafer stage coordinates and to the electron beam. From that point on, location of the wafer stage assembly 220 can be directly related to the location of features on the wafer 222 . Thus, the new pattern being exposed on the wafer can be accurately aligned with respect to structures on the wafer created by earlier lithography operations.
The signals generated by the controller 212 to control the deflectors are analog. However, the processed positional information from the predictor 208 is digital, as is the pattern information sent to the controller by a main computer where the wafer pattern information is stored. Thus, digital-to-analog conversion is required within the controller 212 . The analog signals going to the deflectors must be completely free of any noise, as such noise would perturb the pattern placement on the wafer. Therefore, while the electron beam is un-blanked, no digital information can be received by or processed by the controller 212 . Digital information can be received by or processed by the controller 212 only when the beam is blanked. Furthermore, the length of time when the beam is un-blanked may vary, depending on the exposure conditions required for the pattern. These conditions require that the filter 206 and the predictor 208 operate in an asynchronous mode. However, if all operations of the system, including the exposure process, can occur in coincidence with transitions of a master clock, or offset in time by a fixed amount from transitions of a master clock, then the filter 206 and the predictor 208 can operate pseudo-asynchronously.
The controller 212 requires up-to-date information about the position of the wafer stage assembly 220 because the precise path of the stage cannot always be known a priori with sufficient accuracy. Ideally, the path traversed by the stage coincides with the path required to place the wafer in the proper location for patterning. However, due to vibrations and inaccuracies in the stage control system, motors and drivers (not shown) of the wafer stage assembly 220 , the wafer stage path may deviate from the ideal path, so that the wafer is not in the expected location when the new pattern is being exposed.
This misalignment is unavoidable in normal operation. It can be compensated for by deflecting the electron beam appropriately during the pattern exposure. The amount of deflection required will depend on the relative position error of the wafer stage assembly 220 .
The deflection of the electron beam is determined by the controller 212 , which provides an analog signal to amplifiers that drive the deflectors within the electron optical column 214 . To effect this deflection, the controller 212 is provided with the position error estimates of the wafer stage assembly 220 . The position error estimate is generated from a position measurement made by the sensor 204 that detects the position of the wafer stage assembly 220 . The sensor 204 may be a heterodyne interferometer system that measures the distance of plane mirrors affixed to the wafer stage assembly from interferometer heads that are fixed in position relative to the electron optical column 214 . Such systems are sold commercially by, for example, Hewlett-Packard, and are well known in the art. The output of sensor 204 in that case is a digital signal representing the position of the wafer stage assembly 220 . These position measurements are compared to the expected stage position from the stage controller to yield position errors. They are used by the filter 206 to generate relative position error estimates of the wafer stage assembly 220 . In a similar manner, stage velocity and acceleration are derived from the position measurements by numerical differentiation, and velocity and acceleration error estimates are determined.
Typically, the signal produced by the sensor 204 includes noise and other sources of deviations (such as quantization). The controller 212 cannot meaningfully use noisy sensor samples. However, if the statistical properties of the noise are known, the filter 206 can be designed to produce a position error estimate of the actual position (or velocity, or acceleration) of the wafer stage assembly 220 using the noisy measurements of the sensor 204 . The position error estimate of the filter 206 is likely to be closer to the actual position than that measured by the sensor 204 .
Since there typically is a time delay between acquisition of the position information from the sensor 204 and output of the corresponding processed position error estimate by the filter 206 , as well as a time lag in sending the filtered signal to the controller 212 and commanding the deflectors to produce the required deflection, a predictor 208 is coupled to the filter 206 . Without the predictor 208 , the position error estimate from the filter 206 is likely to be inaccurate or “stale” by the time the position error estimate passes from the filter to the controller 212 and on to the deflectors in the form of deflection signals. The predictor 208 supplies information needed by the controller 212 to allow it to provide the correct positional error at the time the deflectors will be deflecting the un-blanked beam.
The predictor 208 takes the filtered errors in position, velocity and acceleration from the filter 206 , and generates the future state of the system as follows. If the stage position, velocity and acceleration errors in the directions x and y at the filter 206 update time t o are defined as x 0 , y 0 , vx 0 , vy 0 , ax 0 and ay 0 , respectively, then the predicted x and y position errors of the stage at a later time t are approximated by the following expressions:
x p =x 0 +vx 0 ( t−t 0 )+ ax 0 ( t−t 0 ) 2 /2
y p =y 0 +vy 0 ( t−t 0 )+ ay 0 ( t−t 0 ) 2 /2
Furthermore, the predicted stage velocity errors are given by the following expressions:
vx p =vx 0 +ax 0 ( t−t 0 )
vy p =vy 0 +ay 0 ( t−t 0 ).
The acceleration errors are approximated as constant: ax p =ax 0 ; ay p =ay 0 .
In this example, the stage assembly 220 is assumed to be travelling rectilinearly in the x-y plane. More generally, regarding the stage as a rigid body, the stage position and orientation will require six degrees of freedom to fully define the location of a point on the wafer 222 .
After information from the predictor is loaded into the controller 212 , it is converted into analog signals that go to the deflector amplifiers. The time between the analog conversion and the filter 206 update time, i.e., t−t 0 , is substituted into the above equations to provide the quantities x p , y p , vx p , vy p , ax p and ay p that are needed by the controller 212 . As mentioned above, these quantities must be loaded while the beam is blanked and no exposure is occurring, so that digital noise associated with the data transfer and attendant operations does not perturb the analog deflection signals.
During the exposure, the stage moves a non-negligible distance, requiring the deflectors to be continually updated. Thus, a calculation equivalent to the above must be carried out continuously within the controller 212 using analog techniques and involving the information from the predictor 208 .
Since the stage acceleration is generally not constant in time, the above position prediction from the predictor 208 will be valid (i.e., within acceptable accuracy) for only a limited amount of time. Then new values of the quantities x 0 , y 0 , vx 0 , vy 0 , ax 0 and ay 0 must be determined from more recent position information from the filter 206 . This assumes that the time over which the quantities x 0 , y 0 , vx 0 , vy 0 , ax 0 and ay 0 are valid is greater than the time between the filter 206 update time and the conversion of the predicted quantities to analog form in the controller 212 . Furthermore, the total beam exposure time may exceed the time during which the quantities x 0 , y 0 , vx 0 , vy 0 , ax 0 and ay 0 are valid. In that case, the beam must be blanked, interrupting the exposure, and current values of the quantities x 0 , y 0 , vx 0 , vy 0 , ax 0 and ay 0 are used to calculate x p , y p , vx p , vy p , ax p and ay p , which are then loaded into the controller 212 . The exposure can then be continued after the controller 212 has updated the deflector conditions.
FIG. 2 shows a diagram of the filter 206 and the predictor 208 in accordance with the invention. The filter 206 and the predictor 208 can be used to generate position estimates at various rates. In FIG. 2 , the filter 206 and the predictor 208 are shown as filter-predictors 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 , each of which performs both filtering and prediction. While in FIG. 2 each filter is shown with a matching predictor, an alternate embodiment may have several filters and only one predictor, provided that the predictor algorithm is fast enough. Each of the filter-predictors 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 periodically accepts a position measurement sample of the signal generated by the sensor 204 . For ease of reference, each filter-predictor combination will be simply described as a filter and will refer to the filter-predictor combination unless explicitly indicated otherwise.
Each of the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 produces a periodic filtered output using the state measurement samples periodically accepted by each filter. The filters were sequentially initialized, so that their outputs occur during sequential clock pulses. The periodic filtered output produced by each of the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 is applied to a multiplexer 206 - 4 . A control logic 206 - 6 and a clock 206 - 7 , which is a system master clock or is synchronized with the system master clock, are each independently coupled to the multiplexer 206 - 4 . The control logic 206 - 6 generates control signals that are applied to the multiplexer 206 - 4 . At the beginning (or end) of each clock cycle generated by the clock 206 - 7 , or at a fixed time offset, depending on the control signals generated by the logic 206 - 6 , the multiplexer 206 - 4 selects one or none of the periodic filtered outputs applied at the inputs to the multiplexer 206 - 4 . If the multiplexer 206 - 4 selects one of the periodic filtered outputs applied at the inputs to the multiplexer 206 - 4 , the multiplexer 206 - 4 transfers the selected periodic filtered output to the output of the multiplexer 206 - 4 . Over a period of several clock cycles, the output of the multiplexer 206 - 4 produces an output sequence of state estimates (or filtered state measurement samples) using the periodic filtered outputs accepted by the multiplexer. By manipulating the control signals, the control logic 206 - 6 can create multiplexer 206 - 4 output sequences with a variety of frequencies.
Each state estimate produced at the output of the multiplexer 206 - 4 is stored in a data register 206 - 5 until it is replaced by the next state estimate produced at the output of the multiplexer 206 - 4 . The state estimate can then be transferred to the controller 212 at an appropriate time while the beam is blanked. From the above information (i.e., x p , y p , vx p , vy p , ax p , ay p , t−t p ), the controller 212 can establish the necessary analog signal corrections to the deflectors.
Generation of state estimates at various rates using the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is readily apparent from the timing diagrams depicted in FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 . In FIGS. 3 , 4 , and 5 , the exposure cycle (or input sequence) indicates the frequency and relative timing at which the controller 212 (or secondary process) requires state estimates. In FIG. 3 , the exposure cycle has a prescribed time interval T be that is five clock cycles long and includes a blanking period followed by an exposure period. T f is defined as the filter update time. After the state error predictions are received by the controller 212 , the deflector digital-to-analog convertors (DACs) are loaded prior to the analog deflector signal generation. In FIG. 3 , the controller 212 requires state estimates every five clock cycles as indicated by the exposure cycles 301 - 308 that make up the input sequence and that repeat every five clock cycles. In FIG. 4 , the controller 212 requires state estimates every three clock cycles. In FIG. 5 , the controller 212 requires state estimates every six clock cycles. In each situation depicted by FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 , the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 produces the state estimates as needed by the controller 212 even though each of the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 produces a state estimate every filter update time of four cycles. More specifically, in FIGS. 3 , 4 , and 5 , during each input window, or blanking period, of the exposure cycle, there is a state estimate produced by one of the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 . The multiplexer 206 - 4 , pursuant control signals generated by logic 206 - 6 , selects the state estimate that is coincident with or aligned with the current input window. Alternatively, instead of describing the multiplexer 206 - 4 as selecting a state estimate, the multiplexer 206 - 4 can be described as selecting a certain filter for each of the input windows in the input sequence. The control logic 206 - 7 provides the control signals that cause the multiplexer 206 - 4 to select from among the state estimates, resulting in the coincidence of the selected state estimates and the input windows for the controller 212 . It should be clear that the coincidence, for the purposes discussed herein, may be satisfied when a state estimate is coincident with an input window or when a state estimate is a state estimate that is produced before the start (or rise) time of an input window and that is not so old (stale) or inaccurate as to be useless to the controller 212 .
In each of FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 , at the same time that a state estimate is produced by a filter, a state measurement sample, that will be used to produce the next state estimate one filter update time later, is accepted by the same filter. However, a given filter is not limited to only this measurement and may use successive as well as earlier measurements in order to calculate its next output. In FIGS. 3 , 4 and 5 , each of the filters accepts a state measurement sample every four cycles of the master clock, but may not be limited to this one measurement. Filter 206 - 8 - 1 accepts its state measurement sample: one clock cycle before filter 206 - 8 - 2 accepts its state measurement sample; two clock cycles before filter 206 - 8 - 3 accepts its state measurement sample; and three clock cycles before filter 206 - 8 - 4 accepts its state measurement sample. In summary, there is one clock cycle between the time any one of the filters accepts its state measurement sample and the nearest time another filter accepts its state measurement sample. It should be apparent that in other representative implementations of this embodiment, the number of clock cycles between the time any one of the filters accepts its state measurement sample and the nearest time at which another filter accepts its state measurement sample may be different. Also, this assumes that the rate at which the sensors can be sampled is fast enough (in the present example, one sample per clock cycle). The above statements also apply to the production of state estimates by the filters.
By using several computationally non-intensive and relatively simple filters, it is possible to provide state estimates over a range of allowable frequencies. Consequently, it becomes possible to avoid variable rate filters that are processor intensive as well as complex to develop.
The state estimates are produced with the same filter update time of four cycles at each of the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 . However, the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 , 206 - 8 - 4 do not produce the state estimates at the same time. Rather, each filter produces its state estimate at a fixed time period offset from the time of production by another filter. In FIG. 3 , for the first input window, the first state estimate generated by filter 206 - 8 - 1 is selected by the multiplexer 206 - 4 to apply to the data register 206 - 5 . For the second input window, the second state estimate generated by filter 206 - 8 - 2 is selected by multiplexer 206 - 4 . For the third input window, the third state estimate generated by filter 206 - 8 - 3 is selected by multiplexer 206 - 4 . For the fourth input window, the fourth state estimate produced by filter 206 - 8 - 4 is selected by multiplexer 206 - 5 . It should be apparent that for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth windows, the state estimates from the filters 206 - 8 - 1 , 206 - 8 - 2 , 206 - 8 - 3 and 206 - 8 - 4 , respectively, are selected by the multiplexer 206 - 4 . So long as T be equals five cycles and T f , the filter update time, equals four cycles, the multiplexer 206 - 4 sequentially selects state estimates from the filters in the following repetitive order: filter 206 - 8 - 1 , filter 206 - 8 - 2 , filter 206 - 8 - 3 and filter 206 - 8 - 4 . At each of the windows shown in FIG. 3 , a filter will do at least the following two things: 1) read state information from the sensor to be used in generating a state estimate a time T f later; and 2) make a state estimate available using state measurement information received from the sensor at earlier times.
In FIG. 4 , the exposure cycle time has been changed to three cycles whereas T f still equals four cycles. The multiplexer 206 - 4 sequentially selects state estimates from the filters in the following repetitive order: filter 206 - 8 - 1 , filter 206 - 8 - 4 , filter 206 - 8 - 3 and filter 206 - 8 - 2 .
In FIG. 5 , the exposure cycle time has been changed to six cycles whereas T f still equals four cycles. The multiplexer 206 - 4 sequentially selects state estimates only from filters 206 - 8 - 1 and 206 - 8 - 3 in the following repetitive order: filter 206 - 8 - 1 followed by filter 206 - 8 - 3 . In this case, only two filters are required; filters 206 - 8 - 2 and 206 - 8 - 4 are never selected.
System 200 has been described in connection with four filters. However, there can be more or fewer filters depending on the allowable length of the exposure cycle time as well as the minimum length of the filter update time. The number of filters can be calculated using the following equation:
Number of filters=maximum of {( T f /T be )* n , for all allowable T be },
where n is the smallest integer that will result in an integer value for (T f /T be )*n, T f is the filter update time and T be is the period of the secondary process (i.e., the period of the process that requires the filter output).
FIG. 6 shows an illustrative system block diagram of an alternative lithography system (System) 600 according to the presently preferred embodiment of the invention. The system 600 includes a moving wafer stage assembly 620 and an electron optical column 614 that projects electrons onto a wafer 622 placed on the wafer stage assembly 620 . The system 600 also includes a sensor 604 that detects the position of a reticle stage assembly 602 . The sensor 604 is coupled to a programmable filter 606 through a sampling circuit (not shown) and possibly an analog-to-digital converter (not shown). The programmable filter 606 is coupled to a predictor 608 that in turn is coupled to a controller 612 that in turn is coupled to the electron optical column 614 . Instead of having many fixed filter update time filters from which filtered samples may be selected in order to provide state estimates, the filter update time of programmable filter 606 can be changed such that the filter 606 produces a state estimate at least as often as the controller 612 requires an estimate.
The programmable filter 606 can be used where it is known a priori that all allowable values of the exposure cycle time T be of the secondary process (or the controller 612 ) will always be longer than the filter update time of the filter 606 . More specifically, if the exposure cycle time is known to be fixed over a certain time period and it is known when it will change and to what value it will change, a programmable filter as in the system 600 can be used so long as, for each value of the exposure cycle time, the exposure cycle is an integer multiple of the programmable filter update time. For a filter that accepts state measurement samples with the same frequency as the filter update frequency, a short filter update time ensures predictions based on more recent measurements than would be the case for a filter with a longer update time. Thus, it is usually desirable to make the filter update time an integer sub-multiple of the exposure cycle time. Other types of filters that accept state measurement samples more frequently may function effectively with a filter update time equal to the exposure cycle time.
In the present embodiment of the invention, the exposure cycle time includes a blanking time and an exposure time. The blanking time T b is the input window during which the secondary process (or the controller 612 ) can accept a state estimate. The exposure time is the time during which the controller 612 cannot accept a state estimate and is equal to T be −T b . The exposure time is determined by the electron beam intensity and the wafer resist properties. For some values of the exposure cycle time, it may be necessary to change the blanking time so that the value of the exposure cycle time after adjusting the blanking time is an integer multiple of the filter update time. This will usually be the case when T be is equal to the clock cycle multiplied by a prime number. For some values of the exposure cycle time, it may be necessary to change the filter update time to a value larger than the minimum filter update time, so that the exposure cycle time is an integer multiple of the filter update time. Table 1.1 below shows how the filter update time (or blanking time, or both) are adjusted for various operating conditions. T fm is the minimum filter update time and depends on the available computational resources and the complexity of the filter algorithm.
TABLE 1.1
T fm (min.)
T be (before)
T f (after)
T be (after)
5 cycles
6 cycles
6 cycles
6 cycles
5 cycles
14 cycles
7 cycles
14 cycles
5 cycles
18 cycles
6 cycles
18 cycles
5 cycles
19 cycles
5 cycles
20 cycles
5 cycles
23 cycles
6 cycles
24 cycles
A representative depiction of the operation of the system 600 is shown in the timing diagrams of FIGS. 7 a , 7 b , 8 a , 8 b , 9 a and 9 b . In FIG. 7 a , the prescribed time interval or exposure cycle time is six cycles long. The programmable filter 606 initially has a filter update time of five cycles. The filter 606 can be reprogrammed to produce state estimates every six cycles as depicted in FIG. 7 b . Reprogramming the filter 606 includes changing the parameters of the Kalman filter to account for the changed update time. Reprogramming of Kalman filters is well known in the art. Timing diagrams representative of another operating situation are shown in FIGS. 8 a and 8 b , where the exposure cycle time is fourteen cycles. To produce a state estimate when the secondary process can accept it, the filter 606 is reprogrammed such that the filter update time is increased from five cycles to seven cycles.
Timing diagrams representative of another operating situation are shown in FIGS. 9 a and 9 b , where the exposure cycle time is seventeen cycles long. Since the number of cycles in the exposure cycle time is a prime number, changing the filter update time by itself is not sufficient to make the exposure cycle time an integer multiple of the filter update time. Consequently, the blanking time T b is increased as illustrated in FIG. 9 b . As a result, the exposure cycle time is now eighteen cycles. Concomitantly, the filter update time has been increased by one cycle to six cycles so that the exposure cycle time is an integer multiple of the filter update period.
FIG. 10 illustrates the timing diagram for a system similar to the system 200 , but which has programmable filters instead of filters with a fixed filter update time. Instead of having many filters with a fixed filter update time from which filtered samples may be selected in order to provide state estimates, a programmable filter permits changing the filter update time to match the needs of a secondary process for a state estimate. For an exposure cycle time of nine cycles, and a T f of five cycles, five non-programmable filters are needed to produce a state estimate whenever the secondary process can accept one. The five filters can be reduced to two filters if the two filters can be programmed so as to have a filter update time of six cycles.
Alternatively, a single programmable filter having a filter update time of five cycles can be used, if the exposure cycle time is increased to ten cycles. However this requires increasing the total blanking time, as is also the case in FIG. 9 b . Since an increase in blanking time reduces the system throughput, this approach should be avoided if possible.
As mentioned earlier for the first embodiment, the total exposure time may exceed the period over which the predictions from the filter-predictor are valid. In that case, extra blanking periods may be inserted during the exposure time, so that predictor updates can be made without disturbing the analog output of the deflector drivers. Thus, these extra blanking periods should coincide with updates from the filter-predictor(s). If possible, the filter update time should be adjusted to be an integer sub-multiple of the new total exposure time, using the methods described above. If the new total exposure time, after inclusion of extra blanking periods, is T be ′, the following relationship should preferably be satisfied: N u T f =T be ′=T be +(N u −1)T b , where N u is the number of update times during the new exposure cycle. In order to maximize the system throughput, the total blanking time should be as small as possible. Thus, T f should be as long as possible, consistent with the required prediction accuracy, and N u should be as small as possible.
If it is not possible to find integers satisfying this relationship, a longer blanking time may be added for the last filter-predictor update so that T be ′ becomes an integer multiple of T f . That is, if N u is the largest integer satisfying the relationship N u T f <T be +(N u −1)T b , a final blanking period T b ′ of duration T b ′=(N u +1) T f −T be −(N u −1)T b will provide an exposure cycle T be ′ equal to T f multiplied by the integer N u +1.
The benefits of using a programmable filter include flexibility and reduction in the number of filters required in an application. Where possible, it may be preferable to have only one DSP chip running one filter instead of a staggered filter structure where several DSP chips are running several filters staggered in time.
Although the invention has been described in conjunction with particular embodiments, it will be appreciated that various modifications and alterations may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention is not to be limited by the foregoing illustrative details, but rather is to be defined by the appended claims.
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A system and methods for generating a variable rate filtered output using synchronous filters having the same filter sampling time, that avoids complexities of asynchronous filters. A system employs multiple filters that are staggered in time and set so that the output of one of the multiple filters is available whenever a secondary process requires state information. In another embodiment, the synchronous filters are programmable so as to change the filter sampling time. This configuration is possible when it is known that the prescribed time interval of the secondary process is longer than the filter sampling time and the prescribed time interval is an integer multiple of the filter sampling time. By using programmable filters, the number of filters required to accommodate a certain prescribed time interval can be minimized. Whether a system employs multiple non-programmable filters staggered in time or programmable filters, the invention achieves producing a variable rate filtered output while using synchronous filters. Thus, computationally intensive and complicated variable rate filters can be avoided while minimizing processor requirements. In another aspect of the invention, the inventive method of generating a variable rate filtered output is employed in a lithography system to control the movements of various components therein. In one embodiment, the filtered outputs are used to estimate the relative positions of the reticle and the wafer. With the variable rate feature, the lithography system can dynamically accommodate for the noise arising from component movements and other sources in the wafer exposure process.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the benefits of the Taiwan Patent Application Serial Number 100123735, filed on Nov. 17, 2011, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a method of antibiotic susceptibility testing and for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic and, more particularly, to a method of antibiotic susceptibility testing and for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic, which both employ dielectrophoresis and the antibiotic inhibiting cell wall synthesis to detect rod-shaped microbes.
[0004] 2. Description of Related Art
[0005] Currently, clinically assessing effects of an antibiotic on pathogenic bacteria is generally achieved by an in vitro test which determines antibiotic susceptibility of the bacteria. There are many such in vitro tests, for example, a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) test, a disk-diffusion test, a checkerboard test, a minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC), a time-kill curves test, and so on. These tests can be used according to requirements such as timeliness and accuracy.
[0006] Among the tests listed above, the disk-diffusion test is a method that is most common and rapid because this method is simple and economical. However, after the method is executed, only qualitative information can be obtained, and thus this cannot serve as a basis for the regulation of antibiotic doses. Accordingly, if the regulation of antibiotic doses is required, an MIC test can be performed to afford quantitative information which is the basis for the use of antibiotics.
[0007] In the traditional MIC test, optical measurement is a common means. When microbes are treated with an antibiotic for 18-24 hours, optical density of the culture medium is measured by a spectrometer so as to determine whether microbial growth is inhibited or not. Accordingly, conventional optical measurement requires at least 18-24 hours for microbial growth. If a microbe grows very slowly, culturing the microbe needs even more time. Therefore, if timeliness is required, for example, diagnosing acute microbial infections such as bacteremia and meningitis, conventional optical measurement is often too slow to resolve critical situations. Hence, meeting clinical emergencies is difficult via conventional optical measurements.
[0008] Since conventional methods generally consume several days and are unable to provide timely final results, there is an urgent need to develop a technique for rapidly determining antibiotic susceptibility and a MIC of the antibiotic. The technique of the present invention is able to check whether microbes have antibiotic resistance within 1-2 hours and to afford an antibiotic MIC so as to meet clinical requirements and benefit the public.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] The object of the present invention is to provide a method of antibiotic susceptibility testing. In this method, because microbes have different dielectrophoretic behavior in different media, dielectrophoresis is carried out in the presence of a specific antibiotic that inhibits cell wall synthesis, and under a non-uniform electric field of alternating current so that drug-resistant microbes can be identified according to the elongation of these microbes.
[0010] In order to achieve the object described above, one aspect of the present invention provides a method of antibiotic susceptibility testing, comprising the following steps: (A) providing a test sample containing a microbe; (B) adding an antibiotic to the test sample, wherein the antibiotic is used to inhibit cell wall synthesis; (C) executing dielectrophoresis to the test sample and observing morphologic changes of the microbe in the test sample; and (D) determining whether the microbe is resistant to the antibiotic according to the morphologic changes of the microbe.
[0011] In the method of the present invention, when the microbe is actually inhibited by the aforesaid antibiotic, morphological changes of the microbe occur due to cell wall changes of the microbe, resulting in changes in dielectrophoretic property. Under an electric field, these changes can be recognized and thus the microbe can be identified as a microbe having no drug resistance to the antibiotic. Conversely, when the microbe is actually not inhibited by the aforesaid antibiotic, morphological changes of the microbe do not occur due to an intact cell wall of the microbe. Accordingly, an influence on dielectrophoretic property is not present during dielectrophoresis. Under an electric field, the changes in dielectrophoretic property are not recognized and thus the microbe can be identified as a microbe having drug resistance to the antibiotic.
[0012] Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of an antibiotic. In the method, because microbes have different dielectrophoretic behavior in different media, dielectrophoresis is carried out in the presence of a specific antibiotic that inhibits cell wall synthesis and under a non-uniform electric field of alternating current so that a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the antibiotic can be determined according to elongation and crossover frequency changes of these microbes. Therefore, the MIC can be a basis for the clinical regulation of doses.
[0013] In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention provides a method for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of an antibiotic, comprising the following steps: (A) providing a test sample containing a microbe; (B) adding an antibiotic with different concentrations to the test sample, wherein the antibiotic is used to inhibit cell wall synthesis; (C) executing dielectrophoresis to the test sample and observing morphologic changes and crossover frequency changes of the microbe in the test sample; and (D) determining the minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic according to the morphologic changes and the crossover frequency changes of the microbe.
[0014] In the aforesaid method of the present invention, when the concentration of the antibiotic reaches the MIC, elongation of the microbe occurs significantly and a decrease in crossover frequency reaches a maximum. Conversely, when the concentration of the antibiotic does not yet reach the MIC, it is difficult to find elongation of the microbe and the decrease in crossover frequency does not reach a maximum.
[0015] In the method of the present invention, microbes that can be tested are mainly rod-shaped bacteria. Because rod-shaped bacteria have major and minor axes, it is difficult for the bacteria, of which the cell wall is influenced by the antibiotic, to keep their original shape. Under an electric field during dielectrophoresis, because forces exerted to major and minor axes of the bacteria are different and the ability of the cell wall to stabilize bacterial shapes is reduced, elongation of the rod-shaped bacteria can be found. In an example of the present invention, the microbe is a Gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium, for example, Escherichia coli, Proteusbacillus vulgaris, Klebsiella pneumoniae , and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
[0016] In the method of the present invention, the antibiotic is used to affect the cell wall of the microbe and to weaken the structural strength of the cell wall, which then makes the microbe not keep its original morphology. Hence, in the present invention, morphological changes of the microbe during dielectrophoresis are the basis to determine whether the microbe is inhibited by the antibiotic. In an example of the present invention, the antibiotic is a β-lactam antibiotic, for example, cephalosporins, monobactams, penicillins, carbapenems, and a combination thereof. For the aforesaid purpose of reducing structural strength of microbial cell walls, these antibiotics function as an inhibitor of cell wall synthesis.
[0017] In step (B) of the aforesaid method according to the present invention, the antibiotic is present in the test sample for a predetermined period of time, and the predetermined period of time can be 60-120 minutes.
[0018] In an example of the present invention, a β-lactam antibiotic acts on Enterobacteriaceae for antibiotic susceptibility testing. The microbe is incubated in a broth containing the antibiotic for 1-2 hours and then a little of the microbial suspension is taken out on a chip for dielectrophoretic testing. In addition, in order to minimize the personal equation in operation, the technique of the present invention will be combined with microfluidic techniques in the fixture. In other words, incubation of the microbe for 1-2 hours is integrated with a microfluidic chip and thus the chip can be used for susceptibility testing of various drugs at the same time. Alternatively, a two-dimensional microelectrode array chip established by microelectromechanical techniques is integrated with a microelectric signal supply and an optical module to form a miniaturized chip system. Therefore, as compared with a common large-scaled apparatus having similar functions, the miniaturized chip system is inexpensive and extremely suitable for various inspection departments of any scale level.
[0019] In general, bacteria change membrane permeability and antibiotic binding domains and secrete enzymes that decompose an antibiotic so as to resist the antibiotic. Once bacteria possess drug resistance, elongation of the bacteria cannot be induced by the drug.
[0020] Accordingly, elongation of bacteria is the basis to determine whether the bacteria have drug resistance, and thus the duration of the method of the present invention is about 1-2 hours. Compared with a conventional disk-diffusion test and a dilution method which need 18-24 hours for bacterial growth, the present invention has considerably reduced the duration of inspection and simultaneously can determine a MIC and whether bacteria have drug resistance.
[0021] In conclusion, compared with conventional clinical antibiotic susceptibility testing that requires 18-24 hours, the method of the present invention can determine a MIC and whether a microbe has drug resistance within 1-2 hours. Therefore, the duration of testing can be considerably reduced. The method of the present invention can be used as a guideline of drug use in clinical medicine and as a standard of antibiotic dose added to livestock feed in pasturage or fishery so as to reduce the probability that pathogens have drug resistance.
[0022] Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] FIG. 1 shows microscopic photographs of a dielectrophoretic test in Example 1 of the present invention, wherein (a) to (c) respectively show test results at antibiotic concentrations of 0 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml under 600 kHz, and (d) to (f) respectively show test results at antibiotic concentrations of 0 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml under 4 MHz;
[0024] FIG. 2 shows microscopic photographs of a dielectrophoretic test in Example 2 of the present invention, wherein (a) shows test results at antibiotic concentrations of 0 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml, 8 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml for 30 minutes, (b) shows test results at antibiotic concentrations of 0 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml for 60 minutes, and (c) shows test results at antibiotic concentrations of 0 μg/ml, 4 μg/ml, 8 μg/ml and 32 μg/ml for 120 minutes;
[0025] FIG. 3 shows relationships among cell length, antibiotic doses, reaction time, and crossover frequency of a dielectrophoretic test in Example 2 of the present invention, wherein (a) shows the relationship among cell length, antibiotic doses, and crossover frequency; (b) shows the relationship among antibiotic doses, reaction time, and crossover frequency, and (c) shows the relationship among cell length, antibiotic doses, and reaction time;
[0026] FIG. 4 shows microscopic photographs of a dielectrophoretic test in Example 3 of the present invention, wherein (a) shows test results of Escherichia coli w958, (b) shows test results of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and (c) shows test results of Escherichia coli BCRC 15501;
[0027] FIG. 5 shows culture plate photographs of a conventional agar dilution method in Comparative Example 1 of the present invention; and
[0028] FIG. 6 shows culture tube photographs of a conventional broth dilution method in Comparative Example 2 of the present invention, wherein (a) shows test results of Escherichia coli w958, (b) shows test results of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922, and (c) shows test results of Escherichia coli BCRC 15501.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0029] Antibiotics for inhibiting cell wall synthesis, for example β-lactam antibiotics, are used to act on rod-shaped bacteria, for example Gram-negative rod-shaped bacteria, in the present invention. In addition, microbes treated with the antibiotics are analyzed by dielectrophoresis and observed regarding changes in crossover frequency and morphology during dielectrophoresis. Accordingly, determination of the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and whether the microbes are resistant to the antibiotics can be rapidly accomplished.
[0030] β-Lactam antibiotics include penicillins, cepholasporins, monobactams, and carbapenems and they act on the inhibition of cell wall synthesis. In general, microbes treated with such antibiotics at a relatively low concentration suffer cell elongation, but they lyse if treated at a higher concentration.
[0031] In conventional methods, determining whether cell walls are damaged or perforated and whether cytoplasm in microbes leaks out can achieve clear differentiation between live and dead microbes. Similarly, during dielectrophoresis, dielectrophoretic properties of microbes are changed due to different conductivities when the microbes transform from live to dead cells. Accordingly, determining whether microbes are live can be realized by dielectrophoresis. In addition, dielectrophoretic properties are also changed due to microbial morphological changes. Generally, charges induced by an electrical field are more at both ends of longer thin microbes than those at the central surface thereof, and similarly, induced dipole moments are also larger at both ends than those at the central surface. Thus, positive dielectrophoretic force can be more easily induced at relatively low frequency.
[0032] Accordingly, the present invention employs enterobacteria, for example E. coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae , as a major test sample and cephalosporins such as cephalexin and cefazolin as test antibiotics. After such antibiotics act on microbes, morphological changes occur in microbes due to compositional changes in cell walls so that induced dielectrophoretic properties are changed. Therefore, changes in morphological elongation and crossover frequency can be used to determine the MIC of an antibiotic and whether microbes are resistant to the antibiotic. Notably, conventional serial dilution method is used as a control for antibiotic susceptibility testing (AST) in the present invention in order to ensure that the accuracy of the present invention is the same as or better than that of conventional methods.
[0033] Because of the specific embodiments illustrating the practice of the present invention, one skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and efficiency of the present invention through the content disclosed therein. The present invention can also be practiced or applied by other variant embodiments. Many other possible modifications and variations of any detail in the present specification based on different outlooks and applications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.
[0034] The drawings of the embodiments in the present invention are all simplified charts or views, and only reveal elements relative to the present invention. The elements revealed in the drawings are not necessarily aspects of the practice, and quantity and shape thereof are optionally designed. Further, the design aspect of the elements can be more complex.
Preparation Example 1
[0035] Glass slides were used as substrates. Metal films were deposited on the glass slides by physical vapor deposition (PVD). In detail, Cr (50 nm) as an adhesive layer and then Au (200 nm) as a conductive layer were deposited on a glass slide by E-beam VT1-10CE (ULVAC).
[0036] After deposition of the metal films, a photoresist layer was formed on the metal films by standard photolithography, exposed with a mask having a predetermined pattern, and then developed to form the predetermined pattern. Subsequently, the pattern of the photoresist was transferred to the metal films by wet etching and then the photoresist was removed. Finally, patterned metal films were made to serve as a microelectrode array of a chip. Hence, the chip was obtained. In the chip, microelectrodes were separated by a distance of 20 μm and made in a width of 50 μm.
Preparation Example 2
[0037] The present example was the same as the manner of Preparation Example 1 except that the microelectrodes were made of transparent Indium tin oxide (ITO).
Example 1
[0038] Phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) containing 137 mM NaCl, 2.7 mM KCl, 4.3 mM Na 2 HPO 4 , and 1.47 mM KH 2 PO 4 at pH 7.4 was prepared. An oral β-lactam antibiotic, cephalexin (Sigma, USA), which generally is used in the treatment of urinary tract infection (UTI), was dissolved in 1×PBS and prepared into a stock concentration of 1024 μg/mL. This stock concentration was diluted with trypticase soy broth (TBS) into 4 μg/mL and 32 μg/mL. Hence, TBS culture media with the antibiotic at different concentrations were made.
[0039] Among different cell lines of Escherichia coli causing urinary infection, E. coli ATCC 25922 was selected and cultured with TBS under shaking at 37° C. Then, the bacterial concentration of the culture suspensions was adjusted to 1.5×10 6 cells/ml by a densitometer (VITEK 2, BioMérieux).
[0040] The bacterial suspension (100 μl) and TBS culture media (containing the antibiotic at different concentrations, 900 μl) were mixed (1.5×10 6 cells/ml) and incubated at 37° C. in a shaking incubator for 60 minutes. After the treatment, the bacterial suspensions (500-1000 μl) were centrifugated at 3000-5000 rpm for 3-5 minutes. The supernatant of the bacterial suspensions was removed. Finally, 0.2 M 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES) buffer (500 μl, σ=3 mS/cm, Invitrogen 15630) was added to the remaining bacteria and the formed bacterial suspensions were shaken using a vortex mixer (Shin Kwang, Taiwan) for 30 seconds to avoid aggregation of the bacteria for the following dielectrophoretic tests.
[0041] The bacterial suspensions (5 μl) were pipetted into a sample well of the chip of Preparation Example 1. The electrode array was then connected to a function generator (Fluke 284 USA) and supplied with an alternating current signal or dielectrophoresis. The frequency of E. coli migrating from the electrode center to the electrode edge, was determined as crossover frequency (cof). During dielectrophoresis, the images were observed and recorded through an inverted microscope (Olympus IX70, Japan) and a CCD camera (Microfire, Optronics).
[0042] As shown in FIGS. 1 ( a ) to ( c ), at alternating current frequency of 600 kHz, bacteria on which the antibiotic does not act are arranged at the center of the electrodes by negative dielectrophoretic force. In the case of the antibiotic at 4 μg/ml, some bacteria are still arranged at the center of the electrodes by negative dielectrophoretic force. However, the others are adsorbed at the edges of the electrode by positive dielectrophoretic force and slightly elongated. In the case of being treated by the antibiotic at 32 μg/ml for 1 hour, all bacteria are adsorbed at the edges of the electrode by positive dielectrophoretic force and have become elongated. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 ( d ) to ( f ), at alternating current frequency of 4 MHz, bacteria on which the antibiotic does not act are arranged at the edges of the electrodes by positive dielectrophoretic force, and their cell elongation obviously does not occur. In the case of the antibiotic at 4 μg/ml, some bacteria are slightly elongated, and in the case of the antibiotic at 32 μg/ml for 1 hour, all bacteria have become elongated.
Example 2
[0043] In the same manner as that of Example 1, the antibiotic solutions at 1 μg/mL, 2 μg/mL, 4 μg/mL, 8 μg/mL, 16 μg/mL, 32 μg/mL, and 64 μg/mL were prepared and their action periods of time were 30, 60, and 120 minutes. In addition, the chip of Preparation Example 2 was used in the analysis. For measurement of the cell length of E. coli during dielectrophoresis, when the bacteria were straightly arranged on an ITO quadruple electrode by field-induced dielectrophoretic force, the cell length was analyzed by the image software (FreePlus32). The results are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 .
[0044] As shown in FIG. 2 ( a ), after antibiotic treatment for 30 minutes, distinction between morphological changes in bacteria is difficult. However, as shown in FIG. 2 ( b ), after antibiotic treatment for 60 minutes, morphological cell elongation occurs obviously as the antibiotic concentrations increase. Finally, as shown in FIG. 2 ( c ), subsequent to antibiotic treatment for 60 minutes, morphological cell elongation occurs obviously even at a low concentration of the antibiotic. This demonstrates that the antibiotic acts on the bacteria and cell elongation becomes obvious with an increase in the concentration of the antibiotic.
[0045] With reference to FIGS. 3 ( a ) and ( c ), they show relationships among the concentration and action time of the antibiotic and cell length. Based on these features, it can be understood that cell length increases as the concentration and action time increase. With reference to FIG. 3 ( b ), it shows a relationship among the concentration and action time of the antibiotic and crossover frequency (cof). Based on this feature, it can be known that the crossover frequency reduces to about 600 kHz after antibiotic treatment at 32 μg/mL for 60 minutes. This reduction is more significant than those at lower concentrations of the antibiotic. Hence, the concentration, i.e. 32 μg/mL, is determined as the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of cephalexin.
Example 3
[0046] In the same manner as that of Example 1, a cefazolin solution at 2 μg/mL was prepared and used to act on E. coli ATCC 25922, w958, and BCRC 15501 for 120 minutes for the following dielectrophoretic testing. Among these cell lines, E. coli w958 from National Cheng Kung University Hospital in Taiwan is a drug-resistant bacterium isolated from clinical samples. The results are shown in FIGS. 4 ( a ) to ( c ).
[0047] As shown in FIG. 4 ( a ), morphological cell elongation is unobvious in E. coli w958, and this indicates that E. coli w958 is resistant to cefazolin. Conversely, as shown in FIGS. 4 ( b ) and ( c ), obvious cell elongation occurs in E. coli ATCC 25922 and BCRC 15501 and this demonstrates that E. coli ATCC 25922 and BCRC 15501 can be inhibited by cefazolin and they both are not resistant to cefazolin.
Comparative Example 1
[0048] In order to confirm that the MIC determined in Example 2 of the present invention is not different from that determined in conventional methods, an agar dilution method was used to determine the MIC of cephalexin to E. coli . The result is shown in FIG. 5 .
[0049] As shown in FIG. 5 , MIC determined from the agar dilution method is between 32 μg/mL and 64 μg/mL. This result demonstrates that the MIC determined from Example 2 of the present invention is considerably correct.
Comparative Example 2
[0050] In order to confirm that the results from Example 3 of the present invention are not different from those from a conventional method, a broth dilution method was carried out on E. coli ATCC 25922, w958, and BCRC 15501 at 0 μg/mL, 0.5 μg/mL, 1 μg/mL, 2 μg/mL, 4 μg/mL, 8 μg/mL, 16 μg/mL of cefazolin. The results are shown in FIGS. 6 ( a ) to ( c ), wherein No denotes no bacteria.
[0051] With reference to FIG. 6 ( a ), the result of E. coli w958, the upper figure shows that E. coli w958 is not inhibited even at 16 μg/mL of cefazolin. By contrast, with reference to FIGS. 6 ( b ) and ( c ), the results of E. coli ATCC 25922 and BCRC 15501, the upper figure shows that E. coli ATCC 25922 and BCRC 15501 are inhibited at 2 μg/mL of cefazolin. These results also demonstrate that the MIC determined from Example 3 of the present invention is considerably correct.
[0052] In conclusion, based on the phenomenon that dielectrophoresis is influenced by changes in bacterial activity, the present invention discovers that bacterial cell elongation accelerates under antibiotic treatment of increased concentrations, and thus different cell lengths induce different dielectrophoretic forces. Therefore, by supplying constant alternating current frequency, cell elongation becomes a basis for determining whether the bacteria are influenced by the antibiotic and whether they are drug resistant. In addition, by supplying specific alternating current frequency, the MIC of a certain antibiotic to a certain microbe can be determined according to changes in crossover frequency as well as cell elongation.
[0053] Although the inventors of the present invention combined dielectrophoresis and amikacin (an antibiotic inhibiting protein synthesis) to determine the MIC, the whole test consumed about 4 hours. By contrast, because the method of the present invention employs an antibiotic inhibiting cell wall synthesis as well as observation of cell elongation, the time of the whole test can be reduced to about 1 hour. Hence, the present invention is more efficient.
[0054] Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
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A method of antibiotic susceptibility testing is disclosed, and includes the following steps: (A) providing a sample to be tested wherein the sample contains a microbe; (B) adding an antibiotic into the sample, wherein the antibiotic serves to inhibit cell wall synthesis; (C) checking the sample by dielectrophoresis and observing a shape change of the microbe; and (D) determining whether the microbe is susceptible to the antibiotic according to the shape change thereof. The present invention also discloses a method for determining a minimum inhibitory concentration of the antibiotic.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a continuation of copending International Application PCT/AT00/00215, filed Aug. 8, 2000, which designated the United States.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
[0002] The invention relates to a valve mechanism, in particular for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles, having at least one driven cam element and having a valve actuator, which can be displaced or pivoted by the cam element, the cam element being arranged rotatably in a flexible surround element which is connected to the valve actuator in such a manner that it can move in a plane which is perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the cam element.
[0003] Valve mechanisms for controlling the valves of internal combustion engines, in particular for motor vehicles, usually have a device (spring, hydraulic element, etc.) which is used to load the valve toward its closed position. In this position, a valve actuator (valve lifter, drag lever, rocker lever or the like) is pressed against a continuous valve control surface, which in part runs eccentrically with respect to the shaft axis. When the valve is closing, it should be ensured that the valve disk does not strike the valve seat too quickly, since otherwise it will rebound. This requires relatively complex matching between the shape of the cam, the masses which are to be moved, the forces which are generated, the materials properties, etc.
[0004] Therefore, there is no lack of proposals concerning forced guidance of the valve actuator on the cam element; various embodiments have been developed, which are each based on two eccentric valve control surfaces instead of the restoring spring. Specific designs are to be found, for example, in British patent specifications GB 19,193 (1913) and GB 434,247, wherein the cam element, on at least one end face, has a groove, the two side walls of which form the valve control surfaces. A roller or the like which is arranged at the end of the valve actuator engages in the groove from the side. A cam element which has a web which can be gripped around is known, for example, from European publication EP 429 277 A.
[0005] A further proposal for a desmodromic valve mechanism, wherein a space-saving, lightweight and inexpensive design is achieved, is to be found in published German patent application DE 37 00 715 A which describes the generic type referred to in the introduction. In this design, a surround element is provided, which surrounds the circumference of the cam element without significant play, so that it always matches the shape of the cam, yet the cam element, on account of the nature of the surround element, can rotate inside the latter. Since the surround element connected to the valve actuator cannot rotate with the cam element, the movement of the cam region about the axis of rotation of the cam element is converted into a lifting or reciprocating movement of the valve actuator which is mounted displaceably or pivotably in the cylinder head. The valve actuator does not execute a movement as long as the connecting region of the surround element together with the valve actuator rests against the base circle region of the rotating cam element, is then moved away from the axis of rotation of the cam element in the radial direction and finally is returned again, while the cam region of the cam element moves past the connecting region of the surround element and the valve actuator. The moveable connection of the surround element to the valve actuator allows the pivoting or tilting movement of the surround element in the cam region, so that the required freedom of movement of the valve actuator in its sliding or pivot bearing is preserved. In the first exemplary embodiment, the surround element is formed by two flexible rings, between which needle-shaped rolling bodies are provided in order to reduce the friction. A second embodiment provides a plastic strip having an inner ceramic slip layer.
[0006] Particularly when the valve mechanism is used in internal combustion engines, a surround element is subject to high loads, and it is necessary to rule out temperature-or fatigue-related plastic lengthening of the surround element. An irreversible increase in the size of the gap between the circumference of the cam element and the surround element affects in particular the valve-closing position.
[0007] Furthermore, the term variable valve control has revealed a wide range of different structures which can be used to change the opening and closing time and the lift of the valve, in order to improve the performance, the exhaust emissions, the torque, etc. of an internal combustion engine. Compared to the non-adjustable valve control with fixed values, the filling of a cylinder is improved if the valve is opened later and closed earlier at low rotational speeds and is opened earlier and closed later at higher rotational speeds. It is therefore possible, by means of a speed-dependent adjustment of the valve control, to optimize the exhaust emissions, the torque, the engine performance, etc. All the variable valve control arrangements which have been revealed to date change the position of the actuating surface of the valve actuator relative to the eccentric valve control surface through rotation, linear displacement or enlargement of the cam element. These adjustment mechanisms are relatively complex and, in some cases, also require considerable adjustment forces, since they have to operate counter to the restoring elements of the valves.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a valve lifting mechanism, particularly for an internal combustion engine, which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provides for a variable forced valve control.
[0009] With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, a valve mechanism, comprising:
[0010] at least one driven cam element and a valve actuator driven by said cam element;
[0011] a flexible surround element, said cam element being rotatably disposed in said flexible surround element about an axis of rotation and said flexible surround element being movably connected to said valve actuator for movement in a plane perpendicular to said axis of rotation of said cam element, and wherein said surround element is configured to the reversibly lengthened for adjusting a valve lift of said valve actuator.
[0012] In other words, the objects of the invention are achieved, in a valve mechanism of the type described in the introduction, in that the surround element is designed so that it can be lengthened reversibly.
[0013] The cam element rotating in the surround element generates tensile forces, which rise as a function of rotational speed, at the connecting point to the valve actuator, so that the surround element, which bears against the circumference of the cam element virtually without play at idling speed, is lifted increasingly further away from the circumference as the rotational speed rises, thus adopting positions which correspond to cam elements with greater circumferential lengths. Since, in this way, the distance between the axis of rotation of the cam element and the connecting point between the surround element and the valve actuator increases, an additional valve lift which is dependent on rotational speed is produced.
[0014] In a first embodiment, the reversible lengthening of the surround element is achieved by elastic stretchability of at least a partial region of the surround element, so that the play which is formed between the cam circumference and the surround element is reduced further as the rotational speed falls. Moreover, it allows advantageous, slight prestressing of the surround element in the at-rest state, in order to ensure that the valve-closing position is reached outside the cam region despite any temperature-related changes in length.
[0015] The surround element may consist of an elastically stretchable material or may be composed of two materials with different properties, at least one of which can stretch elastically. By way of example, a non-stretch strip may be closed with respect to the surround element by an elastically stretchable intermediate piece, wherein case a holder for the valve actuator may be provided either in the nonstretch region or in the elastically stretchable region. If the holder is in the elastically stretchable region, it may itself also consist of an elastically stretchable material and, if appropriate, may also form the elastic region.
[0016] For internal combustion engines of motor vehicles, the elastically stretchable material is preferably designed for an additional valve lift of 10% to 30% of the valve lift at idling speed. In order, in a preferred embodiment, to ensure an upper limit value of the elastic stretching, which can be selected for a permissible maximum rotational speed or a rotational speed above which an additional valve lift is of subordinate importance, a stretch-limiting means can be assigned to the elastically stretchable material by arranging nonstretch filaments or fibers, the length of which corresponds to the length of the elastic material which has been stretched to the limit, in or parallel to the stretchable material.
[0017] In a second embodiment, the surround element has a protuberance which is formed by an elastically resilient constriction, the tensile forces acting on the holder of the valve actuator causing the elastically resilient constriction to widen. The reduction of the constriction lengthens the surround element, which in this embodiment may itself be of nonstretch design. The holder is preferably arranged in the protuberance, with the result that the two regions of the surround element, which, at idling speed, come into contact with one another between the cam element and the holder, move away from one another as the rotational speed increases and move closer to one another as the rotational speed falls.
[0018] In a further embodiment, it is provided that the surround element has a strip comprising a textile-bound sheet material, in particular comprising a woven fabric, the two ends of which are connected to a holder for the valve actuator. When the two ends of the strip penetrate through one another or project from the cam element in contact with one another, the flexibility of the material of the surround element means that a physical axis in the connection to the valve actuator may be unnecessary, since the two ends together can be bent to both sides to the required extent. For connection to the valve actuator, it is preferable for the two ends of the strip to have plug-in openings for a connecting element. The plug-in openings may be formed by winding round and—depending on the material used for the strip—sewing, adhesively bonding or welding the wrapped-around end, or the like. A particularly advantageous embodiment provides for the strip to comprise a continuous loop which is guided backward and forward about the cam element and the reversal points of which form the plug-in openings. The connecting element may also be of elastically resilient design and consist, for example, of spring steel.
[0019] If the surround element consists of two different materials, the textile-bound sheet material may have a nonstretch region, wherein it contains filaments of Kevlar®, glass, carbon or aramid fibers, or the like, substantially constant-length fibers, extending in the circumferential direction of the cam element.
[0020] A surround element which forms a continuous loop may consist in particular of a sheet material which is produced using a textile circular working technique (circular weaving, circular knitting, etc.) and is provided with a holder for the valve actuator.
[0021] The elastic stretching of the loop may be selected to be linear, progressive or degressive, for example by incorporating filaments with different stretching properties, which become active simultaneously or in succession.
[0022] Further possible options provide an elastically stretchable cord or an elastically stretchable ring made from plastic, which is preferably provided with a recess for a bearing pin of the valve actuator. The plastic ring may be fiber-reinforced and/or provided with a slip-reducing metal coating. As an alternative, it is also possible to use a flat belt, in particular a ribbed belt, between the transverse ribs of which there is space for the bearing pin of the valve actuator, which is fixed by an adhesively bonded cover strip or the like. The ribbed belt may also be fitted in such a way that the ribs are internal, which eliminates the need for additional fixing of the bearing pin.
[0023] Materials which are particularly suitable for a surround element which has at least elastically stretchable partial regions have a modulus of elasticity of between 1 and 4000 N/mm 2 . Rubber-like materials have low moduli of elasticity and are preferably provided with a stretch-limiting means. Materials such as plastics which have higher moduli of elasticity, in particular between 600 and 2000 N/mm 2 , preferably between 800 and 1200 N/mm 2 , do not generally require a stretch-limiting means, although it is, of course, possible to provide such means.
[0024] A simple possible option for the stretch-limiting means consists in assigning nonstretch filaments of Kevlar®, glass, aramid fibers or the like, which extend in the circumferential direction and are, for example, woven into a strip, to the surround element or the elastically stretchable region of the surround element. Specifically in this design, it would also be possible to use an elastomeric plastic, which is vulcanized to the strip, for the ring or flat belt.
[0025] For internal combustion engines wherein the cylinders have two intake or discharge valves which operate in parallel, the valve pairs may have different stretching levels, for example one stretch-limited valve under partial load and the other valve without stretch-limiting means or with stretch-limiting means at full load.
[0026] If the surround element consists of a material with a low-friction surface or a surface which has been provided with a low-friction coating, it may be that lubrication of the sliding surfaces, i.e. of the circumferential surface of the cam element and of the inner surface of the surround element which bears against it, will not be required. If lubrication is required or desirable, it is preferable for the cam element to have at least one oil bore which runs radially with respect to the axis of rotation and opens out on the circumference of the cam element, inside the flexible surround element. Since the surround element does not rotate, external supply of oil through the surround element via a flexible line is also conceivable.
[0027] Instead of a film of lubricating oil, it is also possible to build up an air cushion surrounding the cam element by means of compressed air. This may be advantageous in particular in the case of a surround element made from plastic or woven plastic fabric.
[0028] In the valve mechanism according to the invention, the masses which have to be accelerated are reduced by the elimination of the valve spring and spring disk and by a significantly lighter design of the valve lifter or rocker lever. The use of light metals, ceramics or plastics for the valve and/or the valve actuator allows the masses which have to be accelerated and decelerated to be reduced by from 50% to 80% of the value for a valve lifter with restoring spring and hydraulic play compensation. The high values result in particular in the part-load range, since the valve springs have to be designed to be able to withstand full load. Furthermore, the valve may be of shorter design, since the bulky valve spring is eliminated.
[0029] It is also possible for the cam element to be of shorter design. It also becomes possible to form plastic cam elements or camshafts which are produced completely from plastic, for example by injection molding. The use of other lightweight materials for the production of the camshafts or of the cam elements, for example aluminum, also becomes possible. On account of the reduction in mass and the lubrication, fuel savings of 5% and more are to be expected.
[0030] Particularly if valve actuators are actuated together, it is possible to provide a weak spring for acting on each closed valve.
[0031] Other features which are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
[0032] Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a valve mechanism, in particular for internal combustion engines, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.
[0033] The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0034] [0034]FIG. 1 shows a graph illustrating a speed-dependent change in length of the surround element;
[0035] [0035]FIG. 2 shows components of a first embodiment of a forcibly controlled variable valve mechanism in perspective;
[0036] FIGS. 3 to 5 show cross-sectional illustrations of various angular position s of the first embodiment of the valve mechanism;
[0037] [0037]FIGS. 6 and 7 show longitudinal sections through the first embodiment, FIG. 6 illustrating the valve actuator at idling speed and FIG. 7 illustrating the valve actuator at a higher speed;
[0038] [0038]FIG. 8 shows components of a second design of a valve mechanism, in a perspective view,
[0039] [0039]FIG. 9 shows a longitudinal section through the third embodiment; and
[0040] [0040]FIG. 10 shows a side view of the third embodiment, in each case at idling speed;
[0041] [0041]FIG. 11 shows components of a fourth embodiment of a valve mechanism, in a perspective view;
[0042] [0042]FIG. 12 shows a side view of the fourth embodiment; and
[0043] [0043]FIG. 13 shows a cross section through the fourth embodiment, in each case at idling speed;
[0044] [0044]FIG. 14 shows a perspective view of components of a fifth embodiment;
[0045] [0045]FIGS. 15 and 16 show cross sections through the fifth embodiment, FIG. 15 showing the valve actuator at idling speed and FIG. 16 showing the valve actuator at a higher speed;
[0046] [0046]FIG. 17 shows a perspective view of components of a sixth embodiment;
[0047] [0047]FIG. 18 shows a perspective view of the sixth embodiment in the closed position;
[0048] [0048]FIG. 19 shows a longitudinal section through the sixth embodiment;
[0049] [0049]FIG. 20 shows a perspective view of components of a seventh embodiment;
[0050] [0050]FIG. 21 shows a cross section through the seventh embodiment;
[0051] [0051]FIG. 22 shows an enlarged detailed view of part of FIG. 21;
[0052] [0052]FIG. 23 shows a perspective view of the seventh embodiment;
[0053] [0053]FIG. 24 shows a perspective view of components of an eighth embodiment;
[0054] [0054]FIG. 25 shows a longitudinal section through the eighth embodiment;
[0055] [0055]FIG. 26 shows a perspective view of components of a ninth embodiment;
[0056] [0056]FIG. 27 shows a cross section through the ninth embodiment;
[0057] [0057]FIG. 28 shows a perspective view of components of a tenth embodiment;
[0058] [0058]FIG. 29 shows a perspective view of the tenth embodiment;
[0059] [0059]FIG. 30 shows a perspective view of components of an eleventh embodiment;
[0060] [0060]FIG. 31 shows a cross section through the eleventh embodiment;
[0061] [0061]FIG. 32 shows an enlarged detailed view of part of FIG. 31;
[0062] [0062]FIG. 33 shows a perspective view of components of a twelfth embodiment;
[0063] [0063]FIG. 34 shows a longitudinal section through the twelfth embodiment; and
[0064] [0064]FIG. 35 shows an enlarged detailed illustration of part of the twelfth embodiment.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0065] The drawings in each case show a forcibly guided valve mechanism, wherein a valve mechanism used for an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle has, on the support shaft 1 , the number of cam elements 2 which are required for the valves. A supply of oil in order to build up a film of oil or of air in order to build up an air cushion on the circumferencial surface of the cam element 2 can be effected via a hollow support shaft, radial openings 30 in the support shaft 1 and via bores 3 in the cam element 2 . An arrangement of openings 30 and bores 3 can also, as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 , be used to secure the cam element 2 on the support shaft 1 when a fixing pin 20 is inserted. The valve lift, the increase wherein as a function of the rotational speed is illustrated in the diagram shown in FIG. 1, can be seen from a comparison of FIGS. 3 to 5 . The diagram shown in FIG. 1 illustrates the change in length of the surround element 4 ; the eccentric range 0 to 1 of the cam element 2 , starting and ending at the base circle region (not shown), wherein the valve-closing position is produced, is plotted on the abscissa. Depending on the selected conditions, the eccentric range extends over an angle of approximately one third to two thirds of the circumference of the cam element 4 , for example over an angle of approximately 150°, as shown in the figures. At a rotational speed of the camshaft of 400 revolutions per minute, which corresponds to the engine idling, the diagram shows a valve lift of 9.7 mm, denoted as 100%. If the rotational speed increases, the lift should become greater, for example reaching an additional valve lift of 1.75 mm at a maximum of 4000 revolutions per minute, corresponding to an increase of approximately 18% in valve lift. The speeds indicated, in this figure and below, always refer to the rotational speeds of the camshaft itself, which in the case of internal combustion engines for motor vehicles are generally half as great as the engine speeds, i.e. in the example indicated the idling speed of the engine is 800 and the maximum speed 8000 revolutions per minute.
[0066] In order, despite forced control, to increase the valve lift as a function of the rotational speed, the cam element 2 is surrounded by a surround element 4 , which can be reversibly lengthened and substantially bears against the circumferential surface, it being possible for the cam element 2 to rotate in the surround element 4 , about its axis of rotation 8 , with continuous pulsed deformation of the surround element 4 . In the figures, the cross-sectional shape of the surround element 4 is in each case illustrated matched to the cam element 2 , since in these figures the valve mechanism is shown in an exploded view. As an individual element, the surround element 4 is only in the form of a ring if the material is sufficiently elastic and thick, while otherwise it forms a collapsed oval or the like. The surround element 4 is prevented from rotating by the connection to a valve actuator 10 , which in the case of the valve lifter is mounted in such a manner that it can be moved in translation in a sliding-contact bearing, while in the case of a rocker or drag lever is mounted so that it can be pivoted in a pivot bearing. This also permits an embodiment wherein a lubricant is supplied through the stationary surround element 4 . The surround element 4 is connected to the valve actuator 10 in such a manner that it can tilt or pivot about an axis 15 , so that, when the cam of the cam element 2 passes through the connecting region of the valve actuator 10 , it is possible for the surround element 4 to pivot relative to the valve actuator 10 . This is necessary since, as illustrated in FIGS. 3 to 5 , the sliding-contact bearing of the valve stem 11 does not allow any lateral deflection, and the valve stem 11 has to be directed radially toward the axis of rotation 8 .
[0067] The higher the rotational speed of the cam element 2 , the greater the tensile forces which are produced in the surround element 4 , these forces, on account of the fact that the surround element 4 can be lengthened reversibly, leading to the distance between the axis of rotation 8 and the axis 15 , at which a valve actuator 10 is articulatedly mounted, increasing. This increase in distance produces an additional valve lift.
[0068] In the first embodiment, shown in FIGS. 2 to 7 , the surround element 4 is formed by a ring made from a flexible, elastically stretchable and, if appropriate, fiber-reinforced plastic, which has only a low resistance to deformation. At one point, the ring contains a window 5 , wherein a bearing pin 14 , which runs parallel to the axis of rotation 8 of the cam element 2 and lies in the axis 15 , passes through the valve stem 11 . On the inner surface of the ring, which surrounds the cam element 2 , there is a continuous thin loop of a friction-reducing strip 22 , wherein the cam element 2 rotates. The strip 22 may likewise be elastically stretchable and may consist, for example, of a low-friction plastic, a woven fabric or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, a small gap 31 remains between the strip 22 and the circumferential surface of the cam element 2 , generally if only for assembly reasons, wherein gap a film of oil can be formed for lubrication purposes. As the rotational speed rises, the elastic stretching of the surround element 4 means that the gap 31 increases in size, as can be seen from a comparison between FIGS. 6 and 7, so that the valve lift is increased.
[0069] FIGS. 8 to 10 show an embodiment wherein a holder 12 is formed in the shape of an “iron”, the bearing pin 18 , in a similar manner to that shown in FIG. 2, being arranged between the elastically stretchable strip 22 and the ring 4 made from elastically stretchable plastic or the like and forming the axis 15 . The end section of the bearing pin 18 widens slightly, in order to prevent axial slipping in the surround element 4 , the opposite region of the holding body 12 being beveled, in order for it to be possible to push the holding body 12 in laterally. The holding body 12 has a threaded bore, into which the valve stem 11 , which has a screw thread 28 , can be screwed and fixed adjustably by a locking nut 27 . As has been mentioned, FIGS. 8 to 10 also show a possible way of fixing the cam element 2 on the support shaft 1 by means of a pin 20 , which is fitted through bores 30 in the shaft 1 and bores 3 in the cam element 2 .
[0070] FIGS. 11 to 13 show an embodiment wherein the surround element 4 is formed by a continuous loop of an elastically stretchable cord, which is arranged slideably in a groove 16 in the circumferential surface of the cam element 2 . The cam element 2 is divided into two cam regions 43 which are spaced apart from one another in the axial direction, the groove 16 , wherein the oil bores 3 of the cam element 2 open out, forming the central region. The valve stem 11 of the valve actuator 10 is provided with an, in particular laterally open, hook-like eyelet 17 , wherein the cord loop is suspended, and is rounded on the top side parallel to the axis 15 , in order to allow the pivoting, as can be seen in particular from FIG. 13. The eyelet 17 may also be of closed design, if a piece of a cord is only closed up to form the cord loop after it has been threaded into the eyelet 17 . In this embodiment, the surround element 4 is slightly larger than the cam circumference, since it is also guided through the eyelet 17 . The elastic stretchability also compensates for the changes in the surround length which result from rotation of the cam element on account of the eyelet 17 holding the cord at a distance from the circumference.
[0071] FIGS. 14 to 16 show an embodiment wherein the surround element 4 is formed from a strip of elastically stretchable sheet structure with textile binding, in particular a woven fabric or the like. For connection to the valve actuator 10 , a protuberance 6 is formed on the surround element 4 , which protuberance can be fitted into a slot 29 in the valve stem 11 . Connection is effected by means of a cotter pin 19 , which passes through the bores 25 in the valve stem 11 and the protuberance 6 . The surround element 4 may be a single, continuous loop or turn with a protuberance 6 which has been pressed flat. The single loop or turn may also be formed by bringing together both ends 13 of a strip, which when in contact with one another form the protuberance 6 and together are inserted into the slot 29 . In this embodiment, the axis 15 is not physically embodied, but rather results from the bending region between the protuberance 6 and that part of the surround element 4 which surrounds the circumferential surface of the cam element 2 . FIG. 15 shows the position of the valve stem 11 in the closed position, and FIG. 16 shows a position at a high rotational speed, wherein the two ends 13 of the strip have been moved away from one another between the upper end of the valve stem 11 and the cam element.
[0072] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 17 to 19 , the cam element 2 is provided with a circumferential groove 16 , the base of which is concentric with respect to the support shaft 1 . In this way, the cam element 2 is divided into two cam regions 43 , which are connected by means of a material-saving central region. The surround element 4 , which in this embodiment is formed by a continuous loop of an elastically stretchable strip, has at one point an adhesively bonded or sewn tab 45 which defines a plug-in opening 47 . In the central region the loop and the tab 45 are provided with a window 5 . In the securing region, the valve actuator 10 has a bore 46 , so that, after insertion into the window 5 , a connecting element 48 , in the form of a pin or cotter pin, can be pushed through the plug-in opening 47 and the bore 46 . The pin in turn forms the axis 15 , which extends parallel to the support shaft 1 . The free end of the valve stem 11 in this case projects into the circumferential groove 16 , resulting in axial guidance also being provided. The seamless woven strip of the surround element 4 , which is preferably produced using a textile circular working technique (circular weaving, circular knitting or the like) contains carbon, Kevlar® or aramid filaments or fibers or the like to protect against excessive stretching, since this produces a highly constant length and a good thermal stability. The nonstretch filaments have a length which corresponds to the normal circumferential length and may be the weft filaments, running in the circumferential direction, of the woven-fabric ring or additional filaments which, for example, in the unstretched state are connected to the woven-fabric ring in waves or zigzag form. The woven fabric may also be provided with a low-friction coating.
[0073] FIGS. 20 to 23 show a similar design, wherein, once again, a circular-worked, in particular circular-woven strip is used to produce the surround element 4 . The strip circumference substantially corresponds to twice the circumference of the cam element 2 and is brought together so as to form a double-layer open loop. The reversal points of the strip at the ends 13 of the open loop form the plug-in openings 47 for the hollow connecting element 48 , which in this embodiment is bent into a U shape. Both ends 13 are cut out in the central region 52 , and the two cutouts complement one another to form the window 5 through which the end of the valve stem 11 projects into the circumferential groove 16 of the cam element. As a result, the installation position of the valve actuator 11 can lie laterally offset, parallel to the axial plane, as can be seen from FIG. 21, which may result in advantages with regard to a change in the rolling and contact lines. Of course, the valve stem 11 may also lie in the axial plane, so that the two plug-in openings 47 are not symmetrical. A second part 53 which is bent into a U shape is inserted into the hollow connecting element 48 and is, for example, adhesively bonded, so that the connection between the surround element 4 and the valve actuator 10 is ensured.
[0074] Instead of using the U-shaped connecting element 48 , the two ends 13 of the open loop could also be connected by an element which is similar to a belt buckle and has one or two slots through which the ends 13 are guided and are fixed by pins inserted into their plug-in openings 47 . The belt-buckle-like element forms the holder 12 for the valve actuator, into which it is screwed or latched.
[0075] An elastically stretchable connection of the two ends 13 can also be achieved by connecting the protruding ends of pins which have been inserted into the plug-in openings 47 by two tension springs made from steel.
[0076] In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 24 and 25, a sleeve 55 , which is provided with a pair of connecting tabs 56 and projects inward into the circumferential groove 16 , is inserted into the window 5 in the surround element 4 , which is formed by a continuous loop of a woven strip or the like. The connecting tabs 56 are adhesively bonded or welded or joined in some other way to the surrounding area of the window 5 . At the free end, the valve stem 11 has a screw thread 28 , and the stem can be screwed into a screw thread in the sleeve 55 to an adjustable depth and can be clamped by means of a mating nut 27 . In this embodiment, the cam element 2 comprises two cam regions 43 , which are not connected to one another, but rather are fixed separately on the support shaft. Instead of the screw connection, it would also be possible to form a latching or snap-action connection between the sleeve 55 and the valve stem 11 , so that rotation about the axis of the valve stem 11 is possible. The axis 15 about which the surround element 4 has to be pivoted backward and forward to a limited extent with respect to the valve actuator 10 runs between the connecting tabs 56 , on account of the flexibility of the material used.
[0077] In the embodiments shown in FIGS. 26 to 32 , the surround element 4 is in each case designed as a continuous loop with a protuberance 6 , which is divided from the cam element by a constriction which is, for example, adhesively bonded, sewn or clamped, and accommodates an insert 54 which serves as holder 12 of the valve actuator 10 . Particularly in these embodiments, the surround element may also be of constant-length design, if the constriction between the holder 12 and the cam element 2 is of elastically resilient design. In this way it is possible, for example, to sew the constriction by means of rubber filaments or the like.
[0078] [0078]FIGS. 26 and 27 show an embodiment wherein the constriction of the surround element 4 is effected by an elastically widenable eyelet 50 , through which the protuberance 6 , which has been pressed flat, is threaded. The insert 54 which has been pushed into the protuberance 6 has a latching or threaded bore 57 , into which the latchable or threaded end 28 of the valve stem 11 can be pushed or screwed. In the latter case, a mating nut 27 is used for adjusting and fixing the length of the valve actuator 10 . The tensile forces, which rise at higher rotational speeds, widen the eyelet, so that the regions which are in contact with one another in the constriction move away from one another, and the constriction is stretched.
[0079] [0079]FIGS. 28 and 29 show a similar connection between the surround element 4 and the valve actuator 10 , wherein the constriction of the protuberance 6 is effected by two clamping jaws 49 which are clamped to one another, in particular resiliently. The two clamping jaws 49 may also be of identical design, so that in each case one connecting screw is inserted into a clamping jaw 49 . If appropriate, the spring prestressing may also be adjustable.
[0080] Instead of the eyelet 50 or the clamping jaws 49 in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 26 to 29 , a latchable, elastically widenable constricting device is also conceivable, for example by clipping together two parts which are of identical design and are provided with latching hooks and latching openings.
[0081] In FIGS. 26 to 29 , the insert 54 may also comprise a rubber or a rubber-sheathed metal or plastic core, which is pinched into an oval shape by the tensile forces, which rise in the surround element 4 at higher rotational speeds, on account of the rising mass forces of the valve. This likewise leads to an elastic increase in the distance between the axis of rotation 8 and the pivot axis 15 of the valve actuator 10 .
[0082] FIGS. 30 to 32 show a possible way of producing a latching connection between the valve stem 11 and the holder 12 , which allows the valve stem 11 to rotate about its axis. The end of the valve stem 11 is provided with a polygonal, conical or rounded annular groove 59 , and the insert 54 is provided with two webs, which are resilient on account of a slot 51 and on which polygonal, conical or rounded ribs 60 are formed. The valve stem is pushed into the bore 57 , so that the insert 54 is widened, until the ribs 60 latch into the annular groove 59 (FIG. 32). The connecting element 48 , which is responsible for the constriction and is in the form of a U-shaped hollow bracket, is then pushed on and secured by the U-shaped mating piece 53 , which is adhesively bonded or pinched in place. In FIGS. 26 to 32 , the constriction in each case forms an elastic, flexible connection, wherein the axis 15 is embodied.
[0083] FIGS. 33 to 35 show an embodiment wherein the surround element 4 , in a similar manner to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 20 to 23 , comprises a continuous strip of an elastically stretchable woven fabric which is laid together so as to form an open, two-layer loop and the reversal points of which once again form plug-in openings 47 . The ends 13 of the open loop are cut out in such a way that they can be fitted into one another. In this embodiment, the holder 12 is assembled from two parts 12 ′ each of which has a pin-like section 48 ′ of the connecting element 48 , a receiving part and a threaded sleeve for a threaded screw 61 . Two ribs 60 , which engage in a circumferential groove 59 in the valve stem 11 , which is once again held rotatably, project into the opening 57 , which is likewise divided. The two pin-like sections 48 ′ engage in the mutually aligned plug-in openings 47 in the mutually engaging ends 18 and come into contact with one another in the center, is as can be seen from FIG. 34. In this embodiment, the cam element 2 is not shown as a part which can be mounted individually, but rather the cam shaft is produced as a single part using a conventional process.
[0084] Since the variable forced guidance of the valve actuator allows the valve mechanism to be of very lightweight design, it is also possible for the entire camshaft to be of very lightweight design. Therefore, it can even be produced in a single piece from an optionally reinforced plastic or other lightweight materials.
[0085] If a woven-fabric strip is used for the surround element 4 , its ends can either be sewn, adhesively bonded or welded together to form a continuous loop, or can be wrapped around and sewn, adhesively bonded or welded, in order to form plug-in openings 47 of the open loop. The windows 5 or edge and center cutouts 52 can readily be formed in a woven fabric which has been treated in this manner.
[0086] A holder 12 as shown in FIGS. 8 to 10 or 26 to 35 is preferably formed from inelastic material, so that an elastically stretchable surround element 4 or an elastically widenable constriction of the surround element 4 is provided for the purpose of changing the distance between the axis of rotation 8 of the support shaft 1 and the articulation axis 15 of the valve actuator 10 .
[0087] However, it is also possible for the holder 12 to consist of an elastically stretchable, rubber-like material, which can in particular be permanently adhesively bonded or vulcanized onto a woven-fabric strip or its ends. The rubber-like material, which is preferably of varying thickness according to the stress profile, effects damping of the surrounding squeezing movement in the surround element 4 which is produced by the cam peaks and good transfer, without stress peaks, of the shear forces from the surround element 4 to the valve actuator.
[0088] As has already been mentioned, the surround element may be composed of an elastically stretchable material and a substantially nonstretch material. In this connection, embodiments wherein the elastically stretchable region is provided opposite the holder 12 are also possible, with the result that any weakening in the connecting area between the valve actuator and the surround element 4 is avoided. A design of this type is illustrated in FIG. 24, wherein the region of the surround element 4 which lies opposite the opening 5 , between the dashed lines, can stretch elastically.
[0089] In all embodiments, the valve mechanism is shown with a valve lifter as valve actuator 10 . However, the valve actuator 10 may equally well comprise a pivotably mounted rocker or drag lever, on one end of which the surround element 4 is arranged in such a manner that it can pivot about the axis 15 . A camshaft for use with internal combustion engines usually has a plurality of valve mechanisms of this type, wherein the cam elements are arranged in an angularly offset manner.
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The valve drive mechanism is particularly suitable for internal combustion engines of motor vehicles. The mechanism has at least one driven cam element and a valve control member which is moved (translationally or rotationally) by the cam element. The cam element is rotatingly mounted in a flexible surround element which is connected to the valve control member in a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the cam element. The surround element can be reversably extended, such as elastically extended, to enable a variation in the resulting valve lift.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This is a divisional of application Ser. No. 08/132,975, filed Oct. 7, 1993, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,366,598, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 07/686,963, filed Apr. 18, 1991, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,040, which in turn is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 374,429, filed Jun. 30, 1989, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The adhesion of coatings applied directly to the surface of a substrate metal is of special concern when the coated metal will be utilized in a rigorous industrial environment. Careful attention is usually paid to surface treatment and pre-treatment operation prior to coating. Achievement particularly of a clean surface is a priority sought in such treatment or pre-treatment operation. Representative of a coating applied directly to a base metal is an electrocatalytic coating, often containing a precious metal from the platinum metal group, and applied directly onto a metal such as a valve metal. Within this technical area of electrocatalytic coatings applied to a base metal, the metal may be simply cleaned to give a very smooth surface. U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,182. Treatment with fluorine compounds may produce a smooth surface. U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,163. Cleaning might include chemical degreasing, electrolytic degreasing or treatment with an oxidizing acid. U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,163.
Cleaning can be followed by mechanical toughening to prepare a surface for coating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,778,307. If the mechanical treatment is sandblasting, such may be followed by etching. U.S. Pat. No. 3,878,083. Or pickling with a non-oxidizing acid can produce a rough surface for coating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,864,163. Such pickling can follow degreasing. U.S. Pat. No. Re. 28,820. The pickling may readily etch titanium to a surface roughness within the range of 150-200 or more microinches. "Titanium as a Substrate for Electrodes", Hayfield, P. C. S., IMI Research and Development Report.
If there is a pre-existing coating present on the substrate metal, the metal can be treated for coating removal. For an electrocatalytic coating, such treatment may be with a melt containing a basic material used in the presence of an oxidant or oxygen. Such can be followed by pickling to reconstitute the original surface for coating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,100. Or if a molten alkali metal hydroxide bath is used containing an alkali metal hydride, this is preferably followed by a hot mineral acid treatment. U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,600. It has also been proposed to prepare the surface without stripping the old coating. U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,543. More recently, this procedure has been improved by activation of the old coating, prior to application of the new. U.S. Pat. No. 4,446,245.
Another procedure for anchoring the fresh coating to the substrate, that has found utility in the application of an electrocatalytic coating to a valve metal, is to provide a porous oxide layer which can be formed on the base metal.
It has, however, been found difficult to provide long-lived coated metal articles for serving in the most rugged commercial environments, e.g., oxygen evolving anodes for use in the present-day commercial applications utilized in electrogalvanizing, electrotinning, copper foil plating, aluminum anodizing, sodium sulfate electrolysis, electroforming or electrowinning. Such may be continuous operation. They can involve severe conditions including potential surface damage. It would be most desirable to provide coated metal substrates to serve as electrodes in such operations, exhibiting extended stable operation while preserving excellent coating adhesion. It would also be highly desirable to provide such an electrode not only from fresh metal but also from recoated metal.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
There has now been found a metal surface which provides an excellent, locked on coating of outstanding coating adhesion. The coated metal substrate can have highly desirable extended lifetime even in most rigorous industrial environments. For the electrocatalytic coatings, the invention may provide for lower effective current densities and also achieve substrate metal grains desirably stabilized against passivation.
In one aspect, the invention is directed to a metal article having a surface adapted for enhanced coating adhesion, such surface being free from deleterious affects of abrasive treatment while having desirable surface grain size, which surface has three-dimensional grains with deep grain boundaries, such surface having been etched including the etching of impurities located in the grain boundaries at the surface of the metal, which intergranular etching provides a profilometer-measured average surface roughness of at least about 250 microinches and an average surface peaks per inch of at least about 40, basis a profilometer upper threshold limit of 400 microinches and a profilometer lower threshold limit of 300 microinches.
In another aspect, the invention is directed to the method of preparing a surface of an impure valve metal for enhanced coating adhesion on such surface, which method comprises subjecting the surface to elevated temperature annealing for a time sufficient to provide an at least substantially continuous intergranular network of impurities, including impurities at the surface of such metal; cooling the resulting annealed surface; and etching intergranularly the surface at an elevated temperature and with a strong acid or strong caustic etchant; while maintaining the surface at least substantially free from the deleterious effects of abrasive surface treatment.
In a still further aspect, the invention is directed to a metal article having a surface adapted for enhanced coating adhesion, said surface having, as measured by profilometer, an average roughness of at least about 250 microinches and an average surface peaks per inch of at least about 40, basis the lower and upper threshold limits mentioned hereinbefore. Such surface most desirably also has an average distance between the maximum peak and the maximum valley of at least about 1,000 microinches and an average peak height of at least about 1,000 microinches.
When the fully prepared metals are electrocatalytically coated and used as oxygen evolving electrodes, even under the rigorous commercial operations as mentioned hereinabove, e.g., including continuous electrogalvanizing, electrotinning, electroforming or electrowinning, such electrodes can have highly desirable service life. Also, such metals as electrodes may provide an effectively lower current density, which will aid in prolonging the life of the electrode, when used as above discussed or, for example, in water or brine electrolysis.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The metals of the substrate are broadly contemplated to be any coatable metal. For the particular application of an electrocatalytic coating, the substrate metals might be such as nickel or manganese, but will most always be valve metals, including titanium, tantalum, aluminum, zirconium and niobium. Of particular interest for its ruggedness, corrosion resistance and availability is titanium. As well as the normally available elemental metals themselves, the suitable metals of the substrate can include metal alloys and intermetallic mixtures. For example, titanium may be alloyed with nickel, cobalt, iron, manganese or copper. More specifically, Grade 5 titanium may include up to 6.75 weight % aluminum and 4.5 weight % vanadium, grade 6 up to 6% aluminum and 3% tin, grade 7 up to 0.25 weight % palladium, grade 10, from 10 to 13 weight % molybdenum plus 4.5 to 7.5 weight % zirconium and so on.
By use of elemental metals, alloys and intermetallic mixtures, it is most particularly meant the metals in their normally available condition, i.e., having minor amounts of impurities. Thus for the metal of particular interest, i.e., titanium, various grades of the metal are available including those in which other constituents may be alloys or alloys plus impurities. In titanium, iron may be a usual impurity. Its maximum concentration can be expected to vary from 0.2 weight percent for grades 1 and 11 up to 0.5% for grades 4 and 6. Additional impurities that may be found throughout the grades of titanium include nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Since beta-titanium located at the titanium grain boundaries can be susceptible to etching, such beta-titanium is considered herein for purposes of this discussion as an impurity. Thus etching of an impurity as discussed herein may include etching of a phase of the metal itself. In addition to the beta-titanium, the titanium metal of particular interest may have beta-phase stabilizers, some of which may be present in extremely minor amounts in the manner of an impurity and include vanadium, niobium, tantalum, molybdenum, ruthenium, zirconium, tin, hafnium and mixtures thereof. Grades of titanium have been more specifically set forth in the standard specifications for titanium detailed in ASTM B 265-79.
Regardless of the metal selected and how the metal surface is subsequently processed, the substrate metal advantageously is a cleaned surface. This may be obtained by any of the treatments used to achieve a clean metal surface, but with the provision that unless called for to remove an old coating, mechanical cleaning is typically minimized and preferably avoided. Thus the usual cleaning procedures of degreasing, either chemical or electrolytic, or other chemical cleaning operation may be used to advantage.
Where an old coating is present on the metal surface, such needs to be addressed before recoating. It is preferred for best extended performance when the finished article will be used with an electrocatalytic coating, such as use as an oxygen evolving electrode, to remove the old coating. In the technical area of the invention which pertains to electrochemically active coatings on a valve metal, chemical means for coating removal are well known. Thus a melt of essentially basic material, followed by an initial pickling will suitably reconstitute the metal surface, as taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,573,100. Or a melt of alkali metal hydroxide containing alkali metal hydride, which may be followed by a mineral acid treatment, is useful, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,706,600. Usual rinsing and drying steps can also form a portion of these operations.
When a cleaned surface, or prepared and cleaned surface, has been obtained, and particularly where applying an electrocatalytic coating to a valve metal, it is most always contemplated in the practice of the present invention that surface roughness will be achieved by means of etching. In the invention context of etching, it is important to aggressively etch the metal surface to provide deep grain boundaries providing well exposed, three-dimensional grains. It is preferred that such operation will etch impurities located at such grain boundaries. For convenience, a metal having etchable grain boundary impurities may be referred to herein as a metal having a correct "metallurgy" It is however, contemplated that other roughening techniques, which can be used in addition to or along with the roughness achieved by etching, such as plasma spraying of one or more of a valve metal or valve metal oxide, including valve metal suboxides, onto the metal surface can provide the surface roughness characteristics. These characteristics, as measured by profilometer, are more particularly described hereinbelow.
Where etching has been selected to achieve surface roughness, an important aspect of the invention involves the enhancement of impurities of the metal at the grain boundaries. This is advantageously done at an early stage of the overall process of metal preparation. One manner of this enhancement that is contemplated is the inducement at, or introduction to, the grain-boundaries of one or more impurities for the metal. For example, with the particularly representative metal titanium, the impurities of the metal might include iron, nitrogen, carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and beta-titanium. Although impurities introduction procedures that might be used can include surface deposition, e.g., vapor deposition, which might be followed by a heat treatment for surface impurity diffusion, one particular manner contemplated for impurity enhancement is to subject the titanium metal to a hydrogen-containing treatment. This can be accomplished by exposing the metal to a hydrogen atmosphere at elevated temperature. Or the metal might be subjected to an electrochemical hydrogen treatment, with the metal as a cathode in a suitable electrolyte evolving hydrogen at the cathode.
Another consideration for the aspect of the invention involving etching, which aspect can lead to impurity enhancement at the grain boundaries, involves the heat treatment history of the metal. For example, to prepare a metal such as titanium for etching, it can be most useful to condition the metal, as by annealing, to diffuse impurities to the grain boundaries. Thus, by way of example, proper annealing of grade 1 titanium will enhance the concentration of the iron impurity at grain boundaries. Where the suitable preparation includes annealing, and the metal is grade 1 titanium, the titanium can be annealed at a temperature of at least about 500° C. for a time of at least about 15 minutes. For efficiency of operation, a more elevated annealing temperature, e.g., 600°-800° C. is advantageous. Annealing times at such more elevated temperatures will typically be on the order of 15 minutes to 4 hours. Alternatively, a short, high temperature anneal, e.g., on the order of 800° C. for a few minutes such as 5-10 minutes, may be continued, after rapid or slow cooling, at a quite low temperature, with 200°-400° C. being representative, for several hours, with 10-20 hours being typical. Suitable conditions can include annealing in air, or under vacuum, or with an inert gas such as argon. Subsequent cooling of the annealed metal can appropriately stabilize the grain boundaries for etching. Stabilization may be achieved by controlled or rapid cooling of the metal or by other usual metal cooling technique including quenching. For convenience, a metal having such stabilization may be referred to herein as a metal having a desirable "heat history".
For enhancing coating adhesion for the invention aspect of etching, it can be desirable to combine a metal surface having a correct grain boundary metallurgy as above-discussed, with an advantageous grain size. Again, referring to titanium as exemplary, at least a substantial amount of the grains having grain size number within the range of from about 3 to about 7 is advantageous. Grain size number as referred to herein is in accordance with the designation provided in ASTM E 112-84. Size number for titanium grains below about 3 produce a high percentage of broad grains which detract from advantageous coating adhesion. Grain sizes numbered above about 7 are not desired for best three-dimensional grain structure development. Preferably for titanium, the grains will have size numbers within the range from about 4 to about 6.
After the foregoing operations, e.g., cleaning, or coating removal and cleaning, and including any desired rinsing and drying steps, followed by any impurity enhancement for grain boundary etching, the metal surface is then ready for continuing processing. Where such is etching, it will be with a sufficiently active etch solution to develop aggressive grain boundary attack. Typical etch solutions are acid solutions. These can be provided by hydrochloric, sulfuric, perchloric, nitric, oxalic, tartaric, and phosphoric acids as well as mixtures thereof, e.g., aqua regia. Other etchants that may be utilized include caustic etchants such as a solution of potassium hydroxide/hydrogen peroxide, or a melt of potassium hydroxide with potassium nitrate. For efficiency of operation, the etch solution is advantageously a strong, or concentrated, solution, such as an 18-22 weight % solution of hydrochloric acid. Moreover, the solution is advantageously maintained during etching at elevated temperature such as at 80° C. or more for aqueous solutions, and often at or near boiling condition or greater, e.g., under refluxing condition. Following etching, the etched metal surface can then be subjected to rinsing and drying steps to prepare the surface for coating.
Regardless of the technique employed to reach the desired roughness, e.g., plasma spray or intergranular etch, it is necessary that the metal surface have an average roughness (Ra) of at least about 250 microinches and an average number of surface peaks per inch (Nr) of at least about 40. The surface peaks per inch can be typically measured at a lower threshold limit of 300 microinches and an upper threshold limit of 400 microinches. A surface having an average roughness of below about 250 microinches will be undesirably smooth, as will a surface having an average number of surface peaks per inch of below about 40, for providing the needed, substantially enhanced, coating adhesion. Advantageously, the surface will have an average roughness of on the order of about 250 microinches or more, e.g., ranging up to about 750-1500 microinches, with no low spots of less than about 200 microinches. Advantageously, for best avoidance of surface smoothness, the surface will be free from low spots that are less than about 210 to 220 microinches. It is preferable that the surface have an average roughness of from about 300 to about 500 microinches. Advantageously, the surface has an average number of peaks per inch of at least about 60, but which might be on the order of as great as about 130 or more, with an average from about 80 to about 120 being preferred. It is further advantageous for the surface to have an average distance between the maximum peak and the maximum valley (Rz) of at least about 1,000 microinches and to have a maximum peak height (Rm) of at least about 1,000 microinches. All of such foregoing surface characteristics are as measured by a profilometer. More desirably, the surface for coating will have an Rm value of at least about 1,500 microinches to about 3500 microinches and have a Rz characteristic of at least about 1,500 microinches up to about 3500 microinches.
As representative of the electrochemically active coatings that may then be applied to the etched surface of the metal, are those provided from platinum or other platinum group metals or they can be represented by active oxide coatings such as platinum group metal oxides, magnetite, ferrite, cobalt spinel or mixed metal oxide coatings. Such coatings have typically been developed for use as anode coatings in the industrial electrochemical industry. They may be water based or organic solvent based, e.g., using alcohol. Suitable coatings of this type have been generally described in one or more of the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,265,526, 3,632,498, 3,711,385 and 4,528,084. The mixed metal oxide coatings can often include at least one oxide of a valve metal with an oxide of a platinum group metal including platinum, palladium, rhodium, iridium and ruthenium or mixtures of themselves and with other metals. Further coatings in addition to those enumerated above include manganese dioxide, lead dioxide, platinate coatings such as M x Pt 3 O 4 where M is an alkali metal and X is typically targeted at approximately 0.5, nickel--nickel oxide and nickel plus lanthanide oxides.
It is contemplated that coatings will be applied to the metal by any of those means which are useful for applying a liquid coating composition to a metal substrate. Such methods include dip spin and dip drain techniques, brush application, roller coating and spray application such as electrostatic spray. Moreover spray application and combination techniques, e.g., dip drain with spray application can be utilized. With the above-mentioned coating compositions for providing an electrochemically active coating, a modified dip drain operation can be most serviceable. Following any of the foregoing coating procedures, upon removal from the liquid coating composition, the coated metal surface may simply dip drain or be subjected to other post coating technique such as forced air drying.
Typical curing conditions for electrocatalytic coatings can include cure temperatures of from about 300° C. up to about 600° C. Curing times may vary from only a few minutes for each coating layer up to an hour or more, e.g., a longer cure time after several coating layers have been applied. However, cure procedures duplicating annealing conditions of elevated temperature plus prolonged exposure to such elevated temperature, are generally avoided for economy of operation. In general, the curing technique employed can be any of those that may be used for curing a coating on a metal substrate. Thus, oven curing, including conveyor ovens may be utilized. Moreover, infrared cure techniques can be useful. Preferably for most economical curing, oven curing is used and the cure temperature used for electrocatalytic coatings will be within the range of from about 450° C. to about 550° C. At such temperatures, curing times of only a few minutes, e.g., from about 3 to 10 minutes, will most always be used for each applied coating layer.
The following examples show ways in which the invention has been practiced, as well as showing comparative examples. However, the examples showing ways in which the invention has been practiced should not be construed as limiting the invention.
EXAMPLE 1
There is used a titanium plate measuring 2 inches by 6 inches by 3/8 inch and being an unalloyed grade 1 titanium, as determined in accordance with the specifications of ASTM B 265-79. This titanium sheet thus contained 0.20 percent, maximum, iron impurity.
This plate, which was a fresh grade 1 titanium plate, was degreased in perchloroethylene vapors, rinsed with deionized water and air dried. It was then etched for approximately 1 hour by immersion in 20 weight percent hydrochloric acid aqueous solution heated to 95° C. After removal from the hot hydrochloric acid, the plate was again rinsed with deionized water and air dried. By this etching, the plate achieves a weight loss of 500-600 grams per square meter of plate surface area. This weight loss is determined by pre and post etching weighing of the plate sample and then calculating the loss per square meter by straight forward calculation on the basis of the surface area of both large flat faces of the plate.
The surface structure of the sample plate, on both broad surfaces, is then examined under a stereo microscope under magnification varying during the study from 40× to 60×. Such plate surface can be seen to have a well defined, three dimensional, grain boundary etch.
The etched surface was then subjected to surface profilometer measurement using a Hommel model T1000 C instrument manufactured by Hommelwerk GmbH. The plate surface profilometer measurements as average values computed from eight separate measurements conducted by running the instrument in random orientation across on large flat face of the plate. This gave average values for surface roughness (Ra) of 393 microinches, peaks per inch (Nr) of 86 and an average distance between the maximum peak and the maximum valley (Rz) of 2104. The peaks per inch were measured within the threshold limits of 300 microinches (lower) and 400 microinches (upper).
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 2
A titanium plate sample of unalloyed grade 1 titanium, but from a different batch than the plate sample of Example 1, was etched under the identical conditions of Example 1. Visually, the resulting etched surfaces of the titanium plate sample, as viewed in the manner of Example 1, were found not to have a well defined grain boundary etch. Subsequent profilometer measurements, conducted in the manner of Example 1, provided average values of 157 (Ra), 31 (Nr) and 931 (Rz). Because of the lack of well defined grains as determined visually, plus the lack of a well defined, three dimensional grain boundary etch as determined by profilometer measurement, this plate sample was a comparative sample.
EXAMPLE 2
A second sample plate from the same batch of unalloyed titanium as was used for the plate sample of Comparative Example 2, was subjected to annealing operation. In this operation, the sample was placed in an oven and the oven was heated until the air temperature reached 700° C. This air temperature was then held for 15 minutes, cooled to 450° C., and held for 30 minutes. Thereafter, while the sample was maintained in the oven, the oven air temperature was permitted to cool to about 200° C. in a period of 1.5 hours. The sample was then removed for cooling to room temperature.
The resulting test sample was then etched in boiling 18 weight percent HCl for one hour, then rinsed and dried as described in Example 1. Subsequently, under visual examination in the manner of Example 1, the etched sample plate was seen to have a highly desirable, three dimensional grain boundary etch. This was confirmed by profilometer measurements which provided average values of 398 (Ra), 76 (Nr) and 2040 (Rz).
EXAMPLE 3
A grade 1 titanium plate sample was prepared in the manner of Example 1, except that the etching was for 2 hours in boiling 18 weight percent hydrochloric acid aqueous solution. The sample had a highly desirable three dimensional and well defined grain boundary etching as confirmed by profilometer measurement which provided average values of 343 (Ra) and 63 (Nr). This example was provided with an electrochemically active coating of tantalum oxide and iridium oxide and using an aqueous, acidic solution of chloride salts, the coating being applied and baked in the manner as described in Example 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,182.
The resulting sample was tested as an anode in an electrolyte that was a mixture of 285 grams per liter (g/l) of sodium sulfate and 60 g/l of magnesium sulfate. The test cell was maintained at 65° C. and operated at a current density of 15 kiloamps per square meter (kA/m 2 ). Periodically the electrolysis was briefly interrupted. The coated titanium plate anode was removed from the electrolyte, rinsed in deionized water, air dried and then cooled to ambient temperature. There was then applied to the coated plate surface, by firmly manually pressing onto the coating, a strip of self-adhesive, pressure sensitive tape. This tape was then removed from the surface by quickly pulling the tape away from the plate.
The coating remained well-adhered throughout the test, with the anode ultimately failing by anode passivation with the coating still predominantly intact at 1223 hours.
COMPARATIVE EXAMPLE 3
A sample of titanium which had been previously coated with an electrochemically active coating, was blasted with alumina powder to remove the previous coating. By this abrasive method, it was determined by X-ray fluoroescence that the previous coating had been removed. After removal of any residue of the abrasive treatment, the resulting sample plate was etched in the composition of Example 1. Under visual inspection as described in Example 1, it was seen that there was no evidence of desirable grain boundary etching. Furthermore, under profilometer measurement, the resulting average values were found to be 189 (Ra) and 25 (Nr).
The sample was nevertheless coated with the electrocatalytic coating of Example 3 in the manner as described in Example 3 and utilized as an anode also in the manner as described in Example 3. After 114 hours of operation, the sample was removed and the coating adhesion tested utilizing the tape test of Example 3. In this test, and after only the 114 hours of testing, the tape test showed the coating to no longer be uniformly well-adhered, with the test removing coating and exposing the underlying substrate and, thus, terminating further testing.
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A metal surface is now described having enhanced adhesion of subsequently applied coatings. The substrate metal of the article, such as a valve metal as represented by titanium, is provided with a highly desirable surface characteristic for subsequent coating application. This can be initiated by selection of a metal of desirable metallurgy and heat history, including prior heat treatment to provide surface grain boundaries which may be most readily etched. In subsequent etching operation, the surface is made to exhibit well defined, three dimensional grains with deep grain boundaries. Subsequently applied coatings, by penetrating into the etched intergranular valleys, are desirably locked onto the metal substrate surface and provide enhanced lifetime even in rugged commercial environments.
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This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/393,961 (TWC Docket 16099) filed Feb. 24, 1995.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an integrated Monitor-Detector for light emitting devices on silicon waferboard.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The monitoring of lasers during their operation is essential to assure their function. During operation, as the affects of joule heating of the operating device as well as the affects of normal operation over time and ambient temperature changes alter the lasing threshold of the laser. As a result the injection current to the device will have to be changed to maintain a constant power output. The best way to assure that the device is properly operating at all times is to have a suitable detector mounted and aligned to receive a portion of the radiation emitted from the laser. The monitor-detector then is connected to suitable circuitry to vary the injection current to the laser to assure that lasing is achieved during the operation of the device at steady state output power.
Normally, the monitoring of the laser is effected by a submount assembly that is fabricated specially for the monitoring function. This subassembly is then mounted in the particular laser application assembly or mount. The submount requires the alignment of the monitor-detector and the laser. As can be appreciated, the alignment and focusing of the various devices and elements of such a submount can prove to be very labor intensive, and thereby come at an increased cost. What is needed is a subassembly that is readily fabricated and that allows for passive alignment of the monitor-detector and the laser.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A subassembly for monitoring the emission of a semiconductor laser is disclosed. The subassembly is diced from a wafer having mounted and etched thereon the devices to be tested as well as the testing devices. The devices of the wafer are burned-in and those sections of the wafer having lasers that pass the burn-in testing are diced and form the subassemblies of the present invention.
OBJECTS, FEATURES AND ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to have an optical subassembly having a laser and a monitor-detector in passive alignment.
It is a feature of the present invention to have the monitor-detector in optical communication with the laser under test via selectively etched grooves in a silicon waferboard substrate on which the laser and monitor detector are mounted.
It is a feature of the present invention to have multiple monitor-detector and laser subassemblies mounted on a single wafer so that multiple submounts can be diced out of the wafer.
It is an advantage of the present invention to have a monitor-detector and laser subassembly ready for mounting in an optical assembly having been burn-in tested thereby increasing production yield and thus reducing greatly the cost of production of optical assemblies.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1a is a side view in cross-section of the monitor-detector in optical communication with the laser under monitor.
FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of the overhang of the laser.
FIGS. 2A and 2B are top views of a portion of a wafer having mounted thereon the monitor-detector and the laser as well as the v-grooves etched to effect the dicing of the submounts as well as to enable the reflection of light from the laser to the monitor detector.
FIG. 3 is a top view of a wafer having an array of submounts having the monitor-detector and laser assemblies shown in portion in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a three-dimensional view of the submount of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Turning to FIG. 1, we see a cross-sectional view of the submount 101. The laser 102 is monitored by the detector 103 as is described presently. The laser 102 is an edge emitting device having its active stripe down as shown at 104. The laser emits a substantially conical radiation field as shown. A portion of the light emitted by the laser is reflected off the surface of the v-grooves 105 and its end wall 113 which are etched into the substrate as is described herein. The light is then impingent on the lower surface 106 of the detector 103. This reflected light is coupled to detector 103 with adequate efficiency to enable monitoring of the output power of the laser. Due to the reflectivity of the etched monocrystalline material at the v-groove 105, it is not necessary to deposit a reflector such as metal to enable light to traverse the groove and be reflected to the detector 103. However, it is certainly possible to deposit a layer of reflective metal by standard vacuum deposition for example to assist in the reflection from the laser to the detector. For example, a metal such as gold will suffice for this purpose. In addition, it is important to note that a focusing or coupling element can be disposed in the groove 105 for facilitating the coupling of light between the laser and the detector. For example a GRIN rod lens or graded index fiber could serve in this manner. The groove 105 is for example a v-groove, but can be of a different shape depending on the etching process used to effect the groove. For example, a common variation would include a substantially flat bottom to provide a trapezoidal shape. This groove is shown in the various Figures to separate the detector and laser. However, it is within the purview of the invention to have this groove substantially shorter in length than that shown in the Figures. To be sure, the groove 105 between the detector and the laser can be so short that the laser and detector are in physical contact at the shortest limit of the groove 105. The critical factor is that the groove 105 merely reflects light from the laser to the detector. The laser monitored may be any of a variety of edge emitting lasers, to include but not be limited to heterostructure devices to include planar or buried crescent structures. The detector 103 used for monitoring laser output may be any of a variety of photodetectors, for example PIN or Metal Semiconductor Metal (MSM) detectors.
As is shown in FIG. 1, both the detector 103 and the laser 102 are bonded to the substrate of the submount by standard die-bonding techniques. The laser 102 overhangs to enable the bonding to be effected while retaining a clean emitting surface, as any solder on the surface of the light emitting section will interfere with its operation. The overhang of the laser as shown at 107 is generally of the dimension of about 2 microns, with the die bonding as shown at 108. The detector on the other hand must overhang the edge of the etched groove 105 to allow the light from the laser to be reflected via the endwall 113 to be impingent upon the photosensistive surface 109 of the detector 103. While the photosensitive surface 109 is shown at the lower surface of the detector, those of ordinary skill in the art will support that this photosensitive region could be disposed on the top surface of the detector. The overhang of the detector is generally of the dimension of 25 to 1000 microns. Similarly, the die bonding of the detector is effected by standard techniques, and the overhang of the detector allows the photosensitive region of the detector to remain clean during operation.
The etching and dicing of the submounts is discussed presently. Turning to FIG. 2a, we see a top view of a few submounts on the wafer. The wafer is chosen to be of a monocrystalline material, preferably silicon, however other monocrystalline materials that can be etched to reveal defined crystallographic planes can function for the substrate 200 of the submounts. The v-grooves 205 that are used to effect the optical path between the detector 203 and the laser 202 are fabricated by standard technique. For example, choosing the substrate surface to be in the (100) crystallographic plane, at the surface of the substrate to enable selective etching to reveal the grooves. The selective etching of the substrate reveals sidewalls 206 and 207 and endwalls 213 that are in the (111) crystallographic family of planes. Preferably sidewalls have an included angle of 70.6°, and the endwall forms an included angle of 125.3° with the apex of the v-groove. To effect etching on, for example, a (100) oriented silicon wafer, a photolithographically patterned mask preferably of silicon nitride, less preferably silicon dioxide or special polymer material is laid down on the substrate surface. The mask is grown, deposited or spin coated on the substrate. Finally, an anisotropic etchant is applied and the unmasked (100) surfaces etch rapidly and reveal the (111) family of crystalline planes. A typical anisotropic etchant is KOH, however, ammonium hydroxide, tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide, hydrazine or etylenediamine-pyrocatechol water, while less preferable, will work as the etchant. The revealed crystal planes etch so slowly that the etching process automatically ceases leaving mechanical features that are controlled by mask dimensions. It is known that the groove depth is directly proportional to the width of the mask opening. It is important to note that the grooves 205 and 209 are exemplary v-shaped grooves (v-grooves), however, these can be readily fabricated of a different shape by varying the etching process. Details of the etching process are disclosed in Optoelectronic Integration: Physics, Technology and Applications (1994, Kluwer Academic Publishers) Chapter 10, Section 4.3.1 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,923 to North et al., the disclosures of which are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
The v-grooves 209 are fabricated by identical techniques, and are used for sectioning the submounts from the wafer. Finally contact pads 210 and 211 for wire bonding electrical to external circuitry (not shown) are made by depositing known standard metals such as Ti/Pt/Au or Al/Au or Cr/Au preferably by vacuum deposition. The submounts consisting of the laser, monitor-detector and v-groove 205 are then diced from the wafer. To effect this, the v-grooves 209 are used as cleavage planes to facilitate the dicing of the submounts. This dicing is best understood to be a fracture of the crystalline material along the v-grooves 209. The preferred fracture lines are shown in FIG. 2b. Next, the final step in the dicing process is carried out by scribing along the line 212 and breaking along the scribed line. This process must be done by vacuum retention of the wafer as use of an anvil on top of the wafer would result in damage to the optoelectronics on the substrate. This procedure is effected by the use of the Dynatex DX-III Scriber-Breaker. The final assembly is shown after the dicing operation in FIG. 4. This subassembly is readily mounted in an optical assembly for operational use.
The preferred embodiment of the present invention having been described, it is evident that the artisan of ordinary skill that other materials and various devices could be used to effect submounts for use in optical assemblies. These are considered within the theme and spirit of the invention. In general, the materials, etchants devices and methods of their use are chosen for description of the preferred embodiment, and may be changed without departing from the spirit of the invention.
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An optical subassembly for monitoring the emission of a semi-conductor laser is disclosed. The subassembly is diced from a wafer having mounted thereon the devices to be tested as well as the testing optical devices. The devices of the wafer are burned-in and those sections of the wafer having lasers that pass the burn-in testing are diced and form the subassemblies of the present invention.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to forming a capacitor in an integrated circuit. Such capacitors form, for example, the storage element of a DRAM cell.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically illustrate, in cross-section and top view, respectively, a portion of a DRAM cell structure at an intermediary stage of its formation in an integrated circuit according to a conventional manufacturing method. Each DRAM cell includes a MOS control transistor and a capacitor having an electrode in contact with a region of substrate 1 , typically a source/drain region of the control transistor. It is here assumed that the MOS transistors (not shown) have already been formed in a semiconductor substrate 1 . It should be noted that “substrate” designates a uniformly doped silicon wafer as well as epitaxial layers and/or layers specifically doped by diffusion/implantation formed on or in a massive substrate. Such wafers or regions may further have been previously silicided, at least partially.
An insulating layer 2 , typically made of silicon oxide, is formed on substrate 1 . Layer 2 is provided with first openings typically square-shaped in top view.
Each of these openings is filled with a conductive pad 3 , typically made of tungsten or polysilicon. Pads 3 are in contact with source/drain regions (not shown) of the control transistors.
The structure is coated with an insulating layer 4 , typically silicon oxide. In layer 4 are formed second openings to expose the upper surface of pads 3 . The second openings typically have a rectangular shape in top view.
A second conductive layer 5 is formed on the walls and bottoms of the second openings. This layer 5 results, for example, from a conformal polysilicon deposition followed by a chem-mech etching of the portion of polysilicon deposition covering the upper surface of layer 4 .
A first electrode 5 of a capacitor in electric contact with an underlying substrate 1 via a conductive pad 3 has thus been formed. Electrode 5 has a flat-bottom cup shape. Indeed, the electrode has in cross-section (FIG. 1A) vertical walls and a horizontal bottom, and has in top view (FIG. 1B) substantially the shape of a rectangle. At this stage of the manufacturing, as illustrated in FIG. 1A, the inside of the cup formed by electrode 5 is empty. As illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the horizontal bottom of electrode 5 is in contact substantially by its middle with the top of pad 3 .
The structure thus obtained and shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B is then completed by the conformal deposition of an insulator (not shown), followed by the deposition and etching of a conductive layer (not shown) forming a second electrode that may be common to several capacitors.
To improve the performance of integrated memories, the electronic industry now requires increasing the capacitance of the capacitors forming the storage nodes of DRAM cells without reducing the memory density or increasing the memory density without reducing the capacitor capacitance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a novel integrated capacitor structure having a greater capacitance.
Another object of the present invention is to provide such a structure in which the contact between the conductive pad and the first electrode is improved.
To achieve these and other objects, the present invention provides a capacitor having an electrode with a general cup shape, including a generally horizontal bottom and vertical walls, and in electric contact by its bottom with a conductive pad, the pad extending beyond the upper surface of an insulating layer and the bottom including a recess complementary to the protruding pad portion.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode is made of polysilicon.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pad is made of tungsten.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the pad is made of polysilicon.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the insulating layer is made of silicon oxide.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, said electrode is formed of two distinct elements each being substantially cup-shaped, and each being in electric contact with a portion of the pad.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a capacitor, including the steps of:
Forming, in a first insulating layer, a first opening to expose a chosen region of a semiconductor substrate;
depositing and etching a first conductive layer to form a conductive pad in the first opening;
depositing a second insulating layer;
forming, in the second insulating layer and the first insulating layer, a second opening, so that the pad protrudes from the first insulating layer;
conformally depositing a second conductive layer;
etching the second conductive layer to remove its horizontal portions resting on the second insulating layer;
conformally depositing a thin dielectric; and
depositing and etching a fourth conductive layer.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first and second conductive layers are made of silicon oxide.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the etching of the second conductive layer is a chem-mech etching.
The present invention also provides a method of manufacturing a capacitor, including the steps of:
forming, in a first insulating layer a first opening to expose a chosen region of a semiconductor substrate;
depositing and etching a first conductive layer to form a conductive pad in the first opening;
depositing a second insulating layer;
forming, in the second insulating layer and the first insulating layer, second adjacent openings separated by an insulating strip narrower than the pad and substantially centered on the pad;
conformally depositing a second conductive layer;
etching the second conductive layer to remove its horizontal portions resting on the second insulating layer;
conformally depositing a thin dielectric; and
depositing and etching a fourth conductive layer.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first openings have in top view dimensions of 0.3×0.23 μm and the second openings have dimensions of 0.3×0.5 μm.
The foregoing objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be discussed in detail in the following non-limiting description of specific embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and 1B illustrate a conventional integrated capacitor structure;
FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate a novel integrated capacitor structure; and
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an alternative of the structure shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For clarity, the same elements have been referred to with the same references in the different drawings and, further, as usual in the representation of integrated circuits, the different cross-section views are not drawn to scale.
FIGS. 2A and 2B schematically illustrate, in cross-section and top view, respectively, a portion of a DRAM cell structure formed in an integrated circuit according to a novel manufacturing process. More specifically, FIGS. 2A and 2B show such a novel structure at an intermediary stage of its manufacturing similar to that of the conventional structure previously described in relation with FIGS. 1A and 1B. Each DRAM cell includes a MOS control transistor and a capacitor, an electrode of which is in contact with a region of substrate 1 , for example, a source/drain region of the control transistor. It is again assumed that MOS transistors (not shown) have already been formed in semiconductor substrate 1 .
The method starts with steps similar to those of a conventional process: forming first openings in a first insulating layer 2 , to expose chosen regions of substrate 1 , for example, source/drain regions (not shown) of the control transistors; depositing and etching a first conductive layer to form in the first openings conductive pads 3 ; and depositing a second insulating layer 4 .
In an embodiment, layer 2 is made of silicon oxide and has a 600-nm thickness, the first openings being, for example, in top view, squares of a 0.2-μm side. Pads 3 are filled with tungsten or polysilicon. Layer 4 is made of silicon oxide and has a 600-nm thickness.
According to the present invention, second openings are formed in second insulating layer 4 and in first insulating layer 2 to expose the upper surface and a portion of the vertical walls of pads 3 .
A feature of the present invention is the forming of such second openings deeper than conventional second openings, having pads 3 protrude with respect to an unetched portion of first insulating layer 2 .
For this purpose, the same etch mask as in a conventional method is used. The second openings then have, in top view, a conventional rectangular shape. Such a rectangle will, for example, have 0.8×0.5-μm dimensions.
As previously noted, layers 2 and 4 are made of the same insulating material, preferably silicon oxide. To etch layer 2 after layer 4 , it is enough to increase the etching time.
In an embodiment (not shown), the interface between layers 2 and 4 is formed of a thin layer made of an insulating material selectively etchable with respect to the first insulating material and with respect to the material forming pad 3 , for example, silicon nitride. Then, layer 4 and the interface layer are removed before appropriately etching layer 2 .
In an embodiment (not shown), the structure of layer 2 may be modified to efficiently control the stopping of its etching. For example, layer 2 may be a triple layer formed of a lower portion (in contact with substrate 1 ) and an upper portion made of a first insulating material, separated by a thin layer made of a second insulating material. The first insulating material will preferably be silicon oxide. The second insulating material will be selectively etchable with respect to the first insulating material and with respect to the material forming pad 3 . It may be, for example, silicon nitride. Thus, the second openings will be formed in layer 2 to expose this last thin silicon nitride layer around pads 3 .
A second conductive layer 6 is formed on the walls and the bottom of each opening. Layer 6 results, for example, from a conformal deposition of polysilicon followed by a chem-mech etching of the portion of the polysilicon deposition covering the upper surface of layer 4 .
A first capacitor electrode 6 in electric contact with an underlying substrate 1 via a conductive pad 3 protruding from an insulating layer has thus been formed. As previously, electrode 6 is substantially cup-shaped. It however has two main differences with the prior structure. On the one hand, the cup walls are higher than in the case of FIG. 1 A. On the other hand, the cup bottom has a recess 8 that follows the contour of a portion of pad 3 protruding from insulating layer 2 .
The structure thus obtained and shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B is then completed by the conformal deposition of an insulator (not shown), followed by the deposition and the etching of a new conductive layer (not shown) forming a second electrode possibly common to several capacitors.
An advantage of the present invention is that it increases the capacitance of integrated capacitors. As appears from a comparison of FIGS. 1A and 2A, on the one hand, and 1 B and 2 B, on the other hand, the surface of electrode 6 is greater than that of a conventional electrode 5 due to the height increase of the cup edges and due to the presence of recess 8 . More specifically, this surface is increased by the vertical portions formed in layer 2 . Assuming that the dimensions in top view of electrode 6 are substantially 500×350 nm and assuming that layer 2 has been etched over a height of substantially 300 nm, the surface of electrode 6 will be on the order of 3.1 μm 2 instead of 1.96 μm 2 for a conventional electrode ( 5 , FIGS. 1 A and 1 B).
Another advantage of the present invention is that this capacitance increase of DRAM cell capacitors is done with no mask modification. As appears from the foregoing description and from a comparison of FIGS. 1B and 2B, the mask used to form the second openings in which are formed the first capacitor electrodes remains unchanged with respect to a conventional method.
Another advantage of the present invention is to improve the contact between each capacitor electrode 6 and the underlying semiconductive region. Indeed, according to the present invention, the contact between an electrode 6 and the corresponding pad 3 is improved by the fact that this contact corresponds not only to the upper pad surface, but also to an upper crown of the pad.
FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate an alternative of the structure previously described in relation with FIGS. 2A and 2B.
According to this alternative, the second openings are formed as described hereabove in relation with FIGS. 2A and 2B, in first insulating layer 4 and in first insulating layer 2 , to leave in place at the level of each pad 3 a portion 4 - 1 of this layer 4 separating two independent openings, each exposing a portion of the top of pad 3 on either side of the portion of layer 4 left in place. Portion 4 - 1 is left in place substantially at the center of pad 3 , to symmetrically expose separate portions of its upper surface.
A second conductive layer 7 is formed on the walls and the bottom of each opening. Layer 7 results, for example, from a conformal deposition of polysilicon followed by a chem-mech etching of the portion of the polysilicon deposition covering the upper surface of layer 4 .
A first capacitor electrode 7 in electric contact with an underlying substrate 1 , formed of two independent half-electrodes 7 - 1 and 7 - 2 , has thus been formed. As previously, each of half-electrodes 7 - 1 and 7 - 2 is substantially cup-shaped. The bottom of each half-electrode 7 - 1 , 7 - 2 has thus, in cross-section view (FIG. 3 A), a recess 8 - 1 , 8 - 2 that follows the contour of a portion of pad 3 protruding from insulating layer 2 . Each of half-electrodes 7 - 1 and 7 - 2 has, in top view (FIG. 3 B), substantially the shape of a rectangle.
It should be noted that the surface of each of half-electrodes 7 - 1 and 7 - 2 is greater than half the surface of a conventional electrode such as illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B, due to their additional vertical wall above pad 3 .
The structure thus obtained and shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B is then completed by the conformal deposition of an insulator (not shown), followed by the deposition and the etching of a new conductive layer (not shown) forming a second electrode possibly common to several capacitors.
An advantage of this alternative is to further increase the integrated capacitor capacitance. As appears from a comparison of FIGS. 1A or 2 A and 3 A, on the one hand, and 1 B or 2 B and 3 B, on the other hand, the surface of electrode 7 is increased due to the connection in parallel of two half-electrodes 7 - 1 , 7 - 2 , each having a surface greater than half the surface of a conventional electrode. Assuming the capacitance of a conventional capacitor with a first single cup electrode 5 such as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B to be one, assuming that the dimensions in top view of each of half-electrodes 7 - 1 , 7 - 2 are substantially 500×350 nm and that the width of the portion of layer 4 maintained above pad 3 to separate half-electrodes 7 - 1 , 7 - 2 is on the order of 150 nm, and assuming that layer 2 has been etched over a height of substantially 300 nm, the surface of double deep cup electrode 7 according to this alternative will be on the order of 3.4 μm 2 .
Of course, the present invention is likely to have various alterations, modifications, and improvements which will readily occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, the depth of the second openings in first insulating layer 2 may be easily modified by controlling by conventional techniques the etching of layer 2 (etch time and/or forming of a silicon nitride etch stop layer). Further, after etching first electrode 6 and before conformally depositing the insulator (not shown) intended for forming the capacitor dielectric, a second insulating layer 4 may be at least partially removed to further increase the electrode surface and thus the capacitance, outside of the cup, along the vertical walls. Further, the present invention also applies to the capacitance increase of any type of integrated capacitors other than DRAM cell storage elements.
Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. The present invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto.
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A capacitor having an electrode with a general cup shape, including a generally horizontal bottom and vertical walls, and in electric contact by its bottom with a conductive pad, the pad extending beyond the upper surface of an insulating layer and the bottom including a complementary recess of the protruding pad portion.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to an actuator assembly for an airbag module in a vehicle safety system. Furthermore, the invention relates to an airbag module and a vehicle safety system comprising such actuator assembly as well as a manufacturing method. An actuator assembly according to the preamble of claim 1 is known, for example, from EP 1 683 690 A1.
[0002] The actuator assembly known from EP 1 683 690 A1 (especially FIG. 17) comprises an actuator in the form of an explosive stud fastened at a housing of an inflator. A loop formed by a cord is laid around the actuator and is part of a retaining means adapted to be actively released upon a signal. Those retaining means or so called tethers are required to control vent holes of an inflatable airbag.
[0003] In practice, tethers are frequently tensioned transversely or obliquely across an airbag. The tether therefore does not basically act perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of the actuator. This may entail the drawback that the tether can easily be displaced inadvertently along the longitudinal axis of the actuator or can slip off the actuator, before the ignition unit of the actuator has being triggered as specified.
[0004] In order to prevent the loop from slipping along the actuator and in this way the release of the loop from being obstructed when the actuator is activated, EP 1 683 690 A1 teaches to provide a clamping means for the cord or the loop. The clamping means is configured in the form of an ignition tablet plug independent of the actuator assembly. When the actuator assembly is mounted, the clamping means is plugged in the vicinity of the loop into the inflator, after the loop has been laid around the actuator, so that the clamping means is in form closure with the actuator, thereby the loop being virtually clamped.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] It is the object of the invention to state an actuator assembly for an airbag module in a vehicle safety system which ensures reliable operation and has a simple structure with compact dimensions. Furthermore, it is the object of the invention to provide an airbag module for a vehicle safety system comprising such actuator assembly, a vehicle safety system comprising such airbag module and/or such actuator assembly as well as a manufacturing method.
[0006] According to the invention, this object is achieved with respect to the actuator assembly by the subject matter of claim 1 , with respect to the airbag module by the subject matter of claim 7 , with respect to the vehicle safety system by the subject matter of claim 9 and with respect to the manufacturing method by the subject matter of claim 11 .
[0007] The invention is based on the idea to state an actuator assembly for an airbag module in a vehicle safety system comprising an actuator and a tensioning means, the actuator including a release member which in the idle state of the actuator is connected to a retaining member and is separable from the retaining member by activation of a pyrotechnic ignition unit of the actuator along a predetermined breaking point so as to release a loop of a tensioning means. According to the invention, the loop is formed between two tensioning means portions which are interconnected directly at the predetermined breaking point by a connecting means such that the loop is tensioned around the predetermined breaking point in a self-fixing manner. The term “idle state of the actuator” has to be understood in this context so that the actuator was not yet activated as specified, i.e. is provided in a home position in which no situation for release of the tensile means is given yet which might trigger activation of the actuator. The term “activation of the pyrotechnical ignition unit” is to be understood so that the pyrotechnical ignition unit is ignited by an, especially electric, signal which starts up the activation of the actuator.
[0008] The loop tensioned around the predetermined breaking point in a self-fixing manner ensures that the tensioning means remains in the area of the predetermined breaking point at the actuator. Thus it is sufficient to merely provide a flat notch in the area of the predetermined breaking point which retains the loop in its position. It is provided for this purpose that immediately or directly at the predetermined breaking point a connecting means is provided for interconnecting the two tensioning means portions delimiting the loop of the tensioning means along the tensioning means. The connecting means is arranged so closely to the predetermined breaking point that the loop is tensioned around the predetermined breaking point in a self-fixing manner and free from play, respectively. Thus the loop is fixed in the axial direction of the retaining member or release member, resp., substantially via the frictional force between the actuator and the tensioning means. Therefore, the loop is frictionally fixed in the axial direction of the actuator. This results advantageously in the fact that the wall thickness of the actuator can be reduced. The actuator assembly according to the invention therefore has especially small outer dimensions. Moreover, in the invention compared to the afore-mentioned EP 1 683 690 A1 a costly clamping device requiring large space in the form of an ignition tablet plug to be separately mounted at an inflator can be dispensed with. Rather, the invention states a simple solution including a connecting means which is solely engaged in the loop itself formed between two tensioning means portions, thereby the loop being tensioned in a self-fixing manner, virtually in itself.
[0009] According to a preferred embodiment of the actuator assembly according to the invention, the loop is preformed, especially prefixed by the connecting means. In this case the loop is already existing or already formed, before the tensioning means is connected to the actuator during manufacture of the actuator assembly. Advantageously, the loop has an, especially natural, diameter which is smaller than the diameter of the actuator in the area of the predetermined breaking point. This ensures that after connecting the loop to the actuator, there is a frictional force between the actuator and the predetermined breaking point, resp., and the loop, said frictional force securing the loop in the axial direction of the actuator.
[0010] In this case the tensile means forming the loop is further preferred to be elastic so that the loop can be elastically expanded. Hence the actuator can be inserted in the loop and the loop can automatically tighten around the actuator. For forming a pre-fabricated loop the connecting means is designed at the two tensioning means portions preferably as seam, clip, especially stapler clip or metallic clip, shrink hose and/or seal. In other words, the loop can be formed between tensioning means portions which are interconnected in a fixed, especially non-detachable or not non-destructively detachable manner. In this way, it is additionally ensured that the loop is held to be closely adjacent around the actuator in the long run.
[0011] Basically different connecting means can be employed. For example, the connecting means can be a seam. The tensioning means portions thus can be sewn directly in the area of the predetermined breaking point so as to form a closely adjacent loop between them.
[0012] A similar effect can be achieved by a clip. The clip can be a stapler clip or generally a metallic clip and can encompass or reach through the tensioning means portions. Especially the tensioning means portions can be stapled together so that the clip extends through the tensioning means portions and fixes the latter to each other.
[0013] Furthermore, for fixing the tensioning means portions a seal can be provided which prevents destruction-free opening of the loop. The seal can completely enclose the areas of the tensioning means portions at which it is arranged.
[0014] Another embodiment of the invention provides that when manufacturing the actuator assembly the loop is formed or fixed only after looping or winding the tensioning means around the actuator. The actuator assembly thus can have a postfixed loop, i.e. the loop is postfixed by the connecting means. The connecting means can be especially in the form of a cable tie or an adhesive tape for forming a postfixed loop. A postfixed loop can also be realized by a connecting means in the form of a clip or seal. In general, for forming a postfixed loop the connecting means is adapted to encompass the tensioning means portions, especially to be laid around the tensioning means portions or to reach through the same, when the tensioning means portions are arranged in parallel to each other.
[0015] The connecting means can also be a shrink hose or an, especially elastic, O-ring. By such connecting means a combined preformed and postfixed loop can be formed. It is especially provided that although the loop is formed by slipping on the shrink hose or the O-ring already before connection to the actuator, it is initially variable as regards the loop diameter, however. Only after the loop is laid around the predetermined breaking point of the actuator and is tensioned free from play, is the loop or the diameter of the loop, resp., fixed by the connecting means. When using a shrink hose, it can be moved tightly toward the predetermined breaking point and can subsequently be heated so that the loop contracts tightly around the actuator and the predetermined breaking point, respectively. When using an O-ring, the elasticity thereof causes the pretensioning force which permits tightly enclosing the actuator with the tensioning means or the loop, respectively.
[0016] Preferably the tensioning means includes an elastic material at least in the area of the loop so that the loop can be expanded, especially temporarily radially extended for mounting on the predetermined breaking point. This applies in particular to embodiments including a prefixed loop or a tight connection of the tensioning means portions. In general, an elastic design of the tensioning means, at least in the area of the loop, is useful for all embodiments. The actuator can be inserted in the loop so that the loop is positioned in the area of the predetermined breaking point. As soon as the force extending the loop subsides, the loop contracts around the actuator and thus is automatically fixed. It is especially provided in this context that in the relaxed, i.e. non-mounted, state the loop has a smaller cross-sectional diameter, especially measured at the radial inside of the loop cross-section, than the predetermined breaking point.
[0017] Furthermore, the ratio of the first distance, measured between the longitudinal axis of the actuator assembly and the connecting means, from a second distance, measured between the longitudinal axis and the outer diameter of the loop, amounts to a value of up to 1.3, especially up to 1.2, especially up to 1.1, especially up to 1.0, further especially up to 0.9. Inadvertent displacement of the loop along the actuator can be realized by positioning the connecting means as closely as possible to the loop, i.e. closely to the outer diameter of the loop. As regards optimum positioning, appropriate tests have resulted in the afore-mentioned setting ratios, i.e. the ratio of the first distance from the second distance. In other words, a sufficiently good self-fixing of the loop is still reached when the first distance is up to 30% larger than the second distance (ratio value of up to 1.3). It is also possible that the connecting means is positioned so far in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the actuator assembly that the first distance is smaller than the second distance, i.e. the connecting means virtually covers an area of the outer loop diameter (ratio value of up to 0.9).
[0018] According to an independent aspect, the invention is based on the idea to state an airbag module for a vehicle safety system comprising an airbag, an inflator and an afore-described actuator assembly. The afore-mentioned actuator assembly is especially suited for use in an airbag module.
[0019] In a preferred configuration of the airbag module according to the invention, it is provided that the tensioning means is connected to the airbag. In particular, the tensioning means can be fastened to an inner wall and/or an outer wall of the airbag. The tensioning means thus can be used in combination with the actuator to vary the volume of the airbag as needed. For example, the tensioning means can be connected to venting flaps so that gas can escape from the airbag by activating the actuator unit and releasing the tensioning means. The tensioning means can also be connected to the inner wall of the airbag so that the airbag can expand to a larger volume by release of the tensioning means after activation of the actuator.
[0020] Another independent aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle safety system comprising an afore-described airbag module and/or an afore-described actuator assembly. In the vehicle safety system preferably an electric trigger unit is provided which is signal-connected to the actuator assembly so that an electric trigger pulse can be transmitted to the ignition unit. Further, the vehicle safety system according to the invention can have at least one sensor for detecting vehicle movement data which is connected to the trigger unit. The trigger unit can be adapted to the actuator assembly, especially the ignition unit, for transmitting the electric trigger pulse as a function of the measured vehicle movement data.
[0021] Furthermore, within the scope of the application a method for manufacturing an afore-described actuator assembly and/or an afore-described airbag module and/or an afore-described vehicle safety system is disclosed and claimed in which the tensioning means is laid around the predetermined breaking point so as to form the loop. Subsequently, the tensioning means portions are interconnected in the area of the predetermined breaking point so that the loop tightens around the predetermined breaking point in a self-fixing manner. Alternatively, the tensioning means includes an elastic loop through which the release member of the actuator assembly is passed so that the loop is positioned at the predetermined breaking point and contracts around the predetermined breaking point in a self-fixing manner.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] Hereinafter the invention shall be illustrated in detail by way of embodiments with reference to the enclosed schematic figures, in which:
[0023] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the actuator assembly of the invention according to a preferred embodiment, wherein the loop is fixed by a shrink hose as connecting means;
[0024] FIG. 2 shows a partly cut view of the actuator assembly according to FIG. 1 ;
[0025] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an actuator assembly according to the invention in accordance with another preferred embodiment, wherein the loop is fixed by an O-ring as connecting means;
[0026] FIG. 4 is an actuator assembly of the invention according to another preferred embodiment, wherein the loop is fixed by a clip as connecting means;
[0027] FIG. 5 shows a perspective view of an actuator assembly of the invention according to another preferred embodiment, wherein the loop is fixed by a seal as connecting means; and
[0028] FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal sectional view of an actuator assembly of the invention according to a preferred embodiment, wherein the relation between the diameter of the tensioning means and the groove depth is visible at the predetermined breaking point of the actuator.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0029] Each of the following embodiments shows an actuator assembly comprising an actuator 10 including a pyrotechnic ignition unit. The pyrotechnic ignition unit is connectable or connected to a trigger unit not shown via an electric connection 15 . The actuator 10 is formed of a retaining member 11 and a release member 12 which are interconnected. Especially, the retaining member 11 and the release member 12 can be coupled in one part. Between the retaining member 11 and the release member 12 a predetermined breaking point 13 is arranged which is preferably in the form of a groove 14 . By activating the pyrotechnic ignition unit the release member 12 can be blasted off the retaining member 11 , wherein the actuator 10 is separated at the predetermined breaking point 13 .
[0030] A tensioning means 20 which is part of the actuator assembly is arranged around the actuator 10 in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 . The tensioning means 20 can be a rope, a cord or a tether, for example. The tensioning means 20 comprises or forms a loop 23 which is wound or guided around the actuator 10 . The loop 23 extends in a groove 14 forming the predetermined breaking point 13 . By separating the release member 12 from the retaining member 11 the loop 23 can be released. In this way a one-sided fixation of the tensioning means 20 can be undone.
[0031] In order to minimize the dimensions of the actuator 10 it is preferred when the groove 14 has a small groove depth. In order to guarantee nevertheless that the loop 23 is retained in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 , especially does not laterally slip and cannot be inadvertently displaced along the longitudinal axis M of the actuator, it is provided that the loop is tensioned around the predetermined breaking point 13 in a self-fixing manner, preferably free from play.
[0032] The loop 23 is formed in that two tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are interconnected immediately at the predetermined breaking point 13 by a connecting means 30 . The connecting means 30 is arranged so closely at the predetermined breaking point 13 that the loop 23 tightens closely and substantially free from play around the actuator 10 , especially around the predetermined breaking point 13 . For this purpose different connecting means 30 can be used.
[0033] By the term “immediately” in accordance with the invention it is understood that the loop 23 is laid around the substantially circular ring-shaped predetermined breaking point 13 or groove 14 so tightly that it has equally a substantially circular ring-shaped form. The inner diameter of the loop 23 is thus smaller than the outer diameter of the retaining member 11 and the release member 12 , respectively.
[0034] FIG. 1 shows an embodiment in which the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are interconnected by a shrink hose 31 . The shrink hose 31 can be slipped over the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 with the loop 23 prior to wrapping the actuator 10 . After that, the actuator 10 is inserted in the loop 23 formed in this way and is positioned in the area of the loop 23 with its predetermined breaking point 13 . Then the shrink hose 31 is guided closely to the predetermined breaking point 13 and is heated so that the shrink hose 31 contracts. Consequently also the loop 23 contracts and encloses the predetermined breaking point 13 in a self-fixing manner and free from play. Especially the loop 23 is pulled into the groove 14 which can be comparatively small, especially having a small depth. The groove 14 primarily, especially exclusively, serves for determining the position of the loop 23 . The loop 23 is axially secured by the frictional connection between the loop 23 and the predetermined breaking point 13 resulting from the pretension exerted by the loop 23 .
[0035] In the partly cut view according to FIG. 2 the close positioning of the loop 23 in the groove 14 , i.e. in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 , is clearly visible. It is also evident that the distance between the connecting means 30 and the groove 14 and the groove bottom, respectively, corresponds approximately to the diameter D of the tensioning means 20 . As described already in the foregoing, it is equally expressed hereby that the two tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are interconnected by the connecting means 30 immediately at the predetermined breaking point 13 . It is ensured in this way that the loop 23 is tensioned around the actuator 10 free from play.
[0036] An alternative connecting means 30 is shown in FIG. 3 . The tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are connected to an O-ring 32 in this embodiment. The O-ring 32 can initially be slipped over the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 similarly to a shrink hose 31 , before the actuator 10 is subsequently inserted in the loop 23 . The O-ring 32 then is guided or rolled closely to the predetermined breaking point 13 or groove 14 , wherein the O-ring 32 tightly contracts the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 due to its elasticity. As a consequence, also the loop 23 contracts tightly and is finally adjacent to the predetermined breaking point 13 free from play.
[0037] FIG. 4 illustrates another option of fixing the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 . In this embodiment a clip 33 is used as connecting means 30 which reaches through the first tensioning means portion 21 and the second tensioning means portion 22 and thus fixes the same to each other. The clip 33 can be used for forming a preformed and prefixed loop 23 . This means that the clip 33 fixes the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 to each other before the actuator 10 is inserted in the loop 23 . Thus the diameter of the loop 23 is defined already prior to mounting at the actuator 10 . It is advantageous in this case when the tensioning means 20 includes an elastic material at least in the area of the loop 23 so that the loop 23 is elastically expandable for being positioned above the predetermined breaking point 13 . As soon as the loop 23 is arranged in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 , the expanding force for the loop 23 is released so that due to its elastic properties the loop 23 contracts in a self-fixing manner, especially free from play, and tightens around the predetermined breaking point 13 .
[0038] Alternatively, the clip 33 can be set only after the actuator 10 has been inserted in the loop 23 . Hence the tensioning means 20 can first be laid or wound around the actuator 10 , especially in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 . Subsequently the clip 33 is set, wherein the tensioning means 20 is kept tensioned. The clip 33 in this way fixes the pretensioning force exerted on the loop 23 by the tensioning means 20 . The loop 23 is thus frictionally connected to the predetermined breaking point 13 and is frictionally retained in the groove 14 , respectively.
[0039] Instead of a clip 33 a seal 34 can be used, as is exemplified in FIG. 5 . The effect of the seal 34 corresponds to the effect of the clip 33 . In this way the seal 34 can be used both for a preformed and prefixed loop 23 and for a postfixed loop 23 . It is also possible that a preformed and postfixed loop 23 is formed with the aid of the seal 34 . For this purpose the seal 34 can have a through-opening through which the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are guided. In this way, between the tensioning means portions a loop 23 is formed which can be laid around the actuator 10 . The seal 34 is compressed so as to fix the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 only when the loop 23 is closely adjacent to the predetermined breaking point 13 . The preformed loop 23 is thus postfixed.
[0040] FIG. 6 illustrates the advantages of the actuator assembly according to the invention. By connecting the connecting means 30 in this manner to the tensioning means portions 21 , 22 , especially at a distance from the predetermined breaking point 13 which approximately corresponds to the diameter D of the tensioning means 20 , a self-fixing frictional connection is obtained between the tensioning means 20 and the actuator 10 . This is also applicable especially when the tensioning means 20 acts obliquely on the actuator 10 . In this case, too, it is expressed, as described already in the foregoing, that the two tensioning means portions 21 , 22 are interconnected directly, in accordance with the invention, at the predetermined breaking point 13 by the connecting means 30 .
[0041] The frictional connection or the self-fixing support, resp., of the loop 23 in the area of the predetermined breaking point 13 prevents axial slipping or inadvertent displacement of the loop 23 . Therefore, in the actuator assembly according to the invention it is sufficient to provide a comparatively small groove depth T. In particular, the groove depth T can be smaller than the cross-sectional radius of the tensioning means 20 . In this way the total diameter of the actuator 10 is reduced. Hence the outer dimensions of the actuator 10 are independent of the dimensions of the tensioning means 20 . Moreover, in this way the geometry of the actuator 10 is facilitated. As a consequence, the requirements to the tools used for manufacturing the actuator 10 are reduced, which in total reduces the manufacturing costs and the manufacturing efforts.
[0042] Furthermore, FIG. 6 shows a longitudinal axis M of the actuator assembly extending through the center of the elongate actuator assembly and in rotationally symmetric actuator assemblies also forming the axis of symmetry thereof. A first distance A 1 is measured, starting from the longitudinal axis M to the connecting means 30 . A second distance A 2 is measured, starting from the longitudinal axis M to the outer diameter of the loop 23 . The distances A 1 and A 2 defined here relate to the completely mounted state of the actuator assembly, as shown in FIG. 6 , i.e. after fixing the loop 23 around the predetermined breaking point 13 by means of the connecting means 30 .
LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS actuator
[0000]
11 retaining member
12 release member
13 predetermined breaking point
14 groove
15 electric connection
20 tensioning means
21 first tensioning means portion
22 second tensioning means portion
23 loop
30 connecting means
31 shrink hose
32 O-ring
33 clip
34 seal
D diameter of tensioning means
T groove depth
M longitudinal axis
A 1 first distance
A 2 second distance
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The invention relates to an actuator assembly for an airbag module in a vehicle safety system comprising an actuator ( 10 ) and a tensioning means ( 20 ), wherein the actuator ( 10 ) includes a release member ( 12 ) which in the idle state of the actuator is connected to a retaining member ( 11 ) and is separable from the retaining member ( 11 ) by actuating a pyrotechnical ignition unit of the actuator ( 10 ) along a predetermined breaking point ( 13 ) so as to release a loop ( 23 ) of a tensioning means ( 20 ). The invention excels by the fact that the loop ( 23 ) is formed between two tensioning means portions ( 21, 22 ) which are interconnected directly at the predetermined breaking point ( 13 ) by a connecting means ( 30 ) such that the loop ( 23 ) is tensioned around the predetermined breaking point ( 13 ) in a self-fixing manner. Furthermore the invention relates to an airbag module, a vehicle safety system and a manufacturing method.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for deciding region of π/4 shift quadriphase shift keying (QPSK) modulated signals used for demodulation of a signal which modulated by π/4 shift QPSK modulating method.
2. Prior Art
FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of the structure of a usual decision apparatus of prior art for π/4 shift QPSK modulated signals. According to this FIG. 6, an input signal is provided by input terminal 1, an A/D converter 2 coverts the input signal to a digital signal S, a signal cos(ωct) is produced by a generator 3, a π/2 phase shifter 4 generates a signal sin(ωct) by shifting the phase of the signal cos(ωct) by π/2.
A mixer 5 multiplies the signal S and the signal cos(ωct), a mixer 6 multiplies the signal S and the signal sin(ωct), low pass filters (LPF) 7 and 8 respectively limit the bandwidth of the output signals of the mixers 5 and 6, a decision circuit 9 decides on the basis of the output signals from the LPF 7 and 8 to which of the 8 parts of the phase space, indicated in FIG. 7, the input signal belongs to, the decision result coming from the decision circuit 9 is put out to a output terminal 10.
Furthermore, the decision of the decision circuit 9 is carried out as shown below. In FIG. 8, four waveforms are shown, they correspond to the four equations listed below. In FIG. 8, a curved line a corresponds to wavefunction (1), a curved line b corresponds to wavefunction (2), a curved line c corresponds to wavefunction (3) and a curved line d corresponds to wavefunction (4).
f.sub.1 =cos(ω) (1)
f.sub.2 =sin(ω) (2)
f.sub.3 =f.sub.1 +f.sub.2 =cos(ω)+sin(ω) (3)
f.sub.4 =f.sub.1 -f.sub.2 =cos(ω)-sin(ω) (4)
In FIG. 9, the signs of sign(f 1 ), sign(f 2 ), sign(f 1 +f 2 ), sign(f 1 -f 2 ) which correspond to functions (1) to (4) are listed while the phase angle varies from 0 to 2×π.
Consequently, when the output signals from the LPF 7 and 8 as well as their computed sign combinations coincide with one of the combinations shown in FIG. 9, the decision circuit 9 decides to which of the eight areas 1 to 8 of FIG. 7 the input signal belongs to.
With the decision apparatus as described above, an explanation about the way of operation of the decision of the decision circuit 9 on the input signal is described with reference to a flow chart shown FIG. 10. First, the input signal inputted from the input terminal 1 is converted to the digital signal S in the A/D converter 2. Next, the digital signal S is multiplied by the signal cos(ωct) in the mixer 5 and the multiple result outputs as a signal S×cos(ωct) from the mixer 5. Concurrently, the digital signal S is multiplied by the signal sin(ωct) in the mixer 6 and the multiple result outputs as a signal S×sin(ωct) from the mixer 6. Then the decision circuit 9 proceeds with step SA1 (see FIG. 10) and substitutes the signal S×cos(ωct) for a variable x and proceeds with step SA2.
In step SA2, the signal S×sin(ωct) is substituted for the variable y and step SA3 follows next.
In step SA3, it is decided whether the variable x is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA4 follows next.
In step SA4, it is decided whether the variable y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA5 follows next.
In step SA5, it is decided whether a difference (x-y) of the two variables x and y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA6 follows next.
In step SA6, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 1 of FIG. 7, then an assigning phase P n =0 degree and step SA7 follows next.
In step SA7, a phase difference (Δ=P n -P n-1 ), where P n is the phase of the existing input signal and P n-1 is the phase of the previous input signal, is obtained and is outputted from the output terminal 10 of FIG. 6 as the result of the decision, then this a whole operating cycle is finished.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA5 is "No", that is, the difference of the variable x and the variable y, the difference (x-y) is less than 0 step SA8 follows next.
In step SA8, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 2 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =45 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA4 is "NO", that is, the variable y is less than 0, step SA9 follows next.
In step SA9, it is decided whether a sum (x+y) of the two variables x and y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA10 follows next.
In step SA10, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 8 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =315 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA9 is "No", that is, the sum of the variables x and y, the sum (x+y) is less than 0, step SA11 follows next.
In step SA11, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 7 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =270 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA3 is "No", that is, the variable x is less than 0, step SA12 follows next.
In step SA12, it is decided whether the variable y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA13 follows next.
In step SA13, it is decided whether the sum (x+y) of the two variables x and y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA14 follows next.
In step SA14, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 3 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =90 degrees, step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA13 is "No", that is, the sum of the variable x and variable y, the sum (x+y) is less than 0, step SA15 follows next.
In step SA15, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 4 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =135 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA12 is "No", that is, the variable y is less than 0, step SA16 follows next.
In step SA16, it is decided whether the difference (x-y) of the two variables x and y is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SA17 follows next.
In step SA17, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 6 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =225 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
If on the other hand the result of the decision of step SA16 is "No", that is, the difference of the variable x and variable y, the difference (x-y) is less than 0, step SA18 follows next.
In step SA18, it is decided that, according to FIG. 9, the input signal falls into area 5 of FIG. 7, then the assigning phase P n =180 degrees and step SA7 follows next.
By the way, the above mentioned prior art about a decision apparatus for π/4 shift QPSK modulated signals had the weak point of involving a mere 45 degrees phase margin in it's decision.
Moreover, if the decision circuit 9 uses a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) and processes the above mentioned operation by software, the problem was that the DSP processing software is complicated.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In consideration of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for deciding region of π/4 shift QPSK modulated signals which is capable of improving the phase margin related with the decision and implementing by a small number of instructions.
So as to achieve the above stated object, the present invention provides a method for deciding region in which a modulated serial signal using π/4 shift QPSK modulating belonging comprising the steps of:
providing two dimensional plane defined by phase of modulated signal;
defining first vector corresponding to first signal point to be decided;
making first inner product by the first vector and second vector corresponding to last decided signal point;
transforming the second vector into third vector which is ninety degrees advanced;
making second inner product of the first vector and third vector;
deciding the region of the first signal in the two dimensional plane in accordance with the first and second inner product making step.
According to the present invention, first two dimensional plane is defined by phase of modulated signal.
Next, first vector corresponding to first signal point to be decided is defined.
Then, first inner product by the first vector and second vector corresponding to last decided signal point is made.
And, the second vector is transformed into third vector which is ninety degrees advanced.
Next, second inner product of the first vector and third vector is made.
Then, the region of the first signal is decided in the two dimensional plane in accordance with the first and second inner product.
According to the present invention, there is such an advantage that it is possible to improve the phase margin related with the decision on the input signal.
And because all of the processing can be done by DSP, there is the advantage of doing this by suitable LSI-application.
Furthermore, DSP-software-processing has also the advantage that it can be easily simplified.
BRIEF EXPLANATION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the decision procedure on an input signal by a decision circuit of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is showing a decided area of a signal point D n based on a signal point D n-1 .
FIG. 3 is showing a configuration of the signal space of the π/4 shift QPSK.
FIG. 4 is showing a decided area of the signal point D n based on the signal point D n-1 .
FIG. 5 is showing a decided area of the signal point D n+1 based on the signal point D n .
FIG. 6 is showing a block diagram of a configuration of a conventional decision apparatus for π/4 shift QPSK modulated signals.
FIG. 7 is showing an example of the phase space divided in eight sections.
FIG. 8 is showing an example of a collection of 4 signal waveforms.
FIG. 9 is showing the sign of each phase of the 4 signal waveforms shown in FIG. 8.
FIG. 10 is a flow chart showing the decision procedure on the input signal done by the decision circuit 9 shown FIG. 6.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Before explaining the present invention with a preferred embodiment, an explanation about the basic idea concerning the solution of the above mentioned problem is given.
First, FIG. 3 shows a configuration of the signal space of the π/4 shift QPSK. When the signal points of FIG. 3 are divided in two groups, namely A (0 deg, 90 deg, 180 deg, 270 deg) and B (45 deg, 135 deg, 225 deg, 315 deg), it can be seen from FIG. 3 that there exists a rule for the transition from one signal point to the next one, such as every signal point from either group A or B comes out in the corresponding opposite group. Now, when the signal point to be decided at present is called D n and the signal point before D n-1 , and for example a signal point D n-1 is in 45 deg position, in other words a member of group B, then the signal point D n should become a member of group A in 0 deg, 90 deg, 180 deg or 270 deg position.
When you imagine the signal point D n and D n-1 as the endings of vectors originating in the Origin O, then an inner product IP can be calculated as follows.
IP=D.sub.n-1 ×D.sub.n =|D.sub.n-1 |×|Dn|cos(θ) (5)
Provided that θ is an angle between vector D n-1 and D n . And when in the equation (5) the components of vector D n-1 are (a,b) and those of vector D n are (c,d) then the following equation can be written.
IP=a×c+b×d (6)
Then after deciding whether a sign of the inner product IP becomes + or -, a line of decision L, as shown in FIG. 4, can be drawn.
Next, after getting vector D' n-1 by rotating the vector D n-1 by 90 degrees, an inner product IP' of the vector D n and the vector D' n-1 can be calculated as shown in the next equation.
IP'=D'.sub.n-1 ×D.sub.n =|D'.sub.n-1 |×|Dn|cos(θ) (7)
θ is an angle between the vector D' n-1 and D n . Because the vector D' n-1 derives from the vector D n-1 rotated by 90 degrees, its components become (-b,a) and the equation (7) can be written with the following equation.
IP'=-b×c+a×d (8)
And similarly, after deciding whether the sign of the inner product IP' becomes + or -, the line of decision M as shown in FIG. 4, can be drawn.
By using the above explained lines L and M, it can be decided to which area of group A, which consists of 0 deg, 90 deg, 180 deg, 270 deg, the signal point D n belongs to.
Further on, when the next vector D n+1 , which corresponds to a signal point D n+1 , and the vector D n , which corresponds to the just decided signal point D n , are processed in the same manner, the decision area as shown in FIG. 5 is obtained.
Referring to the drawings, an explanation of a preferred embodiment of the decision circuit of the π/4 shift QPSK modulated signals in accordance with the present invention will be given. The components of vector D n , which correspond to the present signal point D n , which is to be determined, are set to (x(n), y(n)), and the components of vector D n-1 , which correspond to the former signal point D n-1 are set to (x(n-1), y(n-1)).
First, a input signal is converted into a digital signal S(n) by the A/D converter and then step SB1 of the processing follows (see FIG. 1). The signal S(n) and a carrier signal cos(ωct) are multiplied. A multiple result, namely the signal S(n)×cos(ωct) is substituted for a variable x(n), step SB2 follows.
In step SB2, the signal S(n) and a carrier signal sin(ωct) are multiplied and a multiple result, namely the signal S(n)×sin(ωct) is substituted for a variable y(n), and then step SB3 follows.
In step SB3, according to the equation (6), the inner product IP=x(n)×x(n-1)+y(n)×y(n-1) of vector D n , which corresponds to the present signal point D n , which is to be decided, and vector D n-1 , which corresponds to the former signal point D n-1 , is obtained and substituted for a variable z, and then step SB4 follows.
In step SB4, a vector D' n-1 is obtained by rotating the vector D n-1 by 90 degrees. According to the equation (8), as mentioned above, the inner product IP=-x(n)×y(n-1)+y(n)×x(n-1) of the vector D n and D' n-1 is obtained and substituted for the variable w, and then follows step 5.
In step SB5, it is decided whether the variable z is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SB6 follows.
In step SB6, it is decided whether the variable w is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SB7 follows.
In step SB7, it is decided that the input signal falls into area (+,+) of FIG. 2, on the ground that the combination of the sign of the variable z and the sign of the variable w becomes (+,+), and after the output of the decision result which says that the phase shift Δ between the present input signal and the former input signal equals 0 degree, one series of commands ends.
If, on the other hand, the decision result of step SB6 is "No", in other words, the variable w is less than zero, step SB8 follows next.
In step SB8, it is decided that the input signal falls into area (+,-) of FIG. 2, on the ground that the combination of the sign of variable z and the sign of the variable w becomes (+,-), and after the output of the decision result which says that the phase shift Δ between the present input signal and the former input signal equals 270 degrees, one series of commands ends.
If, on the other hand, the decision result of step SB5 is "No", in other words, variable z is less than zero, step SB9 follows next.
In step SB9, it is decided whether the variable w is not negative. If the result of this decision is "Yes", step SB10 follows.
In step SB10, it is decided that the input signal falls into area (-,+) of FIG. 2, on the ground that the combination of the sign of the variable z and the sign of the variable w becomes (-,+), and after the output of the decision result which says that the phase shift Δ between the present input signal and the former input signal equals 90 degrees, one series of commands ends.
If, on the other hand, the decision result of step SB9 is "No", in other words, variable W is less than zero, step SB11 follows next.
In step SB11, it is decided that the input signal falls into area (-,-) of FIG. 2, on the ground that the combination of the sign of variable z and the sign of the variable w becomes (-,-), and after the output of the decision result which says that the phase shift Δ between the present input signal and the former input signal equals 180 degrees, one series of commands ends.
As explained above, by being characterized in having a π/4 shift QPSK modulated signal, when making the decision based on the input signal, the phase margin can be set to 90 degrees. Furthermore the software-processing of the DSP becomes simple when compared with prior art and also the number of instructions decreases.
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First two dimensional plane is defined by phase of modulated signal and first vector corresponding to first signal point to be decided is defined. Then, first inner product by the first vector and second vector corresponding to last decided signal point is made and the second vector is transformed into third vector which is ninety degrees advanced. Next, second inner product of the first vector and third vector is made and the region of the first signal is decided in the two dimensional plane in accordance with the first and second inner product.
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BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY
[0001] The present invention relates to a method, a device and a system in a vehicle for communicating a deviation of a measured actual vehicle parameter value from its corresponding predetermined value to a driver as well as a vehicle comprising such a device and such a system, and a computer readable medium comprising a computer program for performing such a method.
[0002] Modern vehicles comprise a plurality of devices and systems for communicating different values or warnings to a driver. Especially, the application of different driver assistance systems, as e.g. an ADAS system (advanced driver assistance system) are intended to assist the driver by providing a plurality of additional information, the driver is often not even able to be aware of. For example, the ADAS system provides data of a travelled road, e.g. whether the vehicle is approaching a curve or bend, or what kind of road is travelled (highway etc.). Even additional information on the road pavement can be communicated to the driver. Often the vehicle is also equipped with infra-red cameras and/or wireless communication possibilities gathering information provided on the road for example by sign posts or by remote navigation system providers. Also other environmental conditions, such as rain, wind, darkness, can be taken into account and be communicated to the driver. But also “simple” information, as for example the fact that a driver is exceeding a speed limit, can be communicated. Mostly, this information is communicated by warnings in order to attract the driver's attention.
[0003] From the article of Kumar, M., Kim, T., “Dynamic Speedometer: Dashboard redesign to discourage drivers from speeding”, CHI, Apr. 2-7, 2005, Portland, Oreg., USA (see also: hci.stanford.edu/research/speedometer/LBR-197-kumar.pdf), for example a speedometer is known which is adapted to visually distinguish the regions of the speedometer which are higher than a current speed limit. As the speed limit changes, the visualization on the display is updated accordingly. This relieves the driver of the task of waiting/searching for speed limit signs on the road to determine the current speed limit in effect. The disclosed speedometer can be instrumented to provide visual cues such as making the speedometer needle glow, changing the colour/illumination of the over-the-speed limit region of the speedometer, or changing the background of the dial itself when the driver exceeds a certain threshold over the speed limit. Additionally, an audio notification such as beeps of varying frequency and amplitude can be used, wherein the variation can be dependent on the excess over the speed.
[0004] The additional information provided to the driver is supposed to increase the safety of driver, passenger(s) and outside traffic participants, since knowing the vehicle's current situation may allow the driver/vehicle to prevent accidents. On the other hand the plurality of information and warnings can easily distract the driver's attention or even result in a complete neglect.
[0005] It is therefore desirable to provide a communication method, device and system which communicate information about vehicle related parameters to the driver of said vehicle and support the driver in driving said vehicle without the need of direct interaction.
[0006] According to aspects of the present invention, a communication method, a device and a system, as well as a vehicle and a computer and computer program product are provided.
[0007] An aspect of the invention is based on the idea that by (i) determining an amount of a deviation of an measured actual vehicle parameter value from its corresponding predetermined value, (ii) colour-coding said determined amount of deviation and (iii) communicating said amount of deviation to the driver by using said color code, the driver can be guided to the correct drive behaviour without direct warning.
[0008] For determining the amount of deviation, according to the invention it is preferred to use an algorithm which is based on a weighting function and which combines the difference between the measured actual value of the vehicle parameter and its corresponding predetermined value with a first weighting factor. The weighting factor is related to the vehicle parameter and can advantageously be at least one of (i) an additional vehicle parameter, e.g. weight, payload, braking power, and/or (ii) an environmental parameter, such as road conditions/characteristics, weather, distance to an obstacle etc. The result is color coded communicated to the driver and also gives an information about a necessity to act.
[0009] The predetermined value itself can be, as a preferred embodiment of the invention shows, a target value the measured actual vehicle parameter should have at a predetermined target time and/or a predetermined target location, and can also be weighted with a second weighting factor. Since the second weighting factor is also related to at least one additional vehicle parameter e.g. weight, payload, braking power, and/or at least one environmental parameter, such as road conditions/characteristics, weather, distance to an obstacle etc. the target value changes correspondingly.
[0010] According to another preferred embodiment, the predetermined target value is a calculated optimal value for the measured actual vehicle parameter at the time and/or the location of the actual measurement. The optimal value can be determined e.g. by a nominal function, such as an interpolation or an extrapolation between/from the measured actual vehicle parameter measured at an initial time and/or an initial location and/to a target value the measured vehicle parameter should have at a target time and/or a target location. The calculation of the optimal value can also take into account a second weighting factor which in turn is related to another vehicle parameter e.g. weight, payload, braking power, and/or an environmental parameter, such as road conditions/characteristics, weather, distance to an obstacle etc.
[0011] Consequently, the color coded information of the deviation of the measured actual vehicle parameter value and the optimal value can guide the driver to the correct driving behaviour.
[0012] In other words, if the actual measured value is the optimal value for the location the value is measured, the method according to the invention will not show any color coded information at all. Only, if the actual measured value of the vehicle parameter deviates from the calculated optimal value for the corresponding measurement location, the method according to the invention will show any colour-coded information to the driver.
[0013] Since, as explained above, this difference between the actual measured vehicle parameter value and the predetermined vehicle parameter value is a continuous function in time which usually will increase or decrease having positive values (in case the measured actual vehicle parameter value exceeds its predetermined value) or negative values (in case the measured actual vehicle parameter value is below its predetermined value) or zero (in case the measured actual vehicle parameter value is identical with its predetermined value) the corresponding color code will change continuously as well.
[0014] Preferably, the color code is communicated to the driver's peripheral vision so that the driver is not distracted from driving the vehicle by paying attention to a plurality of warnings. Especially, the communicated information can also be a combination of a plurality of system parameters without increasing the number of warnings.
[0015] The communication to the driver's peripheral vision can be achieved for instance by changing the color brightness, color saturation and/or color hue of a communication device, so that the communication device is more or less visible to the driver whereby also a necessity to react is communicated.
[0016] This continuous change causes fading in/fading out effects of the color coded information signal shown to the driver on the communication device. If he currently does not drive the vehicle in accordance with the correct way (i.e. the correct vehicle speed as a function of time) the warning signal according to the invention will be shown causing him to react. If he, as a preferred embodiment of the invention shows, decelerates or accelerates the vehicle, as the case may be, towards the optimal speed or the target speed the color coded signal will gradually fade out (change in brightness towards lower brightness values) or change its color hue e.g. towards green, thereby indicating that the driver is moving towards the correct driving behaviour. If he, contrary to such behaviour, is accelerating or decelerating the vehicle, as the case may be, away from the optimal speed or the target speed the color coded signal will gradually—fade in—(change in brightness towards higher brightness values) or change its color hue e.g. towards red. If and as long as the actual current vehicle parameter is either above or below the optimal speed or target speed it may under special circumstances happen that the color coded signal will not change at all depending on the weighting factors used. Since the first and/or second weighting factor/s is/are dependent on at least one additional vehicle parameter e.g. weight, payload, braking power, and/or at least one environmental parameter, such as road conditions/characteristics, weather, distance to an obstacle etc., the color coded signal usually is different for different vehicles and/or different times and/or different situations.
[0017] It is also possible to use the invention for other vehicle parameters, as e.g. RPM (Revolutions Per Minute) or fuel consumption. Preferably, the vehicle parameter is related to parameters provided by a driver's assistance system, as for example an ADAS system, and/or by a remote system e.g. a customer defining the driving behaviour of his drivers, for example a recommendation for travelling along with a green wave.
[0018] The invention can advantageously be used for vehicle parameters which are suitable for being communicated by a gauge or a meter to the driver. The color coded can preferably be implemented by changing the illumination, e.g. the background light of the gauge/meter or by colouring the gauge's/meter's display. The illumination/colouring can be performed for example by the use of LED, or the speedometer itself is already designed as LCD panel.
[0019] Preferably, the color coded is provided by increasing/decreasing the brightness or hue of a color of e.g. of the gauge's/meter's background light. Dependent on the weighted amount of deviation and whether or not that weighted amount is increasing or decreasing over the time the background light is
[0020] fading in (i.e. gradually increasing its brightness, hue, or intensity or gradually changing its color for instance in a range from green over yellow to red or, alternatively, from normal display background light (or to a state without any background light-)-over yellow-to-red) or
[0021] fading out (i.e. gradually decreasing its brightness, hue, or intensity or gradually changing its color for instance in a range from red over yellow to green or, alternatively, from red over yellow to the normal background light (or to a state without any background light)) and is therefore recognizable by the driver's peripheral vision. It is therefore not recognized as “real” warning, and consequently the driver is not distracted by it. Because of the smooth fading in/fading out it is also possible to communicate the “warning” quite late without causing panic reactions by the driver. It also provides an easy retrofitting possibility for existing vehicles.
[0022] According to a further preferred embodiment of the invention color hue, brightness and/or saturation are/is also adaptable to ambient light. This has the advantage that a deterioration of the visibility due to daylight or other bright ambient light or distracting reflections of the inventive communication device in a windscreen during night-time or driving in a tunnel can be reduced. Especially, since the peripheral vision of the driver is addressed, reduced visibility or distraction by reflections can result in a disregard of the information. Preferably, the adaptation can be performed manually or automatically. The actual ambient light can preferably be measured with the help of optical sensors.
[0023] According to another preferred embodiment, only a part of the gauge/meter is illuminated/coloured, particularly that part which exceeds/succeeds the predetermined value. That means for example for the above described embodiment of the bend speed warning that that part of the speedometer is coloured that is between the predetermined speed for the bend and the measured actual speed shown at the speedometer (exceeding the predetermined speed). The weighted amount of the deviation from the measured actual value and the predetermined value can then again be communicated by fading of the color brightness, saturation or hue. It is also possible to increase/decrease the illuminated/coloured part of the gauge/meter to indicate the amount of deviation.
[0024] Further advantages and preferred embodiments are defined by the description and/or the figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] In the following the invention is described in more detail by means of preferred embodiments. The described preferred embodiments are exemplary only and should not be used to restrict the invention thereto.
[0026] The figures show:
[0027] FIGS. 1A-1D : a first embodiment of the inventive device;
[0028] FIGS. 2A-2C : a simulation of a preferred embodiment of the inventive method; and
[0029] FIGS. 3A-3F : different scenarios of a preferred embodiment of the inventive method.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0030] In the following the invention is described for a preferred embodiment, wherein the vehicle parameter is the vehicle's speed which is communicated to a driver by means of a speedometer. For explaining the invention's advantages, a situation is discussed wherein a vehicle is approaching a bend on the road, and the measured actual speed value of the vehicle is higher than a predetermined speed value which would condition the vehicle for being able to drive through the bend ahead in the wanted (safe) way. The predetermined speed value of the vehicle is determined for instance by a driver assistance system, particularly an ADAS system. But it can also be determined by a remote system for example an on-line navigation system or a remote road driving guidance system.
[0031] In principle there are two possibilities to define the predetermined vehicle parameter value:
[0032] 1. One approach is that a driver assistance system, such as an ADAS system, calculates a target speed with which the vehicle can drive safely through a bend ahead. This target speed—can change dependent on other vehicle parameters—e.g. payload and/or environmental parameters such as weather conditions (smart ADAS). In this case the target speed can also be monitored and changed in order to avoid accidents caused by fast changing road conditions e.g. freezing rain. But it is also possible that the target speed is a constant once stored in a database of the driver assistance system (simple ADAS). This target speed is then taken as predetermined speed.
[0033] The difference between the measured actual speed value and the target speed value is constantly re-calculated and the result is weighted by a weighting factor. The weighting factor weights the difference between the measured actual speed and the target speed and is, in this case, dependent on the distance to the bend, only. Of course, the weighting factor can take into account further vehicle parameters or environmental parameters, as discussed above.
[0034] That means, for example, if a vehicle is travelling with 80 km/h and approaches in 500 m a bend with a defined target speed of 40 km/h at the bend, a warning is not necessary, even if the difference between measured actual speed and target speed is high, as the distance'to the bend is very long. But in case the bend is only e.g. 150 m ahead, a warning would be shown. In case the distance to the bend is 500 m, the weighting factor might be set to “0”, so that calculating a very simple weighting function by multiplying the weighting factor with the difference would give “0” as result meaning no warning is necessary. But if the distance to the curve has reduced e.g. to 150 m, the weighting factor can be set to another value different from “0”, so that the result of the weighting function gives a certain amount which can be color coded. Dependent on the reduced distance, the weighting factor can be increased given higher and higher amounts which result in more visible colourations of the speedometer. In case the driver reduces its speed also the difference between the measured actual speed and the target speed reduces, which in turn also reduces the result of the weighting function leading to a less visible colouration. But in case the deceleration is not sufficient the weighting factor can be set to a very high value resulting in the same or yet in a more visible colouration.
[0035] 2. The other approach also starts with the ADAS system determining a target speed, but then the ADAS system or a calculation unit, calculates optimal speed values for each distance to the bend. With other words, an optimal deceleration curve is determined for the vehicle. This optimal deceleration curve can be achieved e.g. by interpolation or extrapolation between/from an initially measured speed and/to the determined target speed. The optimal deceleration curve defines for each distance to the bend an optimal speed, wherein the optimal speed can also be weighted by additional vehicle parameters such as payload, braking power etc. and/or environmental parameters such as road conditions, weather conditions etc.
[0036] Then, the difference between the measured actual speed and the corresponding optimal speed is calculated and the result is color coded communicated to the driver.
[0037] As explained above, the information is only visible to the driver if the deceleration behaviour of the driver deviates from the optimal deceleration function.
[0038] The invention is not limited to the bend speed warning. It is also possible to inform the driver on other requirements for adjusting the speed e.g. in order to travel along with a green wave, which in turn can reduce fuel consumption, or approaching a preceding vehicle, or approaching a junction where a stop and subsequent turn to a different road is necessary. Thus, speed adjustment comprises not only a decelerating process but can also mean an acceleration. Additionally, a speed adjustment can be necessary if the weather conditions, road conditions, and/or road characteristics are changing or simply if a speed limit is set. That means that the invention can be implemented in all such cases where a speed adjustment should be communicated to the driver.
[0039] Moreover the invention can also be used in all other cases where a determined driving behaviour of a driver is required. For example, if the driver is operating the vehicle engine with RPM values above or below a recommended predetermined revolution—range,—the invention can be used to guide the driver to the recommended operating behaviour.
[0040] On the other hand the invention is also usable for other vehicle parameters, particularly for parameters which are suited to be communicated by means of a gauge or meter, such as tire/oil/breaking-fluid pressure and/or for all parameters a communication of guidance is required.
[0041] FIGS. 1A-1D show a speedometer 2 comprising a speedometer needle 4 and a speedometer dial 6 . The speedometer 2 can be an individual solid instrument but it is also possible that the speedometer is only displayed on a monitor, wherein the monitor can display a certain selection of instruments in the vehicle or all instruments in the vehicle and thereby forms a vehicle's dashboard. But the monitor can also display the speedometer only, and can even have the same shape as a traditional analogue speedometer. In contrast to the speedometer shown in FIG. 1 , the speedometer can also have all known other shapes. It is even possible that the speedometer does not comprise a speedometer needle and a dial at all, but communicates the speed by digits only.
[0042] The speedometer 2 is at least partially coloured and/or illuminated by any suitable means, as for example an additional coloured dial which is mounted in front of the speedometer dial 6 or by means of illumination devices such as LEDs. It is also possible to use a speedometer with background illumination of the dial 6 and make the speedometer dial transparent in the desired region, e.g. by shading the other region by the help of a non-transparent additional dial. In case the speedometer is displayed it is also possible to adjust the color hue and/or color brightness and/or the color saturation in the corresponding regions by an appropriate control of the monitor. The coloured/illuminated region of the speedometer is referenced by reference number 8 .
[0043] According to the invention, size, color brightness, color hue and color saturation of the coloured region 8 depend on a weighted amount of a deviation of a measured actual-speed-value—frøm—a predetermined speed value. The measured actual speed value in FIG. 1A-1C is exemplarily given by roughly 80 km/h and in FIG. 1D by 35 km/h. In the illustrated embodiments a target speed value is 40 km/h. Consequently, the driving behaviour recommendation communicated to the driver is a deceleration in the cases of FIGS. 1A to 1C but is an acceleration in case of FIG. 1D . Acceleration can be desired if e.g. the vehicle should travel along the road with a green wave, i.e. without being forced to stop due to red traffic lights located along the road the vehicle is supposed to travel.
[0044] In FIG. 1A a region 8 of the dial 6 of the speedometer 2 is continuously illuminated/coloured, whereby the region 8 corresponds to that region at the dial 6 which exceeds the target speed value 40 km/h. But it is also possible that only a part of the region 8 is illuminated/coloured, e.g. in form of a ring illuminating/colouring the dial numbers only which are located in that region 8 .
[0045] FIG. 1B shows another embodiment of a coloured/illuminated speedometer, wherein the speedometer is illuminated/coloured in segments 8 a - 8 g . The segments 8 e - 8 g exceeding the measured actual speed value 80 km/h are illuminated/coloured with a different color hue, or a different brightness or color saturation than the segments 8 a - 8 d between the target speed value 40 km/h and the measured actual speed value 80 km/h.
[0046] But it is also possible that only that region 8 between the measured actual speed value 80 km/h and the target speed value 40 km/h is illuminated/coloured as illustrated in FIG. 1C .
[0047] In FIG. 1D a region 8 of the dial of the speedometer 2 is illuminated/coloured, whereby the region 8 corresponds to that region at the dial 6 which is below the target speed value 40 km/h. In this scenario the measured actual speed of the vehicle is ca. 35 km/h which means it is below the target speed value 40 km/h. In such a case the region 8 of the speedometer is illuminated/coloured covering speed values from 0 km/h to the target speed value of 40 km/h. The region 8 can be illuminated in a way similar the situation described in connection with FIG. 1A-1C where the measured actual speed value exceeds the determined optimal speed value or the target speed value. But it is also possible that color hue, color brightness and/or color saturation are different for both situations (exceeding/being below the target/optimal speed value). For example it is possible that the illumination in case the measured actual speed value exceeds the target speed value is in red, but in case the measured actual speed value is below the target/optimal speed value the illumination is in green.
[0048] Communicating the fact that the measured actual speed is below the target speed is particularly preferred in case the driver wants to travel along a green wave or wants to travel a highway with a determined speed. Since it is not always desired to show the information that the measured actual speed value is below the target speed—for example in case the driver wants to drive slower through a bend as it is suggested by the system (e.g. due to an individual feeling for driving safely) or wants to stop before the bend—it is possible to adapt the method so that a deviation is only shown in case the target speed/optimal speed is exceeded. But it is also possible that the driver himself can decide from case to case that the information that his actual measured speed is below the target/optimal speed is shown. This can be achieved for example by providing an activation/deactivation element e.g. a button which can be pressed by the driver.
[0049] The general idea behind the embodiments depicted in FIG. 1A-1D is to detect any deviation of the measured actual speed of the vehicle from the determined optimal speed or the target speed (i.e. deviations with positive or negative values) and to encourage the driver to drive the vehicle in accordance with the determined optimal speed or the target speed by visualizing such deviations in the way described above.
[0050] All illustrated embodiments of colouration/illumination can be combined with each other so that for example, the colouration/illumination of the speedometer shown in FIG. 1A can also be a segmented.
[0051] FIGS. 2A-2C show a situation in which the driver does not reduce the speed of the vehicle in accordance with the decreasing distance to bend ahead. In this illustrated example, the color brightness increases since the driver does not reduce the speed of the vehicle correspondingly.
[0052] FIG. 2A shows a vehicle 10 approaching a bend 12 with a speed of 80 km/h. A driver assistance system defines the target speed value for the vehicle at the bend to 40 km/h. A calculation unit (not shown) in the vehicle 10 or the driver assistance system itself calculates a weighting function with which the difference between the measured actual speed value (80 km/h) and the target speed value (40 km/h) is weighted by a weighting factor, for example the distance d of the vehicle 10 to the bend 12 . The distance d to the bend can be determined for example by GPS.
[0053] As explained above and with reference to FIG. 2A , at a distance d 1 to the bend 12 , the calculation of the weighting function or the deviation of the measured actual speed to the optimal speed gives that the driver should decelerate the vehicle 10 in order to be able to drive safely through the bend 12 ahead. Correspondingly, a control unit (not shown) controls the colouration/illumination of the speedometer 2 so that that region 8 is coloured/illuminated which exceeds the predetermined speed value of 40 km/h.
[0054] In the illustrated example, with reference to FIG. 2B , the driver has reduced the speed of the vehicle 10 from 80 km/h to 65 km/h while driving the vehicle 10 from the first point on the road at a distance d 1 to the bend 12 ahead to a second point on the road at a (shorter) distance d 2 to the bend 12 ahead, i.e. by for example releasing the accelerator. However a continuously ongoing re-calculation of the weighting function or of the difference between the measured actual speed and the optimal speed gives at the second point of the road at distance d 2 to the bend 12 ahead that the current deceleration rate is not sufficient to be able to drive safely through bend 12 . Therefore, the brightness of the illuminated speedometer region 8 is increased accordingly although the driver had reduced the measured actual speed of the vehicle from 80 km/h to—65-km/h.
[0055] Due to the increasing or increased brightness of the region 8 of the dial 6 of the speedometer 2 in the situation as depicted in FIG. 2B the driver can now realize that a further action, as for example operating a brake, is necessary to reach the recommended target speed at the bend 12 ahead.
[0056] As seen in FIG. 2C , the driver eventually has reduced the measured actual speed of the vehicle 10 to the target speed value at the bend of 40 km/h with the deceleration process guided by the fading in/fading out of the illuminated region 8 of the speedometer and therefore drives safely through the bend 12 .
[0057] FIGS. 3A to 3F shows different scenarios of how the calculation of the weighting function or the difference to an optimal deceleration curve influences the color coded result communicated to the driver.
[0058] Depending on the result of the calculation of the weighting function or the difference between the measured actual speed and the optimal speed, the brightness and/or the saturation and/or the hue of the colour(s) are adapted. That means for example in case the driver travels with a very high speed but is still far away from the bend ahead and drives a vehicle without payload, the color is less bright than in the same case with the vehicle having a payload or driving in snow.
[0059] FIGS. 3A to 3F show a vehicle 10 approaching a curve 12 , and a speedometer 2 with a speedometer needle 4 and a colorable region 8 , wherein the colorable region 8 is coloured according to the color coded deviation amount. The target speed for the bend ahead is, as before, 40 km/h.
[0060] In FIG. 3A , the distance d 1 of the vehicle 10 to bend 12 is long. Even if the difference between the measured actual speed (85 km/h) and the target value of 40 km/h is quite large, the weighting factor is still low (because of the long distance). Consequently, the colouration of region 8 is almost not visible.
[0061] With reference to FIG. 3B , although the driver has reduced its speed from 85 km/h to 65 km/h, the colouration of region 8 is more visible than in FIG. 3A , as the relatively short distance d 2 to bend 12 and the insufficient deceleration increases the weighting factor.
[0062] FIG. 3C shows the same situation as FIG. 3B , but wherein the driver has not reduced his speed at all. The short remaining distance d 2 to the bend 12 and the very high deviation of the measured actual speed of the vehicle from the optimal speed value or target speed value result in a clearly visible colouration of region 8 .
[0063] FIGS. 3D and 3E show the same situation as FIGS. 3A and 3B in bad weather condition (for instance snow). The same distance d 1 to bend 12 and the same speed of 85 km/h results in a clearly visible colouration of region 8 , because the weighting factor is set to a higher value due to the bad weather condition. Accordingly, the deceleration to 65 km/h as shown in FIG. 3E is not sufficient for the distance d 2 and result in a strongly coloured region 8 .
[0064] Even a deceleration to almost 40 km/h, as shown in FIG. 3F , still results in a visible colouration due to-the increased weighting factor because of the bad weather condition.
[0065] Provided that the driver drives reasonable and is willing to follow a guidance, the inventive method can communicate a recommended driving behaviour without direct interaction with the driver. Therefore, it is possible to communicate even highly important parameters without warning a driver directly.
[0066] The invention is not restricted to applications in vehicles as described above but can also be used in applications for ships, air planes, construction-site machines, motorbikes, etc.
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A method, a device and a system for communicating in a vehicle at least one deviation of a measured actual vehicle parameter value from its predetermined value to a driver involve determining an amount of the deviation, color-coding the amount of deviation, and communicating the amount of deviation to the driver by using the color-code. Determining the amount of deviation includes weighting a calculated difference between the measured actual vehicle parameter value and the predetermined vehicle parameter value with a weighting factor. A vehicle or more particularly a truck may include such a device and such a system and a computer programmed for performing such a method and computer readable medium comprising a program for performing such a method can be provided.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention generally relates to an insulated die plate assembly for use in underwater pelletizers and other granulation processes that include hot-face or non-fluidic pelletization. More specifically, the present invention relates to an insulated die plate assembly that includes a thin continuous air pocket or chamber formed across the plate assembly such that the upstream portion of the die plate assembly is thermally insulated from the downstream portion of the same assembly, thus allowing the respective portions to co-exist at different temperatures. The plurality of extrusion orifices, individually or in groups, extend through extrusion orifice extensions that project through the insulation air pocket or chamber so that the material to be pelletized or granulated can pass therethrough.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION AND PRIOR ART
[0002] Underwater pelletization equipment and its use following extrusion processing have been implemented for many years by Gala Industries, Inc. (“Gala”), the assignee of the present invention. Pelletization dies and die plates, in particular, are demonstrated in prior art disclosures including, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,123,207, 4,500,271, 4,621,996, 4,728,276, 5,059,103, 5,403,176, 6,824,371, 7,033,152, U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 20060165834 and 20070254059, German Patents and Applications including DE 32 43 332, DE 37 02 841, DE 87 01 490, DE 196 51 354, and World Patent Application Publications WO2006/081140 and WO2006/087179. These patents and applications are all owned by Gala and are expressly incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in their entirety.
[0003] As well understood by those skilled in the art, die plates used with rotating cutter hubs and blades, such as in underwater pelletizing, have the extrusion orifices or through die holes arranged in a generally circular pattern, or groups of multiple die holes arranged (as in pods or clusters) in a generally circular array. As so arranged, the rotating blades can cut the extrudate as it exits the die holes along a circular cutting face.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 4,378,964 and World Patent Application Publication No. WO1981/001980 disclose a multi-layer die plate assembly for underwater pelletization of polymeric materials in which an insulation layer, preferably zirconium oxide, is fixedly positioned between the body of the die plate and the layers comprising the cutting face of the die. Adjacent or proximal to the insulation layer is a heating chamber through which is circulated a heating fluid for maintenance of the temperature of the die.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,100 discloses a die plate construction specifically described for underwater pelletization of plastic extrudate including a closed insulating space formed between the baseplate and the cutting plate through which penetrates the extrusion nozzles, and optional inserts serve to further strengthen and support the structure.
[0006] Vacuum heat insulating cavities between extrusion nozzles are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,714,713 in a multi-step process that includes electron beam welding while the die components are maintained under high vacuum. This disclosure is extended to vacuum heat insulation portions in areas peripherally external to the extrusion nozzles for enhanced insulation performance in U.S. Pat. No. 5,989,009.
[0007] Similarly, closed continuous thermal stabilization cavities filled with air or gas are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,834. Additionally, brazing in a furnace at high temperature, 900° C. to 1200° C., under vacuum is disclosed as a manufacturing process with controlled cooling under argon to prevent oxidation thusly presenting an opportunity to introduce vacuum into the thermal stabilization cavities.
[0008] German Patent Application No. DE 100 02 408 and German Patent Utility Model No. DE 200 05 026 disclose a hollow space or a multiplicity thereof in the inner region of the nozzle plate and the nosecone extension to enhance temperature control by virtue of the reduction of mass necessitating temperature maintenance and thusly introducing thermal insulation. Use of solid, liquid, or gas as insulating materials is disclosed therein.
[0009] World Patent Application Publication No. WO2003/031132 discloses the use of ceramic plates for insulation of the die face from the heated portion of the die body.
[0010] Finally, Austrian patent application AT 503 368 A1 discloses a thermally insulated die plate assembly with a detachable face plate that is sealed to the discharge end of the extrusion orifice nozzles by an O-ring or metal seal. This die plate assembly is very fragile and highly susceptible to process melt leakage, thus requiring considerable maintenance.
[0011] There is, therefore, a need for a thermally insulated die plate assembly which is robust in construction, retains the air pocket in a sealed condition, requires low maintenance and provides high performance.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] The thermally insulated die plate assembly of the present invention is installed in a conventional manner between the melting and/or mixing devices and the pellet transport components including mechanical, pneumatic, and/or fluid conveyance. The upstream side of the insulated die plate assembly receives molten polymer or other fluidized material from the melting/mixing devices that is subsequently extruded through the multiplicity of orifices extending from the upstream side to the downstream side of the die plate assembly to form extruded strands of material. The extruded strands, with at least marginal cooling, are cut into pellets by rotating cutter blades engaging a cutting surface or cutting die face associated with the downstream side of the die plate in a manner well known in the art of pelletizing.
[0013] The thermally insulated die plate assembly of the present invention is retained in position in a conventional manner by fasteners that connect the melting and mixing components, the die plate, and the pellet transport components. The nose cone, optionally a separate component, is retained in position as required by the normally provided nose cone anchor bolt as is understood by those skilled in the art. Similarly, thermal regulation fluid as required enters and exits chambers in the die plate through conventional inlet and outlet orifices, respectively.
[0014] The thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the present invention is essentially formed by machining a cutout in the downstream side or die face side of a die plate body, preferably forming a generally circular cavity. The periphery of the cutout cavity should extend beyond the circular pattern or array of extrusion orifices or die holes with a raised circular ridge which matches and encompasses the circular pattern or array of extrusion orifices or die holes. The raised circular ridge thus divides the cutout cavity into, preferably, an annular outer section and a circular inner section. The raised circular ridge is preferably trapezoidal in vertical cross-section with the extrusion orifices extending centrally therethrough. Orifice protrusions project from the upper surface of the raised ridge at the extrusion orifice locations so that the extrusion orifices extend through the orifice protrusions.
[0015] Finally, a cover plate with holes matching the orifice protrusions is sized to fit over and into the cutout cavity in the die plate body to complete the downstream side of the die plate assembly and form a generally planar die face. In addition, the upstream side of the cover plate is machined with a counterbore which conforms to the configuration of the orifice protrusions and defines the outside wall of the air cavity around the orifice protrusions and the raised circular ridge. The cover plate is attached around its periphery to the die plate body and attached around its matching holes to the distal end of the orifice protrusions adjacent the die face.
[0016] The thickness of the cover plate is less than the depth of the cutout cavity so that when the cover plate is in place a thin, generally flat, continuous air pocket or air chamber is formed around the raised circular ridge and associated orifice protrusions, which air chamber is generally parallel to the die face. The thickness of the air chamber is on the order of about 0.05 millimeters (mm) to about 6.0 mm, and preferably about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm. Stated another way, the thickness of the air chamber is preferably about 5% to about 10% of the thickness of the die plate assembly.
[0017] The raised circular ridge and associated orifice protrusions which encompass and extend the extrusion orifices from the base of the cutout cavity to the matching holes of the cover plate are together referred to herein as the “extrusion orifice extensions”. The extrusion orifice extensions for each of the extrusion orifices or die holes extend fully through the air chamber so that the orifice extensions are surrounded by the thermally insulating air.
[0018] The air chamber is preferably vented to the atmosphere outside the die plate assembly, such as through one or more channels in the die plate body to provide for atmospheric equilibrium of the air chamber. The air chamber thus forms a thermally insulating air pocket or chamber between the typically heated upstream side of the die plate assembly and the downstream side forming the die face, which contacts the cooling water of the waterbox in an underwater pelletizer, or other cooling medium associated with a rotating cutter hub and blade assembly.
[0019] The cover plate should be made of a chemical, corrosion, abrasion, and wear-resistant metal. The cover plate can contain at least one circumferential expansion groove on at least one face and preferably contains a multiplicity of circumferential expansion grooves on at least one face. When expansion grooves are formed on both faces, they are preferably arranged in a staggeringly alternating configuration. Preferably, the cover plate is welded in position with nickel steel. More preferably, the cover plate is attached by welding with nickel steel at peripheral grooves circumferentially surrounding the cover plate and at weld locations between the distal end of the orifice protrusions and the inside of the cover plate holes.
[0020] The die plate body of the thermally insulated die plate assembly according to the present invention can be thermally regulated by any suitable heating system known to those skilled in the art, such as thermal regulation fluid as required to enter and exit heating chambers in the die plate body to conventional inlet and outlet orifices, respectively. Alternatively, the die plate body can be thermally regulated by at least one of electrical resistance, induction, steam, and thermal transfer fluid. Preferably, the die plate body is heated by electric heaters in techniques known to those skilled in the art.
[0021] In a first embodiment of the present invention, the thermally insulated die plate assembly is configured with a one-piece die plate body. In a second embodiment of the present invention, the thermally insulated die plate assembly is configured with a two-piece die plate body having a removable center die insert thermally insulated in accordance with the present invention which is peripherally surrounded by a die plate outer ring thermally regulated by at least one of electrical resistance, induction, steam, and thermal transfer fluid.
[0022] As used herein the term “die plate body” is intended to include the body of the die plate when the assembly of the present invention is configured as a one-piece construction and the removable center die insert in combination with the die plate outer ring when the assembly is configured in a two-piece construction.
[0023] In addition to having the die face of uniform planarity, the annular cutting face containing the distal ends of the orifice protrusions, and through which penetrate the multiplicity of extrusion orifices, can be raised a certain distance above the remaining portion of the die face, as known to those skilled in the art. The rotating cutting blades thus engage the raised annular cutting face. The raised annular cutting face should be at least 0.025 millimeters higher than the surrounding die face and preferably is at least 0.50 millimeters above the surrounding die face.
[0024] Preferably, at least the surface of the annular cutting face engaged by the cutting blades is subjected to an enhancing surface treatment. The enhancing surface treatment includes at least one of nitriding, carbonitriding, electroplating, electroless plating, electroless nickel dispersion treatments, flame spraying including high velocity applications, thermal spraying, plasma treatment, electrolytic plasma treatments, sintering, powder coating, vacuum deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering techniques and spray coating. These surface treatments result in metallizing, attachment of metal nitride, metal carbides, metal carbonitrides, and diamond-like carbon and can be used singly and in any combination. Different surface treatments can be applied to different circumferential planes on the cutting face and should be at least approximately 0.025 millimeters in thickness. Preferably, the treatments are at least approximately 0.50 millimeters in thickness.
[0025] The raised circular ridge and associated orifice protrusions are formed in at least one annular ring, and each orifice protrusion can contain at least one to a multiplicity of extrusion orifices arranged in groups, pods, and clusters. The orifice protrusions can be of any geometry including at least one of oval, round, square, triangular, rectangular, polygonal, and in many combinations. Similarly, the orifice protrusions can be arranged concentrically, alternating, in a staggering configuration, and linearly, and can be positioned parallel to the arc of rotation of the cutting blades, perpendicular to the arc and including kidney to comma-like configurations.
[0026] In addition, the extrusion orifices can be of any geometry including but not limited to round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, polygonal, slotted, radially slotted and any combination thereof. A multiplicity of extrusion orifices can be of different geometry in a particular orifice protrusion or die face.
[0027] In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a die plate assembly in which the typically heated upstream portion of the assembly is thermally insulated from the typically cooled downstream portion adjacent the die face by an internal insulation air pocket or air chamber extending substantially parallel to the die face.
[0028] A further object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding object in which the insulation air pocket or air chamber surrounds extrusion orifice extensions configured as a raised circular ridge and associated orifice protrusions, through which the extrusion orifices extend to the die face.
[0029] Another object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding object in which the insulation air pocket or air chamber is formed by machining or cutting out a cavity in the downstream side of a die plate body leaving in place the raised circular ridge. The cavity is closed by a cover plate having a counterbore sized to match the extrusion orifice extensions and with holes to match the distal ends of the orifice protrusions.
[0030] Still another object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the two preceding object in which the raised ridge has a trapezoidal shape in vertical cross-section to aid in channeling heat to the orifice protrusions and thus maintain the process melt at a desired temperature in the extrusion orifice at the die face.
[0031] A still further object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding three objects in which the insulation air pocket or air chamber is configured to follow and surround the raised circular ridge and associated orifice protrusions so as to retain the heat in the raised ridge and orifice protrusions in order to maintain the process melt at a desired temperature in the extrusion orifices at the die face.
[0032] It is another object of the present invention to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding objects in which the insulation air pocket or air chamber is vented to the atmosphere outside of the die plate assembly to maintain the temperature and pressure conditions inside the cavity or chamber equilibrated to the atmosphere.
[0033] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding objects in which the die plate body is configured in a single-body construction.
[0034] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding objects in which the die plate body is configured in a two-piece construction including a removable center die insert surrounded by a die plate outer ring.
[0035] Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the preceding object in which the removable insert and the die plate outer ring can be individually and/or separately heated or thermally regulated.
[0036] A final object to be set forth herein is to provide a thermally insulated die plate assembly which will conform to conventional forms of manufacture, will have improved strength and robustness, will maintain the insulating air pocket tightly sealed to provide improved thermal insulation in operation, and will be economically feasible, long-lasting and relatively trouble-free in use.
[0037] These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently 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
[0038] FIG. 1 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a first embodiment of a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the present invention in which the assembly is of a single body construction.
[0039] FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic vertical sectional view illustrating further details of the components around an upper extrusion orifice for the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 .
[0040] FIG. 3 is a partial cut-away perspective view of the die plate assembly shown in FIG. 1 , illustrating the association of the various components.
[0041] FIG. 4 is a schematic vertical sectional view of a second embodiment of a thermally insulated die plate assembly in accordance with the present invention in which the assembly is of a two-piece construction, including a removable center die insert and die plate outer ring.
[0042] FIG. 5 is a schematic vertical cut-away side perspective view of one-half of the removable center insert of the die plate assembly shown in FIG. 4 .
[0043] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the components shown in FIG. 5 , illustrating the detail of the air chamber around the raised circular ridge and the orifice protrusion.
[0044] FIG. 7 is a schematic top perspective view of one-half of the removable center insert of the die assembly shown in FIG. 4 , showing the design of the raised circular ridge and the orifice protrusions associated therewith.
[0045] FIG. 8 is a schematic bottom perspective view of a cover plate which, when turned over, is assembled onto the top of the removable center insert shown in FIG. 7 to form the air pocket or air chamber of the die plate assembly shown in FIG. 4 .
[0046] FIG. 9 is an enlarged schematic vertical section view showing the cover plate of FIG. 8 assembled onto the removable insert shown in FIG. 7 with the welds in place around the periphery of the cover plate and around the extrusion orifices, together with a hard face on the downstream surface of the cover plate.
[0047] FIG. 10 is an exploded schematic vertical section view of a thermally insulated die plate assembly similar to FIG. 4 in which the removable center insert includes a separate center heating coil.
[0048] FIGS. 11 a - g are a composite perspective view illustrating various configurations for the heat conducting protrusions in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0049] Although only preferred embodiments of the invention are explained in detail it is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or carried out in various ways. Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specific terminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to be understood that each specific term includes all technical equivalents which operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.
[0050] Referring to the drawings, FIGS. 1 , 2 and 3 illustrate one embodiment of the present invention associated with components of a pelletizer, such as an underwater pelletizer. The pelletizer includes an inlet housing 12 from a melting and/or mixing apparatus (not shown). The inlet housing 12 includes a passageway 14 for molten material or other extrudate (hereinafter collectively referred to as “process melt”) that can include organic materials, oligomers, polymers, waxes, and combinations thereof without intending to be limited. Nose cone 16 directs the process melt to the upstream side of the single-body or one-piece die plate assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention and generally designated by reference numeral 10 . The nose cone 16 can be attachedly connected to the die plate assembly by a threaded rod (not shown). The threaded rod is screw threaded at one end into threaded bore 18 of nose cone 16 and at its distal end into threaded bore 20 of die plate 10 . Alternately, the nose cone 16 can be rigidly affixed to or unitary with the die plate 10 and need not be attachedly connected as herein described.
[0051] The single-body die plate assembly 10 contains a multiplicity of extrusion orifices 22 concentrically arranged singly or in multiples thereof in at least one annular ring that extends from the upstream face 24 to the downstream face or die face 26 of the die plate assembly 10 . A plurality of cutter blades 28 mounted on a rotatably driven cutter hub 30 in a cutting chamber (not shown) cut the extruded and at least partially solidified process melt extruded through orifices 22 into pellets at the cutting surface of the die face 26 . The pellets thusly formed are transported mechanically, pneumatically, hydraulically, or in combinations thereof to downstream processing, such as a dewatering system, drying equipment and the like.
[0052] The die plate assembly 10 is made up with two major components, die plate body 36 and cover plate 38 . A thin, continuous air pocket or air chamber 32 , parallel to die face 26 , is formed between the downstream side of the die plate body 36 and the upstream side of the cover plate 38 . In order for the extrusion orifices 22 to pass through the air chamber 32 , the extrusion orifices 22 extend through a raised circular ridge 34 formed in the downstream face of the die plate body and orifice protrusions 35 positioned on top of the ridge 34 (see FIG. 2 ), which together define the extrusion orifice extensions, generally designated by reference numeral 31 .
[0053] The upstream side of the cover plate 38 is provided with a generally circular counterbore 76 which conforms to and receives the circular array of orifice protrusions 35 . The counterbore 76 has outlet holes 39 which match the orifice protrusions 35 and form the distal ends 68 of the extrusion orifices 22 . The distal ends 70 of protrusions 35 then fit into the matching holes 39 in the cover plate 38 . The raised circular ridge 34 and associated heat conducting protrusions 35 , which encompass and provide heat to the distal end 68 of the extrusion orifices 22 , thus extend through and are surrounded by the air chamber 32 .
[0054] In order to form the air pocket or air chamber 32 , the central area of the downstream face 26 of die plate body 36 is machined or cut out to provide a circular recess or cavity 33 . The cavity 33 extends beyond the extrusion orifices 22 and is preferably formed with the raised circular ridge 34 in place, although the ridge could be formed as a separate piece and welded or otherwise attached to the bottom of the cavity 33 . The raised ridge thus divides the cavity 33 into an annular outer section 72 and an inner circular section 74 . The orifice protrusions 35 can also be formed during the machining process and thus be integral with the raised ridge 34 . However, preferably, the protrusions 35 are configured as separate collars of the same material as the die plate body 36 (and ridge 34 ) and are adhered to the top of ridge 34 as by welding or the like.
[0055] Circular cover plate 38 with holes 39 matching the distal ends 70 of the orifice protrusions 35 overlays the recess cavity 33 and is attachedly connected to die plate body 36 and to orifice protrusions 34 by brazing, welding, or similar technique known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the cover plate 38 is constructed of an abrasion and corrosion resistant metal and, more preferably, is constructed of nickel steel. Similarly, attachment of the cover plate 38 to the die plate body 36 and to the distal ends 70 of orifice protrusions 35 is preferably achieved by welding and, more preferably, is achieved by nickel steel welding. Weldments 40 and 42 are preferentially made at circumferential grooves 77 peripherally about the cover plate 38 and into the cover plate holes 39 which are sized to expose a portion of the distal end 70 of protrusions 35 for welding or the like. To assist in rigidifying the cover plate 38 to the die plate body 36 , the peripheral edge 80 is designed to rest on ledge 82 cut into the downstream face of the die plate body. The peripheral edge 80 and the die plate body 36 have opposing chamfers which form groove 77 for receiving the peripheral weld 40 and maintain the peripheral edge 80 solidly against the ledge 82 .
[0056] The surface of the cover plate 38 and thus the downstream face 26 is preferably coated with a chemical, abrasion, corrosion, and wear resistant coating 60 as described hereinbelow. Once weldment 42 is in place, along with wear resistant coating 60 , if included, the distal end 68 of the extrusion orifices 22 can be completed by machining from the downstream side of the die plate assembly, such as with an EDM machine or otherwise as known by those skilled in the art, thus clearing any weld 42 and coating 60 from the extrusion orifice distal end 68 .
[0057] The raised circular ridge 34 is preferably trapezoidal in vertical cross-section to aid in channeling heat to the orifice protrusions 35 , which transfer the heat from the raised ridge to the die face 26 , thus maintaining the process melt at a desired temperature in the extrusion orifice distal end 68 , and to assist in creating a robust thermally insulated die plate assembly. While a trapezoidal cross-section for the raised circular ridge is preferred, other shapes for the ridge cross-section could be designed by those skilled in the art in order to achieve the foregoing goals, as contemplated by the present invention.
[0058] The assemblage as heretofore described encloses the circular recess 33 to form the thin, continuous thermal air pocket or air chamber 32 which is preferably connected to the surrounding atmosphere by at least one vent tube 44 . Variation in temperature and/or pressure within the die plate body 10 equilibrates by expansion or contraction of air into and through vent tube 44 thus avoiding vacuum formation and/or pressure build-up which could potentially lead to undesirable deformation of the downstream face 26 . Raised ridge 34 and orifice protrusions 35 through-penetrate the atmospheric air pocket 32 to provide continuous and more uniform heating along the length of the through-penetrating extrusion orifices 22 , and the weldment of their distal ends 70 to the openings 39 in the cover plate 38 serve to strengthen and maintain the planar shape of the cover plate.
[0059] As best seen in FIG. 2 the air pocket or chamber 32 is generally parallel to the die face 26 , but extends into the counterbore 76 , as at 78 , in order to surround the outer periphery of each orifice protrusion 35 . The thickness of the air chamber 32 can vary at different locations but should be at least about 0.05 mm to no more than about 6.0 mm deep, and preferably is about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm deep. Stated another way, the thickness of the air chamber 32 in the dimension parallel to the die face is preferably about 5% to about 10% of the thickness of the die plate assembly 10 .
[0060] Cover plate 38 preferably includes at least one circumferential expansion groove 62 on the portion of the cover plate 38 that extends beyond the circular array of extrusion orifices 22 . More preferably, at least one circumferential expansion groove 62 is on each side of cover plate 38 outside the array of extrusion orifices. Still more preferably, a multiplicity of circumferential expansion grooves 62 are positioned staggeringly on opposite sides of the cover plate 38 . The circumferential expansion grooves 62 can be of any geometry in profile including but not limited to square, angular, rounded, and hemispherical and the multiplicity of grooves on cover plate 38 can be of similar or differing geometries. Preferably, the circumferential grooves are rounded in profile as shown in FIG. 2 .
[0061] As described previously, the raised circular ridge 34 of the extrusion orifice extensions 31 is preferably unitary with die plate body 36 and therefore of the same chemical composition. The orifice protrusions 35 , on the other hand, are formed as separate collars and attachedly connected to the top of the raised ridge as by brazing, welding, and any similar mechanism known to those skilled in the art. The protrusions 35 can be of similar or differing composition to the ridge 34 and die plate body 36 of which the composition can include but is not limited to tool steel, hardened tool steel, stainless steel, nickel steel, and the like.
[0062] Turning to FIGS. 4 through 9 there is shown a two-piece die plate assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 100 , in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. The die plate assembly 100 includes a die plate outer ring 105 and removable center die insert 106 . Since many of the components of the die plate assembly 100 are the same as or very similar to the components of the die plate assembly 10 , the same reference numerals are carried forward from the latter for corresponding components in the former, but preceded by the “1” digit.
[0063] Similarly to the FIG. 1 embodiment, the die plate assembly 100 is attachedly connected to an inlet housing 112 from a melting and/or mixing apparatus (not shown). The inlet housing 112 includes a passageway 114 for process melt as heretofore described. Nose cone 116 directs the process melt to the upstream side 124 of the removable insert 106 to which it is attachedly connected by threaded rod (not shown). The threaded rod is screw threaded at one end into threaded bore 118 of nose cone 116 and at its distal end into threaded bore 120 of removable insert 106 .
[0064] The removable center die insert 106 includes a multiplicity of extrusion orifices 122 concentrically arranged singly or in multiples thereof in at least one annular ring that extends from the upstream face 124 to the downstream face 126 of removable insert 106 . A plurality of knife blade assemblies 128 mounted on a rotatably driven cutter hub 130 in a cutting chamber (not shown) cut the extruded and at least partially solidified process melt into pellets. The pellets thusly formed are transported mechanically, pneumatically, hydraulically, or in combinations thereof to downstream processing as before.
[0065] The central areas of the downstream face 126 of insert 106 are machined or cut out to provide a central circular recess or cavity 133 in the same manner as described above for the first embodiment, including raised circular ridge 134 and orifice protrusions 135 , which together define the extrusion orifice extensions 131 and encase the extrusion orifices 122 through the cavity 133 . A circular cover plate 138 with holes 139 matching the distal ends 170 of the orifice protrusions 135 overlays the recess cavity 133 to form a thin, continuous thermal air pocket or air chamber 132 across the insert 106 generally parallel to the die face 126 . The upstream side of cover plate 138 is also provided with a generally circular counterbore 176 which includes the outlet holes 139 and conforms to and receives the circular array of orifice protrusions 135 . The extrusion orifice extensions 131 made up of the raised circular ridge 134 and orifice protrusions 135 serve to channel and provide heat from the insert body 136 to the distal end 168 of the extrusion orifices 122 , while at the same time the extensions 131 are thermally insulated from cover plate 138 by the air chamber 132 which surrounds the orifice extensions 131 .
[0066] The cover plate 138 is attachedly connected to the periphery of the insert body 136 and to orifice protrusion distal ends 170 by brazing, welding, or similar technique known to those skilled in the art. Preferably, the cover plate 138 is constructed of an abrasion and corrosion resistant metal and more preferably is constructed of nickel steel. Similarly, attachment of the cover plate 138 to the insert body 136 and orifice protrusion distal ends 170 is preferably achieved by welding and, more preferably, is achieved by nickel steel welding. Weldments 140 and 142 are preferentially made at circumferential grooves 176 peripherally about the cover plate 138 and onto protrusion distal ends 170 at weldment locus 142 (see FIG. 9 ). The surface of the cover plate 138 and thus the downstream face 126 of die insert 106 is preferably coated with a chemical, abrasion, corrosion, and wear resistant coating as described hereinbelow.
[0067] The circular cavity 133 is preferably connected to the surrounding atmosphere by at least one vent tube 144 which passes through both the removable die insert 106 and the die plate outer ring 105 . Variation in temperature and/or pressure within the air chamber 132 equilibrates by expansion or contraction of air into and through vent tube 144 , thus avoiding vacuum formation and/or pressure build-up which could potentially lead to undesirable deformation of the downstream face 126 . Raised ridge 134 and orifice protrusions 135 through-penetrate the atmospheric air pocket 132 to provide continuous and more uniform heating along the length of the extrusion orifices encompassed therewithin. The configuration of the raised circular ridge 134 , preferably trapezoidal in vertical cross-section, serves to channel heat to the orifice protrusions 135 in order to assist in maintaining the process melt in protrusions 135 at the desired temperature prior to exit from the distal end 168 of extrusion orifices 122 . Weldment of the periphery of the cover plate 138 to the insert 106 and of the distal ends 170 of the orifice protrusions 135 in the holes 139 of the cover plate 138 serve to strengthen and rigidify the cover plate in its planar shape, as further described in the next paragraph.
[0068] The insert body 136 and cover plate 138 are designed with a multitude of complementary abutting surfaces to improve the effectiveness of the weldments 140 and 142 . This in turn increases the rigidity of the assembled cover plate 138 onto the insert body 136 , improves the sealing of the air chamber 132 and provides an overall robust die plate assembly 110 . First, the machined cutout 133 includes peripheral ledge 182 (see FIGS. 6 and 7 ) which receives a peripheral edge 184 of the cover plate 138 to define the periphery of the air chamber 132 . The complementary abutting surfaces of the insert body peripheral ledge 182 and cover plate peripheral edge 184 are then held together by weldment 140 . Second, holes 139 of cover plate 138 include a countersunk section 186 on their upstream side (see FIG. 8 ) which forms a ledge 188 that engages the outer periphery of the distal ends 170 of the orifice protrusions 135 (see FIG. 9 ). These complementary abutting surfaces 170 and 188 are adhered together by weldments 142 at each extrusion orifice 168 .
[0069] The circular counterbore 176 in cover plate 138 differs from the circular counterbore 76 in cover plate 38 in that the former is contoured with tapered side walls 190 to more closely follow the contour of the tapered sides 192 of the raised ridge 134 . By more closely following the contour of raised ridge 134 , the counterbore 176 and resultant air chamber 132 provide additional insulation about the ridge 134 and the associated orifice protrusions 135 . In contrast, the circular counterbore 76 is more rectangular in cross-section and is positioned adjacent the raised ridge 34 without contouring dimensionally with its tapered sides 92 . It is understood that the contours of the circular counterbore 176 adjacent raised circular ridge 134 and of the counterbore 76 adjacent raised ridge 34 are only two non-limiting examples and other designs comparable to and intermediate between these two configurations are encompassed by the present invention. Use of the rectangular counterbore 76 and tapered counterbore 176 can be applied to the solid-body die plate assembly 10 as well as to the two-piece die plate assembly 100 .
[0070] If desired, cover plate 138 can be provided with circumferential grooves, such as grooves 62 illustrated and described above for cover plate 38 .
[0071] Heating and/or cooling processes can be provided by electrical resistance, induction, steam or heat transfer fluid as has been conventionally disclosed for the single-body die plate 10 as well as the two-piece die plate assembly 100 . As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 , the die plate body 36 and insert body 136 are each respectively heated by radial electric heaters 46 and 146 positioned in radial slots 47 such as shown in FIG. 3 , as well known in the art. In the two-piece die plate assembly 100 shown in FIG. 4 , the removable insert 106 and the die plate outer ring 105 can each be separately heated by similar or differing mechanisms.
[0072] For example, FIG. 10 illustrates a partially exploded view of a die plate assembly, generally designated by reference numeral 200 , which includes a center-heated removable insert 208 . Since many of the components of the die plate assembly 200 are the same as or very similar to the components of the die plate assembly 100 , the same reference numerals are carried forward from the latter for corresponding components in the former, but preceded by the “2” digit instead of the “1” digit.
[0073] The die plate assembly 200 thus includes a die plate body, generally designated by reference numeral 212 , comprised of die plate outer ring 205 surrounding center-heated removable insert 208 . The electrical resistance coil 250 is contained in an annular recess or cavity 252 centrally located within the insert 208 adjacent to the upstream face 224 . Nose cone 216 is attachedly connected to removable insert 208 through use of a threaded rod (not shown) that is screw threaded at one end into threaded bore 218 of nose cone 116 and at its distal end into threaded bore 220 of removable insert 208 in a manner similar to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 . When attached, nose cone 116 closes off cavity 252 with coil 250 positioned therein. Other methods of fastening are well-known to those skilled in the art. The removable insert 208 can thus be heated separately as by electric radial heaters 146 hereinbefore described in connection with the die plate assembly 100 shown in FIG. 4 .
[0074] The downstream face 26 , 126 of die plate assembly 10 , 100 , 200 can be in one plane as shown in FIG. 1 but preferably is of two parallel planes as indicated by the encircled area 66 , 166 in FIGS. 2 and 9 , wherein the area adjacent to the outlets 68 , 168 of extrusion orifices 22 , 122 is raised in a plane parallel to that of the downstream face 26 , 126 . The elevation of the plane above that of the downstream face 26 should be at least approximately 0.025 mm, and preferably is at least approximately 0.50 mm.
[0075] Similarly, the recess cavity 33 , 133 is at least approximately 1.05 millimeters in depth, preferably on the order of 5.0 mm to 7.0 mm. The thickness of the cover plate 38 , 138 should be on the order of 1.0 mm to 8.0 mm, preferably about 6.0 mm in order to provide a thickness of the air chamber 32 , 132 on the order of about 0.05 mm to about 6.0 mm, and preferably about 0.5 mm to about 1.0 mm.
[0076] The surface of the downstream face 26 , 126 is preferably subjected to a chemical, abrasion, corrosion, and/or wear resistant treatment, i.e., “surface treatment,” in the annular area generally defined by the array of extrusion orifice outlets 68 , 168 and identified by the numeral 60 , 160 in FIGS. 2 and 9 . This annular area includes the cutting face 63 , 163 where the cutting blades engage the die face. The surface treatment should be at least approximately 0.025 mm, and preferably is at least approximately 0.50 mm. The composition of the surface treatment 60 , 160 can be different in the planar area surrounding the extrusion orifice outlets 68 , 168 than that on other parts of the downstream face 26 . Preferably, the surface treatment 60 , 160 is the same on all faces and can involve one, two, or a multiplicity of processes inclusive and exemplary of which are cleaning, degreasing, etching, primer coating, roughening, grit-blasting, sand-blasting, peening, pickling, acid-wash, base-wash, nitriding, carbonitriding, electroplating, electroless plating, electroless nickel dispersion treatments, flame spraying including high velocity applications, thermal spraying, plasma treatment, electrolytic plasma treatments, sintering, powder coating, vacuum deposition, chemical vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition, sputtering techniques, spray coating, and vacuum brazing of carbides.
[0077] Surface treatment for all surfaces, other than the cutting face, includes flame spray, thermal spray, plasma treatment, electroless nickel dispersion treatments, high velocity air and fuel modified thermal treatments, and electrolytic plasma treatments, singly and in combinations thereof. These surface treatments metallize the surface, preferably fixedly attach metal nitrides to the surface, more preferably fixedly attach metal carbides and metal carbonitrides to the surface, and even more preferably fixedly attach diamond-like carbon to the surface, still more preferably attach diamond-like carbon in an abrasion-resistant metal matrix to the surface, and most preferably attach diamond-like carbon in a metal carbide matrix to the surface. Other ceramic materials can be used and are included herein by way of reference without intending to be limiting. These preferred surface treatments can be further modified optionally by application of conventional polymeric coating on the downstream face 26 , 126 distal from the extrusion orifice outlet 68 , 168 . The polymeric coatings are themselves non-adhesive and of low coefficient of friction. Preferably the polymeric coatings are silicones, fluoropolymers, and combinations thereof. More preferably the application of the polymeric coatings requires minimal to no heating to effect drying and/or cure.
[0078] FIG. 11 illustrates additional configurations of extrusion orifices and orifice protrusions projecting from the raised circular ridge. FIG. 11 a illustrates concentric rings of orifice protrusions 302 projecting from ridge 303 in staggered formation, each protrusion having a single extrusion orifice 304 . The extrusion orifices can be oriented in a multiplicity of groups or pods 306 as illustrated in FIG. 11 b for a grouping of two extrusion orifices 308 , FIG. 11 c for a grouping of three extrusion orifices 310 , FIG. 11 d for a cluster of four extrusion orifices 312 , FIG. 11 e for a pod of sixteen extrusion orifices 314 , FIG. 11 f for a multiplicity of thirty-seven extrusion orifices 316 , and FIG. 11 g for a multiplicity of sixteen extrusion orifices 318 .
[0079] Groups, clusters, pods, and a multiplicity thereof can be arranged in any geometric configuration including but not limited to oval, round, square, triangular, rectangular, polygonal, and combinations thereof. The geometries of the orifice protrusions can be further rounded, angled, and chamfered and can contain any number of a multiplicity of orifices. Orientation of the geometries containing the multiplicity of orifices can be circumferentially and parallel to the arc, circumferentially and perpendicular to the arc, staggered and alternatingly circumscribing the arc and any combination thereof. Furthermore, the geometric orientation may conform to the arc as in a kidney shape or comma-shape. A multiplicity of concentric rings, at least one or more, of extrusion orifices can include extrusion orifices, singly or a multiplicity thereof, that can be arranged in a linear array, alternatingly, staggeredly, and any combination thereof relative to the other concentric rings in accordance with the instant invention.
[0080] Further, while the outlet of the extrusion orifices 22 , 122 , such as outlet 68 in FIG. 2 and outlet 168 in FIG. 9 , is preferably round, the outlets can be of any geometry including but not limited to round, oval, square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, polygonal, slotted, radially slotted and any combination thereof. A multiplicity of extrusion orifice outlets 68 can be of different geometry in a particular protrusion 35 .
[0081] Further, the extrusion orifice extensions may include more than one raised circular ridge 34 , 134 , depending upon the arrangement of the extrusion orifices and the width of the cutting blade. In addition, although at least one raised circular ridge 34 , 134 is preferred to form the base of the extrusion orifice extensions 31 , 131 , it may be possible to design the extensions 31 , 131 without any raised ridge. In such circumstances, the orifice protrusions 35 , 135 would extend from the base of cutout 33 , 133 to the respective opening 68 , 168 of the cover plate 38 , 138 .
[0082] The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, 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 insulated die plate assembly for use in underwater pelletizing and other granulation processes includes a thin, continuous air chamber formed across the plate assembly generally parallel to the die face such that the heated upstream portion of the die plate assembly is thermally insulated from the downstream portion. The air chamber is atmospherically equilibrated by venting the air chamber to the atmosphere. The plurality of extrusion orifices, either individually or in groups, are formed in extrusion orifice extensions that extend through the insulation chamber so that the process melt to be granulated can pass therethrough. The orifice extensions and the components forming the air chamber around the orifice extensions are specially configured to channel heat along said extensions to maintain the process melt therein at a desired temperature, to help rigidify the die plate assembly and to better seal the air chamber.
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PRIORITY
This application is related to and claims priority under 35 USC 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 61/232,423 filed on Aug. 8, 2009, the complete contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND
1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to the field of drive systems for potentiometer adjustment mechanisms, particularly those used in effects pedals that are used in conjunction with musical instruments.
2. Background
Potentiometers are widely used in applications where smooth control of an electrical device is desired, such as in controlling the volume of an audio device. In some devices, a potentiometer is connected to a knob to allow direct rotational adjustment, but in other devices it needs to be able to respond to forces in other directions, such as a linear force. In such devices, linear motion can be translated into rotational motion via a rack-and-pinion or cable-winding mechanism.
Effects pedals are one such device that controls a potentiometer via motion of a pivoting pedal. These pedals are connected between a musical instrument, such as a guitar, and an amplifier. A user rocks a pedal up and down to vary the volume of the guitar through the amplifier and achieve many interesting sound effects. Currently, these pedals use either a rack-and-pinion mechanism or a string to mechanically link the pedal to the potentiometer. Although commonly used in effects pedals, these mechanisms present several drawbacks.
In rack-and-pinion systems, the mechanism requires maintenance, such as lubrication and cleaning, to keep it running smoothly and avoid excessive wear. However, even sufficient maintenance cannot prevent gear lash, or slop, in the drive train to the potentiometer shaft. Further, a rack-and-pinion system can damage a potentiometer. A side load on the rack gear is required to maintain sufficient contact with the pinion gear, which can put a stress on the potentiometer shaft and shorten its life. In addition, a rack-and-pinion drive can skip a tooth and misalign the pedal position and damage the potentiometer. Finally, rack-and-pinion systems can create excessive noise, which could interfere with playing music.
String-drive systems eliminate some of the problems found in rack-and-pinion systems, but also have their own problems. String-drive systems can overlap their windings during use, which can cause excessive string wear, fraying, and eventual failure. When the string or cable breaks, it is difficult to repair. Further, string-drive systems can have tensioning errors during the full travel of the pedal, which requires springs in the drive train.
What is needed is a drive mechanism that can smoothly and quietly adjust a potentiometer, while operating with low friction, low wear, and high reliability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 1 a depicts a detail perspective view of a cam bracket component of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 1 b depicts a detail perspective view of a cam component of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 1 c depicts a detail perspective view of a capstan assembly component of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 1 d depicts a detail perspective view of a strap component of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 1 e depicts a detail perspective view of a strap bracket component of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of a strap configuration of the present device.
FIG. 3 depicts a front view of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 4 depicts a top view of one embodiment of the present device.
FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of one embodiment of the present device.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 depicts a side view of one embodiment of the present device. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , a pedal device 102 can have a pedal 104 and a base 106 . A pedal 104 can be connected to a base 106 at a fulcrum point 108 , where a pivot pin 110 running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of a pedal 104 can allow a pedal 104 to pivot up and down relative to a base 106 .
A cam 112 can be connected at one end to a pedal 104 via a cam bracket 114 and a connector pin 116 . In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 , a cam bracket 114 can be positioned approximately one-third of the length of a pedal 104 at a position forward of a fulcrum point 108 , but in other embodiments can be positioned in any known and/or convenient location. A cam 112 can be connected at the other end to a base 106 . As shown in FIG. 1 , both ends of a cam 112 can be connected such that they can each pivot about an axis parallel to a pivot pin 110 .
As shown in FIG. 1 a , a cam bracket 114 can have an elongated base member 115 that can have a substantially quadrilateral geometry or any other known and/or convenient geometry. A base member 115 can have a plurality of holes 118 to allow said base member 115 to be connected to another surface, such as the underside of a pedal 104 . A pair of tabs 120 can extend substantially perpendicularly from substantially parallel edges of a base member 115 . In some embodiments, tabs 120 can have a substantially rectangular geometry, but in other embodiments can have any other known and/or convenient geometry. As shown in FIG. 1 a , in some embodiments, tabs 120 can be located substantially along the midline of a base member 115 , or in any other known and/or convenient location. Tabs 120 can have holes 122 oriented perpendicularly to the face of and substantially through the center of said tabs 120 to accommodate a pin 116 . In other embodiments, holes 122 can be located in any known and/or convenient position on tabs 120 . In some embodiments, a cam bracket 114 can be made from metal, alloy, polymer, composite, polyoxymethylene, glass-filled polyoxymethylene, or any other known and/or convenient material.
As shown in FIG. 1 b , a cam 112 can have a substantially rounded face 124 . As shown in FIG. 1 , the radius of curvature of a cam face 124 can correspond to the distance measured from the fulcrum point 108 , but in other embodiments can be any other known and/or convenient radius. In other embodiments, a cam face 124 can have an ellipsoid profile or any other known and/or convenient geometry. In some embodiments, the back surface 128 of a cam 112 can be substantially flat, but I other embodiments can include at least one indentation 130 . As shown in FIG. 1 b , an indentation 130 can be a substantially rounded groove that can be oriented perpendicularly across the back surface 128 of a cam 112 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 b , two grooved indentations 130 are located at approximately one-third of the length of a cam 112 , but in other embodiments can be any other known and/or convenient geometry and be positioned at any other known and/or convenient location on the back surface 128 of a cam 112 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 b , the back surface 128 of a cam 112 can have a hole 132 positioned substantially at the midpoint between two indentations 130 or an any other known and/or convenient location on the back surface 128 of a cam 112 . In some embodiments, a hole 132 can be tapped to accommodate a tensioning screw 166 . In some embodiments, a cam 112 can be made from metal, alloy, polymer, composite, polyoxymethylene, glass-filled polyoxymethylene, or any other known and/or convenient material.
At either one or both ends of a cam 112 , which, in some embodiments can be substantially rounded, but in other embodiments can be any other known and/or convenient geometry, protrusions 134 can extend perpendicularly from the lateral faces of a cam 112 . In some embodiments, protrusions 134 can extend from the lateral faces of a cam 112 at substantially one end of a cam 112 . However, in other embodiments, such protrusions can be present at both ends of a cam 112 . Although shown in FIG. 1 b as substantially cylindrical, in other embodiments, protrusions 134 can have any other known and/or convenient geometry. At least one end of a cam 112 can have holes 136 oriented transversely, and said holes 136 can be substantially concentric with protrusions 134 or in oriented in any other known and/or convenient geometry. In some embodiments, holes 136 can be configured to accommodate an expansion pin 116 of any known and/or convenient geometry.
As shown in FIG. 1 c , in some embodiments a capstan assembly 138 can be substantially cylindrical, but in other embodiments can be any other known and/or convenient geometry. In some embodiments, a capstan assembly 138 can be divided into at least two parts along a longitudinal plane located substantially three-fourths along a cross-section, or any other known and/or convenient location, to produce two complementary pieces. In other embodiments, two parts of a capstan assembly 138 can be integrated. In such embodiments, a cut of a substantially linear or any other known and/or convenient geometry can partially separate two parts of a capstan assembly 138 . In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 c , each part can have at least one substantially flat surface, but in other embodiments can have at least one surface that can be curved or any other known and/or convenient geometry. In such embodiments, a plurality of holes 142 can be oriented perpendicularly to a substantially flat surface of a larger piece 140 . A smaller piece 144 can have a plurality of pins 146 extending substantially perpendicularly from a flat surface of a smaller piece 144 that can selectively engage with a plurality of holes 142 in a larger piece 140 . In other embodiments, holes 142 can be located on a substantially flat surface of a smaller piece 144 and pins 146 can extend substantially perpendicularly from a substantially flat surface of a larger piece 140 . As shown in FIG. 1 c , a capstan assembly 138 can have three pairs of substantially parallel pins 146 and three pairs of corresponding holes 142 aligned on either side of the longitudinal axis of a capstan assembly 138 . In some embodiments, a capstan assembly 138 can be made from metal, alloy, polymer, composite, polyoxymethylene, glass-filled polyoxymethylene, or any other known and/or convenient material.
As shown in the embodiment in FIG. 1 c , a larger piece 140 of a capstan assembly 138 can have a substantially cylindrical hole 148 oriented substantially along the central longitudinal axis of a capstan assembly 138 . In some embodiments, a substantially cylindrical hole 148 can have at least one substantially flat side to selectively couple with a potentiometer shaft. In some embodiments, a capstan assembly 138 can have a radius having any known and/or convenient ratio to the radius of curvature of a cam face 124 to produce a desired range of rotation of a capstan assembly 138 . In some embodiments, this range of rotation of a capstan assembly 138 can be approximately 210 degrees, but in other embodiments, can be any other known and/or convenient quantity.
As shown in FIG. 1 , a strap 152 can connect a capstan assembly 138 to a cam 112 such that when a cam 112 is moved perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of a capstan assembly 138 , a capstan assembly 138 can rotate about its longitudinal axis. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 d , a strap 152 can have one end that can be divided into a pair of substantially parallel extensions 154 that can each have a length less than one half of the total length of a strap 152 and can each have a width approximately one third of the total width of a strap 152 or any other known and/or convenient dimensions. A pair of substantially parallel extensions 154 can be separated by a distance of approximately one third of the total width of a strap 152 or any other known and/or convenient dimension and or elastomeric relation. The other end of a strap 152 can have an extension 156 that can have a length less than one half of the total length of a strap 152 and can have a width approximately one third of the total width of a strap 152 or any other known and/or convenient dimensions and or geometric relations. As shown in FIG. 1 d , an extension 156 can be located substantially along the longitudinal midline of a strap 152 or at any other known and/or convenient location.
Extensions 154 and 156 can have at least one hole 158 located substantially at the end of each extension or at any other known and/or convenient location. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1 d , pairs of holes 158 can be located at each end of extensions 154 and 156 . The spacing of each pair of holes 158 can correspond to the configuration of pins 146 and their corresponding holes 142 in a capstan assembly 138 such that a strap 152 can be attached to a capstan assembly 138 . Another hole 160 can be positioned at substantially the center of a strap 152 . In some embodiments, this hole 160 can be dimensioned to accommodate a tensioning screw 166 , or can have any other known and/or convenient dimensions. In some embodiments, a strap 152 can be made from stainless steel, other metal, alloy, polymer, or any other known and/or convenient flexible, durable, thermally-stable, corrosion-resistant material.
As shown in the embodiment in FIG. 1 , a strap bracket 162 can secure a strap 152 to the back surface 128 of a cam 112 . As shown in FIG. 1 e , in some embodiments, a strap bracket 162 can have a substantially quadrilateral planar geometry, but in other embodiments can have any other known and/or convenient geometry. In some embodiments, a strap bracket 162 can have substantially curved ends 164 that can have a geometry corresponding to indentations 130 in the back surface 128 of a cam 112 . In such embodiments, a strap bracket 162 can selectively couple with the back surface 128 of a cam 112 and can be adjustably attached with a tensioning screw 166 . As shown in FIG. 1 e , a strap bracket 162 can have a hole 168 located substantially through the center of a strap bracket 162 , and in some embodiments, a hole 168 can be tapped to engage a screw or any other known and/or convenient fastener. In other embodiments, curved ends 164 can have any other known and/or convenient geometry. In some embodiments, a strap bracket 162 can be made from metal, alloy, polymer, composite, polyoxymethylene, glass-filled polyoxymethylene, or any other known and/or convenient material.
FIG. 2 depicts a perspective view of the configuration of a strap 152 as it can be wrapped around a capstan assembly 138 and a cam 112 . For clarity, a capstan assembly 138 has been cut away to show how a strap 152 can be wrapped around it. When assembled, a capstan assembly 138 can be positioned proximal to a cam face 124 . A strap 152 can be oriented substantially perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of a capstan assembly 138 such that the ends of parallel extensions 154 can be proximal to a capstan assembly 138 and a strap 152 extends away from a cam 112 . Holes 158 can align with the outer pairs of pins 146 and holes 142 on a capstan assembly 138 such that the ends of parallel extensions 154 can be held in place. Two complementary parts 140 , 144 of a capstan assembly 138 can be joined together with the ends of parallel extensions 154 held between them. Extensions 154 can be wrapped “back” around the outer surface of a capstan assembly 138 such that extensions 154 can be situated between a capstan assembly 138 and a cam face 124 . Extensions 154 can travel along a cam face 124 , around one end of a cam 112 , and wrap around to a back surface 128 such that a central portion of a strap 152 can be positioned on a back surface 128 of a cam 112 . Substantially near the opposite end of a cam 112 , extension 156 can wrap around a cam 112 to a cam face 124 such that an extension 156 can be situated between a cam face 124 and a capstan assembly 138 . An extension 156 can wrap around the outer surface of a capstan assembly 138 , opposite extensions 154 , such that the holes 158 at the terminal end of an extension 156 can align with an inner pair of pins 146 and holes 142 on a capstan assembly 138 such that the end of parallel extension 156 can be held in place.
In some embodiments, a strap 152 can be wrapped in opposite directions, or in any other known and/or convenient configuration, so that when a strap 152 is pulled taut, it secures a cam 112 to a capstan assembly 138 . As shown in FIG. 1 , a strap bracket 162 can be aligned with indentations 130 in the back surface 128 of a cam 112 with a strap 152 positioned between a strap bracket 162 and a back surface 128 of a cam 112 . A tensioning screw 166 can be adjusted to push a strap bracket 162 against the back surface 128 of a cam 112 , such that curved ends 164 of strap bracket 162 can push a strap 152 into indentations 130 to tension a strap 152 .
A strap 152 can be wrapped around a cam 112 and a capstan assembly 138 such that when a cam 112 is moved perpendicularly to the longitudinal axis of a capstan assembly 138 , a capstan assembly 138 can rotate about its longitudinal axis.
FIG. 3 depicts a front view of the exterior of one embodiment of the present device, showing a pedal 104 and a base 106 . FIG. 4 depicts a top view of the exterior of one embodiment of the present device. FIG. 5 depicts a perspective view of the exterior of one embodiment of the present device.
In use, a user applies a force, usually via a foot, to a pedal 104 , thereby rotating a pedal 104 about a fulcrum 108 . This motion can be translated to a motion of a cam 112 . As a cam 112 moves, a strap 152 can wind onto a cam 112 , while unwinding the same length of a strap 152 from a capstan assembly 138 . This can maintain equilibrium in the length of a strap 152 around a cam 112 . In some embodiments, the radius of a cam face 124 can be calculated to be the distance from a fulcrum point 108 of a pedal device 102 , so that the cam face 124 can remain tangent to the surface of a capstan assembly 138 . In such embodiments, the amount of capstan assembly 138 rotation can be less than 210 degrees, but in other embodiments can be any other known and/or convenient amount of rotation. Further, in such embodiments there can be a fixed first-order relationship between the number of degrees of pedal 104 movement about a fulcrum point 108 and the eventual rotation of a potentiometer shaft.
As a result, a potentiometer can be adjusted smoothly and quietly with a direct relationship between the pedal 104 movement and potentiometer adjustment. Further, no side loading is required to maintain control, which decreased wear on a potentiometer. The force required to change a cam's 112 position need only be applied to one end of a cam 112 .
Although the method has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, it is evident that many alternatives, modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the method as described and hereinafter claimed is intended to embrace all such alternatives, modifications and variations that fall within the spirit and broad scope of the appended claims.
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A strap-drive system that provides smooth, reliable potentiometer adjustment, particularly in devices used in conjunction with musical instruments.
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[0001] This invention relates to a process and an apparatus for the selective removal of sulfur-containing components, in particular in the form of mercaptans, from feed gas streams containing 50 to 90 vol-% hydrocarbons, which are obtained periodically and in a fluctuating amount and/or fluctuating concentration of sulfur-containing components, from which the sulfur-containing components are absorbed by a countercurrently guided physical washing agent at a pressure of 5 to 80 bar abs , preferably 30 to 50 bar abs , and at a temperature of 0 to 60° C., preferably 20 to 50° C., the clean gas containing the hydrocarbons is discharged for further usage, the physical washing agent loaded with the sulfur-containing components is regenerated, the sulfur-containing components contained in the waste gases obtained during regeneration are converted to sulfur in a downstream stage corresponding to the CLAUS reaction, and the regenerated physical washing agent is recirculated to the absorption.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] It is known that the so-called Purisol® process is used for the selective removal of sulfur-containing components from feed gas streams containing hydrocarbons. In an absorption stage, the sulfur-containing components are absorbed by a physical washing agent, in particular N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), at a pressure of 5 to 80 bar abs and a temperature of 0 to 60° C., and the washing agent loaded with the sulfur-containing components is regenerated by expansion, if necessary also by heating. The waste gases formed thereby, which contain the expelled sulfur-containing components, subsequently are converted to elementary sulfur in a CLAUS plant corresponding to the CLAUS reaction. The regenerated physical washing agent is again charged to the absorption. The disadvantage of physical washing as effected so far and of the related differently designed Purisol® process consists in that a conversion of the sulfur-containing components contained in the waste gas of the regeneration to elementary sulfur in a CLAUS plant is not possible when the feed gas stream is obtained cyclically, i.e. when between the inflow of the feed gas stream and the regeneration thereof a periodically recurring time shift occurs, which possibly can involve a fluctuation of the amount of feed gas and/or a fluctuation of the concentration of the sulfur-containing components.
[0003] Periodically obtained feed gas streams, which possibly are subject to fluctuations according to the amount and/or concentration of the sulfur-containing components, can disadvantageously not be processed in a CLAUS plant, but can only be burnt in a flare.
[0004] It is the object of the present invention to design the process described above such that a substantially uniform inflow of the physical washing agent substantially uniformly loaded with sulfur-containing components to the regeneration and hence a uniform outflow of the regeneration waste gases containing the sulfur-containing components to a CLAUS plant is ensured.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] This object is solved in that the washing agent loaded with sulfur-containing components is stored temporarily prior to regeneration, in order to achieve compensation in time, amount and/or concentration between the inflow of the periodically obtained feed gas streams and the regeneration of the washing agent loaded with sulfur-containing components. A uniform inflow of the washing agent uniformly loaded with sulfur-containing components to the regeneration provides for a continuous conversion of the sulfur-containing components contained in the regeneration waste gas to sulfur in a downstream CLAUS plant, as the amount and concentration of the sulfur-containing components in the top product of the regenerator remain the same.
[0006] Typically, the absorption of the sulfur-containing components is effected by means of a physical washing agent at a pressure of 15 to 50 bar abs , in particular 15 to 35 bar abs .
[0007] Depending on the cycle of the feed gas stream obtained, the washing agent loaded with mercaptans is temporarily stored for a period of 3 to 12 h, preferably 5 to 8 h.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0008] FIG. 1 is a process flow diagram of the process of the invention
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0009] A preferred aspect of the process of the invention consists in that in addition the physical washing agent recirculated from the regeneration to the absorption is also stored temporarily. By means of this measure, the circulated amount of physical washing agent can easily be adapted automatically, for instance by cascade flow control, to the alternating amounts of feed gas introduced into the absorber as well as to the concentrations of sulfur-containing components, with the result that the co-absorption under partial load is reduced distinctly and accordingly less hydrocarbons can reach the regeneration together with the loaded washing agent. Another advantage consists in that the amount of regenerated and temporarily stored physical washing agent can be reduced to a hydraulic minimum, when for instance the feed gas stream does not contain any mercaptans. It is furthermore advantageous that the hold-up tank need not be designed for the pressure existing in the absorber, but only to the minimum design pressure. A particular benefit can be seen in that the storage volume of the hold-up tank for the loaded physical washing agent, which is disposed behind the absorber, is reduced considerably, as the circulated amount of physical washing agent can be adapted to the amount of feed gas. This means that the hold-up tank disposed directly behind the absorber and directly before the absorber, respectively, can be reduced in size by up to 37% depending on the cycle of the feed gas stream obtained. About one third of the savings achieved thereby must be used for installing the hold-up tank mounted directly before the absorption. Since the amount of circulated physical washing agent is comparatively lower on average, the volumes of the apparatuses and devices, such as the regenerator, the heat exchangers, the pumps and the receivers thereof, which in a plant for performing the process are provided downstream of the absorption stage, can be designed smaller by up to 37% depending on the cycle time of the feed gas stream obtained.
[0010] The temporary storage of the regenerated physical washing agent before charging the same to the absorption is effected at a pressure of 0 to 20 bar abs , preferably 1 to 10 bar abs , for a period of 3 to 12 h, preferably 5 to 8 h.
[0011] Useful physical washing agents include in particular N-methylpyrrolidone (NMP), N-formylmorphilane (NFM) and polyglycols.
[0012] The apparatus for performing the process of the invention consists of an absorber for expelling a rich gas and for selectively removing sulfur-containing components from a feed stream obtained cyclically and in a fluctuating amount and/or fluctuating concentration of the sulfur-containing components by means of a countercurrently guided washing agent, and of a regenerator connected with the bottom of the absorber containing the loaded washing agent via a heat exchanger for expelling the sulfur-containing components dischargeable into a CLAUS plant and for recovering the washing agent, the bottom of the regenerator being connected with the upper portion of an absorber via a heat exchanger and a hold-up tank being disposed between the bottom of the absorber and downstream before the heat exchanger.
[0013] One embodiment of the apparatus described above is a hold-up tank mounted at the connection between the bottom of the regenerator and downstream of the heat exchanger.
[0014] The use of the process in accordance with the invention is considered in particular for the selective removal of sulfur-containing components, preferably mercaptans, from gas streams obtained cyclically and in fluctuating amounts and/or fluctuating concentrations of the sulfur-containing components during the removal of CO 2 and H 2 S from natural gas by means of a molecular sieve, the cycle being determined by the regeneration time of the molecular sieve.
[0015] The invention will subsequently be explained in detail by means of two embodiments and with reference to a process flow diagram shown in FIG. 1 .
1 st EMBODIMENT
[0016] During the desulfurization of natural gas by using a molecular sieve, a regeneration gas stream of 37,192 Nm 3 /h is obtained, which contains 64.5% CH 4 , 34.2% N 2 , 0.2% C 2 to C 8 hydrocarbons, 0.64% mercaptans, traces of COS and H 2 S, rest water, and which via conduit ( 1 ) is introduced into the lower part of an absorber tray column ( 2 ), in which the regeneration gas stream is washed countercurrently at a pressure of 24.9 bar abs and a temperature of 45° C. by means of NMP charged into the upper part of the absorber tray column ( 2 ) via conduit ( 3 ). From the top of the absorber tray column ( 2 ), a clean gas stream of 36,648 Nm 3 /h, containing 64.8% CH 4 , 34.6% N 2 , 0.17% C 2 to C 8 hydrocarbons, 9 ppm mercaptans, 6 ppm COS, 3 ppm H 2 S, rest water, is discharged through conduit ( 4 ) for further usage. From the bottom of the absorber tray column ( 2 ),a liquid stream loaded with mercaptans of 89,582 kg/h, which contains 72.6% NMP, 25.4% water, 0.92% mercaptans, 0.9% CH 4 and 0.12% N 2 , is withdrawn via conduit ( 5 ) at a pressure of 25 bar abs and a temperature of 48° C. and introduced into a hold-up tank ( 6 ), in which a pressure compensation with the absorber tray column ( 2 ) is effected via conduit ( 7 ). Via conduit ( 8 ), a liquid stream is charged continuously by means of a pump ( 9 ) via a heat exchanger ( 10 ) and then via conduit ( 11 ) to a regenerator tray column ( 12 ). By means of the pump ( 9 ) and the heat exchanger ( 10 ), the pressure of the liquid stream is increased to 29 bar abs and the temperature is raised to 150° C. From the bottom of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ), a liquid stream of 88,388 kg/h, which consists of 75.1% NMP and 24.9% H 2 O, is discharged via conduit ( 13 ) and delivered via the pump ( 14 ) through the heat exchanger ( 10 ), via the conduit ( 15 ), the heat exchanger ( 16 ), the conduit ( 17 ) and the conduit ( 3 ) into the upper portion of the absorber tray column ( 2 ). As a result of the heat exchange, the temperature of the liquid stream is decreased to 45 ° C. At the top of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ), a waste gas stream of 664 Nm 3 /h, which contains 36% CH 4 , 54% mercaptans, 4.3% water, 4.5% N 2 and 1.2% hydrocarbons, is discharged and delivered to a CLAUS plant via conduit ( 18 ). At the top of the absorber tray column ( 2 ), 252 kg/h of washing water are charged via conduit ( 19 ), and a partial stream removed therefrom is charged to the top of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ) via conduit ( 20 ).
2 nd EMBODIMENT
[0017] A regeneration gas stream of 37,192 Nm 3 /h produced during the desulfurization of natural gas by means of a molecular sieve contains 64.5% CH 4 , 34.1% N 2 , 0.2% C 2 to C 8 hydrocarbons, 0.64% mercaptans, traces of H 2 S and COS, rest water, and is supplied to the lower part of the absorber tray column ( 2 ) via conduit ( 1 ). In the absorber tray column ( 2 ), the regeneration gas stream is washed countercurrently with NMP charged via conduit ( 3 ) at a pressure of 25 bar abs and a temperature of 45° C. From the top of the absorber tray column ( 2 ), 36,785 Nm 3 /h of clean gas, composed of 64.9% CH 4 , 34.5% N 2 , 0.2% C 2 to C 8 hydrocarbons, 166 ppm mercaptans, 4 ppm H 2 S, 7 ppm COS, rest water, is removed via conduit ( 4 ) and discharged for further usage. The liquid stream of 48,425 kg/h loaded with mercaptans, which is withdrawn from the bottom of the absorber tray column ( 2 ), contains 71.3% NMP, 26% water, 0.92% CH 4 , 0.12% N 2 and flows into the hold-up tank ( 6 ) via conduit ( 5 ), in which tank a pressure of 25 bar abs and a temperature of 50° C. exist. As pressure compensation with the absorber tray column ( 2 ) is effected from the hold-up tank ( 6 ) via conduit ( 7 ), approximately the same pressure and temperature conditions as in the absorber tray column ( 2 ) are ensured in the hold-up tank ( 6 ). Via the conduit ( 8 ), the pump ( 9 ), the heat exchanger ( 10 ) and the conduit ( 11 ), the liquid stream, whose pressure and temperature are increased to 29 bar abs and 150° C., respectively, by the pump ( 9 ) and the heat exchanger ( 10 ), respectively, is supplied continuously from the hold-up tank ( 6 ) to the middle portion of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ). Via conduit ( 13 ) and the pump ( 14 ), a liquid stream of 47,352 kg/h, containing 75.1% NMP and 24.9% water, is withdrawn from the bottom of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ), passed through the heat exchanger ( 10 ), then via conduit ( 15 ) through the heat exchanger ( 16 ) by decreasing the temperature to 45° C., and is then charged via conduit ( 17 )—indicated by a broken line—to another hold-up tank ( 20 ) and from the same fed via conduit ( 22 ) into conduit ( 3 ) by means of the pump ( 21 ). Via conduit ( 3 ), regenerated liquid containing NMP is sprayed into the upper part of the absorber tray column ( 2 ). At the top of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ), a waste gas stream of 431 Nm 3 /h, containing 30% CH 4 , 61% mercaptans, 4% water, 3.9% N 2 and 1% C 2 to C 4 hydrocarbons, is withdrawn via conduit ( 18 ) and supplied to a CLAUS plant. At the top of the absorber tray column ( 2 ) 252 kg/h of water are supplied via conduit ( 19 ), part of the water being branched off and charged to the top of the regenerator tray column ( 12 ) via conduit ( 20 ).
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From a gas stream, which in a process for the selective removal of sulfur-containing components is obtained periodically and in fluctuating amounts and/or with fluctuating concentrations of sulfur-containing components, the sulfur-containing components are absorbed by means of a washing agent, the washing agent loaded with the sulfur-containing components subsequently is regenerated, the sulfur-containing components separated during the regeneration are converted to sulfur, and the regenerated washing agent is recirculated to the absorption. To achieve an inflow of the washing agent loaded with sulfur-containing components to the regeneration, which is uniform in terms of time, amount and/or concentration of the sulfur-containing components, it is provided to temporarily store the loaded washing agent upon absorption.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a carburetor, especially for the internal combustion engine in a motor-driven implement.
[0002] U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,991 discloses a two-cycle engine having a partition formed in the intake channel thereof. The partition divides the intake channel into an air channel that conveys substantially fuel-free air, as well as into a mixture channel that conveys fuel/air mixture. In the carburetor, a butterfly valve is disposed in the partition. Due to the common butterfly valve, the air channel and the mixture channel are opened or closed together. When the two-cycle engine is started, a sufficient supply of fuel is necessary. In contrast, the amount of fuel-free air that is supplied should be relatively low. In order with a two-cycle engine according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,101,991 to achieve an adequate supply of fuel during the starting process or in the lower partial load range and during acceleration, the carburetor must be appropriately adjusted. This means that even in the full throttle range a correspondingly large amount of fuel is supplied. Consequently, the exhaust gas values of such an engine are impaired.
[0003] It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a carburetor, especially for the internal combustion engine in a motor-driven implement, that enables a control of the fuel and air supply that is adapted to the operating range or condition of the engine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] This object, and other objects and advantages of the present invention, will appear more clearly from the following specification in conjunction with the accompanying schematic drawings, in which:
[0005] [0005]FIG. 1 shows a two-cycle engine having one exemplary embodiment of an inventive single-flow carburetor;
[0006] [0006]FIG. 2. is a side view of a carburetor taken in the direction of the arrow II in FIG. 1;
[0007] [0007]FIG. 3 shows the carburetor of FIG. 2 with the butterfly valve in the open position;
[0008] [0008]FIG. 4. is a view of the carburetor taken in the direction of the arrow IV in FIG. 2;
[0009] [0009]FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the carburetor taken along the line V-V in FIG. 2.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] The carburetor of the present invention includes an intake channel formed in the carburetor, wherein at least one partition is disposed in the intake channel, extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis thereof, and divides the intake channel into at least one air channel and at least one mixture channel, wherein at least one fuel nozzle opens out into the mixture channel, wherein a butterfly valve is pivotably mounted in the intake channel, and wherein the butterfly valve is provided with at least two sections that are moveable relative to one another.
[0011] Forming the butterfly valve with at least two sections that are moveable relative to one another makes it possible to already open a channel formed in the intake channel, while another channel remains closed. Especially during start-up, in the lower partial throttle range, and during acceleration, it is thereby possible to control the supply of air in such a way that the supply of fuel/air mixture is increased and the mixture thus become richer.
[0012] In particular, it is provided that one section of the butterfly valve form an air valve section that in the closing position substantially closes at least one air channel, and that the other section of the butterfly valve form a mixture valve section that in the closing position, in other words in the idling position, substantially closes at least one mixture channel. Thus, for idling the mixture channel can already be slightly opened, while the air valve section still substantially closes off the air channel. This prevents the underpressure in the mixture channel, which brings about the fuel supply, from being reduced by in-flowing air and thereby reducing the supply of fuel. The carburetor can be set lean, so that good exhaust gas values result in the full throttle range. A good starting condition results if the sections, starting from the closing position of the butterfly valve, are moveable relative to one another by about 5 to 25°, especially by 10 to 20°.
[0013] A favorable structural embodiment results if one section is fixedly connected with a shaft, and another section is fixedly connected with a hollow shaft, whereby at least a portion of the length of the first shaft is surrounded by the hollow shaft. This results in a space-saving arrangement. As a consequence, it is also possible to centrally mount both of the valve sections. One section is advantageously connected with a cross member that is disposed on the hollow shaft. The hollow shaft thus does not extend over the entire width of the intake channel. Furthermore, the hollow shaft thereby does not obstruct the relative movement of the valve sections. At the same time, sufficient installation space is provided for fixing the section on the shaft, for example via a screw.
[0014] The air valve section is advantageously spring-loaded in the direction toward its closing position. This spring ensures that the air valve section substantially closes off the air channel while the mixture valve section is already opening. Due to the spring-loading, the relative position of the sections to one another can be maintained up to complete opening of the butterfly valve. Thus, in the opening position the air valve section is not completely open, but rather is opened by an angle that corresponds to the rotational moveability of these sections relative to one another and remains inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the intake channel. A first end of the spring is expediently fixed in position on the carburetor housing, and a second end of the spring is fixed in position on an air valve shaft that is fixedly connected with the air valve section. To fix the rotational moveability, it is provided that an engagement member is connected with an air valve shaft, with a further engagement member, which is connected with a butterfly valve shaft, being associated with the first engagement member, whereby the air valve shaft is fixedly connected with the air valve section, and the butterfly valve shaft is fixedly connected with the mixture valve section. In the closing position of the air valve section and the mixture valve section of the butterfly valve, the two engagement members have an angular spacing from one another in the circumferential direction that corresponds to the maximum rotational moveability of the butterfly valve sections relative to one another. When the mixture valve section opens, the angular spacing of the engagement members is reduced in conformity with the opening angle of the mixture valve section. When the maximum rotational moveability is reached, the engagement members rest against one another so that upon a further opening movement of the mixture valve section, the air valve section is correspondingly also opened.
[0015] The air valve shaft and the butterfly valve shaft advantageously extend at least from the intake channel to the outer side of the carburetor housing. The engagement members can thus be disposed on the outer side of the housing. However, it is also possible to provide the engagement members on the butterfly valve shaft and the air valve shaft in the interior of the intake channel or in the interior of the housing. A disk is expediently fixedly connected with the butterfly valve shaft on the outer side of the housing, whereby the engagement member is disposed on the disk. In particular, the air valve shaft extends from the disk that is connected with the butterfly valve shaft into the intake channel. An easy to manufacture embodiment of the engagement members results if a disk is fixedly disposed on the air valve shaft, and the engagement member is disposed on this disk. The engagement members are, in this connection, advantageously embodied as dogs or pawls that, on the disks that are disposed next to one another, come into engagement with one another.
[0016] Further specific features of the present invention will be described in detail subsequently.
DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0017] Referring now to the drawings in detail, the two-cycle engine 1 schematically illustrated in FIG. 1 is, in particular, disposed in a manually-guided implement, such as a power chain saw, a cut-off machine, or the like. The two-cycle engine 1 has a cylinder 2 in which is formed a combustion chamber 3 . The combustion chamber 3 is delimited by a reciprocating piston 5 that, via a connecting rod 6 , drives a crankshaft 7 that is rotatably mounted in a crankcase 4 . The two-cycle engine 1 has an inlet 20 for fuel/air mixture into the crankcase 4 , as well as an outlet 10 for the withdrawal of exhaust gases from the combustion chamber 3 . In prescribed positions of the piston 5 , the crankcase 4 is connected with the combustion chamber 3 via two symmetrically arranged transfer channels 12 that are remote from the outlet 10 , as well as two symmetrically arranged transfer channels 15 that are near the outlet 10 . The transfer channels 12 and 15 open into the combustion chamber 3 via transfer windows 13 and 16 respectively. Other arrangements of the transfer channels, as well as a different number of transfer channels, can also be expedient. Disposed in the piston 5 are two symmetrically formed piston windows 14 that in prescribed positions of the piston, especially in the region of the upper dead center position, fluidically connect an air channel 8 , which conveys substantially fuel-free air and opens into the cylinder 2 via an air channel window 9 , with the transfer windows 13 and 16 of the transfer channels 12 and 15 .
[0018] During operation of the two-cycle engine 1 , in the region of the upper dead center position of the piston 5 , fuel/air mixture is supplied to the crankcase 4 from the mixture channel 21 via the inlet 20 . At the same time, substantially fuel-free air is supplied to the transfer channels 12 and 15 via the piston window 14 . The supply of fuel/air mixture and substantially fuel-free air can also be effected in a time-delayed manner. The fuel/air mixture is compressed in the crankcase 4 during the downward stroke of the piston 5 . In the region of the upper dead center position of the piston 5 , the transfer windows 13 and 16 open to the combustion chamber 3 . First, substantially fuel-free air flows out of the transfer channels 12 and 15 , and subsequently fuel/air mixture flows out of the crankcase 4 into the combustion chamber 3 . The substantially fuel-free air displaces the exhaust gases that are still in the combustion chamber 3 through the outlet 10 . During the upward stroke of the piston 5 , the fuel/air mixture in the combustion chamber 3 is compressed, and is ignited in the region of the upper dead center position of the piston 5 by the spark plug 11 . Due to the combustion, the piston 5 is forced in the direction toward the lower dead center position. The exhaust gases in the combustion chamber 3 flow through the outlet 10 as soon as this outlet is released by the piston 5 . The exhaust gases that still remain in the combustion chamber 3 are displaced toward the outlet 10 by the substantially fuel-free air that flows in through the transfer channels, as well as by the subsequently flowing-in fuel/air mixture.
[0019] For the preparation of the fuel/air mixture, a carburetor 25 is provided that in particular is embodied as a diaphragm carburetor. Formed in the carburetor 25 is an intake channel 22 . In the carburetor 25 , a rotatably mounted butterfly valve 26 is disposed in the region of the idling nozzles 27 . A venturi section 45 is formed in the intake channel 22 upstream of the butterfly valve 26 . In the region of the venturi section 45 , a main nozzle 28 is provided for the supply of fuel into the intake channel 22 . A partition 31 is disposed in the intake channel 22 and extends in the direction of the longitudinal axis 24 of the intake channel. This partition 31 expediently extends over the entire length of the carburetor 25 . The partition 31 divides the intake channel 22 into the air channel 8 and the mixture channel 21 . The air channel 8 and the mixture channel 21 are also separately embodied downstream of the carburetor 25 up to the two-cycle engine. The idling nozzles 27 , as well as the main nozzle 28 , open out into the mixture channel 21 , whereas substantially fuel-free air is supplied to the air channel 8 .
[0020] In the region of the butterfly valve 26 , the partition 31 has a connection opening 32 , the cross-sectional area of which in particular corresponds approximately to the cross-section area of the butterfly valve 26 . The butterfly valve 26 has two sections that are moveable relative to one another, namely an air valve section 29 and a mixture valve section 30 . In the closing position, the mixture valve section 30 closes off the mixture channel 21 in a substantially airtight manner, while the air valve section 29 is disposed in the region of the air channel 8 and in the closing position substantially closes off the air channel in an airtight manner. When the butterfly valve 26 is not completely opened, the air channel 8 is connected with the mixture channel 21 via the connection opening 32 . Thus, a portion of the fuel can flow through the connection opening 32 into the air channel 8 . In the full throttle range, the mixture valve section 30 rests against an abutment surface 50 formed on the partition 31 . In the full throttle range, the abutment surface 50 expediently adjoins the mixture valve section 30 in a sealing manner.
[0021] Due to the relative moveability of the butterfly valve sections relative to one another, in the full throttle range the air valve section 29 can be inclined relative to the longitudinal axis 24 of the intake channel 22 . In this range, the partition 31 can be embodied in such a way that also in the region of the air valve section 29 , the air channel 8 and the mixture channel 21 are fluidically separated from one another. In so doing, a storage of air is achieved in the transfer channels 12 and 15 with substantially fuel-free air, so that the fuel portion that escapes through the outlet 10 is low. However, a gap can also remain between the partition 31 and the air valve section 29 .
[0022] Disposed upstream of the carburetor 25 is an air filter 17 , which has a dirty chamber 19 and a clean chamber 23 that is separated from the clean 19 chamber by filter material 18 . The intake channel 22 opens out at the clean chamber 23 of the air filter 17 . This prevents dirt particles from being conveyed to the internal combustion engine 1 . The partition 31 can advantageously extend into the air filter 17 up to the filter material 18 .
[0023] In FIG. 2, the carburetor 25 is illustrated in a side view. The carburetor 25 is provided with a carburetor housing 33 , in which the intake channel 22 is formed. The carburetor housing 33 has two mounting openings 34 via which the carburetor 25 can, for example, be fixed in position on the air filter 17 . In FIG. 2, the butterfly valve 26 , which includes the air valve section 29 and the mixture valve section 30 , is illustrated in the closed position, i.e. in the idling position. In this connection, the idling is established only by an adjustment, in other words by a slight opening, of the mixture valve section 30 . The air valve section 29 thus substantially closes the air channel 8 , while the mixture valve section 30 substantially closes the mixture channel 21 , in other words in conformity with the idling position. The mixture valve section 30 is fixed via a screw 37 on a throttle or butterfly valve shaft 35 that extends through the carburetor housing 33 . The air valve section 29 is fixed on a cross member 44 that extends in the intake channel 22 in the direction of the longitudinal axis 51 of the butterfly valve shaft 35 . The cross member 44 is fixedly connected with a hollow shaft 38 . In particular, the cross member 44 is monolithically formed with the hollow shaft 38 as a portion thereof. The hollow shaft 38 extends from the intake channel 22 up to the outer side of the carburetor housing 33 . The hollow shaft 38 is disposed concentrically relative to the butterfly valve 35 and surrounds the same. The butterfly valve shaft 35 is thus mounted on one side of the intake channel 22 in the hollow shaft 38 , and on the opposite side in a bearing means 36 formed in the housing 33 . In this connection, the bearing means 36 is in particular embodied as a bore in the housing 33 . The hollow shaft 38 is similarly mounted in a bearing means 36 that is embodied as a bore in the housing 33 .
[0024] The air valve section 29 is spring-loaded in a closing direction. For this purpose, a helical spring 39 is provided, a first end 46 of which is fixed in position on a pin 40 that extends into the carburetor housing 33 . The helical spring 39 is disposed coaxially relative to the longitudinal axis 51 of the butterfly valve shaft 35 . The second end 47 of the helical spring 39 is fixedly connected with the hollow shaft 38 . For this purpose, a disk 41 is disposed on that end of the hollow shaft 38 that extends out of the housing 33 ; the second end 47 of the helical spring 39 is fixed in position on a finger 52 of the disk 41 . Disposed on that side of the disk 41 that faces away from the housing 33 is a further disk 42 that is fixedly connected with the butterfly valve shaft 35 . The disks 41 , 42 can, for example, be axially fixed by a screw 53 .
[0025] In FIG. 3, the butterfly valve 26 is illustrated in the open position. In this connection, the air valve section 29 is shown in the plane of the partition 31 . However, the air valve section 29 could also be inclined relative to this plane. The air valve section 29 is fixed in position on the cross member 44 that is connected with the hollow shaft 38 . Formed in the intake channel 22 is the venturi section 45 , in the region of which the main nozzle 28 opens into the mixture channel 21 . In the air channel 8 , the venturi section 45 has a less pronounced configuration.
[0026] The air valve section 29 and the mixture valve section 30 are coupled with one another via engagement members 48 , 49 . As illustrated in FIG. 4, one engagement member 48 is disposed on the disk 42 that is fixedly connected with the butterfly valve shaft 35 . The other engagement member 49 is disposed on the disk 41 that is fixedly connected with the hollow shaft 38 . In the closing position of the butterfly valve 26 , the engagement members 48 , 49 have an angular spacing δ relative to one another. This angular spacing is from 5 to 25°, especially from 10 to 20°. An angular spacing δ of about 15° is seen as being advantageous. In the closing position of the butterfly valve 26 , the engagement member 48 rests against an abutment 54 that is advantageously formed on the disk 41 . If the mixture valve section 30 opens, the engagement member 48 moves in a direction toward the engagement member 49 . As soon as the mixture valve section 30 has moved by the maximum rotational moveability α, the engagement member 48 rests against the engagement member 49 . Upon further opening of the mixture valve section 30 , the air valve section 29 is taken along by the engagement members 48 , 49 , so that the air valve section 29 also opens. With a significant underpressure in the air channel 8 , the air valve section 29 can open against the force of the spring 39 until the engagement member 48 comes to rest against the abutment 54 . Thus, too great of an enrichment of the fuel/air mixture due to the underpressure can be prevented.
[0027] [0027]FIG. 5 makes clear the angular positions of the air valve section 29 and of the mixture valve section 30 . The mixture valve section 30 can move about an opening angle γ up to the completely open position. The opening angle γ is advantageously approximately 75°. Until the mixture valve section 30 has opened about the rotational movement α, the air valve section 29 remains closed. Only thereafter is the air valve section 29 opened. The air valve section 29 thus has an opening angle β that corresponds to the difference of the opening angle γ of the mixture valve section 30 and the maximum rotational movement α. In the opening position, the air valve section 29 is thus inclined by the maximum rotational movement α relative to the longitudinal axis 24 of the intake channel 22 . In this inclined position, however, the air valve section 29 is disposed in the shadow of the butterfly valve shaft 35 , thus avoiding an influencing of the flow in the intake channel 22 . The air valve section 29 can, however, also be disposed in the plane of the partition 31 .
[0028] For assembly, a slot 43 is provided in the carburetor housing 33 through which can be inserted first the mixture valve section 30 with the fixed butterfly valve shaft 35 and subsequently the air valve section 29 with the hollow shaft 38 fixed thereon. An assembly through the intake channel 22 is not readily possible due to the partition 31 .
[0029] [0029]FIG. 4 clearly shows the arrangement of the helical spring 39 having the second end 47 on the finger 52 as well as the first end 46 on the pin 40 . FIG. 5 illustrates the arrangement of the cross member 44 on the periphery of the butterfly valve shaft 35 ,
[0030] It can be expedient to provide further partitions for dividing the intake channel 22 into a number of sections. It can also be expedient to divide the butterfly valve 26 into a plurality of sections. It can furthermore be advantageous to fixedly connect the mixture valve section with a hollow shaft, and to fixedly connect the air valve section with a solid shaft.
[0031] The specification incorporates by reference the disclosure of priority document DE 102 32 341 of Jul. 17, 2002.
[0032] The present invention is, of course, in no way restricted to the specific disclosure of the specification and drawings, but also encompasses any modifications within the scope of the appended claims.
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A carburetor, especially for the internal combustion engine in a motor-driven implement, is provided. Formed in the carburetor is an intake channel that has at least one partition extending in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the intake channel. The partition divides the intake channel into at least one air channel and at least one mixture channel. At least one fuel nozzle opens into the mixture channel. Pivotably mounted in the intake channel is a butterfly valve. To obtain a favorable starting and acceleration condition, with reduced exhaust gas values in the full throttle range, the butterfly valve is provided with at least two sections that are moveable relative to one another.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to digital image processing, and in particular, to selecting and arranging multiple digital images from a group of thumbnail images and printing such selected images.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] To become mass market products, computer-based digital photography systems must offer consumers the ability to easily organize and print digital images. In particular, it should be simple to choose from all of the images taken by a camera, or stored on a disc, a set of a dozen or more images to be printed all at once. Unfortunately, existing prior art systems require the user to choose a first image, go through a process to print it, then choose a second image and repeat the same process a second time for this second image and again for all of the images to be printed.
[0003] It may also be desirable for a user to choose a set of images to be printed on a single page with all selected images being equally sized and properly positioned. For example, the user may wish to print groups of four different images on an 8″×10″ home printer. Microsoft PictureIt™ version 1.0 includes an image input screen (“get it” screen) that provides multiple reduced resolution, or “thumbnail”, images, but the thumbnail images must be dragged and dropped one at a time from the preview image type screen to a filmstrip. Next, the user must exit the image input mode and switch to a print layout mode within a “share it” screen. In this mode, the user must drag and drop the first image from the filmstrip into the print layout screen. The user must then manually resize, rotate (if required), and position the first image, for example, in the upper left of the screen. Next, the user selects the second image and manually attempts to properly size and position this image, for example, in the upper right of the screen. Finally, after all four images have been manually resized and positioned, the composite image is ready to print. Thus, creating a page with four equally sized and properly positioned images requires the user to perform many manual operations.
[0004] Other prior art software programs also permit the user to view a two-dimensional array of thumbnail images (sometimes called a “contact sheet” or a “gallery”) to facilitate selection. However, these galleries are used only to select which images may be “opened” by the program for further manual, picture by picture editing. For example, LivePix™ version 1.1 has such a gallery, but it only allows the user to select one image, which is then opened. After the image is opened, it may be manually sized, copied, and pasted into a collage image in a manner similar to PictureIt. MGI Photosuite™ Special Edition includes a “Photo Album” with a gallery type feature. The order of the thumbnail images may be rearranged to later allow a “slideshow” of images to be viewed, one after another in the desired order. But the user cannot select multiple images from the gallery to print or to move to another gallery.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 4,607,949 discloses a method of printing photographic images in which a plurality of photographs taken on a photo negative film and explanatory captions of the photographs are printed together on a sheet of photographic paper. U.S. Pat. No. 5,109,281 discloses a video printer adapted for printing multiple images on a single sheet. U.S. Pat. No. 5,274,418 discloses an image processing system which reproduces a plurality of photographs on a single sheet of photographic paper in an album-like format. Although the methods described in the aforementioned patents include photographically printing multiple images per page, a user cannot select multiple images on a computer and automatically print the selected images.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method which enables multiple images to be easily printed on a hardcopy printer.
[0007] It is another object of the present invention to provide a method which enables multiple different images to be properly sized and positioned to be printed on a single page.
[0008] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a method which enables a user to easily select one or more images from a preview screen gallery of thumbnail images and automatically print the selected images with several different images properly sized and positioned on each page.
[0009] These objects are achieved in a method for selecting and arranging digital images to be printed from a group of thumbnail images, comprising the steps of:
[0010] (a) displaying the group of thumbnail images;
[0011] (b) selecting, from the group of thumbnail images, the number of images to be printed per page and the images which are to be printed on each page;
[0012] (c) automatically arranging the selected images for each page to be printed; and
[0013] (d) printing the arranged images.
ADVANTAGES
[0014] An advantage of the present invention is to enable a user to select a set of images from a group of thumbnail images to be printed, including the number of images to be printed per page, and to automatically print the selected images.
[0015] Another advantage of the present invention is to enable the selected images to be properly sized and positioned on each page for printing without user intervention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0016] [0016]FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a system which includes a digital camera that can use the method of the present invention to select digital images from a group of thumbnail images for printing, and arrange and print the images;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 2 is a flow diagram in block form showing the method of the present invention;
[0018] [0018]FIG. 3 is a diagram of a computer display screen displaying a group of thumbnail images in which a user can select images for printing in accordance with the present invention;
[0019] [0019]FIG. 4 is a diagram of a print function display screen in which a user can choose the number of images to appear on each page, the specific images to appear on each page, and the number of copies of each page to be printed in accordance with the present invention;
[0020] [0020]FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 5 C show exemplary page layouts for one page in which two different images are printed, one page in which four different images are printed, and one page in which two copies of the same image are printed, respectively; and
[0021] [0021]FIG. 6 is a diagram of a custom layout template screen in which a user can “build” a page template.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0022] [0022]FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system 10 which utilizes the present invention. The system 10 includes a digital image source which is shown as a digital still camera 12 ; and a user's host computer 14 with a hard drive 16 , a central processing unit (CPU) 50 , a display monitor 52 , a keyboard 54 , a mouse 55 , a printer 18 , and a modem 56 .
[0023] The digital still camera 12 is used to capture images, and can be, for example, the Kodak Digital Science DC210™ zoom camera sold by Eastman Kodak Company. The digital still camera 12 can be rotated from a landscape orientation to a portrait orientation when certain images are taken to provide the best composition. As shown in FIG. 1, the digital still camera 12 includes a lens 22 which directs image light from a subject (not shown) upon an image sensor 24 , which can be either a conventional charge coupled device (CCD) sensor or a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) imager. The image sensor 24 produces an analog image signal that is converted into a digital image signal by an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 26 . The digitized image signal is processed and compressed by a digital signal processor 28 . The digital signal processor 28 compresses each still image according to any one of a number of known image compression algorithms, such as well-known JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) discrete cosine transformation-based compression algorithm. The digital signal processor 28 applies the compression algorithm to the digital image data, and sends the compressed image data to an image display 36 , such as a color liquid crystal display (LCD), where the user can view the captured image. The compressed image signal is then transferred through a memory card interface 30 to a removable memory card 32 where it is stored. User buttons 34 are used to control the operation of the digital still camera 12 in a well known manner.
[0024] The memory card 32 can be adapted to the PCMCIA card interface standard, such as described in the PC Card Standard, Release 2.0, published by the Personal Computer Memory Card International Association, Sunnyvale, Calif., September, 1991. The memory card 32 accordingly contains solid state memory, such as Flash EPROM memory, which the memory card 32 uses to store image data files. Electrical connection between the memory card 32 and the digital camera 12 is maintained through a card connector (not shown) positioned in the memory card interface 30 . The memory card interface 30 and the card connector provide, e.g., an interface according to the aforementioned PCMCIA card interface standard. The memory card 32 can also be inserted into a memory card reader peripheral 40 in the host computer 14 which is also adapted to the PCMCIA interface standard. This enables images stored on the memory card 32 to be downloaded into the host computer 14 . The compressed image signal can also be sent to a serial interface 42 of the host computer 14 through either a cable 41 , which is connected to the digital camera 12 through a host computer interface 38 , or a wireless interface, such as an infrared interface (not shown).
[0025] Alternatively, film exposed in a conventional camera can be developed, scanned and stored on a recordable compact disk (CD-R) 58 , for example, in the FlashPix™ image format, to provide the digital image input. The CD-R 58 can be inserted into a compact disk read only memory (CD-ROM) drive 44 in the host computer 14 . Similarly, the images can be stored on a floppy disk magnetic medium 60 , such as Kodak's Picture Disk™, to provide the digital image input, and inserted into a floppy disk drive 46 in the host computer 14 . In addition, images can be provided by an internet-based picture service 62 , and downloaded via the modem 56 .
[0026] The digital images are downloaded to the host computer 14 through the CPU 50 and can be stored on the hard drive 16 . Application program or software for the present invention is incorporated into the hard drive 16 of the host computer 14 , and then downloaded to a computer random access memory (RAM) when the program is used by the CPU 50 .
[0027] Preferably, the application software that implements the method of the present invention uses the FlashPix™ image format, described in FlashPix™ Specification, version 1.0, to store and process the images. Images provided by sources in other formats can be converted to the FlashPix™ format.
[0028] Prints of the images can be made on the printer 18 connected to the host computer 14 , for example, onto 8-½ inch paper in a color ink jet printer. It can be appreciated that images could also be sent to a remote printer (not shown), such as the internet-based picture service 62 , which could support printing of multiple images on a single page.
[0029] A flow diagram of the process of the present invention using the application software delivered to the RAM of the CPU 50 is shown in FIG. 2. When the user launches the application program (block 100 ), an introduction screen is displayed (block 102 ) on the display 52 of the host computer 14 . The user selects the image source (block 104 ) using a first computer display screen 200 showing various image source selections. The image source selections can include, for example, the digital still camera 12 , a scanner (not shown), the floppy disk 60 , the CD-R 58 , such as the Kodak PhotoCD™ disc, the user's hard drive 14 , and images available via the internet-based picture service 62 .
[0030] Once the image source is selected, a “preview picture screen” 300 (shown in FIG. 3) is displayed on the display screen 52 (block 106 ) showing a two-dimensional array of thumbnail images 302 obtained from the image source. The thumbnail images 302 preferably have a lower resolution than the actual image data. The user can select multiple images (e.g., five images) by pressing either a control key (not shown) or a shift key (not shown) on the keyboard 54 while clicking the mouse 55 on any number of thumbnail images 302 (block 108 ). FIG. 3 shows that four thumbnail images 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, and 302 d (which are outlined) have been selected. If the image source 12 contains a large number of thumbnail images 302 , arrow controls 304 on the right portion of the “preview picture screen” 300 enable the user to scroll through the larger number of thumbnail images 302 to view a group of the thumbnail images 302 (e.g., 15 thumbnail images) at a time.
[0031] Once one or more thumbnail images 302 have been selected (block 108 ), the user can choose to rotate the selected images 302 (block 110 ) by selecting a “rotate” icon 306 (block 111 ). The computer then automatically rotates the image in a default direction (e.g., 90 degrees clockwise) (block 112 ), preferably by modifying the FlashPix™ image format viewing parameter, or alternatively, by properly exchanging the row and column image data.
[0032] The user can then select additional images (e.g., three images) to be printed with the first group of selected images obtained in block 108 by again pressing the control key or the shift key on the keyboard 54 while clicking the mouse 55 on any number of thumbnail images 302 (block 114 ).
[0033] The “preview picture screen” 300 also displays a set of function icons on the periphery of the screen 300 , including a “local print” icon 308 and a “remote print” icon 310 . The user then selects the type of printing. The user can print all of these selected images on the local printer 18 , for example, a color ink jet printer, by clicking on the “local print” icon 308 (block 116 ). This brings up a “print function display screen” 400 (block 118 ) shown in FIG. 4. The user then chooses a type of layout (block 119 ). The user can choose one of several predefined “layout” icons 402 on the periphery of the “print function display screen” 400 which determines how many pictures appear on each page by selecting, for example, 1, 2, 4, 9, or 16 images to be printed per page (block 120 ). Once a predefined layout is chosen, the images to be printed appear in a print preview area 422 on the “print function display screen” 400 . Based on the number of selected pictures to be printed on a page, the program will automatically select the orientation of the images to best fill up the page. FIG. 4 shows, as an example, four images 420 a, 420 b, 420 c, and 420 d, which correspond to the selected thumbnail images 302 a, 302 b, 302 c, and 302 d, respectively, shown in FIG. 3. Alternatively, the user can choose to “build” a page template with any number of images per page by selecting a “custom layout template” icon 403 (block 130 in FIG. 2), which will be described in more detail below.
[0034] Next, the user chooses whether to have the same or different images appear on each page (block 148 ). To have the same one image repeated on one page to be printed (e.g., four copies of one image per page), the user selects a “grouping” icon 404 . Alternatively, to have all of the selected images appear on the page(s) to be printed (e.g., four different images on one page), the user selects a “collating” icon 406 .
[0035] The user then chooses the number of sets of images to print (block 150 ), for example, three copies of each laid out page, by typing in the number of desired sets in a text field 408 on the left portion of the “print function display screen” 400 . After making these selections, the user can press a “print now” icon 410 (block 152 ) and walk away from the host computer 14 . Each of the selected images will be printed automatically on the local printer 18 (block 154 ), without further user interaction.
[0036] The program prepares the printed layout by calculating the image size which enables the selected number of images to fit on a page, and rotating the selected images as necessary so that landscape oriented images and portrait oriented images fit together on the page to be printed. The image data is automatically interpolated or decimated to provide the proper image data to fill the page with the selected number of images. In this process, the program also calculates for “white space” to be positioned between the images to facilitate the cutting of the page into individual pictures. In other words, the program calculates the number of the selected images in vertical and horizontal directions, and calculates the size of the selected images in the vertical and horizontal directions to cause “white space” to separate the selected images. When the images are printed, the orientation of the images is printed to best “fill up the page” based on the selected number of images.
[0037] [0037]FIGS. 5A, 5B and 5 C are examples of images which have been printed. FIG. 5A shows two different images (A and B) which have been printed on one page. FIG. 5B shows four different images (A, B, C, and D) which have been printed on one page. In FIG. 5B, the program has automatically rotated the orientation of the four images (A, B, C, and D) so that they fit on one page with minimum “white space” between the images. FIG. 5C shows two copies of the same image (A) which have been printed on one page.
[0038] Instead of choosing to print the image on the local printer 18 (block 116 in FIG. 2), the user could choose to instead have the prints made by a remote printing service connected via a network, such as the internet-based picture service 62 , which could support the printing of multiple images. In this case, the user instead selects the “remote print” icon 310 (block 132 ) on the “print preview screen” 300 shown in FIG. 3. The user completes a connection process (block 133 ) to the internet-based picture service 62 via the modem 56 , and the selected thumbnail images 302 are uploaded and displayed on the display monitor 52 of the host computer 14 . The user would select the number of images per page and the number of sets per page (block 134 ) based on the specific features of the internet-based picture service 62 .
[0039] If the user selects the “custom layout template” icon 403 (block 130 in FIG. 2) instead of one of the predefined “layout” icons 402 (block 120 ), a “custom layout template screen” 600 is displayed (block 140 ) as shown in FIG. 6. Next, the user selects a custom build option 602 (block 142 ). In addition, the user selects the number of rows and columns of images to appear on a page (block 144 ), and selects the size of the images (block 146 ) by selecting, for example, the size of the horizontal and vertical “white space” between the images (as shown in FIG. 6), or the desired width and height of the images (not shown). The user then exits this “custom layout template screen” 600 and returns to the “print function display screen” 400 shown in FIG. 4. The images to be printed appear in the print preview area 422 according to the layout built by the user. The user then proceeds to choose whether to have the same or different images appear on each page (block 148 in FIG. 2) and to select the total sets of images to be printed (block 150 in FIG. 2) in a manner previously described. The user can then press the “print now” icon 410 (block 152 ) so that the selected images are automatically printed on the local printer 18 (block 154 ).
[0040] The program prepares the custom printed layout by rotating the selected images as necessary so that landscape oriented images and portrait images fit together on the page to be printed. The image data is automatically interpolated and decimated to provide the proper image data to fill the page with the selected number of images. In this process, the image is sized based on the “white space” positioned between the images and the number of rows and columns of images specified by the user.
[0041] The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to a preferred embodiment thereof. However, it will be appreciated that variations and modifications can be effected by a person of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A method for selecting and arranging digital images to be printed from a group of thumbnail images is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of displaying the group of thumbnail images; selecting, from the group of thumbnail images, the number of images to be printed per page and the images which are to be printed on each page; automatically arranging the selected images for each page to be printed; and printing the arranged images.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
The present application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/857,334 entitled “System and Method for Enhanced Experience with a Peer-to-Peer Network” filed Nov. 7, 2006, incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a method for using an Enhancement. System on a peer-to-peer network to enhance the experience of a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
As used herein, peer-to-peer networks which are one of the subjects of the present invention comprise multiple nodes, each node typically consisting both of file server and client that can send and receive data or “Communication messages” to or from a node to which such is connected and other nodes on the network. Common peer-to-peer networks and software applications are Gnutella, FastTrack, Edonkey, NeoNet, Kazaa, Limewire. Morpheus, Bear Share, Bit. Torrent, Shareaza, Emule, and Freenet. This list is not inclusive of all peer-to-peer file applications but rather serves as a general list.
In some peer-to-peer networks, each node is connected to other nodes over a communication medium such as the Internet either directly or through some type of proxy. For example, when a search request is issued such originating node sends a search request to all of the nodes to which it is connected, (see FIG. 1 ) These nodes search their list of available files and if a match is found they send a response back with the location. However, a peer-to-peer proxy network typically consists of node A which is connected to a node B and node B is connected to a node C. (see FIG. 2 ) Node A is not connected to node C such that if node A issues a search request it will be forwarded to node B and Node B will search its available files and if a match is found it will send a response back to node A. Node B will then forward node A's request to node C and Node C will search its available files and if a match is found it will send a response back to node B. Node B will then forward this response to node A. FIG. 3 discloses a nonproxy loop network wherein each node is directly connected to another.
Some peer-to-peer networks utilize a leaf node/main node proxy topology (See FIG. 4 ) where some nodes are classified as main nodes and the remaining nodes are classified as leaf nodes. Leaf nodes can only connect to main nodes. Only main nodes can connect to other main nodes. When a leaf node issues a search request it sends the request to the main node that it is connected to. The main node then forwards the request to any other leaf nodes that are connected to it and also to any main nodes it is connected to. These main nodes forward the request to any leaf nodes that are connected to them. Common names for main nodes are super nodes, ultra peers, or hubs.
Referring to FIG. 5 , some peer-to-peer networks can be quite large, often in the hundreds of thousands or millions of nodes. To reduce the bandwidth and other resources required to operate such networks, nodes restrict the “distance” of messages traveling the network. Messages such as searches and responses to searches from nodes contain transmission distance parameters such as hops and time to live to help limit the number of nodes that see and process these messages. One is Hops, which is a value that normally starts at 0 and increments each time the communications is forwarded. Another is Time to Live (TTL) which is a value that normally starts at 5 and is decremented each time the communications is forwarded. When the Bops value reaches a preset limit, often 5, or Time to Live reaches 0, the communications is dropped from the network. Often nodes have a “Max time to live” setting and this value is often set to 5. If a node receives a communication message with a Time to Live which is higher than its configured max Time to Live, the packet is either dropped from the network or the communication message Time to Live is changed to a smaller value from another node. This effectively enforces a community time to live value and limits the amount of nodes that would receive communication message from a transmitting node. Some networks have other mechanisms for limiting the search capabilities of users. Referring to FIG. 5 , if the network were configured for 5 hops, Node A would issue a search. Node B would receive it and pass it to Node C. This repeats until Node F receives it. Nodes B-F would process the search and Node F would drop and not forward the search to Node G because it was retransmitted 5 times.
Each node on a peer-to-peer network generally has 2-3 connections to the peer-to-peer network so that they can increase their odds of finding information. Because each connection is to a random node on the peer-to-peer network, each connection generally searches & different group of nodes. Because searches are “repeated” by nodes on the network, sometimes connections have overlapping coverage in that a search sent out via one connection searches nodes available on another connection. This is known as an inefficient connection configuration.
Because the network enforces restrictions when a user searches and because of the nature of the architecture, the user can only search a limited number of nodes on the network. For instance, if the network is composed of twelve million users, a user searching for information may only be able to search 3,000 other users. If the user is searching for a file that is not popular it may not be within the searching radius of the user and the file will not be found, even if it is located on another node elsewhere on the network. It would therefore be advantageous if a user could search more nodes on a network then they normally could with a standard peer-to-peer application or system, thus raising the chance that they would find the information they are looking for.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Generally, the present invention provides a system for allowing a user to search more nodes on a peer-to-peer network then they normally would have access to. The preferred system comprises the steps of:
a. User connects to an Enhancement System that has access to more peer-to-peer nodes than the user would; and b. Enhancement System accepting messages from the peer-to-peer user; and c. Enhancement System acting as a intermediate between the user and the peer-to-peer network in a way as to increase the capabilities or experience of the peer-to-peer user.
Thus, the present invention provides a system and method for enhanced experience with a peer-to-peer network.
More specifically, the present invention is directed to a system and method for implementing a peer to peer (P2P) network that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each of a majority of the nodes has less than a threshold number of P2P connections to other nodes in the network. A P2P network connection is established between a first node from the majority and an enhanced connection node in the network, wherein the enhanced connection node has more than the threshold number of P2P connections to other nodes in the network. A search request is issued from the first node by transmitting the search request from the first node to the enhanced connection node, and then forwarding the search request from the enhanced connection node to other nodes in the network. Responses to the search request are collected at the enhanced connection node, and thereafter at least one of the following is performed by the enhanced connection node: (i) filtering the responses, and then forwarding results of the filtering to the first node; (ii) ranking the responses, and then forwarding ranked responses to the first node; and (iii) adding additional content (e.g., an advertisement selected in response to one or more search terms included in the search request) to the responses, and forwarding said additional content and at least some of the responses to the first node.
In some embodiments, the enhanced connection node accesses user profile information associated with the first node, and at least one of the following is performed by the enhanced connection node: (i) filtering the responses in accordance with the profile information, and then forwarding results of the filtering to the first node; (ii) ranking the responses in accordance with the profile information, and then forwarding ranked responses to the first node; and (iii) adding additional content to the responses, wherein, the additional content is selected at least in part using the profile information, and forwarding the additional content and at least some of the responses to the first node.
In some embodiments, the enhanced connection node includes dedicated content that is unavailable on all other nodes in the network, or pointers to dedicated content that is unavailable on all other nodes in the network.
In some embodiments, the first node uses middleware on the first node to establish the P2P network connection between the first node and the enhanced connection node. In such embodiments, the middleware may monitor for transmission of content that should not be shared on the P2P network and perform at least one of the following: (i) block transmission of the content that should not be shared; and (ii) notify another system that there has been transmission of content that should not be shared.
In some embodiments, the enhanced connection node sends a cached list of search responses back to the first node.
Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a perusal of the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic of a two node peer to peer network;
FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic of a peer to peer prosy network;
FIG. 3 is a simplified schematic view of a peer to peer, nonproxy, loop network.
FIG. 4 is a simplified schematic view of a leaf node/main node network.
FIG. 5 is a simplified schematic of a peer-to-peer network where nodes are connected to on another in a daisy chain fashion.
FIG. 6 is a simplified schematic view of a peer-to-peer user connected to the Enhancement System.
FIG. 7 is a flow chart, of a search utilizing the Enhancement System.
FIG. 8 is a flow chart of a search utilizing the Enhancement System in which the Enhancement System filters results
FIG. 9 is a flow chart of a search utilizing the Enhancement System in which the Enhancement System adds an advertisement to any search results.
FIG. 10 is a simplified schematic view of a peer-to-peer user connected to the Enhancement System via the Enhancement System Middleware.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a system for allowing a user to search more nodes on a peer-to-peer network than one normally would have access to or by returning information that otherwise would not be available for searching on the peer-to-peer network. It also provides a system and method for filtering any search results that may be returned to the users. It also provides a system and method for adding its own results, such as advertisements, to any search results that may be returned to the user. It also provides a system and method for ranking any results that may be returned to a user, it also provides a system and method for storing attributes of the searcher, the searches that they issue, and the responses mat they receive. It also provides a system and method for storing a WWW browser cookie in the browser of the user based on their searches or any results that may be returned to them. It also provides a system and method to reduce traffic on the peer-to-peer network, and/or increase the speed of search by caching search results. Other advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a perusal of the following detailed description of presently preferred embodiments of the invention.
Generally the invention is comprised of an Enhancement System that is connected to a peer-to-peer network and has more nodes available to search than what a normal peer-to-peer user would have access to and/or it has access to dedicated information that would not be generally available for a peer-to-peer user to search for on the peer-to-peer network. A peer-to-peer user connects to the Enhancement System and sends his peer-to-peer messages (such as searches) to this system. The Enhancement System relays these messages to the peer-to-peer nodes to which it is connected to, which is more than what the peer-to-peer user would normally have been able to access. The Enhancement System receives results back then forwards these results to the peer-to-peer user, thus increasing the amount of results and/or the breadth of their search.
The Enhancement System has access to more nodes or dedicated information on the peer-to-peer network by using different methods. This may include having more connections into the peer-to-peer network than a normal user might or by using highly efficient connections so that each connection or combination of connections accesses more nodes than would a normal connection or combination of normal connections. The Enhancement System could be connected to more hub nodes than the user normally would be or could be. The Enhancement System could contain dedicated information and no connections to the peer-to-peer network. In this case the Enhancement System would have access to dedicated information not available for generalized searching on the peer-to-peer network. The Enhancement System could contain dedicated information and also access to more nodes than what a normal user would commonly have access to.
The Enhancement System may be comprised of multiple systems that share information and workload or ones that operate independently. The Enhancement System may have a system that primarily handles client connections, while other portions of the Enhancement System handle connections to the peer-to-peer network. The Enhancement System could contain filtering systems or systems that contain dedicated content. The Enhancement System may cache search results so that it does not have to issue searches onto the peer-to-peer network that have occurred within a certain time limit.
Generally the system works by connecting into the peer-to-peer network in a way that allows it to have access to more nodes than a normal peer-to-peer user would. A user wishing for enhanced access connects to the Enhancement System using his peer-to-peer application and by utilizing standard peer-to-peer protocols. This allows the user to use any peer-to-peer application that he chooses. The user's peer-to-peer application may also connect to a piece of middleware software that is located on his computer system or another system. This middleware software would then connect to the Enhancement System. The middleware would communicate with the peer-to-peer software application utilizing standard peer-to-peer protocols so that the user can use any peer-to-peer application that he would choose. The middleware application may connect to the Enhancement System and communicate using standard peer-to-peer protocols or it could communicate with a proprietary protocol. The middleware application may be configured to program or change the configuration of the peer-to-peer client application. For instance, the middleware software may configure the peer-to-peer client application so that the peer-to-peer client application connects to the middleware without any user intervention. The peer-to-peer client application could also be programmed with “support” for the middleware application and as such, if it detects that the middleware is installed, it will pass control over to the middleware for communications.
If the Enhancement System Middleware is located on the peer-to-peer user's system and can monitor data traffic it could also be configured to monitor the transmission of files. The Enhancement System Middleware could be configured to monitor for the transmission of files that should not be shared, such as personal information and block this transmission if it detects it. It could also be configured to notify another system if it detects that a file has been sent or received.
The Enhancement system will forward searches it receives from the peer-to-peer network to those peer-to-peer users that are utilizing it. The Enhancement System could be configured to filter and/or remove searches so that the user connected to the Enhancement System would be protected from malicious searches. The Enhancement System could be configured to not forward any searches at all, or to only forward selected searches. The Enhancement System could be configured to always remove certain terms. For instance, if an organization wanted to limit searches for their information the Enhancement System could be configured to not pass these searches in either direction.
Once the peer-to-peer user is utilizing the Enhancement System, either directly or through middleware, any searches or other messages that the user sends will be sent to the Enhancement System. There may be occasions when the peer-to-peer user would also want to search the peer-to-peer network by utilizing the Enhancement System and standard connections to the peer-to-peer network at the same time. In this case the user's peer-to-peer application would be configured to connect to the Enhancement System or Enhancement System Middleware and also to other standard nodes on the peer-to-peer network.
If the Enhancement System detects a search from the peer-to-peer user it will relay the search to the nodes on the peer-to-peer network that it is connected to. The Enhancement System may choose not to forward the search, if for instance if it would result in matches of copyrighted information or some other topic. In this instance, the Enhancement System may choose to respond back to the user with information alerting the user that the search may result in copyrighted or protected information. The Enhancement System could also record the search into a list or database. It could also record the IP address of the peer-to-peer user to a list or database. It could also record to a list or database any attributes it has access to concerning the communication. It could also analyze the search by comparing it to some criteria and setting a “Browser Cookie” in the peer-to-peer user's web browser. The cookie could be used to relay information to a website for target marketing or to enhance the user's experience on a website. It could be used to offer specials or services. It could be used to tailor web usage to the user's searching habits.
If the search that the peer-to-peer user issues would result in an excessive amount of responses (such in the case of a popular artist) the Enhancement System could choose to limit the number of nodes it relays the search to. It could also just drop the search. This would allow for throttling of responses and aim to not overload the Enhancement System or other nodes on the network. The Enhancement System could also choose to limit the number of searches from any one user, or any group of users.
The Enhancement System could change or modify the user's search so that it results in more, less, or more accurate results. It could also create multiple searches, relay these onto the peer-to-peer network and relay the combined list back to the peer-to-peer user as one result set. For instance, a user searches for Madonna and the Enhancement System relays, “Madonna” and “Madonna 2006”.
If two or more users are using the Enhancement System and they search for the same term, or the Enhancement System realizes that the terms would result in the same matches, and it's within certain criteria such as time, the Enhancement System could send a cached list of responses back to the second client. This would reduce the amount of searches that are relayed to other nodes of the network.
The Enhancement System could compare the search term to a list of criteria and respond back with a result set that contained a message. The message could be in the form of a file title, a file containing a message, or a pointer to file that contains a message. The message could be a warning that the user is searching for copyrighted information, that copyrighted information may result, or it could be an advertisement. It could also be a file with information different than what the user had asked for. For example a user could issue a search for “Madonna” and the Enhancement System could respond back with an advertisement on how to purchase tickets for her nest concert, or it may respond back with a video of Madonna that she has released for usage on the peer-to-peer network.
Once the Enhancement System issues the search onto the network and receives responses it will relay these responses back to the peer-to-peer user that issued the search. Before sending the results to the peer-to-peer user, the Enhancement System could change the ranking or order of the results, or modify the results to change the ranking or order. The Enhancement System could filter any results, for instance if results contain copyrighted works. It could do this by comparing the file titles, the contents, hashes, file size, or any combination thereof. The Enhancement System could send a message. The message could be in the form of a file title, or a file containing a message. The message may be a warning that the user is searching for copyrighted information or it could be an advertisement. It could also be a file with information different than what the user had asked for. The Enhancement System could send a pointer to a different file. For instance the Enhancement System could send a pointer to a lower quality version of the file or the file with an advertisement inserted into it. The Enhancement System could also record the IP address of the searcher and the results that were relayed and/or received into a list or database. The Enhancement System could be configured to not respond at all.
The Enhancement System could download files from the peer-to-peer network and cache these. If a user issues a search for something the Enhancement System is caching, the Enhancement System would provide pointers to these files.
The Enhancement System could also be utilized to perform filtering of the results so that when a user issues a search, any results would be scrubbed of erroneous files, filenames, or unavailable nodes on the network. This would increase the accuracy of the results that are sent back to the user. The Enhancement System could be configured to drop any results from a node on the network. It might do this because the node was rated low or has a high instance of sending incorrect data.
The Enhancement System could also create its own list of results and send these to the peer-to-peer user either as a replacement of the results or in addition to the results. It could be configured to not relay searches for certain information to the peer-to-peer network but rather create its own list of results. These results could point to files that are on dedicated servers for special purposes. For instance, a peer-to-peer user might search for the popular show “CSI Las Vegas” currently being aired on CBS. CBS could place CSI episodes onto a dedicated peer-to-peer server and when the user searches for “CSI” the Enhancement System would not relay the search to the peer-to-peer network but rather send results back consisting of all of the available CSI shows on the dedicated CBS server.
The Enhancement System might not be used to expand the breadth of the peer-to-peer user's search but rather provide information that would not otherwise be available for the user to search as it is not a part of the peer-to-peer network but merely communicates with the peer-to-peer protocol. For instance, a company could install a peer-to-peer client and add dedicated information but not allow their peer-to-peer client to connect to the peer-to-peer network. The Enhancement System would be configured so that if a user connects to it and searches for the company's information, the Enhancement System would respond back with pointers to files on the dedicated system. The peer-to-peer user could then download the files from the company's dedicated server.
The Enhancement System could utilize a database of IP addresses connected to it to provide information on their availability to other peer-to-peer users. It could also send peer-to-peer users that are connect to it a message and use the response times to determine a ranking. It could then use this information to modify search results back to other peer-to-peer users utilizing the Enhanced System.
The user's peer-to-peer client application could be configured to inform the Enhancement System Middleware program with a list of files that it is sharing. The Enhancement System Middleware could be configured to upload this information the Enhancement System of available files so that the Enhancement System would not have to issue searches onto the peer-to-peer network.
The Enhancement System Middleware could be configured to read the configuration of the user's peer-to-peer client application and build its own list of files available for sharing. The Enhancement System Middleware could be configured to upload this information the Enhancement System of available files so that the Enhancement System would not have to issue searches onto the peer-to-peer network.
An Enhancement System could comprise a hardware system such as a computer, thin appliance, ASIC based device or other similar device, which can be programmed with specific logic or programming code (i.e. software). The device preferably has the capability of being connected with a physical network either directly or though the use of a gateway. The programming logic provides the device with the capability to transmit and receive on both physical networks as well as the peer to peer networks which typically ride on top of a physical network. Programming logic is a software program but may also be hardcoded non-changeable procedural information such as typically found on an ASIC based device.
An Enhancement System Middleware could comprise a hardware system such as a computer, thin appliance, ASIC based device or other similar device, which can be programmed with specific logic or programming code (i.e. software). The device preferably has the capability of being connected with a physical network either directly or though the use of a gateway. The programming logic provides the device with the capability to transmit and receive on both physical networks as well as the peer to peer networks which typically ride on top of a physical network. Programming logic is a software program but may also be hardcoded non-changeable procedural information such as typically found on an ASIC based device.
EXAMPLES
The following Examples illustrate various embodiments of the systems according to the present Invention.
Example 1
This example describes a standard peer-to-peer user issuing a search to an Enhancement System where the Enhancement System has eight connections to the peer-to-peer network. Referring to FIG. 6 and the flow chart in FIG. 7 :
Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 connects one time to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 through connection FIG. 6-101 using normal peer-to-peer protocols. Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 connects 8 times into Peer-to-Peer Network 104 through its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 issues a search via Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 . Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 relays the search to the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 via its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Search results are generated by nodes on the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 . Results are received at Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 via Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Enhancement system FIG. 6-102 relays result set via Standard Connection FIG. 6-101 to Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 received results from eight connections (Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 ) while it only had one connection (Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 ), thus improving the search result set.
Example 2
This example describes a standard peer-to-peer user issuing a search to an Enhancement System with eight connections to the peer-to-peer network and the Enhancement System filtering results. Referring to FIG. 6 and the flow chart in FIG. 8 :
Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 connects one time to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 through connection FIG. 6-101 using normal peer-to-peer protocols. Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 connects 8 times into Peer-to-Peer Network 104 through its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 issues a search via Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 . Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 relays the search to the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 via its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Search results are generated by nodes on the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 . Results are received at Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 via Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 filters out any results containing “Madonna”. Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 relays resulting result set via Standard Connection FIG. 6-101 to Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 received results from eight connections (Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 ) while it only had one connection (Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 ), thus improving the search result set.
Example 3
This example describes a standard Peer-to-Peer user issuing a search to an Enhancement System with eight connections to the peer-to-peer network and the Enhancement System adding an advertisement for “Madonna”. Referring to FIG. 6 and the flow chart in FIG. 9 :
Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 connects one time to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 through connection FIG. 6-101 using normal peer-to-peer protocols. Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 connects 8 times into Peer-to-Peer Network 104 through its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 issues a search via Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 to Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 . Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 relays the search to the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 via its Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Search results are generated by nodes on the Peer-to-Peer Network FIG. 6-104 . Results are received at Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 via Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 . Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 adds an result to the result set that includes an advertisement for Madonna's newest song, Enhancement System FIG. 6-102 relays new combined result set via Standard Connection FIG. 6-101 to Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 . Peer-to-Peer User FIG. 6-100 received results from eight connections (Multiple Connections FIG. 6-103 ) while it only had one connection (Standard P2P Connection FIG. 6-101 ), thus improving the search result set.
Finally, 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 is intended to cover modifications within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in the appended claims.
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A system and method for implementing a peer to peer (P2P) network that includes a plurality of nodes, wherein each of a majority of the nodes has less than a threshold number of P2P connections to other nodes in the network. A P2P network connection is established between a first node from the majority and an enhanced connection node in the network, wherein the enhanced connection node has more than the threshold number of P2P connections to other nodes in the network. A search request is issued from the first node by transmitting the search request from the first node to the enhanced connection node, and then forwarding the search request from the enhanced connection node to other nodes in the network. Responses to the search request are collected at the enhanced connection node, which filters, ranks or adds additional content to the responses prior to forwarding the responses back to the first node.
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The present invention relates to genetic engineering and especially in vitro transposition. The invention describes a method and materials for producing deletion derivatives of polypeptide coding nucleic acids. In particular, the invention provides means for efficient generation of C-terminal deletions of polypeptides by the use of a modified transposon with translation stop codons in all three reading frames. The invention further provides a kit for producing said deletion derivatives.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Thousands of different types of protein species constitute a major molecular component of cellular life. These molecules are composed of amino acid chains, the sequence of which is encoded by the genes in the organism's DNA. The protein function can be diverse and specific functions have been evolved for different cellular demands. Native wild type protein molecules can obviously be studied for their function biochemically and genetically. The data thus obtained can be informative but very often such information is relatively limited. A better description of protein function can be gained through mutational analysis in which various types of mutations are introduced into the protein primary sequence and the mutated proteins are then analyzed for their function. With current recombinant DNA technology (Sambrook et al. 1989, Sambrook and Russell 2001), generation of mutations is relatively easy and therefore mutational analysis of proteins has become a standard in functional studies of proteins.
In principle, three different types of mutations can be introduced into a protein sequence (i) substitutions, (ii) insertions, and (iii) deletions. In a substitution mutation, a particular amino acid (or an amino acid stretch) in a protein is changed to another (or to another amino acid stretch of same length). In an insertion, an amino acid or a stretch of amino acids is added to the protein thus increasing the length of the amino acid chain. In a deletion mutation, an amino acid or a stretch of amino acids are eliminated from the protein sequence and thus the protein becomes smaller in size.
Various mutagenesis methods are currently available for generation of different types of mutations. These methods are typically straightforward to use. However, in most of the cases the wanted mutations are generated one by one and, therefore, their construction is time-consuming and labor-intensive. It would be desirable if a number of mutations could be generated simultaneously. For certain types of insertion mutations this type of approach has been described (Hayes and Hallet 2000). However, an efficient method for simultaneous generation of substitution and deletion mutations is still lacking.
One of the in vitro transposition systems we utilised for the present invention was a bacteriophage Mu-derived transposition system that has recently been introduced (Haapa et al. 1999a) and shown to function efficiently in many types of molecular biology applications (Wei et al. 1997, Taira et al. 1999, Haapa et al 1999ab, Vilen et al. 2001). Mu transposition proceeds within the context of protein-DNA complexes that are called DNA transposition complexes or transpososomes (Mizuuchi 1991, Savilahti et al. 1995). These complexes are assembled from a tetramer of MuA transposase protein and Mu-transposon-derived DNA-end-segments (i.e. transposon end sequences recognised by MuA) containing MuA binding sites. When the complexes are formed they can react in divalent metal ion-dependent manner with any target DNA and splice the Mu end segments into the target (Savilahti et al 1995). In the simplest case, the MuA transposase protein and a short 50 bp Mu right-end (R-end) fragment are the only macromolecular components required for transpososome assembly (Savilahti et al. 1995, Savilahti and Mizuuchi 1996). Analogously, when two R-end sequences are located as inverted terminal repeats in a longer DNA molecule, transposition complexes form by synapsing the transposon ends. Target DNA in Mu DNA transposition in vitro can be linear, open circular, or supercoiled (Haapa et al. 1999a).
Mu transposition complex, the machinery within which the chemical steps of transposition take place, is initially assembled from four molecules of MuA transposase protein that first bind specific binding sites in the transposon ends ( FIGS. 5A and 5B ). The 50 bp Mu right end DNA segment contains two of these binding sites (they are called R1 and R2 and each of them is 22 bp long, Savilahti et al. 1995). When two ends, each bound by two MuA monomers, meet, the transposition complex is formed through conformational changes, the nature of which are not fully understood because of a lack of atomic resolution structural data on Mu transpososomes. However, the assembly of the minimal Mu transpososome is clearly dependent upon the correct binding of MuA transposase to Mu ends of the donor DNA. Thus, modifications in the conserved nucleotide sequence of transposon ends (e.g. R1 and R2 sequences in Mu R-end) should potentially have a negative effect on the efficiency of the transposition since every altered nucleotide conceivably interferes with the MuA binding. It has been documented (Lee and Harshey 2001, Coros and Chaconas 2001) that the two last base pairs in the Mu transposon end can be modified without severe effect on transpososome function. However, no detailed analysis has been conducted for elucidation of the effects of modified R1 and R2 binding sites. In one example (Laurent et al. 2000) a NotI restriction site was engineered close to the transposon end that changed one base pair in the R1 sequence. In vivo studies indicate that within the R1 and R2 sequences mutations generally have negative effects on transposition efficiency (Groenen et al. 1985, 1986). In addition, these effects are typically additive.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In this invention we describe a general methodology for making deletion derivatives of polypeptides using in vitro DNA transposition system. The method of the invention can be used to generate a number of deletion-derivatives of polypeptide coding nucleic acids simultaneously and with ease.
We utilised modified transposons that allowed us to generate C-terminal deletion derivatives of polypeptides. The methodology should be applicable to any protein, the encoding nucleic acid sequence (e.g. a gene) of which is cloned in a plasmid or other DNA vector.
In one aspect, the invention features a transposon nucleic acid comprising a genetically engineered translation stop signal in three reading frames at least partly within a transposon end sequence, or preferably within transposon end binding sequence, recognised by a transposase.
In various embodiments the transposon nucleic acid of the invention may contain a selectable marker and/or reporter gene. In one preferable embodiment the transposon end sequence of said transposon nucleic acid is Mu end sequence recognised by MuA transposase. In one particular embodiment said Mu end sequence is Mu R-end sequence.
In another preferred embodiment of the invention the modified transposon is a Tn7-derived transposon.
In a second aspect, the invention provides a method for producing a deletion derivative of a polypeptide coding nucleic acid comprising the steps of:
(a) performing a transposition reaction in the presence of the transposon nucleic acid of the invention and a target nucleic acid containing a polypeptide coding nucleic acid of interest, (b) recovering a target nucleic acid having said transposon nucleic acid incorporated in said polypeptide coding nucleic acid.
In a preferred embodiment the method of the invention further comprises a step of (c) expressing said polypeptide coding nucleic acid having said transposon nucleic acid incorporated.
In a third aspect, the invention provides a kit for producing deletion derivatives of polypeptide coding nucleic acids. The kit comprises the transposon nucleic acid of the invention.
In a fourth aspect, the invention features use of the transposon nucleic acid of the invention for producing deletion derivatives of polypeptide coding nucleic acids.
The term “transposon”, as used herein, refers to a nucleic acid segment, which is recognised by a transposase or an integrase enzyme and which is essential component of a functional nucleic acid-protein complex capable of transposition (i.e. a transpososome).
The term “transposase” used herein refers to an enzyme, which is an essential component of a functional nucleic acid-protein complex capable of transposition and which is mediating transposition. The term “transposase” also refers to integrases from retrotransposons or of retroviral origin.
The expression “transposition reaction” used herein refers to a reaction wherein a transposon inserts into a target nucleic acid. Essential components in a transposition reaction are a transposon and a transposase or an integrase enzyme or some other components needed to form a functional transposition complex. The method and materials of the present invention are exemplified by employing in vitro Mu transposition (Haapa et al. 1999ab and Savilahti et al. 1995) or transposition system of Tn7 (Craig, 1996). Other transposition systems can be used as well. Examples of such systems are Tyl (Devine and Boeke, 1994, and International Patent Application WO 95/23875), Tn 10 and IS 10 (Kleckner et al. 1996), Mariner transposase (Lampe et al., 1996), Tc1 (Vos et al., 1996, 10(6), 755–61), Tn5 (Park et al., 1992), P element (Kaufman and Rio, 1992) and Tn3 (Ichikawa and Ohtsubo, 1990), bacterial insertion sequences (Ohtsubo and Sekine, 1996), retroviruses (Varmus and Brown 1989) and retrotransposon of yeast (Boeke, 1989).
The term “transposon end sequence” used herein refers to the conserved nucleotide sequences at the distal ends of a transposon. The transposon end sequences are responsible for identifying the transposon for transposition.
The term “transposon end binding sequence” used herein refers to the conserved nucleotide sequences within the transposon end sequence whereto a transposase specifically binds when mediating transposition.
The term “target nucleic acid” used herein refers to a nucleic acid molecule containing a protein coding nucleic acid of interest.
The term “translation stop signal” used herein refers to the genetic code, which contains three codon triplets (UAA, UAG, UGA) for terminating the polypeptide chain production during protein synthesis in a ribosome. In a DNA strand the corresponding stop signal triplets are TAA, TAG and TGA.
The term “reading frame” used herein refers to any sequence of bases in DNA or RNA that codes for the synthesis of either a protein or a component polypeptide. The point of initiation of reading determines the frame, i.e. the way in which the bases will be grouped in triplets as required by the genetic code.
The term “genetic engineering” used herein refers to molecular manipulation involving the construction of artificial recombinant nucleic acid molecules.
The term “gene” used herein refers to genomic DNA or RNA that are translated into polypeptides.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 .
Cat-Mu transposons: Cat-Mu containing wild type Mu ends, Cat-Mu(NotI) containing Mu ends with engineered NotI restriction site, which design is described in Laurent et al. 2000, and Cat-Mu(Stop×3) containing Mu ends with engineered translation stop signal in three reading frames (SEQ ID NO:2). Transposon end sequences (i.e. inverted terminal repeats) are drawn as rectangles.
FIG. 2 .
Transposon end sequences of Cat-Mu transposons: Cat-Mu transposon containing wild type Mu ends (SEQ ID NO: 3 and 14), Cat-Mu(NotI) containing Mu ends with engineered NotI restriction site described in Laurent et al. 2000 (SEQ ID NO: 4 and 15), and Cat-Mu(Stop×3) containing Mu ends with engineered translation stop signal in three reading frames (SEQ ID NO: 1 and 16) . Asteriks (*) show modified nucleotides in the Mu ends of Cat-Mu(NotI) and Cat-Mu(Stop×3).
FIG. 3 .
Analysis of C-terminal deletion variants on DNA level. Plasmids bearing Cat-Mu(Stop×3) transposon insertions (samples 1–24) were digested with BamHI, and they were analyzed on 1,8% agarose gels. The length of the shortest fragment of each digest corresponds roughly to the length of the deletion variant protein gene (0−˜650 bp). M=DNA standards.
FIG. 4 .
Analysis of C-terminal deletion variants on protein level. The sizes of the deletion variant proteins, as predicted by sequencing analysis, are marked below each lane as kilodaltons. M=molecular weight standard, C + =positive control, C − =negative control. Predicted deletion variant protein products are pointed out by arrows.
FIGS. 5A and 5B
5 A, Mu transposition complex. 5 B, the assembly of Mu transposition complex.
FIG. 6 .
Overall strategy for production of C-terminal deletion variants of genes encoding proteins.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
It has been published previously that protein engineering applications will benefit from Mu-based transposon strategies since it was established that any DNA sandwiched between Mu ends could be utilised as artificial transposons (Haapa et al. 1999a). In, principle insertion mutations (e.g. by addition of epitope tags or protein domains) and deletion mutations (by addition of translation stop codons) were foreseen with this strategy. However, introduction of a translation stop codon between transposon ends would leave a number of encoded amino acid residues into the protein's C-terminus. Given that an effective Mu end is about 50 bp in length, minimally this strategy would leave approximately 18 extra amino acids attached in the protein C-terminus. Extra amino acids may interfere with the protein function, therefore it would be better to add the stop codons as close as possible to the transposon end. By modifying the nucleotides of the Mu R-end (total of 7 nucleotides were changed, 5 of said nucleotides reside in Mu R1 sequence), we managed to place three stop codons in three reading frames very close to the Mu R-end resulting in transposons that still surprisingly retained their ability to form transposition complexes that were competent for transposition chemistry, i.e. they facilitated the integration of the transposon in vitro into a target plasmid. In essence, all the possible C-terminal deletion variants can be generated.
We designed an artificial Cat-Mu(Stop)-transposon (SEQ ID NO:2) conferring resistance to chloramphenicol and Tn7-Kan(Stop)-transposon (SEQ ID NO:7) conferring resistance to kanamycin. Both contained in their ends modified base pairs providing three stop codons in three reading frames ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The gene mediating resistance to chloramphenicol is used as a selectable marker. The term “selectable marker” refers to a gene that, when carried by a transposon, alters the ability of a cell harboring the transposon to grow or survive in a given growth environment relative to a similar cell lacking the selectable marker. The transposon nucleic acid of the invention preferably contains a positive selectable marker. A positive selectable marker, such as an antibiotic resistance, encodes a product that enables the host to grow and survive in the presence of an agent, which otherwise would inhibit the growth of the organism or kill it. The transposon nucleic acid of the invention may also contain a reporter gene, which can be any gene encoding a product whose expression is detectable and/or quantitatable by immunological, chemical, biochemical, biological or mechanical assays. A reporter gene product may, for example, have one of the following attributes: fluorescence (e.g., green fluorescent protein), enzymatic activity (e.g., luciferase, lacZ/β-galactosidase), toxicity (e.g., ricin) or an ability to be specifically bound by a second molecule (e.g., biotin). The use of markers and reporter genes in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells is well-known in the art. In a preferred embodiment the transposon nucleic acid of the invention may also contain genetically engineered restriction enzyme sites. For example, the selectable marker gene within the transposon of the invention may influence the protein expression when a construct obtained by the method of the invention is inserted into a protein expression plasmid. It is therefore desirable to engineer a pair of unique restriction sites to flank the selectable marker gene. The marker can then be removed easily by the use of these sites and thus the final expression construct would not contain the marker gene.
Hence, one embodiment of the invention provides a transposon nucleic acid comprising a genetically engineered translation stop signal in three reading frames at least partly within a transposon end sequence, or preferably within transposon end binding sequence, recognised by a transposase (i.e. at least one conserved nucleotide of the end sequence has been modified, preferably two, three, four or more conserved nucleotides have been modified). Preferably, the transposon nucleic acid of the invention comprises Mu or Tn7 transposon sequence. More preferably the transposon nucleic acid of the invention comprises Mu R-end sequence, e.g., the sequence of SEQ ID NO:1 or SEQ ID NO:5 (Mu-R end sequence not including 5′ overhang, which thus can vary). In a transposon end sequence of the transposon nucleic acid of the invention, translation stop signals of three reading frames are in 5′-to-3′ direction, preferably in succession close to each other at a very end of a transposon, thus the three stop signals are as near as possible the flanking sequence after the transposon is incorporated into a target. Furthermore, the transposon end sequences, which participate in the assembly of the transpososome discussed above, can be different from each other or they can be in different nucleic acid molecules. Preferably, both transposon end sequences participating in the transpososome have similar sequences (i.e. they are located as inverted terminal repeats).
The transposon nucleic acid of the invention is exemplified here by transposons of Mu (Examples 1–3) or Tn7 (Example 4) system. However, a person skilled in the art understands that teachings of this invention can be utilised in other transposon systems as well.
Another embodiment of the invention is a method for producing a deletion derivative of a polypeptide coding nucleic acid comprising the steps of:
(a) performing a transposition reaction in the presence of a target nucleic acid containing a polypeptide coding nucleic acid (e.g. a gene) of interest and in the presence of a transposon containing a genetically engineered translation stop signal sequence in three reading frames at least partly within a transposon end sequence recognised by a transposase, (b) recovering a target nucleic acid having said transposon incorporated in said gene.
The transposition reaction (a) includes a transposon in a form of linear DNA molecule, transposase protein (e.g. MuA), and a target DNA as macromolecular components. Additionally, the transposition reaction contains suitable buffer components including Mg 2+ ions critical for chemical catalysis. Buffer components such as glycerol and DMSO (or related chemicals or solvents) somewhat relax the requirements for transposition reaction (Savilahti et al. 1995). Transposon DNA, in principle, can be of any length given that it in each end contain a transposon (e.g. Mu or Tn7) end sequence. Typically, target DNA is in a form of circular plasmid. However, any double-stranded DNA molecule more than 25 bp is expected to serve as efficient target molecule (Savilahti et al. 1995, Haapa-Paananen et al. 2002). In transposition reaction the reaction components are incubated together; during the incubation transposition complexes first form and then react with target DNA splicing the transposon DNA into target DNA. This process yields transposon integrations into target molecules. The stoichiometry of the reaction (excess target) generates target molecules each with a single integrated transposon. Most importantly, the integration site in each molecule can be different. Even though some sites in DNA are somewhat more preferred than others most of the phosphodiester bonds in DNA will be targeted (Haapa et al. 1999ab, Haapa-Paananen et al. 2002). In practice this means that the integration sites are selected essentially randomly.
In the Examples below deletion mutant libraries were planned to cover the gene of interest at least 10-fold, i.e. when the target gene was approximately 600 bp, the final pool should contain of a minimum of 6000 mutants. As a test protein we utilised 23 kDa yeast Mso 1 protein (Aalto et al. 1997). Those skilled in the art can easily design different strategies for mutant library construction as such strategies are well-known in the art (see, e.g., Sambrook et al. 1989, Sambrook and Russell 2001).
A mutant library was produced as described in Example 2. Target nucleic acids with a transposon insertion were isolated by size-selective preparative agarose gel electrophoresis. A person skilled in the art may design different isolation methods as such methods are well-known in the art (see, for example, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, eds. Ausubel et al, John Wiley & Sons: 1992). We screened individual deletion mutants by restriction analysis ( FIG. 3 ). This analysis demonstrates that in the library, there are variants of different sizes. A person skilled in the art can easily utilise different screening techniques. The screening step can be performed, e.g., by methods involving sequence analysis, nucleic acid hybridisation, primer extension or antibody binding. These methods are well-known in the art (see, for example, Current Protocols in Molecular Biology, eds. Ausubel et al, John Wiley & Sons: 1992).
We sequenced 23 C-terminal mutants derived from Example 2. All the mutants carried the translation stop codons in three reading frames.
Finally, the protein expression analysis ( FIG. 4 ) demonstrated that different deletion variant proteins are produced. Probably due to lack of resolution in the utilised gel system, the supposedly expressed protein was not detectable when the deletion derivative was 8 kDa or smaller. Alternatively, very small versions of the Mso1 protein may be proteolytically degraded inside the cells.
A further embodiment of the invention is a kit providing means for producing deletion derivatives of protein coding nuclear acid sequences. The kit comprises the transposon nucleic acid of the invention. The kit can be packaged in a suitable container and preferably it contains instructions for using the kit.
The results of the invention show that, unexpectedly, it is possible to substantially modify conserved sequences of transposon ends without critically compromising the competence of the modified transposon to assemble transposition complexes and thereafter carry out transposition chemistry. Thus, the invention provides a straightforward solution to the problem of extra amino acids attached in the protein C-terminus of the deletion derivative which could be produced by a conventional transposition system, wherein the transposon used contains the translation stop signals between the transposon ends.
The present invention is further described in the following examples, which are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
In Vitro Transposition Reaction
In vitro transposition reaction (25 μl) contained 720 ng cat-Mu(Stop) transposon as a donor, 500 ng plasmid pHis6-MSO1 as a target nucleic acid, 0.2 μg MuA, 25 mM Tris-HCl at pH 8.0, 100 μg/ml BSA, 15% (w/v) glycerol, 0.05% (w/v) Triton X-100, 126 mM NaCl and 10 mM MgCl 2 . The reaction was carried out at 30° C. for 4 h.
Further details and variables of in vitro Mu transposition are described in Haapa et al. 1999ab and Savilahti et al. 1995, incorporated herein by reference.
Example 2
Generation of a Pool of Mutants with C-terminal Deletions in Mso1
In vitro transposition reactions with Stop-Mu were performed essentially as described in Haapa et al. (1999a) with the exception that they contained 720 ng donor DNA (Stop-Mu×3) and 0,88 μg MuA. Ten reactions were pooled, phenol and chlorophorm extracted, ethanol precipitated, and resuspended in 30 μl of water. Several 1 μl aliquots were electrotransformed, each into 25 μl of DH5α electrocompetent cells, as described (Haapa et al. 1999a). Transposon-containing plasmid clones were selected on LB plates containing Ap and Cm. A total of ˜6×10 5 colonies were pooled and grown in selective LB-Ap-Cm medium at 37° C. for 3 h after which plasmid DNA was prepared from the pool with Qiagen Plasmid Midi kit. This plasmid preparation was subjected to a XhoI-HindIII double digestion and preparative agarose gel electrophoresis. The DNA fragment corresponding to transposon insertions into the Mso1-containing DNA fragment was isolated with QIAquick Gel Extraction Kit (Qiagen). This fragment was then ligated into the plasmid pH is 6-MSO1 vector XhoI-HindIII backbone to generate a construct pool with transposon insertions located only within the Mso1 gene. After ligation, a pool of plasmids from ˜5×10 4 colonies was prepared as described above. Approximately 110 000 colonies were pooled. Transposon-carrying Mso1 fragments were cloned into clean vector backbone as described above and approximately 11 000 colonies were pooled in the final C-terminal deletion mutant library. At all stages, the transformants were selected with Ap and Cm.
Example 3
Restriction and Expression Analysis of Deletion Mutants
Mutant clones were analyzed for deletions by BamHI digestion and DNA sequencing. For protein expression analysis, single mutant plasmids were introduced into BL21(DE3) expression strain. Selective medium was inoculated with o/n culture of bacteria containing mutant plasmid and grown until OD 600 was 0,4–0,7. Protein expression was induced with 1 mM IPTG for 3 hours and samples were withdrawn for SDS-PAGE analysis. Bacterial lysates were run on 15% gels and stained with GelCode blue stain (Pierce) as recommended by the supplier.
Example 4
Generation of Deletion Mutants with Tn7-Kan (Stop) Transposon
In vitro Tn7 transposition reaction (20 μl) contained 40 ng Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon (SEQ ID NO:7) as a donor, 100 ng plasmid pUC19 as a target nucleic acid, 7 ng TnsA protein, 10 ng TnsB protein, 20 ng TnsC* protein, 25 mM Tris-HCl at pH 8.0, 50 μg/ml BSA, 2 mM DTT and 2 mM ATP. The reaction mixture was pre-incubated at 37° C. for 10 min before addition of 30 mM magnesium acetate. After the addition the reaction was carried out at 37° C. for 1 h.
The reaction mixture was precipitated with n-butanol to reduce the ionic strength and to concentrate DNA prior to electroporation (Thomas, 1994) and resuspended in 10 μl of water. 5 μl aliquot was electrotransformed into 50 μl of DH10B (Epicentre Technologies) electrocompetent cells. Transposon-containing plasmid clones were selected on LB plates containing kanamycin (20 μg/ml). Approximately 20000 kanamycin resistant colonies were recovered per 1 μg target DNA. Three clones were picked from the transformation plates and grown in LB-Kn medium at 37° C. overnight after which plasmid DNA was prepared from the cultures with QiaPrep Spin Miniprep Kit. The Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon insertion sites were analyzed by DNA sequencing.
All the mutants carried the translation stop codons in six reading frames and in each case, the integrated transposon was flanked by a 5-bp target site duplication generated in TnsABC*-mediated transposition.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Bacteria, Media, Enzymes and Reagents
Bacterial cultures were grown in Luria broth supplemented with appropriate antibiotics: ampicillin (Ap) at 100 μg/ml, chloramphenicol (Cm) at 10 μg/ml and kanamycin (Kn) at 20 μg/ml when required. Escherichia coli strains were DH5α (Life Technologies), BL21(DE3) (Novagen), and DH10B (Epicentre Technologies). MuA protein was purified in collaboration with Finnzymes (Espoo, Finland) essentially as described (Baker et al. 1993, Haapa et al. 1999a). TnsA, TnsB and TnsC* proteins were purchased from New England Biolabs. Restriction enzymes and T4 DNA ligase were from New England Biolabs and Promega, Triton X-100 from Roche. Standard DNA techniques were performed as described (Sambrook and Russell 2001). Enzymes were used as recommended by suppliers. Sequencing was carried out at the sequencing service unit of the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki.
Plasmids and Transposons
Plasmid pHis6-MSO1 contains the 633 bp Mso1 gene as an insert (Aalto et al. 1997). The Cat-Mu(Stop) transposon (1254 bp) is a derivative of the Cat-Mu transposon (Haapa et al. 1999a), and they encode resistance to chloramphenicol ( FIGS. 1 and 2 ). The Cat-Mu(Stop)-transposon ends were engineered to carry translation stop signals for both 5′-to-3′ directions of dsDNA in all three reading frames. The Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon is a derivative of the pGPS1.1 transposon (New England Biolabs) and it encodes resistance to kanamycin. The Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon ends were engineered to carry translation stop signals for both 5′-to-3′ directions of dsDNA in all three reading frames. Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon sequence is 4814 bp in length (SEQ ID NO:7) and nucleotides 3093–4791 set forth in SEQ ID NO:7 constitutes the transposable element. Modified nucleotides were at the positions of 3095, 3097, 3099, 3101, 3103, 4781, 4783, 4785, 4787, and 4789 set forth in SEQ ID NO:7.
Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon was constructed from PCR-amplified fragments. The transposable fragment was amplified with primers 5′ acg gtg agt gag tag aaa ata gtt ggg aac tgg ga 3′ (SEQ ID NO:8) and 5′ cgt atg agt gag tag aat aaa gtc tta aac tga aca aaa tag a 3′ (SEQ ID NO:9) using the plasmid pGPS1.1 as template DNA (New England Biolabs) and the vector fragment was amplified with primers 5′ aag tag ctt ttc tgt gac tgg t 3′ (SEQ ID NO:10) and 5′ gat ggc atg aca gta aga gct 3′ (SEQ ID NO:11) using the plasmid pGPS1.1 (New England Biolabs) as template DNA.
Sequencing was performed using the primer 5 ′-gct agt tat tgc tca gcg g-3′ (SEQ ID NO:5). Sequencing of Tn7-Kan (Stop) transposon insertion sites in pUC19 plasmid was carried out using Model 4200 DNA Sequencer (LI-COR). Sequencing was performed using IRD700-labeled primers 5′ agc tgg cga aag ggg gat gtg 3′ (SEQ ID NO:12) and 5′ tta tgc ttc cgg ctc gta tgt tgt gt 3′ (SEQ ID NO:13).
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The present invention describes an in vitro transposition-based methodology for generation of deletion derivatives of polypeptides. An artificial transposon containing at least partly within its transposon ends a modification with translation stop codons in three reading frames is provided. In the method, transposition complexes are assembled using the modified transposon and essentially random integrations into the target plasmid, containing a polypeptide coding nucleic acid of interest, are recovered as a plasmid pool. Subsequent manipulation steps including restriction enzyme digestions and ligation result in pools of mutant clones from which deletion derivatives of a polypeptide coding nucleic acid of interest and its respective deletion polypeptides could be produced.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to power supply circuits, and particularly uninterrupted power supply (UPS) circuits adapted to have paralleled DC-to-AC inverters across a load.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Paralleling of UPS systems, in particular DC-to-AC inverters, is known in the prior art. Such paralleling is used to provide redundancy in situations calling for stringent maintenance of power to critical loads such as computer systems, aircraft, and the like. Thus, a redundant system consists of at least two independent supplies which are connected in parallel, each of which supplies can carry the entire load. If one UPS fails for any reason, the other or others maintain system operation. In other applications, paralleling is required to provide the capacity to service a given load. For example, two or more UPS units of a given or different ratings may be needed to service a given load. Alternately, in a situation where one UPS may be able to handle a load when operating at maximum output, two or more units may be used in parallel to achieve the desired capacity, providing both redundancy and greater reliability due to operating each supply below its rated capacity.
Typically, paralleling of the output DC-to-AC inverters has been accomplished by controlling the amplitude and phase of the reference voltage to the inverter using a demodulator and modulator scheme. This scheme is costly and does not help in transient sharing; only the fundamental component of the current is shared. Further, this arrangement is generally not viable for paralleling inverters of different power ratings without substantial circuit changes.
An example of an attempt to balance load supplied by plural UPS units is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,114,048. There, the circuit is designed to balance load current through the respective inverters, but not load provided at the inverter outputs. Also, this design makes no attempt to balance harmonics.
Present day UPS applications have made it more critical that paralleled UPS units be able to provide balanced sharing of harmonics. Many UPS loads, such as computer loads, include significant transient conditions, resulting in harmonics. If such harmonics are not shared properly, but are distributed in an unbalanced way, the lifetime of a UPS unit can be significantly reduced. In some instances, unbalanced sharing of harmonics can even cause relatively quick failure. There is, thus, a need in the art for a UPS design enabling harmonic paralleling of the DC-to-AC inverter outputs of UPSs, enabling each UPS to share harmonic-rich loads such as presented by computers. What is needed is a UPS design that provides for sharing of subharmonic and higher harmonic currents, thereby enabling paralleling for supplying a nonlinear load. At the same time, there is a need for a simple and efficient manner of paralleling inverter outputs of UPS units so that each unit shares the load current as a ratio of its power rating to the power rating of the other parallel inverters.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of this invention to provide a UPS design whereby the output DC-to-AC inverters are paralleled, which includes generating an error signal which forces transient sharing of harmonic currents, thereby enabling balanced paralleling of UPS units for supplying a nonlinear load.
It is further an object of this invention to provide a simple and efficient circuit design for enabling paralleling of UPS units of different power ratings, so as to provide both needed capacity and redundancy for supplying a nonlinear load.
In accordance with the above objects, the present invention recognizes that load sharing control must take into account the internal impedance of the output inverter, in order to correct for any imbalance in the harmonics delivered to the load. Thus, in the prior art, paralleling arrangements have assumed a fixed value of equivalent internal impedance of the inverter circuit, such that feedback control of the fundamental voltage and phase from the inverter does not provide any harmonic control. In this invention, a current error signal is multiplied by a representation of the inverter impedance so as to generate a feedback signal that has a frequency spectrum covering the load current harmonics. In addition to conventional forward compensation and voltage feedback compensation, a current error signal is developed and modified by a paralleling compensation circuit to develop a control component which nulls the detected current error at the harmonics as well as fundamental of the load current. An operational amplifier is utilized to effectively multiply the current error signal by the output inverter impedance to provide nulling compensation at the harmonic frequencies. Additionally, a simple resistive network is utilized to control current load provided by each unit in proportion to its rated share of the total load.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a specific preferred embodiment implementing the invention.
FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram of the resistive network of this invention from which an error signal for each UPS is derived.
FIG. 3 is a system block diagram showing the interconnection of three UPS devices 83, 84, 85.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
FIG. 1 represents a circuit diagram of a DC-to-AC inverter in accordance with the invention. It is to be noted that this circuit is a specific implementation which is illustrative of the scope of the invention, and that equivalent implementations may be utilized. For example, a specific implementation of simulating the internal impedance of the inverter is shown, it being understood that many other equivalent circuit implementations are feasible and within the scope of the invention. Also, it is understood by those familiar with the UPS art that the inverter is only part of the entire UPS device. Table 1 provides typical values of components of the circuit of FIG. 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________42 - 2K 74 - 10K45 - 15K 75 - 10K46 - 1000 pF 78 - 1K47 - 5K 82 - 10K48 - 33 nF 84 - 163 pF58 - 0.02 85 - 167K60 - 1.075 mh 86 - 5061 - 9.4 μF 87 - 5064 - 10K 88 - 2 μF66 - 10K 89 - 2K67 - 150K68 - 10K, 22 nF______________________________________
Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a circuit diagram of a currently preferred embodiment of a UPS inverter circuit with feedback arrangement, for paralleling the inverter output to a load 70. A reference signal V1, indicated at 41, is the command signal used by the inverter to control the device output waveform. The reference is generally sinusoidal to emulate commonly available utility voltage, but need not be sinusoidal, i.e., it can be a square wave, triangular wave, or a sinusoidal wave with higher harmonics. Thus the inverter, in a well-known manner, takes a DC input and produces an AC output with the frequency and phase of the reference signal.
The inverter signal is connected through a resistor 42 to an inverting terminal of operational amplifier 44. The other input terminal is connected to ground. Impedance components connected between the input and output of amplifier 44 provide forward compensation to the signal. As shown, this impedance comprises a resistor 45 in parallel with a capacitor 46, in parallel with a series combination of resistor 47 and capacitor 48. Representative values of these elements, as well as other elements shown in FIG. 1 are set forth in Table 1. Additional signals are added to the active input of amplifier 44, as also discussed hereinbelow. A modulator circuit 50, shown in FIG. 1 as MOD CIR, receives the output of amplifier 44, as well as a carrier signal, illustrated as a triangular voltage. The modulator is a conventional modulator, comprising a comparator, circuitry to introduce current limiting, control the time between switching transistors, monitor the turn-on/turn-off pulses to the power transistors, and the switch drive circuitry. The output of the modulator is connected as illustrated to power switches 52 and 54, which connect to a positive DC bus and negative DC bus respectively. Switch 52 is shunted by a diode 53, and switch 54 is shunted by a diode 55. Although the switches are shown as bipolar transistors, other equivalent components may be used; the anti-parallel diodes may or may not be intrinsic to the switches. The modulated output of the transistors is taken from the common node between the two transistors, and connected through resistor 58 to a filter circuit comprising inductor 60 and capacitor 61. The output AC voltage developed across capacitor 61 is generated between node 71 and ground reference. The output filter is included to attenuate the carrier component and higher order harmonics from the voltage at the transistor common point.
The load 70 being driven by the UPS is connected between node 71 and ground reference. As also indicated in FIG. 1, node 71 is connected to the output of one or more other UPS units or independent modules which are connected parallel to provide load current to the load. It is to be understood that while the load is represented by a resistive symbol, in practice the load may be any complex load and particularly, as discussed above, a nonlinear load resulting in harmonic generation.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the output from node 71 is connected through resistor 64 to amplifier 65, which is shunted between output and input by resistor 66. The voltage feedback signal developed at the output of amplifier 65 is fed through the circuit indicated by resistor 67 and resistor-capacitor series combination 68, back to the active input terminal of amplifier 44. This feedback loop corrects DC-bus and load variations.
A current transformer, indicated at 72, measures the output current provided from the inverter output to load 70. For purposes of the following discussion, it is assumed that the current transformer secondary acts as a current controlled source, providing a current that is representative of the load current being delivered by the UPS unit. In practice, a current transformer or other shunt arrangement can reliably provide such a current controlled source.
The output of current source 72 is connected across a series resistive combination of resistor R SH and R BD . The node between R SH and R BD is tied to ground. Similarly for each other unit, as is shown in FIG. 2, the current transformer or current sensing element CS (n) is connected across a corresponding series combination of R SH (n) and R BD (n), and the node between each R SH and R BD is connected through to ground. The other side of each R SH is connected in common to node 80, as indicated. Thus, each of R SH (l) through R SH (n) is connected in parallel, such that the sum of the current source currents I l through I n flows through the parallel combination of the R SH resistors. As is discussed further hereinbelow, for each UPS unit, R SH is made equal to R BD ; and R SH is chosen to have a value relative to the other R SH resistors that is inversely proportional to the relative amount of load current it provides. Where each UPS unit has the same power rating and is to deliver the same current to the load, the common voltage developed across each R SH is representative of average current. Where the UPS units carry different ratings and thus are designed to provide different contributions to load current, the current through R SH (n) represents the current that such particular UPS unit should be carrying, while the current through R BD (n) represents the current that the nth unit actually is providing.
Still referring to FIG. 1, the voltages across R SH and R BD , relative to ground, are connected through resistors 74 and 75 to a first terminal of operational amplifier 77. The other terminal is grounded, and resistor 78 is shunted between the active input terminal and the output of amplifier 77. By this arrangement, the relative plus and minus voltages developed across the two resistors are added in the amplifier, providing a difference signal representative of the difference between voltage V SH across R SH and V BD across R BD . This error signal is connected through resistor 82 to an active input terminal of amplifier 85, the other input terminal being grounded. An impedance, which we designate Z, shunts the amplifier between the input terminal and the output terminal, such that the signal from amplifier 77 is effectively multiplied by a value representative of Z. The output of amplifier 83 is connected through resistor 89 to be added to the signal that goes into amplifier 44, thereby providing a paralleling compensation feedback signal.
The significance of the Z multiplication will now be explained. At any given operating moment, the difference between the two voltage inputs to amplifier 77 is inversely proportional to the internal impedance of the inverter circuit, i.e., the impedance "seen" looking back toward the inverter between node 71 and ground. This impedance is sometimes referred to as the Thevenin equivalent, i.e., that effective impedance which, when placed in series with an effective ideal voltage, would provide the output of the inverter circuit between node 71 and ground. The feedback signal which is fed into amplifier 44 can change the effective voltage source of the inverter, which in turn changes the output current. In order to compensate for the harmonics in the load current, the error signal that is fed back to amplifier 44 must reflect the inverter effective impedance, in order to produce a change in the harmonic content of the output current. Thus, if the feedback circuit provided only an error signal at the fundamental, there would be no correction, and thus no balancing of the harmonic content of the current output.
In the arrangement of this invention, the effective output impedance of the inverter is essentially recreated in the paralleling compensation circuit Z, so as to control the output voltage amplitude and phase over the frequency range of the inverter. Stated in another way, since the error signal that is inputted into amplifier 77 is proportional to the inverse of the output impedance of the inverter, the error signal is transformed by a transformation function which is proportional to the output impedance Z over the frequency range of interest. Thus, the paralleling compensation-circuit transfer function (PCCTF) is an impedance which is the same as the output impedance of the inverter. It is to be noted that the circuit configuration shown in FIG. 1 is illustrative and is only one implementation of PCCTF. Vastly different but functionally equivalent circuits can also simulate the transfer function. Thus, in a microprocessor-based adaptive control technique, the PCCTF may be an equation in software with the coefficients of the equation either predetermined or being dynamically calculated from measurements. Thus, software and other hardware embodiments are, within the scope of this invention, equivalent to the illustrative circuit presented in FIG. 1.
Referring further to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, the criteria for selecting R SH and R BD are now discussed.
FIG. 2 shows the interconnection of R SH and R BD for each of three devices, while FIG. 3 shows the interconnection of three UPS devices 83, 84 and 85 respectively. It is required that V SH , the voltage across each R SH , equals √ BN , the voltage across R BN for each unit, when the load is proper. This situation is independent of the mix of UPS unit ratings, i.e., the load to be carried by each unit. Consequently, whatever the mix, R SH (n) =R BD (n) for each of the n units. However, if the units have different ratings, then each T SH is selected to compare to each other R SH in inverse proportion to the relative amount of load carried. In general, whether the UPS units are of the same or different rating, the following apply:
(1) V SH =V BD (when current is shared as designed);
(2) R SH (n) =R BD (n) ;
(3) R SH (n) =K×1/I (n) where I(n) is the rated load to be carried by the nth UPS unit and where K is a constant of proportionality dependent on the required input impedance to amplifier 77 and the loading characteristics of the current-controlled current source 72; and
(4) R SH (n) =I max ) /I (n)×R.sub.(min) where R min is R SH for the unit carrying the maximum current load, I.sub.(max).
The following examples are illustrative:
TABLE 2______________________________________ Unit 1 Unit 2 Unit 3______________________________________Combination ARated Load 1I.sub.O 1I.sub.O 2I.sub.0 [I.sub.(max) ]R.sub.SH (n) (ohms) 2/5 2/5 1/5 [R.sub.SH(min) ]R.sub.BD (ohms) 2/5 2/5 1/5Combination BRated Load 3I.sub.0 [I.sub.(max) ] 2I.sub.0 1I.sub.OR.sub.SH (ohms) 2/11 3/11 6/11R.sub.BD (ohms) 2/11 3/11 6/11V.sub.SH(n) = V.sub.BD (n) = 6/11 I.sub.0 volts, when system balancedCombination CRated Load 1I.sub.O 1I.sub.O 1I.sub.OR.sub.SH (ohms) 1/2 1/2 1/2R.sub.BD (ohms) 1/2 1/2 1/2V.sub.SH(n) = V.sub.BD (n) = 1/2 I.sub.0 volts, when system______________________________________balanced
It is thus seen that a very simple and effective technique is provided for modifying any UPS or equivalent unit for placing it in parallel with any mix of other UPS units. A plug-in combination of R SH and R BD can be utilized, following formulas (2) and (4) above. There is provided an improved UPS adapted for paralleling with other UPS units, which very simply provides for balancing the load to be carried by each unit, and also effectively and efficiently balances harmonics in the load current. The load current is shared in the same ratio as the power rating of the inverters when placed in parallel, and the error signal representing the difference from rated current is generated by an impedance transform which represents the output impedance of the inverter circuit. All of these features are accomplished with the simple circuit of the form illustrated, which utilizes only four operational amplifiers.
In addition to UPS devices, the basic invention is applicable to any power-sharing devices that are paralleled across a load, where there is a need to balance the load provided by each device. In accordance with the formulas (1)-(4) above, such a system can easily provide for balancing of three or more such power-supplying circuits.
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A UPS device adapted for parallel connection to a load along with one or more other UPS devices, having circuitry for sharing of the load, including load harmonics. A feedback network has an error signal circuit which generates an error signal representative of the difference between the actual current provided by the device and the designated share of current it should provide. The error signal is transformed by a value representative of the effective output impedance of the UPS inverter, whereby the inverter is controlled to share the fundamental of the load current as well as the harmonics.
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[0001] This application is the US National Stage for International Application No. PCT/US2012040245, filed on May 31, 2012, which itself is related to and claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/491,529 filed on May 31, 2011.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] This invention relates generally to an agricultural harvesting machine and more particularly to a system and method of operation of a draper header during and after a deslugging or clean out operation, including automatically pausing or reversing operation of a feed draper and at least one side draper and automatically resuming operation of the feed draper and the at least one side draper in a graduated progression for more efficient clearing of the slug or blockage of crop material.
BACKGROUND ART
[0003] The disclosure of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/491,529, filed May 31, 2011, is hereby incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
[0004] Agricultural harvesting machines, such as combines, comprise a variety of apparatus and systems for receiving and processing crops. In particular, a combine will include a header operable for severing crops and other plant material from root structure and conveying the severed crop and plant material to a feed mechanism of the combine. The feed mechanism will typically include an enclosed feeder housing containing a feed conveyor, which feed conveyor will typically include parallel chains connected by slats, which chains encircle sprockets which are driven by a feeder drive to move the chains and slats upwardly and rearwardly along a floor of the housing, for inducting and conveying the crop and plant material, as well as debris that may be contained therein, into an inlet region of a threshing system of the combine. The threshing system, in turn, will typically include at least one rotor rotatable within a cavity or space defined at least partially by a concave structure having an array or arrays of openings therein sized for passage of grain therethrough. The rotor will include elements for inducting the crop and other material into the cavity and conveying the material through a crop separation clearance between the outer region of the rotor and the inner region of the concave, for separating grain and other small elements of the crop material from larger elements thereof, typically including leaves, stalks, cobs, husks and the like, depending on the crop being harvested. The separated grain is then expected to pass through the openings of the concave for further processing.
[0005] From time to time during operation of an agricultural combine, a slug, that is, an incorrectly processed and/or compacted mass of crop material and/or weeds, particularly stringy or viny weeds, debris, or other material, may be inducted into the feed mechanism and/or the threshing mechanism and become lodged or packed or jammed, to possibly block or interrupt throughput of crop material through the combine, and/or damage components of the feed and/or threshing mechanism, thus necessitating removal of the blockage or slug. Thus, when the combine encounters a slug of crop which plugs the draper sickle knife, feed draper, feed auger, feeder house, or threshing rotor, the operator must stop the normal forward feeding of crop and momentarily reverse the feeding mechanisms in an attempt to break up the slug of crop and eventually continue harvesting.
[0006] Once a slug has developed in the crop processing mechanism which refers to the feed mechanism and the threshing mechanism of the combine, a number of different actions depending on, the combine status, the type, severity and location of the slug, may be necessary to effect removal of the slug. These actions in response to encountering a slug or blockage of crop material may be performed by the operator, selected by the operator from a number of predetermined deslugging routines, or automatically run as a function of sensed parameters representative of the type and location of the slug or blockage. One such system and method is described in Bundy et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,452,267 issued Nov. 18, 2008 to CNH America LLC which is herein incorporated by reference.
[0007] Actions in response to a blockage or slug in the crop processing mechanism may only entail backing the slug or blockage away from the mechanism at which it became lodged, sufficiently so as to break it up or better process or compact it for passage through the feed and/or threshing mechanism. A slug or blockage that cannot be sufficiently broken up to pass through the mechanism may be carried off the front of the header by reversing one or both mechanisms to discharge the slug or blockage onto the feed draper and reversing the feed draper to carry the slug or blockage from the front of the header.
[0008] For a slug or blockage in the threshing mechanism, it may be sufficient to repeatedly jog the rotor through small angular movements, until the resulting low impulsive loads break down the slug and free it. In a more extreme example, it may be necessary to rock the rotor more violently back and forth in an agitating motion, at different amplitudes and different frequencies, occasionally with an asymmetric motion and relatively large impulsive loads, for extended periods of time, to incrementally dislodge or work the slug free. In an even more extreme example, manual intervention may be required, to open up the feed mechanism and/or the threshing mechanism, and manually clear the slug piece by piece.
[0009] Once the slug or blockage has been cleared, normal crop processing resumes and the draper header again conveys crop material to the feed mechanism. The distribution of the crop material on the feed and side drapers at this point depends on their operation during the deslugging operation. For example, if the feed and side drapers continue in their normal operating direction during the deslugging process, the side belts continue to add more crop material to the center belt which is counterproductive to the unplugging process. In other words, crop material distributed along the side drapers when the combine stopped harvesting is fed onto the feed draper and toward the inlet of the feeder housing. When normal operation resumes, all of the crop material that was distributed along the draper header simultaneously enters the feed mechanism, potentially leading to another blockage. As another example, if reverse operation of the feed and side drapers is disabled during the deslugging operation, the operator will not have the option of discharging a slug from the front of the header. Another option is to reverse both the feed and the side drapers during the deslugging operation. Reference in this regard, Enns et al., U.S. Pat. No. 7,497,069 issued on Mar. 3, 2009 to MacDon Industries Ltd., which describes a hydraulic circuit that reverses both the feed and side drapers during reverse operation of the feed and/or threshing mechanism. Reversing the feed draper, when not clearing a slug or blockage from the front of the header, results in unnecessary loss of the crop material on the feed draper when harvesting stopped. In addition, reversing the side drapers results in accumulation of the crop material on the side drapers at the outer ends thereof that will later be fed into the feed mechanism potentially leading to another blockage.
[0010] Accordingly, what is sought is a system and method for operating a draper header during and subsequent to a slug clean out operation, which provides one or more of the capabilities and overcomes at least one of the problems, shortcomings or disadvantages as set forth above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0011] What is disclosed is a system and method for operating a draper header during and subsequent to a slug clean out operation, which provides one or more of the capabilities and overcomes at least one of the problems, shortcomings or disadvantages as set forth above.
[0012] A draper header of an agricultural harvesting includes a feed draper configured and operable for conveying crop material thereon in a feed direction toward a crop processing mechanism of the harvesting machine and a reverse direction away from the crop processing mechanism. The header also includes at least one side draper configured and operable for conveying crop material thereon in a sideward direction to the feed draper. The crop processing mechanism includes a feed mechanism and a threshing mechanism, and operation of the crop processing mechanism in a deslugging or clean out process includes operating the crop processing mechanism in a reverse direction and a feed direction for movement of crop material in a reverse direction and a feed direction, respectively.
[0013] According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, in response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the reverse direction, the operation the feed draper and the at least one side draper in the feed direction is automatically paused. After the deslugging or clean out operation, the crop processing mechanism is operated in the feed direction. In response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the feed direction for a first predetermined period of time, operation of the feed draper is automatically resumed in the feed direction for conveying crop material in the feed direction. In response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the feed direction for a second predetermined period of time, longer than the first predetermined period of time, operation of the at least one side draper is automatically resumed in the feed direction for conveying crop material in the feed direction toward the feed draper. In addition, in response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the reverse direction for a third predetermined period of time, the feed draper is automatically operated in the reverse direction to convey crop material thereon in the reverse direction.
[0014] According to a preferred feature of the invention, when the crop processing mechanism is operated in the reverse direction, the feed draper remains paused until the crop processing mechanism is operated in the feed direction for the first predetermined period of time, indicating the deslugging operation broke apart or compacted the slug sufficiently for normal crop processing to resume. In this case, the feed draper resumes operation in the feed direction, and after the second predetermined period of time the at least one side draper resumes operation in the feed direction. Alternately, the feed draper remains paused until the crop processing mechanism is operated in the reverse direction for the third predetermined period of time, indicating the slug has been discharged onto the feed draper and should be conveyed from a forward end of the header. In this case, the feed draper resumes operation in the reverse direction until the slug of crop material is discharged from the forward end of the header.
[0015] According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the first predetermined period of time is sufficient to allow the crop processing mechanism to process at least a portion of the crop material therein.
[0016] According to another preferred aspect of the invention, the second predetermined period of time is sufficient to allow the feed draper to convey at least a portion of crop material thereon to the feed mechanism.
[0017] According to another preferred feature of the invention, at least one slug clean out operation includes operation of the crop processing mechanism in alternating reverse and feed directions for variable durations. Accordingly, the first predetermined period of time is longer than the variable durations of operation in the feed direction, and the third predetermined period of time is longer than the variable durations of operation in the reverse direction of the at least one slug clean out operation. This will prevent the header from misinterpreting the repeated reversals of direction of the crop processing mechanism during the slug clean out operation.
[0018] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of the crop processing mechanism in the feed direction and the reverse direction are predetermined.
[0019] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of the crop processing mechanism in the feed direction and the reverse direction are selected by an operator.
[0020] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of the crop processing mechanism in the feed direction and the reverse direction are automatically determined by parameters of the at least one slug clean out operation.
[0021] According to yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the header further includes an auger disposed near a rear end of the feed draper, and operation of the auger is resumed after the second predetermined period of time.
[0022] According to yet another preferred aspect of the invention, operation in the feed direction conveys the cut crop material sidewardly on the at least one side draper to the feed draper, along the feed draper to a feed conveyor within a feeder housing of the feed mechanism, through feed mechanism to the threshing mechanism including a rotor and concave, through the threshing mechanism for further cleaning and processing in the agricultural harvesting machine
[0023] Preferred embodiments of the system of the invention comprise hydraulic embodiments and electromechanical embodiments.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] FIG. 1 is a side view of an agricultural combine including a crop processing mechanism, which includes a feed mechanism and a threshing mechanism and a draper header including a feed draper and side drapers for use with the system and method of the invention;
[0025] FIG. 2 is a simplified end view of a rotor and a concave of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating the crop separation clearance between the rotor and the concave;
[0026] FIG. 3 is a simplified top view of the header, the feed mechanism, and a portion of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating a slug or blockage of crop material in the feed mechanism;
[0027] FIG. 4 is a simplified top view of the header, the feed mechanism, and a portion of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating operation of the feed draper in the reverse direction in response to operation of the feed mechanism in the reverse direction for the third predetermined period of time representative of a clean out operation in which the slug of crop material discharged onto the feed draper is conveyed from the forward end of the header;
[0028] FIG. 5 is a simplified top view of the header, the feed mechanism, and a portion of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating the operation of the feed mechanism in the feed direction during the first predetermined period of time after a clean out operation;
[0029] FIG. 6 is a simplified top view of the header, the feed mechanism, and a portion of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating the operation of the feed mechanism in the feed direction after the first predetermined period of time and during the second predetermined period of time after the clean out operation;
[0030] FIG. 7 is a simplified top view of the header, the feed mechanism, and a portion of the threshing mechanism of the combine of FIG. 1 , illustrating the operation of the feed mechanism in the feed direction after the second predetermined period of time after the clean out operation;
[0031] FIG. 8 is a top level flow diagram including the method of operation of the draper header during and after the clean out operation;
[0032] FIG. 9 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing hydraulic fluid flow in the forward direction indicating the crop processing mechanism is operating in the feed direction;
[0033] FIG. 10 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing the operation of the fluid pumps in the reverse direction in response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the reverse direction indicative of the slug clean out operation;
[0034] FIG. 11 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing operation of the hydraulic pumps in the reverse direction in response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the reverse direction after the third predetermined period of time indicative of discharging the slug of crop material from the forward end of the header;
[0035] FIG. 12 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing operation of the fluid pumps in the forward direction during the first predetermined period of time wherein fluid flow remains diverted from the feed draper and side drapers following a slug clean out operation;
[0036] FIG. 13 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing operation of the fluid pumps in the forward direction after the first predetermined period of time wherein operation of the feed draper in the feed direction is resumed following the slug clean out operation; and
[0037] FIG. 14 is a simplified hydraulic circuit showing operation of the fluid pumps in the forward direction after the second predetermined period of time wherein operation of the side drapers in the feed direction is resumed following a slug clean out operation.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] Referring now to the drawings, wherein FIG. 1 depicts a representative agricultural harvesting machine, shown here as a combine 20 , having a draper header 22 and a crop processing mechanism 27 , including a feed mechanism 28 and a threshing mechanism 30 . Although illustrated with a draper type header, the present invention is suitable for a header using alternate conveyance systems, such as, but not limited to, an auger. In addition, the present invention is suitable for use with a windrowing type machine wherein the severed crop material is discharged from the rear of the machine
[0039] Referring also to FIG. 3 , draper header 22 is mounted on a forward end 36 of feed mechanism 28 , and is operable for cutting or severing plant material or crops such as, but not limited to, small grains such as wheat and soybeans, and conveying the severed crop material toward an inlet opening of feed mechanism 28 for conveyance into combine 20 for threshing and cleaning, in the well known manner, as combine 20 moves forwardly over a field. Draper header 22 includes a feed draper 24 configured and operable for conveying crop material thereon in a feed direction, denoted by arrow F, toward feed mechanism 28 , and a reverse direction, denoted by arrow R, away from feed mechanism 28 or toward a forward end 34 of header 22 , and at least one side draper 26 configured and operable for conveying crop material thereon in a sideward feed direction denoted by arrows C and D to feed draper 24 .
[0040] Feed mechanism 28 is mounted on a front end 32 of combine 20 generally beneath an operator cab 33 . Feed mechanism 28 includes a feeder housing 38 containing a feed conveyor 40 operable for conveying the crop material upwardly and rearwardly through housing 38 into an inlet region of threshing mechanism 30 . Feed conveyor 40 generally includes at least two endless chains 42 encircling drive sprockets 44 located in a rear end of feeder housing 38 and a drum 45 located in forward end 36 of feed mechanism 28 . A plurality of slats (not shown) extends between chains 42 and facilitates the conveying of crop and other material through feeder housing 38 , in the well-known manner. In this latter regard, during normal crop processing, drive sprockets 44 will be rotated in a counterclockwise direction for moving chains 42 and the slats upwardly and rearwardly within feeder housing 38 for conveying crop and other plant material upwardly and rearwardly toward threshing mechanism 30 in feed direction F. Alternately, when reversed, drive sprockets 44 will be rotated in a clockwise direction for moving chains 42 and slats downwardly and forwardly within feeder housing 38 for conveying crop and other plant material away from threshing mechanism 30 in reverse direction R.
[0041] Referring also to FIG. 2 , threshing system 30 includes a rotatable, generally cylindrical rotor 46 including a tapered forward end having at least two vanes or flights 47 ( FIG. 1 ) extending radially outwardly therefrom. At least a lower region of rotor 46 rearwardly of flights 47 is surrounded by a concave 48 located in radially outwardly spaced relation thereto, defining a crop separation clearance 50 extending circumferentially at least partially around the outer cylindrical surface of rotor 46 . Referring more particularly to FIG. 2 , concave 48 is supported beneath rotor 46 by a support structure including a pivotal connection 54 on one side, and one or more hanger straps 56 on the other side. Hanger strap 56 is connected to a free end of an adjusting arm 58 supported and controllably movable upwardly and downwardly by an actuator 60 , which can be, for instance, a fluid cylinder. Actuator 60 is of well-known, conventional construction, and can be controlled by an operator using a control (not shown) in the well-known manner to precisely position concave 48 within a range of relatively more closely spaced positions in relation to rotor 46 (represented in solid lines) to provide a crop separation clearance suitable to for desired threshing characteristics for the crop to be harvested. The position of concave 48 can be sensed or determined in the conventional, well known manner using a concave position sensor 61 , which can be associated with or incorporated into actuator 60 , or located elsewhere for sensing information representative of the position of concave 48 relative to rotor 46 . This position and/or the crop separation clearance may be indicative of the presence of a slug or blockage of crop material. Actuator 60 can also be controlled in the same manner to position concave 48 in at least one more lowered position (represented in dotted lines) wherein the crop separation clearance is opened so as to be suitable for facilitating slug clean out operations in threshing mechanism 30 .
[0042] As combine 20 is moved forwardly through a field for normal crop processing, crops and other plants severed by header 22 will be conveyed to feed mechanism 28 , and through feed mechanism 28 to threshing mechanism 30 , wherein a mat of the crop and other plant material will move in a generally helical path through crop separation clearance 50 , as effected by rotation of rotor 46 . Grain and other small elements of plant material will then pass through arrays of openings or spaces in concave 48 , so as to fall therefrom onto a cleaning system (not shown) of combine 20 , which will further clean the grain from the other small elements of plant material. From the cleaning system, the clean grain will be conveyed into a clean grain tank 62 , in the well-known conventional manner. Larger elements of plant material, such as straw, leaves, stalks, cobs, and the like, which do not pass through the openings of concave 48 are conveyed through crop separation clearance 50 past the rear end of rotor 46 and concave 48 , and are disposed of through the rear end of combine 20 , also in the well-known manner.
[0043] Referring also to FIGS. 3 through 8 , when an operator and/or a slug detection system detects a slug 70 or blockage of crop material in feed mechanism 28 and/or threshing mechanism 30 , combine 20 stops normal crop processing for a slug clean out operation for eliminating slug 70 or the blockage of crop material. Slug clean out operations typically initiate by operating crop processing mechanism 27 in reverse and may alternately switch the operation of crop processing mechanism 27 between reverse and feed directions to free slug 70 as illustrated by arrow 75 in feed mechanism 28 and arrow 77 at rotor 46 in FIG. 4 .
[0044] According to the present invention, in response to operation of the crop processing mechanism in the reverse direction, operation of feed draper 22 and the at least one side draper 26 in the feed direction is automatically paused as seen in blocks 74 , 76 , and 78 of FIG. 8 . Initially pausing feed draper 24 is advantageous because operation in the feed direction conveys additional cut crop material into feed mechanism 28 and/or threshing mechanism 30 interfering with the slug clean out operation, and operation in the reverse direction unnecessarily carries cut crop material off forward end 34 of header 22 . Pausing the at least one side draper 26 during the clean out operation is advantageous because operation in the feed direction adds additional cut crop material to feed draper 24 , and operation in the reverse direction causes cut crop material thereon to build up at the outer ends of the at least one side draper 26 . So, operation of the at least one side draper 26 in either direction creates an uneven distribution of crop material and the possibility of creating a large slug of crop material that may form a new blockage when normal crop processing resumes.
[0045] After the deslugging or clean out operation, crop processing mechanism 27 is operated in the feed direction. In response to operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in the feed direction for a first predetermined period of time, operation of feed draper 24 is automatically resumed in the feed direction for conveying crop material in the feed direction as seen at blocks 80 , 82 and 84 of FIG. 8 and FIGS. 5 and 6 . In response to operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in the feed direction for a second predetermined period of time, longer than the first predetermined period of time, operation of the at least one side draper 26 is automatically resumed in the feed direction for conveying crop material in the feed direction toward feed draper 24 as seen in blocks 86 and 88 of FIG. 8 and FIGS. 6 and 7 . In addition, in response to operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in the reverse direction for a third predetermined period of time, feed draper 24 is automatically operated in the reverse direction to convey crop material thereon, including slug 70 in the reverse direction as seen in blocks 90 and 92 of FIG. 8 and FIG. 4 .
[0046] According to a preferred feature of the invention, when crop processing mechanism 27 is operated in the reverse direction, feed draper remains 24 paused until crop processing mechanism 27 is operated in the feed direction for the first predetermined period of time, indicating the slug clean out operation broke apart or compacted the slug sufficiently for normal crop processing to resume. In this case, feed draper 24 resumes operation in feed direction F, and, after the second predetermined period of time, the at least one side draper 26 resumes operation in feed direction C and D.
[0047] Alternately, in at least one slug clean out operation, feed draper 24 remains paused until crop processing mechanism 27 is operated in reverse direction R for the third predetermined period of time sufficient for depositing slug 70 onto feed draper 24 as illustrated in FIG. 4 . In response to this case, feed draper 24 resumes operation in reverse direction R until slug 70 is discharged from the front or forward end 34 of header 22 .
[0048] According to a preferred aspect of the invention, the first predetermined period of time is sufficient to allow crop processing mechanism 27 to process at least a portion of the crop material therein. This aspect is advantageous because when normal crop processing stops, feed draper 24 has cut crop material thereon en route to feed mechanism 28 . If feed draper 24 remains paused during the slug clean out process, the cut crop material remains on feed draper 24 when it resumes operation in feed direction F. The first predetermined period of time allows crop processing mechanism 27 to process any crop material therein including the crop material that was previously part of slug 70 prior to introduction of the cut crop material on feed draper 24 .
[0049] According to another preferred aspect of the invention, the second predetermined period of time is sufficient to allow feed draper 24 to convey at least a portion of crop material thereon to feed mechanism 28 . This aspect is also advantageous because when normal crop processing stops, the at least one side draper 26 has cut crop material thereon en route to feed draper 24 that remains thereon when operation of the at least one side draper resumes. The second predetermined period of time allows crop processing mechanism 27 to process any crop material therein and any crop material conveyed from feed draper 24 including the crop material that was previously part of slug 70 prior to introduction of the cut crop material on the at least one side draper 26 .
[0050] Referring also to FIGS. 4 through 7 , according to a preferred feature of the invention, at least one slug clean out operation includes operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in alternating reverse and feed directions for variable durations represented by arrows 75 and 77 in FIG. 4 . Accordingly, the first predetermined period of time is longer than the variable durations of operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in the feed direction F, and the third predetermined period of time is longer than the variable durations of operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in the reverse direction R during the at least one slug clean out operation. This will prevent the header from misinterpreting the repeated reversals of direction of crop processing mechanism 27 during the slug clean out operation as indications that the slug clean out operation is complete or the slug has been discharged onto feed draper 24 .
[0051] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in feed direction F and reverse direction R are predetermined.
[0052] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in feed direction F and reverse direction R are selected by an operator.
[0053] According to yet another preferred feature of the invention, the variable durations of operation of crop processing mechanism 27 in feed direction F and reverse direction R are automatically determined by parameters of the at least one slug clean out operation.
[0054] According to yet another preferred aspect of the invention, the header further includes an auger 66 ( FIG. 3 ) disposed near a rear end of the feed draper, and operation of auger 66 is paused with the at least one side draper 26 and resumed after the second predetermined period of time.
[0055] Referring now also to FIGS. 9 through 14 , for a representative hydraulic implementation of one of the preferred embodiments of the system of the invention. During normal crop processing, illustrated by FIG. 9 , hydraulic fluid flows according to the arrows from fluid pumps 110 and 112 , to a knife drive motor 114 , a feed draper motor 116 , side draper motors 118 and 120 , and an auger motor 122 , and then returns through a filter 124 and a cooler 126 .
[0056] Referring also to FIG. 10 , if crop processing mechanism 27 , including feed mechanism 28 and/or threshing mechanism 30 , are operated in reverse to clean out slug 70 , fluid flow is reversed in pumps 110 and 112 . Filter 124 and cooler 126 are isolated from the reverse hydraulic fluid flow with various check valves, including check valves CV 1 and CV 2 . When fluid flow is reversed, as shown by the arrows in FIG. 10 , an accumulator 128 is charged with hydraulic fluid from pump 110 using backpressure created by an orifice 130 . As long as there is sufficient pressure in accumulator 128 , a feed draper valve 132 and a side draper valve 134 remain energized. When energized, feed draper valve 132 diverts hydraulic fluid away from feed draper motor 118 , and side draper valve 132 diverts oil away from side draper motors 118 and 120 and auger motor 122 . Knife drive motor 114 is always active during forward and reverse hydraulic fluid flow, which is desirable.
[0057] Referring also to FIG. 11 , when crop processing mechanism 27 is operated in the reverse direction for the third predetermined period of time, valve 136 is selected to allows operation of feed draper 24 in reverse direction R. Valve 136 isolates accumulator 128 from the path of feed draper motor 116 , regardless of the pressure in accumulator 128 . Valve 134 remains in the fluid path with side drapers 26 and auger 66 to isolate them from the reverse fluid flow so they remained paused as shown in FIG. 11 . Valve 136 may also be selected by the operator to determine if feed draper 24 operates during the slug clean out mode.
[0058] Referring also to FIGS. 12 through 14 , when crop processing mechanism is operated in feed direction F for the first predetermined period of time, fluid pumps are operated in the forward direction. The fluid pressure stored in accumulator 128 and held by check valve CV 3 , but immediately begins to bleed down through orifice 138 . As seen in FIG. 13 , once the pressure in accumulator 128 reaches a spring rating of feed draper valve 132 , it returns to its neutral position, and feed draper motor 116 resumes operation in the feed direction. Similarly, as seen in FIG. 14 , once the pressure in accumulator 128 reaches a spring rating of side draper valve 134 , it returns to its neutral position, and side draper motors 118 and 120 and auger motor 112 resume operation. The spring rating in feed draper valve 132 is set higher than that of side draper valve 134 so that the feed draper 24 will engage before the at least one side draper 26 . The spring ratings in valves 132 and 134 correspond to delays that may be incorporated into the first predetermined period of time and the second predetermined period of time, respectively. For example, the time required for the fluid pressure in accumulator 128 to reach the spring rating of feed draper valve 132 may be added to the first predetermined period of time, and the time required for the fluid pressure in accumulator 128 to reduce further to reach the spring rating of side draper valve 134 may be added to the second predetermined period of time. Again, these delays allow crop material in crop processing mechanism 27 to process prior to conveyance of additional crop material from feed draper 24 and/or the at least one side draper 26 .
[0059] Preferred embodiments of the system of the invention comprise not only hydraulic embodiments but also electromechanical embodiments.
[0060] In light of all the foregoing, it should thus be apparent to those skilled in the art that there has been shown and described a system and method for operation of a draper header during and after a slug clean out operation. However, it should also be apparent that, within the principles and scope of the invention, many changes are possible and contemplated, including in the details, materials, and arrangements of parts which have been described and illustrated to explain the nature of the invention. Thus, while the foregoing description and discussion addresses certain preferred embodiments or elements of the invention, it should further be understood that concepts of the invention, as based upon the foregoing description and discussion, may be readily incorporated into or employed in other embodiments and constructions without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are intended to protect the invention broadly as well as in the specific form shown, and all changes, modifications, variations, and other uses and applications which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention are deemed to be covered by the invention, which is limited only by the claims which follow
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A system and method of operation of a draper header of an agricultural work machine during a deslugging or clean out operation and after resumption of normal crop processing. During the deslugging or clean out operation, a feed draper is reversed or paused and the at least one side draper is paused. The method includes automatically resuming operation of the feed draper and at least one side draper in a graduated progression for more efficient clearing of the slug or blockage of crop material.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to U.S. Application Ser. No. 60/563,836, filed on Apr. 20, 2004, the entire contents of which is incorporated by reference herein.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to surgical prostheses, and more particularly to a surgical prosthesis used to repair an opening in a body cavity.
BACKGROUND
An unwanted opening in a body cavity, such as an incisional hernia, is often repaired using a prosthetic mesh, such as a polypropylene mesh or a polypropylene mesh including a biodegradable, adhesion barrier layer as described in PCT publication number WO 01/43789 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,264,702, to line the inner surface of the body cavity at the wall opening.
SUMMARY
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a surgical prosthesis. The surgical prosthesis includes a three-dimensional mesh including at least two types of yarn interlooped or intertwined to define at least two layers, wherein one of the at least two layers is substantially non-biodegradable and another of the at least two layers is substantially biodegradable. An adhesion barrier is interconnected with the second, substantially biodegradable layer of the three-dimensional mesh.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. One of the at least two types of yarn within the three-dimensional mesh is a non-biodegradable yarn. The non-biodegradable yarn is selected from polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or a combination thereof. The non-biodegradable yarn has a diameter of about 0.001 to about 0.010 inches, and is preferably about 0.005 inches.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following features. One of the at least two types of yarn is a biodegradable yarn. The biodegradable yarn is selected from poly (glycolic) acid, polylactic acid, polydioxanone, polycaprolactone, calcium alginate or a combination thereof. The biodegradable yarn has a diameter of no greater than about 120 denier. In certain embodiments, the biodegradable yarn has a diameter no greater than about 100 denier.
In some embodiments, the three-dimensional mesh of the surgical prosthesis includes at least one non-biodegradable monofilament yarn and at least one biodegradable multifilament yarn. In some embodiments, the three-dimensional mesh of the surgical prosthesis includes at least one non-biodegradable monofilament yarn and at least two biodegradable multifilament yarns.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following features. The adhesion barrier of the surgical prosthesis includes polymer hydrogel. The adhesion barrier includes at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide. In some embodiments, the adhesion barrier includes a crosslinked polymer hydrogel alone or in combination with at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide. The crosslinked polymer hydrogel includes one or more hydrophilic blocks, one or more biodegradable blocks, and one or more crosslinking blocks. The crosslinked polymer hydrogel is formed by polymerization of monomers including photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol)-trimethlyene carbonate/lactate multi-block polymers endcapped with acrylate esters. The polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide includes carbodiimide-modified hyaluronic acid and carbodiimide-modified carboxymethylcellulose.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following features. The adhesion barrier is in the form of a film, a foam, or a gel. The adhesion barrier has a density of about 5 grams total polymer per square foot. The surgical prosthesis has a moisture content of less than about 2%. In some embodiments, the surgical prosthesis has a moisture content less than about 1.2%.
In another aspect, the invention features a surgical prosthesis including a first layer formed substantially of a non-biodegradable yarn, a second layer formed substantially of a first biodegradable yarn, and an adhesion barrier embedded within the second layer. The first and second layers of the surgical prosthesis are connected with a second biodegradable yarn. The first layer defines a first outer surface of the surgical prosthesis and the adhesion barrier defines a second outer surface of the surgical prosthesis, wherein the first outer surface has a macroporous structure adapted to permit tissue ingrowth into the first layer and the second outer surface of the surgical prosthesis is adapted to minimize the formation of adhesion of tissue adjacent to the second outer surface.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following features. The second outer surface of the surgical prosthesis has a microporous structure having a pore size of about 10 microns or less. The macroporous structure of the first outer surface of the surgical prosthesis has a pore size of about 100 microns or more.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following features. The non-biodegradable yarn is selected from polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate or a combination thereof. The first biodegradable yarn is selected from poly (glycolic) acid, polylactic acid, polydioxanone, polycaprolactone, calcium alginate or combinations thereof. The second biodegradable yarn is selected from poly (glycolic) acid, polylactic acid, polydioxanone, polycaprolactone, calcium alginate or combinations thereof.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following. The adhesion barrier includes a crosslinked polymer hydrogel and at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide. The crosslinked polymer hydrogel includes one or more hydrophilic blocks, one or more biodegradable blocks, and one or more crosslinking blocks. In some embodiments, the crosslinked polymer hydrogel is formed by polymerization of monomers including photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol)-trimethlyene carbonate/lactate multi-block polymers endcapped with acrylate esters. The polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide includes carbodiimide-modified hyaluronic acid and carbodiimide-modified carboxymethylcellulose.
In general, in a further aspect, the invention features a method of making a surgical prosthesis. The method includes the steps of providing a fabric including a first layer formed substantially of non-biodegradable yarn and a second layer formed of biodegradable yarn, providing a liquid formulation including macromers and an initiator, placing the fabric with the liquid formulation such that the second layer is in fluid contact with the liquid formulation; and exposing the liquid formulation to a light source.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following. The light source used is an LED array having an intensity of about 1 to about 100 mW/cm 2 . The initiator used within the liquid formulation is a photoinitiator, such as for example, Eosin Y. The liquid formulation further includes biopolymers, an accelerant, and a buffer. The biopolymers include at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with carbodiimide. The buffer includes triethanolamine and/or potassium phosphate. The accelerant includes N-vinylcaprolactam. In some embodiments, the liquid formulation includes 1 weight percent carbodiimide-modified hyaluronic acid and carbodiimide-modified carboxymethylcellulose, 2.5 weight percent poly(ethylene glycol)-trimethlyene carbonate/lactate multi-block polymers endcapped with acrylate esters, 40 ppm of Eosin Y, 4000 ppm N-vinylcaprolactam, 0.54 weight percent triethanolamine, 0.8 weight percent of potassium phosphate.
In another aspect, the invention features a method of making a surgical prosthesis. The method includes providing a fabric including a first layer formed substantially of non-biodegradable yarn and a second layer formed of biodegradable yarn, providing a liquid formulation including a first polymer system, a second polymer system, and a photoinitiator, placing the fabric over the liquid formulation such that the second layer is in fluid contact with the liquid formulation, and exposing the liquid formulation to a light source to activate the photoinitiator so as to cause polymerization of at least one of the polymer systems in the liquid formulation.
Embodiments may include one or more of the following. The polymerization of at least one of the polymer systems results in the formation of a barrier layer partially embedded within the second layer of the fabric. The first polymer system includes carbodiimide-modified hyaluronic acid and carbodiimide-modified carboxymethylcellulose and the second polymer system includes poly(ethylene glycol)-trimethylene carbonate/lactate multi-block polymers endcapped with acrylate esters. The photoinitiator includes Eosin Y. The liquid formulation further includes an accelerant and at least one buffer. In some embodiments, the liquid formulation includes accelerant, such as, for example, n-vinylcaprolactam, and two buffers, such as triethanolamine and potassium phosphate.
Embodiments may also include one or more of the following. The light source used to activate the photoinitiator is an LED array having an intensity of about 1 to about 100 mW/cm 2 . The surgical prosthesis formed is dried in a convection oven.
In general, in a further aspect, the invention features a method of repairing an opening in a wall enclosing a body cavity of a patient. The method includes providing a surgical prosthesis, such as, for example, the surgical prostheses described above, and securing the surgical prosthesis over the wall opening of the patient such that the adhesion barrier faces viscera or tissue from which adhesion is to be prevented.
Embodiments may have one or more of the following advantages. The surgical prosthesis can be used to treat an opening in a patient's body cavity with minimal or no adhesion formation. Due to the incorporation of the adhesion barrier within the mesh, there is a strong mechanical connection between the hydrophilic adhesion barrier and a hydrophobic polypropylene mesh. As a result, the likelihood of delamination of the adhesion barrier from the mesh is decreased. Another advantage of the surgical prosthesis is the inclusion of interlooping or intertwining yarns forming the two layers of the mesh. The use of the interlooping or intertwining yarns reduces or even eliminates reliance on adhesives to form the surgical prosthesis.
As used herein “non-biodegradable” means a material that contains components that are not readily degraded, absorbed, or otherwise decomposed when present in a body cavity.
As used herein “biodegradable” means a material that contains components that can be degraded and/or absorbed at some time after implantation of the surgical prosthesis, such as within weeks or months following implantation.
As used herein “substantially” means predominantly but not wholly that which is specified. When a layer is said to be substantially non-biodegradable, it refers to a layer that is predominantly composed of non-biodegradable material, but for a small volume of the layer where the non-biodegradable material intertwines with the biodegradable material. When a layer is said to be substantially biodegradable, it refers to a layer that is predominantly composed of biodegradable material, but for a small volume of the layer where the biodegradable material intertwines with the non-biodegradable material.
The details of one or more embodiments of the invention are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a surgical prosthesis.
FIG. 1B is a surface view of a first surface of the surgical prosthesis of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 1C is a surface view of a second surface of the surgical prosthesis of FIG. 1A .
FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of a mesh used to form a surgical prosthesis.
FIG. 2B is a surface view of a non-biodegradable layer of the mesh of FIG. 2A
FIG. 2C is a surface view of a biodegradable layer of the mesh of FIG. 2A .
FIG. 3A is a surface view of another embodiment of a mesh used to form a surgical prosthesis.
FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the mesh of FIG. 3A .
FIG. 4 is a surface view of an opening in a wall of a body cavity before repair.
FIG. 5 is a surface view of the opening of FIG. 4 with the surgical prosthesis shown in FIG. 1A properly positioned for repair.
FIG. 6 is a surface view of the opening and surgical prosthesis in FIG. 5 , the opening now being closed by sutures.
Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to FIGS. 1A-C , a surgical prosthesis 10 for repairing an unwanted opening in a body cavity, such as an opening in the abdomen, includes an adhesion barrier 20 supported by a three-dimensional mesh 30 . The three-dimensional mesh 30 , shown with the adhesion barrier 20 in FIGS. 1A-C and without the adhesion barrier 20 in FIGS. 2A-C , is formed of biodegradable yarn 32 and non-biodegradable yarn 34 that define at least two layers (here, two). Referring particularly to FIG. 1B , one of the at least two layers, layer 33 , forms a first mesh surface 35 and is substantially non-biodegradable. Referring particularly to FIG. 1C , another of the at least two layers, layer 37 , forms a second mesh surface 39 and is substantially biodegradable. Layers 33 and 37 are connected together by a biodegradable binding yarn 40 . An adhesion barrier 20 , which substantially prevents adhesions from forming on the surgical prosthesis, is formed directly on (e.g., polymerized on) biodegradable layer 37 , thereby interconnecting adhesion barrier 20 to mesh 30 .
Prior to applying adhesion barrier 20 to mesh 30 to form surgical prosthesis 10 , mesh 30 has an uncompressed thickness of between about 2.5 and 3.0 millimeters, an areal density of about 13 to 16 g/ft 2 , and includes a macroporous structure (e.g., having a pore size of about 100 microns or more) that is accessible from first mesh surface 35 and second mesh surface 39 . After applying adhesion barrier 20 to mesh 30 and air drying, surgical prosthesis 10 has a thickness between about 0.45 and 0.9 millimeters, an areal density of about 18 to 21 g/ft 2 , and includes a macroporous structure that is accessible only from the first mesh surface 35 . That is, adhesion barrier 20 is applied to mesh 30 so that adhesion barrier 20 extends past second mesh surface 39 and into the macroporous structure of biodegradable layer 37 of mesh 30 , thereby at least partially filling the macroporous structure of layer 37 . In some embodiments, the macroporous structure of layer 37 is replaced with a microporous structure (e.g., having a pore size of about 50 microns or less, preferably having a pore size of 10 microns or less).
The Mesh
Mesh 30 is any woven or knitted structure that includes biodegradable yarns 32 and non-biodegradable yarns 34 . Typically, the ratio of non-biodegradable yarns to biodegradable yarns in the mesh ranges from about 0.1 to 9. In certain embodiments, the ratio of non-biodegradable yarns to biodegradable yarns is 1 to 2.33. Mesh 30 has a structure that on one side allows adhesion barrier 20 to become entangled and interlocked within biodegradable layer 37 , and on the opposite side has a structure that provides a strong support frame for cellular ingrowth and repair. In some embodiments, such as, for example, the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 2A-C , mesh 30 includes biodegradable and non-biodegradable yarns that have been intertwined and/or interlooped to define layers 33 and 37 . In certain embodiment, such as, for example, the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3A-B , mesh 30 ′ includes a preformed non-biodegradable mesh 33 ′ formed of non-biodegradable yarns 34 and a preformed biodegradable mesh 37 ′ formed of biodegradable yarns 32 that are stitched together with biodegradable binding yarn 40 .
In general, the non-biodegradable yarn 34 in mesh 30 can be selected as desired. Typically, non-biodegradable yarn 34 is selected to be biocompatible with the subject in whom surgical prosthesis 10 is to be used. In addition, non-biodegradable yarn 34 used in mesh 30 typically has a straight tensile strength between about 1.0 and 2.0 lbs as measured based on a method according to ASTM standard#D2256-95A. In some embodiments, the non-biodegradable yarn 34 is a monofilament yarn having a diameter of about 0.001 inches to about 0.010 inches. In certain embodiments, the non-biodegradable yarn 34 has a diameter of about 0.005 inches. Examples of non-biodegradable yarns include polypropylene and polyethylene terephthalate.
Biodegradable yarns 32 , 40 in mesh 30 can also be selected as desired. In general, the biodegradable yarn is selected to be compatible with adhesion barrier 20 . In some embodiments, the biodegradable yarn is hydrophilic. In certain embodiments, biodegradable yarns 32 used in mesh 30 has a straight tensile strength between about 0.4 and 1.8 lbs as measured by a method based on ASTM standard#D2256-95A. In some embodiments, the biodegradable yarn is a 90 denier or less multifilament yarn. The multifilament yarn can include 10 to 50 monofilament fibers that each has a thickness of about 0.0006 inches. Examples of biodegradable yarns include poly (glycolic) acid (PGA), polylactic acid (PLA), polydioxanone (PDO), polycaprolactone (PCL), calcium alginate, and copolymers thereof.
In some embodiments, the non-biodegradable and/or biodegradable yarns can be coated with a lubricant in order to facilitate knitting of the yarns. Suitable examples of lubricants for the non-biodegradable and biodegradable yarns include nontoxic hydrophobic waxes such as, for example, esters of fatty acid alcohols, or hydrophilic lubricants such as, for example, polyalkyl glycols. One specific spin finish that yields particularly good results for the non-biodegradable yarn is Lurol PP-3772 (Goulston Technologies, Inc., Monroe, N.C.). A spin finish blend of Poloxamer 184, Polysorbate 20, sodium lauryl sulfate, propylene glycol methyl ether, and toluene has yielded good results for the biodegradable yarn.
The Adhesion Barrier
The adhesion barrier 20 composition may comprise a gel, foam, film or membrane made of a bioresorbable material. The adhesion barrier 20 may be prepared from one or more components selected from hyaluronic acids and any of its salts, carboxymethyl cellulose and any of its salts, oxidized regenerated cellulose, collagen, gelatin, phospholipids, and the first and second polymer systems described below, as well as any crosslinked or derivatized forms thereof. In some embodiments, the barrier is made from a material capable of forming a hydrogel when contacted with an aqueous fluid, such as saline, phosphate buffer, or a bodily fluid.
In a preferred embodiment, the adhesion barrier 20 composition comprises a mixture of at least two polymer systems. The first polymer system includes a crosslinked biodegradable multi-block polymer hydrogel having a three-dimensional polymer network. The second polymer system comprises at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by reaction with a carbodiimide compound.
The crosslinked polymer hydrogel of the first polymer system comprises hydrophilic blocks, biodegradable blocks, and crosslinking blocks formed during the polymerization of macromers. The macromers are large molecules that comprise at least one hydrophilic block, at least one biodegradable block and at least one polymerizable group. One or more of these blocks may be polymeric in nature. At least one of the biodegradable blocks comprises a linkage based on a carbonate or ester group, and the macromers can contain other degradable linkages or groups in addition to carbonate or ester groups. Suitable macromers to form polymer hydrogels and methods of preparing them have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,083,524 and 5,410,016, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Suitable hydrophilic polymeric blocks include those which, prior to incorporation into the macromer, are water-soluble such as poly(ethylene glycol), poly(ethylene oxide), partially or fully hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol), poly(vinylpyrrolidone), poly(ethyloxazoline), poly(ethylene oxide)-co-poly(propylene oxide) block copolymers (poloxamers and meroxapols), poloxamines, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyalkylated celluloses such as hydroxyethyl cellulose and methylhydroxypropyl cellulose, polypeptides, polynucleotides, polysaccharides or carbohydrates such as Ficoll® polysucrose, hyaluronic acid, dextran, heparin sulfate, chondroitin sulfate, heparin, or alginate, and proteins such as gelatin, collagen, albumin, or ovalbumin. The preferred hydrophilic polymeric blocks are derived from poly(ethylene glycol) and poly(ethylene oxide).
The biodegradable blocks are preferably hydrolyzable under in vivo conditions. Biodegradable blocks can include polymers and oligomers of hydroxy acids, carbonates or other biologically degradable polymers that yield materials that are non-toxic or present as normal metabolites in the body. Preferred oligomers or polymers of hydroxy acids are poly(glycolic acid), also called polyglycolate, poly(DL-lactic acid) and poly(L-lactic acid), also called polylactate. Other useful materials include poly(amino acids), poly(anhydrides), poly(orthoesters), and poly(phosphoesters). Polylactones such as poly(epsilon-caprolactone), poly(delta-valerolactone), poly(gamma-butyrolactone) and poly(beta-hydroxybutyrate), for example, are also useful. Preferred carbonates are derived from the cyclic carbonates, which can react with hydroxy-terminated polymers without release of water. Suitable carbonates are derived from ethylene carbonate (1,3-dioxolan-2-one), propylene carbonate (4-methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one), trimethylene carbonate (1,3-dioxan-2-one) and tetramethylene carbonate (1,3-dioxepan-2-one).
Polymerizable groups are reactive functional groups that have the capacity to form additional covalent bonds resulting in macromer interlinking. Polymerizable groups specifically include groups capable of polymerizing via free radical polymerization and groups capable of polymerizing via cationic or heterolytic polymerization. Suitable groups include, but are not limited to, ethylenically or acetylenically unsaturated groups, isocyanates, epoxides (oxiranes), sulfhydryls, succinimides, maleimides, amines, imines, amides, carboxylic acids, sulfonic acids and phosphate groups. Ethylenically unsaturated groups include vinyl groups such as vinyl ethers, N-vinyl amides, allyl groups, unsaturated monocarboxylic acids or their esters or amides, unsaturated dicarboxylic acids or their esters or amides, and unsaturated tricarboxylic acids or their esters or amides. Unsaturated monocarboxylic acids include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid and crotonic acid or their esters or amides. Unsaturated dicarboxylic acids include maleic, fumaric, itaconic, mesaconic or citraconic acid or their esters or amides. Unsaturated tricarboxylic acids include aconitic acid or their esters or amides. Polymerizable groups may also be derivatives of such materials, such as acrylamide, N-isopropylacrylamide, hydroxyethylacrylate, hydroxyethylmethacrylate, and analogous vinyl and allyl compounds.
The polymerizable groups are preferably located at one or more ends of the macromer. Alternatively, the polymerizable groups can be located within the macromer. At least a portion of the macromers may contain more than one reactive group per molecule so that the resulting hydrophilic polymer can be crosslinked to form a gel. Macromers having two or more polymerizable groups per molecules are called herein crosslinkers. The minimal proportion of crosslinkers required will vary depending on the desired properties of the hydrogel to be formed and the initial macromer concentration in solution. The proportion of crosslinkers in the macromer solution can be as high as about 100% of all macromers in the solution. For example, the macromers include at least 1.02 polymerizable groups on average, and, more preferably, the macromers each include two or more polymerizable groups on average. Poloxamines, an example of water-soluble polymer component suitable to form a hydrophilic block, have four arms and thus may readily be modified to include four polymerizable groups.
Examples of preferred macromers are illustrated below:
where the polyethylene glycol repeat unit is —(CH 2 —CH 2 —O) x — or (PEG) x , trimethylene carbonate repeat unit is —(C(O)—O—(CH 2 ) 3 —O) w — or (TMC) w ; lactic acid residue is —(O—CH(CH 3 )—CO) y — or (L) y ; acrylate residue is CH 2 ═CH—CO— or A, and q, w, w′, y, y′ and x are integers.
A-(L) y -(TMC) w -[(PEG) x -(TMC) w′ ] q -(L) y′ -A
A-(L) y -[(PEG) x -(TMC) w′ ] q -(L) y′ -A
A-[(PEG) x -(TMC) w′ ] q -(L) y ′-A]
Polymerization of the macromers can be initiated by photochemical means, by non-photochemical like redox (Fenton chemistry) or by thermal initiation (peroxide etc). Suitable photochemical means include exposure of the macromer solution to visible light or UV light in the presence of a photoinitiator such as UV or light sensitive compounds such as dyes, preferably eosin Y.
Polymerization of the macromers may be conducted in the presence of small amounts of monomers which act as accelerant of the polymerization reaction. Preferably the monomers represent 2% or less of the total content of the polymerizable material, more preferably 1% or less, and yet usually about 4,000 ppm. A preferred accelerant is vinyl caprolactam.
In the discussion below and the examples, macromers may be designated by a code of the form xxkZnA m , where xxk represents the molecular weight in Daltons of the backbone polymer, which is polyethylene glycol (“PEG”) unless otherwise stated, with x as a numeral and k as the multiplier for thousands; Z designates the molecular unit from which the biodegradable block is derived from and may take the value one or more of L, G, D, C, or T, where L is for lactic acid, G is for glycolic acid, D is for dioxanone, C is for caprolactone, T is for trimethylene carbonate; n is the average number of degradable groups randomly distributed on each end of the backbone polymer; A is for acrylate and m for the number of polymerizable groups per macromer molecules. Thus 20kTLA 2 as used in the Example section is a macromer with a 20×10 3 Da polyethylene glycol core with an average of first trimethylene carbonate residues (7 or more residues per macromers, in average about 12) and lactic acid residues (5 or less residues per macromers) sequentially extending on both ends of the glycol core and randomly distributed between both ends then terminated with 2 acrylate groups.
The second polymer system comprises at least one polyanionic polysaccharide modified by a carbodiimide. Methods of preparation of these modified polymers have been described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,017,229 and 5,527,983, the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Suitable polyanionic polysaccharides may be selected from one or more of the following, hyaluronic acid, carboxymethyl cellulose, carboxymethyl amylose, carboxymethyl chitosan, chondroitin sulfate, dermatan sulfate, heparin, heparin sulfate, alginic acid, and any of their salts, including sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, ammonium or mixtures thereof.
The polyanionic polysaccharides are modified by reaction with a carbodiimide to form N-acyl urea derivatives and render them water insoluble, however, they remain very hydrophilic and thus absorb water to form gels also referred to as hydrogels. The reaction conditions with carbodiimides are well described in the cited patents above. Preferred carbodiimides are those that exhibit water solubility, such as 1-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-3-ethyl-carbodiimide (EDC) or 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-carbodiimide methiodide (ETC).
After reaction with carbodiimide, the modified polyanionic polysaccharide compositions may be dried to less than about 20% moisture content, preferably about 9% and stored in powder form.
To prepare the barrier compositions, the modified polyanionic polysaccharide composition may be rehydrated in buffer alone to form a fluid gel before mixing with the macromer solution of the second polymer system. The barrier composition may also be prepared by rehydrating the modified polyanionic polysaccharide composition in the buffer solution of the macromer solution of the second polymer system, thereby forming a fluid gel that comprises both polymer systems. The fluid gel is then cast in a dish having the desired shape and exposed to polymerizing condition, such a UV or visible light to form a barrier composition of the invention. Once the macromers in the fluid gel have polymerized, the barrier composition forms a hydrated soft rubbery material that has improved handling properties and is resistant to tear. The barrier composition may be polymerized into desired shape articles like sheets, discs, tubes or rods by selecting appropriate casts or by extrusion.
The barrier composition may be further dried for packaging and then re-hydrated prior to implantation into the body of a patient (such as a human or animal such as non-human mammals). The barrier composition or shaped article is preferably dried to a moisture content of less than about 5%, and preferably less than about 2% in a convection oven to form a film or membrane, or freeze-dried under a vacuum to form a foam. The barrier composition may be used alone to treat or prevent complications from surgeries (e.g., to prevent the formation of adhesions).
The barrier composition may be deposited on the surface of medical devices such as fabrics (e.g., woven or non-woven fabrics, such as meshes, knits, fleeces and mattes) as a fluid and then dried by any known method. In embodiments in which the barrier composition is in the form of a film or a foam, the barrier composition can be laminated and/or stitched to the fabric by any known method. In embodiments in which the barrier composition is formed from a solution including macromers (e.g., a fluid gel), the barrier composition can be deposited on the fabric by placing the fabric in the fluid gel and initiating polymerization. Hydrophobic fabrics will float on the surface of the fluid gel. Less hydrophobic fabrics, such as fabrics having polar groups (e.g., esters, amides, ketones, and carbonates), may penetrate through the surface into the fluid gel to a certain extent such that polymerization of functional groups on the macromers in the presence of the fabric provides for greater adherence of the barrier composition to the fabric. In composite multilayered fabrics of the invention where one layer is less hydrophobic than the other, when placing the less hydrophobic side of the fabric over the fluid gel, the fibers on that side of the fabric penetrate the fluid gel, while the hydrophobic fibers on the other side of the fabric float over the fluid gel. Once the composition is polymerized, a portion of the polymer network entraps the less hydrophobic fibers of the fabric providing added adhesion strength of the barrier on the fabric.
Once applied to the device or fabric, the barrier composition may be dried for long-term storage and packaging, then rehydrated prior to implantation into the body of a patient.
In general, the adhesion barrier can be in the form of a film, foam, or gel. In some embodiments, the adhesion barrier has a density of less than about 20 grams of total polymer per square foot. In some embodiments, the adhesion barrier has a density of about 4 to about 6 grams of total polymer per square foot. In certain embodiments, the adhesion barrier has a density of about 5 grams of total polymer per square foot.
Referring to FIGS. 4-6 , surgical prosthesis 10 can be used to repair an opening 100 in a wall 110 of a patient's body cavity 120 that exposes a visceral surface 122 (e.g., bowels, omentum). To repair opening 100 , a medical professional inserts surgical prosthesis 10 through opening 100 and into body cavity 120 . Surgical prosthesis 10 is positioned such that layer 37 faces the visceral surface 122 and layer 33 faces wall 110 and covers opening 100 . Once the surgical prosthesis 10 is positioned, the medical professional closes opening 100 with sutures 130 .
In time, adhesion barrier 20 (e.g., about 3 to 28 days) and layer 37 (e.g., about 60 to 90 days) of mesh 30 are absorbed by the body, leaving layer 33 in contact with visceral surface 122 . However, by the time the adhesion barrier 20 has been absorbed, opening 100 has healed to an extent (e.g., a new peritoneal surface has formed over opening 100 ) that the likelihood of adhesions forming between viscera and surgical prosthesis 10 is minimal. In addition, layer 37 , which is formed from biodegradable yarn 32 , provides a second defense against adhesion prevention. As described above, layer 37 is absorbed by the body over a period of about 60 to 90 days. As a result, any adhesions that may have formed due to a failure of adhesion barrier 20 or after adhesion barrier 20 was absorbed will be released as layer 37 is absorbed.
While both adhesion barrier 20 and layer 37 are absorbed by a patient's body, layer 33 of the surgical prosthesis 10 becomes incorporated into wall 110 . Layer 33 , made substantially from non-biodegradable yarn 34 , provides a strong, macroporous structure that allows for tissue ingrowth (e.g., layer 33 has a pore size of 100 microns or greater) to repair opening 100 .
In general, surgical prosthesis 10 can be prepared using any desired method. In certain embodiments, surgical prosthesis 10 is prepared as follows. First, the three-dimensional mesh 30 is created using biodegradable yarn 32 and non-biodegradable yarn 34 . The yarns 32 , 34 are threaded into an industrial knitting machine, such as a double-needle bar knitting machine. Yarns 32 and 34 are knitted together using any knitting pattern that creates a three-dimensional macroporous structure having biodegradable layer (e.g., layer 37 ) and non-biodegradable layer (e.g., layer 33 ). In certain embodiments, mesh 30 is formed by knitting together a non-biodegradable yarn, a first biodegradable yarn, and a second biodegradable yarn, wherein the non-biodegradable yarn and the first biodegradable yarn form layers 33 and 37 respectively and the second biodegradable yarn binds layers 33 and 37 together. To apply adhesion barrier 20 to mesh 30 , a liquid formulation including a photoinitiator and adhesion barrier precursor components is added to a glass tray. Then mesh 30 is placed within the tray with the bioabsorbable side (layer 37 ) facing the bottom of the tray (e.g., the bioabsorbable layer in fluid contact with the liquid formulation). The liquid formulation is photopolymerized by exposing the tray to a light source that activates the photoinitiator (e.g., a light source having a wavelength of about 450 nm to about 550 nm and an intensity of about 1 mW/cm 2 to about 100 mW/cm 2 ). As a result of photoinitiation, a hydrogel is formed within the tray around at least a portion of layer 37 . The hydrogel is then dried so that the resulting mesh/hydrogel has a moisture content of less than about 2% (e.g., less than about 1.2%, such as about 0.8%). The mesh/dried hydrogel is then sterilized to form surgical prosthesis 10 .
It is believed that the hydrogel does not form within the porous structure of layer 33 during photopolymerization for at least three reasons. First, the amount of liquid formulation added to the glass tray is controlled to produce a hydrogel having a thickness that is equal to or less than the thickness of layer 37 . For example, approximately one milliliter of solution including photoinitiator and adhesion barrier precursor components is added per square inch of tray. Then, a mesh having an areal density of 14.5 g/ft 2 with a biodegradable layer having an uncompressed thickness of about 2.5 millimeters is added to the tray. Second, because there is an incompatibility between non-biodegradable yarn 34 (e.g., hydrophobic) and the hydrophilic precursor components, the liquid formulation tends not to wick up into the pore structure of layer 33 . As result, when the liquid formulation is polymerized it forms the hydrogel only around layer 37 . Third, when the polymerized hydrogel, which is mostly water, is air-dried it decreases greatly in thickness. As a result, the adhesion barrier is only around layer 37 .
The following examples are illustrative and not intended to be limiting.
Example 1
To manufacture the three-dimensional mesh, two 5 mil polypropylene monofilament fibers (Shakespeare Monofilament and Specialty Polymers, Columbia, S.C.), a 45 denier polyglycolic acid multifilament fiber (Teleflex Medical, Coventry, Conn.), and a 90 denier polyglycolic acid multifilament fiber (Teleflex Medical, Coventry, Conn.) were threaded into a double needle bar knitting machine (Karl Mayer Textimaschinenfabrik GmbH, Oberlshausen, Germany). Referring to FIGS. 2A-C , the fibers were co-knitted by Secant Medical, Perkasie, Pa. using the bar pattern given below to create a mesh that had a layer formed substantially of poly (glycolic) acid on the front ( FIG. 2C ), a layer formed substantially of polypropylene on the back ( FIG. 2B ), and a polyglycolic acid binder fiber connecting the two layers together ( FIG. 2A ).
TABLE 1
Mesh Bar Pattern
Bar
Fiber
Pattern
1
5 mil polypropylene monofilament fiber
1/0, 1/2, 2/3, 2/1
fully threaded
2
5 mil polypropylene monofilament fiber
2/3, 2/1, 1/0, 1/2
fully threaded
3
45 denier polyglycolic multifilament fiber
1/0, 1/2
half set threaded
4
90 denier polyglycolic multifilament fiber
1/0, 2/3
half set threaded
After fabrication, the three-dimensional mesh was cleaned in a scouring system and annealed at 150° C. in a heat setting frame to stabilize the three-dimensional mesh structure. The resulting three-dimensional mesh had on average 18 wales per inch, 28 courses per inch, a thickness of 0.0319 inches, an areal density of 4.60 ounce per square yard, a burst strength of 762±77 Newtons as measured by a method based on ASTM standard#D3787-89, a tear propagation strength in a direction parallel to the machine direction of 127±21Newtons and perpendicular to the machine direction of 203±15 Newtons as measured by a method based on ASTM standard#D5587-96, a suture retention strength in the direction parallel to the machine direction of 60±12 Newtons and perpendicular to the machine direction of 80±9 as measured by the pullout force of a 20 gauge needle placed five millimeters from the mesh edge.
Example 2
A liquid formulation including the precursors for adhesion barrier 20 was made as follows. First 1 gram of modified and irradiated hyaluronic acid/carboxymethylcellulose (HA/CMC) powder prepared as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,017,229 and 5,527,893, was mixed with 86 grams of deionized water under high shear to form a suspension. Next, 2.5 grams of a photopolymerizable compound powder based on poly(ethylene glycol)-trimethlyene carbonate/lactate multi-block polymers endcapped with acrylate esters (20 kTLA 2 ) and described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,177,095, was blended into the suspension. Then, 40 ppm, of Eosin Y, a photoinitiator, 4000 ppm of N-vinylcaprolactam, an accelerant, 0.54 grams of triethanolamine, a buffer and electron transfer component, and 0.8 grams of potassium phosphate, a second buffer, were blended into the suspension. To complete the liquid formulation, additional deionized water was added to bring the final volume to 100 grams.
Example 3
The mesh as described in Example 1 was combined with the adhesion barrier as described in Example 2 to form a surgical prosthesis for soft tissue repair with one surface for tissue ingrowth and one surface with anti-adhesion properties.
To join the adhesion barrier to the mesh, the liquid formulation described in Example 2 was cast onto a glass plate at a casting density of 5 grams of total polymer per square foot. The mesh was placed into the liquid formulation with the polyglycolic acid layer facing the glass plate. The area was illuminated with a visible light from an LED array (450-550 nm) at an intensity of about 4 mW/cm 2 for 120 seconds. The photopolymerized composite was dried in a convection oven at 50° C. for 4 hours. The dried composite was peeled from the glass plate, cut to various sizes, packaged, and ethylene oxide sterilized.
Example 4
The surgical prosthesis as prepared in Example 3 was evaluated in a rabbit hernia repair model with abraded bowel.
Twenty sexually mature female New Zealand White Rabbits each weighing between 3 kg and 5 kg at the time of surgery, were anesthetized and subjected to a 5 cm by 7 cm full thickness abdominal muscle excision and cecal abrasion surgical procedure. Each rabbit received either a 5 cm by 7 cm piece of a polypropylene mesh or the surgical prosthesis as prepared in Example 3. All rabbits were allowed to recover from the surgical procedure.
Twenty-eight days after the surgery, the rabbits were euthanized and overall performance of the materials, including adhesion formation and tissue ingrowth was evaluated. Adhesion formation was evaluated and visually scored for extent coverage by adhesion. The following scale was used during the visual examination: 0=no adhesions, 1=25% or less of the defect covered by adhesions, 2=26% to 50% of the defect covered by adhesion, 3=51% to 75% of the defect covered by adhesions, 4=more than 75% of the defect covered by adhesions.
In addition to visual examinations, image analysis was used to calculate the total surface area of the defects and the surface area covered by adhesions. Mechanical testing and SEM samples were also collected and analyzed. The results are described in Tables 2 and 3 below.
TABLE 2
Rabbit Hernia Repair with Abraded Bowel
Adhesion Reduction Efficacy Results
Mean Ex-
% Defect
% Animals
% with No
Group
tent of
with
with No
Dense Bowel
N = 10
Adhesions
Adhesions
Adhesions
Adhesions
Polypropylene
2.9 ± 0.3
47.3 ± 6.3
0
0
Mesh
Surgical
1.3 ± 0.2*
14.3 ± 5.0*
0
60**
Prosthesis as
Prepared in
Example 3
*p < 0.05 Tukey Kramer HSD analysis
**p < 0.05 Chi-Square analysis
TABLE 3
Rabbit Hernia Repair with Abraded
Bowl Tissue Incorporation Results
Group
Max Load (N) ± SEM
Polypropylene Mesh
33.7 ± 1.2
Surgical Prosthesis as
29.7 ± 1.3
Prepared in Example 3
{circumflex over ( )}p < 0.05 Tukey-Kramer HSD analysis
The results in Table 2 indicate that the surgical prosthesis as described in Example 3 performed significantly well in preventing dense bowel adhesions in vivo. In addition, the surgical prosthesis described in Example 3 had excellent tissue incorporation strength as shown in Table 3.
Example 5
A surgical prosthesis was prepared by placing the bioabsorbable polyglyocolic acid side of the mesh as described in Example 1 into 10 to 12 ml of a liquid formulation in a polystyrene dish having an area of 56.7 square centimeters. For the liquid formulation, 2 grams of carbodiimide-modified HA/CMC powder in 90 grams of water was blended with 5% 20 kTLA 2 macromer in 100 grams of deionized water. Additional solution consisting of 40 ppm Eosin Y, 4000 ppm N-vinylcaprolactam, 1.08 grams of triethanolamine, and 1.6 grams of potassium phosphate in deionized water were added to bring the final volume to 200 grams.
The liquid formulation was then photopolymerized into a hydrogel using an LED array (450-550 run) at an intensity of about 4 mW/cm 2 for 45 seconds. The mesh with hydrogel was freeze-dried at approximately −30° C. and 200 mTorr, before being peeled from the polystyrene dish. The resulting surgical prosthesis was compressed at 5,000 lbs force for 10 seconds between Teflon coated plates and double packaged in vapor permeable pouches. The surgical prosthesis were sterilized by exposure to ethylene oxide before use.
Using the processes described in Example 4, a 5 cm by 7 cm piece of either a polypropylene mesh or the surgical prosthesis described in this example was implanted in a rabbit hernia repair model with abraded bowel in 10 rabbits for 14 days and in 10 different rabbits for 28 dates. The results are shown in Table 4 below.
TABLE 4
Rabbit Hernia Repair with Abraded Bowel
Adhesion Reduction Efficacy Results
Mean Ex-
% Defect
% Animals
% with No
tent of
with
with No
Dense Bowel
Adhesions
Adhesions
Adhesions
Adhesions
Group: 14 Days
Polyproylene
3.0 ± 0.6
65 ± 11
0
0
Mesh
Surgical
1.0 ± 0.3*
16 ± 8*
20
40
Prosthesis as
Prepared in
Example 5
Group: 28 Days
Polypropylene
2.4 ± 0.3
42 ± 13
0
0
Mesh
Surgical
1.0 ± 0.1*
12 ± 3*
10
20
Prosthesis as
Prepared in
Example 5
*p < 0.05 Tukey Kramer HSD analysis
The adhesion reduction efficacy results showed that the surgical prosthesis described in this example performed well in preventing adhesions in vivo.
Example 6
A liquid formulation of 2.5% 20 kTLA2, 40 ppm of Eosin Y, 4000 ppm of N-vinylcaprolactam, 0.54% of triethanolamine, 0.8% of potassium phosphate, and 1% carbodiimide-modified HA/CMC was prepared and 32 ml of the liquid formulation was cast on a 32 square inch glass plate. The mesh from Example 1 was placed into the liquid formulation with the biodegradable polyglycolic acid side down. The liquid formulation was photopolymerized by exposing the liquid formulation to a visible light emitting diode array having an intensity of about 4 mW/cm 2 for four minutes. The resulting mesh reinforced with hydrogel was allowed to air dry at 50° C. for four hours, before the glass plate was removed. The reinforced mesh was then dehydrated at 100° C. for seven hours to form the surgical prosthesis.
Example 7
The surgical prosthesis of Example 6 was tested for surgical handling properties. The abdomino-pelvic cavity of an adult domestic pig was used to simulate a laparoscopic clinical application of the surgical prosthesis.
The surgeon who inserted the surgical prosthesis into the abdomino-pelvic cavity of the adult domestic pig was able to differentiate the correct sidedness of a wet and a dry surgical prosthesis. Before insertion, the surgeon attached stay sutures at each end of the surgical prosthesis. The surgeon then hydrated the surgical prosthesis in saline for a few seconds before delivering the prosthesis through a 12 millimeter trocar. A portion of the stay sutures were passed through the abdominal wall and secured. The surgical prosthesis was tacked to the sidewall using helical titanium tacks. Moderate manipulation of the surgical prosthesis during placement did not cause any delamination. Overall, the surgeon was pleased with the handling, placement, and durability of the surgical prosthesis.
Example 8
A mesh for a surgical prosthesis was formed by stitching together a polyglycolic acid (PGA) nonwoven felt fabric with a mass/area of about 7 mg/cm 2 and a thickness of about 1 millimeter to a single atlas polypropylene mesh with a mass area of 9.4 mg/cm 2 and made from 6 mil polypropylene fiber. The PGA nonwoven felt fabric was obtained from Scaffix International (Dover, Mass.) and the single atlas polypropylene mesh was obtained from Genzyme Biosurgery (Fall River, Mass.).
The nonwoven felt fabric was stitched to the polypropylene mesh using Bondek® polyglycolic acid suture size 6-0 (provided by Genzyme Biosurgery, Coventry, Conn. now Teleflex Medical, Coventry, Conn.) in a standard sewing machine. The mass/area of the mesh as stitched together was 16 to 17 mg/cm 2 .
To form a surgical prosthesis, the mesh was placed with the PGA nonwoven felt side down into 10 ml of a 2.5% liquid formulation of 20 kTLA 2 , 40 ppm of Eosin Y, 4000 ppm of N-vinylcaprolactam, 0.54% of triethanolamine, and 0.8% of potassium phosphate in a polystyrene dish having an area of 56.7 cm 2 . The liquid formulation was photopolymerized into a hydrogel with five 40 second cycles from a xenon light source. The mesh with the hydrogel was freeze-dried at −30° C. and 200 mTorr. A well incorporated, flexible dry sample resulted. The surgical prosthesis was sterilized by exposure to ethylene oxide. After initial hydration, the surgical prosthesis had good wet handling durability.
Example 9
A mesh for a surgical prosthesis was formed using the process described in Example 8. The nonwoven felt fabric side was placed down into a 56.7 cm 2 polystyrene dish having 12 grams of a suspension including 2.3% carbodiimide-modified HA/CMC as obtained from Genzyme Corporation (Framingham, Mass.) and 0.073 ml of glycerol, a plasticizer. The dish including the suspension and the mesh was left to air-dry overnight.
A high quality composite sample resulted with all components firmly attached and a mass/area ratio of 21.7 mg/cm. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the plasticized HA/CMC membrane was observed to be embedded in the fibers of the nonwoven felt fabric side of the mesh. Some voids, possibly due to air bubbles, were noticeable within the adhesion barrier.
The sample was heated for 7 hours at 100° C. in a convection oven to remove residual moisture. Upon hydration, the hydrophilic, lubricous layer of HA/CMC was visually noticeable on the one surface of the surgical prosthesis. The surgical prosthesis had good wet handling properties after initial hydration and after 24 hours soaking in water at room temperature. The hydrated sample could be rubbed vigorously between thumb and forefingers without delamination and could not be peeled apart by hand.
Example 10
A mesh for a surgical prosthesis was formed using the process described in Example 8. The nonwoven felt fabric side was placed down into a 56.7 cm 2 polystyrene dish having 5 ml of a 5% solution of 20 kTLA 2 , 40 ppm of Eosin Y, 4000 ppm of N-vinylcaprolactam, 0.54% of triethanolamine, 0.8% of potassium phosphate, and 5% hyaluronic acid. The solution was then photopolymerized into a hydrogel with four 40 second cycles from a xenon light source obtained from Genzyme Biosurgery (Lexington, Mass.).
The surgical prosthesis had very good wet handling durability and could be used as is or freeze-dried for use at a later time.
Example 11
A mesh for a surgical prosthesis was formed by stitching together a Vicryl® knitted mesh formed of polyglactin 910, a copolymer of poly glycolic and polylactic acid fibers and obtained from Ethicon (New Brunswick, N.J.) to a single atlas polypropylene mesh with a mass area of 9.4 mg/cm 2 and made from 6 mil polypropylene fiber and obtained from Genzyme Biosurgery (Fall River, Mass.).
The Vicryl® knitted mesh was stitched to the polypropylene mesh using Bondek® polyglycolic acid suture size 6-0 (provided by Genzyme Biosurgery, Coventry, Conn. now Teleflex Medical, Coventry, Conn.) in a standard sewing machine. The mass/area of the mesh as stitched together was about 15 mg/cm 2 .
To form the surgical prosthesis, the mesh was placed with the Vicryl® surface down into 5 ml of a 5% solution of 20 kTLA 2 , 40 ppm of Eosin Y, 4000 ppm of N-vinylacprolactam, 0.54% of triethanolamine, and 0.8% of potassium in a polystyrene dish having an area of 56.7 cm 3 . The solution was then photopolymerized into a hydrogel with four 40 second cycles from a xenon light source. The surgical prosthesis was freeze-dried at −30° C. and 200 mTorr. A well-incorporated, flexible, dry surgical prosthesis resulted. After initial hydration, the surgical prosthesis had good wet handling durability.
All publications, applications, and patents referred to in this application are herein incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference in their entirety.
All of the features disclosed herein may be combined in any combination. Each feature disclosed may be replaced by an alternative feature serving the same, equivalent, or similar purpose. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is only an example of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.
Other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.
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A soft tissue prosthesis for repairing a defect of an abdominal wall or a pelvic cavity wall, comprising: a three-dimensional mesh sheet comprising at least two types of yarn interlooped or intertwined to define at least two layers, wherein one of the at least two layers is substantially non-biodegradable and porous to allow for tissue ingrowth and another of the at least two layers is substantially biodegradable; and an adhesion barrier in the form of a film, foam or gel, the adhesion barrier polymerized to, and entrapping therein, at least some of the yarns of the substantially biodegradable layer, the substantially biodegradable layer making a connection between the adhesion barrier and the substantially non-biodegradable layer to decrease the likelihood of delamination therefrom, the adhesion barrier being an external layer on a first side of the prosthesis and the substantially non-biodegradable layer being an external layer on the side of the prosthesis opposite the first side, the substantially biodegradable layer being positioned between the substantially non-biodegradable layer and the adhesion barrier.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/285,053 filed Dec. 9, 2009, which is incorporated herein by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention in general relates to a molded article having an in-mold applied functional top coat, and in particular to a molding process that includes a mold having a base coat to which various top coat materials are applied with the top coat being transferred to the molded article.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] A molded article is produced by forming a negative cavity in a mold that corresponds to the desired shape of an article. Dimensional changes relative to the mold are common based upon the coefficient of linear thermal expansion for the material from which the article is formed. This change in dimensionality of a molded article with temperature change often creates problems associated with demolding the article from the mold. Also, often an article has an unacceptable degree of adhesion to the mold surface that decreases throughput and often requires mechanical extraction of an article from a mold that can lead to article damage. In response to these and other practical problems associated with article molding, it is common practice to coat a mold to provide lubrication, thermal protection, release and other properties that facilitate mold longevity and throughput.
[0004] There are various types of release agents that are employed to facilitate removal of the molded article. The following lists various types of mold release agents although no limitation is placed on this invention with regard to them. These materials can be applied to the mold in any fashion which facilitates the removal of the molded article. These materials are often applied utilizing apparatus that atomize the release agent thereby imparting the deposition of a film or amount of the release agent which facilitates the removal of the molded article. Pump bottles, pressurized can/nozzle apparatus, externally atomized sprayers, internally atomized sprayers, HVLP, and high pressure airless sprayers are exemplary of suitable equipment for the application of a mold release agent.
[0005] The release agents referred to above may also be applied utilizing a brush or cloth (rag) which is wetted with the release agent. This method is less preferred particularly for heated molds as the release agent tends to dry on the applicator. Mold release agents may also be applied by dipping the mold (form) in the release agent. The molding of composite golf shafts and fishing rods are often formed after the release agent is applied by dipping the form (mandrel) which is utilized to form the inner diameter of the molded article.
[0006] There are the so-called sacrificial release agents. These materials are typically applied to the mold for each and every round of molding. These materials are of various base compositions and include, but are in no way limited to, those based upon silicon, fluorine, hydrocarbon, polyethers, and the like. These materials typically function by imparting a film or interface between the mold and the molding medium. This type of release agent typically fails by transferring to the part thereby preventing adhesion of the article to the mold.
[0007] There are the so-called semi-permanent release agents, These materials are not typically applied to the mold for each and every round of molding. These materials are applied to the mold on an interval which is suitable for the particular molding process. These materials form an interface on the mold which prevents the medium from adhering to the mold. There can be some transfer of the semi-permanent release agent without removal of the release agent from the mold surface. Again, no limitation is placed upon this invention by the above description.
[0008] There are the so-called permanent release agents. These materials can be based upon various chemistries including those based upon silicon, fluorine, hydrocarbon (organic) and combinations of the above. Permanent release coatings are often based upon fluorine chemistries and include but are not limited to those based upon polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene-propylene (FEP), perfluoroalkoxy polymer resin (PFA) and the like.
[0009] The various types of release agents described above can be utilized for the release of molded articles by themselves or in combination with each other. The examples below are typical to the formation of molded articles although are no way limiting with regard to this invention.
[0010] Semi-permanent release agent utilized as a base coat in combination with a sacrificial release agent applied either every round or on an interval of rounds. Molded articles such as stoppers intended for the sealing of vials are often compression molded utilizing this combination of release agents.
[0011] Permanent release agent in combination with a sacrificial release agent. Golf ball cores based upon polybutadiene elastomer are often molded utilizing this combination of release agents.
[0012] Permanent release agent in combination with a semi-permanent release agent. Golf ball cores are often molded utilizing this combination of release agents.
[0013] There are also the so-called in mold coatings which are applied over the above coatings either by themselves or in combination with each other. Molded articles of urethane foams or elastomers are often painted utilizing an in mold paint painting process. In mold painted steering wheels are a primary example.
[0014] By way of a tutorial as to how release agents are used in various types of molding, a summary of various types of article molding follows.
[0015] Thermoplastic injection molding involved the use of a thermoplastic material and a mold which is chilled below the solidifying temperature of the thermoplastic material. The thermoplastic material is heated above its melting point in a separate chamber and subsequently injected into the mold. The temperature of the mold causes immediate solidification of the thermoplastic material which typically provides for release of the thermoplastic material from the mold. The use of release agents in such processes is typically not required although there are processes which do in fact require the use of a release agent.
[0016] Die cast molding is in many ways similar to thermoplastic injection molding. The mold (or die) is chilled so as to be much lower than the melt point of a relatively low melt point metallic material (aluminum and magnesium being the primary molding media). Die cast molding typically requires the use of a release agent referred to as a die cast lubricant. The die cast lubricant provides for release of the part as well as providing for a chilling capacity for the mold.
[0017] Reaction injection molding involves the use of materials that react with each other at low, ambient or elevated temperatures. A primary example of a molding medium is the use of a diisocyanate and a curing polyol and/or amine utilized to form a foamed or elastomeric polyurethane molded article. Examples include (but are in no way limited to) carpet underlayments, armrests, steering wheels, instrument panels, filter housings, and encapsulated glass. The molds utilized in such applications are in general much above ambient. The mold temperatures for foamed urethane articles can range from about 100° F. to about 170° F. Release agents utilized in the formation of foamed urethane articles are in general applied for each and every round of molding and can be of various base compositions which are obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0018] Open cast molding involves the use of a reactive resin media at ambient or elevated temperatures. Examples of media include (but are in no way limited to) epoxy resins which are cured with amino functional resins or other curative (including polyamides) and acid anhydride systems typically in the presence of a catalyst. Examples include epoxy potting molded articles typically utilized in the electronics industry and the formation of so-called epoxy composite parts including sinks and countertops typically utilized in laboratories or hospitals.
[0019] Elastomeric materials referred to as rubbers can be molded utilizing compression molding. The molds are heated to a temperature which is at or above a temperature which causes the elastomer to cure. Curing a material is often referred to as vulcanization wherein a curative is utilized which causes the elastomer to crosslink thereby rendering a molded article which is suitable for the intended end use.
[0020] Examples of elastomers that are compression molding (without inducing any type of limitation) include elastomers based upon natural rubber (polyisoprene obtained from Hevea trees), terpolymers of ethylene, propylene, and a diene curative (EPDM) cured via either a sulfur or a peroxide. Other elastomers include (but in no way are limited to) those based upon acrylics, blends of isobutylene in combination with isoprene (butyl), silicon based elastomers as well as those based upon fluorine. This list is obviously not totally inclusive and is obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art.
[0021] Compression molded articles typically require the use of a mold release agent which allows for removal of the molded article from the mold.
[0022] Elastomers may also be molded utilizing the process referred to as transfer molding. Transfer molding involves the use of a heated hopper which generally is of such volume to heat and confine a sufficient amount of elastomer for one or more round of molding. All or part of the contents of the hopper are plunged into the mold via an injection port into the cavity below. The elastomers cited above can typically be molding utilizing this technique. No limitation is placed upon the type of elastomer that is transfer molded. Articles produced utilizing the transfer molding process typically require the use of a mold release agent which allows for the release of the part from the mold.
[0023] The above-cited elastomers can also be molded utilizing a technique referred to as injection molding. This process involves the use of a geometrically extruded or calendered form of elastomer that is fed into a barrel wherein the elastomer is heated, mixed and plunged into the mold so as to form the intended article.
[0024] Other forms of molding include pultrusion, molding around a form and causing cure by heating in an oven or autoclave (in the case of composite molding of, for instance, golf shafts or fishing rods).
[0025] In spite of the considerable efforts with respect to polymeric molding, it remains that a mold having a release agent coating permanently affixed to the mold does not exist that is capable of transferring a coating to a molded article that represents the positive of the mold cavity. Thus, there exists a need for a process by which a mold release coating is transferred from another mold release agent interface to provide an improvement in the physical characteristics of the resultant article formed from the mold.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0026] A process for molding an article is provided that includes applying a permanent release coating to a surface of a mold cavity that may need to be cured before operative. The permanent release coating is over layered with a top coat (release agent) that upon filling the mold cavity with a polymer or a polymer precursor under conditions to form the article, the top coat is transferred to the resultant article to form a top coat skin without appreciably removing the permanent release coating from the surface of the mold cavity. Articles having curved surfaces and high aspect ratios are particularly well suited for forming a top coat skin thereon through the process. An ethylenically unsaturated hydrocarbon-based or a hydride functional silicon top coat material is noted to react with an unsaturated elastomer or polymer precursor during molding to form a top coat skin that is covalently bonded to the remainder of the article. The process detailed herein is particularly well suited for forming covalently bonded coatings on elastomeric articles. The top coat skin can provide for lower coefficient of friction, modified hydrophobicity, resistance to attack by solvents and other chemical agents, as well as blocking resistance changes relative to the base article absent the top coat. A benefit of the present invention is that post molding operations of cleaning the sacrificial release agent from the surface, and then recoating the article and subsequently baking the article to cure the coating are avoided.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0027] The present invention has utility as a process for molding an article from a polymer or polymer precursor to simultaneously impart a top coat skin to the molded article.
[0028] According to the present invention, the workable lifetime of a mold is extended through application of a permanent release coating to a surface of the mold cavity while, at the same time, the permanent release coating readily transfers an overlaid top coat to polymer or polymer precursor filling the mold cavity. As a result, while mold lifetime is extended, the post-molding step of applying a similar top coat is avoided. As used herein, a top coat or top coat skin is used with respect to the material overlaying the permanent release coating or after adherence to a molded article, respectively. Preferably, the top coat lacks a pigment or other particulate that can dislodge from an embedding top coat skin matrix.
[0029] The novelty of the present invention provides for an article such as a stopper which has a non-extractable, siliconized, fluorinized or other top-coated skin. The molder realizes benefits by use of the invention including elimination of the cleaning step utilized to remove transferred, non-bonded sacrificial release agent, elimination of the step to apply a siliconizing, fluorinating or other coating, and elimination of the step to cure the siliconizing, fluorinating or other type of coating. The release coating top coats of this invention are coated more evenly to the blood vial surface and better adhered than siliconizing, fluorinating or other coatings that are applied post-molding and are significantly more difficult to extract from said surface thus better protecting the medicament from the surface of the stopper and the surface of the stopper from the medicament.
[0030] With respect to a permanent release coating as used herein, this is generally defined as being suitable for molding more than 40 rounds or more articles before such a coating needs to be reapplied. It is appreciated that 400 or more and even more than 2000 articles are formed before reapplication of the permanent release coating is required. In this context, a top coat skin formed on an article without appreciably removing the permanent release coating similarly indicates that more than 40 rounds of top coat can be applied and used to form a top coat skin on an article without requiring a replenishment or reapplication of the permanent release coating. The top coat also tends to ensure the integrity of the permanent release coating.
[0031] A permanent release coating used in the present invention provides ease of release of a top coat material therefrom and is resistant to degradation or dissolution by the top coat material. The top coat transfers from the permanent release coating interface to the molded article thereby facilitating release from the mold cavity and providing a top coat skin to the resultant molded article that also improves molded article properties relative to an article lacking such a top coat skin.
[0032] With respect to elastomeric stoppers for vials that are conventionally molded using a combination of base coat along with a sacrificial, highly diluted release agent which transfers to the resultant molded vial stopper, while the transfer imparts antiblocking properties to the molded stopper, the sacrificial release agent is migratory and not covalently or otherwise bound to the surface of the stopper, raising the prospect of possible contamination of the vial contents therewith.
[0033] According to the present invention, a permanent release coating is applied to a surface of the mold cavity. This permanent release coating forms a durable base coating on a surface of the mold cavity. It is appreciated that such a base coat is itself formed as a single layer of material applied to a surface of the mold cavity or includes multiple layers of like or differing material sequentially applied to build up a permanent release coating base coat. An aspect of this base coat is that it provide for release of an over layered top coat to a molding polymer or polymer precursor that will fill the mold cavity. Permanent release coatings operative to form a base coat according to the present invention include polymers that are neat, solvent based, and water based materials. A permanent release coating is readily formed in situ upon application to a surface of the mold cavity through common cure techniques such as ultraviolet cure, free radical cure, acid cure, and anaerobic cure. In instances when a permanent release coating forms a base coat from a solution or dispersion, non-VOC solvents are preferred over VOC solvents for environment reasons; and more preferably, a base coat contains as part of the solvent system water. By way of example, a mixed water-solvent system is preferred over a purely organic solvent-based system. It is further appreciated that mixed organic solvent-water solvent systems for a permanent release coating base coat optionally include a surfactant to facilitate miscibility between the water and organic solvent components. Solvent-free and in particular volatile organic compound (VOC)-free systems are preferred and illustratively include water-based permanent release coating systems, neat permanent release coating polymers or precursors (solvent free and water free), as well as powder coating systems that form a permanent release coating.
[0034] A permanent release coating base coat according to the present invention can include compositionally different substances and is limited only by the requirements that a top coat skin on the resultant molded article formed from a top coat precursor overlaid onto the permanent release coating, and that the permanent release coating survive at least 40 molding cycles to form molded articles. Representative permanent release coatings according to the present invention illustratively include organic-based materials such as epoxies, modified epoxies, PEEK, and the like, fluoropolymer analogs thereof, and perfluoro analogs thereof; silicon-based coatings such as those based on curable silicon resins precursors, fluoropolymer analogs thereof, and perfluoro polymer analogs thereof; and combinations of any of the aforementioned materials.
[0035] According to the present invention, upon forming a cured permanent release coating on a surface of the mold cavity, this permanent release coating is over layered with a top coat precursor. The top coat precursor during the molding process covalently bonds to the molded article formed within the mold cavity and forms a top coat skin on the article. The top coat skin allows the permanent release coating to generate at least 40 molded articles with intermediate overlaying by a top coat precursor and mold fill with a polymer or polymer precursor. An inventive top coat precursor has the same attributes as the permanent release coating in terms of application in neat form from organic solvent or water-based solvent, or a mixed water-organic solvent system. Additionally, a top coat precursor is chosen from the same list of materials as the permanent release coating base coat with the proviso that the top coat precursor upon covalent bonding and forming a top coat skin on a molded article releases from the adjacent permanent release coating.
[0036] In order to practice the present invention, a mold for an article is degreased and otherwise cleaned and then a permanent release coating is applied to a surface of the mold cavity as detailed above. Upon cure of the permanent release coating to form a base coat, the top coat precursor is overlaid onto the permanent release coating and the mold cavity is then filled with a polymer or polymer precursor through any number of conventional molding techniques under conditions to form the article and to transfer the top coat to the article and thereby form a covalently bonded top coat skin on the article without appreciably removing the permanent release coating from the surface of the mold cavity.
[0037] An inventive process is particularly well suited to the formation of molded articles having three-dimensional shapes distant from large planar sheets. Articles that have at least one nonlinear surface are exemplary of complex three-dimensional shaped articles that greatly benefit from an inventive process. Such articles have an aspect ratio in the orthogonal direction to the largest area plane of the article to the maximal linear extent in the largest area plane of the article that is between 0.1 and 0.9:1. In articles with such an aspect ratio, mold release and application of a top coat after molding present additional difficulties. Representative of such articles is a vial stopper characterized by a generally cylindrical shaped width that extends to a shoulder with a top wall extending from the shoulder. Such a vial stopper is routinely used in evacuated blood draw vials.
[0038] The present invention is further detailed with respect to the following nonlimiting comparative and inventive examples. These examples are not intended to limit the scope of the appended claims.
Example 1
[0039] A durable, silicon-based permanent release coating formed by blending a methylsilsesquioxne resin solution and a polydimethyl siloxane containing hydroxyl terminated polydimethyl siloxane is applied to a clean stainless steel mold held at 180° C. utilizing a spray gun that produces a finely atomized spray. The permanent release coating is applied utilizing four applications each applied from a different direction so as to totally seal the clean mold. Each applied layer of base is allowed to cure for 1 minute between passes and 10 minutes after the last prior to the commencement of molding.
[0040] An aqueous, silicon based, top coat precursor which is an emulsion of a silicon based resin system which includes a blend of an unsaturated silsesquioxane and a polydimethyl siloxane polymer which is terminated with an unsaturated “silane” is applied to the hot (180° C.) mold which has been base coated as a spray to form a continuous layer to the unaided normal human eye. A halobutyl elastomer is loaded into the mold whereupon compression is applied for a total of 5 minutes. The unsaturated material present in the top coat precursor transfers to the halobutyl material and crosslinks with it to form a covalently bonded siliconized surface top coat skin on the molded stopper that is impervious to removal.
Example 2
[0041] A fluorine based, permanent release coating of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene copolymeric dispersion (FEP) containing glycidoxypropyl silsesquioxane is applied to a clean tool as in Example 1 such that 4-6 mils of wet coating is applied to the tool surface as measured by a wet film thickness gauge. The coated tool is allowed to dry completely and subsequently baked such that a peak melt temperature of 370° C. is obtained for a minimum of 30 minutes. The tool is allowed to cool to room temperature. The tool is subsequently placed in a press and heated to 180° C. The same top coat is applied per Example 1 to the tool utilizing a spray gun which produces a finely atomized spray droplet. Halobutyl elastomer is introduced into the mold cavity and compression molded as cited above to produce a siliconized skin on the blood vial stopper which is impervious to attack by water and/or other medicaments.
Example 3
[0042] The tool with the permanent release coating of Example 2 is heated in a press to 180° C. An aqueous, fluoropolymeric top coat of terpolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluorpropylene and vinylidene difluoride, which melts below 360° F., is applied utilizing a spray gun which produces a finely atomized spray droplet to the tool. Halobutyl elastomer is introduced to the mold cavity whereupon compression is applied for 5 minutes. A blood vial stopper with a fluorinated skin is produced.
Example 4
[0043] The blood vial stoppers of the preceding examples are removed easily from the mold in each case. The stoppers were subsequently deflashed and subjected to the following extraction method.
1. A glass container is filled with 10 mL of deionized water. 2. A deflashed blood vial stopper is inserted into the container containing the 10 mL of deionized water. 3. The container is then capped, sealed and placed in a 110° C. oven for a period of one hour. 4. The bottle is allowed to cool to room temperature. 5. The deionized water is pipetted in small portions (approximately 0.50 grams) onto a silver bromide cell. 6. Each aliquot is baked dry at 110° C. 7. Steps 5 and 6 are repeated until all 10 mL from the glass container is applied and dried. 8. FITR (Fourier Transform Infrared Analysis) is then performed on the silver bromide cell produced above.
Example 5
[0052] A copolymer of a dimethyl siloxane polymer with a methyl hydrogen functional siloxane polymer is prepared utilizing equilibration techniques which are well known to those of ordinary skill in the art. The polymer is emulsified utilizing a non-ionic surfactant system and deionized water. The emulsion is reduced with deionized water to 1.5% solids and applied to a blood vial stopper mold which has been previously coated with the permanent release coating of Example 2 and heated to 180° C. Halobutyl elastomer is introduced into the mold and blood vial stoppers are formed by compression molding. The blood vial stoppers are easily removed from the mold. The process is repeated four subsequent times with the 1.5% solids emulsion being applied between each round of molding.
[0053] The blood vial stoppers are defiashed and subjected to the same extraction method as described in Example 4. Subsequent concentration of the extract onto silver bromide cells is performed and analysis is performed by FTIR analysis. There is no indication of removal of the emulsion from the surface of the blood vial stopper in any case.
Example 6—Comparative Example
[0054] An emulsion of a 350 centistoke poly dimethyl siloxane is diluted to 1.5% solids using deionized water and applied via air atomized spray gun over the top of a hot (180° C.) tool that had been basecoated with the permanent release coating of Example 1 above. Halobutyl elastomer is introduced into the mold cavity and compression molded as cited above to produce a blood vial stopper that has a non-bonded (non-adherent), siliconized skin. The blood vial stopper is deflashed and subjected to the deionized extraction as cited above (held for one hour at 110° C. in a glass container containing 10 mL of deionized water). The bottle is allowed to cool to 20° C. and the water extract concentrated onto a silver bromide cell per Example 4. FTIR analysis of the extract indicates an extensive amount of extracted polydimethyl siloxane that has been removed from the blood vial stopper surface. This removal indicates a lack of covalent bonding between the 350 centistoke dimethyl siloxane material and the blood vial surface thereby creating a serious potential for contamination of any medicaments that would be present in a vial that was overlayered with a vial stopper prepared as in this example. The transferred, 350 centistoke, polydimethyl siloxane also prevents adhesion of an applied siliconizing agent, a fluorinating agent or virtually any other type of coating to the surface of the vial stopper and must be removed prior to application of such coating materials. Removal of dimethyl siloxane material typically involves the use of a cabinet which is filled with detergent or a solvent degreasing material in order to remove the transferred material. The cleaned stoppers are subsequently coated with a coating such as a siliconizing agent, a fluorinating agent or other coating and typically cured in a variety of manners so as to dry and crosslink the coating such that the contents of the vial are protected from contamination by the surface of the blood vial stopper and the stopper is protected from attack by the medicament. The adhesion of a siliconizing agent, a fluorinating agent or other type of protective coating applied in this fashion is inferior to the “top coats” as described in the examples and following claims. Such “post” applied siliconizing agents, fluorinating agents, or other protective coatings are more likely to be extractable from the surface of the blood vial stopper by hot water and/or medicaments due to a lack of chemical bonding to the surface of the previously vulcanized substrate. There is evidence of extraction of this “siliconizing” agent in this Comparative Example.
[0055] Patent documents and publications mentioned in the specification are indicative of the levels of those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains. These documents and publications are incorporated herein by reference to the same extent as if each individual document or publication was specifically and individually incorporated herein by reference.
[0056] The foregoing description is illustrative of particular embodiments of the invention, but is not meant to be a limitation upon the practice thereof. The following claims, including all equivalents thereof, are intended to define the scope of the invention.
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A process for molding an article is provided that includes applying a permanent release coating to a surface of a mold cavity. The permanent release coating is over layered with a top coat that upon filling the mold cavity with a polymer or a polymer precursor under conditions to form the article, the top coat is transferred to the resultant article to form a top coat skin without appreciably removing the permanent release coating from the surface of the mold cavity. Articles having curved surfaces and high aspect ratios are particularly well suited for forming a top coat skin thereon through the process. An unsaturated top coat material is noted to react with the polymer or polymer precursor during molding to form a top coat skin that is covalently bonded to the remainder of the article. The process detailed herein is particularly well suited for forming covalently bonded coatings on elastomeric articles. The top coat skin provides a lower coefficient of friction, modified hydrophobicity, resistance to attack by solvents and other chemical agents, as well as blocking resistance changes relative to the base article absent the top coat. A benefit of the present invention is that post-molding application of a comparable top coat is thereby avoided.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to porous fluoropolymer materials, and in particular to porous fluoropolymer alloy materials and their processes of manufacture.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Fluoropolymers are characterized by the fact that they are highly inert, paraffinic thermoplastic polymers that have all or some of all of the hydrogen replaced with fluorine. Fluoropolymers include polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluorinated ethylene propylene. (FEP), and perfluoroalkoxytetrafluoroethylene (PFA), which are all capable of being extruded, stretched and sintered. Much of the work on development of porous fluoropolymer materials, however, has involved tetrafluoroethylene polymers, and processes for producing porous tetrafluoroethylene polymer materials have been disclosed in many U.S. patents.
Porous tetrafluoroethylene polymer products can be produced by stretching an extruded sample of a highly crystalline tetrafluoroethylene polymer resin and then sintering the extrudate while holding it in the stretched state. A dispersion of a tetrafluoroethylene polymer is paste-formed, mixed with a lubricant and extruded. The lubricant is then removed and the resulting extrudate is stretched at a high rate, usually at an elevated temperature less than the crystalline melting point of the tetrafluoroethylene polymer resin. While being held in the stretched state, the tetrafluoroethylene extrudate is sintered by then heating the stretched extrudate above the crystalline melting point. This process produces a material having a microstructure comprising of nodes interconnected by very small fibrils. This microstructure greatly increases the tensile strength of the tetrafluoroethylene polymer extrudate. Because of the node and fibril structure, the material is also substantially more porous than the original extrudate.
The temperature and particularly the rate of stretching greatly affect the porosity and tensile strength of the resulting material. Stretching performed at very high rates produces an increase in the strength of the resulting material. When the unsintered extrudate is stretched at lower rates, limited stretching occurs before fracture of the material, and any materials produced from stretching at the lower rates have coarse microstructures and are mechanically weak. Also, extrudates expanded at both high temperatures and high rates have a more homogeneous structure and a greater tensile strength than extrudates expanded at lower temperatures and lower rates. Therefore, high stretch rates are believed necessary to produce strong materials and both high stretch rates and high temperatures have been recommended to achieve high stretch ratios, homogeneous structures and strong materials.
Furthermore, the primary requisite of a suitable tetrafluoroethylene polymer resin for the process described above is a very high degree of crystallinity, preferably in the range of 98% or above, and correspondingly low amorphous content. Copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene which have defects in the crystalline structure that introduce a higher amorphous content do not work well in the process as homopolymers.
The process discussed above does not generally produce PTFE materials having fine pores less than 2,000 A in diameter. The process, however, can be modified to produce a PFTE material having such fine pores by first stretching the extrudate as discussed above, by then "free" sintering the extrudate by heating it above its crystalline melting point without subjecting the extrudate to tension by holding it in its stretched state, and by then stretching the extrudate a second time at a temperature below the crystalline melting point. The second stretching produces a PTFE material having uniform fine pores between 100 to 1500 A in diameter.
PTFE resin tubes having small pore size and also high porosity can be produced by drawing a tubular PTFE extrudate in the lengthwise direction through a metal die and plug to perform the stretching operation. The thickness of the tube can be reduced to a level not previously possible by radially expanding the tube while simultaneously performing the sintering operation.
The key element of the processes described above is taught to be rapid stretching of the tetrafluoroethylene polymer extrudate. Rapid stretching allows the unsintered extrudate to be stretched much farther than had previously been possible, while at the same time making the resulting tetrafluorethylene material stronger. The rapid stretching also produces a microstructure which is very fine, for example, having a very small effective pore size. When the unsintered extrudate is stretched at a slower rate, either limited stretching occurs because the material breaks, or a weak material is obtained. This weak material has a microstructure that is coarser than materials that are stretched equivalent amounts but at faster rates of stretch.
Densification of an unsintered PTFE extrudate after removal of the lubricant and prior to stretching produces a coarse, highly porous, yet strong, PTFE material which has a microstructure of relatively large nodes interconnected by relatively long fibrils. The desensification step does not change the qualitative interaction of rate of stretch and temperature during stretching that is described above. It merely allows production of coarser articles as compared to prior art articles of comparable strength. Densification can be performed through use of presses, dies or calendering machines.
A water-soluble polymer can be added to a PTFE material after sintering to fill the pore spaces of the material. Also, tearing of porous PTFE tubing in the axial direction can be reduced by coating the tubing with a porous elastomer after sintering the tubing. These processes, however, merely combine a fabricated PTFE material with a non-fluoropolymer material.
Asymmetric porous fluoropolymer materials are defined as porous fluoropolymer materials which have a microstructure that changes in some way from one surface to another. Typically, such asymmetrical materials have a porosity that increases or decreases through the cross-section of the material from one surface to another. One kind of asymmetric PTFE tubing can be produced by heating the outside of a stretched tubular extrudate above the crystalline melting point of the extrudate during the sintering operation while simultaneously heating the inside of the tube to a lower temperature. An asymmetric porous PTFE film can be produced by performing the stretching operation by expanding the film on a pair of rolls having different angular velocities wherein the high speed roll is heated to a temperature higher than the temperature of the low speed roll.
The porous tetrafluoroethylene polymer materials produced by the above-mentioned processes can all be characterized as having microstructures comprised of nodes linked together by fibrils. As discussed above, these nodes and fibrils vary in size depending upon the rate, ratio, and temperature of stretching. The spaces between the nodes and fibrils comprise the pores, and in general, the pore size depends upon the amount the material has been stretched in any one direction. Therefore, as the stretch ratio increases, the length of the fibrils increase and the size of the nodes decrease. Consequently, as the stretch ratio increases, the porosity increases. Furthermore, the materials produced as described above, are all made from an extrudate wholly comprised of only one highly crystalline tetrafluoroethylene polymer resin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Fluoropolymer resins capable of being extruded, stretched and sintered, such as resins of PTFE, FEP and PFA, vary in properties such as average particle size, specific gravity, crystallinity, desirable extrusion reduction ratio and sintering rates. These properties affect how extrudates formed from the resins react when heated and stretched to achieve a desired pore size. For example, extrudates of some fluoropolYmer resins capable of being stretched after extrusion must be stretched at higher rates, ratio and/or temperatures than extrudates of other fluoropolymer resins capable of being stretched after extrusion to obtain identical pore sizes in finished materials. This is because particle size and the mechanical bonding between particles of different resins determine the size of the node and fibril microstructure which makes up the pores. Furthermore, different fluoropolymer resins capable of being stretched after extrusion have different limits to which they can be stretched and yet remain strong.
In brief, the present invention is a porous fluoropolymer alloy material and method of fabrication. The material is a unique physical admixture of two or more fluoropolymer resins capable of being extruded, stretched and sintered, and having different stretch characteristics. The material is not a product of chemical bonding, but is an alloy because sites of compatibility along the molecular chains of the resins are established such that a degree of physical cross-linking occurs along the molecular chains. This alloying takes place during compounding under the high shear conditions of extrudation.
One porous fluoropolymer alloy material of the present invention is fabricated by forming a compressed extrusion billet from two or more fluoropolymer resins capable of being extruded, stretched and sintered and having different stretch capabilities. The fluoropolymer alloy billet is then extruded, stretched and sintered.
The resulting material has a microstructure of large nodes interconnected by fibrils oriented in the direction of stretch and has a higher tensile strength than previous porous fluoropolymer materials. Therefore, the resulting alloy material has a higher tenacity than prior porous fluoropolymer materials, which for certain uses require the support of porous elastomer coatings. The resulting alloy material need not be bonded or otherwise attached to a supporting fabric or structure. Also, the alloying of the fluoropolymer resins allows the resulting material to be made at lower stretch rates and higher stretch ratios than previously possible without degradation of the material's mechanical strength.
When the porous fluoropolymer alloy material is fabricated in tubular form, the alloying of the fluoropolymer resins also improves the radial strength of the resulting tubular product over prior fluoropolymer products because the circumferential nodes of the present invention are oriented perpendicular to the direction of stretch. The tubular product's resistance to kinking and compressive loads in all axis is also improved because of the perpendicular orientation of the circumferential nodes.
In an alternative embodiment, the present invention is formed into an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy material. A compressed tubular extrusion billet is formed of a first layer of a fluoropolymer resin which is capable of being highly stretched after extrusion and a second layer of a fluoropolymer resin which is less capable of being stretched. A third intermediate layer of a mixture of the resins of the first and second layers can be disposed between the first and second layers to create sites of compatibility to improve bonding of the first and second layers.
The layered extrusion alloy billet is then extruded, stretched and sintered to produce a resulting material having an asymmetric porous microstructure. The resulting asymmetric porous alloy material has a microstructure comprised of relatively small nodes, short fibrils and small pore size on one surface and relatively large nodes, long fibrils and large pore size on the opposite surface. The fibrils are all oriented in the direction of stretch, and the microstructure of the material gradually changes from the microstructure of the one surface to the microstructure of the opposite surface through the cross section of the material's thickness. Therefore, the nodes and fibrils differ in size across the cross section of the material.
Like the resulting alloy material discussed above, the resulting asymmetric alloy material has a tensile strength and therefore a tenacity higher than previously possible. Therefore, the asymmetric alloy material need not be bonded or otherwise attached to a fabric or other supporting structure. The alloying of the fluoropolymer resins also allows the asymmetric material to be made at lower stretch rates and at higher stretch ratios than previously possible. Furthermore, when fabricated in tubular form, the asymmetric material also has improved radial strength and resistance to kinking.
The asymmetric resulting material, however, has an additional advantage of being elastic and resilient in the direction of fibril orientation. Therefore, when the material is compressed along the direction of fibril orientation by physical force, for example, by pushing along the direction of fibril orientation, the fibrils throughout the material concurrently decrease in length, which thus concurrently decreases the sizes of the pores throughout the material. Therefore, the average pore size of the material can repeatedly be mechanically changed over a range to produce any desired average pore size within the range.
Articles made from the present invention are particularly useful for industrial and medical ultrafiltration. The asymmetric microstructure of the asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy resulting material is particularly well suited for use as a combination depth and absolute filter membrane to progressively remove contaminates of a decreasing size. Thus, when used as a filter membrane, the asymmetric resulting material of the present invention would take longer to plug than conventional fluoropolymer membranes, which are not asymmetrical. Furthermore, because the pore sizes throughout the asymmetric resulting material are capable of being physically adjusted over a range by merely compressing the material along the direction of stretch, the present invention is especially suitable for tunable ultrafiltration devices. Therefore, the asymmetric embodiment can be used as a tunable filter membrane which has an average pore size that can be easily adjusted for a desired application by merely mechanically adjusting the dimension of the membrane along its direction of fibril orientation. No prior filter membrane material has this capability.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be more fully understood from the following detailed description provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tubular extrusion billet formed during fabrication of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy tube in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a pouring fixture that can be used during fabrication of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer ally tube in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a composite photomicrograph taken at 150× and 1000× magnifications of the outside surface of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy tube of the present invention having relatively large nodes, long fibrils and large pores.
FIG. 4 is a composite photomicrograph taken at 150× and 1000× magnification of the opposite inside surface of the tube of FIG. 3, and having relatively small nodes, short fibrils and small pores.
FIG. 5 is a photomicrograph taken at 150× magnification of a cross-section of the wall of the tube of FIGS. 3 and 4.
FIG. 6 is a graph of the results of an "ethynol bubble point" test conducted at different axial compressions of one inch samples of two asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy tubes of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a tubular extrusion billet formed during fabrication of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy film in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a pouring fixture that can be used during fabrication of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy film in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of another tubular extrusion billet formed during fabrication of an asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy film in accordance with the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The porous fluoropolymer alloy materials of the present invention are comprised of a physical admixture of two or more fluoropolymer resins capable of being extruded, stretched and sintered and having different stretch characteristics. Examples of such resins are resins of PTFE (whether or not highly crystalline), FEP and PFA. The fluoropolymer resins, which are usually supplied as fine, free-flowing powders, are blended with a hydrocarbon oil lubricant, such as naphtha, ISOPAR 3 G, ISOPAR H, or low odor paraffin solvent. The resins are then preformed by compressing them into an extrusion billet approximately one third of their original volume. Such a preforming operation is well known in the art. The billet is then extruded in a manner well known in the art. The extrusion step compounds the resins under high shear conditions and thus causes alloying to occur by a establishing sites of compatibility along the molecular chains of the resins such that a degree of physical cross-linking occurs the along the molecular chains.
The resulting extrudate is then dried to remove the lubricant and stretched at a temperature below the crystalline melting point of the extrudate. While held in its stretched state, the extrudate is then sintered by heating it to a temperature above its crystalline melting point.
The following examples of products produced in accordance with the present invention illustrate the process and the resulting products in detail.
EXAMPLE I
Blended Porous PTFE Alloy Tube
Two PTFE resins, CD123 and T60, where blended, extruded, expanded and sintered to form a porous fluoropolymer alloy tube. Each resin was first blended in a separate one gallon jar with 18% naphtha as a lubricant. The two lubricated resins were then blended into a 50:50 mixture by weight by rolling in a third jar. The resin mixture was poured into a four inch diameter preforming cylinder and an extrusion billet was formed by slowly compacting the resin mixture to a pressure of 400 psi.
The billet was then transferred to a tubular extruder having a reduction ratio of 442:1. The billet was extruded into a tubular extrudate under an extrusion pressure of 2200 psi, at a speed of two feet per minute and at a die temperature of 85° F. After extrusion, the extrudate was cut into six inch lengths and allowed to air dry. The drying removed the naphtha lubricant from the extrudate. The six inch lengths of tubular extrudate were then further cut into two inch samples.
The two inch samples were allowed to soak for five minutes at 400° F. before being stretched. The samples were stretched at 400° F. at an expansion ratio of 4:1 and an expansion rate of 10% per second to a final sample length of eight inches. The samples were held in their stretched state and allowed to air cool prior to sintering.
The samples were then sintered by heating them to 680° F. for three minutes. Following sintering, the samples were air quenched. The resulting material had a microstructure of large nodes interconnected by fibrils oriented in the direction of stretch. As can be seen in Table 1, contrary to the teachings of prior patents, the porous PTFE material had a "matrix tensile strength" exceeding 7300 psi. Furthermore, the resulting material was produced at a stretch rate slower than thought possible to produce strong, expanded porous PTFE products.
TABLE 1__________________________________________________________________________EXAMPLE I TENSILE TEST DATA "Matrix Tensile Ultimate Tensile Wall Thickness Failure Strength" StrengthSample Weight (in.) Load (lbs) (psi) (psi)__________________________________________________________________________1 .10685 .022 16.1(7.6 Kg) 10,780 36362 .11739 .022 18.3(8.3 Kg) 11,224 41593 .11110 .022 16.5(7.5 Kg) 10,693 37504 .10854 .022 16.7(7.6 Kg) 11,076 37955 .11355 .022 16.5(7.5 Kg) 10,462 37506 .11738 .022 18.5(8.4 Kg) 11,346 4204__________________________________________________________________________ Notes: All samples were trimmed to 2 in × 0.2 in. × .022 in before testing. ##STR1## "Matrix Tensile Strength" is not an ASTM standard and is only provided to allow comparison to some of the prior PTFE porous products described in the patents discussed above. "Matrix Tensile Strength" is defined as ##STR2##
EXAMPLE II
Asymmetric Porous PTFE Alloy Tube
From Example I, it can be seen that alloying PTFE resins can produce an extrudate which when expanded at slow rates produces a stronger PTFE porous material than previously thought possible. An asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy material can also be produced in accordance with the present invention. The expansion ratio between T60 and CD123 PTFE resins is in the order of 6:1. By alloying the two resins in layers, a resulting PTFE product having larger nodes, longer fibrils and larger pores on one surface; having smaller nodes, shorter fibrils and smaller pores on the opposite surface and having a gradual change in node size, fibril length and pore size through the cross-section of the material can be produced.
CD123 and T60 PTFE resins were separately blended with 18% naphtha lubricant. A 50:50 mixture of CD123 and T60 PTFE resin was also separately blended with 15% naphtha lubricant. The three blends were then separately poured into a four inch preforming cylinder in concentric layers as shown in FIG. 1. Inner layer 10 of tubular extrusion billet 12 was comprised of CD123, which is capable of being highly stretched. Outer layer 14 of tubular billet 12 was comprised of T60, which is capable of being stretched to a lesser degree than CD123. An intermediate layer 16 separated inner layer 10 and outer layer 14 and was comprised of the 50:50 mixture of the resins. Intermediate layer 16 was employed to form sites of compatibility which assisted the mechanical bonding of the inner and outer layers. Concentric cylinders placed into the preforming cylinder separated the layers during pouring. The cylinders were removed after pouring was completed. An extrusion billet was then formed by compacting the layers under a pressure of 400 psi.
A one-piece pouring fixture as shown in FIG. 2 can also be employed to separate the layers during pouring. In the fixture, concentric separating cylinders 18 are spaced apart by spacing vanes 20. Core rod cylinder 22 fits over the core rod of the preforming cylinder and aligns the fixture in the preforming cylinder during pouring.
The billet was then transferred to a tubular extruder having a reduction ratio of 374:1. As with Example I, the billet was extruded into a tubular extrudate at 85° F. under a pressure of 2200 psi at a speed of two feet per minute. Two inch samples were cut from the tubular extrudate and allowed to soak at 400° F. for ten minutes prior to stretching. The samples were then stretched at 400° F. for 50 seconds at a rate of 10% per second to a length of twelve inches. The samples were allowed to cool to room temperature before sintering.
Sintering was then conducted by heating the samples to a temperature of 680° F. for 5 minutes. After sintering, the samples were allowed to cool to room temperature. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the resulting tubular product had an outside surface with a microstructure comprised of relatively large nodes and long fibrils, which corresponded to a relatively large pore size size. As can be seen from FIG. 4, the resulting tubular product also had an inner surface with a microstructure comprised of relatively small nodes and short fibrils, which corresponded to a relatively small pore size. As can be seen from FIG. 5, the microstructure of the resulting tubular product gradually changed through the cross-section of the wall of the product from the relatively large node, long fibril, large pore microstructure of the surface of FIG. 3 to the relatively small node, short fibril, small pore microstructure of the surface of FIG. 4.
As can be seen in Tables 2A and 2B, the resulting tubular product also had high longitudinal and radial tensile strength. Contrary to the teachings of prior patents, the resulting tubular product had a "matrix tensile strength" exceeding 7300 psi and was produced at a stretch rate slower then thought possible to produce strong, expanded porous PTFE products.
The resulting tubular product of Example II was also elastic and resilient in the direction of fibril orientation. Therefore, when the tubular product was compressed from its relaxed state along the direction of fibril orientation by physical force, for example, by pushing along the direction of fibril orientation, the fibrils throughout the material concurrently decreased in length, which thus concurrently decreased the sizes of the pores throughout the material. Therefore, the average pore size of the material could repeatedly be mechanically changed over a range to produce any desired average pore size within the range.
TABLE 2A__________________________________________________________________________EXAMPLE II LONGITUDINAL TENSILE TEST DATA "Matrix Tensile Ultimate Tensile Wall Thickness Failure Strength" StrengthSample Weight (in.) Load (lbs) (psi) (psi)__________________________________________________________________________1 .18232 .025 24.9(11.3 Kg) 10,095 49802 .11248 .025 27.7(12.6 Kg) 18,203 55403 .13376 .025 27.5(12.5 Kg) 15,197 55004 .11117 .025 26.9(12.2 Kg) 17,886 53805 .11943 .025 27.5(12.5 Kg) 17,021 55006 .12031 .025 27.8(12.6 Kg) 17,080 5560__________________________________________________________________________ Notes: All samples were trimmed to 2 in × 0.2 in. × .025 in before testing. ##STR3## "Matrix Tensile Strength" is not an ASTM standard and is only provided to allow comparison to some of the prior PTFE porous products described in the patents discussed above. "Matrix Tensile Strength" is defined as ##STR4##
To a limited extent, the resulting tubular product could also be expanded by physical force to concurrently increase the sizes of the pores throughout the material. However, over-expansion of the resulting tubular product after sintering caused fibrils to break and reduced the useful life of the material.
TABLE 2B__________________________________________________________________________EXAMPLE II RADIAL TENSILE TEST DATA "Matrix Tensile Ultimate Tensile Wall Thickness Failure Strength" StrengthSample Weight (in.) Load (lbs) (psi) (psi)__________________________________________________________________________1 .045 .025 14.1(6.4 Kg) 8350 28002 .048 .025 18.5(8.4 Kg) 10,344 3700__________________________________________________________________________ Notes: All samples were trimmed to 2 in × 0.2 in. × .025 in before testing. ##STR5## "Matrix Tensile Strength" is not an ASTM standard and is only provided to allow comparison to some of the prior PTFE porous products described in the patents discussed above. "Matrix Tensile Strength" is defined as ##STR6##
EXAMPLE III
Asymmetric Porous PTFE Alloy Tube
Using unstretched four inch samples from the extrudate of Example II, an asymmetric porous PTFE alloy tubular product having a lower average pore size than the resulting tubular product of Example II was made. The unstretched samples of the extrudate from Example II were soaked at 400° F. for 15 minutes prior to being stretched. The samples were then stretched at 400° F. at an expansion ratio of 2:1 at an expansion rate of 10% per second for ten seconds from an initial length of four inches to a final length of eight inches. Once stretching was complete, the samples were allowed to cool to room temperature while being held in the stretched state. The samples were then sintered by heating them to 680° F. for 10 minutes. Because of the increased density of the node and fibril structure of the stretched samples, it was necessary to increase the sintering time. The samples were then air quenched. The resulting tubular product had the microstructure of the resulting tubular product of Example II, with the exception that all of the fibrils throughout the resulting product of Example III were relatively shorter than the corresponding fibrils of the resulting product of Example II. Therefore, the resulting product of Example III had a lower average pore size in a relaxed state than the resulting product of Example II.
FIG. 6 is a graph that summarizes the results of a well-known "ethynol bubble point" test conducted at different axial compressions of one inch samples of the resulting tubular products of Examples II and III. The graph compares the resulting tubular products and shows that the resulting product of Example III had a lower average pore size in a relaxed state, as measured by bubble point pressure, than the resulting product of Example II. The graph also shows that the average pore sizes of the resulting products of examples II and III, as measured by bubble point pressures, could be adjusted over a range by merely adjusting the amount of axial compression of the resulting tubular products.
EXAMPLE IV
Asymmetric Porous PTFE Alloy Tube
Again, using four inch unstretched samples of the extrudate from Example II, a tubular porous PTFE alloy product having the lowest possible average pore size in a relaxed state was produced.
The four inch unstretched samples from the extrudate of Example II were soaked at 400° F. for fifteen minutes prior to stretching. The samples were then stretched at at 400° F. at an expansion ratio of 1.5:1 for fifteen seconds at a rate of 10% per second to a final length of six inches. Once stretching was completed, the samples were allowed to cool and shrink unrestrained to a relaxed length. This relaxed length was 5.75 inches. The samples were then restrained at the relaxed length and sintered by heating the samples to a temperature of 700° F. for fifteen minutes. After sintering, the samples were water quenched.
The resulting tubular product had the microstructure of the resulting products of Examples II and III, with the exception that the resulting product of Example IV had the
TABLE 3__________________________________________________________________________HYDRAULIC PERMEABILITY OF EXAMPLES II, III, AND IVAverage Pore Size Pressure Flow FluxExamplein Relaxed State State (psig) (ml/min) (ml/min cm.sup.2)__________________________________________________________________________II 3 microns Relaxed 10 400 70III 1 micron Relaxed 10 80 28 Relaxed 5 40 14 Compressed 5 4 1.4IV .5 microns Relaxed, 15 7 .7 Dry Relaxed, 25 110 11 Prewet Compressed 10 20 2__________________________________________________________________________ Notes: Example II sample showed the same permeability at 10 psig with and withou prewetting. (Water intrusion pressure was 3 psig). Example IV first showed penetration for dry sample at 12 psig. "Compressed" refers to samples held at near full compression. Flux values were normalized to 10 psig assuming Flow and Pressure.
EXAMPLE V
Asymmetric Porous PTFE/PFA Alloy Tube
An asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy material can also be produced by alloying, in accordance with the present invention, other fluoropolYmers capable of being stretched after extrusion, such as FEP and PFA. For example, an asymmetric porous PTFE/PFA alloy tube can be fabricated in accordance with the present invention by blending CD123 PTFE resin with 18% naphtha by weight in a one gallon jar and rolling the jar to ensure the naphtha mixes well with the resin; blending CD123 PTFE resin with 20% naphtha by weight in a second one gallon jar and rolling the jar to ensure the naphtha mixes well with the resin; blending a 50:50 mixture by weight of PFA and the 20% naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend in a third one gallon jar and rolling the jar to ensure the mixture is well blended; using a fixture similar to the fixture of FIG. 2 to pour the three blends into a preforming cylinder in concentric layers and compressing the layers at 400 psi to form an extrusion billet similar to billet 12 of FIG. 1, 8 wherein inner layer 10 is very thin and comprised of the 18% naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend, intermediate layer 16 is comprised of the 50:50 PFA/naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend and outer layer 14 is comprised of the 20% naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend (the purpose of the very thin 18% naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend inner layer is merely to prevent the 50:50 PFA/naphtha/CD123 lubricated resin blend intermediate layer from sticking to the core pin during extrusion); extruding the extrusion billet under a pressure of 2200 psi in a tubular ram extruder having a reduction ratio of 442:1 to form a tubular extrudate; cutting the extrudate into two-inch samples; heating the samples to a temperature below the crystalline melt point of the samples; stretching the samples at an expansion ratio of 4:1 at a rate of 10% per second to a length of eight inches; heating the samples to a temperature above the crystalline melt point of the samples for 10 to 15 minutes to sinter them; and allowing the samples to air cool to room temperature.
The above description is given by way of example. Therefore, it will occur to those skilled in the art that modifications and alternatives to the above-described process and products can be practiced within the spirit of the invention. For example, porous fluoropolymer alloy films can be fabricated in accordance with the present invention. An asymmetric fluoropolymer alloy film can be produced by any of the procedures of Examples II, III, IV and V by forming the extrusion billet in layers as shown in FIG. 6. First layer 24 would be comprised of a fluoropolymer resin capable of being highly stretched after extrusion. Second layer 26 would be comprised of a fluoropolymer resin less capable of being stretched after extrusion. Intermediate layer 28, comprised of a mixture of the resins of the first and second layers, can be disposed between the first and second layers to assist mechanical bonding of the first and second layers. The pouring fixture of FIG. 7 can be used to separate the layers during pouring. Separating walls 30 affixed to fixture cylinder 32 separate the layers during pouring. Fixture cylinder 32 supports separating walls 30 in the preforming cylinder during pouring. After extrusion, the extrudate would be calendered between rollers into a film. The film would then be stretched and sintered as taught above.
An asymmetric fluoropolymer alloy film can also be produced as immediately taught above by forming the extrusion billet in concentric layers as shown in FIG. 9. Because a core pin is not used in the extruder, the billet is solid. Core layer 34 would be comprised of a fluoropolymer resin capable of being highly stretched after extrusion. Outside concentric layer 36 would be comprised of a fluoropolymer resin less capable of being stretched after extrusion. Intermediate layer 38, comprised of a mixture of the resins of the first and second layers, can be disposed between the core and outside concentric layers to assist mechanical bonding of the core and outside concentric layers to assist mechanical bonding of the core and outside concentric layers. A pouring fixture similar to the pouring fixture of FIG. 2 can be used to separate the layers during pouring. After extrusion, the extrudate would be calendered, stretched and sintered as immediately taught above.
Therefore, the scope of the present invention is only limited by the following claims.
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A porous fluoropolymer alloy material and method of fabrication is provided. The alloy material is fabricated by forming a compressed extrusion billet from two or more fluoropolymer resins capable of being stretched after extrusion and having different stretch characteristics. The fluoropolymer alloy billet is then extruded, stretched and sintered. The resulting material has a microstructure of large nodes interconnected by fibrils all oriented in the direction of stretch and has a higher tensile strength than produceable from previous porous fluoropolymer materials. Also, the resulting material can be made at lower stretch rates and at higher stretch ratios than previously possible without degradation of the material's strength. In one embodiment the resulting product is a self-supporting, tunable asymmetric porous fluoropolymer alloy material having a microstructure comprised of relatively small nodes, short fibrils and small pore size on one surface and relatively large nodes, long fibrils and large pore size on the opposite surface. The microstructure of the material gradually changes from the microstructure of the one surface to the microstructure of the opposite surface through the cross-section of the material's thickness, and all of the fibrils throughout the material are oriented in the direction of stretch.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The invention relates to a screen for cleaning a fiber suspension.
[0002] Screens are machines used in the paper industry to clean a pulp suspension comprising water, fibers, and dirt particles. Here a feed flow runs through a screening device, where the accept flow, consisting of water and fibers, flows through the screen. A partial flow, known as the reject and consisting of water, fibers, and dirt particles, is generally removed at the opposite end to the feed flow. Thus, the solids particles present in the liquid are separated from one another in the screens. By contrast, in filtration processes the liquid is separated from the solids.
[0003] In general, a screen of this type is rotationally symmetrical and consists of a housing with a feed device mounted at a tangent, a cylindrical screen basket, normally with perforations or vertical slots, and a rotating rotor. The purpose of the rotor is to keep the screen slots clear, achieved by the vanes rotating close to the screen surface. The accept is collected in a so-called accept chamber, which often has a conical design, and drawn off from here in radial direction. The reject flow is generally brought to a reject chamber, which is usually annular, located at the opposite side of the screen basket to the inlet, and drawn off from here at a tangent.
[0004] A screen of this type is known, for example from U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,381.
[0005] Other screens known are described in, for example, EP 1 122 358 A2, EP 1 124 002 A2, and EP 1 124 003 A2.
[0006] In the screens according to EP 1 122 358 A2, EP 1 124 002 A2, and EP 1 124 003 A2, the following measures are implemented, particularly in order to improve flow conditions:
[0007] An additional screen basket is provided in the feed area for pre-screening.
[0008] In the feed area between the pipe socket and the freely accessible end of the rotor there is a stationary mounting, particularly a cone, truncated cone, hemisphere, spherical segment, spherical segment between two parallel circles, paraboloid, or a hyperboloid of two sheets.
[0009] The accept chamber is designed as twin cones, widening in flow direction of the pulp suspension and tapering again from the mouth of the accept outlet in a conical shape towards the reject outlet.
[0010] In these known screens the rotor is designed for even flow onto the screen and is parabolic in shape so that the axial flow speed inside the screen basket remains constant at an assumed uniform flow through the screen basket. As an alternative, a cone shape can be used to come closer to the parabolic shape of the rotor.
[0011] It is also known that screens can be designed as multi-stage units, comprising several separation stages one after another.
[0012] The screens known from the state of the art, however, still hold disadvantages. In particular, the flow conditions at the reject outlet leave much to be desired.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0013] The present invention provides a screen in which a further improvement can be attained in the flow conditions and thus, a reduction in the energy applied, while increasing production and dirt separation.
[0014] The screen according to the invention is characterised by the reject outlet being located in the vicinity of the maximum rotor diameter and by one or several devices to interrupt the axial flow being located in the vicinity of the maximum rotor diameter.
[0015] In the following, the term “devices” (plural) is used, relating also to screens according to the invention which have only one device to interrupt axial flow.
[0016] Depending on their origin and type (recycled fibers, fresh fibers, etc.), pulps contain differing amounts of dirt particles. To ensure stable screen operations, certain minimum amounts of carrier medium (reject amounts) must be set as a function of the dirt and flake content, and of the suspension's rheological characteristics.
[0017] It has proved favorable to mount devices to interrupt the axial flow at the same height as the maximum rotor diameter in order to guarantee stable screen operations.
[0018] The devices to interrupt axial flow can be mounted at the housing of the separation unit or at the screen basket and/or at the rotor of the screen. Thus, a design in which devices to interrupt the axial flow are provided on both sides (i.e. both at the housing and at the rotor) is also possible.
[0019] The devices should preferably be one or several axial flow interruption rings. Depending on its design, the flow interruption ring can either be continuous or in the form of individual segments, or have gaps.
[0020] The flow interruption ring (or flow interruption rings) can be of adjustable design, such that the size of the opening created by the flow interruption ring for the reject can be modified.
[0021] The flow interruption ring can be of adjustable design, for example in the same way as an iris diaphragm. In addition, the flow interruption ring can be adjustable statically (e.g. in the form of statically adjustable ring segments).
[0022] The outer diameter of a flow interruption ring on the rotor side preferably has a toothed profile.
[0023] A further preferred configuration of the screen according to the invention is characterised by at least one feed for dilution water being located in the vicinity of the reject outlet, particularly directly below it.
[0024] As a result, the reject leaving the screen is diluted with water. This dilution is favorable particularly in a multi-stage screen configuration where the reject from one stage is also the feed to the following stage.
[0025] One or more feed points can be provided for dilution water, which can be located at the housing of the separation unit or at the screen basket and/or at the rotor. If a feed for dilution water is located at the rotor, this feed is supplied preferably through a pipe mounted inside the rotor.
[0026] The feed point—if necessary, several—for dilution water can be oriented such that dilution water can enter in rotor running direction and/or in the opposite direction to rotation of the rotor.
[0027] Thus, the rotating movement of the pulp suspension can be reduced. By causing turbulence in the suspension, loosening of the suspension can be improved.
[0028] In a further preferred configuration of the screen according to the invention, at least one feed for dilution water is coupled to a device for interrupting the axial flow. For example, the feed of dilution water can protrude into the area between housing and rotor and thus, serve as a device for interrupting the axial flow.
[0029] Particularly in multi-stage screens, thickening of the suspension takes place on the one hand in the inflow area to the screen surface as the suspension flows between the first and the final screening stage, and on the other hand, the flake content becomes more concentrated.
[0030] In order to maintain the screening effect, the suspension consistency, as described above, is set by means of intermediate dilution. It has proved favorable to counteract this concentration of the flake content by inserting a deflaking unit.
[0031] Thus, the separating unit of the screen according to the invention should preferably contain a deflaking unit. Advantageously, the deflaker should take the form of one or several rings mounted on the housing or screen basket and/or on the rotor. The shape of the mountings used corresponds to models that are already known in themselves, while additional hydraulic guiding elements can be included in order to set differential pressures.
[0032] The screen according to the invention can preferably comprise two or more separation units located one after another in a manner already known, where all separation units have one common rotor, which has a parabolic or parabolic segment shape for each separation unit, adapted to the flow conditions in the separation unit in each case.
[0033] The height of each separation unit should preferably be at least twice the sum of the heights of all separation units adjoining the separation unit in question, i.e. in a screen with three separation units, the height of the first stage is at least ⅔ the overall height of the unit and the height of the second stage is at least {fraction (2/9)} of the overall height.
[0034] Each separation unit of a multi-stage screen according to the invention should preferably contain one or more devices to interrupt the axial flow, as described above, in the vicinity of the maximum diameter.
[0035] Similarly, it is preferable to have at least one inlet for dilution water in each separation unit in the vicinity of the reject outlet or underneath it.
[0036] In a multi-stage screen, the feed for dilution water can be located in the lower delimitation of the rotor segment of a separation unit so that the dilution water is discharged into the space beneath the rotor segment (and thus into the vicinity of the reject outlet or the area below it). As an alternative or additionally, the feed for dilution water can be mounted in the upper part of the rotor segment of the following separation unit.
[0037] In a multi-stage screen according to the present invention with at least three separation units, a minimum of one deflaking unit should preferably be provided, particularly at the transition from the second to the third separation unit.
[0038] In addition to the features described above, the screen according to the invention should preferably contain one or several features of the screens described in EP 1 122 358 A2, EP 1 124 002 A2, and EP 1 124 003 A2.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0039] The present invention may be better understood and its numerous objects and advantages will become apparent to those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0040] [0040]FIG. 1 is a view of a conventional screen;
[0041] [0041]FIG. 2 is a view of a multi-stage screen according to a preferred configuration of the present invention;
[0042] [0042]FIG. 3 is an enlarged section of a reject outlet from the screen according to FIG. 2; and
[0043] [0043]FIG. 4 is an enlarged section of an alternative design of a reject outlet.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0044] The screen according to FIG. 1 comprises, in a way already known, a feed branch 2 , through which a pulp suspension if fed for cleaning purposes. In the feed area, a mounting 3 is provided, which is shown here as a truncated cone. The pulp suspension enters the space between the parabolic rotor 4 and the screen 5 and is conveyed through the screen into the accept chamber 6 . The housing of the accept chamber is designed as a double cone in this configuration and in a way which is generally known. The accept outlet is marked with reference number 7 . The reject is removed through a reject outlet 8 .
[0045] In FIG. 2, those devices or parts of devices that are identical to the configuration which is state of the art and shown in FIG. 1 are marked with the same reference numbers. In the preferred configuration of a screen according to the invention and as shown in FIG. 2, the screen 1 consists of three separation units 1 ′, 1 ″ and 1 ′″.
[0046] The three separation units 1 ′, 1 ″ and 1 ′″ have one common rotor, whose sections 4 ′, 4 ″ and 4 ′″, respectively, adapted to the flow conditions in the corresponding separation unit, are parabolic or have the shape of a truncated paraboloid. As an alternative, the sections of the rotor can also be shaped similar to a truncated cone or a parabola.
[0047] Each separation unit has a reject outlet ( 9 ′, 9 ″ and 9 ′″). The reject from the first and second separation units is thus also the feed to the next separation unit in each case. The reject from the third and final separation unit is drawn off through the reject outlet 8 .
[0048] In FIG. 2, a pipe for dilution water mounted inside the rotor is marked 10 and the outlets from the pipe will be described in more detail below.
[0049] A deflaking unit 13 is provided at the transition from the second to the third separation unit.
[0050] [0050]FIGS. 3 and 4 show preferred configurations of a reject outlet (in this case reject outlet 9 ′) in an enlargement of the section marked with a chain-dot line in FIG. 2.
[0051] According to the configuration shown in FIG. 3, an adjusting ring 12 a ′ is mounted at the lower end of the rotor section 4 ′. The adjusting ring can have an adjustable mounting, as explained above, e.g. in the shape of an iris diaphragm (indicated by the double arrow). The outer diameter of the adjusting ring or its segments should preferably have a toothed profile.
[0052] With the adjustable ring 12 a ′, the axial throughput can be controlled by means of the reject outlet 9 ′.
[0053] Furthermore, in the configuration according to FIG. 3, feed points for dilution water 10 a ′, 10 b ′, and 10 c ′ are provided on the housing, as well as at rotor sections 4 ′ and 4 ″ in the vicinity of the reject outlet 9 ′ and beneath it.
[0054] The feed point 10 a ′ is located in the lower delimitation of the rotor segment 4 ′ of the first separation unit 1 ′. The feed point 10 b ′ is placed in the upper section of the rotor segment 4 ″ of the second separation unit 1 ″. The feed points 10 a ′ and 10 b ′ can be supplied through a pipe 10 (see FIG. 2) mounted inside the rotor.
[0055] The feed point 10 c ′, for example, is located in the vicinity of a flange 11 between the first separation unit 1 ′ and the second separation unit 1 ″ and is supplied through a pipe not shown in this illustration.
[0056] With the feed pipes for dilution water 10 a ′, 10 b ′ and 10 c ′, the consistency of the pulp suspension flowing to the next separation unit can be controlled effectively.
[0057] The configuration of the reject outlet 9 ′ shown in FIG. 4 differs from the configuration shown in FIG. 3 in that a flow interruption ring 12 b ′ is mounted on the housing in addition to the adjusting ring 12 a ′. The housing side feed 10 c ′ for dilution water is also located in the flow interruption ring 12 b ′, i.e. the feed for dilution water and the flow interruption ring are coupled to one another. Of course, the configuration in FIG. 4 can also include additional feed lines for dilution water at the rotor, as shown in FIG. 3.
[0058] The height of each separation unit should preferably be at least twice the sum of the heights of all separation units adjoining the separation unit in question, i.e. in a screen with three separation units, 1 ′, 1 ″, 1 ′″, the height of the first stage 1 ′ is at least ⅔ the overall height of the unit and the height of the second stage 1 ″ is at least {fraction (2/9)} of the overall height.
[0059] While preferred embodiments have been shown and described, various modifications and substitutions may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, it is to be understood that the present invention has been described by way of illustration and not limitation.
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A screen, for cleaning a fiber suspension, includes at least one separating unit containing a housing, a parabolic rotor, a screen basket, an accept chamber, and a reject outlet. The reject outlet is located in the vicinity of the maximum rotor diameter. The screen also includes one or several devices for interrupting the axial flow located in the vicinity of the maximum rotor diameter.
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The government has rights in this invention pursuant to Contract No. DE-ACO 2-80ER10743 awarded by the U.S. Department of Energy.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The oil lubricated rings which are conventionally used for sealing between between a piston and a cylinder have several disadvantages: the viscous friction of the oil between the ring and the cylinder produces a significant power loss; also the oil does not stand up to the high temperatures of certain advanced engine designs using ceramic liners, thus impeding the implementation of such designs. Other seals have been used which operate without lubrication. While these can operate at high temperatures, they generally have the disadvantages of high wear against the cylinder wall as well as having high friction.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A central problem in the design of piston-cylinder seals is that as a result of manufacturing tollerances, thermal expansion, and other causes, the space between a piston and a cylinder is variable and the amount of variation is larger than the spacing required for a good seal. An effective sealing mechanism must therefore be dynamic and follow and compensate for the irregular variations in the piston-cylinder spacing. In the conventional oil lubricated piston ring, the ring resides in a slot in the cylinder and is elastically loaded so that it presses outwards from the piston toward the cylinder wall. The outward motion of the ring is stopped when the ring encounters an oil film on the wall surface (or sometimes the wall itself if the oil film is inadequate). In any case, the ring continuously moves in an out, adjusting to the irregularities of the piston-cylinder fit and maintaining a very small space between the ring and the cylinder wall. The changing diameter of the ring as it moves in and out is accomodated by a split at some point in the ring periphery.
An essential requirement for the proper operation of the conventional oil lubricated seal is that the average pressure in the oil film between the ring and the cylinder wall increase when the distance between ring and cylinder decreases. This is necessary to generate a force to stabilize the position of the ring: if the space between the ring and wall increases because of an irregularity, the oil film average pressure diminishes and allows the elastic force in the ring to push the ring outward; if the space decreases, the oil film pressure increases and pushes the ring back against the elastic force. Liquid lubricants and in particular oil generally have the requisite properties to provide this stabilizing action, with average pressure increasing when the film becomes thinner, and this accounts for the widespread success and use of the conventional ring seals. This property of oil lubricants is commonly modeled by assuming the oil cavities when it experiences less than atmospheric pressure. It has been found however, that gases, which do not cavitate, do not function satisfactorily as lubricants in the conventional ring design because they do not produce an increasing average pressure with decreasing spacing over a satisfactory range of operating conditions.
I have discovered that a gas lubricant, although not providing a net radial force which can be used to stabilize the radial position of a variable radius ring, can be made to provide a force couple which rotates a seal element of a novel seal and which stabilizes the orientation of this seal element so as to maintain a satisfactory sealing space between piston and cylinder wall as the piston moves along the cylinder.
My invention features a seal with an annular support member without a gap shaped and dimensioned for fitting around a piston, an annular runner affixed to the support member so as to lie in a clearance space between a piston and a cylinder wall. The runner has upper and lower wing portions extending respectively above and below the support structure, the upper wing portion having a back surface exposed to the pressure of gas above the seal, and the lower wing portion having a back surface exposed to the pressure of gas below the seal. The runner has an outwardly convex contoured surface extending from the distal end of the upper wing to the distal end of the lower wing, which defines a channel between a cylinder wall and the seal, the portion of the contour surface approaching most closely to the cylinder wall being a sealing zone. The contoured surface is exposed to pressure of gas leaking through the channel, and pivots elastically with respect to the support member in response to moments generated by pressure forces on surfaces of the wings. The center of curvature of the sealing zone is above the center of rotation of the runner. The dimensions and elastic properties of the seal are mutually selected with regard to operating pressures and diameter of the piston so that the runner, as seen in cross section, rotates differentially in response to varying gas pressures in the channel to advance and retract the sealing zone towards and from a cylinder wall and thereby maintain an effective sealing of the piston to the cylinder wall as the piston moves along the cylinder while avoiding rubbing contact between the seal and the cylinder wall.
The invention may additionally feature a plurality of skewed slots distributed around the perimeter of the runner for reducing the effective stiffness of the runner, and a support member shaped to fit within a circumferential groove in a cylinder with clearance for sliding therein.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
FIG. 1 shows in perspective view and with some portions broken away a seal according to the invention.
FIG. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the seal of FIG. 1 installed between a piston and a cylinder wall.
FIG. 3 shows the pressure distribution on the surface of the seal of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 shows an alternative design for a seal according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Referring to the Figures, seal 10, according to the invention, has annular support member 12 with no gap therein to which is attached at transition region 20 runner 14. Runner 14 has an upper wing portion 16 and a lower wing portion 18 extending respectively above and below transition zone 20. ("Upper" is herein taken to designate the direction toward the combustion chamber or high pressure side of a piston, while "lower" designates the crankcase or low pressure side, corresponding to the orientation of all Figures.)
In its installed position on piston 24 with piston face 25, shown in FIG. 2, the support member 12 lies in circumferential groove 22 of piston 24, and runner 14 lies in clearance space 26 between piston 24 and cylinder wall 28. Upper wing portion 16 has a back surface 30 exposed, when installed, to the pressure of gas in the combustion chamber above the seal 10 and lower wing portion has a back surface 32 exposed to the pressure of gas in the crankcase chamber below seal 10. Runner 14 has an outwardly convex contoured surface 36 extending from the distal end 38 of wing portion 16 to the distal end 40 of wing portion 18. Contoured surface 36 when installed as shown in FIG. 2, faces cylinder wall 28 and defines channel 42 between the seal and the cylinder wall, the portion of contoured surface 36 approaching most closely to cylinder wall 28 providing sealing zone 44. The position of the center of curvature of contoured surface 36 in sealing zone 44 as seen in the cross section of FIG. 2 is identified by the cross 48.
The operation of the seal can be explained with reference to FIG. 3. Suppose the pressure above the piston is higher than that in the crankcase chamber. The piston may be either moving downwards as in the power stroke or upwards as in the compression stroke in an internal combustion engine. The back surface 30 of upper wing portion 16 is exposed to the higher pressure of the combustion chamber while the back surface 32 of lower wing 18 is exposed to the lower pressure of the crankcase resulting in the pressure distribution over the back surface of the runner identified as 60 in FIG. 3. The contour surface 36 of the runner is exposed to the pressure of the small flow of gas leaking through the channel 42 between the runner 14 and the cylinder wall 28 which has the general form shown as 62 in FIG. 3. It may be particularly noted that the pressure of the back side of the runner produces both a net force to the left and a net moment in the counter clockwise direction while the pressure on the front of the runner produces a force to the right and a clockwise moment (directions and rotations being referred to FIG. 3). The net force from combining the front and back forces tends to move the runner in the radial direction, but radial motion of the runner as a whole is restrained by the support structure 12 so that the net force on the runner produces no significant radial motion. (When the structure 12 is without a gap it is effective in providing this restraint.) The net moment of the pressure forces tends to rotate the runner and this rotation is constrained by piston groove 22. (The clearances shown in FIG. 2 are greatly exaggerated.) The result of the net pressure moment is to elastically deform the seal in a way which may be approximately described as a rotation of the runner about a rotation center 64 situated in the transition region 20. This rotation is accompanyed by strains primarily in the transition region and in the tips of the runner wings and is accordingly resisted by elastic forces.
The pressure distribution 60 on the back of the runner is not influenced by small variations of the spacing in channel 42, so that, for given conditions of pressure in the firing chamber and crankcase, it remains the same. The pressure distribution on the contoured surface, in contrast, is considerably altered with small changes in the spacing in channel 42. In particular, it has been found that the moment of the pressure on the contoured surface rises as the channel 42 becomes narrower. Thus, if during the movement of the piston along the cylinder, the channel 42 becomes narrower because of some irregularity in the piston-cylinder fit, the front-side moment will increase and cause a slight clockwise rotation of the runner about rotation center 64. Because the center of curvature 48 of the sealing zone is above the rotation center 64, this rotation will open the space between the sealing zone and the cylinder wall to compensate for the irregularity of fit.
Specific dimensions and elastic properties of the seal should be chosen with regard to the cylinder diameter, the ranges of operating pressures and temperatures above the piston in accordance with the general principles indicated above. It is important to have the center of curvature of the sealing zone situated above the rotation center of the runner in operating conditions so that the system will be stable. The lengths of the runner wings should be chosen with regard to the elastic properties of the seal material to produce the required bending moment. The contour should be chosen to place the center of curvature of the sealing zone above the rotation center of the runner and sufficiently distant from it to produce the desired variation in the position of the sealing zone. Techniques for analysis of the deformation of a body to implement these requirements are well known in the engineering art and need no further elucidation here. Specific dimentions for a seal made of steel and suitable for use in an cylinder of 100 mm diameter with operating specifications of 2000 rpm and indicated mean effective pressure of 300,000 pascals are: height of the seal--4 mm; thickness of seal at tips of wings--1 mm; protrusion of the contour above the front of the wing tips--1 mm.
FIG. 4 shows an alternative design of a runner according to the invention. Seal 70 has a general form like that of the seal previously described with a runner 76 and support structure 74. Skewed cuts are made in the runner to relieve the circumferential stresses in the wing tips when the runner is rotated and therefore reduce the rigidity of the runner and make it easier to rotate. Because the cuts are skewed they will close under the influence of the pressure applied to the runner surfaces and minimize leakage. The design of FIG. 4 may be advantageously used particularly with seals of small diameter where the rigidity tends to be high.
It may be advantageous in some circumstances particularly when a piston cross head is used, to affix the support structure to the piston rather than permitting sliding of the support structure in a piston groove. Other design features such as materials with a composite structure and non-isotropic elastic properties may also be used with advantage in some circumstances. Such choices will be obvious to those skilled in the mechanical design art and are within the scope of the invention.
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A piston-cylinder seal uses gas for a lubricant and has a runner supported on a gapless structure and placed in the space between the piston and the cylinder wall. The runner is deformed elastically under the influence of the operating pressures to follow and compensate for variations in the piston-cylinder fit and maintain a seal.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to the field of data transmission in high performance computer systems.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In the field of computer processing, there are certain high performance computers that require multi-trace connector cables to carry signals and data from one location to another. Because of the circuit density of such machines, standard sockets and connectors are inadequate for the task, inasmuch as the number of individual electrical connections required on the circuit boards and modules would occupy an unacceptably large portion of the available space.
It is desirable that connectors used be capable of densities exceeding two or three hundred contacts per square inch of occupied space on the surface of a circuit board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to the principles of the present invention, micro bumps on the electrodes of an electrical connector are provided. The connector comprises a piece of flexible circuit material, of a size and shape required for the particular application. Disc-shaped electrodes are provided on the surface of the connector. Via the electrodes, the electrical connector carries the signals from a circuit board or other electronic device to another location, such as another circuit board. These electrodes are in electrical contact with electrical traces formed in various layers of the circuit material of the connector.
Each of the electrodes on the connector is provided with a plurality of tiny bumps, or micro-pads on its surface. Each electrode, having the plurality of micro-pads therein is a contact pad for carrying the electrical signal.
The circuit board or other electronic device is provided with a plurality of disc shaped contact pads, of a size and configuration that corresponds to that of the connector. The pads are formed concurrently with the formation of other features of the circuit board, by employing known manufacturing techniques.
When the connector is placed in correct alignment relative to the contact pads on the circuit board, and modest pressure is applied, solid electrical contact is achieved between each pad on the connector and each corresponding pad on the board via the micro bumps.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a plan view of the flexible connector according to one embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a section of the flexible connector, showing the configuration of the contact pads, together with electrical traces.
FIG. 3 is a plan view of a single contact pad on the flexible connector.
FIG. 4 is a cross section of a single contact pad, together with the underlying structure, along the line 4 of FIG. 3 .
FIG. 5 shows a contact pad on a circuit board in electrical connection with the contact pad of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
FIG. 1 shows an electrical connector 8 . The electrical connector 8 includes a flexible circuit material 10 having contact pads 12 thereon. In one embodiment of the invention, this flexible substrate, or “flex” is a composite of materials commercially available, i.e., Dupont Pyralux Series. Contact pads 12 are provided on the surface of the flexible substrate and configured such that they correspond to a configuration of contact pads on the surface of a circuit board or other device to which the connection is to be made. When these two surfaces are correctly aligned and brought into contact, each pad on the electrical connector 8 makes direct contact with a corresponding pad on the circuit board.
In one embodiment of the invention, this alignment is achieved through the use of alignment holes 34 in the connector. These holes 34 are precisely positioned in relation to the contact pads 12 , and correspond to alignment features on the circuit board. A variety of fasteners and methods of alignment between the electrical connection and circuit board may be designed for use with this invention, and variations in such fall within the scope of this invention.
The shape and size of the electrical connector 8 is determined by the specific application. The version shown in FIG. 1 represents one embodiment of this invention. Other applications will require other connector sizes and shapes, also within the scope of this invention.
In one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of flexible connectors are formed on a master sheet, then individually cut to the appropriate size and shape. In other embodiments of the invention the fasteners may be manufactured individually or concurrently with other devices. These are considered to be encompassed by the principles of the invention.
FIG. 2 shows an enlarged view of a portion of the surface of the connector 8 , on which the contact pads 12 are formed. According to one embodiment of the invention, the distance D between the pads is 0.05 inches, which achieves a density of 400 contacts per inch. Other configurations and densities are possible and may be preferable for specific applications.
Electrical traces 36 are positioned on the electrical connector 8 to connect the pads 20 to other terminals and locations on the connector 8 . FIG. 3 shows a plan view of a single contact pad 12 . In one embodiment of the invention, the contact pads are round and have a diameter of 0.031 inches. Tiny bumps, also called micro-pads, 20 are provided on the surface of the contact pad 12 , and comprise a part thereof. In one embodiment of the invention there are four such micro-pads, 0.004 inches in diameter, configured in a circle whose center is common with the center of the pad, and whose diameter A is 0.015 inches. In other embodiments of the invention the size or shape of the contact pads may vary, and the size shape or configuration of the micro-pads may vary. Such variations fall within the scope of this invention.
FIG. 4 shows a cross section view, at line 4 of FIG. 3, of a single contact pad 12 , together with the flexible circuit material 10 upon which it is formed.
In one embodiment of the invention, a commercially available flexible circuit material is used. A first non-conductive substrate layer 28 is processed, using known methods, to form highly conductive pads 14 on its first surface. For example, non-conductive substrates can be purchased having highly conductive layers affixed to both sides thereof. These substrates can be purchased in various thicknesses, such as 0.001 inches, 0.002 inches, or any acceptable thickness. According to one technique, a commercial substrate is obtained having a conductive layer on both sides thereof. The conductive layer is then patterned and etched on each side, so as to form electrical traces at the desired locations. For example, one side thereof may become the ground plane and the other side thereof may be etched to form pad 14 , and electrical traces connected thereto. The pads 14 may be copper and may have a thickness of 700 μinches. A second nonconductive substrate layer 32 is processed, using known methods, to form electrical traces 36 on its second surface. The traces may be copper and may have a thickness of 700 μinches. Using a non-conductive bonding layer 30 , the first substrate layer 28 and the second substrate layer 32 are bonded together forming a composite flexible substrate, comprising the flexible circuit material 10 . On those places where a grounding plane is desired, an electrically conducted ground plane may be present between first substrate layer 28 and second substrate layer 32 . Connection to such a ground plane may be made by the same techniques by which connection is made to the electrical trace 36 as described later herein. Their positioning is such that the appropriate electrical traces 36 are directly opposite the corresponding pads 14 . In various embodiments of the invention it is appropriate to form additional electrical traces on other surfaces or layers of the flexible circuit material. This may include the formation of electrical traces concurrently, and on the same surface as the conductive pads. In other embodiments of the invention additional substrate layers may be used to accommodate the trace pattern and density desired. The thickness of the individual substrate layers may be 0.001 inches, 0.002 inches, or any thickness or combination of thicknesses deemed appropriate.
According to one embodiment of the invention, holes 22 are drilled through the entire assembly, centered in each pad 14 . The holes may have a diameter of 0.0065 inches. Using known processes, a highly conductive layer 24 is plated on the pads 14 , the insides of the holes 22 , and that part of the traces 36 that lies directly opposite the pads, providing an electrically conductive path from the pad 14 to the trace 36 . This conductive layer may be copper or other conductor. Using known processes, a non-conductive cover layer 26 is applied to both surfaces of the substrate 10 . The thickness of this layer is sufficient to provide insulation and protection from abrasion during normal handling and operation. This covers the traces 36 and the pads 14 as desired. According to one embodiment, this layer may have a thickness of 0.002 inches. An opening is provided in the layer 26 over the pad 14 , centered over the hole 22 . The opening may be produced by any appropriate techniques such as masking during formation, etching, milling, photo processing steps or the like.
The cover layer 26 forms a mask through which a conductive layer 16 is plated, primarily onto the surface of the preceding conductive plating 24 . According to one embodiment of the invention, this layer is copper or copper alloy, and is coplanar with the surface of the cover layer 26 .
Using known plating techniques, micro-pads 20 are formed on the conductive layer 16 . The thickness of the micro-pads may be 0.001 inches. According to one embodiment of the invention, a finish layer 18 is formed on the surface of the plate layer 16 and the micro-pads 20 . The finish layer 18 comprises three successive layers: 150 μinches of nickel, 15 μinches of palladium, and 3-7 μinches of gold in one embodiment. For example, one acceptable technique for forming micro-pads 20 is to provide a mask over each contact pad 12 and then, using appropriate electroplating techniques, plate the micro-pads 20 onto the conductive layer by electrical connection via the respective trace connected to the individual contact pads. An alternative technique is to form a layer thereover and then, using appropriate mask and etching techniques, remove the layer so as to provide the micro-bumps in the final shape as shown.
The diameter of the micro-pads is selected to provide good electrical contact under the appropriate pressure when the contact pad is acting as an electrode for connection to a printed circuit board. As a general rule, it will have a surface area considerably smaller than the surface area of the large contact pad. For example, the surface area of the micro-pads may be in the range of 1% to 5% of the surface area of the contact pad 12 thus providing correspondingly increasing pressure at their contact points than would be provided across the wide surface area of contact layer 12 . They may also be provided in other shapes, such as pointed at the tapered square, cone shaped, pyramid shape, or other acceptable shapes for providing solid electrical contact.
FIG. 5 shows the individual contact pad 12 of FIG. 4, together with a contact pad 38 formed on a circuit board 40 . According to the principles of this invention, contact pads are provided on the surface of the circuit board, in a size and configuration corresponding to those on the connector. These pads may be formed using the same processes as, and concurrently with, the formation of other features of the circuit board.
The contact pads 38 on the circuit board are produced according to known principles. In a common method of manufacture, a hole is drilled and plated to form the contact pad. A feature known in the industry as a knee 41 is formed on the edge of the hole during the plating process. This feature appears in FIG. 5 as a rise in the plate. The knee can interfere with a solid electrical connection by preventing the contact pads from making full contact. According to the principles of the invention, the use of micro-pads solves this problem by straddling the knee and allowing good contact between the respective contact pads.
The connector is aligned with the circuit board such that the contact pads 12 of the connector are in contact with the appropriate contact pads 38 of the circuit board 40 , and sufficient pressure applied to ensure a solid connection. The micro-pads 20 may, in some instances, bite slightly into the contact pad 38 to provide a high quality, low resistance electrical connection. The traces 36 of the connector form conductive paths to electrically connect the circuit board to other electronic devices. These may include other circuit boards, modules, printers, computers etc. The connection with these other devices may be made by any means appropriate for the application, including conventional connectors, or some embodiment of this invention. may be made by any means appropriate for the application, including conventional connectors, or some embodiment of this invention.
It should be noted that, according to the embodiment described, the surface 47 of the connector directly opposite the primary face of contact pad 12 forms a contact pad which, when the connector is in place on the circuit board 40 , is in electrical continuity with the contact pad 38 . Another connector, stacked on surface 47 would make contact, through the first connector, with the circuit board 40 . This feature allows the designer the liberty of using multiple connectors at the same site, permitting greater trace density or connection to multiple devices.
The current carrying requirement of the connectors is low as compared to that needed to power a computer. An important factor to consider is the security and dependability of the contacts. If the pressure between a flat contact pad of the connector and those of the circuit board is inadequate, the result may be either intermittent opening of the contact, which would interfere with the transmission of data, or increased resistance at the point of connection, raising the total impedance of the circuit to an unacceptable level. The design of fasteners and hardware used to exert force adequate to press the contacts of the connector onto those of the circuit board is an important consideration. The use of micro-pads 20 on the surface of the contacts on the connector can significantly reduce the pressure requirements on the board as a whole while providing higher pressure at the actual points of contact, thus making possible the use of lighter, smaller fasteners in high density applications.
For example, it may be desired in some designs that 50 pounds of pressure per square inch is required on each contact to assure a solid connection. Assuming a density of 400 contacts per square inch and a diameter of 0.03 inches per contact, then using smooth contacts the total surface area of the contacts would be 0.28 square inches per square inch of connector. This would require 14 pounds of pressure per square inch of connector. In contrast, by incorporating the micro-pads 20 on the surface of the connectors, the surface area is reduced significantly. One embodiment of the invention employs four micro-pads per contact, with a diameter of 0.003 inches each. In other applications, the micro-pads may be 0.001 to 0.01 inches in diameter. If one assumes the same density of contacts, the total surface area is 0.011 square inches per square inch of connector. To achieve the same security in the connection, the required pressure becomes 0.57 pounds of pressure per square inch. A fastener capable of exerting 14 pounds of pressure psi, evenly across hundreds of contacts is more complex and far bulkier than one requiring little more than half a pound.
The figures described in the above calculations represent a single possible embodiment of this invention. In other applications the current carrying requirements might be different, or the contact density could vary, but it is clear from the foregoing that the use of micro-pads provides a considerable advantage, and any such use is within the scope of this invention.
The use of the term circuit board in the foregoing description is for convenience only, and includes a broad range of electrical products. The connector and method described herein may be used to connect to any electronic device including circuit boards, modules, other connectors, peripheral devices etc.
From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
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The flexible connector for high density circuit applications comprises a multilayer flexible substrate upon which are formed a plurality of contact pads, in a density required by a particular application. This density may exceed two hundred contact pads per square inch. Contact pads of similar size and configuration are formed on the surface of another device, i.e., circuit board, and provision made to align the contact pads of the connector with those of the circuit board. Micro-pads are formed on the surface of the contact pads on the connector such, that when the connector is brought into contact with the circuit board, and sufficient pressure is applied, the micro-pads make actual electrical contact with the pads of the circuit board. Since the total surface area in contact, namely the sum of the surface areas of the micro-pads, is a small fraction of the total area of the connector, a large pressure is provided at the electrical contact interface even when low pressure is provided to the connector as a whole.
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CLAIM OF PRIORITY
The present application claims priority from Japanese application JP 2006-109352 filed on Apr. 12, 2006, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 11/092,872, 11/237,753, 11/236,742 and 11/236,801 are co-pending applications of this application. The contents of which are incorporated herein by cross-reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an optical disk apparatus and a method for processing a playback signal in the optical disk apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
One of distinguished features of an optical disk apparatus and a disk compliant with standards of DVD, Blu-ray Disc (BD) and the like is that a recording medium is commutative and recording and playback can be performed even when disks are exchanged between different apparatuses. Compatibility is an extremely important matter for an optical disk, and requirements for the compatibility are set as the standards. However, in reality, the compatibility may be lowered for various reasons. For example, recording may be performed in a state where laser power in recording widely deviates from its proper value for some reasons. Moreover, a surface of a disk recorded is scratched or stained and, as a result, the compatibility may be lowered.
In order to maintain the compatibility, it is needed not to make a disk which cannot or can hardly be played back by other apparatuses, when recording in the disk. Moreover, in playback, it is required that devices are made so as to hinder a read error from occurring as much as possible, even if a disk is in a bad condition including the case where the disk is defective or stained. Therefore, to improve playback performance of the optical disk apparatus is an essential requirement for enhancing the compatibility. Thus, playback ability has been enhanced by introducing various technologies, such as an adaptive target Viterbi decoder (synonymous with an adaptive Viterbi decoder), described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11 (1999)-296987, for example, for dealing with the case where a playback signal has large asymmetry.
Moreover, except for the time of stream playback and the like, generally, when a read error occurs, a read retry is performed in order to acquire data in the cluster. In the read retry, trials have heretofore been done according to a pre-prepared retry parameter list without specifying a factor for a read error.
As a result of improving the playback performance of the optical disk apparatus, when confirmation playback (verify) after recording is performed under the same conditions as those of normal playback, detected symbol errors are few, even thought recording quality is significantly deteriorated by problems in recording. Accordingly, there will be more and more cases where the deterioration thereof cannot be identified. Consequently, in the case where a recording region of the disk is played back by different apparatuses, the read error is more likely to occur. That is, the compatibility is lowered.
Moreover, there is a wide variety of events which trigger the read error. In many cases, the read error is caused by an exceptional event. In the case where a degree of the error is minor, if playback is tried again under normal playback conditions, the playback is successfully performed with a considerable probability (simple retry). However, in the case where the degree thereof is major, a sufficiently high probability of success may not be expected unless drive operation parameters are changed at the time of read retry. In addition, a host which issues a read command generally determines that it is unable to read if the host cannot acquire data within a certain period of time after issuance of the command (timeout). Thus, the number of times of the read retries which can be executed is limited.
The major factors for the read error can be classified broadly into three groups, including a defect, a deviation and a SNR deficit. Moreover, there are differences in setting policies of playback parameters in the read retries corresponding to the respective factors. In the read retry, trials have heretofore been done according to a pre-prepared retry parameter list without specifying the factor for the read error (such a parameter list will be hereinafter called a retry list). Thus, in some occasion the trials have been done by using parameters which are absolutely invalid, or even have adverse effects. Moreover, since there is a limitation on the number of trials which can be executed, there is a problem that variations on effective trial parameters are limited. To be more specific, if the deviation is a cause of the read error, it is effective to increase or decrease a tracking or focusing gain, and to lower a play back speed. Meanwhile, if the defect is a cause of the read error, the procedures described above are more likely to have adverse effects.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide an optical disk apparatus which has high read retry ability and high compatibility with other apparatuses.
An optical disk apparatus of the present invention includes a playback system capable of arbitrarily changing playback performance, and lowers the playback performance at the time of verify. Moreover, the optical disk apparatus includes: means which detects and determines a factor for a read error; and means which performs a read retry by use of a playback parameter corresponding to the factor causing the read error.
The present invention makes it possible to achieve high read retry ability and to perform a proper verify for other apparatuses. Moreover, it is possible to enhance ability to deal with a read error caused by an exceptional event. As a result, an optical disk apparatus with high compatibility can be provided.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an optical disk apparatus according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing read error factor detection and retry parameter setting timing.
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of a defect detection method.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of playback signal disturbance caused by a fingerprint.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a retry list for dealing with a deviation.
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a retry list for dealing with a defect.
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a list for dealing with a SNR deficit and the fingerprint.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a retry list for playback of an isolated block.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a configuration of a PLL.
FIG. 10 is a graph showing a marginal curve of a PLL initial condition which enables playback of the isolated block.
FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a read channel setting at the time of verify.
FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a result of error rate measurement by a verify setting.
FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an eye-pattern of a playback signal at the time of verify error.
FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing a procedure of a verify.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With reference to the drawings, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
(Retry Using List Classified by Factor and Factor Detection)
A description will be given for a method for estimating a factor of a read error when occurring and for performing retry processing based on the result thereof. The factors of the read error are classified broadly into the three groups including the defect, the deviation and the SNR deficit as described above. Among those factors, the defect and the deviation can be detected with sufficient credibility. Therefore, by use of the results, the factors for the read error are classified into the three groups. Unless otherwise noted, the factor for the read error will hereinafter mean any one of the defect, the deviation and the SNR deficit. By applying a retry parameter list prepared for each of the factors, a more effective retry operation is performed in comparison with the conventional cases.
FIG. 1 shows a schematic configuration of an optical disk apparatus (drive) according to the present invention. Here, only parts required to be described in relation to the present invention are shown, and the other parts are omitted. Similarly, details of the respective parts which can be easily understood by those skilled in the art are omitted.
Information recorded in a disk 1 is optically played back by use of a pickup 2 and is transduced into an electric signal. Thereafter, the electric signal is inputted to a read channel 3 which is a signal processing system. After being binarized by the read channel 3 , the signal is processed in the manner of error correction processing and the like by an error correction code decoder 4 . Thus, user data is retrieved. This is general description of normal playback operations. Generally, those operations are automatically performed in accordance with a sequence included in an LSI.
Next, a description will be given for factor detection and a subsequent read retry operation. Here, for simplicity, the description will be given by assuming that a factor to be detected is only a defect. FIG. 2 shows a setting of read parameters in the factor detection, and timing for the setting. The top part of FIG. 2 shows a RUB (recording unit block) which is performing playback, the middle part thereof shows a state of a defect detection flag, and the bottom part thereof shows a set of playback parameters used in the event.
It is assumed that, while playback is continuously performed for a RUB (n−2), a RUB (n−1) and a RUB (n), a read error is currently generated in the RUB (n). When the read error occurs, a controller 6 starts a retry operation. In a first retry, a simple retry is performed. In order to read the RUB (n) again, it is required that seek is done. In the seek operation, a pickup position is returned to a cluster locating several clusters before a target cluster, and therefrom tracks are trailed to reach the target cluster. In this event, as shown in FIG. 2 , a defect detection flag is reset when the seek is completed. Thereafter, when the first retry of the target cluster is completed, it is determined whether or not a defect exists in a target region by referring to the defect detection flag.
The defect detection is performed by use of a defect detector 5 . The defect detector 5 is a circuit which monitors a top envelope of a playback signal, as shown in FIG. 3 , and which outputs a defect detection signal in the case where the amplitude which is not more than a threshold continues for a certain period of time or more. When the defect detection signal is outputted continuously for a certain period of time or more, the defect detection flag is set up. Note that, once a defect is detected, the defect detection flag is set to maintain a high level until the flag is reset. Thus, it is possible to guarantee that, when the first retry is completed, the state of the defect detection flag reflects the presence or absence of a defect detected from a time when the seek is completed to a time when the retry of the target cluster is completed. The reason why timing of resetting the defect detection flag is set before the target cluster is that a read error may be caused by jumping to a track other than the target due to an influence of a defect before the target cluster.
If the read error occurs even in the first retry (simple retry), a retry operation based on a result of a factor detection flag is performed. Since the factor to be detected is currently only the defect, the factors are classified into the defect and others. A playback parameter list for each of the factors at the time of retry is expressed as S (factor number, trial number). Moreover, a playback parameter list in normal playback is expressed as S (0, 0). Here it is assumed that a factor number of a defect is 1, and that of the others is 2. If the defect detection flag is set up, retries after the first retry are sequentially executed in the order of parameter lists S (1, 0), S (1, 1) and S (1, 2) until read is successfully performed.
Note that it can be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the controller 6 is configured of a micro-computer, a feedback controller, a universal memory and the like, as hardware; that operations thereof are controlled by firmware; and that the controller also includes a read parameter set used at the time of retry, and the like.
In the example of FIG. 1 , only the defect is used as the factor to be detected. Even if a deviation detector for tracking and focusing is added to the configuration described above, the foregoing description can be applied without making almost any changes. In this case, factors are classified into the defect, the deviation, the SNR deficit, and others. The deviation is detected when amplitude of an error signal in a tracking feedback control circuit exceeds a certain value. The deviations of tracking and focusing can be individually detected. However, as to a frequency of occurrence of read errors due to the deviation, remarkably more errors are caused by tracking deviations. Thus, here, in consideration of system simplification, retry lists concerning tracking and focusing deviations are combined, and the same list is executed regardless of which one of the deviations is detected.
There may be a plurality of factors to be detected, and those factors may be detected at the same time. In preparation for the case where a plurality of read error factors are detected at the same time, a detection priority is determined. If a defect and a deviation are detected at the same time, the defect is prioritized. This is because there are many cases where a large tracking error occurs immediately after a playback light spot finishes passing on a long defect, and, even if a substantial read error factor is the defect, a deviation is often detected at the same time.
Moreover, a fingerprint has both of a defect-like element due to local extinction and a deviation-like element caused by refracting read light. Since extinction caused by the defect has a short period of duration, no defect detection flag is set up in most cases. However, the local extinction has a characteristic of appearing more than once within several cm. FIG. 4 shows an example of the case where a playback signal is disturbed by the fingerprint. Moreover, a deviation caused by the fingerprint has a long period of duration, but amplitude thereof is relatively small. Accordingly, the deviation is not normally targeted for the deviation detection. Therefore, playback parameters for dealing with a read error caused by the fingerprint are included in parameter lists of the SNR deficit and the others.
(Contents of List by Factor)
Here, a description will be given for contents of a retry list by each factor.
FIG. 5 shows an example (BD4X) of a retry list for dealing with a deviation. As described above, in consideration of system simplification, retry lists for dealing with tracking and focusing deviations are combined, and the same list is executed regardless of which one of the deviations is detected. Main effective parameters for dealing with the deviation are increases in feedback control gains of tracking and focusing, and reduction in a playback speed from 4× to 2×. The playback speed is important performance for the drive. Thus, the reduction in the playback speed is set in a lower level of the list in order to avoid as much as possible, although the reduction in the playback speed is expected to be effective as a retry parameter. The parameters in the retry list are applied sequentially from those set in an upper level of the list until read is successfully performed.
Next, a description will be given for a list for dealing with a defect. With respect to a situation of a read error occurrence caused by the defect, there are mainly two cases including the case where a length of the defect is as long as an error correction limit, and the case where tracking is shifted off by the defect and a cluster on another track is played back. As to the former, since the number of errors statistically fluctuates at each trial, a considerable effect can be expected even by the simple retry. As to the latter, improvement can be expected by lowering a feedback gain to suppress an excessive fluctuation of a feedback system when entering into the defect. While passing on the defect, operations of a control system for tracking and focusing are held. However, since a time for which the operations can be held is limited by hardware restrictions, it may be rather disadvantageous to lower the playback speed. Thus, the playback speed is not lowered.
FIG. 6 shows an example of a retry list prepared by taking account of those described above. The contents of each trial are iterated for three times. Normally, when passing on the defect, adaptive operations of an adaptive equalizer and an adaptive Viterbi decoder are also held. Immediately after passing the defect, amplitude of a playback signal waveform and a dc offset level are changed under the influence of a transient response and the like. A certain effect can be expected also by reducing a study time constant of each of the adaptive equalizer and the adaptive Viterbi decoder in order to accelerate a response to the changes described above. The focusing gain is set in a lower level of the list, since an effect may be obtained.
Next, a description will be given for a retry list for dealing with the SNR deficit and other factors. FIG. 7 shows an example of BD4X.
As described above, the retry list also includes measures against the fingerprint. Since the playback signal processing system of this drive includes the adaptive equalizer and the adaptive Viterbi decoder, even if a boost for a shortest mark/space signal is increased in the event of the SNR deficit, a direct effect on a binary discriminator cannot be expected. However, particularly, in a system, such as BD, where the shortest mark/space signal has poor jitter, operation clock jitter of the binary discriminator is suppressed by increasing the boost of the shortest mark/space signal. Thus, an error rate can be improved. This is because an operation clock of the binary discriminator is generated from a playback signal by use of a digital PLL.
As shown in FIG. 4 , the fingerprint is characterized in that the local extinction appears more than once within several cm. As a result, there arises a problem that errors are increased by a change in a baseline (center of an eye-pattern) of a playback signal. In order to deal with the problem, a trial is performed by setting a cutoff frequency of a high-pass filter to be higher than usual. This trial involves deterioration in an error rate of a mark/space signal having a long run length. However, an effect of shortening a length of a burst error can be expected.
When the playback speed is lowered, a bandwidth of the playback signal processing system is reduced, and inputted noise power is reduced. As a result, improvement in the error rate can be expected. However, from the viewpoint of apparatus performance, lowering of the playback speed should be avoided as much as possible. Thus, the parameters are set in the lower level of the list.
(Isolated Block Playback)
Regarding the DVD, it is guaranteed in the standards that a block immediately before a block in which user data is recorded is not in an unrecorded state. Meanwhile, in the BD, a RUB including user data can exist immediately after an unrecorded region. Here, for convenience, the RUB immediately after the unrecorded region as described above is called an isolated block.
A problem arising in playback of the isolated block is that, since a block immediately before the isolated block is in an unrecorded state, a time allowed for a PLL (phase locked loop) of a data playback system to be locked with a playback signal clock is short. Assuming that a channel clock duration is T, it is required that the PLL is caused to lock at about 2700 T from the top of the block. If the playback signal has a good SNR, it is relatively easy to satisfy the requirement described above. However, even if the SNR of the playback signal from the block is originally bad and close to the playback limit, playback is demanded. Under such a situation, a read retry occurs with a considerable probability. The occurrence of the read retry is significantly influenced by the following. When the SNR of the playback signal is deteriorated, accuracy of phase comparison is lowered under the influence of noise, and thereby, the time required for the PLL to lock is significantly elongated. Therefore, by performing determination of a preceding unrecorded RUB in retry factor detection, a success rate of isolated block playback in the retry is improved.
First, a description will be given for determination of an unrecorded RUB immediately before the RUB described above. In the case of a phase change recording medium, a reflectance of an unrecorded part is higher than that of a recorded part, and a modulation factor is 0. This state is the same as that obtained by reversing the relationship between the upper side and the lower side of the envelope in the defect detection, and thereby, detection thereof can be performed by use of a similar method. Moreover, a seek end position before the retry is several RUBs before the RUB. Thus, in order to determine that the preceding RUB is not yet recorded, it is determined whether or not an appearing unrecorded part is the preceding RUB, while an ADIP (address in pre-groove) is being monitored at the same time. If it is determined that the preceding RUB is not yet recorded, a retry list for the isolated block is executed. FIG. 8 shows an example of a retry list related to the isolated block playback. This retry list is characterized by switching a signal for performing the phase comparison. The details thereof will be described below.
In the playback signal processing system used here, as shown in FIG. 9 , besides phase comparison by use of output of a normal ADC (analog to digital converter) 21 , phase comparison by use of an adaptive equalizer output is also possible. In normal phase comparison, a phase error is detected by a phase comparator A 24 from the ADC output which has passed through a slicer 22 . Moreover, a frequency and a phase of an output clock of a VCO (voltage controlled oscillator) 26 are controlled via a loop filter 23 . Meanwhile, in the case where the phase comparison is performed by making use of an adaptive equalizer 12 , a phase is detected from output of the adaptive equalizer by use of a phase comparator B 25 . The adaptive equalizer 12 is a type of a FIR (finite impulse response) equalizer and output thereof has a large delay time. Thus, in the case where a playback signal has a good SNR, the time required to lock the PLL is elongated compared with the case of using the ADC output. However, since the FIR equalizer acts as a high-order low-pass filter, noise of an input signal to the phase comparator is reduced. Thus, the accuracy of the phase comparison is improved. As a result, the time required for the PLL to lock can be shortened.
FIG. 10 shows a simulation result of comparing the above two. The horizontal axis indicates an initial phase error, and the vertical axis indicates an initial frequency error. A pseudo-playback signal used in the simulation is obtained by combining waveforms based on an optical step response and superimposing white noise thereon. Noise amplitude is adjusted so as to set an average symbol error rate to 2×10 2 at PR (1, 2, 2, 1) ML channel. This means almost a limit state in which compatibility can be guaranteed between drives. Generally, the larger the absolute values of both of the initial phase error and the initial frequency error are, the more the time required for the PLL to lock tends to be elongated. In FIG. 10 , the limit initial frequency errors at which the PLL can be locked within 2700 T after the PLL starts a pull-in operation are plotted, the initial frequency errors each being obtained for each initial phase error. In reality, even if the noise amplitude is the same, the initial frequency error at which the PLL can lock within allowed time differs depending on a noise signal waveform to be superimposed. That is, an allowable initial frequency error has a distribution. Thus, each plot in FIG. 10 is obtained by averaging values obtained by use of the sufficient number of different noise waveforms. Consequently, the curve in FIG. 10 indicates the center of the distribution. In other words, on the curve, a probability that the PLL can lock within the allowed time is 50%.
Variances at the initial phase error ±0.5 T at which the allowable initial frequency error is minimized are 0.15% and 0.038%, when the phase comparisons are performed by use of the ADC output and the adaptive equalizer output, respectively. The size of the allowable initial frequency error has approximately the same value in either case. Therefore, if the maximum initial frequency error allowed by the drive is 0.25%, a probability that the PLL cannot lock within the allowed time is about 4% when the ADC output is used, while it is virtually 0 when the adaptive equalizer output is used. Accordingly, even if there is a significant influence of noise, the isolated block can be played back with sufficient reliability by performing the retry using the adaptive equalizer output.
(Verify)
FIG. 11 shows a read channel setting when a verify is performed. Main component blocks of the read channel are a 7 th order equi-ripple equalizer 11 , an adaptive equalizer 12 and an adaptive Viterbi decoder 13 . The settings in normal playback and the read retry thereof are as described above and in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 11 (1999)-296987.
As described above, at the time of verify, it is necessary to assume the lowest level of channel performance realized by other apparatuses, and to secure a margin for compatibility. In the case of the BD, for recording quality and the like required to secure the compatibility, it is specified to use a read channel using a limit-equalizer. However, in an actual drive, it is anticipated that a PRML excellent in decode performance is used in many cases. Therefore, the verify is performed by use of the most primitive PRML channel for the BD. In the case of the BD (25 GByte/side), an adaptive PR-class is PR (1, 2, 2, 1) ML. Moreover, for equalization, only the 7 th order equi-ripple equalizer is used. Thus, the adaptive equalizer stops adaptive equalization and sets frequency characteristics of amplitude and phase to be flat. Consequently, for example, if a degree of asymmetry becomes larger than the specified degree due to abnormal write power, the symbol error rate is surely increased.
FIG. 12 shows an example that the setting shown in FIG. 11 is appropriate in the case of a BD-R single-layer (25 GB) medium. This example shows measurement results of symbol error rates obtained as follows. Firstly, in the BD-R single-layer (25 GB) medium, the nearly entire surface is recorded by intentionally using power smaller than a proper value, and then the BD-R single-layer medium is played back by both a normal setting and the same setting as that for the verify described above, whereby the symbol errors rates are measured. Characteristics such as recording sensitivity of the medium are not uniform. In the case of the normal playback, the influences are almost entirely eliminated by the operations of the adaptive Viterbi decoder and the adaptive equalizer. On the other hand, in the case of the playback by use of the verify setting, a difference in recording signal quality depending on a position on the medium is clearly recognized. Particularly, in an outermost circumference of the medium, a verify error is observed. This is because media sensitivity in the outermost circumference is particularly low, and thereby the asymmetry becomes very large. FIG. 13 shows a playback signal eye-pattern in a region where the verify error occurs.
In the case where there are a large number of RUBs to be recorded, every time when a certain number of RUBs are recorded, all RUBs which have just recorded are collectively verified. FIG. 14 shows a flowchart when the verify is performed. When 1 unit of recording is completed, playback parameters for the verify are set in the playback signal processing system, and playback is started. In the normal playback, occurrence of a read error is monitored, and appropriate processing is performed when the read error is detected. In the case of the verify, occurrence of not the read error but a verify error is monitored. In the case of the BD, a standard condition of the verify error is that at least one code word having not less than 12 symbol errors exists. When the verify error is detected, an address of the RUB is registered. The above operations are performed for all the RUBs recorded. Note that, as to the RUB in which the verify error occurs, in the case of a medium which can be overwritten, recording is tried again. If the verify error still occurs, replacement processing is performed. Moreover, in the case of a write-once medium, the replacement processing is immediately performed.
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Provided is an optical disk apparatus which has high read retry ability and high compatibility by performing a proper verify for other apparatuses. The optical disk apparatus includes a playback system capable of arbitrarily changing playback performance, and means which detects and determines a factor causing a read error. Moreover, a read retry is performed by use of playback parameters corresponding to the factor causing the read error. Furthermore, a verify is performed with the playback performance of the playback system lowered.
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The present invention is concerned with the handling of Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) requests in an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) environment, and in particular with the execution of such CMIP requests in so-called OSI agents when several requests are received or pending concurrently.
BACKGROUND
The OSI (Open Systems Interconnection) systems management is a standard that provides mechanisms for the monitoring, control, and coordination of resources such as storage units, databases, telecommunication switches, communication links, etc., within the OSI environment and OSI protocol standards for communicating information pertinent to those resources.
The OSI management standards define an "agent" as an application entity that provides a standardized access to a resource, and a "manager" as an application entity that performs management functions. A resource is represented using standardized "managed object classes" and each instantiation of a class is called a "managed object instance". For example, one managed object class may be a generally defined type of disk unit, and each individual disk unit of that type then is one instance of this class. The various operations in such a system are governed by a "Common Management Information Protocol" or short CMIP.
A manager application executes management operations on managed object instances contained in an agent by sending CMIS (Common Management Information Services) service requests to that agent over the network using the CMIP protocol. Such service requests may include the following operations: create, delete, set, get, action, cancel-get. The agent returns responses and events to the manager, also using the CMIP protocol. The configuration of such an OSI environment is shown generally in FIG. 1, including, besides the communication network 1, an OSI manager 2, OSI agent 3 with agent kernel 4, managed object instances 5-a, 5-b, 5-i, 5-n, resources 6-a, 6-b to be accessed, and the flow of CMIP protocol messages. The OSI MANAGER 2 could be loaded on a convention computer system 2' while the agent 3 and related components are loaded on conventional computer system 3'.
The OSI Systems Management standards and the related CMIP protocol and CMIS services are described in the following publications:
ISO/IEC 10040, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Systems Management Overview, 1991.
ISO/IEC 9595, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Common Management Information Service Definition, 1991.
ISO/IEC 9596, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Common Management Information Protocol Definition, 1991.
ISO/IEC 10165-1, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Structure of Management Information--Part 1: Management Information Model, 1992.
ISO/IEC 10165-2, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Structure of Management Information--Definition of Management Information, 1992.
ISO/IEC 10165-4, Information Technology--Open Systems Interconnection--Guidelines for the Definition of Managed Objects, 1992.
Multiple managers can be connected to an agent at the same time, and each can send CMIP requests to the agent asynchronously. This results in the following problem:
An OSI agent can receive multiple CMIP requests from multiple sources. Some of these requests may incur long processing times--a typical example is a CMIP "get" request to a managed object instance which may result in a resource access (establish connection, wait for response, close connection). Servicing CMIP requests sequentially may therefore cause long delays and thus may result in poor performance.
Some help in the organization of servicing requests and accessing resources may be the use of "threads", a thread being a single flow of control within a process, each thread having its own thread identifier (ID) and the required resources to support a flow of control. In this context, a function is provided called "mutex" (mutual exclusion) which allows multiple threads to serialize their access to shared data: a thread can lock a mutex and thereby becomes its owner until that same thread unlocks the mutex.
A description and definition of threads are given in the following publications:
A. Birrell: "An Introduction to Programming with Threads", in "Systems Programming with Modula3", G. Nelson (Ed.), Prentice Hall, 1991, pp. 88-118;
Draft Standard for Information Technology--Portable Operating System Interface (POSIX)--Part 1: Systems Application Program Interface (API), Amendment 2: Threads Extension; IEEE, October 1993.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,676 "RPC Based Computer System Using Transparent Callback and Associated Method", disclosing a first calling thread, a second called thread, and helper threads. However, this patent concerns remote procedure calls (RPCs) and callbacks within a computer system, and not the problem of handling multiple CMIP requests in an OSI environment.
The utilization of threads and the mutex function as presented in the prior art do allow serialization of accesses but per se do not solve the above stated problem of possible long delays and poor performance when multiple CMIP requests are received and resources have to be accessed.
OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the invention to devise a method for the execution of CMIP requests which allows the handling of multiple CMIP requests by an agent without undue delays.
It is a further object to provide a method for CMIP request execution which uses threads but avoids the disadvantages incurred when the locking of objects result in long delays due to mutual exclusion.
These and other objects are achieved by the method defined in the claims.
An embodiment of the invention is described in the sequel with reference to following drawings.
LIST OF FIGURES
FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of an OSI environment including at least one manager, at least one agent with managed objects, resources, and CMIP protocol flows between a manager and an agent;
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of the method as invented, showing the operations in the main thread and in sub-threads;
FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram showing the interaction of various portions of an OSI agent in which the invention is used;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a particular example of an OSI system in which the invention is used; and
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the interaction of multiple subthreads as well as an example of the object table used by threads in the agent.
FIG. 6 illustrates a storage device readable by a computer, specifically a floppy diskette used to store program means for distribution.
FIG. 7 shows the internal storage medium of the diskette of FIG. 6 on which program means are actually stored.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Basics of the Invention
Details of the invention are now described in connection with FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating the operations performed in an OSI agent when handling CMIP requests, and FIG. 3 shows the interaction of different portions of an OSI agent for CMIP request handling.
The gist of the invention is as follows. Each agent has a "main thread" that is always active and performs a message dispatching function. It reads messages from the network, and extracts messages (if any) from an internal request queue that is provided for the main thread. For each CMIP request that is to be executed in the agent, a separate sub-thread is started. In order to prevent access to a managed object instance by more than one sub-thread, each managed object instance has a lock. An object instance is locked for one sub-thread as long as the respective CMIP request is being executed, and is unlocked when processing is complete. Note that below and in the claims, the term "object" is used for designating a "managed object instance".
The following procedures are performed in an agent (cf. FIG. 2).
A. Basic Procedure for the Main Thread:
1. Check whether there are any messages in the queue. For each message in the internal request queue, perform procedure B described below. If there are no messages queued, proceed to step 2.
2. Wait for a CMIP request from the network. When a message is received, perform procedure B described below, and then go back to step 1.
B. Request Handling Procedure for the Main Thread:
1. If the request is a CMIP Create, go to step 3. Otherwise, check whether the destination object is locked. If object is unlocked, continue with step 2. If locked, place message into the internal request queue (and return to procedure A).
Note that in the last step, either a message previously extracted from the internal request queue is put back into the queue, or a message newly received from the network is placed newly into the queue.
2. Lock object.
3. Start sub-thread.
4. Return to procedure A.
C. Procedure for Sub-Threads:
1. Register sub-thread and the object it is working on with the thread manager.
2. Process request.
3. If request is NOT CMIP Create, induce main thread to unlock object.
4. Terminate sub-thread, de-registering it from the thread manager.
FIG. 3 shows different portions in one OSI agent and their interaction. A main thread 7 is provided for handling CMIP requests received from the communication network on input 8, or CMIP requests that are temporarily stored in request queue 9. The CMIP requests are to be processed in managed objects 10-1 . . . 10-i . . . 10-n, which in turn are connected to resources (storage units, switches, etc.). Thread manager 7 maintains an object table 11 in which each active managed object is registered.
As can be seen from the block diagram of FIG. 3, a "thread manager" 12 is provided in each OSI agent to keep track of the active sub-threads and the objects each thread has locked and not yet unlocked (released). For this purpose, a "thread information table" 13 is maintained which lists for each active thread any object that the said thread has locked. By this, it can also be prevented that a sub-thread attempts to lock an object which was already locked for itself. (Cf. also details in the later section on "multithreading".)
The locking status of each object is maintained in the "object table" 11 shown in FIG. 3. This table contains a list of all objects present in the agent. For each object entry in the table, the locking status of the object (locked/unlocked) is indicated. A new entry is added to the object table when an object is created. Likewise, when an object is deleted from the agent, the corresponding entry in the object table is also deleted.
The reason for NOT locking a managed object when the request is a CMIP Create is simply because the Create request is not directed at an object, but rather instructs the agent to create one. After the creation of the object, other CMIP operations can be sent to this object, and for those operations, the object will have to be locked.
OSI System Management Example
One specific example of an application of the invention is now described in connection with FIG. 4. The purpose of this example is to illustrate a simple case of OSI systems management where two disk drives have to be managed. For the purpose of the example, the disk drives are assumed to be "intelligent", i.e. each is equipped with processing capability to check consistency of its contents on command. FIG. 4 shows the configuration of the system. This configuration includes OSI manager 14, OSI agent 15 with managed objects 16, 17 and, as resources, disk drives 18, 19 (disk-1 and disk-2). The OSI manager 14 and OSI agent 15 with managed objects 16 and 17 could be provided in a single conventional computer system 15' or multiple computer systems 14' and 15". Such computer systems, including keyboards, display operating systems, application program, ROM, RAM etc. are so well known in the prior art that further description is not warranted. As required by OSI, an object class is defined to represent or model a disk drive. Using OSI formalities (GDMO and ASN. 1), an object class "disk" can be defined as follows (unnecessary details omitted):
______________________________________disk MANAGED OBJECT CLASSDERIVED FROM top;. . .ATTRIBUTES checkdisk GET-REPLACE . . . . . . , , ,REGISTERED AS {1 3 18 0 2 4 5 1};checkdisk ATTRIBUTEWITH ATTRIBUTE SYNTAX INTEGER;BEHAVIOUR checkdiskBehaviour BEHAVIOUR DEFINED AS "When set to 1, it will perform disk consistency check, and then sets its value to the number of bytes scanned";;REGISTERED AS {1 3 18 0 2 4 6 1}.______________________________________
The two disk drives in this case, disk-1 and disk-2, are represented in the OSI agent by two instances of the "disk" managed object class. When the attribute "checkdisk" for a "disk" instance is set to a value of 1, a command is sent to the actual disk drive to start the consistency checking operation. The command completes when the check is done, and returns the number of bytes scanned. In other words, an OSI set operation on the attribute will only complete after the consistency check is completed, and will return the number of scanned bytes as the "set" value.
In this example, OSI manager 14 sends a single "scoped" CMIP Set request to agent 15, with the instruction to set the value of "checkdisk" attribute to 1 in each instance of "disk" managed object class within the scope. The agent determines the set of instances that fall within the scope (in this example, there are two instances), and issues for each selected instance 16 and 17 the set request, starting each request on a new sub-thread. (Before starting, the agent's main thread checks whether the instance is locked or unlocked). This approach enables both requests to be processed in parallel, i.e. sending the command to disk-1 18 will not block the agent, so that the request to disk-2 19 can also be sent. At the same time, the agent is available to respond to other queries while disk-1 and disk-2 are going through their respective consistency checks. Until the operation is completed, the managed object instances representing disk-1 and disk-2 are locked, and no new CMIP operations on these instances will be permitted to start.
When disk-1 and, respectively, disk-2 complete their consistency checks, the responses to the set (including the new value for the checkdisk attribute) will be returned through agent 15 to manager 14 as a response to the original scoped request. The CMIP set request in this case will result in three responses to be returned to the OSI manager as required by OSI: two linked-replies (each containing the value of the set attribute in each disk instance), and an empty set response, indicating the end of response.
Multithreading Example
FIG. 5 illustrates an example where multiple sub-threads are operating and one sub-thread has to access or use another object during its execution. FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the OSI agent used in this example. It contains three previously created managed object instances, I1 (20), I2 (21), and I3(22). Requests from one or more OSI managers arrive at input 23 of the agent, and are delivered to main thread 24 sequentially in the order they arrive. These messages are read one at a time by the main thread.
The lock/unlock status of each instance is kept in object table 25. This table is accessible by any thread active in the agent. Note that a locked managed object instance can only be unlocked by the thread that locked it.
In FIG. 5, a code segment 26 is shown from the implementation of instance I1. It is assumed that this segment is executed during the processing of some requests made to I1. This example code
accesses instance I2 (it tries to lock it for access),
performs the required operation,
on completion, releases (unlocks) instance I2.
In the specific example described here, two requests are received by the agent in sequence. The first request, OP1, is destined for instance I1; the second, OP2, is destined for I2. The following steps are executed:
main thread receives OP1
checks whether I1 is locked: it is unlocked;
locks I1; starts sub-thread 27 to process OP1 (sub-thread A)
main thread 24 receives OP2,
checks whether I2 is locked: it is unlocked;
locks I2; starts sub-thread 28 to process OP2 (sub-thread B);
sub-thread A enters the code segment shown in FIG. 5. It attempts to access (lock) I2, but I2 is already locked. Sub-thread A is blocked (temporarily).
Sub-thread B completes processing OP2. It asks main thread 24 to release I2, and terminates;
main thread 24 unlocks I2;
sub-thread A can now proceed (the underlying system unblocks sub-thread A: I2 is now locked for sub-thread A).
At the end of the code segment, sub-thread A releases (unlocks) I2;
sub-thread A completes processing OP1. It asks main thread 24 to release I1, and terminates.
Main thread 24 unlocks I1.
This example makes clear that several requests can be handled simultaneously by separate sub-threads if they work on different managed object instances. However, the locking prevents that on any managed object instance, more than one sub-thread can operate.
FIG. 6 shows an illustration of a storage device conventionally used for the commercial distribution of software, including the programs means of the present invention in source or executable format. By way of example, the device of FIG. 6 represents a 3.5 inch square floppy diskette, although it is clear that any means of distribution or storage of software is intended to be covered by this illustration. In the case of floppy diskettes, FIG. 7 shows the actual storage medium that resides inside the device of FIG. 6. 700 is a sheet of flexible plastic material onto which a ferro-magnetic material has been deposited. The magnetic material is formatted into tracks 702 by a formatting program and onto these tracks are defined magnetic positions for the recording of 1's and 0's of source and executable programs. When inserted into a drive receptacle of a computer, the computer is enabled to read the contents of the tracks 702 for the purpose of processing source code or executing the program means of the program or programs stored on the tracks 702. In this particular instance, the storage device of FIG. 6 and its storage medium of FIG. 7 is intended to represent any means of distribution of the program means covered by this invention.
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This invention concerns a method for organizing the execution of Common Management Information Protocol (CMIP) requests in an Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) environment by providing main threads and sub-threads within each main thread for simultaneous processing of multiple CMIP requests. In brief, a main thread is started sequentially for executing incoming CMIP requests, the main thread checks whether a particular managed object is available, i.e. not locked, lock it, and starts a sub-thread to process the CMIP request in this managed object. This allows the main thread to start another sub-thread, thus providing for the parallel execution of a plurality of CMIP requests.
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This is division of application Ser. No. 07/974,057 filed Nov. 10, 1992 now abandoned, which is a continuation in part of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/956,522, filed Oct. 5, 1992 (now abandoned).
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to biocatalytic methods for the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds, such methods comprising enantiomerically selective functionalization of arene cis-diol starting materials to potentially all of the nine known inositols, shown below. More particularly this invention relates to the synthesis of specific compounds including but not limited to D-chiro-3-inosose 10, and D-chiro-inositol 6, shown below, and also relates to the necessary methods of synthesis for at least three other inositols, neo-, muco-, and allo-inositols. ##STR1## (+)-D-chiro-inositol 6 is of particular interest due to its perceived potential as an antidiabetic agent (See for example: Kennington, A. S.; Hill, C. R.; Craig, J.; Bogardus, C.; Raz, I.; Ortmeyer, H. K.; Hansen. B.C.; Romero, G.; Larner, J. New England J. Med. 1990, 323, 373). ##STR2##
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The expression of arene cis-diols was originally discovered and described by Gibson twenty-three years ago (Gibson, D. T. et al. Biochemistry 1970, 9, 1626). Since that time, use of such arene cis-diols in enantiocontrolled synthesis of oxygenated compounds has gained increasing acceptance by those skilled in the art. Many examples of applications to total synthesis of carbohydrates, cyclitols, and oxygenated alkaloids can be found in the literature, however much of the work done within this area has been with the more traditional approach of attaining optically pure compounds from the carbohydrate chiral pool. (Hanessian, S. in Total Synthesis of Natural Products: The Chiron Approach, 1983, Pergamon Press (Oxford)). Furthermore, none of the work done with these arene cis-diols teaches or suggests the synthesis of the oxygenated compounds which are the subject of the present invention.
In the present invention, unlike in the previous attempts to utilize these arene cis-diols, emphasis has been placed on the application of precise symmetry-based planning to further functionalization of arene cis-diols in enantiodivergent fashion. This approach has previously been successfully applied for the synthesis of cyclitols and sugars. See for example, commonly owned patent applications PCT/US91/02594 (WO 91/16290) and PCT/US91/01040, (WO 91/12257) the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Compounds which can be made by the processes set forth herein include oxygenareal compounds, however the present processes are particularly useful for the synthesis of compounds such as D-chiro-inositol 6. This compound is potentially an important pharmaceutical agent for the treatment of diabetes. (See for example: a) Kennington, A. S.; Hill, C. R.; Craig, J.; Bogardus, C.; Raz, I.; Ortmeyer. H. K.; Hansen, B.C.; Romero, G.; Larner, J. New England J. Med. 1990, 323, 373; b) Huang, L. C.; Zhang, L.; Larner. J. FASEB. 1992, A1629, Abstr. #4009; c) Pak, Y.; Huang, L. C.; Larner, J. FASEB, 1992, A1629, Abstr. #4008; Larner, Huang, L. C.; Schwartz, C. F. W.; Oswald, A. S.; Shen, T.-Y.; Kinter, M.; Tang, G.; Zeller, K. Biochem. and Biophys. Commun. 1988, 151, 1416.).
While the therapeutic potential of D-chiro-inositol 6 is immense, its availability is limited. It is currently available from various sources which are not economically feasible for bulk supply of the drug to the pharmaceutical industry. For example, D-chiro-inositol 6 can be obtained as the demethylation product from (+)-Pinitol. (+)-Pinitol can be made from chlorobenzene via a six step synthetic process as previously described in commonly owned application PCT/US91/02594 incorporated herein. In addition (+)-Pinitol can be obtained by the extraction of wood dust. (Anderson, A. B. Ind. and Eng. Chem. 1953, 593). The compound 6 may also be obtained by either cleavage of the natural antibiotic kasugamycin (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101), or by a possible enzymatic inversion of C-3 of the readily available myo-inositol 8. (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101.7. Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101).
While these methods for synthesis of D-chiro-inositol 6 have been described they are not optimal for either clinical or bulk supply of the drug candidate.
Specifically, the known methods of synthesis are not amenable to scaleup or are too lengthy. One of the methods involves extraction of pinitol from wood dust (Anderson, A. B. Ind. and Eng. Chem. 1953, 593) and its chemical conversion to D-chiro-inositol. This procedure, applied to ton-scale would use large volumes of solvents and large quantities of other chemicals and would be either impractical or costly or both. The preparation of D-chiro-inositol from the antibiotic kasugamycin (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101) also suffers from drawbacks because, on a large scale, about half of the acquired mass of product would be committed to waste (the undesired amino sugar portion of kasugamycin), not to mention the expense with the development of the large scale fermentation process for this antibiotic. The inversion of one center in the available and inexpensive myo-inositol can in principle be accomplished enzymatically (Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo) 1965, Ser. A, 18, 101.7. Umezawa, H.; Okami, Y.; Hashimoto, T.; Suhara, Y.; Hamada, M. Takeuchi, T. J. Antibiotics (Tokyo)1965, Ser. A, 18, 101), however no further details on the commercial feasibility of this process have surfaced since 1965.
Based on the shortcomings of the above processes, there is a need for a biocatalytic approach to compound 6 that is an improvement over the above described processes. Such an approach should be environmentally benign as well as amenable to multi-kilogram scale. The currently disclosed process shown in Scheme 1, below is exceedingly brief and efficient in that it provides the epoxydiol 12 in one pot procedure without the necessity of isolation of protected derivative 11. This is an extremely advantageous transformation because it creates four chiral centers in a medium containing water, acetone, magnesium sulfate and manganese dioxide (a naturally occurring mineral), thus making this transformation more efficient and environmentally sound from the point of waste removal. ##STR3## Methods for the synthesis of an epoxydiol 14, which is useful as a synthon, have previously been described (Hudlicky, T.; Price, J. D; Rulin F.; Tsunoda, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc 1990, 112, 9439) This synthon, which was previously used in the preparation of pinitols, as shown in Scheme 2 below, is now prepared by the controlled oxidation of 11 with potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ) and a subsequent dehalogenation to 14 rather than previous methods described by Hudlicky et al., and is useful in the synthesis of various other compounds as shown in Scheme 1.
Certain reagents can be used in the methods described herein. These include 2,2'-dimethoxypropane (DMP), 2,2'-azobisisobutyronitrile (AIBN), tris(trimethylsilyl)silane (TTMSS), p-toluenesulfonic acid (PTSA), tributyltinhydride (TBTH), m-chloroperbenzoic acid (m-CPBA) and Pseudomonas putida strain 39D (Pp39D). ##STR4##
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Following the biocatalytic production of arene cis-diols, there are described chemical processes for the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds such as those represented by compounds 6,10-28 herein. Further, there are described methods for the synthesis of a substituted epoxydiol 12 useful as a synthon. This synthon 12, prepared by the controlled oxidation of 11 with potassium permanganate (KMnO4)is useful in the synthesis of various other compounds. The synthesis of the unusual epoxydiol 12 is accomplished as illustrated in Scheme 1.
There are described, chemical processes for the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds such as those represented in Scheme 3 below. Specifically, there are described processes for the preparation of an epoxydiol or an acceptable salt thereof having the formula: ##STR5## wherein X is defined as hydrogen, halogen, alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms, aryl or CN; the process comprising:
reacting an acetonide of the formula: ##STR6## wherein X is as defined above; with permanganate in an appropriate solvent at a temperature from about -78° C. to about 40° C. and at a pH of from about 4-8. Preferably, X is Cl, Br, methyl, phenyl or CN.
There is also described a process for the preparation of D-chiro-inositol 6 or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, comprising reducing the epoxydiol 12 (X=Cl, Br) with a reducing agent to yield compound 14 and then hydrolyzing epoxydiol 14 with a hydrolyzing agent including but not limited to water, an alkaline catalyst, an acidic catalyst, Al 2 O 3 or a basic or acidic ion exchange resin.
Also described is a process for the direct hydrolysis of the epoxydiol 12 (X=Cl, Br) to the rare D-chiro-3-inosose 10 and its further reduction to D-chiro-inositol 6, the process comprising hydrolysis of the epoxydiol 12 with a hydrolyzing agent, including but not limited to water, alkaline catalyst, acidic catalyst, basic or acidic ion exchange resin, and then reduction of inosose 10 with a reducing agent.
Additional embodiments of the present invention are related to the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds using the epoxydiol (12) described above as a synthon and as illustrated in schemes 1 and 3 herein.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As used in the present invention "suitable or appropriate solvents" include but are not limited to water, water miscible solvents such as dialkylketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, cyclic ethers and ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof.
As used herein "reducing agent" includes but is not limited to a transition metal reagent, a hydride reagent or trialkysilane, preferably SmI 2 , tributyltinhydride or tris(trimethylsilyl)silane. These reducing agents may be used in combination with radical initiation agents such as UV light and/or AIBN or dibenzoylperoxide or a similar initiator.
As used herein "acid catalyst" includes but is not limited to mineral acids, such as HCl; organic acids such as p-toluene sulfonic acid; acid ion exchange resin such as Amberlyst 15, Amberlyst IR 118, Amberlite CG-50, Dowex 50 X 8-100; all commercially available from Aldrich or similar acidic ion exchange resins.
As used herein "alkaline catalyst" includes but is not limited to alkaline metal hydroxide or alkaline earth metal hydroxides, such as LiOH, NaOH, KOH, or Ba(OH) 2 ; carbonate or bicarbonate of alkaline metal, such as Na 2 CO 3 or K 2 CO 3 ; Al 2 O 3 or basic ion exchange resin such as Amberlite IRA-400, Amberlyst A26, Amberlyst A21, Dowex 1X2-200 or other ion exchange resins.
In an embodiment of the present invention, the compound 12 can be synthesized by forming an acetonide such as compound 11 wherein X is as defined as a substituted selected from the group consisting of but not limited to hydrogen, halogen, alkyl of 1-5 carbon atoms, aryl or CN., preferably X is Cl, Br, methyl, phenyl or CN. The acetonide 11 is then exposed (contacted) to permanganate in an appropriate solvent at an appropriate temperature to yield the epoxydiol. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, at least about 1.5 equivalents of KMnO 4 are used and more preferably between about 1.5-2.5 equivalents. When less equivalents of permanganate are used and higher temperatures are used, a side product of this reaction may be formed to a larger extent. Such side product is the diol 13 shown in scheme 1.
As used in this invention, an appropriate solvent for the synthesis of compound 12 includes but is not limited to water, dialkylketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, cyclic ethers such as tetrahydrofuran (THF) or dioxane and mixtures thereof. Preferred solvents are mixtures of water and acetone or water and an alcohol.
As used in this invention, an appropriate temperature range for the synthesis of compound 12 is from about -78° C. to +40° C., preferably from about -15° C. to about +10° C. It is further understood that depending on the pH range of the reaction mixture, the stability of the desired compound may be effected. Therefore, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and particularly a preferred method for the synthesis of compound 12 the pH of the reaction should be maintained between about 4-8.
Any known method for controlling pH can be used, for example a buffering agent or system can be used to maintain such pH range, or one could saturate the reaction mixture with CO 2 or buffer the reaction mixture using some organic or inorganic weak acid such as acetic or boric acid, or by using a buffer working in the region of pH from about 4-8, such as phosphate buffer, acetate buffer, tetraborate buffer or borate buffer. In a preferred process for synthesizing compound 12, magnesium sulfate (MgSO 4 ) is used to maintain the pH between about 4-8. If the reaction mixture is allowed to go above about pH 8, the desired product 12 will be made, although it may be subject to rapid decomposition.
As demonstrated in scheme 1, the exposure of acetonide 11 to 2 eq of aqueous KMnO 4 /MgSO 4 at -10° to 5° C. gave an 8:1 mixture of diols 12 and 13 in 60% yield, while higher temperature and lower concentration of the reagent afforded the expected diol 13 as a major product. The formation of 12 is both unexpected and unusual based on: a) the precedent in the literature regarding the oxidation of simple dienes with permanganate [See: Lee, D. G. in The Oxidation of Organic Compounds by Permanganate Ion end Hexavalent Chromium, Open Court Publishing Company, (La Salle), 1980. Two examples of formation of epoxydiols in low yields from permanganate oxidation of conjugated dienes not containing halogens have been reported: von Rudloff, E. Tetrahedron Lett. 1966, 993; and Sable, H. Z.; Anderson, T.; Tolbert, B.; Posternak, T. Helv. Chim. Acta 1963, 46, 1157]; b) the known instability of a-haloepoxides, [See: Carless, H. A. J.; Oak, O. Z. J. Chem. Soc. Chem. Commun., 1991, 61; Ganey, M. V.; Padykula, R. E.; and Berchtold, G. A. J. Org. Chern. 1989, 54, 2787]; and c) the unavailability of data concerning direct and controlled oxidation of 1-chloro-1,3-dienes with KMnO 4 or OsO 4 . ##STR7##
As shown in scheme 3 above, the synthon 12 can be used to make several oxygenated compounds. Although applicants have illustrated and/or exemplified a finite number of compounds which can be made using the synthon 12, as a starting material, it is understood that those skilled in the art could readily prepare additional compounds. For example, see scheme 4 below which shows the synthesis of insoitols 3,4 and 5 from the synthon 12. These additional compounds are contemplated by the present invention. ##STR8##
Depending on the desired product, compound 12can be reacted with a reducing agent such as a hydride reagent or trialkysilane and preferably with tributyltinhydride or tris(trimethylsilyl)silane. This reaction, if necessary as understood by those skilled in the art, may be carried out under conditions of radical initiation such as UV light and/or in the presence of an appropriate radical initiator such as AIBN or dibenzoylperoxide or a radical initiator of a similar nature. Following reduction of the epoxide 12 as described above, the epoxide 14 can be opened and deprotected using pure water, an acid catalyzed hydrolysis with mineral acid, (HCl), an organic acid (p-toluene sulfonic acid) or an acidic ion exchange resin including but not limited to Amberlyst 15. Amberlyst IR 118, Amberlite CG-50. Dowex 50 X 8-100, or an alkaline catalysed hydrolysis with weak bases such as a salt of organic acid, preferably sodium benzoate, sodium acetate or sodium citrate, or an alkaline ion exchange resin included but not limited to Amberlyst A 21 or organic bases including but not limited to aliphatic amines such as triethylamine or diisopropylamine. Reaction temperatures range from about -10° C. to about 110° C., and preferably from about 50° C. to about 90° C., in water or an appropriate solvent mixture such as water with a water miscible solvent such as lower ketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, or cyclic ethers with 4 carbon atoms or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms.
Compound 12 proved remarkably stable (t 1/2 at 110° C.=approximately 50 hr) and was transformed to the known epoxide 14 [See: Hudlicky, T.; Price, J. D.; Rulin, F.; Tsunoda, T. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1990, 112, 9439; and Hudlicky, T.; Price, J. Luna, H.; Andersen. C. M. Isr. J. Chem. 1991, 31,229.] upon reduction with tris(trimethylsilyl)silane/AIBN [Chatgilialoglu, C.; Griller, D.; Lesage, M. J. Org. Chem. 1988, 53, 3642] in 50% yield. The opening of this epoxide with H 2 O in the presence of small amount of sodium benzoate gave in unoptimized runs, almost pure D-chiro-Inositol, identical with authentic samples ( 1 H-NMR and GC). ##STR9##
Direct hydrolysis of 12 with H 2 O in the presence of Al 2 O 3 furnished almost quantitatively the rare inosose 10. This reaction can be carried out using water or using an alkaline catalysis with alkaline ion exchange resin such as Amberlite IRA-400, Amberlyst A 26, Amberlyst A 21, Dowex IX2-200 or ion exchange resin of similar nature, or Al 2 O 3 or a mixture of these; or using acid catalysis by mineral acid such as HCl or organic acid such as acetic acid, or p-toluenesulfonic acid (pTSA) or an acidic ion exchange resin including but not limited to Amberlyst 15, Amberlyst IR 118, Amberlite CG-50, Dowex 50X8-100, or using SiO 2 . Reaction temperatures range from about -10° C. to about 110° C. and preferably are from about 50° C. to 100° C. and the reaction can be carried out in water or an appropriate solvent mixture such as water with a water miscible solvent such as lower ketones with 2-4 carbon atoms, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms; or cyclic ethers with 4 carbon atoms; or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms. The resulting inosose 10 from such direct hydrolysis and deprotection can then be reduced to 6 using reducing agent such as hydride reagents, preferably zinc borohydride or sodium borohydride, in an appropriate solvent such as water, lower alcohols with 1-3 carbon atoms, cyclic ethers with 4 carbon atoms, or ethers with 2-6 carbon atoms or a mixture thereof at a temperature of from about -10° C. to about 110° C. Reaction product of such reduction contains a significant amount of 6 (about 25%) separable by using known methods (See Loewus, F. A. Methods in Plant Biochemistry 1990, 2, 219; Honda. S. Anal. Biochem 1984, 140,1).
These results constitute remarkably short and effective synthesis of D-chiro-inositol 6: five chemical steps, all but two performed in aqueous media, with a potential of further shortening of this sequence to four steps upon optimization of the reactions involved. For example, it is contemplated that the number of steps in this synthesis may be reduced. It is clear that an attractive industrial preparation of 6 will ensue as a result of such an optimization, as will other applications to the synthesis of functionalized cyclitols. There are nine stereoisomers for hexahydroxy cyclohexanes, some of which are important as either free hydroxyls or phosphates, in the communication at the cellular level. (Posternak, T. in the Cyclitols, Hermann, Paris, 1962.) These nine compounds and all of their derivatives can be prepared by controlled functinoalization of arene cis diols which are now available through biocatalysis on a commercial scale.
Experimental:
(1S,2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-2-Chloro-5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2,3-oxa-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane (12a). To a stirred solution of 1-chloro-2,3-dihydroxycyclohexa-4,6-diene (20.0 g, 0.138 mol) in a mixture of dry acetone (210 ml) and 2,2-dimethoxypropane (23.8 ml, 0,194 mol), placed in a water bath, was added pTSA (0.80 g, 4.20 mmmmol). After 15 min a saturated solution of Na 2 CO 3 (10 ml) was added and the mixture was cooled to -5° C. (solution A). KMnO 4 (50.0 g, 0.316 mol) and MgSO 4 (21.0 g, 0.175 mol) were dissolved in water (1250 ml) and cooled to 5° C. (solution B). To a mixture of ice (250 g) and acetone (300 ml) cooled to -15° C. was added 50 ml of solution B. Then solutions A and B were simultaneously added over 25 min, maintaining a small excess of KMnO 4 in the reaction mixture and temperature under 5° C. Precipitated MnO 2 was filtered off and washed with water and acetone. The resulting colorless solution was extracted with CHCl 3 , the extract was dried and evaporated under reduced pressure to give 19.1 g of white solid containing 80 % of 12a, 10% of 13 and 10% of 27. Recrystallization of the crude product from the mixture of EtOAc/hexane/Et 2 O yielded in two crops 10.5 g (32%) of pure 12a. M.p.=113°-114.5° C.; [a]D 20 =+29.2° (c 1, CHCl 3 ); IR (CHCl 3 ) n 3392; 2983; 2914; 1374; 1220; 1167, 1045 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.63 (dd, J=5.9, 1.1 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=5.8, 3.3, Hz, 1H), 4.29 (ddd, J=9.5, 4.3, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 4.07 (dddd, J=12.0, 4.3, 3.3., 1.0, 1H), 3.84 (ddd, J=1.1, 1.0, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 2.84 (bd, J=9.6 Hz, 1H), 2.41 (bd, J=12.1 Hz, 1H), 1.48 (s, 3H), 1.40 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CHCl 3 )d 110.4 (C), 78.5 (C), 77.1 (CH), 73.3 (CH), 67.8 (CH), 65.9 (CH), 63.7 (CH), 27.0 (CH 3 ), 24.9 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 237 (M+, 100), 221 (18), 161 (6), 143 (6): Anal. calcd for C 9 H 13 ClO 5 : C, 45.68; H, 5.54;0 Found: C, 45.69; H, 5.49.
(1S,2R,3S,4S,SR,6S)-2-Bromo-4,5-dihydroxy-2,3-oxa-8,8-dimethyl-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane (12b). 1-Bromo-2,3-dihydroxy-cyclohexa-4,6-diene (4.8 g, 0.026 mol) was treated with 2,2-dimethoxypropane as described in preparation of 12a. The resulting mixture was diluted with acetone (75 ml) and cooled to 0° C. Then, maintaining the temperature under 5° C., the solution of KMnO 4 (6.20 g, 0.03 mol) and MgSO 4 (3.00 g, 0.025 mol) in a mixture of water (130 ml) and acetone (60 ml), cooled to 5° C., was added over 30 min. Precipitated MnO 2 was filtered off and washed with water and acetone. The filtrate was then saturated with NaCl and extracted with EtOAc. Drying and evaporation of the extract under reduced pressure yielded crude crystalline product (3.3 g). recrystallization of which (EtOAc/hexane/Et 2 O) gave 1.63 g (22%) of pure 12b. Mother liquor was evaporated under reduced pressure and purified by flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5) to furnish 90 mg (1.3%) of 12b, 380 mg (3.8%) of the bromo derivative 13 and 55 mg (1.1%) of 27. For 12b: IR (KBr) n 3390, 2910, 2830, 1380, 1225, 1170, 1070, 1045 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.65 (dd, J=5.8, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=5.7, 3.4 Hz, 1H, 4.32 (bdd, J=10.1, 4.3 Hz, 1H), 4.11 (dm, J=12.0 Hz, 1H), 3.91 (m, 1H). 2.81 (bd. J=10.2 Hz, 1H), 2.38 (bd, J=12.1 Hz, 1H), 1.49 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 110.5 (C), 77.2 (C), 74.2 (CH), 71.6 (CH), 67.9 (CH), 66.5 (CH), 63.7 (CH), 27.1 (CH 3 ), 25.1 (CH 3 ); and
For (1S,3R,4R,5R,6S)-8.8-dimethyl-3-hydroxy-4,5-oxa-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane (27): M.p.=126°-127° C.; [a] D 20=+61.1° (c 1, CHCl 3 ); IR (KBr) n 3555, 3045, 2995, 1755, 1440, 1405, 1263, 1235, 1110, 1073 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 5.13 (dd, J=5.8, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 4.86 (ddd, J=5.9, 1.4, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 4.42 (dd, J=5.9, 1.5 Hz, 1H), 3.67 (ddd, J=3.8, 1.4, 1.4 Hz, 1H), 3.39 (ddd, J=3.8, 1.4, 1.4 Hz, 1H) ,3.31 (bd, J=5.8 Hz, 1H), 1.60 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 202.4 (C),113.2 (C), 78.2 (CH), 77.4 (CH), 70.0 (CH), 59.5 (CH), 54.0 (CH), 27.3 (CH 3 ), 25.3 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 201 (M+, 100), 143 (12), 125 (14), 111 (14); Anal. calcd for C 9 H 12 O 5 : C, 54.00; H, 6.04; Found: C, 53.83; H, 6.03.
(1S,2S,3S,4S,8R,9R)-2-Chloro-2.3-oxa-6,6,11,1 1-tetramethyl-3,7,10,12-tetraoxatricyclo[7.3.0.0 4 ,8 ]dodecane (18a). To a stirred solution of 12a (1.14 g, 4.82 mmol) in dichloromethane (6.0 ml) and 2,2-dimethoxypropane (1.8 mi, 14.6 mmol) was added pTSA (10 mg, 0.053 mmol). After 2.5 h was added a saturated solution of Na 2 CO 3 (0.5 ml) and water (25 ml) and the reaction mixture was extracted with petroleum ether. The extract was dried and evaporated under reduced pressure to give 1.24 g (93%) of colorless crystalline 18a. M.p.=59°-62.5° C.; [a] D 20=+23.1° (c 1, CHCl 3 ); IR (KBr) n 2981, 2930, 1378, 1261, 1214, 1162, 1072, 1053 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.62 (m, 3H), 4.35 (ddd, J=6.3, 1.7, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 3.64 (ddd, J=1.8, 1.0, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 1.48+1.47 (s, 6H), 1.40 (s, 3H), 1.36 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 111.0 (C), 110.6 (C), 79.0 (C), 76.2 (CH), 74.7 (CH), 74.2 (CH), 72.1 (CH), 62.2 (CH), 27.4 (CH 3 ), 26.8 (CH 3 ), 25.8 (CH 3 ), 25.3 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 277 (M+, 63), 261 (80), 245 (10), 219 (15), 183 (40), 161 (43), 143 (72), 133 (62), 125 (45), 115 (75); Anal. calcd for C 12 H 17 ClO 5 : C, 52.09; H, 6.19; Found: C, 52.24;H, 6.22.
(1R,2S,3R,4 R,8S,9S )-2,3-Oxa-6,6,11,11-tetramethyl-3,7,10,12-tetraoxatricyclo[7.3.0.0 4 ,8 ]dodecane (19). A solution of 18a (60.0 mg, 0.239 mmol), tri-n-butyltinhydride (76.3 mg, 0.262 mmol) and AlBN (19.6 mg, 0.119 mmol) in benzene (1.5 ml) was heated for 2.5 h under argone to 75° C. The reaction mixture was then diluted with petroleum ether (5 ml) and filtered through 10% deactivated silica gel. Washing of the silica gel with EtOAc and evaporation of the eluent under reduced pressure yielded waxy crystalline product (75 mg), whose flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, hexane:EtOAc, 7:1) furnished 19 (25 mg, 43%). M.p=109°-110° C.; IR (KBr) n 3035, 2980, 1395, 1380, 1250, 1225, 1095, 1075, 1045 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.57 (m, 3H), 4.34 (bd, J=6.5 Hz, 1H), 3.34 (m, 2H). 1.52 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 3H), 1.37 (s, 6H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 109.3 (C), 108.9.(C), 74.5 (CH), 72.5 (CH), 71.5 (CH), 69.9 (CH), 55.1 (CH), 52.3 (CH), 27.4 (CH 3 ), 26.5 (CH 3 ), 25.8 (CH 3 ), 25.0 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 243 (M+, 37), 227 (50), 185 (100), 169 (10), 127 (40); Anal calc. for C 12 H 18 O 9 : C, 59.49: H, 7.49; Found: C, 59.58: H, 7.52.
Reduction of haloepoxides 12a,b with tris(trimethylsilyl)silane
A) A solution of 12b (112 mg, 0.398 mmol), tris(trimethylsilyl)silane (147 mg, 0.477 mmol) and AIBN (25 mg, 0.152 mmol)in toluene (2ml) was heated under argon for 1.5 h to 110° C. Then the reaction mixture was evaporated under reduced pressure to dryness and the residue was flash chromatographed (10% aleact. silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5) to furnish 38.4 mg (48 % of crystalline 14 and 3.9 mg (5%) of 21. B) The solution of 12a (130 mg, 0.522 remol) and AIBN (25 mg, 0.152 mmol) in toluene (1.5 ml) was heated for 6 h under argon to 105° C. Flash chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, CHCl 3 ;MeOH, 95:5) of under reduced pressure evaporated reaction mixture yielded 37.1 mg (42%) of 14 and 16.2 mg (13%) of 22. For (1S,3R,4S,SR,6S)-3-chloro-4,5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2-oxo-7,9-dioxa[4.3.0]nonane (14): M.p.:105°-108° C.; [a] D 20 =110.5° (c 1, CHCl 3 ), IR (KBr) n 3600-3100, 3030, 2955, 1755, 1385, 1245, 1170, 1085 cm -1 ;1H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.93 (dd, J=10.7, 0.7 Hz, 1H), 4.63 (d, J=5.2 Hz, 1H), 4.56 (dd, J=2.9, 2.6 Hz, 1H), 4.53 (dd, J=5.2, 2.9 Hz, 1H), 3.97 (dd, J=10.7, 2.6 Hz, 1H), 2.93 (bs, 2H), 1.41+1.40 (s, 6H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 201.7 (C), 117.3 (C), 86.8 (CH), 74.9 (CH), 70.8 (CH), 66.3 (CH), 27.6 (CH 3 ), 26.2 (CH 3 ).
Reduction of 12a with SmI 2
A) To a solution of 12a (52.1 mg, 0.220 mmol) in a mixture of THF (1 ml) and MeOH (0.3 ml) under argon, was added dropwise over the period of 30 min at -90° C. a solution of SmI 2 (0.1M in THF, 2.5 ml, 0.230 mmol). After 1 h of stirring without cooling a saturated solution of K 2 CO 3 (1 ml) was added and the reaction mixture was stirred for an additional 15 min. Extraction with EtOAc, drying and evaporation of the extract under reduced pressure gave the crude solid product. Flash chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5, then 9:1) furnished 7.2 mg (18%) of 20 and 22 mg (49%) of 21. For (1S,4R,5R,6S)-3,4-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo [4.3.0]nonane (21): IR (KBr)n 3450, 3060, 2970, 1750, 1155, 1100 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.45 (dd, J=6.3, 3.6 Hz, 1H), 4.49 (bd, 6.5 Hz, 1H), 4.29 (m, 1H), 4.17 (m, 1H), 2.81 (ddd, J=15.0, 8.2, 1.0 Hz, 1H), 2.67 (rid, 15.0, 5.3 Hz, 1H), 2.51 (bd, J=3.3 Hz, 1H), 2.22 (bd, J=4.6 Hz, 1H), 1.44 (s, 3H), 1.41 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 )d 206.7 (C), 110.5 (C), 78.2 (CH), 77.0 (CH), 70.8 (CH), 68.1 (CH), 42.6 (CH 2 ), 26.7 (CH 3 ), 25.1(CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 203 (M+, 70), 187 (35), 159 (15), 145 (30), 127 (100); Anal. calcd for C 9 H 14 O 5 : C,53.46; H, 6.98; Found: C, 53.25; H, 6.93. B) Analogous treatment of 12a (420 mg, 1.78 mmol) with solution of Sml 2 (0.1M in THF, 18.0 ml, 1.95 mmol) added over the period of 2 rain yielded after chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5) 77 mg (22%) of 21 and a complex mixture of products (190 mg). Chromatography (10% deact. silica gel, EtOAc:hexane, 1:1) of this mixture furnished 110 mg (31%) of 23. For (1S,3S,4S,SR)-8,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-3,4-oxa-2-oxo-7,9-dioxablcyclo[4.3.0]nonane (23): [a] D 20 =-84.8° (c 1.6, CHCl 3 ); IR (KBr) n 3590, 3060, 3030, 2980, 1760, 1405, 1240, 1185, 1100, 895 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.75 (bd, J=9.1, 1H), 4.53 (rid, J=9.1,6.6 Hz, 1H), 4.10 (dd, 6.5, 4.3 Hz, 1H), 3.70 (d, J=4.6 Hz, 1H), 3.61 (d, J=4.4 Hz, 1H), 2.75 (m, 1H), 1.49 (s, 3H), 1.37 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 201.1 (C), 109.8 (C), 78.0 (CH), 76.0 (CH), 71.5 (CH), 58.6 (OH), 54.9 (CH), 26.3 (CH 3 ), 23.9 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 201 (M+, 100), 185 (20), 143 (15), 125 (15).
(1S,3R,4S,5R,6S)-4,5-Dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane (24). A mixture of 12a (141 mg, 0.596 mmol), Zn powder (100 mg) and MeOH (5 ml) was refluxed under argon for 1.5 h. The solid was filtered off and washed with EtOAc. After the addition of Na 2 CO 3 (0.5 ml of saturated solution) and water, the filtrate was extracted with EtOAc. Evaporation and drying of the extract under the reduced pressure furnished 110 mg of crude product. Flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5) furnished 77 mg (56%) of 24, 27 mg (21%) of 25 and 8 mg (6%) of starting material 12a. For (1S,3R,4S,5R,6S)-4,5-dihydroxy-8,8-dimethyl-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]nonane (24): IR (CHCl 3 ) n 3457, 2989, 2936, 1742, 1384, 1226, 1158, 1078 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 4.59 (bd, J=4.9 Hz, 1H), 4.51 (m, 2H), 4.19 (bd, J=10.4 Hz, 1H), 3.93 (bd, J=10.3 Hz, 1H), 3.56 (s, 3H), 2.92 (bs, 2H), 1.39 (s, 6H); 13 C NMR (CD 3 OD) d 207.8 (C), 129.3 (CH), 111.6 (C), 85.1 (CH), 79.5 (CH), 73.2 (CH), 69.7 (CH), 59.7 (CH 3 ), 27.4 (CH 3 ), 26.1 (CH 3); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 233 (M+, 12), 215 (15), 201 (12), 183 (63), 174 (25), 157 (70), 143 (90), 125 (100); Anal. calcd for C 10 H 16 O 6 : C, 51.72; H, 6.94; Found: C, 51.64; H, 6.98.
For (1S,5R,6S)-8,8-dimethyl-5-hydroxy-3-methoxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyc-lo[4.3.0]non-3-ene (25): IR n (CHCl 3 ) 3520, 3050, 2995, 1720, 1655, 1395, 1245, 1180, 1160, 1095 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 5.80 (dd, J=5.4, 1.2 Hz, 1H), 4.79 (ddd, J=5.5, 5.0, 3.0 Hz, 1H), 4.59 (d, J=5.5 Hz, 1H), 4.51 (ddd, J=5.3, 3.0, 1.2 Hz, 1H); 3.69 (s, 3H), 2.22 (bs, J=5.0 Hz, 2H), 1.42 (s, 3H), 1.39 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CD 3 OD) d 192.4 (C), 151.9 (C), 115.5 (CH), 111.2 (C), 80.0 (CH), 76.6 (CH), 65.0 (CH), 55.8 (CH 3 ), 27.0 (CH 3 ), 26.0 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (tel. intensity) 215 (M+, 10), 197 (75), 169 (20), 157 (100), 139 (100), 127 (100); Anal. calcd for C 10 H 14 O 5 : C, 56.07; H, 6.59: Found: C, 55.95; H, 6.63.
(1 S,6S)-8,8-Dimethyl-3-ethoxy-4-hydroxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]-non-3-ene (26). A mixture of 12a (375 mg, 1.59 mmol), benzylamine (340 mg, 3.17 mmol) and THF (2 ml) was stirred at -25° C. for 10 h. Then acetone (6 ml) was added and precipitated benzylamine hydrochloride was filtered off at -25° C. To the filtrate at -20° C. was added oxalic acid (142 mg, 1.59 mmol) and after 10 min the mixture was filtered to give 430 mg of white solid. This solid (188 mg) was then heated to reflux in ethanol (5 ml). Precipitated benzylamine oxalate was filtered off and evaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure yielded 110 mg of the crude product. By flash chromatography (10% deactivated silica gel, CHCl 3 :MeOH, 95:5) was obtained 46.8 mg (26%) of 26 and 16 mg of 28 were obtained. For 26: M.p.=107°-110° C. (dec); [a] D 20 =+102° (c 0.5, MeOH); IR (CHCl 3 ) n 3450, 3050, 3035, 1670, 1650, 1400, 1320, 1275, 1230. 1140, 1115, 1045 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 )d 5.51 (bs, 1H) 4.89 (d, J=8.4 Hz, 1H), 3.83 (ddd, J=11.4, 8.4, 5.2 Hz, 1H), 3.75 (dq, J=9.2, 7.1 Hz, 1H), 3.64 (dq, J=9.3, 7.1 Hz, 1H), 2.93 (ABq, J=16.8, 5.2 Hz, 1H), 2.41 (ABq, J=16.8, 11.5 Hz, 1H), 1.69 (s, 3H), 1.60 (s, 3H), 1.24 (t, J=7.0 Hz, 3H); 13 C NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 189.9 (C), 148.0 (C), 126.3 (C), 117.9 (C), 80.3 (CH), 77.1 (CH), 65.6 (CH 2 ), 39.2 (CH 2 ), 26.6 (CH 3 ), 24.3 (CH 3 ), 15.3 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 229 (M+, 100), 183 (30), 170 (20), 143 (25), 127 (10); Anal. calcd for C 11 H 16 O 5 : C, 57.89; H, 7.07; Found: C, 57.98; H, 6.98.
(1S,6S)-8,8-Dimethyl-3,4-dihydroxy-2-oxo-7,9-dioxabicyclo[4.3.0]non-3-ene (28). A mixture of 27 (0.23 g), 10% deactivated silica gel (5 g, Silica Gel 60, EM Science), ethylacetate (12 ml) and hexane (8 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. The mixture was then filtered and the filtrate was evaporated under reduced pressure. Flash chromatography (10%) deact, silica gel, ethylacetate:hexane, 6:4) furnished 25 mg (11%) of 28. M.p. =153°-154° C.; [a] D 20 =+102° (c 0.5, MeOH); IR (KBr) n 3295, 2465, 1635, 1410, 1335, 1175, 1140 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (CDCl 3 ) d 5.45 (bs, 1H), 4.85 (d, J=8.3 Hz, 1H), 4.18 (m, 12.88 (dd, J=16.7, 5.4 Hz, 1H), 2.49 (dd, J=16.8, 11.6 Hz, 1H), 2.43 (bs, 1H), 1.69 (S, 3H). 1.61 (s, 3H); 13 C NMR (CD 3 OD) d 192.5 (C), 151.9 (C), 128.2 (C), 120.0 (C), 86.1 (CH), 82.2 (CH). 43.4 (CH 2 ), 26.9 (CH 3 ), 24.4 (CH 3 ); MS (Cl) m/z (rel. intensity) 201 (M+,100), 85 (23), 81 (15), 69 (23).
D-chiro-inositol (6) A) A mixture of 14 (16.2 mg, 0.080 mmol), ion exchange resin Amberlyst 15 (100 mg) and water (1.5 ml) was heated for 3.5 h to 80° C. Filtering off the resin, washing with water and evaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure yielded 12 mg of crystalline product containing 70% of 6 (based on 1 H NMR). B) A mixture of 14 (9.7 g, 44.05 mmol), sodium benzoate (30 mg, 0. 21 mmol) and water (150 ml) was refluxed in darkness, under argon for 83 h. The reaction mixture was evaporated, dissolved in a mixture of water and methanol and the mixture was filtered with charcoal. The obtained colorless solution was evaporated to dryness. Recrystalization from the mixture of water and ethanol furnished 6.13 g (77%) of pure 6, identical with the natural product. C) The mixture of 10 (97 mg, 0.545 mmol), NaBH 4 (50 mg, 1.32 mmol) and acetonitrile (5ml) was stirred at room temperature for 2 h. Then diluted HCl (1:1, 0.2 ml) was added. After an additional 1h of stirring the reaction mixture was evaporated to dryness to give 180 mg of the product containing 15% % of 6 ( 1 H NMR, GC).
D-Chiro-3-inosose (10). A mixture of 12a (93.7 mg, 0.396 mmol), Al 2 O 3 (activated, basic, Brockmann I 150 mg) and 2 ml of water was heated while stirring for 0.5 h to 80° C. After filtering off the Al 2 O 3 , washing it and evaporation of the filtrate under reduced pressure, 72 mg (84%) of 10 was obtained. IR (KBr) n 3346, 3006, 1735, 1576, 1420, 1302, 1132, 1078, 1005 cm -1 ; 1 H NMR (D20) d 4.40 (rid, J=3.4, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 4.16 (dd, J=9.7, 1.3 Hz, 1H), 3.94 (dd, J=4.1, 3.0 Hz, 1H), 3.84 (dd, J=4.1, 3.2 Hz, 1H), 3.59 (dd, J=9.7, 3.1 Hz, 1H); 13 C NMR (D 2 O) d 208.0 (C), 75,7 (CH), 74.1 (CH), 73.6 (CH), 73.3 (CH), 71.1 (CH).
Neo-inositol (5). A mixture of epoxide 14 (0.69 g, 3.41 mmol), Amberlyst IR-118 (1.5 g) and water (10 ml) was stirred when heated to about 100° C. for 30 min. The solid was filtered off, the solution was filtered with charcoal and evaporated to give 0.54 g (87%) of the mixture containing 70% of 6 and 25% of 5. Recrystallization of this product from aqueous ethanol furnished 96 mg of 5.
Muco-inositol (4). A mixture of epoxide 14 (0.58 g, 2.86 mmol), Amberlyst 15 (0.66 g) and water (20 ml) was stirred at room temperature for 24 h. The solid was filtered off, the solution was filtered with charcoal and evaporated to give 0.43 g (83%) of colorless product containing >90% of 4. Recrystallization of the crude product from aqueous ethanol furnished 4 (0.34 g) of >95% purity.
Allo-inositol (3). A mixture of inosose 10 (1.15 g, 6.45 mmol), Raney nickel (0.5 g) and methanol (15 ml) was hydrogenated at 60 psi for 24 h. The reaction mixture was then diluted with water, filtered with charcoal and evaporated to dryness to furnish 0.91 g (78%) of the crude yellow product containing >90% of 3.
Recrystallization of this product (0.626 g) from aqueous ethanol gave 0.24 g of 3.
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There are described novel biocatalytic and chemical processes for the synthesis of various oxygenated compounds. Particularly, there are described processes for the synthesis of a useful synthon 12 made by reacting a protected diol (acetonide) with permaganate under appropriate conditions. Such synthon is useful of the synthesis of various pharmaceutically important compounds such as D-chiro-inositol and D-chiro-3-inosose. Also, there are disclosed novel compounds, including specifically the synthon 12 and compounds derived therefrom.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/858,315, which was filed Jun. 1, 2004.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
[0002] This invention relates to a reinforcement structure which is used in providing cementitious mixtures supplemental support and strength upon setting, and more particularly, to a reinforcement structure which comprises a plurality of oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components having a finite cut length, said reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components fastened by one or more circumferential retaining elements.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The use of metal rods or “rebar” is a common and economical way to reinforce concrete. These rods, usually of steel, are available in a number of different sizes and lengths. The rods are typically cut and bent to fit the concrete structure, and the concrete is then placed around and over the rods. The reinforcing rods are completely embedded in the concrete matrix. As the mixture hardens, the concrete bonds strongly to the surface of the rods which, in turn, impart flexural strength to the concrete mass. Of course, rods do not come in the exact lengths for all concrete forms. Typically, the rods must be cut and spliced to fit a particular job. Because the final strength of the cured concrete depends on the strength of the reinforcing rods, splices must not weaken the rod.
[0004] The strength of the hardened concrete depends, to a great extent, on the strength of the reinforcing rods. Therefore, corrosion of the rods becomes a serious problem. Hardened concrete is somewhat porous so that air and moisture can penetrate and contact the reinforcing rods and promote oxidation (rust). Furthermore, the wet concrete itself is alkaline, which can further promote the corrosion of the metal. When rods rust, they not only lose their strength, but they also swell, causing the concrete to split.
[0005] An unmet need exists for a reinforcing structure that provides cementitious mixtures with the necessary strength and support that steel reinforcement currently provides, but is insusceptible to corrosion, bends more easily, lightweight, cuts easily, and able to be thermally bonded to itself more easily in cross-overs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] This invention relates to a reinforcement structure which is used in providing cementitious mixtures supplemental support and strength upon setting, and more particularly, to a reinforcement structure which comprises a plurality of oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components having a finite cut length, and fastening the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components by one or more circumferential retaining elements.
[0007] In a first embodiment, the reinforcement structure of the present invention is formed from two or more reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of finite staple length and essentially parallel orientation. In a second embodiment, the reinforcement structure of the present invention is formed from two or more reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of infinite length and essentially parallel orientation. The reinforcement structure may comprise both fibers and filaments, wherein the fibers and filaments may be of similar or dissimilar materials and further provide similar or dissimilar functions within the cementitious mixture. Further, the orientation of the fibrous and/or filamentary components may be other than that of a parallel orientation, other orientations may include a twisted orientation or an interwoven orientation, wherein the components are intertwined with one another.
[0008] The compositions of the reinforcing components is selected from the group consisting of synthetic polymers, natural polymers, and the combinations thereof, and are not necessarily of the same polymeric composition, denier, finite staple length, or functionality. Once the cementitious mixture is deposited over and around the reinforcement structure, the mixture is able to penetrate the parallel orientation of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of the reinforcement structure. Further, the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components provide more surface area for the cementitious mixture to hold onto upon drying.
[0009] The reinforcement structure comprises one or more circumferential retaining elements that maintain the integrity of the reinforcement structure. Suitable circumferential retaining elements include chemical and/or mechanical means, including a binder that exhibits sufficient durability to maintain the orientation of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components. Additional circumferential retaining elements include, but are not limited to clips, wires, ties, adhesives, and other various retaining means comprised of synthetic polymers and/or natural polymers. Optionally, the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components may comprise an chemical and/or mechanical internal interlocking system that maintains the orientation of the components.
[0010] Preferably, the one or more circumferential retaining elements comprises no more than 80% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure; more preferably comprises no more than 50% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure; and most preferably comprises no more than 30% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure, wherein the total surface area is defined as the overall length and circumference of the reinforcement structure. Limiting the circumferential retaining elements serves to expose the significant and useful proportion of the oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components to the external environment.
[0011] It should be noted that the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components, as well as the resulting reinforcement structure, can be further treated with performance modifying additives, such as represented by the topical application of a material flow-enhancing lubricant. Further, additional temporary binding agents, including water-soluble chemistries such as polyvinyl alcohol, can be used in conjunction with a primary interlocking means.
[0012] Upon final formation of the reinforcement structure, the structure can be more easily handled than steel reinforcement structures. The reinforcement structure of the present invention may prolong the life span of cementitious construction due to its durability and resistance to corrosion, which tends to result in cracks, having an overall deleterious affect on cementitious construction. Further, the reinforcement structure of the present invention is lightweight and easily bent to fit small spaces. Further still, the reinforcement structure more readily thermally bonds to itself compared to steel.
[0013] Other features and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0014] While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in various forms, hereinafter is described a presently preferred embodiment of the invention, with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention, and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiment illustrated.
[0015] Steel reinforcement bars are routinely used in cementitious mixtures so as to render a corresponding cured cementitious construct more resistant to structural defect and failure. Due to difficulties encountered in the actual handling of the steel reinforcement bars and the poor performance experienced in the cured cementitious construct, the present invention is directed to a means for providing the necessary strength and support to acementitious construct without deleterious affecting the cementitious construct.
[0016] In accordance with the present invention, the reinforcement structure comprises a plurality of reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components, wherein the fibrous and/or filamentary components have an essentially parallel orientation. Optionally, the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of the reinforcement structure may be twisted or interwoven with one another.
[0017] In a first embodiment, the reinforcement structure of the present invention is formed from two or more reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of finite staple length and essentially parallel orientation. In a second embodiment, the reinforcement structure of the present invention is formed from two or more reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components of infinite length and essentially parallel orientation. The reinforcement structure may comprise both fibers and filaments, wherein the fibers and filaments may be of similar or dissimilar materials and further provide similar or dissimilar functions within the cementitious mixture.
[0018] The composition of such reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components is selected from the group consisting of synthetic polymers, natural polymers, and the combinations thereof. Preferably, the composition of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components is selected from the synthetic polymers including, without limitation, thermoplastic and thermoset polymers. A particularly preferred embodiment of the present invention is directed to reinforcing staple fibers comprising polyolefin thermoplastic resins. It is within the purview of the present invention that the individual reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components as incorporated in the reinforcement structure need not necessarily be of the same polymeric composition, denier, finite staple length, or functionality.
[0019] The reinforcing filamentary components of the present invention may be manufactured by directly extruding a polymeric sheet into a bath comprised of water so as to instantly quench the extruded film, slitting the film into ribbons, and chopping the film filaments into preselected widths. Optionally, the film filaments may be fibrillated, micro-fibrillated, or imparted with some texture to enhance adhesion of the cementitous mixtures to the filamentary components. Further, the filamentary components may be manufactured in accordance with U.S. published patent application US20030044592A1, to Perez, et al., hereby incorporated by reference, wherein the filaments may be prepared by extruding a cast film of melt processible polymer, length orienting said cast film, slitting said oriented film into ribbons of preselected widths, and chopping said fibers to preselected lengths. If desired, the fibers may be shaped, or a pattern imparted to one or more surfaces.
[0020] The reinforcement structure comprises one or more circumferential retaining elements that maintain the integrity of the reinforcement structure. Suitable circumferential retaining elements include chemical and/or mechanical means, including a binder that exhibits sufficient durability to maintain the orientation of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components. Additional circumferential retaining elements include, but are not limited to clips, wires, ties, adhesives, and other various retaining means comprised of synthetic polymers and/or natural polymers. Optionally, the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components may comprise a chemical and/or mechanical internal interlocking system that maintains the orientation of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components.
[0021] Preferably, the one or more circumferential retaining elements comprises no more than 80% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure; more preferably comprises no more than 50% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure; and most preferably comprises no more than 30% of the total surface area of the reinforcement structure, wherein the total surface area is defined as the overall length and circumference of the reinforcement structure. Limiting the circumferential retaining elements serves to expose the significant and useful proportion of the oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components to the external environment. In addition, the exposure of the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components allows for optimal penetration of the cementitous mixture into the reinforcement structure and an increase in surface area for the cementitous mixture to hold on to upon drying. In order to further increase the amount of surface area available to the cementitous mixture, the reinforcing fibrous or filamentary components and/or the circumferential retaining elements of the reinforcement structure may have a textured surface or raised surface asperities, such as nubs.
[0022] In accordance with the present invention, the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components may also be of infinite length, whereby one or more circumferential retaining elements circumscribe about the overall circumference of the continuous reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components. Upon final formation of the reinforcement structure, the continuous structure can be readily packaged through an automatic packaging system or containerized in bulk. A continuous formation of the reinforcement structure allows the reinforcement structure to be available in a continuous roll form or packaged in a continuous lap or coil formation to be cut to desired lengths. Further, the reinforcement structure may comprise a series of segmented weakened points along the continuous formation so that the desired portion may be selected and detracted from the remainder of the roll form.
[0023] It should be noted that the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components, as well as the resulting reinforcement structure, can be further treated with performance modifying additives, such as represented by the topical application of a material flow-enhancing lubricant and additional temporary binding agents, such as supplimental water-soluble chemistries and pro-degradants.
[0024] From the foregoing, it will be observed that numerous modifications and variations can be affected without departing from the true spirit and scope of the novel concept of the present invention. It is to be understood that no limitation with respect to the specific embodiments illustrated herein is intended or should be inferred. The disclosure is intended to cover, by the appended claims, all such modifications as fall within the scope of the claims.
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This invention relates to a reinforcement structure which is used in providing cementitious mixtures supplemental support and strength upon setting, and more particularly, to a reinforcement structure which comprises a plurality of oriented reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components having a finite cut length, and fastening the reinforcing fibrous and/or filamentary components by one or more circumferential retaining elements.
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FIELD OF INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a novel composition of dye baths or processing baths and a process for tinting, dyeing or doping of moulded components with functional additives in these aqueous dipping baths or processing baths. The moulded components basically contain transparent or translucent (co)polyamides. The temperature of the dipping baths or processing baths is below the glass transition temperature (Tg) of the (co)polyamides. If the moulded components should be tinted or dyed according to an embodiment of the invention, the dyeing can be performed as homogeneous dyeing or as gradient dyeing.
[0002] The process according to the present invention is particularly suitable for producing high-value objects like ophthalmic lenses, tinted lenses for sunglasses, magnifying glasses, all kinds of inspection glasses, polarization films and display films, particularly if changing depths of color (gradients) should be generated.
[0003] This generating of a dyeing gradient requires dyeing in a dipping process, wherein the local desired depth of color is achieved by different times of dipping the surface areas of the moulded article in the dye bath.
[0004] Using dipping bath additives of a suitable combination of glycols and a special dipping process, homogeneous dye distribution is obtained in the moulded component or in a material composite containing this moulded component, wherein low haze values of □1% at color depths of 10 to 93% light transmission, preferably of 10 to 80% light transmission, particularly preferably of 10 to 60% light transmission are achieved, wherein a high gloss finished, and unobjectionable surface of the moulded
[0005] Using suitable basic colors all shades of color up to grey can be adjusted. Simultaneously, a dye bath suitable for processing is obtained that is stable for at least one week.
[0006] The moulded components or material composites dyed according to the present invention can be coated in conventional dipping baths without staining of dye with previous color and a hard lacquer that are cured thermally or by UV radiation. In the same way antireflection coatings or anti-fogging coatings can be deposited. The adhesion of these coatings is not affected by the dye. After the dip dyeing, polarization films can be affixed that are then finished with hard-coat and antireflection coatings and/or anti-fogging coatings.
[0007] However, it is also possible with the process according to the present invention to dope in moulded articles, like e.g. films, with functional additives, such as UV absorbers, photochromic or thermochromic additives, or additives enhancing contrast or additives affecting the refraction index. The process according to the present invention is particularly suited for dyeing monolayer cast films and as well for sensitive complex layer structures such as for displays of TFT (thin film transistor) screens. The refinement of the completely equipped multilayer films with hard lacquers, bloomings, antireflection coatings and/or water-repellent coatings and/or anti-fogging coatings works in the same way, i.e. in aqueous dipping baths.
[0008] Thus, the invention also concerns tinted, dyed or doped moulded components producible with aforesaid process. The moulded components according to the present invention can also be connected with at least one transparent or translucent surface layer or with decoration films, functional films or lacquers or synthetic materials, so that a material composite results that can be tinted, dyed or doped by the process as well.
[0009] The present invention concerns a tinted, dyed or doped moulded component, producible according to the process of the present invention.
[0010] The present invention concerns a moulded component which is connected with at least one transparent or translucent surface layer and/or with decoration films, functional films or lacquers or synthetic materials or other synthetic materials and results in a material composite that is tinted, dyed or doped by the process according to one of claims 1 to 29 .
[0011] The present invention concerns a moulded component or a material composite which is used for optical components like ophthalmic lenses or tinted lenses for eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, lens systems, microscopes, cameras, displays for cellular phones, lenses for cameras, measuring devices, watch-glasses or watchcases, cases for handheld telephones with or without integrated displays, or any kind of devices, and for CD's, DVD's, lenses for LED's, beam waveguides, light couplers, light amplifiers, lenses and windows for lamps and laser devices, multilayer films, composite containers, and any kinds of transparent composites.
[0012] The present invention concerns a moulded component which is used for display or screen foils that subsequently can be laminated to multilayer display foils.
[0013] The present invention concerns a moulded component which is used as electroluminescent film, switching elements, apertures for heating/ventilation in the automotive industry or in the field of household items and telecommunication.
BACKGROUND PRIOR ART
[0014] Transparent materials as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC) and (co)polyamides (PA) are increasingly used for high-value applications such as optical lenses or tinted lenses for eyeglasses, compact discs, inspection glasses, cases for lamps, displays or flowmeters.
[0015] Transparent polyamide materials feature their low density, a high chemical resistance, an excellent dynamic loading capacity and toughness, and suitability for mechanical processing. Transparent polyamides, for example, are described in EP-A-1 369 447 and EP-A-0 725 101. Further refraction indices n D 20 up to 1.65 can be adjusted by the choice of the monomers. EP-A-1 397 414 describes such polyamides.
[0016] Further improvements of properties of transparent polyamide materials can be obtained by producing transparent polyamide mixtures of amorphous, transparent and/or microcrystalline transparent and/or partial crystalline polyamides. Compositions of transparent polyamide blends can for example taken from EP-A-1 130 059.
[0017] Cycloaliphatic transparent polyamide materials and their transparent blends with up to 60% partial crystalline, aliphatic polyamide materials particularly feature an excellent UV stability of the material itself. All transparent polyamide materials can be improved with respect to their light resistance by UV stabilizators like HALS stabilizators, e.g. Nylostab SEED, Tinuvin 770 or UV absorber such as Tinuvin 360, Tinuvin 320, Tinuvin 312. Substituted tertiary butylphenols and their derivatives such as Irganox 1010, Irganox 1070 or Irganox 1098 exhibit good results for the stabilizing against heat effects. Optical brighteners such as Uvitex OB or Tinopal DMS-X or others are used in order to balance the yellow cast that is excited by the polyamide itself or by stabilizators. Optical brighteners can be completed or displaced by blue or violet dyestuffs.
[0018] For transparent materials in outdoor use, impermeability for harmful UV radiation below 430 nm, particularly below 400 nm and below 385 nm is increasingly asked for. That is achieved by incorporating common UV absorbers, particularly with chlorine activated benztriazoles such as Tinuvin 326, Tinuvin 327 or derivatives thereof. Also mixtures with HALS-types have proved themselves. The combination of optical brighteners and UV absorbers results in improved appearance of the moulded components with concurrent protection effect against harmful UV radiation.
[0019] As different UV protection classes are demanded on the market, it is advantageous to add the UV protection directly in terms of a suitable master batch before producing the moulded component. Depending on the amount of UV absorber in the master batch the light transmission for the protection class 385 nm, 400 nm or higher can directly be adjusted.
[0020] Known dyeing processes from the textile industry for polymers are performed with aqueous systems, wherein the dyeing temperature is selected such that it is between the melting point and Tg of the material to be dyed.
[0021] However, transparent amorphous materials can only be dyed in dipping baths with temperatures below glass transition temperature (Tg), because they lose their shape otherwise.
[0022] For the known lens material based on reactively cross-linked allyl diglycol carbonate with trade name CR 39, suitable dye baths are provided which, however, are not suitable for transparent polyamides, because they result in fissuring and haze, so that the dyed polyamide is not suitable for a lens use anymore.
[0023] U.S. Pat. No. 5,453,100 describes the dyeing of polycarbonate materials with dyestuffs by immersion in a mixture of dyestuff or pigment that is dissolved in a solvent mixture. The solvent mixture contains substances which are selected from dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether and propylene glycol monomethyl ether.
[0024] US 2004/016826 A1 describes a process for dyeing or tinting in a dye bath, wherein the dye bath contains:
[0000] 50 to 90 wt % water,
[0000] 0.1 to 15 wt % dyestuff,
[0000] 2.5 to 20 wt % of a plasticizer conforming to the general formula
R 1 —[(O(CH2)m)n-]OH,
[0025] wherein R′ is ethyl, propyl or butyl, m is 2 to 4 and n is 1 to 3, and 5 to 30 wt % of at least one leveling agent conforming to the general formula
H—[(O(CH2)m)n-]OH,
[0026] wherein m is 2 to 4 and n is 1 to 3.
[0027] However, US 2004/0168268 A1 does not describe the using of a buffer or the use of surfactants. Although the dye bath according to US 2004/0168268 A1 also may contain diethylene glycol or triethylene glycol, however, these components are used in amounts of 5 to 30 wt %.
[0028] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 a dye procedure for polycarbonate, polyester polycarbonate copolymers, SAN, ABS, ASA, polyamide, polyurethane or blends thereof is described that allows adjusting a color gradient. Examples and results however exclusively refer to polycarbonate.
[0029] The dye bath contains of 94 to 96 wt-% water with 0.1 to 15 wt-% dyestuffs and 1 to 2 wt-% carrier. Three to 4 wt-% of a surfactant can optionally be added. Water-insoluble dyestuffs with azo groups, diphenylamine and anthraquinone preparations are suggested as dyestuffs. The dyestuffs are first solved in a carrier and/or surfactant and then added to the water. Compounds according to following formula are claimed as preferred carriers:
R1 [—O—(CH2)n]mOR2
wherein R 1 and R 2 independently of each other denote H or C1-C18 alkyl, benzyl, benzoyl or phenyl-residue with n=1 or 2 and m=2 to 35. Surfactants are suggested optionally that can be ionic, amphoteric or nonionic.
[0030] For producing the dye bath, dyestuff and carrier are mixed and optionally, a surfactant is added. In the second step the water is added.
[0031] The dyeing method according to U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 contains the following steps:
[0032] a. producing the dye bath
[0033] b. heating up to 90 to 99° C. and immersing the moulded component
[0034] c. retaining the moulded component in the bath until the desired degree of tint is achieved
[0035] d. removing the moulded component from the bath.
[0036] U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 does not disclose the suitability of the procedure or the composition of the bath for polyamides, particularly for transparent polyamides. In the case of said transparent polyamides, the teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 provides no guidance about which dyeing system among the various possibilities should be used, so that the selection of the suitable system and of the three components dye, carrier, emulsifier requires extensive testing.
[0037] In the example itself, there is suggested that the instruction of the adding of the dye and of the mixing of the carrier with surfactant (Levegal, product from Bayer) have to be optimized for polycarbonate as well. If this optimization is not performed the moulded component takes up too little dye due to inadequate wetting.
[0038] Thus, for the person skilled in the art to develop the right procedure for each polymer type requires extensive trial and error.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE OBJECT OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0039] The object of the present invention is to suggest compositions of aqueous dye baths and a method of dyeing moulded components made from transparent polyamides in which the dye baths remain stable for at least one week without components precipitating or changing the tint of color of the dyed moulded article; the surface of the moulded components retains in excellent quality, a gradient dyeing is possible and simultaneously such a strong adhesion of the dyestuff to the polymer is achieved that staining of dye in later steps of treating is avoided. In particular, also a process has to be found that allows a faster dyeing.
[0040] This object is solved by the processing bath according to claim 1 as well as the process according to claim 4 . Furthermore the object is solved by the dyed moulded components according to claim 21 .
[0041] In the dependent claims advantageous embodiments of the invention are described.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0042] Therefore, the invention concerns a processing bath for dyeing or doping of moulded components consisting of following components in wt-%:
A) deionized water B) carrier 0.10-6.00, preferred 1.00-4.00, particularly preferred 1.00-3.00 C) emulsifier 0.001-1.00, preferred 0.001-0.50, particularly preferred 0.001-0.30 D) surfactant D 0.01-7.00, preferred 0.01-6.00, more preferred 0.50-4.00, particularly preferred 1.00-3.00 E) surfactant E 0.01-3.00, preferred 0.01-2.00, more preferred 0.05-1.00, particularly preferred 0.05-0.20 F) dyestuffs or doping 0.01-0.90, agents preferred 0.01-0.40, particularly preferred 0.01-0.20 G) buffer 0-3.00, preferred 0-2.0, particularly preferred 0-1.0, and if necessary, H) dispersion agents for 0-4.00, dyestuffs or doping agents (F) preferred 0-3.00, particularly preferred 0-2.00
based on an anionic preparation of ethoxylated fatty amine esters, aralkyl polyglycolether and a modified polyalcohol.
[0044] The amounts of the components used are added up to 100 wt-%.
[0045] The deionized water A) can be prepared by distillation or ion exchanger.
[0046] The carrier B) consists of at least one monohydroxy glycol of the common formula (1):
R 1 —{[—O—(CH 2 ) n ] m } OR 2
wherein n=2 to 18, m=1 to 4, R1=H and R2=an alkyl residue with C1-18, a benzyl, a benzoyl or a phenyl residue, wherein the aromatic ring can be substituted with alkyl or halogen.
[0047] The component C) emulsifier is selected from the group consisting of ionic emulsifiers, nonionic emulsifiers and amphoteric emulsifiers.
[0048] The surfactant D) consists of at least one glycol with two aliphatic or aliphatic-aromatic terminal groups of the common formula (2):
R 1 —{[—O—(CH 2 ) n ] m } OR 2
wherein n=2 to 18, m=1 to 6, R 1 and R 2 are equal or different and denote an H, an alkyl residue with C 1-18 , a benzyl, a benzoyl or a phenyl residue, wherein the aromatic ring can be substituted with alkyl or halogen.
[0049] The surfactant E) consists of at least one polyalkene glycol of the common formula (3):
R 1 —{[—O—(CH 2 ) n ] m }OR 2
wherein R 1 and R 2 ═H with n=2-4 and m=6-35.
[0050] The component F) is selected from the group consisting of the group of water soluble disperse dyes and/or from the group of water soluble acid dyes or the group of doping agents.
[0051] With the buffer G) selected from the group of buffer agents and/or aliphatic carboxylic acids and/or ammonium compounds and/or phosphates, a pH value of 3,5-7, preferable of 4-6 is adjusted.
[0052] The component H) can be added to the functional bath optionally. It is a special dispersion agent for disperse dyes and doping agents and is offered in trade with the name Univadine Top (Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Switzerland). This dispersion agent (H) is an anionic preparation of ethoxylated fatty amine esters, aralkyl polyglycolether and a modified polyalcohol. According to the safety data sheet of Univadine Top the composition contains of following components:
[0000] 3-7% poly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)alpha-phenyl-omega-hydroxy-, styrentated,
[0000] >30% ethanol, 2,2′,2″-nitrilotris-, compound with alpha-(2,4,6-tris(2-phenylethenyl)phenyl)-omega-hydroxypoly(oxy-1,2-ethanediyl)phosphate, and
[0000] 7% 2-methyl-2,4-pentanediol.
[0053] Surprisingly, a faster dyeing is achieved, namely as soon as 4 minutes instead of 30 minutes as usually, by this specific composition of the bath according to the invention with the components A) to H).
[0054] The dipping baths for pretreating or subsequent treating and cooling-down the moulded components consist of deionized water, if necessary 0.001-1.00 wt-% surfactants/emulsifiers are added.
[0055] The moulded components consist of transparent and translucent polyamides as described in EP-A-0 725 101, EP-A-1 369 447, EP-A-1 397 414 and EP-A-1 130 059.
[0056] In this application transparent, amorphous or microcrystalline polyamides or their transparent blends (mixtures) are preferred. They can be provided as transparent blends with partial crystalline polyamides such as PA12, PA11, PA6, PA1212, PA612.
[0057] Preferred amorphous or microcrystalline (co)polyamides feature the following compositions:
[0058] PA 6I, PA 6I/6T, PA MXDI/6I, PA MXDI/MXDT/6I/6T, PA MXDI/12I, PA MACMI/12, PA MACMI/MACMT/12, 6I/MACMI/12, PA 6I/6T/MACMI/MACMT/12, PA PACM6/11, PA PACM12, PA PACMI/PACM12, PA MACM6/11, PA MACM12, PA MACMI/MACM12, PA MACM12/PACM12, PA 6I/6T/PACMI/PACMT/PACM12/612.
[0059] For producing the functional bath the component A) is provided and the other components are mixed in under stirring.
[0060] The functional bath is heated indirectly because overheating in the area of the side of the bath can be obtained with directly heated baths which affects the stability of the bath in a negative way.
[0061] The procedure according to the present invention uses indirectly heated double-walled baths and for example water as heat transfer medium. In the internal space surrounded by heat transfer medium, the dyeing/doping liquor is located. The heat transfer medium is either rotated or stirred. The liquor is rotated or stirred separately. In laboratory test, advantageously, two beakers stacked into each other are used, wherein both vessels are stirred by separate magnets via a single magnetic stirrer with heater. This kind of device results in fundamentally higher stability of bath compared to directly heated baths. The heat transfer medium balances the gradient of temperature and avoids overheating.
[0062] Baths treated in that way can be cooled down to room temperature multiple times and be heated up to operating temperature again.
[0063] The dipping baths for pretreating or subsequently treating the moulded component can be directly as well as indirectly heated.
[0064] High differences of temperature between moulded component and treating bath generate dissatisfying results of the respective step of treatment because there are constantly changing conditions on the surface of the moulded component until the moulded component achieves bath temperature.
[0065] All baths are operated at a temperature between 50 and 95° C., excluding the subsequent bath treating, in which the temperature amounts to 30 to 60° C., and the cooling bath which is kept at room temperature.
[0066] The invention further concerns the use of the functional bath in a process for tinting, dyeing or doping of moulded components of transparent polyamides that comprises following steps:
[0000] a) preparing the dipping baths
[0000] b) heating-up the dipping baths
[0000] c) pretreating the moulded component
[0000] d) dyeing or doping the moulded component
[0000] e) subsequently treating the moulded component
[0000] f) cooling-down the moulded component
[0000] g) drying the moulded component
[0067] The process for dyeing or doping the moulded component in the functional bath produced according to the present invention is characterized by a pretreating and a subsequent treating of the moulded component to be dyed.
[0068] By pretreating, the moulded component is cleaned and heated to the temperature of the processing bath. If the temperature of the moulded component achieves the temperature of the processing bath it is removed from the pretreating bath and immediately immersed into the processing bath, in which it remains for 5 to 60 min. In the subsequent treating bath the moulded component is cleaned of excessive dyeing/doping liquor, before cooling-down to room temperature in the cooling bath. Finally, the moulded component is air dried or, e.g. in a weak warm air flow.
[0069] In a particular embodiment of the process according to the invention, a bath may be used for subsequently treating that contains a surfactant, e.g. sodium laurylsulfonate. Then, the moulded component is cleaned by ultrasonic waves in this bath, rinsed with distilled water and air dried.
[0070] If further steps of treatment follow it is advantageous to again preheat the moulded component to the respective bath temperature in which the next step of treating is performed. The process according to the present invention causes clearly better results compared to a process in which the moulded component is immersed into the dye bath at room temperature.
[0071] Furthermore, according to the present invention, further subsequent treating of the finally formed moulded components can be performed, e.g. lenses or multilayer films, as well as display films for TFT screens, by depositing of at least one hard lacquer coating and/or one blooming coating and/or one antireflection coating and/or water-repellent coatings and/or anti-fogging coatings, wherein, particularly, hard lacquer coatings with or without primary coatings and/or antireflection coatings are deposited in subsequent baths. These baths are based primarily on aqueous and organic solvents such as butanol, and reactive compounds such as isocyanates can be included.
[0072] Further functional coatings can be deposited on the moulded component by sputtering or vapor-depositing processes.
[0073] Monohydroxy glycols e.g. ethylene glycol monobutyl ether or diethylene glycol monobutyl ether are particularly suitable as carrier B).
[0074] Anionic surfactants such as soaps, alkyl benzene sulfonates, alkane sulfonates, alkyl sulfonates, alkyl ether sulfonates, cationic surfactants such as quaternary ammonium compounds with one or two hydrophobic groups, salts of long chained primary amines, nonionic surfactants such as fatty alcohol ethoxylates, alkyl phenol ethoxylates, sorbitan fatty acid esters, alkyl polyglycosides, N-methyl glucamides, amphoteric surfactants such as N-acylamido betaines and N-aminoxides are preferred as emulsifier C).
[0075] Soaps such as sodium lauryl sulfate or sulfonates are particularly preferred used.
[0076] Those glycols with formula (2) with n=2 to 4 are particularly suitable glycols as surfactant D), diethylene glycol or triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, pentaethylene glycol, hexaethylene glycol are particularly preferred, diethylene glycol or triethylene glycol are still more preferred.
[0077] Polyethylene glycols with a molar mass from 280 to 1600 g/mol, particularly preferred with a molar mass from 280 to 600 g/mol, more preferred with a molar mass of 400 g/mol are particularly suitable as surfactant E). Such a product with a molar mass of 400 g/mol is available with the name Polyethylene 400 or PEG 400 (Fluka).
[0078] Disperse dyes can contain azo, anthraquinone, quinophthalone, methanyl, naphthol, naphthalamide, naphthaquinone or nitro dyes and are characterized in that they possess a low water solubility and are available in aqueous dye bath as dispersion. Therefor, these dyestuffs are subjected to a subsequent treating after the synthesis if necessary by milling to a particle size<1 μm to improve strength of color and homogeneity and to achieve the low water solubility. The milling is performed in aqueous suspension with dispersing agents as e.g. lignin sulfonates, condensates from naphthalene. Sulfuric acid and formaldehyde, condensates from ortho- and meta-cresol and 2-hydroynaphthalene-6-sulfonic acid, or mixtures of these products. Disperse dyes can be obtained e.g. under the trade name Terasil® (Ciba Spezialitaten-Chemie), Bemakron® (Bezema) or Foron® (Clariant). Foron types proved to be particularly suitable to achieve sufficient depth of color.
[0079] Also acid dyes can be utilized. Acid dyes are anionic dyestuffs and can contain azo, anthraquinone, quinophthalone, triphenyl methane and nitro groups. Mostly, they are available as Na-salts and are water soluble.
[0080] Dyestuffs from the group of the acid dyes can be obtained under the trade name Bezanyl (Bezema), Tectilon (Ciba Spezialitaten-Chemie) or Nylosan (Clariant).
[0081] Doping is to be understood as the use of the functional bath as means of transportation to incorporate doping agents as functional additives, e.g. compounds activable by laser, electronic compounds, photochromic or thermochromic additives, other temperature-sensitive compounds, additives enhancing contrast, optical functional additives or security features into the moulded component. Silver nitrate, lead tetraalkyls or iodine are preferred doping agents.
[0082] The moulded component has to be subsequently treated in a vapor of hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid when using silver nitrate or lead tetraalkyls. This procedure is for example suitable adjusting the refractive index and Abbe number.
[0083] The moulded component has to be irradiated subsequently by laser light when using compounds activable by laser for labeling or marking at the surface or after the spray-coating in the internal space of the moulded components or for later joining procedures.
[0084] The optical functional additives are particularly suitable for displays, filters, flat screens or similar uses.
[0085] For example substances that cause an optical modification of the irradiated area by influence of harmful radiation as UV or radioactive radiation are possible security features. This effect can be used for producing lithographic films.
[0086] Soerensen buffer, acetate buffer, ammonium acetate, ammonium sulfate, sodium acetate, sodium sulfate or dihydrogen phosphate or hydrogen phosphate of potassium, sodium or ammonium are preferred buffer agents or acidifying agents as the buffer G); ammonium acetate, ammonium sulfate or potassium dihydrogen sulfate are particularly preferred.
[0087] Carboxylic acids with 1-3 C atoms are preferred as aliphatic carboxylic acids; formic acid or acetic acid is particularly preferred.
[0088] Buffers are added to retain the pH value of the dye or doping bath stable in a narrow pH range, e.g. when using pH sensitive dyestuffs, such as disperse dyes or functional additives.
[0089] The combination of the carrier(s), the surfactants D) and E) and the choice of the dye temperature are of great importance in the process according to the present invention to avoid haze, inhomogeneity or fissure at the surface of the moulded component.
[0090] The dye procedure according to the present invention can be used on the whole moulded component surface or just locally if the surface is covered with lithographic lacquers or matrices. The substances to be transported can be selected in that way that the adhesion properties at the wetted sites are modified compared to the covered sites. As a result covering of the press cylinder for the printing office becomes possible which uses the high abrasion resistance of for example polyamide 1 and 2 (example 1, 2).
[0091] Furthermore, the present invention concerns a process, wherein the transparent moulding materials used for producing the moulded articles already contain additives from the group of the heat stabilizers, the UV stabilizers, the optical brighteners, the slip additives, the dyestuffs, the agents for anti-fogging equipment, the phosphorus compounds, the metal flakes, the impact resisting modifiers, the nano-scaled functional and/or filling agents, or the reinforcing agents or the mixings thereof, and the group of the foreign polymers or the group of the thermotropic or thermochromic additives that modify the shade of color depending on temperature or on the wave length of the irradiated light, wherein the additives can be added preferably to the moulding materials by incorporating of a corresponding master batch.
[0092] According to the present invention, the UV equipment of the moulding materials for producing the moulded article is performed by the incorporating of 2 to 10 wt-% of the corresponding master batch before producing the moulded component. The master batch contains 5 to 20 wt-% of at least one UV stabilizer. The quality of the dispersion of the master batch in the melted polymer mass and the avoiding of disposal on the screw and in the tools are of great importance.
[0093] A master batch is used as a master batch whose carrier material contains the main material of the moulding material for the moulded component and additionally 5 to 50 wt-% of a low melting, partial crystalline, in the main component soluble, i.e. compatible synthetic material with a melting point below the Tg of the main component. The low melting synthetic material preferably concerns (co)polyamides.
[0094] Advantageously, this low melting component contains the common optical brighteners according to prior art and ensures their gentle incorporating and good dispersion. Typical adding amounts of this master batch to the main component of the moulded component range between 2 and 10 wt-%. This master batch supports the process of producing the moulded component by improved flowability in a positive way and improves the security against fracture of the moulded component.
[0095] The dyeing procedure according to the present invention is suitable for the dyeing of both ophthalmic (optical) lenses and sunglass lenses of polyamide.
[0096] It is particularly suitable for dyeing of optical polyamide lenses that are milled and polished to preferred diopters and thus, feature a modified surface compared with a lens produced by an injection moulding method. The additional components in the dyeing procedure according to the present invention, triethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol, re-smooth such surfaces. The polyamide 4 (example 4) shows a particular suitability for producing optical lenses with high hardness and high refraction index.
[0097] The dyeing procedure according to the present invention allows the dyeing of finished eyeglasses particularly for polyamide 1 and polyamide 2 (example 1 and 2) with the particular properties of low temperature toughness and dynamic fatigue strength for completely reversed bending stress. Polyamide 1 and polyamide 2 meet the demands for producing lenses and of glass frame and can even be produced completely with glasses by the injection moulding method. The complete eyeglasses can be dyed under the terms of the dyeing procedure according to the present invention homogeneously or with color gradients or with various colors, without weakening the high mechanical requirements upon the frame.
[0098] The dyeing procedure according to the present invention does not affect the mechanical security functions for lenses and safety lenses as security against fracture, for example measured after the shooting test according to ANSI 87, negatively and achieves values as prior to the dyeing in the functional bath according to the present invention.
[0099] The dyeing procedure according to the present invention is very gentle, it also allows dip dyeings of composites already laminated with polarizing films or back-moulded which possess very thin sensitive layer structures and possess up to 90° C. stable polarization coating based on oriented, iodine doped polyvinyl alcohol films for inner layer of a polarizer that can contain a polyamide, polycarbonate or PMMA outer layer.
[0100] The process according to the present invention is also particularly suitable for dyeing single-layer cast film and as well as for sensitive, complex layer structures, such as for displays of the TFT screens.
[0101] Polyamide 1, polyamide 2 and polyamide 3 and polyamide 4 are particularly suitable for such active display foils, with excellent safety properties or refraction indices, produced as high-purity cast films that subsequently are laminated to multilayer display foils. For example methylene chloride and/or trifluoroethanol and/or benzyl alcohol or mixtures thereof are suitable solvents for producing the 15 to 20 wt-% casting solution.
[0102] The producing of the homogeneous solution can be accelerated by pressure and temperature. A solution prepared in that way remains stable at room temperature as well and can be used in the casting process. Particularly a mixture of 3 parts methylene chloride and 2 parts trifluoroethanol leads to advantageous, filterable casting solutions for producing high-value optical safety films or dopable carrier films for display laminates from high transparent and mechanical stable polyamides.
[0103] Polyamides also are suitable for producing polarization films because, similar to polyvinyl alcohol, the separation of NH groups can be adjusted by the selected monomer as it is possible with the OH groups of the PVA. These NH groups can be doped with iodine like the OH-groups, e.g. by the process according to the present invention, and be caused to interact by variation of the NH distance. After orientating of a doped foil by drawing, a unidimensional conducting structure of the iodine is formed which results in a polarization of light.
[0104] Compared with a polarization film of PVA, a polarization film of polyamide possesses clear advantages concerning the mechanical properties, the water absorption, the thermal stability, the orientation and the chemical resistance. Polyamide films also can be utilized as suitable safety films that show no adhesion distortion on the polyamide polarization film. Dyeing, equipping and doping the films or laminates can be performed by the process according to the present invention. Each polyamide coating can be designed with arbitrary refraction indices of 1.50 to 1.65. The coatings can be additionally drawn and layered parallelly or perpendicularly to the orientation. Thereby certain grating or filter effects can be achieved. Such parallelly and/or perpendicularly layered polyamide films can be drawn uni or two-dimensional as laminate and yield a thickness of the single layer of for example 10 to 1000 nm, which results in interesting optical properties.
[0105] Display films based on polyamides with polyamide polarization layer permit in contrast to polarization films based on PVA to produce the rollable screen that is pulled from the ball pen or from the cellular phone. Active screens can be produced as goods on rolls in every dimension.
[0106] Polyamides possess particularly excellent properties for producing films and fibers by thermoplastic melt processing. Thus, alternative methods for producing in the production of cast films for monolayers or multilayer laminates become available, such as the production of mono or multilayer flat or blown film that clearly work more efficient, more economical and more environmentally sound.
[0107] The dyeing/doping procedure according to the present invention also allows the treatment of moulded components which are made from different transparent polyamides. This is particularly advantageous in extrusion or injection moulding of composite materials, wherein the different polyamides have to meet various demands and must not be changed by the functional bath.
[0108] Possible fields of application of the dyed moulded components besides lenses are:
switching elements and vents for heating/ventilation in the automotive industry or in the field of housewares and telecommunication, electroluminescent films, e.g. display foils that afford extremely flat, luminous components without using LED's.
[0111] The present invention will now be illustrated in greater detail by means of the following examples, however, without limiting it thereto.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Producing Polyamide PA1
[0112] 35.7 kg diamine MACM (3,3-diamino-4,4-dimethyl dicyclohexyl methane) and 34.2 kg dodecane dicarboxylic acid are mixed with 30 kg water in a 130 L autoclave with stirrer. After heating up to 280° C. and at a pressure of maximum 30 bar, preferred 20 bar, the formulation is released to normal pressure and degassed to the desired viscosity. The polymer melting mass is discharged in strands, cooled down in a water bath and granulated. After drying, a relative viscosity in 0.5% m-cresol of 1.73 and a Tg of 153° C. is achieved. The polyamide is amorphous and crystal clear.
[0113] On an Arburg injection moulding machine, round plate-shaped lenses 70×2 mm are produced in polished tool. The cylinder temperature is between 260 and 340° C. with tool temperatures between 45 and 140° C. These plate-shaped lenses have a haze of 0.30 and a light transmission of 94% and are dyed in the processing bath.
Example 2
Producing Polyamide PA2
[0114] 23.0 kg diamine PACM (3,3-diamino dicyclohexyl methane) and 11.2 kg diamine MACM (3,3-diamino-4,4-dimethyl dicyclohexyl methane) and 35.7 kg dodecane dicarboxylic acid are mixed with 30.0 kg water in a 130 L autoclave with stirrer. After heating up to 280° C. and at a pressure of maximum 30 bar, preferred 20 bar, the formulation is released to normal pressure and degassed to the desired viscosity. The polymer melting mass is discharged in strands, cooled down in a water bath and granulated. After drying, a relative viscosity in 0.5% m-cresol of 1.85 and a Tg of 144° C. and melting point of 237° C. are achieved. The polyamide is microcrystalline and crystal clear.
Example 3
Producing Polyamide PA3
[0115] 30.0 kg diamine MACM (3,3-diamino-4,4-dimethyl dicyclohexyl methane) and 20.7 kg isophthalic acid and 26.0 kg laurin lactam are mixed with 23.0 kg water in a 130 L autoclave with stirrer. After heating up to 280° C. and at a pressure of maximum 30 bar, preferred 20 bar, the formulation is released to normal pressure and degassed to the desired viscosity. The polymer melting mass is discharged in strands, cooled down in a water bath and granulated. After drying a relative viscosity in 0.5% m-cresol of 1.55 and a Tg of 160° C. are achieved. The polyamide is amorphous and crystal clear.
Example 4
Producing Polyamide PA4
[0116] In the solutizer of a 130 L pressure autoclave 10.0 kg hexamethylene diamine, 23.0 kg m-xylylene diamine, 42.4 kg isophthalic acid are suspended in 24.0 kg water and heated in 2 h to 140-180° C. and stirred, wherein a pressure is adjusted to about 3.5-10 bar. After giving the solution into the pressure autoclave, no pressure phase is run, but during the heating to 260° C. it is released simultaneously so that the pressure inside the pressure autoclave always is below 4 bar. Then stirring is continued and the pressure is lowered slowly to 1 bar and for circa another 3 h as it is degassed. After achieving the desired torque of the stirrer, the formulation is emptied through a nozzle with bores of about 5 mm. The resulting polymer strands are led through a water bath, cooled down and cut into granulate. Thereafter, it is dried for about 12 h at 100° C. in a tumbling dryer under nitrogen. A colorless, crystal clear, amorphous polyamide is formed, with a glass transition temperature of 160° C. and a relative viscosity of 1.36 measured in 0.5% m-cresol solution.
[0117] Plate-shaped lenses as in example 1 are made thereof, which have a haze of 0.50 and a light transmission of 92%.
Example 5
Dyeing in the Functional Bath with PA1
[0118] Producing functional baths no. 1-5
[0119] For producing the dye solution, 0.5 g disperse dye Foron® red RD-E (Clariant) is dispersed at 40 to 60° C. in deionized water under stirring.
[0120] For producing the dye liquor, components B) to E) and G) and deionized water are mixed in a 1 L beaker and heated up to 60° C. under stirring. 10 ppm sodium lauryl sulfate is used thereby as surfactant emulsifier C) and 9.08 g potassium dihydrogen phosphate as buffer G).
[0121] Following, the dye solution is added to the solution of the other components in the beaker. It is adjusted with deionized water to 1 L and heated to the dyeing temperature of 85° C.
[0122] Diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol 400 are utilized as carriers in amounts according to Table 1.
[0123] Table I shows the ratios of the components B), D) and E) in the experimental dye baths.
TABLE 1 Ratios of the components B), D) and E) (bath no. 1 is accordant to the present invention) diethylene glycol bath monobutyl ether triethylene glycol polyethylene glycol no. B) D) 400 E) 1 20 g/l 20 g/l 1 g/l 2 20 g/l 20 g/l 3 20 g/l 1 g/l 4 20 g/l 1 g/l 5 20 g/l
Method for Dyeing Plate-Shaped Lenses of PA1, 85° C./15 Minutes Dyeing Time
[0124] The moulded component is cleaned in distilled water that may include surfactants emulsifiers, fitted in a suitable holding device on a top cover and immersed in the heated, gently stirred dye bath at 85° C. After 15 minutes the moulded component is removed and cleaned with distilled water in an ultrasonic bath and dried on air.
[0125] The optical measurements were performed with a device type Byk Gardner haze-Gard Plus (manufacturer Byk-Gardner) according to ASTM D 1003.
haze in % light transmission in % bath no. after dyeing After dyeing 0.80 54.6 2 6.70 48.6 3 2.30 51.0 4 0.90 86.0 5 1.60 48.8
[0126] Bath 1 results in haze<1% and light transmission<80%
[0127] Bath 2 results in haze>1%
[0128] Bath 3 results in haze>1%
[0129] Bath 4 results in haze<1% and a light transmission>80%
[0130] Bath 5 results in haze>1%
[0131] Result: Bath no. 1 with diethylene glycol monobutyl ether, triethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol (PEG 400) results in dyed plate-shaped lenses with low haze values at a high depth of color of 54% light transmission.
[0132] Bath no. 4 without diethylene glycol monobutyl ether results in a higher haze and a lower depth of color.
[0133] Especially bath 1 (according to the present invention) solves the object of the invention.
Example 6
Method for Dyeing Plate-Shaped Lenses PA4, 75° C./15 Minutes Immersion Time
[0134] The dye baths are produced according to example 1.
haze in % Light transmission in % bath no. after dyeing after dyeing 1 0.70 55.3 2 1.20 54.4 3 2.10 51.8 4 0.70 80.6 5 2.40 53.5
Bath 1 results in haze<1% and a light transmission<80%
Bath 2 results in haze>1%
Bath 3 results in haze>1%
Bath 4 results in haze<1% and a light transmission>80%
Bath 5 results in haze>1%
[0135] Result: Bath 1 (according to the present invention) solves the object of the invention and affords at a haze<1% and a high depth of color.
Example 7
Producing the Functional Bath No. 6 (According to the Invention)
[0136] For preparing the dye suspension, 0.15 g in each case of the dyes Cibacet Blau EL-B, Cibacet Gelb EL-F2G, Cibacet Scharlach EL-F2G (disperse dyes, Ciba) as well as 0.3 g Benzanyl schwarz N-R (acid dye, Bezema) are added into a 200 ml beaker and replenished with 100 ml water. 1.5 g Univadine Top and 1.5 g Sandacid PB were added to the formulation.
[0137] Subsequently, the suspension was heated with careful stirring by means of magnetic stir bars up to 60° C. carefully, until a homogeneous dispersion was existent.
[0138] Subsequently, the suspension was added into a beaker filled with 900 ml water and preheated up to 60° C. and was heated up to 85° C. with stirring.
[0139] Then 10 ppm sodium laurylsulfonate are used as surfactant/emulsifier C) and 1.5 g Sandacid PB are used as buffer G). Diethylene glycolmonobutylether, triethylene glycol and polyethylene glycol 400 are utitilized as carriers in amounts according to Table 2. Table 2 represents the ratios of the components A) to H) in bath no. 6.
TABLE 2 Ratios of the components A) to H) (bath no. 6) name of component g component Cibacet Blau EL-B 0.15 disperse dye, Ciba F Cibacet Gelb EL-F2G 0.15 disperse dye, Ciba F Cibacet Scharlach EL-F2G disperse dye, Ciba F Benzanl scwarz N-R 0.3 acid dye, Bezema F Univadine Top 1.5 dispersion agent H for disperse dyes Sandacid PB 1.5 Buffer G *DEG-monobutylether 40 B **TEG 60 D **PEG 24 E Na-laurylsulfonate (ppm) 10 Tenside C Water deionized 1000 A *DEG = diethylene glycol **TEG = triethylene glycol ***PEG = polyethylene glycol
Component H=dispersion agents and stabilizing agents especially for disperse dyes.
Method for Dyeing for Plate-Shaped Lenses of PA1, 85° C./4 min dipping time
[0140] The moulded component (plate-shaped lens PA1) was dipped into the bath for 4 minutes, subsequently cleaned in an ultrasonic bath filled with distilled water and mixed with 50 ppm sodium laurylsulfonate, rinsed with distilled water and air dried.
[0141] The optical measurements were performed with a device type Byk Gardner haze-Gard Plus (manufacturer Byk-Gardner) according to ASTM D 1003.
[0142] Result:
Transmission: 43.1% (44.1%. 42.1%) Haze: 0.43% (0.42%. 0.44%) Clarity: 99.4% (99.4%. 99.4%)
[0143] Thus, the conditions are met in clearly shorter dyeing time than in the aforementioned examples, namely transmission<80% and haze<1%.
[0000] Comparative Example According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2 (Prior Art)
[0144] Following dyeings from U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2 were reproduced:
[0145] Abstract of U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2, table 1, column 6, dyeing temperature 95° C.
light color from color- name transmission haze index Bayer (Lanxess) time in min in % in % Red G Macrolex rot G 10 32.7 2.5 Red 5B Macrolex rot 5B 10 67.8 2.2 Solven Green 3 Macrolex grün 5B 10 69.8 1.4 Dispers violet 26 Macrolex 10 57.3 3.0 rotviolet R
Producing Dyeing Solution According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2
[0146] 0.4% dyestuff was dissolved according to table 1, example with “RED 5B” with 66 g Levegal DLP (50 ml) by heating under stirring to 95° C., then added into a beaker with water (preheated to 95° C.) and replenished to one liter.
[0000] Method for Dyeing According to U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2
[0147] The moulded components, plate-shaped lenses with 2 mm thickness of PA1 were cleaned in distilled water and immersed into the slightly stirred dye bath with 95° C. After 10 minutes, as in Table 1, example with “RED 5B”, the moulded component was removed, cleaned in distilled water at 23° C. in a ultrasonic bath and dried with air.
[0148] For verification of the suitability of the process some examples from Table 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,749,646 B2 were reproduced. The table below contains the results of the re-enactments:
light name Bayer appearance predispersion or transmission (Lanxess) bath in % haze in % Macrolex bath: pearlescent suspension — — rot G with clearly visible organic and aqueous phases. Bath is unsuitable, therefore no dyeing Macrolex Bath: strong disposals, dye 91.8 0.58 rot 5B precipitates Macrolex Predispersion of dye and — — grun 5B carrier(s) - stagnats after briefly allowing to stand. No bath could be prepared. Macrolex Bath: homogeneous, dark. 80.6 0.66 rotviolet R After briefly allowing to stand the bath has a strong precipitation. None of the baths fulfills the condition for stability.
[0149] Modification of an example:
[0150] Mixing of 0.04% dye (instead of 0.4% according to table 1, example with “RED 5B”) with 66 g Levegal DLP (50 ml) by heating under stirring to 95° C., then added to a liter of water (preheated up to 95° C.). Such a dye concentration would be typical for dye liquors. Temperature: 95° C., time: 15 minutes
light name transmission haze Bayer (Lanxess) appearance predispersion or bath in % in % Macrolex rot G bath: clear solution 87.4 0.34
[0151] Low haze values are achieved; however, the achievable depths of color are low and appear in a high light transmission.
Example 8
Stability of the Dye Baths According to the Present Invention
[0152] The dye bath no. 1 of the examples 5 and 6 was cooled down to room temperature after the dyeing and stored in a closed bottle. After seven days the dye bath again was heated to 85° C. and further dyeings were performed. The results are comparable to example 5. The dye bath shows no disposals on the walls and shows a minor precipitation that can be slightly stirred up before the re-use, though.
Example 9
Stability of Dyed Plate-Shaped Lenses Against Staining of Dye in Primer Solution
[0000] On each plates dyed with bath 1 according to example 5 and 6 one drop of following primers was applied for 30 sec:
[0000] CyrstalCoat PR 1133 (contains 70 to 77% water, 16 to 18% 2-butoxyl ethanol, 3 to 5% diethylene glycol monobutyl ether)
[0000] CrystalCoat PR 1135 (contains 70 to 72% water, 12 to 15% 2-butoxyl ethanol, 2 to 4% N-methylpyrrolidone)
[0000] CrystalCoat PR 1165 (contains 7 to 9% water, 30 to 35% isopropanol, 1 to 5% N-methylpyrrolidone, 30 to 60% 1-methoxy-2-propanol)
[0153] The drop was wiped after 30 seconds with suction paper tissues. The wiped primer shows no discoloration, nor by wiping under stronger manual pressure. Thus, no staining of dye occurs.
Example 10
Producing of a Master Batch for the UV Protection for Polyamide 1, 2, 3
[0154] 8.1 kg polymer 1 and 1.0 kg Griltex 2 AGF (base material PA1 containing the optical brightener Blancophor) are mixed with 0.90 kg Tinuvin 326 for 30 minutes and extruded at 280° C. The strands are cooled down in the water bath after extruding, cut and dried. For equipping the polymer 1, 2 or 3 with UV protection (transmission at 400 nm<0.5%), 4% of this master batch is mixed with the rest of granulate and directly injection-moulded in the moulded component.
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The present invention relates to a novel composition of dye baths or processing baths and a process for tinting, dyeing or doping of moulded components with functional additives in these aqueous dipping baths or processing baths. The moulded components contain transparent or translucent (co)polyamides. If the moulded components should be tinted or dyed according to an embodiment of the invention, the dyeing can be performed as homogeneous dyeing or as gradient dyeing. The process according to the present invention is particularly suitable for producing high-value objects like ophthalmic lenses, sun lenses for eyeglasses, magnifying glasses, all kinds of inspection glasses, polarization films and display films, particularly if changing depths of color (gradients) are desired. This generating of a dyeing gradient requires dyeing in a dipping process, whereby the desired depth of color is achieved by multiple times of dipping the surface areas of the moulded article in the dye bath.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/068,943, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/704,612, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,948,371, which is a Division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/152,628, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,342,496, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/770,097 filed on Jan. 24, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/177,382, filed Jan 24, 2000. This application further claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/134,049 filed Apr. 26, 2002, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/286,450 filed Apr. 27, 2001, now U.S. Pat. 6,661,339, which issued Dec. 9, 2003. This application further claims the benefit of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/798,932 filed Mar. 11, 2004, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application 09/803,681 filed on Mar. 12, 2001, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application 60/196,127 filed on Apr. 11, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,718,888. The disclosures of the above applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to an RFID device for tracking reusable material handling apparatus, and in particular to a label, tag or placard for use in the management of plastic pallets having cavities to receive said devices.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Pallets are used to move products through supply chains and to store products between movements. Wood has been the preferred material of pallet construction. A number of standard pallet sizes, such as the Grocery Manufacturers Association (“GMA”) style 48×40 inch pallet, have been used to facilitate the wide spread use of wooden pallets across differing distribution networks with some success. Such pallets are utilized in great numbers in what is known in industry as “pallet exchange”. It is estimated that there are 2.2 billion wood pallets in North America.
[0004] Wooden pallets have problems. In particular, wooden pallets deteriorate with use and cause problems that add user costs. Fortune 500 companies that utilize large numbers of wooden pallets seek to overcome problems associated with deteriorating pallets by hiring wooden pallets from pallet rental companies. Pallet rental companies maintain large pools of wooden pallets and repair damaged wooden pallets before they are re-used. Large users of wooden pallets have therefore been able to manage their costs by transferring the burdens associated with wooden pallet deterioration and pallet exchange to other supply chain service companies.
[0005] Although the business model used by pallet rental companies has enjoyed some success, there have been problems. For example, it is difficult to keep track of wooden pallets after they are let for hire. Chep International, the largest pallet pooling company, reportedly lost 14 million wooden pallets, and booked a $238 million adjustment in its financial reporting. These pallet tracking and other inherent wooden pallet problems have increased the need to modify business models relating to the use of pallets for rental purposes.
[0006] For example, there are several business conditions and economic factors combined with a convergence of technologies that have led to the creation of track and trace technologies exemplified by the term RFID (radio frequency identification). RFID holds the promise of providing real time supply chain visibility so that in the first instance pallet rental companies would be able to track their rental assets and in the second instance so that pallet users could trace their product through the supply chain.
[0007] Implementation of RFID, in one respect, involves the attachment of a tag, which contains a unique identification code, onto a pallet and a distributed network of tag readers. The tag readers associate a tag with a known location to determine the status or progress of the pallet within the supply chain. In this manner, the pallet can be tracked and traced with some accuracy, and the status of the pallet can be queried and displayed according to well understood principles by industry.
[0008] Implementation of any RFID system is problematic with regard to wooden pallets. For instance, in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/701,745, which is assigned to Chep International, it is suggested that a tag can be positioned exteriorly upon a nine block GMA style 48×40 inch wooden pallet. Thus, as each tag is read its location would be known. There are however several problems with such an arrangement. In the first instance, it is known that wood absorbs liquid and liquids interfere with radio frequency signals. Therefore, the reliability of communication between the reader and the tag could be compromised by the wooden materials utilized in the construction of the pallet. In a second instance, a tag that is exteriorly positioned upon a surface of a wooden pallet would be subject to a high level of the wear and tear. The impact of a fork tine against an exteriorly positioned tag could result in the destruction of the tag and the loss of the data stored in the memory of the tag. In the final analysis, wood is not a suitable material for constructing pallets that must work within radio frequency rich environments.
[0009] As a result of some of the aforementioned circumstances and problems industry has attempted to utilize plastic materials in the construction of pallets. The replacement of wood with plastic has had some success but there have been problems associated with the use of plastic pallets that are to be used in association with track and trace technologies including RFID.
[0010] An early example of a plastic pallet that employees a data collection device (i.e. a tag) to provide a track and trace capability is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,971,592 to Kralj et al. In this cited reference the data collection devices are contained in cavities located on each side of the four corners of the pallet. The apparent need for a tag in each corner is due to the short interrogation range of the readers of the day. In this arrangement a plurality of tags are required which would be more costly than an arrangement in which only one tag is required.
[0011] Similarly, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,199,488 to Favaron et al., a plastic pallet with two RFID cards (i.e. tags) is shown and described. The cards are positioned at angles and in the opposite corners so that at least one card is in communication range with a detector (i.e. a reader) from a side position (i.e. from a portal column or fork lift mounted reader). Although the Favaron et al. arrangement utilizes fewer tags than the Kralj et al. arrangement, Favaron et al. nevertheless utilizes more than one tag which is less economical than the use of one tag. A similar arrangement, requiring two or more tags, is disclosed in more thorough detail in U.S. Pat. No. 6,669,089, which was filed Nov. 12, 2001, and is assigned to 3M Innovative Properties Company.
[0012] Presumably, the arrangements suggested by Kralj et al. would be more reliable than the arrangement of application '745 because the devices of Kralj et al. are enclosed within the structures forming the pallet and therefore are less susceptible than exteriorly mounted tags to damage from fork impacts, wear and tear and the like. Furthermore, Kralj et al. would be more reliable than Favaron et al. because although Favaron et al. contemplates the containment of the tag within the body of the pallet, the Favaron et al. arrangement could allow liquids and other debris to penetrate into and accumulate within a socket wherein the tag of Favaron et al. is located. Liquids and debris within the socket could damage the tag or result in unreliable communication between the tag and the reader.
[0013] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,483,434, which is assigned to IFCO Systems, another pallet rental company, it is suggested that the delicate components of a transponder (i.e. a tag) can be protectively housed inside a plastic casing. The casing containing the delicate transponder could be subsequently positioned inside an injection mold and incorporated safely into an injection molded component forming part of a plastic pallet. This arrangement would protect the tags and overcome the problem associated with Favaron et al, wherein the tags are indirectly exposed to wear and tear.
[0014] Although the arrangements encasing the RFID tags within the plastic pallet embodiments cited above offer levels of protection superior to the method of application '745, such arrangements nevertheless have additional problems. In particular, in order to remove, replace or repair the tags of the prior art references, the plastic pallets themselves would have to be deconstructed or destroyed to provide access to the tags. Accordingly, the prior art does not contemplate an efficient means to either replace defective or damaged tags or to upgrade long lasting plastic pallets with new tags incorporating enhanced capabilities as these become available. It should be noted that a plastic pallet can have a life span of +/− ten years, which length of time may easily exceed the lifecycle of a deployed RFID technology.
[0015] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,814,287 to Chang et al. a pallet apparatus equipped with a radio frequency recognition module is described. In a first wooden pallet embodiment the module comprises a molded cup forming a compartment that receives a tag. The cup is covered by a cap to enclose the tag inside the compartment. The module is inserted into a cavity formed in a block or stringer of the wooden pallet. In a second plastic pallet embodiment, the module comprises a removable clip for holding a tag and the clip attaches to the exterior of the plastic pallet. Both embodiments provide an efficient means for accessing a tag without deconstructing or destructing the pallet itself. However, in both cases the module could become detached from the associated pallet resulting in the loss of data and possibly the pallet.
[0016] In the above cited references two or more tags are suggested so that information can be obtained from at least one tag. However, in order to write information into the two or more tags, the tags would have to be synchronized with one another. This adds complexity to the implementation of RFID methods and systems. When only a single tag is attached to one side of a pallet, the pallet itself could become an obstacle. In this case the pallet would need to be rotated so that the pallet side with the tag faces the reader. Rotating the pallet is time consuming.
[0017] Accordingly, it has been suggested that a tag can be positioned substantially in the center region of the pallet. For example, publication document Netherlands 9401836 proposes locating a tag in the center of a pallet and mounting readers on the tines of a fork lift to enable the reader to communicate with the tag. This arrangement is not amenable to reading the tag from the side through a portal mounted reader. For example, the metal tines could block signals intended for the tag. In U.S patent application Ser. No. 10/962,574, a preferred embodiment involves forming a through hole penetrating from one to the other side of the pallet, and positioning a tag inside the through hole in the vicinity of the middle of the pallet. The through hole is characterized as a transmission pathway for radio frequencies traveling between the tag and the reader. One problem with application Ser. No. 10/962,574 is that the through hole could collect debris that could impair the operability of the tag.
[0018] As discussed above, the life cycle of a plastic pallet may exceed the useful life cycle of a tag technology. Therefore, it would be advantageous in the adaptation of the plastic pallet to anticipate replacement of earlier tags with technologically up-dated tags. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,844,857, assigned to Linpac Moulding, it has been suggested that a recess, provided with a cover, could be developed to enable the removal and exchange of a circuit (i.e. tag IC) to program the circuit with current data or to exchange the circuit in the case of damage or malfunction or to update tag technology. Although the arrangement does not contemplate the destruction of the plastic pallet to access the tag IC, the recess of U.S. Pat. No. 6,844,857 is not developed to accommodate more than one tag IC at a time. This is a problem because there is a need to provide pallets with a plurality of tags so that the pallet can function across non-interoperable RFI D systems existing within the supply chain.
[0019] In U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,076, assigned to Allibert Equipment, the advantage of providing a plastic pallet with a tag holder (i.e. a recess) is offered. The tag holder is an open design and provides an easy way to change a tag. The carrier (i.e. pallet) disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,816,076 also contemplates the use of first and second tags involving a relay relationship, in which the antenna of the second tag is operable to increase the read range of the first tag. Such an arrangement is impractical because the first tag incorporated into the plastic pallet that contains the unique pallet ID becomes redundant once the unique ID of the first tag is associated with the unique ID of the second tag.
[0020] What is needed is a plastic pallet that is adapted to operate in a radio frequency rich environment. In particular, the pallet must be able to protect RF devices from wear and tear. Where practical, only one tag indicative of a first characteristic should be required, not two tags as is known in the art. The pallet must also provide access to the devices for any number of purposes as would be anticipated in the art.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0021] In accordance with the present invention a pallet is provided that is amenable to operating in an RF-rich environment. Towards this end the materials utilized to construct the pallet comprise materials that are substantially transparent to RF signals so that RF signals may pass through the materials utilized to construct the pallet.
[0022] It is another object to provide a pallet product with multiple unique identification codes so that a plurality of components each with individual IDs can be combined to form a single product entity having its own unique product ID. This aspect allows a variety of parties to enjoy multiple levels of product identification.
[0023] It is another object to provide the pallet with at least one compartment to accommodate identification devices therein. According to this aspect, in one embodiment, the compartment is created as part of the pallet structure and is located in a position that enables the compartment to occupy a large space to accommodate at least one large identification device.
[0024] It is another object to provide an identification device that takes advantage of the large size of the compartment of the pallet. Toward this end an identification device comprising a folded article is inserted into the pallet cavity. The folded article is made from a flexible substrate or lamination of material with an in-layed integrated circuit and an antenna. The tag, label or placard material with the RFID components is scored, die cut and later assembled or disassembled using integral interlocking tabs. The folded article occupies three RF planes when inserted within the compartment to communicate with external RF apparatus positioned adjacent said pallet. In another aspect the multi-planar device is also multi-modal such that the device operates electromagnetically and electrostatically. In another aspect the multi-planar device is multi-band such that the device operates at different frequency bands, used within the supply chain.
[0025] It is another object to provide a pallet that accommodates identification apparatus that omits a distributed network of reader devices to facilitate communication between a pallet ID device and a remote host. Toward this end a pallet includes an apparatus populated with at least one of a cellular communications module, a GPS communications module, a Bluetooth communications module, a LAN communications module, a PCS communications module, an interrogation module or any other wireless communications means module as may be anticipated looking forward into the future wherein apparatus is provided to enable close range (up to 10 yards), intermediate range (up to 300 yards) and long range (to several miles) air interface communications without relying upon cable or wire connections. In still further connection with this aspect, a pallet is provided that couples said wireless communication devices, including RFID tags and the like, with sensors to monitor conditions indicative of at least one particular external environmental factor.
[0026] It is another object to provide a pallet that includes an RFID reader/writer interrogator for reading and writing to external RFID beacon tags, internal RFID pallet tags and RFID item tags carried by the pallet. The RFID reader/writer interrogator is integrated with one or more communications modules for communicating out of RFID range with pallet management entities. The RFID reader/writer interrogator includes an antenna arrangement having a signal pattern directed to a transporting and storage area for containing the articles with attached RFID item tags to maintain a real-time manifest of pallet inventory. The pallet's RFID reader/writer interrogator is configured to be responsive to the addition and removal of articles with attached RFID item tags upon the load-bearing surface of the pallet. The RFID reader/writer interrogator is additionally communicatively coupled to RFID pallet tags for the purpose of obtaining RFID pallet tag data to which the system is responsive. The RFID reader/writer interrogator includes further antenna arrays for communicative coupling with RFID beacon tags positioned along the distribution path of the pallet. RFID beacon tag data obtained by the pallet's RFID reader/writer interrogator is aggregated with the data obtained from the RFID item tags and RFID pallet tags and packaged for communication via the one or more communications modules to the pallet management entities.
[0027] It is another object to provide the pallet with a power resource for autonomous operation. Towards this end a power supply is used to provide power to the components of the pallet apparatus. The power supply can include a battery, a rechargeable battery, and a renewable power supply that optionally rectifies voltage generated by antenna coils into stored energy or an electro-mechanical device that develops storable energy when the pallet is agitated by movement. The power supply is a power resource for active RFID pallet tags, the RFID reader/writer interrogator and the communications modules of the pallet apparatus.
[0028] It yet another object to remove electronic equipment from the cavities in the apparatus, so that the apparatus itself is 100% recyclable. During use of the apparatus, the electronic equipment will have to be removed from time to time from the cavity in order to replenish the power or upgraded the different communications devices, sensors, micro processors and RFID devices including folded article, resident within each cavity.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES.
[0029] The foregoing and other features and advantages of the present invention will be more readily appreciated as the same become better understood from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:
[0030] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a GMA style 48×40 inch pallet including a compartment in the deck structure;
[0031] FIGS. 2 3 and 4 represent an exploded sectional view of deck structure of the pallet indicated at the position 20 of FIG. 1 ;
[0032] FIG. 5 is a side elevation view of the deck structure of the pallet showing the three sheets of a preferred embodiment;
[0033] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the underside of the deck structure and a side elevation view showing the deck structure from the 48-inch side of a pallet;
[0034] FIG. 7 is a side elevation section of the deck taken from the center region of the pallet;
[0035] FIG. 8 is a side elevation section of the base of the pallet of FIG. 1 taken from the center region of the pallet;
[0036] FIG. 9 is a plan view of one embodiment of an RFID tag comprising three sections and showing within each section a plurality of antenna structures;
[0037] FIG. 9A is a perspective view of the RFID tag in FIG. 9 assembled for use inside a pallet cavity for radio frequency communication.
[0038] FIG. 9B is a perspective view of the RFID tag in FIG. 9A showing the male tab 140 positioned in the female tab 138 for assembly purposes.
[0039] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the prior art of a basic RFID system;
[0040] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the complexity of overlapping non-interoperable basic RFID systems;
[0041] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating the invention wherein a cellular network is used to provide a communication link between a pallet ID device and a supply chain host;
[0042] FIG. 13 is a side elevation section showing the combination of the deck and the base of FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively wherein the ID devices and communications modules of the invention are protectively housed within the compartments of the present invention.
[0043] FIG. 14 is a side view of a section of a fuel tank for moving vehicles showing an electronic device with a RFID device, a wireless communications module, a sensor module, a sensor assembly, an actuator and a power supply.
[0044] FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of the electronic equipment inside the upper compartment of the pallet shown in FIG. 13 .
[0045] FIG. 16 is a schematic showing the RFID pallet tag, RFID reader/writer interrogator and communications modules receiving power from the battery and power resource.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0046] The present embodiments of pallet structures are merely representative of the principles of the invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention or application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any expressed or implied theory presented in the preceding technical filed, background, or brief summary of the following detailed description. For example, the pallet structures can be made of any plastic, wood, metal, cellulose material or combination thereof. The pallet structures may be injection molded, blow molded, compression molded, differential pressure formed, stamped, die-cut, fabricated and assembled, welded, and bonded together. The pallets can take the form of GMA style 48×40 inch pallets, nine-legged nestable pallets, shipping trays, returnable dunnage and the like. Other products falling within the scope of the invention include IBCs, RPCs, ULDs, fuel tanks and the like.
[0047] One preferred embodiment involves exemplary pallet structure 2 comprising a combination of plastic forming techniques as will be described below. Further, the present exemplary pallet structure is in the form of a GMA style 48×40 inch pallet. By way of description the GMA style pallet has the specifications listed below:
[0048] 1. Exact 48-inch×40-inch dimensions. Square in each direction.
[0049] 2. True four-way entry. Capable of accommodating existing pallet jacks from all four sides (as opposed to current style with cutouts and stringers).
[0050] 3. Minimum-width pallet jack openings of 12 inches and minimum height of 3 3/4 inch clearance when under load. Width of each center support must be less than six inches to accommodate pallet jacks.
[0051] 4. Smooth, non-skid, top-bearing surface should have at least 85% coverage. However, 100% is preferred. Non-skid surface should be flat, or have no indentations or protrusions that could cause product damage.
[0052] 5. Bottom-bearing surface of no less than 60% coverage with properly placed cut-outs (12-inches square) for pallet jack wheels from four sides. Surface should be flat or have no indentations or protrusions that could cause product damage.
[0053] 6. All bottom entry edges should be chamfered to ¼-inch for easy entry and exit.
[0054] 7. Overall height of platform should not exceed six inches.
[0055] 8. Rackable from both the 48-inch and 40-inch dimensions. Allowable deflection in drive-in and drive through racks no more than ½ inch.
[0056] 9. Compatible with pallet conveyors, pallet dispensers, skate-wheel pallet-flow racks, and automatic storage and retrieval systems.
[0057] 10. No protruding fasteners.
[0058] 11. Must be made of material that does not contaminate the product it carries.
[0059] 12. Must meet or exceed current pallet resistance to fire.
[0060] 13. Must be recyclable. Preferably made of recycled material.
[0061] 14. Desired weight under 50 pounds.
[0062] 15. Load capacities of 2,800 pounds. Capable of bearing 2,800-pound loads safely in stacks five loads high.
[0063] 16. Repairs should be economically feasible.
[0064] 17. Weather resistant.
[0065] 18. Moisture resistant.
[0066] 19. Capable of safely moving product, damage free, through the entire distribution channel with multiple cycles (from manufacturer through distributor to retail).
[0067] The exemplary pallet structure of the invention comprises two parts including a deck 4 and a base 6 . Together the deck and the base form the GMA style pallet 8 . The pallet structure 2 contains at least one identification device 10 , for example a radio frequency identification device (RFID) 12 or a surface acoustic wave (SAW) device 14 , although the one identification device may be any one of a tag, a capsule, a label, a printed circuit board (PCB), and the like that communicates wirelessly without limitation by employing antennas instead of cables. Preferably a first device 16 identifies the deck and a second device 18 identifies the base. Preferably each part (i.e. the deck and base) is given a unique identification, and this ID record is indicated by the two respective identification devices 16 and 18 . The parts are combined to create one product 8 . The one product is also given a unique identification distinct from the IDs of the associated parts. Therefore, the pallet 2 has a plurality of IDs, and in the present case three: a first ID for the deck, a second ID for the base and a third ID for the combination product.
[0068] The IDs of the exemplary pallet are characterized as first level IDs, second level IDs, third level IDs and so on. In the present case the two part IDs are level one IDs, and the one combination product ID is a level two ID. By way of example, a pallet, with ID number 1006 , is associated with the combination of deck, with ID number 101 , and base, with ID number 203 . Unique pallet ID number 1006 expires when the association of ID numbers 101 and 203 ends. The association ends for example when the deck is reconfigured with a new base, providing a new (up-graded or customized) product. A new unique second level ID is given to the new combination product when the new association is made.
[0069] Preferably, both the first and second level IDs are evident in each identification device utilized in each part. In other words, each identification device contains code space for at least two IDs. However, when a product involves only one part the device can have a non-volatile memory or record, therefore getting by with only one unique ID. Such a case is only exemplary.
[0070] A pallet may also require a unique third level ID as discussed below. In one scenario the pallet is made by a first company and sold to a second company. The second company utilizes the pallet for internal use i.e. closed-loop purposes. The first company (i.e. the manufacturer) will have a permanent record of a production date, performance specification and material content in the unique first and second level IDs of the parts and product, respectively, sold to the second company. The second company (i.e. the end user) will know at least the second level ID for warranty purposes and the like should the second company return the pallet to the first company for recycling and the like. The second company will also have a dynamic record of the status associated with at least the second level ID or another third level ID if the second level ID is not interoperable within the end user's operating environment (in other words the end user may place another ID device inside the pallet, the second device operating in another mode or frequency band than the first). Therefore, the second company may use a third level ID to associate the pallet within its deployed track and trace system. In a second scenario the manufacturer sells the known parts and product to a second party that leases the product to third parties. A third party may require a unique third or fourth level ID to indicate a customized characteristic indicative of the product. For example, a third party may monitor external temperature to know the shipping status of a unit load. The information indicative of temperature is associated with a unique third or fourth level ID that is distinct from the first and second level IDs associated with the parts and pallet product. Hence, a pallet product may have a plurality of unique IDs.
[0071] Therefore, one now appreciates that a pallet must be configured to comply with the GMA performance specifications while at the same time interoperating within a variety of RF-rich environments.
[0072] For this purpose the exemplary pallet of FIG. 1 is suggested. Pallet 2 is known as a GMA style 48×40 inch pallet 8 and complies with all 19 GMA performance specifications listed above. Pallet 2 comprises a deck part 4 and a base part 6 . The deck and base snap together to provide a single pallet product 8 .
[0073] Although the deck and base can be constructed utilizing any combination of materials and formed using any forming technique, the preferred structure is primarily based upon differential pressure forming, which is some times known as thermoforming or vacuum forming. In the present case, the deck and base are thermoformed according to the triple sheet method, but twin sheet forming can be used with satisfaction. Both thermoforming arts are known in the patent record.
[0074] Triple sheet is preferred over twin sheet for several reasons, which would be known by referring to co-owned U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,749,418 and 6,718,888. Referring now to FIGS. 2 , 3 and 4 , a section 20 of deck is seen comprising three sheets of molded plastic. A top sheet 22 provides a flat surface 24 to provide up to 100 percent surface coverage for supporting unit loads thereon (not shown). A middle sheet 26 and a bottom sheet 28 together provide a load bearing platform 30 and a plurality of double walled leg pockets 32 that support the platform above the base, to allow for the introduction of fork tines, pallet jacks and the like, which are used to move the pallet. The leg pockets 32 may be rectangular, square, round or oval in shape. The structure of a triple sheet configuration results in a hybrid honeycomb arrangement that yields a stronger strength to weight ratio than a twin sheet structure using an equivalent measure of plastic material. Furthermore, the method is preferred because sheet 22 provides a flat load support surface 34 while the two other sheets 26 and 28 form a rigid platform 30 and double walled leg pockets 32 (a twin sheet structure would have less than 100 percent surface coverage if the top sheet was deformed to provide double walled legs and therefore could not comply with specifications 4 and 15 simultaneously). Double walled legs support a higher static load than a single walled leg using the same measure of plastic. A higher strength to weight ratio is preferred for familiar economic reasons.
[0075] The present embodiment of triple sheet deck is preferred because the added strength of the structure allows the thermoforming practitioner to utilize an all plastic material combination rather than two sheets of plastic plus captive cross-members that would be required to add strength to comply with specification 8 for rack strength. All plastic is preferred because some materials used to construct the cross members may block or interfere with the transmission of RF signals. The cross members also add cost and complexity to the making, maintenance and recycling of the pallet structure.
[0076] In the present exemplary case the middle sheet incorporates a series of angles 36 arranged in the 48 inch direction of the 48×40 inch deck, although the angles can be arranged in the 40 inch direction with satisfaction. The angles extend between and fuse to the top sheet and the bottom sheet in a repeating manner between the opposed sides 38 a and 38 b that are 40 inches apart, and thus maintain the top sheet and the bottom sheet a fixed distance apart (+/−1.5 inches). There may be as many as 80 angles or as few as 20 angles extending from side to side in a 48×40 inch pallet foot print. The angles are interrupted in nine locations 40 designated for leg pockets, although any number of leg pockets or parallel runners falls within the scope of the invention. The bottom sheet incorporates a series of rigidifying blocks 42 that are positioned in line 44 to restrict the angles from bending, like an accordion, when the structure is loaded. The blocks may be short or tall, extending less than or the full height of the angles. The blocks are further aligned as suggested in FIG. 6 , so that the blocks create an in-line ribbed structure 46 adding additional reinforcement substantially perpendicular to the stronger 48 inch direction (i.e. in the 40 inch direction).
[0077] Although angles 36 are preferred, any rigidifying methodology may be used with satisfaction. The angles are preferred because they are shown to provide the best strength characteristics, as would be known by referring to an article entitled “Plate-Stiffening” written by K. Lowenfeld, published in Der Maschinenmarkt (Wurzburg, Germany), which is incorporated hereunder by such reference.
[0078] The base is also constructed according to the triple sheet method, although twin sheet can be used satisfactorily. The base is joined to the deck at a leg interface 48 by a snap fit arrangement 50 . The base includes 4 square cutouts 52 that are intended to accommodate the wheels of a pallet jack or the like, which move the pallet.
[0079] As indicated in FIGS. 7 and 8 the deck and base of the exemplary GMA style pallet is adapted for operation in an RF-rich environment. In particular, the deck and base incorporate compartments 54 and 56 respectively, and the compartments are adapted to receive and enclosed electronic devices as will be described later.
[0080] With respect to compartments 54 and 56 , it will be appreciated that the compartments are situated in the location of the center region 58 of the pallet structures, although one or more compartments may be formed in another location 60 corresponding to any one of the nine legs (i.e. in any deep structures) of the exemplary pallet. Additionally, compartments may be formed in locations between the leg pockets, depending upon the preferences of the practitioner. For example, if the pallet embodiment is a nesting style pallet in which case the legs inter-nest for consolidated shipment and storage, the compartment can be incorporated on a top or bottom surface of such a pallet embodiment.
[0081] It will also be understood by those familiar with the art of thermoforming that the threaded aspects 62 of the compartments can only be provided through novel intervention as will be described in reference to an exemplary triple sheet molding methodology. With respect to the deck, it should be known that the preferred thermoforming arrangement is one in which the bottom sheet 28 is first formed over a first mold (and the second mold is used as a plug-assist to help form the exterior leg structure 64 of the deep leg pocket having an approximate +/−4:1 draw ratio). Next the middle sheet 26 is formed over a second mold having deep leg pocket portions (not shown) in order to allow the cantenary effect of the heated sheet 26 to benefit the forming thereof. After the first and second sheets are thermoformed they are brought together in a twin sheet phase and compressed together by opposed platens between the first and second molds to make a twin sheet sub-assembly (not shown). The twin sheet sub assembly is extracted from the sheet line when a lower platen carrying the first mold is lowered to make way for the third sheet that is thermoformed over a third mold suspended from a top platen in a position parallel and vertically aligned with the first platen. When the twin sheet sub assembly is in the extracted position a shuttle apparatus known in the art delivers an injection molded insert 66 to a selected location 68 and deposits the insert onto the middle sheet, where formed details 70 of the middle sheet retain the insert in a fixed location upon the twin sheet sub-assembly. (The insert is not limited in size in the 48 or 40 inch directions.) After the third sheet is thermoformed over the third mold the first platen extends upward into the sheet line where after the twin sheet sub-assembly is compressed against the third sheet between the first and third molds to form an instant triple sheet assembly 72 . During the “triple sheet” phase the heated third sheet and heated second sheet are caused to fuse to the exterior surfaces 74 of the insert. The insert is thereby incorporated into the triple sheet assembly. After the triple sheet assembly is extracted from the thermoforming machine a trimming router or the like removes a section 76 of material of the third sheet to provide a compartment opening 78 , thereby exposing threads 80 formed in the insert, which threads are adapted to receive a cover 82 as will be described later.
[0082] It should be noted that the exemplary insert can be incorporated into a triple sheet, twin sheet or single sheet article. Furthermore, the exemplary insert can be incorporated interiorly (as shown) or exteriorly, depending upon the preference of the practitioner. The insert can involve threads positioned annularly on an inside (as shown) or outside surface, and the threads can be substituted with any structure that will receive and retain with security a removable cover in place to enclose the compartment.
[0083] In the present exemplary pallet the compartment is formed in the center region of the pallet so that identification and other electronic devices situated within a respective compartment thereof are substantially equidistant from a device reader positioned adjacent the pallet, for example a hand held, portal or fork lift mounted reader Furthermore, the compartment is formed in the center region of the exemplary pallet because the deep leg pocket structure of the pallet affords more space for the compartment than would be the case if the compartment where located in a position between the leg pockets. GMA specifications call for a deck 4 thickness of 1.5 inches, a base thickness of 0.75 inches and an overall pallet height of 6 inches. This provides a fork lift opening 84 between the deck and base of 3.75 inches, allowing a maximum 0.250 inch for deflection to remain within GMA tolerance. Therefore, the deck and base structures of a GMA type pallet do not have the thickness to allow for a deep compartment. By developing a compartment in the legs of a pallet the compartment can be considerably larger allowing for the use of larger identification devices and even a plurality of devices, as will be described later.
[0084] Therefore the leg pockets are utilized to increase the size capacity of the compartment. In the present embodiment, the depth of the compartments 54 and 56 of the deck and base are 4 inches and 1.5 inches, respectively. A compartment formed otherwise in the platform section of the deck would be +/−1.25 inches in depth, and a compartment formed in the base would be +/−0.5 inches, while allowing for the thickness of the pallet material.
[0085] It is advantageous to provide a large compartment because there is a need to accommodate at least one large ID device plus other devices and sensors as will be described below.
[0086] Tags communicate with a reader through an antenna. Tags exist in all forms, shapes and sizes. A number of factors determines the form, shape and size of the antenna, whether it is a small (postage stamp) planar antenna, a small capsule or cylindrical antenna, a label antenna of any type, a printed circuit board, a formed (helical, notched) aerial antenna and the like, as well as passive, active or active/passive antenna. Any combination and variety of antenna, whether deposited on a carrier or formed from a conductor can be accommodated within the compartment. The antennas can also be orientated vertically, horizontally, or diagonally with respect to the reader's signal pattern, broadly interpreted.
[0087] Therefore, the compartment should be as large as possible to accommodate a wide range of antenna in a number of different orientations suitable for tag to reader data exchange.
[0088] For example, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) (e.g., 915 MHz, 2.45 GHz) electromagnetic tags are preferred in association with pallets because of their relatively long range abilities. Lower frequency (e.g., 125 kHz, 13.56 MHz) electrostatic tags are preferred for close range inventory or shelving applications requiring good signal carrier reflection. However, all frequency bands and modes of operation (i.e. electromagnetic, electrostatic, acoustic) are intended to be used by any possible identification device that may be located in the compartment in order to monitor the pallet and its unit load through all stages of the disparate supply chain.
[0089] Lower frequency antennas are comparably large in relation to UHF antennas. Low frequency tags are characterized by label style structures in which a low conductivity ink may be applied to a lower cost substrate to provide a planar antenna that is non-resonant. Such a tag antenna may, by way of example only, be 2×2 inches in size and less than 1/32 inches in cross section. Furthermore, when the low frequency tag antenna is increased in size the range typically increases. Therefore, the larger the compartment, the larger the antenna that can be protectively accommodated inside the pallet, and therefore the greater the tag read range. Increased read range is regarded as beneficial in most cases.
[0090] Furthermore, it is known that when the conventional antennas of the reader and the tag are perpendicular to the direction of the signal that there is more effective communication there between the two. Therefore, the tag antenna structures may preferably occupy designated space inside the compartment to facilitate a preferred reader to tag orientation. In association with this requirement, one low frequency tag may contain three antennas in three orientations, as will be discussed below.
[0091] Readers 86 may be fixed, mounted or hand held. In a first setting there may be a portal arrangement in which the reader comprises a reader antenna array 88 a situated on vertical column. A preferred tag antenna orientation 92 for this setting would be vertical. In a second setting the reader antenna array 88 b may be situated above or below the path traveled by the tag, and the favored tag antenna orientation 94 would be horizontal. In a third setting the reader antenna array 88 c is mounted on a fork lift, and the preferred vertical tag antenna orientation 98 may be perpendicular to vertical orientation 92 . In order to facilitate the full range of preferred tag orientations 92 94 and 98 it may be necessary to rotate the pallet 90° in order to provide proper orientation in any of the three settings suggested. Alternatively it may be helpful to provide a tag that is best orientated parallel to the direction of the signals, as is known in the art in connection with RFID systems for books, file folders and the like. As this extra work or correction would be inconvenient and slow the pace of the pallet's movement through the supply chain an antenna 100 can be segmented into three sections 102 , 104 and 106 such that the tag substrate is folded as indicated at 108 , along creases 110 . Additionally, the tag may be structured so that on each of the three surfaces there is, by way of example only, a multi-frequency antenna array 112 a, 112 b and 112 c, comprising a low frequency antenna 114 and high frequency antennas 116 and 118 . The three antenna arrays 112 are connected to a tag module indicated 120 including at least an IC to provide a unique ID and circuitry for coupling the antenna arrays 112 with a wide range of readers and reader positions as the pallet moves throughout the supply chain. Therefore to insure the pallet is able to move through different settings it would be important that the compartment facilitate a number of larger rather than a smaller antenna and orientations (i.e. “X”, “Y” and “Z” planes) of the present invention.
[0092] By way of further explanation, the antenna arrays 112 can be sub-divided further into discreet antenna structures such that the antenna structures on each surface can communicate within different frequency bands, such as with a dipole antenna wherein one pole 116 resonating at 915 MHz communicates with a first reader and a second pole 118 resonating at 2.45 GHz communicates with a second reader. In this fashion the tag can be developed to communicate with a plurality of readers distributed throughout the supply chain.
[0093] The identification device of FIG. 9 , indicates a top view of a label style RFID device 122 comprising at least one of a substrate layer 124 , a dielectric layer 126 , a conductive layer 128 , and adhesive layer 130 and a printed layer 132 to provide semi rigid carrier 134 onto which an tag module (IC) 120 is attached. Other circuitry may also be included in the module or associated with the module on the carrier to switch from one antenna frequency band to another or to communicate over more than one frequency simultaneously. There are three sections 102 , 104 and 106 made evident when the tag 122 is formed (for example steel rule die). The three sections are made along crease lines 110 that permit the carrier to be orientated parallel with the reader antenna arrays in three planes. The carrier fold is retained in place by male and female tabs 138 and 140 or any other means forming three antenna bearing planes. Such an arrangement enjoys superior communication with a multitude of reader positions.
[0094] It may also be recognized that the first identification device may coexist with a second communication device. Hence the need for capacity in the size of the compartment. For example, futurists project a 10 percent improvement in world wide GDP as a consequence of the deployment of wireless communications involving RFID, sensors and actuators.
[0095] Therefore, whether the identification device uses band width in the 830 megahertz (cellular), 13.56 megahertz (RF), 1.6 gigahertz (GPS), 1.7-1.9 gigahertz (PCS), 2.4 gigahertz (Bluetooth), 5.8 gigahertz (IEEE802.1 standard for LAN) or surface acoustic wave (SAW), the antenna(s) thereof can be accommodated inside the compartment.
[0096] The prior art of RFID is indicated in FIG. 10 in which a distributed network of readers 142 is deployed to convey data to and from a host 144 and a plurality of tags 146 . Today's ID devices including FRID tags are adapted to flourish in the “ideal” reader distributed network 142 , where middleware can diagnose and use the data for operational purpose, broadly defined, captured by the system. In the real world however, the RF environment is really indicated by FIG. 11 , in which there are a multitude of competitive, proprietary and legacy non-interoperating systems including overlapping distributed reader networks 148 , a plurality of non-interactive hosts 150 and a multitude of incompatible tags 152 , plus transnational jurisdictional constraints. Together these elements have withheld consensus on a universal agreement on protocol standards.
[0097] Accordingly, “next” generation systems of the inventions hereof are indicated, by way of example, in FIG. 12 , in which a pallet communicates directly through a cellular network 154 to a network host 156 , without using the distributed network of readers. (Several cellular systems exist to encourage competition of service.) There may be local area interrogators associating the pallet within the a local area supply chain to identify the unit load (i.e. items having associated optical, acoustic or RF identification devices), but the cellular equipment on board the pallet obviates the need to establish distributed networks of readers and is more efficient as the cellular networks already exist.
[0098] The association of sensors with local and far range communicators is also contemplated in the present invention. For example, a second identification device 160 could be provided on a rigid circuit board 162 , also comprising RF tags for conventional track and trace functionality, for far range wireless communication capability. In one setting a customized pallet is utilized in the storage and transportation of a hazardous material in a multi warehouse supply chain. Each customized pallet is adapted to comply with standards within the jurisdiction that relate to the safekeeping of the hazardous material, such that external environmental conditions, including high temperature exposure, although any external condition or indicator could be monitored, are recorded in real time, such that upon the occurrence of a catastrophic high heat event the second communication device 160 could send out a 911 emergency call to effect the implementation of an emergency protocol. Therefore, in one embodiment the pallet may include a thermo graphic sensor 164 in the base 6 to monitor temperature and upon detection of indications of high or low temperature outside a proscribed range, actuates a LAN communicator 166 in said base to transmit a signal to a LAN receiver 168 in the deck 2 , wherein circuitry actuates a cellular communicator 170 to dispatch a 911 signal in association with a unique identification code to identify the pallet and its unit load along with external temperature conditions. Such a capability would improve the productivity of emergency responders and reduce the consequences of environmental damage and distress on a community in the event of hazardous material accidents.
[0099] In the present case the second communication device 160 is not developed to communicate with a host over the 2.4 GHz or the 5.8 GHz bands because of the intermediate read ranges of these frequencies (although in other embodiments of pallets more than one band may be utilized for local use, such as by fire and emergency respondents, who within range of 100 yards would be able to read “emergency instruction” signals emanating from the pallet over a Bluetooth hand held or on-board LAN vehicle communication system.) For Example, the pallet may be on the move from one plant to another and there would be a need to communicate instantaneously hundreds of miles in the event of an accident. To achieve this purpose the second identification device includes at least a second antenna, such an 830 megahertz helical coil antenna 172 operating in a cellular frequency band that can send a signal generated by the 911 protocol contained in the IC. The cellular communications components could exist within a separate module added to an identification device or could populate the circuit board along with other devices and modules of the identification device.
[0100] The cellular module 170 would be low cost. One must remember that there are 2.2 billion pallets in use in North America. The demand world wide for cellular enabled pallets could be in range of hundreds of millions, providing sufficiently large economies in scale to reduce the cost of simple cellular devices considerably. The embodied cellular module excludes at least one of a touch pad, a screen, a mouthpiece, a speaker, a camera, a vibrator, and a plastic housing which all add costs, and only includes a circuit board and at least one of a transmitting/receiving antenna (i.e. 172 ), a digital signal processor, a memory chip, a identification reader card, circuitry, and one of an internal or an external power supply. In deed, the cellular module would be disposable to extent that the value added benefits of remote data transfer would be captured by the cellular network host through the sale of used band width or the like over a period of use, as is the routine with cellular telephony. One would assume the cellular module would be given away to lock up the income stream that will result from a service contract involving the use of digital bandwidth.
[0101] Other devices that may populate the circuit board(s) in the respective compartments of a pallet are suggested in FIG. 13 in which at least one of the following components are contemplated: power supplies 174 (including conventional batteries, mechanical renewable power supply devices, solar batteries and RF energy harvesting apparatus); antenna arrays 176 ; Bluetooth communications modules 178 ; LAN communications modules 180 ; PCS communications modules 182 ; cellular communications modules 184 ; GPS communications modules 186 ; an interrogation module 188 ; RFID communications modules or tags 190 ; sensor modules 192 ; sensor probe assemblies 194 ; integrated circuitry and memory devices 196 .
[0102] Referring now to FIG. 14 there is seen a fuel tank 198 , such as a fuel tank for an automobile, containing an ID device 200 selected from a group of at one of a passive tag, a battery-powered semi-passive tag or an active tag. In addition, the fuel tank contains at least one of wireless communications device 202 selected from a group comprising a Bluetooth communications module, a LAN communications module, a PCS communications module, a cellular communications module, a GPS communications module, and an interrogation module. Furthermore, the fuel tank includes at least one sensor module 204 , a sensor probe assemblies 206 , and actuator 208 , integrated circuitry and memory devices 210 , and a power supply 212 .
[0103] Referring now to FIG. 15 a view of the circuit board assembly contained in the compartment of the deck is shown and described.
[0104] FIG. 15 shows the rigid circuit board assembly 162 shown the top compartment 54 of the deck of the pallet in FIG. 13 . The pallet apparatus may include a second or more rigid circuit board assemblies, such as the one illustrated in the bottom compartment 56 of the base of the pallet in FIG. 13 . At least one circuit board includes an RFID reader/writer interrogator configured to identify a plurality or sub-set of the RFID item tags associated with articles supported upon the pallet, in order to conduct an inventory check to maintain an accurate pallet manifest and record.
[0105] As indicated in FIG. 1 , the top surface of the pallet is adapted to support a load of articles. The RFID reader/writer interrogator is positioned on the pallet and configured to direct a radio frequency query signal to the load of articles in order to establish a communications link with the RFID item tags affixed to the articles of a dynamic pallet load. As seen in FIG. 13 , RFID reader/writer interrogator 188 is located on the circuit board positioned in the compartment adjacent to the load surface.
[0106] The one or more RFID reader/writer interrogators are also optionally in communication with RFID pallet tags. A plurality of RFID pallet tags may be positioned on one pallet. FIG. 14 shows a circuit board with five RFID pallet tags. For example, one such tag may be dedicated to manufacturing, material and recycle information storage. One tag may be specifically adapted for pallet tracking within the distribution system. The pallet may also host a third RFID device specified by third parties for specialized inventory tracking activities within closed-loop or associated distribution networks. A fourth tag may be developed to consolidate the data arrays of several tags attached to items transported upon the pallet for more efficient data compression and transfer. A fifth tag may be adapted for interfacing with the RFID system deployed by the trucking industry. FIG. 15 shows a schematic of a power supply arrangement for the RFID pallet tags.
[0107] The one or more RFID reader/writer interrogators are also optionally in communication the RFID beacon tags positioned in RFID networks distributed along the pathways take by the pallet. The RFID reader/writer interrogator communicates with external RFID tags directly, and obtains data indicative of the RFID beacon tags from the RFID pallet tags. A pallet position determination can be made when the RFID reader/writer interrogator obtains a radio frequency signal from an RFID beacon tag or the RFID pallet tag obtains a radio frequency signal from an external RFID reader/writer interrogator, such as a door way portal.
[0108] As seen in FIG. 14 , the circuit board assembly 162 includes an electromagnetic interference (EMI) shield 141 . The EMI shield is positioned below the support surface and the RFID reader/writer interrogator is positioned between the EMI shield and the support surface. The EMI shield is beneficially positioned to reflect the query signals from the RFID reader/writer interrogator toward the intended articles or sub-set of articles in the pallet load. The EMI shield also is provided to prevent tag reading interference. The RFID reader/writer interrogator may also utilize a directional antenna in order to ensure the RFID reader/writer interrogator can reliably conduct a real-time inventory of the goods on the pallet.
[0109] The RFID reader/writer interrogator may utilize an array of antennas in order to communicate with a plurality of RFID tags indicative of the pallet load, condition and location. The integrated communication modules for connecting the RFID reader/writer interrogator to the LAN, WLAN and cellular networks each contain additional antenna, so that the pallet apparatus can have a dozen antennas if each of the five RFID pallet tags shown in FIG. 14 have a separate antenna. The RFID reader/writer interrogator can have an antenna array operating on several radio frequencies and the LAN, WLAN and cellular modules can have more than one antenna for multiple communications purposes.
[0110] Any combination of devices could be assembled to provide a pallet with a plurality of IDs and functional properties. A combination of devices can be situated in a plurality of compartments. From time to time the cover can be removed to access devices within a compartment so that the devices can be changed to customize a pallet for an intended application. In other cases the compartment is populated with a plurality of devices that operate in multiple operating environments prevalent throughout the supply chain.
[0111] The inventions contemplate using the Internet for the sharing of data obtained from the devices. The Internet is also used to deliver data processed by a host to the devices. The Internet connection can be made remotely through an interrogator with a direct or indirect connection to the Internet or internally by one or more of the communications devices located in the pallet.
[0112] All of the above U.S. patents, U.S. patent application publications, U.S. patent applications, foreign patents, foreign patent applications and non-patent publications referred to in this specification and /or listed in the Application Data Sheet, are incorporated herein by reference, in their entirety.
[0113] From the foregoing it will be appreciated that, although specific embodiments of the invention have been described herein for purposes of illustration, various modifications may be made without deviating from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention is not limited except as by the appended claims.
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A method of embedding RF equipment in a reusable material handing apparatus for the purposes of managing the apparatus with the device is described. In one embodiment, the RF equipment includes a low cost RFID tag, label, placard or like, which is incorporated into the apparatus. Each RFID device responds to a management radio frequency signal with a unique reply to wirelessly identify the individual apparatus. RFID tags, labels, placards and the like typically comprise a first substrate layer to support the components of the RFID device and a second laminate layer to cover the RFID device and provide a printable surface for a serial number, trade name, bar code, manufacture date, country of origin and the like. The methods involve embedding RFID devices into the apparatus during the original manufacture or assembly and disassembly of the apparatus.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a gaseous discharge plasma display panel, which providss a flat and thin display screen. In particular, the present invention relates to such a panel which provides a high density of display cells for excellent picture quality, and high speed scanning operation.
In a conventional matrix type plasma display panel, a plurality of row electrodes and a plurality of column electrodes are arranged so that they cross perpendicular to one another to provide a display cell at each cross point. Upon applying potential between electrodes, the cell defined by the electrodes with the potential discharges and glows to display a bright dot of a character or a picture pattern. A display is accomplished through conventional scanning technique. There have been known two kinds of plasma display panels, an AC (alternate current) type, and DC (direct current), type. In the former type plasma display panel, the electrodes are covered with the dielectric layer, and a cell is energized by AC current. The AC type plasma display panel has the feature that a cell itself memorizes an indication information and so no external refresh memory is requested. In the latter DC type plasma display panel, the electrodes are disposed directly in a gaseous atmosphere without dielectric cover, and is energized by DC current. Although a DC type plasma display panel must have an external refresh memory, it has the advantage that an external circuit for operating the panel may be small and simple as compared with that of an AC type panel. The present invention relates in particular to a DC type plasma display panel.
One of the requests for a plasma display panel is high scanning speed, or quick firing of a discharge cell of a panel. That high speed scanning operation is essential in particular when there are provided a plenty of cells and a field frequency (refresh frequency) is high.
A prior art for quick firing of a cell for a DC type plasma display panel has been shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,925, which has auxiliary speed cells in a panel. The seed cell glows continuously at a low level, not for viewing, but to provide excited particles for firing the indication cells. Due to the presence of ions or excited particles in gaseous cells, a quick firing of a cell which is located close to a seed cell is accomplished. In a practical structure for high speed scanning operation panel, the seed cells and the indication cells are positioned alternately so that any indication cell or display cell has an adjacent seed cell which provides excited ions or particles for firing said indication cell.
The prior plasma display panel with the seed cells and its operation are described in accordance with FIGS. 1A through 1D for the sake of the easy understanding of the present invention.
FIG. 1A is a cross section of the prior plasma display panel, FIG. 1B is the cross section at the line A--A of FIG. 1A, FIG. 1C shows the circuit diagram for operating the plasma display panel of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1D shows operational waveforms in the circuit of FIG. 1C.
In FIGS. 1A and 1B, a plurality of parallel column display electrodes 1 and a plurality of auxiliary seed electrodes 2 are mounted in elongated ditches provided on a back support panel 3. A plurality of row electrodes 4 are positioned perpendicular to those column electrodes 1 and those seed electrodes 2. A transparent cover glass 6 covers all the electrodes. The cover glass 6 has elongated ditches 5 which provide a discharge space, and opaque black blind portion 7 along the seed electrodes 2. The column electrode 1 is called an anode electrode, and the row electrode 2 is called a cathode electrode, since the former is coupled with an anode of a power source, and the latter is coupled with a cathode of a power source.
In FIG. 1C, the anode electrodes (Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 ) and the seed electrodes (S 1 , S 2 ) are positioned alternately so that they are perpendicular to the cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ). The cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ) are supplied either the ground potential or the predetermined potential V b through the switches (SX 1 , SX 2 , SX 3 ) which are controlled by the output of the decoder. The decoder receives the output of the counter which receives a clock pulse, and provides the control signals (T x1 , T x2 , T x3 ) alternately to said switches. When the control signal (T x1 , T x2 , T x3 ) is active, the related cathode electrode (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ) is grounded. The anode electrodes (Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 ) are coupled with the power source V a through the resistors R 1 , and the junction point of said resistor R 1 and the anode electrode is grounded through a resistor R 2 and a switch (SY 1 , SY 2 , SY 3 ) controlled by pattern data through the buffer circuit. When the switch (SY 1 , SY 2 , SY 3 ) is open, the potential of the anode electrode is V a (high potential), while the switch (SY 1 , SY 2 , SY 3 ) is closed, the potential of the anode electrode is low potential which is defined by the resistors R 1 and R 2 . A cell discharges and glows only when the related anode electrode is on high potential V a , and the related cathode electrode is grounded. The seed electrodes (S 1 , S 2 ) are coupled with the potential V a through the resistor R 1 , therefore, those seed electrodes have the potential V a irrespective of pattern data.
FIG. 1D shows operational time sequence of the circuit of FIG. 1C, where it is assumed that each frame period has three timing clock durations (t 0 , t 1 , t 2 ). The cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ) are provided the potential (V x1 ,V x2 , V x3 ), which is grounded alternately as shown by the shaded area in FIG. 1D. On the other hand, since the seed electrodes (S 1 , S 2 ) always provide the high voltage V a through the resistors R 1 , the seed current (I s1 , I s2 ) flows continuously as shown in FIG. 1D. That is to say, when the first cathode electrode X 1 is grounded, the cell (X 1 -S 1 ) between the cathode electrode X 1 and the seed electrode S 1 is active, and the current flows through that cell. Similarly, the seed cell (X 1 -S 2 ) is active. Next, when the second cathode electrode X 2 is grounded at the timing t 1 , the cells (X 2 -S 1 ) and (X.sub. 2 -S 2 ) are active. Similarly, when the third cathode electrode X 3 is grounded, the seed cells (X 3 -S 1 ) and (X 3 -S 2 ) are active.
At the clock timing t 0 , the anode electrode Y 2 is at high voltage, and other anode electrodes Y 1 and Y 3 are at low voltage. Therefore, only the cell (X 1 -Y 1 ) glows. It should be appreciated in that case that the seed cells (X 1 -S 1 ) and (X 2 -S 2 ) are active at the clock timing t 0 , and there are many ions on charged particles near those active seed cells. Therefore, when the firing potential is applied to the display cell (X 1 -Y 2 ), said cell fires quickly by the seed effect of the adjacent low glowing seed cells.
At the clock timing t 1 , the seed cells (X 1 -S 1 ) and (X 1 -S 2 ) stop, but remain many charged ions near those cells. Therefore, when the potential is applied to the seed cells (X 2 -S 1 ) and (X 2 -S 2 ) which is located close to said seed cells (X 1 -S 1 ) and (X 1 -S 2 ), those seed cells (X 2 -S 1 ) and (X 2 -S 2 ) fire quickly at the clock timing t 1 . Similarly, the display cells (X 2 -Y 1 ) and (X 2 -Y 2 ) fire quickly by the seed effect of the seed cells. Similarly, at the clock timing t 2 , the seed cells (X 3 -S 1 ) and (X 3 -S 2 ), and the display cell (X 3 -Y 3 ) fire. Of course, the bright display cells are determined by the pattern data applied to the anode electrodes.
Accordingly, it should be appreciated that the discharge of a seed cell shifts along a seed electrode, and similary, the discharge of a display cell shifts along an anode electrode. A display cell is fired quickly due to the presence of a seed cell.
However, the prior plasma display panel as described has the disadvantage due to the presence of the seed electrodes that the density of the display cells can not be high enough for high picture quality with high resolution power. It should be noted that the space between the electrodes is restricted by the manufacturing process. So, if there were no seed electrode, the space between the anode electrodes would be halved, or the density of the anode electrodes would be doubled.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object, therefore, of the present invention to overcome the disadvantages and limitations of a prior plasma display panel by providing a new and improved plasma display panel.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a plasma display panel which has high density of cells for high resolution power and excellent picture quality, and quick firing characteristics.
The above and other objects are attained by a plasma display panel comprising a flat display panel comprising a plurality of parallel cathode electrodes and a plurality of parallel anode electrodes positioned perpendicular to said cathode electrodes disposed in a gas-filled space sealed by a back plate and a transparent front plate, cross point between each of said cathode electrodes and each of said anode electrodes defining a discharge cell, an optical light by discharge being visibile through said transparent front plate and said cathode electrodes; a switching circuit having a first group of switches for supplying potential to said cathode electrodes and a second group of switches for switching discharge current in said anode electrodes; said first group of switches supplying one of first potential which is enough for discharge and second potential which is insufficient to discharge to said cathode electrodes so that only one cathode electrode receives the first potential and other cathode electrodes receive the second potential, and the cathode electrode with the first potential being scanned sequentially; said second group of switches supplying anode electrodes one of first current which is enough to provide visible optical light through the cathode electrodes and second current which is lower than said first current but is enough to discharge, when the related cathode electrode is at said first potential; wherein the cells along a cathode electrode which is at first potential discharges according to the picture pattern data, and provides excited seed particles for firing adjacent cells.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objects, features, and attendant advantages of the present invention will be appreciated as the same become better understood by means of the following description and accompanying drawings wherein;
FIG. 1A is a cross section of a prior plasma display panel,
FIG. 1B is a cross section at the line A--A of FIG. 1A,
FIG. 1C is a circuit diagram for operating the plasma display panel of FIG. 1A,
FIG. 1D shows the operational timing sequence of the circuit of FIG. 1C,
FIG. 2A is a cross section of the plasma display panel according to the present invention,
FIG. 2B is the cross section at the line B--B of FIG. 2A,
FIG. 2C is the perspective view of the plasma display panel of FIG. 2A,
FIG. 2D is the circuit diagram for operating the plasma display panel according to the present invention, and
FIG. 2E shows operational timing sequence of the circuit of FIG. 2D.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 2A is a cross section of the plasma display panel according to the present invention, FIG. 2B is the cross section at the line B--B of FIG. 2A, FIG. 2C is the partially fragmental perspective view of the present plasma display panel, FIG. 2D shows the circuit diagram for operation of the present plasma display panel, and FIG. 2E shows operational timing sequence of the circuit of FIG. 2D.
In those figures, a plurality of parallel column electrodes 12 l through 12 n , which are called anode electrodes, are mounted in elongated ditches provided on the back support plate 11. A plurality of row electrodes 14 l through 14 n are positioned perpendicular to those column electrodes. Those row electrodes are called cathode electrodes, since they are coupled with a cathode electrode of a power source. Preferably, the cross section of each cathode electrode is in rectangular shape. The transparent cover glass plate 15 covers all the electrodes. The cover glass 15 has a plurality of elongated parallel ditches 13" l through 13" n which provide a discharge space for the discharge cells. The ditches 13' l through 13' n which mount anode electrodes 12 l through 12 n also provide a discharge space. Those discharge spaces are filled with discharge gas, for instance, neon or argon. A small quantity of mercury gas is also filled in the discharge spaces for preventing damage of the cathode electrodes by cathode-sputtering.
It should be noted in those figures that no seed electrodes is provided, and it is the feature of the present invention that a prior seed electrode is omitted while keeping high scanning speed or quick firing. Due to the deletion of a prior seed electrode, the density of display electrodes in the present plasma display panel has been improved. In other words, a seed discharge is effected by a display cell itself in the present invention. An optical light by a seed discharge is hidden by a cathode electrode which has preferably a rectangular cross section, therefore, said light by seed discharge is unvisible.
FIG. 2D shows the circuit diagram for operating the present plasma display panel, and FIG. 2E shows the timing sequence of the typical signals in the circuit of FIG. 2D. In FIG. 2D, the anode electrodes (Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 ) are positioned perpendicular to the cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ). The cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ) are supplied either the ground potential or the predetermined potential V b through the switches (SX 1 , SX 2 , SX 3 ) which are controlled by the output of the decoder. The decoder receives the output of the counter which receives a clock pulse CL, and said decoder applies the control signals (T x1 , T x2 , T x3 ) alternately to said switches. When the control signal (T x1 , T x2 , T x3 ) is active, the related cathode electrode (X 1 , X 2 , or X 3 ) is grounded, and when said control signal is inactive, the related cathode electrode receives the potential V b which is lower than the source potential V a . The andoe electrodes (Y 1 , Y 2 , Y 3 ) are coupled with the power source V a through the switches (SY 1 , SY 2 , SY 3 ) and one of the resistors R 3 and R 4 . It is supposed that the resistance of the resistor R 3 is higher than that of R 4 . The resistor R 3 is for seed discharge, and is preferably 500 kilo-ohms, and the resistor R 4 is for display discharge and is preferably 50 kilo-ohms.
The structure of the switch (SY 1 , SY 2 , or SY 3 ) and the resistors R 3 and R 4 is shown in the circle A, in which the switch is implemented by the transistor Q. When the control signal T y1 applied to the base electrode of the transistor Q is inactive, the transistor Q is in OFF state, and then, the anode electrode Y 1 is supplied with the power potential V a through the high resistor R 3 . On the other hand, when the control signal T y1 is active, the transistor Q is in ON stae, then, the resistors R 3 and R 5 are coupled parallel with each other. The resistance of that parallel circuit is substantially the same as the resistance of R 4 . Accordingly, the anode electrode Y 1 is essentially coupled with the power potential V a through the resistor R 4 .
The control signals T y1 , T y2 , and T y3 for controlling the switches (SY 1 , SY 2 , SY 3 ) are supplied according to the pattern data to be displayed through the buffer circuit.
The structure of the switch (SX 1 , SX 2 , SX 3 ) is shwon in the circle B, in which the switch is implemented by the transistor Q. When the base electrode of the transistor Q is inactive, the transistor is in OFF state, and therefore, the related cathode electrode is coupled with the potential V b which is lower than the potential V a through the resistor R. When the base electrode of the transistor Q is in OFF state, the related cathode electrode does not discharge. On the other hand, when the base electrode of the transistor Q is active, the transistor Q is in ON state, and the collector of the same is substantially grounded, and then, the related cathode electrode is grounded. The related cathode electrode discharges in this state. Thus, the transistor Q switches the potential of the related cathode electrode between the first potential (ground potential) and the second potential (potential V b ).
Each cell of the panel has two discharge modes, a seed discharge mode, and a display discharge mode. When a cathode electrode is grounded, and an anode electrode is coupled with the power potential V a through the lower resistor R 4 , the cell defined by the cross point between said cathode electrode and said anode electrode discharges strongly, and the visible discharge is for display. On the other hand, when a cathode electrode is grounded, and an anode electrode is coupled with the power potential through the high resistor R 3 , the cell discharges weakly, and the weak discharge is not visible, since the discharge light is shadowed or covered by the cathode electrode itself. That weak discharge is used as a seed discharge. When a cathode electrode is coupled with the low potential V b through the switch (SX 1 , SX 2 , or SX 3 ), the related cell does not discharge irrespective of the potential of the related anode electrode. Said strong discharge for display purpose is called a first mode discharge, and said weak discharge for a seed purpose is called a second mode discharge.
FIG. 2E shows operational time sequence of the circuit of FIG. 2D, where it is assumed that each frame period has three timing clock durations (t 0 , t 1 , t 2 ). The cathode electrodes (X 1 , X 2 , X 3 ) are provided the potential (V x1 , V x2 , V x3 ), which is grounded alternately as shown by the shaded area in FIG. 2E.
During the time t 0 and the time t 1 , the control potential V x1 is grounded, therefore the cathode electrode X 1 is grounded. The cells (X 1 -Y 1 , X 1 -Y 2 , X 1 -Y 3 ) which relate to the first cathode electrode X 1 discharge at least weakly. And, if some anode electrodes are switched to the lower resistors, the cells defined by the first cathode electrode X 1 and said anode electrode with the low resistors discharge strongly for display purposes. In the example of FIG. 2E, it is assumed that the anode electrodes Y 1 and Y 3 are coupled with the high resistors R 3 , and the second anode electrode Y 2 is coupled with the low resistor R 4 . Therefore, the current I y1 and I y3 in the first and the third anode electrodes Y 1 and Y 3 is small level i 2 (for instance i 2 =100-200 μA), and the current I y2 in the second anode electrode Y 2 is high level i 1 (for instance, i 1 is higher than 600 μA and preferably i 1 =800 μA). Accordingly, the cells (X 1 -Y 1 and X 1 -Y 3 ) discharge weakly, and the cell (X 1 -Y 2 ) discharge strongly.
During the time t 1 and t 2 , the control potential V x1 is coupled with the potential V b , and the control potential V x2 is grounded. Therefore, the cells relating to the cathode electrode X 1 stop the discharge, and the cells (X 2 -Y 1 , X 2 -Y 2 , X 2 -Y 3 ) relating to the second cathode electrode X 2 discharges eigther weakly or strongly. In the embodiment of FIG. 2E, the current I y1 , and the current I y2 are at high level, and therefore, the cells (X 2 -Y 1 and X 2 -y 2 ) discharge strongly for display purposes, and the cell (X 2 -Y 3 ) discharge weakly as a seed cell. In the transfer of the discharge from the first cathode electrode X 1 to the second cathode electrode X 2 along the anode electrodes, it should be appreciated that the charged ions around the first cathode X 1 function as seeds for firing the cells on the second cathode electrode X 2 . Therefore, the firing of a new cell is accomplished in a very short time, due to the seed effect of the previously discharged cells, although no specific seed electrode is provided.
During the time t 2 and t 0 , the discharge along the second cathode electrode X 2 transfers to the third cathode electrode X 3 . Therefore, the discharge scans along the anode electrodes. In the embodiment of FIG. 2E, the current I y3 is high, so, the cell (X 3 -Y 3 ) is bright, and other cells (X 3 -Y 1 and X 3 -Y 2 ) are dark.
The above operations are repeated by transferring the dischage cell along the anode electrodes. Accordingly, in the embodiment of FIGS. 2D and 2E, the cells (X 1 -Y 2 , X 2 -Y 1 , X 2 -Y 2 , and X 3 -Y 3 ) are bright and discharge strongly for the display purposes as shown by the shaded dots in FIG. 2D, and other cells discharge weakly merely for seed purposes.
As for the first cachode electrode which locates at the extreme end of the panel, there is no seed in the circuit of FIG. 2D, and it takes long time for firing the first cathode cells. In order to solve this problem, the first clock duration might be longer than other clock durations. Alternatively, the clock durations are uniform, and additional hidden seed electrode as described in the U.S. Pat. No. 3,644,925 might be provided near the first cathode electrode X 1 .
The typical numerical examples of the embodiment are enumerated below.
The source voltage V a ; 185 volts
The divided voltage V b ; 80 volts
The resistance of the resistor R 3 ; 500 kilo-ohms
The resistance of the resistor R 4 ; 50 kilo-ohms
The display current i 1 ; 800 μA
The seed current i 2 ; 200 μA
The space between the anode electrodes 12 l -12 n ; 1.27 mm
The width of each ditches 13' l -13' n ; 0.3 mm
The depth of each ditches 13' l -13' n ; 0.5 mm
The space between the cathode electrodes 14; 1.27 mm
The width of the cathode electrode 14; 0.8 mm
The thickness of the cathode electrode; 0.075 mm
The above figures are merely example, and of course other numerical embodiments are possible. For instance, the period or the pitch of the cathode electrodes and the anode electrodes less than 0.6 mm is possible.
As described above in detail, the present plasma display panel has no specific seed electrode, and all the electrodes and the cells defined by said electrodes are used as display cells. Therefore, the density of the cells, or the resolution power or the picture thus displayed is doubled as compared with that of a prior plasma display panel, and a fine picture is displayed. A quick firing or a high speed scanning of a prior plasma display panel which has a seed electrode is also obtained in the present invention. Since the present plasma display panel provides a visible pattern through the cathode electrodes, the seed discharge is not visible as the light by the seed discharge is hidden by the cathode electrodes. So, no cover for blinding a seed discharge light is necessary in the present invention.
From the foregoing, it will now be apparent that a new and improved plasma display panel has been found. It should be understood of course that the embodiments disclosed are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Reference should be made to the appended claims, therefore, rather than the specification as indicating the scope of the invention.
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A plasma display panel with quick firing nature and high speed scanning having a plurality of display cells defined by parallel cathode electrodes and parallel anode electrodes perpendicular to said cathode electrodes. The cells along a cathode electrode discharge simultaneously either strongly or weakly according to the currents in the anode electrodes, and said current in the anode electrodes is switched according to the picture pattern to be displayed. A strongly discharged cell provides a bright large discharge which is visible through a cathode electrode, and a weakly discharged cell provides a dark small discharge which is blinded by a cathode electrode itself and is invisible, but merely functions as a seed cell for firing adjacent cells. As all the cells function both as display cells and seed cells, quick firing of cells or high speed scanning of light spots along the anode electrodes is accomplished although no specific seed electrode for mere seed discharge is provided. And, density of cells or resolution power of a picture of the present invention is improved, as no specific seed electrode is provided.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/207,448, filed on Feb. 12, 2009, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to rheology modification of surfactant-based formulations for personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications such as hair care, skin care, household cleaners, wipes, and detergents.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Viscosity control of formulations relating to various personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications in an important attribute for consumer use of such products.
[0004] Several approaches to control viscosity of such formulations are known to the art. Typically, a certain amount of a high molecular weight synthetic or natural polymers, such as, for example, linear or cross-linked acrylic acid based polymers, xanthan gum, various cellulose derivatives or other polysaccharide derivatives is incorporated into the formulation to impart a desired rheology.
[0005] Rheology delivered by these high molecular weight synthetic or natural polymers is usually strongly shear-thinning exhibiting high viscosity at low sheer rates, but relatively low viscosity at high shear. Such formulations usually do not exhibit a Newtonian or shear independent viscosity plateau, or if these formulation do exhibit Newtonian plateau, it is at shear rates below 1 s −1 .
[0006] A common and inexpensive method of delivering viscosity to formulations is through the addition of salts such as, for example, sodium chloride, sodium sulfate or ammonium chloride to the formulations. Addition of such salts in amounts ranging from between 0.1 to 5 wt % in cleansing formulations containing surfactants such as for example, sodium lauryl or ammonium lauryl sulfate, result in cleansing formulations with increased viscosity. One advantage of the use of salt to thicken formulations is that the resultant thickened cleansing formulation may be relatively clear.
[0007] Salt thickened formulations are commonly used and exhibit characteristic rheological properties. The characteristic rheological properties of these salt thickened formulations can be described as exhibiting shear independent (or Newtonian) viscosities up to a shear rate of the order of about 10 to 100 s −1 followed by a decrease in its viscosity as the shear rate is increased above 100 s −1 . This phenomenon is known as “sheer-thinning”. The salt thickening of formulations, however, has an important drawback in that the efficiency of salt to thicken a formulation decreases rapidly as the amount of surfactant contained in the formulation decreases.
[0008] A need exists for surfactant-based aqueous formulations exhibiting Newtonian viscosity at lower sheer rates and sheer thinning at higher sheer rates while permitting the use of various amounts of surfactants, including lower surfactant amounts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURE
[0009] FIG. 1 is a graph of viscosity versus shear rate of a formulation of the present invention as well as, for comparison purposes, a conventional commercial bodywash formulation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Applicant specifically incorporates the entire contents of all cited references in this disclosure. Further, when an amount, concentration, or other value or parameter is given as either a range, preferred range, or a list of upper preferable values and lower preferable values, this is to be understood as specifically disclosing all ranges formed from any pair of any upper range limit or preferred value and any lower range limit or preferred value, regardless of whether ranges are separately disclosed. Where a range of numerical values is recited herein, unless otherwise stated, the range is intended to include the endpoints thereof, and all integers and fractions within the range. It is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific values recited when defining a range.
[0011] It has been discovered that an aqueous formulation useful in personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications comprising: an amount of an associative thickener comprising a polymer composition having a water soluble or water-swellable synthetic polymer backbone that has covalently connected ends and/or intermediate blocks of oligomeric hydrophobes that are selected from the group consisting of i) alkyl and aryl moieties containing a polymerizable cyclic monomer, ii) a polymerizable double bond, and iii) derivatives of i) and ii), wherein the blocks are two or more units of the same or different hydrophobes. The aqueous formulation also comprises an amount of a surfactant and water. The amount of the associative thickener contained in the aqueous formulation is from about 0.1 to about 5 wt %, and the amount of surfactant contained in the aqueous formulation is from about 5 to about 50 wt %.
[0012] The thickening takes place within a continuum of an aqueous phase containing surfactant at a concentration in the range of from about 5 to about 50 wt % and does not require presence of any dispersed phases or interfaces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0013] A rheology modifier, found to be effective in surfactant-based formulations, is an associative thickener based on hydrophilic core and associative hydrophobic ends. Rheology modifiers of this type have been used in thickening water-based coating formulations.
[0014] The rheology modifiers are known to lose their thickening efficiency in the presence of surfactants due to solubilization of their hydrophobic ends. While not wishing to be bound by theory, it is believed that solubilization of hydrophobic ends precludes these rheology modifiers from associating which in turn results in a decrease of their efficiency as rheology modifiers.
[0015] A negative impact of surfactants on the efficiency of associative thickeners is known in the field of water-based coatings. This negative impact manifests itself in the decrease of viscosity of paints upon addition of colorants, which often contain large concentrations of surfactants, to paint formulations.
[0016] There are, however, associative polymers with hydrophobes that are resistant to solubilization by commonly used surfactants. Such associative thickeners are described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,550,542, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. A preferred associative polymer being an ethylhexyl glycidyl ether (EHGE) modified polyacetalpolyether (PAPE).
[0017] In accordance with the present invention, the associative polymer composition has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) with the upper limit of the polymer being about 10,000,000, preferably about 1,000,000, and more preferably about 100,000. The lower limit of the weight average molecular weight of the polymer is about 400, preferably about 1,000, and more preferably about 4,000.
[0018] It has been found that associative thickeners described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,550,542 can be used as an effective rheology modifiers in surfactant-based formulations. The efficiency of these associative thickeners may be enhanced when used in conjunction with an amount of salt. The amount of salt contained in the formulations of the present invention is in the range of from about 0.1 to about 5 wt %. The salt can be any physiologically tolerated salt, e.g. sodium sulfate, potassium chloride or sodium chloride, preferably sodium chloride, in order to adjust the viscosity of the surfactant-based formulation.
[0019] Desired rheology modification is achieved at polymer concentrations at in the range of about 0.1 to about 5 wt % of the total formulation, preferably in the range of about 0.1 to about 3 wt %, still more preferably from about 0.2 to about 2 wt %. The obtained formulations exhibit broad Newtonian (i.e. shear independent) plateau followed by shear thinning at higher sheer rates.
[0020] The amount of surfactant contained in the formulations of the present invention is in the range of from about 5 to about 50 wt % of the total formulation, preferably from about 7 to about 48 wt %. The surfactant of use in the present formulation may be any surfactant commonly used in personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications. The surfactant may be selected from the group consisting of ammonium lauryl sulfate, sodium lauryl sulfate, ammonium laureth sulfate, sodium laureth sulfate and cocamidopropyl betaine.
[0021] In accordance with the present invention, the surfactant-based formulations may also include other active ingredients which typically are incorporated to provide some benefit to the user. Examples of substances that may suitably be included, but not limited to, according to the present invention are as follows:
[0022] 1) Perfumes, which give rise to an olfactory response in the form of a fragrance and deodorant perfumes which in addition to providing a fragrance response can also reduce odor;
[0023] 2) Insect repellent agent whose function is to keep insects from a particular area or attacking skin;
[0024] 3) Bubble generating agent, such as surfactants which generates foam or lather;
[0025] 4) Pet deodorizer such as pyrethrins which reduces pet odor;
[0026] 5) Pet shampoo agents and actives, whose function is to remove dirt, foreign material and germs from the skin and hair surfaces and conditions the skin and hair;
[0027] 6) Industrial grade bar, shower gel, and liquid soap actives that remove germs, dirt, grease and oil from skin, sanitizes skin, and conditions the skin;
[0028] 7) All purpose cleaning agents, that remove dirt, oil, grease, germs from the surface in areas such as kitchens, bathroom, public facilities;
[0029] 8) Disinfecting ingredients that kill or prevent growth of germs in a house or public facility;
[0030] 9) Rug and Upholstery cleaning actives which lift and remove dirt and foreign particles from the surfaces and also deliver softening and perfumes;
[0031] 10) Laundry softener actives which reduces static and makes fabric feel softer;
[0032] 11) Laundry detergent ingredients which remove dirt, oil, grease, stains and kills germs;
[0033] 12) Dishwashing detergents which remove stains, food, germs;
[0034] 13) Toilet bowl cleaning agents which removes stains, kills germs, and deodorizes;
[0035] 14) Laundry prespotter actives which helps in removing stains from clothes;
[0036] 15) Fabric sizing agent which enhances appearance of the fabric;
[0037] 17) Vehicle cleaning actives which removes dirt, grease, etc. from vehicles and equipment;
[0038] 19) Textile products, such as dusting or disinfecting wipes.
[0039] Of particular interest are emollients selected from the group consisting of silicone oils, silicone derivatives, essential oils, oils, fats, fatty acids, fatty acid esters, fatty alcohols, waxes, polyols, hydrocarbons, and mixtures thereof. The emollients are stabilized by the use of associative polymers described hereinabove.
[0040] The above list of personal care and household active ingredients are only examples and are not a complete list of active ingredients that can be used. Other ingredients that are used in these types of products are well known in the industry.
[0041] The invention is further demonstrated by the following examples. The examples are presented to illustrate the invention. All percentages, parts and ratios are based upon the total weight of the compositions of the present invention, unless otherwise specified.
EXAMPLES
Example 1
Low Surfactant Formulation
[0042] A shampoo formulation was produced in which an associative thickener comprising a polymer composition having a water soluble or water swellable synthetic polymer backbone, ethylhexyl glycidyl ether modified polyacetalpolyether, Mw˜10000 Dalton (Aquaflow® XLS 500 nonionic synthetic associative rheology modifier, available from Hercules Incorporated) was used as a rheology modifier for these shampoo formulations. This rheology modifier is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,550,542.
[0043] The efficiency of this associative thickener as a rheology modifier in shampoo formulations was demonstrated using the following shampoo formulation: Sodium Laureth Sulfate SLES-7.7%, Cocamidopropyl betaine CAPB-1.3%, ethylhexyl glycidyl ether (EHGE) modified PAPE (Aquaflow® XLS 500 XLS 500 nonionic synthetic associative rheology modifier, available from Hercules Incorporated)-1%, NaCl-0.6%. The balance of the shampoo formulation being water. The above materials were combined using careful mixing. The rheology of the final shampoo formulation was determined using a Brookfield LVT viscometer, using a 4 spindle at 20° C.) temperature at various RPM to demonstrate the effect of sheer rate upon the shampoo formulation. No attempt was made to optimize the amount of rheology modifier or the amount of salt used in the shampoo formulation.
[0044] As can be seen in FIG. 1 , the flow profile of the formulation of the present invention shows Newtonian plateau extending to the rate of 10 s −1 followed by shear thinning. For comparison purposes, FIG. 1 also contains the flow profile of a commercial body wash formulation (High Endurance Body Wash by Old Spice, available from Proctor and Gamble) which exhibits profile similar to the formulation of the present invention but with slightly more sheer thinning at higher sheer rates.
[0045] The associative thickener as a rheology modifier in the shampoo formulation of the present invention demonstrated its effectiveness rheology modifier in the body wash/shampoo formulations having lower surfactant levels. Example 1 demonstrates rheological behavior of current cleansing systems at lower surfactant amounts.
Example 2
High Surfactant Formulation, Without Silicone
[0046] A silicone-free cleansing formulation, which can be used for shampoo as well as body wash, comprising the nonionic synthetic associative thickener of Example 1 (Aquaflow® XLS 500 nonionic synthetic associative rheology modifier, available from Hercules Incorporated) was produced as described below. In each of the below listed Examples, a total of 0.20% w/w of the rheology modifier was used. This was an example of a silicone-free formulation.
[0047] In Example 2a, a solution comprising 25% of the nonionic synthetic associative rheology modifier of Example 1, 15% Iso-C10-Oxo-alcohol polyglycol ether (6 EO) and 60% water was produced.
[0048] In Example 2b, the associative thickener of Example 2a was used without the additional surfactant was produced.
[0049] In Comparative Example 2, a C12/C16 hydrophobically modified poly(acetal-polyether) Mw˜24000 Dalton as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,127, was used. The disclosure of U.S. Pat. No. 5,574,127 is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
[0000]
Shampoo/Body Wash
% W/W
Deionized water
50.39
PAPE polymer
0.20
Cocamidopropyl Betain
7.41
(Tego ® betain L7, available from
Evonik-Goldschmidt)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
40.00
(Texapon NSO, available from Cognis)
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
0.50
(Euxyl ® PE 9010 preservative, available from
Schülke & Mayr)
Sodium Chloride
1.50
100
Citric acid to pH 5.5-6.5
q.s
Reference shampoo contains no polymer.
[0050] The various shampoos are listed in Table 1.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Viscosity
(Brookfield
Stability
LVT, spindle
Appearance
(Room
Example
Info
# 4, speed 12 rpm)
pH
(after preparation)
Temp.)
Example 2 a1
Ethylhexyl Glycidyl
38000 mPas
5.9
Homogeneous,
OK
Ether (EHGE)
(~20x
clear
modified PAPE +
thickening
water/surfactant
vs.
indication)
Example 2b
Ethylhexyl Glycidyl
32500 mPas
5.7
Homogeneous,
OK
Ether (EHGE)
(~18x)
slightly hazy
modified PAPE
Comp. Example 2
C12/C16-PAPE
5500 mPas
5.9
Homogeneous,
OK
(~3x)
clear
Shampoo
Blank
1800 mPas
6.3
Homogeneous,
OK
clear
[0051] The above samples all exhibited stability with a homogeneous appearance. Examples 2a and 2b both exhibited viscosities of 38,000 mPas and 32,500 mPas respectively which was approximately a six (6×) increase over Comparative Example 2, the shampoo composition containing the C12/C16 hydrophobically modified PAPE rheological modifier. Example 2 demonstrates the strong thickening efficiency of the EHGE modified PAPE in surfactant systems, with higher levels of surfactant than was used in Example 1.
Example 3
High Surfactant Formulation, With Silicone
[0052] In the same formulation of Example 2 with the addition of a silicone emulsion of dimethiconol (DC 1785 emulsion, available from Dow Corning Corporation) the associative thickeners of Example 3a and Example 3b provided improved stability (avoid destabilization of the silicone) over Comparative Example 3.
[0000]
Shampoo/Body Wash
% W/W
Deionized water
50.39
PAPE polymer
0.20
Cocamidopropyl Betain
7.41
(Tego ® betain L7, available from
Evonik-Goldschmidt)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
40.00
(Texapon NSO, available from Cognis)
Dimethiconol, TEA-dodecylbenzenesulfonate
2.00
(DC 1785 emulsion, available from Dow
Corning Corporation)
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
0.50
(Euxyl ® PE 9010 preservative, available from
Schülke & Mayr)
Sodium Chloride
1.50
100
Citric acid to pH 5.5-6.5
q.s
Reference shampoo contains no polymer
[0053] The various shampoos are listed in Table 2.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Viscosity
Stability
(Brookfield LVT,
(Room
spindle # 4,
Appearance
Temp., 1
Example
Info
speed 12 rpm)
pH
(after preparation)
month)
Example 3a
Ethylhexyl Glycidyl
30750 mPas
6.0
Homogeneous,
OK
Ether (EHGE)
opaque
modified PAPE +
water/surfactant
Example 3b
Ethylhexyl Glycidyl
30500 mPas
5.9
Homogeneous,
OK
Ether (EHGE)
opaque
modified PAPE
Comp. Example 3
C12/C16-PAPE
5750 mPas
5.9
Homogeneous,
After ~3
opaque
weeks
separation,
thin layer at
the bottom
[0054] The above Examples exhibited stability with a homogeneous appearance. Examples 3a and 3b both exhibited viscosities of 30,750 mPas and 30,500 mPas respectively which was approximately a six (6×) increase over Comparative Example 3, the shampoo composition containing the C12/C16 hydrophobically modified PAPE rheological modifier.
Example 4
High Surfactant Formulation, With Silicone
[0055] Using the same formulation as Example 3b with increased concentration of ethylhexyl glycidyl ether (EHGE) modified PAPE associative thickener, a sample formulation, as well as a comparative formulation, was prepared. The results of these formulations are found in Table 3
[0000]
TABLE 3
Viscosity
(Brookfield
LVT,
Appearance
Stability (RT
Percentage
spindle # 4,
(after
and 45° C.) 4
Example
Info
% wt
speed 12 rpm)
pH
preparation)
weeks
Example 4
Ethylhexyl
3.0
16800 mPas
5.6
Homogeneous,
RT: OK
Glycidyl
(no salt)
opaque,
45° C.: OK
Ether
viscous liquid
(EHGE)
modified
PAPE
Comp
C12/C16-
3.0
5,200 mPas
6.0
Homogeneous,
RT: after ~3 w
Example 4
PAPE
(1.5% salt)
opaque.
slightly
separation, thin
layer at the
bottom 45° C.:
separation during
the first week
[0056] The formulation of Example 4 remained stable at 45° C. This demonstrates that the modified PAPE chemistry comprising the formulation of the present invention was able to deliver stabilization of silicone in a surfactant system whereas traditional alkyl end capped polyethylene glycols such as C12/C16 hydrophobically modified PAPE of Comparative Example 4 was not able to do this at even room temperature (25° C.). The stabilizing ability of oil emulsions in surfactant based formulations of the present invention was clearly demonstrated in Examples 3 and 4.
Example 5
Formulation at Low and High pH
[0057] In order to demonstrate the broad pH utility of an associative thickener comprising ethylhexyl glycidyl ether (EHGE) modified PAPE of Example 2b was tested in a shampoo body wash formulation with SLES/CAPB where the pH was adjusted to 3.7 with lactic acid and secondly to pH of 10 through sodium hydroxide.
[0000]
Shampoo/Body Wash
Shampoo formula adjusted to pH 3.7
% W/W
Deionized water
50.39
PAPE polymer
0.20
Cocamidopropyl Betaine
7.41
(Tego ® betain L7, available from
Evonik-Goldschmidt)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
40.00
(Texapon NSO, available from Cognis)
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
0.50
(Euxyl ® PE 9010 preservative, available from
Schülke & Mayr)
Sodium Chloride
1.50
100
Lactic acid to pH 3.7
q.s
[0000]
Shampoo/Body Wash
Shampoo formula adjusted to pH 10
% W/W
Deionized water
50.39
PAPE polymer
0.20
Cocamidopropyl Betain
7.41
Tego ® betain L7, available from
Evonik-Goldschmidt)
Sodium Laureth Sulfate
40.00
(Texapon NSO, available from Cognis)
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
0.50
(Euxyl ® PE 9010 preservative, available from
Schülke & Mayr)
Sodium Chloride
1.50
100
NaOH to pH 10
q.s
[0000]
TABLE 4
Viscosity
(Brookfield
LVT
Sample
Associative
Percentage
spindle # 4,
Stability
code
Thickener
(% wt)
speed 12 rpm)
pH
(RT)
Example
Ethylhexyl
1.50
4250 mPas
3.7
RT: OK
5a
Glycidyl
Viscosity
Ether
change
(EHGE)
<13.5% in 1
modified
week
PAPE
[0000]
TABLE 5
Viscosity
(Brookfield
LVT spindle
Sample
Associative
Percentage
# 4, speed
code
Thickener
(%)
12 rpm)
pH
Stability (RT)
Example
Ethylhexyl
1.50
250 mPas
10
RT: OK
5b)
Glycidyl
Viscosity 39
Ether
mPas after 1
(EHGE)
week, no phase
modified
separation
PAPE
[0058] The stability of the shampoo's at more extreme pH was observed to be OK. This can be observed above in Table 4 and Table 5. The viscosities were measured after one week at room temperature (25° C.). It was observed that the viscosity change was less than 10% at both the 3.7 pH formulation as well as the 10 pH formulation. This demonstrates that the formulations of the present invention are relatively stable over a wide range of pH values.
Example 6
Household Cleansing Formulation
[0059] Another example of a cleansing formulation is a household detergent with formulation given below:
[0000]
% W/W
Phase A - Floor cleaner concentrate
Water
89.6
EDTA, disodium salt
0.17
Alcohol Ethoxylate (9EO)
10.26
Phase B
Thickener 25% solution of ethylhexyl glycidyl ether
1.0
modified polyacetalpolyether, Mw ~10000 Dalton
(Aquaflow ® XLS 500 nonionic synthetic
associative rheology modifier, available from
Hercules Incorporated); 15% Iso-C10-Oxo-alcohol
polyglycol ether (6 EO)
Water
99.0
Combine ⅓ of Phase A to ⅔ of Phase B and mix well Viscosity can be adjusted by varying the amount of (EHGE) modified PAPE in phase B.
[0060] In the absence of additional salt (NaCl), the viscosity remained below 20 mPas at 1 wt % of polymer 1. With the addition of 4-8% sodium chloride, the viscosity of the cleaner could be increased to a range of 50 mPas (4% NaCl) and 450 mPas (8% NaCl). The cleaner without polymer and 8% NaCl had a viscosity of only 30 mPas. The viscosity was measured by Brookfield LVT 30 rpm, spindle #2.
Example 7
Conditioner Rinse Formula
[0061] A surfactant formulation of use in a conditioner rinse containing the (EHGE) modified PAPE of Example 2b is given below:
[0000]
% W/W
Deionized water
q.s. to 100
(EHGE) modified PAPE
1.00
Centrimonium chloride
1.00
Ceteareth-20
0.50
Ceateryl Alcohol
4.00
Amodimethicone
1.00
Phenoxyethanol, Ethylhexylglycerin
0.50
(Euxyl ® PE 9010 preservative, available from
Schülke & Mayr)
Sodium Lactate/Lactic Acid
q.s.
The end pH: 5.5-6.5
[0062] Examples 6 and 7 demonstrate the utility of (EHGE) modified PAPE I various aqueous formulations such as household cleaning formulations and conditioner rinse formulations.
[0063] Although the invention has been illustrated by the above examples, this is not to be construed as being limited thereby; but rather, the invention encompasses the generic area as hereinbefore disclosed. Various modifications and embodiments can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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The present invention relates to aqueous formulations useful in useful in personal care, oral care, household and institutional applications which contain polymers comprised of water soluble synthetic backbone with covalently connected hydrophobic ends can deliver ‘salt-like’ rheology to surfactant formulations containing surfactant concentrations at which thickening by salt is not effective.
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CLAIM OF PRIORITY
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e)(1) to Provisional Application No. 61/717,823 filed 24 Oct. 2012.
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The technical field of this invention is interprocessor communications.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In today's large SOCs that contain multiple compute cores, the cores can be running on different power domains (thus on separate PLLs) in order to gain full clock speed entitlement. However, there may be times when some of this compute power isn't necessary and could be powered down in order to reduce the overall power consumption of the device.
If the unit being powered down is a cache coherent master in a cache coherent interconnect system, the transition of the master into a fully powered down non-responsive state needs to be well understood by the rest of the system and the interconnect. With regards to snoop transactions, the power down transition needs to ensure that hang situations are avoided:
1) snoop transactions may be dropped because the interconnect has already sent snoop transactions to the master before the interconnect has knowledge that the master is powering down, 2) snoop responses may be dropped by the master if the power down mechanism doesn't anticipate that snoop transactions are still in the process of being serviced and simply powers down.
Memory Endian has typical been viewed as a Chip-Wide state. The entire chip has a single memory view that is aligned across all components in the system. As more individual processor cores have been added over time to make System on Chips (SOCs), where processors are individually attached to an interconnect and can each be running different code, the need for multi-endian views of the system memory has become necessary.
In a large scale System-on-Chip, the integration of multiple processors in a high performance device poses many additional challenges:
How to effectively integrate processors that support different protocols?
How to gain full processor performance and speed entitlement?
How to gain full code execution entitlement when there are multiple cores within a processor?
How to maintain memory coherency and synchronization between processors?
How to handle coherency when a processor is powered-down?
In a multi-core system, barrier transactions are used by a master to guarantee that ordering is maintained in the system interconnect. Memory barriers are used to guarantee a master's transactions are ordered correctly through an interconnect to a given endpoint. Synchronization Barriers are used to guarantee transaction visibility and ordering through the interconnect across multiple masters.
When a master issues these barrier transactions the interconnect needs to provide a barrier response signifying when the barrier request has been honored. If the interconnect lacks native support for barriers, the master effectively loses the ability to use barriers as a method of synchronizing its memory accesses or its accesses in relation to those of another master attached to the interconnect. If the interconnect does support barriers, tracking resources for barriers across multiple masters are finite and may not easily scale (with regards to resources, additional latency penalties, or complexity) as additional barrier-supporting masters are attached to the interconnect.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a system interconnect that does not offer any native barrier support, but does guarantee that all transactions from any master to any endpoint or memory location will arrive in the same order issued by the master and that all response to the master are from the slave endpoint, this solution is a self contained barrier-aware bridge between the master and the interconnect.
The barrier-aware bridge tracks all outstanding transactions from the attached master and whether they are barrier dependent or barrier-non-dependent. When a barrier transaction is sent from the master, it is tracked by the bridge, along with a snapshot of only the current list of outstanding transactions which are barrier-dependent, in a separate barrier tracking FIFO (First-In-First-Out). Each barrier transaction is separately tracked with whatever barrier dependent transactions that are outstanding at that time.
The barriers are tracked via this barrier FIFO and not with the non-barrier outstanding transactions tracking resources. As outstanding transaction responses are sent back to the master, their tracking information is simultaneously cleared from every barrier FIFO entry in a bit-slice fashion. Once the head FIFO barrier entry has all of its recorded outstanding transactions cleared, the bridge generates the barrier response to the master. In the case of the master having separate read and write interfaces and separate read and write barrier transactions (they are sent out as a barrier pair), the barrier FIFO is duplicated per interface—a read barrier FIFO and a write barrier FIFO.
The FIFO is sized to handle the maximum possible number of outstanding barriers transactions from the attached master to prevent resource contention stalling. The memory and synchronization barriers are both handled with this approach.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
These and other aspects of this invention are illustrated in the drawing, in which:
The FIGURE shows a block diagram of the dual-domain bridge.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The FIGURE shows an implementation of the asynchronous bridge operable to bridge different domains. Slave interface 101 , operating in the slave domain is bridged to the master interface 102 operating in the Multicore Shared Memory Controller (MSMC) domain through asynchronous bridge 104 . Since differences in data path width and memory endian may exist between the master and slave interfaces, bus width and endian conversion is performed in 103 as needed. Data and requests are transferred asynchronously between both halves using FIFOs appropriately sized to prevent any throughput issues.
The powerdown procedure implemented in the bridge is the following:
The cache coherent master subsystem produces a powerdown request signal, which propagates to the interconnect power domain portion of the bridge,
The bridge detects this and temporarily stops accepting snoop transactions from the coherent interconnect,
The bridge then waits for all already in-flight snoop commands to be drained by auto responding to them since the coherent master will have already drained out its caches by this point. The bridge does this by internally score boarding all snoop transactions as they are accepted from the interconnect. If the master does happen to send any snoop responses at this point, they are accepted and dropped by the bridge as the master cache is clean/empty at this point (i.e the expected master snoop response is already known),
Once all in-flight snoop commands have been responded to the interconnect, the bridge sends the powerdown acknowledgement signal back across to the cache coherent master subsystem and simultaneously gates off all asynchronous transfer logic to prevent spurious signaling during the actual power gating/isolation transition,
Once the powerdown acknowledgement signal is sent, the bridge begins its auto snoop response mode where it generates “normal—no data” snoop responses for snoop commands from the interconnect.
For powerup, once the interconnect domain of the bridge detects a reset de-assertion transition from the cache coherent master subsystem domain, the bridge stops this auto snoop response mode and returns to its normal mode of passing snoop commands onto the attached cache coherent master and passing back the master's snoop response onto the coherent system interconnect.
Similarly, when the entire device/system-interconnect powers up and comes out of reset, but the master is held in reset and possibly powered down without going into a functional non-reset mode, the bridge detect this and enters its auto snoop response mode immediate upon the interconnect domain coming out of reset.
This solution provides a very simplistic approach to the powerdown of a cache coherent master in a coherent interconnect system that eliminates the need to make the interconnect aware of the powerdown mode the cache coherent master is about to enter. Having to make the interconnect aware of the master powering down, requires either that the interconnect has to resolve in-flight snoop transactions already sent before the interconnect has observed the powerdown hint from the master or that the master has to be able to service all snoop responses even during the powerdown sequence.
The described solution allows the interconnect to be simplified by never having to comprehend the powerdown nature of the cache coherent master and having the guarantee that snoop transactions will always be responded to. The master can also be simplified knowing that it can safely powerdown irrespective of whether there are still snoop transactions being serviced by its logic.
Lastly, on powerup, the interconnect and master do not need to share any powerup information between them, the bridge seamlessly transitioning back to the snoop transaction pass through mode when it detects that the master has powered-up and came out of reset.
Memory Endian has typical been viewed as a Chip-Wide state. The entire chip has a single memory view that is aligned across all components in the system. As more individual processor cores have been added over time to make System on Chips (SOCs), where processors are individually attached to an interconnect and can each be running different code, the need for multi-endian views of the system memory has become necessary. In the next evolution, multiple processors are now bundled into a subsystem which acts as a single master connected to the interconnect. The subsystem typically has a shared memory controller entity which unifies the memory traffic into a single interface that attaches to the system interconnect. While an interconnect can be expected to support multiple masters with different memory endian views of the system, this doesn't inherently support the use-model where multiple processors with different memory endian views are attached to the interconnect through the same shared master interface. Each processor in the subsystem can potentially be running their own application and thus are not required to all have the same memory endian view.
The solution to the problem as described in this invention is to add a bridge between the subsystem and the interconnect which is aware of the number of processors within the subsystem. The bridge is aware of the current endian view used by each individual processor within the attached subsystem and can perform the appropriate endian conversion on each processor's individual transactions to adapt the transaction to/from the endian view used by the interconnect/system.
The implementation uses endian-invariant MMRs (Memory Mapped Registers) to allow each processor within the subsystem (regardless of their current endian view) to program the bridge to be aware of the processor's current endian view. Another potential implementation would be to provide a signal from the processor which could convey the processor's current endian view.
This solutions allows processors within the subsystem to have different endian views of the system memory and thus allowing each processor's thread/OS/application to have the full entitlement since its endian view can be independent of the view of the other processors within the subsystem. Full entitlement can be among other things—not having to modify code for endian related conversions thus gaining full processor execution entitlement, or taking advantage of platform specific behavior which may benefit certain endian views, or providing the flexibility to allow the code developer to choose which ever endian mode they are most familiar with. This solution allows all processors within a subsystem to have full entitlement since they can individually choose their endian view independent of the endian view used by the other processors within the same subsystem.
The asynchronous bridge maintains an endian-independent view of MMR space by swapping the bytes within a word when the slave CPU is big endian to return to the little endian view of an MMR word and also word swapping when MSMC is big endian to move the MMR word into the correct byte lanes as shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Non-MMR space
MMR space
The asynchronous bridge also converts transactions from the processor's bus protocol into the bus protocol used by the interconnect and vice versa for return responses. The bridge provides support for a multi-core processor by allowing core-specific management of endian mode, privilege ID, and master ID.
For synchronization, the bridge handles barrier transactions and provides a loop-back mode for virtual message transactions, thereby not exposing them to the interconnect if they are not supported or required. A barrier transaction is a transaction that has the property that any transactions it controls must not be reordered with respect to it. Thus, it can be inserted into a stream of transaction requests to maintain the order of the transactions it controls and thereby prevent some transactions from being performed before others.
This invention enables barrier support in a system where the interconnect lacks native barrier support, thus enabling the master to take advantage of the benefits offered by barriers.
The solution shown reduces the complexity of the interconnect by moving the barrier tracking to the attached master bridge and scales well as additional barrier-capable masters are added.
The barrier tracking FIFO is separate from the non-barrier transaction tracking logic (for transactions that proceed onto the interconnect), so non-barrier transaction bandwidth is not impacted. Barrier transactions are handled entirely by the bridge and do not progress into the interconnect, thus not impacting the system interconnect's bandwidth and resources.
Read/write transactions behind the barrier, and transactions which are not related to the barrier are not stalled.
The solution shown supports and tracks multiple concurrent barrier transactions (and barrier transaction pairs), including the maximum number of outstanding barrier transactions, so there is never a barrier tracking resource contention to stall the master's interface(s).
In the case of separate read and write interfaces, the read barriers and their dependencies can be tracked independently from the write barriers and their dependencies. Likewise the read/write barrier responses can also be returned independently.
For coherency, the bridge supports separating read/write transactions from the processor into blocking and non-block channels for a cache coherent interconnect. For snoop traffic, the bridge provides pass through channels for snoop transaction/responses/data. The bridge also supports efficient cache ownership transfers by giving ownership transfer request hints to the interconnect and out-of-order ownership transfer completion signaling information.
In a coherent cache system, a typical coherent cache master can both initiate (as a master) and receive (as a slave) cache transaction requests to/from the interconnect. A cache coherent master can send an acknowledgement signal to signal the completion of an ownership transfer. The exact transfer sequences are:
1. Read Command (master)→Read Data/Response (slave)→Read ACK (master) 2. Write Command (master)→Write Response (slave)→Write ACK (master)
The acknowledgement signal is essential for supporting proper coherency in the system by ensuring a clear, explicit ownership transfer scheme that prevent time windows where the exact data ownership can be ambiguous between a cache coherent master and a coherent interconnect.
To enable efficient tracking of transactions, an acknowledgement expected signal (hereafter referred to as ack_expected) is used to give the interconnect a hint for whether a transaction requires coherent ownership tracking. The ack_expected informs the cache coherent interconnect to expect an ownership transfer acknowledgement signal from the initiating master upon read/write transfer completion. The cache coherent interconnect can therefore continue tracking the transaction at its point of coherency until it receives the acknowledgement from the initiating master only when necessary.
The initiating master provides a unique ID for each request it sends to the interconnect. For the return response, the interconnect provides this same unique ID with the return information to the initiating master. The master then uses this unique return ID to provide an accompanying acknowledgement ID signal (hereafter referred to as ack_id) with the master's ownership transfer acknowledgement signal. The additional ack_id therefore places the onus of return ordering requirements on the initiating master. The initiating master can retire the return responses as it sees fit and provides the corresponding acknowledgement and ack_id signal when necessary.
In a typical large scale SOC, a master can see varied return latencies from different memory endpoints which can depend on factors such as memory type and position in the system hierarchy. Implementations with a singular acknowledgement signal, without any additional unique identification information, rely on in-order returns from the interconnect and further place burden on an interconnect to maintain master specific protocol ordering requirements. The master's expected return ordering and the out of order return nature of a multi endpoint SOC are therefore coupled.
This invention allows the interconnect's inherently out-of-order return nature in a multi endpoint SOC to be de-coupled from a connected initiating master's specific ordering requirements by allowing the interconnect to freely return transaction responses to the initiating master as they become available and subsequently retire coherent transactions via an acknowledgement and ack_id.
The interconnect can also be greatly simplified to freely return transaction responses to the initiating master as they become available in an out of order fashion independent of the any in-order retirement policy implemented by an initiating master. Unrelated return responses that have no ordering requirements can also be processed sooner by the master thus improving performance. The interconnect can still efficiently track and retire ownership transfers via the ack_id without the added complexity of handling the actual response retirement ordering required by the master.
The bridge has buffering resources to support the full issuing capacity of the multi-core processor and thus allow efficient out-of-order responses from the interconnect. The bridge reorders the responses to match the processor's specific ordering requirements while making optimizations to improve cache transaction performance.
The following are some of the advantages realized by the asynchronous bridge of this invention:
Bridging across 2 power/clock domains allows for full speed entitlement for both the processor and the interconnect. This also provides the flexibility to run each processor at a lower or higher power/performance level when necessary.
Having core-specific identification, endian behavior gives greater flexibility and independency to each core's software.
The synchronization support isolates barriers (and virtual messages when necessary) from the interconnect, thereby simplifying the interconnect design. If the interconnect natively lacks this support, this solution enables system barriers support (and mimics support for virtual messages) for the attached master. This allows software that takes advantage of these features to easily migrate to a system where the interconnect does provide native support.
The coherency support also simplifies the interconnect design by having the bridge handle the processor transaction repartitioning between block and non-block channels. The ownership transfer request hints and the transaction ownership retire information allow the interconnect to more efficiently allocate its transaction tracking resources.
The return buffering capacity allows the bridge to never stall any of the return interfaces from the interconnect since the bridge has sufficient capacity to match the processor's issuing capacity. This allows the interconnect to be simplified and return responses out-of-order and as soon as possible. The bridge is aware of the allowable re-ordering of responses to the master and takes advantage of this to re-order responses in an efficient manner that minimizes false inter-transactional dependencies that would introduce unnecessary additional latency on return responses.
The bridge's powerdown support isolates the processor powerdown and powerup from the interconnect. The bridge manages the transitions in a seamless fashion that simplifies otherwise complex issues of properly handling snoop transactions during a powerdown sequence without dropping snoop transactions/responses that could potentially hanging either the processor being powering down and/or the coherent system interconnect.
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The barrier-aware bridge tracks all outstanding transactions from the attached master. When a barrier transaction is sent from the master, it is tracked by the bridge, along with a snapshot of the current list of outstanding transactions, in a separate barrier tracking FIFO. Each barrier is separately tracked with whatever transactions that are outstanding at that time. As outstanding transaction responses are sent back to the master, their tracking information is simultaneously cleared from every barrier FIFO entry.
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BACKGROUND
The present disclosure relates to a device for fastening a toilet seat.
DISCUSSION OF THE RELATED ART
A toilet seat generally comprises a seat and a lid which are hingedly assembled on a bowl. The back portion of the toilet seat may be fastened to the bowl by bolts having their nuts generally located under the seating portion. A disadvantage is that the fitting and the removal of the toilet seat, particularly for the maintenance thereof, requires unscrewing and screwing the bolts, which may be uneasily accessible, the bowl being generally placed in a narrow room. Another disadvantage is that the fitting and the removal of the toilet seat for maintenance requires manipulating the bolt and the back portion of the toilet seat, which may be relatively uncleaned parts due to their location.
There exist toilet seats where the seat and the lid of the toilet seat are pivotally mounted on a fastening device which is fastened on two pins attached to the toilet bowl by a locking device which may be released by pressing on a button located at the back or at the front of the toilet seat. A disadvantage is that the fitting and the removal of the toilet seat for the maintenance thereof generally requires manipulating the back portion of the toilet seat. According to a variation, a protrusion may be provided at the back of the seat to press on the unlock button when the seat is up. A disadvantage then is that the unlock button is actuated each time the seat is put up, which may cause an incidental unwanted removal of the toilet seat.
There exist toilet seats where the toilet seat comprises, at its back portion, a magnet which cooperates with a magnet provided on the bowl to fasten the toilet seat to the bowl. A disadvantage is that, to provide a good fastening of the toilet seat to the bowl, the attractive force of the magnets used should be relatively significant, whereby removing the toilet seat may require applying a significant force.
It would be desirable to be able to simply fit and/or remove a toilet seat, particularly for the maintenance thereof, with no excessive effort and without having to manipulate the back portion of the toilet seat.
SUMMARY
An object of an embodiment aims at overcoming all or part of the disadvantages of previously-described toilet seat fastening devices.
Another object of an embodiment is for the toilet seat to be able to be fitted or removed, particularly for the maintenance thereof, with no manipulation of the back portion of the toilet seat.
Another object of an embodiment is for the user to be able to simply and rapidly fit and remove the toilet seat, particularly for the maintenance thereof.
Another object of an embodiment is for the toilet seat to be able to be fitted or removed, particularly for the maintenance thereof, with no excessive effort.
Thus, an embodiment provides a device for fastening a toilet seat to at least one first elements fastened to a toilet bowl, comprising a first locking part and wherein, for each back and forth motion of the fastening device relative to the bowl, the locking part is capable of alternately displacing between a first position where the first locking part cooperates with the first element and a second position where the fastening device can be separated from the first element.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises a support, a first arm hinged with respect to the support and stressed at a first end by a spring and intended to be stressed by the first element at a second end, the first arm cooperating with a first cam hinged with respect to the support and capable of allowing the pivoting of the first hinged locking part relative to the support, for each back and forth motion of the fastening device relative to the bowl, alternately between a first position where the first locking part partly penetrates into a first groove of the first element and a second position where the first locking part does not penetrate into the first groove.
According to an embodiment, the first arm is hinged with respect to the support around a first axis and the first cam and the first locking part are hinged with respect to the support around a second axis different from the first axis.
According to an embodiment, the first cam comprises a first groove following a closed curve.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises a first finger attached to the first arm and penetrating into the first groove.
According to an embodiment, the second axis is outside of the first curve.
According to an embodiment, the first locking part comprises first stressing means capable of having the first locking part pivot against the first element.
According to an embodiment, the first stressing means comprise a first flexible tab.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises a second arm hinged with respect to the support and stressed at a third end by the spring and intended to be stressed by a second element of the bowl at a fourth end, the second arm cooperating with a second cam hinged with respect to the support and capable of allowing the pivoting of a second locking part hinged with respect to the support, for each back and forth motion of the fastening device relative to the bowl, alternately between a third position where the second locking part partly penetrates into a second groove of the second element and a fourth position where the second locking part does not penetrate into the second groove.
According to an embodiment, the first arm comprises a first toothed portion and the second arm comprises a second toothed portion, the first toothed portion meshing with the second toothed portion.
According to an embodiment, the second arm is hinged with respect to the support around a third axis and the second cam and the second locking part are hinged with respect to the support around a fourth axis different from the third axis.
According to an embodiment, the second cam comprises a second groove following a second closed curve.
According to an embodiment, the device comprises a second finger fastened to the second arm and penetrating into the second groove.
According to an embodiment, the fourth axis is outside of the second curve.
According to an embodiment, the second locking part comprises second stressing means capable of pivoting the second locking part against the second element.
An embodiment also provides a toilet comprising a bowl and a toilet seat, and a device, such as previously defined, for fastening the toilet seat to at least one first element fastened to the bowl.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features and advantages will be discussed in detail in the following non-limiting description of specific embodiments in connection with the accompanying drawings, among which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of a toilet;
FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of an embodiment of a device for fastening a toilet seat to a toilet bowl;
FIGS. 3 and 4 are front views of parts of the embodiment of the fastening device of FIG. 2 ;
FIGS. 5A and 5B are front views of each side of another part of the embodiment of the fastening device of FIG. 2 ;
FIGS. 6A and 6B are front views of each side of another part of the embodiment of the fastening device of FIG. 2 ;
FIGS. 7A to 7E are cross-section views of the embodiment of the fastening device of FIG. 2 at successive steps during an operation of removing the toilet seat from a toilet bowl; and
FIGS. 8A to 8D are cross-section views of the embodiment of the fastening device of FIG. 2 at successive steps during an operation of fitting the toilet seat to a toilet bowl.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
For clarity, the same elements have been designated with the same reference numerals in the various drawings and, further, the various drawings are not to scale. In the following description, expressions “substantially”, “around”, and “approximately” mean “to within 10%”. Further, adjectives “front”, “back”, “lower” and “upper” are used with respect to the usual orientation of a toilet.
FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a toilet 10 comprising a bowl 12 having an internal cavity 13 and an edge forming a seating portion 14 . A toilet seat 15 is fastened to bowl 12 . Toilet seat 15 comprises a seat 16 , for example, made of a plastic material, pivotally assembled with respect to bowl 12 at the level of a fastening device 18 fastened to the back portion of bowl 12 so that seat 16 covers seating portion 14 when it is put down on bowl 12 . A lid 20 , for example, made of a plastic material, is also pivotally assembled with respect to fastening device 18 so that lid 20 covers seat 16 when it is put down on bowl 12 . When seat 16 and lid 20 are put down on bowl 12 , they close internal cavity 13 of bowl 12 .
FIG. 2 is a cross-section view of an embodiment of fastening device 18 in closed position. The cross-section plane is a vertical plane perpendicular to the horizontal direction oriented from front to back of toilet 10 . In FIG. 2 , seat 16 and lid 20 are not shown.
Fastening device 18 comprises a cylindrical tube 24 containing a locking device 26 having an axial symmetry relative to a vertical axis C. In the following description, the elements which are symmetrical with respect to axis C are designated with the same reference numeral followed by letter “A” when the element is totally or mainly located to the left of axis C in FIG. 2 , and followed by letter “B” when the element is totally or mainly located to the right of axis C in FIG. 2 .
Fastening device 18 is fastened to two elements 28 A, 28 B, for example, pins, attached to the bowl, not shown. The spacing between pins 28 A and 28 B is for example in the range from 10 cm to 25 cm. The diameter of tube 24 is a few centimeters, for example, from 2 cm to 3 cm. Locking device 26 comprises a support 29 fastened to the internal wall of tube 24 . Locking device 26 further comprises two arms 30 A, 30 B. Each arm 30 A, 30 B is mounted so as to pivot with respect to support 29 around an axis DA, DB, which is for example horizontal. Arms 30 A, 30 B are stressed by a spring 32 , for example, a helical spring, having one end maintained on a base 34 forming part of support 29 . A finger is fastened to each arm 30 A, 30 B, only finger 36 A being shown in FIG. 2 . Each finger 36 A cooperates with a cam 38 A, 38 B mounted so as to pivot with respect to support 29 around an axis EA, EB, which is, for example, horizontal. Each cam 38 A, 38 B may pivot a locking part 40 A, 40 B, mounted so as to pivot with respect to support 29 around axis EA, EB.
FIG. 3 shows pin 28 A. Each pin 28 A, 28 B comprises a base 42 A, 42 B resting on the bowl, a cylindrical body 44 A, 44 B extending along an axis parallel to axis C from base 42 A, 42 B and extending in a tapered end portion 46 A, 46 B. In locked position, each cylindrical body 44 A, 44 B penetrates into an opening 45 A, 45 B provided in tube 24 . A groove 47 A, 47 B is made in cylindrical body 44 A, 44 B at the junction between cylindrical body 44 A, 44 B and end portion 46 A, 46 B.
FIG. 4 shows arm 30 A. Each arm 30 A, 30 B comprises an end 48 A, 48 B capable of bearing against end portion 46 A, 46 B of pin 28 A, 28 B when fastening device 18 is in locked position. Each arm 30 A, 30 B comprises a toothed wheel sector 50 A, 50 B at the end opposite with respect to axis DA to end 48 A, 48 B comprising teeth 52 A, 52 B on two rows. Toothed wheel sector 50 A of arm 30 A permanently meshes with toothed wheel sector 50 B or arm 30 B, so that arms 30 A, 30 B simultaneously pivot around axes DA, DB, the clockwise or counterclockwise pivoting direction of arm 30 A being opposite to the pivoting direction of arm 30 B and the inclination angles of arms 30 A, 30 B permanently being, in absolute value, substantially identical. Each arm 30 A, 30 B comprises a portion 54 A, 54 B having one end of spring 32 pressing against it. Finger 36 A is fastened to arm 30 A, 30 B between axis DA, DB and end 48 A, 48 B.
FIGS. 5A and 5B show the two sides of cam 38 A. Each cam 38 A, 38 B comprises a guiding portion 55 A, 55 B comprising a groove 56 A having a finger 36 A capable of moving therein, only groove 56 A of cam 38 A being visible in the drawings. Groove 56 A follows a closed curve which successively comprises, in FIG. 5A in the counterclockwise direction, a first limiting upper position 58 A, a limiting outer position 60 A, a limiting lower position 62 A, a limiting inner position 64 A, a second limiting upper position 66 A, and a locking position 68 A. Guiding portion 55 A, 55 B is connected to a portion forming a pivot 70 A, 70 B by two connection portions 72 A, 72 B. Pivot-forming portion 70 A, 70 B comprises a cylindrical opening 71 A, 71 B of axis EA, EB. Rotation axis EA, EB of each cam 38 A, 38 B is located outside of groove 56 A. Pivot-forming portion 70 A, 70 B comprises a pin 74 A, 74 B. Each cam 38 A, 38 B comprises a flexible tab 76 A, 76 B for example extending from pivot-forming portion 70 A, 70 B and ending in a convex portion 78 A, 78 B which rubs against support 28 when cam 38 A, 38 B pivots around axis EA, EB.
FIGS. 6A and 6B show the two sides of locking part 40 A. Each locking part 40 A, 40 B comprises a pivot-forming portion 80 A, 80 B pivotally assembled with respect to support 29 around axis EA, EB. Pivot-forming portion 80 A, 80 B comprises a cylindrical portion 81 A, 81 B having cylindrical opening 71 A, 71 B of each associated cam 38 A, 38 B assembled thereto. Pivot-forming portion 80 A, 80 B extends in a head 82 A, 82 B. A recess 84 A, 84 B forming a stop is provided on one of the sides of head 82 A, 82 B. A flexible tab 86 A, 86 B extends from pivot-forming portion 80 A, 80 B.
Arms 30 A, 30 B and cams 38 A, 38 B may be made of polyamide. Fingers 36 A may be made of stainless steel. Locking parts 40 A, 40 B may be made of polyacetal.
FIG. 2 shows fastening device 18 in a locked position. In this position, finger 36 A maintained by each arm 30 A, 30 B is in the locking position 68 A of groove 56 A. Locking part 40 A, 40 B is maintained under the action of flexible tab 86 A, 86 B against pin 28 A, 28 B, head 82 A, 82 B of locking part 40 A, 40 B penetrating into notch 47 A, 47 B of pin 28 A, 28 B.
FIGS. 7A to 7E are views similar to FIG. 2 of the embodiment of locking device 18 at successive steps during a toilet seat removal operation. Only the rotating motions of arm 30 A, of cam 38 A, and of locking part 40 A are described, the rotating motions of arm 30 B, of cam 38 B, and of locking part 40 B being symmetrical with respect to axis C. Head 82 A, 82 B and groove 47 A, 47 B of pin 28 A, 28 B are shaped so that, while head 82 A, 82 B penetrates into groove 47 A, 47 B of pin 28 A, 28 B, head 82 A, 82 B remains locked in groove 47 A, 47 B in the case where tube 24 is removed from the bowl. Locking device 18 thus remains locked on pins 28 A, 28 B when only a traction is exerted on the toilet seat in vertical position.
FIG. 7A shows locking device 18 after a user has, with respect to the locked position shown in FIG. 2 , displaced tube 24 with respect to the seating portion downwards along direction C, tube 24 substantially coming into contact with bases 42 A, 42 B of pins 28 A, 28 B. This may be obtained by putting up the seat and the lid vertically and by exerting a pressure on the front portion of the seat and of the lid downwards along direction C. Head 82 A and groove 47 A of pin 28 A are shaped so that, when head 82 A penetrates into groove 47 A of pin 28 A, the efforts exerted by pin 28 A on head 82 A, when tube 24 is brought closer to the seating portion, cause the clockwise pivoting of locking part 40 A around axis EA in FIG. 7A until head 82 A comes out of groove 72 A. Once head 82 A has come out of groove 47 A, it keeps on sliding along cylindrical body 44 A of pin 28 A. Moreover, when tube 24 is brought closer to the seating portion, pins 28 A, 28 B exert a pressure on ends 48 A, 48 B of arms 30 A, 30 B. This causes a pivoting of arms 30 A, 30 B around axes DA and DB and compressing of spring 32 . Arm 30 A pivots clockwise in FIG. 7A . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A, 38 B from locking position 68 A to the first limiting upper position 58 A. This translates in FIG. 7A by a clockwise pivoting of cam 38 A around axis EA. The pivoting of locking part 40 A causes the deformation of flexible tab 86 A against tube 24 . For simplification, in FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C , deformed flexible tabs 86 A, 86 B are shown as crossing tube 24 .
As a variation, the removal of head 82 A from groove 47 A may be obtained by the pivoting of cam 38 A, which may cause a clockwise pivoting of locking part 40 A around axis EA in FIG. 7A to disengage head 82 A from groove 47 A, by the pressing of pin 74 A against stop 84 A of locking part 40 A.
FIG. 7B shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 7A , started taking tube 24 away from the seating portion by displacing it upwards along direction C. This may be obtained by exerting a traction on the front part of the seat and of the lid, in vertical position, upwards along direction C. As a variation, the action of spring 32 may be such that the user does not have to or only slightly has to pull on the toilet seat. Under the action of spring 32 , arm 30 A has pivoted around axis DA in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7B . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A from limiting upper position 58 A to a position closer to limiting outer position 60 A. Groove 56 A substantially follows, between limiting upper position 58 A and limiting outer position 60 A, an arc of a circle of axis DA. This translates in FIG. 7B as a maintaining substantially in angular position of cam 38 A around axis EA and also of locking part 40 A under the action of pin 74 A of cam 38 A bearing against stop 84 A of locking part 40 A. Head 82 A of locking part 40 A thus does not penetrate into groove 47 A of pin 28 A when, due to the relative displacement between pin 28 A and locking part 40 A, head 82 A is located opposite groove 47 A as shown in FIG. 7B .
FIG. 7C shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 7B , continued taking tube 24 away from the seating portion by displacing it upwards along direction C. Under the action of spring 32 , arm 30 A has pivoted around axis DA in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7C . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A all the way to limiting outer position 60 A. This translates in FIG. 7C as a maintaining substantially in angular position of cam 38 A and also of locking part 40 A under the action of pin 74 A of cam 38 A bearing against stop 84 A of locking part 40 A.
FIG. 7D shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 7C , continued taking tube 24 away from the seating portion by displacing it upwards along direction C. Under the action of spring 32 , arm 30 A has pivoted around axis DA in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 7D . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A all the way to limiting lower position 62 A. This translates in FIG. 7D by a counterclockwise pivoting of cam 38 A around axis EA. Under the action of flexible tab 86 A, a counterclockwise pivoting of locking part 40 A around axis EA maintaining it stopped against pin 74 A of cam 38 A is obtained. Head 82 A, 82 B being located at the level of end portion 46 A, 46 B of pin 28 A, head 82 A, 82 B does not oppose the displacement of pin 28 A.
FIG. 7E shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 7D , kept on taking tube 24 away from the seating portion by displacing it upwards along direction C. Pins 28 A, 28 B have been totally removed from tube 24 . The toilet seat is then no longer fastened to the seating portion.
FIGS. 8A to 8D are views similar to FIG. 2 of the embodiment of locking device 18 at successive steps during a toilet seat fitting operation. Only the rotating motions of arm 30 A, of cam 38 A, and of locking part 40 A are described, the rotating motions of arm 30 B, of cam 38 B, and of locking part 40 B being symmetrical with respect to axis C.
When the toilet seat is not connected to the seating portion, fastening device 18 is in the configuration shown in FIG. 7E .
FIG. 8A shows locking device 18 after the user has introduced end portions 46 A, 46 B of pins 28 A, 28 B into openings 45 A, 45 B of tube 24 and has started bringing tube 24 closer to the seating portion by displacing it downwards along direction C. This may be obtained by exerting a downward pressure on the front part of the seat and of the lid, in vertical position, along direction C. FIG. 8A shows the time when end portions 46 A, 46 B of pins 28 A, 28 B come into contact with ends 48 A, 48 B of arms 30 A, 30 B.
FIG. 8B shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 8A , continued bringing tube 24 closer to the seating portion by displacing it downwards along direction C. When tube 24 is brought closer to the seating portion, pins 28 A, 28 B exert a pressure on ends 48 A, 48 B of arms 30 A, 30 B. This causes a pivoting of arms 30 A, 30 B around axes DA and DB and a compressing of spring 32 . Arm 30 A pivots clockwise in FIG. 8B . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A from limiting lower position 62 A to first limiting lower position 64 A. This translates in FIG. 8B as a counterclockwise pivoting of cam 38 A around axis EA. The sliding of head 82 A on end portion 46 A of pin 28 A causes a clockwise pivoting of locking part 40 A around axis EA in FIG. 8B . The pivoting of locking part 40 A causes the deformation of flexible tab 86 A against tube 24 . For simplification, in FIGS. 8B, 8C, and 8D , deformed flexible tabs 86 A, 86 B are shown as crossing tube 24 .
FIG. 8C shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the locked position shown in FIG. 8B , continued bringing tube 24 closer to the seating portion by displacing it downwards along direction C, tube 24 substantially coming into contact with bases 42 A, 42 B of pins 28 A, 28 B. During the relative displacement between pin 28 A and locking part 40 A, head 82 A penetrates into groove 47 A, comes out of groove 47 A, and then continues sliding along cylindrical body 44 A of pin 28 A. Further, under the action of pin 28 A on end 48 A of arm 30 A, arm 30 A has pivoted clockwise around axis DA in FIG. 8C , further compressing spring 32 . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A all the way to the second limiting upper position 66 A. This causes a clockwise pivoting of cam 38 A.
As a variation, the shape of groove 56 A may be adapted so that cam 38 A is in a position which enables to prevent head 82 A of locking part 40 A from penetrating into groove 47 A of pin 28 A, due to the pressing of pin 74 A, 74 B of cam 38 A, 38 B against stop 84 A, 84 B of locking part 40 A, 40 B, during the relative displacement of pin 28 A relative to tube 24 .
FIG. 8D shows locking device 18 after the user has, with respect to the position shown in FIG. 8C , started taking tube 24 away from the seating portion by displacing it upwards along direction C. This may be obtained by exerting a traction on the front part of the seat and of the lid, in vertical position, upwards along direction C. Under the action of spring 32 , arm 30 A has pivoted around axis DA in the counterclockwise direction in FIG. 8D . Finger 36 A displaces in groove 56 A of cam 38 A from second limiting upper position 66 A to locking position 68 A. This translates in FIG. 8D as a clockwise pivoting of cam 38 A around axis EA. Under the action of flexible tab 86 A, a counterclockwise pivoting of locking part 40 A around axis EA is obtained, which makes head 82 A penetrate into groove 47 A of pin 28 A, pin 74 A allowing the pivoting of locking part 40 A. Fastening device 18 is then locked on pins 28 A, 28 B. As a variation, the action of spring 32 may be such that the user does not have to or only slightly has to pull on the toilet seat.
During a removal or fitting operation, convex portion 78 A, 78 B of flexible tab 76 A, 76 B of each cam 38 A, 38 B continuously rubs against support 29 . Thereby, each cam 38 A, 38 B remains substantially motionless and does not tilt under its own weight, for example, when finger 36 A supported by each arm 30 A, 30 B is in limiting lower position 62 A.
Specific embodiments have been described. Various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, flexible tabs 86 A, 86 B may be replaced with helical springs.
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A device for fastening a toilet seat to at least one first element of a toilet bowl, including a first locking part and wherein, for each back and forth motion of the fastening device relative to the bowl, the locking part is capable of alternately displacing between a first position where the first locking part cooperates with the first element and a second position where the fastening device may be separated from the first element.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a heat insulation material which is used as wadding for winter clothes, bedclothes, cushions etc. and resilient wadding for curtains and interior decoration etc.
It is well known to provide such wadding as used in bedclothes and winter clothes in which a metal film is deposited or transferred to either one surface or both surfaces of a sheet composed of synthetic resin film and a web is laminated over said sheet in order to improve heat insulation characteristic. However, this type of wadding had disadvantage that a satisfactory feeling of wearing it could not be attained due to the fact that when the sheet of film was applied as wadding, it had no permeability and expansion and contraction characteristics. Arrangement of a metal deposited surface over the entire surface of the sheet caused the sheet to be lack of permeability and be musty.
Further, although the sheet having these metal deposited surfaces had such effect as capable of generating aesthetic appearance due to its luster when the sheet was applied with its metal deposited surface being faced outside, a slimy touch caused by adhesion of moisture produced from a skin to the metal deposited surfaces was generated when the metal deposited surfaces were contacted with the skin of the user, resulting in making bad feeling touch. Further, due to a high thermal conductivity of metal, in case that the metal deposited surfaces were contacted with the body of the user, the heat in the body was removed through the metal. Some persons complained about a glittering luster surface.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a heat insulation material which is thin and light and has both a heat insulation and an insulating characteristic as well as expansion and contraction characteristics and further has a permeability.
It is another object of the present invention to prevent body heat from being transferred to metal due to an occurance of slimy feeling under adhesion of moisture generated from the body by direct contact of the skin of the user to the metal deposited surface and in particular direct contact of the body with metal deposited surfaces when they are used in cushions and mats etc. and further to provide effect of insulation and heat insulation caused by the metal deposited surfaces.
According to the present invention, fibrous sheet material such as non-woven fabrics, knitted fabrics and textiles is used to support or carry the metal and the fibrous sheet material having a metal deposited surface is fixed to a heat insulating fibrous layer.
Further, a porous cover may be arranged on the metal deposited surface of the fibrous sheet material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view for illustrating a heat insulation material of a first embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view for illustrating the heat insulation material of a second embodiment; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view for illustrating the heat insulation material of the present invention having a cover material.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a heat insulation material in which a reflecting layer composed of metal or non-metal material is integrally positioned at the outer surface of a supporting material composed of fibrous sheet materials and thereby a heat insulated fibrous layer is fixed.
The supporting material of heat insulation material of the present invention is composed of fibrous sheet materials such as non-woven fabrics, woven fabrics and knitted textiles etc. wherein it can be classified into two cases, one case in which they are made to a fabric form together and a reflecting layer of metal or non-metal material is deposited in vacuum condition or transferred onto the surface of the supporting material and the other case in which a reflecting layer is deposited on yarn surfaces while the fabric or knitted textile is kept in its yarn condition and then finished yarns are knitted or woven to make the reflecting layer of the surface of the supporting material.
In order to make a cover under vacuum deposition process which is one of means for forming a reflecting layer, it is possible to apply metal or non-metal such as aluminum, gold, silver, nickel, chromium, fluomagnesium and silicon monoxide etc. However, although aluminum is superior in its economical use and heat resistance, both gold and silver have high thermal reflection rate of long wave length.
In order to form the above-mentioned reflecting layer on the fibrous sheet material, at first a moisture ratio of the fibrous sheet material is reduced to 1.5% or less under predrying operation in a vacuum depositing machine having the fibrous sheet material therein and at the same time the inner part of the machine is reduced in its pressure by a vacuum pump, reflecting film layer forming substance such as aluminum etc. is melted and vapourized by an electric crucible in the vacuum depositing machine and then deposited on the entire surface of the fibrous sheet material. The reflecting layer forming substance in the above-mentioned system is only deposited to the surface of fibrous sheet material oppositely faced to the electric crucible, that is, the surface of a system composing fibrous sheet material.
As a second forming method for a reflecting layer, there is a transfer process. That is, there is arranged a deposited sheet in which any substance that is the same as the reflecting layer forming substance such as aluminum etc. applied in the above-mentioned vacuum depositing means is vacuum deposited on film surfaces such as polyethylene, polyester and the like, wherein original adhesive agent is applied with a coating machine to the fibrous sheet material forming the reflecting layer, the cover surface of the depesited sheet is laid on it and pressed, the film is peeled off and only the reflecting surface is transferred to yarns composing the fibrous sheet material.
In case that vacuum deposition is made to the yarns before their knitting or weaving, deposition substance is deposited only to the surface against the crucible in which depositing substance for the yarns is melted, so that it is necessary to guide the yarns in such a way as entire circumferences of the yarns are oppositely faced against the crucible in order to deposit depositing substance to the entire surface of the yarns.
The fibrous sheet material having such a reflecting layer as made in the manner described above is formed such that even in case of vacuum deposition or in case of transfer, the reflecting layer is formed only on one surface of the yarns constituting the fibrous sheet material and no reflecting layer is present at other portions. Therefore, if the material is of knitted fabric, the knitted mesh parts are left as spacings, resulting in forming noncontinuous porous film surfaces as the reflecting layer and having full of permeability. Therefore, an arrangement of knitted fabric with only reflecting layer being formed is effective for preventing a radiation, and hardly prevents heat radiation caused by convection, radiation and thermal conduction. Therefore, heat insulation fibrous layer composed of synthetic fiber and natural fiber etc. is integrally fixed to the fibrous sheet material.
The heat insulation fibrous layer is made such that short fiber of synthetic fiber such as polyester, acryle and nylon etc. and natural fiber such as silk wrap and wool etc. is carded, cross laid and made to form a layer having a specified unit weight.
As the synthetic fiber composing the above-mentioned heat insulation layer, hollow fiber of polyester has a superior resiliency and heat insulation characteristic. Porous fiber is preferable due to its light weight. Fine fibers with a Denier of 0.1 to 8 form static air layers, so that they are effective for preventing thermal convection.
The above-mentioned fibrous sheet material and the heat insulation fibrous layer are laminated, stiched with a needle punching machine or adhered at dotted points with adhesive agent to make an integral heat insulation material. In order to make a superior surface touch of the heat insulation material, porous cover fabrics are sometimes arranged at the surface of the material.
In FIG. 1, a reference numeral 1 designates a supporting material which is composed of fibrous sheet material such as non-woven fabrics, woven farbics and knitted fabrics and the like and which has a reflecting layer 2 at its surface under coating, vapour deposition, transfer and other processes. Reference numeral 3 designates a heat insulating fibrous layer which is composed of a carding web, feathering, and tow laminated layer and the like. In case that the supporting material 1 and the heat insulating fibrous layer 3 are laminated, they are laminated in such a way the reflecting layer 2 of the supporting material 1 is positioned outside. The heat insulation material 4 is composed of the supporting material 1 and the heat insulating fibrous layer 3. As means for making an integral assembling of the supporting material 1 and the heat insulating fibrous layer 3, there is one method of using needle punching machine and another other method of using adhesive agent. In case of making an integral assembling of the layers with a needle punching machine, the needle punching operation can be performed at either the reflecting layer 2 or the heat insulating fibrous layer 3. In case of performing an integral assembling of layers with a needle punching machine, several fine holes are made in the reflecting layer 2 of the supporting material 1 under needling operation to enable substantial permeability of layers to be attained.
However, if such a means as described above is not applied, needling is performed only at the supporting material 1 to form several fine holes in the supporting material and preferably to keep permeability in the supporting material. Fine holes have a diameter of about 0.1 mm and are made in a density of 20 to 40/cm 2 . In case of performing the above-mentioned needle punching operation, a part 7 of the fiber forming the heat insulating fibrous layer 3 appears on the reflecting layer 2 at the needle punched portion so as to fix the supporting material 1 and the heat insulating fibrous layer 3 together.
Example shown in FIG. 2 is one in which the supporting material having a reflecting layer 2 and a heat insulating fibrous layer 3 are adhered to each other with adhesive agent 8 to make an integral assembly thereof and the adhesive agent 8 is arranged in a dotted arrangement between the supporting material and the fibrous layer.
Example shown in FIG. 3 is one in which both sides of the heat insulating material shown in FIG. 1 are covered with cover materials 5 and 6. The cover material 5 covering the reflecting layer 2 is composed of knitted fabric such as tricot fabric having several fine through-pass holes in it and other fabrics to cause the reflecting layer 2 to be permeable from outside.
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A heat insulation material which is used as wadding for winter clothes, bedclothes, cushions, etc. A fibrous sheet material such as non-woven fabrics, knitted fabrics and textile is used to support or carry a metal and the fibrous sheet material having a metal deposited surface is fixed to a heat insulating fibrous layer.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates generally to uterine sound devices for measuring the depth and course of a uterus and more specifically relates to flexible, disposable, polyvinyl chloride-coated uterine sound devices.
In the gynecological field, it is sometimes necessary for a physician to measure the internal cavity of a uterus. For instance, such measurements may be necessary to ascertain the depth and course of an uterine cavity to prevent the accidental perforation of the uterus during a subsequent surgical procedure. In some instances such measurements may be performed both before and after a surgical procedure to insure that the uterus has properly contracted upon completion of a procedure.
Most uterine sound devices that are currently in use are reusable devices. Generally, these devices are silver-plated copper rods with graduations engraved in the surface of the rod to indicate units of length along the rod. Such devices have several disadvantages. For instance, since the devices are formed by plating silver onto copper, the resulting silver plating may gradually wear off leaving the copper exposed to the patient as the devices are repeatedly reused. This is a disadvantage because the copper can be potentially harmful to the patient. Thus, it is necessary for medical personnel to continuously monitor such devices to be sure that the silver-plating is still intact. Also, silver-plated uterine sound devices have the disadvantage that medical personnel must be careful when cleaning the devices to prevent the accidental removal of the silver plating.
Another disadvantage of such sound devices is the fact that by engraving the graduations on to the device, the engraved portions of the device can exacerbate trauma to the patient as the device is introduced into the cervix. In fact, in the past, such indentions have been intentionally used to collect blood as the sound device is removed to provide the physician a point of reference on the surface of the sound to determine the depth of the uterus.
While some reusable sound devices have a degree of flexibility and malleability, it is desired to provide a device which has greater flexibility and malleability than the currently available products. Flexibility is important because it can reduce the possibility of accidental perforation of the uterus as a physician reaches the uterine wall. A degree of flexibility is a desirable feature because it allows the sound device to flex slightly when the wall of the uterus is reached thereby putting the physician on notice that further pressure may cause a perforation. Malleability of a uterine sound device is a desirable feature because it also prevents the possibility of accidental perforation. Typically, before a sound device is inserted, the physician has performed a pelvic examination to determine if the uterus is anteverted, retroverted or in any other position. If the sound device is sufficiently malleable, the physician may then bend the device so that it generally conforms to the presumed course of the uterine cavity. Thus, as the device is inserted, it is more likely to follow the natural course of the uterine cavity and it is consequently less likely to perforate the uterine wall. If the sound device is too flexible or too malleable, it may not be able to maintain its desirable shape during insertion which will limit a physician's ability to accurately assess the position of the sound within the uterine cavity.
Disposable uterine sound devices have also been used in the past. Generally, these devices are made entirely of plastic. These devices are similar to the non-disposable uterine sound devices in that the graduations are imprinted onto the device. Thus, the outer surface of the device can still induce unnecessary trauma to a patient during insertion and removal. In some disposable uterine sound devices, flexibility has been created by producing a series of notches in the devices to allow the devices to bend. While these notches provide flexibility, they are disadvantageous in that they can also cause unnecessary trauma and limit the ability of the device to maintain its shape after it has been bent.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the disadvantages of the currently available disposable and reusable uterine sound devices, it is an object of this invention to provide a disposable device which is sufficiently flexible and appropriately malleable. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a sound device that has a relatively smooth surface to minimize patient trauma. Finally, it is an object to provide a device that can be easily manufactured and sterilized using a variety of techniques at a reasonable cost. These and other objects of the invention have been met by the device described herein below.
The subject device can be briefly described as a uterine sound device for measuring the depth and course of a uterine cavity. The device includes a handle and a shaft attached to the handle. The shaft has a inner metallic core and an outer plastic coating.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a shaft of the device; and
FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a rod used in the preferred embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Refer now to FIG. 1 which is a perspective view of the subject invention. The device 10 includes a handle 12 and a shaft 14. The shaft is attached to the handle at the proximal end 16 of the shaft 14. The shaft includes an inner metallic core 18 and an outer plastic coating 20 as illustrated in FIG. 2. The core may be formed of a variety of metals or metal alloys. For instance, the core may be formed using copper, silver, gold, aluminum, nickel, platinum, iron, tin and alloys thereof. However, in the preferred embodiment, the core is formed of copper. Copper is the preferred metal because it is inexpensive and has the desired flexibility and malleability characteristics. Further, it possesses desired thermal properties which facilitate manufacturing. Each of these characteristics will be discussed in great detail below.
The coating 20 may be formed of a variety of plastic or synthetic polymers. In the preferred embodiment, a polyvinyl chloride polymer is used. However, in other embodiments, the polymer may be selected from the group consisting of polypropyline, polyethylene, polystyrene, polybutidine, polyamide, and polyoleofin. Generally, any synthetic polymer may be used provided it is biocompatible with human tissue. In other words, it is important that the coating does not irritate or otherwise harm a patient when the patient's tissue comes in contact with the coating. Other required characteristics of the coating in the preferred embodiment of the invention are that it is capable of being used in a dipping process and that it is compatible with a printing process as discussed below. It is also necessary that the coating material be flexible in its solid phase and not be subject to chipping, cracking, tearing and splitting as the sound device is used or sterilized.
One desirable characteristic of the material chosen to provide the coating is that it be sufficiently smooth to minimize trauma to a patient, yet possess surface characteristics that are compatible with a printing process as discussed below.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the shaft 14 includes a series of printed graduations 22 to indicate units of measure along the length of the shaft 14. The graduations are printed rather than engraved on the shaft 14 to provide a smooth outer surface 24. This smooth outer surface reduced trauma which may occur when using a sound device having engraved or indented graduations on its outer surface 24.
A variety of inks may be used to produce the graduations 22. Generally, any ink may be used provided it is nonleachable and biocompatible. The use of printed graduations rather than engraved graduations creates a significant advantage of the present invention over prior-art devices. Printed graduations are much easier to read than engraved graduations and thus allow a physician to determine the depth of the uterus by reading the graduations while the sound is actually inserted in the patient rather than requiring the physician to withdraw the sound in order to make a reading. Since the physician is easily able to determine how much of the sound is inserted in the uterus at any given time, it is less likely for a physician to accidentally over insert the sound thereby causing an accidental perforation.
As discussed above in the background of the invention, it is desirable that the shaft 14 has a degree of flexibility. A test has been developed to measure the flexibility of a shaft 14. The test involves placing a handle 12 of a finished device in a fixture such that the distal 26 end is generally perpendicular to a fixed surface. The device is moved toward the fixed surface at a fixed, predetermined speed until the distal end 26 contacts the fixed surface and the shaft 14 begins to flex. At the instance of flexure of the shaft 14, the force required to cause the shaft to flex is measured. This force is directly related to the flexibility of the shaft and can be used as a test of acceptability of the device.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the proximal end 26 of the shaft 14 includes an enlarged tip 28. The purpose of the tip is to reduce the possibility of accidental perforation of the uterine wall. Generally speaking, the relative diameter of the tip 28 as compared to the diameter of the shaft 14 is on the order of a ratio of 5:4. For instance, if the diameter of the shaft is 0.12", the diameter of the tip may be on the order of 0.15".
One advantage of the preferred embodiment of the invention is that it can be manufactured using inexpensive techniques. This allows the device to be a disposable device. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the device is manufactured using the steps described below. First, a metallic rod 30 is stamped at one end 32 to produce a flattened surface as illustrated in FIG. 3. This end 32 becomes the proximal end 16 of the shaft 14. A nylon handle 12 is then attached to the shaft by the process of insert injection molding. Nylon is used in the preferred embodiment of the invention to form the handle due to its thermal characteristics, as will be discussed below.
In the preferred embodiment, after the nylon handle 12 has been attached to the shaft 14, a tip may be formed on the distal end of the shaft. It is preferred to use the double dipped process described below to form the tip, however, other processes may be used. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the tip is formed by initially dipping only the distal end 26 in the liquid phase of a material which will form the coating over the shaft. The end is then allowed to solidify. Next, the entire shaft and a portion 34 of the handle adjacent to the shaft is dipped in the coating material in its liquid phase. The coating is allowed to solidify over the shaft 14 and the portion 34 of the handle 12. Since a portion of the handle 12 is being subjected to a dipping process, it is necessary for the handle to maintain its integrity during the dipping process. Thus, the thermal characteristics of the material used to form the handle are important. It has been determined that nylon is an acceptable material to form the handle when polyvinyl chloride is used as the material to form the coating.
Other methods of forming a tip on the distal end 26 of the shaft include placing a cap of material over the end 26 of the shaft prior to dipping the shaft and a portion 34 of the handle 12. This cap is preferably made from the same material that is used to form the coating. However, in other embodiments, other materials may be used to form the cap. Another means by which the tip 28 may be formed is to form a bulb at the end of the metallic rod by rolling or machining the rod 18 prior to dipping.
After the coating has solidified, the graduations 22 are printed on the shaft 14. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the graduations are placed on the shaft using a pad printing process. In other embodiments of the invention, other printing processes such as ink jet printing or laser printing may be used.
While the invention has been described in detail and with reference to specific embodiments thereof, it will be apparent for those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.
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A disposable uterine sound device is described for measuring the depth and course of an uterine cavity. The device is formed by coating a copper rod and a portion of an attached nylon handle with polyvinyl chloride. The coating is then printed with a generally nonleachable biocompatable ink to form graduations indicating units of measure of length. The resulting device is a flexible, smooth service device which minimizes trauma to a patient during use.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed to a composition that may be used to treat a substrate. More particularly, the invention is directed to a composition that improves the characteristics of a substrate, like a fabric. The characteristics of the substrate are improved as a direct result of the composition and substrate coming into contact, and the improvements may be realized without the need to employ a mechanical washer, dryer, or ironing device.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is desirable in busy households to minimize the amount of work required to treat substrates. Particularly, it is very desirable to minimize the amount of work required to reduce or even eliminate, for example, wrinkles in substrates such as clothing. This is especially true when a consumer has worn clothing for a brief period of time and plans to wear the clothing a second time before having it, washed, dried and/or ironed.
Attempts to reduce wrinkles in clothing have been made, and especially with the introduction of durable permanent press treatments in the textile industry. Such treatments are known to employ polycarboxylic acids to strengthen the fibers of the textile, thereby rendering them less likely to wrinkle. Notwithstanding the above-described permanent press treatments, it is well settled that the effects of such treatments do not last long after the textiles (e.g., clothing) are subjected to a few washing cycles.
A need exists to reduce wrinkles in substrates, like clothing, that may not be subjected to washing, drying and/or ironing, even if the substrates have been subjected to permanent press treatments. This invention, therefore, is directed to a composition that improves the characteristics of a substrate as a direct result of the substrate coming into contact with the composition. The characteristics which are improved by the composition described in this invention include the reduction of substrate wrinkles and/or the reduction of substrate shape distortion.
Additional Information
Efforts have been disclosed for spraying surfaces. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,783,544, a spray composition for reducing malodor is described.
Still other efforts have been disclosed for spraying surfaces. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,663,134, a spray composition with less than 1.0% by weight of monohydric alcohol is described, and the composition is used to reduce malodor impressions on inanimate surfaces.
Even further, additional attempts have been made to spray surfaces. In U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,165, spray compositions with odor absorbing features are described.
None of the references above disclose a composition that may be sprayed on to a substrate in order to reduce wrinkle formation and/or shape distortion of the substrate. As used herein, substrate is defined to mean a textile having the capacity to wrinkle, including curtains, table cloths, upholstery, and especially, clothing. Substrate enhancing agent is defined to mean a compound (including oligomers and polymers) that results in a reduction in wrinkle formation and/or shape distortion of a substrate. Such a substrate enhancing agent is also meant to include a compound that enhances the wrinkle reducing properties of conventional wrinkle reducing additives.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a first embodiment, this invention is directed to a composition for improving substrate characteristics, the composition comprising:
(i) from about 0.1 to about 20.0% by weight of a least one substrate enhancing agent selected from the group consisting of a polyhydric alcohol, a polyether, a monohydric alcohol and a mixture thereof; and
(ii) greater than about 5.0% by weight water
wherein the polyhydric alcohol is at least a C 4 polyhydric alcohol, the polyether comprises at least one alkylene chain of at least 4 carbons and the monohydric alcohol is at least a C 5 monohydric alcohol.
In a second embodiment, this invention is directed to a method for reducing wrinkles and/or shape distortion of a substrate by using the composition described in the first embodiment of this invention.
In a third embodiment, this invention is directed to an article of manufacture comprising the composition described in the first embodiment of this invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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, may be best understood by reference to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figure in which:
The FIGURE illustrates a side view of a trigger sprayer which may be used to dispense the composition for improving substrate characteristics of this invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
There is no limitation with respect to the type of polyhydric alcohol used in this invention other than that the polyhydric alcohol has at least a C 4 carbon chain. Polyhydric alcohol, as used herein, is defined to mean a compound with more than one hydroxy group and no ether links within its backbone. An illustrative list of the polyhydric alcohols which may be used in this invention includes C 4 to C 18 alkane diols, like 1, 4-butane diol, 1, 5-pentane diol and 1, 10-decane diol. Others include C 6 to C 18 cycloalkane diols like 1, 4-cyclohexane diol.
The polyhydric alcohols which may be used in this invention can be prepared, for example, by base-or-acid-catalyzed cleavage reactions of epoxides, or by the oxidation of alkenes. Such polyhydric alcohols are also made commercially available by suppliers like Aldrich Chemical.
Regarding the polyethers which may be used in this invention, these compounds may be oligomers or polymers and have, in their respective backbones, at least one alkylene chain having at least 4 carbon atoms. An illustrative list of the polyethers (e.g., polyalkylene glycols) which may be used in this invention includes polybutylene glycol, polypentylene glycol, polyhexylene glycol, and any copolymers (including terpolymers) of the same.
The polyethers used in this invention are typically made by conventional techniques which include the polymerization of alkylene oxides via a mechanism initiated by anions. Such polyethers are also made commercially available by suppliers like Dow Chemical, and typically have a weight average molecular weight (mw) from about 500 to about 20,000; and preferably, from about 1000 to about 10,000, including all ranges subsumed therein.
The monohydric alcohols which may be used in this invention are limited only to the extent that they include alcohols having at least 5 carbon atoms in a linear chain. The preferred monohydric alcohols include those which have greater than about 7 carbon atoms. The most preferred monohydric alcohols include those which have greater than about 15 carbon atoms, like cetyl alcohol, octadecyl alcohol, and mixtures thereof (e.g., tallow alcohol).
The monohydric alcohols that may be used in the present invention may be prepared by any conventional technique, such as those which react acid chlorides with organometallic compounds. The monohydric alcohols which may be used in this invention may also be purchased from suppliers like Sigma.
There is no requirement for the substrate enhancing agent of this invention to be saturated, and therefore, such an agent may comprise sites of mono- or polyunsaturation. In an especially preferred embodiment, the substrate enhancing agent of this invention has a weight average molecular weight of greater than about 180 or a boiling point greater than about 216° C., or both.
There is no limitation with respect to how the composition of the present invention is made as long as the desired components are mixed to produce a composition that may be applied to a substrate. For example, the substrate enhancing agent may be added to a mixing vessel along with water. The amount of water in the composition that may be used to treat a substrate is greater than 5.0%, and typically, from about 70.0% to about 99.9% by weight of the total weight of the composition. Most preferably, however, water makes up from about 75.0% to about 97.0% by weight of total weight of the composition, including all ranges subsumed therein. The mixing of desired components may occur at conventional mixing rates. The temperature and pressure during mixing may vary, as long as the desired composition for improving substrate characteristics may be made. Typically, however, the composition of this invention may be made by mixing under conditions of moderate shear, with temperature being from about 25° C. to about 85° C. and pressure being atmospheric.
Optional additives which may be employed in the compositions of the present invention include low molecular weight alkanols (i.e., alcohols with a backbone of four (4) carbons or less). The low molecular weight alcohols which may be used in this invention may assist in improving the characteristics of the substrate being treated with the composition of this invention. Also, such low molecular weight alcohols can significantly decrease the drying time of the composition applied to the substrate, thereby enabling the consumer to, for example, use the substrate (e.g., clothing) shortly after being contacted with the composition. The amount of low molecular weight alcohols which may be used in this invention typically is from about 0.0% to about 10.0%, and preferably, from about 0.1 to about 9.0%, and most preferably from about 0.5% to about 5.0% by weight, based on total weight of the composition, including all ranges subsumed therein.
Other optional additives which may be used in conjunction with the substrate enhancing agents of the present composition include known lubricants like silicon comprising compounds, substituted vegetable oils, fatty acids or fatty acid esters and quaternary ammonium compounds and surfactants.
The silicon comprising compounds which may be used in this invention include those that may generally be classified as siloxanes, preferably those having a viscosity from about 10 to about one million centistokes at ambient temperature. The siloxanes which may be used in this invention include polydimethylsiloxane; ethoxylated organosilicones; polyalkyleneoxide modified polydimethylsiloxane; linear aminopolydimethylsiloxane polyalkyleneoxide copolymers; betaine siloxane copolymers; and alkylactam siloxane copolymers. Of the foregoing, the preferred siloxane is a linear aminopolydimethylsiloxane polyalkyleneoxide copolymer sold under the name Magnasoft SRS (available from Witco, Greenwich, Conn., USA). Silsoft A-843, another aminopolydimethylsiloxane polyalkyleneoxide copolymer available from Witco, is also a particularly preferred lubricant which may be used. The most preferred siloxane is, however, a polydimethylsiloxane sold under the name HV-600 by Dow Chemical.
Regarding the silicon comprising compounds, such compounds are preferably included in the compositions of the present invention in an amount from about 0.1 to about 10%, and preferably, from about 0.1% to about 5%, and most preferably, from about 0.3 to about 1.5% by weight silicon comprising compound (or mixtures of silicon comprising compounds), based on total weight of the composition for improving substrate characteristics, including all ranges subsumed therein.
The substituted vegetable oils which may be used in this invention include substituted canola, castor, palm, peanut and corn oil, including mixtures thereof. Regarding the substitution, any groups that increase the water solubility of the oil may be substituted thereon. Such groups include sulphate, sulphonate, phosphate and phosphonate groups as well as polyalkylene oxide groups like polyethylene oxide. As to the degree of substitution, the vegetable oil is substituted to the point where it is almost soluble in water, yet able to lubricate the fabrics it comes in contact with. Typically, from about 0.1 to about 15.0%, and preferably, from about 0.2 to about 10.0%, and most preferably, from about 0.3 to about 5.0% by weight substituted vegetable oil is used. Preferred substituted vegetable oils are sulfated caster oil such as SCO-50 and SCO-75, both made commercially-available by B.F. Goodrich.
The fatty acid or fatty acid ester which may be used in this invention includes fatty acids or there esters of stearic, oleic, palmitic, lauric, isostearic, myristic or behenic acids, as well as mixtures thereof. It is also understood that the fatty acid or esters thereof which may be used in this invention can comprise a mixture of compositions such as carnauba wax, candelilla wax, and natural or synthetic bees wax. The amount of fatty acid or esters thereof which may be used in the composition of this invention is typically from about 0.1 to about 10.0%, and preferably, from about 0.2 to about 5.0%, and most preferably, from about 0.3 to about 3.0% by weight fatty acid ester, based on total weight of the composition for improving substrate characteristics, including all ranges subsumed therein.
The quaternary ammonium compounds which may be used in this invention Include any of those typically found in fabric conditioning products. Such quaternary ammonium compounds include dialkyldimethylammonium chlorides and trialkylmethyl ammonium chlorides, wherein the alkyl groups have from about 12 to about 22 carbon atoms. Other quaternary ammonium compounds which may be used are, for example, ester containing quaternary ammonium compounds N,N-di(tallowyl-oxy-ethyl)-N,N-dimethyl ammonium chloride, N,N-di(tallowyl-oxy-ethyl)-N-methyl, N-(2-hydroxyethyl) ammonium chloride and mixtures thereof.
The amount of quaternary ammonium compound employed in the composition of this invention is typically from about 0.1 to about 5.0%, and preferably, from about 0.2 to about 4.0%, and most preferably, from about 0.3 to about 3.0% by weight quaternary ammonium compound, based on total weight of the composition for improving substrate characteristics, including all ranges subsumed therein.
The only limitation with respect to the surfactant which may be used in this invention is that the surfactant is compatible with the substrate enhancing agent used in the substrate treating compositions of this invention. The surfactants that may be used in this invention include commercially known nonionic, anionic, cationic, amphoteric and zwitterionic surfactants, including mixtures thereof. Such surfactants typically make up from about 0.5 to about 10 wt. % of the total weight of the substrate treating composition.
Nonionic surfactants are the preferred surfactants and they are defined to include those surfactants generally classified as fatty acid or alcohol condensates. Such surfactants are typically sold under the names Neodol, Plurafac, Dehypon and Synperonic and made commercially available from suppliers like Shell Chemical Company, Union Carbide, Condea, Stepan and BASF. The preferred nonionic surfactant used in this invention is an ethoxylated nonionic sold under the name Neodol 25-9 and made available by Shell Chemical Company.
It is also noted herein that odor reducing additives, like cyclodextrin, may be used in the composition of this invention. Cyclodextrin, as used herein is meant to include cyclodextrins containing from 6 to 12 glucose units; especially, alpha-cyclodextrin, beta-cyclodextrin, gamma-cycodextrin, derivatives thereof or mixtures thereof. The amount of cyclodextrin which may be used is typically from about 0.1 to about 7.0% by weight cyclodextrin, based on total weight of the composition for improving substrate characteristics, including all ranges subsumed therein. A more detailed description of such odor reducing additives may be found in International Application No. WO 98/56890.
Still other optional additives which may be used in this invention include well known and commercially available colorants, fragrances such as Koala Kool MOD-C made available by Takasago, preservatives, pH control agents, viscosity adjusting agents such as inorganic salts, hydrotropes such as sodium xylene sulfonate, anti-oxidants such as butylated hydroxy toluene, foam control agents, chelants, enzymes (e.g., lipases, amylases, proteases), dye transfer inhibitors and anti-clogging agents. When used, these optional additives, collectively, make up less than about 10.0% by weight of the total weight of the composition for treating a substrate.
The composition for treating a substrate of this invention may be applied to the substrate with, for example, a dispenser like roller, aerosol dispenser, pump sprayer or trigger sprayer. The figure depicts a trigger sprayer 10 having a head 12 , a neck 14 and a bottle 16 . The bottle 16 is connected to the neck 14 via twist connector 18 . Trigger 20 , when engaged, causes the composition for improving substrate characteristics 22 to be drawn through the delivery tube 24 and the exit nozzle 26 in order to deliver the composition for improving substrate characteristics 22 on to a substrate (not shown).
The composition for improving substrate characteristics of this invention is preferably applied on to a substrate at portions of the substrate that are most likely to wrinkle. If desired, however, the entire substrate may be subjected to the composition. When applying the composition for improving substrate characteristics, the amount of composition applied is enough to improve the characteristics of the substrate and just enough to allow the substrate to dry (at ambient temperature) in under about three (3) hours, and preferably, in under about one (1) hour, and most preferably, in under about one-half (½) hour. Also, it is noted that after applying the composition of the present invention to the substrate, little or no discernible markings (e.g., stains, water marks or rings) may be found on the substrate when the composition is completely dry.
Instructions may be provided with the composition for improving substrate characteristics of this invention. Such instructions, where applicable, educate an end user to apply the composition of this invention to a substrate and then to immediately (e.g., within about five (5) minutes) hang the substrate up or place the substrate on a flat surface. The instructions may also suggest to the end user to apply the composition of this invention to a substrate and then to either tension and smooth the garment or to iron the substrate before or after (preferably after) the composition for improving substrate characteristics dries.
The examples are provided to further illustrate and facilitate a better understanding of the compositions for improving substrate characteristics of this invention. The examples are not meant to limit the accompanying claims.
Example 1-6 A
Component
1
2
3
4
5
6
Ethanol
5.0
5.0
2.0
—
4.0
3.0
Sulfated castor oil
0.5
2.0
—
—
—
—
Silicone B
—
—
.5
1.0
—
2.0
Ethoxylated nonionic C
1.0
2.0
1.0
—
2.0
1.0
Tallow alcohol
3.0
1.5
—
—
5.0
4.0
Methyl methoxy
—
2.0
5.0
4.0
4.0
3.0
butanol
Ditallow, dimethyl
—
—
—
—
2.0
—
ammonium chloride
Octadecyl alcohol
—
—
2.0
4.0
—
—
Fragrance D
0.5
0.5
—
0.5
02
0.5
Water
To
To
To
To
To
To
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
100%
A Examples 1-6 may be made by mixing the components, in no particular order, under conditions of moderate sheer at temperatures from about 25° C. to about 85° C.
B MagnaSoft SRS (Witco) (Examples 1-5); HV-600 PDMS (Example 6).
C Neodol 25-9 (Shell Chemical).
D Koala Kool MOD-C (Takasago).
|
The present invention is directed to a composition for improving substrate characteristics. The composition has a substrate enhancing agent, like a monohydric alcohol, and the composition reduces wrinkles in substrates that have not been subjected to ironing.
| 3
|
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This non-provisional application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(a) on Patent Application No. 2003-333014 filed in Japan on Sep. 25, 2003, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to processes of preparing γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acids and silyl esters thereof which are useful as polymerizable carboxylic acid derivatives and intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals. It also relates to carboxyl group-containing organosilicon compounds which are useful as silane coupling agents or precursors raw materials for the synthesis of modified silicone fluids and siloxane-containing polymers, and processes of preparing the same.
BACKGROUND ART
γ,δ-Unsaturated carboxylic acids have in the molecule two reactive sites, an olefin moiety and a carboxyl group. They are useful as polymerizable monomers in polymer manufacture or as intermediates for the synthesis of pharmaceutical and agricultural chemicals. With respect to 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoic acid, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,534,562 discloses its use in a primer composition for dental material bonding. Also, JP-B 6-43414 discloses its use as raw material from which pharmaceutical intermediates are prepared.
For preparation of γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acids and esters thereof, several processes have been reported, including (a) allylation at α-carbon of carboxylic acids, (b) oxidation of γ,δ-unsaturated aldehydes, and (c) Claisen rearrangement.
Process (a) includes (a-1) where a base acts on a carboxylic acid or ester thereof to generate carbanion at α-position, with which an allylating agent is reacted; (a-2) where a malonic acid ester is reacted with an allylating agent in the presence of a base and a palladium catalyst, followed by decarboxylation; (a-3) where a metal acts on α-halogenated carboxylic acid ester, followed by reaction with an allylating agent; and (a-4) where using a lithium reagent and trialkylchlorosilane, a carboxylic acid ester is converted to a silyl ketene acetal, which is reacted with an allylating agent in the presence of a palladium catalyst. In all these processes, the base or metal must be used in excess of the stoichiometry. This gives rise to drawbacks including a reduced yield per unit reactor volume and the formation of much salt to be discarded.
Qingdao Haiyang Daxue Xuebao, 1999, Vol. 29, pp. 319-320, reports successful results of producing 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoic acid in high yields by process (b) using silver oxide as an oxidizing agent. USSR Patent No. 1,397,428 discloses a method of making 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoic acid by process (b) using cobalt acetate as a catalyst and molecular oxygen as an oxidizing agent in methanol. However, the synthesis of γ,δ-unsaturated aldehyde used as the starting material is not always satisfactory in yield, cost, reaction time and the like.
By contrast, preparation of γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acids and esters thereof by (c) Claisen rearrangement is ideal in that rearrangement reaction per se forms no waste products. See Trost and Fleming Ed., Comprehensive Organic Synthesis, First Edition, Pergamon Press, 1991, pp. 827-873. Problems arise in that ketene acetals used as the starting materials in rearrangement reaction are produced by transesterification (Johnson-Claisen rearrangement) between ortho-ester and allyl alcohol at high temperature, or deprotonation-silylation (Ireland-Claisen rearrangement) of carboxylic acid allyl ester. The former uses a high reaction temperature and lacks selectivity. The latter requires at least one equivalent of the deprotonation agent, from which a large amount of salt is formed. Besides, it was reported to perform Claisen rearrangement by subjecting zinc to act on α-bromocarboxylic acid allyl ester. This method must use an excess amount of zinc powder, undesirably producing a large amount of waste.
JP-A 9-202791 describes that when allyl acrylate is hydrosilylated in the presence of a platinum catalyst, a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid and silyl ester thereof are formed as by-products through Claisen rearrangement. In this process, formation of γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acids takes place as side reaction and only in low yields.
Although γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives are useful compounds, their preparation process is limited as discussed above. There exists a need for a simple process for their preparation in high yields.
Meanwhile, organosilicon compounds having a carboxyl group are useful as silane coupling agents, precursors raw materials for various modified silicone fluids, and raw materials for polycondensation polymers such as polyamides and polyesters. For their preparation, JP-A 2001-158791 and JP-A 11-193291 disclose methods of preparing siloxanes having carboxylic acid and carboxylic acid ester moieties. In either case, hydrosilylation is utilized to form a silicon-carbon bond. Due to mild reaction, hydrosilylation is effective for the synthesis of silicon compounds having a carboxyl group or precursor thereof. However, there are commercially available few unsaturated carboxylic acids and equivalents to be used as the starting material. Then, the type of carboxyl group-containing organosilicon compounds that can be produced using such starting materials is also limited. It is desired to solve these unsatisfactory problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a simple process of preparing γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives in fewer steps and in high yields. Another object is to provide carboxyl group-containing organosilicon compounds and a process for preparing the same.
The inventors have discovered that by reacting an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane in the presence of a catalytic amount of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester can be readily prepared in one step and in high yields, and that by desilylating the resulting silyl ester, a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid can be prepared in high yields. The inventors have also discovered novel carboxyl group-containing organosilicon compounds and a process for preparing the same.
[I] A process of preparing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of the general formula (3), comprising the step of reacting an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester of the general formula (1) with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of the general formula (2) in the presence of a catalytic amount of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane.
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 and R 6′ are each independently a monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group which may be halo-substituted, a halogen atom, or a hydrogen atom, or a pair of R 1 and R 2 , R 1 and R 3 , R 4 and R 4′ , R 4 and R 6 , R 4′ and R 6 , or R 5 and R 6′ may bond together to form a ring.
Herein R a , R b and R c are each independently selected from the class consisting of C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 aralkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 6 -C 20 aryloxy, C 7 -C 20 aralkyloxy, organosiloxy groups in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group or hydrogen, substituted forms of the foregoing groups in which a hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom is substituted with a halogen atom, and halogen atoms, or a pair of R a and R b , R a and R c , or R b and R c may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R a , R b and R c may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , R 6′ , R a , R b and R c a defined in formulae (1) and (2).
[II] A process of preparing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid of the general formula (4), comprising the step of desilylating the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) resulting from the process of [I].
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , and R 6′ are as defined in formula (1).
[III] An organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group, represented by the general formula (5).
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , R 6′ , R a , R b and R c are as defined in formulae (1) and (2); Rd is selected from the class consisting of C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 6 -C 20 aryloxy, C 7 -C 20 aralkyloxy, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group or hydrogen, and halogen atoms, R e and R f are independently selected from the class consisting of C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 aralkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 6 -C 20 aryloxy, C 1 -C 20 aralkyloxy, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group or hydrogen, and halogen atoms, R d , R e and R f may have a substituent group free of unsaturation that undergoes hydrosilylation, or a pair of R d and R e , R d and R f , or R e and R f may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R d , R e and R f may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
[IV] A process of preparing an organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group represented by the general formula (5), comprising the step of hydrosilylating the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) resulting from the process of [I], using a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of the general formula (6).
Herein R d , R e and R f are as defined in formula (5).
[V] An organosilicon compound having a carboxyl group, represented by the general formula (7).
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 and R 6′ are as defined in formulae (1) and (5); R g is selected from the class consisting of hydroxyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 6 -C 20 aryloxy, C 7 -C 20 aralkyloxy, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group or hydrogen, and halogen atoms, R h and R i are independently selected from the class consisting of hydroxyl, C 1 -C 20 alkyl, C 6 -C 20 aryl, C 7 -C 20 aralkyl, C 1 -C 20 alkoxy, C 6 -C 20 aryloxy, C 7 -C 20 aralkyloxy, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent C 1 -C 20 hydrocarbon group or hydrogen, and halogen atoms, R g , R h and R i may have a substituent group free of unsaturation that undergoes hydrosilylation, or a pair of R g and R h , R g and R i , or R h and R i may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R g , R h and R i may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
[VI] A process of preparing an organosilicon compound having a carboxyl group represented by the general formula (7), comprising the step of desilylating an organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group represented by the general formula (5).
According to the invention, γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives which are commercially of great interest can be prepared through fewer steps and in high yields. Thereafter, novel organosilicon compounds having a silylated carboxyl group can be prepared therefrom.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention provides processes of preparing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester and a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid. The overall process involves, as shown by the reaction scheme below, the step of reacting an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester of the general formula (1) with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of the general formula (2) in the presence of a catalytic amount of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, to thereby form a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of the general formula (3); and the step of desilylating the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) to thereby form a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid of the general formula (4).
The α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester, with which the inventive process of preparing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid and silyl ester thereof starts, has the general formula (1).
Herein R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 and R 6′ are each independently a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, which may be halo-substituted, a halogen atom, or a hydrogen atom. Alternatively, a pair of R 1 and R 2 , R 1 and R 3 , R 4 and R 4′ , R 4 and R 6 , R 4′ and R 6 , or R 5 and R 6′ may bond together to form a ring of 3 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 5 to 10 carbon atoms, with the carbon atom to which they are bonded. Illustrative examples of R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 and R 6′ include straight, branched or cyclic, unsubstituted or halo-substituted alkyl groups such as methyl, chloromethyl, trifluoromethyl, ethyl, propyl, 3-chloropropyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, cyclopentyl, hexyl, cyclohexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl and stearyl; straight, branched or cyclic, unsubstituted or halo-substituted alkenyl groups such as vinyl, allyl, 2-propenyl, butenyl, hexenyl, cyclohexenyl, decenyl, and undecenyl; straight, branched or cyclic, unsubstituted or halo-substituted alkynyl groups such as ethynyl, propynyl and butynyl; unsubstituted or halo-substituted aryl groups such as phenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 4-iodophenyl, pentafluorophenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, and biphenylyl; and unsubstituted or halo-substituted aralkyl groups such as benzyl, phenylethyl, and phenylpropyl. Illustrative examples of the ring formed by a pair of R's include cyclopropyl, cyclobutyl, cyclopentyl, cyclohexyl, cyclohexenyl, cyclooctyl, and bicyclo[2.2.1]heptyl rings.
Illustrative examples of the α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester of formula (1) include allyl acrylate, allyl methacrylate, allyl crotonate, allyl cinnamate, methallyl methacrylate and 3-cyclohexenyl methacrylate.
The process of preparing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid and silyl ester thereof in a first embodiment of the invention involves reacting an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester of the general formula (1) with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of the general formula (2).
Herein R a , R b and R c are each independently selected from among alkyl groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyl groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyloxy groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms (e.g., alkyl or aryl) or hydrogen, substituted forms of the foregoing groups in which a hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom is substituted with a halogen atom, and halogen atoms. Alternatively, a pair of R a and R b , R a and R c , or R b and R c may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 3 to 20 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R a , R b and R c may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 6 to 20 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
Illustrative examples of R a , R b and R c include straight, branched or cyclic, unsubstituted or halo-substituted alkyl groups such as methyl, chloromethyl, trifluoromethyl, ethyl, propyl, 3-chloropropyl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, cyclopentyl, hexyl, cyclohexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl and stearyl; unsubstituted or halo-substituted aryl groups such as phenyl, 4-fluorophenyl, 4-chlorophenyl, 4-bromophenyl, 4-iodophenyl, pentafluorophenyl, tolyl, xylyl, naphthyl, and biphenylyl; unsubstituted or halo-substituted aralkyl groups such as benzyl, phenylethyl, and phenylpropyl; unsubstituted or halo-substituted alkoxy groups such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, isobutoxy, cyclopentyloxy, cyclohexyloxy, and norbornyloxy; unsubstituted or halo-substituted aryloxy groups such as phenoxy, 3-chlorophenoxy, and naphthyloxy; unsubstituted or halo-substituted aralkyloxy groups such as benzyloxy, 2-chlorobenzyloxy, 3-chlorobenzyloxy, 4-chlorobenzyloxy, and naphthylethyloxy; and straight, branched or cyclic (poly)organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms, such as dimethylsiloxy, diethylsiloxy, diphenylsiloxy, trimethylsiloxy, chloromethyldimethylsiloxy, triethylsiloxy, phenyldimethylsiloxy, diphenylmethylsiloxy, 1,1,3,3,3-pentamethyldisiloxanyloxy, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, ω-methylpolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, ω-hydropolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, polyhydromethylsiloxanyloxy, methylbis(trimethylsiloxy)siloxy, methylbis(dimethylsiloxy)siloxy, tris(trimethylsiloxy)siloxy, 1,3,3,5,5-pentamethylcyclotrisiloxan-1-yloxy, 1,3,5-trimethyl-3,5-bis(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)cyclo-trisiloxan-1-yloxy, and 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxan-1-yloxy.
Illustrative, non-limiting examples of the cage siloxane are given below.
Illustrative, non-limiting examples of the compound of formula (2) include trimethylsilane, chloromethyldimethylsilane, ethyldimethylsilane, 3-chloropropyldimethylsilane, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyldimethylsilane, diethylmethylsilane, triethylsilane, tripropylsilane, triisopropylsilane, tributylsilane, triisobutylsilane, tert-butyldimethylsilane, hexyldimethylsilane, cyclohexyldimethylsilane, thexyldimethylsilane, thexyldiisopropylsilane, decyldimethylsilane, octadecyldimethylsilane, benzyldimethylsilane, dimethylphenylsilane, methyldiphenylsilane, triphenylsilane, tri-p-tolylsilane, tri-o-tolylsilane, methoxydimethylsilane, dimethoxymethylsilane, trimethoxysilane, ethyldimethoxysilane, propyldimethoxysilane, ethoxydimethylsilane, diethoxymethylsilane, triethoxysilane, isopropoxydimethylsilane, sec-butoxydimethylsilane, tert-butoxydimethylsilane, dimethylphenoxysilane, benzyloxydimethylsilane, chlorodimethylsilane, dichloromethylsilane, trichlorosilane, chlorodiethylsilane, dichloroethylsilane, chlorodiphenylsilane, dichlorophenylsilane, pentamethyldisiloxane, 3-chloropropyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3-tetraisopropyldisiloxane, 1,3-dimethyl-1,3-diphenyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5-hexamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7-octamethyltetrasiloxane, 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, tris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, 1-hydrido-3,5,7,9,11,13,15-heptacyclopentylpentacyclo-[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, 1-[hydridodimethylsiloxy]-3,5,7,9,11,13,15-heptacyclopentyl-pentacyclo[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15-octakis(dimethylsiloxy)pentacyclo-[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, α-hydro-ω-methylpolydimethylsiloxane, α,ω-dihydropolydimethylsiloxane, and polymethylhydrosiloxane.
In the reaction, the compound of formula (2) is preferably used in such amounts to provide 0.5 to 1.5 moles, more preferably 0.9 to 1.1 moles of Si—H bond per mole of the compound of formula (1). Less amounts of the compound of formula (2) may reduce the yield based on the compound of formula (1). If the compound of formula (2) is used in large excess, side reactions may precede, leading to lower yields.
In the process for preparing γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid and silyl ester thereof according to the first embodiment of the invention, the compound of formula (1) is reacted with the compound of formula (2) in the presence of a catalytic amount, specifically 0.0001 to 10 mol % of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane. The reaction is typically performed under atmospheric pressure and in an inert gas atmosphere. The reaction temperature is typically from −100° C. to 150° C., preferably from −78° C. to 100° C. At lower temperatures, the reaction may proceed slowly, inducing more side reactions. Higher temperatures may promote deactivation of the catalyst.
Any desired technique may be used to mix the reactants and catalyst. In order for the reaction to proceed under controlled conditions, preferably either one or both of the compounds of formulae (1) and (2) are continuously fed to the reactor charged with the catalyst during the progress of reaction. The reaction solvent is not always necessary. Solventless reaction takes place when both the reactants (1) and (2) are liquid. A solvent may be used to help effective reaction. Suitable solvents include hydrocarbon solvents such as hexane, isooctane, benzene, toluene and xylene and halogenated hydrocarbon solvents such as dichloromethane and dichloroethane.
In the course of reaction, a polymerization inhibitor may be optionally added. If used, the polymerization inhibitor is preferably selected from hindered phenol polymerization inhibitors such as 2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenol (BHT).
The inventive process is successful in producing a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of the general formula (3) in one step.
In formula (3), R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , and R 6′ are as defined in formula (1), and R a , R b and R c are as defined in formula (2).
By desilylating the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) resulting from the above process, a γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid of the general formula (4) can be prepared.
In formula (4), R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , and R 6′ are as defined in formula (1).
The desilylation to form the compound of formula (4) is typically hydrolysis or alcoholysis. The alcohol used in the alcoholysis is typically methanol or ethanol. The alcohol may be used in any desired amount of at least one equivalent per mole of the compound of formula (3), typically 1 to 10 equivalents per mole of the compound of formula (3). The reaction temperature is typically from −20° C. to 150° C., preferably from 0° C. to 100° C. Hydrolysis or alcoholysis is often carried out in the presence of an acid such as acetic acid, hydrochloric acid, or trifluoroacetic acid, a base such as sodium hydroxide, sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate, sodium methoxide or sodium ethoxide, or a fluoride such as tetrabutylammonium fluoride, so as to accelerate the reaction. When the reaction is carried out in the presence of a base, the reaction solution at the end of reaction must be adjusted to be acidic so that the compound of formula (4) is liberated. Desilylation reaction can be carried out after the silyl ester of formula (3) is isolated. Alternatively, after the silyl ester of formula (3) is synthesized from the compounds of formulae (1) and (2) by the inventive process, the reaction mixture is subjected to desilylation reaction, and the compound of formula (4) is finally isolated and purified.
A further embodiment of the invention is a novel organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group, represented by the general formula (5).
In formula (5), R 1 , R 2 R 3 R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , R 6′ , R a , R b and R c are as defined in formulae (1) and (2).
R d is selected from among alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyloxy groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms or hydrogen, and halogen atoms. R e and R f are independently selected from among alkyl groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyl groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyloxy groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms or hydrogen, and halogen atoms. R d , R e and R f may have a substituent group free of unsaturation that undergoes hydrosilylation. Alternatively, a pair of R d and R e , R d and R f , or R e and R f may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 3 to 20 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R d , R e and R f may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 6 to 20 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
Preferred are those compounds of formula (5) wherein R 1 , R 2 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 , and R 6′ are hydrogen and R 3 is methyl. Examples of the substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group bonded to a silicon atom include alkyl groups, aryl groups, and substituted forms of these groups in which some or all hydrogen atoms are substituted with halogen atoms, hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, or triorganosiloxycarbonyl groups such as trialkylsiloxycarbonyl.
The groups represented by R d , R e and R f may have thereon substituent groups free of an unsaturated bond in which a hydrogen atom bonded to a carbon atom is that undergoes hydrosilylation (especially with the aid of platinum catalyst), for example, halogen atoms, alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, and acyloxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 2 to 10 carbon atoms.
Illustrative examples of R d include unsubstituted or substituted alkoxy groups such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, isobutoxy, cyclopentyloxy, cyclohexyloxy, norbornyloxy, methoxyethoxy, and acetoxyethoxy; unsubstituted or substituted aryloxy groups such as phenoxy, 4-fluorophenoxy, 4-chlorophenoxy, 4-methoxyphenoxy, and naphthyloxy; unsubstituted or substituted aralkyloxy groups such as benzyloxy, 2-chlorobenzyloxy, 3-chlorobenzyloxy, and naphthylethyloxy; and straight, branched or cyclic (poly)organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms, such as dimethylsiloxy, diethylsiloxy, diphenylsiloxy, trimethylsiloxy, chloromethyldimethylsiloxy, (2-trimethylsiloxycarbonylethyl)dimethylsiloxy, (2-triethylsiloxycarbonylethyl)dimethylsiloxy, (4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)dimethylsiloxy, triethylsiloxy, phenyldimethylsiloxy, diphenylmethylsiloxy, 1,1,3,3,3-pentamethyldisiloxanyloxy, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, 3-(4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, ω-methylpolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, ω-hydropolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, ω-(4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)-polydimethylsiloxanyloxy, polyhydromethylsiloxanyloxy, methylbis(trimethylsiloxy)siloxy, methylbis(dimethylsiloxy)siloxy, tris(trimethylsiloxy)siloxy, 1,3,3,5,5-pentamethylcyclotrisiloxan-1-yloxy, 1,3,5-trimethyl-3,5-bis(3,3,3-trifluoropropyl)-cyclotrisiloxan-1-yloxy, and 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxan-1-yloxy. Examples of R e and R f include those exemplified above for R d , and straight, branched or cyclic, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl groups such as methyl, chloromethyl, ethyl, methoxyethyl, propyl, 3-chloropropyl, 3,3,3-trifluoropropyl, isopropyl, butyl, isobutyl, sec-butyl, tert-butyl, pentyl, cyclopentyl, hexyl, cyclohexyl, octyl, decyl, dodecyl, and stearyl; substituted or unsubstituted aryl groups such as phenyl, p-chlorophenyl, tolyl, p-methoxyphenyl, p-fluorophenyl, pentafluorophenyl, naphthyl, and biphenyl; and substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl groups such as benzyl, p-methoxybenzyl, p-bromobenzyl, phenylethyl and phenylpropyl.
Illustrative, non-limiting examples of the cage siloxane are given below.
A still further embodiment of the invention is a process of preparing the compound of formula (5). The process of preparing an organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group represented by formula (5) comprises the step of hydrosilylating the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) resulting from the process of the first embodiment, using a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of the general formula (6), as shown below by the reaction scheme.
In formula (6), R d , R e and R f are as defined in formula (5). Illustrative examples of the compound of formula (6) include methoxydimethylsilane, dimethoxymethylsilane, trimethoxysilane, ethyldimethoxysilane, propyldimethoxysilane, ethoxydimethylsilane, diethoxymethylsilane, triethoxysilane, isopropoxydimethylsilane, sec-butoxydimethylsilane, tert-butoxydimethylsilane, (2-methoxyethoxy)dimethylsilane, [2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]dimethylsilane, dimethylphenoxysilane, (4-chlorophenoxy)dimethylsilane, benzyloxydimethylsilane, chlorodimethylsilane, dichloromethylsilane, trichlorosilane, chlorodiethylsilane, dichloroethylsilane, chlorodiphenylsilane, dichlorophenylsilane, (4-chlorophenyl)dichlorosilane, pentamethyldisiloxane, 3-chloropropyl-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3-tetraisopropyldisiloxane, 1,3-dimethyl-1,3-diphenyldisiloxane, 1,1,3,3,5,5-hexamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,1,3,5,5,5-heptamethyltrisiloxane, 1,1,1,3,5,7,7,7-octamethyltetrasiloxane, 1,3,5,7-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, tris(trimethylsiloxy)silane, 1-hydrido-3,5,7,9,11,13,15-heptacyclopentylpentacyclo-[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, 1-[hydridodimethylsiloxy]-3,5,7,9,11,13,15-heptacyclopentyl-pentacyclo[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, 1,3,5,7,9,11,13,15-octakis(dimethylsiloxy)pentacyclo-[9.5.1.1 3,9 .1 5,15 .1 7,13 ]octasiloxane, α-hydro-ω-methylpolydimethylsiloxane, α,ω-dihydropolydimethylsiloxane, and polymethylhydrosiloxane.
In the process of preparing an organosilicon compound of formula (5), the γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester of formula (3) is hydrosilylated using a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane of formula (6). The hydrosilylation reaction is performed preferably in the presence of a catalyst. Suitable hydrosilylation catalysts include salts and complexes of Group 8 to 10 transition metals such as ruthenium, rhodium, palladium, iridium and platinum, and such transition metals on carriers. Inter alia, platinum catalysts, especially platinum compounds are preferred. Suitable platinum catalysts include chloroplatinic acid, platinum(0) tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex, platinum(0) tetramethyltetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane complex, platinum oxide, and platinum on activated carbon.
The hydrosilylation reaction may be performed in a solventless system, and the use of solvent is optional. If used, suitable solvents include hydrocarbon solvents such as hexane, isooctane, toluene and xylene, and ether solvents such as diethyl ether and tetrahydrofuran. The temperature for hydrosilylation reaction is typically from 0° C. to 200° C., preferably from 20° C. to 100° C. The hydrosilylation reaction is performed preferably in an inert atmosphere, although dry air or oxygen may be fed during the reaction, if necessary. The reactants may be fed in any of various charge modes. In one exemplary mode, the compound of formula (6) is fed to a mixture of the compound of formula (3), the catalyst and an optional solvent. In another mode, the compound of formula (3) is fed to a mixture of the compound of formula (6), the catalyst and an optional solvent.
The compound of formula (3) may be used in isolated form. For simplicity, however, after the compound of formula (3) is produced in a crude mixture form by the process of the first embodiment, hydrosilylation can be performed by adding a hydrosilylation catalyst to the crude mixture and combining the crude mixture with the compound of formula (6).
Still further embodiments of the invention are a novel carboxyl group-containing organosilicon compound having the general formula (7) and a process for preparing the same.
In formula (7), R 1 , R 2 , R 3 , R 4 , R 4′ , R 5 , R 6 and R 6′ are as defined in formulae (1) and (5).
R g is selected from among hydroxyl, alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyloxy groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms or hydrogen, and halogen atoms. R h and R i are independently selected from among hydroxyl, alkyl groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms, aryl groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyl groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, alkoxy groups of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 10 carbon atoms, aryloxy groups of 6 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 6 to 12 carbon atoms, aralkyloxy groups of 7 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 7 to 14 carbon atoms, organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms in which a group bonded to a silicon atom is a substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group of 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably 1 to 18 carbon atoms or hydrogen, and halogen atoms. Examples of the substituted or unsubstituted monovalent hydrocarbon group bonded to a silicon atom include alkyl groups, aryl groups, and substituted forms of these groups in which some or all hydrogen atoms are substituted with halogen atoms, hydroxyl groups, carboxyl groups, or triorganosiloxycarbonyl groups such as trialkylsiloxycarbonyl. R g , R h and R i may have a substituent group free of unsaturation that undergoes hydrosilylation (especially with the aid of platinum catalyst). Alternatively, a pair of R g and R h , R g and R i , or R h and R i may bond together to form a siloxane ring of 3 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 3 to 20 silicon atoms or a silicon-containing ring of 1 to 20 carbon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded, or R g , R h and R i may bond together to form a cage siloxane of 6 to 50 silicon atoms, preferably 6 to 20 silicon atoms with the silicon atom to which they are bonded.
Illustrative examples of R g include unsubstituted or substituted alkoxy groups such as methoxy, ethoxy, propoxy, isopropoxy, butoxy, sec-butoxy, tert-butoxy, isobutoxy, cyclopentyloxy, cyclohexyloxy, norbornyloxy, methoxyethoxy, and acetoxyethoxy; unsubstituted or substituted aryloxy groups such as phenoxy, 4-fluorophenoxy, 4-chlorophenoxy, 4-methoxyphenoxy, and naphthyloxy; unsubstituted or substituted aralkyloxy groups such as benzyloxy, 2-chlorobenzyloxy, 3-chlorobenzyloxy, and naphthylethyloxy; and straight, branched or cyclic (poly)organosiloxy groups of 1 to 1,000 silicon atoms, preferably 1 to 200 silicon atoms, such as dimethylsiloxy, diethylsiloxy, diphenylsiloxy, trimethylsiloxy, chloromethyldimethylsiloxy, (2-trimethylsiloxycarbonylethyl)dimethylsiloxy, (2-triethylsiloxycarbonylethyl)dimethylsiloxy, (4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)dimethylsiloxy, triethylsiloxy, phenyldimethylsiloxy, diphenylmethylsiloxy, 1,1,3,3,3-pentamethyldisiloxanyloxy, 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, 3-(4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, ω-methylpolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, ω-hydropolydimethylsiloxanyloxy, ω-(4-triethylsiloxycarbonyl-4-methylpentyl)polydimethyl-siloxanyloxy, (4-carboxy-4-methylpentyl)dimethylsiloxy, 3-(4-carboxy-4-methylpentyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxanyloxy, and ω-(4-carboxy-4-methylpentyl)polydimethylsiloxanyloxy. Examples of R h and R i , other than hydroxyl, include those exemplified above for R e and R f .
The organosilicon compound having a carboxyl group represented by formula (7) can be prepared by desilylating the organosilicon compound having a silylated carboxyl group represented by formula (5). Like the desilylation reaction of the compound of formula (3), this desilylation reaction may be performed, for example, by hydrolysis or alcoholysis.
Where any one or all of Si—R d bond, Si—R e bond and Si—R f bond are hydrolyzable, there is a possibility that hydrolysis of these bonds takes place to form a silanol at the same time as the desilylation reaction, which silanol is further condensed to form a siloxane bond.
EXAMPLE
Examples of the invention are given below by way of illustration and not by way of limitation. All reactions were performed in a nitrogen atmosphere.
Example 1
Synthesis of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate by Reaction of Allyl Methacrylate with Triethylsilane
A 300-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 25.6 mg (0.050 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (by Aldrich, lot No. 18609AO, same hereinafter), 1.29 g of 1,3,5-tris(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxybenzyl)-2,4,6-trimethylbenzene (Irganox 1330, Ciba Specialty Chemicals), and 58.2 g (0.50 mol) of triethylsilane, which were stirred at room temperature for 0.5 hour. The flask was heated in an oil bath to an internal temperature of 40° C., after which 37.9 g (0.30 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise over 2 hours from the dropping funnel. Since exothermic heat was observed during the dropwise addition, the oil bath heating was adjusted so as to maintain an internal temperature of 40-50° C. A 10% toluene solution of 12.8 mg (0.025 mmol) tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane was added, after which 25.2 g (0.20 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise at 40-50° C. over 1.2 hours from the dropping funnel. After 5 minutes from the end of dropwise addition, the disappearance of triethylsilane was confirmed by gas chromatography. The reaction solution which was colorless and clear was vacuum distilled, collecting 115.9 g of a colorless clear liquid having a boiling point of 74.5-76.5° C./0.3 kPa. On analysis by NMR spectroscopy and GC/MS spectroscopy, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate. The yield was 95.6%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 5.81-5.67 (1H, m), 5.07-5.04 (1H, m), 5.03-5.00 (1H, m), 2.26 (2H, dt, J=7.4 Hz, 1.2 Hz), 1.15 (6H, s), 0.97 (9H, t, J=7.8 Hz), 0.75 (6H, q, J=7.8 Hz) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 178.0, 134.4, 117.7, 44.7, 43.2, 24.9, 6.5, 4.5 MS (EI): m/z 242 (M+), 213, 172, 115, 87, 75
Example 2
Synthesis of ethoxydimethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate by Reaction of Allyl Methacrylate with Ethoxydimethylsilane
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 220 mg of BHT, 5 ml of toluene, and a 10% toluene solution of 2.6 mg (0.005 mmol) tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane. While the contents were stirred, the flask was cooled at 4° C. in an ice water bath. A mixture of 12.6 g (0.10 mol) of allyl methacrylate and 10.4 g (0.10 mol) of ethoxydimethylsilane was added dropwise over 3.5 hours from the dropping funnel. The internal temperature rose to 12° C. at maximum. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred at 4° C. for a further 2 hours. Then 7 μl (0.05 mmol) of triethylamine was added to the reaction mixture, which was vacuum distilled, collecting 19.7 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 61-62° C./0.7 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, ethoxydimethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate. The yield was 85.5%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 5.81-5.67 (1H, m), 5.09-5.05 (1H, m), 5.05-5.01 (1H, m), 3.83 (2H, q, J=7.0 Hz), 2.26 (2H, dt, J=7.4 Hz, 1.1 Hz), 1.21 (3H, t, J=7.0 Hz), 1.16 (6H, s), 0.28 (6H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 177.5, 134.2, 117.8, 59.1, 44.7, 43.1, 24.7, 18.2, −2.4 MS (EI): m/z 230 (M + ), 215, 185, 184, 174, 103, 75
Example 3
Synthesis of Chlorodimethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate by Reaction of Allyl Methacrylate with Chlorodimethylsilane
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 220 mg of BHT, 5 ml of toluene, and 51 mg (0.10 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane. While the contents were stirred, the flask was cooled at 2.5° C. in an ice water bath. A mixture of 12.6 g (0.10 mol) of allyl methacrylate and 9.5 g (0.10 mol) of chlorodimethylsilane was added dropwise over 3.5 hours from the dropping funnel. The internal temperature rose to 12° C. at maximum. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred at 2° C. for a further 2 hours. The pale yellow reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 16.1 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 70-70.5° C./1.2 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, chlorodimethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate. The yield was 72.9%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 5.81-5.67 (1H, m), 5.11-5.08 (1H, m), 5.06-5.03 (1H, m), 2.28 (2H, dt, J=7.6 Hz, 1.2 Hz), 1.18 (6H, s), 0.63 (6H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 177.0, 133.8, 118.2, 44.5, 43.2, 24.5, 2.5 MS (EI): m/z 222, 220 (M + ), 207, 205, 185, 95, 93, 83, 82, 55, 41
Example 4
Synthesis of 1,3-bis(2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoyloxy)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane by Reaction of Allyl Methacrylate with 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 258 mg of Irganox 1330, 2.6 mg (0.005 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, and 5 ml of toluene. While the contents were stirred, the flask was cooled in a water bath. A mixture of 63.1 g (0.50 mol) of allyl methacrylate and 33.6 g (0.50 mol) of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane was added dropwise over 9 hours from the dropping funnel while keeping an internal temperature of 1.5 to 12° C. The disappearance of 1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane was confirmed by GC. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred at 2-4° C. for a further 3 hours. The resulting colorless clear reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 91.6 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 101.5-103.5° C./0.2 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, 1,3-bis(2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoyloxy)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. The yield was 94.8%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 5.80-5.66 (2H, m), 5.08-5.05 (2H, m), 5.03-5.01 (2H, m), 2.26 (4H, dt, J=7.5 Hz, 1.1 Hz), 1.15 (12H, s), 0.29 (12H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 177.3, 134.2, 117.9, 44.6, 43.0, 24.7, −0.5 MS (EI): m/z 386 (M + ), 371, 259, 133, 83, 55, 41
Example 5
Synthesis of 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoic Acid
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer and thermometer was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 17.7 g (0.0768 mol) of ethoxydimethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate and 14.2 g (0.307 mol) of ethanol. The contents were stirred at room temperature for one hour, then at 60-65° C. for 5 hours. The reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 9.2 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 78-79° C./0.6 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoic acid. The yield was 93.4%. 1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 11.9 (1H, br), 5.84-5.70 (1H, m), 5.11-5.08 (1H, m), 5.07-5.04 (1H, m), 2.30 (2H, dt, J=7.3 Hz, 1.1 Hz), 1.19 (6H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 184.6, 133.9, 118.2, 44.4, 42.2, 24.5 MS (EI): m/z 128 (M + ), 113, 83, 55, 41
Example 6
Synthesis of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(triethoxysilyl)-pentanoate
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 25 mg of BHT, 5.1 mg (0.01 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, and 11.6 g (0.1 mol) of triethylsilane. The contents were stirred at room temperature for 0.5 hour, after which the flask was cooled at 10° C. in an ice water bath. 10.1 g (0.08 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise over 2 hours from the dropping funnel. The internal temperature rose to 18° C. at maximum. A 10% toluene solution of 1 mg (0.002 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane was added and 2.5 g (0.02 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise at 10-18° C. over 0.5 hour. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred at 10° C. for a further 2 hours. GC analysis confirmed the disappearance of triethylsilane and the formation of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate.
To the reaction mixture was added 32.5 mg (Pt 5 μmol) of a toluene solution (Pt 3 wt %) of platinum(0) tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex. With stirring, the internal temperature was adjusted to 60° C. using an oil bath. 16.4 g (0.10 mol) of triethoxysilane was added dropwise over 3.5 hours. The internal temperature rose to 70° C. at maximum. After the completion of dropwise addition, the reaction mixture was heated at 70° C. and aged at the temperature for 6 hours. The conversion of triethoxysilane reached 99.5% or higher. The resulting pale yellow orange reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 33.1 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 152-153° C./0.3 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(triethoxysilyl)pentanoate. The yield was 81.4%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 3.78 (6H, q, J=7.0 Hz), 1.57-1.51 (2H, m), 1.43-1.30 (2H, m), 1.20 (9H, t, J=8.4 Hz), 1.13 (6H, s), 0.99-0.93 (9H, m), 0.78-0.69 (6H, m), 0.61-0.58 (2H, m) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 178.6, 58.3, 44.4, 43.3, 25.2, 18.4, 18.2, 11.1, 6.5, 4.5 29 Si—NMR (CDCl 3 , 59.7 MHz): δ (ppm) 24.6, −45.4 MS (EI): m/z 406 (M + ), 377, 361, 360, 317, 303, 265, 257, 221, 202, 172, 163, 157, 119, 115, 87
Example 7
Synthesis of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(dimethoxy-methylsilyl)pentanoate
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 25 mg of BHT, 5.1 mg (0.01 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, and 11.6 g (0.1 mol) of triethylsilane. The contents were stirred at room temperature for 0.5 hour, after which the flask was cooled at 21° C. in a water bath. 7.6 g (0.06 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise over 1.5 hours from the dropping funnel. The internal temperature rose to 28° C. at maximum. A 10% toluene solution of 1 mg (0.002 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane was added and 5.0 g (0.04 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise at 22-26° C. over 1 hour. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred for a further 0.5 hour. GC analysis confirmed the disappearance of triethylsilane and the formation of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate.
To the reaction mixture was added 32.5 mg (Pt 5 μmol) of a toluene solution (Pt 3 wt %) of platinum(0) tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex. With stirring, the internal temperature was adjusted to 46° C. using an oil bath. 10.6 g (0.10 mol) of dimethoxymethylsilane was added dropwise over 3.5 hours. The internal temperature rose to 58° C. at maximum. After the completion of dropwise addition, the reaction mixture was aged at 49-58° C. for 5 hours. The conversion of dimethoxymethylsilane reached 99.5% or higher. The resulting yellow reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 29.5 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 129-130° C./0.2 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(dimethoxymethyl-silyl)pentanoate. The yield was 84.6%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 3.48 (6H, s), 1.56-1.51 (2H, m), 1.37-1.26 (2H, m), 1.13 (6H, s), 0.96 (9H, dt, J=0.9 Hz, 7.8 Hz), 0.74 (6H, dq, J=1.4 Hz, 7.8 Hz), 0.61-0.57 (2H, m), 0.08 (3H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 178.3, 49.9, 44.4, 43.2, 25.1, 18.2, 13.6, 6.3, 4.4, −6.0 29 Si—NMR (CDCl 3 , 59.7 MHz): δ (ppm) 24.6, −1.6 MS (EI): m/z 319 ([M-Et] + ), 259, 207, 202, 177, 172, 157, 115, 105, 87, 75, 59
Example 8
Synthesis of Triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(ethoxydimethyl-silyl)pentanoate
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 220 mg of BHT, 5.1 mg (0.01 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane, and 11.6 g (0.1 mol) of triethylsilane. The contents were stirred at room temperature for 0.25 hour, after which the flask was heated at 40° C. in an oil bath. 8.8 g (0.07 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise over 1.5 hours from the dropping funnel. The heating was adjusted so as to maintain the internal temperature at 40-50° C. A 10% toluene solution of 2 mg (0.004 mmol) of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane was added and 3.8 g (0.03 mol) of allyl methacrylate was added dropwise at 42-49° C. over 0.5 hour. After the completion of dropwise addition, the contents were stirred for a further 0.5 hour. GC analysis confirmed the disappearance of triethylsilane and the formation of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-pentenoate.
To the reaction mixture was added 32.5 mg (Pt 5 μmol) of a toluene solution (Pt 3 wt %) of platinum(0) tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex. With stirring, the internal temperature was adjusted to 52° C. using an oil bath. 5.2 g (0.05 mol) of ethoxydimethylsilane was added dropwise over 1 hour. The internal temperature rose to 58° C. at maximum. Again, 32.5 mg (Pt 5 μmol) of a toluene solution (Pt 3 wt %) of platinum(0) tetramethyldivinyldisiloxane complex was added, and 5.9 g (0.057 mol) of ethoxydimethylsilane was added dropwise over 2 hours. After the completion of dropwise addition, the reaction mixture was aged at 55-59° C. for 10 hours. The conversion of ethoxydimethylsilane reached 99.5% or higher. The resulting yellowish orange reaction mixture was vacuum distilled, collecting 29.3 g of a colorless clear fraction having a boiling point of 128-130.5° C./0.2 kPa. On NMR and GC/MS analysis, the liquid was identified to be the target compound, triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-5-(ethoxydimethylsilyl)-pentanoate. The yield was 84.4% based on the triethylsilane.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 3.63 (2H, q, J=7.0 Hz), 1.56-1.49 (2H, m), 1.34-1.21 (2H, m), 1.16 (3H, t, J=7.0 Hz), 1.14 (6H, s), 0.96 (9H, dt, J=0.9 Hz, 8.4 Hz), 0.74 (6H, dq, J=1.3 Hz, 8.2 Hz), 0.58-0.52 (2H, m), 0.07 (6H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 178.4, 58.0, 44.7, 43.2, 25.1, 18.7, 18.4, 17.0, 6.4, 4.5, 2.2 29 Si—NMR (CDCl 3 , 59.7 MHz): δ (ppm) 24.6, 16.7 MS (EI): m/z 346 (M + ), 317, 257, 219, 205, 202, 187, 172, 161, 157, 115, 103, 87, 75, 59
Example 9
Synthesis of 1,3-bis(4-carboxy-4-methylpentyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane via 2,2-dimethyl-4-(ethoxydimethyl-silyl)pentanoic Acid
A 100-ml four-necked flask equipped with a Dimroth reflux condenser, stirrer, thermometer and dropping funnel was purged with nitrogen. The flask was charged with 17.3 g (50 mmol) of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-(ethoxydimethyl-silyl)pentanoate. With stirring at room temperature, 9.6 g (50 mmol) of a 28% methanol solution of sodium methoxide was added dropwise over 15 minutes. Stirring was continued for 1 hour. While the flask was slowly heated, the triethylmethoxysilane formed was removed by vacuum stripping. The disappearance of triethylsilyl 2,2-dimethyl-4-(ethoxydimethylsilyl)pantanoate was confirmed by GC. There was obtained 2,2-dimethyl-4-(ethoxydimethylsilyl)pentanoic acid in the sodium salt form. To this pale yellow solid residue, 10.1 g of 36% hydrochloric acid was added dropwise over 5 minutes. With stirring, the slurry mixture was heated under reflux at 97-102° C. for 4 hours. The mixture was cooled to room temperature and combined with 15 ml of ethyl acetate and 10 ml of water, followed by separation. The organic layer was washed with 10 ml of water, solvent stripped in vacuum, and dried, yielding 9.3 g of a white solid.
On NMR and MS analysis, the solid was identified to be the target compound, 1,3-bis(4-carboxy-4-methylpentyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane. The yield was 95.2%.
1 H-NMR (CDCl 3 , 300 MHz): δ (ppm) 12.0 (2H, br), 1.58-1.53 (4H, m), 1.30-1.21 (4H, m), 1.17 (12H, s), 0.46-0.40 (4H, m), 0.02 (12H, s) 13 C-NMR (CDCl 3 , 75.6 MHz): δ (ppm) 185.2, 45.6, 42.2, 24.9, 18.8, 18.6, 0.3 29 Si—NMR (CDCl 3 , 59.7 MHz): δ (ppm) 7.2 MS (EI): m/z 261, 245, 187, 149, 133 MS (CI isobutane): m/z 391 ([M+H] + ), 373, 261, 201, 187
Japanese Patent Application No. 2003-333014 is incorporated herein by reference.
Although some preferred embodiments have been described, many modifications and variations may be made thereto in light of the above teachings. It is therefore to be understood that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described without departing from the scope of the appended claims.
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A γ,δ-unsaturated carboxylic acid silyl ester is prepared by reacting an α,β-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester with a hydrosilane or hydrosiloxane in the presence of tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane. γ,δ-Unsaturated carboxylic acid derivatives are readily prepared through fewer steps and in high yields.
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STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST
The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to magnetically responsive devices such as magnetic mines, more particularly to methods and apparatuses for evaluating the performance of a ship's degaussing system with respect to threats posed by magnetic mines that are situated in a marine environment.
A mine is an explosive device which is usually concealed either underground or underwater, and which is used primarily by military forces for defensive purposes. Mines typically are self-contained devices which include an explosive capability and a detonator (a firing mechanism for triggering the mine explosion), and which explode when touched by or approached by a target. “Minefields” are areas where mines have been placed. Generally there are two categories of mines, based on their situation, viz., “land mines” and “underwater mines” (synonymously referred to as “water mines,” “submarine mines,” “sea mines” or “naval mines”).
An underwater mine is a mine which is situated in or on water or contiguously with respect to water or which otherwise bears physical or functional relation to a water environment. A typical underwater mine comprises an explosive charge positioned underwater and set to fire in response to the presence of a marine vehicle (e.g., a ship or submarine) in contact therewith or in proximity thereto. Underwater mines are generally laid in the water for purposes of damaging or sinking ships or of deterring ships from entering an area. “Moored mines” are underwater mines having positive buoyancy, typically held below the water surface at a pre-selected depth by a mooring (e.g., cable) attached (e.g., tethered) to an anchor (e.g., on a sea bottom). “Bottom mines” are underwater mines having negative buoyancy and resting on a seabed (e.g., at the bottom of relatively shallow water). “Floating mines” are underwater mines that are not entirely underwater but are visible on the surface.
Underwater mines are triggered either by direct contact or by indirect influence. Typically, when an underwater mine is triggered, an expanding gas sphere caused by the explosion sends shock waves through the water, these shock waves having deleterious effects on the nearby target marine vessel. “Contact mines” are actuated as a result of physical contact between the target ship and the mine's casing or one or more of the mine's appendages (e.g., rods or antennae protruding from the mine's surface). “Influence mines” are actuated either as a result of sensing an “influence field” emanating from the target marine vessel, or as a result of the target marine vessel's intrusion within an “influence field” emanating from the mine. Generally, influence mines sense changes in physical patterns in surrounding water, such as pertaining to magnetic fields (“magnetic mines”), pressure change (“pressure mines”) or sound waves (“acoustic mines”).
U.S. Navy surface combatant ships are equipped with degaussing systems comprising a set of current-carrying coils which are adjusted to reduce the ship's magnetic field and thereby reduce it's vulnerability to the magnetic mine threat. Currently, performance of U.S. naval combatant degaussing systems is determined by recording the combatant's magnetic field at a Magnetic Silencing Facility (MSR), measuring the peak field, and adjusting degaussing coil currents to reduce this peak field to less than a specified level.
However, magnetic mines do not operate by measuring the peak value of a ship's magnetic field; rather, magnetic mines operate by measuring the rate of change of a ship's magnetic field. In addition, many mines measure the rate of change in the ship's horizontal magnetic fields to determine when to actuate. Current methods for measuring combatant degaussing system performance may not reflect the combatant's actual susceptibility to the magnetic bottom mine threat.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved methodology for assessing the performance of a ship's degaussing system relative to underwater magnetic mine threat.
It is another object of the present invention to provide such a methodology wherein an improvement resides in the concordance of the performance assessment with the mine's designed criterion for actuation thereof.
In accordance with typical embodiments of the present invention, a method is provided for visually representing information pertaining to the threat to a vehicle of a magnetically responsive device of interest. The inventive method comprises the steps of: (a) determining a relationship, in a spatial region, between magnetic signature data and device actuation data; and, (b) effecting a display indicative of the relationship. The magnetic signature data pertains to the vehicle. The device actuation data pertains to the magnetically responsive device.
According to frequent practice of such inventive methodology, the magnetically responsive device is a magnetic mine. The device actuation data is mine actuation data. The magnetic signature data includes plural magnetic field values associated with the vehicle. The magnetic field values correspond to plural locations in the spatial region. Each magnetic field value corresponds to a different location in the spatial region. The mine actuation data includes plural mine actuation criteria associated with the magnetic mine. The actuation criteria correspond to plural locations in the spatial region. Each actuation criterion corresponds to a different location in the spatial region. The determination of a relationship between the magnetic signature data and the mine actuation data includes establishing a correlation, in the spatial region, between the magnetic field values and the mine actuation criteria.
According to typical inventive practice, each actuation criterion is used by the magnetic mine for the purpose of making a threshold determination of whether or not the magnetic mine actuates at that particular location—i.e., a threshold determination of actuation of the magnetic mine versus non-actuation of the magnetic mine at such location. Each actuation criterion includes consideration of at least one influence parameter, at least one of which is a magnetic influence parameter (i.e., pertains to magnetic field or magnetic signature). For instance, each actuation criterion can be based at least in part on a magnetic influence parameter pertaining to the magnetic field rate-of-change value.
Typically according to practice of the present invention, the vehicle is a nautical vehicle. The determination of a relationship between the magnetic signature data and the mine actuation data includes extrapolating plural measured magnetic field values associated with the nautical vehicle so as to obtain plural two-dimensional arrays of extrapolated magnetic field values. Each two-dimensional array corresponds to a different water depth which is greater than an initial water depth. The correlation is between the extrapolated magnetic field values and the mine actuation thresholds, a two-dimensional array of measured magnetic field values having been obtained at the initial water depth. According to some inventive embodiments, the determination of a relationship between the magnetic signature data and the mine actuation data includes obtaining the two-dimensional array of said measured magnetic field values.
In accordance with many embodiments of the present invention, a computer program product comprises a computer useable medium having computer program logic recorded thereon for enabling a computer system to display, on a display screen of said computer system, information pertaining to the vulnerability of a marine vessel to an underwater magnetic mine. The present invention's computer program logic comprises: (a) means for enabling the computer system to extrapolate magnetic signature measurement values, taken at various locations at a selected water depth, so as to obtain a three-dimensional matrix of magnetic signature extrapolation values existing at various locations at various water depths greater than the selected water depth; (b) means for enabling the computer system to relate a magnetic mine model to the three-dimensional matrix of magnetic signature extrapolation values, wherein the magnetic mine model includes a criterion for actuation of a magnetic mine for each of various locations, and wherein at each of various locations the magnetic signature extrapolation value is understood to either satisfy or not satisfy the magnetic mine actuation criterion; and, (c) means for enabling the computer system to render a graphical representation informative of the relation of the magnetic mine actuation criterion to the three-dimensional matrix of magnetic signature extrapolation values. According to typical such embodiments, the computer program logic further comprises means for enabling the computer system to adjust the number of magnetic signature measurement values prior to the extrapolation.
Many inventive embodiments provide apparatus comprising a machine having a memory. The machine contains a data representation pertaining to hazard posed to navigation by a magnetic water mine. The data representation is generated, for availability for containment by the machine, by the method comprising: (a) extrapolating measured magnetic field values to obtain a three-dimensional array of extrapolated magnetic field values; and, (b) associating the three-dimensional array with a model pertaining to actuation of the mine. The measured magnetic field values correspond to a shallowest water depth. The extrapolated magnetic field values correspond to at least two deeper water depths. Each extrapolated magnetic field value is defined as being either one (but not both) of the following: (i) a magnetic field value which does not actuate the mine; and, (ii) a magnetic field value which does actuate the mine (That is, in an exclusively disjunctive manner, each extrapolated magnetic field value is defined as meeting either condition “(i)” or condition “(ii)”). According to typical such embodiments, the inventive apparatus further comprises another machine for graphically representing at least one aspect of the association of the three-dimensional array with the model pertaining to mine actuation.
According to typical embodiments, the present invention's “Degaussing Vulnerability Display Program” enables the rapid determination of the performance of a surface combatant's degaussing system against the magnetic mine threat, with visualization of both the ship's magnetic signature and resulting mine actuation contours. The present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program provides a new metric for measuring degaussing system performance. Using accurate mine models and extrapolation techniques, the inventive program enables degaussing engineers at magnetic silencing facilities to rapidly compute and visualize a surface combatant's vulnerability to the magnetic mine threat. Moreover, the present invention admits of mine threat vulnerability assessment in terms of the specific kind of magnetic field phenomenon (e.g., rate of change of magnetic field) that, according to the design of a given magnetic mine, precipitates actuation of such given magnetic mine.
A “mine model” (also known as a “mine simulation”) is a representation of the decision-making process that a particular mine undergoes in order to determine whether or not to actuate under various circumstances. Typically, a mine model is a computer mine model (or computer mine simulation)—e.g., a software simulation of the process that an actual mine uses to determine when to actuate. A mine can use one influence signature, or a combination of plural influence signatures, in the mine's process of determining when to actuate. For example, an acoustic signature can be used together with a magnetic signature in the mine's detection-and-actuation process. Basically, any measurable signature emitted by a passing target can be used in the mine's detection-and-actuation process. For inventive embodiments which are practiced in association with plurally influenced devices, it is assumed that all other (e.g., non-magnetic) influence parameters are satisfied; that is, it is assumed that all influence parameters which are unrelated to the type(s) of influence parameter(s) with which the inventive embodiment is concerned (viz., magnetic influence parameters, which are influence parameters involving magnetic field or magnetic signature) are satisfied.
A magnetic mine model/simulation incorporates data obtained through testing of the magnetic mine of interest. Generally, a mine model/simulation is based upon experimentally obtained data concerning the behavior of the subject mine. The mine is tested by ascertaining how the mine reacts under various circumstances (e.g., at various distances from or locations relative to various stimuli). In particular, investigation involves when the mine actuates and when it does not under various conditions. In this manner, the investigators can rather accurately determine the mine's functional characteristics. The information thus learned can be used for computer modeling (computer simulating) the mine's behavior.
Techniques for testing mines and preparing computer models/simulations are well known in the pertinent arts. For instance, one who is ordinarily skilled in computational sciences (or a related mathematical, scientific or engineering discipline) and who is tasked with computer modeling/simulating a mine's behavior would be capable of applying his or her skill for such assignment. The inventive practitioner(s) may or may not have participated in mine testing and/or mine modelling/simulating; in any event, in the light of the instant disclosure, the inventive practitioner(s) will be capable of practicing the present invention. Ordinarily skilled artisan or artisans who read the instant disclosure will be capable of utilizing a mine model/simulation (e.g., in order to evaluate ship degaussing performance) in accordance with the present invention.
The term “mine model” as used herein refers to any model or simulation of or relating to a mine's behavior. A mine model is typically in computer software form. The term “magnetic mine” as used herein refers to any mine that is influenced by one or more phenomena involving magnetism, regardless of whether and to what extent the mine is influenced by one or more phenomena not involving magnetism (such as involving acoustics or pressure). The term “mine actuation criterion” as used herein refers to the standard, rule or test on which a mine (e.g., in its processing) bases its judgment or decision as to whether or not to actuate. A mine actuation criterion can be characterized by any degree of complexity and can include consideration of any singular or plural number of parameters (factors).
The present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program has several other features and advantages that are consistent with U.S. Navy goals. Firstly, input to the inventive program comes from the binary range data files collected by the U.S. Navy's magnetic silencing facilities; this will enable vulnerability of a ranged combatant to be determined quickly after ranging, either at the magnetic silencing facility or onboard the ranged ship—e.g., simply by copying the data file to a floppy disk and sending the disk to the ship. Furthermore, the inventive program is able to display onset-of-actuation contours at multiple depths in a plan view, allowing the user to select the depth of display. In addition, the inventive program is capable of displaying, in an elevation view, the overall onset-of-actuation curve for all depths at which actuation will occur. Moreover, the inventive program is very easy to use and is interactive, with quick as possible turn-around. Finally, the inventive program has an architecture which will allow new mine models to be added as new mines are exploited and new models developed.
This application bears some relation to the following pending U.S. nonprovisional patent applications, each of which is incorporated herein by reference: Ser. No. 09/746,535, filing date 21 Dec. 2000, (patent application) publication no. 2002/0080138 A1, publication date 27 Jun. 2002, invention entitled “Mine Littoral Threat Zone Visualization Program,” sole inventor Paulo Bertell Tarr; Ser. No. 09/721,998, filing date 27 Nov. 2000, invention entitled “Optimal Degaussing Using an Evolution Program,” joint inventors Paulo Bertell Tarr and Nevin D. Powell.
Other objects, advantages and features of this invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE APPENDICES
The following appendices, representative of computer code in accordance with the present invention, are hereby made a part of this disclosure:
Attached hereto marked “APPENDIX A” (2 pages) and incorporated herein by reference is a file entitled “dvd4Doc.h.txt,” which sets forth header code for the document code set forth in “APPENDIX B.”
Attached hereto marked “APPENDIX B” (9 pages) and incorporated herein by reference is a file entitled “dvd4Doc.ccp.txt,” which sets forth document code.
Attached hereto marked “APPENDIX C” (4 pages) and incorporated herein by reference is a file entitled “dvd4View.h.text,” which sets forth header code for the view code set forth in “APPENDIX D.”
Attached hereto marked “APPENDIX D” (63 pages) and incorporated herein by reference is a file entitled “dvd4View.ccp.txt,” which sets forth view code.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In order that the present invention may be clearly understood, it will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numbers indicate the same or similar components, and wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block-and-flow diagram of an embodiment of the “Degaussing Vulnerability Display Program” in accordance with the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic perspective representation of an embodiment of inventive practice in association with a ship such as shown in FIG. 1 , particularly illustrating the inventive generation of a three-dimensional interrelationship between (i) calculated magnetic signature extrapolation values and (ii) known actuation characteristics of a given magnetic mine.
FIG. 3 is a conceptual representation including four two-dimensional arrays (in plan view) arranged in diagrammatical flow format, particularly illustrating how, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, a two-dimensional array of extrapolated signature value locations is interrelated with a particular mine's actuation properties so as to yield either actuation or non-actuation of the mine at each location of the two-dimensional array.
FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic perspective representation similar to that shown in FIG. 2 , particularly illustrating the inventive generation of a three-dimensional magnetic mine vulnerability region (delimited by a three-dimensional mine actuation surface) located beneath the ship, such generation being based on a three-dimensional interrelationship such as shown in FIG. 2 .
FIG. 5 is a block-and-flow diagram concordant with that shown in FIG. 1 , particularly illustrating computer implementation of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a pictorial representation of a computer user interface having an overview display window, wherein the display window is shown to include four visual displays, viz., a “Run Information” display, a “Magnetic Signature Profile” display, an “Actuation Contour” display and an “Actuation Curve” display.
FIG. 7 is the view of the computer user interface shown in FIG. 6 , wherein the display window is shown to predominately include an enlarged version of the “Magnetic Signature Profile” display shown in FIG. 6 , such magnetic signature profile display depicting a vertical “slice” of the ship's magnetic signature, such vertical slice extending longitudinally (from bow to stern).
FIG. 8 is the view of the computer user interface shown in FIG. 6 , wherein the display window is shown to predominately include an enlarged version of the “Actuation Contour” display shown in FIG. 6 , such actuation contour display depicting a horizontal slice of an actuation surface, such horizontal slice extending longitudinally (from bow to stern).
FIG. 9 is the view of the computer user interface shown in FIG. 6 , wherein the display window is shown to predominately include an enlarged version of what is essentially the “Actuation Curve” display shown in FIG. 2 , such actuation contour display depicting a vertical slice of an actuation surface, such vertical slice extending athwartship (from port to starboard).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Reference is now made to FIG. 1 through FIG. 5 . A ship 10 has a degaussing system installed thereon, and is thus equipped with plural L-coils 80 L , plural A-coils 80 A and plural M-Coils 80 M , such as shown in FIG. 2 .
As shown in FIG. 1 , ship 10 is “ranged” at a “Magnetic Silencing Facility” (“MSF”) 12 , using magnetic sensors (e.g., magnetometers) 11 . The magnetic field of ship 10 is recorded in a range file 14 . The inventive program (the present invention's “Degaussing Vulnerability Display Program”) reads the range file 14 into a signature array 16 . The inventive program “decimates” signature array 16 to a decimated signature array 18 which is suitable for extrapolation. Signature array 16 and decimated signature array 18 correspond to the same water depth.
When an underwater magnetic mine model 22 is selected, the decimated signature 18 is extrapolated to produce the ship's magnetic signatures 20 at deeper water depths. The extrapolated signatures 20 a , 20 b , 20 c . . . 20 max each represent a planar array of signature values at a particular water depth (e.g., the distance below the water surface w shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 ), based on the configuration of the magnetic sensors 11 distributed below the ship 10 hull at magnetic sensing facility 12 . Each signature 20 is extrapolated from the planar signature array 16 derived from the range file 14 readings, such range file 14 readings having previously been taken (at a magnetic silencing facility 12 ) at a water depth shallower than that corresponding to any of the extrapolated signatures 20 .
As shown in FIG. 1 , the combination of all of these signatures at varying water depths represents a three-dimensional array 200 of parallel planar arrays 20 . Each two-dimensional array 20 represents a kind of two-dimensional mathematical matrix of magnetic signature values, while the three dimensional array 200 represents a kind of three-dimensional mathematical matrix of magnetic signature values which is the aggregate of the plural two-dimensional arrays 20 . Extrapolated signatures 20 are processed in association with a mine model 22 , and the resulting actuation contour is stored in the actuation surface 25 . If the inventive program is directed to plural mine models 22 , each mine model 22 has its own actuation surface 25 associated therewith.
If any mine actuation has occurred at the extrapolation depth, the depth is incremented, the signature is extrapolated at the new depth, the signature is processed with the mine model, and the new actuation contour is added to the actuation surface. This process is repeated until a water depth is reached where actuation does not occur. At this point, all extrapolated signatures are in memory and any profile from any depth can be displayed in the program display 44 . The actuation surface is also complete at this point, so the actuation curve and any contour at any depth in the actuation surface can be displayed.
Particularly with reference to FIG. 2 through FIG. 4 , the inventive program associates the three-dimensional signature array 200 information with the mine model 22 information indicative of the magnetic actuation locations of a particular mine. Each two-dimensional signature array 20 has a mathematical array of signature values, each location 50 having its own corresponding signature value. The magnetic signature array 200 is processed using the mine model 22 to determine actuation surface 25 . The inventive program permits an association between these two groups of information in terms of a causal relationship between magnetic signature indicia and mine actuation. Magnetic signature array 200 and mine model 22 are inventively cohered so that, at any given location in the region of interest, a threshold determination is made of whether or not a particular mine model 22 mine is actuated. Regardless of the nature of mine model 22 in terms its mine actuation processing, the present invention can utilize mine model 22 so as to process the magnetic signature 200 information and thereby determine mine actuation locations.
In the world of mine warfare, there are many types of mines having diverse actuation “thought processes.” Mine actuation processing varies both in principle and complexity. Each mine's mine model 22 reflect that mine's actuation processing characteristics. For instance, let us take a relatively simple case wherein the actuation of a mine depends only on the rate-of-change (e.g., peak rate-of-change) of the magnetic field; that is, rate-of-change is the only factor (influence parameter) characterizing the mine's actuation processing. Then, the inventive association of mine model 22 with 3-D signature array 200 (which is the combination of individual 2-D signature arrays 20 wherein each location 50 has its own corresponding magnetic field/signature value) involves a less complicated determination of magnetic field rate-of-change at each location; in other words, according to the mine model 22 , magnetic field rate-of-change is the only condition that needs to be satisfied in order to result in mine actuation. In this example, at each location 50 , mine 22 is characterized by a minimum (threshold) magnetic field value above which (or at or above which) such mine 22 is actuated. Each location 50 is related with mine model 22 in terms of the mine's threshold magnetic field value so as to manifest whether or not this threshold magnetic field value is reached, and hence mine 22 actuates, at such location 50 .
As another example, let us take a more complicated case wherein a mine's actuation depends on plural influence parameters, among which is the ship's magnetic field/signature (e.g., rate-of-change); another influence parameter can be, e.g., the ship's acoustic signature. Since there are plural conditions (each condition pertaining to an influence parameter) precedent to mine actuation, the present invention's processing (whereby mine model 22 is used to process 3-D signature array 200 to determine mine actuation locations) must take every such condition into account; hence, for any given location, the inventive processing's determination of mine actuation-versus-non-actuation examines all such conditions and decides whether the magnetic signature information corresponding to such location results in mine actuation. The magnetic signature phenomenon/phenomena will not result in mine actuation unless every other influence parameter condition is satisfied.
Inventive practice can involve any among diverse magnetic and non-magnetic influence parameters. Examples of non-magnetic influence parameters are those involving sound and pressure. Examples of magnetic (magnetic signature/field) influence parameters, any one or more of which can be that influence parameter (or among those influence parameters) which is (are) pertinent to inventive practice, include the following: magnetic field (e.g., peak magnetic field); rate-of-change (e.g., peak rate-of-change) of the magnetic field (e.g., in a segment of the magnetic field); root mean square of the magnetic field; distance of the magnetic field from a desired goal magnetic field. Terms such as “magnetic field value” and “magnetic signature value” are used interchangeably herein, and broadly refer to any physical parameter or parameters that relate to magnetic field or magnetic signature, including but not limited to those mentioned hereinabove. Rate-of-change (e.g., peak rate-of-change) will be an influence parameter for many inventive embodiments.
Upon association of each of the 2-D magnetic field arrays 20 (shown in FIG. 1 ) with the pertinent magnetic field/signature parameter of a given mine 22 , 2-D magnetic field arrays 20 (shown in FIG. 1 ) become 2-D mine actuation arrays 24 (shown in FIG. 2 ). That is, upon association of 3-D magnetic field array 200 (shown in FIG. 1 ) with the pertinent magnetic field/signature parameter of a given mine 22 , 3-D magnetic field array 200 (which is a collection of 2-D magnetic field arrays 20 , as shown in FIG. 1 ) becomes 3-D mine actuation array 240 (which is a collection of 2-D mine actuation arrays 24 , as shown in FIG. 2 ). Thus, 2-D magnetic field arrays 20 a , 20 b , 20 c , 20 d , 20 e , 20 f , 20 g , . . . become 2-D mine actuation arrays 24 a , 24 b , 24 c , 24 d , 24 e , 24 f , 24 g , . . . respectively.
This correlation of the mine 22 actuation value(s) with 3-D magnetic field array 200 , thereby forming 3-D mine actuation array 240 , is best visualized conceptually in FIG. 3 , wherein multiple circles each represent a particular “uncorrelated” location 50 in a particular 2-D magnetic field array 20 . Mine model 22 is inventively utilized so as to process the magnetic signature 200 information and determine, based on the mine's design, where such mine is actuated (e.g., explodes). Each uncorrelated location 50 is related with mine 22 in terms of the mine's actuation criterion at such location 50 so as to manifest whether or not this actuation criterion is met (and hence mine 22 actuates) at such location 50 . The graphical representation is thus informative in an exclusively disjunctive demarcating fashion, wherein each location manifests either a mine actuation condition or a mine non-actuation condition. Cumulative manifestations, at some or all locations, of this either/or condition can be represented visually using delineation and/or contrasting shading and/or contrasting coloring on the display screen of a computer display 44 .
When a given uncorrelated location 50 (shown as an empty circle, or circular outline) of 2-D signature array 20 is correlated with mine 22 actuation information, that location 50 becomes either actuated location 50 ACT (shown as a solid black circle) or non-actuated location 50 NON (shown as a solid gray circle). Therefore, a given 2-D mine actuation array 24 describes “actuation-versus-non-actuation” of a mine 22 , as 2-D mine actuation array 24 can include: (i) all actuated locations 50 ACT and no non-actuated locations 50 NON , as shown in 2-D mine actuation array 24 ACT ; or, (ii) all non-actuated locations 50 NON and no actuated locations 50 ACT , as shown in 2-D mine actuation array 24 NON ; or, (iii) some (one or more) actuated locations 50 ACT and some (one or more) non-actuated locations 50 NON , as shown in 2-D mine actuation array 24 ACTNON .
Each 2-D mine actuation array 24 is characterized by a two-dimensional pattern of actuated locations 50 ACT and/or non-actuated locations 50 NON . The combination of these individual two-dimensional array actuation-versus-non-actuation patterns yields a three-dimensional “actuation surface” 25 which bounds the three-dimensional “actuation region” 250 of three-dimensional space. Actuation region 250 represents the sum of all locations, relative to ship 10 , at which mine 22 will be actuated. Actuation surface 25 represents the outer boundary of this actuation region 250 .
The graphical representation shown in FIG. 4 is one of many ways in which, according to the present invention, information indicative of actuation surface 25 (or actuation region 250 ) can be displayed for human visualization or comprehension. As elaborated upon hereinbelow with reference to FIG. 6 through FIG. 9 , the three-dimensional actuation surface 25 (or actuation region 250 ) can be displayed as a crosswise “slice” in any of multifarious orientations, such as that which is described by the following: (i) existing in a vertical geometric plane oriented longitudinally through the ship 10 at any of various selected locations (e.g., through the centerline) from bow to stern (in a manner akin to that which is shown in FIG. 7 ); (ii) existing in a vertical geometric plane oriented transversely through the ship 10 at any of various selected locations (e.g., through the midline) from port to starboard (in a manner akin to that which is shown in FIG. 9 ); or, (iii) existing in a horizontal geometric plane oriented at any of various selected water depths below the ship 10 (in a manner akin to that which is shown in FIG. 8 ).
FIG. 5 facilitates understanding of how the present invention will typically be practiced in association with computer apparatus. Range information 14 is input into computer system 40 that includes processor 42 (which includes a computer memory) and display 44 (which includes a computer user interface). Computer system 40 (in particular, processor 42 ) uses a computer program product (which includes a recording medium) in accordance with the present invention. In accordance with the inventive program, processor 42 : assimilates range information 14 into 2-D signature array 16 ; decimates 2-D signature array 16 into decimated 2-D signature array 18 ; extrapolates decimated 2-D signature array 18 into plural extrapolated 2-D signature arrays 20 at various water depths, which together constitute 3-D extrapolated signature array 200 ; associates 2-D extrapolated signature arrays 20 (i.e., 3-D extrapolated signature array 200 ) with one or more mine model 22 actuation values, resulting in 2-D actuation arrays 24 , which together constitute 3-D actuation array 240 . Display 44 displays (e.g., on a display screen) information indicative of the association between extrapolated signature arrays 20 (3-D extrapolated signature array 200 ) and the mine model 22 actuation value(s).
Computer system 40 can be located onboard ship 10 and/or offboard/ashore, e.g., at a magnetic silencing facility 12 . Generally according to inventive practice, there will be a one-to-one correspondence between 2-D extrapolated signature arrays 20 and 2-D actuation arrays 24 . Depending on the inventive embodiment, the decimation step can be performed or skipped by processor 42 ; if such decimation is omitted, processor 42 extrapolates 2-D signature array 16 directly into plural extrapolated 2-D signature arrays 20 at various water depths (which together constitute 3-D extrapolated signature array 200 ). In accordance with various embodiments of the present invention, the computer system 40 operations can be performed for any number of mine models 22 corresponding to a diversity of mine types.
Now with reference to FIG. 6 through FIG. 9 , in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program, a display 26 includes a window 28 . As shown in FIG. 6 , window 28 is the overview display window 28 OV . Overview display window 28 OV is divided into four window display quadrants, viz.: the run information display 30 ; the magnetic signature profile display 32 ; the actuation contour display 34 ; and, the actuation curve display 36 .
After the inventive program has been started and a range file selected, the run information is printed in the information display 30 , shown in FIG. 6 in the upper left quadrant of overview display window 28 OV . This information includes filename, ship 10 name, magnetic silencing facility (MSF) 12 at which the file was created, ship 10 heading, longitudinal spacing of the magnetic signature profiles, ship 10 speed and mine type 22 .
As shown in FIG. 6 (in the upper righthand quadrant of overview display window 28 OV ) and FIG. 7 , the ship's magnetic signature 32 ′ is plotted in the magnetic signature profile display 32 , one longitudinal profile at a time. The rate-of-change of the magnetic signature profile can be displayed as well, by selecting “Rate of Change” from the “Signature” menu, or by pressing the d/dt button in the toolbar 38 . The rate-of-change 32 ″ is also shown (shown in gray) in the magnetic signature profile display 32 .
The magnetic signature component to display (vertical, longitudinal, or athwartship) can be selected from the axis pop-up menu in the signature menu, or by pressing the z, x, or y button in the toolbar 38 . Just above the signature profile display 32 is a slider 40 , which can be dragged with the mouse to select which signature profile appears in the signature profile display 32 . The signature profile display 32 defaults to the keel profile when a file is first opened. Bow and stern locations are, indicated on the signature profile plot, as well as the location of longitudinal mine actuation, if any.
Clicking on the signature profile display 32 in the overview display window 28 OV (shown in FIG. 6 ) zooms it to fill the window 28 , window 28 thereby becoming signature profile display window 28 32 (shown in FIG. 7 ), which can be resized as desired. Clicking on the zoomed signature profile display 32 in the signature profile display window 28 32 returns the program's signature profile display window 28 32 to the overview display window 28 OV shown in FIG. 6 .
The onset-of-actuation contour display 34 shown in FIG. 8 also appears in the lower righthand quadrant of the present invention's degaussing vulnerability display overview window 28 OV shown in FIG. 6 . Contour display 34 presents a plan view of the ship 10 and the magnetic silencing range, with ship outline, sensor locations and actuation locations, plotted for the selected depth. A depth slider 42 located just above the contour display 34 can be dragged with the mouse, to select any depths for which extrapolation and actuation have been completed.
The onset-of-actuation contour 34 ′ is displayed as a thick line, and the actuation contour 34 ″ for the selected magnetic signature component (vertical, longitudinal or athwartship) is displayed as a thin line. Clicking on the contour display 34 (in the upper righthand quadrant of overview display window 28 OV shown FIG. 6 ) zooms contour display 34 to fill the window as shown in FIG. 8 , and contour display 34 can be resized as desired. Clicking on the zoomed contour display 34 shown in FIG. 8 returns the practitioner to the overview display 28 OV shown in FIG. 6 .
The onset-of-actuation curve display 36 , shown in FIG. 9 , also appears in FIG. 6 (sans shading above onset-of-actuation curve 36 ′) in the lower lefthand quadrant of the overview degaussing vulnerability display 28 OV . Curve display 36 presents an elevation view of the ship and the magnetic silencing range, and extends from the water surface, down to the water depth for which the selected mine no longer actuates. During correlational (associative between signature 20 and mine 22 ) processing, the onset-of-actuation curve 36 ′ is displayed as a thick line. Once extrapolation and correlational processing have reached a water depth at which the mine 22 does not actuate, correlational processing stops and the onset-of-actuation curve 36 ′ is indicated in the curve display 36 by a filled closed planar geometric figure (e.g., a filled polygon), such as shown in FIG. 9 . The actuation curve 36 ″ for the selected magnetic signature component (vertical, longitudinal, or athwartship) is obscured in FIG. 9 but is more clearly displayed in FIG. 6 as a thin black line.
The actuation contour 34 shown in FIG. 8 and the actuation curve 36 shown in FIG. 9 are but two examples of how mine actuation can be visualized in accordance with the present invention. The actuation contour 34 represents a horizontal longitudinal slice of an actuation surface, whereas the actuation curve 36 represents a transverse vertical slice of an actuation surface. According to inventive practice, the actuation surface “slice” (segment) can be oriented any which way. Actuation contour 34 and actuation curve 36 are two preferred orientation modes for rendering humanly comprehensible visuals. Another orientation mode which may be preferable in inventive practice for purposes of showing mine actuation is a longitudinal vertical slice, analogous to that which is depicted in the magnetic signature profile display shown in FIG. 7 ; it is readily envisioned that a like graph can represent a longitudinal vertical slice of an actuation surface rather than a longitudinal vertical slice of a magnetic signature.
Similarly as may be performed for magnetic profile display 32 and actuation contour 34 , the practitioner can: click on actuation curve display 36 and thereby zooms it to fill window 28 (such as shown in FIG. 9 ); resize actuation curve display 36 as desired; clicking on the zoomed curve display 36 (shown in FIG. 9 ) to return to the overview display 28 OV (shown in FIG. 6 ).
Prior to processing, the longitudinal spacing of the magnetic signature profile data samples can be changed. This is done from the “Signature” menu, in the longitudinal spacing pop-up menu 39 . The initial spacing of the data varies with ship speed and range sampling rate. It is typically less than one foot between data samples in the longitudinal direction. The athwartship spacing depends on sensor spacing, which is twenty feet between sensors at the magnetic silencing facilities.
It is not necessary, albeit often preferable, to decimate range signature 16 array so as to become decimated signature array 18 . In other words, according to some inventive embodiments, the decimation step can be omitted, and the extrapolated signatures 20 can be taken directly from the range signature 16 . Nevertheless, in order to speed up the extrapolation process, the original range signature 16 data can be decimated by up to eighty-foot spacing between samples. This provides a very quick overview of onset of actuation, but may not be accurate.
For accurate processing, the data needs to be sampled at a rate which provides a good indication of local peak fields and signature shape. Depending upon the complexity of the ranged magnetic signature, this rate will vary, but can be quickly determined by trying different spacing and observing signature profile degradation. For accurate extrapolation, the longitudinal spacing should be no more than twenty feet. The selected spacing is printed in the run information display 30 quadrant of the overview display 28 OV shown in FIG. 6 .
The depth increment at which extrapolation and correlational mine processing occurs can be changed by selecting the water depth increment pop-up menu from the mines menu. According to this inventive embodiment, water depth increments from five (5) to twenty (20) feet can be selected. A depth increment of twenty feet will result in quicker completion of processing, but the five-foot increment will yield a more detailed actuation curve 32 , with more actuation contours 34 .
Ship speed can be changed by selecting the “Speed” pop-up menu from the “Mines” menu. According to this inventive embodiment, speeds of five to fifteen knots can be selected. The default speed is the speed at which the ship 10 was ranged at the magnetic silencing facility 12 .
Vulnerability computation according to the present invention begins when a mine model 22 is selected from the “Mines” menu. “Version 1.0” of the present invention's “Degaussing Vulnerability Display Program” includes two mine models 22 , viz., “FM1” and “FM2.” The sensitivity of both mines is set to maximum. When a mine 22 is selected for the first time after opening a binary range file, the magnetic signature is extrapolated to twenty (20) feet below the range depth. The extrapolated magnetic signature 20 is then processed by the selected mine model 22 , and the resulting actuation contour 32 is displayed, along with the actuation curve 34 , which are each complete only to the extrapolated water depth.
Once mine processing is complete, the water depth is incremented, the magnetic signature is extrapolated to the new depth and processed with the selected mine model 22 , and the new actuation contour 32 and actuation curve 34 are displayed. Processing continues in this fashion until a water depth is reached where mine 22 actuation no longer occurs. After this point is reached, all of the extrapolated signatures and actuation contours are in computer memory and can be reviewed by using the mouse to drag the water depth slider 42 (located above the actuation contour display 34 ) to display the actuation contour 34 and magnetic signature profile 32 at the desired water depth.
During extrapolation and mine processing, a progress box (not shown) appears above the actuation curve display 36 , indicating which stage of processing (e.g., the extrapolation stage versus the mine processing stage) the inventive program is in. A stop button is located within the progress box, to enable processing to be interrupted. The display window 28 cannot be closed, and the program cannot be exited, while processing is occurring.
The present invention's degaussing vulnerability display window 28 (whether overview display 28 OV , magnetic profile display 28 32 , actuation contour display 28 34 or actuation curve display 28 36 ) can be print-previewed and printed out in either portrait or landscape mode, using the “Page Setup,” “Print Preview,” and “Print” entries in the “File” menu. After processing is complete, the Degaussing Vulnerability Display program contains a set of extrapolated signatures, and an actuation surface for each mine model that has been selected. All of this data can be saved in a “Vulnerability” file, with a “.dvd” extension, using the “Save As” entry in the “File” menu. Once saved, vulnerability files can be re-opened for performing additional vulnerability studies at different ship speeds. These follow-on studies will be much quicker than the original processing, as the magnetic signature will not need to be extrapolated again.
The present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program was written by the inventor in the Microsoft® Visual C++® programming language, using the Microsoft Foundation Classes (MFC) and a set of degaussing classes. The MFC are a set of C++ classes which provide an application framework for windows programming in the Windows NT® and Windows 95® operating systems. The degaussing classes are encapsulations of data and algorithms which are commonly used in degaussing software programming.
Reference is now made to APPENDIX A, APPENDIX B, APPENDIX C and APPENDIX D. The computer code set forth in the appendices herein, representative of the present invention's software (written in C++), is characterized by a “document-view” architecture. That is, part of the inventive code handles the data that is involved, e.g., program initialization and data management; this part includes the “document code” and represents the “document” aspect of the inventive code. The other part of the inventive code handles the user interface; this part includes the “view code” and represents the “view” aspect of the inventive code. The inventive code is presented herein in the appendices in four sections, viz.: APPENDIX A, containing the header file for the document code; APPENDIX B, containing the document code file; APPENDIX C, containing the header file for the view code; and, APPENDIX D, containing the view code file.
The degaussing classes used in the design and implementation of the present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program include range data, signature, mine, actuation surface and display classes. The range data class opens a range data file, allocates enough computer memory to hold the data, and reads the data from disk into memory. The signature class holds a triaxial, uniformly sampled magnetic signature comprising multiple longitudinal profiles, and provides methods for decimating and extrapolating the signature, locating the keel profile, and compiling signature statistics. The mine classes encapsulate mathematical mine models which receive uniformly sampled data as input and output mine look and fire signals. The actuation surface class holds mine actuation location information for multiple depths. Finally, the display class encapsulates the data and algorithms necessary to draw the magnetic signature profiles, actuation contours and actuation curves, which are needed or desired for degaussing vulnerability display.
Mathematically, the extrapolation technique used in the inventive computer code embodiment set forth hereinabove, a generally preferred extrapolation technique for practice of the present invention's degaussing vulnerability display program, is known as “the solution of the Dirichlet problem for the plane.” This extrapolation technique allows calculation of the three components of the magnetic field of a ship (vertical, longitudinal and athwartship), when the vertical magnetic field has been measured by a magnetic range located between the ship and the calculation depth. This extrapolation technique is accurate at or below a distance equal to the largest spacing used in the data measurement grid. Since the magnetic range sensors are separated by twenty feet, the first extrapolation depth is always twenty feet below the range depth.
Onset of actuation for a particular mine is determined by applying all of the ship magnetic signature profiles to the selected mine model and noting where actuation occurs. The onset-of-actuation contour for a particular depth is determined by forming the union of the actuation contours at that depth, for the vertical, longitudinal and athwartship components of the magnetic signature at that depth. The onset-of-actuation curve is determined by forming the union of the actuation curves for the vertical, longitudinal and athwartship components of the magnetic signature.
Generally, a magnetic mine is a device having a magnetic detection component. Although inventive practice will typically involve magnetic mines, the present invention can be practiced in association with any magnetically responsive (e.g., magnetically actuated or magnetically activated or magnetically sensitive) system or devices, such as magnetic mines and magnetic detectors. Moreover, although inventive practice will more typically be concerned with vulnerability assessment of ships and other surface naval vessels, the present invention can be practiced whether the vehicle in question is a marine vehicle or land vehicle. Furthermore, it is not necessary, according to inventive practice, that the spatial region examined for vulnerability assessment lie entirely or mainly below the vehicle. For instance, a submarine may require vulnerability assessment with regard to magnetic devices located below, beside and/or above the submarine. In the light of the instant disclosure, the ordinarily skilled artisan will be capable of practicing the present invention with regard to diverse vehicles as well as diverse magnetic systems and devices.
Other embodiments of this invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from a consideration of this specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. Various omissions, modifications and changes to the principles described herein may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention which is indicated by the following claims.
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Magnetic signature measurements are taken at various points corresponding to an original water depth beneath a ship. A computer processor receives and processes (i) this group of measured magnetic signature values and (ii) the designed magnetic signature value the sensing of which actuates the subject magnetic mine, implementing graph display management on a user interface display screen. According to the computer processing, some or all such measured magnetic signature values are extrapolated at different depths each greater than the original depth, thereby yielding several or many groups, each group being of extrapolated magnetic signature values associated with various points corresponding to the same depth, the groups collectively representing a three-dimensional arrangement of extrapolated magnetic signature values associated with various points corresponding to different depths. Each point is characterized as either actuating or non-actuating of the mine, and various perspectives of some or all such characterizations are displayed.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is a Division of copending application Ser. No. 13/427,706 filed Mar. 22, 2012, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to methods for producing renewable detergent compounds, and more particularly relates to methods for producing linear paraffins and olefins from natural oils.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] While detergents made utilizing linear paraffin- and olefin-based surfactants are biodegradable, processes for creating linear paraffins and olefins are not based on renewable sources. Specifically, linear paraffins and olefins are currently produced from kerosene extracted from the earth. Due to the growing environmental concerns over fossil fuel extraction and economic concerns over exhausting fossil fuel deposits, there is a demand for using an alternate feed source for producing biodegradable surfactants for use in detergents and in other industries.
[0004] Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods for producing linear paraffins and olefins from natural oils, i.e., oils that are not extracted from the earth. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing and this background of the invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] Methods for producing a linear paraffin or olefin product from a natural oil are provided herein. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a linear paraffin includes providing a natural oil in a feed stream, deoxygenating the natural oil to form a stream comprising paraffins, purifying the stream comprising paraffins to form a purified stream comprising paraffins, and separating a first fraction of paraffin product from the purified stream comprising paraffins.
[0006] In another exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a linear olefin includes providing a natural oil in a feed stream, deoxygenating the natural oil to form a stream comprising paraffins, dehydrogenating the stream comprising paraffins to form a stream comprising olefins, purifying the stream comprising olefins to form a purified stream comprising olefins, and separating a first fraction of olefin product from the purified stream comprising olefins.
[0007] In accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment, a method for producing a linear paraffin and a linear olefin includes providing a natural oil in a feed stream, deoxygenating the natural oil to form a stream comprising paraffins, separating the stream comprising paraffins into a first portion comprising paraffins and a second portion comprising paraffins, purifying the first portion comprising paraffins to form a purified stream comprising paraffins, and separating a first fraction of paraffin product from the purified stream comprising paraffins. The method further includes dehydrogenating the second portion comprising paraffins to form a stream comprising olefins, purifying the stream comprising olefins to form a purified stream comprising olefins, and separating a first fraction of olefin product from the purified stream comprising olefins.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figure, wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a system utilizing a process for producing linear paraffins and/or olefins from natural oils in accordance with an exemplary embodiment.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] The following Detailed Description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the invention or the application and uses of the invention. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding Background or the following Detailed Description.
[0011] Various embodiments contemplated herein relate to methods and systems for producing a linear paraffin or olefin product from natural oils. In FIG. 1 , an exemplary system 10 utilizing an exemplary process for producing a linear paraffin and/or olefin product from a natural oil feed 14 . As used herein, natural oils are those derived from plant or algae matter, and are often referred to as renewable oils. Natural oils are not based on kerosene or other fossil fuels. In certain embodiments, the natural oils include, but are not limited to, one or more of coconut oil, babassu oil, castor oil, algae 1 byproduct, beef tallow oil, borage oil, camelina oil, Canola® oil, choice white grease, coffee oil, corn oil, Cuphea Viscosissima oil, evening primrose oil, fish oil, hemp oil, hepar oil, jatropha oil, Lesquerella Fendleri oil, linseed oil, Moringa Oleifera oil, mustard oil, neem oil, palm oil, perilla seed oil, poultry fat, rice bran oil, soybean oil, stillingia oil, sunflower oil, tung oil, yellow grease, cooking oil, and other vegetable, nut, or seed oils. Other natural oils will be known to those having ordinary skill in the art. The natural oils typically include triglycerides, free fatty acids, or a combination of triglycerides and free fatty acids, and other trace compounds.
[0012] In the illustrated embodiment, the natural oil feed 14 is delivered to a deoxygenation unit 16 , which also receives a hydrogen feed 18 . In the deoxygenation unit 16 , the triglycerides and fatty acids in the feed 14 are deoxygenated and converted into linear paraffins. The deoxygenation unit 16 can be configured to catalytically deoxygenate the natural oils. Structurally, triglycerides are formed by three, typically different, fatty acid molecules that are bonded together with a glycerol bridge. The glycerol molecule includes three hydroxyl groups (HO—), and each fatty acid molecule has a carboxyl group (COOH). In triglycerides, the hydroxyl groups of the glycerol join the carboxyl groups of the fatty acids to form ester bonds. Therefore, during deoxygenation, the fatty acids are freed from the triglyceride structure and are converted into linear paraffins. The glycerol is converted into propane, and the oxygen in the hydroxyl and carboxyl groups is converted into either water or carbon dioxide. The deoxygenation reaction for fatty acids and triglycerides are illustrated, respectively, as:
[0000]
[0000] During the deoxygenation reaction, the length of a product paraffin chain R n will vary by a value of one depending on the exact reaction pathway. For example, if carbon dioxide is formed, then the chain will have one fewer carbon than the fatty acid source (R″). If water is formed, then the chain will match the length of the R″ chain in the fatty acid source. Typically, due to the reaction kinetics, water and carbon dioxide are formed in roughly equal amounts, such that equal amounts of C X paraffins and C X-1 paraffins are formed.
[0013] In FIG. 1 , a deoxygenated stream 20 containing linear paraffins, water, carbon dioxide and propane exits the deoxygenation unit 16 and is fed to a separator 22 . The separator 22 may be a multi-stage fractionation unit, distillation system, or similar known apparatus. In any event, the separator 22 removes the water, carbon dioxide, and propane from the deoxygenated stream 20 . Further, the separator 22 , or optionally another separator, may provide a means to separate the paraffins into various desirable fractions. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , a first portion of paraffins 24 and a second portion of paraffins 26 are illustrated, although any number of paraffin portions may be provided, depending on how many paraffin fractions are desired. In certain embodiments, the first portion of paraffins 24 has carbon chain lengths of C 10 to C 14 . In other embodiments, the first portion of paraffins 24 has carbon chain lengths having a lower limit of C L , where L is an integer from four (4) to thirty-one (31), and an upper limit of C U , where U is an integer from five (5) to thirty-two (32). The second portion of paraffins 26 may have carbon chains shorter than, longer than, or a combination of shorter and longer than, the chains of the first portion of paraffins 24 . In one particular embodiment, the first portion of paraffins 24 includes paraffins with C 10 to C 14 chains and the second portion of paraffins 26 includes paraffins with C 18 to C 20 chains.
[0014] Either or both paraffin portions 24 or 26 (or other portions if more are present) may thereafter be purified to remove trace contaminants, resulting in a purified paraffin product. In some embodiments, wherein only paraffin production is desired, the entire paraffin product (i.e., all of the one or more portions) may be purified at this stage. In other embodiments, some of the paraffin product is directed to further processing stages for the production of olefins. In still other embodiments, wherein only olefin production is desired, the entire paraffin product (i.e., all of the one or more portions) may be directed to further processing stages. As shown in the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 , the second paraffin portion 26 is directed to a purification system 80 to remove trace contaminants, such as oxygenates, nitrogen compounds, and sulfur compounds, among others. In one example, purification system 80 is an adsorption system. Alternatively or additionally, a PEP unit 82 , available from UOP LLC, may be employed as part of purification system 80 . Subsequent to purification, a purified paraffins stream 13 is removed from the system 10 as the paraffin product.
[0015] As further shown in FIG. 1 , the first portion of paraffins 24 (i.e., that portion of linear paraffins directed for further processing to linear olefins, where desired) is introduced to a linear olefin production zone 28 . Specifically, the first portion of paraffins 24 is fed into a dehydrogenation unit 30 in the olefin production zone 28 . In the dehydrogenation unit 30 , the first portion of paraffins 24 are dehydrogenated into mono-olefins of the same carbon numbers as the first portion of paraffins 24 . Typically, dehydrogenation occurs through known catalytic processes, such as the commercially popular Pacol process. Conversion is typically less than 90%, leaving greater than 10% paraffins unconverted to olefins. Di-olefins (i.e., dienes) and aromatics are also produced as an undesired result of the dehydrogenation reactions as expressed in the following equations:
[0000] Mono-olefin formation: C X H 2X+2 →C X H 2X +H 2
[0000] Di-olefin formation: C x H 2X →C X H 2X−2 +H 2
[0000] Aromatic formation: C X H 2X−2 →C X H 2X−6 +2H 2
[0016] In FIG. 1 , a dehydrogenated stream 32 exits the dehydrogenation unit 30 comprising mono-olefins and hydrogen, unconverted paraffins, as well as some byproduct di-olefins and aromatics. The dehydrogenated stream 32 is delivered to a phase separator 34 for removing the hydrogen from the dehydrogenated stream 32 . As shown, the hydrogen exits the phase separator 34 in a recycle stream of hydrogen 36 that can, in some embodiments, be added to the hydrogen feed 18 to support the deoxygenation process upstream.
[0017] At the phase separator 34 , a liquid stream 38 is formed and includes the mono-olefins, the unconverted paraffins, and any di-olefins and aromatics formed during dehydrogenation. The liquid stream 38 exits the phase separator 34 and enters a selective hydrogenation unit 40 . In one exemplary embodiment, the hydrogenation unit 40 is a DeFine® reactor (or a reactor employing a DeFine® process), available from UOP LLC. The hydrogenation unit 40 selectively hydrogenates at least a portion of the di-olefins in the liquid stream 38 to form additional mono-olefins. As a result, an enhanced stream 42 is formed with an increased mono-olefin concentration.
[0018] As shown, the enhanced stream 42 passes from the hydrogenation unit 40 to a lights separator 44 , such as a stripper column, which removes a light end stream 46 containing any light hydrocarbons, such as butane, propane, ethane and methane, that resulted from cracking or other reactions during upstream processing. With the light hydrocarbons 46 removed, stream 48 is formed and may be delivered to an aromatic removal apparatus 50 , such as a PEP unit available from UOP LLC. As indicated by its name, the aromatic removal apparatus 50 removes aromatics from the stream 48 and forms a stream of mono-olefins and unconverted paraffins 52 .
[0019] In a further processing step, the unconverted paraffins are separated from the olefins using a separator 56 . In one particular embodiment, the separator 56 is an Olex® separator, available from UOP LLC. The Olex® process involves the selective adsorption of a desired component (i.e., olefins) from a liquid-phase mixture by continuous contacting with a fixed bed of adsorbent. In another particular embodiment, the separator 56 is a direct sulfonation separator. The separated, unconverted paraffins may optionally be directed back to the second paraffin portion 26 for purification (stream 72 ) and/or back to the first paraffin portion 24 for dehydrogenation for conversion to olefins (stream 70 ).
[0020] In FIG. 1 , an olefins stream 60 exits the separator 56 and is fed to a separator 62 . The separator 62 may be a multi-stage fractionation unit, distillation system, or similar known apparatus. The separator 62 may provide a means to separate the olefins into various desirable fractions. For example, as shown in FIG. 1 , a first portion of olefins 64 and a second portion of olefins 66 are illustrated, although any number of olefin portions may be provided, depending on how many olefin fractions are desired. In certain embodiments, the first portion of olefins 64 has carbon chain lengths of C 10 to C 14 . In other embodiments, the first portion of olefins 64 has carbon chain lengths having a lower limit of C L , where L is an integer from four (4) to thirty-one (31), and an upper limit of C U , where U is an integer from five (5) to thirty-two (32). The second portion of olefins 66 may have carbon chains shorter than, longer than, or a combination of shorter and longer than, the chains of the first portion of olefins 64 . In one particular embodiment, the first portion of olefins 64 includes olefins with C 10 to C 14 chains and the second portion of olefins 66 includes olefins with C 18 to C 20 chains. Subsequent to separation, the purified olefins portions 64 and 66 are removed from the system 10 as the olefin product.
[0021] With reference now to exemplary natural oil feeds 14 , in certain embodiments, the feed 14 is substantially homogeneous and includes free fatty acids within a desired range. For instance, the feed may be palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD). Alternatively, the feed 14 may include triglycerides and free fatty acids that all have carbon chain lengths appropriate for a desired alkylbenzene product 12 .
[0022] In certain embodiments, the natural oil source is castor, and the feed 14 includes castor oils. Castor oils consist essentially of C 18 fatty acids with additional, internal hydroxyl groups at the carbon-12 position. For instance, the structure of a castor oil triglyceride is:
[0000]
[0000] During deoxygenation of a feed 14 comprising castor oil, it has been found that some portion of the carbon chains are cleaved at the carbon-12 position. Thus, deoxygenation creates a group of lighter paraffins having C 10 to C 11 chains resulting from cleavage during deoxygenation, and a group of non-cleaved heavier paraffins having C 17 to C 18 chains. The lighter paraffins may form the first portion of paraffins 24 and the heavier paraffins may form the second portion of paraffins 26 . It should be noted that while castor oil is shown as an example of an oil with an additional internal hydroxyl group, others may exist. Also, it may be desirable to engineer genetically modified organisms to produce such oils by design. As such, any oil with an internal hydroxyl group may be a desirable feed oil.
[0023] While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing Detailed Description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing Detailed Description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing an exemplary embodiment of the invention, it being understood that various changes may be made in the function and arrangement of elements described in an exemplary embodiment without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended Claims and their legal equivalents.
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A method for producing a linear paraffin includes providing a natural oil in a feed stream, deoxygenating the natural oil to form a stream comprising paraffins, purifying the stream comprising paraffins to form a purified stream comprising paraffins, and separating a first fraction of paraffin product from the purified stream comprising paraffins. A method for producing a linear olefin includes providing a natural oil in a feed stream, deoxygenating the natural oil to form a stream comprising paraffins, dehydrogenating the stream comprising paraffins to form a stream comprising olefins, purifying the stream comprising olefins to form a purified stream comprising olefins, and separating a first fraction of olefin product from the purified stream comprising olefins.
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TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] This invention relates to a hydraulic circuit for generating high pressure pulses. The circuit may be used to generate acoustic pulses for use, for example in the treatment of materials, pressure pulses for driving mechanical devices, or the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0002] In the drawings which illustrate non-limiting embodiments of the invention:
[0003] FIG. 1 is a partially schematic diagram of a hydraulic circuit according to the invention for generating high pressure pulses in a fluid;
[0004] FIG. 2 is a detailed view of a valve portion of the circuit of FIG. 1 in a first position;
[0005] FIG. 3 is a detailed view of the valve portion of the circuit of FIG. 1 in a second position;
[0006] FIG. 4 is a partially schematic diagram illustrating an embodiment of the invention in which pressure pulses are used to drive the mechanical vibration of a rod;
[0007] FIG. 5 is a detailed view of a portion of the circuit shown in FIG. 4 ;
[0008] FIG. 6 is a top view of the components illustrated in FIG. 5 ;
[0009] FIG. 7 is a partially schematic view of an embodiment of the invention adapted to generate high intensity acoustic pulses; and,
[0010] FIG. 8 is a detailed view of a portion of the circuit of FIG. 7 .
[0011] FIG. 9 is a detailed view of an alternative embodiment of the invention in which sonic pulses are amplified.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Throughout the following description, specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the invention. However, the invention may be practiced without these particulars. In other instances, well known elements have not been shown or described in detail to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the invention. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive, sense.
[0013] FIG. 1 shows a hydraulic circuit 10 according to the invention. Hydraulic circuit 10 includes a pump 12 which draws a fluid 14 from a reservoir 16 and pumps the fluid through a conduit 18 into a plenum 20 . Fluid 14 is preferably a substantially non-compressible fluid such as water, oil, or the like. Plenum 20 is connected to a pair of parallel conduits 22 and 24 . Both of conduits 22 and 24 are connected to different input ports of a valve 26 . Fluid exiting from valve 26 passes out from an output port, through a throttle valve 30 and into a reservoir 32 . Reservoir 16 and 32 may be the same reservoir.
[0014] The construction of valve 26 is shown in detail in FIG. 2 . Valve 26 includes a housing 27 which includes chambers 33 and 34 connected to conduits 22 and 24 respectively. Valve 26 has a movable valve member 36 which can reciprocate longitudinally as indicated by arrow 29 . Valve member 36 has sealing members 38 and 40 in its ends. Sealing members 38 and 40 can seat against valve seats 42 and 44 respectively. Valve member 36 can move between a first position, as shown in FIG. 2 , in which fluid in conduit 24 can flow through valve 26 to output conduit 28 (while sealing member 38 bears against valve seat 42 and thereby prevents fluid from conduit 22 from flowing to output conduit 28 ) and a second position, as shown in FIG. 3 , wherein fluid from conduit 22 can flow through valve 26 to output conduit 28 while the flow of fluid from conduit 24 to output 28 is blocked by sealing member 40 (which seals against valve seat 44 ).
[0015] In operation, pump 12 pumps fluid from reservoir 16 through conduit 18 into plenum 20 . The fluid is pressurized within plenum 20 . Pump 12 does not need to be a high-pressure pump. Pump 12 may comprise, for example, a centrifugal pump. The pressure in plenum 20 causes the fluid 14 to flow down one or the other of conduits 22 and 24 . Which one of conduits 22 and 24 the flow commences in depends upon the initial position of valve member 36 . The fluid flows through valve 26 and out of conduit 28 . Suppose, for example, that valve member 36 is initially in the position shown in FIG. 2 . In this case, fluid will flow through conduit 24 , through chamber 34 , between sealing member 40 and valve seat 44 , and out through conduit 28 . In this event, the flow of fluid between valve member 40 and valve seat 44 , will tend to drive valve member 36 towards the position shown in FIG. 3 .
[0016] When sealing member 40 contacts valve seat 44 the flow of fluid through conduit 24 is suddenly cut off. This creates a “water hammer” within conduit 24 . The water hammer creates a very high pressure pulse which propagates through conduit 24 from valve 26 toward reservoir 20 . The water hammer phenomenon is well understood. Water hammer is explained in many textbooks on the topic of fluid mechanics. One example of such a textbook is Fluid Mechanics (7 th Edition ) Victor L. Streeter and E. Benjamin Wylie, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 1979 and R. L. Daugherty and J. B. Franzini, Fluid Mechanics With Engineering Applications , pages 425-431 McGraw Hill Book Company, 1977.
[0017] At the same time as valve member 36 moves so as to close sealing member 40 against valve seat 44 , sealing member 38 moves away from valve seat 42 . This permits fluid to flow from conduit 22 through valve 26 to outlet 28 . In the meantime, the high pressure pulse which has been propagating upstream in conduit 24 eventually reaches plenum 20 . At this point, some fluid from conduit 24 spills into plenum 20 , and a corresponding low pressure pulse begins to propagate from plenum 20 toward valve 26 along conduit 24 . When this low pressure pulse reaches chamber 34 , it tends to draw valve member 36 back down into the position shown in FIG. 2 . This tendency is augmented by the tendency of fluid flowing between sealing member 38 and valve seat 42 to move valve member 36 in the same direction.
[0018] The sudden closure of sealing member 38 against valve seat 42 causes a water hammer pulse to be propagated upstream in conduit 22 . It can be appreciated that valve member 36 will reciprocate back and forth, alternately closing the fluid path from conduits 22 and 24 . Each time valve member 36 allows such a fluid path to be opened and re-closed, a new water hammer pressure pulse is generated. The frequency with which these pressure pulses occur is determined primarily by the lengths of conduits 22 and 24 , which are preferably equal in length.
[0019] In order to initiate the oscillation of valve member 36 , it can be desirable to provide a throttle valve 30 , as shown in FIG. 1 . By throttling conduit 28 the pressure within a central portion 46 of valve 26 may be increased in a manner that promotes the onset of reciprocation of valve member 36 .
[0020] Conduits 22 and 24 are preferably equal in length. The period of reciprocation of valve member 36 is determined, at least in part, by the lengths of conduits 22 and 24 (which determines the time that it takes for a pressure pulse to propagate upstream to plenum 20 and for a reflected negative pressure pulse to be propagated back downstream into chamber 33 or 34 ).
[0021] The high pressure pulses generated by circuit 10 may be utilized in various ways. FIG. 4 shows a circuit which uses such high pressure pulses for causing high intensity vibrations of a rod 50 . As shown in more detail in FIGS. 5 and 6 , rod 50 is connected to a piston 52 which is slidably disposed within a cylinder 54 within a housing 27 . Piston 52 divides the volume within cylinder 54 into two portions, 56 and 58 . Portion 56 is connected by means of a conduit 60 to volume 33 of valve 26 . Portion 54 is connected by means of a conduit 62 to volume 34 of valve 26 .
[0022] In operation, when a high pressure pulse is generated, commencing in volume 34 by the sudden closure of sealing member 40 against valve seat 44 , the pressure within portion 58 of cylinder 54 is suddenly increased. This creates a very large upward acceleration on piston 52 which is transferred to rod 50 . During this time the pressure within volume 33 and portion 56 is relatively low since fluid is flowing through volume 33 . When valve member 36 moves so that sealing member 40 is away from valve seat 44 then the pressure within volume 34 and portion 58 is reduced. At the same time, a water hammer pressure pulse is generated within conduit 22 . This pressure pulse is conveyed through conduit 60 into portion 56 and generates a sudden acceleration on piston 52 in the downward direction. It can be appreciated that as valve member 36 reciprocates then rod 50 is violently reciprocated at the frequency of motion of valve member 36 . Rod 50 may be connected to deliver vibration or sonic energy to various mechanical structures. For example, rod 50 may be used to impart high acceleration vibrations to contacting members in a crusher for crushing rocks or other hard materials. Rod 50 may conduct vibrations into agitation paddles or other mechanical structures to be subjected to high intensity vibratory pulses.
[0023] FIG. 7 discloses apparatus 10 B according to an alternative embodiment of the invention in which chambers 33 and 34 are respectively connected to conduits 70 and 72 which include gradually tapering section 73 . Gradually tapering sections 73 tend to increase the intensity of sonic pressure being carried through the fluid in conduits 70 and 72 . Conduits 70 and 72 each terminate in a narrow diameter portion 74 . In narrow diameter portion 74 the intensity of pressure pulses from chambers 33 and 34 are magnified. Portion 74 may be open-ended, as shown in FIG. 8 , or may be closed-ended. Where portions 74 are open-ended, fluid will tend to flow out through conduits 70 and 72 . The stream of fluid exiting through the ends of portions 74 will come out in spurts in time with the pressure pulses delivered from chambers 33 and 34 . These high pressure spurts may be used in various applications. For example, they may be used in pressure washing, water jet cutting, or the like.
[0024] Fluid passing through conduits 70 , 72 and 74 will be subjected to high shear conditions. Apparatus 10 B can be used to alter the viscosity of fluid 14 .
[0025] If portions 74 are closed-ended, then the ends of portions 74 will experience high energy oscillations, during and after the high pressure pulse. The frequency of such oscillations will depend on the length of portion 74 . It has been experimentally determined that this causes a rapid rise in temperature of fluid in portions 74 .
[0026] FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative construction of portions 74 in which each of conduits 70 , 72 has its end partially blocked with a plug 80 (conduits 72 will typically be significantly longer than illustrated in FIG. 9 ). Narrow passages 82 extend between the plug and the inner walls 84 of tube 74 . Fluid motivated by high pressure pulses can be driven through these narrow passages past plugs 80 . Each plug 80 is gradually tapered and has an upstream-facing pointed end 86 . The pressure of pressure pulses propagating in tubes 74 is amplified as the pressure pulses pass into the narrow passages surrounding plugs 80 .
[0027] Various alternatives to these structures described above are possible. For example:
piston 52 could be replaced by a stiff diaphragm; a second rod 50 could extend out of the top end of housing 27 ; rod 50 could pass through both ends of housing 27 . If so, rod 50 could be hollow. Where rod 50 is hollow, a mechanical member to be vibrated could pass through the bore of rod 50 .
[0031] As will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the light of the foregoing disclosure, many alterations and modifications are possible in the practice of this invention without departing from the scope thereof. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is to be construed in accordance with the substance defined by the following claims.
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A system ( 10 ) for generating high pressure pulses has a source ( 12, 16 ) of a pressurized working fluid ( 14 ). The working fluid is supplied to two conduits ( 22,24 ). A valve ( 26 ) has an input connected to each of the conduits ( 22, 24 ). The valve has a valve member ( 29 ) that is movable between two positions. In one position the valve member allows working fluid to flow from the first conduit ( 22 ) to an outlet and blocks the second conduit ( 24 ). In the other position the valve member allows working fluid to flow from the first conduit ( 22 ) to the outlet and blocks the first conduit ( 22 ). Flow of the working fluid causes the valve member to reciprocate and thereby generate water hammers in conduits ( 22 ) and ( 24 ). Energy from the water hammers may be harnessed for various applications.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates generally to a support device for temporarily holding construction sheet material in place prior to final securement, and, more particularly, to a stepped or offset support device with an orthogonal set of planar surfaces capable of temporarily supporting construction sheet material, such as gypsum board, in a vertical, horizontal, or angular orientation prior to final securement of the sheet.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Temporary support devices for construction sheet material have the general function of temporarily supporting sheet material such as gypsum board (also known as sheetrock or drywall board) prior to final securement of the sheet material to the underlying support structure. Such sheet materials are commonly used in residential, commercial and industrial buildings for covering walls or ceilings and are manufactured in standard sizes, such as 4×8 feet or 4×12 feet. Due to the size and weight of these sheet materials, fastening of the sheets to horizontal, vertical, or angular studs, joists, rafters or trusses can be tiring and awkward, especially when only one or two installers are on the job site.
[0003] To assist in the installation of such construction sheet material, various temporary support devices have been employed. A commonly known temporary support is the “dead man” brace, which is typically fabricated from at least two pieces of 2×4 stud lumber in a “T” orientation, and is generally used to temporarily support sheetrock during ceiling installation. This type of temporary support is generally fabricated on the job site in order to accommodate a specific height dimension, is large and cumbersome in its size, and is not easily transported from one job site to the next.
[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,224,309 entitled “Temporary Cleat For Sheet Goods” describes a relatively thin and wide multi-piece assembly that temporarily supports sheet material and is adjustable to accommodate sheet material of various thicknesses. This type of temporary support is relatively costly in comparison to other supports not involving multi-piece assemblies.
[0005] U.S. Pat. No. 5,249, 405 entitled “Drywall Support” describes a relatively thin and wide unitary device with a right angle offset and a piercing end for the temporary support of drywall material. The piercing end can be inserted into the underlying support structure to various depths by a skilled artisan, thereby accommodating various sheet thicknesses. This type of temporary support relies on a single anchor point and requires a degree of skill for adequate, yet not excessive, depth of insertion in the underlying support structure.
[0006] U.S. Pat. No. 5,407,183 entitled “Drywall Installation Tool” describes a relatively thin and wide unitary device with a flat leg having two mounting holes and an angled leg having a frictional surface for the temporary support of drywall material. Accurate placement of the installation tool by a skilled artisan will produce a variety of distances between the underlying support structure and the angled leg, thereby accommodating various sheet thicknesses. This type of temporary support requires a degree of skill for appropriate placement of the tool with regard to the distance between the drywall to be installed and the angled surface of the tool.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 6,131,361 entitled “Displaceable Support Bracket For Drywall Panel Installation” describes relatively thin and wide unitary devices having a long flat leg and a short right-angled leg, or a long flat leg and a short offset leg, or a long flat leg, a short right-angled leg, and a short offset leg, for the temporary support of drywall material. Keyhole features in the long flat leg provide a way to temporarily fasten the support bracket to the underlying support structure. This type of temporary support provides limited surface engagement for large sheets, thereby increasing the number of brackets required for large sheet installations, and, since this type of temporary support is typically fabricated from a metallic material, multiple brackets would result in an increase of weight that a single installer would be required to handle when installing large sheets.
[0008] Thus, it would be beneficial to provide a support device for temporarily supporting a variety of construction sheet materials that is compact and easily transported, of unitary construction for low cost, provides a plurality of anchor points, requires limited skill in its use, has broad surface engagement for large sheet installations, and is fabricated from lightweight material in order to minimize the combined weight when multiple supports are used by an individual installer.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a temporary support device for installing sheet material in a building construction is provided with a multitude of rectangular and perpendicular surfaces and a rectangular pair of offset surfaces for temporarily supporting a variety of sheet materials in a variety of orientations. The temporary support device is provided with large surface areas having a width dimension in excess of the thickness of a sheet of construction material to provide a degree of surface engagement that distributes the stress of the construction sheet material over a large surface area, thereby minimizing damage to the edge of the construction sheet material. For example, when sheetrock is supported on its edge by a narrow object, the weight of the sheetrock on the narrow edge will cause an overstress condition to the sheetrock, thereby resulting in damage to the edge of the sheetrock, which is an undesirable condition.
[0010] Countersunk through holes integral to the support device accept standard screw hardware for temporarily mounting the support device to the building substructure. The pair of offset surfaces provide clearance for loosely supporting the sheet material before final securement of the sheet to the building substructure. The support device may be provided with cored out sections, thereby enhancing the utility and handling of the device by providing through holes for hanging the support device and by reducing the overall weight of the support device.
[0011] The support device may be manufactured out of lightweight machinable or castable material, such as, for example, machinable aluminum, extruded aluminum, aluminum diecast, zinc diecast, or wood. Alternatively, the support device may be manufactured out of a lightweight and moldable material, such as, for example, thermoset plastic or thermoplastic plastic. Suitable thermoset plastics would include, but are not limited to, polyester, polyester-glass, phenolic, phenolic-glass, epoxy, epoxy-glass, melamine, or melamine-glass. Suitable thermoplastic plastics would include, but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, polystyrene, polyester, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylics, nylons, spandex-type polyurethanes, polyamides, polycarbonates, fluorocarbons, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), acetal, and cellulosics.
[0012] Materials that can be temporarily supported by the support device include, but are not limited to, gypsum board (also known as sheetrock or drywall board), plywood, particle board, bead board (representative of wanes coating), fiber board, or sheet insulation, where the thickness of the sheets range, for example, from ⅛ inch to 1½ inch.
[0013] The support device of the present invention has the advantage of being a unitary device fabricated from a lightweight material, but of sufficient design and strength to support at least a portion of the weight of a sheet of construction material, of having a compact design for ease of transportation, of requiring limited skill in its use, of having broad surface engagement for large sheet installations, and of being of low cost.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] [0014]FIG. 1 illustrates a first perspective view of a temporary support device incorporating the features of the present invention;
[0015] [0015]FIG. 2 illustrates a second perspective view of the temporary support device of FIG. 1;
[0016] [0016]FIG. 3 illustrates a partial side elevation view of a plurality of the temporary support devices of FIG. 1 temporarily supporting sheet material on a wall, an angled ceiling, and a horizontal ceiling;
[0017] [0017]FIG. 4 illustrates a front elevation view of a plurality of the temporary support devices of FIG. 1 for temporarily supporting sheet material on a wall; and
[0018] [0018]FIGS. 5A and 5B illustrate alternative partial section views through a bore hole of the temporary support device of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0019] Temporary Support Device
[0020] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a generally rigid box shaped structure 100 is constructed having a first planar surface 102 , a second planar surface 104 , and a third planar surface 106 , conjoined by end wall sections 108 and 110 , side wall sections 112 and 114 , and step riser wall section 116 . The substantially perpendicular relationship of planar surfaces 102 , 104 , and 106 to wall sections 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 , and 116 , accommodating both part tolerances and mold draft angles, result in planar surfaces 104 and 106 being in stepped relationship to one another, and planar surfaces 104 and 106 being in an opposing relationship with planar surface 102 , or alternatively, planar surfaces 104 and 106 being in a face-to-face relationship with planar surface 102 . As a result of the foregoing, planar surfaces 104 and 106 are substantially parallel to planar surface 102 .
[0021] The step riser wall section 116 creates a predefined offset “d” between planar surfaces 104 and 106 . The predefined offset “d” is provided to create a clearance condition between planar surface 106 and a sheet of temporarily supported construction material 202 , as seen by referring to FIG. 3, when planar surface 104 b of temporary support device 100 b is held in surface contact with construction material 200 by mounting hardware 128 . The temporarily supported sheet material 202 is loosely supported in order to provide the installer with the ability to maneuver the sheet material 202 into its final position on wall studs 208 prior to final securement. The predefined offset “d” is preferably between {fraction (1/16)} and {fraction (9/16)} inches, more preferably between ⅛ and {fraction (7/16)} inches, even more preferably between {fraction (3/16)} and {fraction (5/16)} inches, and is most preferably ¼ inch. In general, variations from any noted preferred dimensions, such as but not limited to part tolerances, that do not detract from the intended function of the temporary support device are considered within the scope of the invention.
[0022] The height of end wall section 108 , as illustrated by dimension “h” in FIG. 1, provides broad surface areas, as illustrated by surfaces “A” on side wall sections 112 and 114 , and surface “B” on end wall section 108 , to distribute the contact stress when the weight of a panel of sheet material is supported by either surface A or B, as illustrated in FIG. 3 where surface A of temporary support device 100 a is shown in a supporting relationship with sheet material 204 for a ceiling installation on ceiling joists 210 . The dimension “h” is desirably greater than the thickness of a typical sheet of sheetrock material, which is generally between ⅜ and ⅝ inches. Thus, dimension “h” is preferably between ¾ and 2 inches, more preferably between ⅞ and 1¾ inches, even more preferably between 1 and 1½ inches, and is most preferably 1⅛ inches.
[0023] The length “L” of planar surface 106 provides for sufficient engagement of a panel of sheet material during the temporary supporting of the sheet material, as illustrated in the wall installation of FIG. 3 where length “L” engages sheet material 202 by dimension “e”. The engagement dimension “e” is generally chosen by the installer, but is usually less than or equal to length “L”. In order to provide for sufficient engagement “e”, length “L” is desirably, but not necessarily, equal to or greater than 1½ times the thickness of a typical sheet of sheetrock material. Thus, length “L” is preferably between ¾ and 2 inches, more preferably between ⅞ and 1¾ inches, even more preferably between 1 and 1½ inches, and is most preferably 1¼ inches.
[0024] The dimensions “W”, “D” and “L”, which define planar surface 104 , provide for a sufficient surface area of engagement between planar surface 104 and the underlying panel of sheet material, as shown by 100 b and 200 in FIG. 3, such that securement of mounting hardware 128 through generally rounded bore holes 118 a,b adequately secure temporary support device 100 b against the sheet material 200 without overstressing the sheet material 200 , thereby preventing undesirable pressure indentations on the sheet material 200 . Planar surface 104 is typically in face contact with the sheet material 200 during wall construction, as shown by 104 b and 200 in FIG. 3, but either planar surfaces 102 or 104 may be in face contact with the underlying sheet material during ceiling construction, as shown by 104 a and 202 , and 102 c and 214 . Dimensions “W”, “D” and “L” are also chosen so as to provide for generally rounded bore holes 118 a,b . Generally rounded bore holes 118 a,b are appropriately sized to loosely accept standard sheetrock screws, which are typically #6 or #8 in size, and are substantially perpendicular to planar surfaces 102 and 104 , accommodating both part tolerances and mold draft angles. Dimension “W” is preferably between 1½ and 5½ inches, more preferably between 2½ and 4½ inches, even more preferably between 3 and 4 inches, and is most preferably 3½ inches. Dimension “D” is preferably between 3½ and 8½ inches, more preferably between 4½ and 7½ inches, even more preferably between 5½ and 6½ inches, and is most preferably 6 inches.
[0025] Generally rounded bore holes 118 a,b are sized to loosely accept standard sheetrock screws, and include countersink surfaces 120 to define contoured surfaces, recessed from planar surfaces 102 or 104 , that interact with the contoured surface on the underside of the flathead of a sheetrock screw, generally depicted by 128 in FIG. 3, thereby providing for distribution of the hoop stresses associated with a tightened flathead screw. FIGS. 5 a and 5 b show alternative embodiments of the contoured surface of countersink 120 . In FIG. 5 a , contoured surface 120 a is generally conical in shape for accepting a standard flathead screw that has a generally conical drive head 220 a . In FIG. 5 b , contoured surface 120 b is generally fluted in shape for accepting a sheetrock flathead screw that has a generally fluted drive head 220 b.
[0026] The temporary support device 100 may be provided with only one generally rounded bore hole 118 , but two generally rounded bore holes 118 provide for additional securement and anti-rotation. FIG. 4 shows a first support device 100 d with its bore holes horizontally aligned, and a second support device 100 e with its bore holes vertically aligned. By first arranging both support devices with their respective bore holes in a horizontal alignment and securing them to the wall stud with a single fastener, as shown by 100 d and 128 a , a second panel of sheet material, not shown, can be put in place above the first panel 200 , and then the support devices can be rotated in a vertical orientation, as shown by 100 e , for final securement of the panel of sheet material. Depending on the weight of the panel of sheet material, such as sheetrock versus insulation board, one screw 128 a may be used, or two screws 128 a , 128 b may be used. The desire to use two screws for support and anti-rotation may be of more significance when installing sheetrock on a vaulted or cathedral ceiling, as shown in the foreground in FIG. 3 by 100 f and 206 , since the support device must support a substantial portion of the weight of the supported panel 206 . FIG. 3 illustrates a cathedral ceiling arrangement in the foreground, and a horizontal ceiling arrangement in the background.
[0027] Generally rounded bore holes 118 a,b are located on an imaginary central line “C.L.” that bisects the edge of surface “B” and runs central to planar surface 102 . A first bore hole 118 a is proximate the end wall section 108 , and a second bore hole 118 b is proximate the predefined offset “d” that defines the step riser wall 116 between planar surfaces 104 and 106 . Bore holes 118 a,b are surrounded by cylindrical rib sections 122 . Rib sections 122 are conjoined with each other and wall sections 108 , 110 , 112 , 114 and 116 by planar rib sections 124 . In-between rib sections 122 and 124 are voids 126 , which are typically referred to as cored regions. Rib sections 122 and 124 are substantially perpendicular to planar surfaces 102 , 104 and 106 , accommodating both part tolerances and mold draft angles. The use of ribs and cored regions provide for structural integrity within the part, while optimizing material usage and part weight.
[0028] Use of Temporary Support Device
[0029] Temporary support device 100 is primarily intended for temporarily supporting one end of a panel of construction sheet material while the opposite end is being secured by the installer. FIGS. 3 and 4 show alternative arrangements where support device 100 is used to temporarily support panels for a vertical wall construction, a horizontal ceiling construction, or an angled ceiling construction (vaulted or cathedral ceilings). As shown in FIG. 4, the support device 100 e may be initially oriented vertically, with imaginary line “C.L.” oriented perpendicular to the panel edge 200 a , thereby establishing an engagement dimension “e”. Alternatively, support device 100 d may be initially oriented horizontally, with imaginary line “C.L.” oriented parallel to the panel edge 200 a , and then moved to a vertical orientation to establish an engagement dimension “e”. Sheetrock screws 128 are fastened through bore holes 118 a,b to temporarily secure support device 100 to the underlying substructure, which may comprise sheetrock, wall studs, ceiling joists, scissor truss joists, or roof rafters.
[0030] If the vertical orientation of support device 100 e in FIG. 4 is initially employed, the lower edge 202 b of the panel of sheet material 202 to be installed must first be lifted over the end 110 b of support device 100 b and then placed in spaced relationship to planar surface 106 b , as best seen by referring to 100 b and 202 in FIG. 3. FIG. 3 also shows lower edge 202 b of panel 202 abutting top edge of panel 200 , where the abutting edges are identified by the lower dimension line of engagement dimension “e”, or alternatively identified by the demarcation line 218 between panels 214 and 216 . Once the first lower edge 202 b of the panel of sheet material 202 is temporarily supported by support device 100 b , the opposite edge can be readily secured by the installer by sheetrock screws, or the equivalent, not shown.
[0031] If the horizontal orientation of support device 100 d in FIG. 4 is initially employed, the lower edge of the panel of sheet material 202 to be installed, shown in FIG. 3, can be simply moved into position to abut the upper edge of the bottom panel 200 already in place. The support device is then vertically oriented as shown by 100 e in FIG. 4 and the panel 202 secured in place by sheetrock screws, or the equivalent, not shown.
[0032] Installation of a panel of sheet material on a horizontal ceiling is best done by using the support device in a horizontal orientation, as shown by 100 a and 204 in FIG. 3. Since the dimensions “h” and “D” of support device 100 are selected to produce a broad support surface area, represented by surface “A”, use of surface “A” to support ceiling panel 204 will provide for greater distribution of the stresses resulting from the weight of ceiling panel 204 than if surface “B” were used. Thus, use of surface “A” as opposed to surface “B” will permit fewer support devices 100 to be used for installing the ceiling panels.
[0033] While this invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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A temporary support device for installing sheet material in a building construction is provided with a multitude of perpendicular surfaces and a pair of offset surfaces for temporarily supporting a variety of sheet materials in a variety of orientations. Countersunk through holes integral to the support device accept standard screw hardware for temporarily mounting the support device to the building substructure. The pair of offset surfaces provide clearance for loosely supporting the sheet material before final securement of the sheet to the building substructure. The support device may be manufactured out of lightweight material, such as, for example, aluminum, wood, or plastic, and may include cored out sections, thereby enhancing the utility and handling of the device. Materials that can be temporarily supported by the support device include, but are not limited to, sheetrock, insulation board, plywood, and particle board.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 13/950,312 filed Jul. 25, 2013, now pending. U.S. application Ser. No. 13/950,312 filed Jul. 25, 2013, now pending, is a continuation-in-part of International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2011/002131 with an international filing date of Dec. 19, 2011, designating the United States, now pending, and further claims priority benefits to Chinese Patent Application No. 201110035241.6 filed Jan. 29, 2011. The contents of all of the aforementioned applications, including any intervening amendments thereto, are incorporated herein by reference. Inquiries from the public to applicants or assignees concerning this document or the related applications should be directed to: Matthias Scholl P. C., Attn.: Dr. Matthias Scholl Esq., 245 First Street, 18th Floor, Cambridge, Mass. 02142.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of building materials, and more particularly to a joint structure for assembling wood floorboards or composite floorboards.
Description of the Related Art
Typical joints used in floorboards include: a round tenon and round mortise joint, and a rectangular tenon and rectangular mortise joint. Assembly process of the round tenon and round mortise joint includes: rotating the round tenon to place the round tenon in the round mortise, placing the floorboards to a horizontal level so as to interlock the round tenon and the round mortise. The round tenon and round mortise joint is sealed and water-proof on a surface of the stitching line, however, seams cannot be sealed if errors occurs, and a base of the assembled joint is not water-proof or damp-proof. Assembly process of the rectangular tenon and rectangular mortise joint includes: inserting pins obliquely downwards from the rectangular mortise to fix a floorboard, and leaving an expansion joint for inserting a mounting piece. The assembly process for the rectangular tenon and rectangular mortise joint has tremendous and complicated procedures, but low assembly efficiency. Besides, the assembled floorboards cannot be recycled after being disassembled, so that the rectangular tenon and rectangular mortise joint tends to be discarded.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the above-described problems, it is one objective of the invention to provide a joint structure for a floorboard that has simple assembly, rigid connection, and high strength, and is water-proof and damp-proof in top and bottom surfaces of the joint.
To achieve the above objective, in accordance with one embodiment of the invention, there is provided a joint structure comprising a first floorboard and a second floorboard. The first floorboard and the second floorboard each comprises: a top surface; a bottom surface; a first side surface; a second side surface; a third side surface; a fourth side surface; a first beveled tenon, the first beveled tenon comprising a first tenon face facing upwards; a first beveled mortise, the first beveled mortise comprising a first mortise face facing upwards; a second beveled tenon, the second beveled tenon comprising a second tenon face facing downwards; and a second beveled mortise, the second beveled mortise comprising a second mortise face facing downwards. The top surface is disposed substantially parallel to the bottom surface. The first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface are disposed substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface. The first side surface is disposed opposite to the second side surface; the third side surface is disposed opposite to the fourth side surface; the third side surface connects between the first side surface and the second side surface; and the fourth side surface connects between the first side surface and the second side surface. The first beveled tenon is disposed in parallel with the bottom surface and is disposed on the first side surface at approximately half a height of the first floorboard or the second floorboard; and the first beveled mortise is disposed at an inner side of the first beveled tenon. The second beveled tenon is disposed on the second side surface at approximately half the height of the first floorboard or the second floorboard; and the second beveled mortise is disposed at an inner side of the second beveled tenon. The first beveled tenon is adapted to fit with the second beveled mortise; and the second beveled tenon is adapted to fit with the first beveled mortise. An outer side of the first beveled tenon of the first floorboard and an inner side of the second beveled mortise of the second floorboard form a first interlock mechanism; and an outer side of the second beveled tenon of the first floorboard and an inner side of the first beveled mortise of the second floorboard form a second interlock mechanism. In assembling, the first beveled tenon and the first beveled mortise of the first floorboard match with the second beveled mortise and the second beveled tenon of the second floorboard, respectively; and the first floorboard and the second floorboard are further interlocked by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
In accordance with another embodiment of the invention, there is provided a joint structure comprising a first floorboard and a second floorboard. The first floorboard and the second floorboard each comprises: a top surface; a bottom surface; a first side surface; a second side surface; a third side surface; a fourth side surface; a first beveled tenon, the first beveled tenon comprising a first tenon face facing outwards; a first beveled mortise, the first beveled mortise comprising a first mortise face facing outwards; a second beveled tenon, the second beveled tenon comprising a second tenon face facing outwards; and a second beveled mortise, the second beveled mortise comprising a second mortise face facing outwards. The top surface is disposed substantially parallel to the bottom surface. The first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface are disposed substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface. The first side surface is disposed opposite to the second side surface; the third side surface is disposed opposite to the fourth side surface; the third side surface connects between the first side surface and the second side surface; and the fourth side surface connects between the first side surface and the second side surface. The first beveled tenon is disposed in perpendicular to the bottom surface and is disposed on the first side surface at approximately half a height of the first floorboard or the second floorboard; and the first beveled mortise is disposed at an inner side of the first beveled tenon. The second beveled tenon is disposed on the second side surface at approximately half the height of the first floorboard or the second floorboard; and the second beveled mortise is disposed at an inner side of the second beveled tenon. The first beveled tenon is adapted to fit with the second beveled mortise; and the second beveled tenon is adapted to fit with the first beveled mortise. An outer side of the first beveled tenon of the first floorboard and an inner side of the second beveled mortise of the second floorboard form a first interlock mechanism; and an outer side of the second beveled tenon of the first floorboard and an inner side of the first beveled mortise of the second floorboard form a second interlock mechanism. In assembling, the first beveled tenon and the first beveled mortise of the first floorboard match with the second beveled mortise and the second beveled tenon of the second floorboard, respectively; and the first floorboard and the second floorboard are further interlocked by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
In accordance with still another embodiment of the invention, there is provided with a joint structure for a floorboard, comprising: at least one first curved tenon, the first curved tenon comprising a tenon face facing outwards; a first curved mortise, the first curved mortise comprising a mortise face facing outwards; at least one second curved tenon, the second curved tenon comprising a tenon face facing outwards; and a second curved mortise, the second curved mortise comprising a mortise face facing outwards. The first curved tenon is disposed inclined to a surface of the floorboard at a right edge approximately half a height of the floorboard. The first curved mortise is disposed at an inner side of the first curved tenon. The second curved tenon is disposed at a left edge approximately half the height of the floorboard. The second curved mortise is disposed at an inner side of the second curved tenon. The first curved tenon matches with the second curved mortise. The second curved tenon matches with the first curved mortise. An outer side of the first curved tenon and an inner side of the second curved mortise form a first interlock mechanism. An outer side of the second curved tenon and an inner side of the first curved mortise form a second interlock mechanism. In assembling, the first curved tenon and the first curved mortise of a first floorboard match with the second curved mortise and the second curved tenon of a second floorboard, respectively; and the two floorboards are further interlocked by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
In a class of this embodiment, the second interlock mechanism is formed by arranging tooth-shaped tenons respectively on the inner side of the first beveled mortise and the outer side of the second beveled tenon, allowing a tooth top line and a tooth bottom line of each of the tooth-shaped tenons to be in parallel with the surface of the floorboard, and engaging the two tooth-shaped tenons with each other. The first interlock mechanism is formed by arranging tooth-shaped tenons respectively on the outer side of the first beveled tenon and the inner side of the second beveled mortise, allowing a tooth top line and a tooth bottom line of each of the tooth-shaped tenons to be in parallel with the surface of the floorboard, and engaging the two tooth-shaped tenons with each other.
In a class of this embodiment, the second interlock mechanism is formed by arranging a first trapezoidal blind mortise on the inner side of the first beveled mortise and a first trapezoidal tenon on the outer side of the second beveled tenon, respectively, and matching the first trapezoidal blind mortise and the first trapezoidal tenon with each other. The first interlock mechanism is formed by arranging a second trapezoidal tenon on the outer side of the first beveled tenon and a second trapezoidal blind mortise on the inner side of the second beveled mortise, respectively, and matching the second trapezoidal blind mortise and the second trapezoidal tenon with each other.
In a class of this embodiment, a first deformation structure is formed between the first trapezoidal tenon and corresponding side surface of the floorboard; and a second deformation structure is formed between the second trapezoidal tenon and corresponding side surface of the floorboard. Each of the first deformation structure and the second deformation structure comprises: a triangular ridge comprising a sharp edge and two additional edges, or a rectangular ridge comprising a sharp edge and three additional edges. The sharp edge leans against a beveled line of the first trapezoidal blind mortise or the second trapezoidal blind mortise so as to form a line contact. An expansion joint is formed between the two additional edges of the triangular ridge or the three additional edges of the rectangular ridge for avoiding contact.
Because the expansion joint is designed, it is not required to insert a sandwich piece, thereby saving the assembly time. Besides, the beveled tenon-and-mortise joint provides the floorboard with a highly integrative structure, so that the fixation by inserting pins are avoided, which further saving the time and the production cost. The deformation structure is designed for solving problems resulting from the natural expansion of the floorboard.
The interlock mechanism is not limited to the above structures, it is a structure comprising a rectangular tenon and a rectangular blind mortise, or a structure comprising a miter tenon and a rectangular corner.
In a class of this embodiment, the floorboard comprises: a front edge comprising a straight tenon on an upper part and a straight blind mortise on a lower part; and a rear edge comprising a straight blind mortise on an upper part and a straight tenon on a lower part.
In the process of assembling the floorboards, dovetail tenon-and-mortise joint are added on two ends that are intersected with the ends provided with the beveled tenon-and-mortise joint so as to increase the strength in a direction in perpendicularity to a grain. Dovetail mortises are arranged on the upper part and the lower part of each of the front edge and the rear edge of the first floorboard and the second floorboard; and each of the dovetail mortise is provided with the dovetail tenon strip.
In a class of this embodiment, the first beveled tenon and the second beveled tenon have the same slope. One or more beveled tenon-and-mortise joints are provided.
To assemble floorboards employing the joint structure and using the tooth-shaped tenon or the trapezoidal tenon-and-blind mortise as the interlock mechanism, place the beveled tenon of the first floorboard in the beveled mortise of the second floorboard, push the beveled tenon from a relatively wide beveled mortise to a relatively narrower beveled mortise so as to fix the beveled tenon inside the beveled mortise; meanwhile, further interlock the two floorboards by the interlock mechanism of the he tooth-shaped tenon or the interlock mechanism of the trapezoidal tenon-and-blind mortise so as to effectively prevent the boards from splitting in the joint part. Because the base of the joint part overlaps with one another, the base is damp-proof. Floorboards of such structure are capable of forming a rigid integrative structure and preventing the floorboards from falling apart. The up-down connected part is sealed, thereby being damp-proof. No swell and few contraction of the floorboard will happen after long term use. The joint has a simple structure, convenient assembly, which is very suitable for assembling wood floorboards and composite floorboards.
Advantages of the invention are as follows:
1) when used in decorative wall panels, the assembly process using the joint structure is simple and time saving; the assembled decorative wall panels has completely sealed stitching lines, high integration, no nail holes or exposed screws, and seam splitting resulting from retraction of the floorboard is prevented. 2) when used in light weight building walls, the use of the joint structure is capable of saving a large amount of keels for fixing internal joints. 3) when used in water proof wall panels used in wooden building. The joint structure of the invention is capable of largely increasing the air impermeability (energy saving) and the strength of the integrative structure (wind resistant and shock resistant). 4) A paint treatment on the joint position can prevent the formation of the joint splitting. 5) The use of the joint of the invention is suitable to cut panels of large area into small pieces so as to save packing materials and the transporting space, which meets the requirements of environmental protection. 6) The joint structure of the invention decreases the use of the pins and assembly process thereof, and meanwhile the gluing is saved. 7) When the joint structure is used in furniture, the use of the hardware and glue can be largely decreased. The integrative structure is transformed from a conventional point stress structure into a line stress structure, thereby improving the duration of the whole furniture, omitting the gluing process, simplifying the assembly and disassembly, and meeting the requirements of environmental protection.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention is described hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a structure diagram of a floorboard comprising a tenon-and mortise-joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of a floorboard comprising a tenon-and mortise-joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 3 is an axonometric drawing of hardwood floorboards comprising a plurality of beveled tenon-and-mortise joints in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a deformation structure of assembled hardwood floorboards of FIG. 3 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 5 is an axonometric drawing of softwood floorboards comprising a plurality of beveled tenon-and-mortise joints in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a deformation structure of assembled softwood floorboards of FIG. 5 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 7 is an axonometric drawing of two floorboards to be assembled in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 8 is a laterally sectional view of two floorboards to be assembled in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 9 is a cross sectional view of a floorboard end comprising a lower straight tenon and an upper straight mortise in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 10 is a cross sectional view of a floorboard end comprising a lower straight mortise and an upper straight tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 11 is a laterally sectional view of two assembled floorboards in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 12 is a top view of a floorboard in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 13 is a top view of assembled floorboards in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 14 is an axonometric drawing of veneers comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 15 is a structure diagram of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 16 is a structure diagram of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints after assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 17 is a top view of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints after assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 18 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints in perpendicularity to the floorboards before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 19 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints in perpendicularity to the floorboards after assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 20 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints at an angle of 45° to the floorboards before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 21 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints at an angle of 45° to the floorboards before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 22 is a structure diagram of a tooth-shaped tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 23 is a front view of a tooth-shaped tenon of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 24 is a lateral view of a tooth-shaped tenon of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 25 is a structure diagram of a connecting member comprising a groove fitting with a tooth-shaped tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 26 is a structure diagram of another connecting member comprising a groove fitting with a tooth-shaped tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 27 is a structure diagram of connecting members of FIGS. 25-26 assembled by a tooth-shaped tenon of FIG. 22 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 28 is a structure diagram of a dovetail beveled tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 29 is a lateral view of a dovetail beveled tenon of FIG. 7 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 30 is a front view of a dovetail beveled tenon of FIG. 7 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 31 is a structure diagram of a connecting member comprising a groove fitting with a dovetail beveled tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 32 is a structure diagram of another connecting member comprising a groove fitting with a dovetail beveled tenon in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 33 is a structure diagram of connecting members of FIGS. 31-32 assembled;
FIG. 34 is a an axonometric drawing of connecting members comprising a plurality of tenons and mortises before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 35 is a top view of two connecting members comprising reversed straight angle tenons in assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 36 is a op view of two connecting members comprising reversed straight angle tenons in assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 37 is a structure diagram of a floorboard combined with a curved tenon-and-mortise joint 12 and a tapered tenon-and-mortise joint 13 in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 38 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising a tapered tenon-and-mortise joint before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 39 is a structure diagram of floorboards comprising a tapered tenon-and-mortise joint after assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 40 is a cross section view of an assembled tapered tenon-and-mortise joint;
FIG. 41 is a first installation diagram of floorboards comprising a curved tenon-and-mortise joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 42 is a second installation diagram of floorboards comprising a curved tenon-and-mortise joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 43 is a second installation diagram of floorboards comprising a curved tenon-and-mortise joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 44 is a structure diagram of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint before assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 45 is a cross section view of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint after assembly in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIGS. 46-50 are structure diagrams of milling cutters of different shapes for machining a curved tenon-and-mortise joint; in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 51 is a machining path of a milling cutter of shape E in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 52 is a structure diagram of different milling cutters shaping different positions of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 53 is a structure diagram of a finished curved tenon-and-mortise joint in accordance with one embodiment of the invention; and
FIG. 54 is a structure diagram of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint with specific dimensions in accordance with one embodiment of the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
For further illustrating the invention, experiments detailing a joint structure for assembling floorboards are described below. It should be noted that the following examples are intended to describe and not to limit the invention.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3 , a joint structure for a floorboard, comprises: at least one first beveled tenon 11 , the first beveled tenon 11 comprising a tenon face facing upwards; a first beveled mortise 12 , the first beveled mortise 12 comprising a mortise face facing upwards; at least one second beveled tenon 13 , the second beveled tenon 13 comprising a tenon face facing downwards; and a second beveled mortise 14 , the second beveled mortise 14 comprising a mortise face facing downwards. The first beveled tenon 11 is disposed in parallel to a surface of the floorboard at a right edge approximately half a height of the floorboard. The first beveled mortise 12 is disposed at an inner side of the first beveled tenon 11 . The second beveled tenon 13 is disposed at a left edge approximately half the height of the floorboard. The second beveled mortise 14 is disposed at an inner side of the second beveled tenon 13 . The first beveled tenon 11 matches with the second beveled mortise 14 . The second beveled tenon 13 matches with the first beveled mortise 12 . An outer side of the first beveled tenon 11 and an inner side of the second beveled mortise 14 form a first interlock mechanism. An outer side of the second beveled tenon 13 and an inner side of the first beveled mortise 12 form a second interlock mechanism. In assembling, the first beveled tenon 11 and the first beveled mortise 12 of a first floorboard 1 match with the second beveled mortise 14 and the second beveled tenon 13 of a second floorboard 2 , respectively; and the two floorboards are further interlocked by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
As shown in FIG. 1 , the second interlock mechanism is formed by arranging tooth-shaped tenons 15 a , 16 a respectively on the inner side of the first beveled mortise 12 and the outer side of the second beveled tenon 13 , allowing a tooth top line and a tooth bottom line of each of the tooth-shaped tenons 15 a , 16 a to be in parallel with the surface of the floorboard, and engaging the two tooth-shaped tenons 15 a , 16 a with each other. The first interlock mechanism is formed by arranging tooth-shaped tenons 16 b , 15 b respectively on the outer side of the first beveled tenon 11 and the inner side of the second beveled mortise 14 , allowing a tooth top line and a tooth bottom line of each of the tooth-shaped tenons 15 b , 16 b to be in parallel with the surface of the floorboard, and engaging the two tooth-shaped tenons 15 b , 16 b with each other. The first beveled tenon 11 and the first beveled mortise 12 of the first floorboard 1 match with the second beveled mortise 14 and the second beveled tenon 13 of the second floorboard 2 , respectively; and the two floorboards are further interlocked and clamped by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
As shown in FIG. 2 , the second interlock mechanism is formed by arranging a trapezoidal blind mortise 17 a on the inner side of the first beveled mortise 12 and a trapezoidal tenon 18 a on the outer side of the second beveled tenon 13 , respectively, and matching the trapezoidal blind mortise 17 a and the trapezoidal tenon 18 a with each other. The first interlock mechanism is formed by arranging the trapezoidal tenon 18 b on the outer side of the first beveled tenon 11 and a trapezoidal blind mortise 17 b on the inner side of the second beveled mortise 14 , respectively, and matching the trapezoidal blind mortise 17 b and the trapezoidal tenon 18 b with each other. The first beveled tenon 11 and the first beveled mortise 12 of the first floorboard 1 match with the second beveled mortise 14 and the second beveled tenon 13 of the second floorboard 2 , respectively; and the two floorboards are further interlocked and clamped by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
To avoid swell phenomenon between the trapezoidal blind mortise 17 a , 17 b and the trapezoidal tenon 18 b , 18 a , a deformation structure is designed. The deformation structures is formed between the trapezoidal tenon 18 b , 18 a arranged on the outer side of either the first tenon 11 or the second tenon 13 , and corresponding edge of the floorboard. A deformation structure comprises: a triangular ridge 18 c comprising a sharp edge 18 e (as shown in FIGS. 3-4 ), or a rectangular ridge 18 d comprising a sharp edge 18 e (as shown in FIGS. 5-6 ). The sharp edge 18 e leans against a beveled line 17 c of the trapezoidal blind mortise 17 b so as to form a line contact. An expansion joint is formed between the other two sides of the triangular ridge 18 c or the other three sides of the rectangular ridge 18 d for avoiding contact.
In the process of assembly the floorboards, dovetail tenon-and-mortise joint are added on two ends that are intersected with the ends provided with the beveled tenon-and-mortise joint so as to increase the strength in a direction in perpendicularity to a grain. As shown in FIG. 7 , dovetail mortises 23 are arranged on the upper part and the lower part of each of the front edge and the rear edge of the first floorboard 1 and the second floorboard 2 ; and each of the dovetail mortises 23 is provided with the dovetail tenon strip 24 .
The interlock mechanism can be other structures, such as a structure comprising a rectangular tenon and a rectangular blind mortise, and a structure comprising a sharp corner-tenon and a rectangular sharp corner.
One or more beveled tenons and beveled mortises matched with each other can be designed. As shown in FIG. 3 , the invention comprises a plurality of beveled tenons and corresponding mortises that have the same slope. The structure comprising the trapezoidal blind mortise and the trapezoidal tenon is employed.
FIG. 8 is a lateral view of assembled two floorboards.
As shown in FIGS. 9-10 , the floorboard comprises: a front edge comprising a straight tenon 19 on an upper part and a straight blind mortise 21 on a lower part; and a rear edge comprising a straight blind mortise 21 on an upper part and a straight tenon 19 on a lower part.
FIG. 11 is a laterally sectional view of two assembled floorboards.
FIG. 12 is a top view of a floorboard.
FIG. 13 is a top view of assembled floorboards.
The joint of the invention can used to assemble veneers, an axonometric drawing of veneers comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints before assembly is shown in FIG. 14 .
The joint of the invention can also used to assemble planks, a structure diagram of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints before assembly is shown in FIG. 15 . FIG. 16 is a structure diagram of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints after assembly. FIG. 17 is a top view of planks comprising beveled tenon-and-mortise joints after assembly.
Another joint structure for a floorboard, comprises: at least one first curved tenon 29 , the first curved tenon 29 comprising a tenon face facing outwards; a first curved mortise 30 , the first curved mortise 30 comprising a mortise face facing outwards; at least one second curved tenon 29 , the second curved tenon 29 comprising a tenon face facing outwards; and a second curved mortise 30 , the second curved mortise 30 comprising a mortise face facing outwards. The first curved tenon 29 is disposed inclined to a surface of the floorboard at a right edge approximately half a height of the floorboard; the first curved mortise 30 is disposed at an inner side of the first curved tenon 29 . The second curved tenon 29 is disposed at a left edge approximately half the height of the floorboard; the second curved mortise 30 is disposed at an inner side of the second curved tenon 29 . The first curved tenon 29 matches with the second curved mortise 30 . The second curved tenon 29 matches with the first curved mortise 30 . An outer side of the first curved tenon 29 and an inner side of the second curved mortise 30 form a first interlock mechanism. An outer side of the second curved tenon 29 and an inner side of the first curved mortise 30 form a second interlock mechanism. In assembling, the first curved tenon 29 and the first curved mortise 30 of a first floorboard 1 match with the second curved mortise 30 and the second curved tenon 29 of a second floorboard 2 , respectively; and the two floorboards are further interlocked by the first interlock mechanism and the second interlock mechanism.
Herein a composite floorboard (as shown in FIG. 37 ) comprising the curved tenon-and-mortise joint 12 and a tapered tenon-and-mortise joint 13 are described.
The curved tenon-and-mortise joint as shown in FIG. 44 comprises: a curved tenon 29 and a curved mortise 30 , auxiliary matching structures comprising a stitching tenon 16 and a stitching mortise 15 , and a curved corner 28 .
The tapered tenon-and-mortise joint 13 (as shown in FIG. 38 ) comprises: a tapered tenon 23 , 25 and a tapered mortise 24 , 26 , and an auxiliary matching structure comprising a stitching tenon 16 a and a stitching mortise 15 b.
Floorboards employing the two kinds of joints are superior to those employing the same tenon-and-mortise joints but totally different from those conventional ones employing different tenon-and-mortise joints. The curved tenon-and-mortise joint as shown in FIG. 44 has a smaller space of 5 mm compared to the conventional joints of 12 mm. The finished product rate exceeds two times of that of the conventional ones, thereby largely improving the finished product rate of the floorboards. Furthermore, the floorboards after being assembled have sealed joints and high integration and strength. Because the two floorboards have the same tenon-and-mortise joints on the same side, the assembly and disassembly of the floorboards are very convenient.
The tapered tenon-and-mortise joint as shown in FIGS. 38-39 is assembled by a method of unilateral axis rotating, which obviously different from the conventional stitching principles. The assembly of the tapered tenon-and-mortise joint is realized by slight deformation. The tapered tenon-and-mortise joint of the invention has a much simpler structure, no obvious grooves, and high integration and strength.
Process for assembling composite floorboard comprising the curved tenon-and-mortise joint 12 and the tapered tenon-and-mortise joint 13 is as follows: place the curved tenon 29 of a first floorboard into the curved mortise 30 of another floorboard. Move the two floorboards in opposite directions along a stitching line to match with each other. Move in horizontal direction after being lifted by two curved corners 28 , control a horizontal movement within a range of the curved tenon 29 (that is, a width of a conventional expansion joint of floor corner is approximately 5 mm) Process for joint the curved tenon and the curved mortise are shown in FIGS. 41-43 . Match the tapered tenon-and-mortise joint while moving, using the matching curved tenon-and-mortise joint as an axis to lifting the curved tenon-and-mortise joint of an opposite end. The match of the curved tenon-and-mortise joint realizes the stitching of the stitching tenon 16 and the stitching mortise 15 during which the tapered tenon-and-mortise joint moves downwards to realize the stitching of the stitching tenon 16 a and a stitching mortise 15 b , as shown in FIGS. 38-39 . Thus, the assembling composite floorboard comprising the curved tenon-and-mortise joint 12 and the tapered tenon-and-mortise joint 13 are finished.
FIGS. 46-50 are structure diagrams of milling cutters of different shapes for machining a curved tenon-and-mortise joint. FIG. 52 is a structure diagram of different milling cutters shaping different positions of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint. A machining path of a milling cutter of shape E is shown in FIG. 51 . Machining paths of other milling cutters of different shapes (such as shape A, shape B, shape C, and shape D) are straight lines. FIG. 53 is a structure diagram of a finished curved tenon-and-mortise joint. FIG. 54 is a structure diagram of a curved tenon-and-mortise joint with specific dimensions.
While particular embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention in its broader aspects, and therefore, the aim in the appended claims is to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A joint structure includes a first floorboard and a second floorboard. The first floorboard and the second floorboard each includes: a top surface; a bottom surface; a first side surface; a second side surface; a third side surface; a fourth side surface; a first beveled tenon, the first beveled tenon including a first tenon face facing upwards; a first beveled mortise, the first beveled mortise including a first mortise face facing upwards; a second beveled tenon, the second beveled tenon including a second tenon face facing downwards; and a second beveled mortise, the second beveled mortise including a second mortise face facing downwards. The top surface is disposed substantially parallel to the bottom surface. The first side surface, the second side surface, the third side surface, and the fourth side surface are disposed substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface.
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This is a continuation in part application claiming priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/623,222 filed Jul. 21, 2003.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
Applicant's invention relates to a gutter retaining system for affixing a gutter to a building. More specifically, the present invention relates to an interlocking system that incorporates a clip for affixing gutters to a retaining member on the eaves of a building that obviates the need for using nails or screws within the gutter itself, and to the structure installed according to the system, both preassembly and as assembled.
2. Background Information
For years property owners have struggled with the destructive effects of water on their buildings. However, by channeling the water away from the structure, building owners can reduce the damage caused by water. This can be accomplished through the use of a gutter system. Gutters are troughs that channel water from the eaves, being the horizontal lower edge of a roof, of a building to the downspouts. The downspouts are essentially drainpipes that drain water from the roof gutters. Gutters are a critical component of a building because they prevent moisture damage by channeling water off the roof and away from the foundation. But any damaged lengths of gutter or drain pipe caused by wear, improper installation, or sagging can cause leaks which can result in water damage to the building.
Traditionally, gutters have been attached by nailing the gutter directly to the building. Building contractors typically used a spike and ferrule system, in which a narrow, tubular spacer, the ferrule, is placed between the front face of a gutter and its rear face, ensuring that the front face remains at a uniform distance from the rear face. A spike or long nail, is then punched through the outside of the front face of the gutter, through the ferrule, through the back face of the gutter, and into the wall or fascia of the structure.
Using the nail in this manner ruins the finished appearance of the gutter. In addition, once the gutter is installed it ends up with its front face tilted forward towards the ground. Once this occurs the captured rainwater and other material tends to pool along the outer edge of the gutter. The weight of this material creates a moment at the point of insertion of the nail, resulting in a force pulling the gutter away from the wall. Further, while this manner of installation has the effect (at least temporarily) of securing the gutter in place, it does not ensure that water will not run behind the gutter. In any structure where water is allowed to run and collect behind the gutter, eventually the integrity of the wood begins to weaken and the moment forces referred to above slowly pull the nail and the gutter away from the building. In periods of adverse weather, high winds can accelerate the process by getting behind the gutter and forcing it completely away from the building.
The utilization of gutter hangers is the most common way in which installers have tried to improve the integrity and life of gutter systems. In this application, a modified spacer is used, shaped like a flat plate, with both ends mined upward. One end of this spacer is inserted under the lip of the front face of the gutter, while the second end, with a pre-punched nail hole, is placed against the rear face of the gutter. A nail or screw is then inserted through the nail hole, through the rear face of the gutter, and into the building wall. A variation of this method includes placing the second end of the spacer over the top of the rear face of the gutter. The spacer is then nailed directly into the roof decking of the building or to the face of the wall, under any existing shingles. These methods of installation eliminate the unsightly appearance previously created by installing the nail or screw through the front face of the gutter. However, these hangers do not prevent the collection of water behind the gutter, nor relieve the moment created by the weight of the water pooling outwardly within the gutter.
A further problem occurs with different types of construction. The building may or may not include an additional small piece of fascia board under the eaves which is not as long as the gutter. If a piece of fascia board does exist under the eaves and the gutter system is in turn nailed to it, over time the portion of the gutter which extends below the fascia board will sag towards the building. This sagging can eventually cause leaks. Where no additional fascia board exists, this type of sagging is not seen.
Because of the problems which have been associated with traditional gutter systems and methods of installation, there is a need for a strong, sturdy gutter system. In addition, this system should be adaptable to different types of construction that may or may not incorporate an additional piece of fascia board. It is desirable that installation be easy, while ensuring that any interlocking aspect of the system is not compromised due to the primary construction of the building nor during periods of high winds or other adverse weather conditions. Preferably, this system should redistribute the water and other material captured within the gutter, such that all moments that could result are negated. Furthermore, the system should prevent any sagging due to construction that incorporates an additional piece of fascia board.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention embodies a gutter retaining system for affixing a rain gutter under the eaves of a building having a pitched roof. The gutter retaining system incorporates a gutter clip which is used in conjunction with a rain gutter and a retaining member. The gutter clip has an L-portion and a back portion. The back portion includes an upper u-portion with a hanger which is used to slip the gutter clip over the gutter. The back portion of the gutter clip also includes a nib end with a locking tip. Nib end extends slightly beyond the dimensions of the hanger and can fit within a hooked portion of the retaining member. This allows the locking tip to secure the gutter clip and gutter in place along the eaves of the building.
The L-portion of the gutter clip is useful on buildings which incorporate an additional piece of fascia board along the eaves in the construction. The L-portion fits between the gutter and the wall of the building, incorporating a base extension which can be fit against the building. In addition, the gutter clip is scored between the back portion and the L-portion which allows these two portions to be separated when desired, such as in the situation where no additional piece of fascia board is found along the eaves of the building. Where the L-portion is removed from the back portion, the L-portion would be discarded. In this situation, the vertical portion of the back portion presses against the building.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a side view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention shown overlapping a gutter.
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the L-portion removed.
FIG. 4B is a perspective view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention retaining the L-portion.
FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention retaining the L-portion as shown with a gutter and retaining member against a building.
FIG. 6 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention without the L-portion with a gutter and retaining member against a building.
FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the retaining member of the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip component of the preferred embodiment of the present invention without the L-portion with a gutter and the retaining member of the second embodiment against a building incorporating metal flashing.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
In FIGS. 1 and 2 a front view and side view, respectively, of the gutter clip 102 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention are shown. Gutter clip 102 is essentially L-shaped incorporating an L-portion 158 , a back portion 160 , a front face 120 and back face 118 . Beginning at the back portion 160 is locking tip 134 which is contiguous into nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . Upper u-portion 110 continues into vertical portion 162 . Vertical portion 162 transitions into L-portion 158 which begins at first elbow 112 . Scoring can be used on first elbow 112 to allow L-portion 158 to be easily separated from back portion 160 . First elbow 112 turns into base 114 which proceeds into second elbow 116 . Second elbow 116 turns up into base extension 130 . Base extension 130 is contiguous with lower u-portion 132 , lower u-portion 132 being completed at end 138 .
FIG. 3 shows a cross section view of the gutter clip 102 of the preferred 11 embodiment of the present invention overlapping a gutter 104 . Gutter clip 102 , gutter 104 , and retaining member 122 make up a gutter retaining system 100 . Gutter clip 102 is as mentioned essentially L-shaped incorporating an L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ), a back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ), a front face 120 and back face 118 . Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 which is adjacent nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 continues into upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 . Back face 118 fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 from upper u-portion 110 to first elbow 112 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 . Vertical portion 162 transitions into L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) which begins at first elbow 112 . First elbow 112 turns into base 114 which proceeds into second elbow 116 . Second elbow 116 turns up into base extension 130 . Base extension 130 is contiguous with lower u-portion 132 , lower u-portion 132 being completed at end 138 . The remainder of gutter 104 includes a gutter channel 156 , front wall 126 and lip 128 .
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of the gutter clip 102 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention with the L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) removed. Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 (See FIG. 3 ) which is contiguous into nib end 106 (See FIG. 3 ). Nib end 106 (See FIG. 3 ) transitions into hanger 108 (See FIG. 3 ) via junction 136 (See FIG. 3 ). Hanger 108 (See FIG. 3 ) is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 . Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 .
In FIG. 4B a perspective view of the gutter clip 102 of the preferred embodiment of the present invention retaining the L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) is shown. Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 (See FIG. 3 ) which is contiguous into nib end 106 (See FIG. 3 ). Nib end 106 (See FIG. 3 ) transitions into hanger 108 (See FIG. 3 ) via junction 136 (See FIG. 3 ). Hanger 108 (See FIG. 3 ) is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 (See FIG. 3 ) to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 . Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 from upper u-portion 110 to first elbow 112 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 . Vertical portion 162 transitions into L-portion 158 (See FIG. 3 ) which begins at first elbow 112 . First elbow 112 turns into base 114 which proceeds into second elbow 116 . Second elbow 116 turns up into base extension 130 . Base extension 130 is contiguous with lower u-portion 132 , lower u-portion 132 being completed at end 138 .
FIG. 5 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip 102 of FIG. 4B of the preferred embodiment of the present invention retaining the L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) as shown with a gutter 104 and retaining member 122 against a building 150 . Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 which is contiguous into nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 .
Front face 120 fits against mounting lip 146 of retaining member 122 . Mounting lip 146 ends in horizontal section 142 . One end of horizontal section 142 proceeds under the roof 152 tiles 164 while the remaining end drops into a return 140 . Return 140 ends in hooked portion 144 . Nib end 106 extends slightly beyond the dimensions of hanger 108 and therefore can fit within hooked portion 144 to allow locking tip 134 to secure gutter clip 102 and gutter 104 in place. The back of mounting lip 146 presses against a fascia board 148 on building 150 . The thickness of L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) is approximately equal to the thickness of fascia board 148 to allow for base extension 130 to fit properly against building 150 . In buildings 150 which incorporate this fascia board 148 , L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) provides stability to gutter 104 to prevent gutter 104 from sagging towards building 150 . The vertical portion 162 of gutter clip 102 as well as the upper u-portion 110 , hanger 108 , nib end 106 , junction 136 and locking tip 134 of gutter clip 102 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 . A portion of horizontal section 142 , return 140 and hooked portion 144 of retaining member 122 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 as is gutter 104 .
Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 from upper u-portion 110 to first elbow 112 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 . Vertical portion 162 transitions into L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) which begins at first elbow 112 . First elbow 112 turns into base 114 which proceeds into second elbow 116 . Second elbow 116 turns up into base extension 130 . Base extension 130 is designed to fit against building 150 . Base extension 130 is contiguous with lower u-portion 132 , lower u-portion 132 being completed at end 138 . The remainder of gutter 104 includes a gutter channel 156 , front wall 126 and lip 128 .
FIG. 6 shows a cross-section view of the gutter clip 102 of FIG. 4A of the preferred embodiment of the present invention without the L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) with a gutter 104 and retaining member 122 against a building 150 . Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 which is contiguous into nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 .
Front face 120 fits against mounting lip 146 of retaining member 122 . Mounting lip 146 ends in horizontal section 142 . One end of horizontal section 142 proceeds under the roof 152 tiles 164 while the remaining end drops into a return 140 . Return 140 ends in hooked portion 144 . Nib end 106 extends slightly beyond the dimensions of hanger 108 and therefore can fit within hooked portion 144 to allow locking tip 134 to secure gutter clip 102 and gutter 104 securely in place. The back of mounting lip 146 presses against building 150 . The vertical portion 162 of gutter clip 102 as well as the upper u-portion 110 , hanger 108 , nib end 106 , junction 136 and locking tip 134 of gutter clip 102 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 . A portion of horizontal section 142 , return 140 and hooked portion 144 of retaining member 122 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 as is gutter 104 . Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 . The remainder of gutter 104 includes a gutter channel 156 , front wall 126 and lip 128 .
FIG. 7 is a cross-section view of the retaining member 122 a of the second embodiment of the present invention. Mounting lip 146 is provided which is contiguous with upper vertical section 206 . At the junction between mounting lip 146 and upper vertical section 206 is one end of horizontal section 142 . The remainder of horizontal section 142 drops into return. Return 140 ends in hooked portion 144 .
FIG. 8 is a cross-section view of the gutter clip component 102 (See FIG. 4A ) of the preferred embodiment of the present invention without the L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) with a gutter 104 and the retaining member 122 a of the second embodiment against a building 150 incorporating metal flashing 200 held in place with nails 202 . Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) which is contiguous into nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 .
Front face 120 (See FIG. 2 ) fits against mounting lip 146 of retaining member 122 a . Mounting lip 146 is contiguous with upper vertical section 206 . Upper vertical section 206 is designed to extend in front of or behind metal flashing 200 . In addition, upper vertical section 206 can be used when no metal flashing 200 is provided. At the junction between mounting lip 146 and upper vertical section 206 is one end of horizontal section 142 . The remainder of horizontal section 142 drops into return 140 . Return 140 ends in hooked portion 144 . Nib end 106 extends slightly beyond the dimensions of hanger 108 and therefore can fit within hooked portion 144 to allow locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) to secure gutter clip 102 and gutter 104 securely in place. The back of mounting lip 146 presses against building 150 . The vertical portion 162 (See FIG. 4A ) of gutter clip 102 as well as the upper u-portion 110 , hanger 108 , nib end 106 , junction 136 and locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) of gutter clip 102 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 . A portion of horizontal section 142 , return 140 and hooked portion 144 of retaining member 122 are positioned under the eaves 154 of building 150 as is gutter 104 . Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 (See FIG. 4A ). The remainder of gutter 104 includes a gutter channel 156 , front wall 126 and lip 128 .
The second embodiment can also incorporate the gutter clip 102 having the L-portion 158 as shown in FIG. 2 . Beginning at the back portion 160 (See FIG. 2 ) is locking tip 134 which is contiguous into nib end 106 . Nib end 106 transitions into hanger 108 via junction 136 . Hanger 108 is contiguous with upper u-portion 110 . The portion of gutter clip 102 from locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) to upper u-portion 110 fits inside the back wall 124 of gutter 104 . Upper u-portion 110 can be crimped to secure gutter clip 102 snugly to gutter 104 .
Front face 120 (See FIG. 2 ) fits against mounting lip 146 of retaining member 122 . Mounting lip 146 is contiguous with upper vertical section 206 . At the junction between mounting lip 146 and upper vertical section 206 is one end of horizontal section 142 . The remainder of horizontal section 142 drops into return 140 . Return 140 ends in hooked portion 144 . Nib end 106 extends slightly beyond the dimensions of hanger 108 and therefore can fit within hooked portion 144 to allow locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) to secure gutter clip 102 and gutter 104 in place. The back of mounting lip 146 presses against a building 150 . The thickness of L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) allows for base extension 130 to fit properly against building 150 . L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) provides stability to gutter 104 to prevent gutter 104 from sagging towards building 150 . The vertical portion 162 (See FIG. 2 ) of gutter clip 102 as well as the upper u-portion 110 , hanger 108 , nib end 106 , junction 136 and locking tip 134 (See FIG. 5 ) of gutter clip 102 are positioned adjacent building 150 . A portion of horizontal section 142 , return 140 and hooked portion 144 of retaining member 122 are adjacent building 150 as is gutter 104 .
Back face 118 (See FIG. 3 ) fits against the outside of the back wall 124 of gutter 104 from upper u-portion 110 to first elbow 112 (See FIG. 3 ). Upper u-portion 110 of gutter clip 102 continues into vertical portion 162 (See FIG. 2 ). Vertical portion 162 (See FIG. 2 ) transitions into L-portion 158 (See FIG. 2 ) which begins at first elbow 112 (See FIG. 3 ). First elbow 112 (See FIG. 3 ) turns into base 114 (See FIG. 3 ) which proceeds into second elbow 116 (See FIG. 3 ). Second elbow 116 (See FIG. 3 ) turns up into base extension 130 (See FIG. 3 ). Base extension 130 (See FIG. 3 ) is designed to fit against building 150 . Base extension 130 (See FIG. 3 ) is contiguous with lower u-portion 132 (See FIG. 3 ), lower u-portion 132 (See FIG. 3 ) being completed at end 138 (See FIG. 3 ). The remainder of gutter 104 includes a gutter channel 156 , front wall 126 and lip 128 .
Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is not meant to be construed in a limited sense. Various modifications of the disclosed embodiments, as well as alternative embodiments of the inventions will become apparent to persons skilled in the art upon the reference to the description of the invention. It is, therefore, contemplated that the appended claims will cover such modifications that fall within the scope of the invention.
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A gutter retaining system for affixing a gutter under the eaves of a building. The gutter retaining system incorporates a gutter clip with a gutter and retaining member. The retaining member is placed along the eaves. The gutter clip has an L-portion and a back portion. The back portion includes an upper u-portion with a hanger used to slip the gutter clip over the gutter to secure it to the gutter clip. The gutter clip has a nib end with a locking tip. Nib end fits within retaining member to secure gutter clip and gutter in place along the eaves. L-portion fits between the gutter and building where an additional piece of board is included in the construction. The gutter clip is scored between the back portion and L-portion allowing separation, such as when no additional piece of board is found along the eaves.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] Some embodiments generally relate to a method for analyzing and/or monitoring physiological and/or pathological parameters of a patient. Embodiments can be particularly suited for early detection of pathological conditions and for creating protocols for preventing pathological conditions. Some embodiments include diagnosing pathological conditions using multiple parameters.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Early diagnosis of various pathological conditions and initiation of therapies based on empirical evidence in the early phase of the disorder is a developing field. Medical diagnoses and therapy decisions are in many cases made with the help of physiological and/or pathological parameter measurements. Such measurements include detecting the presence and/or quantity of indicator compounds in body fluid samples. Such measurements can enable early intervention in some pathological conditions. In general, such measurements are analyzed and classified, for instance, as either positive or negative results.
[0003] The use of threshold values can enable one to classify an observation as positive or negative. This procedure for the diagnosis of diseases is a one-parameter classification method that is restricted to the assignment of the measured value to one of the two classes. However, this process neglects how far the observation is from the threshold. The result is that a measured value just under the threshold is treated the same as an observation that is very far below the threshold. Indeed, traditional procedures for the diagnosis of a disorder with the help of indicators conveys a clue, but has serious disadvantages. Particularly, it requires the user to have a profound understanding of the evolving health state of a complex organism. Moreover, critical decisions often must be made despite significant uncertainty and conflicting indicators.
[0004] Some embodiments of the present invention provide diagnostic methods that differ from the prior art, and may enable therapeutic decisions to be made with greater certainty and/or at earlier stages of a disorder.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0005] In accordance with some embodiments, there is provided a method that allows early detection of diseases on the basis of physiological and pathological parameters of the patient and wherein at any time, e.g. pathogenesis or convalescence, an instruction value can be calculated that is suitable to treat the condition of the patient and cause its evolution from an unhealthy to a healthy state.
[0006] In accordance with some embodiments of the invention there is provided a method for analyzing and/or monitoring physiological and/or pathological parameters of a patient, comprising choosing physiological and/or pathological parameters typical for a disorder, wherein the number of chosen parameters is at least three; forming a multidimensional feature space, wherein each of the chosen parameters forms a dimension of the feature space and the time forms a further dimension of the feature space; determining of at least a first space range and at least a second space range within the feature space, wherein in the first space range each of the chosen parameters and/or the time have values that have been given as target values; in the second space range at least one of the parameters and/or the time have values that have been given as unwanted values; collecting measured values of the patient for the chosen parameters typical for a first condition (initial state) of the patient and assigning of the measured values to the feature space, in order to form a first measured point in the feature space; determining of the shortest space curve (target trajectory) between the first measured point and a first space range; repeated collecting of measured values for the chosen parameters and time-dependent assigning of this measured values to the feature space, in order to form further measured points in the feature space; and determining an instruction value, if one of the further measured points is outside of the target trajectory.
[0007] According to some embodiments, the number of chosen parameters can be at least five, and advantageously can be at least ten.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] Embodiments may take various forms, embodiments of which will be described in detail in this specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and wherein:
[0009] FIG. 1 is a schematic drawing illustrating an evolving health state of a patient.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0010] According to some embodiments a patient's health state can be described by a plurality of quantifiable variables, each representing a dimension in a multidimensional feature space referred to herein as a health space. As used herein, the terms health space, feature space and health feature space are interchangeable. Some embodiments include time as an additional dimension. Thus, the evolution of a patient's health state over time can be described mathematically, and a an instantaneous health state can be described as a point in health space. According to some embodiments the health space can include regions defining one or more undesirable states, desirable states, transitional states, health-neutral states and/or any combination thereof. As used herein the term space range includes a set of points having a common characteristic. For example, the contiguous set of points in health space defining a desirable region of health states comprises a space range.
[0011] As used herein the term patient trajectory includes a first point in health space as well as further measured points defining a space curve without regard to whether the space curve includes desirable or undesirable conditions. Also as used herein the term complication trajectory includes a shortest space curve between a first condition and a space range defining an undesirable condition. Also as used herein the term target trajectory includes a shortest space curve between a first condition and a space range defining a desirable condition. According to some embodiments a patient trajectory can approach a complication trajectory or a target trajectory. Furthermore, if the patient trajectory is found to approach a complication trajectory then instruction values can be determined for bringing the patient trajectory toward the target trajectory.
[0012] According to some embodiments, analysis of the patient trajectory can provide a means for early recognition evolution of a patient's condition toward a desirable or undesirable state. Furthermore, one can determine which parameter(s) to modify, and by how much, in order to cause the patient's health state to evolve toward a target state by the most efficient route. An instruction value comprises the change in these parameters.
[0013] The instruction value can include at least one parameter to be changed so as to cause the patient trajectory to evolve along a target trajectory toward a desirable space range. According to the instruction value(s) a therapist can determine the actions necessary to effect a desired parameter change, for example by administration of a pharmaceutical agent. For instance, if the instruction value indicates that heart rate must decrease by n and blood pressure must decrease by m then a skilled practitioner can determine the appropriate drug and dosage thereof to effect the instruction value. In some embodiments, a health space can be defined for the early detection of disorders such as tumors, and can determine and/or avoid the set of physiological conditions where an effective tumor defense is no longer possible.
[0014] The following Table 1 shows exemplary set of parameters defining an initial state, a single first space range (desirable state) and two second space ranges (undesirable states).
[0000]
TABLE 1
First Space
Second Space
Second Space
Parameter
Initial State
Range
Range 1
Range 2
1
+
+
−
−−
2
−
+
+
−−
3
−
+
−−−
−
4
−
+
−−
−
5
−−
+
−
−−
6
−
+
−−−
−
7
−−−
+
−
−−
8
−
+
+
−
9
−
+
+
−
10
−−
+
−
−−
11
−−−
+
−−−
−−−
12
−
+
−−−
+
[0015] The table shows 12 parameters therefore the health space has 13 dimensions (12 parameters and time). For the initial state the measured values for the parameters are generically represented as “poor” (−), “very poor” (−−) and “particularly poor” (−−−). The desired state, i.e. the first space range, is defined by all parameters having a “good” (+) value. The undesirable second space ranges 1 and 2 some parameters have values that are “poor”, “very poor” or “particularly poor”. The evolving health state of the patient, which is represented by the patient trajectory can be prevented from reaching either of the second space ranges.
[0016] Referring to FIG. 1 , a simplified two dimensional health space is shown to illustrate the principles an embodiment, and comprises generic variables r 1 and r 2 . For the purpose of illustration one can assume that r 1 is time and r 2 is any health state parameter. An initial state A is shown representing the health state or condition of a patient when he enters the process of the present embodiment. The desired evolution of the patient's health state, i.e. the target trajectory, is represented by line 1 , which leads to desirable health space range Z 1 . An undesirable evolution of the patient's health state is represented by line 2 , which leads to undesirable health space range Z 2 . The actual evolution of the patient's health state, i.e. the patient trajectory, is represented by line 3 . When the patient trajectory 3 deviates by a statistically significant amount from the target trajectory 1 one or more instruction values can be calculated which cause the patient trajectory 3 to approximate the target trajectory 1 and/or approach the desired health space range Z 1 . Furthermore, lines 4 , 5 , 6 and 7 represent possible perturbations of the patient trajectory that may cause it to turn toward or away from the desired health space Z 1 . A trajectory can include a tolerance range. The width of the tolerance can depend on individual risk factors such as genotype or activated oncogenes.
[0017] A wide variety of physiological and/or pathological parameters can be chosen to define a health space which may be a function of the patient's specific pathology. Some parameters may be related to, for instance, tissue condition and/or composition, or the patient's age. Some parameters can be related to, and/or quantify, one or more of inflammation, acute inflammation, nutritional state, infection, sepsis, physiological aging, hydration, electrolyte levels, mineral levels, metabolic state, hormonal levels, connective tissue metabolism, haemostasis, blood flow, immune system processes, immunosurveillance, diabetes, and/or therapeutic processes such as doses of irradiation and medicaments. According to some embodiments it may be advantageous to select one or more parameters that are typical of the patient's genotype. In some embodiments, a genotype may indicate one or more additional undesirable space ranges and/or complication trajectories. The selected parameters may be collective, continuous, and/or discontinuous. According to some embodiments, instruction value(s) can be transferred to a patient warning system, which triggers a visual or audible alert, for example.
[0018] According to one example a set of parameters for defining a health space for assessing the risk an adrenal tumor include: curatively treated mammary carcinoma, genotype A, osteoporosis, chronic smoker, dehydration, acute inflammation, poor mineral and trace element status. Advantageously, at least two of the physiological and/or pathological parameters chosen are chemical indicators typical of a disorder.
[0019] The term “indicator” as used herein includes compounds or elements which—according to their nature—are produced in biological systems or are introduced in biological systems and the presence or concentration (e.g. in a particular organ) thereof is a characteristic for a biological process or a biological condition. For instance, chemical indicators can include compounds that are produced by tumor cells, are induced by a tumor in other body cells, and/or are transformed by tumor cells. Such indicators can include, without limitation, macromolecules (e.g. proteins, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, glycoprotiens and the like), or trace elements. In some embodiments, chemical indicators can include compounds and/or elements typical of osteoclasis processes such as osteoporosis.
[0020] In general, an organism undergoes a number of state changes as a function of time starting from its genesis until death. The state changes can be monitored with the help of any number of measured quantities such as size, weight, temperature, medical imaging techniques, and the like. The measured quantities define a feature space or phase space, respectively, wherein the organism's state continues to evolve as a function of time. Thus, the organism's state defines a time dependant space curve, i.e. a trajectory. An ideal trajectory is an unperturbed trajectory that is only determined by healthy and/or non-pathological physiological changes of the organism that occur until natural death, e.g. building bone mass, loss of bone mass, hormonal changes from puberty to menopause, age-dependant drop in basal metabolic rate, cardiac index, vital capacity, muscle strength, and countless others.
[0021] According to some embodiments a health space may be valid for each member of a species. However, due to the differences in genotype within a species, the initial conditions and/or life trajectory for each member of the species can vary widely. The initial conditions of an individual trajectory may affect it's behavior after a perturbation. Accordingly, similar trajectories having different initial conditions may respond differently to the same perturbation. For instance, one trajectory may be stabilized by the perturbation while the other may oscillate or become increasingly erratic.
[0022] According to some embodiments, e.g. regarding acute medical conditions, parts of the general patient trajectory may be particularly important, e.g. the condition of an organ or of the organism before and after defined disorders or interventions. Therefore, a subset of parameters can be selected to define a health space that neglects some less important or insignificant parameters. In some embodiments the initial state is marked by an event such as the completion of an operation, the beginning of respiration, the diagnosis of sepsis or any of a wide variety of medically important events. From the initial state there can develop different final states. For instance, after a successful curative mammary carcinoma operation no metastases form within 20 years. An alternative final state can include the formation of a metastasis or a postoperative complication, e.g. pneumonia or sepsis. A trajectory toward a desirable health state is a target trajectory, and all the other trajectories can be referred to as complication trajectories.
[0023] By recording observed target and complication trajectories one can predict and control patient trajectories of other patients. In order to effect control over a patient trajectory according to some embodiments one must define and frequently observe a patient's health space parameters, and act on instruction values when necessary. If the patient trajectory lies within an error band of a target trajectory no additional action is required; however, when it is outside and/or near a complication trajectory then the shortest way toward the target trajectory is determined and provided as instruction value. In some embodiments several observed parameters may differ and/or be in conflict with each other. Therefore, a weighting of the parameters can be carried out to determine and/or define their relative importance. In some embodiments the weighting factors themselves can be time dependant.
[0024] According to one embodiment a health space and space ranges can be defined as follows. Determine the physiological and/or pathological parameters typical of a disorder, for example formation of a tumor in a given tumor tissue. Define the health space, wherein each parameter forms one dimension of the feature space and time is a further dimension of the feature space. Provide known values of the physiological and/or pathological parameters from patient data banks obtained, for instance, from clinical studies. The known values are determined to be healthy states, diseased states, or the like. Accordingly, healthy and unhealthy space ranges are known.
[0025] According to some embodiments a patient trajectory can be precluded from evolving toward a pathological space range, and instead caused to evolve toward a healthy target space range. For instance, a patient's complete set of health parameters can be identified and recorded at time t 0 . The patient's parameters are again observed and recorded at times t 1 -t n . The repeated determination of the current health state of the patient enables determination the patient trajectory and its position and direction relative to the target trajectory. Instruction values can be calculated at any time after t 0 . Thus, embodiments permit the early detection of pathology and indicates which health state parameters of the patient could be altered to achieve evolution of a patient trajectory toward a desired state.
EXAMPLE
Example 1
[0026] In Example 1 initial state A is characterized by a successful curative mammary carcinoma operation with subsequent irradiation and chemotherapy. The health space is defined parameters including time and the levels of the following chemical indicators: GOT, GPT, yGT, alkaline phosphatase (AP), LDH, C-reactive protein (CRP), CEA, CA 15-3, Gluc, PTT, haematocrit, zinc, and selenium. A healthy first space range Z 1 , and unhealthy second space range Z 2 are defined according to known standards. Z 1 includes a freedom from metastasis over 20 years. Z 2 includes evidence of metastases within 20 years. The following Table 2 shows values for the initial state A and the undesired state Z 2 .
[0000]
TABLE 2
Parameter
Initial State A
State Z 2
GOT
12
U/l
24
U/l
GPT
15
U/l
12
U/l
yGT
4
U/l
4
U/l
AP
62
U/l
62
U/l
LDH
151
U/l
295
U/l
CRP
5
mg/l
67
mg/l
CEA
2
mg/l
43
mg/l
CA 15-3
2
kU/l
55
kU/l
Gluc
5.2
mmol/l
17.4
mmol/l
haematocrit
46
l/l
59
l/l
PTT
35
s
22
s
Zn
1.3
mg/l
0.26
mg/l
Se
90
mg/l
23
mg/l
Example 2
[0027] According to a second example an initial state A is characterized by the completion of a bypass operation and transfer to an intensive care unit with respiration. The health space is defined by parameters including time and pO 2 , pCO 2 , pH, AF, PEEP, CRP, PCT, Gluc, selenium, PTT, and T. A healthy first space range Z 1 is defined by known standards for the identified parameters, i.e. conditions that are known to be healthy and desirable. A undesired second space range Z 2 includes the development of a respiration-associated pneumonia. The following Table 3 shows values for the initial state A and the undesired state Z 2 .
[0000]
TABLE 3
Parameter
Initial State A
State Z 2
pO 2
90
mmHg
48
mmHg
pCO 2
40
mmHg
51
mmHg
pH
7.4
7.7
AF
15/min
29/min
PEEP
5
mbar
22
mbar
CRP
5
mg/l
204
mg/l
PCT
0.3
10
Gluc
4.8
mmol/l
22.5
mmol/l
Se
104
mg/l
18
mg/l
PTT
40
s
18
s
T
36.8
39.4
Example 3
[0028] According to a third example an initial state A is characterized by the beginning of menopause. The health space is defined by time and levels of the following chemical indicators: Ca +2 , PO 3 −3 , AP, acid phosphatase (SP), DH, PTH, calcitonin (CT), growth hormone STH, osteocalcin, vitamin D. A desirable first space range Z 1 includes a loss of bone mass <0.5-0.7%/a (trabecular) and ≦0.5-0.6%/a (cortical). An undesired space range Z 2 includes a loss of bone mass >0.7 and 0.6%/a, respectively within the next 5 years. The following Table 4 shows values for initial state A and the undesired state Z 2 .
[0000]
TABLE 4
Parameter
Initial State A
State Z 2
Ca ++
2.5
mmol/l
2.4
mmol/l
PO 3 −−−
1.2
mmol/l
1.3
mmol/l
AP
110
U/l
200
U/l
SP
10
U/l
20
U/l
CT (calcitonin)
8
ng/l
1
ng/l
STH (growth
4
mg/l
not detectable
hormone)
osteocalcin
10
ng/l
4
ng/l
vitamin D
125
pmol/l
12
pmol/l
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Embodiments of the present invention relate to methods of making therapeutic decisions in the course of medical treatment. Some embodiments include using mathematical methods such as analytic geometric methods to determine the relationship of a patient's initial and/or current health state to a desired health state and/or an undesired health state. Furthermore, some embodiments include defining a health feature space including a plurality of health parameters and time, and representing the time evolution of the patient health state as a space curve trajectory in a multidimensional space. Still further some embodiments include calculating a target trajectory and/or a complication trajectory and determining which health parameters to adjust in order to produce a desired time evolution result.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a baking machine provided with a yogurt manufacturing device and a manufacturing method thereof, and particularly to the device and method in which yogurt can be manufactured simultaneously with the baking of breads by using the commercially distributed milk, or in which only yogurt or only breads can be manufactured.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Generally, the process for manufacturing of breads has a step of preparing primary and secondary doughs, the primary dough being manufactured by adding flour, water, sugar, yeast and other additives in a mixing apparatus and by operating selective switches, and the secondary dough being manufactured by making the primary dough pass through an aging period; a step of fermenting the secondary dough by maintaining it at a predetermined temperature (about 33°˜37° C.) for a certain period of time; and a step of baking the fermented dough by heating it at the baking temperature of over 150° C., thereby completing the manufacturing process for making bread, with steps of baking being carried out in an automatic manner.
Meanwhile, yogurt is manufactured in such a manner that: defatted milk is concentrated to one half of the original volume; sugar is added in the amount of about 8%; it is subjected to a pasteurization at the baking temperature; it is cooled to a temperature of 25°˜30° C.; and then it is subjected to fermentation for four hours at a temperature range of 33°˜37° C. after adding seed bacteria by 2%, thereby completing the whole manufacturing process.
The above process has to be carried out at the optimum conditions, and fermentation is possible at the temperature of 28°˜33° C. But if the temperature-subjected period of time is short compared with the total fermentation period, then no adverse effect will resulted.
Further, if commercially distributed milk is used as the raw material of the yogurt, the pasteurization step can be omitted.
Here, it is noted that the optimum fermenting temperature for a yogurt manufacturing process is the same as the fermenting temperature for the baking process in the baking oven, while the fermenting period of time for the yogurt manufacturing process is equal to the whole baking time.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore it is the object of the present invention to provide a baking machine provided with a yogurt manufacturing device and a manufacturing method thereof, in which the heat required for baking is utilized for the preparation of yogurt by subjecting the yogurt-in-process to the dough preparing temperature (28° C.) and by shielding the high baking temperature (150°˜160° C.), in order to produce yogurt drinkable in accompaniment with simultaneously manufactured bread, and in which either only the baking or only the yogurt manufacturing can be carried out.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The above object and other advantages of the present invention will become more apparent by describing the preferred embodiment of the present invention in detail with reference to the attached drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view as viewed from the front showing the internal structure of the baking machine according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A of FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is vertical sectional view as viewed from the side showing the internal structure of the baking machine according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the present invention showing an examplary case of a heating device installed in the fermenting room;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a control circuit for controlling the operation of the baking machine;
FIG. 6 is a flow chart for the baking process of the usual technique;
FIG. 7 is a flow chart for the yogurt manufacturing process according to the present invention; and
FIG. 8 is a temperature-time curve for the baking room of the baking machine used in the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the baking machine according to the present invention as viewed from the front, which shows a baking container 1; a dough preparing device having a dough motor 2a, a minor pulley 2b, a major pulley 2c, a motor belt 2d, a mixing blade 2e and a blade shaft 2f; a baking room 4 having a first heater 3, an inner wall 4a, a heat-insulating outer wall 4b and a first cover 4c, and also containing the baking container 1, the first heater 3 being provided with a heater 3a for heating raw breads; and a first temperature sensor 5 for detecting the temperature of the interior of the baking room 4, the whole baking process being controlled by a controller.
The baking machine constituted as described above also uses a fermenting room 6 having a second cover 6a being wrapped with a heat-insulating material 6c; a yogurt preparing vessel 7 having a suspending step 7a for suspending yogurt preparing vessel 7 from the top of the fermenting room 6; a fermenting room temperature elevating device 8 using a heat flow duct 8a for transferring the heat from baking room 4 to fermenting room 6; an opening/closing means 9 having of a damper 9a and a solenoid 9b, damper 9a being for opening/closing the heat flow duct 8a which constitutes the fermenting room temperature elevating means 8, and solenoid 9b for controlling the opening/closing operations of the said damper 9a; a second temperature sensor 10 for detecting the interior temperature of the said fermenting room; and a temperature lowering device having a cool air suction hole 11a, a fan motor 11b, a blowing duct 11c and hot air discharge holes 11d, 11d', for lowering the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6 upon elevation of the temperature above a predetermined level.
FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line A--A of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the baking machine according to the present invention as viewed from the side.
FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the baking machine according to the present invention, in which the heat from the baking room 4 is not utilized through the fermenting room temperature elevating device 8, but a separate yogurt preparing heater 12a which constitutes a second heater 12 is installed within the fermenting room 6 to heat the fermenting room 6.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of the control circuit for the baking machine according to the present invention, with a selecting/operating stage 13 for operating the switches selected based on the required functions; a power source 14 for supplying electric power after conversion of an AC source to a DC current; a baking room temperature sensor 15 using first temperature sensor 5 for detecting the interior temperature of the baking room 4; a fermenting room temperature sensor 16 using a second temperature sensor 10, for detecting the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6; a controller 17 for implementing the system operating program, and for providing control signals by comparing the incoming data with the reference data; and a load driver 18 for driving the dough motor 2a, the baking and yogurt preparing heaters 3a, 12a, the solenoid 9b and the fan motor 11b and the like in order to drive each of the loads.
FIG. 8 illustrates a temperature-time curve for the baking machine, in which the level W represents the temperature of the dough preparing process (about 28° C.), the level X represents the temperature of the first fermenting process (about 33° C.), the level Y represents the temperature of the second fermenting process (about 37° C.), and the level Z represents the temperature of the baking process (150°˜160° C.), while, on the time axis, t1 represents the primary dough preparing period (about 15 minutes), t2 represents the aging period (about 5 minutes), t3 represents the secondary dough preparing period (about 15 minutes), t4 represents the first fermenting period (about 76 minutes), t5 represents the gas discharge period (about 10 seconds), t6 represents the second fermenting period (about 50 minutes), and t7 represents the baking process period (about 40 minutes).
FIG. 6 is a flow chart of the usual baking process, and FIG. 7 is a flow chart of the yogurt preparing process according to the present invention. Detailed descriptions will be presented below by referring to the said flow charts.
First, a mixture of flour, water, sugar, and yeast is charged into the baking container 1 of FIG. 1, and if the selective switches of the selecting/operating section 13 are turned on, the controller 17 will output control signals to the load driving means 18 to drive the dough motor 2a. As the dough motor 2a is being operated, the dynamic power transmission means such as the minor pulley 2b, the motor belt 2d, the major pulley 2c and the blade shaft 2f will revolve, so that the raw materials of bread contained within the baking container 1 should be processed into dough for bread by the said mixing blade 2e being rotated. Such dough preparing process is broken down into the primary dough process (terminated at t1), the aging period (terminated at t2) in which the driving of the dough motor 2a is stopped, and the secondary dough process (terminated at t3), the dough motor 2a being driven and stopped through the function of the controller.
When dough motor is being operated, the dynamic power transmission means such as the minor pulley 2b, the motor belt 2d, the major pulley 2c and the blade shaft 2e will be revolved, so that the raw materials of bread contained within the baking oven 1 should be processed into a dough for bread. Such dough preparing process is broken down into the primary dough process (terminated at t1), the aging period (terminated at t2) in which the driving of the dough motor 2a is stopped, and the secondary dough process (terminated at t3), the dough motor 2a being driven and stopped through the function of the controller.
Meanwhile, when the dough preparing process is progressing, the baking heater 3a installed within the baking room 4 is simultaneously turned on, so that the interior temperature of the baking room 4 should be kept at the optimum temperature (W), i.e., 28° C. during the dough preparing process. This temperature is lower than the optimum temperature (33°˜37° C.) for the fermenting in the yogurt manufacturing process, but even at this temperature, fermentation proceeds. Further the involved time (about 35 minutes) is very short compared with the whole process period (about 4 hours), and therefore, it can not adversely affect the quality of the yogurt thus manufactured.
After the completion of the dough preparing process, the fermenting process will be carried out, and this fermenting process is broken down into a first fermenting process (terminated at t4) during which the interior temperature of the baking room 4 is kept at the level X (about 33° C.), and a gas discharge step (terminated at t5), and a second fermenting process (terminated at t6) during which the interior temperature of the baking room 4 is maintained at the level Y (about 37° C.).
That is, the fermenting process (about 126 minutes) for the baking dough is carried out under the optimum yogurt fermenting temperature, and after completion of the fermenting process, the baking process is conducted in which the temperature is kept at the level Z (150°˜160° C.), the duration of the process being about 40 minutes (terminated at t7). The respective processes are carried out automatically by the controller 17 based on the system operating program, and in controlling the temperatures for the respective processes, the first temperature sensor 5 installed within the baking room 4, which uses baking room temperature sensor 15, detects the interior temperature of the baking room, and sends the signal to the controller which compares the incoming signal with the reference data in order to maintain the baking temperature at the optimum level.
As described above, the period of time required for carrying out the whole baking process is about 200 minutes, but, if the fermenting period is extended, good quality bread can be produced in 230 minutes.
If yogurt is to be manufactured simultaneously with the baking process, first it is required that the excessive temperature elevation in the interior of the yogurt preparing vessel 7 within the fermenting room 6 due to the baking process has to be prevented (the external temperature of the baking room being about 70°˜75° C.). For this purpose, a heat insulating material 6c is provided to surround the outside of the wall 6b of the fermenting room 6.
The yogurt manufacturing process related to the baking process as described above will be described below.
If the operation of the baking machine is started by manipulating the selective switches of the selecting/operating means 13, the controller 17 will output a control signal to the load driving means 18 to activate the solenoid 9b. Then the damper 9a which has been blocking the heat flow duct 8a of the fermenting room temperature elevating means 8 will be opened, and at the same time, the heat will be introduced through heat flow duct 8a into the fermenting room 6 from the baking heater 3a which constitutes the baking room heater 3, thereby fermenting the raw material of the yogurt contained in the yogurt preparing vessel 7.
Under this condition, the fermenting room temperature sensor 16 which uses second temperature sensor 10 installed within the fermenting room 6 will send a sensing signal to the controller 17, and the controller 17, upon receipt of the sensing signal, will compared it with the reference data (the level Y). If it is found as the result of the comparation that the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6 is higher than the reference data, i.e., the level Y (37° C.), then the solenoid 9b will be turned off so as for the heat flow duct 8a to be blocked, and at the same time, the fan motor 11b will be activated, so that the external cool air should be sucked through the cool air suction hole 11a and the blowing duct 11c into the fermenting room 6, and should be discharged through the hot air discharge duct holes 11d, 11d' to the outside, thereby lowering the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6.
Thereafter, if the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6 is dropped below the reference level, then the solenoid 9b is activated again to let the damper 9a open the heat flow duct 8a, and at the same time, the fan motor 11b will be turned off, so that the interior temperature of the fermenting room 6 should be maintained at the optimum temperature all the time, thereby making it possible to manufacture yogurt simultaneously with bread.
Further, in accordance with the selection of mode, either only bread or only yogurt can be manufactured. In the case where only the baking process is carried out, the solenoid 9b is kept at an OFF state, so that the heat flow duct 8a should be blocked until the completion of the whole baking process.
In the case where only the yogurt preparing process is carried out, the controller 17 will receive signals from the fermenting room temperature sensor 16 which constitutes the second temperature sensing means 10 installed within the fermenting room 6, and upon receipt of such a signal, the controller 17 will control different components such as the baking heater 3a as the baking room heater 3, the damper controlling solenoid 9b as the heat flow opening/closing device 9, and the blowing fan motor 11b as the temperature lowering device 11, so that the yogurt raw material contained in the yogurt preparing vessel 7 should be fermented at the optimum temperature.
Further, as shown in FIG. 4, a separate heater 12a as the temperature elevating device 8 can be installed within the fermenting room 6, and, in accordance with the signal emitted by the fermenting room temperature sensor 16 which uses the second temperature sensor 10, the yogurt preparing heater 12a and blower fan motor 11b as the temperature lowering device 11 can be controlled, so that either yogurt can be manufactured simultaneously with the baking of bread, or either only bread or only yogurt can be manufactured.
As described above, the baking machine according to the present invention incorporates a yogurt manufacturing device into it, and therefore, has the advantage that yogurt can be manufactured simultaneously with the baking of breads, or either only breads or only yogurt can be manufactured.
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A baking machine provided with a yogurt manufacturing device and a manufacturing method thereof are disclosed with: a first heating means; a baking room; a first temperature sensor; a controller for controlling all components; a yogurt preparing vessel; a fermenting room for accommodating the yogurt manufacturing vessel; a temperature elevating device for elevating the fermenting room temperature; a second temperature sensing means for detecting the fermenting room temperature; and a temperature lowering device for lowering the fermenting room temperature. Through manipulations of selective switches, either yogurt can be manufactured simultaneously with the baking of bread, or only yogurt or only bread can be manufactured. Further, the fermenting temperature is controlled in such a manner that, if the fermenting room temperature is higher than the reference temperature, the fermenting room temperature elevating device is inactivated, and the temperature lowering device is activated, while, if the contrary case is met, the opposite procedure is carried out.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to trenchers and an attachment including the trencher adjustably mounted on the extensible boom of a truck mounted excavator.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Trenching devices attached to various motor driven vehicles may be seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,044,194, 3,266,179, 3,398,471 and 3,710,472.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,194 and 3,266,179, tractors support position and operate trenchers.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,044,194, the trencher is closely coupled to the tractor while in U.S. Pat. No. 3,266,179 a boom and boom extension support the trencher on the tractor.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,472 a boom mounted on a truck carries a dipper stick which in turn has a trencher and a bucket affixed thereto.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,398,471, a trencher and auger are mounted on a tractor.
The present invention relates to a trencher attachment which in addition to adjustably positioning a trencher supplies the motion necessary to actuate the trencher and a screw-type conveyor positioned transversely of the attachment for removing excavated material away from the excavation. More importantly, the trencher attachment of the present invention can be adjustably mounted on the end of a telescopically extensible boom of a truck mounted excavator such as for example the hydraulic excavator said under the trademark GRADALL manufactured by the Gradall Company of New Philidelphia, Ohio.
The trencher attachment of the present invention replaces the bucket normally used on the telescopically extensible boom of the GRADALL device.
The prior art references neither disclose or suggest the novel trencher attachment of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
A trencher attachment for hydraulic excavators is disclosed which is attachable in an adjustable manner to the free end of a telescopic boom of a truck mounted excavator or the like. The attachment incorporates a continuous chain trencher and a screw-type conveyor and a fluid motor for driving the same along with remotely actuated controls therefor. The trencher attachment in combination with the telescopic boom of the excavator enables the trencher attachment to continuously excavate a trench in heretofore inaccessible locations.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a perspective elevation of the trencher attachment positioned on a portion of a telescopic boom of a truck mounted excavator:
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the trencher attachment with parts broken away and parts in cross section:
FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the trencher attachment with parts broken away;
FIG. 4 is a top plan schematic elevation of a truck mounted excavator carrying the trencher attachment; and
FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the trencher attachment and a portion of a telescopic boom supporting the same with parts broken away.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
Hydraulic excavators used in earth moving operations are powered machines, frequently truck mounted for portability and which include a telescopically extendible boom carrying a bucket on the free end thereof. The telescopically extendable boom is capable of vertical movement, tilting motion, and is swingable in a circle based on its pivotal mounting on the truck or comparable supporting vehicle.
Trenchers, heretofore known in the art, include an elongated frame and means training a continuous chain outwardly and inwardly of the elongated frame, the chain having earth moving elements spaced therealong. Some trenchers have been provided with independent power means and others utilize power take-offs from other vehicles such as pickup trucks or tractors which are generally used in supporting and positioning the trenchers.
The present invention comprises an attachment frame having spaced vertical body members 10, a top portion 11, a transverse member 12 and three secondary vertically disposed frame members 13 extending outwardly from the transverse member 12. An angular secondary top portion and shield 14 is attached to the upper edges of the secondary frame members 13 and skids 15 are attached to the lower edges of the spaced vertical body members 10 and the transverse member 12.
Still referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, it will be seen that a trencher frame 16 which is pivotally mounted to the attachment frame extends outwardly therefrom and is provided with an idler 17 at its outermost end over which a continuous digging chain 18 is trained. A pair of vertical supports 19 on the trencher frame 16 position a safety bar 20 as customary in the art. A screw type conveyor or auger 21 is formed about a transverse driven shaft 22 and the continous digging chain 18 is trained over a sprocket 42 thereon and the idler 17 as best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings and hereinafter described.
Still referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a pivot plate 23 is adjustably attached to the top 11 of the attachment frame by a pivot pin and a plurality of fasteners as best seen in FIG. 5 of the drawings and hereinafter described. The arrangement is such that the attachment frame and the trencher incorporated therein can be rotated relative to the pivot plate 23. A lifter frame 24 is attached to the pivot plate 23 and positions a transvers pin 25 to which a lifting device 26 is attached as best shown in FIG. 5 of the drawings and hereinafter described. The lifting device 26 is pivoted to an end frame 27 on the end of an inner member 28 of a telescopic boom 29 of the hydraulic excavator as seen in FIG. 4 of the drawings and hereinafter described. The telescopic boom 29 and the inner member 28 thereof mounts a piston and cylinder assembly 30, the piston rod 31 of which is pivotally connected by links 32 with the lifting device 26 hereinbefore described and guide links 33 pivoted to the frame 27 engage the pivot connecting the piston rod 31 and the links 32 so that tilting motion may be imparted to the attachment frame and the digging chain 18 and auger 21 thereof.
Still referring to FIG. 1 of the drawings, a plurality of remotely controlled fluid valves assemblies 34, 34A and 34B will be seen positioned on one of the frame members 10 and arranged to control fluid pressure in a plurality of fluid lines.
By referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that a fluid motor 35 is positioned between the spaced vertical body members 10 of the attachment frame with portions extending through apertures therein, one of the portions comprising a fluid line connecting block 36 and arranged in oppositely disposed relation to a drive shaft 37 on which a drive sprocket 38 is positioned. A drive chain 39 is trained over the drive sprocket 38, and engaged under an adjustable idler 40, and trained over a driven sprocket 41 attached to the transverse driver shaft 22 which carries the auger 21 hereinbefore described.
A secondary sprocket 42 attached to the transverse driven shaft 22 receives the digging chain 18.
Still referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 of the drawings, it will be seen that the trencher frame 16 which is pivotally attached at its innermost end to the transverse driven shaft 22 is also engaged by a lifting shaft 43 positioned on a pair of secondary arms 44 which are pivoted on the transverse driven shaft 22. A pivot pin 45 engages the secondary arms 44 and is connected to a piston rod 46 of a secondary piston and cylinder assembly 47 which is pivoted by a pivot pin 48 between the pair of frame members 13 of the attachment frame. The secondary piston and cylinder assembly 47 is connected by fluid lines 49 to one of the control valves 34, 3A and 34B which are in turn supplied by fluid pressure with fluid lines 50 which extend from the attachment frame along the boom 29 to a fluid power source on the truck mounted hydraulic excavator.
The operator of the truck mounted hydraulic excavator remotely controls valves 34, 34A and 34B and it will be seen that he can therefore control the operation of the fluid motor 35 which imparts rotary motion to the conveyor screw and auger 21 and the digging chain 18. The operator also controls the secondary piston and cylinder assembly 47 by which the trencher frame 16 and the digging chain 18 thereon are moved in a vertical plane in an arc based on the pivotal attachment of the trencher frame 16 on the transverse driven shaft 22 as hereinafter described. In addition to controlling these actions, the operator of the hydraulic excavator operates the piston and cylinder assembly 30 in the end of the telescopic boom so as to be able to tilt the attachment frame, its attached trencher and conveyor screw and auger in positioning the attachment frame and the attached trencher for operation in an otherwise inaccessible location. Additionally, the operator of the hydraulic excavator can extend and contract the telescopic boom 29, rotate the telescopic boom 29 on its longitudinal axis and, raise and lower it vertically and he can move it in a circle based on the truck mounted hydraulic excavator chassis 52 so as to position the attachment frame and trencher as desired.
By referring now to FIG. 4 of the drawings, a symbolic diagram comprising a top plan elevation may be seen including the chassis 52 of the truck on which the hydraulic excavator 53 is rotatably mounted. The operator's control cab 54 is rotatable along with the hydraulic excavator mechanism 53 and the mechanism supports and adjustably positions the telescopic boom 29 with its inner telescopic member 28 to which the top 10 of the attachment frame is adjustably attached.
In FIG. 4 of the drawings, the chassis 52 of the truck formed theron is illustrated in position on a highway H along the shoulder S thereof and movable in the manner of a conventional truck along the highway H as controlled by an operator in a cab 55. A guard rail G is illustrated as being supported on posts P and it will be seen that the trencher including the trencher frame 16 and the digging chain 18 are located beyond the guard rail G and may be positioned as illustrated or at any angle from horizontal conforming to the angle of the ground adjacent the guard rail. For example, when the angle inclines upwardly from the guard rail or from a position further spaced with respect thereto than illustrated, the trencher frame and the trencher are readily positioned for operation parallel with the highway at any elevation and regardless of the angle of inclination of the ground adjacent the highway in which the trench is to be formed.
In positioning the trencher frame and its trencher and earth moving auger at a desirable angle to the longitudinal axis of the telescopic boom 29, it is desirable and sometimes necessary to reposition the pivot plate 23 in relation to the top 11 of the attachment frame of the invention. In FIG. 5, a pivot pin 56 is illustrated as forming such a pivotal connection. In FIG. 5 of the drawings, the pivot pin 56 will be seen surrounded by a plurality of nut and bolt fasteners 57. The pivot pin 56 and the nut and bolt fasteners extend through the removably join the top 11 of the attachment frame and the pivot plate 23. The relative position of the attachment frame to the telescopic boom can be readily changed by temporarily supporting the attachment frame as by attaching a suitable lifting device to apertured tabs 58 thereon, temporarily removing the nut and bolt fasteners 57 and rotating the attachment frame to a desired position, reinserting the nut and bolt fasteners 57 and securing them. The apertures in which the nut and bolt fasteners 57 are removably positioned are formed in a circle, the center of which locates the aperture in which the pivot pin 56 is positioned.
Still referring to FIG. 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that the telescopic boom 29 and the lifting device 26 adjustably positioned on the end thereof as hereinbefore described can be temporarily removed from the lifting frame 24 on the pivot plate 23 thus simplifying the rotatable adjustment of the device as just described.
By referring now to FIGS. 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings, it will be seen that a closure panel 59 is illustrated in position on one side of the attachment frame of the device so as to protectively enclose the sprockets 38, 40 and 41 and the drive chain 39 trained thereover. In FIG. 2, the closure panel 59 is shown in cross section, in FIG. 3 it is shown with parts broken away, and in FIG. 5 it is shown in its entirety.
In FIGS. 1, 3 and 5, the trencher frame 16 is illustrated carrying spaced depending brackets 60 between which an idler sprocket 61 is rotatably positioned so as to extend outwardly therefrom and thus positioned so as to extend outwardly therefrom and thus positioned for engagement with the digging chain 18 when the same is under tension as in an earth removing operation.
It will thus be seen that a very efficient, highly maneuverable trenching attachment for a hydraulic excavator or any other motor driven excavator has been illustrated and described and that its use enables the rapid and economic trenching now increasingly used in connection with installing underground utilities including electrical and fluid conductors and the like.
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A trencher attachment for a hydraulic excavator of the truck mounted type enables the excavator to be effectively used in performing trenching functions relative to the construction and maintenance of various underground installations. The trencher attachment and a trencher carried thereby on the free end of a telescopic boom of the excavator can be moved toward and away from the excavator, lifted and lowered, tilted and swung to any desired location where the trencher may be actuated by remote control from the excavator. The trencher attachment thereby enables a trenching operation to be performed in locations heretofore inaccessible to trenchers presently known in the art.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In large hydro-turbine machinery in which the main drive shaft is supported by journal bearings, the turbine bearing functions as a stiff bearing because it has been the normal practice of directly connecting it to a massive adjacent head cover which, in turn, is solidly grounded or anchored as being connected to the powerhouse concrete. This arrangement functions satisfactorily as long as the axisymmetric deformation of the bearing support connection to its head cover is not too large. When the axisymmetric deformation becomes too large, as encountered with relatively large hydro-turbine machinery, the bearing support transfers an unacceptable large portion of the radial movement of the adjacent head cover component to the bearing surface causing the bearing clearances to change with different machine operations. Detrimental effects experienced with existing bearing support arrangements include excessive vibration and machine efficiency losses resulting from the requirement that larger seal bearing clearances in shaft system designs accommodate the variable bearing bore diameter.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides a stiff bearing for a drive shaft by a bearing support which effectively isolates the radial movement of its attachment flange to a heavy adjacent component such as a grounded head cover structure from that of the bearing surface.
To this end, the present bearing arrangement provides a bearing support cone structure which is arranged to receive and carry the drive shaft unbalance and other lateral loading. The bearing support cone structure is able to carry the lateral or shear load with a minimum of bending deformation due to its inherent high moment of inertia. Also, the relatively low hoop stiffness of the cone structure allows the deformation of the mounting flange to follow any radial or angular movement of the head cover component. As a result, a moderate stress response is experienced which is controllable by the thickness of the cone structure. The extent of bearing radial growth is dependent on the distance between the application of: (1) the lateral bearing load on the cone structure as transmitted by the bearing housing ribs, and, (2) the axisymmetrical loads on the cone structure mounting flange by the adjacent head cover component.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in vertical section through a pump turbine machine showing the drive shaft bearing support arrangement of the present invention; and,
FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic showing the bearing support of FIG. 1.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The invention is incorporated in a pump/turbine machine 10 which includes an impeller runner 11 having a hub 12 secured on the end of the vertical drive shaft 14. Attached to the hub 12 are fixed blades 16 of the runner 11. The turbine includes a grounded circular head cover 21 that covers the turbine runner 11 and contains wicket gates 22. A stay ring 23 joins a spiral case 24 with the top and bottom of the turbine; a draft tube 26 is provided for the exit flow of water from the turbine 10.
The turbine shaft 14 is connected to and driven by the rotation of the runner 11 in a conventional manner, such as by fitted bolts extending in the runner crown plate. The shaft 14, in turn, is connected to a generator (not shown) in the conventional manner for the production of electricity.
The lower end of the shaft 14 is supported in a bearing 36 carried by a bearing support means 40. As shown, the bearing support means 40 is rigidly secured to the head cover 21 which is grounded to the concrete foundation 41 via a stay ring 23.
When the turbine is in operation, the head cover 21 has a relatively large amount of radial movement. If a large amount of this radial movement is transferred to the bearing support and, thus, to the bearing 36, the bearing clearance will change with different machine operations. The transfer of the radial movement causes excessive vibration, increases noise level, and, causes machine efficiency losses. This inferior machine behavior is caused by larger required seal clearances 70, 71 to accommodate the variable shaft runout which occur in response to the radial bearing growth.
To eliminate a substantial amount of the excessive vibration and machine efficiency loss, the circular bearing support 40 is provided and is characterized by an ability to carry a lateral or shear load with a minimum of bending deformation because of an inherent high moment of inertia and thereby provides the large stiffness required of such a bearing support. To this end, as shown, the bearing support 40 includes an annular mounting flange 42 formed on the lower circular edge 43 of a bearing support cone 44. The mounting flange 42 engages on the upper inside surface of the head cover 21 being rigidly secured in position by a plurality of bolts, one of which is shown, 46. Radial bearing ribs 47, welded to or integrally formed with the bearing support cone 44, extend inwardly towards the vertical axis "x" of the machine and are provided with a bearing mounting flange pad 48. The mating circular radial flange 49 of the bearing is adapted to seat on the circular mounting flange pad 48 and is secured in position by a plurality of bolts 51. The bearing is provided with an intermediate outwardly extending radial stop pad 57 which engages radial abutment or seat 56 formed on the lower end of the vertical rib 58 of the bearing support.
For transferring the bearing load to the bearing supporting cone 44, the bearing support includes ribs 61 and the previously mentioned ribs 47. As shown, the ribs 61 have an oblique orientation, the upper end 62 of which is integrally formed with the ribs 47. The opposite lower end of the ribs 61 are jointed with a flange 66 in the horizontal plane. The flange 66 is integrally constructed with the lower end of the vertical rib 58 adjacent to the seat surface 56. The juncture of the end 62 of ribs 61 with the end of ribs 47 with the bearing supporting cone 44 forms a juncture point 68 which serves to transfer the bearing load to the bearing supporting cone 44.
The novel bearing support results in an ability to carry a lateral or shear load with a minimum of bending deformation, due to the high moment of inertia of cone 44, thus providing required stiffness. The relatively low hoop stiffness of the cone 44 allows the deformation of the bearing mounting flange 42 to follow any radial or angular movement of the head cover structure 21 which is grounded to the conventional concrete powerhouse structure 41. A moderate stress response results and is controlled by the thickness of cone 44. The extent of bearing radial growth that is permitted by the bearing support is dependent on the distance "D" between the application of the lateral bearing load on cone 44 via rib 61 and the axisymmetric loads on the mounting flange 42 by the head cover 21.
To sum up the operation of the novel bearing support, the supporting cone 44 transfers bearing lateral load to the grounded head cover 21. Simultaneously, the head cover 21 deflects radially due to other external loading imposed by the machinery. The bearing cone mounting flange 42 must also follow the movement of the head cover 21 where they are rigidly connected to each other. With the structure described, it has been founded that the radial growth of bearing 36, represented by the symbol "RG B ", is much less than the radial growth of the head cover 21 at 42, represented by the symbol "RG H ".
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A stiff bearing support for the guide bearing of a drive shaft of a hydro-turbine machine which effectively isolates the radial movement of a grounded head cover from that of the bearing surface while it solidly transfers the lateral bearing reaction load to the grounded head cover.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/784,253, filed May 20, 2010, which claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/185,769, filed Jun. 10, 2009, which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates generally to support structures, and, more particularly, to supports for garden plants and the like.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Vegetation supports are typically made of metal wire, and include ground stakes at their lower portions for inserting into a relatively soft ground surface in order to support one or more plants growing from the surface. Typical plant supports are of a fixed size with multiple sizes of plant supports offered to accommodate different sizes of plants. Typical plant supports occupy a significant amount of space in storage, and must be purchased in various sizes to accommodate plants that can grow significantly throughout a growing season.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0004] The present invention provides a plant support assembled from a plurality of interchangeable parts that can be readily assembled together to form a complete plant assembly having a desired size, in either an open or closed configuration, and to readily permit disassembly for storage or reconfiguration of the support. The plant support may be made up of various horizontal and vertical members that are configured to readily attach and detach from one another in order to form supports in various shapes and sizes, such as enclosures or trellis-type supports.
[0005] According to an aspect of the present invention, a plant support assembly includes a plurality of supports having opposite end portions (such as upper and lower end portions when the supports are disposed in a generally vertical orientation). The supports comprise a plurality of stop members spaced therealong. The plant support assembly includes a plurality of non-vertical supports or cross supports or lateral supports, with the lateral supports having end portions for engaging the generally vertical supports between the stop members. At least one of the end portions of each of the lateral supports releasably engages one of the generally vertical supports between adjacent ones of the stop members. The stop members are configured to limit movement of the lateral support along the generally vertical support.
[0006] Optionally, the stop members may comprise disc portions having diameters that are approximately equal to a diameter of the cross dimensions of the generally vertical support between the disc portions. Optionally, the disc portions may have a diameter that is greater than the diameter of the cross dimension of the support between the spaced apart disc portions. Optionally, the upper end of the generally vertical support may include a coupler that is configured to join the upper end portion of one of the generally vertical supports to a lower end portion of another of the generally vertical supports.
[0007] These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of the present invention will become more apparent upon review of the following specification in conjunction with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a plant support assembly in accordance with the present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side elevation and partial sectional view of a vertically oriented post of the plant support assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the vertical post of FIG. 2 ;
[0011] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a connecting rod or lateral support of the plant support assembly of FIG. 1 ;
[0012] FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the connecting rod of FIG. 4 ;
[0013] FIG. 6 is a vertical post in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention;
[0014] FIG. 7A is a sectional view of the vertical post of FIG. 6 ;
[0015] FIG. 7B is a sectional view of another vertical post of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 8 is a connecting rod useful in conjunction with the vertical post of FIG. 6 ;
[0017] FIG. 9A is a sectional view of the connecting rod of FIG. 8 ;
[0018] FIG. 9B is a top plan view of an end portion of the connecting rod of FIG. 8 ;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another plant support assembly in accordance with the present invention;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a support subassembly of the present invention;
[0021] FIG. 12A is a top plan view of a connecting element of the plant support of FIG. 10 ;
[0022] FIG. 12B is a side elevation of the connecting element of FIG. 12A ;
[0023] FIG. 13A is a top plan view of a connecting member for connecting or joining the ends of vertical posts of the plant support of FIG. 10 ;
[0024] FIG. 13B is a side elevation of the connecting member of FIG. 13A ;
[0025] FIG. 14 is a perspective view of a pair of plant supports of FIG. 10 stacked atop one another to form a double-height plant support in accordance with the present invention;
[0026] FIG. 15 is a perspective view of a plant support enclosure in a parallelogram configuration having four of the subassemblies of FIG. 11 joined together to establish a closed structure in accordance with the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 16 is a five-sided plant support enclosure having five of the subassemblies of FIG. 11 joined together to establish a closed structure in accordance with the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a portion of an open-configuration plant support having a zigzag or bent pattern of supports in accordance with the present invention; and
[0029] FIG. 18 is a perspective view of another open-configuration plant support having a generally straight alignment of supports in accordance with the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depicted therein, a plant support assembly 10 ( FIG. 1 ) provides support for plants, such as garden plants, small trees, shrubs, potted plants, and the like, in order to keep the plants substantially elevated and spaced above a soil surface. In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 1 , plant support assembly 10 is constructed from a pair of subassemblies 12 stacked one atop the other. Each subassembly 12 is made up of a pair of vertical posts or supports 14 and at least one horizontal or non-vertical or cross or lateral bar or support or connecting rod 16 that joins the posts together. The lateral supports 16 may be clipped or snapped to the vertical posts 14 at desired locations along the post or posts 14 to form the desired or appropriate support structure configuration for the particular application of the support assembly, as discussed below. As will be more fully described below, multiple subassemblies 12 may be joined side-by-side and/or one atop the other to form different sizes and shapes of support assemblies or structures, such as straight or angled fences or trellises, and various closed forms such as polygonal shapes (when viewed from above) or the like.
[0031] Vertical posts 14 are configured for use in a generally vertical orientation (such as via insertion of a lower end of the post into the support surface or ground or the like such that the post is disposed in a generally vertical orientation) include upper end portions 14 a and lower end portions 14 b ( FIGS. 1-3 ). Vertical posts 14 may comprise a plastic or polymeric or metallic material and may be substantially rigid so that lower end portions 14 b are insertable into a soil surface or any other relatively soft material or growth media. For example, vertical posts 14 may comprise any suitable material, such as molded or extruded plastic or polymeric materials, fiber-filled resins, metal, wood, or the like. As best shown in FIG. 3 , vertical post 14 is generally cross-shaped at cross-shaped sections 15 , with a plurality of spaced apart stop members or disc portions 17 disposed or formed or established along the post 14 and between the cross-shaped sections in alternating fashion along a substantial portion of the length of the post. Cross-shaped sections 15 and disc portions 17 may support vertical loads on vertical posts 14 , while also resisting bending or twisting of the post.
[0032] Disc portions 17 of vertical support 14 have a greater diameter than the outer dimensions of cross-shaped sections 15 for supporting horizontal supports 16 in a manner described below. Disc portions 17 are sufficiently spaced from one another so that at least one, and optionally two or more, horizontal supports 16 may be simultaneously coupled to the vertical post 14 at a given cross-shaped section of the post between any two adjacent disc portions. In addition to supporting horizontal supports 16 , disc portions 17 provide support surfaces for vines and other climbing plants, and offer at least partial or limited vertical support for other plants that contact the disc portions. Although shown as generally round in shape, it will be appreciated that disc portions 17 may be substantially any shape, such as ellipsoidal or polygonal or the like, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
[0033] Optionally, two or more posts 14 may be generally vertically stacked or joined together to form or establish a taller configuration or assembly, depending on the particular application of the plant support assembly. For example, a hollow-cylindrical coupler or barrel 30 may be positioned or formed at upper end portion 14 a of a vertical post 14 , and may be configured to facilitate stacking of multiple plant support subassemblies 12 , such as shown in FIG. 1 . Barrel 30 includes an upper end portion 30 a and a lower end portion 30 b, with the upper end portion 30 a having an opening in its upper surface for receiving the lower end portion 14 b of an upper vertical post, and the lower end portion 30 b for stopping or limiting travel of the vertical post as it is inserted into the barrel. In addition, and as shown in FIG. 2 , barrel 30 is attached or formed or molded at lower end portion 30 b to upper end portion 14 a of vertical post 14 . Thus, barrel 30 at an upper end portion 14 a of a lower post may receive lower end portion 14 b of an upper post via an interference fit to frictionally retain the lower end portion of the upper post in the barrel of the lower post. Barrel 30 may be molded or integrally formed at the upper end of a post (such as shown) or may be otherwise attached to the upper end of the post. Optionally, the barrel element may comprise a separate part or coupler that receives the upper end of a post at one end and a lower end of a post at the other end to couple the posts together. Optionally, the barrel element or stacking or joining element may comprise an angled element such that, when attached or disposed at an upper end of a generally vertical post, an upper post may be disposed or attached at the barrel element and may extend at an angle away from vertical as it extends from the barrel element and lower vertical post. Thus, different shapes may be established or configured via use of posts and cross supports (and the cross supports or non-vertical supports may have angled connectors to further enhance the versatility and adaptability of the plant support assembly to configure to almost any desired shape or form).
[0034] Horizontal supports or connecting rods 16 may comprise a plastic or polymeric material and may be molded or formed with generally cross-shaped cross sections, and include releasable couplers or clips 22 ( FIGS. 1 , 4 , and 5 ) at opposite ends thereof. In the illustrated embodiment, each releasable coupler 22 comprises a generally C-shaped open-ended collar having an open end 26 for releasably receiving one of vertical posts 14 at one of the cross-shaped sections 15 of the vertical post. Each coupler 22 includes a pair of flexible opposed portions or legs 28 that cooperate to define the C-shape that generally corresponds to the outer dimensions of vertical posts 14 . Each opposed leg 28 includes an outwardly-flared portion 18 a that facilitates releasable coupling of coupler 22 to vertical post 14 by guiding the vertical post through the open end 26 of coupler 22 , whereby opposed legs 28 initially flex apart to receive the cross-shaped section of the vertical post, and then contract or return to or toward their initial state around the vertical post to retain the cross-shaped section inside the C-shaped channel defined between the opposed legs 28 , such as shown in FIG. 1 . Horizontal supports 16 serve to hold vertical posts 14 at a substantially fixed or stable or uniform or controlled spacing from one another, and stabilize both subassemblies 12 and support assembly 10 . Horizontal supports 16 may comprise any suitable material, such as substantially similar materials to the vertical post materials, so long as legs 28 are sufficiently strong and resilient to readily permit flexing without fracture or permanent deformation. In addition, horizontal supports 16 form support surfaces for plants or portions of plants growing upwardly along support assembly 10 , and are readily attached to and detached from vertical posts 14 for assembly and/or reconfiguration of the desired or appropriate structure, and/or storage of the individual components of the plant support assembly.
[0035] When the horizontal supports 16 are coupled to vertical posts 14 , the releasable coupler 22 of each horizontal support 16 is limited or substantially precluded from sliding downward (or upward) along vertical posts 14 by the coupler 22 or opposed legs 28 contacting an adjacent one of the disc portions 17 , or by contacting another coupler 22 of another horizontal support 16 that is in contact with a disc portion 17 . Disc portions 17 thus serve to limit downward or sliding movement of releasable coupler 22 along the vertical post 14 when the supports and posts are assembled to a desired or appropriate configuration or structure. Optionally, it will be appreciated that other means of limiting or substantially precluding sliding of the couplers along the vertical posts are contemplated, such as those described below with reference to FIGS. 6-9B , while remaining within the spirit and scope of the present invention. Optionally, for example, the opposed legs and coupler may be formed with a slot that may receive a disc portion when the coupler is attached to or clipped to a vertical post at the disc portion, whereby the disc portion may limit upward and downward movement of the coupler along the vertical post.
[0036] Also, when the horizontal supports are attached to the vertical posts via the couplers 22 , the horizontal supports 16 are substantially free to rotate 360 degrees around the post 14 until positioned at a desired or appropriate orientation or angle relative to the vertical post and/or another horizontal support. Thus, the horizontal supports may be readily rotated or pivoted or swung to the desired or appropriate orientations (while the horizontal supports are attached to the vertical posts) to arrange or configure or adjust or reconfigure the horizontal supports and support assembly for the particular application of the plant support assembly.
[0037] Optionally, the releasable couplers at each end of the horizontal support or cross-member may be angled relative to a longitudinal axis of the cross-member. Thus, the cross-member or support may be disposed or arranged in a non-horizontal or laterally extending orientation and may extend between two adjacent vertical posts at an angle (such as, for example, 20 degrees or 30 degrees or 45 degrees) relative to a horizontal plane, while the couplers have a generally vertical axis of the respective receiving passageway so as to facilitate coupling of the angled cross-member to the generally vertical supports or posts. Such an angled cross-member configuration may further enhance the versatility of the support assembly and/or may enhance the structural rigidity of the support assembly.
[0038] Optionally, and with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7A , a vertical post 14 ′ of a plant support assembly of the present invention may include generally cross-shaped sections 15 ′ with disc portions 17 ′ spaced along the vertical post 14 ′. As shown in FIG. 7A , disc portions 17 ′ do not extend radially past a diameter or cross-dimension of the cross-shaped portion 15 ′ of the vertical post 14 ′. Disc portions 17 ′ thus may have the same diameter as the cross-dimension of the cross-shaped portion or may have a smaller diameter than the cross-dimension of the cross-shaped portion, and thus the disc portions 17 ′ may be engaged by tabs or extensions 21 ′ ( FIG. 9B ) disposed at or inside and extending from releasable couplers 22 ′ at opposite ends of a horizontal support 16 ′ ( FIG. 8 ). Horizontal support 16 ′ may be substantially similar to horizontal support 16 , and may include one or more tabs 21 ′ extending radially inward into the channel defined by opposed legs 28 ′ of releasable couplers 22 ′.
[0039] When horizontal support 16 ′ is installed at vertical post 14 ′, the radially inwardly-extending tabs 21 ′ extend into the spaces between adjacent legs or cross-elements of cross-shaped section 15 ′, and engage or rest upon an upper surface of one of disc portions 17 ′ when the support 16 ′ is disposed at a level at or near the disc portion, whereby the disc portions limit or substantially preclude further vertical movement (such as downward movement) of the horizontal support 16 ′ along the vertical post 14 ′. Optionally, a horizontal support (similar to support 16 ′ of FIG. 8 , but lacking the radially inwardly-extending tabs 21 ′) may be prevented from sliding by modified disc portions 17 ″ disposed or formed at and spaced along a vertical post 14 ″ ( FIG. 7B ), where vertical post 14 ″ includes disc portions 17 ″ that extend radially outwardly from the outer dimensional limits of cross shaped sections 15 ″. In such an application, the upper surfaces of disc portions 17 ″ may engage the lower surfaces of the opposed legs of the releasable coupler of the horizontal support, which may or may not include radially inwardly-extending tabs at its coupler.
[0040] Referring now to FIGS. 10-12B , another plant support assembly 110 ( FIG. 10 ) may be made up of a plurality of subassemblies 112 ( FIG. 11 ) including vertical posts or supports 114 and horizontal or non-vertical bars or supports 116 . In the illustrated embodiment of FIG. 10 , plant support assembly 110 is assembled or configured to be generally triangular in shape when viewed from above, and includes three subassemblies 112 cooperating in a manner described below. A plurality of connecting rods or elements 118 is provided at and along an upper end of the assembly and connecting to the upper ends of the vertical posts to stabilize plant support assembly 110 .
[0041] Vertical posts 114 include upper end portions 114 a and lower end portions 114 b. Vertical posts 114 may comprise any suitable material and may be substantially rigid so that lower end portions 114 b are insertable into a soil surface, or substantially any other relatively soft material or growth media. Vertical post 114 may have a substantially continuous cross-shaped section in order to primarily support vertical loads while also resisting bending or twisting of the post, and may be made from extruded plastic, fiber-filled resins, and the like. The size or cross dimension of the vertical post is sized to be receivable in the couplers of the horizontal supports 116 when the supports and posts are assembled together and configured to the desired or appropriate shape of the completed plant support assembly.
[0042] Horizontal supports 116 are similarly molded or formed with cross-shaped cross sections, and include a fixed coupler 120 and a releasable coupler 122 at opposite ends thereof. The couplers 120 , 122 are configured to attach or connect the support 116 to and between a pair of posts. Fixed coupler 120 may be fixedly attached or secured to vertical post 114 , such as via snapping or molding or welding the fixed coupler to the post. In the illustrated embodiment, the fixed coupler 120 is generally C-shaped to define or establish a space or passageway 124 ( FIG. 11 ) that is large enough to receive a leg 128 of a releasable coupler 122 of another support to permit attachment of a releasable coupler 122 of an adjacent subassembly 112 to the vertical post 114 at passageway 124 of fixed coupler 120 .
[0043] Releasable coupler 122 , located at an opposite end of horizontal support 116 from fixed coupler 120 , is a generally C-shaped open-sided collar having an open end 126 for releasably receiving the vertical post of an adjacent subassembly, such as in a similar manner as discussed above. Each releasable coupler 122 includes a pair of flexible opposed portions or legs 128 cooperating to define the C-shape, with the legs being spaced apart and shaped to generally correspond to or to adapt to the outer dimensions of vertical posts 114 . Each opposed leg 128 includes an outwardly-flared portion 128 a that facilitates releasable coupling of coupler 122 to vertical post 114 by guiding the vertical post through the open end 126 , whereby opposed legs 128 initially flex apart to receive the vertical post, and then contract around the vertical post to retain the horizontal support 116 at the vertical post 114 , with the post disposed or received inside the C-shaped channel defined between the opposed legs 128 , such as shown in FIG. 10 .
[0044] When the horizontal support is attached or connected to the post, one of the legs 128 of the coupler 122 may be received in the C-shaped aperture of the fixed coupler 120 (such as shown in FIG. 10 ) so that the horizontal supports 116 may be disposed at the same level and need not be staggered in height along the vertical posts. Releasable coupler 122 is limited or substantially prevented from sliding along vertical posts 114 by one of opposed legs 128 contacting a lower one of the legs 125 of fixed coupler 120 (with legs 125 acting as stop members), thereby preventing further downward or sliding movement of releasable coupler 122 . Optionally, it will be appreciated that other means of preventing couplers from sliding along vertical posts are possible, such as those described above with the reference to FIGS. 6-9B .
[0045] In the illustrated embodiment, a hollow-cylindrical coupler or barrel or sleeve 130 receives upper end portion 114 a of vertical posts 114 , and is configured to facilitate attachment of connecting elements 118 in addition to optional stacking of multiple plant support assemblies 110 , such as described below. For example, sleeve 130 may receive upper end portion 114 a of vertical post 114 via an interference fit to frictionally retain the coupler on the vertical post. Optionally, sleeve 130 may be glued or otherwise fastened to vertical post 114 . Sleeve 130 includes an upper end portion 130 a and a lower end portion 130 b, the lower end portion 130 b for receiving upper end portion 114 a of vertical post 114 , and the upper end portion 130 a for receiving lower end portion 114 b of another vertical post (such as shown in FIG. 14 ) and/or for receiving a connecting member or insert 132 that facilitates attachment of connecting elements 118 .
[0046] Connecting elements 118 include hollow ring portions 134 at opposite ends thereof for attachment of the elements at or near upper end portions 114 a of vertical posts 114 . Connecting members 132 include upper flanges 132 a and lower portions 132 b. The lower portions 132 b are inserted into and engage the upper end portion 130 a of sleeve 130 to retain the connecting element 118 and insert 132 at the sleeve 130 . Connecting members 132 and hollow ring portions 134 are cooperatively sized so that lower portions 132 b of connecting members 132 are insertable into hollow ring portions 134 of connecting elements 118 , while upper flanges 132 a of connecting members 132 are sized so as not to pass through hollow ring portions 134 , and retain the hollow ring portions against upper end portions 130 a of sleeves 130 .
[0047] Accordingly, and as shown in FIGS. 10 and 14 - 18 , connecting elements 118 are attachable at upper end portions 114 a of vertical posts 114 by placing hollow ring portions 134 ( FIGS. 12A and 12B ) of connecting elements 118 atop upper end portions 130 a of sleeves 130 (stacking hollow ring portions 134 of adjacent connecting elements 118 atop one another as necessary), and retaining the hollow ring portions at sleeves 130 by inserting lower portions 132 b of connecting members 132 through hollow ring portions 134 and into upper end portions 130 a of sleeves 130 . To facilitate retention of connecting elements 118 , lower portion 132 b of connecting member 132 may be sized to fit tightly within upper end portion 130 a of sleeves 130 so as to create a frictional or interference fit.
[0048] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that substantially any number of subassemblies may be coupled together to form the desired or appropriate support structure or assembly, such as, for example, a fully-closed enclosure (such as a triangular-shaped structure, a square-shaped structure, or other polygonal-shaped structure), an open-ended enclosure (such as a C-shaped enclosure), or a trellis or fence structure having opposite ends. For example, three subassemblies 112 may be joined to form a plant support assembly 110 having the shape of an equilateral triangle when viewed from above ( FIG. 10 ). Optionally, two or more plant support assemblies 110 may be stacked in the manner described above with sleeves 130 of a lower support assembly 110 receiving the lower end portion of a vertical post of an upper support assembly in order to form a plant support assembly 110 ′ having increased height ( FIG. 14 ). It will further be appreciated that additional subassemblies 112 may be added to create different shapes of closed enclosures, such as, for example, a four-sided enclosure or structure 210 ( FIG. 15 ), a five-sided enclosure or structure 310 ( FIG. 16 ), or enclosures having virtually any other number of sides. Optionally, two or more subassemblies 112 may be combined or attached to one another to create an open form, such as a zigzag pattern or bent wall structure 410 ( FIG. 17 ) or a straight pattern or wall 510 ( FIG. 18 ) resembling a fence or trellis.
[0049] Thus, substantially any number of subassemblies 112 may be releasably snap-fit together by joining releasable couplers 122 to the vertical posts 114 of adjacent subassemblies 112 and attaching connecting rods 118 using connecting members 132 and sleeves 130 . Plant support assemblies 110 may thus be readily assembled and disassembled and/or reconfigured by hand, without the use of tools, and may be readily disassembled and stored in a flat configuration during periods of nonuse in order to minimize storage space for the assembly components. The height of the support structure may also be readily adjusted or increased or decreased during the growing season by stacking or unstacking similarly-shaped assemblies atop one another to support growing plants.
[0050] Therefore, the present invention provides a plant support structure or assembly that is readily configurable to a desired or appropriate size and shape depending on the particular application of the support assembly. The horizontal supports or cross members may be readily attached at desired or appropriate locations along the vertical posts and may be retained at the selected height along the posts, in order to provide the desired or appropriate structural rigidity of the support assembly and the desired configuration to promote climbing of the plant that the support assembly is supporting. The vertical posts and the horizontal supports may both comprise a plastic or polymeric material and may be molded to the desired shapes of the vertical posts and horizontal supports.
[0051] Changes and modifications to the specifically described embodiments may be carried out without departing from the principles of the present invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patent law including the doctrine of equivalents.
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A plant support is assembled from a plurality of interchangeable parts that can be readily assembled together to form a complete plant assembly having a desired size, in either an open or closed configuration, and to readily permit disassembly for storage or reconfiguration of the support. The plant support may be made up of various horizontal and vertical members that are configured to readily attach and detach from one another in order to form supports in various shapes and sizes such as enclosures or trellis-type supports. The vertical members are stackable and held together or joined via one or more couplers that join an upper end of one vertical member with a lower end of another vertical member.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to apparatus and methods for treating surfaces of plastic polymeric web substrates with electrical discharges at ambient atmospheric pressures to alter the wettability and adhesion of those surfaces to aqueous formulations coated subsequently to the treated surfaces, and particularly to apparatus and methods for such treatment in a coating line shortly before the coating application point.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
It is known that, under certain conditions, stable diffuse glow discharges can be produced near or at atmospheric pressures. Articles that discuss stable glow discharges are listed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,843 issued Sep. 24, 1996 to Glocker et al, which is incorporated herein by reference. Work in this area has been limited and directed primarily at etching of photoresist and deposition of materials. These articles indicate that a reliable method of producing diffuse glow discharges at atmospheric pressure includes the use of helium gas. The work reported in the literature has been reproduced and found to be reliable.
As disclosed in the above-referenced patent, it was found that, by using mixtures of gases including helium, stable discharges can be produced at atmospheric pressure, which discharges are able to improve dramatically the wettability and adhesion of photographic emulsions to otherwise difficult-to-coat webs comprising thermoplastic polymeric materials such as polyethylene and polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate, and polyethylene naphthalate.
It is known to glow-discharge treat plastic surfaces in substantial vacuum to improve both the wettability of the surface to aqueous coatings and the adhesion of such coatings to the surface when dried. Such treatment is performed at pressures in the range of 1 to 700 milliTorr in the presence of, for example, nitrogen and/or one or more of the noble gases (see Japanese Kokai Hei 7 1995!-166355 and Hei 7 1995!-166356). Improved wettability from vacuum glow discharge treatment, as measured by a decrease in the internal contact angle between a water drop and the plastic surface, can persist with little decay over a period of at least several weeks between treatment and aqueous coating. Improved adhesion can also remain virtually unchanged.
Glow discharge treating of webs in vacuum is most conveniently performed in a separate manufacturing step in a vacuum treatment machine. While operationally convenient, this method of treatment is very capital intensive and also adds substantially to the overall manufacturing cost of, for example, a photographic product using a thermoplastic resin web as the photographic film or paper base.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,843 issued Sep. 24, 1996, discloses method and apparatus for treating polyester web with glow discharge at atmospheric pressure, using gas mixtures including helium. The discovery is important because it permits treatment of conveyed rolls of web in an off-line machine at atmospheric pressure. Treatment is typically carried out on an apparatus wherein the web substrate is unwound from a stock roll, conveyed through a glow discharge region for treatment, and then wound into a treated stock roll. The roll may be placed in storage until needed for coating or it may be sent directly to a coating machine for application of layers to the treated surface.
At the time of the above discovery, it was believed that the effect produced on the web surface by the novel glow discharge treatment at atmospheric pressure was the same as that produced by previously-known glow discharge treatments at substantial sub-atmospheric pressures. The expected decrease in wettability contact angle and improvement in coated-layer adhesion supported this conclusion.
We now have found a shortcoming of such off-line treatment of webs, namely, a general decay in the improved adhesion effect (although, surprisingly, not in the wettability angle) as a function of elapsed time between glow discharge treatment at atmospheric pressure and coating. The present invention provides method and apparatus for avoiding this shortcoming.
The time period between treatment and coating is defined as the "latency" of the treatment. Since some treated rolls may be sent to storage while others are sent directly for coating, different rolls may have differing post-treatment histories and therefore differing latencies, which may result in roll-to-roll product variability for adhesion. Where the treatment effect decays rapidly, even the head and tail portions of an individual stock roll may exhibit substantially different adhesions.
Thus, a need exists for a process whereby all portions of all rolls being coated are provided with equal latency. Further, a need exists for a process whereby the latency is minimized, and preferably eliminated.
In the known manufacture of stock rolls of webs formed by melt cast extrusion of some thermoplastic resins, for example polyethylene terephthalate, the as-cast polymer ribbon typically is coated with a chloride-containing latex subbing layer, or primer, before lengthwise and widthwise stretching to achieve end use sheet dimensions. Typically, an additional gelatin-containing subbing layer must be applied to the latex sub before photographic layers can be coated. Omission of either the latex sub or the gel sub can result in adhesion failure of subsequently-coated photographic layers.
Thus, a need exists for a process to increase the coatability and adhesion properties of bare polymeric webs, especially webs containing a polyester polymer, sufficiently to permit omission of either or both of the subbing layers, at a substantial savings in manufacturing cost of coated product.
In the known manufacture of photographic paper including a cellulose-based web, the web typically is made water-proof, to minimize the uptake of processing chemicals during photographic development and fixing, by being impregnated on one or both sides with a bonded layer of a polyolefin, typically polyethylene. So-called "resin-coated" or "RC" paper as cast has unsatisfactory coatability and adhesion of aqueous formulations. Current practice is to treat the polyolefin surface with a corona discharge prior to the application of aqueous formulations.
This electrically intensive procedure can lead to irregular or non-uniform coatings and can cause serious damage to the photographic product if control is not tightly maintained.
Thus a need exists for a safe electrostatic process to increase the coatability and adhesion properties of polyolefin layers on resin-coated photographic papers.
It is a principal object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for coating an aqueous formulation to a bare polymeric web substrate surface wherein the surface to be coated may be treated by glow discharge at atmospheric pressure shortly before coating.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for coating an aqueous formulation to a bare polymeric web substrate surface wherein glow discharge treatment of the web is performed at atmospheric pressure in the web path on a coating machine ahead of the web coating application point.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for coating an aqueous formulation to a bare polymeric web substrate surface wherein glow discharge treatment of the web is performed at substantially atmospheric pressure (from 600 to 800 Torr) within two minutes prior to coating, and preferably within one second.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for atmospheric glow discharge treatment of successive stock rolls of a polymeric web substrate prior to coating whereby latency is constant and identical for all areas of all rolls.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus and method for atmospheric glow discharge treatment of polymeric web substrates whereby one or more conventional latex and/or gelatin subbing layers on the web may be omitted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The apparatus and method of the invention are useful in providing polymeric web substrates having high wettability and high adhesion to aqueous coatings.
Briefly described, the invention provides apparatus and method for treating and coating webs to have high coatability and adhesion to aqueous formulations by glow discharge surface treatment of a web substrate being conveyed along a web path in a coating line, also known as a coating machine, at substantially atmospheric pressure before application of a coating to the treated surface along a later portion of the same web path. A gas mixture comprising helium and nitrogen and/or oxygen permits formation of a stable glow discharge over a wide range of voltages and frequencies at ambient atmospheric pressure. This enables the glow discharge apparatus and process to be incorporated into a coating machine ahead of the coating application point, allowing minimization or virtual elimination of treatment decay through latency loss.
The glow discharge apparatus comprises a first electrode having a first surface adjacent the web conveyance path in a coating machine shortly before the coating point, a second electrode having a second surface opposite the first surface and also adjacent the web path, means for introducing gas between the first and second electrodes, and a power supply coupled between the first and second electrodes for sustaining a glow discharge therebetween, at least one of the first and second surfaces being insulated. The power supply is operable at a potential of between 0.5 kV and 20 kV and at a frequency of between 60 Hz and 40 MHz (megaHertz).
In an apparatus in accordance with the present invention, the first and second electrodes may be adjacent opposite sides of the web substrate, the web path extending therebetween, or they may be both adjacent one side of the web substrate. The gas may be pure helium; a mixture of helium and nitrogen; a mixture of helium, nitrogen, and oxygen; a mixture of helium and oxygen; or a mixture of helium, oxygen, and a fluorine-containing compound, for example, carbon tetrafluoride.
In a preferred embodiment, one of the electrodes is a conveyance roller for the web substrate in the web path of the coating machine. Most preferably, the electrode roller is also a backing roller for supporting the web substrate for application of the coating to the treated surface immediately after treatment.
A plurality of glow discharge devices may be used in series as needed to increase the treatment of low-response substrates or to permit increases in the line speed of the coating machine.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description, including the presently preferred embodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a prior art glow discharge apparatus, showing a web being treated by being passed through a glow discharge between first and second electrodes;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view similar to that of FIG. 1, showing a web being glow-discharge treated by passing by the ends of first and second electrodes;
FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a prior art glow discharge apparatus for treatment of webs, similar to the apparatus disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,843;
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a portion of a machine for the continuous coating of a layer on a substrate, showing the web being treated with the glow discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 3 at a point in the web path ahead of the coating point, the coating being applied via an extrusion hopper;
FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram like that of FIG. 4, showing the coating backing roller also serving as the grounded electrode in a glow discharge apparatus, the treatment thus being applied immediately before coating (latency approximately zero);
FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram like that of FIGS. 4 and 5, showing the glow discharge apparatus of FIGS. 4 and 5 combined in a single coating line; and
FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram like FIG. 6, showing the coating being applied via a cascade hopper, also known as a suction slide hopper, the shoe electrode being resident within the hopper suction trough.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and method for treating and coating webs to have high coatability and adhesion to aqueous formulations by the glow discharge treatment of web substrates at atmospheric pressure in a coating machine shortly before the coating of one or more of the aqueous layers to the substrate surface, and for providing uniform latency of glow discharge treatment over all areas of web to be coated. The web may be prepared by stretching a ribbon of material lengthwise and widthwise prior to heat setting and annealing.
Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art glow discharge device 10 is shown which illustrates the basic principles of atmospheric glow discharge treatment in accordance with the invention. Device 10 has first and second spaced apart electrodes 12 and 14, respectively, at least one of which has an insulating layer 16. The electrodes are electrically connected by a grounded power source 18 and are surrounded by an enclosure 20. A gas mixture including helium and, preferably, nitrogen and/or oxygen is metered into the enclosure through an entry port 22 and occupies the region between the electrodes. When energized by the power source, preferably at a voltage between about 0.5 kV and 20 kV and at a frequency between about 60 Hz and 40 MHz, the gas sustains a glow discharge 24 in this region. A polymeric web substrate 26, seen in cross-section on end in FIG. 1, is passed through the glow discharge 24 between the electrodes, and the first and second surfaces thereof 28 and 30, respectively, become altered. Either surface can be curved to be substantially conformable with the substrate surface at a substantially uniform distance therefrom. The altering treatment can change both the wettability of the surfaces to subsequent aqueous coatings and the adhesion of the surfaces to those coatings after they have been dried to form layers.
A second embodiment 32 of glow discharge apparatus is shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the gas is introduced directly and continuously into the region between electrodes 12 and 14 and preferably parallel to the electrode surfaces 34 and 36. The momentum of the flowing gas displaces the glow discharge 24 from between the electrodes, carrying a mixture of ions, radicals, and other reactive species, and resulting in an active region 38 beyond the electrodes through which substrate 26 can be conveyed for surface treatment. The apparatus can also comprise third and fourth electrodes spaced apart and disposed along said web path ahead of said first and second electrodes, at least one of said third and fourth electrodes being insulated, and further comprising means for providing a gas comprising helium between said third and fourth electrodes, and further comprising a power supply coupled between said third and fourth electrodes for sustaining a second glow discharge therebetween.
A preferred embodiment 40 of glow discharge apparatus, shown in FIG. 3, is substantially as disclosed in the above-referenced U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,843. A grounded metal roller 42 defines a first electrode which can be anodized aluminum and conveys web substrate 26 through an arc of rotation. A conformal shoe electrode 44, spaced from roller 42 by preferably about 0.2 mm to 10 mm, includes a manifold chamber 46 supplied with gas through a supply conduit 48 and in communication with the substrate first surface 28 through apertures 50. At least one of electrodes 42 and 44 is insulated. Preferably, shoe electrode 44 is formed of aluminum and is insulated by being anodized on surface 34. As is well known in atmospheric glow discharge operation, insulation of at least one of the electrodes is necessary to ensure a uniform charge density and to prevent formation of electrical streamers or arcs. From only glow discharge considerations, roller 42 can equally well be the high voltage electrode and shoe 44 the grounded electrode, but operationally working with the roller at ground is preferable. A glow discharge apparatus as disclosed in our pending application, Ser. No. 08/685,353 filed Jul. 23, 1996, would also be useful in treating web in accordance with the present invention.
We have found that the salutary effect of glow discharge on polymeric web surfaces in helium at atmospheric pressure can decay with time between treatment and coating. The time between treatment and coating can be from 5 minutes or less and preferably 2 minutes or less. In some preferred embodiments the time can be 30 seconds or less. The effect of the short time period is shown in the following example:
EXAMPLE 1
A web of polyethylene naphthalate was treated on the shoe electrode treater shown in FIG. 3 under the following conditions: 2.25 mm spacing between electrodes; 450 kHz frequency; power level 600-650 watts; gas flow of 8 liters/min of helium and 0.15 liters/min of nitrogen; web speed 3 m/min. Different portions of the treated web were subsequently coated with a photographic emulsion at various periods of time after treatment. After being set and dried, the coatings were tested for adhesion substantially as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,558,843 with the following results (in this aggravated test, removals of less than 10% are judged adequate for normal photographic use):
______________________________________ Average Percent DriedLatency Period (minutes) Coating Removed Contact Angle______________________________________ Bare PEN 62°60 62 32°45 62 33°30 64 34°15 42 33°5 15 30°2 8 27°______________________________________
The example shows that for this coating system and web substrate, substantial loss in adhesion occurs within only a few minutes of latency. Thus, short latencies are shown to be critical. We have found that, using apparatus and methods in accordance with the present invention, latencies of a few seconds are easily obtainable, and in some applications latency can be reduced to virtually zero, as described hereinbelow.
Of interest is the fact that the wetting contact angle, indicative of wettability of the support by aqueous formulations, changes only slightly while the adhesion is changing very substantially. In vacuum glow discharge treatment, contact angle is a useful correlate and predictor of adhesion. In atmospheric glow discharge treatment, the correlation is not maintained.
Referring to FIGS. 4 through 7, a coating machine 52 conveys a web substrate 26 over rollers 54, which may be either idle rollers or drive rollers, and around a coating backing roller 56 which supports the web for the application of a liquid coating via slot die hopper 58. Application can also be made by any of various other known coating applicators, for example, a cascade hopper 60 (FIG. 7), curtain coating hopper, extrusion/slide hopper, air knife metered applicator, kiss coater, fountain applicator, gravure roller, and offset roller. Web 26 may be supplied to the coating machine as a stock roll to be unwound (not shown), or coating machine 52 may be integral with a known web manufacturing machine (not shown) wherein molten polymer is extruded from an extrusion die as a relatively thick ribbon which is then oriented by stretching lengthwise and widthwise to obtain the desired sheet dimensions of the web.
In FIG. 4, along the web path at a convenient distance ahead of the coating applicator 58 is disposed a glow discharge apparatus 40 like that shown in FIG. 3. Other types of apparatus, for example those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may be used instead, but apparatus 40 is currently preferred because it includes a roller and can participate positively in conveying the web through the machine. First web surface 28 is glow discharge treated by device 40 and the web wettability and adhesion characteristics are substantially enhanced or diminished thereby. For many applications, enhancement is desired, but in other applications, for example, in manufacturing stripping films or interleaving, it is desirable to diminish the adhesion of the coated layer to the substrate. Diminished adhesion can be achieved through addition of small amounts of, for example, specific fluorocarbons to the active gas stream, as described in the cited Kokai references.
In a preferred embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, grounded roller 42 of a glow discharge apparatus 40 is also the backing roller 56 for the coating applicator 58. In this configuration, the distance along the web path between the glow discharge and the coating point is in the order of centimeters; and at typical coating speeds of several hundreds of meters per minute, latency is virtually zero, resulting in maximum adhesion of the coated layer. Since the effect of glow discharge treatment here is not reduced by time and hence is higher than in any other possible configuration, higher coating machine speeds or reduced treatment power levels may be enabled.
Where still higher machine speeds are desired, a plurality of glow discharge apparatus may be employed in series along the web path, as shown in FIG. 6, combining the configurations shown in FIGS. 4 and 5.
Multiple-slide cascade hoppers having suction troughs are well known in the coating of photographic films and papers on melt-extruded polymer substrates such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polypropylene and cellulose and polyolefin coatings bonded to paper stock. In FIG. 7, one glow discharge device 40 is shown residing within the suction trough 62 of cascade hopper 60. This preferred location may present challenges in baffling the electrode to prevent fouling with waste emulsion during preparation of the hopper for coating, but the engineering solutions are straightforward. Likewise, the glow discharge may fog light-sensitive emulsions, and it may be necessary in some applications either to visually baffle the glow discharge from the coating nip or to rotate the shoe electrode to the back side of the backing roller to break line of sight communication of the glow discharge and the coating nip.
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 which fall within the true spirit and scope 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 illustrated and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.
Parts list
10 prior art glow discharge device
12 first electrode
14 second electrode
16 insulating layer
18 power source
20 enclosure
22 entry port in 20
24 glow discharge
26 polymeric web substrate
28 first surface of 26
30 second surface of 26
32 second embodiment of glow discharge device
34 surface of 12
36 surface of 14
38 active region in 24
40 preferred embodiment of glow discharge device
42 grounded metal roller
44 insulated shoe electrode
46 manifold chamber in 44
48 gas conduit
50 apertures in 44
52 coating machine
54 rollers
56 backing roller
58 slot die hopper
60 suction slide hopper
62 suction trough
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Apparatus capable of sustained glow discharge at atmospheric pressure mounted along the web path in a web coating machine ahead of the point of coating application, for glow discharge treatment of the surface of a polymeric web shortly before coating. Latencies of treatment (the time between treatment and coating) approaching zero are possible, minimizing or preventing loss of treatment effect and maximizing adherence of a coated layer to the web surface. Elimination of one or more conventional subbing adhesion layers on the web surface is possible in some applications.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a printer apparatus capable of printing on a least two different types of recording sheets, namely, slip sheets, such as cut sheets, and roll sheets, such as journal paper or receipts.
To guide a roll sheet through the roll sheet path, a conventional printer requires a selector for selecting the proper paper path, that is, the cut sheet path, slip sheet path or roll sheet path, and a drive source for driving the guide plate. To feed a roll sheet through the printer, a feed switch is operated, which is used for feeding another sheet in synchronism with the operation of the guide plate for selecting either the slip sheet path or the roll sheet path.
In the prior art arrangement, the printer must be provided with a separate drive source for driving the guide plate, making the printer mechanism complicated. In addition, the printer frequently encounters situations where the paper must be fed in synchronism with the operation of the feed switch. This requires a complicated control mechanism.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a mechanism for a printer in which a slip sheet path or a roll sheet path is selected only through the operation of a roll sheet guide plate upon the selection of the roll sheet feed path, and a roll sheet can be readily set upon the selection of the roll sheet feed path, providing improved operability of the printer. It is a further object of the invention to provide a control system for the printer mechanism.
To achieve the above object, a printer is provided having a mechanism which can accommodate both a first recording sheet (a continuous sheet) and a second recording sheet (a cut sheet), the mechanism comprising: a first recording sheet path for conveying therethrough the first recording sheet; a second recording sheet path for conveying therethrough the second recording sheet; a printing section common to the first and second recording sheets; a roll sheet guide plate disposed in the upper portion of the printing section and manually .[.slidable.]. .Iadd.movable .Iaddend.and a detector for detecting an operation of the roll sheet guide plate, wherein by manually .[.sliding.]. .Iadd.moving .Iaddend.the roll sheet guide plate, the second recording sheet path is closed and the first recording sheet path is opened, and an operation of the roll sheet guide plate is detected by the detector.
According to another aspect of the invention, a control system is disclosed comprising a printer having the mechanism as described above, and further comprising a recording sheet control means for controlling the feed of the recording sheet, whereby the recording sheet control means is controlled according to the output of the detector, and the first recording sheet is guided to an exit of the appropriate recording sheet path.
In accordance with the above-described arrangements, when a roll sheet is fed to the printer, the slip sheet path is closed by moving the guide plate. At the same time, the drive means for controlling the paper feed is driven. Then, the roll sheet is placed to be ready for paper to be fed. Accordingly, the roll sheet can readily be set by merely inserting and pushing the roll sheet up to a roll sheet feed means. The control system for the printer of the present invention is excellent in operability.
Other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent while reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a mechanism of a paper guide portion of a printer according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the mechanism printing a slip sheet;
FIG. 2 is a side view showing the printer mechanism being placed in a sate where a roll guide plate is .[.slid.]. .Iadd.moved .Iaddend.and a roll sheet is guided into the mechanism;
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the printer mechanism in a state where the roll sheet has been set in the mechanism;
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for the printer according to the present invention; and
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a printer incorporating the printer mechanism of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a mechanism of a paper guide portion of a printer according to one embodiment of the present invention, where the mechanism is printing a slip sheet as a cut sheet. FIG. 2 is a side view showing the printer mechanism being placed in a status where a roll guide plate is .[.slid.]. .Iadd.moved .Iaddend.and a roll sheet is guided into the mechanism. FIG. 3 is a side view showing the printer mechanism in a state where the roll sheet has been guided through the mechanism. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a printer incorporating the printer mechanism of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, a print head 1 is disposed facing a platen 2. Print data can be printed on a slip sheet 14 and a roll paper 15 (a type of sheet-see FIG. 3) at a print position 1a where a print wire pin is located. The roll sheet guide plate 6 is held in a wait position by a return spring 7, which is strained between the plate 6 and a roll sheet guide mounting frame 9.
The slip sheet 14 passes the print position 1a (in the direction of arrow 14A) with the aid of a slip sheet feeding roller 12 (rotating in the direction of arrow 12A) and a slip sheet holding roller 13, which is held in press contact with the roller 12 by a spring force (not shown). As the slip sheet passes the print position 1a, print data is printed on the slip sheet by the print head 1.
When the slip sheet is fed into the printer's slip sheet path a predetermined distance, a slip sheet pull-out roller 3 swings in the direction of arrow 4A about a fulcrum shaft 4a about which a lever 4 is swingable, and presses the slip sheet against a slip sheet pull-out/holding roller 5. As the slip sheet travels along the slip sheet path, it is eventually discharged in the direction 14A after being subjected to the printing, with the assistance of the combination of rollers 3 and 5. When the slip sheet path is selected, the roll sheet guide plate 6 is held in a wait position by the return spring 7 coupled between the guide plate and the frame 9, and therefore is out of the slip sheet path. This completely eliminates paper from jamming which is one of the most serious problems of a conventional printer.
The setting and exchange of the roll sheet 15 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.
The printer mechanism shown in FIG. 2 is ready for the setting of a new sheet. As shown, in this state the holding roller 13 is separated from the feeding roller 12, and the holding roller 5 likewise is separated from the feeding roller 3. One end of the roll sheet guide plate 6 is fixedly coupled with a knob 16, while the other end faces the slip sheet path. When the knob 16 is pushed in the direction of arrow 6A, the guide plate 6 closes the slip sheet path which extends between the pair of rollers 3 and 5. The movement of the knob 16 is detected by a detector 8 which is mounted on the frame 9. A signal derived from the detector 8 is used for driving a paper feeding power source (not shown). A drive force derived from the power source rotates a roll sheet feeding roller 10 in the direction of arrow 10A. The feeding roller 10 and a sheet holding roller 11 nip the leading edge of a roll sheet 15 as it is inserted in the direction 15A, and feeds the roll sheet in the same direction 15A. The roll sheet 15 passes the print position 1a, advances along a slope 6a of the guide plate 6, and exits the mechanism in the direction of arrow 15B. The roll sheet 15 exiting from the mechanism is subsequently fed to a cutter or a take-up unit, for instance. A recording sheet (e.g., recording sheets 14, 15) conveyance mechanism includes rollers 3, 5, and 10-13).
After the roll sheet 15 is fed a predetermined distance, the knob 16 is released. Then, the return spring 7, which is coupled to the frame 9, returns the guide plate 6 to the wait position. At this time, the knob 16 disengages from the detector 8, which in turn produces a signal. In response to the signal, the setting of the roll sheet feed path is stopped and completed. It is noted that even when the roll sheet is in a position as shown in FIG. 3, data can be printed on the slip sheet, and if the roll sheet paper is pressure sensitive, the same data can also be printed on the roll sheet paper.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a control system for the printer according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a printer incorporating the printer mechanism of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, data is inputted to a CPU 42 from an external device through an interface 41. A ROM 44 is provided for storing program codes for CPU 42, character fonts data and so on. The data represents information, such as character fonts, and is used by the CPU to control and operate the printer. A RAM 43 temporarily stores the data from the interface 41 or the data derived from the ROM 44. An I/O 45 serves as a buffer for temporarily storing data, which is transferred to control circuits 51 to 53 for controlling a printer 50 which is under the control of the CPU 42. Of the control circuits 51 to 53, reference numeral 51 designates a motor control circuit, 52 represents a head control circuit, and 53 represents a power control circuit for operating the printer mechanism. A detector 46 detects the motion of the roll sheet guide plate. Another detector 47 detects when the cover of the printer is opened.
In FIG. 5, reference numeral 50 designates a printer case, and 61 represents a printer cover for covering the printing section, which cover is swingable between an open or closed position. A panel switch 62, coupled to the control system of the printer, instructs the control system to automatically feed a recording sheet. The cover open switch 47 is fixed at such a location as to be in contact with the cover of the printer case. Upon receipt of a signal from the switch, the CPU recognizes whether or not the cover is in the open or closed position. When the cover is in the closed position, if the knob 16 (shown in FIG. 1) is pushed in the direction 6A, it becomes in contact with the switch 8 fixed to the frame 9, and the switch 8 generates a signal accordingly. Upon receipt of this signal, the CPU drives a power source (not shown) through the I/O 45 and the motor control circuit 51 to feed paper into the printer. At this time, the roll sheet is fed and moved along the slope 6a of the guide plate 6 in the direction 15B (FIG. 3). Thus, the roll sheet is reliably advanced in the first recording sheet path.
When the cover is in the open position, if the panel switch is mistakenly pushed, the roll sheet may be transferred to the wrong paper path. This could cause the paper to jam. To avoid this, a control program operates when the cover is in the open position to render the panel switch inoperable.
As understood from the foregoing description, the printer mechanism of the invention contains the roll sheet guide, the switch for detecting the movement of the roll sheet guide plate, and the power control means driven by that switch. With this arrangement, the roll sheet path can be selected through only the operation of the guide plate, which is simple and not time consuming. Furthermore, the present invention includes the cover open detector. With the use of the detector, when the cover is in the open position, the panel switch is made inoperable, thereby preventing paper from jamming.
It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, but may be changed and modified within the scope and spirit of the appended claims.
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A printer which can accommodate both continuous sheets and cut sheets includes both a continuous sheet path and a cut sheet path. A printing section is provided in common for the continuous and cut sheets. A manually .[.slidable.]. .Iadd.movable .Iaddend.continuous sheet guide plate is provided in the upper portion of the printing section. A detector detects .[.operatin.]. .Iadd.operation .Iaddend.of the continuous sheet guide plate. When the guide plate is .[.slid.]. .Iadd.moved .Iaddend.so that the cut sheet path is closed and the continuous sheet path is selected, in response to the output of the detector the continuous sheet is fed to the exit of the continuous sheet path.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to a coating material, wherein said preferred embodiment, comprises a nonwoven fabric conformed by polymeric fibers which adhere to each other by means of a binder and a coating comprised of a second binder which is applied on one of the fabric's surfaces, wherein the first and second binder are functionally equivalent.
[0002] The invention also refers to a process to obtain a coating material which comprises an initial stage of obtaining a nonwoven fabric conformed by polymeric fibers, followed by the application of the binder onto the nonwoven fabric in order for these to adhere to the fibers, and finally applying a coat of the second binder onto one of the fabric's surfaces.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Within the constructive process context, which promotes comfort and ensures habitability quality in buildings and other productive sectors, one of the most considered and analyzed aspects is related to the protection and waterproofing of surfaces, which aims to reduce the effects related to water seepage.
[0004] The coating and protection of surfaces such as floors, roofs, decks, walls, pools, reservoirs, tiles, tanks, among others, is very important in the construction industry due to the effects caused by water intrusion, internal temperature increases and derived problems such as corrosion, paint peeling, mold and structural foundation deterioration. Said moisture causes not only economic loss but can also generate health problems.
[0005] Existing prefabricated materials for surface coating are generally made with multiple composite polyurethane, asphalt or bitumen mixtures which are manufactured layer by layer, wherein each of these layers provide a specific property such as water resistance, adhesiveness, reinforcement, decoration and reflectance.
[0006] Asphalt mantles have become one of the most widely used waterproofing systems because it is a prefabricated material that does not depend on curing times and environmental conditions for installation. However, these mantles have their own disadvantages such as low resistance to temperature changes and deterioration due to structural settlement.
[0007] The application of asphalt or bituminous materials has harmful effects on the environment since they contain volatile organic compounds and also require full or partial melting of the material for installation, which involves the use of hot liquids, torches or blow torches, which can cause risk of injury to the installer and fires.
[0008] With the development of acrylic resins, although some properties are improved in waterproofing performance when compared to asphalt mantles, a disadvantage was generated during its installation process, given application directly depends on weather conditions which must necessarily be dry and preferably on sunny days, and which during curing time, that can be up to 36 hours, rain must be absent.
[0009] There has been a recent development in coating technologies with liquid waterproofing properties, which may be resistant to traffic and in accordance with the amount and type of application, it may or may not reflect light. When applied in situ, the effectiveness of the coating depends on the skill of the installer, as several coats of liquid with long periods of drying time between each one must be manually applied, which significantly increases the time of work and exposure to adverse weather conditions, especially on external surfaces. The protection thus depends on the installer's ability to provide an even coating, which increases the risk that a poor aesthetic appearance results and fails to protect the surface due to peelings or seepage.
[0010] Prefabricated materials are generally made up of several layers, in which detachment may occur after being cut for installation. In some cases, said materials are not flexible enough, which make it difficult to apply onto two dimensional or three dimensional shapes such as corners and joints, which demand frequent maintenance.
[0011] There is a need to provide a coating material which is impermeable, preferably a single layer, with high water resistance, with a suitable vapor permeability and good structural integrity, which would represent a more efficient and economical solution for surface protection.
[0012] The present invention intends to unify performance advantages presented by waterproofing acrylics together with the benefits of asphalt coats, which results in a product that can meet waterproofing properties effectively and that its installation is quick, safe and not dependent of weather variations.
[0013] The coating material of the present invention ensures adequate surface protection given it is waterproof, vapor permeable, self-cleaning, resistant to light foot traffic and puddle resistant. Furthermore, the inclusion of optional elements in their composition adds other features to the material, allowing it to be reflective of natural and infrared light, a heat and sound insulator, flame retardant, self-adhesive and/or a decorative material. The material may preferably be in the form of a roll, a film, tapes and the like, in various two and three dimensional shapes.
STATE OF THE ART
[0014] Various waterproofing materials have been developed, mostly multilayer coating of surfaces, materials, parts and objects that must be kept dry.
[0015] WO2011041263 discloses a multilayer membrane, which may be rolled, comprising three layers: a support layer of high density polyethylene, a pressure sensitive adhesive layer, preferably a styrene-isoprene-butadiene copolymer and a third protective layer composed of PVA and softened by acrylic polymers. By comprising three layers, its flexibility is limited and has many disadvantages due to detachment of the layers when cut for installation.
[0016] Application EP2177349 discloses a flexible multilayer membrane wherein a first polyethylene layer, acting as a moisture barrier, and another compound layer allows it to combine with the liquid concrete to bind when dry. The layers are joined by a hot melt sealant solid (acrylate, polyurethane, silane, polyolefins), which require high temperatures and the use of torches to be installed.
[0017] WO2011139466 discloses a waterproofing membrane comprising a support sheet, a pressure sensitive layer on top of one surface of the adhesive support sheet and a protective coating layer on top of the adhesive layer. The protective coating layer is highly reflective (optionally with texture) and is suitable as a concrete binder. The protective coating layer comprises cement, polymer, and white pigment, and optionally a filler agent, a UV absorbent and an antioxidant. Although this membrane has excellent properties such as reflectance and thermal insulation, resistance to deterioration is very poor.
DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
[0018] FIG. 1 : A photograph of the coating material of the present invention is observed, wherein a single homogeneous layer is shown. The dark section of the upper part of the photograph corresponds to an optical effect and not a material transition.
[0019] FIG. 2 : A photograph of the synthetic TPO polyolefin (Texa) membrane, containing 2 layers, is observed.
[0020] FIG. 3 : A photograph of a prefabricated impermeable coating (Mapeguard®), containing 3 layers, is observed.
[0021] FIG. 4 : A photograph of another prefabricated impermeable coating (Geomembrana® Tanques), containing 2 layers, is observed.
[0022] FIG. 5 : A photograph of another prefabricated impermeable coating (Geomembrana® Piscinas), containing 2 layers, is observed.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] In a first embodiment, the present invention relates to a monolithic coating material comprising a nonwoven fabric composed of polyester, polyolefin or natural fibers bonded together by a binder and a coating comprised of a second binder applied on one face of the fabric, wherein the first and second binders are functionally equivalent.
[0024] The term “functionally equivalent” is defined as the ability to form a monolith, where the components can be of the same chemical nature or compatible in terms of adhesion between the formulations (acrylic, styrenated acrylic, urethane or mixtures thereof), such that no interface (contact) or fault plane in the interface (or its vicinities) which may mechanically weaken the material and avoids delamination along the interface is generated.
[0025] In a preferred embodiment, the coating material of the present invention is obtained from polyethylene terephthalate fibers which are immersed in acrylic resin solutions which act as binders for textile fibers, following a process that facilitates binding between the fibers and the resin, resulting in an acrylic coating reinforced with fibers, which can be obtained in various shapes, sizes, lengths and thicknesses.
[0026] The nonwoven fabric material of the present invention may consist of polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate. Polyethylene terephthalate, known for its acronym PET, belongs to the group of synthetic materials called linear polyesters and it is a thermoplastic polymer with a high degree of crystallinity which is widely used in the textile and beverage container industry. PET is obtained by a polycondensation reaction between terephthalic acid and ethylene glycol. Like all thermoplastic materials, these can be processed by extrusion, injection, blow molding, preform blowing and thermoforming.
[0027] Acrylic resins provide materials water repellency (waterproofing) and water vapor permeability properties, while other additional compounds such as lighteners, biocides, aluminum hydroxide or pigments, will provide reflectant, thermal insulating and decorative characteristics. Due to its features, the coating material of the present invention can be installed regardless of the environmental conditions at the place of application, because it does not require any curing time, it is cold implemented and does not require high temperatures for installation.
[0028] In one embodiment of the claimed coating material, two formulations of functionally equivalent binders are used. The first binder formulation (formulation A), used to bind the fibers of the nonwoven fabric, comprises carbonates, thickener acrylic resins, wetting agents, coalescing agents and coupling agents. The second binder formulation (formulation B), which is applied on one surface of the fabric, contains the same elements of the formulation of the first binder, and optionally other compounds such as titanium dioxide, lighteners, biocides or pigments.
[0029] By varying the content of associative and urethane based thickeners, the rheological characteristics of each of the formulations A and B may be modified in order to adjust the manufacturing process and the characteristics of the fibers employed.
[0030] In order to obtain the monolithic coating material, a low resistance nonwoven fabric is firstly formed from polyester fibers, preferably randomly crosslinked, during a randomization process. The nonwoven fabric of the present invention can be obtained by different methods, including by dry laid, wet laid, air laid or the like, so that a random orientation of the fibers is ensured for higher structural tensile strength when the coating material is formed.
[0031] The predefined polyester fiber nonwoven fabric is now subject to a padding process where two rollers impregnate the fabric with the binder of Formulation A and it then goes through the drying rolls which are pressurized with steam to ensure drying.
[0032] Following, the Formulation B binder is added in the application (mirror roller), which is responsible for spreading the material along the roller, and a blade defines the thickness of the binder to be applied. Finally, the material is subject to a heat treatment with hot air at a temperature of about 70° C. at a rate to ensure adequate drying and to provide a finished desired texture of the material.
[0033] The binders of the present invention may include the following raw materials: guar or starch ether thickeners, silicone or mineral oil antifoaming agents, hydrophobic dispersants, moisturizers from the glycol family (propylene glycol, ethylene glycol, butyl glycol), coupling agents from the silane family, different colored mineral or organic pigments, ceramic microspheres, mineral nature lighteners (borosilicate, perlite) or organic nature lighteners such as urethane based or styrenated acrylic based polymers, coalescents, acrylic or urethane thickeners; flame retardants such as aluminum hydroxide or magnesium hydroxide, chlorinated paraffin or organophosphorous compounds.
[0034] The resins may be, preferably, of a pure acrylic or styrenated acrylic nature such as, for example, Rhoplex® EC 1791 (DOW) 2002 Acriten® (Sygla) and Texilan® 562 (Andercol).
[0035] Formulations, especially Formulation B, may include titanium dioxide between 0.1% and 1.0% by weight to produce biocide effects by photocatalytic action and self-cleaning by a superhydrophilicity effect. This allows for surface sealing to be functionalized in regards to the material of the instant invention. Similarly, one can functionalize the surface material of the invention, increasing the titanium dioxide content of Formulation B up to 8.0%, whereby a better coating at lower cost is obtained.
[0036] A more reflective surface thus obtained allows a decrease in temperature on the support coating which decreases both damaging effects due to thermal expansion and the energy consumption of environmental conditioning equipment inside a building. Similarly, the addition of plastic 40 μm microspheres (Expancel ® from Akzo Nobel), within a 0.1% to 0.7% of the composition, allows a decrease of the emittance of the material surface at lower manufacturing cost compared to the addition to the total mass of the product with said microspheres.
[0037] Quality tests are performed on the completed material in order to verify viscosity properties, solid content; density, pH, application tests on a base material for a qualitative observation on applicability, covering power and presence of lumps. The compound is packed in containers for easy handling in the process of shaping the waterproof material.
[0038] The coating material of the present invention may be installed on a substrate by various methods known in the art, such as ballast (including a load thereon), mechanical attachment (screws) or by direct attachment. In the latter case, a formulation similar to Formulation A or Formulation B may be placed on the carrier which serves as an adhesive between the surface and the coating material of the present invention.
[0039] To facilitate application on a surface, one or more components of adhesives or surface contact to facilitate contact or surface pressure such as Adhetac® HB70 may be incorporated onto the material coating of the present invention.
EXAMPLES
[0040] The invention is explained in greater detail through the following examples, wherein the inventive concept is not restricted to them.
Example 1
[0041] A nonwoven fabric is prepared using 38 millimeter long and 0.1 millimeter diameter PET fibers, by randomizing the fibers until a final weight of the fabric is between 120 and 180 grams/m 2 and a thickness between 0.50 and 0.70 millimeters is obtained.
[0042] In the preparation of the first binder (Formulation A) a mixture of 33.7% water, 0.16% cellulose ether thickener, 0.4% antifoaming agent, 1.5% dispersant, 0.7% wetting agent, 0.20% silane, 0.1% fungicide algaecide, 41.6% calcium carbonate, 20.6% pure acrylic emulsion, 0.5% coalescent and 0.1% associative thickener is prepared in Cowlex type disperser in order to provide the necessary agitation to obtain a homogeneous mixture.
[0043] In the preparation of the second binder (Formulation B) a mixture is also made in a Cowlex type disperser with the following components: 15.0% water, 0.4% cellulose ether thickener, 0.5% antifoaming agent, 1.4% dispersant, 1.4% wetting agent, 0.2% silane, 0.1% fungicide algaecide, 2.0% titanium dioxide, 36.0% calcium carbonate, 40.0% pure acrylic emulsion, 1.1% coalescent, 0.8% associative thickener and 0.5% biocide.
[0044] The nonwoven fabric is impregnated with the formulation A by means of a Foulard process. Once impregnated, it passes through drying towers where the mixture components are structurally consolidated. The temperature of the rollers may vary between 130° C. and 145° C., and the manufacturing speed may be between 1 and 2 meters/second.
[0045] Subsequently, Formulation B is incorporated by the knife over roller method, whereby the pores are sealed and the thickness is adjusted between 1.20 and 1.50 millimeters, thus obtaining a smooth and uniform finish. The finished material is passed through a drying oven with hot air recirculation between 70° C. and 80° C. at a rate of 1.5 meters/second.
Example 2
[0046] In another preferred embodiment, Formulation B is mixed with 3% by weight 38 mm long and 0.1 mm diameter PET fibers. The material thus obtained is placed on a conveyor belt, where a blade spreads the product and provides the desired thickness, and later subject to oven drying at a temperature between 60° C. and 70° C. Formulation A or Formulation B is then fed by the knife over roll method with which the pores are sealed and the 1.20 to 1.50 mm thickness is set. Finally, the material is passed through a drying oven with recirculating air between 70° C. and 80° C. at a rate of 1.5 meters/second.
Efficacy/Performance Tests
[0047] The following tests were performed on the coating material of Example 1 of the present invention, and were compared to other waterproofing products.
[0000]
a)
Pressurized water absorption test according to EN12390-8 standard
Membrane
Pres-
thickness
sure
Approval yes/no
Product
(mm)
(bar)
Time (days)
7 days
14 days
EXAMPLE 1
1.10
1.5 b
7 and 14 days
Yes
Yes
SIKAFILL ®
2.37
1.5 b
7 and 14 days
Yes
Yes
ELASTOSIL ®
2.22
1.5 b
7 and 14 days
Yes
No
PARAGUAS ®
2.34
1.5 b
7 and 14 days
Yes
Yes
[0000]
b)
Elongation tests according to ASTM D6083 standard
Maximum tensile stress
Product
Elongation %
kg/cm 2
EXAMPLE 1
83
58.9
SIKAFILL ®
402
11.9
ELASTOSIL ®
140
22.5
PARAGUAS ®
353
14.6
[0000]
c)
Water absorption according to ASTM D6083 standard
Approved yes/no
Product
Water absorption %
After 7 days
EXAMPLE 1
9%
Yes
SIKAFILL ®
35%
No
ELASTOSIL ®
71%
No
PARAGUAS ®
24%
No
[0000]
d)
Water vapor transmission according to ASTM D6083 standard
Water vapor permeability
Product
Membrane thickness (mm)
g · m 2 · cm · d
EXAMPLE 1
1.10
6.7
SIKAFILL ®
0.77
2.3
ELASTOSIL ®
0.85
1.9
PARAGUAS ®
0.98
4.5
[0048] Modifications to the embodiments of the previously described invention may be appreciated by one skilled in the art and may be carried out without departing from the spirit of the invention, as set forth by the scope of the following claims.
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The present invention relates to a coating material that comprises a nonwoven fabric composed of polyester, polyolefin or natural fibers bonded together by a first binder and a coating comprised of a second binder applied on one of the surfaces of the fabric, wherein the first and second binders are functionally equivalent. The material of the present invention provides an adequate surface protection by being waterproof, water vapor proof, self-cleaning and resistant to light foot traffic.
The invention also refers to a process to obtain the coating material which comprises a first stage of obtaining the nonwoven fabric composed of polymeric fibers, followed by the application of a binder onto the nonwoven fabric to bind the fibers and a final stage wherein a second binder is applied to one of the fabric's surfaces.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED CASES
[0001] None.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention pertains to a compact, light weight, folding stand adapted for use with portable hydraulic hose crimpers designed to crimp a hose fitting to flexible hoses and the like. The purpose of this stand, in its unfolded position, is to position the portable crimping device at a predetermined working height, from a support surface during hose assembly. When not required, the stand is folded substantially flat and secured to an adjoining wall portion of the crimping device for stowage and ease of portability therewith.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The assignee of the present invention, Parker-Hannifin Corporation, of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A., manufactures and markets, under the trade name “MiniKrimp” a compact, lightweight, portable, hand-held if so desired, apparatus for crimping a hose fitting to the end of, for example, of thermoplastic, fluorocarbon and rubber hoses, with the structural and operational details of this portable crimping device being are set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,335 B2 to Huebner et al.
[0004] The positioning the portable crimping device a predetermined distance from a base or support surface, during the hose-to-fitting crimping process, allows the bottom surface of the crimping device, where the hose to be crimped is entered into this device, to be free from obstructions, thus improving both the cycle time and the ease of operation.
[0005] Thus, there exists a need in the art for a mechanism for raising the portable crimping apparatus to the desired height, the key attributes for which included: low weight; ease of folding and unfolding; the absence of a locking mechanism in the unfolded or working position; a flat folding position on a side surface of the crimping device and ready portability therewith; as well as a simple but sturdy kinematical folding design; and low manufacturing cost.
[0006] The patent literature includes folding support devices for everything from flashlights (U.S. Pat. No. 1,658,189 to Embury) to camera tripod support means (U.S. Pat. No. 2,543,352 to Brown), to adjustable support bases for computer devices and the like (U.S. Pat. No. 4,989,813 to Kim et al.), to universal supports for hand operated devices (U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,791 to Scherbarth), and even to a collapsible milk carton holder (U.S. Des. 179,992 to Walker). However, none of these prior art apparatuses, include the novel structures, details and combinations of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
[0007] Accordingly, in order to increase the versatility and ease of operation or use of the portable hydraulic hose crimper the foldable or folding stand of this invention permits, in an unfolded position, the raising of the portable crimper a predetermined working distance or height from a support surface, while in its folded position, being folded substantially flat against and secured to a vertical wall portion of the crimping device.
[0008] Specifically, in terms of structure, the foldable stand for a portable crimping device of this invention is adapted to be secured to a horizontal bottom wall surface of the crimping device, with the foldable stand comprising in combination: (a) a base portion, including a pair of spaced, main chassis, longitudinal base members, interconnected, on first ends thereof, via a first transversely directed connecting portion and interconnected, inboard of second ends thereof, via a second transversely directed connecting portion, the base member second ends each having a horizontal coaxial first pivot aperture in a common first pivot axis, the second connecting portion including a pair of laterally separated, coplanar, first stop point folding areas and a circumferentially spaced pair of laterally separated, coplanar, first stop standing point areas; (b) a mounting portion, including a generally ring shaped body portion having a top surface, a bottom surface, a central aperture, a plurality of spaced through bores and a pair of aligned, spaced, attachment bosses, at opposite sides of a front end portion of the body portion, the attachment bosses each including a lateral, vertical attachment portion having an opposed, horizontal coaxial second pivot aperture in a common second pivot axis, parallel with the first pivot axis, each attachment boss including a second stop point folding area, in first common plane, and a circumferentially spaced second stop point standing area, in a second common plane; (c) a pair of elongated cross members, each having a top surface, a bottom surface and first and second ends having first and second through bores, respectively; (d) a first pair of oppositely directed fastening members for pivotally connecting the first ends of the cross members, via the first bores, with respective ones, of the base portion second ends, via the first pivot apertures, thereby permitting relative movement, between the base portion and the cross members, for a first predetermined reflex angle between the first stop point folding areas and the first stop point standing areas; and (e) a second pair of oppositely directed fastening members for pivotally connecting the second ends of the cross members, via the second bores, with respective ones, of the mounting portion attachment bosses, via the second pivot apertures, thereby permitting relative movement between the mounting portion and the cross members, for a second predetermined reflex angle between the second stop point folding areas and the second stop point standing areas.
[0009] The first predetermined reflex angle has an angular extent of about 315 degrees, while the second predetermined reflex angle has an angular extent of about 240 degrees.
[0010] When the cross members abut the first and second stop point standing areas, respectively, the foldable stand is in an unfolded position. The folding stand, in its unfolded position, utilizes the mass of the portable crimping device, acting via its center of gravity, through the first and second stop point standing areas, to retain the foldable stand in the unfolded position.
[0011] When the cross members abut the first and second stop point folding areas, respectively, the foldable stand is in a folded position.
[0012] In one variation, one of the mounting portion attachment bosses includes, in an outer end surface thereof, a further bore portion and the base portion first connecting portion includes a further through bore, the further bore and through bore being axially aligned when the foldable stand is in the folded position, with an additional fastening member, extending, through the further through bore into the further bore, being adapted to fixedly retain the base portion to the mounting portion, in the folded position, thus fixedly securing the folding stand, in its folded position, to the portable crimping device and being portable therewith. In the folded position of the folding stand, the folded stand adjoins a front surface portion of the portable crimping device.
[0013] In another variation, the attachment boss further bore portion serves as retainer for the additional fastening member when the folding stand is in its unfolded position.
[0014] In a further version, the bottom wall surface of the portable crimping device abuts the top surface of the mounting portion and is secured thereto, via a plurality of further fastening members, extending through the plurality of through bores, in the body portion of the mounting portion, into a plurality of aligned bores in the crimping device bottom wall surface.
[0015] In a differing version, the first and second pairs of fastening members take the form of stainless steel shoulder bolts.
[0016] In yet another version, the first transversely directed connecting portion includes an arced center portion that can serve as an operator handle during folding and unfolding of the foldable stand.
[0017] A still further version includes a parallel, auxiliary chassis, longitudinal base member, interconnected, on opposed ends thereof, via further transversely directed connecting portions, with one of the main chassis, longitudinal base members, inboard of the ends thereof. The further connecting portions of the auxiliary chassis base member preferably include a plurality of spaced through bores, the through bores being aligned with matching through bores in the base portion of a hydraulic pump normally mounted on a side surface of the portable crimping device, thereby permitting the mounting of the pump, via suitable fastening members, to the base portion.
[0018] In yet a differing version, the ends of bottom surfaces of the main and auxiliary chassis longitudinal base members are provided with respective foot portions, with the lowermost surface of each of the foot portions defining an area in a common plane that, in turn, defines the footprint of the base portion.
[0019] Another embodiment of this invention pertains to a folding stand for a portable crimping device, the folding stand being adapted to be secured to the horizontal bottom wall of the crimping device and adapted, in a folded position, to be folded substantially flat against a vertical wall portion of the crimping device, and, in an unfolded position, to vertically raise the crimping device to a predetermined working height from a support surface, wherein the folding stand comprises: a. a base portion, including a pair of spaced main members, connected on front ends thereof, via a transverse, front, connecting portion, and connected, inboard of rear ends thereof, via a transverse, rear, connecting portion, with each base member rear end having a first pivot aperture coaxial with a rear pivot axis, the rear connecting portion including laterally spaced, coplanar, first stop point folding surfaces and an angularly spaced pair of laterally spaced, coplanar, first stop point standing surfaces; b. a mounting portion, including a generally annular body portion, having a top surface, a bottom surface, a central opening, a plurality of spaced through bores and a pair of spaced, opposed attachment bosses, located at opposite sides of a front body portion thereof, each attachment boss including a lateral attachment portion having a second pivot aperture in a common front pivot axis, parallel with the rear pivot axis, each attachment boss including a second stop point folding surface, in a first common plane, and an angularly spaced second stop point standing surface, in a second common plane; c. a pair of elongated cross members, each having a top and bottom surfaces, as well as front and rear ends having front and rear through bores, respectively; d. a pair of oppositely directed rear shoulder bolts for pivotally connecting the rear ends of the cross members, via the rear bores, with respective ones of the base portion rear ends, via the rear pivot apertures, thereby permitting relative movement, between the base portion and the cross members, for an angle of about 315 degrees, between the first stop point folding surfaces and the first stop point standing surfaces; and e. another pair of oppositely directed front shoulder bolts for pivotally connecting the front ends of the cross members, via the front bores, with respective ones of the mounting portion attachment bosses, via the rear pivot apertures, thereby permitting relative movement between the mounting portion and the cross members, for an angle of about 240 degrees, between the second stop point folding surfaces and the second stop point standing surfaces.
[0020] In one variation, the cross members substantially abut the first and second stop point surface, respectively, when the folding stand is in an unfolded position, the folding stand, in the unfolded position, utilizing the mass of the crimping device, acting through its center of gravity and the first and second stop point standing surfaces, to retain the stand in the unfolded position.
[0021] In another variation, when the cross members abut the first and second stop point folding surfaces, the folding stand is in a folded position. Preferably, one of the attachment bosses of the mounting portion includes, in an outer surface thereof, a further bore portion and the base portion front connecting portion includes a further through bore, the latter and the further bore portion being axially aligned when the folding stand is in its folded position, with a fastening member, extending through the further through bore into the further bore portion, the fastening member being adapted to fixedly retain the base portion to the mounting portion, thus fixedly securing the folding stand to the crimping device.
[0022] In a further variation, the bottom wall surface of the crimping device adjoins the top surface of the mounting portion and is secured thereto with a plurality of further fastening members extending through the plurality of through bores in the mounting portion.
[0023] A yet another variation includes a parallel longitudinal base member, connected, on respective front and rear ends thereof, via additional transverse connecting portions, with an adjoining one of the main base members, inboard of the ends thereof. The additional transverse connecting portions include a plurality of additional through bores, the through bores being aligned with corresponding through bores in the base portion of a hydraulic pump normally removably mounted on a side surface of the crimping device, thereby permitting the relocation and mounting of the pump, via suitable fasteners, to the base portion.
[0024] The previously-described advantages and features, as well as other advantages and features, will become readily apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments that follow.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0025] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the folding stand of the present invention, in its working position, together with a portable crimping device housing, shown in phantom lines, mounted thereon;
[0026] FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a portable crimping device of the type utilized with the folding stand of the present invention;
[0027] FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the base part of the folding stand of the present invention;
[0028] FIG. 4 is a left end view of the base part of FIG. 3 ;
[0029] FIG. 5 is a right end view of the base part of FIG. 3 ;
[0030] FIG. 6 is frontal plan view of the base part of FIG. 3 ;
[0031] FIG. 7 is a top plan view of the stand mount of the folding stand of the present invention;
[0032] FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the stand mount of FIG. 7 ;
[0033] FIG. 9 is a left end view of the stand mount of FIG. 7 ;
[0034] FIG. 10 is a front view of the stand mount of FIG. 7 ;
[0035] FIG. 11 is a side view of one of the cross members of the folding stand of the present invention;
[0036] FIG. 12 is an edge view of the cross member of FIG. 11 ;
[0037] FIG. 13 is an enlarged view similar to that of the circled area B in FIG. 9 ;
[0038] FIG. 14 is an enlarged partial view, partly in section, taken along line 14 - 14 of FIG. 3 ; and
[0039] FIGS. 15A-15G illustrate the motion sequence, starting the fully folded position in FIG. 15A and successively progressing, via the positions shown in FIGS. 15B-15F , until reaching the full working position shown in FIG. 15G .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
[0040] Turning now to the several drawings, illustrated in the perspective view of FIG. 1 and indicated generally at 20 , is the folding stand of the present invention, in its working position, together with a housing 24 , shown in phantom lines, of a portable crimping device 22 , shown in more detail in FIG. 2 . Crimping device 22 , illustrated merely to indicate the mechanism with which folding stand 20 finds utility and forming no part of the present invention, is set forth in detail in previously-noted U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,335 B2, to Huebner et al., the disclosure of which is fully incorporated herein by reference. For ease of understanding, crimping device 22 includes noted one piece housing 24 having a bottom surface 25 with a plurality of threaded perpendicular bores (not shown), a hydraulic cylinder 26 , a spring loaded piston 28 movably situated within hydraulic cylinder 26 , a removable die pusher 30 , and a removably attachable, manually operated hydraulic pump 32 . Portable crimping device 22 , which weighs about 45 pounds, without tooling, is utilized for permanently attaching a metallic end fitting (not shown) onto the end of a flexible hose (not shown), as illustrated in cited U.S. Pat. No. 6,715,335 B2, in a manner well known in the art.
[0041] As illustrated in FIG. 1 , folding stand 20 includes a base part or base portion 36 and a stand mount or mounting portion 38 , interconnected via a pair of spaced, parallel, cross members 40 , all of which will now be described in greater detail. Turning initially to FIGS. 3-6 and 14 , illustrated therein are several views of base portion 36 , preferably consisting of a metallic material, such as an aluminum alloy, although other materials, such as plastics and/or composites, or the like, may be utilized. Base portion 36 includes main chassis longitudinal, parallel, spaced and vertically-directed base members 42 , 44 , whose respective front or proximate end portions 46 , 48 , are rigidly connected via a transversely-directed, integral, arced front connecting portion 50 , having a vertical, through aperture 52 near its right hand end, in the vicinity of member end portion 48 . Rear or distal end portions 54 , 56 , respectively, of members 42 , 44 , are provided with coaxial, opposed, horizontally-directed, threaded apertures 58 residing in a common pivot axis 60 . Main chassis members 42 , 44 , are rigidly connected, slightly inboard of their respective distal end portions 54 , 56 , via a transversely-directed, integral, straight, rear connecting portion 62 having an angled or tapered, integral rear or outside abutment portion or area 64 that forms an acute, inside 45 degree angle 66 , as best seen in FIG. 5 , with members 42 and 44 . As best seen in FIG. 14 , the leading edge of angled abutment portion or area 64 , which also acts as a standing stop point surface area, merges into a bottom surface 65 , parallel with a top surface 63 of rear connecting portion 62 . The clockwise or reflex angle 67 , between standing stop surface 64 and folded stop point surface 65 provides for a maximum of 315 degree of rotational or angular movement. An auxiliary, longitudinal chassis member 68 , parallel with main chassis member 44 , is connected to the side thereof not connected to chassis member 42 , at its ends 70 , 72 , via spaced, transversely-directed, integral connecting portions 74 , 76 . Each connecting portion 74 , 76 , is provided, near its ends, adjacent to members 44 and 68 , with two lateral, spaced threaded, through bores 78 . The four threaded bores 78 are spaced, in a predetermined manner, so as to permit, if so desired, the fastening, to connecting portions 74 , 76 , via bolts (not shown) of previously-noted hydraulic pump 32 that is normally bolted to one side of crimping device 22 ( FIG. 2 ), using its existing bolt holes. Finally, the ends 46 , 48 , 70 and 72 of chassis members 42 , 44 and 68 , respectively, are provide with similar, short, curved foot portions 80 , while main chassis member ends 54 and 56 are provide with elongated, vertical, foot portions 80 , with the outer or lowermost surface of each of the noted foot portions defining a an area in a common plane (not shown) that, in turn, defines the footprint of base portion 36 .
[0042] Turning now to FIGS. 7-10 and 13 , illustrated therein are several views of stand or mounting portion 38 , again preferably consisting of an aluminum alloy, although other materials, as previously noted, may also be utilized. Mounting portion 38 , which is generally ring-shaped, includes a body portion 86 having a top surface 88 , a bottom surface 90 , a central aperture 92 and four through bores 94 , equally spaced around and parallel with central aperture 92 . Extending perpendicularly from bottom surface 90 are spaced, curved, reinforcing or stiffening, opposed rib portions 96 , 98 as well as opposed rib portions 100 , 102 , with rib portions 100 , 102 merging smoothly into spaced, opposite attachment bosses 104 , 106 , respectively. Bosses 104 , 106 , are allochiral or mirror images of each other, thus only the end of boss 106 is illustrated in detail in FIG. 9 . Thus, each of bosses 104 , 106 , includes an outer end surface 108 , with only surface 108 of boss 106 being provided with a perpendicular, threaded bore 110 . Each of bosses 104 , 106 , is also provided with a lateral attachment portion 114 having a laterally-directed threaded bore 116 residing in a common pivot axis 117 parallel with base portion pivot axis 60 , an angled standing stop point working position surface area or tapered surface area 118 as well as a straight folded stop point working position surface area or retracted position surface area 120 . As best seen in FIG. 13 , the clockwise movement or reflex angle 124 , between folded stop point surface 120 and standing stop point surface 118 provides for a maximum 240 degree of rotational or angular movement. Stand mount or mounting portion 38 is adapted to be connected with crimping device 22 by locating the latter above mounting portion 38 so that its top surface 88 abuts and is coplanar with crimping device bottom surface 25 in a manner so that a plurality of conventional metal bolts (not shown) can have their threaded portions extend through bores 94 and into mating, fixed, engagement with the threaded bores (not shown) in crimping device bottom surface 25 . If it is desired, since it is not mandatory, to remove and relocate the previously-noted hydraulic pump 32 from crimping device 22 onto folding stand base portion 36 , it should be understood that a high pressure hydraulic hose (not shown) and a quick disconnect coupler (not shown) will also be required.
[0043] Continuing now with FIGS. 11 and 12 , illustrated therein is one of the pair of cross members 40 , preferably again comprised of a metallic materials, such as fabricated steel bar stock, although other materials, as previously noted, may be utilized. Each cross member 40 has a top surface 123 and a bottom surface 123 as well as first and second ends 124 , 126 , with lateral through bores 128 , 130 , respectively. As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 15 B- 15 G, cross members 40 have their first ends 124 operatively interconnected, via conventional, preferably stainless steel material shoulder bolts 134 (not shown in detail), extending, via apertures 128 and threaded apertures 58 , into opposed main chassis member distal ends 54 , 56 . The use of shoulder bolts 134 presents an economical way to produce pin type joints at the noted locations
[0044] Upon the just noted interconnection, cross members 40 can rotate, about shoulder bolts 134 , from folded stop point area 65 to standing stop point area 63 and vice versa, through reflex angle 67 ( FIG. 14 ), for the noted maximum of 315 degrees of rotational movement. Again, as best seen in FIGS. 1 and 15 A- 15 G, cross members 40 have their second ends 126 operatively interconnected, via additional, similar, shoulder bolts 136 , extending via apertures 130 and threaded bores 116 , with lateral attachment bosses 104 , 106 of stand mount 38 . Thus, cross member second ends can rotate, about shoulder bolts 136 , from folded stop point area 120 to standing stop point area 118 ( FIG. 13 ), for the noted maximum 240 degrees of rotational movement. When cross bars 40 are in their folded position, relative to folding stand base portion 36 , folded stop point areas 65 ( FIG. 14 ) of the latter abut or make contact with cross bar bottom surface 123 , at cross bar ends 124 , and when cross bars 40 are in their folded position, relative to mounting portion 38 , folded stop point areas 120 ( FIG. 13 ) of the latter abut or make contact with cross bar top surface 125 , at cross bar ends 126 . When folded, in the just described manner, base portion aperture 52 ( FIG. 3 ) is axially aligned with threaded bore 110 ( FIG. 10 ) in stand mount attachment boss 106 . A conventional preferably knurled, threaded bolt (not shown), having its threaded portion extending through aperture 52 can then be threaded, into operative engagement with bore 110 , thereby locking base portion 36 to mounting portion 38 and, together with crimping device 22 produce the fully folded or at-rest position of folding stand 20 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 15A . When it is desired to release folding stand 20 , from its locked position, the noted knurled bolt is removed and thereafter stored by threading same into threaded bore 110 . It should be clear that portable crimping device 22 can fully function in its usual and intended manner when folding device 20 is fully folded, in the manner previously described, since none of its structural components interfere with the assembly or operation of crimping device 20 .
[0045] In terms of operation, once folding stand 20 is released from its locked position, relative to crimping device 22 ( FIG. 15A ), stand 20 is unfolded in the manner graphically illustrated in the series of progressive steps shown in FIGS. 15B through 15F , thus arriving at the fully unfolded position thereof shown in FIG. 15G . In the FIG. 15G position, cross bar top surfaces 121 of second ends 126 abut or make contact with standing stop point surfaces 118 of stand mount attachment bosses 106 , 108 , while cross bar bottom surfaces 123 of first ends 124 abut or make contact with standing stop point surfaces 64 of base portion 36 . No separate locking mechanism is required to keep folding stand 20 in its standing position, instead, it relies on the center of gravity of crimping device 22 , indicated by arrow 140 in FIG. 15G , with the mass of crimping device 22 acting, via the force of gravity, through the previously noted standing stop point surfaces 64 and 118 ( FIGS. 13, 14 ) on folding stand 20 . It should be understood that a reversal of the just described unfolding procedure will result in stand 20 being in its folded position, adjoining the front face 34 of crimping device 22 . The previously noted, not-illustrated threaded bolt or fastener can then be utilized to secure base portion 36 to mounting portion 38 , thus securing folding stand 20 , in its fully folded or at-rest position, to crimping device 22 , thereby permitting the portability of the stand/crimping device combination as but a single unit.
[0046] It should also be understood, at this time that the use of preferably lightweight material, such as, for example, an aluminum alloy, for the base portion 36 and mounting portion 38 , aids in limiting the weight of folding stand 20 to about four pounds and that the previously described kinematical folding design permits ready unfolding and subsequent refolding thereof. In addition, the minimum size of folding stand 20 contributes to its ease of portability along with crimping device 22 , while not interfering with the operation and/or function of crimping device 22 , even when stand 20 is fully folded.
[0047] It is deemed that one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present invention fills remaining needs in this art and will be able to affect various changes, substitutions of equivalents and various other aspects of the invention as described herein. Thus, it is intended that the protection granted hereon be limited only by the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.
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A folding stand adapted to be secured to the bottom wall of a portable crimping device which, in a folded position, is substantially flat against a wall portion thereof and, in an unfolded position, vertically raises the crimping device to a predetermined working height, the folding stand including a base portion, having a rear pivot axis, a mounting portion, having a front pivot axis, and a pair of elongated cross members for interconnecting the base and mounting portions, via oppositely directed fastening members, with opposed ends of the cross members being adapted to pivot, relative to the adjoining base and mounting members, between respective first and second stop point folding surfaces, in a folded position, and first and second stop point standing surfaces, in an unfolded position, the respective stop point folding and stop point standing surfaces being angularly spaced therebetween via first and second predetermined reflex angles.
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The inventions described herein apply generally to wastewater treatment systems that employ biological processes as a treatment step and also employ one or more membranes in a filtration step. More specifically, the inventions are directed to improved methods of wastewater treatment that use phase separation, membrane filtration and recirculation controls to improve the efficiency of membrane filter operations and promote the removal of organics, nitrogen and phosphorus in activated sludge and enhance solids management in anaerobic treatment processes.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] Since the advent of federal surface water discharge standards in the early 1970's, wastewater treatment technology has gradually developed to meet an expanding list of environmental objectives. Conventional applications of activated sludge treatment are known to be effective for removal of organic carbon, represented as biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and, with clarification, the removal of total suspended solids (TSS) from a variety of commercial, industrial and municipal wastewaters. Additionally, selectively subjecting the mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) of the wastewater to aerobic (Ae), anaerobic (An) and anoxic (Ax) conditions is known by various processes in the art to be effective at removing forms of nitrogen and phosphorus (commonly referred to as nutrient removal). In most circumstances, the reduction of concentrations of BOD, TSS, nitrogen and phosphorus to predetermined levels set forth in a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (“NPDES”) permit grant a wastewater treatment plant operator the necessary authority under the Clean Water Act to discharge the treated waste stream into local surface water such as a river or lake.
[0003] However, many wastewater treatment plant operators are finding that discharge to surface water is not the best use of the wastewater “resource” collected. For various economic, political or environmental reasons, there is a need in the industry for additional treatment technology that improves on conventional treatment. In fact, some state and federal regulatory agencies have developed additional and more stringent treatment standards that, if met, allow other beneficial uses of treated wastewater such as reuse (for example, as irrigation water or cooling water) and pretreatment for recharge (for example, groundwater aquifer replenishment).
[0004] Although originally developed in the treatment of drinking water, it is now known in the art that membrane technology can be employed to completely remove suspended solids and provide significant reductions of certain pathogens, colloidal organic compounds and other organic and inorganic insoluble compounds from wastewater through various microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration techniques. However, the benefit of this fine particle removal technology has substantial associated costs.
[0005] Due to the capital costs and energy requirements of membrane technology, membrane filter arrays are optimally installed in a treatment process at a location downstream of primary and secondary solids removal processes. Conventionally, it is desirable to have the influent to the membrane filter array be of low turbidity (5 NTU or less) and low suspended solids concentrations (5 mg/l or less) with little variation over time. Such an arrangement reduces the energy cost of the membrane step, reduces the required membrane filtration area and extends both the cleaning cycle and life cycle of the membranes. One example of this application is the AquaMB Process® of Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. The AquaMB Process® incorporates biological treatment, secondary settling and cloth media filtration to reduce the solids that must be removed by membrane filtration. However, such multiple barrier applications require adequate physical space which may disqualify such systems from use on compact sites. Therefore there is a need in the art for a membrane filtration process that meets current and potential future effluent standards in a compact space with a low capital cost as treatment volumes increase.
[0006] It is noted that there are compact membrane filtration systems for wastewater treatment currently in use such as the Aqua-Aerobic® MBR technology by Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. In such systems, the solids concentration of the influent to the membrane filter array is the same as the solids concentration in the primary treatment bioreactor, and substantially higher than the desired mixed liquor suspended solids (MLSS) concentration that optimizes membrane filtration. Consequently, for any given membrane biological reactor (MBR) system with an influent rate of 1 Q, at least 4 Q (typically 4 Q to 7 Q) is recycled from the membrane system to the bioreactor. This process results in high system wide energy demand, low membrane flux (the rate at which permeate passes through the membrane), high membrane maintenance cost and increased membrane module replacement interval. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a membrane filtration process that combines a compact site footprint with a high membrane flux rate and low energy and maintenance demands.
[0007] U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,108 (Yang) discloses a multi phase separator for concentrating recycled solids to accelerate and enhance nutrient removal within a biological wastewater treatment system. As described in the Yang reference, phase separators are intended for placement on solids-recycle streams drawn from bioreactor vessels as opposed to placement on the main treatment path. Phase separators are typically intended to operate with inlet MLSS concentrations of 4,000 mg/l-6,000 mg/l with short detention times to isolate a supernatant (subsequently treated) from the biomass in order to increase the efficiency of nitrogen and phosphorus removal. In these applications, the supernatant normally has total suspended solids (TSS) concentration of 20 mg/l-50 mg/l. However, it is a feature and an advantage of the inventions described herein that a modified phase separator can be used to condition MLSS influent to a membrane filter system and reduce the membrane recycle rate.
[0008] As discussed further herein, a modified phase separator, decoupled from its mixing element, can be repurposed to function as an additional MLSS control device. Using a modified phase separator in the main treatment path saves space over multi barrier systems by replacing a solids clarification device and a media filter with a small footprint separator at lower capital cost. Also, by reducing or discounting the conventional nutrient removal function of a phase separator, the flow-through capacity can be substantially increased making the system useful at higher hydraulic capacities. The phase separator retains its solids separation function, and reduces the MLSS concentration entering the membrane filter system. Through supplemental piping, the solids return line in a modified phase separator can be directed as needed to one or more of an anaerobic reactor, an aerobic reactor or an anoxic reactor to enhance nutrient removal capabilities. Alternatively or in combination, the wastewater influent upstream of the phase separator can be directed through anaerobic, aerobic and anoxic reactors to obtain effective nutrient removal in advance of its introduction to the phase separator. With these novel modifications, the phase separator can be applied to treat MLSS concentrations not previously thought practical.
[0009] To save additional space, reduce capital costs, and, more importantly, to enhance the total nitrogen removal, it has been discovered that aerobic and anoxic reactors can be staged in a dual use basin by the sequenced operation of aeration equipment. During the aeration phase of the cycle, conditions promote BOD removal and nitrification. During the anoxic phase of the cycle, conditions promote denitrification along with BOD removal. The staged basin can use time based cycling or instrument control based cycling (such as with a DO probe) to create an effluent with low oxidized nitrogen as an average over time. Also, the advantages of the herein described inventions are effective where a conventional sequencing batch reactor (SBR) process is employed upstream of the modified phase separator as a replacement for the staged basin. The recited advantages may be obtained from either a conventional SBR employing sequential fill, react, and discharge phases for aerated and anoxic conditions, or alternatively with a modified sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) which provides filling, reacting and discharging steps without significant water level change or valves necessary to support the batch processing.
[0010] The presently described inventions overcome limitations of current membrane treatment systems. These and other benefits of the various forms of the inventions are described in detail herein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONS
[0011] The present inventions preserve the advantages of known membrane bioreactor techniques and also provide new features and advantages. In a primary aspect, the inventions enhance the operation of membrane filter arrays by controlling the quality of the influent to the membrane chamber. In another aspect, the inventions result in overall reduction in recycle pumping thereby improving the energy efficiency of the membrane system. Hereafter, where the specification refers to treatment reactors, chambers, vessels and the like, it will be understood to be a reference to any form of isolating the location where a treatment step takes place as those forms are known in the art. Hereafter, where the specification refers to a channel, it will be understood to be a reference to any physical conveyance (such as a pipe, trough, ditch, hose, sluice, tunnel, weir box, etc.) known in the art for the purpose of conveying a wastewater from one location to another.
[0012] In another aspect, the inventions describe the modification and repurposing of a phase separator device of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,942,108 (Yang). Within the scope of the inventions described herein, a phase separator, decoupled from its mixing element, can be designed and employed in the main line of treatment between a primary biological treatment reactor and a membrane filtration chamber to control and condition the MLSS concentration that comes in contact with the membrane. Hereafter, all references to a phase separator will be understood to reference the modified version of a conventional phase separator as described above—meaning without a mixing element. The advantages of reduced size and reduced hydraulic retention time for a phase separator over conventional clarification basins also accomplishes the objective of reducing the physical space needed to meet wastewater treatment objectives. For example, the volumetric requirements for conventional secondary clarifiers following an extended-aeration activated-sludge process are often sized based upon a hydraulic retention time of 4-8 hours, whereas a phase separator requires only 0.4-1.0 hours of hydraulic detention.
[0013] In yet another aspect, the phase separator may be optionally fitted with a weir baffle and scum pipe mechanism or other debris collection equipment as is known in the art. In this configuration, the modified phase separator also acts as an added barrier protecting downstream membrane filters against debris (plastics, wood, fiber and the like) and the damaging effects of grit that may pass through the required primary treatment steps of other MBR systems. Peak hydraulic flows and open top biological reactors in conventional systems bypass grit and debris which ends up impacting the membrane filters. The supplemental grit and debris removal properties of the phase separator provide a critical back-up role to reduce membrane maintenance and extend the life expectancy of the sensitive membranes. Similarly, the phase separator may allow the use of certain ballast materials (such as magnetite) which can be used to augment the biological process but can interfere with the proper operation of membrane systems. Where such ballasted materials possess a specific gravity greater than 1.0, the phase separator can retain the ballast material thereby preventing its contact with the downstream membranes.
[0014] In combination with the modified phase separator, certain variations and sequences of anaerobic, aerobic and anoxic reactors arranged within a continuous flow treatment system are proposed for enhanced removal of nutrients and organics. Alternatively, these reactors may, in various arrangements, be implemented in a conventional sequencing batch reactor, or in a constant water level modified sequencing batch reactor or in a conventional flow-through activated sludge system or an anaerobic process. Thus the inventions provide for the treatment of a wastewater flow with membrane technology to meet secondary or tertiary effluent standards in a small physical space at a reduced cost with improved membrane flux rates, reduced operating pressures, lower maintenance costs and augmented reliability with reduced exposure to grit and debris.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The stated and unstated objectives, features and advantages of the present inventions (sometimes used in the singular, but not excluding the plural) will become apparent from the following descriptions and drawings, wherein like reference numerals represent like elements in the various views, and in which:
[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a wastewater treatment process using a staged aeration basin and a phase separator, both hydraulically positioned between an anaerobic reactor and a membrane filter array.
[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic representation of a wastewater treatment process using a staged aeration basin, a phase separator and a membrane filter array, wherein an anoxic reactor conditions returned solids from the phase separator before discharge to an anaerobic reactor.
[0018] FIG. 3 is a schematic representation of a wastewater treatment process using a staged aeration basin, a phase separator and a membrane filter array, wherein a pre-anoxic reactor conditions returned solids from the membrane filter array before discharge to an anaerobic reactor.
[0019] FIG. 4 is a typical graphic representation of the changes in the concentration levels of various nitrogen compounds over time in a staged aeration reactor (SAR), sequencing batch reactor (SBR) or a constant-level modified sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) which utilizes cyclical aeration.
[0020] FIG. 5 is a graphic representation of the changes in the concentration levels of dissolved oxygen in discreet anoxic and dissolved oxygen controlled aerobic periods over time in a staged aeration reactor, sequencing batch reactor or a constant-level modified sequencing batch reactor which utilize cyclical aeration.
[0021] FIG. 6A is a schematic representation of a wastewater treatment process using a phase separator hydraulically positioned between a sequencing batch reactor system and a membrane filter array during a react/fill phase of a first SBR cell and a react/discharge/recycle phase of a second SBR cell.
[0022] FIG. 6B is a schematic representation of a second step in the wastewater treatment process of FIG. 6A during a react/fill phase of a second SBR cell and a react/discharge/recycle phase of a first SBR cell.
[0023] FIG. 7A is a schematic representation of a wastewater treatment process using a sequencing batch reactor system and a phase separator, both hydraulically positioned between an anaerobic reactor and a membrane filter array, during a react/fill phase of a first SBR cell and a react/discharge/recycle phase of a second SBR cell.
[0024] FIG. 7B is a schematic representation of a second step in the wastewater treatment process of FIG. 7A during a react/fill phase of a second SBR cell and a react/discharge/recycle phase of a first SBR cell.
[0025] FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic representations of a wastewater treatment process using a conventional multi-stage arrangement of aerobic and anoxic reactors with a phase separator, each hydraulically positioned between an anaerobic reactor and a membrane filter array.
[0026] FIGS. 9A and 9B are a variation of FIGS. 7A and 7B which adds an anoxic reactor to the recycle from the phase separator and operates a constant-level, continuous-flow modified sequencing batch reactor (MSBR) with cross connecting channels between the MSBR cells.
[0027] FIGS. 10A and 10B are a variation of FIGS. 9A and 9B which adds an aeration reactor which receives recycle from the membrane tank and is hydraulically positioned between the MSBR reactors and the phase separator.
[0028] FIGS. 11A and 11B depict a schematic representation of parallel MSBR reactors within a wastewater treatment process that can alternatively isolate each reactor cell from the main line of treatment to temporarily employ batch treatment within a flow-through system.
[0029] FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of an anaerobic wastewater treatment process using a phase separator hydraulically positioned between an anaerobic reactor and a membrane filter array with circulating gas from the anaerobic reactor used as a membrane scouring agent.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0030] Set forth below is a description of what is currently believed to be the preferred embodiments or best representative examples of the inventions claimed. Future and present alternatives and modifications to the embodiments and preferred embodiments are contemplated. Any alternatives or modifications which make insubstantial changes in function, purpose, structure or result are intended to be covered by the claims of this patent. Where references in the specification are made to a numeric concentration for a specific wastewater characteristic (such as MLSS), the concentration is intended to be understood as an average concentration over time (in hours or days) as opposed to an instantaneous or episodic concentration value.
[0031] FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a wastewater treatment process according to one of the preferred embodiments of the invention. On the primary treatment path, the process employs an anaerobic reactor 11 , a staged aerobic/anoxic or aeration reactor 12 , a phase separator 13 and a membrane filter 14 . Typically a screened and de-gritted wastewater enters anaerobic reactor 11 via influent channel 20 where it interacts with an activated sludge biomass (not shown) in the presence of one of a variety of non-aerating mixing devices as known in the art, such as an AquaDDM® mixer by Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. Anaerobic reactor 11 promotes the growth of phosphorus accumulating organisms (PAO). Enhanced biological phosphorus removal is expedited in the absence of significant levels of dissolved oxygen and oxidized forms of nitrogen.
[0032] Facultative bacteria present in anaerobic reactor 11 produce acetate and other fermentation products which are then used as substrate by the PAO. By increasing the MLSS concentration in sludge return line 33 in comparison to the MLSS concentration in reactor 11 , less treated liquid (containing little or no organic carbon) is returned to the anaerobic cell 11 .
[0033] Increasing the organic carbon concentration (which could, equivalently, be understood as limiting the volume of diluted liquid in sludge return line 33 ) reduces the quantity of oxidized nitrogen being returned to the anaerobic cell 11 , promoting a purer anaerobic condition.
[0034] Limiting the volume of diluted liquid introduced to the anaerobic cell 11 , also increases the actual hydraulic retention time which, in turn, encourages the fermentation of volatile fatty acids (VFA) from the non-VFA organic carbon. A byproduct of this process is the substantial release of phosphorus from the cell mass into a soluble form. Optionally, a monitor can be placed to sample phosphorus concentrations in anaerobic reactor 11 to indicate the rate of increase of phosphorus released into the basin from the interaction over the contribution of phosphorus present in the influent channel 20 .
[0035] The effluent from anaerobic reactor 11 is conveyed to a staged aeration reactor 12 via channel 21 . A fully mixed environment is maintained in the staged aeration reactor 12 by one of a variety of non-aerating mixing devices as known in the art such as an AquaDDM® mixer by Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. In addition, the staged aeration reactor 12 is equipped with an aeration system, preferably a fine bubble aeration system such as one of the Endura® series aeration systems of Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. The staged aeration reactor 12 also receives concentrated return solids from membrane reactor 14 via return channel 34 . The combined mixed liquor sources from channel 21 and return channel 34 preferably are operated to create and maintain a MLSS concentration of approximately 5,000-10,000 mg/l in staged aeration reactor 12 .
[0036] Instrumentation and controls associated with the staged aeration reactor 12 selectively cycle the aeration system on and off in repeating intervals to create alternating aerobic and anoxic conditions in the reactor 12 (see also, FIGS. 4 and 5 ). Under aerobic conditions in reactor 12 , nitrification is promoted, organic carbon is converted to carbon dioxide, water and additional biomass; and phosphates are taken up by the biomass, particularly through interaction with PAO. Under anoxic conditions in reactor 12 , denitrification is promoted (increasing as MLSS concentration increases), and the mixed liquor solids are phosphate rich. Although BOD 5 reduction is exhibited under aerobic and anoxic conditions, the rate of BOD 5 reduction is greater during the aerated periods of operation.
[0037] The influent of channel 21 enters the reactor with a certain potential oxygen demand. The oxygen demand is created by the aerobic metabolism of the organic constituents (i.e. BOD 5 reduction) and the nitrification of ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 —N). The aeration system is sized to meet this oxygen demand. A dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration profile like that of FIG. 5 will normally indicate a pattern of increasing DO concentration during aerated periods, followed by decreasing DO values (to near zero) during non-aerated periods. Typically, the DO concentration will reach a peak value at the end of each aeration period as shown in FIG. 5 .
[0038] Cycling of the staged aeration reactor 12 may be time based or event based. Preferably, time based cycling is employed by switching the aeration equipment on and off at regular intervals. The DO profile can be managed by providing discreet control (on/off) of the aeration system 42 or by use of variable frequency drives (VFD) on the aeration system blowers to target a specific DO value at any given time during the oxic (aerated) periods. Upon termination of the aeration period, the resulting depletion rate of DO concentration can be monitored as representative of the oxygen uptake rate (OUR) of the reactor 12 . DO probes, redox/ORP probes and similar monitoring devices as are known in the art may be installed in reactor 12 or on a sampling line from reactor 12 to track the changes in DO concentration over time.
[0039] For most wastewaters, it is preferred to operate in one hour cycles with approximately 75% of the cycle in aerobic conditions and 25% of the cycle in anoxic conditions. Event based cycling may be linked to concentrations of dissolved oxygen, nitrates or ammonia nitrogen through the use of various probes or sampling of the mixed liquor in the reactor 12 . Whether event based or time based, the treatment objective in the staged aeration reactor is to obtain an effluent in channel 22 that is low in oxidized nitrogen when averaged over time (see FIG. 4 ).
[0040] The mixed liquor effluent from staged aeration reactor 12 is conveyed to a phase separator 13 via channel 22 . Phase separator 13 is modified from conventional design. Modifications to phase separator 13 include functionally decoupling the unit from any mixing or aeration equipment. Further optional modifications include adding scum removal equipment (not shown) such as a baffle at the outlet weir box and a scum pipe or similar removal equipment as is known in the art.
[0041] The phase separator 13 creates a low energy environment that results in two discharges with different properties. The supernatant overflow drawn off through channel 23 to the membrane reactor 14 is comparatively low in suspended solids with low concentrations of settleable solids. When the optional scum removal equipment is used, the supernatant is also low in scum, grease and floatable debris. Phase separator 13 also has a second discharge via return solids channel 33 which conveys a thickened sludge back to anaerobic reactor 11 . Thickened sludge is typically conveyed by one of a variety of sludge pumps which are well known in the art for that purpose. The phase separator 13 is preferably sized and configured to remove greater than 70% of the total suspended solids from staged aeration reactor 12 through channel 33 . For most typical wastewaters treated by the process described herein, the total suspended solids in channel 23 and subsequently introduced to the membrane reactor 14 represents less than 50-250 mg/l (based on an approximate flow split of 70% exiting phase separator 13 through channel 23 and 30% of the flow through channel 33 ). In applications which may utilize coagulants (such as aluminum sulfate) for supplemental phosphorus removal or other chemicals to enhance membrane flux, introduction through channel 22 prior to the phase separator 13 will reduce the solids and chemical loading to the membranes.
[0042] In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , return solids channel 33 may route the solids from phase separator 13 to an anoxic reactor 17 . Anoxic reactor 17 is maintained in an anoxic condition for additional denitrification and for the reduction of dissolved oxygen prior to returning the solids to anaerobic reactor 11 via channel 27 . Anoxic reactor 17 may also be used to condition a portion of the system influent upstream of anaerobic reactor 11 . Incoming flow in channel 20 may be split with a portion diverted directly to anoxic reactor 17 via channel 200 prior to being introduced into anaerobic reactor 11 for treatment. Diversion through channel 200 is appropriate when nitrate levels in channel 20 are high. At conventional nitrate levels, channel 200 is normally closed.
[0043] The membrane reactor 14 receives the supernatant effluent from phase separator 13 via channel 23 . Preferably, the submerged membrane filtration system of reactor 14 employs a hollow fiber membrane system, (for example, the PURON™ membranes manufactured by Koch Membrane Systems) and is configured for an outside-in flow path. The PURON™ membrane is a polyethersulfone, hollow fiber, membrane cast onto a braided support and potted at one end of each fiber bundle. The supernatant effluent from phase separator 13 is introduced to the outside of the hollow membrane fibers present in membrane reactor 14 . A vacuum pressure is applied to the inside of the fibers by a vacuum pump or other means as are known in the art to draw a filtrate (or permeate) from the outside of the fiber to the inside. Preferably, the nominal pore size of the membrane fibers is approximately 0.05 microns. However, pore sizes may vary through the full range of microfiltration, ultrafiltration and nanofiltration membranes indicated for use in wastewater applications. Other membrane filtration equipment, pumping systems and procedures as are known in the art may be substituted without departing from the scope of the inventions.
[0044] In a preferred embodiment, the potted end of each fiber bundle is fixed in a foot element, with a central air nozzle to inject air into the center of the bundle on the outside of the fibers. The shear force of the injected air scours the membrane surface removing deposits from the membrane. Module sludging and clogging, noted in other systems, is largely avoided. Air injection is in operation during the production mode of the membrane filters, and may be continuously or intermittently operated. Periodically the membranes may be back-flushed to remove accumulated surface-deposits that have reduced the membrane flux rate. During membrane back-flushing, filtered permeate is pumped in a reverse direction through the membranes in conjunction with the air scouring operation. During conditions where the influent flow 20 is below design capacity, the membranes can be operated in a relaxation state where flow is not passing through the membrane in either a forward or reverse direction, for a limited period, as a method for improving membrane performance. During such a membrane relaxation mode, the phase separator 13 can be similarly controlled whereby flow is neither entering nor exiting the basin by providing proper isolation of the membrane recycle function, resulting in improved performance by increasing the concentration of suspended solids in the underflow stream 33 . Chemical cleaning may also be periodically indicated when membrane fouling is attributable to biological films or adsorbed substances.
[0045] The membrane reactor 14 is a physical barrier to suspended solids and microorganisms which replaces a clarification step and/or a filtration step in conventional treatment processes. In a preferred embodiment, channel 23 includes a distribution manifold located at the bottom of reactor 14 so that the flow path is from the bottom to the top of the membrane fiber bundles. Typically, the manifold allows for even distribution of the influent across the full horizontal dimensions of membrane reactor 14 .
[0046] The mixed liquor which does not pass through the membrane of reactor 14 accumulates solids and is discharged as the retentate of the membrane reactor 14 through solids return channel 34 to the staged aeration basin 12 . Given the pore size of the membrane and the higher flux rate obtained by using an influent with a lower MLSS concentration, the solids inventory in membrane reactor 14 increases rapidly and concentrates at a solids collection point (not shown) for discharge through solids return channel 34 . In normal operation of this embodiment, the MLSS concentration in solids return channel 33 is approximately 1.5% to 2.5% suspended solids. Due to the lower MLSS concentration in feed channel 23 , for any given influent Q, the typical recycle rate from membrane reactor 14 is only 0.5 to 2 Q rather than the normal 4 Q to 7 Q at higher feed concentrations of conventional membrane filtration applications. Additionally, the lower solids input to membrane reactor 14 results in a lower suspended solids concentration from the membrane reactor 14 through solids return channel 34 of approximately 600-1,000 mg/l as compared to conventional values of 10,000 to 20,000 mg/l.
[0047] In an alternative embodiment as shown in FIG. 3 , solids return channel 34 may be routed from the membrane reactor 14 to a pr e-anoxic reactor 15 . Pre-anoxic reactor 15 is maintained in an anoxic condition for additional denitrification, for pre-fermentation in aid of the phosphorus removal process and for the deoxygenation prior to returning the solids to anaerobic reactor 11 via channel 25 . Pre-anoxic reactor 15 includes a non-aerating mixer such as an AquaDDM® mixer by Aqua-Aerobic Systems, Inc. Pre-anoxic reactor 15 may also be used to condition a portion of the system influent upstream of anaerobic reactor 11 . Incoming flow in channel 20 may be split with a portion diverted directly to pre-anoxic reactor 15 via channel 200 prior to being introduced into anaerobic reactor 11 for treatment. Under this alternative arrangement, the solids discharge from phase separator 13 is conveyed to the staged aeration reactor 12 via return channel 33 . In general, the embodiment of FIG. 2 is preferred over the embodiment of FIG. 3 . If the influent waste characteristics exhibit a high influent organic acid concentration, the embodiment of FIG. 3 is preferred over the embodiment of FIG. 2 . If the solids concentration of channel 23 is normal to high, the embodiment of FIG. 2 is preferred over the embodiment of FIG. 3 .
[0048] In another alternative embodiment, staged aeration reactor 12 may be replaced with a pair of sequencing batch reactors (SBRs) 16 . In the absence of anaerobic reactor 11 , FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate a pair of SBRs 16 , each operating in three cycled phases including an aerobic phase, an anoxic phase and an anaerobic phase. The SBRs are operated on opposing cycles with SBR 1 16 in react/fill mode while SBR 2 is in react/discharge/recycle mode. As with staged aeration reactor 12 , each SBR unit 16 is equipped with an aeration system 42 (not shown) which operates in the same manner as the aeration system of staged aeration reactor 12 . The react phase of each SBR 16 is operated in a manner consistent with the cycled sequence of aerobic and anoxic phases described for the staged aeration reactor 12 , with the addition of an anaerobic phase to replace the function of anaerobic reactor 11 .
[0049] Where a separate anaerobic reactor 11 is desired or available for use with a SBR process, FIG. 7A shows a first SBR 1 16 operating in react/fill mode while receiving influent from anaerobic reactor 11 via channel 21 (shown in solid line). A broken line in FIG. 7A from channel 21 to a second SBR 2 16 indicates that flow from anaerobic reactor 11 to the second SBR 2 16 is stopped. At the same time in the treatment process, the second SBR 2 16 is discharging to phase separator 13 via channel 26 (shown in solid line). A broken line in FIG. 7A from a first SBR 1 16 to channel 26 indicates that flow out of the first SBR 1 16 is stopped.
[0050] In the embodiment of FIGS. 7A and 7B , solids return lines 33 and 34 are cross connected via channel 41 through any one of the various means that are generally known in the art. Cross connection channel 41 permits the combination of the solids discharges of phase separator 13 and membrane reactor 14 in various proportions to allow proper control the MLSS concentration returned to the anaerobic reactor 11 and SBRs 16 .
[0051] FIGS. 8A and 8B represent a conventional multi-stage flow-through activated sludge process which replaces the staged aeration basin with one or more individual aerobic 18 and anoxic 17 reactors between the anaerobic reactor 11 and the phase separator 13 prior to the membrane filter array 14 . For clarity, multiple reactors of the same kind in a single schematic treatment path are ordered from the most upstream reactor (designated “first” or “primary”) sequentially to the most downstream reactor unless the location is otherwise described in relation to a reactor with a known location. In FIG. 8A , the influent to phase separator 13 comes from a secondary aerobic reactor 18 via channel 28 . The effluent from aerobic reactor 18 is low in oxidized nitrogen, therefore solids discharged from the phase separator 13 through solids return line 33 are returned to anaerobic reactor 11 without the need for a pre-anoxic reactor 15 to condition returned solids as in conventional treatment techniques. The secondary anoxic reactor 17 may accept an additional organic carbon source to promote denitrification. If anoxic reactor 17 is upstream of a first aerobic reactor 18 , the oxidized nitrogen source is preferably from the first aeration reactor 18 via recycle channel 38 . If anoxic reactor 1 . 7 is downstream of the first aerobic reactor 18 , the carbon source is preferably from anaerobic basin 11 via channel 211 . Channel 211 is flow rate controlled by a pump or a valve or other means as are known in the art to deliver a low flow rate to the downstream anoxic basin 17 , preferably at a rate of approximately 0.2 Q. In the embodiment of FIG. 8A , the discharge from phase separator 13 is preferably split so that channel 23 contains less than 30% of the solids and return channel 33 contains more than 70% of the solids. The high solids concentration in return channel 33 produces a low return flow rate, preferably in the range of 0.3 Q to 0.5 Q.
[0052] A typical example of a flow and solids balance of a preferred embodiment of the invention with respect to the configuration of FIG. 8A is described as follows. The embodiment of FIG. 8A begins with influent in channel 20 of 1 Q with 200 mg/l TSS and TKN=40 mg/l, and influent of return channel 33 of 0.63 Q at 21,000 mg/l MLSS for 1.63 Q total influent to anaerobic basin 11 at approximately 8,200 mg/l MLSS. At a one hour hydraulic residence time in anaerobic basin 11 , the effluent in channels 21 and 211 will be approximately 8,200 mg/l MLSS. From anaerobic basin 11 , 1.43 Q is conveyed via channel 21 to a first anoxic reactor 17 which also receives 1.5 Q from return channel 38 at 8,200 mg/l MLSS for a total of 2.93 Q into a first anoxic reactor 17 and aerobic reactor 18 . The remaining 0.2 Q is conveyed via channel 211 to a second anoxic reactor 17 . With hydraulic residence times of 1.5 hours in the first anoxic reactor 17 and 3.0 hours in aerobic reactor 18 , channel 28 discharges 1.43 Q to second anoxic reactor 17 which also receives 0.5 Q return from the membrane tank 14 via channel 34 resulting in an MLSS of 6,400 mg/l. Following a 1.0 hour hydraulic residence time in second anoxic reactor 17 , channel 27 conveys 2.13 Q at 6,400 mg/l MLSS to a secondary aerobic reactor 18 with a retention time of 1.0 hours. Optionally, the discharge from the second anoxic reactor may be passed directly to the phase separator 13 to reduce the treatment volume. Phase separator 13 discharges 1.49 Q to membrane reactor 14 at 200 mg/l MLSS and returns 0.64 Q at 21,000 mg/l MLSS to anaerobic reactor 11 . Membrane reactor 14 discharges 1 Q in filtrate via channel 24 and recycles 0.5 Q at 600 mg/l MLSS via solids return channel 34 to the second anoxic reactor 17 . Generally, the treatment process described above is operated to result in a hydraulic retention time of 8 hours and a sludge retention time of approximately 10-15 days.
[0053] In another embodiment, FIG. 8B shows a third anoxic reactor 17 with 0.5 hours detention placed between the secondary aerobic reactor 18 and the phase separator 13 . In this embodiment, the return flow through channel 34 from membrane 14 is discharged into the third anoxic reactor 17 . The option presented in FIG. 8B effectively limits the potential for oxygen introduction into the secondary anoxic reactor 17 as a means to improve denitrification in the system.
[0054] FIGS. 9 A&B and 10 A&B depict a modified sequencing batch reactor process where a first and second MSBR reactor 19 are operated in an alternating series configuration. In this operational mode, each MSBR reactor 19 receives continuous inflow and outflow resulting in a fixed water level. As with staged aeration reactor 12 , each MSBR unit 19 is equipped with an aeration system 42 (not shown) which operates in the same manner as the aeration system of staged aeration reactor 12 . The react phase of each MSBR unit 19 is operated in a manner consistent with the cycled sequence of aerobic and anoxic phases described for the staged aeration reactor 12 .
[0055] In FIG. 9A , an anoxic reactor 17 is added between return solids channel 33 and the anaerobic reactor 11 to remove oxygen, reduce forms of oxidized nitrogen (nitrates and nitrites) and initiate volatile fatty acid production in the MLSS prior to introduction of the MLSS into the anaerobic reactor 11 via channel 27 . Also, the first and second MSBRs 19 are cross connected by channels 290 to provide operational flexibility and additional flow equalization capability. The channels may be open (solid line) or closed (dashed line) as needed with appropriate gates, valves or other flow control equipment as is known in the art. Controls on the channels of FIGS. 9A&B may be either time based or probe based at the convenience of the operator. FIGS. 9A and 9B show the alternating flow paths through a pair of MSBRs designated MSBR I and MSBR II when certain channels are alternatively opened and closed. In the flow path of FIG. 9A , MSBR I operates with an elevated supply of carbon and other substrate in the wastewater (driving nutrient removal) while MSBR II provides polishing treatment. In FIG. 9B changes in the channels that are opened and closed reverse the roles of MSBR I and MSBR II.
[0056] FIGS. 10A & B include the anoxic reactor 17 of FIGS. 9A & B and add an aerobic reactor 18 in communication with the MSBRs 19 and phase separator 13 . Instead of returning the recycle from membrane reactor 14 directly to the MSBRs 19 , solids return channel 34 first enters aerobic reactor 18 to provide a secondary biological oxidation step prior to introduction to the phase separator 13 . Use of an aerobic reactor 18 offers a barrier of treatment which allows the MSBR reactors 19 to operate with a constant liquid level thereby reducing head-loss across the system. Channel 290 opens downstream of the second MSBR (alternatively MSBR I or MSBR II) to discharge into aerobic reactor 18 .
[0057] The flow-through treatment process embodiments of FIGS. 11A and 11B use a pair of MSBR reactors 19 downstream of an anaerobic reactor 11 , anoxic reactor 17 and aerobic reactor 18 and upstream of the phase separator 13 and membrane reactor 14 in a configuration that allows for the isolation of an MSBR reactor 19 from the main line of treatment. FIG. 11A illustrates a process condition where the first of two MSBR reactors 19 is operating in continuous flow mode on the main line of treatment, while a second MSBR reactor 19 is hydraulically isolated from the line of treatment and is operating in batch mode. It is noted that an MSBR that is isolated from the main line of treatment and operated in batch mode is actually functioning temporarily in the same manner as a conventional SBR in that biological treatment can occur in the absence of incoming wastewater. FIG. 11B illustrates the second phase of the same treatment process wherein the second MSBR reactor 19 is operating in continuous flow mode on the main line of treatment, while the first MSBR reactor 19 is hydraulically isolated from the line of treatment and is operating in batch mode. Flow control equipment known in the art is employed to alternate between the treatment configurations of FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B .
[0058] As used herein, a MSBR reactor 19 is a treatment chamber equipped with mixing and aeration equipment, along with the control equipment necessary to operate the reactor alternatively in either batch mode or continuous mode. Each MSBR reactor is capable of performing the treatment steps of nitrification and denitrification with an added benefit of improved filterability characteristics attributed to the polishing treatment resultant from batch, isolated treatment. Therefore the MSBR applications described in FIGS. 11 A& B are more effective in terms of nitrate and nitrogen removal in comparison to the MSBR applications of FIGS. 9 A&B. However, the MSBR applications of FIGS. 9 A&B are considered to be more economical in terms of capital and operational costs than the MSBR applications described in FIGS. 11 A&B.
[0059] The system includes a primary anoxic reactor 17 in the main line of treatment and a secondary anoxic reactor 17 fed by the return channel 33 from the phase separator 13 . In a typical operation of the system of FIGS. 11A and 11B , screened, raw influent is introduced to the anaerobic reactor 11 by the influent channel 20 . The anaerobic reactor 11 also receives flow from the secondary anoxic reactor 17 via channel 27 . Flow from the anaerobic reactor 11 is introduced to the primary anoxic reactor 17 through channel 21 . In addition, recycle flow is received from the primary aerobic reactor 18 through return channel 38 . The flow routed through channel 38 will be operator adjustable based upon the actual operating conditions. As known in the art, channel 38 functions as a nitrate and nitrite recycle line from a primary aerobic reactor 18 . The ability of the primary anoxic reactor 17 to reduce the overall nitrate and nitrite levels is proportional to the ratio between the rate of flow in channel 38 to the incoming flow in channel 20 . The flow in channel 38 will vary from 0 to 100% of the incoming raw flow depending upon the effluent nitrate and nitrite levels in conjunction with other anoxic actions taken in the MSBR reactors 19 and the secondary anoxic reactor 17 .
[0060] The primary aerobic reactor 18 receives input from channel 27 while discharges include the nitrate/nitrite recycle 38 and discharge channel 28 . A minimum of two MSBR reactors 19 will be fed sequentially through channel 28 in a manner that isolates cells for batch treatment while maintaining a constant water level. In this respect, the process schematic illustrated in FIGS. 11A and 11B offers hydraulic and design benefits attributed to flow-through processes with process conditioning advantages typically offered in batch type systems.
[0061] Similarly, discharge from the MSBR reactors 19 will be sequentially discharged to the phase separator 13 through channel 29 . The phase separator 13 is sized to produce a high-solids stream which conveys more than 70% of the suspended solids mass to the secondary anoxic reactor 17 through channel 33 . Conversely, the phase separator 13 also generates a low-solids stream where less than 30% of the suspended solids are introduced to the membrane tank 14 through channel 23 . The permeate is discharged from membrane tank 14 through effluent channel 24 . Suspended solids which are rejected by the membrane tank 14 are returned through channel 34 to the primary aeration basin's discharge channel 28 .
[0062] Another variation of the treatment processes generally described above with respect to FIGS. 1-3 is shown in FIG. 12 . The treatment process of FIG. 12 is an anaerobic system that does not include an aeration step. Influent channel 20 conveys a wastewater to anaerobic reactor 11 , which can be operated in either a batch or continuous-flow mode of operation. Effluent from anaerobic reactor 11 is conveyed via channel 21 to a phase separator 13 . Also, gas (primarily methane) released during treatment in anaerobic reactor 11 is captured and conveyed to the membrane tank 14 by blower 44 . The blower 44 and gas line 51 are of conventional design for anaerobic gas transfer in wastewater applications and employ materials and components which are well known in the art. Gas line 51 terminates at membrane tank 14 with a suitable diffuser or other means for producing bubbles of a size that are effective for scouring accumulated debris from the inlet side of the membranes.
[0063] The effluent from anaerobic reactor 11 is discharged to phase separator 13 via channel 21 . As described in previous embodiments, the phase separator is used to reduce suspended solids loading to membrane tank 14 to lower the energy requirements within the membrane system. The membranes of this system can be of the submerged form or preferably modular rack systems such as those offered by Norit's Airlift™ MBR Membrane Technology. On the effluent side of membrane tank 14 , the scouring gas is recovered via gas return line 52 , which is routed back to anaerobic reactor 11 to complete a closed loop. It is understood that the collection and circulation of gas in the system of FIG. 12 may be accomplished by other configurations of blowers, piping, valves and control units as are known in the art.
[0064] Preferably, return channels 33 and 34 , along with gas return line 52 , are jointly connected to anaerobic reactor 11 via a jet nozzle 61 . The use of jet nozzle 61 to combine recycle lines 33 and 34 with gas return line 52 substantially aids mixing of the return flows with the contents of anaerobic reactor 11 . Alternatively, separate diffusers and supplemental mixers can be provided to convey all recycle flows and gas return.
[0065] The treatment process of FIG. 12 may be further modified to provide operation of anaerobic reactor 11 in a batch mode with a constant water level. In this variation, two anaerobic reactors arranged in parallel are connected to the main line of treatment with appropriate valves and controls that alternatively isolate either the first or second anaerobic reactor 11 from the treatment path.
[0066] The embodiments of FIG. 12 are typically applicable to highly variable industrial-strength wastewater, as opposed to domestic sewage. In such applications, the BOD can vary between, for example, 3000 mg/l and 30,000 mg/l BOD or higher and TSS between, for example, 0 mg/l and 50,000 mg/l TSS or higher. As a general approach, phase separator 13 may remove 70% of the TSS and 30% of the flow received from channel 21 through return channel 33 . Conversely, the phase separator 13 may discharge approximately 30% of the TSS and 70% of the flow received from channel 21 through the discharge channel 23 .
[0067] The above description is not intended to limit the meaning of the words used in or the scope of the following claims that define the invention. Rather, it is contemplated that future modifications in structure, function or result will exist that are not substantial changes and that all such insubstantial changes in what is claimed are intended to be covered by the claims. Thus, while preferred embodiments of the present inventions have been illustrated and described, it will be understood that changes and modifications can be made without departing from the claimed invention. In addition, although the term “claimed invention” or “present invention” is sometimes used herein in the singular, it will be understood that there are a plurality of inventions as described and claimed.
[0068] Various features of the present inventions are set forth in the following claims.
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The inventions add a modified phase separator in the main line of a wastewater treatment process for enhanced BOD and nutrient removal with a membrane system. In addition, treatment methods and systems are described for high flux membrane filtration to meet secondary and tertiary treatment standards. Phase separation and membrane filtration techniques are employed to create concentrated return solids that are recycled in low flow volumes to reduce equipment sizing, reduce the physical space required for treatment and save energy costs without reducing treatment performance.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application is based upon and claims benefit of copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/615,389 entitled “Window Blind Solar Energy Management System,” filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Mar. 26, 2012 by the inventor herein, and copending U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/703,606 entitled “Window Blind Solar Energy Management System,” filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Sep. 20, 2012, the specifications of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] This invention relates to radiant energy management, and more particularly to systems for capturing solar energy to manage illumination and temperature within a defined space.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] As an architectural feature, a window provides daylight to an interior space and allows the building occupants a view to the outside. When direct beam solar radiation falls directly on a window, the light that enters has an intensity of several hundred watts per square meter and is generally too bright to be used directly as illumination. The light must be attenuated, diffused, or reflected onto the ceiling and walls of the room by a window treatment to provide comfortable illumination. Daylight harvesting systems are now commonly employed which automatically dim or turn off lighting in the vicinity of windows when natural light is available to reduce energy consumption and building heat load.
[0004] Typical solutions for attenuation of incoming sunlight include opaque or translucent shades, blinds, and curtains. These can reflect a portion of the incoming solar radiation to reduce light levels and glare, but have the disadvantage of having only coarse controllability and do not provide illumination to the area away from the window deeper into the room. More sophisticated blinds and fixed reflecting louvers are available that can reflect light up towards the ceiling to bring light further into the room, but the degree of illumination is not directly controllable.
[0005] Another common solution to handling the solar energy on a vertical window is coatings and films that change the optical properties of the window glazing to either reflect or absorb selective bands of the visible and infrared spectrum. These have the advantage of reducing the need for internal window treatments, but these are typically permanent changes to the window characteristics and so they permanently reduce the amount of solar energy available for useful illumination and heating. There is considerable research and development in windows with electrochromic coatings that allow direct control of the transmissivity of the glazing. These currently suffer from high cost and slow reaction time.
[0006] There is believed to be a window treatment commercially available in Europe that allows the user to selectively prefer heating or lighting, but the product does not provide for complete reflection of a portion of unwanted solar energy.
[0007] Moreover, the solar radiation into the side windows of a building is present for only a few hours of the day—either morning, noon, or afternoon. To take best advantage of this intermittent heat source, it is common practice in passive solar heating design to include some type of thermal storage so that the heat gathered over, for example, three or four hours can be spread over a longer period to avoid overheating during the sun periods and to provide comfort for hours afterwards.
[0008] Typical window shades block or absorb sunlight and convert the sunlight into heat on the shades which is brought into the room by thermal convection. The temperature of the air that rises from the back of the window shade is typically only 10° or 15° warmer than the room air. This provides little temperature differential to drive thermal storage. A very large mass is required to store a significant amount of heat with such a small temperature difference. Therefore, typical window shades and blinds have very little ability to store any of the heat and therefore the heat that they do provide to the room is highly variable in a function solely of the heat input through the window.
[0009] Therefore, there remains a need in the art of solar energy management systems to simultaneously provide for the control of lighting and temperature in a room that is easy to manufacture and deploy and that reliably manages both lighting and temperature conditions over an extended period and in varied conditions (such as varying sunlight conditions).
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0010] Disclosed is a system and method for harvesting solar energy, and more particularly an automated, tracking internal Venetian window blind that provides even, precisely controlled illumination of the room while simultaneously providing either radiant heat when the building is in heating mode or heat rejection when the building is in cooling mode.
[0011] The invention employs curved louvers similar in appearance to Venetian blinds. The blinds are hung from the internal frame of the window, which is preferably clear glass with no reflecting or other energy management features. Each louver has a highly reflecting specular mirrored surface on the front of the louver (the side facing outside). The louver has the concave side up (opposite of conventional blinds). The shape of the louver is designed to focus the incoming solar beam radiation onto a thin area on the back of the adjacent louver.
[0012] The angle of the mirrored louvers is adjusted by an integral automatic controller so that the thin strip of light reflected from the front of one louver can be focused on one or two of three regions on the back of the adjacent louver. The three areas of the louver are designed to either reflect, absorb, or reject the incoming light; the controller may determine the desired louver angle based on inputs from local sensors, the building energy management system, and user preferences. The three areas are designed so that the solar energy usage can be smoothly adjusted from, at one extreme, full heating, then to a mix of heating and lighting, then to full lighting, then to a mix of lighting and cooling, and then to full cooling (rejection). This allows the priority use of the sunlight to be lighting. Then the excess energy can be either converted to radiant heat or sent back outside.
[0013] The system described herein is thus configured to control both lighting and heating load on a building. With regard to lighting, the most beneficial use of incoming solar energy is in the form of daylighting for illumination of the room. Natural light has many advantages over artificial lighting, including improved visual acuity, health and productivity benefits, and lower heat gain per unit of light delivered than typical electric lighting. A typical fluorescent light fixture provides about 70 lumens of light per watt of power input, compared to natural daylight at 100 lumens per watt. So for the same degree of illumination, daylighting requires zero electric light power consumption, and also has 30% lower thermal load on the air conditioning system compared to typical artificial light. The high value of the lighting functionality is the reason that the system described herein is designed to have light diffusion and delivery as the primary or preferred mode, with heating/cooling as secondary. As noted above, illumination coming directly from a window must be attenuated to a large degree to avoid uncomfortable glare. This attenuation, while improving the lighting aspects, is undesirable to the extent that it increases heat generation and makes use of only a portion of the incoming light as illumination. A much larger portion of the incoming light can be used for illumination if the light is reflected up onto the ceiling deeper into the room; this is what the system described herein accomplishes. When the blind is in lighting mode, some or all of the concentrated light is focused onto a secondary mirror which both reflects and scatters the light up towards the ceiling, away from the occupant's eye level to provide even, reflected light to the space from above. The amount of illumination provided can be precisely controlled by directing a portion of the concentrated beam onto either the heating or cooling regions of the receiver. Illumination is only useful and desired when the room is occupied; thus, the illumination from the proposed product can be directly controlled by manual switching or an occupancy sensor to switch to heating or cooling mode as desired.
[0014] Most of the functionality of the proposed product is directed towards managing direct incoming solar radiation. When the amount of direct beam solar radiation is low due to cloud cover or the position of the sun in the sky, the blinds can be programmed to move to an open position or even to a fully raised position to allow maximum diffuse radiation into the space and to provide the maximum view to the outside for the occupant.
[0015] With regard to the heating load on a building, such heating load is dependent primarily on the outside air temperature, the degree of thermal insulation of the building, the amount of internal heat generation in the building, and the amount of incoming solar radiation through windows and skylights. Given the combination of these factors, each building has a “balance point” temperature where internal heat gains equal the heat loss to the outside. When the outside air temperature falls below this balance point, heating is required to maintain comfortable internal temperature, and above this point, cooling is required. Commercial buildings typically have tighter envelopes and higher internal heat generation intensities, and have lower balance point temperatures than residential buildings. If the energy transmitting properties of the window area can be directly controlled, this balance point can be extended to a “balance band” where neither heating nor cooling is required to maintain internal comfort levels. Thus, controlling the properties of the windows in buildings with high levels of fenestration has the potential to save a great deal of energy in the heating and cooling systems, and can be a key element to a Net Zero building.
[0016] The objective of the heating function of the system described herein is to convert the incoming solar beam radiation into radiant thermal energy that can be projected deep into the room to enhance the thermal comfort of the occupants. The thermal comfort of a building occupant is a function of the temperature and velocity of the immediately surrounding air as well as the temperature and radiant properties of the internal surfaces of the room. If a person is sitting near a large window which has a low temperature of the glass surface, he may feel cold even though the air temperature near his skin is warm. This is because his body will be radiating heat to the window because the window surface temperature is colder than his skin temperature. Conversely, it is possible for one to feel comfortable in a room with relatively low air temperature if the temperature of the walls and floor are relatively high. This is the principle behind radiant floor heating in homes and commercial buildings whereby energy savings can be achieved by lower indoor air temperatures while maintaining or improving comfort.
[0017] In terms of the system described herein, the primary desired characteristic for heating is to absorb the incoming solar radiation to heat the room. Secondarily, it is desirable to have a significant fraction of the heat be radiated into the room as opposed to convected as hot air. Heat that is radiated from the window blind counters the “cold window” effect and can instantaneously project the heat to the occupant and the surfaces in the room, as opposed to heating the air alone and relying on ventilation to move the heat into the room. The degree of radiation from a surface is proportional to the emissivity of the surface and to the fourth power of absolute temperature. A surface with a high emissivity that is heated to 170 F will project about 40% of its heat as radiation into the room, with the balance transferred as heat to the room air by convection. It is thus desired that the thermal receiving area of the blind reach a high temperature by having high absorptivity and emissivity, combined with a low surface area and thermal isolation from conductive losses.
[0018] In order to maximize the usage of the captured heat, and in accordance with certain aspects of an embodiment of the invention, a room ceiling may also be configured as a thermal storage medium capable of storing heat radiated from the window over an extended duration.
[0019] Likewise, when the building energy balance is positive, the HVAC system enters cooling mode. In most residential buildings and many commercial buildings, one of the most significant components of building heat load is the solar heat gain through the windows. When in cooling mode, the most desirable characteristic of the window, after providing the desired illumination, is to reflect the solar radiation back to the outside environment. The system described herein accomplishes this by directing the focused beam of concentrated light onto a secondary mirror that is oriented to reflect the radiation straight out of the window. As with the heating mode, the blind controller can proportionally allocate the amount of energy directed to illumination versus rejection. This allows lighting to be the primary mode and heat rejection secondary.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0020] The numerous advantages of the present invention may be better understood by those skilled in the art by reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
[0021] FIG. 1( a ) is a front perspective view of a window blind solar energy management system according to certain aspects of an embodiment of the invention.
[0022] FIG. 1( b ) is rear perspective view of the window blind solar energy management system of FIG. 1( a ).
[0023] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of a single louver for use in the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ).
[0024] FIG. 3 is a close-up, bottom perspective view of the single louver of FIG. 2 .
[0025] FIGS. 4( a )- 4 ( c ) are schematic views of energy flows using the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) and louvers as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in each of a heating mode, a lighting mode, and a cooling mode for low sun angles.
[0026] FIGS. 5( a )- 5 ( c ) are schematic views of energy flows using the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) and louvers as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in each of a heating mode, a lighting mode, and a cooling mode for high sun angles.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a close-up, bottom perspective view of a single louver for use in the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) according to further aspects of an embodiment of the invention.
[0028] FIGS. 7( a )- 7 ( c ) are schematic views of energy flows using the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) and louvers as shown in FIG. 6 in each of a heating mode, a lighting mode, and a cooling mode for midrange sun angles.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a schematic view of a room in which the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) is in use.
[0030] FIG. 9 is a graph showing blind energy division versus louver angle for the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ).
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0031] The following description is of a particular embodiment of the invention, set out to enable one to practice an implementation of the invention, and is not intended to limit the preferred embodiment, but to serve as a particular example thereof. Those skilled in the art should appreciate that they may readily use the conception and specific embodiments disclosed as a basis for modifying or designing other methods and systems for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should also realize that such equivalent assemblies do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest form.
[0032] FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) provide front and rear perspective views, respectively, of a window blind solar energy management system (shown generally at 100 ) according to certain aspects of an embodiment of the invention. As shown in FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ), the system has the superficial appearance of a typical Venetian blind having multiple louvers 110 . The enclosure 120 at the top of the system is configured to mount to a window frame (not shown), and houses the motorized mechanisms that raise and lower the blind and adjust the angle of the louvers. While not shown on the figures, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such motorized mechanisms are well known in the art and are thus not discussed further here. Also in the enclosure 120 are the controller board and the sensors (not shown). Sensors may include room temperature sensors, occupancy sensors, and an incoming solar radiation sensor. Optionally, one solar radiation sensor can provide solar data for all the blinds on one side of a building.
[0033] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a single louver 110 of FIG. 1 in accordance with certain aspects of a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention. The louver 110 is composed of two components: the mirror 112 and a solar energy redirection assembly, which in accordance with certain aspects of an embodiment of the invention comprises reflected light and thermal receiver assembly 114 . The mirror 112 is made of a single strip of preferably anodized aluminum sheet that has a highly reflective coating on one side. The shape of the curve of mirror 112 is designed to enable the incoming light to be focused on a narrow strip on the back of the adjacent louver. The range of possible angles of the incident sunlight ranges from zero (horizontal as at sunrise and sunset) and 90 degrees (sun at zenith point). The constraints on the optics design of mirror 112 are such that the degree of focus cannot be perfect over the whole range of possible sun angles. However, the shape of mirror 112 can be optimized to have the best focusing efficiency at the sun angles that have the most solar energy over the year, depending on the location of the building and the orientation of the window. It is anticipated that an average concentration ratio of about 10 is achievable. The shape of mirror 112 can either be a faceted or smooth curve. The faceted shape is more straightforward to manufacture, as a series of simple bending operations can produce the desired shape. It is possible to design the shape such that each bend has the same angle, while the distance between angles varies. Keeping the angle constant simplifies and speeds the bending operation, because the material can be indexed over repeated identical bends. The continuously curved shape is potentially more aesthetically pleasing but requires more expensive tooling to achieve.
[0034] The region of the louver that is closest to the window is designated as the reflected light and thermal receiver assembly 114 , where the features are located that convert the concentrated light beam to its useful purposes. With particular reference to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2 and the bottom perspective view of FIG. 3 , and in accordance with certain aspects of the embodiment shown in those Figures, a thermal receiver 116 is positioned at the upper end of the receiver assembly 114 . This thin strip, preferably about 1 cm in width, is preferably attached using adhesive materials 118 that have very low thermal conductivity. This allows the heating strip of thermal receiver 116 to achieve high temperature to accomplish the desired radiation as mentioned above. The sun-facing surface of the thermal receiver 116 has high absorptivity (e.g., >0.9), and low emissivity (e.g., <0.1). This allows the surface to absorb solar radiation and to avoid reradiating the heat right back out the window. The back side 117 of the surface (not facing the sun) is painted with high emissivity coating that allows the back side 117 of the surface to reflect radiated energy off the back of the louver and towards the ceiling and into the room. If the temperature of the thermal receiver 116 is to be high enough to be a burn hazard, the blind can be outfitted with features that prevent a hand from reaching into the space between the louvers 110 , such as wires or fibers strung on the room side of the blind. These might make cleaning of the blinds difficult, so a preferred solution would be warning labels.
[0035] Below the thermal receiver 116 is an aperture 120 that is cut or otherwise formed in the mirror 112 to allow light to strike a secondary mirror 122 that provides illumination. The shape and surface properties of secondary mirror 122 are selected to direct the light away from the occupant's direct field of view, towards the ceiling of the room. This degree of direction and diffusion of the light is accomplished by controlling the radius of a concave smooth or faceted shape of mirror 112 which takes the focusing beam and reflects the desired beam width up to the ceiling of the room. To avoid distracting images of the reflected light on the ceiling, the surface of the reflector 122 is preferably made of partially specular, partially diffuse material. These materials are known to those of ordinary skill in the art, as they are commonly used in the design of lighting fixtures to direct light from bulbs while avoiding imaging and glare. The advantage of re-diffusing a highly concentrated beam is that the reflecting and diffusing can be accomplished with a very small amount of material, about one centimeter wide.
[0036] In addition to the focused and re-reflected direct beam radiation, a fraction of the diffuse sky radiation is also reflected by the louvers 110 into the space. Roughly speaking, the diffuse radiation (reflected from clouds or scattered by the sky) that comes from the part of the sky between the sun and the horizon will be reflected into the room. If the occupant is close to the window, it is possible that the light projected from the lower louvers 110 may cause uncomfortable glare. If this is a problem, an alternative option is to create horizontal zones or regions of the blind, where the heat rejection/heating is performed by the lower regions and the daylighting is provided by the upper regions. If the louver angle of each zone is independently controllable, this would allow maximum flexibility and control for each zone to be in each mode. Alternatively, each zone could have a fixed offset angle from the adjacent zone such that the heat/light/cooling mode of each zone would be a nonuniform function of the single louver angle setting.
[0037] As the beam is directed further downwards by the controller, the light then passes through the slits that are cut in each louver (to form aperture 120 ) and more fully hits the secondary mirror 122 . The rays that strike the lower portion of the secondary mirror 122 are at an angle closer to the horizontal than the rays that strike the upper portion. The mirror shape is designed to focus the converging rays into a beam that is projected onto the ceiling (including by further reflecting such light off of louvers 110 , as best shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 ). The front reflecting surface of the adjacent mirror 112 serves to prevent any of the reflected light from leaving the blind at a shallow angle, preventing any possibility of glare to the room occupant.
[0038] For cooling (heat rejection), as the mirrors 112 are further rotated counter-clockwise in the figure, the light beam is directed away from the lighting aperture 120 and towards the other secondary mirror 124 which reflects the rays, causing them to go directly out of the window, which will result in less re-reflection of the light and a greater portion being rejected from the building envelope. Further positioning of the louvers 110 beyond the setting shown results in 100% of the heat being rejected, which would be the desired setting when the room is unoccupied in cooling mode.
[0039] FIGS. 4 and 5 show the function of each of the energy managing surfaces on louvers 110 and the resulting energy flows for varying sun and louver angles. Specifically, FIG. 4( a ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a heating mode when sunlight 400 enters the window 300 at a low sun angle. Incoming light 400 is reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts thermal receiver 116 on the adjacent louver, the back side of which in turn transmits radiated energy 402 towards the ceiling and into the room. FIG. 4( b ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a lighting mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a low sun angle. Incoming light is again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary lighting mirror 122 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 404 towards the ceiling and into the room. Likewise, FIG. 4( c ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a cooling mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a low sun angle. Here, incoming light is once again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary cooling mirror 124 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 406 back out through window 300 and away from the room.
[0040] Similarly, FIG. 5( a ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a heating mode when sunlight 400 enters the window 300 at a high sun angle. Incoming light 400 is reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts thermal receiver 116 on the adjacent louver, the back side of which in turn transmits radiated energy 502 towards the ceiling and into the room. FIG. 5( b ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a lighting mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a high sun angle. Incoming light is again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary lighting mirror 122 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 504 towards the ceiling and into the room. Likewise, FIG. 5( c ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a cooling mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a high sun angle. Here, incoming light is once again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary cooling mirror 124 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 506 back out through window 300 and away from the room.
[0041] With regard to further aspects of an embodiment of the invention, the surfaces on louvers 110 that provide heating and cooling functions may alternatively be reversed, which in certain implementations may provide better performance and which will be easier to manufacture. More particularly, and as shown in the bottom perspective view of FIG. 6 , cooling secondary mirror 124 may be positioned at the upper end of reflected light and thermal receiver assembly 114 . This configuration avoids the potential challenges relating to attachment of thermal receiver 118 directly to primary mirror 112 , as temperature variations in thermal receiver 118 , in turn causing thermal expansion with every heating cycle, could make such attachment difficult to maintain. The cooling secondary mirror 124 reflects almost all of its light and therefore is not expected to have significant temperature variations.
[0042] With regard to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the aperture 120 for allowing the light beam to strike lighting secondary mirror 122 is again formed by a series of slots cut at the base of the primary mirror 112 . However, in this configuration, the slots perform two functions. In addition to allowing light to pass through to strike lighting secondary mirror 122 , the narrow strips of material that create aperture 120 also serve to thermally isolate thermal absorber 116 from primary mirror 112 . Load calculations show that with 90% of the material cutaway and 10% of the mirror left as the bridge, a large temperature difference between thermal absorber 116 and primary mirror 112 can be maintained.
[0043] In this embodiment, thermal radiator 117 is positioned adjacent aperture 120 (opposite cooling secondary mirror 124 ), where it has a better view of the ceiling of the room. The heat radiated from the top of the thermal radiator 117 is reflected by secondary lighting mirror 122 , the front face of primary mirror 112 , and the back face of the adjacent primary mirror. These surfaces are all highly reflective to infrared radiation and serve to direct such radiation towards the ceiling of the room where, with regard to further aspects of an embodiment of the invention, it can be captured by thermal storage media as discussed in greater detail below. In this embodiment, all of the high temperature surfaces (the thermal absorber 116 , lighting secondary mirror 122 , and thermal radiator 117 ) are pointing away from the occupants of the room. This significantly reduces the burn hazard associated with high temperature components. As shown in FIG. 6 , these high temperature surfaces would be difficult to touch if one were casually placing one's fingers near the louvers 110 . This effectively increases the upper limit of the safe temperature of the thermal receiver 116 . It is also beneficial in that the fraction of the heat that is lost by conduction occurs on the window side of the blind as opposed to the room side of the blind. Having the heat released on the window side of the blind counteracts the downward draft of cold air that comes from a cold window surface.
[0044] The path of the energy flows using a louver as shown in FIG. 6 are shown in the diagrams of FIGS. 7( a )- 7 ( c ) for a midrange sun angle. Specifically, FIG. 7( a ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a heating mode when sunlight 400 enters the window 300 at a midrange sun angle. Incoming light 400 is reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts thermal receiver 116 on the adjacent louver, the back side of which in turn transmits radiated energy 702 towards the ceiling and into the room. FIG. 7( b ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a lighting mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a midrange sun angle. Incoming light is again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary lighting mirror 122 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 704 towards the ceiling and into the room. Likewise, FIG. 7( c ) shows louvers 110 oriented in a cooling mode when sunlight 400 enters window 300 at a midrange sun angle. Here, incoming light is once again reflected off of a first mirror 112 and is directed into a narrow beam that impacts secondary cooling mirror 124 on the adjacent louver, which reflects light 706 back out through window 300 and away from the room.
[0045] While FIGS. 7( a )- 7 ( c ) show the louvers of FIG. 6 only at use in a midrange sun angle setting, such louvers, as well as those shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , can all be used throughout the sun angles that might impact the system of FIGS. 1( a ) and 1 ( b ) to manage lighting and temperature within the room in which such system is installed.
[0046] Also provided is a low cost smart controller board that manages the height of the blinds and the angle of the louvers. The key control inputs are:
[0047] total solar radiation incident on the window;
[0048] fraction of solar radiation that is direct vs. diffuse;
[0049] mode of the building heating/cooling system;
[0050] desired room illumination level; and
[0051] actual room illumination level.
[0052] With regard to another aspect of an embodiment of the invention, the window blind system described above may concentrate the sun's rays by a factor of ten onto thermal absorbing strip 116 . This thin strip is designed to radiate most of the incoming solar energy towards the ceiling at a much higher temperature than the air convected from a typical blind or shade. Depending on the angle of the sun, this thin strip will reach temperatures of 150 to 180° F. This provides a much higher temperature differential to drive thermal storage.
[0053] With reference to the schematic view of FIG. 8 , projecting the heat away from the window 300 and towards the ceiling 800 allows the ceiling itself to become the thermal storage medium. Heat radiated from the ceiling 800 has a much better view factor to the occupants of the room and can provide a more comfortable radiant environment than heat radiated from the window. The ceiling tiles in a typical suspended ceiling design are capable of carrying a significant amount of weight for thermal storage media. Thermal storage in the ceiling tiles can be accomplished in a number of ways. For existing ceiling tiles, the tiles can be painted with paints that are impregnated with microencapsulated phase change materials. The phase change materials inside the micro encapsulation can be designed to change phase at a temperature that is tuned to what the inventive blinds described herein can deliver. Similarly, the phase change material can be embedded in the ceiling tiles themselves; that is, the microencapsulated phase change pellets can be mixed with the media of which the ceiling tiles are made. Finally, bags containing the phase change material can simply be placed on top of the ceiling tiles; however, the insulating property of the ceiling tiles can isolate the phase change material from the heat source. In this case, the performance could be improved if the ceiling tiles were made of a more conducting material such as painted sheet-metal. In any case, the ceiling tiles should be made of materials which are highly reflective of visible light and also provide some diffusion in the reflection properties.
[0054] An exemplary system design utilizing this thermal storage configuration is as follows. A multistory office building with an exposed east or southeast facing side that has clear glass windows installed on that side could have the entire side of the building act as a solar thermal collector with the heat that is collected being delivered as comfortable radiant heat from the ceiling spread out from the mornings through the midafternoon. For south facing glass, the majority of the direct solar radiation would occur in the late morning and early afternoon in the winter when the heat is most needed. The thermal storage would spread the heat over several hours through the late afternoon. The thermal storage would be less useful for west facing windows because the available heat would be spread out during unoccupied periods. Thus, for west facing windows the massive thermal storage could be reduced so that the heat is delivered more immediately.
[0055] The desired room illumination level is preferably determined by a time of day/day of week clock combined with real time inputs of a manual light switch or occupancy sensor. If the direct solar radiation is below a threshold, the blind is preferably configured in Full View mode, and the blinds are either set to a horizontal angle, or raised completely. If the direct solar radiation incident is above a threshold that would cause glare, the blind preferably goes into tracking mode. First priority preferably is to achieve the desired illumination level. If the illumination setpoint is exceeded (as could occur if the room was unoccupied and the setpoint is zero, or if the solar radiation is strong), the controller preferably biases towards either heating or cooling. The selection of heating or cooling bias may be based on the status of the building HVAC system. It is proposed that the status of the building system be monitored from one or more central points of the building energy control system, and the status broadcast wirelessly to the blind controllers. This makes it unnecessary for the blind controllers to have knowledge of the room temperature or other details.
[0056] Furthermore, one of the desired features of a window is providing a view to the outside for the building occupants. While the reflecting optics described herein do not allow unobstructed viewing at all times, the system described herein does have features to provide views. First, when direct beam sunlight is not falling on the window, the blinds can be put at an angle that allows direct viewing between the louvers, or the blinds can be fully raised. When the louvers are in tracking mode, a direct view does exist between the louvers, depending on the angle of the sun and the focus point on the receiver. An alternative that can provide a higher view fraction would be to cut microgrooves in the louver and to form the effective mirror shape as a Fresnel technique that would have many narrow viewing slits in each mirror.
[0057] Having now fully set forth the preferred embodiments and certain modifications of the concept underlying the present invention, various other embodiments as well as certain variations and modifications of the embodiments herein shown and described will obviously occur to those skilled in the art upon becoming familiar with said underlying concept. It should be understood, therefore, that the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically set forth herein.
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Disclosed is a window blind solar energy management system for capturing solar energy to manage illumination and temperature within a defined space. Blinds comprising curved louvers are hung from the internal frame of a window, each louver having a concave, highly reflecting specular mirrored surface that focuses incoming solar beam radiation onto a thin area on the back of the adjacent louver. The angle of the louvers is adjusted by an integral automatic controller so that the thin strip of light can be focused on one or two of three regions on the back of the adjacent louver which are designed to either reflect, absorb, or reject the incoming light.
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RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims priority benefit of U.S. Provisional Ser. No. 61/183,846, filed Jun. 3, 2009.
BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0002] a) Field of the Disclosure
[0003] This disclosure relates to the field of hydrodynamic bore seals, and in particular to layered finger seals of a novel design and arrangement.
[0004] b) Background Art
[0005] Some examples of dry running seals to seal against leakage of a compressed gas include finger seals, brush seals and labyrinth seals. Typically, these seals are used in turbines, or other high-temperature, high-speed applications where lubricated seals or positive seals fail. Some examples of finger seals are described in patents such as US 2008/0122183, U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,550, U.S. Pat. No. 5,108,116, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,736,401.
[0006] In patent application US 2008/0122183 is disclosed hydrodynamic sealing pads comprising one or two taper angles, one taper angle in the direction of shaft speed (tangential) and the other taper angle in the axial direction. The taper in the tangential direction to rotation allows for an increasing hydrodynamic lift due to increasing RPM of the shaft being sealed. The taper in the axial direction results in a desirable lifting force due only to differential pressure. The two taper angles could be combined or used separately to create a more desirable operating range of RPMs and pressures for a given application.
SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE
[0007] The disclosed finger seals are designed to be operational under rotational velocity or stationary conditions. The contact surface of the finger seals is inclined in an axial direction. This incline causes a convergent leakage path between the finger foot surface and the bore. Therefore, the leakage flow passing through this gap exerts hydrodynamic lift on the finger and lifts the finger from the bore surface at design pressure. Since the slope is in the axial direction, the rotational velocity of the bore does not significantly affect the hydrodynamic lift and the finger seals can operate at any rotational speed, unlike prior finger seals where the hydrodynamic lift is generated by rotational velocity.
[0008] Each finger seal is pressure balanced. The pressure chambers on the two sides of each finger seal are connected through the finger cutouts. The finger seal design is such that the fingers lift and move away from the bore surface in a radial direction. Therefore, the angle between the finger seal foot and the bore is constant at any lifted distance. In each seal stack up, in one form, each finger seal is designed with the specific required length to allow sufficient surface area for the hydrodynamic force, such that the finger seals would be lifted from the bore surface at the design pressure.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a front view of a compliant seal rear plate, in one form.
[0010] FIG. 2 is a side view of the compliant sear rear plate shown in FIG. 1 .
[0011] FIG. 3 is a detail view of the region 3 of FIG. 2
[0012] FIG. 4 is a front view of a compliant seal middle plate, in one form.
[0013] FIG. 5 is a front view of a seal assembly, in one form.
[0014] FIG. 6 is a side view of the seal assembly of FIG. 5 .
[0015] FIG. 7 is an isometric view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 .
[0016] FIG. 8 is a detail view of a region 8 of FIG. 7 .
[0017] FIG. 9 is a detail view of the region 9 of FIG. 6 .
[0018] FIG. 10 is a front view of a compliant disk seal, in one form.
[0019] FIG. 11 is a side view of the compliant disk seal of FIG. 10 .
[0020] FIG. 12 is a detail view of the region 12 of FIG. 10 .
[0021] FIG. 13 is a detail view of the region 13 of FIG. 11 .
[0022] FIG. 14 is a detail view of the region 14 of FIG. 13
[0023] FIG. 15 is a front view of a compliant disk seal, in one form.
[0024] FIG. 16 is a side view of the compliant disk seal of FIG. 15 .
[0025] FIG. 17 is a detail view of the region 17 of FIG. 16 .
[0026] FIG. 18 is a detail view of the region 18 of FIG. 17 .
[0027] FIG. 19 is a front view of a compliant disk seal, in another form.
[0028] FIG. 20 is a detail view of the region 20 of FIG. 19
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0029] The attached figures illustrate the design of an improved finger seal 20 and a preferred assembly embodiment. The seal 20 , in this embodiment, is configured to seal inside of a bore, however, a similarly designed seal could be designed to seal on a shaft by inverting the features.
[0030] To ease in understanding, an alphanumeric number system will be used comprising numeric references to groups, such as the number 24 regarding a pad, and an alpha suffix referring to particular elements with the group, such as individual pads 24 a and 24 b.
[0031] The seal 20 comprises one or more sealing rings 26 , as shown in FIG. 9 , that rest up against one or more backing plates (seal holder) 46 . Each of the sealing rings 26 is designed to have an “L” shape profile and a taper angle 22 on the sealing diameter 36 (see FIG. 12 ) of the sealing ring 26 . There are a number of “pads” 24 on the outside diameter of each sealing ring 26 shown in the figures. The taper angle 24 is provided on the outside diameter of the seal pads 24 and each pad 24 tapers in the direction of the axis of rotation, or central axis of the circular seal. The principle of operation of the finger pads 24 is as follows: each pad 24 is supported by a spring structure 28 , comprising a plurality of spring members, which can be more easily understood by looking to FIG. 12 . The seal pads, in one form, are connected to each other and cannot move independent of the adjacent pads. One key advantage of this arrangement is that the spring understructure is designed such that the seal pad moves radially (linearly) and its angle between the bore or shaft surface stays constant as the sealing pad moves (lifts off from the bore or shaft surface). This spring under structure in this particular embodiment has a symmetric spring support structure (unlike finger seals in the patents listed previously which are spiral beams in shape) using a simple beam spring 52 design.
[0032] Under a differential pressure, the seal experiences a leakage over each pad 24 and through the gaps 50 between the sides of the pads, which are ideally laser-cut with a gap thickness that is very small, such as 2 or 3 thousandths of an inch. In another embodiment, the gap is minimized as much as possible. Most of the leakage typically occurs between the bore 30 and the tapered pad faces 32 rather than between the pads 24 . A non-linear pressure drop occurs on the outside diameter of the pads. The difference in pressure between the outside 40 of the pads and the inside 42 of the pads 24 (see FIG. 12 ) creates a net lifting force away from the bore 30 so as to preferably lift the pads 24 and reduce or prevent sliding friction under certain differential pressures, in this particular embodiment. In one form, the length of the L-lip 44 ( FIG. 9 ) is designed so as to provide the desired net lifting-force away from the bore 30 —the longer the lip, the higher the net lift force will be. There is a designed spring pre-load interference between the pads 24 and the bore 30 . The lifting force must come close to or overcome the preloading force in order to reduce or eliminate friction wear of the pads 24 on the bore 30 . The spring force, in one form, shall be sufficient to overcome the axial friction of the seal and bore. The taper 22 on the outside of the pads 24 is used in order to better maximize the pressure along the outside of the pad 24 . It can be shown that the taper produces a desirable differential pressure for lift, in contrast to prior, no taper designs.
[0033] In other words, the angled foot surface develops a converging channel for the leakage flow. The flow passing between the finger surface and bore or shaft pushes the finger away from the bore or shaft surface. This force is caused by the leakage passing underneath the finger and is independent of rotation speed. Therefore, the fingers will not touch the bore or shaft as there is a pressure differential between the high-pressure side 58 and low pressure side 56 of the seal. The fingers are I-shaped in one form to increase the surface area of the finger foot where the hydrodynamic lift is applied. In one form each finger seal is pressure balanced in the axial direction, the cutouts in the finger seal connect the two sides of the finger seals for pressure balancing. A lip feature 44 is designed at the inner angle of the L-shaped finger to seal the pressure balance chamber from the lower pressure side of the seal.
[0034] The cutouts in the finger seal connect the two sides of the finger seals for pressure balancing. As the fluid passes through the finger seals, the pressure decreases. Therefore, the pressure (hydrodynamic lift) applied to each finger foot is different than the other. Hence, each finger is designed with the required length to provide enough surface area for the lift force to lift the finger from the bore or shaft surface at the design pressure.
[0035] FIG. 19 shows a similar arrangement to that of FIG. 10 , with the under spring structure substantially reversed in that a single brace 62 ′ extends between the main structure and the beam springs 52 ′ adjacent each pad 24 ′, and a plurality of braces 62 ′ extends between the beam springs 52 ′ and each pad 24 ′ on the ends thereof.
[0036] The embodiment shown in FIG. 19 also utilizes gaps 50 b ′, which do not extend through the entire pad 24 ′ but rather function as a living hinge type structure to maintain relative position therebetween.
[0037] In operation, there is a net axial force that acts on the pads 24 due to differential pressure. The hydrodynamic force should also overcome this axial sliding friction between pads 24 and backup plates 38 , in order to allow the pads 24 to comply to the bore 30 if there is changing eccentricity of the bore 30 with respect to the seal 26 . To minimize this axial frictional force, the L-shaped lip 44 is designed to be as thin as reasonably possible for strength and machineability, and the gap between the lips and the outside diameter of the backup plates 38 is minimized. This design results in a net pressure-area that is minimized. Each finger seal is pressure balanced. The gaps between the seal ring and the spacer are connected through the spring cutouts in the seal structure. Therefore, the two sides of the seal are at the same pressure and the seal is pressure balanced. To achieve this, the thickness of the finger seal is smaller than the space between the two adjacent spacers, such that the finger has some clearance, gaps 53 and 54 , from the two spacers, plates 38 a and 38 b when the seal ring 26 b is sandwiched in between. Fluid fills these gaps and since the gaps on the two sides are connected through the cutouts in the finger seal structure, they are the same pressure. Therefore, little axial load is applied on the finger seal structure. The upstream gap 53 and downstream gap 54 are shown in FIG. 9 . To prevent leakage from the downstream gap 54 to the low-pressure region 56 from the high-pressure region 58 , a lip 60 is provided on the finger seal that rests on the backup plate 38 a and effectively seals the gap 54 chamber from the downstream low-pressure region 56 . The compliant spring loaded sealing rings are pressure balanced axially to allow the pads 24 to slide in and out more freely, in order to allow them to be more compliant under eccentricities (such as due to thermal expansion, centrifugal expansion of the bore, startup and shutdowns, vibration, or out of tolerance parts rotating, to list a few examples). The underlying spring structure 28 under the pads 24 is designed to be stiff enough so as to be able to overcome the axial frictional forces, so as to allow for the compliance under eccentricities, but the underling spring structure 28 is also designed to be relatively thick and strong (or rather not very fragile) so as to be robust under high vibration applications, such as in automotive engines, for example. This design is therefore possibly less fragile than prior “finger seal” designs.
[0038] This particular embodiment has a taper angle 22 in the axial direction in order to create a hydrodynamic lift due only to leakage flow due to differential pressure. In another embodiment, another taper angle could be added in the circumferential direction so as to create a compound angle in two planar directions. This could be designed to result in hydrodynamic lift from both differential pressure in the axial direction, as well as hydrodynamic lift caused from rotation of the bore with respect to the seal pads, as disclosed in US patent application 2008/0122183. That is, the lifting force could be designed for specific differential pressures and specific ranges of revolutions per minute (RPMs) of the bore 30 being sealed. Particularly with sealing against liquids, this rotational hydrodynamic lift is not negligible. Another embodiment could be such that the seal pad 24 is designed to have only a circumferential hydrodynamic lifting force and zero lifting force due to pressure differential/axial leakage flow. Typically, this design would be good for lower differential pressures and higher rotational speeds.
[0039] The type of material used for this compliant seal depends on the pressures, temperatures, and expected frictional forces on the pad faces, as well as pressure loads acting on the backup plates. Metals, such as stainless steel, spring steel etc., could be utilized. Surface coatings could be applied to the materials in order to reduce friction, and material hardness or composition could be changed to provide desirable temperature, strength or friction properties.
[0040] In prior art finger seals listed previously, the seals generally comprise a supporting spring structure that is spiral in shape. As the spring deflects, the angle that the finger's pad makes with the sealing surface tilts and changes, causing a change (increase) in the leakage gaps under the finger pads 24 . For the present invention where there is not necessarily a designed tilt in the tangential direction for conditions where we do not desire a hydrodynamic lift force due to rotation but only due to differential pressure, this tilting of the pad 24 due to the spring deflection under preload or lift force is not desirable and can increase leakage.
[0041] In the present invention, a sturdy pad and spring design is disclosed that is robust under severe operating conditions. This configuration is unique to finger seal designs as this configuration utilizes large pads 24 and a strong spring structure 28 , among other properties. A robust, strong design using the prior finger seal approach would require the finger beams to be short and the pads long, accentuating the tilting effect due to lifting of the pads, therefore creating larger gaps under the pads and higher leakage. As a result in the disclosed embodiments, a symmetric design is utilized to substantially eliminate the tilting effect. In the disclosed embodiments, there is no taper angle in the transverse direction of the pads. All leakage should therefore be through the side gaps, under the pads from hydrodynamic lift, or surface inconsistencies under the pads and bore, not due to tilting effects of the pads or taper in the transverse direction.
[0042] In the assembly FIG. 9 of the disclosed embodiments, shown are two sealing pad rings 26 and two backup support plates 38 . The pads 24 are staggered in order to create a circuitous path and maximize pressure drop from leakage that occurs between the pads 24 . Layering the pads as shown also reduces the forces acting on each sealing ring 26 , so any number of sealing rings 26 and backup plates 38 could be stacked together. The benefits of this arrangement could be to reduce the forces or requirement for robustness of each layer (sealing ring/backup plate combination), or increasing the number of layers can decrease leakage by creating a more circuitous path for the leakage, for example. In one form, shown in FIG. 8 , adjacent pads 24 a and 24 b having offset gaps such that adjacent gaps 50 a and 50 b defining a pad 24 a do not overlap the gaps 50 c or 50 d in the adjacent pad 24 b of adjacent sealing rings.
[0043] In one form, all plates and sealing rings are attached to the seal holder 46 . Bolts may be passed through voids 48 . For example, voids 48 a (in the outer backing plate 38 a as shown in FIG. 8 ), 48 b in each compliant disk seal (sealing ring 26 of FIG. 10 ), 48 c (in the middle plate 38 b of FIG. 4 ), 48 d (in the rear plate 46 of FIG. 1 ) etc. could be aligned when assembled.
[0044] In one form, the outer backing plate 38 a is thicker than the middle backing plate 38 b resulting from analysis that a higher differential pressure occurs on the last seal and therefore there is a larger axial force acting on the outer backing plate 38 a.
[0045] While the present invention is illustrated by description of several embodiments and while the illustrative embodiments are described in detail, it is not the intention of the applicants to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to such detail. Additional advantages and modifications within the scope of the appended claims will readily appear to those sufficed in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to the specific details, representative apparatus and methods, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departing from the spirit or scope of applicants' general concept.
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The disclosed finger seals are designed to be operational under rotational velocity or a stationary condition. The contact surface of the finger seals is inclined in an axial direction. This incline causes a convergent leakage path between the finger foot surface and the bore. Therefore, the leakage flow passing through this gap exerts hydrodynamic lift on the finger and lifts the finger from the bore surface at design pressure. Since the slope is in the axial direction, the rotational velocity of the bore does not affect the hydrodynamic lift and the finger seals can operate at any rotational speed, unlike prior finger seal where the hydrodynamic lift is generated by rotational velocity.
Each finger seal is pressure balanced. The pressure chambers on the two sides of each finger seal are connected through the finger cutouts. The finger seal design is such that the fingers lift and move away from the bore surface in radial direction. Therefore, the angle between the finger seal foot and the bore is constant at any lifted distance. In each seal stack up, in one form, each finger seal is designed with the specific required length to allow sufficient surface area for the hydrodynamic force such that the finger seals would be lifted from the bore surface at the design pressure.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is:
a divisional application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/154,742 to Signorile et al., filed on Jun. 6, 2011; a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/079,574 to Signorile et al., filed on Apr. 4, 2011; and a continuation-in-part application of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/847,566 to Signorile et al., filed on Jul. 30, 2010 (which application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 61/230,348, filed Jul. 31, 2009),
the entire disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
FIELD OF INVENTION
The present invention lies in the field of core training exercise equipment. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a “cage” or “enclosure” that is comprised of widening rib-like elements (e.g., six) that radiate from the base of an exercise stability ball and attach to a belt that surrounds the ball just below the ball's center circumference. Protruding from each rib-like element is at least one constantly widening inclined plane or wing that forces the enclosed ball back to its base position and increases the resistance as the ball rolls away from that base position.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Core training has developed into one of the most important concepts in fitness training. Exercise scientists, biomechanists, physical therapists, strength and conditioning coaches and personal trainers all realize the critical link that the central or “core” muscles play in stabilizing the trunk (especially, the lower back) and transferring force and power from the legs to the upper body musculature. One of the most important and commonly used pieces of equipment employed during core training is the stability ball, sometimes referred to as the “Swiss ball.” Like the prior-art device shown in FIG. 1A , stability balls provide a rolling or unstable surface on which exercises are performed. The instability of the ball requires the exerciser to compensate during the exercise using his or her musculature to maintain control of the ball throughout the exercise. A primary benefit of exercise ball training, as opposed to exercising on a hard flat surface, is that the body responds to the instability of the ball to remain balanced thereby engaging many more muscles. Those muscles become stronger over time to keep balanced. Most frequently, the “core” body muscles are the focus of exercise ball programs.
However, the stability ball has two major flaws. The first, and perhaps the most pressing because it prevents many persons from using the ball and more advanced users from performing advanced exercises, is the tendency of the ball to roll away from the user. This tendency adds an element of fear that precludes the utilization of stability balls by many potential users. The second flaw is that the stability ball offers no changes in resistance to movement throughout the range of motion of the exercise. In addition, the resistance offered by the ball decreases as it becomes increasingly unstable at the end ranges of an exercise.
Scientific literature has demonstrated the positive impact of stability ball training on neuromuscular function over the past decade and the support in the literature has increased significantly over the last five years. See, e.g., J. M. Willardson, Core stability training: applications to sports conditioning programs , J Strength Cond. Res. 2007 August 21(3):979-985; P. W. Marshall, B. A. Murphy, Increased deltoid and abdominal muscle activity during Swiss ball bench press , J Strength Cond. Res. 2006 November 20(4):745-50; P. W. Marshall, B. A. Murphy, CORE stability exercises on and off a Swiss ball , Arch. Phys. Med. Rehabil. 2005 February 86(2):242-249; R. Stanton, P. R. Reaburn, B. Humphries, The effect of short - term Swiss ball training on core stability and running economy , J Strength Cond. Res. 2004 August 18(3):522-8. Currently, there are platforms that hold stability balls in place preventing them from rolling (Aeromat Stability Ball Base, STACCA.com) or that are used for storage (Power Systems Inc.), but no device or system exists that allows stabilization of the stability ball while still permitting continued functional core exercising on the ball.
Accordingly, a need exists to overcome the problems discussed above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The device of the instant invention provides a unique control system that can maximize the benefit of one of the most important core exercise apparatuses, the stability ball. The inventive device incorporates a “cage” or “enclosure” that is comprised of a plurality of flexible bands that lock into or are integral with a connecting structure to form a radial configuration such that when assembled together, the device encloses the stability ball to control the ball's movement.
Embodiments of the present invention provide an exercise device comprising a central hub, a plurality of rib structures radiating from the central hub, each rib structure having a proximal end secured at the central hub and terminating at a distal, radiating end, and a band secured to the distal end of each rib structure such that the plurality of rib structures and the band form an enclosure operable to seat therein a bottom portion of an exercise ball.
With the objects of the present invention in view, the central hub is one of solid and annular.
With the objects of the present invention in view, the enclosure permits a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the exercise ball is seated therein.
With the objects of the present invention in view, each rib structure is operable to come into rolling contact with the surface as the exercise ball and the enclosure are, together, rolled along the surface in a respective direction of the rib structure.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, at least one of the rib structures biases the exercise ball in a direction opposing the rolling direction when the at least one rib structure comes into rolling contact with the surface.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, each rib structure is shaped to bias the exercise ball in a direction opposing the rolling direction when the rib structure comes into rolling contact with the surface.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention includes a pedestal secured to the central hub and operable to hold still the enclosure irrespective of a rolling movement of the exercise ball while the exercise ball is seated in the enclosure.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, an embodiment of the present invention further comprises at least one roller positioned about at least one of the central hub and the band and operable to come into brushing contact with a surface of the exercise ball when the exercise ball is seated in the enclosure such that the rolling movement of the exercise ball causes the at least one roller to at least one of correspondingly revolve thereabout thereby facilitating the rolling movement of the exercise ball within the enclosure, and correspondingly revolve thereabout in a direction opposite the rolling movement of the exercise ball and, thereby, resist the rolling movement of the exercise ball within the enclosure.
Embodiments of the present invention also provide an exercise device comprising a central hub, a plurality of rib structures, each rib structure having a proximal end and a distal end and being secured to the central hub at an intermediate point between the proximal end and the distal end, and a band secured to the distal end of each rib structure such that the central hub, the plurality of rib structures, and the band form an enclosure operable to seat therein a bottom portion of an exercise ball, the proximal ends forming a pedestal operable to hold still the enclosure with respect to ground irrespective of a rolling movement of the exercise ball while the exercise ball is seated in the enclosure.
Embodiments of the present invention further provide an exercise device comprising a central hub, a plurality of rib structures removably attached to and radiating from the central hub, each rib structure having an exterior surface with a longitudinal axis, terminating into a radiating end, and having at least one wing, formed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis, that protrudes away from the exterior surface to a given distance that increases along a direction towards the radiating end, and a band connected to the radiating end of each rib structure such that the central hub, the plurality of rib structures, and the band form an enclosure to seat therein a bottom portion of an exercise ball, the at least one wing of each rib structure operable to provide an increasing resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the exercise ball is seated therein.
In accordance with a feature of the present invention, the central hub is an annular ring exposing therethrough a bottommost portion of the exercise ball when the exercise ball is seated in the enclosure.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the band is removably secured to the radiating end of each rib structure.
In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the at least one wing is operable to come into rolling contact with the surface as the exercise ball and the enclosure are, together, rolled in a direction along the surface, thereby biasing the exercise ball in a direction opposing the rolling direction.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the diameter of each rib structure widens towards the radiating end of the rib structure.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the at least one wing is curved and defines a protruding edge, and further comprising at least one modular, arc-shaped enhancer shaped to conform to the curvature of the at least one wing, and operable to be selectively applied to at least a portion of the protruding edge of the at least one wing, thereby increasing a distance that the at least one wing protrudes from the exterior surface of the rib structure.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the enhancer comprises an interior groove shaped to receive the portion of the protruding edge of the at least one wing when the enhancer is applied to the at least one wing.
In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the at least one wing is partitioned to comprise at least two parts.
In accordance with yet another feature of the present invention, the at least two parts of the at least one partitioned wing are interlocked.
In accordance with another feature of the present invention, the at least one wing is curved and defines a protruding edge, and further comprising at least one modular, arc-shaped enhancer shaped to conform to the curvature of at least one of the parts of the at least one partitioned wing, and operable to be selectively applied to at least a portion of the protruding edge of the at least one part of the at least one partitioned wing, thereby increasing a distance that the part protrudes from the exterior surface of the rib structure.
In accordance with a further feature of the present invention, the enhancer comprises an interior groove shaped to receive the portion of the protruding edge of the at least one part of the at least one partitioned wing when the enhancer is applied to the at least one part.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided an exercise device, comprising at least one arc-shaped wing structure shaped to conform to a curvature of an exterior surface of an exercise ball such that when applied to the exterior surface of the exercise ball the at least one arc-shaped wing structure has a lower proximal end and an upper distal radiating end, protrudes away from the exterior surface of the exercise ball to a given distance that increases along a direction from the lower proximal end towards the upper distal radiating end, and is operable to provide an increased resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the at least one arc-shaped wing structure comes into rolling contact with the surface.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided an exercise device, comprising an exercise ball having a curved exterior surface and at least one arc-shaped wing structure shaped to conform to the curvature of the exterior surface of the exercise ball such that when applied to the exterior surface of the exercise ball the at least one arc-shaped wing structure has a lower proximal end and an upper distal radiating end, protrudes away from the exterior surface of the exercise ball to a given distance that increases along a direction from the lower proximal end towards the upper distal radiating end, and is operable to provide an increased resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the at least one arc-shaped wing structure comes into rolling contact with the surface.
With the objects of the invention in view, there is also provided an exercise device comprising an exercise ball having a curved exterior surface and at least one arc-shaped wing molded so that it is part of or continuous with the wall of the ball and derives its support from the internal pressure of the ball and the wing's inherent shape has a lower proximal end and an upper distal radiating end, protrudes away from the exterior surface of the exercise ball to a given distance that increases along a direction from the lower proximal end towards the upper distal radiating end, is operable to provide an increased resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the at least one arc-shaped wing structure comes into rolling contact with the surface, and inflates along with the exercise ball as a single unit.
In accordance with another feature of the invention, the exercise ball has an exterior surface, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure being integral with the exterior surface of the exercise ball.
In accordance with a further feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure further comprises at least one mechanical structure operable to attach the at least one arc-shaped wing structure to the exterior surface of the exercise ball.
In accordance with an added feature of the invention, the at least one mechanical structure is at least one of temporary, permanent, and semi-permanent.
In accordance with an additional feature of the invention, the at least one mechanical structure is an adhesive.
In accordance with yet another feature of the invention, the at least one mechanical structure is a hook and loop fastener applied to adjacent surfaces of the ball and the at least one arc-shaped wing structure.
In accordance with yet a further feature of the invention, the at least one mechanical structure is a male pin and matching female keyhole-slot adjoin corresponding adjacent parts of the ball and the at least one arc-shaped wing structure.
In accordance with yet an added feature of the invention, there is provided an exercise ball having a spherical exterior surface, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure being shaped to conform to the spherical exterior of the ball.
In accordance with yet an additional feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure is of a flexible molded plastic.
In accordance with again another feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure is at least one of solid, partially hollow, and fully hollow.
In accordance with again a further feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure is of a flexible molded plastic.
In accordance with again an added feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure is operable to provide an adjustable amount of increased resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball.
In accordance with again an additional feature of the invention, the at least one arc-shaped wing structure is a plurality of arc-shaped wing structures.
In accordance with still another feature of the invention, the plurality of arc-shaped wing structures is at least four arc-shaped wing structures symmetrically disposed about the exterior surface of the exercise ball.
In accordance with still a further feature of the invention, each of the plurality of arc-shaped wing structures is at least one of solid, partially hollow, and fully hollow.
In accordance with still an added feature of the invention, there is provided at least one support, at least one of the partially hollow and fully hollow arc-shaped wing structures defining a pocket operable to receive therein the at least one support.
In accordance with still an additional feature of the invention, the at least one support is weighted to bias the exercise ball against the rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the at least one arc-shaped wing structure comes into rolling contact with the surface.
In accordance with a concomitant feature of the invention, there is provided a plurality of supports, the partially hollow and fully hollow arc-shaped wing structures each defining a pocket operable to receive therein one of the plurality of supports. Each support can be user-removable from each of the pockets in the partially hollow and fully hollow arc-shaped wing structures.
Additional advantages and other features characteristic of the present invention will be set forth in the detailed description that follows and may be apparent from the detailed description or may be learned by practice of exemplary embodiments of the invention. Still other advantages of the invention may be realized by any of the instrumentalities, methods, or combinations particularly pointed out in the claims. The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.
Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in a stability ball control device with radial control surfaces of increasing widths, it is, nevertheless, not intended to be limited to the details shown because various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims. Additionally, well-known elements of exemplary embodiments of the invention will not be described in detail or will be omitted so as not to obscure the relevant details of the invention.
Other features that are considered as characteristic for the invention are set forth in the appended claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments thereof, which description should be considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1A is a prior-art device stability ball that is incorporated into an exercise movement of the user;
FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a first exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in an unassembled configuration and prior to its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 2 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 1 in a fully assembled configuration and after its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the exercise device of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the underside of the exercise device of FIG. 2 ;
FIG. 5 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 2 , as well as the interior of the device made visible by the translucency of the stability ball;
FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the topside of the exercise device of FIG. 2 , as well as the interior of the device made visible by the translucency of the stability ball;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the underside of a second exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and after its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 8 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 9 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 7 , as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the topside of the exercise device of FIG. 7 , as well as the interior of the device made visible by the translucency of the stability ball;
FIG. 11 is another perspective view of the underside of the exercise device of FIG. 7 ;
FIG. 12 is a view of the bottom of the exercise device of FIG. 7 , having three separate rib assemblies;
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of the belt of the exercise device of FIG. 7 that surrounds the stability ball and acts as the anchoring point for the ribs whereby the anchoring points are indicated by trapezoidal indentations;
FIG. 14 shows the detail of the trapezoidal indentation on the inner surface of the belt shown in FIG. 13 .
FIG. 15 is a top perspective view of one of the rib assemblies of FIG. 12 showing a pair of inclined planes or wings and end clips that attach to the belt;
FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the rib assembly of FIG. 15 ;
FIG. 17 shows, in close-up detail, a trapezoidal extension and link pin found at the end clip of the rib assembly of FIGS. 15 and 16 , whereby the link pin is accommodated by the keyhole slot of the trapezoidal indentation of the belt shown in FIG. 14 ;
FIG. 18 is an elevational perspective view of a third exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 19 is an elevational perspective view of the exercise device of FIG. 18 , without the belt attached;
FIG. 20 is an elevational perspective view of the belt of the exercise device of FIG. 18 ;
FIG. 21 is a top view of a fourth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 22 is a bottom view of the exercise device of FIG. 21 with an alternative embodiment of inclination on one of the ribs;
FIG. 23 is a perspective view of the left side of the exercise device of FIG. 21 ;
FIG. 24 is a perspective view of the right side of the exercise device of FIG. 21 ;
FIGS. 25-28 illustrate the steps of assembling the exercise device of FIG. 7 and applying the device to a stability ball according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 29 shows the exercise device of FIG. 7 in a fully assembled configuration following the steps shown in FIGS. 25-28 ;
FIG. 30 is a pictorial representation of the relationship between the degree of rotation of the stability ball, when used in conjunction with the inclined planes or wings of the exercise device of the present invention, and the resistance felt by the user;
FIG. 31 is another pictorial representation of the relationship between the degree of rotation of the stability ball, when used in conjunction with the inclined planes or wings of the exercise device of the present invention, and the resistance felt by the user;
FIG. 32 is a partial, top view of the interior of a fifth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention whereby, shown in detail, are the ribs anchored also at a central hub forming the bottom of the device;
FIG. 33 is a bottom view of the exterior of the exercise device of FIG. 32 , without the belt attached;
FIG. 34 is a top view of the interior of the exercise device of FIG. 32 , without the belt attached;
FIG. 35 is a top view of the interior of the exercise device of FIG. 32 , in a fully assembled configuration with the belt attached;
FIG. 36 is a bottom view of the exterior of the exercise device of FIG. 32 , in a fully assembled condition with the belt attached;
FIG. 37 is a side view of the exercise device of FIG. 32 after its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 38 shows, in close-up detail, a single rib of the exercise device of FIG. 32 at its anchoring point to the belt;
FIG. 39 is an exterior view of a single rib of the exercise device of FIG. 32 having a pair of inclined planes and two mounting holes at each end for anchoring the rib to the central hub and the belt;
FIG. 40 is an interior view of a single rib of the exercise device of FIG. 32 ;
FIG. 41 shows two locking pins for anchoring the ribs of the exercise device of FIG. 32 to the central hub and the belt, whereby the locking pins are accommodated by the mounting holes of the ribs and corresponding mounting holes of the central hub and belt;
FIG. 42 is a perspective view of a sixth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration, as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 43 is a side elevational view of a seventh exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and after its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 44 is a side elevational view of an eighth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and after its application to a stability ball;
FIG. 45 is a top plan view of the exercise device of FIGS. 43 and 44 ;
FIG. 46 is a bottom plan view of the exercise device of FIGS. 43 and 44 ;
FIG. 47 is a perspective view of the topside of a ninth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and after its application to a stability ball, as well as the interior of the device made visible by the translucency of the stability ball;
FIG. 48 is a perspective view of the topside of the exercise device of FIG. 47 ;
FIG. 49 is a side perspective view of the exercise device of FIGS. 47 and 48 ;
FIG. 50 is a perspective view of the topside of the exercise device of FIGS. 47 to 49 , in a fully assembled configuration and as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 51 is a perspective view of the underside of the exercise device of FIG. 50 ;
FIG. 52 is a top perspective view of the interior of the exercise device of FIGS. 50 to 51 ;
FIG. 53 is a bottom perspective view of the exterior of the exercise device of FIGS. 50 to 52 ;
FIG. 54 is a top plan view of the exercise device of FIGS. 50 to 53 ;
FIG. 55 is a perspective view of the topside of a tenth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention in a fully assembled configuration and as it appears when not applied to a stability ball;
FIG. 56 is a fragmentary perspective and partially exploded view of a portion of the exterior of the exercise device of FIG. 55 , showing in close detail the inclined planes or wings of the ribs of the device to which enhancer portions have been applied thereto;
FIG. 57 is an enlarged perspective view of an enhancer portion prior to being applied to the inclined plane or wing of the exercise device of FIG. 56 ;
FIG. 58 is a side perspective view of an eleventh exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention;
FIG. 59 is a side perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an inclined plane or wing of the exercise device of FIG. 58 ; and
FIG. 60 is a side perspective and exploded view of an exemplary embodiment of a removable inclined plane or wing assembly of the embodiment of FIG. 58 .
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which can be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure. Further, the terms and phrases used herein are not intended to be limiting; but rather, to provide an understandable description of the invention. While the specification concludes with claims defining the features of the invention that are regarded as novel, it is believed that the invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following description in conjunction with the drawing figures, in which like reference numerals are carried forward. The figures of the drawings are not drawn to scale.
Before the present invention is disclosed and described, it is to be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting. The terms “a” or “an,” as used herein, are defined as one or more than one. The term “plurality,” as used herein, is defined as two or more than two. The term “another,” as used herein, is defined as at least a second or more. The terms “including” and/or “having,” as used herein, are defined as comprising (i.e., open language). The term “coupled,” as used herein, is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically.
Relational terms such as first and second, top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish one entity or action from another entity or action without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” or any other variation thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements does not include only those elements but may include other elements not expressly listed or inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An element proceeded by “comprises . . . a” does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises the element.
As used herein, the term “about” or “approximately” applies to all numeric values, whether or not explicitly indicated. These terms generally refer to a range of numbers that one of skill in the art would consider equivalent to the recited values (i.e., having the same function or result). In many instances these terms may include numbers that are rounded to the nearest significant figure. In this document, the term “longitudinal” should be understood to mean in a direction corresponding to an elongated direction of the object being described.
The device of the present invention provides a unique way to control the rollaway movements of a stability ball while simultaneously increasing the resistance being applied to the user's body musculature during exercises being performed by the user with the stability ball. FIG. 1A provides an example of the type of stability ball 1 , found in the prior art, that would benefit from the inventive device described herein.
The invention incorporates a “cage” or “enclosure” that is comprised of a plurality of flexible bands, or ribs, that lock into or are integral with a connecting structure to form a radial configuration such that when assembled together, the device partially, substantially, or fully cups or encloses a bottom portion of the stability ball to control the stability ball's movement. The flexible bands or ribs have at least one inclined plane or wing on their exterior surface such that when the stability ball is rolled away from its base (i.e., resting) position in any direction along a substantially flat surface, the inclined plane or wing comes into contact with the substantially flat surface to provide an incremental, counteracting or balancing resistance to movement of the ball away from its base position. This resistance is beneficially transferred to the user while the user is performing exercise movements with the stability ball.
Referring now to the figures of the drawings in detail and first, particularly to FIGS. 1 to 6 thereof, there is shown a first exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention. The exercise device 2 is comprised of a plurality of flexible rib assemblies 10 , bent into a semicircular arc or a bow to form a plurality of widening ribs 3 in a radial configuration, and held equal distances apart by a circular-shaped belt 4 or other connecting structure that surrounds, with a snug fit, the circumference of a stability ball 1 at a height 7 that is, for example, just below or at the midline of the ball. This allows the device to apply resistance and stability throughout the working surface of the ball during most functional exercises. Depending upon the shape of the ball 1 , it may be beneficial that the height 7 be above, or just slightly above, the midline of the ball in order to provide a better grip on the ball. It is also envisioned for the height to extend just past the middle plane of the ball and to have the uppermost ball-receiving opening to curve slightly inward. In such an embodiment, with a flexible exercise ball, the exercise device will slightly compress the ball to improve gripping and inhibit the ball from rolling out of the exercise device 2 during use. Together, the rib assemblies 10 and the belt 4 form a concave-shaped, hemispherical “cage” or “enclosure” of approximately the lower half of the stability ball 1 whereby the stability ball is securely seated inside the device 2 . In this exemplary embodiment, the rib assemblies 10 are removably anchored or secured to the belt 4 at their radiating ends 8 . Although three rib assemblies 10 , resulting in six ribs 3 , are shown in this particular embodiment, this is for purposes of a non-limiting illustration only. Depending on the amount of desired resistance to the rollaway movement of the stability ball 1 , a variable number of rib assemblies 10 may be used to form the device 2 . The greater the number of rib assemblies used, the greater amount of resistance will be provided to the ball's movements.
In this particular embodiment, the central base 11 of the device 2 is formed at the point where the rib assemblies 10 overlap and cross one another. When placed on a substantially flat surface, the central base 11 of device 2 provides a base, or resting position for the stability ball 1 when the ball is present. The ribs 3 radiate from this central base 11 in a radial pattern that resembles the flower head of a daisy. In order to best form the concave-shaped, hemispherical “cage” or “enclosure,” which most suitably conforms to the spherical shape of the lower half of the stability ball, the diameter of the rib 3 is at its narrowest dimension at the point of the central base 11 and incrementally widens in a direction towards its radiating end 8 of the rib 3 . However, it is contemplated by the present invention that the ribs 3 may alternatively be constructed to have any strip-like shape, including a strip with a uniform diameter along its entire length, or, the ribs 3 may be replaced entirely by a single, molded cup-like dome (not shown) (i.e., is not split into a plurality of rib assemblies 10 ) that encloses the entire lower half of the stability ball.
Incorporated into the exterior surface of each rib 3 (or, the exterior surface of any other structure forming the enclosure of the lower half of the stability ball) is a pair 9 of inclined planes or “wings” 5 that extend substantially parallel to a longitudinal axis of the rib and protrude perpendicularly from the exterior surface of the rib. Each inclined plane or wing 5 steadily increases in its protruding distance, or angle of inclination, as it approaches the radiating or anchoring end 8 of the rib 3 at the belt 4 of the device 2 . The addition of these inclined planes or wings 5 to the ribs 3 of the inventive device 2 provides an incremental amount of resistance to the rolling movement of the stability ball 1 , thereby requiring a greater muscular effort to move the ball as it rolls further from its base position (i.e., the upright, established position of the ball when it is at rest). FIGS. 30 and 31 graphically illustrate the counteractive or balancing relationship between the degree of the rolling movement of the ball from its base position and the amount of resistance created by the inclined planes or wings 5 of the ribs 3 . During exercise movements, the stability ball 1 is naturally inclined to roll away from its base (i.e., resting) position, which is desirable for the user when it is controllable in a stable manner. With the addition of the inventive device 2 , as the ball rolls away from its base position in any direction along a substantially flat surface, the inclined planes or wings 5 of the ribs 3 come into contact with the substantially flat surface to provide an increasing, counteracting or balancing resistance to movement of the ball away from its base position in an incremental fashion. In other words, the greater the degree of rollaway motion of the ball from its base position, the greater amount of surface area of the inclined planes or wings 5 come into obstructive contact with the substantially flat surface thereby providing an increased amount of resistance to the ball's movement. The resistance created by the inclined planes or wings 5 of the ribs 3 drives or biases the ball back towards its original, base position. Thus, as the user's exercise movements cause a rotation of the ball in one direction, the ribs increase the resistance in the other direction, which stabilizes the ball's inherent and uncontrolled movements and increases the effectiveness of the exercise. Inventively, the exercise device 2 of the present invention stabilizes the ball while still allowing it to perform its function and with increased resistance experienced by the user.
Referring back to FIGS. 1 to 6 , in this particular embodiment, the belt 4 of the device 2 has intermittent curves 6 along its length between the points at which the rib assemblies 10 are removably anchored or secured to the belt 4 . In this way, the anchoring or securing points are clearly set apart so that they are easily identifiable by the user and the resulting spatial footprint of the device 2 on the ball 1 is reduced.
The belt 4 and the rib assemblies 10 may be comprised of, but not limited to, heavy-duty nylon. However, other materials including high-impact plastic are feasible.
Additionally, the device 2 may incorporate a supplementary elastic band exercise system (not shown), which allows the user to attach elastic bands to the device thereby adding a resistance-training component to the device.
In FIGS. 7 to 17 , there is shown a second exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention. Similarly to the exemplary embodiment depicted in FIGS. 1 to 6 , the exercise device 2 is comprised of a belt 4 that is shaped to tightly surround the circumference of a stability ball 1 just below the ball's midline, and four (as shown in FIGS. 7 to 11 ) or three (as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 ) rib assemblies 10 a , 10 b , and 10 c , flexibly bent into semicircular arcs that are removably, and equidistantly, secured or held in a register to the belt 4 at indentations or notches 13 of the interior surface 14 of the belt 4 (which are shown in detail in FIGS. 13 and 14 ). Together, the rib assemblies 10 a - c and the belt 4 form a radially-shaped “cage” or “enclosure” of the lower half of the ball 1 . However, in this particular embodiment, the belt 4 does not have intermittent curves along its length and instead, the belt 4 has a constant width 12 along its entire length. As clearly shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 , the rib assemblies 10 a - c come together centrally to form a central base 11 , which when placed on a substantially flat surface, provides a base, or resting position for the stability ball 1 when the ball is seated inside the device 2 .
FIGS. 15 to 17 show, in close detail, any one of the rib assemblies 10 a - c of FIG. 12 . Each rib assembly defines two ribs, 3 a - b , 3 c - d , and 3 e - f that radiate from the central base 11 in a wheel-and-spokes pattern whereby the ribs increasingly widen in a direction away from the central base 11 . Each rib has a pair 9 of raised, inclined planes 5 that run substantially parallel along the rib's longitudinal axis. At each radiating end 8 of the rib assembly, there lies a trapezoidal protrusion 17 and a linking pin 16 for securing the rib assembly to the belt 4 . To secure each end 8 of the rib assemblies 10 a - c to the belt 4 , a corresponding number of trapezoidal indentations or notches 13 , having keyhole slots 15 , are formed in the interior surface 14 of the belt 4 (see FIGS. 13 and 14 ). The trapezoidal indentations or notches 13 are shaped to have a corresponding, or mating fit to the trapezoidal protrusions 17 of the rib assembly and each keyhole slot 15 of the trapezoidal indentations or notches is shaped to retain the linking pin 16 of the rib assembly. By mating both the trapezoidal indentations or notches 13 of the belt with the trapezoidal protrusions 17 of the rib assembly, and the keyhole slots 15 of the belt with the linking pins 16 of the rib assembly, the rib assembly is removably secured to the belt.
To illustrate the sequential steps for assembling the exercise device 2 of FIGS. 7 to 17 , and applying the exercise device 2 to a stability ball 1 in accordance with one exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 25 to 29 provide a pictorial representation of the assembly-line process. In the first step, as shown in FIG. 25 , the rib assemblies 10 are placed between the stability ball 1 and the belt 4 in a substantially flat, radial configuration with the ribbed surface of the rib assemblies facing downwards towards the belt. In the second and third steps, as shown in FIGS. 26 and 27 , in a fluid motion using the belt, the rib assemblies 10 are guided upwards into their semicircular arc or bow shape as permitted by the inherent flexibility of the material comprising the rib assemblies 10 . As a result, the rib assemblies form a concave-shaped seat, having a central base 11 , in which the ball 1 is seated. In the next step, as shown in FIG. 28 , the ribs 3 of each rib assembly 10 are removably secured to the belt 4 at their ends 8 by sliding the linking pin 16 into the corresponding keyhole slot 15 (not shown) formed in the interior surface of the belt. Once the rib assemblies are removably secured or anchored to the belt, the resulting device 2 , as shown in FIG. 29 , tightly captures and encloses the lower portion of the ball 1 .
The mechanism described above for anchoring or securing the rib assemblies to the belt serves as just one illustration of a large number of mechanisms that are contemplated by the present invention. For example, FIGS. 18 to 20 illustrate a third exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention that is very similar to the embodiments of FIGS. 1 to 17 except for the securing mechanism between the ends 8 of the rib assemblies 10 and the belt 4 . As shown in detail in FIG. 19 , each rib 3 has a U-shaped hook or protrusion 19 at its radiating end 8 . As depicted clearly in FIG. 20 , to secure the rib 3 to the belt 4 , the belt has a corresponding number of U-shaped slots or notches 18 along the length of the belt's circumference that are shaped to matingly fit the U-shaped hooks or protrusions 19 of the ribs 3 when the U-shaped hooks or protrusions 19 are slidingly inserted into the slots 18 of the belt in a buckle-like fashion.
Alternatively, it is contemplated by the present invention that any mechanism for anchoring or securing the rib assemblies 10 to the belt 4 may be entirely omitted. For example, FIGS. 21 to 24 illustrate a fourth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention whereby the rib assemblies 10 and the belt 4 are formed as a single integral piece such that the rib assemblies cannot be removed, but are permanently secured to the belt. This type of assembly for the exercise device 2 may be made by, for example, injection-type molding. FIG. 22 illustrates on one rib 3 , an alternative embodiment of the inclined planes or wings 5 , which are shown as a single inclined wedge or wing 27 . Thus, it should be noted that a number of alternative shapes and a variable number of the inclined planes or wings 5 are possible with the invention and include, for example, a single inclined plane 5 , a variable number of inclined planes 5 , or one or more intermittent inclined tabs for any one or more of the ribs 3 .
In FIGS. 32 to 40 , there is shown a fifth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention, which differs from the previously described embodiments in that the plurality of rib assemblies 10 are cut in half into their constituent ribs 3 , and a central hub 20 is used to interconnect the ribs 3 at the ends 26 of the ribs that are proximate the central base 11 . By dividing the rib assemblies into their constituent ribs 3 and incorporating the central hub 20 , the central base 11 of the device 2 is no longer formed by the overlapping rib assemblies 10 , and thereby provides a smooth rolling surface. Instead, both ends 8 , 26 of the ribs 3 are now removably secured to the belt 4 or the central hub 20 , respectively. For example, as shown in close detail in FIGS. 39 and 40 , the narrower end 26 of the rib 3 that is proximate to the central hub 20 when assembled, has two adjacent, vertically-aligned mounting holes 22 . At the wider, radiating end 8 of the rib 3 that is proximate to the belt 4 when assembled, there are two adjacent, horizontally-aligned mounting holes 23 . As best shown in FIGS. 32 and 36 , to secure the ribs 3 to the central hub 20 , two locking pins 21 (shown in detail in FIG. 41 ) are inserted into mounting holes 22 and through corresponding, recessed holes along the outer circumference of the central hub 20 to securely attach the two pieces together. The locking pin may be of any suitable type, such as an Allen-type pin. Similarly, as best shown in FIG. 35 , to secure the ribs 3 to the belt 4 , two locking pins 24 are inserted into mounting holes 23 and through corresponding, recessed holes along the circumferential length of the belt 4 from the interior surface or side 14 of the belt. The resulting device 2 , in a fully assembled configuration, is shown in FIG. 37 . In this exemplary embodiment of FIGS. 32 to 40 , the central hub 20 is annular in shape, but has a surface area that closely approximates a solid, circular plate. However, the central hub 20 can be of any shape or form that acts as a central meeting place for the ribs 3 and sufficiently conforms to the circumference of the stability ball 1 seated therein such that the stability ball has a base, resting position, but is also capable of being rolled during exercise. For example, despite the nearly plate-like shape, the central hub 20 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 32 to 40 has an opening at its center (thereby, forming an annulus) and a slight concavity that permits it to roll along a surface during exercise, but still maintains a default base, or resting position for the stability ball 1 when the ball is seated inside the device 2 .
Brackets 25 are molded onto the belt 4 at two points on the circumference of the exercise device that are 180 degrees apart. These brackets 25 are used to attach resistance tubes to the device, for example, using nylon belts with D-rings so that resistance-training exercises can be performed on the ball.
In FIG. 42 , there is shown a sixth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention. This sixth embodiment differs in a number of respects from the previously described embodiments. For example, in this embodiment, the central hub 20 is in the shape of an annular ring that encircles and seats the lower circumference of the ball 1 and leaves a substantial part of the bottommost portion of the ball exposed and uncovered by the central hub 20 . The plurality of ribs 3 are held at equidistant points from one another in-between the central hub 20 and the belt 4 . Together, the central hub 20 , belt 4 and ribs 3 form a cage in which the ball 1 is seated. In addition, a secondary pedestal structure 30 is applied to the central hub 11 to create a stand for holding the exercise device 2 stationary when placed on a substantially flat surface. When viewing the overall assembly of the device 2 and the secondary structure 30 together, its appearance resembles an hourglass shape. Due to the fact that the secondary structure 30 prevents the exercise device 2 from moving, one or more rollers 35 are molded onto or otherwise secured around at least one of the central hub 20 and belt 4 to allow the ball to still move within the exercise device 2 for use in performing an exercise. Thus, the user is still able to take advantage of the increased resistance that results from placing the ball 1 inside the exercise device 2 . Due to their construction, the rollers 35 rotate about the tubular bars that form the central hub 20 and the belt 4 when brushed upwards or downwards by the ball's movement. Accordingly, the ball 1 is still able to move within the stationary exercise device 2 .
In a similar manner to that shown in the embodiments of FIGS. 32 to 40 and 42 , it is contemplated to be within the spirit and scope of the present invention that in any of the foregoing embodiments, the central base 11 may be in the form of an annulus and/or an annular ring that interconnects or is formed by the plurality of rib assemblies 10 , rather than forming a substantially circular and/or solid hub, point, plate or base.
FIGS. 43 to 46 illustrate a seventh and an eighth embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention Like the embodiment shown in FIG. 42 , an annular ring forms the central base 11 and is positioned along the lower circumference of the exercise device 2 . In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 43 , the central base 11 is placed closer to the belt 4 in comparison to the position of the central base 11 that is shown in the embodiment of FIG. 44 . In the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 44 , the central base 11 is placed at a much lower point (e.g., approximately 1″ inch from the bottommost point of the exercise device 2 ) along the lower circumference of the exercise device 2 . These two embodiments differ from the embodiment of FIG. 42 in that the plurality of ribs 3 do not radiate outwards to form a hemispherical cage with the central base 11 and the belt 4 . By contrast, the ribs 3 extend vertically straight downwards from the belt 4 to the surface upon which the exercise device 2 rests. For example, if the exercise device 2 is resting on a horizontally flat floor, the ribs 3 extend from the belt 4 to the floor such that they are substantially perpendicular to the floor plane. As a result, each rib 3 does not directly meet with the central base 11 as the central base 11 necessarily has a smaller diameter than the belt 4 . Rather, the ribs 3 act as stilts that hold the exercise device 2 still when it is placed on a substantially flat surface. Each rib 3 is indirectly connected to the central base 11 by an intermediate, interconnecting structure 32 at some point along the length of rib 3 . Feet 40 , made of rubber or some other suitable high-friction material, may be applied to the free ends of the ribs 3 to aid in stabilizing the exercise device 2 along the surface upon which it rests. In addition, each individual rib 3 may be made to be mechanically adjustable such that its vertical length can be adjusted (i.e., shortened or lengthened). This allows the ribs 3 to accommodate the relative position (height) of the central base 11 and/or any angle present in the surface upon which the exercise device 2 is resting. For example, each individual rib 3 may be comprised of two telescoping pieces 33 , 34 that may be adjustably slid within one another to change the combined, overall length of the pieces 33 , 34 . Accordingly, the ribs 3 are able to maintain a substantially vertical stance along the entire circumference of the exercise device 2 despite any variations in the surface upon which it stands.
Referring to FIGS. 47 to 54 , there is shown a ninth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention. This particular embodiment is substantially similar to the embodiment of FIGS. 32 to 40 in that each rib 3 is removably attached to a central hub 20 at one end 26 , and is removably attached to a belt 4 at its opposite (radiating) end 8 to form a hemispherical cage for receiving the lower circumference of the stability ball 1 . Alternatively, the ribs 3 , the central hub 20 , and the belt 4 may be comprised of a single, molded piece such that ribs 3 are integral with the central hub 20 and belt 4 . Unlike the embodiment of FIGS. 32 to 40 , the central hub 20 is in the shape of an annular ring such that the bottommost portion of the ball 1 is left exposed and uncovered by the large opening 50 of the central hub 20 (as best shown in FIG. 49 ). As a result, the surface area of the central hub 20 is minimal and therefore, does not significantly impede the rolling movement of the ball. In this way, the ball 1 directly touches the rolling surface making it possible for the user to roll the ball during exercise. The advantageous resistance that counteracts the rolling movement of the ball is still felt by the user, but is primarily created by and concentrated at the inclined planes or wings 5 .
A tenth exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention is provided and shown in FIG. 55 . There exists the possibility of the ball sliding along the floor due to the significant decrease in the surface area in contact with the floor in the transition from the central hub 20 to the wings. In this particular embodiment, resistance to sliding is provided by the addition of one or more modular enhancers 45 that can be selectively applied to the outside perimeter of each inclined plane or wing 5 . The enhancers 45 increase the effective protruding distance, or angle of inclination, of the plane or wing 5 and can be made to grip the floor by being of a skid-resistant material such as silicone rubber. As shown in close detail in FIG. 57 , the enhancers 45 are crescent- or arc-like segments shaped to conform to the curvature of at least a portion of the outside perimeter of the inclined planes or wings 5 . At the inner arc of the enhancer segment is an interior groove 46 that is shaped to receive the edge of the outside perimeter of the inclined plane or wing 5 such that the enhancer 45 can be securely applied to the edge of the inclined plane or wing 5 , when desired. Thus, by selectively applying the enhancers 45 to the outside perimeters of one or more of the inclined planes or wings 5 , skidding can be eliminated and/or the effective resistance provided by the enhanced inclined plane(s) or wing(s) can be increased along the entire circumference of the device 2 or, just a specific portion of the circumference of the device 2 .
As shown in close detail in FIG. 56 , the inclined planes or wings 5 may also be structurally comprised of two or more partitions 41 , 42 , 43 that interlock or otherwise lie adjacent to one another to, together, form the entire plane or wing 5 . Accordingly, the enhancers 45 may also be partitioned into separate parts that correspondingly fit each of the partitions 41 , 42 , 43 . By splitting both the plane or wing 5 and the enhancers 45 into separate corresponding segments or parts, each plane or wing 5 can advantageously be divided into separate zones, each zone providing a different or varying degree of resistance. For example, as shown in FIG. 56 , the inclined plane or wing 5 can be divided into three parts: a lower partition 41 , an intermediate partition 42 , and an upper partition 43 , thereby creating three different discrete zones along the length of the inclined plane or wing 5 . Selectively, the user may only wish to increase the resistance felt at the very beginning of the rolling movement of the ball away from its resting or base position and, therefore, can apply an enhancer 45 only to the lower partition 41 of the device 2 . Similarly, the user may wish to only increase the resistance felt at the mid-extension point of the rolling movement of the ball away from its resting or base position and, therefore, can apply an enhancer 45 only to the intermediate partition 42 of the device 2 and leave the lower partition 41 and upper partition 43 as is without the enhancers 45 . By being able to vary the amount of resistance felt by the user at different points along the route of the rolling ball, the user can uniquely and dynamically change the intensity of the resulting exercise.
An eleventh exemplary embodiment of the exercise device according to the present invention is provided and shown in FIG. 58 . In this embodiment, a plurality of inclined planes or wings 5 are directly attached to or integrally formed at the exterior surface of the ball 1 in a pattern that begins at a bottom portion, or, at any level from the bottom portion to half way up the circumference of the ball 1 , and radiates upwards along the spherical exterior surface of the ball to a desired height. Each inclined plane or wing 5 begins at or near the bottom of the ball 1 at one end 51 and steadily increases in its protruding distance, or angle of inclination, as it approaches its opposite, radiating end 52 . The increase can continue all the way or partly up the wing 5 . In the former exemplary configuration, the wing 5 continues extending outwardly away from the center of the ball 1 to create a wedge-shaped wing 5 . In the latter exemplary configuration, the wing 5 continues extending outwardly away from the center of the ball 1 only up to an intermediate portion of the wing 5 . The remainder can have a constant outside radius so that the upper portion of the wing 5 is relatively cylindrical or it can decrease in radius until it merges back into the outer surface of the ball 1 .
Compared to above-described exemplary embodiments, the hemispherical cage or enclosure formed by the ribs 3 , belt 4 , and central base or hub 11 , 20 is omitted entirely as the inclined planes or wings 5 are directly applied to or formed integrally with the exterior surface of the ball 1 . However, in the same manner as described above and as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31 , the addition of the inclined planes or wings 5 still provides an incremental amount of resistance to the rolling movement of the ball 1 .
Any suitable method of forming the ball 1 with the inclined planes or wings 5 or, applying the inclined planes or wing 5 to the ball's exterior surface, is contemplated to be within the scope and spirit of the present invention. For example, the inclined planes or wings 5 may be initially molded onto or integrally formed with the ball 1 during manufacture. Where the inclined planes or wings 5 are initially formed separately from the ball 1 and, thereafter, are applied to the surface of the ball 1 , the inclined planes or wings 5 are necessarily shaped to conform to the spherical exterior of the ball 1 . For example, the inclined plane or wing 5 may be made of a flexible (or soft), molded plastic. To attach the inclined plane or wing 5 to the ball 1 , a number of temporary, permanent, or semi-permanent adhesive compounds may be used. Alternatively, corresponding VELCRO® fasteners may be applied to adjacent surfaces of the ball 1 and the inclined plane or wing 5 . In a further example, a variety of mating mechanical attachments (e.g., a male pin and matching female keyhole-slot) may be used to adjoin corresponding adjacent parts of the ball 1 and inclined plane or wing 5 .
Additionally, the inclined planes or wings 5 may be formed as one solid piece being part of the ball structure, or may be partially or fully hollow as shown, for example, in FIG. 59 . These planes or wings may also be molded in a fashion where the interior of the wing is continuous with the wall of the ball so that support is offered by the internal pressure of the ball and inherent structure of the plane or wing. Further, a combination of solid, hollow, and partially hollow inclined planes or wings 5 may be formed onto or applied to a single ball 1 . In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 59 , the inclined planes or wings 5 are initially formed as hollow pockets 53 either during or after manufacture of the ball 1 . Each of the hollow pockets 53 is open at the bottom, the top, or an intermediate portion. A variable amount of support may be added to the hollow pocket 53 by partially or fully filling it with a weighted substance 54 , for example, by injecting plastic into the pocket 53 . Then, the opening can be sealed so that the substance 54 is not able to escape from the pocket 53 . In an injection method, only a small hole is made. After hardening, the substance 54 becomes too large to exit the injection orifice.
In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 60 , the pocket 55 is akin to a typical pocket open at an intermediate slit 56 . A variable amount of support is able to be added to the hollow pocket 55 by inserting removably a correspondingly shaped modular insert 57 within its hollow interior. As depicted in FIG. 60 , when desired by the user, the insert 57 is received through the opening or slit 56 of the inclined plane or wing 5 and is slid down into the hollow interior of the plane or wing 5 . As the pocket 55 is at least partially elastic, the top portion 58 of the pocket 55 is stretched over the top end 59 of the insert 57 to capture the insert 57 therein and prevent it from falling out during use.
The foregoing description and accompanying drawings illustrate the principles, preferred embodiments and modes of operation of the invention. However, the invention should not be construed as being limited to the particular embodiments discussed above. Additional variations of the embodiments discussed above will be appreciated by those skilled in the art and the above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims. Combinations of any number of the various features from the various exemplary embodiments together are contemplated within the scope of the invention.
The above-described embodiments should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Accordingly, it should be appreciated that variations to those embodiments can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention as defined by the following claims.
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An exercise device includes at least one arc-shaped wing structure shaped to conform to a curvature of an exterior surface of an exercise ball such that when applied to the exterior surface thereof the at least one arc-shaped wing structure has a lower proximal end and an upper distal radiating end, protrudes away from the exterior surface of the exercise ball to a given distance that increases along a direction from the lower proximal end towards the upper distal radiating end, and is operable to provide an increased resistance against a rolling movement of the exercise ball along a surface when the at least one arc-shaped wing structure comes into rolling contact with the surface. An exercise ball with a plurality of the wing structures is likewise provided, the wing structures being integral or removable.
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[0001] This application claims the benefit of our U.S. provisional patent application with the Ser. No. 60/693,723, which was filed Jun. 24, 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The field of the invention relates to the transmission of power by gears, and to the provision of a speed changing facility within the gearbox.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are some instances in the configuration of aircraft where the rotational speed of the propeller, in the case of a fixed wing aircraft, or of the rotor, in the case of a helicopter, has to be changed relative to the speed of the engine. This is because the range of speed of the propeller or rotor required for good efficiency exceeds the permissible speed range of commonly-used turboshaft engines. Hence a two-speed, lightweight reduction gearbox is required. The aircraft type which would benefit from a two-speed propeller drive is a high-altitude, long-endurance machine. Similarly, in the case of rotorcraft or for tilt-rotor aircraft which transition from VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) to wing-born forward flight, the rotor speed is decreased for efficient cruise performance from that required for vertical flight and would therefore also benefit from a two-speed gearbox.
[0004] However, where an aircraft becomes relatively large, requiring several thousands of horsepower, the design of the speed-changing gearbox poses significant technical challenges. While the automobile industry routinely employs a multiplicity of speed-changing transmissions, weight is often not critical and transmitted power rarely exceeds 500 horsepower. Unfortunately, known automobile gearboxes fail to yield any useable design which would approach the power-to-weight ratio required in recent highly-efficient aircraft designs that typically demand a flight-weight, two-speed, multi-thousand horsepower-capable, highly-reliable gearbox. Other known gearboxes advantageously transmit power during switching and are known as a “friction clutch/over-running clutch” combination. Here, if a gearset arranged as a planetary set is provided with a clamped friction clutch element between any two of its three rotating members, it will rotate as a body with no reduction ratio. There are two torque-carrying elements and one torque-reacting element in a simple planetary gearset. If the reaction member which normally reacts torque to the transmission casing is provided with a back-stopping or over-running clutch, the gearset will behave as a speed reducer when the friction clutch is free (over-running clutch gripped) and as a direct drive, one-to-one ratio, when the friction clutch is engaged and the over-running clutch over-runs freely. However, when the device is called on to transmit many thousands of foot-pounds of torque, the components, particularly the clutch members, become large and heavy. Gearsets rotating as a body with no relative gear rotation, i.e. with individual gear teeth carrying load but with no mesh action, can suffer tooth contact area degradation, and are therefore not suitable for long-term operation. Therefore, these friction clutch/over-running clutch combinations will typically fail under heavy torque conditions.
[0005] In a further example, gas turbine power plants produce power at low weight by virtue of high rotational speeds. Torque is minimized because the speed is high. Similarly, the lightest gearbox will operate at the highest permissible speed, usually controlled by the practical upper limit for the peripheral speed of the gears, which lies between 15,000 and 20,000 feet per minute. However, the operation of a multi-thousand horsepower friction clutch at high rotational speed and the provision of a workable clamping/un-clamping arrangement is a technical challenge unlikely to be met successfully within a strict weight budget for aircraft gearboxes.
[0006] Therefore, there is still a need to provide a flight weight, speed-changing gearbox suitable for power transmission well above a thousand horsepower.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0007] The inventive subject matter provides devices and methods in which gearboxes combine a speed-changing capability with the capacity for transmitting many thousands of horsepower at a power-to-weight ratio unattainable with heretofore known configurations. More specifically, contemplated devices and methods split a drive into two approximately power-balanced paths, wherein the speed changer is configured to operate only on one path. Most preferably, a friction clutch is arranged, which, by specific arrangement of gears, is the reaction path to the casing or static element of the transmission. Thus, only half of the clutch plate stack has to rotate, and the clamping and actuation system is static, and hence operable by structure-mounted components. the entire friction clutch is required to rotate. In a preferred aspect of the inventive subject matter, the gearbox is configured to transmit power during the speed-changing event, which is desirable for propeller or rotor drives.
[0008] It should be especially appreciated that power-dividing gear drives, particularly in rotorcraft, produce a series of benefits which translate into significant weight savings. When gear sizes are reduced (by virtue of splitting the torque from one path to two parallel paths of gear trains), the size not only of the gears but of their support bearings and the surrounding casing is reduced. Moreover, lower peripheral speeds result at the same rotational speed, and efficiency rises. The inventive subject matter integrates the speed-changing facility with the benefits of a dual-path drive.
[0009] Various objects, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments of the invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING
[0010] FIG. 1 is a top view of a rotorcraft having left and right rotors, engines, and gearboxes, all potentially coupled together.
[0011] FIG. 2 is a schematic arrangement of a divided input, load-sharing arrangement of gears with a friction clutch and an over-running clutch.
[0012] FIG. 3 is an isometric drawing of the intermeshing planet gears of a dual-input, planet-carrier output differential.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] A typical tilt rotor aircraft is depicted in FIG. 1 in which rotorcraft 100 includes fuselage 101 , a transverse wing 102 , tail 105 , left and right engines 103 A and 103 B, with left and right rotors 104 A and 104 B, respectively. Left and right gearboxes 110 A and 110 B are rotatably coupled via cross-wing drive shaft 130 , angle drives 131 A and 131 B, and separable under-load couplings 132 A and 132 B. Shafts 11 A and 11 B transmit power from the engines to the rotors. Although the rotorcraft 100 in FIG. 1 is shown as an airplane having two tilt rotors, it should be understood that rotorcraft 100 is emblematic of any sort of vehicle, including fan boats, high speed marine drives, and particularly to vehicles where extreme reliability is important.
[0014] In FIG. 2 , the gearbox generally comprises a first input from engine 103 A via input shaft 111 A, and a second input/output to/from engine 103 B via shaft 111 B. FIG. 2 shows that the basic arrangement of the input and output sections of the gearbox are parallel and separated from each other. Shaft separation in aircraft installations is convenient for engine mounting purposes. This layshaft arrangement allows for a convenient friction clutch 112 arrangement. It also allows for a rotation direction reversal by introducing an additional layshaft into the arrangement. This would be required, for example, for a two-propeller arrangement where the propellers counter-rotated but the engines ran in the same direction. The illustration shows the input shaft from the prime mover which is most likely a turboshaft engine although other power sources such as a steam turbine or diesel engine would also be applicable. The input shaft 111 A carries two gears 113 , 114 . Shown in the illustration, but not necessary for gearbox function, is an over-running clutch 115 , 116 in each gear. This would allow a malfunctioning or inoperative engine to drop “off line” when more than one engine is used to drive the speed changer. When transmitting power, it will be seen that both input gears behave exactly as if rigidly interconnected.
[0015] On the output side of the gearbox, it will be seen that the output is driven by a common planet carrier 117 , whose planets 118 intermesh with input ring 120 . Two ring gears 119 , 120 are required for the parallel path, and spur-gear differential 121 is operationally coupled to ring gears 119 and 120 . Thus, the two input rings will always be in torque balance, but are free to rotate at differing speeds.
[0016] One ring 119 (the “A” gear train) is constantly in mesh with the “A” input pinion 114 . The other ring 120 (the “B” gear train) is alternatively driven via its outside surface from a layshaft 122 , or from its inside surface from a moderately up-speeding planetary set 123 . Inserted in the “B” geartrain layshaft 122 is an over-running sprag clutch 124 . The up-speeding planetary 123 is made active by clamping the sun gear 125 to the gearcase 126 using the friction clutch 112 . Being the higher speed of the two alternative drives, the sprag clutch 124 then freewheels.
[0017] To effect a speed change to a lower output speed, the friction clutch 112 is released, and the drive is then re-asserted through the sprag clutch 124 . Thus it will be seen that speed changing in either direction of the ratio step, from slow to fast (friction clutch) or from fast to slow (sprag clutch) is effected by an “either-or” command to the friction clutch 112 . Friction clutches can carry torque regardless of the relative rotational speed between the clutch plates. The speed changer is therefore power sustaining during ratio changes, the length of time devoted to the shift event is governed entirely by the thermal capacity of the clutch. For ratio steps of less than 2, and for propeller drives up to 10,000 horsepower, the speed changing event is between three and seven seconds, for example, for a clutch weight of 5% of total gearbox weight.
[0018] FIG. 3 shows the operation of the two ring driven, carrier output differential 121 . From the illustration it will be seen that the device always produces a result that the ring gear inputs are in torque balance, regardless of their rotational speeds. This characteristic is reflected back up the geartrains whether in the high speed load path or the low speed load path. The operating principle is simply stated: the output rings 119 , 120 run at equal torque but differing speeds, and the input pinions 113 , 114 run at equal speed but differing torque.
[0019] Therefore, it should be appreciated that contemplated gearboxes will employ integrated layshaft-type transmission with dual load path. Using such configuration, mesh action at all gear interfaces is ascertained regardless of the speed-changing state in the device. Moreover, devices according to the inventive subject matter allow power-sustained speed-changing using a friction clutch/over-running clutch combination without the disadvantages of heretofore known devices, as among other things, the speed-changing elements are only exposed to a portion of transmitted power. Furthermore, device configurations may be simplified (and with that allow for reduced weight) as the friction clutch with half of friction plate complement is arranged to be non-rotating, and hence operable by case-mounted actuation methods. Most typically, gearboxes according to the inventive subject matter will transmit power from an engine operating at equal or higher than 1000 hp, more typically equal or higher than 2000 hp, and most typically equal or higher than 5000 hp.
[0020] Thus, specific embodiments and applications of speed changing gearboxes with dual path input have been disclosed. It should be apparent, however, to those skilled in the art that many more modifications besides those already described are possible without departing from the inventive concepts herein. The inventive subject matter, therefore, is not to be restricted except in the spirit of the appended claims. Moreover, in interpreting both the specification and the claims, all terms should be interpreted in the broadest possible manner consistent with the context. In particular, the terms “comprises” and “comprising” should be interpreted as referring to elements, components, or steps in a non-exclusive manner, indicating that the referenced elements, components, or steps may be present, or utilized, or combined with other elements, components, or steps that are not expressly referenced. Furthermore, where a definition or use of a term in a reference, which is incorporated by reference herein is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
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Contemplated gearboxes provide first and second power-balanced paths in which a speed changer is configured to operate with only one path. Most preferably, the gearbox includes a friction clutch and a sprag clutch arranged such that, together with a layshaft and spur-gear differential, gear shifting can be done while transmitting power.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of and priority to U.S. provisional application No. 61/307,693, filed Feb. 24, 2010, which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention relates to a coiled tubing inline motion eliminator apparatus and method.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0003] The present invention is drawn to a unique apparatus for deploying coiled tubing on an offshore or other platform that may not have a derrick or other support structure available for running a tool downhole. Such platforms may include, for example, an offshore production platform. The apparatus comprises a frame assembly including a base frame, a lower frame member and an upper frame member detachably secured together. A monorail is positioned on the upper frame member. A winch assembly is operatively connected to the monorail. The winch assembly comprises a first winch and a second winch. Each of the first and second winches includes a hoisting means. A hydraulic cylinder is operatively associated with the winch assembly. Actuation of the hydraulic cylinder causes reciprocation of the winch assembly to move either the first or second winch into or out of operative alignment with a wellhead.
[0004] The first winch may have a lighter load capability than the second winch.
[0005] The apparatus may further comprise a motion compensator. The motion compensator is suspended by the hoisting means of the second winch.
[0006] The apparatus may further comprise a coiled tubing injector head. The injector head is detachably affixed to the motion compensator.
[0007] The coiled tubing injector head may be in operative alignment with the wellhead.
[0008] The apparatus may further comprise a hydraulic pin positioned on the upper frame member. The hydraulic pin is selectively actuated to engage a pin retaining receptacle of the motion compensator.
[0009] The apparatus may further comprise a well intervention tool suspended by the hoisting means of the first winch. The tool is out of operative alignment with the wellhead.
[0010] The frame assembly may be modular and include a plurality of stackable frame units.
[0011] In another embodiment, the apparatus includes a frame assembly having a base frame, a lower frame member and an upper frame member detachably secured together. A reciprocating plate is positioned on the upper frame member. A winch assembly is operatively connected to the reciprocating plate. The winch assembly comprises a first winch and a second winch. Each of the first and second winches includes a hoisting means. The hoisting means are each capable of being extending through an aperture in the reciprocating plate. A hydraulic cylinder is operatively associated with the reciprocating plate. Actuation of the hydraulic cylinder causes reciprocation of the reciprocating plate to move either the first or second winch into or out of operative alignment with a wellhead.
[0012] In the alternative apparatus, the first winch has a lighter load capability than the second winch.
[0013] The alternative apparatus may further comprise a motion compensator. The motion compensator is suspended by the hoisting means of the second winch.
[0014] The alternative apparatus may further comprise a coiled tubing injector head. The injector head is detachably affixed to the motion compensator.
[0015] In the alternative apparatus, the coiled tubing injector head is in operative alignment with the wellhead.
[0016] The alternative apparatus may further comprise a hydraulic pin positioned on the upper frame member. The hydraulic pin is selectively actuated to engage a pin retaining receptacle of the motion compensator.
[0017] The alternative apparatus may further comprise a well intervention tool suspended by the hoisting means of the first winch. The tool is out of operative alignment with the wellhead.
[0018] In the alternative apparatus, the frame assembly is modular and includes a plurality of stackable frame units.
[0019] The present invention is also drawn to a method of conducting well intervention work using coiled tubing. The method comprising the steps of assembling the apparatus of the present invention or the alternative apparatus described herein above. The method includes the step of suspending a motion compensator from the hoisting means of the second winch. The method includes the step of detachably connecting a coiled tubing injector head to the motion compensator. The method includes the step of actuating the hydraulic cylinder to reciprocate the winch assembly or reciprocating plate to bring the second winch into operative alignment with a subsea wellhead. The method includes the step of operatively connecting the coiled tubing injector head to the subsea wellhead. The method includes the step of running coiled tubing into the coiled tubing injector head and down through the subsea well head and into a section of a well where well intervention work is desired to be performed. The method includes the step of performing the well intervention work.
[0020] In the method, the apparatus may further comprises a hydraulic pin positioned on the upper frame member. The hydraulic pin is selectively actuated to engage a pin retaining receptacle of the motion compensator. The method may further comprise the step of actuating the hydraulic pin to engage the pin retaining receptacle of the motion compensator.
[0021] The method may further comprise the step of suspending a well intervention tool to the hoisting means of the first winch. The method may further include the steps of removing the coiled tubing from the well and the coiled tubing injector head. The method may further include the steps of reciprocating the winch assembly or reciprocating plate to move the second winch out of operative alignment with the subsea wellhead and the first winch into alignment with the subsea wellhead. The method may further include the step of operatively connecting the well intervention tool to the well. The method may further include the step of performing additional well intervention work on the well using the well intervention tool.
[0022] The method may further comprise the step of disconnecting the well intervention tool from the well. The method may further comprise the step of removing the well intervention tool from the hoisting means of the first winch. The method may further include the steps of removing the motion compensator and coiled tubing injector head from the hoisting means of the second winch. The method may further include the step of disassembling the apparatus.
[0023] An advantage of the present invention is the elimination of unsafe overhead crane operations.
[0024] Another advantage of the present invention is the ability to conduct coiled tubing operations on platforms without a derrick or other supporting structure.
[0025] Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ease and efficiency of assembling a frame structure that supports a coiled tubing injector head over the wellhead to carryout coiled tubing operations.
[0026] Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ability to quickly and easily move the coiled tubing injector head out of alignment with the wellhead during temporary cessation of coiled tubing operations.
[0027] Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ability to suspend two tools at one time and to selectively move the tools into and out of alignment with the wellhead to perform well intervention tasks.
[0028] Yet another advantage of the present invention is the ability to compensate for the vertical movement of the platform.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0029] FIG. 1 is a side view of one embodiment of the present invention.
[0030] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the device shown in FIG. 1 taken along plane A-A.
[0031] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional top view of the device shown in FIG. 1 taken along plane B-B.
[0032] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional top view of the device shown in FIG. 1 taken along plane C-C.
[0033] FIG. 5 is an isometric view of another embodiment of the present invention.
[0034] FIG. 6 is a side view of the device shown in FIG. 5 .
[0035] FIG. 7 is a front view of the device shown in FIG. 5 .
[0036] FIG. 8 is a back view of the device shown in FIG. 5 .
[0037] FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention deployed on an offshore platform.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 1-4 , coiled tubing inline motion eliminator apparatus 10 includes frame assembly 12 , which may be positioned over a wellhead (not shown). Frame assembly 12 includes base frame 14 for supporting lower frame member 16 and upper frame member 18 . Frame assembly 12 may be a modular frame. For example, frame assembly 12 may be formed of a plurality of sub-frame units that may be detachably affixed together to form frame assembly 12 . Frame assembly 12 may be made of any material suitable for structural support. For example, frame assembly 12 may be made of metal such as steel. Fixation of sub-frame units may be undertaken by any means capable of suitable connection such as pins, bolts or the like. Frame assembly 12 may be any shape such as rectangular-shaped or square-shaped. Frame assembly 12 may have a height of about 55.5 feet. Base frame 14 and lower frame member 16 may have a width of about 13.0 feet. Each sub-frame unit forming base frame 14 and lower frame members 16 may have a height of about 8.0 feet and a width of about 13.0 feet. Upper frame member 18 may have a width of about 20.0 feet and a height of about 7.5 feet.
[0039] Again with reference to FIGS. 1-4 , upper frame member 18 includes lower support member 20 . Lower support member 20 includes a first pair of opposed side supports 22 and a second pair of opposed side supports 24 . Lateral supports 26 and 28 extend between first pair of opposed side supports 22 . Hydraulic locking pin 30 is affixed to the upper surface of one of side supports 24 and lateral support 22 . Hydraulic locking pin 30 may be affixed in a variety of ways that secure pin 30 to lower support member 20 . For example, hydraulic locking pin 30 may be attached by screws, bolts, clamps, or other suitable means.
[0040] With further reference to FIGS. 1-4 , upper frame member 18 includes upper support member 32 . Upper support member 32 includes a first pair of opposing side supports 34 and a second pair of opposing side supports 36 . Monorail 38 extends laterally between opposing side supports 34 . Monorail 38 includes upper rail support 40 , four interconnecting side rail supports 42 , and lower rail support 44 . Monorail 38 may be affixed to side supports 34 by a variety of means. For example, ends 48 of monorail 38 may be connected to side supports 34 or ends 48 at upper rail support 40 of monorail 38 may be connected to the underside of side supports 34 . Such connection may be by welding or other suitable fixation means such as screws, bolts, rivets, or the like. Upper frame member 18 also includes winch assembly 50 and hydraulic cylinder 52 . Winch assembly 50 may include first winch 54 and second winch 56 . Winch 56 may have a higher weight capacity than winch 54 . Winches 54 , 56 each have a pair of rollers 58 , which are movably positioned on monorail 38 . For example, rollers 58 may be contained on or within monorail 38 .
[0041] Again with reference to FIGS. 1-4 , hydraulic cylinder 52 is operatively connected to winch assembly 50 . When actuated, hydraulic cylinder 52 either selectively moves winch assembly 50 in a first direction along the axis Z-Z of monorail 38 or in a second opposite direction along the axis Z-Z of monorail 38 . Winches 54 , 56 each contains a hoisting means 62 such as a wire rope, cord, chain or the like capable of supporting tools and other equipment that may be used for well intervention operations, as for example, a coiled tubing injector head. Winches 54 , 56 may be selectively actuated to lower or lift such tools and equipment, and in conjunction with the actuations of hydraulic cylinder 52 , to move such tools or equipment along axis Z-Z to either place such tools or equipment in line with the wellhead or out of line with the wellhead depending on whether such tools or equipment will be operatively connected to the wellhead and/or well for well intervention operations.
[0042] FIGS. 1 and 2 shows winch 56 supporting motion compensator 64 . Motion compensator 64 may be of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,929,071, which is incorporated herein by reference.
[0043] FIG. 2 shows winch 56 further supporting coiled tubing injector head 66 . Blowout preventer (“BOP”) 68 is operatively connected to injector 66 . Tubular 70 is operatively connected to blowout preventer 68 . Tubular 70 is operatively connected to the wellhead and/or well (not shown). Coiled tubing 71 is run through injector head 66 and into and through blowout preventer 68 and tubular 70 to a location downhole where well intervention work is to be or is being performed. In this operational position, hydraulic pin 30 is actuated to engage compensator 64 . For example, upper end 72 of compensator 64 may contain pin receptacle 74 for receiving pin 30 . When engaged pin 30 is engaged in receptacle 74 , compensator 64 is retained in position along axis 60 . Such retention keeps the tools, such as injector head 66 , in alignment with the wellhead. The retention of upper end 72 of compensator 64 also enables the reciprocation of compensator 64 to compensate for vertical movement of apparatus 10 when operatively positioned on a floating platform due to wave action or changes in the sea level.
[0044] Apparatus 10 may include a second tool hoisted by which 54 . The second tool may be a tool that will be necessary to operatively connect to the wellhead and/or well once coiled tubing operations are completed or partially completed. For example, if coiled tubing operations are completed or partially completed and the second tool must be used to conduct further well intervention, injector head 66 (or injector head 66 and BOP 68 ) is disconnected. Hydraulic pin 30 is removed from receptacle 74 . Actuation of hydraulic cylinder 52 causes winch assembly 50 to move along axis Z-Z so that winch 56 is out of alignment with the wellhead and the winch 54 and the second tool is brought into alignment with the wellhead. The second tool is connected to the wellhead. Hydraulic pin 30 may or may not be activated to retain the second tool. Well intervention work is then carried out using the second tool. The second tool may be any tool used for well intervention purposes. For example, the second tool may be a tool to conduct work-over, snubbing, completion, and/or plug and abandonment.
[0045] FIGS. 5-8 illustrate another embodiment of apparatus 10 . In this embodiment, winches 54 , 56 are positioned on upper surface 76 of reciprocating plate 78 of upper frame member 18 . Plate 76 contains opening or aperture 80 through which hoisting means 62 may extend to hoist or support a tool or other well intervention equipment such as injector head 66 or a second tool. Hydraulic cylinder 52 is operatively associated with plate 76 . When hydraulic cylinder is actuated, plate 76 containing winches 54 , 56 moves forward or backwards along axis Y-Y.
[0046] FIG. 9 shows apparatus 10 assembled and in position on floating platform 82 . Winch 56 is supporting compensator 64 , injector head 66 , BOP 68 and tubular 70 . Tubular 70 is fluidly connected to work string 84 that extends to wellhead 86 that is on seabed 88 . Coiled tubing 71 is positioned through injector head 66 , down through to the work string 84 and into well 90 where well intervention operations are being carried out. Inlet and outlines 92 interconnect compensator 64 to power pack means 94 that supplies a power source necessary to operate compensator 66 . The power source may be pneumatic power such a nitrogen gas. Alternatively, the power source could be hydraulic fluid.
[0047] Also as seen in FIG. 9 , inlet and outlines 96 interconnect hydraulic pin 30 to power pack means 98 that supplies a power source necessary to operate pin 30 . The power source may be hydraulic fluid. Alternatively, pin 30 could be operated by pneumatic means such as a gas source such as air or nitrogen. Inlet and outlet lines 100 interconnect hydraulic cylinder 52 to power pack means 102 that supplies a power source necessary to operate cylinder 52 . The power source may be hydraulic fluid. Alternatively, cylinder 52 could be operated by pneumatic means such as a gas source such as air or nitrogen. It is possible to combine power pack means 98 and 102 so that either pack means 98 or 102 operate both hydraulic pin 30 and hydraulic cylinder 52 .
[0048] With reference to FIG. 9 , coiled tubing surface equipment 104 provides the coiled tubing and other required equipment to operate same. The equipment may be a tubing reel, a control house, and a power pack. Winch 54 is shown suspending second tool 106 that may have already been operatively connected to well 90 and moved out of alignment with wellhead 86 by actuation of winch assembly 50 upon completion of the work or is standing-by to be placed into alignment with wellhead 86 and operatively connected to well 90 after removal of coiled tubing 71 from injector 66 and actuation of winch assembly 50 to bring second tool 106 into alignment with wellhead 86 .
[0049] Base 14 may be used with stowable and adjustable work platforms that may be added thereto. The platforms permit rig personnel to work safely during rig up and also during the deployment of downhole tools.
[0050] While preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described, it is to be understood that the embodiments are illustrative only and that the scope of the invention includes the many variations and modifications naturally occurring to those skilled in the art from a review hereof.
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An apparatus for performing well intervention work using coiled tubing. The apparatus includes a structural frame. The upper portion of the frame include two winches for suspending well interventions tools including a coiled tubing injector head. The winches may be selective reciprocated by a hydraulic cylinder to either bring the first or second winch into operative alignment into or out of alignment with a subsea wellhead.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a press load meter which measures and displays the maximum value of dynamic stress caused during the operation of a press.
By the provision of a load meter on a press, the following various advantages can be obtained:
(1) The amount of feed can be controlled so that the load is most suitable with a metal mold set.
(2) Abnormal conditions such as engagement of foreign matters and wearing of a metal mold can be detected.
(3) Accordingly, the quality of work pieces can be controlled.
(4) Protection of the press can be suitably effected.
Therefore, one of the most important conditions for the load meter provided on a press is to readily measure a load value with high accuracy.
Furthermore, the following specific features are required for the press load meter:
(A) The maximum value of dynamic stress can be displayed for a relatively long period of time after the completion of a measurement.
(B) It can measure the load values at a plurality of points (two through four points) on the ram (slide) of the press as well as the sum of the load values.
(C) It has stability for a relatively long period and also simplicity in handling.
In a conventional press load measurement, when a press is operated to apply load to a work piece, strains are caused at various parts of the press by the load. The strains are proportional to the load. Therefore, strain gauges are provided at various measurement points, and Wheatstone bridges are provided for the measurement points, respectively. In addition, before starting the measurement, under the condition that no load is applied the unbalance outputs present in these Wheatstone bridges (hereinafter referred to as "initial values" when applicable) are zeroed by means of an initial balance controller. Thereafter, load is applied to the press, and the outputs of the Wheatstone bridges are measured with meters thereby obtaining the magnitudes of strains at the measurement points, namely, the magnitude of the load.
In this case, in the conventional device the initial unbalance control takes time and is troublesome because it is carried out manually for every measurement point; that is, the conventional device is poor in practical operation. Furthermore, in the conventional device, in the measurement of the maximum value of load a capacitor is charged with the output of the bridge circuit, and the voltage of the capacitor is displayed by a meter. In other words, the maximum value of load to be measured is held in an analog mode. Accordingly, the conventional device is disadvantageous in that the display value is decreased with time. In addition, the sum of the load values at the measurement points is obtained by switching the connections of the Wheatstone bridges, which leads to the disadvantage of the conventional device that the switching and connecting operations are rather troublesome.
Moreover, the conventional device is disadvantageous in that as it is provided with only one charge circuit and only one meter, it is impossible to simultaneously measure load values at all the measurement points (the load values at all the measurement points, and the sum thereof) for every one stroke of the press.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is a primary object of this invention to eliminate all of the above-described difficulties accompanying a conventional press load meter. More specifically, a primary object of the invention is to provide a press load meter in which a substantial adjustment can be achieved by computation within a relatively short period of time, without conducting the adjustment of the conventional device, and in which it is possible to correctly measure and display the maximum load values at all of the measurement points and the maximum value of the load values totalized, the display being maintained unchanged.
Another object of the invention is to provide a press load meter in which, when noise components are contained in an electrical output of a strain gauge, the noise components are eliminated thereby to correctly measure and display the maximum load values at all of the measurement points and the maximum value of the load values totalized.
A further object of the invention is to provide a press load meter in which voltage representative of the sum of load values at measurement points is compressed so as to correspond to voltage levels at the measurement points so that a digital processing circuit is used commonly for the voltages of the measurement points and the voltage of the total value, and in digital display an initial total load value is displayed by shifting a total load value data, thereby to simplify the circuitry thereof.
A still further object of the invention is to provide a press load meter in which when load values at measurement points and the total load value exceed preset values, an overload signal is outputted, and a circuit for presetting the values is used commonly for load values at the measurement points and the total load value.
A specific object of the invention is to provide a press load meter in which a display switching circuit is provided so that the meter can be applied to a varity of presses different in performance and capability.
Provided according to this invention is a digital type press load meter in which initial unbalance components with respect to various points are digitized and stored, and after the completion of measurement, the maximum values at the points are subtracted by the respective initial values thereby to obtain the true maximum values, and in which during the measurement the strain outputs from all the points are switched sequentially in time-sharing manner and digitized so that the load values are stored in the memory address of the points thereby to measure the load values at all the points substantially at the same time in one stroke of the press, and in addition the maximum load value is digitized to be stored and read out to be displayed after the completion of the measurement, the display being maintained unchanged for a long period of time.
The fore going objects and other objects as well as the characteristic features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the appended claims when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like parts are designated by like reference characters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the press load meter of the present invention applied to a single action type press;
FIGS. 2(a) through 2(d) are graphical diagrams showing the operation of a switch LS shown in FIG. 1 and various gate control signals;
FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) are graphical diagrams showing the signals appearing in the component parts shown in FIG. 1 for explanining a function for preventing an erroneous operations by noise in a case where noise is included in a load wave signal with respect to one channel;
FIGS. 4(a) through 4(f) are graphical diagrams showing the signals appearing in the component parts shown in FIG. 1 for explaining the operation for storing a maximum load value in a memory M 2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a modified example of the load press meter of the invention;
FIGS. 6(a) through 6(c) are diagrams showing connections of the jumper setting section;
FIG. 7 is a diagram showing connections of the jumper setting section in a case where the adder TAD shown in FIG. 1 is so designed that it will produce an output which is one fourth of a sum of outputs of amplifiers AM 1 through AM n ;
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing another example of the press load meter of the invention applied to a double action type press;
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing the jumper setting section employed for the example showing in FIG. 8; and
FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing still another example of the press load meter of the invention capable of producing also an overload signal.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Shown in FIG. 1 is one preferred example of a press load meter according to this invention applicable to a single action type press.
Referring to FIG. 1, stress detecting sections P 1 through P n , each being made of a strain gauge, are adhered to predetermined portions of the ram or slide of a press. These strain gauges P 1 through P n are built in a wheatstone bridge. The strain gauges receive a signal, for instance a rectangular wave of 5 KHz, from a bridge source BE and convert it into electrical signals F 1 through F n corresponding to stress values, or load values, at the adhesion points thereof. The electrical signals F 1 through F n are amplified by respective amplifiers AM 1 through AM n and are thereafter introduced to an analog multiplexer MAX and an analog total adder TAD. The analog total adder TAD totalizes the signals F 1 through F n to apply a total load signal F S to the analog multiplexer MAX. The analog multiplexer MAX operates to arrange the signals F 1 through F n and the total load signal F S applied simultaneously thereto, in a time sharing manner, and to deliver them out. That is, the analog multiplexer MAX delivers out its output signals sequentially whenever a switching pulse signal is applied thereto from a control circuit CON. The output signals of the analog multiplexer MAX are applied to an analog-to-digital converter ADC which when a command signal H is applied thereto from the control circuit CON, converts its input analog signal into a digital signal which is outputted therefrom. Thus, the point signals F 1 through F n and the total signal F S are converted into digital signals D 1 through D n and D n+1 , respectively.
The analog multiplexer MAX is so designed that upon reception of the switching signal from the control circuit CON, it delivers out the point signals F 1 through F n and the total signal F S in the described order and in a time-sharing manner and outputs these signals cyclically until one operation cycle of the press is completed.
Hereinafter, signal series concerning the stress detecting sections P 1 through P n described below will be referred to as a first channel through an n-th channel, respectively, and a signal series concerning the total signal F S will be referred to as an (n + 1)th channel, when applicable.
A digital meory M 1 is to store unbalance components of the stress detecting sections P 1 through P n when no load is present, and digital signals D 1 * through D n+1 * representative of the unbalance components are stored in the first through the (n+1)th channels of the memory M 1 .
The output of the converter ADC is applied to a memory M 2 which, only when a newly applied digital signal is greater than the previously applied digital signal with respect to one and the same channel, rewrites its storage into the new digital signal. Accordingly, in one channel a digital signal corresponding to the maximum value out of the values which have been obtained is stored in the memory M 2 at all times.
The rewrite control of the memory M 2 is carried out by a latch circuit LA 2 , a comparator CO 2 and a gate G 2 . A latch circuit LA 1 , and a comparator CO 1 serve to prevent the erroneous operation of the load meter according to the invention which otherwise may be caused by noise signals occuring in the outputs of the stress detecing sections and also in the lines connected thereto. Upon completion of one operation cycle of the press, the data having values corresponding to the maximum load values in the respective channels have been stored in the memory M 2 . The data thus stored are read out and applied to one of the inputs of an operational circuit OP. On the other hand, data having values corresponding to the unbalance components (intial values) of the memory M 1 are read out and applied to the other input of the operational circuit OP.
In the operational circuit, for each channel the maximum load value is subtracted by the initial value, and the result is applied to a display circuit DP. Accordingly, the true maximum load value is displayed by the display circuit DP.
Storing of the initial value data in the memory M 1 , storing of the measured values in the memory M 2 , comparison of the maximum load, values, subtraction of the initial value from the maximum load value, and display of the subtraction result are all effected in synchronization with the operation of the body (slide) of the press. The position of the slide is obtained as an electrical signal by the on-off operation of a switch LS provided at a predetermined position in the vicinity of a rotary cam shaft which is normally mechanically coupled to the slide driving crank shaft.
During one stroke of the press, the slide at the top dead center moves downwards to the bottom dead center and then moves upwards to the top dead center, while the rotary cam shaft makes one revolution (360°).
It is assumed that a position corresponding to the top dead center of the rotary cam shaft is 0°. When the rotary cam shaft rotates through 60°, the switch LS is closed (ON) as shown in (a) of FIG. 2. As a result, a gate control signal X 0 as shown in (b) of FIG. 2 is produced by the control circuit CON to open the gate G 0 . It goes without saying that in this case the stress detecting sections P 1 through P n are not subject to load, and the signals F 1 through F n from the stress detecting sections correspond to the unbalance components only.
Accordingly, the initial value data D 1 * through D n *, and D s * from the analog-to-digital converter ADC are applied to the memory M 1 through the gate G 0 . A write signal WR from the control circuit CO operates so that relevant data are correctly written in the respective channels in the memory M 1 . As the gate G 0 is closed in about 2 msec., thereafter the contents stored in the memory M 1 are maintained as they are.
As soon as the storage of the initial values starts, gates G 1 and G 2 are opened by gate control signals X 1 and X 2 produced by the control circuit. The open states of the gates are maintained unchanged until the rotary cam shaft rotates through 300°. During this period, a gate G 3 is kept closed because no gate control signal X 3 is applied thereto.
The analog-to-digital converter ADC is so designed as to subject the output signal of the multiplexer MAX to digital conversion twice per channel in a short period of time. Shown in a of FIG. 3 is a voltage waveform proportional to a load in one channel (for instance the first channel), and including noise. The voltage waveform is indicated enlarged in time. FIG. 3, b shows command signals, adjacent pulses H 1 and H 2 , H 3 and H 4 , . . . are very close in time to one another (although the time intervals between the pulses being shown enlarged). The values of the pulses H 1 and H 2 obtained through digital conversion are equal to each other.
First, data corresponding to a level l 1 digital-converted by the command signal H 1 is latched by the latch circuit LA 1 with the aid of a latch control signal LC 1 . Then, data corresponding to the level l 1 digital-converted by the command signal H 2 is applied to the comparator CO 1 where it is compared with the latched data. In this case, as both of the data correspond to the level l 1 , the output of the comparator CO 1 is "1." This ouput "1" means that no noise is included in the data.
Data digital-converted by the command signal H 3 contains a noise component, and therefore data corresponding to a level l 2 (the true value being l 3 ) is latched by the latch circuit LA 1 . Then, data representative of the level l 3 subjected to digital-conversion with the aid of the command signal H 4 is applied to the comparator CO 1 where comparison is effected. In this case, undoubtedly both of the inputs are not coincident with each other, and therefore the output of the comparator CO 1 will be "0." This output "0" is to prohibit the writing in the memory M 2 .
The output of the comparator CO 1 is applied to an input of an AND circuit A, and constitutes one condition for forming a write signal to the memory M 2 . Accordingly, if a noise component is present, no data is written in the memory M 2 .
Now, the maximum value detection function will be described with reference to the first channel only, assuming that no noise component is present.
Shown in (a) of FIG. 4 is an output waveform of the amplifier AM 1 concerning the first channel. Before measurement, the memory M 2 has been cleared, that is, the content of the memory M 2 is "0." The output waveform shown in FIG. 4 is subjected to digital-conversion by the command signals H at the points 1 through 17. At the point 1 the data is "0" and the content of the memory M 2 is maintained unchanged. Therefore, no detailed description will be made for this operation. At the point 2, the digital signal is applied through the gate G 1 to the latch circuit LA 2 with the aid of the command signal H, and is latched with the aid of a latch control signal LC 2 produced by the control circuit. Then, a read-out signal RO 2 from the control circuit CON is applied to the memory M 2 , as a result of which the data stored in the memory M 2 is read out and applied through a gate G 2 to the comparator CO 2 where the data at the point 2 latched by the latch circuit LA 2 is compared with the data ("0" in the case) read out of the memory M 2 . As, in this case, the data at the point 2 is greater, the comparator CO 2 provides an output " 1." This output "1" is applied to an input of the AND circuit A. Therefore, when a write synchronization signal WS is applied from the control circuit CON to the AND circuit A, all of the inputs to the AND circuit A are "1," as a result of which its output, namely, a write signal W becomes "1." With this write signal W, the memory M 2 operates to write the data with respect to the point 2.
Thus, only when data greater than the data stored in the memory M 2 is applied through the gate G 1 to the memory M 2 , the content stored in the memory M 2 is rewritten. Therefore, the content of the memory M 2 is rewritten with respect to the data of the points 2, 3, 4, 8, 9 and 10 in the stated order in the case of the waveform shown in FIG. 4, and finally the data of the point 10 is maintained stored in the memory M 2 . That is, upon completion of one operation cycle of the press, the data corresponding to the maximum load value is stored in the memory M 2 .
When the rotation angle of the rotary cam exceeds 300°, the gates G 1 and G 2 are closed, while the gate G 3 is opened. Then, the read-out signals RO 1 and RO 2 are applied from the control circuit CON to the memories M 1 and M 2 , respectively, as a result of which the aforementioned initial value and the aforementioned maximum value are read out of the memories M 1 and M 2 , respectively. Upon receiving an operation control signal OC from the control circuit CON, the operational circuit OP subtracts the initial value from the maximum value thereby to obtain the true maximum value which is introduced to and displayed by the display circuit DP.
If it is assumed that the output of the analog-to-digital converter ADC has eight bits, this digital output is 255 in full scale. Therefore, the highest measurement value is only 255 tons. However, there are many presses which have a capacity higher than 255 tons, for instance 500 tons and 1,000 tons. Accordingly, in order to allow the press load meter to be applicable to a variety of presses, a jumper setting section JS and a display switching control circuit DC are, according to the invention, inserted between the operational circuit OP and the display circuit DP as shown in FIG. 5.
If it is assumed that the output of the operational circuit OP has 8 bits, all that is necessary in this case is to connect the data of 8 bits in the jumper setting section JS so as to shift higher in bit. The following table indicates the relationships between the number of shift and the capacity of a press to be measured by the load meter:
Table______________________________________ Capacity of PressItem Number of Shift Full-bit Display Value (ton)______________________________________I 0 255 250II 1 510 500III 2 1020 1000IV 3 2040 2000V 4 4080 4000______________________________________
Shown in a, b and c of FIG. 6 are diagrams theoretically illustrating jumper connection states for three different numbers of shifts 0, 2 and 4 in the jumper setting section JS.
On the other hand, in the adder TAD the sum of the outputs of the amplifiers AM 1 through AM n is multiplied by 1/n so that the result is approximately equal to each of the outputs of the amplifiers and can be expressed with 8 bits of the converter ADC. Accordingly, with respect to the total signal only, it is necessary to display the total signal multiplied by 4. For this purpose, the actual connection state in the jumper setting section JS is as shown in FIG. 7. In displaying the maximum load value concerning the detecting sections P 1 through P n , the "A" side terminals of the jumper setting section JS are connected to the display circuit DP. In displaying the total signal, a switching signal DCC is applied from the control circuit CON to the display switching circuit DC so that the "B" side terminals of the jumper setting section JS are switched over to be connected to the display circuit DP. Thus, for the total signal, the maximum value which is a correct total value is displayed.
FIG. 8 illustrates one example of the invention in which the press load meter is employed for a double action press. In this example, four stress detecting sections IP 1 through IP 4 are adhered to an inner slide, while four stress detecting sections OUP 1 through OUP 4 are adhered to an outer slide. Total adders TAD 1 and TAD 2 are provided for the inner slide and the outer slide, respectively. Amplifiers AMP 1 through AMP 8 are provided for the stress detecting sections, respectively.
Similarly as in the total adder aforementioned, each of the total adders TAD 1 and TAD 2 operates to output a 1/4 of the sum of the outputs of the respective amplifiers.
In this example, the display of the maximum load concerning the inner points, the inner total, the outer points and the outer total must be carried out. In displaying the total value, it is necessary that data is shifted higher by 2 bits. Therefore, similarly as in the case described before, a jumper setting section JS in which jumper connection is arranged as shown in FIG. 9 can be employed.
In FIG. 9, the "A" side terminals, the "B" side terminals, the "C" side terminals, and the "D" side terminals are for the inner points, the inner total, the outer points, and the outer total, respectively. A display switching circuit DC, similarly as in the above-described case, carries out the switching and connecting with the aid of a display selecting signal applied thereto by the control circuit CON, and selectively delivers the maximum load value signals concerning the inner points, the inner total, the outer points, and the outer total.
If the press load meter is so designed that when the maximum load values concerning the points and totals exceed the respective set values, over-load signals are provided, it is possible to detect application of overloads in the press process. For instance if in a press of inner 4-points 800 tons (200 tons per point) and outer 4-points 400 tons (100 tons per point) its set overload value is 110%, then the set value for the inner points is 220 tons, the set value for the inner total is 880 tons, the set value for the outer points is 110 tons, and the set value for the outer total is 440 tons.
As is apparent from the above description, in obtaining the overload signals for the double action press, it is necessary to provide a circuit for setting the four set values and auxiliary circuits relating to the circuit, which leads to the provision of a considerably intricate circuitry.
However, according to this invention, such overload signals can be obtained by providing only two set values. More specifically, in the invention, with respect to the total each of the total adders TAD 1 and TAD 2 outputs a 1/4 of its sum of the outputs of the respective amplifiers, and therefore the output data of the operational circuit OP can be considered to be equivalent to each of those concerning the points. That is, the same set value can be provided for the inner points and the inner total. More specifically, in the example aforementioned, the set value is 220 tons. The same thing can be applied to the case of the outer points and the outer total.
In FIG. 10, an inner overload setting circuit K 1 is capable of suitably providing a set value as required. The output of the inner overload setting circuit K 1 is converted into an 8-bit digital signal Y 1 by a code conversion circuit CG 1 and is applied to one of the inputs of a comparison circuit CRK 1 . On the other hand, an 8-bit data X representative of the maximum load value is applied from the operationa; circuit OP to the comparison circuit CRK 1 where the two data X and Y 1 are subjected to comparison. When the data X is greater than Y 1 (X > Y 1 ), the comparison circuit CRK 1 produces an output signal. Similarly, an outer overload setting circuit K 2 , a code conversion circuit CG 2 , and a comparison circuit CRK 2 are provided for the outer overload. The comparison circuit compares the data X with the data Y 2 , and produces an output signal when the former is greater than the latter (X > Y 2 ).
The output signals of the comparison circuits CRK 1 and CRK 2 are applied to a gate circuit G. A display selection control signal DCC from the control circuit CON is applied to the gate G, and the gate G is opened with the timing of display in the aforementioned display circuit DP. Accordingly, if in this case the output signals of the comparison circuits CRK 1 and CRK 2 are available, these output signals are applied, as an overload signal, to a display circuit DPL through the gate G, thus indicating the occurrence of overload. The display circuit DPL may be a conventional one in which a light emission diode is operated, or a buzzer is operated by closing a relay switch built therein.
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A press load meter according to the present invention employs strain gauges as stress detectors. Outputs of the stress detectors are analogously processed until they are amplified and the amplified signals are digitally processed in a multiplexed form with respect to each channel whereby measurement in many stress detectors can be accomplished substantially simultaneously.
According to the invention, outputs of the respective stress detectors and a total sum thereof appearing before start of an operation cycle of the press are stored in a first memory as initial unbalance components with respect to each channel and a maximum load value during one operation cycle of the press is stored in a second memory with respect to each channel. Contents of the first memory are subtracted from contents of the second memory, the result of the subtraction being displayed with respect to each channel. By these arrangements, a true maximum value of a dynamic stress during a sliding operation of the press can be displayed without requiring a troublesome zero adjustment of the initial unbalance components which has been practiced in a conventional meter.
According to another embodiment of the invention, an overload signal is produced when a load applied to the stress detectors has exceeded a predetermined value.
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CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is filed pursuant to 35 USC 371 based upon PCT/CN2005/000979 filed 4 Jul. 2005, which claims the benefit of Chinese Application No. 200510049324, filed 9 Mar. 2005.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a porous membrane filtration component for treating water, particularly a type of suspending porous hollow fiber membrane bundle for the treatment of highly turbid waste water.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
In recent years and with the development of membrane technology, membranes have more and more applications in waste water treatment. However, in the application process, particularly in the treatment applications of waste water with high turbidity, the problem of membrane fouling has not been well resolved. With the improvement of membrane material properties and the reduction of membrane price, the control of membrane fouling has gradually become the main factor that limits its extensive application.
In order to improve the evenness of water flow, permeation efficiency, and to resolve the fouling and blockage problems of the applied membrane, the importance of an optimized design for membrane modules has become more and more significant. Particularly during the application of direct filtration of highly turbid waste water with hollow fiber porous membrane, there emerges a module composed of hollow fiber porous membrane that can be directly immersed in a raw water tank or biochemical tank to perform filtration, generally both ends of the hollow fiber membrane bundles are respectively connected with water-collecting boards (tube) that are separated but standing face to face, kept loose without contact, and set in the water to be treated. The mentioned hollow fiber membranes can use known polyvinylidene fluoride, polyethylene, polyvinyl chloride, polypropylene, polyether sulfone or polysulfone materials, etc. Generally, there are independent aeration and cleaning components setup under the membrane module, so the membrane bundles are in a buffeting state to prevent begriming over the membrane surface and guarantee a high flow rate of the porous membrane in the filtering of highly turbid water. The layout form for the mentioned hollow fiber membrane bundles can be in a curtain shape, cuboid shape or cylinder shape.
Immersion type membrane modules have been widely used. The published or approved patents include Chinese patent CN1331124A, CN1509801A, CN1121895C (U.S. Pat. No. 6,630,069) and U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,360. The abovementioned immersion type membrane modules have all resolved the anti-fouling and anti-blockage properties of the hollow porous membrane yarns to a certain degree, prolonging the lifespan and operating cycles of the modules to a certain degree as well. Both ends of the hollow fiber membrane yarns for the abovementioned membrane modules generally were inserted into the sealed water-collecting tubes that are set face to face. Because the membrane yarns inside the membrane modules were not restrained by a shell and although the buffeting freedom of the membrane yarns was improved under the effect of aeration system, in order to prevent the entanglement among the membrane yarns, the length of the membrane modules should not be very long. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,790,360 the optimized length for membrane yarns is suggested to be 0.7 meter.
Even so, immersion type porous membrane modules still have became a trend and direction for membrane module design in the sewage and waste water treatment field, and the membrane module structure and craft have been continuously improved. There is a curtain type immersion module including two vertically arranged upper and lower water-collecting tubes and hollow fiber membrane bundles in the middle. The feature is that the hollow fiber membrane bundle located between the upper and lower water-collecting tubes, could move right and left within a certain range, and the lower water-collecting tube could also shift up and down within a certain range, which provides the membrane bundle with a certain flexibility to improve anti-fouling capability of the membrane module. For another example, US Patent US2004/0188339A1 describes an immersion module type membrane filtration device with an exchangeable membrane module with an aeration tube installed in the membrane bundles. Not only is the maintenance problem for the membrane module to a certain degree resolved and non-stop operation realized, but also the aeration structure of the device and the anti-fouling property of the membrane yarns are improved.
In the above technologies, consideration was not given to the maintenance of the membrane module, the anti-fouling property of the membrane yarns and the technical problem of water productivity for the complete membrane filtration device in all the designs of the membrane modules.
The purpose of this invention is to provide a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane filtration module that can effectively prevent the entanglement of membrane yarns, effectively remove pollutants on the surface of membrane yarns, wherein the membrane yarns do not rupture easily, the membrane modules have a long lifespan with stable water production quality.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention mainly provides for a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane filtration module with a reasonable structure that can effectively prevent entanglement of membrane yarns, effectively removes pollutants on the membrane yarn surfaces which are difficult to rupture, provide a long application lifespan for the membrane module and provide steady water production quality. It can resolve the pre-existing technical problem in the hollow fiber membrane filtration module e.g. the entangled membrane yarns and easily rupture-able membrane yarn which leads to the technical problem of low water production quality. This invention also provides convenient maintenance or exchanging of the membrane module for the whole membrane filtration equipment.
The above technical problems in this invention are resolved through the technical scheme listed below: a suspending porous hollow fiber membrane bundle, comprising some porous hollow fiber membrane yarns and casting heads fixed on both ends of them and the casting heads of the fixed membrane bundles are connected with two ends of the membrane filtration module in flexible connection with a hollow tube or cord on the casting head of at least one end of the flexible connection, the casting head is connected with the membrane filtration module in a suspending state. The hollow fiber porous membrane bundle is completely immersed in the liquid to be filtered during the process, and the casting heads at both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range, so in the process, not only can the membrane yarns suspend-swing and contact each other with water flow and air flow, but also the whole membrane bundle can move in a certain range, resulting in the improvement of the removal of the contaminants off the membrane yarn surface. Chiefly because the casting heads at both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range, when the membrane yarns move under the effect of water and air flows, the casting heads at both ends of the membrane bundle can move simultaneously also, then the oscillation angle between the membrane yarn roots and the casting surface and the possibility of root rupture is significantly reduced, and reliability is improved. The casting head at one end of the membrane bundle is connected with the water-collecting system of the membrane filtration module through a hollow flexible tube, the casting head at the other end of the membrane bundle can be connected with the water-collecting system of the membrane filtration module through a hollow flexible tube, or directly connected with the other end of the module through a cord, then the flexible connection between the membrane bundle and the membrane filtration module is accomplished. The cord includes known flexible connection materials such as cords, springs, etc. Of course, for the flexible connection between the membrane bundle and the membrane filtration module as well as the free suspending state for the membrane bundle in the water to be treated, any present known method can be adopted, for example, cord connection is adopted for both ends of the membrane bundle to make the membrane bundle suspend in the water to be treated, then the water outlet tube can connect to a certain location between the two casting heads for transportation of the produced water; or the membrane yarns can be divided into two sections, and a fixture can be placed between the membrane yarns to collect the produced water from both ends, and connection between the flexible tube and the water production system is for the transportation of the produced water.
Both ends of the membrane yarns can be open, or only the water outlet end can be open.
As an optimal choice, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane yarns are casted into cylinder shapes, and placed into the cup to form the casting heads with cavities. Both ends of the membrane yarns are open and placed inside the cavities, wherein the inner cavities of the both ends are connected with hollow flexible tubes. The cavities are water-collecting chambers. The hollow tubes at both ends are water outlet tubes. The flexible connections on both ends are implemented by the water outlet tubes, the cavities on both ends of the casting heads. One end of the water outlet tube is connected with the cavity of the casting head, the other end is connected with the water production system of the module for transporting of the produced water.
As an optimal choice, both ends of the hollow fiber membrane yarns are casted into cylinder shapes, and placed into the cup to form the casting heads with cavities. One end of the membrane yarn is open and placed inside the cavity for the connection to the hollow tube, and the cavity is a water-collecting chamber. The other end of the membrane yarn is sealed. The cavity of this end is connected with a cord or air distribution tubeOne end of the flexible connection is water outlet tube for connection with the production system of the module for transportation of produced water. The other end of the flexible connection can be a flexible tube or cord. If a tube is used, it is connected with the air supply system of the module for air distribution and the cavity would become the air distribution chamber; if a cord is used, the flexible connection between casting head and the module is realized to make the ends of the membrane yarns move with the casting head to reduce stress around the root and the possibility of end rupture.
As an optimal choice, a hollow tube is set in the hollow fiber membrane yarn. The hollow tube can be used as the transportation tube for the produced water connected with the water-collecting chamber in at least one end of the membrane bundle, whose ends are connected with the two ends of the casting heads respectively to transport the produced water inside the cavities of two casting heads. It can also be used as the air distribution tube connected to the air distribution chamber on one end of the membrane bundle there are several air distribution holes on the tube. Using a hollow tube as the air distribution tube can more effectively sweep the membrane yarns, and an air distribution tube set-up can better sweep the roots of the membrane yarns to prevent the fouling on the roots from blockage of the membrane yarns or even causing the rupture of the membrane yarns.
As an optimal choice, the length of said hollow tube is larger than the distance between the two casting heads fixed on the membrane bundle but smaller than the length of the hollow fiber membrane yarn. The damage on the membrane yarn caused by high oscillation amplitude of the membrane bundle can be prevented, so the membrane bundle is protected.
As an optimal choice, the cord is set in the hollow fiber membrane yarn with both ends of the cord connected with the casting heads fixed on both ends of the membrane yarn respectively, its length is larger than the distance between the casting heads on the membrane bundle but smaller than the length of the hollow fiber membrane yarn. The damage on membrane yarns caused by the high oscillation amplitude of the membrane bundle can be prevented, which protects the membrane bundle.
As an optimal choice, an air distribution tube is installed in the center of the casting head at the end of the hollow fiber membrane yarn. There are air distribution holes over it, with one end of the air distribution tube as free end extending to the middle of the membrane yarn and the other end connecting to the air distribution system.
As an optimal choice, at least one end of casting head on two ends of the membrane bundle is connected with the water-collecting system or air distribution system of the membrane filtration module through a hollow flexible tube.
The suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle can not only be used in an immersion type super-filtration device, but it can also be used in a membrane biological reaction device. The suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle can be connected with the corresponding hangers of the membrane module through flexible hanging cords or connected with the water-collecting system or air supply system of the module through water outlet tube or air inlet tube. Several said suspending hollow fiber porous membrane filtration modules can be fixed to the corresponding hanger brackets through the module hangers. The water-producing flexible tube for the module is connected parallel to the water collecting tube and the air inlet flexible tube is connected parallel to the compressed air tube, then a filtration system is formed to adjust to the filtration system in different water generation scales.
This invention has the features of a simple structure, reasonable layout, compact device, convenient production, small area requirement, low energy consumption, simple operation, good water quality, high treatment efficiency and longer operational cycle, etc. It can be used alone or in connection with other water treatment processes of highly turbid water. It is particularly appropriate in membrane biological reaction devices.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a profile view of a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle (there is a water outlet tube in the membrane bundle) in this invention.
FIG. 2 is a profile view of a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle (there is a air distribution tube in the membrane bundle) in this invention.
FIG. 3 is a profile view of a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle (there is a cord in the membrane bundle) in this invention.
FIG. 4 is a profile view of a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle (there is a short air distribution tube in the membrane bundle) in this invention.
FIG. 5 is a partially cut away profile view of the membrane filtration module composed of several suspending hollow fiber membrane bundles in this invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Through the examples and the attached diagrams, the detailed description for the technical scheme in this invention is made as follows.
Example 1
As shown in FIG. 1 , a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle, comprises a plurality of hollow fiber membrane yarns 1 , casting heads 2 fixed on the ends of the yarns, water outlet end 10 and hollow tube 5 . The membrane bundle that is completely immersed in the raw water to be filtered is composed of 300 hollow fiber porous membrane yarns 1 with 0.0 l μm average pore size of the hollow fiber porous membrane yarn in cylinder shape of 50 mm diameter. Polyurethane is used to cast both ends of the membrane bundle inside the cylinder casting heads 2 with both ends open. Both ends of the hollow fiber membrane yarn 1 are casted into cylinder shape and placed into cast header 2 with cavities (that is water-collecting chambers 3 , 3 ′), the water-collecting chamber 3 is connected with water outlet tube 4 through the water outlet end 10 and water outlet tube 4 is connected with the water-collecting system of the filtration system. The net length of the membrane yarn 1 between casting heads 2 at both ends of the membrane bundle is 1500 mm. The water-collecting chambers 3 , 3 ′ on each end of the membrane bundle are connected through a hollow tube 5 . The produced water collected by the water-collecting chamber 3 ′ on one end of the membrane bundle is transported to the other end 3 through hollow tube 5 . The produced water from both ends is combined together and flows to the water-collecting system of the filtration system through water outlet end 10 and water outlet tube 4 .
As a result, the hollow tube 5 is not only the water outlet tube, but can also prevent the damage on the membrane yarn caused by high oscillation amplitude of the membrane bundle and protect the membrane bundle. Flexible connections are used for both ends of the membrane bundle, wherein at least one end of the flexible connection uses the flexible tube and the hollow fiber porous membrane bundle is completely immersed into the liquid to be filtered. The fixtures on both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range, therefore besides the membrane yarns that can be suspended, move and contact each other along with water flow and air flow, the complete membrane bundle can move within a range as well.
Example 2
As shown in FIG. 2 , a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle, comprises a plurality of hollow fiber membrane yarns 1 , casting heads 2 fixed on the ends of the membrane yarns, water outlet end 10 and air supply end 9 . The membrane bundle, which is completely immersed inside the raw water to be filtered, is composed of 400 hollow fibers porous membrane yarns 1 with average pore size of 0.1 μm, with the diameter of the cylinder shape membrane bundle of 60 mm. Polyurethane is used to cast one end of the membrane bundle into the cylinder casting head 2 with the end open and with a cavity 3 (that is the water-collecting chamber). The water-collecting chamber 3 is connected to water outlet tube 4 through the water outlet end 10 . Polyurethane is used to cast the other end of the membrane bundle into the cylinder casting head 2 with the end sealed. This casting head is placed in the cup to form cavity 21 (that is the air distribution chamber). The air distribution chamber 21 is connected to a first air supply tube 11 through air supply end 9 . Water outlet tube 4 and air supply tube 11 are connected with the water collecting system and compressed air supply system of the filtration system respectively. The net length of the membrane yarn 1 between casting heads 2 at both ends of the membrane bundle is 1500 mm. There is a hollow tube 5 ′ set in the membrane bundle with one end connected to the air distribution chamber 21 on one end of the membrane bundle and the other end binding with the corresponding membrane bundle cast header with the end sealed. There are air distribution holes 7 evenly distributed on the hollow tube 5 ′, which can provide aeration on membrane yarns 1 during work. Therefore, the hollow tube 5 ′ is not only the air distribution tube, but also can prevent the damage on membrane yarn 1 caused by high oscillation amplitude of the membrane bundle and protect the membrane bundle. Because flexible tube connections are used in both ends of the membrane bundle and the hollow fiber porous membrane bundle is completely immersed into the liquid to be filtered, the casting heads at both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range. So besides the membrane yarns can float, move and contact each other along with water flow and air flow, the complete membrane bundle can move within a range as well.
Example 3
As shown in FIG. 3 , a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle comprises a plurality of hollow fiber membrane yarns 1 , casting heads 2 fixed on the ends of the yarns, water outlet end and middle cord 6 . The membrane bundle that is completely immersed in the raw water to be filtered is composed of 200 hollow fibers porous membrane yarns with average pore size of 0.21 μm, with the diameter of the cylinder shape membrane bundle of 60 mm. Polyurethane is used for both ends of the membrane bundle to cast in the cylinder cast header 2 with the ends open. Both ends of the hollow fiber membrane yarn 1 are casted into cylinder shape and placed into cast header 2 with cavities 3 , 3 ′ (that is the water-collecting chamber). The water-collecting chamber is connected to water outlet tube 4 through the water outlet end 10 ; the water outlet tube 4 is connected to the water-collecting system of the filtration system. The net length of the membrane yarn 1 between casting heads 2 at both ends of the membrane bundle is 1500 mm. In order to prevent the damage on membrane yarn caused by high oscillation amplitude of the membrane bundle, cord 6 is set up in the middle of the membrane yarn 1 and between the two casting heads on both ends to protect the membrane bundle. Because flexible connections are used for both ends of the membrane bundle and the hollow fiber porous membrane bundle is completely immersed into the liquid to be filtered, the casting heads 2 on both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range, therefore, besides the membrane yarns that can float, move and contact each other along with water flow and air flow, the complete membrane bundle can move within a range.
Example 4
As shown in FIG. 4 , a suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundle, comprises a plurality of hollow fiber membrane yarns 1 , casting heads 2 fixed on the ends of the yarns, water outlet end and air supply end. The membrane bundle is completely immersed inside the raw water to be filtered and is composed of 200 hollow fiber porous membrane yarns 1 with an average pore size of 0.01 μm and with a diameter of the cylinder shape membrane bundle of 160 mm. Polyurethane is used to cast one end of the membrane bundle into the cylinder shape cast header with the end open. This end of the hollow fiber membrane yarn 1 is casted into cylinder shape and placed into cast header 2 with cavity 3 (that is water-collecting chamber). The water-collecting chamber 3 is connected with the water outlet tube 4 through the water outlet end. As shown in FIG. 4 , polyurethane is used to cast the other end of the membrane bundle into the cylinder cast header 2 with the end sealed. The center of the cast header has a second air supply tube 8 extending to the center of membrane yarn 1 , and there are air distribution holes over the tube. There is a cavity 21 (that is the air distribution chamber) in the cast header. The air distribution chamber 21 is connected to a first air supply tube 11 through air supply end. Water outlet tube 4 and the first air supply tube 11 are connected with the water-collecting system and compressed air supply system of the filtration system respectively. The net length of the membrane yarn 1 between casting heads 2 at both ends of the membrane bundle is 1000 mm. Because flexible tube connections are adopted in both ends of the membrane bundle and the hollow fiber porous membrane bundle is completely immersed into the liquid to be filtered, the casting heads at both ends of the membrane bundle can move within a certain range, therefore, besides the membrane yarns that can float, move and contact each other along with water flow and air flow, the complete membrane bundle can move within a range.
Example 5
As shown in FIG. 5 , a membrane filtration module composed of a plurality of suspending hollow fiber porous membrane bundles in Example 2, comprising module head 13 , casting heads 2 fixed on the ends of the membrane yarns, aeration head 12 , central tube 15 , water outlet tube 4 , etc. and a plurality of hollow fiber porous membrane bundles 17 that surround the central tube 15 evenly and is completely immersed in the raw water to be filtered. Module head 13 and aeration head 12 are connected together through the central tube 15 with diameter of 40 mm. The size of the module head 13 is smaller than that of the aeration head 12 to make the whole module appear to be in tower shape, which helps the direction of air flow. The module head 13 is round, its diameter is 150 mm. the aeration head 12 is a double cone with 200 mm diameter and there are several air distributing holes in radial distribution. The conical angle is 120° for the upper conical surface of the aeration head 12 . The conical angle for the lower conical surface is 130°. The side of aeration head 12 that is against the module head 13 has air pressure adjusting tube 16 that faces the central tube 15 ; the air pressure adjusting tube 16 can adjust the air pressure inside the aeration head 12 to increase the aeration result.
There is a hang ring 14 on module head 13 connected to the module bracket of the filtration system through flexible cord by flexible connection.
There are a water outlet tube 19 and an air distribution tube 20 on the module head 13 , water outlet tube 19 is connected to water-collecting extension tube and outlet pump; air distribution tube 20 is connected to compressed air inlet extension tube and is connected with the aeration head 12 through central tube 15 . The water to be purified goes through the pores on the walls of hollow fiber porous membrane to enter the inside of the hollow fiber porous membrane and flows into water-collecting tube and it is extracted by the pump. The two ends of the central tube 15 close to the module head 13 and the aeration head 12 have air exit leading board 18 , which has the leading effect on the air flow coming from the aeration head 12 , enhances the sweeping result for the ends of the hollow fiber porous membrane bundle to remove the pollutants.
Obviously, the abovementioned devices, processes and methods can be changed or modified by the technicians in this field within this invention. The above statement should be considered as an embodiment of the invention, instead of a kind of limit. This invention is appropriate for the purification treatments of surface water, underground water, municipal waste water, industrial waste water, etc. with high turbidity.
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The invention discloses a kind of porous membrane filtration component for treating water, specifically it discloses a kind of suspending porous hollow fiber membrane bundle for treating highly turbid waste water. The component includes some porous hollow fiber membrane yarns and casting heads arranged at both ends of respective yarns, wherein the connections between the said casting heads and membrane filtration module are flexible connections, at least one end of the flexible connection the cast header is connected with a hollow tube or cord, and the membrane bundle hangs on the said membrane filtration module, suspending freely. The invention provides a suspending porous hollow membrane bundle that can effectively remove contaminants adhered to the surface of the membrane yarns, makes its membrane yarns difficult to rupture, has a longer service life, and produces water with steady quality. It solves the technical problems in the present hollow fiber filtration component which includes membrane yarns that are entangled with each other and easily ruptured, thus leading to a lower quality of the product water.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bag apparatus which expands a bag body on the lateral side of an occupant when a vehicle decelerates rapidly.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an air bag apparatus, a peripheral edge of an opening portion of a bag body is secured to a metallic base by rivets or the like. An inflator passing through the metal base is provided with a gas injection portion which is arranged in the opening portion of the bag body.
When a vehicle rapidly decelerates, gas is injected from the gas injection portion of the inflator so that the bag body can expands by pressure caused by the gas toward an occupant.
Concerning the expansion of the bag body, the peripheral edge of the opening portion of the bag body is secured to the metallic plate, and extension is restricted. It is possible to freely extend a position on the outside of the opening portion with respect to the opening portion peripheral edge of the bag body. In the bag body, large load is applied to a boundary portion between the freely extending position and the restrictively extending position.
In well-known air bag apparatus, in order to reduce the load exerting on the boundary portion, a plurality of reinforcing materials are superposed at the peripheral edge of the opening portion of the bag body. Further, the plurality of reinforcing materials are sewn on the bag body at the same position (at one point) on the outside of the opening portion with respect to the opening portion peripheral edge of the bag body.
However, in the air bag apparatus, tensile strength applied to the bag body is uniformly distributed and the respective reinforcing material since the plurality of reinforcing material are sewn on the bag body at the same position (at one point) as set forth above. The tensile strength applied to the bag body is equal to 1/(N+1) of tensile strength at a time when there is no reinforcing material. Accordingly, it is not ensured that the tensile strength can be efficiently distributed by the reinforcing material.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In view of the facts set forth above, it is an object of the present invention to provide an air bag apparatus which can efficiently distribute force applied to a bag body by using a reinforcing material.
The air bag apparatus of the present invention is provided with a gas generating means for generating gas when a vehicle rapidly decelerates, a bag body having a bag body opening portion which communicates with the gas generating means and is expanded by the gas generated from the gas generating means, a base member for holding a peripheral edge of the opening portion of the bag body, and a plurality of reinforcing materials superposed in a layered fashion on the peripheral edge of the opening portion of the bag body to reinforce the bag body, one portion being held by the base member, the plurality of reinforcing materials being respectively sewn to the reinforcing materials contacting the bag body.
According to the present invention constructed as set forth above, in the air bag apparatus, gas is generated from the gas generating apparatus when the vehicle rapidly decelerates. Consequently, the bag body is expanded by the pressure of the generated gas. The bag body is fixed to the base member at extension restricting positions at which extension is restricted. Positions provided apart from the extension restricting positions extend freely when the bag body is expanded. A large strength is applied to the boundary portion between these positions. However, the plurality of reinforcing materials is respectively sewn to the reinforcing materials respectively contacting the bag body. Thus, the tensile strength applied to the bag body becomes (1/2 N )×F where N is the number of the reinforcing materials, and F is the tensile strength applied to the bag body when there is no reinforcing material. Therefore, the tensile strength can be efficiently distributed by the reinforcing materials. If N reinforcing materials are sewn at the same position (one point) of the bag body as in the prior art, the tensile strength applied to the bag body is equal to {1/(N+1)}×F. In the prior art, the degree of distribution of the tensile strength by the reinforcing materials is extremely low as compared with the present invention.
Since the present invention is constructed as set forth above, it is possible to obtain an excellent effect in that the strength applied to the bag body can be efficiently distributed by the reinforcing material.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an air bag apparatus of a first embodiment of the present invention illustrating a condition where a side door accommodates said air bag apparatus;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the air bag apparatus of a second embodiment of the present invention as it appears after the air bag apparatus has been activated; and
FIG. 3 is a sectional view of a mounting portion of the air bag apparatus of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
A description will be given of one embodiments of an air bag apparatus of the present invention, which is adapted to a side door of a front-passenger seat with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3.
In these drawings, the arrow marked UP shows the upward direction of a vehicle, the arrow marked IN shows the inward direction of the vehicle, and the arrow marked FR shows the forward direction of the vehicle, respectively. As shown in FIG. 1 illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention, a side door 10 is provided with an inner panel 12. The inner panel 12 is provided with a base plate 21.
As is also shown in FIG. 2 illustrating a second embodiment of the present invention, the base plate 21 is substantially rectangular-shaped so that its elongated length in the backward and forward directions of the vehicle. Mounting flanges 21A are provided in the vicinity of four corners of the base plate 21. The base plate 21 is secured to the inner panel 12 shown in FIG. 1 via the mounting flanges 21 by unillustrated bolts and nuts. An air bag body 14 and a substantially cylindrical inflator 20 serving as a gas generating means are provided on the base plate 21.
The inflator 20 is arranged so as to pass through the base plate 21, an opening portion 15 of the air bag body 14, reinforcing material 22, and reinforcing material 34, in that order, in the direction from a flange 20B toward a front-seat passenger. Further, gas holes 20A are arranged in the air bag apparatus. The flange 20B is in contact to a surface opposite to a surface of the base plate 21 on the side of the front-seat passenger. In all, the inflator 20 passes through the flange 20B, the base plate 21, the air bag body 14, and as shown in FIG. 3, the reinforcing material 22 and the reinforcing material 34. Further, the inflator 20 is secured to the base plate 21 by unillustrated bolts and nuts.
An unillustrated starting system, an unillustrated detonator, and an unillustrated booster are arranged in the inflator 20. Unillustrated gas generating material is disposed on outer peripheries of the starting system, the detonator and the booster. The starting system is provided with an unillustrated sensor, for detecting a collision of the vehicle or deformation of the side door 10, and an ignition pin. The ignition pin is always loaded in a direction for colliding with the detonator. Normally (i.e., at times other than when the vehicle rapidly decelerates), the movement of the ignition pin is blocked so as to be separated from the detonator. When the sensor detects the collision of the vehicle or the deformation of the side door 10, the ignition pin is released from being blocked so that the ignition pin can collide with the detonator so as to activate the detonator.
As shown in FIG. 1, the air bag cover 24 is secured to the base plate 21 via a core bar 17 which is mounted on a bracket 19 which in turn is secured to the base plate 21. The air bag cover 24 is disposed on the front-seat passenger side of the base plate 21. The air bag body 14 is accommodated between the air bag cover 24 and the base plate 21. A thin-walled portion 26 is provided at a substantially intermediate portion of a top surface 24A of the air bag cover 24. Accordingly, it is easy to break the air bag cover 24 at the thin-walled portion 26. The top surface 24A is coplanar with a door trim 28 which is provided on the front-seat passenger side of the inner panel 12.
The air bag body 14 is provided in the condition that the air bag body 14 is folded on the front-seat passenger side with respect to the base plate 21 (i.e., in the direction of the arrow marked IN). As shown in FIG. 2, the air bag body 14 is provided with rectangular retaining materials 30, 32. The retaining materials 30, 32 have one ends sewn to an inner wall 14B which is disposed on the side of the air bag body 14 nearest the vehicle cabin. Further, the retaining materials 30, 32 have the other ends sewn to an inner wall 14C which is disposed on the side of the base plate 21. In FIG. 2, where the air bag body 14 is expanded, the retaining material 30 is disposed at a substantially intermediate portion (above the inflator 20 in the direction of UP) of the air bag body 14. Further, the retaining material 32 is disposed above the retaining material 30 at an upper direction of the air bag body 14 in the UP direction. That is, the two retaining materials 30, 32 restrict the expansion of the air bag body 14 in the transverse direction of the vehicle. Accordingly, it ensures the expansion of the air bag body 14 elongatedly along the vertical direction of the vehicle. Gas flow gaps are provided between both ends of the retaining materials 30, 32 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and the inner walls 14C, 14B of the air bag body 14. The gas can be supplied through the gaps toward an end of the air bag body 14 at the upper side of the vehicle.
In the air bag body 14, the opening portion 15 has a peripheral edge 14A (shown in FIG. 3) which contacts the base plate 21 on the front-seat passenger side. A reinforcing material 22 and the reinforcing material 34 are respectively superposed on the peripheral edge 14A. The reinforcing material 22, and reinforcing material 34 are provided in a rectangular form, and are respectively provided with opening portions coaxially with the opening portion 15 shown in FIG. 1. The inflator 20 passes through these opening portions. It must be noted that the form of the reinforcing material 22, and reinforcing material 34 is not limited to being rectangular. It may be circular. The reinforcing material 22 has its entire outer peripheral portion more outwardly extended than an outer periphery of the base plate 21. Also, the reinforcing material 34 is larger in size than the reinforcing material 22 so that it entire outer peripheral portion more outwardly extended than an outer periphery of the reinforcing material 22. The reinforcing material 34, the reinforcing material 22, the air bag body 14 and the base plate 21 are secured by passing rivets 40 therethrough respectively.
The air bag body 14 and the reinforcing material 22 are sewn together outside the outer periphery of the base plate 21 at a sewing portion 22A. Therefore, it is possible to distribute the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D between the peripheral edge 14A and the free extending position by using the reinforcing material 22. The peripheral edge 14A of the air bag body 14 restrictively extends when the air bag body 14 is expanded, and the free extending position is positioned on the outside of the base plate 21. As a result, the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D is half the tensile strength at a time when there is no reinforcing material
On the other hand, the air bag body 14 and the reinforcing material 34 are sewn along the outer periphery of the base plate 21 at a sewing portion 34A disposed on the outside of base plate 21 with respect to the sewing portion 22A. Accordingly, the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D can be distributed by the reinforcing material 34. The tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D is equal to one-fourth of the tensile strength when there is no reinforcing material 22 and reinforcing material 34.
That is, when tensile strength F is applied to the air bag body 14 as shown in FIG. 3, strength exerted between the sewing portion 22A and the sewing portion 34A is equal to (1/2)×F, and the strength exerted between the boundary portion 14D and the sewing portion 22A is equal to (1/4)×F.
In the prior art, the reinforcing material 22 and the reinforcing material 34 are sewn together at the same position of the bag body so that the strength F is uniformly distributed to the bag body 14, the reinforcing material 22 and the reinforcing material 34. The resultant distributed strength is equal to (1/3)×F. Compared with the present embodiment, the degree of distribution of the tensile strength by the reinforcing material is low.
A description will now be given of the operation of the embodiment.
In a normal condition of the vehicle, the starting system (not shown) is not activated so the air bag body 14 is not expanded.
On the other hand, if the side door 10 is deformed due to, for example, the collision of the vehicle, the starting system is activated. Thereafter, the gas generating material is burned, and the gas is supplied into the air bag body 14 so as to expand the air bag body 14. The air bag cover 24 is broken at the thin-walled portion 26 due to the pressure of the air bag body 14 and expands elongatedly from the thin-walled portion 26 along the vertical direction of the vehicle. Consequently, the air bag body 14 is interposed between the front-seat passenger and the side door 10.
The expansion of the air bag body 14 in the transverse direction of the vehicle is restricted by the retaining materials 30, 32. Hence, the air bag body 14 can be surely expanded elongatedly along the vertical direction of the vehicle.
On the other hand, the peripheral edge 14A of the air bag body 14 is fixed on the base plate 21, so that extension is restricted. In contrast, the peripheral edge 14A of the air bag body 14 outer than the position fixed on the base plate 21 can extend freely. As a result, large tensile strength is applied to the boundary portion 14D. However, since the reinforcing material 22 is sewn on the air bag body 14, the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D is divided and distributed as small tensile strength (i.e., half of the tensile strength at a time when there is no reinforcing material 22). In this way, the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D can be reduced by sewing the reinforcing material 22 to the air bag body 14. In the present embodiment, however, another reinforcing material 34 is sewn to the air bag body 14 as set forth above so that the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D is further divided and distributed into an even smaller tensile strength (i.e., one-fourth of the tensile strength when there are no reinforcing materials 22, 32). Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D sufficiently when the air bag body 14 is expanded. Therefore, a sufficiently large amount of pressure from the gas can be set, and the air bag body 14 can be elongatedly expanded along the vertical direction of the vehicle of this so-called side collision-type air bag apparatus according to the present embodiment.
In the embodiment set forth hereinbefore, a description has been given of an air bag apparatus applied to the front-seat occupant. However, the air bag apparatus may be applied to the driver's seat or a back-seat as well.
Further, in the present embodiment, a description was given of a condition where the number of reinforcing materials were two. However, the present invention may use to three or more reinforcing materials. In this case, the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D of the bag body 14 becomes (1/2 N )×F, where N is the number of the reinforcing materials to be superposed. F is the tensile strength applied to the boundary portion 14D of the bag body 14 when there is no reinforcing material. Therefore, the tensile strength can be efficiently distributed by the reinforcing materials.
In the prior art, N reinforcing materials are sewn onto the same position (one point) of the bag body, and the tensile strength applied to the bag body is equal to {1/(N+1)}×F. In the prior art, the degree of distribution of the tensile strength by the reinforcing materials is extremely low when compared with the present embodiment.
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In an air bag apparatus, a bag body has a bag body opening portion. The bag body opening portion communicates with a gas generating apparatus for generating gas when a vehicle rapidly decelerates. Further, the bag body is expanded by gas generated from the gas generating apparatus. A base plate holds a peripheral edge of the bag body opening portion. A plurality of reinforcing materials is superposed in layered fashion on the peripheral edge of the bag body opening portion to reinforce the bag body. One portion is held by a base member. The plurality of reinforcing materials are respectively sewn to the reinforcing materials contacting the bag body.
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CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims benefit-under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of provisional application Ser. No. 60/872,026, filed Nov. 30, 2006, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.
GOVERNMENT SUPPORT
[0002] This study was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute contract N01-HC-25195 and grant HL-54776, and by contracts 53-K06-5-10 and 58-1950-9-01 from the US Department of Agriculture Research Service. The Government of the United States has certain rights in the invention.
BACKGROUND
[0003] Obesity and being overweight are an increasing source of illness in the world. These conditions are not anymore only limited to developed countries. The serious illnesses that increased body weight makes people susceptible to include, but are by no means limited to, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and diseases of the structural nature, such as arthritis, and other joint problems. Due to the multiple factors that are suspected and known to be involved in regulating body weight, it is difficult to design effective diets for individuals based solely on the traditional “eat less and exercise more” regime.
[0004] Thus, health professionals, such as dieticians, nurses, and medical doctors, encounter a daily the need for more assistance in advising their clients and designing diets such as weight-loss diets, and other diets that are directed to alleviating diseases or disorders that can be regulated using a special diet, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, and food allergies.
[0005] Methods that would assist in personalized diet design to achieve the goal to increase health of individuals with diverse genetic makeup are needed.
SUMMARY
[0006] Accordingly, we provide methods and kits to assist in personalized diet design. Particularly, we provide methods for directing a diet to a person to maintain or improve their health, for example, by controlling the weight of the individual. The methods comprise analysis of APOA5 single nucleotide polymorphism at location −1131 and based on the results determining if the individual should change the total fat and/or total monounsaturated fatty acid composition of their diet to maintain health or a healthy weight or to reduce weight. If the individual is a homozygote for allele T (or A in the opposite strand) in this locus, it will be important for that individual to reduce the total amount of fat in the diet to under 30% of total calorie or energy intake, typically calculated per day or per week. It will also be important for that individual to reduce the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) to under 11% of total calorie or energy intake. Conversely, an individual heterozygous or homozygous for allele C (G in the opposite strand) in the same locus can include 30% or more of total fat or more than 11% of MUFAs in their diet, whether it be a weight or health-maintenance or weightless diet.
[0007] The methods are based on our discovery that carriers of the APOA5 gene variation −1131T, particularly the homozygous carriers of the APOA5 gene variation −1131T variation are more susceptible to increase in body mass index (BMI) than the non-carriers of the APOA5 −1131T allele when their dietary energy intake consists equal or more than about 30% of fat. We have also discovered that if equal or more than 11% of the total-energy intake consists of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA), carriers of APOA5 −1131T allele, particularly homozygous carriers, are more susceptible to increase in their BMI than are the individuals who are carriers of the more rare APOA5 −1131C allele.
[0008] We have also discovered that the APOA5 −1131C allele is associated with about 37% reduction in risk for being overweight when the individual's energy intake comprises equal or more than about 30% fat.
[0009] Accordingly, in one embodiment, we provide a method for designing a personalized diet, for example, a personalized diet that is directed to avoid increase in BMI or induce a decrease in BMI, wherein one determines the presence or absence of APOA5 −1131C allele or any allele that is in tight linkage disequilibrium with the APOA5 −1131C allele that is analyzed from a biological sample from a subject. If the individual does not carry the APOA5 −1131C allele or any allele that is in tight linkage disequilibrium with the APOA5 −1131C allele, then the diet for the individual will be designed so that less than about 30% of the total energy intake will be from fat.
[0010] In one embodiment, one first determines in the individual is in need of dietary intervention, specifically for weight management, such as weight loss and/or weight maintenance, management of diabetes or management of food allergies.
[0011] In one embodiment, if the individual does not carry the APOA5 −1131C allele or any allele that is in tight linkage disequilibrium with the APOA5 −1131C allele, then the diet for the individual will be designed so that less than about 11% of the total fat intake will be from MUFAs.
[0012] If the subject is found to carry one or two APOA5 −1131C alleles or allele that is in tight linkage disequilibrium with the APOA5 −1131C allele, then the diet can be designed to comprise equal or more than 30% of fat from the total energy intake. For example, such an individual would be a better candidate to lose weight using diets high in fat and protein than an individual who is homozygous for APOA5 −1131T allele.
[0013] In one embodiment, one determines from a biological sample from a subject, the presence or absence of APOA5 −1131T allele. In one embodiment, one determines the presence of absence of two APOA5 −1131T alleles, i.e. whether or not the subject is a homozygote for APOA5 −1131IT allele.
[0014] In one embodiment, one determines from a biological sample from a subject the APOA5 −1131T>C genotype.
[0015] One can determine or analyze the genotype or alleles using any known genotyping method. In one embodiment, one uses nucleic acid amplification before the analysis.
[0016] One can use any biological sample from an individual or subject in determining the genotype, so long as the biological sample comprises nucleic acids, such as DNA, for example genomic DNA or RNA.
[0017] In one embodiment, the diet is a diet directed to induce weight-loss in an overweight or obese individual or maintain a healthy weight.
[0018] In one embodiment, the diet is directed to alleviate a food allergy.
[0019] In one embodiment, the diet is directed to control diabetes.
[0020] The genotype determination can be performed by a third party and submitted with or without knowledge of the end use for the genotyping results to a provider, such as a health care provider or other individual who intends to provide personalized diet design.
[0021] In one embodiment, we provide a kit for personal or institutional use, wherein the kit provides tools to take a biological sample and send the sample for analysis. The kit further provides instructions for determining desirable dietary fat and/or MUFA content based upon the result of the genotyping results such that if one received a result of a genotype wherein one or two APOA5 −1131C alleles or any allele that is in tight linkage disequilibrium with the APOA5 −1131C allele, one can consider a diet, for example a weight-loss diet that derives equal or more than 30% of the total daily energy from fat or equal or more than 11% of daily energy from MUFAs. To the contrary, if one receives a result that indicates homozygosity for allele APOA5 −1131T, one should avoid diets that derive equal or more than 30% of daily energy from fat, or equal or more than 11% of daily energy from MUFAs.
[0022] In one embodiment, the kits and methods are directed to a mixed population, for example the U.S. population at large, and includes both male and female individuals. The individuals may be children, adolescents or adults.
[0023] In one embodiment, the kits and methods are directed to a population of Caucasian decent.
[0024] In one embodiment, the kits and methods are directed to a population of Northern European decent.
[0025] In one embodiment, the kits and methods are directed to a population of Mediterranean decent.
[0026] In one embodiment, the kits and methods are directed to a population of African-American decent.
[0027] In one embodiment, the invention provides 1. A method for directing a diet to an individual in need thereof to allow the individual to maintain or reduce weight, manage diabetes or accommodate a food allergy, the method comprising determining whether the individual carries APOA5-1311T and/or C allele or both or any allele in chromosome 11 that is in a tight linkage disequilibrium with said alleles, wherein if the individual is a homozygote for APOA5 −1131T allele or an allele in tight linkage disequilibrium with APOA5 −1131T allele, the individual is directed to a diet comprising a total fat content below 30% of total calorie intake and/or amount of monounsaturated fatty acids under about 11% of total calorie intake. In one embodiment the individual is Caucasian or African American.
[0028] In one embodiment, on further determines whether the individual carries at least one APOA5 −1131C allele or any allele in a fight linkage disequilibrium with said allele, and if the individual does not carry at least one APOA5 −1131C allele or any allele in a tight linkage disequilibrium with said allele, the individual is directed to a diet comprising a total fat content below 30% of total calorie intake and/or amount of monounsaturated fatty acids under about 11% of total calorie intake.
[0029] In one embodiment, the invention provides a kit for assisting an individual in determining whether a diet with total fat content 300% or more of total daily calorie intake or a diet with total monounsaturated fatty acid content of about 11% or more is suitable for the individual, the kit comprising a means to obtain a biological sample comprising nucleic acids, a packaging material for sending the biological material to be analyzed by a third party, optionally a return envelope for the third party to send a result of a to the individual or a requesting party, and an instruction leaflet which indicates that if the individual is a homozygote for the APOA5 −1131T allele or any acronym thereof, a diet with total fat content 30% or more of total daily calorie intake or a diet with total monounsaturated fatty acid content of about 11% or more is not suitable for the individual and if the individual carries one or two APOA5 −1131C alleles, the diet may be suitable for the individual.
[0030] In one embodiment, the kit further indicates that it is useful for individuals Caucasian and African American.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES
[0031] FIGS. 1A-1B show predicted values of body mass index (BM) by the −1131T>C ( FIG. 1A ) and the C56G polymorphisms ( FIG. 1B ) depending on the total fat consumed (as continuous) in both men and women. Predicted values were calculated from the regression models containing total fat intake, the corresponding APOA5 polymorphism, their interaction term, and the potential confounders (sex, age, tobacco, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes status, total energy intake, carbohydrate (as dichotomous), protein (as dichotomous), plasma triglycerides and familial relationships. P values for the interaction terms between fat intake (as continuous) and the corresponding APOA5 polymorphism were obtained in the hierarchical multivariate-interaction model containing total fat intake, the APOA5 SNP and additional control for the other covariates. Open symbols represent estimated values for wild-type homozygotes and solid symbols represent estimated values for the variant allele.
[0032] FIGS. 2A-2B show mean body mass index (BMI) in both men and women depending on the −1131 T>C polymorphism ( FIG. 2A ), or the C56G polymorphism ( FIG. 2B ) at the APOA5 gene according to the level of MUFA intake (below and above the population mean, 11% of energy). Estimated means were adjusted for sex, age, tobacco, smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes status, total energy intake, carbohydrate (as dichotomous), protein (as dichotomous), plasma triglycerides and familial relationships. P values for the interaction terms between fat intake and the corresponding polymorphism were obtained in the hierarchical multivariate-interaction model containing MUFA intake as a categorical variable, the APOA5 SNP and additional control for the other covariates. Bars indicate standard error (SE) of means.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0033] We have found a consistent gene-diet interaction between the −1131T>C polymorphism in the APOA5 gene and total fat intake in determining obesity-related measures (BMI, overweight and obesity) in a large and heterogenous-US-population-based study.
[0034] Specifically, we found that higher n-6 (but not n-3) PUFA intake increased fasting triglycerides, remnant-like particle concentrations, and VLDL size and decreased LDL size in APOA5 −1131C minor allele carriers, but such interactions were not observed in carriers of the variant allele for the APOA5 56C>G polymorphism, suggesting different mechanisms driving the biological effects associated with these APOA5 gene variants or haplotypes (U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/60/717,345, filed on Sep. 15, 2005, the content of which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety). Surprisingly, this association was equally present in both male and female populations and throughout wide selection of population background, such as Caucasian population in general, African American population, populations of Mediterranean origin as well as populations of Northern European origin.
[0035] This gene-diet interaction was not observed when we examined another genetic marker within the same gene, namely the 56C>G (S19W) polymorphism. Previous reports have demonstrated that these two SNPs are not in linkage disequilibrium (LD) and are considered two tag SNPs representing three APOA5 haplotypes (25, 26, 28). Although both SNPs have been associated with higher plasma triglyceride concentrations in several populations (25, 27, 28, 38-40), they appear to differ in their associations with other cardiovascular risk factors (26, 41). Moreover, in a recent report in the Framingham Heart Study (22) we have demonstrated gene-diet interactions between the APOA5 gene variation and PUFA intake in determining plasma fasting triglycerides, remnant lipoprotein concentrations, and lipoprotein particle size that were exclusive for the −1131T>C polymorphism.
[0036] Here we found that subjects homozygous for the −1131T, major allele, presented the expected positive association between fat intake and BMI. Conversely, in subjects carrying the APOA5 −1131C minor allele (−13% of this population), higher fat intakes were not associated with higher BMI. In contrast, this gene-fat interaction was not detected in carriers of the 56G minor allele. In these individuals, BMI increased as total fat intake increased following the same trend observed for subjects homozygous for the APOA5 56C major allele.
[0037] The −1131 site is defined to be 1131th nucleic acid promoter region 5′ from the origin of translation of the APOA5 (apolipoprotein A-V) gene. The APOA5 nucleic acid sequence for the purposes of defining the origin of translation can be found, for example, in GeneLoc location for GC11M116165 starting from 116,165,293 bp from pter of Chromosome 11, ending to 116,167,821 bp from pter. The gene is 2,528 bases in minus orientation. The accession No. for the APOA5 gene at GeneBank is AF202889. The gene is located proximal to the apolipoprotein gene cluster on chromosome 11q23. The reference sequence for the mRNA of the gene is NM — 052968.3.
[0038] The sequence around the polymorphism APOA5 −1131T/C is as follows: TGAGCCCCAGGAACTGGAGCGAAAGT[A/G]AGATTTGCCCCATGAGGAAAAGCTG (SEQ ID NO: 1), and can be found in dbSNP database with accession No. ss3199915 (see, e.g., Pennaccio et al. Ref. No. 23) or rs662799 or ss1943495, the sequence of which is as follows: actctgagcoccaggaactggagcgaaagt agatttgccccatgaggaaaagctgaactc (SEQ ID NO: 2).
[0039] FIG. 1A of Talmud et. al. (24) shows the map of APOC3/A4/A5 gene cluster on chromosome 11p23 showing the position of the genes, direction of transcription and position of the variants that they studies, including the −1131T>C polymorphism.
[0040] The polymorphism can be analyzed, for example using the following protocol.
[0041] The following oligonucleotides were used for amplification as described by Talmud et al. (24): Forward primer 5′ GGAGCTTGTGAACGTGTGTATGAGT (SEQ ID NO: 3) and reverse primer 5′CCCCAGGAACTGGAGCGAAATT (SEQ ID NO: 4). This amplification is designed to force a C>A (T in the reverse primer), which introduced a Msel restriction site. These primers yield a PCR fragment of 154 bp which after restriction enzyme digestion products fragments of 133 bp and 21 bp for the T allele and a single uncut product for the C allele. For the use of these primers, the PCR conditions can be, for example, an initial denaturation of 96° C./5 mins followed by 30 cycles of 96° C./30 secs 60° C./30 secs, 72° C./30 secs, and a final extension period at 72° C./10 mins.
[0042] A skilled artisan knowing the sequence can easily design a variety of detection methods based on the known sequences around the polymorphism.
[0043] This gene-diet interaction between total fat intake and the −1131T>C polymorphism was consistently found whether fat intake was considered as a categorical or as a continuous variable. In addition, this interaction effect was homogenously found in both men and women adding support to its potential causal role.
[0044] Furthermore, when we considered BMT dichotomously to estimate the effect of this gene-diet interaction on obesity risk, we also found a statistically significant interaction between total fat intake and the APOA5 −1131T>C polymorphism. Our data revealed that in carriers of the −1131C minor allele a higher fat intake was not associated with a higher BMI, and thus we discovered a reduced obesity risk among −1131C minor allele carriers consuming a high-fat diet. We found ⅓ the risk of obesity in subjects carrying the −1131C minor allele compared with −1131T homozygotes only in the high category of total fat intake (>=30% of energy). Our population was varied and this association was not found to be related to gender or any particular sub-population of the U.S. based study population with varying ethnic background. Thus, individuals carrying the APOA5 −1131C allele are significantly protected from the health risks of high fat diets. In the low category of total fat intake (<30% energy from fat), the −1131C allele was not associated with a lower obesity risk. These results were consistently found when risk of overweight instead obesity was considered and no heterogeneity by sex was detected.
[0045] We are not aware of published studies focusing on reported interactions between dietary fat, the APOA5 −1131T>C SNP and BMI or obesity. To our knowledge, only one related paper reporting an association between the −1131T>C polymorphism and weight loss after short-term diet has been published (42). In this research, Aberle et al. (42) investigated how a short-term diet in a group of 606 hyperlipemic men from Hamburg affected BMI and lipid traits depending on the −1131T>C polymorphism. In their study, the investigators found no differences in BM1 at baseline between TT homozygotes and carries of the −1131C allele. However, following three months of energy restriction, patients with the −1131C. allele lost significantly more weight (13.4%) than did TT homozygotes (0.04%; P=0.002). This higher rate of weight loss in subjects carrying the −1131C allele is in agreement with our results indicating no increase in BMI with increase in total fat intake, and compatible with the hypothesis of Aberle et al (42), suggesting that the impaired ribosomal translation efficiency linked to the −1131C allele (43) may cause a reduced lipoprotein lipase-mediated triglyceride uptake into adipocytes and a more efficient decrease in BMI. In addition, Koike et al (32) have reported that over-expression of lipoprotein lipase significantly suppressed high fat diet-induced obesity and insulin resistance in transgenic Watanabe heritable hyperlipemia rabbits. Other potential mechanisms may involve a different regulation of the APOA5 gene by thyroid hormones (34) or PPARs (33) depending on the promoter allele and the fat intake. However, the design of our study cannot address the mechanisms by which dietary fat interacts with the −1131T>C polymorphism in determining BMI and further studies are needed.
[0046] We also found that only MUFA provided an interaction term that was statistically significant. However, in this U.S. population, MUFA and SFA are highly correlated (13). Therefore, studies in other populations consuming a Mediterranean type diet in which such correlation is lower are needed to confirm the specific benefit of a high-MUFA diet in carriers of the −1131T>C polymorphism. Moreover, despite the general consistency regarding the association of the APOA5 variant alleles with higher triglyceride concentrations, their relation with coronary artery disease remains highly controversial. Therefore, a careful investigation of this gene-diet interaction may help to explain these contradictory results with clinical outcomes (26, 40, 41, 44-47).
[0047] Based on our findings, carriers of the −1131C allele, despite their increase in plasma triglycerides, have a lower likelihood of obesity when consuming a high fat (specifically, high MUFA) diet as compared with subjects homozygous for the −1131T allele.
[0048] This circumstance may mask the risk estimation of cardiovascular disease if this interaction is not considered. Supporting this hypothesis are our recent results in the Framingham study (21) where we found that the association between the haplotype defined by the 56C>G polymorphism (for which no gene-fat interaction in determining obesity risk is present) was associated with higher carotid IMT compared with the wild-type haplotype, whereas the haplotypes defined by the presence of the rare allele in the −1131T>C, −3A>G, IVS+476G>A, and 1259T>C genetic variants were associated with higher carotid IMT only in obese subjects.
[0049] As used herein, a “tight linkage disequilibrium” means a polymorphic marker that co-segregates 100% with the allele “C” or “T” in the APOA5 −1131 locus. Linkage disequilibrium (LD) is a term used in the study of population genetics for the non-random association of alleles at two or more loci. Typically, if the alleles are in physical proximity with each others and one can see no recombination between the two alleles, they are called linked, and they are in 100% linkage disequilibrium with respect to each other. If both such alleles are polymorphic, either one of these polymorphic markers can be used in analysis of, for example a phenotype that has been found to be associated with one of the alleles. Thus, if one were to identify a marker that co-segregates 100% of the time with APOA5 −1131 allele T (or in its non-coding strand, allele A), such an allele can be easily substituted for the analysis of the of APOA5 −1131 allele T (or in its non-coding strand, allele A). A skilled artisan can easily calculate linkages between two alleles, for example, using the International HapMap Project which enables the study of LD in human populations online, for example, at World Wide Web address hapmap “dot” org.
[0050] The polymorphisms are analyzed from nucleic acids, for example isolated nucleic acids from any biological sample taken from an individual. Preferably one analyzed a sample that comprises genomic DNA. The sample may be directly analyzed or purified to varying degree prior to subjecting it to the genotype analysis.
[0051] Biological sample used as a source material for isolating the nucleic acids in the instant invention include, but are not limited to solid materials (e.g., tissue, cell pellets, biopsies, hair follicle samples buccal smear or swab) and biological fluids (e.g. blood, saliva, amniotic fluid, mouth wash, urine). Any biological sample from a human individual comprising even one cell comprising nucleic acid, can be used in the methods of the present invention.
[0052] The biological sample may be analyzed directly or stored before analysis.
[0053] Nucleic acid molecules of the instant invention include DNA and RNA, preferably genomic DNA, and can be isolated from a particular biological sample using any of a number of procedures, which are well-known in the art, the particular isolation procedure chosen being appropriate for the particular biological sample. Methods of isolating and analyzing nucleic acid variants as described above are well-known to one skilled in the art and can be found, for example in the Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Ed., Sambrook and Russel, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001.
[0054] The APOA5 polymorphisms according to the present invention can be detected from isolated-nucleic acids using techniques including direct analysis of isolated-nucleic acids such as Southern Blot Hybridization (DNA) or direct nucleic acid sequencing (Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Ed., Sambrook and Russel, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001). Some well known techniques do not require isolation of nucleic acids and such techniques are considered naturally to be part of the methods of the invention when analysis is performed from nucleic acids that have not been specifically isolated from the biological sample.
[0055] An alternative method useful according to the present invention for direct analysis of the APOA5 polymorphisms is the INVADER® assay (Third Wave Technologies, Inc (Madison, Wis.). This assay is generally based upon a structure-specific nuclease activity of a variety of enzymes, which are used to cleave a target-dependent cleavage structure, thereby indicating the presence of specific nucleic acid sequences or specific variations thereof in a sample (see, e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 6,458,535).
[0056] Preferably, a nucleic acid amplification, such as PCR based techniques are used. After nucleic acid amplification, the polymorphic nucleic acids can be identified using, for example direct sequencing with radioactively or fluorescently labeled primers; single-stand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP), denaturating gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE); and chemical cleavage analysis, all of which are explained in detail, for example, in the Molecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual, 3rd Ed., Sambrook and Russel. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, 2001.
[0057] The APOA5 polymorphisms are preferably analyzed: using methods amenable for automation such as the different methods for primer extension analysis. Primer extension analysis can be preformed using any method known to one skilled in the art including PYROSEQUENCING™ (Uppsala, Sweden); Mass Spectrometry including MALDI-TOF, or Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization—Time of Flight; genomic nucleic acid arrays (Shalon et al., Genome Research 6(7):639-45, 1996; Bernard et al., Nucleic Acids Research 24(8):1435-42, 1996); solid-phase mini-sequencing technique (U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,431, Suomalainen et al. Mol. Biotechnol. June; 15(2): 123-31, 2000); ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography (Doris et al. J. Chromatogr. A May 8; 806(1):47-60, 1998); and 5′ nuclease assay or real-time RT-PCR (Holland et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 88: 7276-7280, 1991), or primer extension methods described in the U.S. Pat. No. 6,355,433. Nucleic acids sequencing, for example using any automated sequencing system and either labeled primers or labeled terminator dideoxynucleotides can also be used to detect the polymorphisms. Systems for automated sequence analysis include, for example, Hitachi FMBIO® and Hitachi FMBIO® II Fluorescent Scanners (Hitachi Genetic Systems, Alameda, Calif.); Spectrumedix® SCE 9610 Fully Automated 96-Capillary Electrophoresis Genetic Analysis System (SpectruMedix LLC, State College, Pa.); ABI PRISM® 377 DNA Sequencer; ABI® 373 DNA Sequencer; ABI PRISM® 310 Genetic Analyzer; ABI PRISM® 3100 Genetic Analyzer, ABI PRISM® 3700 DNA Analyzer (Applied Biosystems, Headquarters, Foster City, Calif.); Molecular Dynamics FluorImager™ 575 and SI Fluorescent Scanners and Molecular Dynamics Fluorlmager™ 595 Fluorescent Scanners (Amersham Biosciences UK Limited, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England); GenomyxSC™ DNA Sequencing System (Genomyx Corporation (Foster City, Calif.); Pharmacia ALF™ DNA Sequencer and Pharmacia ALFexpress™ (Amersham Biosciences UK Limited, Little Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, England).
[0058] Nucleic acid amplification, nucleic acid sequencing and primer extension reactions for one nucleic acid sample can be performed in the same or separate reactions using the primers designed to amplify and detect the polymorphic APOA5 nucleotides.
[0059] In one embodiment, the invention provides a kit comprising one or more primer pairs capable of amplifying the APOA5 nucleic acid regions comprising the APOA5 −1131T>C alleles or alleles that are found to be in tight linkage disequilibrium with APOA5 −1131T>C polymorphic nucleotides of the present invention; buffer and nucleotide mix for the PCR reaction; appropriate enzymes for PCR reaction in same or separate containers as well as an instruction manual defining the PCR conditions, for example, as described in the Example below. The kit may further comprise nucleic acid probes to detect the APOA5 APOA5 −1131T>C alleles or alleles that are found to be in tight linkage disequilibrium with APOA5 −1131T>C. Primers may also be provided in the kit in either dry form in a tube or a vial, or alternatively dissolved into an appropriate aqueous buffer. The kit may also comprise primers for the primer extension method for detection of the specific APOA5 −1131T>C alleles or alleles that are found to be in tight linkage disequilibrium with APOA5 −1131T>Callelic polymorphism as described above.
[0060] The kit further provides instructions for an individual, individual provider or institutional provider regarding interpretation of the genotyping results. For example, the kit indicates that a presence of homozygosity for allele APOA5 −1131T is indicative of need for the individual who carries such genotype to reduce or maintain the amount of fat in the daily diet to be under 30% of the total energy intake and/or to reduce or maintain the amount of MUFAs to be under 11% of the total daily energy intake, if the individual wishes to maintain and/or reduce his/her BMI. For example, the kit may also include instructions that a homozygote, −1131 (T/T) alleles carrying individual should avoid weight-loss diets that have high fat content, such as higher than 30% or more of daily energy intake from fat or higher than about 11% of daily energy content from MUFAs. The kit may also include charts for individuals or dieticians to determine how much fat is 30% or more or under 30%, or how much MUFAs is about 11%, of their daily intake, or calculation advise to that extent. Typically, a skilled dietician will be able to design a diet, such as a weight loss or weight maintenance diet with fat content under about 30%.
[0061] The kit may further include a list of MUFAs that, for example, one may wish to avoid if one is an APOA5 −1131T homozygote. Such list may include fat sources including
[0062] Such instructions are an integral part of the kit because without such instructions, one can not interpret and thus benefit from the genotype analysis.
[0063] One may also combine the analysis of the present methods with any other genetic analysis to determine susceptibility to diseases or responses to certain nutrients such as polyunsaturated fatty acids.
EXAMPLES
[0064] Genetic variability has been reported for all the identified candidate lipid-related genes; however, associations between many of these variants and lipid profiles have been highly controversial (1-4). One of the most accepted arguments to explain the lack of replication among studies has been the existence of gene-environment interactions (5-7). Overall, gene-environment interaction refers to the differential phenotypic effects of diverse environments on individuals with the same genotype or to the discrepant effects of the same environment on individuals with different genotypes (5-8).
[0065] The investigation of gene-environment interactions will assist in increasing replication among studies and consequently, in facilitating cardiovascular disease prevention. Nutrition is part of every individual from conception to death. Therefore, it is considered one of the most important environmental factors interacting with our genes to increase or decrease the likelihood of developing lipid disorders and further cardiovascular risk (9-11).
[0066] Currently, there are an increasing number of published studies reporting gene-diet interactions in relation to lipid metabolism (12). Among dietary factors, total fat, specific fatty acids, alcohol, carbohydrate and total energy intake have been the most studied (13-17). On the other hand and directly related to nutrition, obesity has been another factor widely reported to modulate genetic effects on lipid metabolism and cardiovascular risk (18-20).
[0067] The apolipoprotein A5 (APOA5) gene is an example of recently reported gene-diet and gene-obesity interactions (21, 22). In the Framingham Heart Study, we reported a gene-diet interaction between APOA5 gene variation and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) in relation to plasma lipid concentrations and lipoprotein particle size (21). Furthermore, we demonstrated that obesity modulates the effect of APOA5 gene variation in carotid intimal medial thickness (IMT), a surrogate measure of atherosclerosis burden. This association remained significant even after adjustment for triglycerides (22). APOA5 gene variation has been associated with increased triglyceride concentrations (23-27). Five common APOA5 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have been reported in several populations: −1131T>C, −3A>G, 56C>G IVS3+476G>A and 1259T>C (24-27). With the exception of the 56C>G SNP, the SNPs are reported to be in significant linkage disequilibrium (25-28). Moreover, the −1131T-C and the 56C>G (S19W) are considered tag SNPs, representing three APOA5 haplotypes.
[0068] The precise mechanism by which APOA5 influences plasma triglycerides and related-measures remains to be determined (29). However, activation of lipoprotein lipase has been suggested as one of the potential APOA5 hypotriglyceridemic mechanisms (30). Lipoprotein lipase has also been implicated in the development of obesity (31-32) and so are some of the APOA5 gene regulators (i.e., peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs), insulin, thyroid hormones (33-34)).
Subjects and Study Design
[0069] The study sample consisted of 2,280 subjects who participated in the Framingham Offspring Study (FOS) (35). Anthropometric, clinical and biochemical variables as well as dietary intake and other lifestyle variables were recorded for subjects who participated in the fifth examination visit conducted between 1992 and 1995 (n=3515). DNA was obtained during 1987-1991. The Institutional Review Board for Human Research at Boston University and Tufts University/New England Medical Center approved the protocol of the study reported here. All participants provided written informed consent. Only subjects with phenotypic data and complete dietary information for whom APOA5 gene variants were examined were included in this study. In addition, subjects with any missing data regarding control variables (age, BMI, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and diabetes status) were excluded from our analyses. Thus, data for 1073 men and 1207 women who met the above criteria were analyzed. Because nearly all subjects were non-Hispanic White, no control for ethnicity was needed. Although in the Framingham Study recruitment of families was planned (35), in this specific sample most participants were unrelated, and the number of individuals within each family included in the present study was very low. Thus, participants were distributed in 1483 pedigrees, of which 83% were singletons. In the non-singletons, most participants were siblings and cousins. Alcohol consumption was calculated in g/day based on the reported alcoholic beverages consumed in the previous year for each individual, and subjects were classified as non-drinkers (those who did not report consumption of alcohol), and drinkers (15). Smokers were defined as those who smoked at least 1 cigarette Id. Physical activity was assessed as a weighted sum of the proportion of a typical day spent sleeping and performing sedentary, slight, moderate or heavy physical activities. Subjects were classified as having type 2 diabetes if they were on hypoglycemic drug therapy for diagnosed type 2 diabetes at any study examination, of if they had fasting plasma glucose levels of at least 7.0 mmol/liter at two or more exams (36).
Anthropometric and Biochemical Determinations
[0070] Height and weight were measured with the individuals dressed in an examining gown and wearing no shoes (19). BMI was calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. Obesity was defined as BMI 30 kg/m 2 and overweight as BMI 25 kg/m 2 . According to these international criteria, there were 550 obese (288 men and 262 women) and 1,507 overweight (854 men and 653 women) subjects in our study population. Fasting venous blood samples were collected and plasma was separated from blood cells by centrifugation and immediately used for the measurement of lipids. Fasting glucose, plasma lipids and lipoproteins were measured as previously described (16, 26, 36).
Dietary Information
[0071] Dietary intake was estimated with a semiquantitative food-frequency questionnaire, described and validated by Rimm et al (37). This questionnaire includes 126 food items with specified serving size. Subjects were asked to report their frequency of use of each item per day, week or month over the past year by checking 1 of the 9 frequency categories. The mean daily intake of nutrients was calculated by multiplying the frequency of consumption of each item by its nutrient content per serving and totaling the nutrient intake for all food items. The Harvard University Food Composition Database, derived from US Department of Agriculture sources and supplemented with manufacturer information, was used to calculate nutrients and total energy intake. Macronutrient intake data were obtained in terms of absolute amounts (g/d). We modeled the effect of macronutrients in terms of nutrient density, i.e., the ratio of energy from the corresponding macronutrient to total energy, expressed as a percentage. Intakes of carbohydrate, protein, total fat, saturated fatty acids (SFA), monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and total PUFA were calculated for each individual. These measures were included in the analyses as both continuous and categorical variables.
Genetic Analyses
[0072] DNA was isolated from blood samples using DNA blood Midi kits (Qiagen, Hilden, Germany) according to the vendor's recommended protocol. The −1131T>C and the 56C>G SNPs at the APOA5 locus were determined using the ABI Prism SNapShot multiplex system (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, Calif.). The primers and probes used for genotyping were described previously (25). Standard laboratory practices such as blinded replicate samples and positive and negative controls were used to ensure the accuracy of genotype data.
Statistical Analyses
[0073] We examined all continuous variables for normality of distribution. Triglyceride concentrations were log transformed. Pearson χ2 and Fisher tests were used to test differences between observed and expected genotype frequencies, assuming Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, and to test differences in percentages. The pair-wise linkage disequilibria (LDs) between SNPs at the APOA5 locus were estimated with the coefficient R2, with the HelixTree program. Due to the low frequency of the variant alleles, carriers and non-carriers of the minor allele for each polymorphism were grouped and compared with wild-type homozygotes. T tests were applied to compare crude means. The relationships between APOA5 genotype, dietary macronutrient intake, and BMI were evaluated by analysis of covariance techniques and adjusted means were estimated. In these analyses, we used several different models to test the consistency of results and to adjust for potential confounders. Dietary macronutrient intakes were included in the analyses as both continuous and categorical variables. To construct the categorical variables, intakes were classified into two groups divided by the mean value of the population. Interactions between dietary macronutrients (as categorical or as continuous variables) and the APOA5 polymorphisms were tested in a hierarchical multivariate-interaction model after controlling for potential confounders, including sex, age, smoking, alcohol consumption, total energy intake and diabetes status. Additional control for the other macronutrients and for plasma triglyceride concentrations were carried out.
[0074] Because the present study involved some correlated data that were due to familial relationships (siblings and cousins), we also controlled for familial relationships. We used two approaches to accomplish these analyses. First, a generalized linear mixed-model approach, which assumed an exchangeable correlation structure among all members of a family (PROC MIXED in SAS, Cary, N.C.), was used. Second, because this approach could not accurately represent the true correlation structure within these pedigrees, we used a measured-genotype approach as implemented in SOLAR, a variance component-analysis computer package for quantitative traits measured in pedigrees of arbitrary size. After having checked that the results obtained using the generalized mixed model were similar to those of the SOLAR approach because of the large number of unrelated subjects in this sample, we decided to present data obtained with the generalized mixed model for the adjustment of familial relationships. Statistical analyses were performed for the whole sample and for men and women separately in order to evaluate the homogeneity of the effect. Standard regression diagnostic procedures, including multicollinearity tests, homogeneity of variance tests and normal plots of the residuals, were used to ensure the appropriateness of these models. When total fat intake was considered as a continuous variable, its interaction with the corresponding APOA5 polymorphism was depicted by computing the predicted values for each individual from the adjusted regression model and plotting these values against fat intake by APOA5 genotype.
[0075] For a dichotomous outcome, obesity was defined as BMI≧30 kg/m 2 and overweight BMI≧25 kg/m 2 . Logistic regression models were fitted to estimate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) of obesity and overweight associated with the presence of each genetic variant as compared with the wild-type. These multiple logistic regression models were also fitted to control for the effect of covariates and familial relationships and to test the statistical significance of the corresponding gene-diet interaction terms. Statistical analyses were carried out using SAS software. All reported probability tests were two-sided.
Results
[0076] Table 1 displays demographic, anthropometric, clinical, biochemical, lifestyle and genetic characteristics of the studied population. Genotype frequencies did not deviate from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium expectations. Pair-wise LD coefficient R between the −1131T>C and 56C>G SNPs was 0.063, indicating the haplotypic independence of both markers. Neither the −1131T>C nor the 56C>G SNPs were statistically associated with BMI in crude analyses (P=0.73; P=0.58, respectively) or after control for potential confounders. Then we examined if macronutrient intake modulates the association between these polymorphisms and BMI in the whole population. As a first approach we examined the effect of macronutrients as categorical variables. Total fat, carbohydrate and protein intakes were classified into two groups according, to the mean value of the population (30%, 50% and 15%, respectively). We found a gene-diet interaction between the −1131T>C polymorphism and fat intake in relation to BMI (P=0.001), that remained statistically significant after controlling for sex, age, alcohol consumption, tobacco smoking, physical activity, diabetes status, total energy, protein and carbohydrate intake (P=0.018) and after additional adjustment of this multivariate model for familial relationships (0.047). Further adjustment for physical activity index did not modify the significance of the results for this and all the subsequent models. This interaction was not found for carbohydrate intake or for protein intake neither in the crude model nor in the multivariate model adjusted for familial relationships (P=0.39 and P=0.56, respectively).
[0077] Table 2 shows BMI and P values for men and women combined depending on the amount of the macronutrient consumed in the diet and the APOA5 polymorphism. The interaction effect of the −1131T>C polymorphism with total fat on BMI revealed that the increase in BMI associated with a higher fat intake (>=30% of energy from fat) observed in subjects homozygotes for the −1131T major allele was not present in carriers of the −113C minor allele at the APOA5 locus (−13% of the population). This interaction was not observed for the 56C>G polymorphism (P=0.55). Taking into account that APOA5 polymorphisms have been associated with triglycerides in several studies, an additional adjustment for plasma triglyceride concentrations was carried out. After this additional adjustment, the gene-diet interaction between the −1131T>C SNP and total fat intake in determining BMI remained statistically significant (P=0.044).
[0078] Moreover, there was no evidence that the effect of this interaction differed between men and women (P for heterogeneity by gender=0.477). Likewise, no heterogeneity by sex was observed in the no interaction between the 56C>G polymorphism and total fat intake as dichotomous on BMI (P=0.985).
[0079] To explore a possible dose-response relationship in the −1131T>C-fat interaction and to avoid the problem of selection of cut-off points, total fat intake was considered as a continuous variable. As no heterogeneity of the effect by sex was observed (P for interaction with sex=0.93), subsequent analyses combined men and women and the model additionally adjusted for sex.
[0080] In agreement with the data obtained using total fat as a qualitative variable, the modification of the effect of the −1131T>C polymorphism by total fat intake appeared to be linear in determining BMI ( FIG. 1 a ). After adjustment for covariates, including plasma triglyceride concentrations, a statistically significant interaction (P=0.048) between total fat intake as a continuous variable and the −1131T>C polymorphism in determining BMI was found.
[0081] Thus, in subjects homozygous for the −1131T allele, BMI increased as total fat intake increased. In contrast, among carriers of the −1131C allele, the expected increase was not observed and those with higher fat intake appeared to have lower BMI. On the other hand, no significant interaction between the 56C>G polymorphism and total fat (P=0.57) was detected when the same regression model was fitted ( FIG. 1 b ). In both wild-type and carriers of the variant allele, BMI increased as total fat intake increased.
[0082] Furthermore, we examined the effect of specific fatty acids on the interaction between the −1131T>C polymorphism and fat in relation to BMI. When each fatty acid intake was examined separately as a dichotomous variable, by population mean (10% energy for SFA, 11% for MUFA as 6% for PUFA), although the direction of the effect was similar for each of these fatty acids, only the interaction between the −1131T>C polymorphism and MUFA intake reached statistical significance. (P=0.024 in the multivariate model adjusted for sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes status, total energy, protein, carbohydrate, plasma triglycerides and familial relationships). No significant interactions between specific fatty acids and the 56C>G polymorphism on BMI were detected. No statistically significant heterogeneity by sex was detected neither for the −1131T>C nor for the 56C>G polymorphisms.
[0083] FIG. 2 shows mean BMI depending on the −1131T>C polymorphism (a) or the 56C>G polymorphism (b) and the MUFA intake in men and women. Finally, the effect of the APOA5-fat interaction on the obesity risk was examined. There were 550 obese subjects and 1730 non-obese. After adjustment for sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, total energy intake, protein, carbohydrate, plasma triglycerides and familial relationships, we found a statistically significant interaction between the −1131>C polymorphism and total fat intake as a dichotomous variable (less or more than 30%) in obesity risk (P=0.049). No statistically significant interaction was found for the 56C>G polymorphism (P=0.24) when the same logistic regression model was fitted. A stratified analysis by fat intake (Table 3) clearly provides evidence of the gene-diet interaction effect between the −1131T>C polymorphism and total fat intake in determining the risk of obesity. When the level of fat intake was low (<30% of energy), subjects with the −1131C allele had a non-significant modest increase in obesity risk. However, in subjects consuming >=30% of energy from fat, carriers of the −1131C allele have about ⅓ the risk of obesity (OR: 0.61, 95% CI: 0.39-0.98; P=0.032)) compared with the −1131T homozygotes.).
[0084] When the specific fatty acids were analyzed we observed a statistically significant interaction (P=0.026) between MUFA intake and the −1131C>T polymorphism on obesity risk after adjustment for sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, total energy intake, protein, carbohydrate, plasma triglycerides and familial relationships. Thus, in subjects consuming >=11% of energy from MUFA, carriers of the −1131C allele have 38.2% lower obesity risk (OR: 0.62, 95% CI: 0.41-0.94; P=0.026) compared with the −1131T homozygotes. No heterogeneity of this effects by sex was observed (P for interaction sex-genotype-fat>0.05.
[0085] Moreover, when the risk of being overweight was studied (1507 overweight and 773 non-overweight subjects), we also obtained a significant interaction between the −1131T>C polymorphism and total fat intake, that remained statistically significant after adjustment for sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, total energy intake, protein, carbohydrate, plasma triglycerides and familial relationships (P=0.029).
[0086] Table 3 shows OR estimations of overweight for the −1131T>C polymorphism in the stratified analyses by total fat intake. In line with the previous results concerning obesity risk the −1131C minor allele was associated with a 37% reduction of overweight risk (P=0.031) in subjects consuming >=30% of energy from fat when compared with TT homozygotes. No reduction of overweight risk in carriers of the −1131C minor allele was found if the level of total fat intake was lower. No statistically significant interaction between total fat intake and the 56C>G polymorphism in determining the risk of overweight was found (P=0.79). No statistical significant heterogeneity by sex in the tested interactions on overweight risk was detected.
[0000]
TABLE 1
Demographic, biochemical, dietary and genotypic characteristics
of participants according to gender
MEN (n = 1073)
WOMEN (n = 1207)
Mean (SD) or n(%)
Mean (SD) or n(%)
Age (years)
54.5
(9.8)
53.9
(9.6)
Body mass index (kg/m 2 )
28.21
(4.0)
26.72
(5.5)
Total-cholesterol (mg/dL)
202
(34)
208
(37)
LDL-C (mg/dL)
129
(22)
124
(23)
HDL-C (mg/dL)
43
(11)
56
(15)
Triglycerides (mg/dL)
161
(129)
134
(94)
Glucose (mmol/L)
103
(28)
97
(26)
Total Energy intake (kcal/day)
2004
(649)
1726
(575)
Total fat intake (% energy)
29.8
(6.3)
29.2
(6.3)
SFA (% energy)
10.6
(2.9)
10.4
(2.9)
MUFA (% energy)
11.4
(2.6)
10.9
(2.6)
PUFA (% energy)
5.8
(1.7)
6.0
(1.7)
Carbohydrates (% of energy)
49.9
(8.4)
51.9
(8.3)
Protein (% of energy)
14.6
(3.6)
15.8
(3.8)
Fiber (g/d)
19.1
(8.5)
18.9
(8.2)
Alcohol (g/d)
3.7
(4.6)
1.8
(2.6)
Drinkers (n, %)
833
(77.6)
842
(69.8)
Smokers (n, %)
186
(17.3)
223
(18.5)
Diabetic subjects (n, %)
110
(10.2)
77
(6.4)
Obese subjects (BMI >= 30 kg/m 2 )
288
(26.8)
262
(21.7)
Overweight subjects (BMI >= 25 kg/m 2 )
854
(79.6)
653
(54.1)
APOA5 −1131T > C, n (%)
TT
877
(86.6)
936
(87.7)
C carriers
144
(13.4)
148
(12.3)
APOA5 56C > G, n (%)
CC
927
(88.5)
1058
(89.4)
G carriers
123
(11.5)
128
(10.6)
Values are listed as mean (standard deviation, SD) or as number (n) and percent (%)
LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol); HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol
SFA, saturated fatty acids; MUFA, monounsaturated fatty acids; PUFA, polyunsaturated fatty acids.
[0000]
TABLE 2
Body mass Index (mean and standard error) depending on the amount
of macronutrient consumed in the diet and the APOA5 polymorphism
−1131T > C
56C > G (S19W)
TT (n = 1866)
TC + CC (n = 292)
P* for interaction
CC (n = 1985)
CG + GG (n = 251)
P* for interaction
APOA5 genotypes
Mean (SE)
Mean (SE)
APOA5-nutrient
Mean (SE)
Mean (SE)
APOA5-nutrient
Total fat
<30% energy
27.09 (0.22)
28.07 (0.47)
0.047
27.22 (0.21)
26.66 (0.49)
0.552
>=30% energy
28.17 (0.21)
27.01 (0.49)
27.97 (0.20)
27.91 (0.48)
Total carbohydrate
<50% energy
28.47 (0.22)
28.07 (0.50)
0.385
28.36 (0.22)
28.07 (0.51)
0.645
>=50 energy
26.92 (0.21)
27.28 (0.45)
27.16 (0.21)
26.69 (0.48)
Protein
<15% energy
27.07 (0.21)
27.35 (0.55)
0.561
27.14 (0.21)
26.78 (0.49)
0.995
>=15% energy
28.35 (0.22)
28.13 (0.51)
28.31 (0.22)
28.03 (0.51)
SE: Standard error.
*P value obtained in the multivariate model for interaction after adjustment for age, sex, tobacco, smoking, alcohol consumption diabetes status, total enery intake and the other macronutrients as dichotomous (total fat, carbohydrates or proteins depending on the nutrient considered) and familial relationships
[0000]
TABLE 3
Risk of obesity and risk of overweight depending on the −1131T > C
polymorphism and total fat intake in men and women
Total fat
<30% energy
>=30% energy
P** for interaction
Phenotype
OR
95% Cl
P*
OR
95% Cl
P*
APOA5-Total fat
Obesity Risk
TT
1
1
TC + CC
1.16
(0.77-1.74)
0.470
0.61
(0.39-0.96)
0.032
0.049
Overweight risk
TT
1
1
TC + CC
1.15
(0.78-1.71)
0.407
0.63
(0.41-0.96)
0.031
0.029
*P value for the genotype obtained in the corresponding logistic regression model after adjustment for age, sex, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, total enery intake, protein (as dichotomous), carbohydrate (as dichotomous), plasma triglycerides and familial relationships in the corresponding strata of total fat consumption
**P value for the interaction term obtained in the corresponding logistic regression model for interaction after adjustment for sex, age, tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption, diabetes, total enery intake, protein (as dichotomous), carbohydrate (as dichotomous), plasma triglycerides and familial relationships
[0087] The references cited throughout the specification including the examples below are herein incorporated by reference in their entirety to the extent not inconsistent with the specification.
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The invention provides methods and kits for designing a diet with a desired fat content for an individual in need thereof to allow the individual to, for example, maintain or reduce healthy weight, manage diabetes, for example by managing weight or accommodate a food allergy. The method comprises determining whether the individual carries APOA5 −1131T and/or C allele or both or any allele in chromosome 11 that is in a tight linkage disequilibrium with said-alleles, wherein if the individual is a homozygote for APOA5 −1131T allele or an allele in tight linkage disequilibrium with APOA5 −1131T allele, the designing of a diet comprises reducing a total fat content of the diet below 30% of total calorie intake and/or reducing the amount of monounsaturated fatty acids in the diet under about 11% of total calorie intake. We surprisingly found that these methods and kits apply to both females and males and to a variety of ethnic backgrounds.
| 2
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BACKGROUND
[0001] 1. Field of the Invention
[0002] The present invention relates to a release device which may to release such items as antennas, solar arrays, positioning mechanisms, and other devices.
[0003] 2. Description of Related Art
[0004] A release apparatus, such as a separation spool device, is used to release a captured member which constrains the deployment of a spacecraft element, such as a solar array and/or reflectors, in the stowed position. In many prior art devices, the spacecraft element was restrained with a wire or a holddown rod system which was released using a pyrotechnic device. Typically, the pyrotechnic device would fire a blade against a base, with the wire or rod to be cut and released. Although useful in many applications, these devices imparted high shock loads into the units which they were to release, as well as the spacecraft itself.
[0005] A design that avoided the shocks associated with pyrotechnic release devices was the separation spool device, which used a fused element to release a captured member. U.S. Pat. No. 6,133,818, to Baghdasarian, discusses a release apparatus wherein two piece split spool with an annulus is used to capture a capture member larger in diameter than the annulus of the spool. The two pieces of the split spool are held together with a wire that is wrapped around the spool. A drawback of this design is that the wire, wrapped under tension around the outside of the spool, may have unpredictable dynamics in some cases when released. In some cases, there may be risk of the wire fouling upon itself when released, which may prevent the spool from spreading far enough apart to allow the captured member to pass through, and thus this may prevent the release device from releasing the stowed spacecraft element. Another drawback of this design is that a two piece spool design presents a geometry that requires significant radial movement of the spool pieces to affect the release.
[0006] Further, a two segment spool has geometric limitations as far as load carrying capacity and a phenomenon referred to as “Friction lock up” condition, a failure to release condition due to friction between the spool-to-captured member interface, and the fact that spherical (ball) end of the captured member leaves the segments contacting the two extreme points of each segment. These two points are almost 180 degrees apart for a 2-segment spool. A ball end could easily be prevented from release with very little friction between the ball and the spool interface.
[0007] What is called for is a capture spool release device that overcomes the potentially unstable dynamics of wire wrapped spool and the drawbacks of a two segment separation device. What is also called for is a split spool that minimizes the travel required of a spool element in order to affect a release of the captured member.
SUMMARY
[0008] A release device having a multi-segment split spool with a central bore adapted to axially restrain a tensioned member. A tensioned tape is overlappingly wound around the spool segments thereby preventing radial movement of the spool segments. The overlapping winding allows for a low profile housing for the release device. Overlapping design of flat tape provides predictable unwinding dynamics upon release.
[0009] The multiple segments require less radial motion for release of the tensioned member. Further, multiple segments spool reduces the potential of “Friction lock up” due to smaller contact angle between each segment with the captured member (almost 90 for 4-segment, almost 60 for a 6-segment, and almost 45 for a 8-segment spool).
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] FIG. 1A is a perspective view of portions of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0011] FIG. 1B is a cutaway side view of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of portions of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0013] FIGS. 3A-B are views of a two piece spool.
[0014] FIGS. 4A-B are views of a six piece spool according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0015] FIG. 5A is a top view of portions of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0016] FIG. 5B is a cutaway view of portions of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0017] FIG. 6 is a top view of portions of a release device according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0018] FIGS. 7A-B are a partial top view layout and cross-section of a release device illustrating anti-rotation pins according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0019] FIG. 8 is a cutaway side view showing an inclined sliding surface according to some embodiments of the present invention.
[0020] FIGS. 9A-B are cutaway side views showing pivoting bases for the spool segments according to some embodiments of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0021] In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in FIGS. 1A-B , a release apparatus 10 for controlling the deployment of a desired device by releasing a captured member 15 utilizes a multi-piece split spool 11 adapted to restrain the captured member 15 . The multi-piece spool 11 consists of three or more segments 50 which define a central bore 51 adapted to restrain a captured member 15 . In some embodiments, the spool 11 consists of six segments. In some embodiments, the spool consists of eight segments. As seen in cross-section in FIG. 1A , the segments of the spool are adapted to fittingly receive and axially restrain an expanded portion 18 of the captured member 15 when the segments 50 are constrained together as a unit. The internal area of the spool 11 in the interface area of the spool 11 with the expanded portion 18 of the captured member 15 may be conical in some embodiments. In some embodiments, the internal area of the spool 11 in this region may be a cone or a partial cylinder (or a curved surface other than a cone) with an angle of 30 degrees off of the vertical axis of bore. In some embodiments, the external profile of the expanded portion 18 of the captured member 15 may also be conical. In some embodiments, the interface area may have a curved profile. In some embodiments, the internal area of the spool may be lubricated with a dry lubricant such as molybdenum disulfide.
[0022] A tensioned tape 12 is wrapped around the external periphery of the spool 11 . The tape 12 is adapted to constrain the segment 50 of the spool 11 together. A first end of the tape 12 may be removably fastened to one of the segments 50 of the spool 11 . The fastening of the tape 12 to one of the segments provides tangential restraint such that the tape may be wound under tension around the outer periphery of the spool, and also will prevent the slipping of the tape around the spool once this tension has been placed in the tape. In some embodiments, the tape 12 may be a spring tempered stainless steel which is 0.2 inches wide and 0.005 inches thick. Once wound under tension, the second end 13 of the tape 12 may be secured under tension by a fuse wire locking device 14 or other restraint and release system.
[0023] Securing the second end 13 of the tape may be done to itself or to an external support, not shown in this embodiment.
[0024] Segments 50 of spool 11 may be prevented from rotation by use of anti-rotation pins between each segment, or by other means.
[0025] In some embodiments, the tape 12 is wound with its successive layers over each other in plane. This allows for a much more compact overall design, in the direction of the axis of the spool, of the release device compared to previous designs. Thus, the height of the housing 16 may be kept to a minimum. FIG. 2 illustrates the release apparatus with the tape 12 in relaxed, unwound position. This position is reached after the release of the second end 13 of the tape 12 . Typically, the captured member 15 is under tension axially. Thus, with the release of the second end 13 of the tape 12 and the removal of the constraint on outward motion of the spool segments, the axial pull by the captured member forces the segments of the spool outward in a radial direction. The tape 12 has remained in plane and has released and unwound in an orderly fashion. The segments of the spool 11 are seen in a position further from the center axis of the constrained spool.
[0026] Another advantage of the overlaying tape is that the tape layers have friction between them, and thus the tension on the tape is reduced in the radially outward direction with each successive wrap. The tension, therefore, on the release mechanism may be significantly lower than the tension at the center of the tape. Thus, a release device, such as a fuse, with a low load capability may be used to release the tape.
[0027] FIGS. 3A-B and 4 A-B illustrate a contrast between a two segment spool system 30 and a multi-piece spool system 40 . The two segment system 30 consists of two segments 31 , 32 which define a central bore 39 . An interface surface 33 is adapted to interface with the expanded portion of a restrained member and to restrain its axial motion. The restrained member will typically be placed under tension. The tension along the axis of the bore of the spool will result in both axial and radial loading of the spool segments due to the conical profile of the interface surface 33 of the spool segments 31 , 32 . The radial loading of the spool segments will be initially be countered by the wound tape as described above. Upon release of tension in the tape, there will no longer be a constraint on radial motion of the spool segments other than the friction of the bases of the spool segments against the adjacent surfaces. As will be discussed later, friction between surface 33 and expanded portion of the restrained member (typically a spherical surface) will have an effect on separation of spool segments.
[0028] The spool segments must move a distance 37 sufficient to allow for the outer diameter 34 of the expanded portion of the restrained member to pass through the bore in the axial direction. As the two segments 31 , 32 begin to separate, the axial force, which in turn drives the separation of the segments, becomes concentrated on the comers 36 of the segments. With just two segments, the force may be concentrated on just four points. With more force concentrated on each point, the possibility of galling and sticking at a single point, with a resulting failure to release the restrained member, is enhanced. In addition, the distance 37 that the segments must move is at a maximum.
[0029] Referring now to FIGS. 4A-B , a six piece spool system 40 consists of six spool segments 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 . Thus, the interface surface 47 is broken into six separate pieces. The spool segments must move a distance 49 sufficient to allow for the outer diameter 34 of the expanded portion of the restrained member to pass through the bore in the axial direction. As the segments 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 begin to separate, the axial force, which in turn drives the separation of the segments, will be spread across the segments. The distance 49 that the segments 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 must travel in order to allow the passage of the expanded portion of the restrained member is significantly less than with a two segment spool. The differential offset 51 in between the depth of the segment bore and the diameter of the expanded portion of the restrained member in the multi-piece spool system is significantly smaller than the differential offset 52 in the two piece spool system. This gives the multi-piece spool the distinct advantage of requiring less radial travel distance for each segment in order to release the captured member. The use of a full circumferential spool reduces the contact forces in the interface area of the spool segments and the expanded portion of the restrained member.
[0030] FIGS. 5A-B illustrate a release system according to some embodiments of the present invention. A release apparatus 60 may control the deployment of a selected device by releasing a captured member 70 . A multi-piece split spool 67 consists of six segments 74 which define a central bore 75 . The central bore 75 is sized such that the expanded portion 71 of the captured member 70 is constrained from downward axial motion by the interface portion of the segments 74 of the spool 67 .
[0031] The segments 74 of the spool 67 are constrained from motion in the external radial direction by a wound restraining tape 63 . A first end 65 of the tape 63 may be constrained from motion along the exterior of the spool by attachment to one of the segments of the spool. A second end of the tape 66 may be constrained by a fuse wire release device 69 or other means. The housing 61 is low profile due to the use of an overlapping tape as the spool restraint. The housing 61 may include a wall 74 adapted to separate the spool and tape from the electrical interface portion 68 of the system. The housing 61 may have a circular inner profile 64 adapted to reduce the likelihood that the tape, as it unwinds and expands radially during the release cycle, will hang up on any inner surfaces. Vertical members 76 may be in place to further separate the inner compartment.
[0032] The base 62 is of sufficient strength that it may withstand the axial force of the captured member. The base 62 may also provide the sliding surface upon which the spool segments move upon release of the tension in the tape. The base bore 73 is sized such that the expanded portion 71 of the captured member 70 may pass through the base bore upon release. The captured member 70 may be a rod with a threaded interface for connection into a larger system. As seen in FIG. 5B , the surface 77 upon which the spool segments slide in this embodiment is a flat surface, as are the bottoms of the spool segments. The sliding surface and the bottoms of the spool segments may have different geometries is other embodiments.
[0033] FIG. 6 illustrates a release device 80 according to some embodiments of the present invention. A tape release lever 82 is mounted within the housing and rotates around a pin 88 . A first end 83 of the tape release lever 82 includes a tab 89 adapted to hold the wound tape 84 under tension. The tab 89 may be inserted into a hole in the tape. The tape release lever 82 is adapted to hold the tape using the tab when the lever is in a first position, and to release the tape as the lever rotates to a second position. A second end 81 of the tape release lever 82 is adapted to be constrained by a fuse wire release system 86 , which may separated from the tape and spool by an interior wall 87 . The second end 81 of the tape release lever 82 may be significantly longer than the first end 83 to allow for the tension of the tape to be held with a lower force due to the longer lever arm of the second end 81 .
[0034] In practice, the tape may be placed under tension by winding the tape around the spool with the bore in a horizontal position and the tape extended and under load. In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in FIGS. 7A-B , a feature may be added to prevent rotation of the spool segments while under the torsional load that may be placed upon them by the wound tape 107 . The spool 100 is seen made up of four segments 101 in this embodiment. Anti-rotational pins 102 are located between the segments 101 and are affixed to the base plate 106 of the apparatus. The pins 102 are adapted to prevent rotation of the segments 101 yet do not interfere with the outward motion of the segments upon their release.
[0035] The tape may be anchored on a first end in a slot 103 in a spool segment 101 adapted to receive the tape 107 . The second end of the tape may anchored to a fuse link 105 , which may be attached to an insulator which is secured to the base plate of the housing in some embodiments.
[0036] In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in FIG. 8 , the geometry of the bottom of the spool segments, and of the surface upon which they slide during release, are altered in order to facilitate the release. The release apparatus 110 may have a spool whose segments 112 have an inclined bottom surface 111 . An advantage of this inclined surface is that the frictional component along the surface is lower than would be experienced with a perpendicular sliding surface, such as seen in FIG. 5B . Also, the force 113 in the rod being released has a component along the incline, which facilitates the outward motion of the spool segments necessary for release.
[0037] In some embodiments of the present invention, as seen in FIGS. 9A and 9B , another geometry of the bottom of the spool segments is used. As seen, the release apparatus 120 uses a pivoting motion as opposed to a sliding motion. The spool segments 121 may have a rounded bottom 122 which is adapted to pivot within a slot 123 upon release of the tension device constraining the spool. In some embodiments, the bottom of the spool segments may be circular as viewed from the top, in accord with the external periphery of the segments in the are where the tension device is wound. In some embodiments, the bottom of the spool segments may be linear, such that the pivot lies in a linear slot. In some embodiments, the spool segments may come to a rounded point.
[0038] As evident from the above description, a wide variety of embodiments may be configured from the description given herein and additional advantages and modifications will readily occur to those skilled in the art. The invention in its broader aspects is, therefore, not limited to the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly, departures from such details may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the applicant's general invention.
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A release device having a multi-segment split spool with a central bore adapted to axially restrain a tensioned member. A tensioned tape is overlappingly wound around the spool segments thereby preventing radial movement of the spool segments. The overlapping winding allows for a low profile housing for the release device. The multiple segments require less radial motion for release of the tensioned member.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a high-lift system of an aircraft having at least one drive unit, having at least one load station as well as having one or more transmissions for transmitting the drive energy of the drive unit to the at least one load station.
Aircraft high-lift systems are known from the prior art which have a central drive unit which is in communication with a branch drive for the two wing halves.
FIG. 3 shows such a known high-lift system in the form of the transmission of the right wing in which the transmission in accordance with the invention may be used, for example.
The drive unit 10 designed, for example, as a hydraulic motor or DC motor is in communication with the transmissions of both wings via the branch drive 20 . The system load limiter 50 , which can also be omitted or is not absolutely necessary in the inventive embodiment of the transmission shafts made of a material containing titanium is located between the high load transmission 30 and the low load transmission 40 of the wing.
The reference symbols 60 designate the load stations of the flaps or the like. The reference symbol 62 designates the transmission brake.
If a seizure occurs in the system, for example at the load stations 60 of the flaps, the load of the transmission of the respective wing then increases until the system load limiter 50 prevents a further load increase of the low load transmission 40 .
High-lift systems are furthermore known from the prior art which have a security against overload with an electric overload sensor which is arranged in the drive train between the drive unit and at least one load station. Provision can be made in this respect that for the event that a system seizure occurs, a reverse operation of the drive unit it initiated, whereby the load in the transmission can be rapidly reduced.
Reference is made in this respect to DE 10 2004 055 740 A1 whose disclosure content is herewith made the subject of the present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the underlying object of the present invention to further develop a high-lift system of the initially named kind in an advantageous manner.
This object is satisfied by a high-lift system having the features herein.
Provision is accordingly made that one or more of the transmissions are made as transmission shafts which consist of a material containing titanium or comprise a material containing titanium. Not only the advantage of a weight-optimized system architecture can be achieved by the use of a material containing titanium, but also the advantage that a comparatively shallow torque/angle of rotation characteristic can be obtained. The use of a torsionally soft material brings along the advantage that in the time window required for the regulation, a corresponding counter-regulation can be set up.
The at least one transmission shaft is preferably made as a torsion spring containing Ti.
Provision is preferably made that the material has a preferably linear torque characteristic which is not too steep, i.e. is made torsionally soft, in a large elastic range.
Provision is furthermore advantageously made that the material has sufficient strength properties (preferably Rm>1000 Mpa). Know solutions with the goal of a low weight are transmission shafts made of aluminum and CFRP. They, however, have the disadvantage that they are either not sufficiently torsionally soft and/or do not have sufficient bending resistance.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, provision is furthermore made that the material has, additionally or alternatively to the feature of the above-named tensile strength which results in a larger working range, the property that the elongation at break amounts to >8%. The elongation at break is a characteristic for the deformation capability of the material and corresponds to the quotient from the length change of the tension bar to the starting length. The aforesaid properties are preferably mechanical properties of the material at room temperature.
Provision can furthermore be made that the material of the transmission shaft has a Young's modulus at room temperature in the range between 100 GPa and 120 GPa, and preferably of 110 GPa. The shear modulus, which is in relation with Young's modulus E and the transverse contraction number·ν (Poisson number) via the relationship G=E/(2+2ν), is preferably in the range in the material in accordance with the invention from 39 GPa to 42 GPa, preferably at a value of approximately 40 GPa. If the value 0.36 for titanium is set for ν, the particularly preferred value of G results at a level of 40.44 GPa.
The named values for Young's modulus and the shear modulus also preferably relate to the values at room temperature.
Provision is made in a preferred embodiment of the invention that the material is an alloy containing titanium. The use of an α-β titanium alloy is conceivable. This is preferably annealed, cold-drawn and stress-relieved with respect to the thermal treatment state.
It is particularly advantageous if the material contains titanium as the main component.
The material can comprise further components, in particular aluminum and/or vanadium, in addition to titanium. Provision is preferably made in this respect that the aluminum portion is larger than the portion of vanadium in the alloy.
In addition to titanium, aluminum and vanadium, further components such as iron, yttrium, etc. can also be present.
Provision is preferably made that the aluminum is present in a range from 4.5% by weight to 7.5% by weight, and preferably in a range from 5.5% by weight to 6.5% by weight.
The vanadium portion is preferably in a range from, for example, 2.5% by weight to 5.5% by weight, and preferably in a range from 3.5% by weight to 4.5% by weight.
The use of the material Ti 6Al 4V has proved particularly advantageous.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the transmission shaft is in communication with one or more connector elements, with provision preferably being made that the connector element or elements consist(s) of a material containing titanium or comprise(s) such a material.
The connection between the connector elements and the transmission shaft can preferably be manufactured by a welding process.
A homogenous, welded component is preferably used comprising a transmission shaft consisting of a pipe having the named highly strong, easily weldable titanium alloy in conjunction with different types of light and highly strong titanium connector elements.
These connector elements can, for example, be forks for integrated gimbal joints or flanges for releasable connections and integrated toothed elements.
The connector element(s) can consist of the same material as the actual transmission shaft.
The connection between the connector element or elements and the pipe of the shaft can take place, for example, by orbital TIG welding without additional material for the connection of shaft-connector element with a special weld seam preparation.
Provision is made in a further embodiment of the invention that the high-lift system has means for load measurement (force or torque), in particular means for electric load measurement. It is conceivable that the high-lift system has a security against overload which has at least one electric overload sensor which is arranged at a suitable point in the drive train between the drive unit and at least one load station.
It is conceivable that a regulation or control element is provided which is in communication with the means for load measurement as well as with the drive unit and has the means by which an electric signal is output to the drive unit on taking up a load exceeding the limit value. It is conceivable that this signal results in a stopping or a braking of the drive unit. It is particularly advantageous if the signal results in a reverse operation of the drive unit so that the drive energy is reduced very fast.
The use of the shafts in accordance with the invention is, however, not restricted to such a system.
The shafts can equally be used in high-lift systems which, for example, have a conventional system load limiter. Load peaks can be avoided overall due to the torsionally soft design of the shaft, whereby a system design is possible which weighs less and is less expensive. The use is conceivable for unregulated systems with the increase of the proportion of elastic components of the transmission shaft.
These conventional system load limiters can be understood as unregulated systems. The conventional system load limiter is preferably a component which leads off an overload into the aircraft structure and protects the low load transmission in this manner. The use of mechanically working system load limiters is conceivable, for example. A spring-biased ball ramp mechanism is conventional which actuates a further mechanism in the event of an overload which leads off the overload into the aircraft structure and protects the low load transmission in this manner.
The present invention furthermore relates to the use of a transmission or transmission shaft in accordance with the invention for a high-lift system of an aircraft.
The invention finally relates to a method for manufacturing at least one transmission shaft, preferably a transmission shaft of a high-lift system, which is characterized in that the transmission shaft is manufactured by the pilger process, also called the pilger step process. The positive mechanical properties of the material can be achieved particularly advantageously by this process.
The present invention furthermore relates to an aircraft having at least one high-lift system.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Further details and advantages of the invention will be explained in more detail with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing. There are shown:
FIG. 1 : a sectional view through a transmission shaft in accordance with the invention with connector elements welded on;
FIG. 2 : a plan view of the transmission shaft in accordance with FIG. 1 with an integrated gimbal joint; and
FIG. 3 : a schematic view of an aircraft high-lift system in accordance with the prior art.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 shows a transmission shaft having the reference numeral 1 which comprises the material Ti 6 Al 4V. It is set forth by way of example in the following table which composition the titanium alloy used for the transmission shaft has.
Massenantell in %
Element
(Percentage by mass)
(Elements)
Von (from)
Bis (to)
Aluminium (Al)
6.50
6.50
Vanadium (V)
3.50
4.50
Iron (Fe)
—
0.25
Oxygen (O)
—
0.15
Nitrogen (N)
—
0.05
Carbon (C)
—
0.08
Hydrogen (H)
—
0.0125
Yttrium (Y)
—
0.005
Andere, sonstige
—
0.1
(others, each)
Andere, gesumt
—
0.3
(others, total)
Ti
Rest (Remainder)
As can further be seen from FIG. 1 , the shaft 1 is provided with two connector elements 2 , 3 , with the connector element 2 being a flange for a releasable connection and the element 3 being a fork for an integrated gimbal joint 4 which is shown in the view in accordance with FIG. 2 .
The connector elements 2 , 3 shown are naturally only examples. Other elements can also be used as required.
The connector elements 2 , 3 also preferably contain titanium. It is conceivable to manufacture them from the same material as the actual transmission shaft 1 . The connector elements 2 , 3 are welded to the pipe 1 at the points 5 .
In accordance with FIG. 1 , a homogenous welded component in the shape of the transmission shaft 1 results overall which comprises the named titanium alloy and which is provided in the embodiment shown in each case at the end side with a light and highly strong titanium connector element 2 , 3 .
An advantage of the present invention is that the transmission shaft does not require any surface protection and that the connector elements 2 , 3 are made from a construction aspect such that no filler metal is required.
This simplifies the connection of the transmission shaft 1 to the connector elements 2 , 3 .
It is conceivable to carry out the connection between the pipe or transmission shaft 1 and the connector elements 2 , 3 by welding and preferably by orbital TIG welding (electrode rotates). As stated, an advantageous embodiment comprises that welding takes place without welding material.
The transmission shaft 1 has the advantage that it has a linear and comparatively shallow torque characteristic in a large elastic range, i.e. is made torsionally soft.
Such an embodiment is in particular advantageous for the above-described regulation, which can result in a reverse operation of the drive unit to reduce the torque as fast as possible, since a sufficiently large time window is provided by the torsionally soft design of the shaft to be able to set up the corresponding counter-regulation or the reverse operation of the drive unit.
As likewise stated above, the transmission shaft is, however, not restricted to such a use, but can rather also be used, for example, in systems such as shown, for example, in FIG. 3 , i.e. in conventional high-lift systems which have a conventional system load limiter, for example. In this case, the use of the torsionally soft pipe results in the avoidance of load peaks and thus overall allows a design of the total load-optimized high-lift system which weighs less.
The arrangements shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 can extend in the total section, i.e. from the drive unit 10 up to the load stations 60 . This means that the transmission shafts in accordance with the invention can be used in the high load transmission 30 and/or in the low load transmission 40 . The system preferably comprises one or more transmission shafts in accordance with the invention in a throughgoing manner, i.e. from the drive unit 10 up to the load stations 60 .
It is, however, also conceivable and covered by the invention that only a part section of the total transmission from the drive unit to the load station(s) 60 or the total transmission is formed by the transmission shaft in accordance with the invention. It is thus, for example, conceivable to design the drive train from the drive unit 10 up to the branch drive 20 or up to the system load limiter 50 or up to the load stations 60 or the section between the branch drives 20 and the system load limiter 50 and/or the section between the system load limiter 50 and the load stations with the transmissions in accordance with the invention.
The load stations 60 preferably serve the movement of the wing flaps or landing flap systems/slat flap systems.
The following optimized properties can be achieved in a preferred embodiment of the invention by the transmission shaft in accordance with the invention.
a) shallow torsion/spring characteristic by a special alloy in accordance with the invention; b) a high resilience and a high tensile strength R m of >1000 MPa which is in particular achieved by the pilger manufacturing process; and c) a system design which weighs comparatively less due to the torsionally soft design of the shaft by which load peaks can be avoided.
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A high-lift system of an aircraft has at least one drive unit, at least one load station as well as one or more transmissions for transmitting the drive energy of the drive unit to the at least one load station. One or more of the transmissions are made as transmission shafts from a material containing titanium or include a material containing titanium.
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This application is a division of application Ser. No. 08/733,129, filed Oct. 17, 1996, now abandoned.
BACKGROUND AND DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
This invention generally relates to endoprostheses, also known as stents, which are of the self-expanding type. More particularly, the invention relates to self-expanding stents or other endoprostheses which are deployed in a compressed condition under radial tension and which are implanted by removing a restraining member so as to permit the radial tension to expand the stent or the like within a body vessel so as to be supportive of the vessel at that location. The endoprosthesis is made of a continuous strand shaped as a generally cylindrical member and having a plurality of coil spring portions wound from the strand so as to impart the above-mentioned radial tension.
So-called stenting has come to be accepted as a viable interventional medical procedure in many specific situations where vessels require support on a long-term basis. Other endoluminal devices or endoprostheses such as vena-cava filters have also been developed or proposed. Typically, catheters or catheter-like devices are used to carry out an endoluminal implantation of these stents or other endoprostheses. The catheter or the like is used to transport the stent or the like into and through a body vessel such as a blood vessel until the stent or the like is positioned at a target location. Once at the target location, the stent or the like is deployed in order to provide the desired internal support of the vessel or other treatment at the deployment location.
Typically, the deployment location is the site of disease, injury, or other imperfection in the body vessel. Typical disease patterns involve stenosis development causing a blockage or partial blockage at the target site. For example, angioplasty procedures are well-known for addressing stenoses and opening up body vessels that have a constriction due to plaque buildup or the like. With such procedures, radially outwardly directed forces are applied to the lumen of the stenosis, such as by the inflation of an angioplasty balloon. Often, it is deemed to be desirable to leave a device in place at the site of the thus-expanded lumen of the stenosis. Such a device is believed to provide support for the vessel wall which might be weakened at that location, while also providing a scaffolding type of structure about which endothelium development, for example, can occur in order to repair the diseased, injured or damaged area.
Some such endoprostheses are deployed with an angioplasty catheter, either during the angioplasty procedure or after the angioplasty procedure has opened up the stenosis. These are so-called balloon-deployed stents or endoprostheses. The stents themselves are capable of being moved from a smaller circumference to a larger circumference by the action a device such as the balloon of an angioplasty catheter. These require a device such as a balloon catheter in order to achieve the radial expansion needed for stent deployment within the body vessel. Other types of stents are of the self-expanding variety. With these, a device, typically a simple cylindrical sheath over the stent, holds the stent or other endoprosthesis at a reduced diameter during passage through the body vessel. Once the treatment site is reached, the sheath or other device is removed from around the stent, and the stent self-expands in place.
The present invention is directed to stents or other endoprostheses which are of this self-expanding variety. It is important in these types of devices that the expansion qualities be predictable so that the outwardly radially directed tension present in the compressed stent or the like will not vary depending upon the amount that the stent or the like is compressed either before or during deployment. It is also important that this tension not be compromised if the stent or the like is compressed and self-expanded multiple times.
One difficulty with certain prior art self-expanding stents is that their outwardly directed tension can dissipate due to plastic deformation of small areas of the stent which must bend in order be compressed for deployment and which then must unbend in order to achieve the needed stent self-expansion. Inconsistencies in outwardly directed radial tension due to variations in the extent of any such plastic deformation can lead to inconsistencies in deployment, potentially leading to ineffective stent implantation. For example, if plastic deformation has reduced the otherwise expected amount of outwardly directed radial tension, the stent might not open to an adequate extent to ensure that the stent will remain in place after deployment for a desired length of time, usually for several years. In other words, the hoop strength of the deployed stent might not be adequate due to plastic deformation. Conversely, if the stent is designed to account for an expected degree of plastic deformation, but the stent, for example, is not compressed as much as anticipated by the designer, the tension in the implanted stent might be too great for the particular treatment or intervention being carried out.
Typically, these types of deficiencies are found in self-expanding stents which operate on a principal of cantilever action. In general, the material of such stents or the like flexes at a focal point. These localized forces can lead to the undesirable plastic deformation of the material at such focal points. Focal points of this type are found in joints which operate as living hinges or which include solder or weld sites at or adjacent to flexible focal points. These types of structures set up a condition where the material of the stent or the like simply bends in a generally cantilevered manner as described.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, it has been determined that important advantages can be obtained when a stent or other endoprosthesis is provided with self-expanding joints which are wound coil springs which allow for large angular deflection between adjoining legs of the device. The coils operate in the nature of coil springs which allow the stent or the like to open and close numerous times without developing plastic deformation caused by flexing at a focal point. Instead, the coil spring coils more tightly but only sufficiently to accommodate compression of the stent or the like. Likewise, the coil spring then uncoils as needed for deployment. The spring coil and its adjacent legs are part of a continuous strand of the stent material, the stent material having been wound through in excess of 360° at the locations of the coil springs in order to form the coils and the legs of the stent or other endoprosthesis.
It is accordingly a general object of the present invention to provide an improved stent or other endoprosthesis which is of the self-expanding type.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved self-expanding stent or the like which avoids plastic deformation at bend locations which impart self-expansion properties to the device.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved self-expanding endoprosthesis having a plurality of legs, the respective lengths of which define the overall shape of the endoprosthesis as being either right cylindrical or spirally wrapped cylindrical.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved self-expanding endoprosthesis which has a high expansion ratio and a high hoop strength and which will spring back to its as-manufactured shape even if flattened by an excessive external load.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved method for forming a self-expanding endoprosthesis which includes winding a strand into a coil spring which is then flanked by a pair of strand legs.
Another object of this invention is to provide an improved endoprosthesis and method which provides a substantially consistent expansion ratio and hoop strength which does not vary significantly with the degree of reasonable compression and/or expansion.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from and clearly understood through a consideration of the following detailed description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the course of this description, reference will be made to the attached drawings, wherein:
FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred stent according to the invention, shown in an unexpanded condition within a tube shown in cross-section;
FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the stent illustrated in FIG. 1, shown expanded within a body vessel, illustrated in cross-section; and
FIG. 3 is an elevational view of an alternative embodiment of a stent according to the invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
A stent in accordance with the present invention is generally designated as 11 in FIG. 1. Stent 11 includes a plurality of legs 12. Each pair of legs has a coil 13 positioned therebetween such that a pair of legs flanks each coil. In FIG. 1, the stent 11 is shown in a compressed state, this state of compression being maintained by a suitable device such as illustrated delivery tube 14 which prevents the stent from expanding beyond the condition shown in FIG. 1.
With reference to FIG. 2, the stent of FIG. 1 is shown deployed within a body vessel 15, such as a blood vessel or the like. In this deployed condition, the stent has self-expanded so as to engage the body vessel and remain so engaged even in the face of blood flow, for example, through the body vessel. Thus, in the deployed condition, the stent is still biased or under tension in an outward radial direction. In other words, the stent as shown in FIG. 2 has not reached the limit of its self-expansion potential. It exhibits adequate hoop strength so as to maintain the stent in its deployed location by exerting an adequate, but not excessive, force on the inside wall of the body vessel.
In the structure shown in FIG. 1 and in FIG. 2, each leg 12 is of virtually the same length. The result is a right cylindrical stent configuration. The formed strand which makes up this stent configuration forms the cylinder by wrapping full circle through 360° as shown. Respective ends of the strand making up the stent are secured together by suitable means such as welding, soldering, adhesives, or by the use of a sleeve 16 or the like. Illustrated sleeve 16 takes the form of a hypotube, such as one having a wall thickness of about 0.002 inch (about 0.05 mm). Each end 17 of the strand is securely positioned within the sleeve 16. Preferably, the sleeve or the like securely holds the strand ends with respect to each other so as to prevent torquing or twisting of the end portions of the strand with respect to each other.
An alternative embodiment is the stent which is generally designated as 21 in FIG. 3. Stent 21 includes coils 13 as in the first embodiment. The legs 22, 23 of this second embodiment have differing lengths. These differing lengths generally alternate between a longer length and a shorter length. The result as illustrated is to have the stent take on a generally helical configuration in forming an overall cylindrical device. This is done without substantially modifying the parallel relationship between respective alternating legs, as is evident in FIG. 3. This helical winding arrangement is such as to also allow for the legs to generally squarely engage a cylinder positioned around them, such as a delivery tube or a body vessel by being generally parallel to the axis of such a cylinder.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3, the strand pattern wraps through about 540°. That is, the configured strand pattern is wrapped for one full circumference followed by one half of that same circumference. Thus, the stent 21 begins at an end portion 24 and continues through to an end portion 25. While both end portions are shown to be coiled, other end treatments could be suitable. These could be straight ends, bent ends, or ends attached to adjacent portions of the stent. For example, if second end 25 is welded or otherwise secured to coil 13A adjacent to it, the stent will be more likely to maintain the 540° wrap which is illustrated during compression and deployment. Even without such an attachment, this degree of wrap will not vary significantly between the compressed state and the deployed state. This is because the coils will tend to spring open in a very uniform manner, with the result that the extent of springing expansion will be generally uniform throughout the stent.
It will be appreciated that other stent wrapping lengths are possible depending upon the particular need. For example, if the stent were wrapped for two full circumferences, its longitudinal length would be larger than that shown in FIG. 3.
With further reference to possible lengths of stents 11, 21, such stents can be lengthened by securing them together or by deploying them in an end-to-end fashion. When attachment is desired, this can be achieved by attachment means such as sutures or by one or more radiopaque marking bands 26 (FIG. 2) which can be used to join adjacent stents together (not shown). Such marking bands 26 can also be used only to aid in radioscopic viewing without performing a tying function. Alternatively, adjacent stents can be positioned so as to overlap with each other such that the legs of one stent engage respective legs of another stent.
It will further be appreciated that the length and the diameter of each stent also can be tailored to address specific needs. This can be done by changing the length of the legs and the number of coils. Varying the number of coils will, with all other things being equal, vary the hoop strength and expansion ratio of each particular stent. Varying the size of the coils is also possible, whether the variation is in the circumference of the coils or the number of wraps used to form the coils.
A greater appreciation for the structural features of the stents or other endoprostheses in accordance with the present invention can be gained by considering the method by which these devices are constructed. In the preferred method, a single strand of suitable material is formed into the stent. A fence, ribbon or configured strand pattern is first formed. Each coil is formed by turning the strand on itself in a circumferential manner, typically by winding a length of the stand over a mandrel or wire so that the coil extends for greater than one full circumference. Spaces between coils define the legs, with alternating coils being wound in opposite directions, one clockwise and the next one counterclockwise, and so forth.
In the preferred arrangement, the extent of coiling beyond a full circle winding can range between about 130° and about 180°. A preferred range is between about 150° and about 170° in excess of one or more full circle windings. For example, if less than two full circle coils are desired (as illustrated in the drawings), this coil winding range will be between about 490° and about 540°, preferably between about 510° and about 530°. Adding another full circle wind would mean coils of between about 850° and about 900°, preferably between about 870° and about 890°.
This winding degree is that of the coil when it is fully expanded. It will be appreciated that, when deployed within a body vessel, a predetermined amount of tension should remain within the coils; that is, they will remain compressed somewhat, and when the coils are made, they will be wound to an untensioned winding degree. In a typical application, for example, a coil which is wound to 510° could be compressed to 530° or more when within the delivery tube 14 such as illustrated in FIG. 1 and will expand to about 520° when deployed such as illustrated in FIG. 2.
The fence, ribbon or configured strand pattern thus formed is then wrapped in a circumferential manner and the ends secured when desired. For example, in the first embodiment, the sleeve is used to assemble the ends 17 of the strand.
The strand material should exhibit sufficient resiliency so as to be suitable for forming a coil spring. In addition, the material should be biocompatible or securely coated in a biocompatible manner. Exemplary materials include stainless steel, titanium, Nitinol alloys of nickel and titanium, as well as possible polymers which exhibit the required degree of resiliency.
It will be appreciated that, with the spring coil arrangement, the coil itself provides most of the springiness or tension to the stent. Rather than having flexing occur at a focal point, the entire spring material moves or rotates in the well-known manner of a coiled spring such as that of a safety pin so that the tension is relatively evenly distributed throughout the extent of the coil spring. The coils allow for a large angular deflection between adjoining legs without plastic deformation of the material of the strand, coil or legs. With this coil spring structure, the stent will spring back to shape even if it were to be totally collapsed by an extraordinary external load.
With reference to the deployment procedure for a self-expanding stent of the type discussed herein, a typical stent will have an overall length of on the order of 2 cm. This length can be greater or longer as desired and as needed for particular applications. For example, lengths may range between about 1 cm and about 4 cm. The entire stent or other endoprosthesis is compressed and positioned within the inside of the delivery tube 14. This delivery tube can take the form of a guiding catheter, for example. This delivery tube or guiding catheter is inserted into and fed through appropriate body passageways such as blood vessels in accordance with well-known medical procedures, such as those followed for angioplasty treatments. Once the open distal tip end of the delivery tube or guiding catheter is positioned at the body location at which the stent is to be deployed, the compressed stent is moved out of the open distal end of the delivery tube or guiding catheter. A typical means for accomplishing this is to use a push rod 28 (FIG. 1) which can take the form of a simple wire that readily slides through the delivery tube or guiding catheter and which has an outer diameter adequate to fully engage the full circumference of the stent or the like. When thus engaged, the push tool 28 will slide the compressed stent out of the distal hole, allowing it to expand in place within the body vessel as generally shown in FIG. 2.
Should it become necessary to retrieve one of these stents after deployment, this is possible. For example, a guiding catheter can be positioned with its distal end opening closely proximal to the deployed stent or other endoprosthesis. A biopsy forceps device can then be fed through the guiding catheter and used to snare the deployed stent or the like and pull it into the guiding catheter. Thereafter, removal of the guiding catheter will safely remove the stent or the like.
It will be understood that the embodiments of the present invention which have been described are illustrative of some of the applications of the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention.
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A stent or other endoprosthesis is provided from a single strand of biocompatible and resilient material into which spring coils are formed by winding the strand through in excess of 360°. The thus-formed coil springs are positioned along outside edges of the endoprosthesis, with legs joining the coil springs in order to form a generally zig-zag structure. When the endoprosthesis is compressed for endoluminal delivery, the coil springs allow for large angular deflection between adjoining legs while avoiding plastic deformation of the coil or of the legs.
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REFERENCE TO CROSS-RELATED CASES
The present application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 07/943,323, filed Sep. 10, 1992, now U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,350.
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention is concerned with nitrogen substituted acridines and, in particular, their effect on cytochrome P450.
BACKGROUND ART
Nitrogen substituted acridine have been proposed for use in treatment of senile dementia such as Alzheimer's disease. Such materials are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,286; 4,695,573; 4,754,050; 4,816,456; 4,835,275; 4,839,364; 4,999,430; and British Patent Appln. 2,091,249, all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
Clinical studies have been performed on patients suffering from Alzheimer's disease by utilizing tacrine or 1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-9-acridinaminemonohydrate monohydrochloride (THA). Serum determinations of patients given THA indicated the very rapid formation of THA metabolites. It has also been indicated that elevations of liver enzymes are found in some patients after THA administration, which reportedly can be controlled by adjustment of medication. W. K. Summers, T. H. Tachiki and A. Kling: "Tacrine In The Treatment Of Alzheimer's Disease", EUR. NEUROL. 29 (Supp. 3): 28-32 (1989). Various metabolites of THA have been reported. C. A. Truman, J. M. Ford, C. J. C. Roberts: "Comparison of the Chromatographic Characteristics of Metabolites of Tacrine Hydrochloride in Human Serum and Urine with those of In Vitro Metabolic Products From Hepatic Microsomes", BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY, Vol. 42, no. 4, pp. 956-959 (1991). THA is extensively metabolized in animals and man to several monohydroxy and dihydroxy metabolites, some of which are excreted as glucuronide derivatives.
Monooxygenation of chemical materials has been ascribed to cytochromes P450 (P450). These hemoprotein containing monooxygenase enzymes displaying a reduced carbon monoxide absorption spectrum maximum near 450 nm have been shown to catalyze a variety of oxidation reactions including hydroxylation of endogenous and exogenous compounds. M. R. Jachau, "Substrates, Specificities and Functions of the P450 Cytochromes", LIFE SCIENCES, Vol. 47, pp. 2385-2394 (1990). An extensive amount of research has been conducted on the mechanism's by which P450's can catalyze oxygen transfer reactions. B. Testa and P. Jenner, "Inhibitors Of Cytochrome P-450s and Their Mechanism of Action", DRUG METABOLISM REVIEWS, 12(1)1-117 (1981); F. P. Guengerich, "Cytochrome P450: Advances and Prospects", FASEB J., Vol. 6, pp. 667-668 (1992); K. Brosen; M. Murray and C. F. Reidy, "Recent Developments In Hepatic Drug Oxidation Implications For Clinical Pharmacokinetics", CLIN. PHARMACOKINET., 18(3): 220-239, 1990; and M. Murray and G. F. Reidy, "Selectivity in the Inhibition of Mammalian Cytochrome P-450 By Chemical Agents", PHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEWS, 42, 85-101 (1990).
Murray & Reidy, supra, further state that P-450's are ubiquitous enzymes found in the smooth endoplasmic-reticulum as well as mitochondrial fractions of mammalian cells. P450 constitutes a multigene family of enzymes with nearly 150 isoforms identified to date. T. D. Porter and M. J. Coon, "Cytochrome P-450: Multiplicity of Isoforms, Substrates, and Catalytic and Regulatory Mechanisms", J. BIOL. CHEM., Vol. 266, 13469-13472 (1991). The P450 reaction cycle proceeds briefly as follows: initial binding of a substrate molecule (RH) to the ferric form of the cytochrome results in the formation of a binary complex and a shift in the spin equilibrium of the ferric enzyme from the low- to high-spin state. Some evidence has been presented that suggests this configuration more readily accepts an electron from the flavoprotein reductase to form the ferrous P450-substrate complex. However, not all P450s exhibit a relationship between high-spin content and reduction rate. Indeed, it has been proposed that several factors, including the nature of the P450 substrate, the topography of the enzyme/substrate complex, and the potentials of oxidizable atoms each play a role in regulation of the reduction rate. Molecular oxygen binds to the ferrous P450-substrate complex to form the ferrous dioxygen complex which is then reduced by a second electron from the P450 reductase (or perhaps, in some cases, from reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide via cytochrome b 5 and its reductase). Dioxygen bond cleavage in the reduced ferrous dioxygen complex results in the insertion of one atom of oxygen into the substrate, reduction of the other oxygen atom to water, and restoration of the ferric hemoprotein.
Individual members of the P450 family of enzymes and associated mixed function oxidase activities have been described in extrahepatic tissues including brain, adrenal, kidney, testis, ovary, lung and skin. Individual P450s have likewise been characterized in terms of their inducibility by selected chemical classes. Induction of specific P450 enzymes, such as the P450 1A1 and 1A2 subfamily have been extensively studied with respect to regulatory processes of increased mRNA transcription and expression of enzymatic activity. It has been ascertained that materials such as beta-naphthaflavone (beta-NF), 3-methylcholanthrene (3-MC), arochlor 1254 (ACLR) and 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) are materials that have been categorized as inducers of P450 enzymes bearing the designated P450 1A subfamily. At present, two specific P450 enzymes termed 1A1 (nonhepatic) and 1A2 (hepatic) have been characterized by several laboratories. Materials that induce the hepatic P450 1A subfamily of enzymes, and in particular the constitutive 1A2 enzyme include 3-MC, cigarette smoke, beta-NF, TCDD, and ACLR and, in addition, isosafrole, and musk xylenes, are preferential inducers of 1A2. M. Murray and G. F. Reidy, "Selectivity In The Inhibition Of Mammalian Cytochromes P450 By Chemical Agents", PHARMACOLOGICAL REVIEWS, 42, 85-101 (1990); and F. P. Guengerich, "Characterization of Human Microsomal Cytochrome P-450 Enzymes", ANNU. REV. PHARMACOL. TOXICOL. Vol, 29, pp. 241-264 (1989).
It is an object of the present invention to improve the metabolic stability of nitrogen substituted acridines in human body fluids (blood, plasma, brain, liver, etc).
It is an object of the present invention to provide in mammalian body fluids a stable concentration of nitrogen substituted acridine.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe and utilize nitrogen substituted acridines in conjunction with inhibitors of cytochrome P450 1A subfamily (1A1 and 1A2) of enzymes.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a naphthyridine.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a xanthine.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a phenoxy amino alkane.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a carbamoyl imidazole.
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a guanidine imidazole, e.g. cimetidine (N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2[[(5-methyl-1H-imidazol-4-yl)methyl]thio]ethyl]guanidine)
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a quinoline, e.g. chloroquine (7-chloro-4-(4-diethylamino-1-methylbutylamino)quinoline) and primaquine (8-(4-amino-1-methylbutylamino)-6-methoxyquinoline).
It is a further object of the present invention to describe nitrogen substituted acridines co-administered with a trifluoromethyl oxime ether, e.g., fluvoxamine, also known as 5-methoxy-1-[4-(trifluoromethyl)-phenyl]-1 pentanone 0-(2-aminoethyl) oxime.
None of the references disclose techniques for maintaining the stability, i.e., non-metabolism of nitrogen substituted acridines, so that they may suitably be effective as agents for treatment of senile dementia.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The above objects are accomplished by the invention described herein.
Described is a method of inhibiting the enzymatic metabolism of nitrogen substituted acridines by co-administering an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a P450 1A subfamily inhibitor.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a naphthyridine.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a xanthine.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a phenoxy amino alkane.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a carbamoyl imidazole.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a guanidine imidazole.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substituted acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a quinoline.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises co-administering with the nitrogen substitute acridine an effective oxidase inhibiting amount of a trifluoromethyl oxime ether.
A further embodiment of the invention comprises the use of the aforementioned compounds or compositions for the manufacturing of pharmaceutical compositions for the mentioned methods or treatments. The compositions are supplied to those mammals who have a need for them.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a proposed metabolic pathway for tacrine in man; and
FIG. 2 is a proposed pathway for irreversible binding of tacrine in human liver microsomes.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention is concerned with nitrogen substituted acridines to decrease the amount of or to prevent the metabolism thereof. It has been determined that nitrogen substituted acridines are metabolized by P450 (cytochrome P450) monooxygenase enzymes and, in particular, by the type 1A2 enzyme.
P450s that metabolize the nitrogen substituted or amino acridines as described herein are those enzymes that are induced by materials such as isosafrole, 3-MC, cigarette smoke, beta-NF, TCDD, and ACLR. These P450s belonging to the 1A subfamily, which are hemoprotein containing oxygenases, have their enzymatic activity increased or induced by the aforementioned chemical materials. Therefore, it is desired that these P450 1A2 enzymes located in the liver are hemoproteins whose activity needs to be inhibited in order to prevent the metabolism of the amino acridines as described herein. Applicant, therefore, has characterized the applicable oxygenase P450s both by the general terminology P450 1A2 (cytochrome P450 1A2) but also by the chemical materials that cause or induce the action of these enzymes. Characterization of the specific amino acid sequence for the P450 1A subfamilies in rat and man has been reported. P. Soucek and I. Gut, "Cytochromes P-450 In Rats; Structures, Functions, Properties and Relevant Human Forms", XENOBIOTICA, Vol. 22, pp. 83-103 (1992).
The nitrogen substituted amino acridines which the present invention is concerned and the metabolism which is sought to be decreased or eliminated can be described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,456, hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 1 below: ##STR1## wherein R 1 is related from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, methyl, methoxy, ethyl and ethoxy; R 1 and R 2 together may form a double bond, R 3 and R 4 together may form a double bond, or R 1 , R 2 , R 3 and R 4 are all hydrogen; R 5 is related from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, methoxy and ethoxy; R 6 is related from the group consisting of hydrogen, hydroxy, methoxy, and ethoxy; and R 7 represents no radical; an N-oxy radical; a C 1 -C 20 alkyl radical or a radical selected from the group consisting of ##STR2## wherein each R is independently selected from C 1 -C 20 alkyl; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
Nitrogen substituted acridines can also be characterized by the materials described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,999,430, hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 2. ##STR3## wherein X is selected from the group consisting of oxygen and CH 2 ; and
R is alkyl of from one to twenty carbon atoms and --(Ch 2 ) n -phenyl,
wherein n is zero or an integer of one to twenty; or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof.
The nitrogen substituted acridines can also be characterized from the materials described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,631,286 and 4,695,573 hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 3. ##STR4## wherein n is 1, 2 or 3; X is hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, nitro, trifluoromethyl, --NHCOR 2 wherein R 2 is lower alkyl, or a group of the formula --NR 3 R 4 wherein R 3 and R 4 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl; R and R 1 are independently hydrogen, lower alkyl, di-lower alkylamino lower alkyl, aryl lower alkyl, diaryl lower alkyl, furyl lower alkyl, thienyl lower alkyl, oxygen bridged aryl lower alkyl, oxygen bridged diaryl lower alkyl, oxygen bridged furyl lower alkyl, oxygen bridged thienyl lower alkyl, aryl lower alkoxy wherein the aryl group may be unsubstituted or substituted by lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, trifluoromethyl or diphenyl lower alkyl, unsubstituted or substituted diphenyl lower alkyl wherein the substituents on the phenyl group may be lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen, hydroxy, or trifluoromethyl; Y is --C═0 or --C(R 5 )OH wherein R 5 is hydrogen or lower alkyl; Z is --CH 2 -- or C=C(R 6 ) (R 7 ) wherein R 6 and R 7 are independently hydrogen or lower alkyl; or Y and Z taken together is CR 5 --CH wherein C(R 5 ) and CH correspond to Y and Z respectively; an optical antipode thereof, or a pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salt thereof,
Applicant now wishes to describe the P450 inhibitors that are useful in the present case although it is deemed within the invention herein that any P450 type 1A2 inhibitor may be used in conjunction with the nitrogen substituted acridine as described above.
The first class of the P450 inhibitors that may be utilized are naphthyridines of the type described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,578, hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 4. ##STR5## wherein X is a halogen atom, especially a fluorine atom, R 1 is an ethyl or vinyl group, and R 2 is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group; and nontoxic pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
The preparation of the aforementioned naphthyridines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,878, the working examples and column 5, line 16 to column 8, line 61.
A potential therapeutic regimen could involve dosing with enoxacin (400 to 800 milligrams per day) for 1 to 2 days (steady state enoxacin plasma concentrations) prior to initiation of tacrine therapy (20-160 mg per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and enoxacin in either a composition product or individual dosage form. Enoxacin is described in MERCK INDEX 11th Ed. (1989), reference No. 3540 as 1-ethyl-6 fluoro-1,4-dihydro-4-oxo-7-(1-piperazinyl)-1, 8-naphthyridine-3-carboxylic acid herein incorporated by reference.
A second class of desirable P450 inhibitors are xanthines described in British specification 091249, hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 5. ##STR6## wherein R 1 and R 3 each independently represent an alkyl group containing from 1 to 6 (preferably at most 4) carbon atoms, and R 2 represents a cyclohexenyl, furyl, tetrahydrofuryl or thienyl group, and pharmacologically acceptable salts thereof such as that formed with an alkali metal or a nitrogen-containing organic base.
The preparation of the aforementioned xanthine derivatives are described in British Patent 2,091,249 on page 1, line 38 and following over to page 2, line 44 as well as the working examples.
A potential therapeutic regime could involve dosing with a preferred xanthine, furafylline (1H-purine-2,6-dione,3-(2-furanylmethyl) -3,7-dihydro-1,8-dimethyl; 300-800 milligrams per day) for 1-2 days (steady state furafylline plasma concentrations) prior to initiation of the preferred amino acridine, tacrine therapy (20-160 milligrams per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and furafylline in either a composition product or individual dosage form.
A further embodiment of a P450 1A2 inhibitor are phenoxy amino alkanes described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,019, hereby incorporated by reference. See Formula 6. ##STR7## wherein R is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 3 carbon atoms,
R 1 is hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 2 carbon atoms, and
R 2 through R 6 , which may be identical to or different from each other, are each hydrogen or alkyl of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, but preferably 1 to 2 carbon atoms; preferably, however, at least one of R 1 through R 6 is other than hydrogen and, if R 1 and R 4 are both methyl, at least one of the remaining substituents R, R 2 , R 5 , and R 6 is other than hydrogen; or a non-toxic, pharmacologically acceptable acid addition salt thereof.
The method of preparing these compounds is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,659,019, in particular, Column 2 and Column 3 and the working examples therein which are all herein incorporated by reference.
A potential therapeutic regime could involve dosing with a preferred phenoxy amino alkane such as mexiletine (100-800 milligrams per day) for 1-2 days (steady state mexiletine plasma concentrations) prior to initiation with the preferred amino acridine, namely tacrine (20-160 milligrams per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and mexiletine in either a composition product or individual dosage form. Mexiletine is described in MERCK INDEX, 11th Ed., reference No. 6094 as 1-(2,6-dimethylphenoxy)-2-propanamine, herein incorporated by reference.
A fourth P450 type 1A2 inhibitor that is desirable herein is the carbamoyl imidazole of Formula 7. ##STR8## wherein R is alkyl of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably lower alkyl of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, most preferably --CH 3 ; and
R 1 is independently alkyl of from 1 to 20 carbon atoms, preferably lower alkyl of from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, most preferably --CH 3 .
The method of preparing these compounds is described in N. B. Vinogradova and N. U. Khromov-Borisov, Zhur. Obshchei Khim. 31, 1466-70 (1961) (Chemical Abstracts 55 23501i (1961); and N. B. Vinogradova and N. U. Khromov-Borisov, Med. Prom. SSSR 19(6), 7-13 (1965) (Chemical Abstracts 63 11538d (1965).
A potential therapeutic regime could involve dosing with a preferred carbamoyl imidazole such as ethimizol (100-800 milligrams per day) for 1-2 days (steady state ethimizol plasma concentrations) prior to initiation with the preferred amino acridine, namely tacrine (20-160 milligrams per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and ethimizol in either a composition product or individual dosage form. Ethimizol is known as 1-ethyl-4,5-bis (methylcarbamoyl) imidazole.
An additional P450 type 1A2 inhibitor that is desirable herein is a heterocyclic guanidine of Formula 8: ##STR9## wherein A is such that there is formed together with the carbon atom shown an unsatured heterocyclic nucleus, which comprises at, least one nitrogen and may comprise a further hetero atom such as sulphur and oxygen, said unsaturated heterocyclic nucleus, being an imidazole, pyrazole, pyrimidine, pyrazine, pyridazine, thiazole, isothiazole, oxazole, isoxazole, triazole, thiadiazole, benzimidazole or 5,6,7,8-tetrahydroimidazo[1,5-a]pyridine ring; X 1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl, hydroxyl, trifluoromethyl, benzyl, halogen, amino or ##STR10## X 2 is hydrogen or when X 1 is lower alkyl, lower alkyl or halogen; k is 0 to 2 and m is 2 or 3, provided that the sum of k and m is 3 or 4; Y is oxygen, sulphur or NH; E is NR 2; R 1 is hydrogen, lower alkyl or di-lower alkylamino-lower alkyl; and R 2 is hydrogen, nitro or cyano or a pharmaceutically acceptable addition salt thereof. Y is preferably oxygen or sulphur, most advantageously sulphur. Preferably A is such that the nitrogen atom is adjacent to the carbon atom shown and, more preferably, such that it forms with the said carbon atom an imidazole, thiazole or isothiazole ring. Preferably, X 1 is hydrogen, methyl, bromo, amino or hydroxyl and X 2 is hydrogen. One group of preferred compounds within the present invention is that wherein Y is sulphur, k is 1, m is 2 and R 1 is methyl. Specific compounds which are found to be particularly useful are N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2-((4-methyl-5-imidazolyl)-methylthio)-ethyl]guanidine, N-cyano-N'-ethyl-N"-[2]-((4-methyl-5-imidazolyl)methylthio)ethyl]guanidine, N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2-((4-bromo-5-imidazolyl)-methylthio)ethyl]guanidine. N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2-(2thiazolylmethylthio)ethyl]-guanidine and N-cyano-N'-methyl-N"-[2-(3-isothiazolylmethylthio)ethyl]-guanidine.
The preparation of the aforementioned compounds is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,333 and particularly, in the working examples herein, and are all incorporated by reference.
A potential therapeutic regime could involve dosing with a preferred heterocyclic guanidine such as cimetidine (100-800 milligrams per day) for 1-2 days (steady state cimetidine plasma concentrations) prior to initiation with the preferred amino acridine, namely tacrine (20-160 milligrams per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and cimetidine in either a composition product or individual dosage form.
Another preferred P450 Type 1A2 inhibitor that is desirably herein is a quinoline of Formula 9: ##STR11## wherein: Y is an amino group substituted by amino lower alkyl, lower alkyl amino lower alkyl, di-lower alkyl amino lower alkyl, lower alkyl amino, di-lower alkyl amino, lower alkyl substituted by a six-membered nitrogen heterocyclic ring, hydroxy lower alkyl, hydroxy aryl, halogenated lower alkyl;
X is lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, thio lower alkyl, hydroxy lower alkyl, aryl, halogen (such as chloro, bromo or iodo), or lower alkyl mercaptan;
wherein Y may be either in ring A or ring B and X may be present in one or both rings.
Most preferably, the carbon, alpha to the nitrogen in the quinoline ring, is not substituted by an atom other than hydrogen.
The quinolines and the method of preparation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,233,970 especially the working examples and page 1, left column, line 35 to the right column, line 40. This patent is hereby incorporated by reference. In addition, see The Merck Index, 11th Ed., published by Merck & Co., Inc. (1989), Reference No. 21634 7751. See also Elderfield et al., J. AM. CHEM. SOC., 68, 1525 (1946); improved procedure: Elderfield et al., ibid, 77, 4816 (1955); Review: Olenick in ANTIBIOTICS, Vol. 3, J. W. Corcoran, F. E. Hahn, Eds. (Springer-Verlag, New York 1975), pp. 516-520. Preferred materials are chloroquine and primaquine.
A potential therapeutic regime could involve dosing with a preferred quinoline such as chloroquine or primaquine (100-800 milligrams per day) for 1-2 days (steady state chloroquine or primaquine plasma concentrations) prior to initiation with the preferred amino acridine, namely tacrine (20-160 milligrams per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and chloroquine or primaquine in either a composition product or individual dosage form.
Another preferred P450 type 1A2 inhibitor that is desirable herein is a trifluoromethyl oxime ether of Formula 10: ##STR12## and salts thereof with pharmaceutically acceptable acids, in which formula R is a cyano group, a cyanomethyl group, a methoxymethyl group or an ethoxymethyl group. A preferred material is fluvoxamine. Other preferred materials are 5-methoxy-4'-trifluoromethylvalerophenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime maleate (1:1); 5-ethoxy-4'-trifluoromethylvalerophenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime fumarate (1:1); 4-cyano-4'-trifluoromethylbutyrophenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime hydrochloride; 5-cyano-4'-trifluoromethylvalerphenone O-(2aminoethyl) oxime hydrochloride; 5-cyano-4'-trifluoromethylvalerphenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime hydrochloride; 5-methoxy-4'-trifluoromethylvalerophenone O-(2aminoethyl) oxime maleate (1:1); 5-ethoxy-4'-trifluoromethylvaleophenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime fumarate (1:1); 5-cyano-4'-trifluoromethylvalerophenone O-(2aminoethyl) oxime hydrochloride; 5-ethoxy-4'-trifluoromethylvalerophenone O-(2-aminoethyl) oxime fumarate (1:1).
The oxime ether compounds and the method of preparation are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,085,225, especially the working examples. This patent is hereby incorporated by reference. In addition, see MERCK INDEX, 11th Ed., published by Merck & Company, Inc. (1989), Reference No. 4138. See also Inhibition of 5-HT uptake, V. Claassen et al., Brit. J. Pharmacol. 60, 505 (1977); HPLC determn in plasma, G. J. De Jong, J. Chromatog. 183, 203 (1980); Quantitative EEG, psychometric and pharmacokinetic studies in man, B. Saletu et al., J. Neurol Transm. 49, 63 (1980); Use in endogenous depress, J. E. De Wilde, D. P. Doogan, J. Affective Disord. 4, 249 (1982); Effects on Clonidine-induced Depression in Mice, J. Maj et al. J. Neurol. Transm. 55, 19 (1982); Review: Brit. J. Clin. Pharmacol. 15, Suppl. 3, 347S-450S (1983); Review of pharmacology, clinical efficacy, P. Benfield, A. Ward, Drugs 32, 313 (1986). Fluvoxamine is also discussed in the literature as a potent inhibitor of cytochrome P450 1A2; Biochemical Pharm., Vol. 45, No. 6, pp. 1211-1214 (1993), in an article entitled Fluvoxamine Is A Potent Inhibitor Of Cytochrome P450 1A2 by K. Brosen et al.
A potential therapeutic regimen would involve dosing with a preferred trifluoromethyloxime ether such as fluvoxamine (10 to 800 mg. per day) for one to two days (steady state fluvoxamine plasma concentrations) prior to initiation with the preferred amino acridine, namely, tacrine (20-160 mg. per day) with co-administration thereafter of tacrine and fluvoxamine and either a composition product or individual dosage form.
Listed below are exemplifications of the invention wherein all parts are parts by weight and all degrees are degrees centigrade unless otherwise indicated.
EXAMPLE 1--IN VIVO METABOLISM OF TACRINE
A single-dose pharmacokinetic and metabolic disposition study was conducted in human male volunteers given [ 14 C]tacrine HCl at two dose levels. [ 14 C]Tacrine HCl was administered orally to healthy male volunteers at 10-mg (100 μCi) followed by a 40-mg (100 μCi) oral dose 1 month later. Plasma and red blood cells (RBC) were collected predose and for 48 hours postdose. Urine and feces were collected predose and for 96 hours postdose. Urine and plasma samples were analyzed directly by liquid scintillation spectrometry while RBC and fecal samples were solubilized prior to counting. Plasma was assayed for tacrine, 1-hydroxytacrine, 2-hydroxytacrine and 4-hydroxytacrine by a validated HPLC/fluorescence method. Metabolic profiling of urine was performed by HPLC radioactivity detection. Metabolites were identified by HPLC/photodiode array/mass spectrometry.
After oral administration of the 10-mg [ 14 C]tacrine HCL dose, mean cumulative urinary and fecal recovery of 14 C activity averaged 56.5% and 23.2% of dose, respectively. Mean total recovery was 79.4%. After a 40-mg dose mean cumulative urinary and fecal recovery of 14 C activity averaged 54.1% and 20.8%, respectively. Mean total recovery was 74.9%.
Time to maximum plasma concentration (tmax) values for plasma radioactivity, tacrine, and each metabolite were approximately 2 hours after administration of both tacrine doses. Mean plasma total radioactivity area under the curve (time zero to last detectable concentration) (AUC(O-tldc)) increased In a dose proportional manner while mean AUC(O-tldc) values for 1-hydroxytacrine, 2-hydroxytacrine, and tacrine increased greater than dose proportionally. Mean AUC(O-tldc) for tacrine, 1-, 2-, and 4-hydroxytacrine comprised approximately 3% and 4% of the total mean plasma radioactivity AUC(O-tldc) for the 10- and 40-mg doses, respectively. In all volunteers, elimination rate of 1-hydroxytacrine from plasma appeared to be limited by the rate of formation.
HPLC radioactivity profiling of urine through 24 hours postdose indicated that tacrine is extensively metabolized with only trace amounts of unchanged drug excreted. Present in the chromatograms were several polar radioactive components accounting for 67% of urinary radioactivity (33% of the dose) with 1-, 4-, and 2-hydroxytacrine accounting for less than 5%, 1%, and 0.5% of the dose, respectively, after administration of either 10 or 40 mg tacrine doses. No apparent differences exist in metabolic profiles at these dose levels and no single metabolite comprised greater than 5% of the dose. FIG. 1 displays a proposed metabolic pathway for tacrine in man. In this same study, a correlation of decreased excretion and lower 1-hydroxytacrine plasma concentrations was observed in subjects who were cigarette smokers as compared to nonsmokers. Human hepatic P450 1A2 has been shown to be inducible by cigarette smoke. D. Sesardic, A. R. Boobis, R. J. Edwards, and D. S. Davies, "A Form of Cytochrome P450 in Man, Orthologous to Form d in the Rat, Catalyses the O-deethylation of Phenacetin and is Inducible by Cigarette Smoking", BR. J. CLIN. PHARMAC., Vol. 26, pp. 363-372 (1988).
Cimetidine is an inhibitor of P450 enzymes including P450 1A2. A. Somogyi and M. Muirhead, "Pharmacokinetic Interactions of Cimetidine", CLIN. PHARMACOKIN., Vol. 12, pp. 321-366 (1987). In a clinical drug interaction study involving administration of a 40 mg tacrine dose and 300-mg four times a day cimetidine dose, approximately 40% higher plasma concentrations of tacrine and 1-hydroxytacrine were observed as compared to subjects administered tacrine alone.
Concomitant administration of a single 158-mg dose of theophylline with repeated 20-mg capsule doses of tacrine has resulted in approximately a two-fold increase in theophylline elimination half-life. The major route of theophylline clearance involves metabolism by P450 1A2. M. E. Campbell, D. M. Grant, T. Inaba, and W. Kalow, "Biotransformation of Caffeine, Paraxanthine, Theophylline, and Theobromine by Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon-Inducible Cytochrome(s) P-450 in Human Liver Microsomes", DRUG METAB. DISPOS. Vol. 15, pp. 237-249 (1987). Therefore, a potential explanation for the theophylline-tacrine clinical interaction is competition for the same P450 1A2 enzymes.
EXAMPLE 2--IN VITRO METABOLISM OF TACRINE
A series of in vitro metabolism studies have been conducted using human and rat hepatic tissues to investigate the metabolic fate of tacrine as well as to explore the effect of various inducers and inhibitors on tacrine disposition. Incubations of 14C-tacrine (0.5 μM) were conducted for 1 hour with microsomal preparations (app. 1 μM P450) in the presence of NADPH (0.5 mM) and a generating system comprised of 4.0 mM glucose-6-phosphate, 2.0 mM MgCl 2 , and 1 unit of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase at 37° C. in 0.1M potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4). Total reaction volume was 3 mL. Reactions were stopped by freezing in liquid nitrogen or dry-ice acetone. Post reaction incubates were analyzed by HPLC radioactivity detection for tacrine biotransformation products and unchanged drug following precipitation of microsomal protein with either methanol or ethanol (3 volumes). Results are summarized in Table 1. In human liver preparations B and C, tacrine was completely metabolized within 60 min under these incubation conditions. The major product detected was 1-hydroxytacrine with minor amounts of the 2- and 4-hydroxytacrine regioisomers also observed. Incubations with human liver preparation D affected only partial tacrine turnover. Results with rat liver microsomes showed more 1-hydroxytacrine produced as compared to human preparations. Incubations with rat microsomes from phenobarbital (PB) pretreated rats had only a minimal effect on 1-hydroxytacrine formation suggesting that formation of this metabolite is not by the P450 2B (cytochrome P450 IIB or CYP2B) subfamily. D. J. Waxman and L. Axaroff, "Phenobarbital induction of cytochrome P-450 Gene Expression", BIOCHEM. J., Vol. 281, pp. 577-592 (1992);P. Soucek and I. Gut, supra. Isoniazid (I), an inducer of cytochrome P450 2E1 (cytochrome P450 IIE1 or CYP2E1) (D. J. Waxman and L. Axaroff, supra; R. C. Lind, A. J. Gadolfi, P. de la M. Hall: "Isoniazid Potentiation of a Guinea Pig Model of Halothane-Associated Hepatotoxicity" J. TOXICOL 10(3): 161-165 (1990); S. A. Rice. L. Sbordone, R. I. Mazze: "Metabolism by Rat Hepatic Microsomes of Fluorinated Ether Anesthetics Following Isoniazid Administration" ANESTHESIOLOGY 53: 489-493 (1980)) markedly increased 1-hydroxytacrine formation compared to control rat liver microsomes. Less 1-hydroxytacrine was observed after incubations with MC (P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) and P450 1A2 (CYP1A2) inducer) induced rat liver microsomes as compared to control, reflecting induction of sequential metabolism (see proposed metabolic pathway in FIG. 1). The amount of 1-hydroxytacrine detected after a 1 hour incubation with MC induced rat microsomes was similar to that observed in human preparations B and C. In a supplimentary study, 1-hydroxytacrine metabolism by P4501A2 was found to be inhibited by co-incubation with tacrine, thereby indicating that sequential tacrine metabolism is also mediated by this specific P450.
TABLE 1______________________________________Tacrine and metabolites present in the deproteinized microsomalsupernatant fraction after a 60 min incubation of .sup.14 C-tacrine(0.5 μM) catalyzed by human and rat liver microsomes(1 μM P450) in presence of NADPH regenerating systemat 37° C.Tacrine nmole equivalents______________________________________POLARUNKS 2-OH 1-OH UNKS 4-OH TAC______________________________________Non-inducedRatw/NADPH 0.022 0.088 0.994 ND NQ NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.22NADPHPB inducedRatw/NADPH 0.026 0.144 1.15 NQ NQ NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.20NADPHI inducedRatw/NADPH 0.083 NQ 1.57 NQ NQ NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.14NADPHMCinducedRatw/NADPH 0.009 NQ 0.790 0.091 0.018 NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.16NADPHHumanPrep Bw/NADPH 0.039 NQ 0.750 0.146 0.039 NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.34NADPHHumanPrep Cw/NADPH 0.035 0.095 0.599 0.139 NQ NDw/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.07NADPHHumanPrep Dw/NADPH ND ND 0.201 ND ND 0.803w/out ND ND ND ND ND 1.086NADPH______________________________________ Pb = Phenobarbital I = Isoniazid MC = 3Methylcholanthrene NADPH = nicotinamide adenine diphosphate hydride ND = Not Detectable
EXAMPLE 3--PROPOSED PATHWAY FOR IRREVERSIBLE BINDING OF TACRINE TO HUMAN LIVER MICROSOMAL PROTEIN
Irreversible (nonextractable, presumably covalent) binding of tacrine-derived radioactivity was measured by a slight modification of the method of Martin and Garner. C. N. Martin and R. C. Garner: "Covalent Binding In Vitro and In Vivo" in BIOCHEMICAL TOXICOLOGY: A PRACTICAL APPROACH, Eds. K. Snell and B. Mullock, IRL, Wash. D.C. pp. 109-126 (1987). Results following exhaustive extraction are displayed in Table 2. Clearly, a high percentage of tacrine was metabolically activated to a reactive intermediate capable of binding to microsomal protein. MC induced rat displayed nearly a 3 fold increase in binding compared to control rat. PB and I pretreatment had little or no effect on binding. The binding of tacrine-derived radioactivity to microsomal protein therefore is not increased by induction of the P450 2B or 2E1 enzymes, respectively. 14 C tacrine incubations which included glutathione (GSH) resulted in a dramatic reduction in irreversible binding whereas incubations with epoxide hydrolase (EH) had only a slight decrease in binding (Table 3). Both GSH and EH failed to produce detectable adducts with the reactive intermediate. Attempts to detect a hydroxylamine metabolite in postreaction incubates with and without ascorbic acid were unsuccessful. These data do not support either an epoxide or hydroxylamine mechanism for activation of tacrine to a reactive species capable of irreversible or covalent binding. A time course study through 1 hour showed tacrine to be rapidly metabolized not only to 1-hydroxytacrine but also to 7-hydroxytacrine. 7-Hydroxytacrine levels rise then fall over time. Thus, 7-hydroxytacrine appears to be a metabolic intermediate which is further metabolized to a putative reactive species capable of irreversible binding to microsomal protein. Based on all of the above information, a potential mechanism responsible for binding is shown in FIG. 2. The reactive quinonemethides formed from either 7-hydroxytacrine or 1,7-dihydroxytacrine are the most likely chemical species capable of the observed irreversible binding to microsomal protein.
TABLE 2______________________________________Irreversible protein binding of .sup.14 C-tacrine-derived radioactivity(0.5 μM) catalyzed by human and rat liver microsomes(1 μM P450) in presence of NADPH regenerating system aftera 60 min incubation at 37° C. (N = 3).Tacrine equivalents irreversibly bound to 1 mg microsomalprotein (nmoles)______________________________________Noninduced Ratwith NADPH 0.041 ± 0.001 5.97 ± 0.68without NADPH 0.003PB induced Ratwith NADPH 0.034 ± 0.006 4.49 ± 0.85without NADPH 0.002I induced Ratwith NADPH 0.042 ± 0.004 4.62 ± 0.73without NADPH 0.003MC induced Ratwith NADPH 0.139 ± 0.010 14.5 ± 0.37without NADPH 0.003Human Prep Bwith NADPH 0.207 ± 0.014 26.9 ± 4.09without NADPH 0.003Human Prep Cwith NADPH 0.226 ± 0.005 28.8 ± 1.21without NADPH 0.003Human Prep Dwith NADPH 0.027 ± 0.002 2.96 ± 0.30without NADPH 0.003______________________________________ Percent Bound = Total tacrine mole equivalents bound divided by total substrate times 100 Pb = Phenobarbital I = Isoniazid MC = 3Methylcholanthrene
TABLE 3______________________________________Glutathione (GSH) (5 mM) and human liver expoxide hydrase(EH) 100 (ug) effect on irreversible protein binding of .sup.14 C-tacrine (0.5 μM) catalyzed by human liver preparation B and MCinducted rat liver microsomes (1 μM P450) in presence ofNADPH regenerating system after a 60 min incubation (N = 3)at 37° C.Tacrine equivalents irreversibly bound to 1 mg microsomalprotein (nmoles)______________________________________MC induced RatNADPH 0.139 ± 0.010 --with GSH 0.058 ± 0.005 58.3with EH 0.116 ± 0.007 16.6Human Prep BNADPH 0.207 ± 0.014 --with GSH 0.031 ± 0.001 85.0with EH 0.134 ± 0.026 35.3______________________________________ Deletion of NADPH from the incubation mixture resulted in no detectable irreversible binding of .sup.14 Ctacrine-derived radioactivity to microsomal protein. MC = 3Methylcholanthrene
EXAMPLE 4
To determine if tacrine is a substrate for the polymorphic P450 2D6 enzyme.
A series of experiments were conducted to determine the potential of tacrine to be a substrate for the polymorphic P450 2D6 enzyme. U. A. Meyer, J. Gut, T. Kronbach, C. Skoda, U. T. Meier, and T. Catin, "The Molecular Mechanisms of Two Common Polymorphisms of Drug Oxidation- Evidence for Functional Changes in Cytochrome P-450 Isozymes Catalysing Bufuralol and Mephenytoin Oxidation", XENOBIOTICA, Vol. 16, pp. 449-464 (1986). Microsomes prepared from intact human liver tissue when incubated up to 60 minutes with 14 C tacrine alone or 14 C tacrine co-incubated with quinidine produced the following results shown in Table 4. Quinidine is an inhibitor of P450 2D6. K. Brosen and L. F. Gram, "Quinidine Inhibits the 2-Hydroxylation of Imipramine and Desipramine but not the Demethylation of Imipramine", EUR. J. CLIN. PHARMACOL., Vol. 37, pp. 55-160 (1989).
TABLE 4______________________________________nMoles per 3 mL incubate 1-Hydroxy-QuinidineTime (min) - + - +______________________________________ 0 2.13 2.02 0 05 1.24 1.22 0.416 0.38310 0.831 0.816 0.716 0.60620 0.302 0.401 1.03 1.06740 0 0.037 1.34 1.19260 0 0.033 1.43 1.209______________________________________
Tacrine was metabolized to mainly 1-hydroxytacrine with 7-hydroxytacrine also being observed at incubation times through 40 min. The presence of quinidine did not inhibit the conversion of tacrine to 1-hydroxytacrine. In addition, the irreversible binding of tacrine to human hepatic microsomal proteins was also not effected by this co-incubation. Therefore, the metabolism and irreversible binding of tacrine to microsomal protein is not catalyzed by P450 2D6.
EXAMPLE 5
To demonstrate the P450 1A2 inhibiting activity, enoxacin, a 1,8 naphthyridine, was tested.
To test the hypothesis that the high affinity (Km less than 5 μM) saturable component of tacrine metabolism in human liver microsomes is by the P450 1A2 enzyme, a time course co-incubation study of 14 C tacrine (0.5 μM) with enoxacin (50 μM), a selective inhibitor of P450 1A2, T. Hasegawa, M. Nadai, T. Kuzuya, I. Muraoka, R. Apichartpichean, K. Takagi, and K. Miyamoto, "The Possible Mechanism of Interaction between Xanthines and Quinolone", J. PHARM. PHARMACOL., Vol. 42, pp. 767-772 (1990) was conducted. The results of this study are shown in Table 5. At all time points, the extent of irreversible binding was inhibited by up to 73%. In addition, tacrine's rate of biotransformation was markedly inhibited (5 to 6 fold). Therefore, a specific P450 1A2 inhibitor can not only decrease the rate of irreversible binding but also inhibit the overall rate of tacrine biotransformation. The effect of various enoxacin concentrations (8, 20, and 50 μM) on the extent of irreversible binding was examined in a separate study. Results are presented in Table 6. The greatest inhibition of tacrine irreversible binding and biotransformation was achieved with co-incubation with 50 μM enoxacin.
Since 1-hydroxytacrine was found to bind irreversibly (nonextractable, presumably covalent) to human microsomal protein, the role of P450 1A2 in the metabolic activation step was examined by co-incubating 14 C 1-hydroxytacrine with various concentrations of enoxacin (8, 20, and 50 μM). Table 6 displays results confirming the inhibitory effect of enoxacin on the binding of 1-hydroxytacrine which supports the involvement of P450 1A2 in its activation pathway.
TABLE 5______________________________________The effect of 50 μM enoxacin on the irreversible binding of0.5 μM tacrine-derived radioactivity to human microsomal(1 μM P450) protein with time in the presence of a NADPHregenerating system at 37° C.Tacrine Equivalents irreversibly bound to 1 mgmicrosomal protein PercentTime (min) (nmoles) Inhibition______________________________________Tacrine 5 0.022 ± 0.005*, ** 10 0.048 ± 0.006 20 0.096 ± 0.006 45 0.148 ± 0.024Tacrine + 5 0.009 ± 0.002 59.1Enoxacin 10 0.017 ± 0.003 64.5 20 0.026 ± 0.002 72.9 45 0.052 ± 0.006 64.9______________________________________ *N = 3 **SD
TABLE 6______________________________________Irreversible binding of 14C-tacrine or 14C-1-hydroxytacrine-derived radioactivity to human microsomal protein (1 μMcytochrome P450) in the presence of various concentrations ofenoxacin and a NADPH regenerating system following a 20 minincubation at 37° C.Tacrine or 1-hydroxytacrine equivalents irreversibly boundto 1 mg microsomal protein Enoxacin (μM)______________________________________Tacrine 0.0 0.040 0.001*, --(0.3 μM) 8.0 ** 14.4 20.0 0.036 ± 0.008 29.8 50.0 0.028 ± 0.001 43.4 0.023 ± 0.0021-Hydroxytacrine 0.0 0.018 ± 0.001 --(0.5 μM) 8.0 0.017 ± 0.001 8.2 20.0 0.014 ± 0.001 22.2 50.0 0.009 ± 0.001 51.7______________________________________ Deletion of NADPH from the incubation mixture resulted in no irreversible binding of .sup.14 Ctacrine derived radioactivity or .sup.14 C1-hydroxytacrine to microsomal protein. *N = 3 **SD
EXAMPLE 6
The potential for other P450 1A2 inhibitors, namely furafylline and ethimizol to inhibit the irreversible binding of 14 C tacrine and 14 C 1-hydroxytacrine were examined in a MC induced rat hepatocyte study. Results in terms of percent of tacrine-derived radioactivity binding as determined in tacrine alone incubates are presented in Table 7. Furafylline was the most effective inhibitor of irreversible binding for both tacrine and 1-hydroxytacrine while ethimizol and enoxacin had less of an effect. These data support the concept that other specific P450 1A2 inhibitors besides enoxacin can affect the rate of tacrine and 1-hydroxytacrine metabolism as well as irreversible binding.
TABLE 7______________________________________The effect of enoxacin, ethimizol, furafylline, and glutathioneon the irreversible binding of 14C-tacrine and 14C-1-hydroxy-tacrine-derived radioactivity to hepatocytes from MC inducedmale rats. Percent Control Value______________________________________Tacrine (10 μM)+ Enoxacin (50 μM) 78.9+ Ethimizol (50 μM) 80.1+ Furafylline (50 μM) 31.6+ Glutathione (5 mM) 62.61-Hydroxytacrine (10 μM)+ Enoxacin (50 μM) 79.8+ Ethimizol (50 μM) 65.6+ Furafylline (50 μM) 31.7+ Glutathione (5 mM) 49.1______________________________________
EXAMPLE 7
The antimalarial agents chloroquine and primaquine were examined in rat liver microsomes by Back et al. (1983) and found to be inhibitors of ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity. D. J. Back, H. S. Purba, C. Staiger, M. L. Orme, A. M. Breckenridge,"Inhibition of Drug Metabolism by the Anti Malarial Drugs Chloroquine and Primaquine in the Rat", BIOCHEM. PHARMACOL., Vol. 32, pp. 257-264 (1983). Ethoxyresorufin O-deethylation is selectively catalyzed by P450 1A2. C. Gleizes, C. Eeckhoutte, T. Pineau, M. Alvinerie, and P. Galtier,"Inducing Effect of Oxfendazole on Cytochrome P4501A2 in Rabbit Liver", BIOCHEM. PHARMACOL. VOL. 41, pp. 1813-1820 (1991). Incubation of 14C-tacrine (5 μM) and chloroquine (100 μM) in primary suspensions of rat hepatocytes resulted in inhibition of tacrine irreversible binding as well as metabolism. Table 8 displays time course data for inhibition of binding.
TABLE 8______________________________________Effect of chloroquine (100 μM) on irreversible bindingof tacrine-derived radioactivity to rat hepatocytes. nmoles tacrine-equivalents bound per mg hepatic proteinTime (min) Tacrine Tacrine + Chloroquine______________________________________5 0.020* 0.00515 0.037 0.01230 0.061 0.01660 0.128 0.03490 0.183 0.039120 0.294 0.041180 0.377 0.046______________________________________ *N = 2
The compositions of the present invention can be prepared and administered in a wide variety of oral and parenteral dosage forms. Thus, the compositions of the present invention can be administered by injection, that is, intravenously, intramuscularly, intracutaneously, subcutaneously, intraduodenally, or intraperitoneally. Also, the compositions of the present invention can be administered by inhalation, for example, intranasally. Additionally, the compositions of the present invention can be administered transdermally.
For preparing pharmaceutical compositions from the compositions of the present invention, pharmaceutically acceptable carriers can be either solid or liquid. Solid form preparations include powders, tablets, pills, capsules, cachets, suppositories, and dispersible granules. A solid carrier can be one or more substances which may also act as diluents, flavoring agents, binders, preservatives, tablet disintegrating agents, or an encapsulating material.
In powders, the carrier is a finely divided solid which is in a mixture with the finely divided active component.
In tablets, the active component is mixed with the carrier having the necessary binding properties in suitable proportions and compacted in the shape and size desired.
The powders and tablets preferably contain from five or ten to about seventy percent of the active compound. Suitable carriers are magnesium carbonate, magnesium stearate, talc, sugar, lactose, pectin, dextrin, starch, gelatin, tragacanth, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, a low melting wax, cocoa butter, and the like. The term "preparation" is intended to include the formulation of the active compound with encapsulating material as a carrier providing a capsule in which the active component with or without other carriers, is surrounded by a carrier, which is thus in association with it. Similarly, cachets and lozenges are included. Tablets, powders, capsules, pills, cachets, and lozenges can be used as solid dosage forms suitable for oral administration.
For preparing suppositories, a low melting wax, such as a mixture of fatty acid glycerides or cocoa butter, is first melted and the active component is dispersed homogeneously therein, as by stirring. The molten homogenous mixture is then poured into convenient sized molds, allowed to cool, and thereby to solidify.
Liquid form preparations include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions, for example, water or water propylene glycol solutions. For parenteral injection liquid preparations can be formulated in solution in aqueous polyethylene glycol solution.
Aqueous solutions suitable for oral use can be prepared by dissolving the active component in water and adding suitable colorants, flavors, stabilizing and thickening agents as desired.
Aqueous suspensions suitable for oral use can be made by dispersing the finely divided active component in water with viscous material, such as natural or synthetic gums, resins, methylcellulose, sodium carboxymethylcellulose, and other well-known suspending agents.
Also included are solid form preparations which are intended to be converted, shortly before use, to liquid form preparations for oral administration. Such liquid forms include solutions, suspensions, and emulsions. These preparations may contain, in addition to the active component, colorants, flavors, stabilizers, buffers, artificial and natural sweeteners, dispersants, thickeners, solubilizing agents, and the like.
The pharmaceutical preparation is preferably in unit dosage form. In such form, the preparation is subdivided into unit doses containing appropriate quantities of the active component. The unit dosage form can be a packaged preparation, the package containing discrete quantities of preparation, such as packeted tablets, capsules, and powders in vials or ampoules. Also, the unit dosage form can be a capsule, tablet, cachet, or lozenge itself, or it can be the appropriate number of any of these in packaged form.
The quantity of active component in a unit dose preparation may be varied or adjusted according to the particular application and the potency of the active component. The composition can, if desired, also contain other compatible therapeutic agents.
In therapeutic use, the compounds utilized in the pharmaceutical method of this invention are administered at the dosage previously indicated. The dosages, however, may be varied depending upon the requirements of the patient, the severity of the condition being treated, and the compound being employed. Determination of the proper dosage for a particular situation is within the skill of the art. Generally, treatment is initiated with smaller dosages which are less than the optimum dose of the compound. Thereafter, the dosage is increased by small increments until the optimum effect under the circumstances is reached. For convenience, the total daily dosage may be divided and administered in portions during the day, if desired.
While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all of the possible equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that terms used herein are merely descriptive rather than limiting and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.
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Described is a method of treating Alzheimer's disease in a patient comprising administering to said patient an effective amount of tacrine in combination with a P450 1A2 oxidase inhibitor. Preferably, the inhibitor is a heterocyclic guanidine.
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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is directed to a device for allowing at least two doors, preferably several doors, to be opened and closed, each enabling access to an enclosure that is to be protected and to which access is to be controlled. More particularly, the device of the invention allows opening and closing of the doors by a single control means.
The invention is particularly applicable to apparatus of the type for dispensing consumable products or cash dispensers or to apparatus adapted to receive payment in coins for a service, such as a travel ticket or for parking a vehicle. The invention is, thus, applicable to dispensing apparatus for consumable goods, cash dispensers, ticket dispensers or parking meters.
Such apparatuses are called upon to contain non-negligible sums of money. Apart from acts of vandalism or breaking in to which such apparatuses are subjected, with the intention of stealing the sums stored therein, they must also be protected against attempts at fraud on the part of the personnel who do have access to the interior of the apparatus, in order for example to carry out repairs or maintenance operations on the devices and systems located inside the apparatuses and necessary for them to operate. By way of example, in the case of an apparatus for dispensing tickets, this contains means for validating the coins introduced, means for collecting the money, means for printing and dispensing a ticket, computing means and any other electronic or software systems for controlling the apparatus. Moreover, it is preferable for the various devices to be placed inside different enclosures and for them to be isolated from one another. Thus, staying with the example of a ticket dispenser, the apparatus is subdivided between three separate enclosures, namely a first enclosure for the collected money (called the "cash-box"), a second enclosure for the part containing the means enabling the apparatus to function, regardless of whether they constitute mechanical or electronic units (called "technical" below), and finally a third enclosure containing the means for printing and dispensing the tickets (called "services" below). It will be understood that, in accordance with their uses and purposes, the devices respectively located in each enclosure should be accessible to different persons. Thus the operations of collecting the money resulting from transactions are independent from maintenance or repair operations on the technical part of the apparatus and equally independent of repair or maintenance visits pertaining to the tickets. These interventions are different in their nature and as a result are carried out both by different personnel and also at very different frequencies. For example, collection of the money may be effected daily, while the tickets need to be replenished every three days, and maintenance and repair operations are carried out on the technical part only on a bi-weekly or monthly basis.
For reasons of security it is important to keep the enclosures mentioned above separate, having regard for the nature and purpose of the devices which they contain. Thus, it is important to avoid any attempts at fraud on the apparatus on the part of personnel called upon to intervene in and access the interior of the apparatus, with the intention of misappropriating funds or acting fraudulently in relation to tickets and/or the operating means of the apparatus.
It is thus necessary to regulate and control access to the respective enclosures in such a manner as to allow access to each of them only by authorized personnel. By way of example, a person entrusted with maintenance or repairing the service part (tickets) does not normally need to intervene in the operating means of the apparatus (technical part) nor in the collecting means (cash-box).
In this sort of apparatus it is known to provide an access door for each of the enclosures, each door being fitted with a lock operated by its own key. Thus, a ticket dispenser is provided in known manner with several distinct doors, adapted to be opened by means of their own different keys, so that several different keys are associated with each apparatus. It will readily be understood that the management of such a closure system becomes extremely complex when the number of apparatuses becomes relatively large.
Another known solution consists in providing a single enclosure provided with a single door and comprising a space inside defining a sub-enclosure containing the cash-box for example and accessible by means of another key. Although, by giving the person in charge of the cash-box the two keys, this known system allows prevention of access to the cash-box by personnel only having the key to the main door, by definition it does not prevent the person responsible for the cash-box having access to the rest of the apparatus, which can lead to the above-mentioned consequences. Another disadvantage of the single door is that this has to be large, in order to allow ready access to the enclosures or to the single enclosure defined inside the apparatus, which increases the danger of injury for persons on account of the large area and the long edges of the door.
Thus, in the prior art, whether the apparatus is equipped with a plurality of doors each operated by its own key, which allows the area of each door to be reduced and thus its vulnerability to be reduced, but which leads to the disadvantage of very complex management, or whether it is equipped with a single door giving access to different doors located inside, which makes the main door vulnerable, the problem of separate access to each enclosure inside the apparatus is not fully solved.
Known devices that allow the opening and closing of doors, each of them giving access to one enclosure, do not provide satisfaction and require the manufacturer of such apparatus to make a compromise between the contradictory requirements explained above.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
One object of the present invention is to overcome the above-described problem by providing a device for closing and opening a plurality of doors, each associated with an enclosure (of an apparatus of the nature of a ticket dispenser for example) and enabling the access to each of the enclosures, and thus to the devices contained therein, to be regulated and controlled according to a predefined order and hierarchy, in order to avoid any fraud on the part of personnel required to attend to the devices located in the respective enclosures.
To this end, according to a first aspect of the invention, the device for controlling the opening and closing of at least two doors, each giving access to an enclosure, comprises a single control means adapted to allow separate and controlled access to each of said enclosures, and adapted to operate locking means for keeping the doors closed or for releasing them, in such a manner that the doors can be simultaneously either all closed at the same time or else at least one open and another closed, said locking means comprising, for each door, at least one sliding bolt associated with a receiving seat provided on said corresponding door.
In a preferred implementation of the invention, the locking means comprise, for each door, a bar mounted to move substantially parallel to the edge of the opening of said enclosure and provided with at least one finger (forming a bolt) and adapted to enter into the said receiving seat provided on the door, and the said control means comprise a rod mounted to move parallel to itself and provided, at its ends, with articulated connecting means adapted to cause the movement of the bars parallel to themselves.
Preferably, the bar provided with at least one finger is disposed vertically and is adapted to move in a substantially vertical direction, and the said rod is mounted horizontally and the said connecting means are each formed by a lever in the shape of an L, of which the free end of one arm is pivoted to said rod and the free end of the other arm is coupled to a slider integral with said bar.
The fingers (forming bolts) are advantageously of different lengths from one door to the other. Likewise the bars are adapted to be moved on the one hand in an incremental manner and on the other hand in different directions from one door to the other. Likewise, the fingers can be directed in different directions (for example down and up respectively) from one door to the other.
Several bolts are advantageously provided on each bar and several corresponding openings are provided on each door.
In an advantageous manner, the device comprises additional locking means operable independently, of the main locking means of one of the doors, in a manner allowing at least one door to be maintained in closed position, regardless of the state of the main locking means.
The apparatus of the present invention is also well protected against vandalism such as break-ins into such apparatus by force. The technical means normally employed, such as reinforcement and use of very strong metals, do not provide an adequate protection against these acts of vandalism or break-ins into these apparatuses especially because these apparatuses are located outdoors and are, thus, vulnerable.
Means for closing a door are known comprising bolts fixed to the door and sliding in the plane thereof and adapted to enter into corresponding seats located in the door frame. The number of bolts provided may amount to five, namely three located in the vertical area and two others located on the lower and upper horizontal areas, respectively. These bolts are moved simultaneously by the lock, under the action of a key. The efficiency of this known system is dependent on the clearance between the door and door frame. Thus, the presence of clearance, however small, allows the introduction of a tool, such as a screwdriver or a jimmy, into the clearance of one or more millimeters, which makes it possible to develop forces of as much as 10 tons by the lever action. Under the assumption that the clearance is extremely small and does not allow introduction of a jimmy, direct attack on the material of the door and the door lining at their junction makes it possible to create enough clearance to introduce the jimmy.
Thus, known bolt systems at best enable unauthorized opening to be delayed. Moreover, these devices are relatively expensive, taking into account the relatively complex mechanism for shifting a plurality of bolts by a single lock. This complexity equally affects the strength of the assembly and, thus, makes it necessary to reinforce the same by using extremely strong materials, which is costly. The high cost is incompatible with the economic requirements which lead to the use and manufacture of dispensers, for example of the type mentioned above.
Known proposals for overcoming these problems consist in fitting the door with at least one, for example three, tongues which project from the plane of the door. These tongues are located in the plane of the edge of the door. In the example of a door of rectangular shape, the tongues are preferably located on a vertical edge and are parallel to the hinge axis of the door. The tongues are adapted to enter into seats provided on the wall of the enclosure and of complementary shape to the tongues. The tongues, once they are in closed position, pass through the wall (through the said openings). The tongues comprise, respectively, openings so located as to pass through the wall of the enclosure when in the closed position. Locking means, in the form of fingers of suitable shape, are adapted to be moved between a retracted position, unlocking the door, and a closed position in which the fingers penetrate inside the openings in the tongues, thus locking the door. The openings provided in the wall of the enclosure to be protected are of a generally rectangular shape. The movable locking fingers are generally L-shaped and perform a movement combining a vertical shift with a horizontal shift. The resultant is very close to movement on an arc of a circle or an arc of an ellipse.
This known device is satisfactory. However, it is capable of improvement with a view to increasing its resistance to break-ins. Thus, the movement of the locking fingers makes it necessary to rely on a complex actuating mechanism operated by the lock. Furthermore, the tongues, having regard to their location on the door, have a minimum size which is difficult, if not impossible, to reduce below a certain limit without affecting their strength. As a result, the number of tongues which can be located on the same door cannot be increased indefinitely. Thus, the resistance of a door provided with a device of this known type has a certain limit, even although it is already relatively high. However, the demands to which the apparatus on which such doors are fitted are high and have tended to become higher from year to year, having regard especially to the fact that users are demanding ever increasing reliability of such apparatus, and above all because of the increase in the power of means for breaking in.
It is, thus, desirable to be able to increase the resistance to break-ins of the doors provided on apparatuses of the type referred to above, which are located in the open or in places accessible to the public.
Another object of the present invention is to overcome the problems of the known systems and to provide a device enabling the closed position to be maintained with a high degree of security, delaying the opening of the device by break-ins. The resultant effect is dissuasive and leads to its abandonment by the person making the break-in.
To this end, a locking device is provided for a door adapted to close an opening provided in a container. The locking device includes at least one tongue with an opening, at least one receiving seat adapted to receive the tongue, and at least one bolt connected to a lock and adapted to be moved between a retracted, open position and a closed position in which the bolt enters into the opening. The tongue and the associated seat are located in a plane making an angle other than 0° or 180° with the tangent to the edge of the opening, and preferably in the order of 90°. The tongue is advantageously located on the door, and the bolt and the lock are located on the container.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The invention will be better understood in the light of the following description of non-limitative examples of implementation, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser for tickets to which the invention is applied;
FIGS. 2A, 2B, 2C and 2D show the apparatus of FIG. 1 to a reduced scale for different positions of the doors;
FIG. 3 shows the control means schematically in perspective, associated with closing bolts for the door;
FIG. 4 is a detail view in perspective of the single control means adapted to actuate the locking means of the doors;
FIG. 5 is a side view of a bar provided with bolts;
FIG. 6A is a perspective view showing the means for closing the doors;
FIG. 6B is a cross section of the device of FIG. 6A, in the closed position of the door;
FIG. 6C is a longitudinal section of the closing means of FIG. 6A, in the closed position of the door;
FIGS. 7A, 7B, 7C and 7D show the means locking and opening the doors in perspective for each door shown open;
FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D show schematically the positions in side view of the two bars for the three doors, respectively. of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and the open and closed positions of the latter; and
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of three bolts associated with three doors respectively.
FIGS. 10A and 10B are a plan view and a perspective view, respectively, of one embodiment for handle 5 of FIG. 1.
FIGS. 11A and 11B are a plan view and a perspective view, respectively, of another embodiment for handle 5 of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Referring to FIG. 1, a perspective view of a ticket dispenser (for train or subway) with the general reference numeral 1 is shown in schematic manner. The apparatus 1 is of generally rectangular block form and has dimensions of, for example, height: 195 cm, width 110 cm and depth 60 cm. The weight of such apparatus may amount to 500 kg. The apparatus 1 includes three doors 2, 3, 4 on its front, hinged on the apparatus and adapted to be opened and closed by means of a locking unit 12 (see FIG. 4). This locking unit 12 is operated by a special type of handle or socket driver 5 (referred to hereinafter as a "handle") which fits into opening 12B and enables movement of rod 13 (see FIGS. 3 and 4) in different directions and by different amounts, as explained below. Locking unit 12 can be locked by applying a mechanical locking device, for example, such as different keys for different functions in relation to the doors that are to be opened or closed. Locking unit 12 can also be, for example, an electronic locking device that provides access to one door or another depending on the user's rights.
A respective enclosure inside the apparatus 1 is associated with each door 2, 3 and 4, each enclosure being provided inside with different devices or systems needed for the operation of the apparatus. For example, the door 2 in the upper part gives access to an enclosure called the "technical" enclosure, comprising the assembly of means enabling the apparatus to operate, such as for example, electronic and mechanical means enabling operation and dispensing of the tickets and the supply of energy to electronic devices of the dispenser. The lower right door with the reference 3 gives access to the "cashbox" part containing means for storing money fed in by the users. Finally the door 4 (on the lower left hand side) gives access to an enclosure called the "ticket" enclosure, in which are located the means for storing tickets, the printing means and the means dispensing the tickets.
FIG. 2A shows the apparatus 1 with all doors closed. FIGS. 2B, 2C and 2D show the apparatus with the doors 2, 3 and 4 respectively open, the arrow in each figure showing the direction in which the corresponding door opens. In the example shown, the upper door 2 (technical) is mounted on a horizontal hinge axis located at the upper edge of the said door 2, while the door 3 (cashbox) is hinged about a vertical axis at the left edge of the door 3, and finally the door 4 (tickets) is hinged about a vertical axis at the right side of the door 4. The vertical hinge axes of the doors 3 and 4 are next to one another.
The locking and unlocking of the doors, starting from their closed position, such as is shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A, is described more particularly below with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8.
As is shown in FIG. 3, the device of the invention comprises, firstly, single control means with the general reference 6 and, secondly, locking means for the doors, with the general reference 7. The locking means are formed by longitudinal parts in the form of bars, with the references 8, 9, 10 and 11.
The bars 8 and 10 are in alignment with each other and the bars 9 and 11 are in alignment with each other. The bar 8 is in alignment with and is integral with the bar 10, while the bar 9 is in alignment with and is integral with the bar 11. The bars 8 and 10 are parallel to the bars 9 and 11 and are spaced at a distance substantially making up the width of the dispenser 1. More particularly the bars 8 and 10 are located substantially at the edges of the corresponding doors, respectively 2 and 4, while the bars 9 and 11 are located substantially in the region of the corresponding edges respectively of the doors 2 and 3. From the mechanical point of view and in terms of their operation, the bars 8 and 10 form a single bar and the same applies to the bars 9 and 11.
The single control means 6, shown in more detail in FIG. 4, comprises the locking unit 12 which can be locked against any operation to move rod 13 by a lock 12A. If lock 12A is unlocked, then handle 5 can be turned to control the translation parallel to itself of rod 13, preferably in both directions. The rod 13 is provided at its ends with articulated connecting members constituted by respective levers 14 and 15 and respective sliders 16 and 17. The levers 14 and 15 are mounted to rotate about respective axes 18 and 19 integral with the frame of the apparatus 1. The levers are in the general shape of an L, of which one free end is pivoted to the corresponding end 13A, 13B of the rod, while the other free end of the lever is coupled to the respective slider 16, 17 through a pivot pin engaging in a groove forming part of the slider. Each slider 16, 17 is provided with lugs for the passage of bolts, in order to fix the slider 16 to the bars 8 and 10 and the slider 17 to the bars 9 and 11.
The double arrow f (FIG. 4) shows the possible movements of the rod 13 which, thus, causes the levers 14 and 15 to rotate about their respective axes 18, 19, the levers in turn causing translation of the corresponding sliders 16 and 17 in directions substantially at right angles to the direction of movement of the rod 13. The rod 13 is disposed substantially horizontally and the sliders 16 and 17 are thus shifted in a substantially vertical direction, the same applying to the bars 8-11.
It will be understood that, with the mechanism of the control means described above, for a rotation of the key 5 in the clockwise direction for example, the rod 13 is shifted in a direction which causes the bars 8 and 10 to move downwards for example, while the bars 9 and 11 undergo movement in the opposite direction (upwards).
The bars 8 to 11 are formed from metal parts of which one implementation is shown in detail in FIG. 5. The bar, for example the bar 8, is formed by an elongate section member comprising at least one finger, preferably a plurality of fingers, for example eight, of which three are shown in FIG. 5 with the references 20, 21 and 22. The finger 22 at the lower end of the bar 8 is formed by the bevelled off end 23 of the bar 8, while the other fingers forming bolts (20, 21) are formed by L-shaped cut-outs, matching the hook-shaped fingers 20 and 21.
The means for locking the doors in the closed position, provided by the bars having bolt-forming fingers, are described in more detail, especially in order to demonstrate their operation, with reference to FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C. FIG. 6A shows schematically and in perspective a bar, such as the bar 8, adapted to be translated along its direction of elongation and constrained to do so by an elongate part 25. The elongate part 25 is integral with the frame of the apparatus 1 and, more particularly, is located near to the edge of the opening of the corresponding enclosure adapted to be closed by the corresponding door (2, 3 or 4). The locking means also comprise, for a given door, a set of horizontal tongues 26, of which only one is shown in FIG. 6A for reasons of simplicity. There is shown in section, to the right of one of the tongues, the free edge of the corresponding door, for example the door 2. The elongate part 25 associated with the locking bar 8 comprises a first wall 27 parallel to and facing a second wall formed in turn from two walls 28 and 29, the walls 28 and 29 being parallel to each other with their planes offset transversely and connected by a flange forming a shoulder 30. Thus, the walls 27 and 28 form a generally U-shaped housing, as shown in section by FIG. 6B, in which the corresponding bar is adapted to move in a longitudinal direction, namely the bar 8 in FIGS. 6A, 6B and 6C. The elongate part 25, comprises notches in the U-shaped part formed by the walls 27 and 28 which receive the bar 8, two of which notches are visible in FIG. 6A, with the references 31 and 32. The notches have a height, in the longitudinal direction of the elongate part 25 substantially equal to but slightly greater than the thickness of the tongues 26 provided on the doors. Thus, in the closed position of the doors, after having moved the door along arrow g in FIG. 6A, the corresponding tongues engage in the notches 31 and 32, while the extreme edge or flange 2A of the door 2, beside the tongues 26, has a solid part adapted to face the flange 30 of the elongate part 25 and lodge in the space defined thereby (see FIG. 6B).
The tongues 26 are each provided with an opening 33 of such a shape and position that, with the door in the closed position (FIG. 6B), the opening 33 of each tongue 26 will be substantially contained within the U formed by the walls 27 and 28 of the elongate member 25, the said U forming the receiving seat for the corresponding bar. Note that the bar has not been shown in FIG. 6B, for reasons of convenience.
It will be understood that, starting from the position of FIG. 6B, that is to say with the door closed, movement of the bar 8 along arrow h (FIG. 6A) causes movement of the bolts 20 and 21 which penetrate the openings 33 provided in the tongues 26 and, thus, lock the corresponding door.
FIG. 6C shows the bolt 20 of the bar 8 from the side in a retracted position, and the same bolt 20' of the displaced bar 8' in the locking position in which it is seen that the bolt 20' has penetrated the interior of the seat 33 and, thus, locked the door against turning, since the bolt located inside the opening 33 prevents movement of the tongue 26. The same applies to each of the tongues 26 associated with each bolt for a given bar and for a given door. FIG. 6C only shows part of the locking means for a given door, for ease of understanding, namely one bolt and one corresponding tongue.
With reference to FIG. 3, it is seen that the bolts of the bars 8 to 11 are disposed in different directions, more precisely the bolts of the bars 8, 10 and 11 are directed downwards while the bolts of the bar 9 are directed upwards. This makes it possible to close or unlock the doors 2, 3 and 4 in a predetermined order, taking into account the respective and differing movements of the bars 8 and 10 on the one hand and 9 and 11 on the other. FIGS. 7A to 7D show the front face of the apparatus 1 and in particular the three doors associated with their respective locking means, for each position of the locking means. FIG. 7A shows the apparatus when the three doors are closed and barred, i.e. the bolts of the bars 8 to 11 are located inside the openings 33 provided in the tongues 26 fixed to the doors. A given turning movement of the key makes it possible to unlock the door 2, by movement of the bar 8 upwards and of the bar 9 downwards, which moves the corresponding bolts in directions such that they move out from the openings 33 and, thus, free the door 2, which is shown in open position in FIG. 7B. Note that, in this position, the two other doors 3 and 4 are kept closed, the upward movement of the bar 10 associated with the door 4 not allowing the door 4 to be unlocked, and the downward movement of the bar 11 likewise not allowing the door 3 to be unlocked.
The movement of the key is continued in the same direction or carried out in the opposite direction and then allows the door 3 for example to be unlocked (FIG. 7C), through opposite movements of the bars, while the other two doors are kept closed. Likewise, complementary and additional movement of the key 5 allows the door 4 to be unlocked (FIG. 7D) while the two other doors are kept closed.
The means enabling the doors to be closed and unlocked successively and in a controlled and hierarchical manner are explained in more detail below, more particularly with reference to FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D, showing an embodiment of the bars, more specifically a part of the latter. For each FIG. 8 there are shown two bars 8/10 and 9/11 in different respective position of the bars, i.e. for the different respective position for opening the doors like the doors 2, 3 and 4 of the apparatus 1. The members and parts of FIGS. 8 like those of the other figures (in particular FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 6) are given the same or similar references. Thus, the respective bars 8/10 and 9/11 correspond to those of FIG. 3. Each bar is provided with a bolt in the upper part and a bolt in the lower part. A tongue (like the tongue 26 of FIGS. 6A and 6C) fixed to the corresponding door is associated with each bolt. A tongue and, thus, a door corresponds to each bolt. The last digit of the reference numeral of each part or member refers to the reference for the corresponding door (2, 3 or 4 of FIGS. 1 and 2). For example, the bolt 204, the tongue 264 and the opening 334 provided in the latter pertain all three to the door 4. For reasons of clarity, only a single bolt has been shown on each bar for the corresponding door, with the exception of the door 2, associated with two bolts located on two bars respectively located on the two sides of the door 2.
In the left hand part of FIG. 8A there is shown a first bar 8/10, while a second bar 9/11 is shown in the right part. The bar 8/10 comprises two down-turned bolts 202 and 204 while the bar 9/11 comprises one up-turned bolt 202' and one down-turned bolt 203. The bar 8/10 is associated with two tongues 262 and 264 while the bar 9/11 is associated with two tongues 262' and 263. Each tongue has an opening with the respective references 332, 332', 333 and 334, the said openings being of such shape and dimensions that they allow the respective bolts 202, 202', 203 and 204 to penetrate, in the manner described with reference to FIG. 6A. The tongues 262 and 262' are fixed to the door 2, the tongue 263 to the door 3 and the tongue 264 to the door 4.
In the position such as is shown in FIG. 8A, the three doors 2, 3 and 4 corresponding to the tongues 202, 202', 203 and 204 are locked in the closed position, since the bolts are located inside the openings in the tongues fixed to the doors.
Starting from the locked position shown in FIG. 8A, the counterclockwise operation by the user of the lock 12 of the single control means causes the rod 13 (FIG. 4) to move in a given direction and, thus, causes the bar 8/10 to move upward in the direction of arrow I, while the bar 9/11 is moved downwards in the direction of arrow II, so that a position shown in FIG. 8B is reached. The vertical movements (upwards and downwards, respectively) of the bars are by a given increment of length, more specifically by a length slightly greater than the thickness of the tongues 262, 262', 263 and 264. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8B, the bolt 202 is disengaged from the opening 332 of the tongue 262. The same is true of the bolt 202' moved out of the opening 332' of the tongue 262'. Accordingly, the door 2 is capable of being opened. The concomitant downward movement of the bar 9/11 does not allow the corresponding door 3 to be unlocked, and it stays locked.
The transition from the position shown in FIG. 8A, in which all the doors are closed, to the position shown in FIG. 8B, in which only the door 2 is open, has been effected by rotation of the handle 5 in the locking unit 12 through a fraction of a turn, in the given direction (for example counterclockwise).
In order to release another door, for example the door 4, the user, starting from FIG. 8A (in which all the doors are closed) turns the key in the same direction as in the preceding operation (i.e. counterclockwise) through two fractions of a turn (say through two quarter turns). The position shown in FIG. 8C is reached, in which the movements of the bars 8/10 and 9/11 according to the arrows I and II have allowed the door 4 to be freed, while keeping the door 3 closed, (the door 2 being also open).
Starting from the position shown in FIG. 8A (all doors closed), the user turns the key in the opposite direction (e.g. clockwise) to that in the preceding operations, through one fraction of a turn, in order to reach a fourth position such as is shown in FIG. 8D. The bars are shifted in a downward direction (arrow II) for the bar 8/10 and upward (arrow I) for the bar 9/11. Thus, the doors 2 and 4 are kept closed, while the door 3 is unlocked.
For each of the positions of the handle 5, by varying the direction or rotation and the number of increments of the fraction of a turn (for example in multiples of one fourth of a turn), the opening of the corresponding doors is controlled in such a manner that, for each position, a single door will be open, while the other two are closed (or at least one other).
The table below shows the open state (O) or closed state (C) of the doors 2, 3 and 4 for each of the positions A to D relating to the corresponding FIGS. 8A to 8D:
______________________________________Position 2 3 4______________________________________A C C CB O C CC O C OD C O C______________________________________
As can be seen from the table above, in the position C, the doors 2 and 4 are unlocked at the same time, although the situation is that the person opening the door 4 should normally have access only to the enclosure accessible by the door 4, access to the enclosure controlled by the door 2 not being granted to him.
To deal with this situation the device according to the invention is equipped with auxiliary locking means, adapted to lock the door 2 temporarily; these auxiliary means are, for example, formed by a pin 50A adapted to enter into a seat 50 provided in one of the tongues (262) of the door 2. The pin 50A is adapted to be operated by an electromagnet for example, as shown schematically in FIGS. 8A through 8D. Such an electromagnet could be controlled by the same electronic circuit which controls the access by an electronic locking device, as mentioned above.
The operation of the auxiliary locking means is as follows. The person given access to the enclosure corresponding to the door 4 has to turn the handle 5 in a given direction of rotation (counterclockwise) and through two increments of rotation, such as for example two quarter-turns, to reach the position C (FIG. 8C), in order to open the door 4 while keeping the doors 2 and 3 closed. However, during the rotation of the handle, after one increment of rotation (one fourth of a turn), it causes the bars to be shifted until they reach the position B, shown in FIG. 8B, in which the door 2 is open, which is normally not allowed since the person should not have access to this door but only to the door 4. Starting from the neutral position in which all the doors are closed (FIG. 8A), the auxiliary locking means, in the form of the pin 50A and associated electromagnet, are so disposed that pin 50A enters into the seat 50 of the tongue 262 and locks the corresponding door 2. Thus, during the passage from the position 8A to the position 8C, the door 2 is kept closed by pin 50A.
To gain access to the door 2, the user turns handle 5 counterclockwise in the lock 12 through a quarter turn. In this position (FIG. 8B), the doors 3 and 4 are kept closed by the corresponding bolts 203 and 204, while the door 2 is also kept closed by pin 50A located in the seat 50 of the bar 8/10, although the bolts 202 and 202' are free from the openings 332 and 332' of the tongues 262 and 262'. Independent operating means, enabled for example by an electronic memory card, are provided, being adapted to be actuated solely by an authorised person, that is to say in this case the person responsible for operations in the enclosure accessible through the door 2. Once the operations in this said enclosure are completed, closure of the three doors, i.e. return to the neutral position (FIG. 8A) causes reinsertion of the pin 50A into the seat 50 of the door 2 and the neutral position A shown in the table above is restored.
Note that, for reasons of understanding, only a part of each bar, a single bolt and a single locking tongue have been shown in FIGS. 8A, 8B, 8C and 8D. Obviously each bar has a plurality of bolts, each associated with a tongue provided on the corresponding door.
FIG. 9 shows another embodiment of the present invention. Bar L1 with a bolt 101 is associated with a tongue 301 of a door P1, a bar L2 with a bolt 102 is associated with a tongue 302 of a door P2, and a bolt 103 also on bar L2 is associated with a tongue 303 of a door P3. The movement of bars L1 and L2 is controlled by the single control means 6 shown in detail in FIG. 4 and explained above. Thus, control mechanism 6 causes bars L1 and L2 to move in opposite directions for a rotation of handle 5 in a given direction. Thus, as bar L1 moves upward in direction I, bar L2 moves downward in direction II, and vice versa. As in the previous embodiment, handle 5 is operable in predetermined increments to control the amount of movement of bars L1 and L2. The specific operation of this embodiment is described as follows.
As handle 5 is turned in the counterclockwise direction, for example, bar L1 will move upward in direction I, while bar L2 moves downward a corresponding amount in direction II. The amount of movement is sufficient to have bolt 101 just clear tongue 301. Thus, in this position door P1 is open, whereas doors P2 and P3 remain closed because, by virtue of the movement of bar L2, bolts 102 and 103 respectively move deeper into the openings in tongues 302 and 303. When, however, handle 5 is turned in the clockwise direction for a first increment, bar L1 moves downward along direction II, while bar L2 moves upward along direction I. The amount of movement is sufficient to have bolt 103 just clear tongue 303, thereby freeing door P3. When handle 5 is turned a further increment in the clockwise direction, bar L2 continues its upward motion along direction I so that bolt 102 clears tongue 302, thereby freeing door P2. Thus, in this position, doors P2 and P3 are both open.
By varying the parameters from one door to another, such as the orientation of the bolts (upward or downward), the direction of movement of the bolt (rising or falling), the length of the bolt and finally the amount of the displacement of the bolt per step (i.e. per increment of rotation of the handle 5), a large number of possible combinations can be created, allowing control of the opening and closing of the doors according to a predetermined sequence and hierarchy.
The reliability of the device and its security in use can be increased by assigning each person who is to have access to one enclosure only a key for opening 12B which only allows rotation of handle 5 in a given direction, preventing operation of the bars in an opposite direction.
FIGS. 10A to 11B show two embodiments of handle 5. The operating end 5A of L-shaped handle 5' is shown in FIG. 10B to be a triangularly shaped protrusion 110 that fits into a similarly shaped opening 12B in locking unit 12. FIG. 11B shows the operating end 5B of T-shaped handle 5" to be a socket 112 accommodating within it a triangularly shaped actuator 114.
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A device for controlling the opening and closing of at least two doors, each enabling access to an enclosure, a single control means adapted to allow separate and controlled access to each of the enclosures. The control means operates locking means for keeping the doors closed or for releasing them, in such a manner that the doors can be simultaneously either all closed at the same time or else at least one open and another closed. The locking means includes, for each door, at least one sliding bolt associated with a receiving seat provided on a corresponding door.
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